If you thought RALPH RICHARDSON was a tyrant in THE HEIRESS, you should see to what extremes his nasty character goes in WOMAN OF STRAW. And if you thought GINA LOLLOBRIGIDA was just a pretty face and figure, you should see what emotional outbursts she's capable of, even if she's somewhat handicapped by her strong Italian accent.
But the trouble with WOMAN OF STRAW lies not in the acting abilities of any of its cast members. SEAN CONNERY as the anti-hero is perfect in his portrayal of a charming, debonair no-good heel who sets a trap for a woman just so he can inherit the wealth his millionaire uncle will never leave to him. As next of kin, he will inherit that wealth, so he manufactures a plan that sets up Gina as the unsuspecting victim.
The trouble with the film lies not in the performances, but in the fact that the absorbing character driven story is told at such a leisurely pace that nothing seems to happen in the first part of the two hour film. It takes a whole hour to set up the character relationships in a story that could have been told more effectively in a brisk hour-and-a-half.
That aside, the film is meticulously photographed on grand location sites in Majorca, Connery is smoothly sophisticated in a role that shows why he made the perfect James Bond, and it does have a satisfying comeuppance for the villain of the piece. RALPH RICHARSON is so relentlessly cruel that he seems to be enjoying his villainous behavior in the style of Claude Rains at his nastiest.
The sad thing is, the film never reaches its true potential as a taut tale of suspense. Too much time is spent on building up the preliminaries before the story moves forward for the kill.
But the trouble with WOMAN OF STRAW lies not in the acting abilities of any of its cast members. SEAN CONNERY as the anti-hero is perfect in his portrayal of a charming, debonair no-good heel who sets a trap for a woman just so he can inherit the wealth his millionaire uncle will never leave to him. As next of kin, he will inherit that wealth, so he manufactures a plan that sets up Gina as the unsuspecting victim.
The trouble with the film lies not in the performances, but in the fact that the absorbing character driven story is told at such a leisurely pace that nothing seems to happen in the first part of the two hour film. It takes a whole hour to set up the character relationships in a story that could have been told more effectively in a brisk hour-and-a-half.
That aside, the film is meticulously photographed on grand location sites in Majorca, Connery is smoothly sophisticated in a role that shows why he made the perfect James Bond, and it does have a satisfying comeuppance for the villain of the piece. RALPH RICHARSON is so relentlessly cruel that he seems to be enjoying his villainous behavior in the style of Claude Rains at his nastiest.
The sad thing is, the film never reaches its true potential as a taut tale of suspense. Too much time is spent on building up the preliminaries before the story moves forward for the kill.