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THE MEN OF SHERWOOD FOREST (Dir: Val Guest, 1954).
THE MEN OF SHERWOOD FOREST (Dir: Val Guest, 1954).
An early production from Hammer Films, The Men of Sherwood Forest is a low budget but spirited romp with Don Taylor as the legendary Robin Hood.
The simple plot involves Robin attempting to thwart an ambush attack on Richard the Lionheart on his return from the Crusades.
More famous for their Horror movies, Hammer also did a nice line in swashbucklers; the studio produced four Robin Hood movies, of which this was the first.
Although clearly working with a meagre budget, director Val Guest makes decent use of outdoor locales and the movie feels less studio bound than might be expected. It also benefits from being shot in colour and whilst the action is not as well staged as in a more lavish production, Guest generally elicits decent performances from his actors, not all of whom are perfectly cast.
Don Taylor makes for a slightly bland leading man. There is nothing essentially wrong with his performance and with an athletic build he certainly looks the part of Robin. However with an accent that is more Hollywood than Sherwood, Taylor lacks both the authenticity and charisma of earlier Robin Hoods such as Errol Flynn or Richard Todd. Likewise, Leonard Sachs is not ideally cast as The Sheriff of Nottingham, lacking both the authoritative air and any real sense of menace to make a truly memorable villain.
The best performances are to be found in the supporting cast. Maid Marian is inexplicably missing from The Men of Sherwood Forest; her replacement here is Lady Alys in a nice performance by Eileen Moore. A loyal ally to Robin, she holds her own with the best of the Merrie Men, but there is no romance between the two. Robin’s most significant relationship here is with Friar Tuck. As the wily man of the cloth cum con artist Reginald Beckwith gives a marvellous comic performance which is arguably the movie's highlight.
While The Men of Sherwood Forest is no masterpiece, as an example of the sort of boys own adventure that once filled matinees, it is invaluable. Cheap and cheerful maybe, but also engagingly innocent, old fashioned fun.
To read a longer, more in-depth review of THE MEN OF SHERWOOD FOREST visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
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MURDER SHE SAID (Dir: George Pollock, 1961).
The first in a series of four MGM-British murder mysteries staring the incomparable Margaret Rutherford as Agatha Christie’s amateur sleuth Miss Marple.
Adapted from Christie's 1957 novel '4:50 from Paddington', Murder She Said sees Miss Marple witness a murder on a passing train. When the police won't listen to her, she takes matters into her own hands. Surmising that the body must have been deposited at the nearby Ackenthorpe Hall, she poses as a maid and finds employment at the stately home. Here she is perfectly placed to investigate the family and staff who would all appear to have motive for murder. Meanwhile the killer racks up a few more bodies.
This has to rank as among the most lighthearted Agatha Christie adaptations, taking a far more comedic approach than usual.
Christie was reportedly unhappy with the casting of Margaret Rutherford. In fairness her Miss Marple is nothing like the one in the novels, but she attacks the part with such gusto and good humour that it is hard not to love her in the role. An invention of the movie is Miss Marple’s loyal companion and romantic interest Mr Stringer, played by her real life husband Stringer Davis. This relationship is a nice addition to the story which also serves the practical purpose of allowing Miss Marple to convey some necessary exposition to the audience.
Excellent support is offered, especially from James Robertson Justice as the bedridden family patriarch and keep an eye out for future Miss Marple Joan Hickson further down the cast.
In its depiction of a quaintly dated post-War Britain, Murder She Said seems both of its time and oddly timeless. Christie purists may carp that too many liberties are taken with the original text and no one would suggest that this is a definitive telling. But to criticise it as such would be kind of missing the point. Murder She Said is enormously entertaining with superb performances from some British acting legends. It is all very silly, but also very funny and with some genuine moments of suspense. An excellent, infectious score by Ron Goodwin adds to the fun.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of Murder She Said. Link below.
MIDWAY (Dir: Roland Emmerich, 2019).
The events of this true life WWII campaign were previously filmed as the similarly titled Midway aka Battle of Midway (Jack Smight, 1976). Not having seen the earlier account, I will not make comparisons between the two movies.
Midway begins with the events surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbor and chronicle the subsequent naval battle of the Pacific. Best known for directing big budget sci-fi blockbusters Stargate (1994) and Independence Day (1996), Roland Emmerich may seem an unlikely choice to helm a serious wartime drama. Midway, however, was pet project for Emmerich, one that he has fought to bring to the screen for many years.
Thankfully he tells the story straight. Certainly the special effects spectacle one expects from Emmerich is here to, as are the breathtaking action sequences. Yet these scenes are broken by the necessary detailing of the campaign. This pacing allows the action to breath and helps the movie be more than just an exercise in visual effects.
A fairly star-studded line-up was assembled for the movie, including Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid and Mandy Moore. As is often the case with these kind of movies, the actors are somewhat overshadowed by the spectacle. Although in fairness, the quality cast give solid performances throughout.
Midway is a decent movie, although one that, perhaps, brings nothing new to the war movie genre. A sense of the familiar is not necessarily a bad thing in a period movie but it’s underperformance at the box office suggests that old fashioned WWII features are a difficult sell to modern moviegoers, even with the presence of a Jonas Brother! That said, I did enjoy it. It is a worthy story, told in an impressively mounted and entertaining manner. If you want to watch it, it is worth catching it on the big screen where its spectacle can be fully appreciated.
100+ movie reviews now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
AS YOUNG AS YOU FEEL (Dir: Harmon Jones, 1951).
A lightweight comedy from 20th Century Fox which provided an early role for Marilyn Monroe.
Aged 65 and facing forced retirement, John Hodges (Monty Woolley) blackens his greying hair and beard to pass himself as the younger Harold Cleveland, president of the parent company where the former printer worked. Aiming to overturn the company's ageist policy he successfully fools the boss Louis McKinley (Albert Dekker) who unexpectedly arranges for Hodges to address the local chamber of commerce. His rousing speech attracts the attention of both the press and the real Cleveland (Minor Watson).
There is something Capra-esq about this tale of an underdog fighting against the system; there are also elements of the screwball comedy in its themes of role reversal and its saturising of big business. Somewhat surprisingly this was based on a story by Paddy Chayefsky. Those familiar with the writer's more acerbic screenplays for The Hospital (Arthur Hiller, 1971) and Network will find this satire of a far gentler persuasion. The directorial debut by former editor Harmon Jones, his work here is proficient but unexceptional. Much like the movie itself. Indeed, were it not for an early appearance by Marilyn Monroe, I feel the film would be little remembered today.
A standout in a small yet noticeable role as McKinley's secretary, Monroe was a mere two years away from her stardom cementing appearance in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Howard Hawks, 1953). Although playing to blonde bombshell type, she displays her considerable comic talents which would become more apparent as the decade progressed. Monty Woolley was always good value for money. Although he isn’t as well served here as in The Man Who Came to Dinner (William Keighley, 1942), his performance as the disgruntled Hodges is still a lot of fun.
Although it provides a few big laughs, As Young as You Feel is never quite as funny as it threatens to be. That said, it is a pleasant enough viewing experience and is worth watching for its fine comic performances courtesy of the bluff Monty Woolley and the radiant young Marilyn.
A slightly longer review of AS YOUNG AS YOU FEEL is available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME. Link below.
THE MOB (Dir: Robert Parrish, 1951).
A tough gangster movie-cum-film noir thriller. The Mob stars Broderick Crawford as Johnny Damico, a tough New York cop who poses as a longshoreman to bust up the corrupt union activity polluting the city's dockyards.
Based upon the novel Waterfront by Ferguson Findlay, The Mob covers similar ground to the more famous On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954). Pre-dating the latter movie by three years it is more of a pulpy crime drama that Kazan's socially conscience classic.
In his second outing as director, former editor Robert Parrish has crafted a hard hitting, at time brutal thriller which still packs a considerable punch seven decades later. It is a tough movie, with tough guys talking tough. William Bowers' screenplay is interspersed with some smart hard boiled dialogue, delivered in suitable pithy fashion by the excellent Broderick Crawford.
A year after his Oscar winning performance in All the King's Men (Robert Rossen, 1949) Crawford is dynamite here; perfectly cast as a hard nosed cop, ruthless in his mission to bring down the mob. Also impressing in an early role is Ernest Borgnine as thuggish mobster Johnny Castro. As his right hand man, Neville Brand is equally effective in one of many maniacal bad guy roles.
Often categerised as a film noir, The Mob feels closer to a gangster film than a true noir; its staccato pacing and overall theme evoking the Warner Brothers mob movies of 1930s. It presents an evocative, shadowy world of backstreets and dive bars populated with shady characters It is surprisingly violent at times, especially in its realistically scrappy fist fights.
It may not rank among the greatest thrillers of its era, but it is an exciting and engaging minor noir, or rather a gangster movie in noir clothing. Deserving of far more attention than it generally receives, The Mob is neat little crime flick with a cracking screenplay and a first rate cast. To my knowledge, the movies only official home video release is as part of Spain's Columbia Classics range. This may make The Mob a little difficult to source, but it is well worth the effort!
100+ movie reviews now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
A FLINTSTONES CHRISTMAS CAROL (Dir: Joanna Romersa, 1994).
Geological puns abound, as Fred Flintstone stars as Ebonezer Scrooge against Barney Rubble’s Bob Cragic in this modern Stone Age retelling of Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic.
The Flintstones is, of course the enormously successful animated TV sitcom from Hanna-Barbera which aired for 6 seasons between 1960 and 1966. That this movie was made 30 years after the heyday of the show demonstrates the continued enduring popularity of the franchise.
Rather than a straight adaptation of Dickens’ familiar tale of festive redemption, A Flintstones Christmas Carol takes a tip from Mr Magoo’s Christmas Carol (Abe Leviton, 1962) and presents the story as a play within a story. So, running parallel to the events of the Bedrock Community Players performance of A Christmas Carol, we have the story of Fred, so engrossed in his role of Scrooge that he neglects his family duties until the lines between he and Ebonezer begin to blur.
Casting The Flintstones in the roles of Dickens’ characters is a nice idea. Not a particularly original idea, but I can see the appeal. The backstage story which runs alongside it is less engaging and the two strands work against each other to make for a somewhat choppy narrative. It isn’t a bad movie; made for US TV, the standard of animation is a shade better than normal Saturday morning fare and there is undeniable nostalgic value for those of a certain age.
Yet what is appealing in a 25 minute TV show is not quite as fun when stretched to nearly three times that length. While I enjoy The Flintstones on TV, I found A Flintstone Christmas Carol a little bit of a chore to watch come the halfway mark. Still, while it is a little disappointing in the story department, its colourful animation is above average and it does provides some mild chuckles. However, I think a straight version of the tale would have been better and can’t help but feel this somewhat of an opportunity missed. Longtime fans will probably get a kick out of the movie, but it’s not quite the ‘gay old time’ it might have been.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME to read a longer, more in-depth review of A Flintstones Christmas Carol! Link below.
