Everything That Dies, Some Day Comes Back

This is a remake by Hitchcock of a film he made in 1934.   The highlight of the earlier version is an assassination attempt during a concert at the Royal Albert Hall, so it's no surprise that Hitchcock keeps this in the remake.   He also keeps the underlying premise, of a normal couple who accidentally learn of a plan to commit a political assassination, whose child is kidnapped to keep them from going to the authorities. But in all other details the two films are completely different. This one starts in Morocco, where Ben and Jo McKenna, with their son Hank, are on holiday.  Given that this portion of the film is simply there to set things up it goes on for a surprisingly long time (at least 45 minutes).  It's too long in my opinion, but eventually Hank is kidnapped, and Ben and Jo desperately go to London where their only lead is a man (so they think) by the name of Ambrose Chappell. In fact Ambrose Chapel is a church, where they meet again the Draytons, ...

This is (to me anyway) a rather obscure thriller set in Canada, from 1978. The story is based on a neat (if improbable) premise.  Miles, a senior bank teller played by Elliott Gould, becomes aware that his bank will be robbed.  Being a clever fellow with not a surfeit of morals he realises that he can safely steal a load of dollars since their loss will be blamed on the bank robber.  Of course, for this subterfuge to work Miles needs to delay setting off the alarm so that the robber (who is dressed as Santa Claus!) can escape, which he does. All well and good, and in a nice touch Miles stores his loot in one of the bank’s safety deposit boxes. The trouble is that the real thief, played by Christopher Plummer, is not best pleased and being a nasty and violent piece of work he starts threatening Miles. What ensues is a battle of wits. Since Miles is a smart alec we know who will win but it’s fun to watch him come up trumps.  At one stage he plays a very neat trick to g...

After the catastrophic failure of 'Heaven's Gate' in 1980, it was a brave move by Clint Eastwood to produce, direct and star in another Western a few years later.  He was rewarded with a commercial and critical hit, although I'm at a bit of a loss to explain its success.   I agree with the critic quoted in Wikipedia who thought it was derivative, given that it has very strong echoes of both 'Shane' and Eastwood's own 'High Plains Drifter' - the basic story is of a community under threat which is saved by a mysterious outsider, who may well be a ghost. When you are referencing two such strong films you need to bring something distinctive to the table but this is where 'Pale Rider' falls short. Sure there are some variations.   Instead of a young lad who idolises Shane we get a teenage girl, Megan, who would quite like to lose her virginity to the stranger. Instead of farmers, the community at risk consists of a bunch of gold prospectors and th...

Although this 1942 film adaptation of a Graham Greene novel is usually described as a film noir it could equally be described as a wartime espionage thriller.  In fact it doesn't really succeed as either, and I was not surprised to read in Wikipedia that one of the screenwriters later said that "it doesn't stand up at all and I just don't know why it was so successful in the way it was." Well, the simple reason why it was successful was the performance of Alan Ladd, as the hired killer Raven, and his onscreen chemistry with Veronica Lake. Ladd had been in small parts in films for eight years, but this was his breakout role, even though nominally he was only fourth billing.  The studio was so excited about his performance during production that they lined him and Lake up together for another film ('The Glass Key') even before this one was released. Ladd and Lake certainly carry the picture, which has a creaky plot and undistinguished direction from Frank T...

As I was watching the opening credits to this 1943 adaptation of the famous novel by Charlotte Brontë, I couldn't help but be impressed by the talent involved.  Besides Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles playing the lead roles (perfect casting it would seem), Aldous Huxley and John Houseman were involved in writing the screenplay, and Bernard Herrmann wrote the score.  The likes of Agnes Moorhead and a young Elizabeth Taylor get to play very minor roles. Admittedly I hadn’t heard of the director Robert Stevenson,  who was one of many screenwriters who eventually graduated to directing.  In Stevenson's case his most notable film was probably ‘Mary Poppins’, some twenty odd years later. I’ve never read the novel but I had a broad idea as to the main storyline.  It’s a Gothic romance, and this film certainly doesn't stint on the Gothic atmosphere: it’s in black-and-white, there’s plenty of mist and thunderstorms, all the buildings seem cold and oppressive, the countrys...

This thriller from 1997 has an admittedly ridiculous premise. No, not that a bunch of terrorists could board Air Force One so easily, but that the US President is as young, brave, decent and resourceful as President Marshall is here. In fact on this viewing the US triumphalism, although not as bad as in 'Independence Day' say, did irk me a tad. But that aside this is a superior film of its type, with all the working parts in synch. Harrison Ford and Glenn Close are fine as President and Vice-President but the real standout performance in the acting department is Gary Oldman, who is totally convincing (and scary) as someone so committed to his cause (Mother Russia) that he is prepared to commit any atrocity.  Director Wolfgang Petersen proves a dab hand at keeping things moving and making the action sequences exciting, aided by Jerry Goldsmith's propulsive and sumptuous score. The screenwriters do a great job of finding different ways for the President to outwit the bad guys...