Becket 

Genre: historical drama 

With: Richard Burton (Thomas Becket), Peter O'Toole (King Henry II), Donald Wolfit (Bishop Folliot), David Weston (Brother John), Sir John Gielgud (King Louis VII of France), Martita Hunt (Empress Matilda, Henry’s mother), Pamela Brown (Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry’s wife), Gino Cervi (Cardinal Zambelli), Paolo Stoppa (Pope Alexander III), Percy Herbert (Baron), Siân Phillips (Gwendolen), Inigo Jackson (Robert de Beaumont), Felix Aylmer (Archbishop of Canterbury)

Director: Peter Glenville

Screenplay: Edward Anhalt (based on Jean Anouilh’s play, translated by Lucienne Hill)

Release: 1964

Studio: Paramount Pictures, Keep Films

Rating: PG-13

MBiS score: 8.6/10 

 

‟Oh Lord, how heavy thy honor is to bear.” 

 

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Story-line: circa 1170, some 104 years after William the Conqueror and his Norman armies seized England and began oppressing its Saxon population, his great grandson Henry II sits uneasily on the throne. Denounced and humiliated, he travels reluctantly to Canterbury in order to make peace with his deceased Saxon friend, Thomas Becket, the former Archbishop with whom he had quarreled on issues of great import.   

Pluses: superb acting by Richard Burton (as a serious, humble Becket) and Peter O’Toole (a scheming, fiery Henry), a fine supporting cast, a virile and very credible screenplay characterized by the gravity of its subject, acute dialogues and moments of cinematic magic (one symbolic scene begins under blue skies and ends under cloud cover as Thomas and Henry forge a fragile truce), first-rate cinematography, impressive production values and an imposing musical score.

Minuses: if this strong movie doesn’t captivate you from the start, don’t despair! Things pick up admirably around the 28-minute mark.

Comments: BECKET is a hefty film rich in drama, ideas and ideals, a fitting example of English historical cinema (although based on a French play, no less!). In spite of their closeness, you can always sense a latent antagonism between our protagonists, a discord that will be set ablaze when Henry bestows on his friend an honor that would weigh heavily on anyone, even the noble Thomas Becket. As the great Saint Augustine once said, “There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future”. Thomas Becket certainly answers to this quintessential description. 

 

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Ascenseur pour l’échafaud

English title: Elevator to the Gallows

Genre: suspense film (in black and white)

With: Jeanne Moreau (Florence Carala), Maurice Ronet (Julien Tavernier), Georges Poujouly (Louis), Yori Bertin (Véronique, Louis’s girlfriend), Jean Wall (Simon Carala, Florence’s husband), Iván Petrovich (Horst Bencker), Elga Andersen (Frieda Bencker), Lino Ventura (Cherrier)

Director: Louis Malle

Screenplay: Roger Nimier, Louis Malle and Noël Calef (based on Calef’s novel)

Release: 1958

Studio: Nouvelles Éditions de Films

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.7/10

 

 

Basic Math for Extramarital Affairs: 3 - 1 = 2 

 

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Story-line: from a phone booth somewhere in Paris, Florence contacts her lover Julien, who is still working on this Saturday evening, and tells him how eager she is to see him. ‟When it’s done, she says, you’ll come in your big car… I’ll get in next to you… and we’ll be free.” The ‟it” she is referring to is the murder of Simon Carala, her husband and Julien’s boss.

Pluses: fine acting by an ardent Jeanne Moreau, a cool and calculated Maurice Ronet and a solid cast, a deliberate, chilling screenplay that uses snippets of humour to balance out its gravity and keeps its best moments for the final act, stylish direction by a top-notch helmer, Henri Decaë’s superb monochrome cinematography, quality production values, a marvellous musical score by Miles Davis and an explosive ending.

Minuses: none I can think of.

Comments: this stunning film recounting one eventful weekend in and around Paris is remarkable not only for its potent drama but also for its treatment of Jeanne Moreau’s status as a cinematic sex symbol. In scenes that pop up like running gags at different stages of the movie, you will notice that (1) wherever she goes, people can’t help staring at her and (2) when you see her walking, even in dire circumstances, she doesn’t seem particularly hurried (nobody rushes Madame Moreau, capisce?). The hypnotizing ASCENSEUR POUR L’ÉCHAFAUD, a masterwork by one of the main proponents of the nouvelle vague, is intriguing, arty and memorable. Love, whether adult or adolescent, can be a very dangerous thing.

 

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Don’t Look Now

Genre: horror movie

With: Julie Christie (Laura Baxter), Donald Sutherland (John Baxter), Hilary Mason (the visually impaired Heather), Clelia Matania (Wendy, Heather’s sister), Massimo Serato (Bishop Barbarrigo), Renato Scarpa (Inspector Longhi), Leopoldo Trieste (the Hotel Manager), Nicholas Salter (Johnny Baxter), Sharon Williams (Christine Baxter), David Tree (Anthony Babbage), Ann Rye (Mandy Babbage)

Director: Nicolas Roeg

Screenplay: Allan Scott and Chris Bryant (based on a story by Daphne Du Maurier)

Release: 1973

Studio: Casey Productions, Eldorado Films, D.L.N. Ventures Partnership, Paramount

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.5/10

 

 

In memory of Donald Sutherland (1935-2024) 

 

‟She is dead! Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead!” 

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Story-line: after the death of their daughter Christine at home in England, John and Laura Baxter send their son Johnny to the Babbage boarding school and leave for Venice where John has been hired to restore a 16th century church. Logically, a change of scenery should soothe them as grieving parents… but brute logic has little to do with what’s coming their way.

Pluses: excellent acting by Julie Christie (a vulnerable Laura), Donald Sutherland (the anxious and frustrated John) and a fine cast in less-than-reassuring roles, competent and very guarded direction, an original and unpredictable screenplay that cultivates a strange and ominous mood, high-quality production values, superior cinematography (Anthony B. Richmond makes Venice looks great but also dark and spooky), very effective editing (Graeme Clifford), a scary musical score by Pino Donaggio and a startling ending.

Minuses: although it is usually labelled as a horror movie, DON’T LOOK NOW also deals with paranormal phenomena.  

Comments: this movie’s great strength is its skilful buildup of tension. After a tragic opening, it sets a quiet mood, traces psychological portraits of its characters and then uses a series of events – either meaningless, inexplicable or important – to set the stage for a stunning third act. Unlike run-of-the-mill slasher movies that are long on carnage but short on value, the subtle and persistent DON’T LOOK NOW is disturbing because it remains anchored in reality. This is accomplished cinema, no doubt about it.

  

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