Reviews

I guess out of all the 70's "Disaster Movies" Airport is about the most watchable (along with "Towering Inferno") Both have their boring parts and this one some pretty corny dialogue (These days that has morphed into banal so not a lot of change there.) The best feature of this movie is the casting of a real professional actor in Burt Lancaster, I don't like all of his movies but he never gave a poor performance in his life. There is the usual line up of "veterans" who have all seen better days. I'm totally mystified by the Oscar for Helen Hayes as best supporting actress, there is nothing special about her acting and in fact her character is Hollywood at it's most corny. Worth seeing through but don't expect anything very special or you might be very disappointed.

This is an extraordinarily powerful movie, IMO one of the finest ever made for t.v. The fact that it's based on a true event makes it all the more moving and sad. Even though it differs in detail from the original book, the message remains the same. What makes it so special is the highlighting of the evil of the religious right in America (and other countries as well of course). Rather than practicing their so-called Christianity which preaches love and tolerance towards others, their actions are actually the very opposite making them the supreme hypocrites. Overall the acting is extremely good but Sigourney Weaver must be singled out as giving one of the best screen performances I have ever seen in over 30 years of movie going. She is TOTALLY believable as the intolerant/eventually forgiving mother. I can't think of a better way to improve our society's values than to make this compulsory viewing in all schools.

I doubt that many people these days have ever heard of this movie but IMO it's one of those absolute classic films which is practically flawless and holds your attention from beginning to end. The sense of period is marvellous and all the cast are fully professional in their roles. The one character that really stood out for me was Mde.Herve played by Cathleen Nesbitt. I was probably only around 17/18 when I saw this on t.v. but her portrayal was the one I remembered most vividly for years after. It was great to be reacquainted via YouTube and as a mark of a truly great production it was every bit as good as I remembered which, as we all know, is so often not the case after the passing of many years.

If like me you love Political dramas this is a must see. Pointless at this stage to go over the same details of the series that have been adequately covered already. OK there are a few clichés but these can be easily overlooked as the storyline is so interesting. My only gripe really and it is a minor one, is that I wish they had actually filmed the series in Washington D.C. A wonderful opportunity to show this amazing city to the world has been lost unfortunately. I'm sure the majority of the audience will not even realise this fact and it doesn't of course detract from the drama and the really excellent acting especially from Kevin Spacey giving his best screen performance to date.

I agree with the guy who wrote - "Good production values, wrong message" I enjoy watching the series because if I'm honest with myself I like looking at the handsome guys but of course this is typically unrealistic Hollywood-type film making where most guys look like male models. The sex scenes were pretty daring for t.v. at the time but after a while you get totally used to them and in this case they are integral to the storyline. I haven't seen the part about French bashing but sounds like a bit of hypocrisy to me and certainly sends out the wrong message. This is undoubtedly entertaining t.v. but should not be taken too seriously as real life, however much some people might wish it was.

I have just watched this movie after an absence of many years and have to conclude that in general it still holds up well as a well crafted historical drama. OK, some of the historical facts are inaccurate but it should be remembered it is based on a play by French dramatist Jean Anouilh who by his own account, admitted that it contained a few inaccuracies but nevertheless remains true to history in the most important aspects, i.e.the clash between Church and State in the form of Archbishop Thomas a Becket and King Henry ll of England and the subsequent murder of the former. I'm inclined to think Peter O'Toole's acting is at times on over the top but that's preferable to most of the totally unconvincing cardboard cut-outs we get in Hollywood movies today that attempt mediaeval historical subjects, usually with disastrous results. Richard Burton can command attention from his voice alone and the two protagonists many scenes together always manage to hold your attention in a film that can at times drag on a bit. The superb Donald Wolfit adds gravitas to any film/play he partakes of so that's another plus. Cinematography is excellent, again far superior to most modern productions that seem devoid of realistic colour and the stereo sound of a well composed soundtrack is great. I guess if the great David Lean had been the director it would certainly have been better but as it stands it's highly watchable.

There has been so much written about this marvellous film by previous reviewers I will dispense with details re plot etc and simply re affirm my conviction that this is one of the best acted movies of all time, not least of course because the director William Wyler was a genius for bringing out the best in his cast, and they don't come any better than here. If I can find any criticism at all it would be with Montgomery Clift's character, not that he is at all unconvincing but purely because he is up against the almost unbelievable achievements of Olivia de Havilland, Ralph Richardson and Miriam Hopkins all giving performances, seldom, if ever, surpassed in the history of cinema. Add to that, brilliant camera work and an atmosphere that can only be achieved in black and white and you have a masterpiece.

I really like this film as it generally eschews the old Hollywood clichés and false glamour while at the same time also avoiding the recent totally unconvincing characterisations by many modern actors who play their roles like modern people in historic costumes. There are no really weak, embarrassing moments which spoil earlier efforts and the characters on the whole are quite convincing. This is in stark contrast with 1990's film on the same subject which was so bad I just stopped watching! Of course there will always be problems with any movie concerning religious characters but overall it's a good production and well worth watching. It doesn't matter whether you believe these stories about miracles (which I don't) or whether you are Christian, the fact remains that the story of Jesus of Nazareth will always fascinate all generations and certainly remains, for me at least, The greatest story ever told.

I've just watched this film for the first time in ages. The title page bodes well with Bernard Hermann's usual high quality music and I have to say I was utterly bowled over by both the photography (in most scenes) and the stereo soundtrack, which is not by the way remixed to stereo as Fox made all their CinemaScope releases at this period in stereo sound. Straight forward dramas like this are seldom made these days by the major studios, that seems to be more the province of television now, but in the 50's it was more fashionable. As usual you can't really fault the acting of Gregory Peck, Frederick March and Lee J. Cobb. There's nothing wrong with Jennifer Jones' performance but it's her character that gives me problems in this movie, her totally over the top reaction towards the end is really not very convincing, not her acting but the script which I feel is at fault and for me at least ,spoils what otherwise is a fascinating portrait of life in another era. There is much to admire in this film and it goes without saying that, faults apart, the characters are overall more believable than we get today in most productions from Hollywood and of course it's an object lesson on how social behaviour, especially in the U.S.A. I'm sorry to say, has deteriorated since those times.

The recent death of Leslie Nielsen reminded me of his early career and of course "Forbidden Planet". Everything has been said already by other reviewers, just want to add that it is still the best sci-fi film ever made. Forget the superior special effects of today's movies, this one has acting, suspense and intelligent storyline to beat them all. Have always found Walter Pidgeon a natural and convincing actor, o.k. the other characters may be a bit stiff at times and of course cinematography and sound have moved on a lot since the mid 50's but these things are irrelevant against an interesting plot and superb suspense offered here. Robbie the Robot has to be one of the all time great "Characters" in movie history.

I have recently seen this movie on t.v. and was highly impressed with direction, photography and of course the acting! Spencer Tracy is one of my all time greats along with Frederic March so imagine seeing them together! Some may thing March a little over the top but personally I find his performance one of the most riviting and engaging I have ever come across in film, he should have received an Oscar for this. Somehow although acting styles have become more naturalistic over the years the spark and energy given by the greats of the past is simply missing in the vast majority of modern performances. That God they are preserved on film.