Something to Hide

"Something To Hide"? A better title would be "Something To Regret" as that would accurately describe how I felt after watching it.

This is the director, Alastair Reid, trying his hand at the French style of cinema, and he has proved that French cinema is an art-form best left to the French. It is a craft that needs to be learned from masters of the art.

They know how to use strange camera angles, close ups of random objects, long, slow pans and short scenes using un-connected, incidental characters to produce atmosphere, build interest and intrigue, and hold attention. I'm afraid Reid's attempts are a flop.

His close ups (a boiled egg, a typewriter, an eyeball and many other objects), his long, slow pans (one being totally out of focus), the random shots of people on a beach, children playing, frequent shots of a mechanical digger cleaning the beach, noisy old women in a shop are meant to be atmospheric and evocative, but they are perfect examples of how to get things not-quite-right when an un-trained hand tries to copy a style.

Had those techniques worked as they should, then the music would have been right too, but playing behind such bland and uninteresting scenes, the accompanying music - "Concerto For Harry" played by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra no less - simply seems pretentious.

I'm sure Reid was strongly influenced by Jean-Luc Godard's Week-end (1967), "Something To Hide" even has a scene where Harry is stuck in a traffic queue caused by a car accident ahead, as does Weekend. I'm afraid that even fans of French cinema will feel let down by this attempt. Just as you don't want a dentist trying his hand at heart surgery, you don't want a British director trying his hand at French cinema.

But perhaps the plot can uplift this film into something worth watching. Sadly, no, as it doesn't really have a plot, it is just a series of events, as is Godard's Weekend, that lead up to a climactic ending.

Harry Field (Peter Finch) is a man with a drink problem and something to hide, and having something to hide, he constantly covers up, makes excuses and lies, very much like the character he played twenty-three years earlier in Train of Events (1949).

The opening scenes are of Harry and his wife, Gabby, (Shelley Winters) spending an evening together and having dinner. It is the energy and charisma of Winters that makes these scenes worthwhile. She could have delivered her lines to a shop window mannequin or even an empty chair with equal success, such is her performance. Finch need not have been present.

Then, Shelley Winters was gone and we were left with the unbearably cheerless and grumpy Harry going about his life, and this was where the tedium set in as we followed Harry's domestic routine.

He gets up, shaves, goes to work, or some days doesn't go to work because he has a hangover, he cooks a meal and it is all mundane and dismal until he gives a lift to a young woman, Lorelei (Linda Hayden) who coerces him into putting her up for a few days. She disturbs his domestic routine and is thoroughly troublesome.

Then lots more of the French style - a man lighting a bonfire, long, sweeping shots of the outside of the house and later, one like that but at night, people building a huge sandcastle, a close up of the knobs on the stereo system - Reid must have thought these shots were interesting additions to his building the relationship between Harry and Lorelei, but they just slowed things down so much that it was hard to sit through.

This was too slow, too much time-wasting, no actual plot, just happenings, unlikeable characters and by the time it got to the climactic ending, I didn't really care, and so the emotional impact was lost on me.

When it got to the end, I wished that I hadn't wasted my time. I've seen films before that I didn't enjoy, but I'd never before seen one that was so utterly devoid of anything to make it worth watching. If ever there was film that wasn't worth watching, this is it, a total waste of time. See Jean-Luc Godard's Weekend to see how it should be done.

Harry Field had a drink problem, and trying to sit through this was such hard work,it almost drove me to drink.

Dire. Avoid! Harsh words, but deserved.

and worth seeing more than twice. This film has a haunting quality that stays with you.

Shelley Winters as a nagging wife- Peter Finch as the beleaguered husband. He is tired and bored. Much of the film is located on Isle of Wight, and the scenes are rainy and moody. His marriage is falling apart, his job bores him.

Finch (Harry ) meets a young woman hitch hiking and decides to help her out. There are many commentaries on the transiency of his life, his job; life in general. Overall this film conveys a sense of alienation and disturbance. It almost seems like psychological horror, in retrospect. Do not miss it. 9/10.

If the first ten minutes of Something to Hide seem cheesy and over the top, you should know that it only goes downhill from there. I stuck through the end because Peter Finch is a good actor, and I'll give anything with Shelley Winters a try. However, I should have stuck with my initial impression. I should have watched an old favorite of Shelley's and remembered Peter Finch in movies where he showed his acting talents. This is not one of them.

The movie starts with Peter and Shelly screaming at each other. There are a very unhappily married couple having another fight. Shelley pushes him too far, and it implies that Peter loses control... The next section features Peter functioning in the house without Shelly, but sometimes he hears her voice and believes her to still be in the house. It is pretty obvious what has happened, but the movie doesn't come right out and say it. Meanwhile, he picks up a pregnant hitchhiker and allows her to stay in his home. Their relationship is ambiguous and quite pointless. Save your time and watch something else tonight.

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to adult content, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

In the broad strokes of the story there's much about 'Something to hide' that's rather familiar. Nosy and gossiping locals, an office worker facing professional difficulties, a marriage in tatters - and a pretty girl that enters the picture in the midst of it all. Even with these common elements as roots, however, filmmaker Alastair Reid demonstrates fine skills as both writer and director that makes the movie roundly engaging. In adapting Nicholas Monsarrat's novel, characters are as complex and troubled as the dialogue is biting. The scene writing is quietly charged and electrifying to an extent I didn't quite expect as the plot unfolds - and for all that, the narrative is gratifyingly absorbing, especially as it somewhat takes on the air of a psychological drama in focusing on increasingly desperate Harry. Even with a solid cast on hand I had mixed expectations, so I'm very pleased to reflect that this is wonderfully vivid low-key thriller well worth checking out.

With the somber chords of Buddy Greco's "How can we run away" opening the film and defining much of Roy Budd's score, the opening scene serves up a vibrant, jolting image of marital discord. Thusly is the tone set for the equally impactful if less immediately invigorating mess that follows as well-meaning Harry Field tumbles down a rabbit hole of escalating problems. Every small turn in the saga delivers a new little punch owing to sharp writing that keeps the tension boiling - and not least of all thanks to outstanding performances. Well and truly, everyone in the cast is swell, down to the small supporting parts ably filled with fine range, nuance, and poise by the likes of Harold Goldblatt, Rosemarie Dunham, Jack Shepherd. Naturally, however, a few key performances stand out - including Shelley Winters, who steals the spotlight even in her limited time on-screen with a riveting display of aggravation. Linda Hayden, only 19 years old in 1972, carries a spark of dangerous energy in portraying conniving young Lorelei. Above all, Peter Finch is marvelous in the starring role of Harry, perfectly expressing the man's crumbling mentality as unfavorable circumstances mount around him. As much as everyone else involved contributes to the film's success, if I had to name only one highlight of 'Something to hide' then Finch's turn as Mr. Field would unmistakably be it.

As much as I would love to verbosely sing the praises of the feature, I'm not sure how much longer I could go on without betraying plot points. I can say to a certainty, though, that the title makes a couple moves I wasn't anticipating, and I'm delighted at the stylistic flavor given to the narrative. It's not the most original or essential film one could watch, and rich as the last several minutes are as a viewing experience, there's also an argument to be made that they are perhaps a bit overdone, and gauche. Yet much more so than not I think this is a fantastic, hushed drama - punctuated with distinctly grabbing moments - that's anchored with strong writing and acting. 'Something to hide' is a softly entrancing picture that digs in its claws to keep our attention, and very entertaining - and it gets my hearty recommendation.

This low-watt British thriller has never got a decent release either on DVD or VHS, despite strong performances from three great character actors.

Peter Finch is, of course, best known for playing a crazed news anchor-man "Howard Beal" in "Network", a role for which he won a post-humous Academy Award. But his other famous role was as a beleaguered husband in "The Pumpkin Eater", a role very similar to the one he plays here. Shelley Winters plays his nagging, shrewish wife. She is good as always, but doesn't have nearly enough screen time. The real surprise though is Linda Hayden, famous for playing sexy, evil (and oft-naked) vixens in movies like "Blood on Satan's Claw". Unfortunately, her best movie, "House on Straw Hill" was actually banned in Britain back in the day and, as a result, has been barely released outside it. And her earlier collaboration with director Alistair Reid, "Baby Love", is also problematic since she debuted in this rather sexy role at the tender age of 15.

Finch plays a decent, well-meaning husband whose life is entirely destroyed by his own horribly bad decisions and two different female harpies--his wife Shelly winters and Linda Hayden, a very pregnant hitchhiker he picks up. Instead of playing her usual sexy and evil, Hayden is just plain evil here, and never has a pregnant woman seemed so menacing. I won't give away the plot, but Finch's character soon has at least one body on his hands as his life spins into blackly comic, vortex nightmare.

I saw the crappy, cut VHS version of this (the only one currently available), but even so it is a quite entertaining movie. It certainly deserves better.