leightonphillips-41242
Joined Jan 2021
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leightonphillips-41242's rating
A wealthy, mentally fragile woman returns to her estate from a period of rehabilitation and while out in the grounds one day comes upon a dog scratching at some loose earth, which, leads her to hearing a woman's pleas for help from beneath the ground.....
Based on a 1948 Ray Bradbury story and set in a stunning location, this tightly-woven thriller keeps you willing the central character to get somebody to believe her as her sceptical family and associates are dismissive of her assertions. The sequence when she goes around a neighbourhood turning up on driveways, knocking on doors and even getting one of the local children to dig in the area keeps things tight, compact and suspenseful!
The script remains strong and economical throughout the whole proceedings and 55 year old Olivia de Havilland - 33 years on and a long way away from Gone With the Wind - gives a performance that is well-judged and enthuses a great deal of sympathy. It is a very convincing performance that could easily have gone astray in the wrong hands with a characterisation that could easily have been played too much over-the-top.
Joseph Cotten and Walter Pidgeon, both stars from the same, by-gone era as de Havilland contribute in typically professional fashion although disappointingly they do not share the same scenes. Ed Nelson, a prolific character actor in TV movies at this time gives a perfectly snappy, edgy performance as the 'villain of the piece ' And just when you think it will all end calmly, there is the memorable scene at the burial grounds that rounds things off very dramatically and satisfactorily.
Perfectly watchable and oddly memorable in its own way. Certainly well worth the viewers' time and, by and large, a testament to the well-used adage that they "don't make them like they used to".
The script remains strong and economical throughout the whole proceedings and 55 year old Olivia de Havilland - 33 years on and a long way away from Gone With the Wind - gives a performance that is well-judged and enthuses a great deal of sympathy. It is a very convincing performance that could easily have gone astray in the wrong hands with a characterisation that could easily have been played too much over-the-top.
Joseph Cotten and Walter Pidgeon, both stars from the same, by-gone era as de Havilland contribute in typically professional fashion although disappointingly they do not share the same scenes. Ed Nelson, a prolific character actor in TV movies at this time gives a perfectly snappy, edgy performance as the 'villain of the piece ' And just when you think it will all end calmly, there is the memorable scene at the burial grounds that rounds things off very dramatically and satisfactorily.
Perfectly watchable and oddly memorable in its own way. Certainly well worth the viewers' time and, by and large, a testament to the well-used adage that they "don't make them like they used to".
Despite its stellar cast - Leonard Nimoy, Ed Nelson and Jose Ferrer (two murderers from the wonderful Columbo TV series on show here) - this tepid thriller never gets out of first gear in either entertaining or thrilling the viewer.
The plot, which is built around a boy taking a rat that has been experimented on and has Mombassa Fever, from his father's laboratory has originality on its side but the way the story is developed is painfully uninspiring. The suspense that could have been generated from such a premise never materialises even when the boy goes with his brother and girlfriend on a camping trip.
The characterisations are superficial and the aforementioned highly-regarded actors are left 'treading water.' It's short running time does little to compact the suspense, so much so that the standard viewer is unlikely to care much about whether individuals are saved or not.
A little-seen film that is available on YouTube but personally I would not set aside 75 minutes of my free time to watch it anytime soon. A shame really given the acting talent involved.
The plot, which is built around a boy taking a rat that has been experimented on and has Mombassa Fever, from his father's laboratory has originality on its side but the way the story is developed is painfully uninspiring. The suspense that could have been generated from such a premise never materialises even when the boy goes with his brother and girlfriend on a camping trip.
The characterisations are superficial and the aforementioned highly-regarded actors are left 'treading water.' It's short running time does little to compact the suspense, so much so that the standard viewer is unlikely to care much about whether individuals are saved or not.
A little-seen film that is available on YouTube but personally I would not set aside 75 minutes of my free time to watch it anytime soon. A shame really given the acting talent involved.