bill-25525

This movie was made in 1950, not five years after the end of WWII and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is a powerful antiwar film. Never mind that the special effects look lame compared to today's special effects, and some of the dialogue is in that stilted 1940's style. The film actually uses Washington DC as a backdrop, which is good, because DC has a very unique look, and LA or New York certainly would not do. Furthermore, Patricia Neal and Michael Reney deliver terrific performances. The kid is totally believable. But the thing that really makes this movie is the music. The use of the theremin really conveys the tension and drama of events. The last 90 seconds of the movie sum it all up when Mr. Carpenter tells the people."There must be security for all, or no one is secure"....."join us, and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration. The decision is yours". As powerful a massage today as it was then, with Vladimir Putin threatening the use of nuclear weapons in his Ukraine war.

This movie is about a family that is so dysfunctional it makes Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf look like a Hallmark movie. The acting is excellent, with a big-name cast. Meryl Streep, the matriarch of the family, acts more like an alcoholic than a drug addict. She is always gaming people, revealing their secrets in front of others, bringing up the past, pushing everybody's buttons. There are people in the real world like this, and I stay as far away as I can from them. If you enjoy watching people, mainly women, fight for an hour and a half or whatever this movie is, this one's for you.