Blake Edwards. He must have been one of the more interesting directors in Hollywood. What a strange person to have crafted this truly chilling film, the Days of Wine and Roses, and... the Pink Panther films.
Anyhow, this film has some flaws but most of them are the result of them being copied: what was fresh in this film has become trite.
Still, it is a superb drama that, in several scenes, will leave your heart racing and, if you're like me, make the hairs on your neck stand on end.
The opening is a classic, truly one of the most terrifying in film history. DO NOT let the corporate announcement at the beginning catch you out of your chair. The film score, one of the most memorable, begins very early and sets an uneasy mood.
Yes, it is a simple story of a would-be bank robber attempting to force a bank employee to steal for him, but this movie has enough twists, style, and good acting to elevate it far above all the others. For those that don't think Hollywood made good films into the sixties... see this.
Glenn Ford, who showed in The Asphalt Jungle that he was a very good actor, and Lee Remick, who starred in D of W and R, not only are excellent but they have a chemistry together.
Stephanie Powers is delicious in a Lolita-like way, which is plot-driven, and the villain brilliantly is portrayed by an actor later to become famous as the "side-kick" in a television series.
This definitely is one of the most undeservedly forgotten films.
And... the cinematography is great, too! The new DVD shows brilliant contrasts (it's in black and white.... hooray)and outside of Vertigo, Bullitt, and one or two others, San Francisco has never been better presented.
Watch this at night...
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Topic - "Experiment in Terror:" from 1962, directed by - tinear 06:54:57 07/17/06 (2)
- Re: "Experiment in Terror:" from 1962, directed by - rico 12:32:13 07/19/06 (0)
- Re: "Experiment in Terror:" from 1962, directed by - rico 07:33:23 07/18/06 (0)