Reviews

Heart-warming tale starring the Pink Panther and set in New York around the turn of the century. The cool feline is only looking for a bite to eat but finds trouble every way he turns. A chance discovery of a Santa suit leads to a job in department store as St Nick, but when he takes a bite out of a little girl's lollipop he is chased by her irate mother and the department store manager. Attempts to get jailed and thereby qualify for a Christmas dinner are unsuccessful but after giving away half of a hard-earned doughnut to an even hungrier little dog, he is rewarded for his kind deed in an unexpected way. Adapted from O Henry's famous short story 'The Cop And The Anthem'.

I have this film on video, taped from BBC2, which I assume is the full version, I watch it at least annually, and every time time I watch it I marvel at it - to think that this film was actually made DURING the Second World War. The lush colour and look of the production belies this, but apart from that I still can't believe that they got away with the portrayal of the Germans, and of the Theo Kratschmar-Schuldorff character, given that we were actually AT WAR with them at the time. The film makers were able to say, at the time, 'It's the Nazis, not the German people, who are the enemy'. What a courageous statement and it speaks volumes for Britain that they were able to do it. Put it this way: I don't recall any sympathetic treatment of Argentinians in the media during the Falklands...

I have seen this film only once - it was part of a holiday double bill with (I think, Captain Sinbad which starred Guy Madison). I must have been eleven at the time, and remember that my mother had agreed to take my younger brother and myself to see it at the ABC Haymarket cinema in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (happy days), on the strength of having seen the trailer, which made it look good. I remember to this day how I looked forward all week to seeing it, and how disappointed I was when I actually saw it. Seldom have I seen a film to compare, in terms of promising a lot and delivering nothing. Nothing happened of any consequence, until a scene between Lloyd Bridges and David McCallum - I recall the dialogue, something like 'where there are smaller fish there will be bigger fish' (sounds pretty innocuous now, I'm sure there must have been more menace in it than that). It must been pretty poor for me not to like an adventure film at the age of 11! And of course my poor Mum yawned her way through it too. She must have regarded it as a huge waste of money.

As an avid fan of the Flashman books by George McDonald Fraser, I looked forward immensely to seeing Flashy on the big screen when this film was first released. Sadly it was a huge disappointment then - so I left it alone for 20 years before going back to watch it again, but it was no better the second time. Mr Fraser is a tremendously skillful writer, but I am not a fan of his film screenplay work with Richard Lester. The penchant for slapstick spoilt 'The Three Musketeers' for me and the same applies here. To me, the whole tone and feel of the film is wrong. The Flashman books are uproariously funny in parts, but they are adventure novels. There is much seriousness in the way the adventures that Flashman has - after all, he is involved in dangerous situations. This is conveyed in the novels, but not conveyed at all on film due to the its comedic style. It is a tremendous shame as it could have a great film had it been a more faithful adaptation of the style of the book. When I first read that the book was to be filmed, the article said that the film was to star Oliver Reed. I rejoiced, as Reed to me was the epitome of Flashman. How I would have loved to see him in the role. Malcolm McDowell is a good actor, but does not fit the visual image of Flashman created by the books (too scrawny looking! Flashman is supposed to be a big strapping fellow). Neverheless Reed was excellent as Bismarck. What kills the film is that it is made as a comedy. The only scene in which it creates the true atmosphere of the book is the scene in which Flashman kills de Gautet (Tom Bell). A great shame, as the production values, costumes, sets etc are superb and the casting is generally excellent - just about everybody in the film is well cast apart from Malcolm McDowell. Possibly the directorship of Richard Lester was responsible for the way the film is, as a recent radio adaptation of 'Flash For Freedom', adapted by Mr Fraser, worked quite well. Perhaps one day we may see Flashman done justice on screen.

'Ha'penny extra, sir...' 'No more bread!'

This is a great film and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all these reviews...almost as much as watching the films again! 'Carol' is such a great story that any version of it is watchable...although the Bill Murray version tries very very hard to disprove that theory. In my opinion, this and the George C Scott version are the top two. I enjoyed John from UK's comments and agreed with many of them, and I enjoy the Finney version too (I have created another version by editing out the songs!!! How sad am I?) but the Finney version, while producing many magical moments (Scrooge playing 'The Minister's Cat' is a standout, and Kenneth More is a superb Ghost Of Christmas Present) by the very fact that it is a musical, cannot be considered as a definitive.

For me, Alistair Sim is brilliant as Scrooge, although for me, no actor has truly captured the image of Scrooge that I have in my mind from the book - I always imagined him as being like Wilfrid Brambell portrayed the father in 'Steptoe & Son'. Sim is too burly for the physical image but that aside, he sparkles in the role. No other actor, for me, has truly captured the two sides of the Scrooge character - cold, embittered cynicism turned at the climax into unbridled joviality and buffoonery. Nevertheless, when I watch this film, much as I enjoy it there are several issues that I would be happy to take up with the Producers should I ever get the chance! 1) As many other reviewers have said, Mervyn Johns looks too well-fed to be Bob Cratchit. (Hermoine Baddeley looks a bit too well-fed to be his wife, too) 2) Tiny Tim is not Tiny; he is anything but. Although Dickens doesn't give Tim's age, I imagine him to be about 8 or 9 in the book. This lad looks like a fairly strapping 13 or 14 year old. (He's not much smaller than Mervyn Johns!) 3) Although I enjoyed the additional scenes as they give an insight into why Scrooge is the way he is, the enhancement of the Mrs Dilber character is completely unnecessary. This has obviously been done to give Kathleen Harrison, a popular British star of the 50's, a role in the film, presumably to enhance its box office appeal. One scene in which she plays the major role, that of the fence's office where Scrooge's effects are being sold off after his death goes on far too long (I usually fast forward through this bit.) 4)Where, oh where, are the gentlemen collecting for charity at the climax of the film? This scene is extremely well portrayed at the beginning of the film, so why is the sequel completely omitted at the end? Was it filmed and then edited out? Or was it deliberately sacrificed to give more screen time for Mrs Dilber. 5) It's great to see Jacob Marley personified as a young man by Patrick MacNee, and I love the board meeting scene with Jack Warner, but couldn't Michael Hordern have been given some dialogue in that scene, instead of just sitting there being made to grin like the Cheshire Cat ?

It's still one of my favourite films - I think correcting the above would have made it near perfect! My favourite lines - on the night of Marley's death, as Catchit is helping Scrooge on with his coat - Bob: I hope you'll find Mr Marley well, sir Scrooge: I should think that's highly unlikely!

It is such a great story that I enjoy every version of it, from Alistair Sim to the Jetsons. Scott's performance is superb and he comes very close to matching what to me is the archetypal Scrooge, that of Alistair Sim's. Where Sim tops out, for me, is in the transformation of Scrooge after the visits of the ghosts - the jovial buffoonery in utter contrast to the cold cynicism beforehand. Scott's performance as the miser is brilliant but his transformation doesn't quite carry the same punch; the moving scene where he visits his nephew is excellent, but overall, I kind of get the impression that THIS Scrooge could maybe slip back into his old ways a little in time. I also wince a bit when George C Scott answers the men in the exchange by saying 'Then buy your corn some place else' as opposed to 'somewhere else' !!! Otherwise his English accent is perfect. I enjoyed Rees as Scrooge's nephew and the scene where Scrooge visits his nephew and niece is superbly done - Fred exhibits the surprise you would expect and his request for admission back into their lives is moving. The ghosts are OK (although Woodward is a bit un-benevolent as Christmas Present! For the definitive Ghost Of Christmas Present, see Francis de Woolf in the 1951 version). I especially enjoyed Nigel Davenport as Scrooge's father in the childhood scenes - these add a lot to the story and help to explain Scrooge's character. I love the bit where George C Scott is watching his younger self and giving his father the evil eye at the same time. Unfortunately though David Warner and Susannah York don't do it for me as the Cratchits - too good-looking. Having said that, the kid who plays Tiny Tim is brilliant - he actually is tiny, and he looks like he's at death's door. So all in all - in my search for the perfect 'Carol', I would go for Alistair Sim as Scrooge; Alec Guinness from the musical version as Marley; the Cratchits from the Michael Hordern BBC play; Tiny Tim from this version; the party guests from this version; Roger Rees from this version as Fred; the ghosts of Christmas Past Present & Future, 1951 version.

This ranks alongside The Unforgiven as one of the best Westerns ever made. If Clint Eastwood had played Culpepper it would have been up there instead of being largely ignored - but then again it wouldn't have been the same film. I first saw it in the 1970s at the cinema and I was impressed by its realism and earthiness - 'Rawhide' with warts. It's got plenty of action, never drags and is one of those films where every actor does a fine job. A stand-out is Geoffrey Lewis as the psycho cowhand - those starey eyes creep me out every time I watch the film. Difficult to believe it's the same guy who played Eastwood's sidekick in those Orang-Utan films. Great to see those two western stalwarts - Anthony James in an unusual sympathetic role as the leader of the religious group and Royal Dano as the cattle thief. Another favourite line: when Culpepper finds out the kid has had the horses stolen from him -"He was talking to you??? Why the hell didn't you shoot him???? Damned kid!!"

I enjoyed all the previous reviews on this site, but one guy seems to think that Culpepper gets killed in the shoot-out at the end! Watch it again mate!