sfoxly

Once again, after waiting about a year, I watched the Director's cut of this movie. I've watched it about six times over the past 20 years. And once again I have no idea why I like it so much. It is so disjointed and filled with so many unresolved sub-plots, undeveloped characters and ludicrous situations that it should be classified as abstract, even non-objective art. If it weren't for Morricone's wonderful music, I would not have watched it a second time, much less a sixth.

I'm not an unwashed Philistine, with no culture or taste, but I'm damned if I know why this film is regarded so highly. And why I will most likely watch it again in the future.

It has some indefinable charisma. The music,the photography and the scattered storyline somehow come together and create an entrancing, compelling movie that really, in the long run, goes nowhere. I gave it a 9. I held back the last number because the movie still leaves me frustrated at the end.

It's been 47 years since I saw this episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, but I've never forgotten it. I couldn't remember who the stars were and the title of the episode. I finally typed in "Childhood of a gangster" under "Plots" and damned! There is was all along. The story is a good reminder of how many of us have had our bubbles burst when we discover that our fathers are not the larger-than-life heroes we always thought them to be, but human and fallible, after all. Sometimes the shock can be devastating, as seen here through the eyes of young Iggy. I, too, will always remember the haunting way little Iggy ran away from his friend at the end, telling him that Mr. Rose would protect him from his father. And the fading lines as he disappeared down the dark street: "...you'll see!!...you'll see!!....you'll see!!"

I recently heard about this movie from a friend who said it had the most frightening scene he had ever watched. The reviews I've read mostly say the same thing, so I am intrigued about the film. Blockbuster and the other video outlets in my area do not carry the movie. I went to e-bay, but all the DVD formats are Region 2 (Western Europe) and the VHS versions are PAL. Can anyone help? To me, the most terrifying image is that of a human face distorted by psychotic, homicidal glee, like Anthony Perkins in the final scene of "Psycho", dressed in a wig and brandishing that butcher knife. His leering, maniacal grin was the scariest thing in the movie. So, I'm guessing that this terrifying scene is akin to that. But don't tell me. If anyone has a suggestion about where to find the movie, please e-mail me.Thanks. Sfoxly