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Reviews
Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
A Believable Futuristic Fantasy
Wow, what a stylish movie - done with just the right amount of realism. The colours, the brilliant use of futuristic housing estate locations around suburban London, the monorail set, the standout use of spoken word credits at the beginning of the film (to make the point that the society we were watching had banned books and the written word), the highly creative finish where the actors walk around reciting passages from classical books in wintry scenes. Credit should go to Mr Bradbury for some of these ideas in the novel, but Mr Truffaut also adds some magic to the story. Great acting too from Mr Werner and Mr Cusack. But the big standout is the stunning classical music score from Mr Hermann. Highly entertaining sci-fi drama.
Pocket Money (1972)
A Joyful Look At Life's Struggles
Pocket Money is a very good and subtle comedy about an ordinary person (Newman) trying hard not to be conned by shady businessmen (played by Strother Martin and Wayne Rogers). Those viewers who are looking for exciting thrills and heroic deeds from the lead characters in such films are missing the point - which seems to be the case with most of the earlier reviews of this film on IMDb.
The storyline makes it clear from the start that Newman's character is a hard working modern cowboy trying to make ends meet despite not being blessed with the most sharpest of brains. As a study of such an everyman character, Newman's performance is (in my view) superb. Marvin's performance on the other hand is a little subdued and below par, but still there is a good chemistry between him and Newman in some scenes. The only disappointing aspect of this film is the ending, which seems to leave the story unnecessarily incomplete. However, overall, I would rate this a very good production of an off-beat story.
The Capone Investment (1974)
First Rate Entertainment
I watched this series last week for the first time on the Film 24 channel on the Sky network here in the UK (which was shown in two parts) and was surprised by the quality of the fast-moving plot and the sharp acting. It was more entertaining and gripping than many cinema films of this type.
I disagree strongly with the review shown on IMDb. I think that modern TV directors can learn a lot from the uncomplicated camera angles and long scenes used on this production - it gave the actors more scope to let their characters breathe and allowed the dialogue to be more realistic. I was also impressed by the excellent locations used, which gave the story more of an edge.
All in all, it was a very good TV drama which deserves to be shown on more prominent TV channels.
Robbery (1967)
Very Enjoyable and Realistic Crime Story
I watched "Robbery" on TV for the first time in years yesterday and was impressed by the quality and reality of the story-line and the characters.
Every scene had an interesting meaning to it and the characters all behaved in a consistent manner - which is very refreshing to see in an age where stories are tailored just to meet the aura or egos of its stars. A big credit for this goes to the writers and the director. The acting of Stanley Baker and James Booth was also outstanding.
All in all a very enjoyable experience - which should appeal to film-lovers like me that are entertained by high quality production values and realistic stories.
Interlude (1968)
A Beautiful Love Story
I saw this film for the first time a week ago and was mesmerised by the charm of the characters and the atmosphere created by the superb classical background music. It is the most sophisticated love story I could ever recall seeing in more than 30 years of watching movies. The location filming around London was very impressive.
But the most incredible memory from this film is the brilliant acting of Virginia Maskell as the spurned wife. The dignified pain in her eyes at the end was haunting (I understand that she had tragic personal problems at the time, but still her performance was worthy of recognition). The acting of Oskar Werner and Barbara Ferris was also outstanding and very realistic. The film was directed and photographed beautifully - altogether a superb visual experience.