Blindfold

Strongly influenced by Alfred HItchcock's spy thrillers ("north by northwest" " the man who knew too much"...etc) ,"Blindfold " shares with them the same vagueness as far as the political stakes are concerned. There are villains who kidnapped a scientist ,period.Sometimes ,the viewer does not know who the villains are anymore.And the movie shows some humor ,when it seems everything is unauthorized and when the cop lies down on the psychiatrist's coach.Besides the movie is proof positive that mules are clever .Claudia Cardinale keeps her slightly hoarse voice (apart from Italian,she is also fluent in French) and her pairing with Hudson is odd,but why not?The movie is never dull and although it is far-fetched to a fault -Hudson finding the way back to the House - it's good entertainment .

But if you have not seen Hudson's precedent movie -one of his favorites- " Seconds"(Frankenheimer) ,made the same year,you'd better choose that one.

A New York psychiatrist , Dr. Bartholomew Snow (Rock Hudson) is inveigled by General Prat (Jack Warden) and his operatives into treating a disturbed scientist whose discoveries are fundamental to the Cold War effort and who is held in a secret location necessitating a blindfold for the shrink on route , but sinister surprises lurk in the dark. He then engages in a thorny espionage with noted scientist (Alejandro Rey) wanted by certain foreign powers, later on , international terrorists intervene , Hudson soon finds himself caught in the middle and out of desperation, he joins with the boffin's showgirl sister , Vicky Vincenti (Claudia Cardinale) who also happens to be a brave and fiery woman, both of whom attempt to retrace his steps and save the day . As Bartholomew stubbornly retraces his route by means of clues and sounds to discover the actual source of the original location. Then a trailing cop (Brad Dexter) and his chief (Robert F. Simon) enter the fray . Living Dangerously . . . And loving every minute of it!. Bullets and Brunettes...in a Blind Alley 15 miles wide, 2,000 miles long and 20 high...and time running out !. Deadly...Dangerous...The Game is...Blindfold...The less you see...the longer you live...when you're wrapped in the danger of Blindfold..Behind the Blindfold is the greatest security trap ever devised. A blind alley paved with deadly danger!

An acceptable and twisted thriller/comedy with explosive conflict of world-shattering espionage , including suspense , intriguing events , twists and turns . It displays a charming cast , but the uneven filmmaking falters in film that wavers from mystery , thriller, action-packed to comedy . It contains inappropriate slapstick scenes and some fights in Terence Hill/Bud Spencer style seem incongrous . Main ans support cast are pretty well . Rock Hudson gives a sympathetic acting in his usual style as a psychiatrist treating patients with emotional problems who's solicited by government agents in connection with a former one. While Claudia Cardinale as his beautiful partner is extremely sympathetic and really gorgeous.they are finely supported by nice and familar secondaries providing stunning interpretations , such as : Jack Warden , Guy Stockwell, Brad Dexter , Anne Seymour , Alejandro Rey, Hari Rhodes, Vito Scotti , Angela Clarke , Mort Mills , Robert F. Simon. And brief apperances , almost extras , from Bruce Glover , Charles Horvath, Roy Jenson , Chuck Roberson, Norman Alden, among others.

It displays lively and thrilling musical score by veteran composer Lalo Schifrin . Colorful cinematography in Technicolor by the splendid director of photography by Joseph MacDonald . Shot on location in Ocala, Florida , New York City, and Universal Studios California . The motion picture was uneven and professionally directed by Philip Dunne , though he seems to have trouble sustaining it , lapsing into thudding comedy and silly action. Distinguised screenwriter Dunne had also made ten movies in the former decade before his career came to an almighty stop with this mediocre but at times decent thriller. Dunne was one of the founders of the American Screen Writer's Guild and along with director William Wyler and John Huston, he formed the Committee for the First Amendment to protest the procedures of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Dunne was an expert writer , getting some successes , such as Anne of the Indians , Sinuhé, the Egyptian , The Robe , Martin the Gaucho , Pinky , David and Betsabe , The Ghost and Mrs Muir , Demetrius and the Gladiators , Lydia Bailey . And he directed some movies as Blindfold , El inspector , Wild in the Country , 10, calle Frederick , Three Brave Men , Hilda Crane , The view from Pompey's Head . Blindfold(1966) rating : 5.5/10. Acceptable and passsable flick, but neither notable , nor extraordinary , but mildly decent . The pic will appeal to Rock Hudson and Claudia Cardinale fans .

I've seen this mystery/comedy on one of the cable channels, a few years ago. I believe it's a Universal picture, and it may be one of those movies that the studio hasn't gotten around to putting out on VHS or DVD.

It's not bad as a film, and I hope that it comes out on digital in the years ahead.

Rock Hudson is his usual self in this film, playing his typical cool guy/nice guy self in trying to figure out who the good guys/villains are. And this movie did keep me guessing till the very end.

Nice movie

Blindfold is a clever and entertaining film with an interesting moral to it about some folk's paranoid obsession with security. As lead Rock Hudson plays a psychiatrist he's in a perfect position to diagnose the problem. Can he find a cure though when security is compromised?

Hudson's practice includes some of New York's society bigwigs and he's quite the lady's man within that set. But one day he gets a call from a general in civilian attire played by Jack Warden who wants him to treat a former patient of his who is now a government scientist and who has had a nervous breakdown. But we can't let the Commies or anyone else know about it.

So Hudson is flown a couple hours to an old mansion where Alejandro Rey is being held and he does his psychiatrist thing and he's blindfolded as well. Two other people are concerned, Claudia Cardinale as Rey's sister who is telling the world about her brother's kidnapping and in point of fact he was. And there's the stuttering Guy Stockwell who convinces Hudson that Warden is a fake.

A great deal of the film is spent with poor Hudson trying to get answers to questions with no one 'authorized' to tell him. So who is real and who is fake, Warden or Stockwell? That you see the film for.

Blindfold is a delightful comedy and suspense film in the Hitchcock tradition. As is the mark of a good film, supporting the charming leads is a flawless cast of memorable performances. Besides those I've already mentioned there is Anne Seymour as Hudson's secretary, Brad Dexter as a thick as a brick NYPD detective, Vito Scotti and Angela Clarke as Cardinale and Rey's parents and a mule named Henry who gives the plot a kick in the right direction.

For fans of Rock Hudson and those who will be after seeing Blindfold.

This thriller/comedy never reaches great heights but is solidly entertaining throughout and that is more of an achievement then one might give it credit for. To be sure, the plot elements and romantic element of two people who can't stand each other for most of the film but eventually fall in love has been done a million times before in various films over the years.

But usually, films containing these elements come across as hackneyed, tiresome and dreary in some shape or form but Blindfold never feels like that and is consistently good fun throughout its journey. Credit for that must go to Hudson and Cardinale who work well as a team and Hudson is especially effective in the film's more comic moments. Jack Warden is reliably effective in his supporting role.

While Blindfold is no classic on any level the solid entertainment it provides is something Hollywood consistently struggles to achieve to this day in films created for that purpose.

If you want to see a really bad example of this genre, see the abysmal pseudo-hip caper comedy A Fine Pair starring Hudson and Cardinale again which is a disaster on all levels.