Starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore, Henry Jones
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A police detective who's entered into retirement due to his crippling vertigo is asked by an old friend to follow his wife, whom he fears has been possessed by a spirit from the dead.
One of the great films of any era, this is not just a mystery or a love story, but a tale of obsession on the level of a Greek tragedy, beautifully filmed and acted. Stewart's character is imbued with the actor's natural charm and delivery, but also requires he goes into the darker corners of the man's psyche, and the actor does an excellent job of showing how desperate his mind his is to recover what he loses. Novak, in dual roles, playing the upper-crust and refined Madeleine, and later the more earthy and independent Judy, is also exceptional, and Bel Geddes is endearing and amusing as Stewart's former flame who still has a friendly relationship with the detective. Relying less on expository dialogue than the camera and clever editing by George Tomasini to tell the story, Hitchcock takes the audience into the narrative perhaps more personally than any of his other films. Bernard Herrmann's excellent score also heightens the emotional tension and is an important component in the film's storytelling, particularly his wonderful cue "Scene d'amour," which underscores Stewart and Novak's passionate romance. It's a great film, and one worth revisiting again and again.
Showing posts with label Henry Jones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Henry Jones. Show all posts
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Project X (1968)
Starring Christopher George, Greta Baldwin, Henry Jones, Monte Markham, Harold Gould
Directed by William Castle
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
When a dead uncover agent's last words predict an attack on America in 14 days, the race is on for scientists to recover the memories from his brain.
One of William Castle's last directorial efforts is this early attempt at a techno-thriller, based on the books of Leslie P. Davies. The film offers a fine premise, with the notion of trying to recover critical information from the dead agent's mind before it's too late, and the attempt to show memories within the brain against backgrounds animated by Hanna-Barbera makes for some interesting visuals. However this works better when it's done more subtly earlier in the film, as later on Jonny Quest-like drawings clash a bit with the actors. For a sci-fi effort, the film's attempt to cast Asia as the villains, along with the henchmen wearing conical hats comes off as uncomfortably racist, and the film's women don't fare much better, an uncomfortable remembrance of conflicts and stereotypes in the 1960s. Although George is the credited star of the film, he's not given a lot to do, nor has any real memorable scenes, but character actor Henry Jones is excellent and the real standout as the scientist leading the journey into his memories. I enjoyed watching this, and it held my interest, but was never sold on the story's conceit that it needed to give George a new identity when resuscitated to put him in a position where they could retrieve his memories, depending on constructing a 1960s farmhouse to keep him ignorant of the future time period.
Directed by William Castle
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
When a dead uncover agent's last words predict an attack on America in 14 days, the race is on for scientists to recover the memories from his brain.
One of William Castle's last directorial efforts is this early attempt at a techno-thriller, based on the books of Leslie P. Davies. The film offers a fine premise, with the notion of trying to recover critical information from the dead agent's mind before it's too late, and the attempt to show memories within the brain against backgrounds animated by Hanna-Barbera makes for some interesting visuals. However this works better when it's done more subtly earlier in the film, as later on Jonny Quest-like drawings clash a bit with the actors. For a sci-fi effort, the film's attempt to cast Asia as the villains, along with the henchmen wearing conical hats comes off as uncomfortably racist, and the film's women don't fare much better, an uncomfortable remembrance of conflicts and stereotypes in the 1960s. Although George is the credited star of the film, he's not given a lot to do, nor has any real memorable scenes, but character actor Henry Jones is excellent and the real standout as the scientist leading the journey into his memories. I enjoyed watching this, and it held my interest, but was never sold on the story's conceit that it needed to give George a new identity when resuscitated to put him in a position where they could retrieve his memories, depending on constructing a 1960s farmhouse to keep him ignorant of the future time period.
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