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Month: April 2024

Lord Jim (1965)

Lord Jim (1965)

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“No white man hides himself in the wilderness without a reason.”

Synopsis:
After a young merchant seaman (Peter O’Toole) abandons his ship during a storm, he tries to rectify his shame by drifting around the South Seas, soon befriending the owner (Paul Lukas) of a cargo ship and agreeing to help a local town leader in an uprising against a warlord known as The General (Eli Wallach). Eventually he falls in love with a native girl (Daliah Lavi) and attempts to live a happy life with her — but the arrival of a ruthless pirate (James Mason) forces him to make difficult choices.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Akim Tamaroff Films
  • At Sea
  • Curt Jurgens Films
  • Eli Wallach Films
  • Historical Drama
  • Jack Hawkins Films
  • James Mason Films
  • Paul Lukas Films
  • Peter O’Toole Films
  • Richard Brooks Films

Review:
Richard Brooks wrote and directed this adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s 1900 novel of the same name, based on a real-life incident involving Muslim Indonesians on a seabound pilgrimage to Mecca. It received some negative reviews upon release, and unfortunately, I can see why. Though Freddie Young’s cinematography is as beautiful as always:

… and O’Toole is effectively earnest as a young man wracked with guilt for his decision during a time of crisis:

… the rest of the plot simply plays like a standard tale of a White man attempting to lose himself in foreign lands with a beautiful native girl (while getting inextricably caught up in local politics). The eventual appearance of James Mason’s “Gentleman Brown” is a welcome plot turn, but the storyline as a whole fails to compel.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Paul Lukas as Stein
  • James Mason as Gentleman Brown
  • Freddie Young’s cinematography

Must See?
No, though fans of the stars and/or Richard Brooks will likely be curious to check it out.

Links:

Spy Who Came In From the Cold, The (1965)

Spy Who Came In From the Cold, The (1965)

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“We have to live without sympathy, don’t we?”

Synopsis:
During the Cold War, a British spy (Richard Burton) dating a librarian’s aide (Claire Bloom) is ordered by his superior (Cyril Cusack) to pretend to be willing to defect — but will their elaborate ruse lead to the arrest of evil Comrade Mundt (Peter van Eyck)?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Claire Bloom Films
  • Cold War
  • Martin Ritt Films
  • Mistaken and Hidden Identities
  • Niall MacGinnis Films
  • Richard Burton Films
  • Spies

Review:
Martin Ritt’s adaptation of John Le Carre’s best-selling novel is both reasonably faithful to its source material, and an atmospherically shot spy noir in its own right. The necessarily complex storyline starts with the shooting of one of Burton’s compatriots as he’s crossing the Berlin Wall:

… and quickly shows us Burton’s descent into alcoholism, despair:

… and eventually violence, though he finds some respite and solace from a preternaturally kind librarian’s aide who stands by his side through thick and thin.

When Burton “defects”, he becomes friendly with a reasonably sympathetic interrogator (Oskar Werner), and cross-political allegiances become ever more entangled.

Who, exactly, is working for who (and why)? While it’s clear that Mundt (a Nazi) is a “baddie”:

… of course, it’s not quite that simple. To its credit, the film retains all the suspense of the book while both simplifying key plot points and visually opening up certain scenes. Oswald Morris’s atmospheric cinematography is top-rate, and the performances are fine across the board. This remains worth a look as a powerful realist antidote to escapist Bond fare of the time.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Richard Burton as Alec Leamas
  • Oskar Werner as Fiedler
  • Oswald Morris’s cinematography

Must See?
Yes, as a powerful spy thriller.

Categories

  • Good Show

Links: