At the time this film was made the Swinging Sixties in Britain were yet to begin. Britain's old social mores still held sway, while youth culture was bubbling up ready to take centre stage. In this film teenagers at the Paloma café call each other "nit" and "berk" and say things like "Cor! Strike a light!" While the word "virginity" is censored to a "V."
The star of the film is the pop singer Adam Faith. Although he sings the theme song "Mix Me a Person" and does an English language version of "La Bamba" in the film, he plays a serious role in a serious film dealing with serious issues. Faith can almost certainly act better than he can sing; and, as the teenager sentenced to death for the murder of a policeman is totally convincing throughout.
The plot is not too bad although it hangs together with a series of unbelievable coincidences. But I suppose that just goes to show that no matter how convincing the case against a condemned man is, there is always an element of doubt, which makes the irreversible death penalty useless in a civilised justice system.
The film is fairly well directed. The script is a little jaded and unreal. Otherwise Mix Me a Person is well above average for a British B movie; and is much, much better than the cops and robbers tripe that was typical of the period.
Now the acting. The warders, police, villains, do their jobs well. It's the principle characters that are - well - they are absolutely pathetic in many cases. As mentioned, Adam Faith is great. Anne Baxter, who plays the psychiatrist with gravity-defying hair who tries to prove Faith's innocence, acts well or badly, depending on whom she is playing the scene with. If she plays with someone who acts well, she acts well. Unfortunately, many of her scenes are played with her barrister boyfriend played by Donald Sinden. Sinden chews up the scenery so much that there must have been teethmarks all over the film stock; so, in her scenes with Sinden, Baxter does likewise. Then there are the new generation of actors represented by the kids at the Paloma Café. Of these, Dr Who girl Carole Ann Ford is excellent and totally convincing. The rest, which include Tony Blair's father-in-law Anthony Booth, are, in my opinion, absolutely APPALLING.
On the credit side, the abolition of the death penalty was a hot topic at the time. It would be easy for this film to sentimentalise and trivialise this subject; somehow this film avoids that, and no doubt had a minor role to play in the death penalty's final abolition a year or two later. The helplessness of the innocent man and those who take his cause against a bureaucratic and rigid justice system determined to exact its pound of flesh is captured wonderfully well.
For all its faults this mix-me-a-film is well worth watching. Its good points outweigh its bad ones, which is why I have given it 7 out of 10.
The star of the film is the pop singer Adam Faith. Although he sings the theme song "Mix Me a Person" and does an English language version of "La Bamba" in the film, he plays a serious role in a serious film dealing with serious issues. Faith can almost certainly act better than he can sing; and, as the teenager sentenced to death for the murder of a policeman is totally convincing throughout.
The plot is not too bad although it hangs together with a series of unbelievable coincidences. But I suppose that just goes to show that no matter how convincing the case against a condemned man is, there is always an element of doubt, which makes the irreversible death penalty useless in a civilised justice system.
The film is fairly well directed. The script is a little jaded and unreal. Otherwise Mix Me a Person is well above average for a British B movie; and is much, much better than the cops and robbers tripe that was typical of the period.
Now the acting. The warders, police, villains, do their jobs well. It's the principle characters that are - well - they are absolutely pathetic in many cases. As mentioned, Adam Faith is great. Anne Baxter, who plays the psychiatrist with gravity-defying hair who tries to prove Faith's innocence, acts well or badly, depending on whom she is playing the scene with. If she plays with someone who acts well, she acts well. Unfortunately, many of her scenes are played with her barrister boyfriend played by Donald Sinden. Sinden chews up the scenery so much that there must have been teethmarks all over the film stock; so, in her scenes with Sinden, Baxter does likewise. Then there are the new generation of actors represented by the kids at the Paloma Café. Of these, Dr Who girl Carole Ann Ford is excellent and totally convincing. The rest, which include Tony Blair's father-in-law Anthony Booth, are, in my opinion, absolutely APPALLING.
On the credit side, the abolition of the death penalty was a hot topic at the time. It would be easy for this film to sentimentalise and trivialise this subject; somehow this film avoids that, and no doubt had a minor role to play in the death penalty's final abolition a year or two later. The helplessness of the innocent man and those who take his cause against a bureaucratic and rigid justice system determined to exact its pound of flesh is captured wonderfully well.
For all its faults this mix-me-a-film is well worth watching. Its good points outweigh its bad ones, which is why I have given it 7 out of 10.