Inzaghi, Simone Movie Reviews

Throughout the 1950s, a group of young British writers were referred to as "angry young men" because, in their novels and plays, they excoriated what they perceived to be the dominant materialistic values of their society following World War Two. They included playwrights John Osborne and Kingsley Amis and novelists John Braine, John Wain, and Alan Silitoe. This film is based on Braine's novel Room at the Top; Neil Patterson received an Academy Away for best adapted screenplay. Joe Lampton (Laurence Harvey) is the focal point. Driven by smoldering ambition to overcome his modest circumstances and deeply resentful of the wealthiest man in a North Country village (Brown, played by Donald Wolfit), he finally obtains a position in Brown's company and begins his difficult journey to "the top" while including marriage to Brown's daughter Susan (Heather Sears) among his ultimate objectives. Along the way, he meets an older but still attractive Frenchwoman, Alice Aisgill (Simone Signoret) with whom he has an affair. For Joe, it is a mere dalliance along his career path; she, however, falls in love with him. Beyond the passionate sex which she enjoys as much as he does, Alice also helps Joe to refine his social graces and increase his understanding and appreciation of the cultural arts. (Signoret received an Academy Award as best actress for her performance in this film.) Joe seems grateful for her contributions to his self-improvement but really has no long-term interest in her. He remains obsessed with reaching "the top" with wife Susan at his side, possessing great wealth, power, and prestige.

And then he learns from Susan that....

Alice is the most sympathetic character in the film, largely because Joe exploits her so callously. As for Brown, "what you see is what you get": a class-conscious, hard-driving, no-nonsense capitalist. Unlike Joe, no need for dissembling. Brown is at "the top" and (by God) he intends to remain there. Susan is of great importance to Joe (and to her father, of course) but is of little importance to the film's story line except as one of the ambitious goals which motivate Joe. He really cares little for her as a person, one way or the other. Were she in his own social class, Joe would probably have little to do with her...except, perhaps, for occasional sexual gratification (for himself). At least Alice offered more than sex...she offered unconditional love. Only at the end of the film does Joe begin to realize what he has gained by reaching "the top" and at what a cost. Both in the novel and in this film, Joe symbolizes just about everything which enraged Braine and other British writers.

Years later, in a brief excerpt from "The Paradox of Our Time," George Carlin observes that "We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years." He could well be describing Joe Lampton and countless others who seem to know the cost of everything but the value of nothing, who (in Socrates' words) live unexamined lives, in Thoreau's words "lives of quiet desperation."

Those who share my admiration of this film are urged to check out A Place in the Sun (1951), Look Back in Anger (1958), Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1961), and A Taste of Honey (also 1951).

I don't think I need to add anything to the glowing reviews this film has received -- back when it was released in 1959 or now on Amazon's website. I hope that Criterion gains the rights to re-release the film with a clean, sharp image. Screenplay, two extroardinary central performances (Harvey and Signoret seem made for it), direction and location filming add up to a realistic, brutal love story of a young man with values in the wrong place. See it anyway. The beginning of the DVD is also partially missing -- an altogether careless, rush job.

This was the era of John Osborne and Britain's "Angry Young Man" whose influence was becoming so widespread in the post-Suez period. Laurence Harvey gives a masterful performance as an opportunistic young man who, on the surface, has apparently succeeded, but yet, if this is so, why does he have a funereal look on his face as he is being transported from the church sitting next to beautiful Heather Sears, his new bride and daughter of the wealthiest man in town?

The answer to that question lies in the woman who took her life, and was Harvey's true love, Simone Signoret, who delivered one of the most captivating performances of the post-World War Two period in achieving a notably deserved "Best Actress" Oscar. When Harvey arrives in the small English factory town he resents the lowly position he has, seeking to graduate to the world of wealth. The restrictive surroundings mandate that the only way for him to do so in that town is to successfully romance Sears, the daughter of a wealthy factory owner, which he does. Eventually he impregnates her and the two marry after her father, who earlier sought to get rid of Harvey by arranging a possible position for him in another town at an excellent salary, rescinds his opposition.

The heart and soul of the movie is Signoret, whom Harvey meets at a local drama club, where they appear in a play together and immediately establish a torrid romance. Harvey knows that, from the standpoint of a deep, abiding, romantic love, he vibrates with the older French woman in a way he never can with Sears. It all comes down to ultimate opportunity, and so Harvey leaves the woman he deeply loves. When the heartbroken Signoret takes her life Harvey is left with the trappings of success while enduring a painful inward death.

As a form of expiating what he has done, Harvey seeks out physical punishment by behaving in an unruly manner at a local pub. His actions invite reprisal from a group of young toughs, who resent him as an interloper from the upper class who has come to sneer at them. He is savagely beaten on a bridge near the bar a few minutes after his departure from the pub. He makes no attempt to defend himself and encourages the beating, his eyes containing a dead look as he thinks about the recently deceased Signoret. The scene contains such a realistic ring that, when director Jack Clayton and crew were shooting it late one evening, townspeople confused it for the real thing and contacted the police.

Clayton directed with a sure hand, insuring that the emotions appeared genuine, always asserted with tangible meaning at the proper level with none of the overacting of soap opera. Harvey is seen as a young man torn emotionally between his genuine feelings for Signoret and his quest to escape a humdrum life in a small town, the prospect of which clearly terrifies him.

A socially conscious would-be epic, from back in the days When Art Mattered. The story takes place on a German ocean liner in the early 1930s, travelling from Mexico back to Der Fatherland, with an all-star cast of Spaniards, Americans, Jews, drunks, dwarves, exiles, tortured artists and Germans -- both good and bad -- all sailing towards their date with Destiny. Honestly, I could only force myself to watch about two-thirds of the way through, and then I had to admit I was stone cold bored, and besides, the rental was already one day overdue and it was getting close to closing time. This isn't a bad movie, but its earnest, over-serious style of presentation felt very dated, and I could see where the plot was headed from a mile away. Some fine character actors, but kind of a lumpy script.

This star-studded film is one of my all time favourite films. The acting,direction and Ernest Gold's music combine to make this an unforgettable experience.This film was made at a time when actors really knew how to act-something missing from most films today. The final 5 minutes of this film is an experience seldom,if ever, seen in a film.A true classic of the cinema.

SHIP OF FOOLS is the swansong of Vivien Leigh. She was to die 2 years later of TB at the age of 53.

As Mary Treadwell Vivien gives a tour de force of a performance... of a lonely middleaged woman - who drinks - and doesn`t like the age she has entered...

The title says it all. You`ll c all kinds of "fools" in this film, though not homosexuals(Ok, 1 scene maybe - the doctor and the captain).... All other minoroties are represented...

Vivien`s role is relatively small and is equalled in brilliance by Simone Signoret, Oskar Werner, Jose Ferrer, Lee Marvin and Alf Kjellin.

It is a great film, never to be missed:-)

!942's "Cat People" is one of the finest horror films ever made. Val Lewton and Jacques Tourneur made a string of classic horror films in the 40's and this was the first. Simone Simon is unforgettable as Irena, a young fashion artist living in New York who falls in love and marries but won't consummate the marriage because of fear of an ancient Balkan curse. That curse being that the people of that sect (of whom she is a descendant) will turn into a panther and kill when aroused by passion. Her perplexed and lonely husband turns to a female co-worker for solace. The co-worker (Jane Randolph) is then stalked through the night by an unseen thing lurking in the shadows. Tourneur handles these scenes with pure film noir terror. The swimming pool scene and the bus stop scene where Randolph can hear the thing but can only see the shadow are beautifully done. Another excellent and chilling seen occurs in a bar where a strange cat-like woman passes Irena and her husband and says "Sister..." directly to Irena. Irena is visibly shaken. She has been detected by another "relative". When Irena turns to psychiatrist Dr.Judd (Tom Conway), the beast is unleashed when he crosses the line. "Cat People" is a beautiful b&w film noir horror tale that retains its classic status and I hope it opens the door for the other Lewton-Tourneur 40's films to follow. They deserve to be seen and appreciated by a new generation of film lovers.

1942's "Cat People" is one of the finest horror films ever made. The first of a series of classics directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton, it retains its' classic status to this day. A New York fashion artist, Irena (the unforgettable Simone Simon) falls in love and marries but won't consummate the marriage due to her fear of an ancient Balkan legend whose women (of whom she is a descendant) turn into cat creatures when aroused. Her husband turns to a female co-worker for "consolation". The co-worker (Jane Randolph) is then stalked at night by an unseen thing lurking in the darkness. Two scenes stand out as great examples of power by suggestion---the swimming pool scene and Randolph walking along the street at night followed by the creature in the dark. Masterfully handled by Tourneur and thick with film noir terror, these scenes have been imitated in other films but never duplicated. Another great scene takes place in a bar when a mysterious, cat-like woman passes by Irena and her husband and says "Sister"...directly to Irena. Irena is visibly shaken. She has been detected by another "relative". When Irena turns to psychiatrist Dr.Judd (Tom Conway), the beast is unleashed when he crosses the line. The whole film has an eerie, foreboding sense of doom as would Lewton's and Tourneur's other horror films ("The Seventh Victim", "The Leopard Man" etc.) A must see for those who've never seen it, "Cat People" may be tame for some, but this was precisely the point: the power of what lurks in the dark and the psychological impact it has when you know it's there but can't see it can be terrifying. Sound and shadow become monsters as well as the shape behind them. I hope this opens the door for the other films to be released. There should be a whole Lewton/Tourneur collection on DVD. They deserve re-discovery by a new generation of lovers of classic films.

This movie is an elegantly realized story of a woman's fear, love, desperation, and jealousy. And it's about sex! The gender role of women to be chaste and not at all sexual is taken to the extreme - if Irena gets hot and bothered, she'll turn into a ferocious cat and kill her husband. However, jealousy also triggers this transformation, leading the movie's most suspenseful and artistically shot sequences. While I love old horror movies, I know that by today's standards they aren't considered very scary or supsenseful. The pool scene in this movie is one of the most suspenseful and eerie scenes in any movie I have viewed. Very impressive, especially taking into account this was a low-budget flick.

Wonderful to look at with nice shots of Montmatre at night and a good opening during a Paris dawn. Also, the "bad" girl Anne is worth looking at twice.
But the story is full of holes and bad editing especially in the last 15 minutes. And this is to the detriment of the film in such a way as to render the film no more than a stylish exercise as opposed to a true heist film or noir classic.
If your intent is to look at pioneering film of the French New Wave or to see how the French appreciate Hollywood film noir, then by all means RENT it.
But if you want to see a wonderfully realized French heist movie of the same period with a true understanding of noir, then find yourself a copy of Jules Dassin's RIFIFI, which is a far superior movie.

Warning: this is NOT an action movie. You will be disappointed if you're expecting to see a lot of details surrounding the planning and execution of a major heist. Get Rififi if that's what you want.

'Bob' is stylish, leisurely paced, and NOT a caper flick (or barely qualifies as one). The film is not about a heist, it is about Mr. Bob and his all-consuming passion for gambling. Gambling is his sustenance, his downfall, and his savior. Women only seem to bring trouble (except for Yvonne, the cafe owner). How he acts and thinks, his values and judgments, are part of the old world of gangster-gentlemen which doesn't exist any more. It is, like many French films, a study in character, and what an interesting character it is!

I first saw this movie at a local film festival a year ago and fell in love with it. The characters are fascinating, ones you want to revisit again and again. And what a terrific caper! Isabelle Corey, one of the great but unrecognized beauties of the '50s, is marvelous.

It's great to now own this film on DVD. Lots of good extra features, including an audio interview with the director (from 1960) and a brand new filmed interview with one of the stars.

If you enjoy film noir and "gangster" films, this French classic is a must.

I saw this movie a few years ago for the first time. It's now part of my film library. Such a provocative film for 1968. This film was way before it's time. I strongly recommend this film if you enjoy Lesbian films with a plot. The film is extremely erotic with the dialog alone. You'll get your fill of nudity too. Very well done.

I was really surprised by this movie. I expected a cheesy 1960's adult movie. But this movie is truly something special. It is a tender, touching and yes, sexy movie about first love. The acting is superb, especially by heartbreakingly beautiful Essy Persson. The editing, photography and direction is superb. A wonderful movie that reminds one not only of the beauty of love,but also its pain and heartbreak.

This movie is one of the most sensitive handlings of first love. The acting is so well done you suffer along with the characters as they awaken to their mutual feelings. The narration is beautiful and the scenes tasteful but erotic.

This was a nice movie to watch but I thought it will be better. I found Mary in this movie not the Mary that we always, well most people thought she was, I thought of Mary as a person above everyone else, who don't judge, who don't talk much but listen and is always there for everyone but in this movie Mary is show as well like any other human, with her good qualities her faults, she a strong woman who not afraid to say what she thought and sometime I find her to juge to fast, like when she said, "Where you were, you coward, you didn't were there to help Jesus!" I find her harsh to said that when she knew of the prophecy that Jesus have to die for the sin of others. The movie past way to fast but I do find the actors good, the atmosphere was good, it put you in that time. Jesus act good, just like I imagine him to be, well Mary act good too but like I said it's not he Mary I grow up to imagine to be! Overall it's a nice movie!

This story is simply told and therein lies its strength.It's
not an epic film like "King of Kings" but does what it was meant to do inspire faith.It is unfortunate that some self righteous Christians never get enough of bashing Roman Catholicism and its beliefs and they call themselves Christians.

I have seen other movies about Jesus. This version helped me see Jesus as a real person living life. I made a connection of the reality of Jesus's life. Until I saw this movie, I did not know how much God worked through Mary and how much she suffered knowing what she had to do and let happen because of her son. I love to watch this movie many times because it makes Jesus real to me, helps me to have courage, and helps me to practice and grow in my faith.

Finally the complete film in a 35mm transfer, but...

What was once a glorious sound track with a major
Bernard Herrmann score has been ruined by filtration
and badly judged noise reduction.

Sell your soul to the devil and then get the world's greatest Yankee lawyer, statesman and orator to break the deal in front of a jury composed of traitors, cut-throats and evil-doers from America's past. Almost forgotten, THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER (Criterion), based on Stephen Vincent Benet's famous short story, still grips with relevance and wit. Walter Huston is memorably subdolous as "Old Scratch." The transfer is restored and the disc is packed with extras. A great family film.

This is one of the most unusual movies ever made, a true treasury of inventiveness, and only one of about 200 total (out of nearly 20,000 films) to which acclaimed British film critic Leslie Halliwell had awarded 4 stars. Those who know Mr. Halliwell's work will immediately recognize that this makes for a very special film, since he was in his day perhaps the surest guide of all to Golden Age films, as well as being a very tough grader. Hence, a presumptively extraordinary film. In spite of this, the film failed commercially because it does not fit easily into any given category. It depicted a German Faustian theme about a farmer who sold his soul to the devil. Yet it was set in the context of down-home Americana. And it bore the arty qualities of a German expressionism brought to it by its famed director, William Dieterle. Into this mix, one can throw first-class American acting by Walter Huston and Edward Arnold, and the entire package becomes one weird combination for marketing purposes. That having been said, this indescribable mix is an amazing movie: it moves quickly, it is amazingly photographed in moody black and white, it has a first-class score that rivals anything Bernard Herrmann ever did (e.g., Vertigo), it has a lead performance by Walter Huston as the devil ('Mr. Scratch') that ranks among the most memorable performances ever recorded on film, and it concludes a fine and imaginative script with a 'courtroom scene' that is utterly fascinating in its depiction of the most infamous blackguards of American history being summoned from the depths of perdition to stand as jury to determine whether or not the poor farmer who had sold his soul should be held to have a binding contract with the devil. The film is roistering entertainment as well as caviar for the pointy-head crowd, quite a mix by any measure. Not to be missed!

I kept thinking "hitchcock ripoff" the entire time. It's not really that scary, but if you're into these "non scary" types of horror films, then check it out. Not bad but not good either.

When I first saw this film several years ago, I thought "Wow, what a great film! Very Hitchcock-like, and well paced...."

I just saw it again last week and thought, "What was I thinking?" The pacing is slow and dreary, and the acting isn't even all that great. The plot, while interesting, is not well executed and dragged like crazy.

Without giving too much away, we're asked to suspend WAY too much reality in order to buy the multiple twists at the end. I wish I could highlight the one big twist that I have trouble with, but I can't without giving it away. Tell you what, when you're done with the movie, ask yourself "Why did you wait so long???"

A decent movie, but nothing terribly special.

Based on the Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac novel CELLE QUI N'ETAIT PLUS, Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1955 DIABOLIQUE is easily among the most influential films of world cinema, leaving its mark on everything from Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO and PSYCHO to William Castle's THE TINGLER--but even so, and while Hitchcock's masterpieces can be said to at least equal the Clouzot original, few if any of the films spawned by DIABOLIQUE ever bested it.

Variously known as DIABOLIQUE, LES DIABOLIQUES, and THE DEVILS, the film presents a complex story. Christina Delasalle (Vera Clouzot, wife of director Henri-Georges Clouzot), is a remarkably beautiful and considerably wealthy woman who has the misfortune to suffer from delicate health, personal timidity, and brutish husband Michel (Paul Meurisse.) The two operate a boys' school that Christina owns, and among the teachers is hard-nosed Nicole Horner (Simone Signoret), who has become Michel's mistress but who finds Michel every bit as unpleasant as wife Christina. An unlikely alliance springs up between the two women, and together they conspire to murder Michel and thereafter run the school for themselves. But although the murder seems to go as planned, the body goes missing, and the two women suddenly find themselves taunted by mysterious notes and strange happenings. Has Michel survived the attempt on his life? Or has the murder been discovered and the stage is being set for blackmail?

In the wake of DIABOLIQUE's international success, the story has been told in so many variations that many may consider the original has lost some of the shock value it possessed when it first debuted, but even so the film has much to offer. This is particularly true in terms of style of performances. Director Clouzot endows the film with a sense of visual decay and a near-documentary tone that merge to create one of the most chilling atmospheres ever captured on screen. While Signoret's performance of the angry mistress is the more widely celebrated, she is equaled by Vera Clouzot, who has the more complex role and whose performance must carry the weight of the film's most disturbing moments; together they create a truly remarkable synergy of the most lethal kind.

I have seen DIABOLIQUE in several different releases, and while the Criterion DVD is somewhat glitchy it is easily the best version available; one should avoid all other releases, particularly the truly atrocious release by Madacy. Strongly recommended, particularly to fans of internation cinema and classic suspense.

This is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. The cinematography is vibrant, sublime and unforgettable. The horseback riding scenes, the beach scenes, the racing scenes, the shots of the sun setting, and the love-making scene, all glories of photography shot on a living canvas. Ms Aimée is so beautiful and enchanting you may fall in love with her too! And the ending, without a word said, will not be forgotten.

Of course, to be watched in the original French language (and such a beautiful language).

First time I watched this film, it was forced on me by my French teacher who was madly in love with this film. I am sure he meant well, but, despite the simplicity of the storyline, it was a torture for a student who was only two weeks into his first French course.

I returned to the film later (with subtitle, mercifully) and kept coming back for more ever since. The film is a very intimate study of the relationship between man and woman. There are items in the film that dates it firmly in the 60's (like songs and clothes) but the charm of this film is timeless as it deals with that "Fundamental Thing" Sam was singing about in Casablanca.

My French is still bad but it is not the film's fault.

I have never seen a movie that depicts such tenderness not only between lovers but between a parent and child. The music and scenery are simply gorgeous. There is not much plot here - the magic in this movie lies in the characters and the atmosphere created by the music and the scenery of the northern coast of France. The DVD has added features including a documentary on the making of the film and an interview with the director, Claude Lelouche. This movie is so timeless - it's hard to believe it was made almost forty years ago. The movie won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film and Best Screenplay. It certainly ranks as one of the most romantic movies ever made.

...I've got to put Asia Argento on my list of Much Watch Actresses: she puts to mind a combination of Angeliina Jolie and Thora Birch, but with way more fire than Jolie ever goes for...Jolie is kinda 'mellow', y'know?

But, I caught this on one of my cable stations one Sat. evening 'cause I'm a big fan of heist cine, and this *is* one, albeit wrapped in a rather odd love story. Tawk about opposites attracting! The grade school teacher trails live wire Beatrice one day and asks her out for a drink. What follows is one of the most passionate and interesting court ships I've ever seen on film. They go to Paris to find their love. I thought that was a rather nice touch. But, always, always, one muddy alley away, one warehouse loft away, one scummy tavern away are the boosters and druggies threatening to pull her back in the mire. Beatrice does one more job out of a since of obligation to her ex-partners and to help her pallie (played with greatness by Rupert) pay some drug bills.

The heist at the jewelry shoppe nearly gets botched when her companion loses nerve: they are saved when the driver slaps a man with a car lug wrench. And Beatrice comes away with a 'well, I did get a rush from this, but I can't afford this type of rush anymore. They are 'way too risky'. So she and the teacher find a way to get a house in the country side. And one day, in a break of monotony and ennui, Beatrice calls up Rupert from a road side phone...just to check up on her pallie, you know?

You can just about guess what happens next, but by the time this part of the film happens, if you are anything like me, you find yourself into the story so deeply that you let the obvious cliches run their course. That's what I did.

Also, this is one of the most attractive of the modern British gangster/heist cines I've seen. Many of them have that dark or greyness as if the directors were trying to capture years of sooty, foggy decadence on film. My overall opinion is that if you see this, it will entertain you....

its about a mild-mannered british schoolteacher who falls for a bank robber trying to leaver her criminal past behind. good story and it plays out well. Asia Argento(Triple X, New Rose Hotel) is a woman in the making and shes the daughter of Dario Argento the director. costars Jared Harris(Igby Goes Down, Lost In Space1998), Jonathan Rhys Meyers(Maker, Ride With The Devil), Tom Woodward and the excellent Rupert Everett(My Best Friends Wedding, Inspector Gadget#1). I loved this movie just to see Argento do her thing, I mean yeah baby.

*
My personal technical review:

Picture - 3.5, Sound - 3.0, Sound/Jazz - 4.5

This is quite an ususual little movie with unusual colors, good use of sky (in shots), and I suppose it's a bit of a love story.

The overall picture is dark but clear. It is not true 16x9 but is a nice widescreen presentation. You will probably have to watch this movie at night or in a very dark room. With that, the weird blues will jump out at you.

This film will *make* fans for Asia Argento. For those of us who have enjoyed watching her since "The Church", she has matured and looks great. No doubt as you collect DVD's of her father Dario Argento, you will also buy everything Asia Argento appears in. Both of them are quite addicting.

A male lead has a part-time or volunteer job as a DJ and plays jazz LP's. Sometimes in the soundtrack you will hear clicks and pops -- as vinyl records must have been used. It was an interesting effect. Other than that, the jazz background music is excellent and never lasts long enough. Enjoy the Peggy Lee song at the end! Actually, the movie is fairly entertaining, but Ms. Lee's song for the closing credits is the best part of film, since that song is used as a theme throughout.

The case includes a Chapter List and duplication of the cover on one sheet.
*