Change Your Image
filoshagrat
Reviews
Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage (1986)
Half agree with 'hbs', except......
Quote 'hbs': "Hickson is by far the best Miss Marple on screen"
Ooooh! there's a debatable point. Though I accept heartily ones opinions, I can't help thinking that's got the members of the Margaret Rutherford fan club ruffling their pillows in a disgruntled manner. Joan Hickson just doesn't do it. I don't know what it is, but she comes over leaving me thinking 'no wonder your a spinster. SMILE for gods sake'. MR I could have happily passed off as my eccentric grandmother and liked. JH does it her way, but I can't help wonder if she had her beady-eyes on this role while filming with MR in 'Murder, She Said'. Unconvincing seems to be a word that, although harsh, crops up every time JH plays this role. Watchable, for sure, but not eager for more. I also consider that I am a victim of choice here. The plots and plans are all immovable if adapting Agatha Christie. This film is no exception, so the only real ways in adapting to difference are the choice of the actor/actress, or time shift it, as with the recent 'Romeo Must Die'. JH is a superb actress I have seen many times and her talents are so easily on show here as a 'tight' Miss Marple, by which I mean non-expressive. MR was more full-on and in yer' face. 'Filo doth compare too much'. As I said, it's choice.
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
Absolute waste of time
The question is not what the film is about, but rather how did they manage to waste 2 and 1/4 hours of my time. No plot, bad acting and an abysmal soundtrack. So who cares if a submarine has an onboard dilemma - haven't they all? It seems everything here (and it's not much) has been raped from other films, and the fun to be had is 'spot the likeness to other flicks'. I mean, Joss Ackland as a neolistic party official (Hunt for RO) and captain/first officer troubles (Crimson Tide). Forget the 'oooh i'm a professional critic so listen to me' rantings of other reviews here, just save your money and bypass this dross. You'll thank me without knowing it.
Miss Robin Hood (1952)
Out on it's own in the comedy category.
Charming it is but the comedy's scarce. Just about all of this film leaves you wondering what went on. The plot is patchy to say the least, and the film doesn't seem to have the cohesion of other early British comedies you find these stars in. It came across as a complete mish-mash of experimentalism and surrealism, leaving you thinking everyone involved in it was on an illegal substance. Looking at what the director went on to do in his career, this film can be forgiven for being an example of early directorial teeth-cutting.
Margaret Rutherford was well cast, but it felt the director somewhat smothered her talents and over did the 'dotty' approach (and where did all the kids come from giving you that 'St.Trinians' feel in the last 5 minutes?). Richard Hearne left me wishing they had cast someone, not only with a personality, but with a skill for improving a lacklustre dialogue - Alastair Sim could have really done something to improve this film. And Sid James waddling along always moaning about his 'KNITTING'? - I ask you!. As for the Police? They would have been better cast in The Wizard of Oz as the Wicked Witch's bodyguard.
For individual talent, this film was interesting for observing what the cast can do on screen as an alternative to how you have normally seen them. As a film on the whole, it's pretty bad. I would say it's a cross between anything made by Fritz Lang and whoever came up with On The Buses. It just leaves you feeling slightly uncomfortable.
Get it just for the library, and leave it there.
The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950)
Great place to start for British wit
This film, without doubt, is the clearest example of the British humour the Germans can't understand. One-liners run rampant in a film spawning one of the greatest series of films in British cinema history (St.Trinians). The story of bureaucratic incompetence amid post-war trials enables Frank Launder to direct maximum talent from all the cast. It's probably the only film in which Margaret Rutherford meets her match, in Alastair Sim, for forceful characterisation (she still wins though). Joyce Grenfell (bless her) and Richard Wattis both deserve mentions in Dighton's masterpiece of English etiquette and stiff upper lip under pressure.
No Rutherford/Sim/Grenfell fan would be without this in their collection. Absolutely brilliant. Why 9/10? Only 83mins long.
The Alphabet Murders (1965)
Acquired taste for Christie fans
Being one of the more elusive films this side of the pond, The Alphabet Murders delivers no more or less than expected (hence the 5/10). But I think you have to ask yourself why your watching it before you condemn it. Christie purists are up in arms, Randall fans defend him, yadda yadda yadda. Personally, I got it for the all too brief Dame Margaret. That said, there's little else to say about it.
Tony Randal is an acquired taste as Poirot, almost getting up your nose with an abysmal accent and acting as if he's the only one with grey cells, and overdoing that. The constant referring of him as a 'short' Belgian is the biggest mystery, as he's taller than most in the film. Poor Robert Morley tries his best, but the tedium of the film mainly comes from the rather repetitive score. Plotwise it doesn't really test the viewer, but enough is happening to keep you guessing. 30 seconds of Margaret Rutherford and spouse puts a much needed grin on the face, but it's not enough by far.
Certainly one to add to the collection, but don't rush for it at the garage sale. Overall, a huge waste of talent. Pity.
Oh, and a reviewer thinks Finney's Poirot was a masterpiece? Yeah. Right.