Reviews

One of those excellent films that has never been released on video or DVD. The first time I watched this there were only 2 other channels and both were showing programs I hated at that particular moment, so I ended up watching this film by default. What luck! I was treated to a beautiful, haunting film that featured great performances by Herbert Lom, Samantha Eggar, Maxmillian Schell and Ingrid Thulin. Thulin's performance in particular is flawless. She is utterly convincing as a death camp survivor trying to return to the world. If cable ever gets tired of endlessly re-running "Jaws", "The Breakfast Club" and "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" (Excellent films but shown 5 nights a week) and happens to air this true gem, be SURE you see/record it. The second time I caught it was on PBS--20 years after my initial viewing.

While TONS of folks have noted the appearance of Tom Bosley and Tracy Nelson in this film, as well as Tim Matheson, Morgan Brittany, et al, I have not found anyone who remembers that Tom Bosley and Tracy Nelson much later co-starred in "The Father Dowling Mysteries." Imagine, they costarred 20 years previously when Tracy was under 3! I have never seen Robert Osborne note this in his intro to the film on TCM. (Sorry if this HAS been noted but I looked thru all the reviews and I checked the topic headings on the YM&O board.)

As for the film, I enjoy it although I was later disappointed to find that nearly all the scenes were Hollywood contrivances that some hacks felt were necessary to "punch up the script". What a shame. Read the book.

I guess you have to earn the right to be totally idiosyncratic. If Malle were a first time film maker, there is no way that this film would have been tolerated. So many idiotic annoying things in this film. The intrusive sound track. A beetle scuttles thru the grass and it sounds like a rhino charging thru a corn field. At one point in the film an ENDLESS series of wind-up alarm clocks ring; an ear-splitting annoyance that goes on for almost a full minute as Lily frantically tries to shut it off. As soon as she does another one goes off, then ANOTHER. After 3 or 4 alarms go off, she finally just starts throwing them out the window,thus making a clever point: time flies? At the end of this scene, and about TEN alarm clocks, I wanted to chain Malle to a grandfather's clock and throw HIM out the window! Then the huge,irritating rat which speaks gibberish in a loud, grating high-pitched drone. Also it appears that no one, from the unicorn that looks like it's ready for the glue factory, to the old lady , can eat ANYTHING without a deafening smacking of the lips before and during ingestion. Insects and farm animals appear at random amid throngs of naked children. A painting of a warrior beheading an eagle foreshadows the exact incident being re-enacted by the brother, which sets off a pointless indecisive battle between he and his sister. Lily's underpants fall down to her ankles ....TWICE, which the old lady finds hysterical and she grabs her instamatic for a "Kodak moment"! Lily eats a big piece of swiss cheese after removing dozens of live ants.

I kept thinking of that terrific scene in "After the Fox" when Peter Sellers is on trial for smuggling while using the pretext of making a film to disguise the crime. The poorly focused, badly cut film of random activities is shown as evidence in the case. Afterwords a film critic in the crowd leaps up and begins to rave. "Encore! Brilliant!! I Laughed, I cried, it became a part of me!"

I don't care what credentials a film maker has, allegory is NOT a random series of vignettes that please the director. I like Cheese so I'll have scenes with cheese. I hate the sound of an alarm clock so I'll show you just how annoying they are. Mr Malle... GO POUND SAND!!!!!!!

This film is NOT for fans of radioactive mutants! Would someone PLEASE tell film makers that mutations occur in future generations NOT in the creatures exposed to radiation??? If you liked this film, please consider reading Pat Frank's "Alas Babylon" another realistic depiction of survival after nuclear war.