Review of Verboten!

Begins with the ominous opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony followed by bits of Wagner. The early parts and the middle are commendable. Fuller loses grip on the script towards the end with documentary footage of the Nuremberg trials inserted with lack of credibility. As in all Fuller films, the director uses a little known actress and gets her to perform with gusto as no other director could. Here it is Susan Cummings who does her job creditably. The concept of the family being built by the soldier is also there in the background. Early in the film, Fuller uses a stunning close-up of the eyes and eyebrows of actor James Best playing the wounded American soldier. As the film progresses, that kind of cinematography is never repeated. Wonder why.