Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by tinear (A) on July 18, 2006 at 12:09:06

From swinging sixties' London comes this suspense-filled effort from Otto Preminger. Keir Dullea, Carol Lynley, Laurence Olivier, Noel Coward (!)and a host of excellent English character actors you will recognize from many other films participate in the story of two Americans who report a missing child--- with the problem that no one seems to have seen this particular child since it arrived in England.
Sound familiar? Yes, recently we've seen several similar stories but they are very inferior. Neither Dullea nor Lynley particularly are effective but the Preminger is smart enough to let Olivier have many scenes and to use the ensemble to good effect. Did I mention it was exciting?
For lovers of British invasion groups, there are several songs (on a telly) by the very youthful looking Zombies.
The film has a bit of the dark Grand Guignol look to it, especially in the scenes with the school dowager and those sporting a very over-the-top (wasn't he always?) Coward.
The lone scene between Olivier and Coward was extremely entertaining...