A Man Greatly Beloved

My main reasons for watching "A Man Greatly Beloved" were me watching all the episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' and for Cedric Hardwicke (so unforgettable as Frollo in 1939's 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'). James Neilson's previous 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' outings were mostly good and more, though none of his episodes are season or series high points, though he is not one of my favourites of the series' recurring directors. Did like the idea for the episode.

Just wish that the execution was better and lived up to this idea. As far as Season 2 goes, "A Man Greatly Beloved" is not one of the best ("One More Mile to Go", "Conversation over a Corpse", "The Manacled") but also not one of the worst ("Wet Saturday", "Nightmare in 4D", "Mr Blanchard's Secret"). After being so impressed by the previous 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episode "The Hands of Mr Ottermole", another one of the season's best, it was disappointing to see an episode with the potential it had be one of the season's lesser outings.

By all means, "A Man Greatly Beloved" has things that are good. The best thing about it is Hardwicke, who is excellent. Without him actually, the episode would have been close to a series low point. Hitchcock's bookending is deliciously ironic as usual.

There is some nice atmospheric filming and lighting and the theme music is as inspired and haunting as ever.

"A Man Greatly Beloved" has a lot of things that let it down. For me Evelyn Rudie was hard to take due to her badly overdoing her character's precociousness, to the point where the character becomes irritating. With so much of her as well that alone brought down the episode quite significantly. The narration is overused and has a really annoying tendency to over explain and tell too much rather than showing, this would have benefitted without any narrating.

Plot wise, there is nothing noteworthy. The story is very slight and over-stretched to the point where the episodes drags badly at points. What there is is predictable, especially the can be seen from miles off ending, is suspense-free. The dialogue is too talky and the flow is not always natural.

Concluding, very mixed feelings here. One of Neilson's weaker episodes. 5/10.

I was surprisingly enjoyed by this unexptected plot, where the relation between this little girl and this lonesome man - Cedric Hardwicke - is so interesting, unusual. No crime, no suspense, you just wonder where this story will lead you. The ending is also exquisite, not the best ever, but quite good enough to please to many audiences, all kind of audiences. This kind of scheme, for the whole family, usually annoys me, bores me at the most. Here, not at all.

This was not the usual Alfred Hitchcock show story, it was different and unusual but interesting, especially the ending. This was aired in May 1957, so likely filmed in late 1956 obviously several years before Robert Culp had his teeth fixed. Hugh Marlow is very good as the Minister and Rebecca Wells as his wife and parents of precocious Hildegard. By the way, Robert Culp does a very good job in his part also

How well you like this entry may depend on how much you like precocious 7-year old girls. Little Evelyn Rudie is one strong personality, her gap-tooth grin totally self-assured as her Hildegard messes with the lives of adults around her. Seems the mysterious John Anderson (Hardwicke) is a new-comer recluse to little Hildegard's town and thus invites curiosity. So Hildegard decides to find things out in her own inimitable way.

The plot generates little suspense, some interest, but maybe quite a few chuckles. It's really little Rudie's forceful personality that carries the show. It's also an interesting supporting cast. I suspect Hardewick took a secondary part as a favor to fellow Britisher Hitchcock, while Robert Culp gets an early role as the handsome Clarence. But for old movie fans, there's bird-like Edith Barrett from Val Lewton's great horror series from the early 1940's (e.g. I Walked with a Zombie, {1943}). Here she does a rather amusing bit. All in all, it's an offbeat Hitchcock with an upshot more thought- provoking than ironic.

This episode is told from the point of view of a precocious little girl. While she has parents, she has embarked on her own career as a chronic buttinski, messing with people's lives and carrying on her own fantasies. She decides that a fairly rich older man, new to the town and living alone will be her project. She basically blackmails him into hosting a garden part (although rain sends it inside). It is thought that this man is a retired judge, who has a reputation for handing out cruel, though appropriate, justice. It is her feeling that he is unhappy and she needs to change his life for him. I know in the eyes of most, she is cute, but after a while she becomes pretty insufferable. It's certainly a worthwhile episode and it has a bit of a twist.