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Reviews
Hide and Seek (1964)
Another story of the conventional man rescued from his conventionality by an unconventional woman.
This sixties era B-film used to appear occasionally on late-night TV, but in recent years seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. It deserved a better fate.
On the surface, the film plods along as an offbeat, tongue-in-cheek spy thriller. Ian Carmichael's stuffy and uncomfortable-looking astrophysicist is drawn out of his boring existence and into a web of international intrigue, after an encounter with an old friend from the other side of the Iron Curtain leads him into the clutches of an alluring but devious female (played by Janet Munro). A series of increasingly improbable adventures ensues, from which he emerges, at the end, somewhat less stuffy and uncomfortable-looking. (And this was surely the point of it all, to wind up somewhat less stuffy and uncomfortable-looking, as surely as Alan Bates was meant to wind up dancing on the beach with Anthony Quinn at the end of "Zorba the Greek".)
Much the same sort of plot one encounters in films such as "Silver Streak" and "Something Wild", both of which were made some years later. The strength of this particular film is the chemistry of its characters. Carmichael's professor develops just enough wit to prevent him from becoming a total bore. Janet Munro is especially engaging as the temptress. Oscar-winner Hugh Griffith is a standout as a rum-drinking, Shakespeare-quoting bargeman. And Curt Jurgens never takes himself too seriously as the villain of the piece.
All in all, an amusing little entry into the liberation-through-madness genre. Certainly not in the same league as "Zorba the Greek". On the other hand, I would much rather wind up dancing on the beach with Janet Munro than with Anthony Quinn.
Lost Horizon (1973)
Another sterling example of how much damage one person can do when he sets his mind to it.
Excellent cast. Sumptuous scenery. First rate crew. Loved the book.
Sounds like a recipe for a great film. Then some fool decided to turn it into a musical, and hired Bert Bacharach to write the score. One can only think that whoever this person was, he (or she) must have been a saboteur from a rival studio. If Michelangelo had subcontracted to a crew of chimpanzees to paint the Sistine Chapel, the results could not have been much more disasterous. Bacharach's insipid melodies and inane lyrics turn Shangri-la into a hell on earth. It's no wonder they have to kidnap people to get them there. What is surprising is that Michael York and Olivia Hussey are the only ones who want to leave.
For the benefit (?) of anyone who has not seen this abomination, try to envision the talentless Bobby Van dancing in front of a class of Shangri-la schoolchildren, singing "Question me an Answer." Lerner and Lowe, in their worst moments, never descended to such depths. And one can only speculate about the songs that were cut from the film after they caused hysterical laughter among a test audience in Los Angeles, prior to the film's release. But not on a full stomach.