Reviews
John Wesley (1954)
Good Christian content
I love this film! Major studio productions of the lives of Christians are often inaccurate and painful to watch. This isn't.
Wesley is not most famous simply for founding Methodism - rather, his claim to fame is as a powerful revivalist and evangelist. Like Whitefield, Finney, Moody and the like he was greatly used by God to bring challenge, salvation and blessing to thousands of lost souls.
The scriptwriter Lawrence Barrett had an invaluable source for his material - Wesley's own published journal. Many Christian viewers will recognise the scenes in the film - using word-for-word reproductions from Wesley's own recollections.
I was moved to tears during two of the scenes depicted - one when Wesley was a member of a congregation in a chapel and a later one involving the resolution of an earlier issue concerning a highwayman. In contrast there was a hilarious scene involving the reaction of some church members to one of his sermons (the reference "riff-raff" may identify this for you if you've seen the picture!).
If you are a Bible-believing Christian I would heartily recommend this film to you, and I thank God for those responsible for its production for not compromising or watering down the gospel.
Adventures of Captain Africa: Mighty Jungle Avenger! (1955)
Brilliant for kids !!
I have only seen this series once - for 15 (I think) consecutive Saturday mornings in an English cinema back in the 1950s.
I absolutely loved it!!
The cliffhanging endings fired my imagination. One that particularly impressed me was the one in which Captain Africa was lying senseless under a descending portcullis which was threatening to impale him. I could hardly bear to wait the seven days until the next episode to see whether (or rather, how) he would escape from that one!!
I also developed a great longing to own a pith helmet - an ambition sadly unfulfilled to this day!
At the time I was not aware that this serial took footage from other, more illustrious, features (as a reviewer here suggests). But from my childish perspective it was a terrific series and thoroughly entertaining. I would love to see it again.
Best wishes to John Hart (still with us in 2003) and any other survivors of the series.
bob
Sons and Daughters (1982)
Was this the best "soap" ever?
The other day I was considering the question "What was the best "soap" ever?" This relatively little-known Aussie series must rank highly on my personal list of favourites and probably (just) comes out top. The reason lies mainly with the ability of the series to come up with one cliff-hanging episode after another, and for such a long period. (Dallas, at it's best, also had this quality). The effect of this in my case was to cause me to think about the programme between episodes and to look forward with eager anticipation to the next. The plots and twists have sometimes been described as "unbelievable", but then, why should entertainment be believable? Charles Dickens, for example, had deliciously unbelievable coincidences in his novels to entertain and thrill his readers. "Sons and Daughters" was full of these moments and one moment in particular - a scene in a prison cell - included THE most shocking, unexpected and thrilling twist I've ever seen in any film or TV programme ever. Fantastic!!!
bob
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
A dreadful movie
A truly dreadful movie! The lack of action, the limited setting and the general pointlessness of the plot help make this a dreadful and depressing film. What a waste of energy, effort, time and money. The most memorable bit was the apes at the beginning. At least they had "character". Sorry!
Spy-Catcher (1959)
How to make the best of a sparse set and a low budget
Each episode in this series featured a lengthy interrogation by Colonel Pinto ( played expertly by Bernard Archer) to test whether an apparently genuine Allied serviceman or refugee was, in reality, a German spy. His ingenious methods invariably resulted in the suspect giving himself away. Despite the inevitability of the outcome, the series was a fascinating study of psychological tension. Like the later detective series `Columbo', this was not so much a `who-dun-it?' as a `how-will-he-do-it?'. The series was based on real life - Colonel Pinto was a Dutch intelligence officer working in Britain during the war who was generally regarded as the best in his field. Despite the sparse set (there was just one room, with a table and two chairs), and the small cast, this was an excellent and memorable series.
The Long Way Home (1960)
An excellent British thriller
`The Long Way Home'? concerned a group of escapees from a German POW camp who tried to get back to England. The story was gripping because one of the escapees was a German spy. It had particularly compelling music (title and incidental), which I would love to hear again. This was an early childhood memory for me (back in 1960) and was a series full of suspense and action. Terrific!
Double Indemnity (1944)
Another hit for Billy Wilder
This wonderful film, with its brooding 1940's atmosphere and superb black-and-white photography (by John Seitz) is one of Hollywood's best. Fred MacMurray's performance, as the insurance man besotted with Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G Robinson's as his boss help make this film memorable. The turns of the plot and the highly-charged suspense ensure that the viewer will not be disappointed. Another of Billy Wilder's hits. Well done!