Out of the Past:
A wonderful Film Noir tale, from 1947, starring Robert Mitchum as an ex detective trying to escape his past pumping gas in a small California town. With cute girlfriend in tow, all seems to be going swell until one day a shady character from said murky past shows up to give him an offer he can’t refuse from a crime boss who he knew in the past . He is ordered back to L.A. where is charged by said boss to find his ex girlfriend who shot him and made off with 40 grand, (big dough in those days, these days it’ll only get you a Chevy volt) anyway there are plenty of surprises, plot twists, intrigue, double triple crosses, Kirk Douglas in his very early 30’s. does a star turn, fabulous lighting and camera work, a script from his novel by Daniel Mainwaring full of clever biting dialog (for those of you old enough to remember what that was like, this is a treat). The direction by Jacques Tourneur is spot on. A great piece of work, a real gown up film with a narrative that would probably bore today’s 12 year old ADD stricken audience after the first 15 minutes, however for the rest of us not on Ritalin (oh dear I’ve gone all Ed Reardon) A Classic in the best sense of the word.
454 stars (a Netflix recommendation)
Fallen Idol;
This is a re release of a 58 year old classic by director Carol Reed (The Third Man) While this film does not reach the dizzying heights of that film, it is still noteworthy viewing. In this film which takes place in an un named embassy in London, where a small boy very well played by Bobby Henry is left in the charge of the staff while his father is away picking up his mother from a hospital stay. The boy is closest to the butler “Baines” expertly played by a young Ralph Richardson, who is married to “Mrs. Baines” an ogre of a housekeeper, who Philippe, (the small boy) dislikes as much as Mr Baines seems to endure. Anyway , Philippe stumbles upon an illicit affaire that Baines is having with one of the embassy employees, which leads to all sorts of intrigue , police investigations, (after Mrs. Baines untimely death) and Hitchcockian suspense. Reed displays some of his wonderful lighting and camerawork, (which was to fully bloom in The Third Man). The acting is of the very reserved British type, of the period,(definitely not “Trainspotting”). One of the most startling things in viewing this piece is its social reference, in today’s context.
100stars no car chases
