Everything That Dies, Some Day Comes Back

This is yet another film I had been avoiding for no good reason, I just thought it was going to be a silly bit of sub-Freudian psycho-nonsense. But I was reassured from the outset - the makers of this film are not content with simply a caption telling us that this is a real story, they have distinguished broadcaster and journalist Alistair Cooke on screen to tell us directly that this is the case, and have him provide voiceover narration throughout complete with the dates of each important event. The unfortunate person at the centre of the drama is a timid housewife and mother Eve White (played by Joanne Woodward) who, suffering from headaches and blackouts, becomes a patient of a psychiatrist with the sinister name of Dr Luther (played by Lee J Cobb). He uncovers a second personality hiding within Eve White, who is her opposite - extrovert, outspoken, flirtatious, etc, who is dubbed Eve Black (see what they did there?). Whilst Dr Luther is trying to find a way of "curing" Ev...

This 1958 Western is directed by Anthony Mann, who made several superior Westerns in the 1950s, usually starring James Stewart.   But by the time this film was being cast Mann and Stewart had fallen out and so the leading role was offered to Gary Cooper.  This was despite the fact that the part was clearly written for someone 20 years younger (Stewart of course would also have been far too old). Cooper's character Link is the nephew of Lee J Cobb's character Dock, but given that Cobb is some 10 years younger than Cooper this key aspect of the story never makes much sense. So although the film has a lot going for it, in terms of performances, direction, cinematography, it is always hamstrung by the miscasting of Cooper, albeit that he is typically fine. Anyhow, the early scenes of this film give absolutely no indication of where we are heading. Link is taking the train to Fort Worth with the savings of his community so that he can hire a school teacher, although we are gi...

THE EXORCIST I'm not into horror films, which may explain why I had never got around to watching this classic of the genre. In fact to call it a classic is to understate both its commercial success (it still has the ninth highest gross in North America, adjusted for inflation) and its cultural impact. All of which is a little surprising given that it’s not especially scary and that it’s a tough watch. However it is very shocking.  The Devil takes over the body of Regan, a young girl, and during the film her speech is extremely vulgar, she vomits green slime, she violently attacks all who come close, and she masturbates with crosses.   No wonder the film was so controversial (and there’s no such thing as bad publicity). It is also very intense, thanks to the director William Friedkin using a low-key quasi-documentary style as befits a film that treats the subject matter with the utmost seriousness, especially the involvement of the Catholic church.   Max von Sydo...