tpaans

Revisiting a long out of print DVD of this old favourite, I was struck by the extent to which this rarity is nothing short of a British 'Blood and Black Lace', without being a cynical rip-off. Its stunning colour photography and production design comes very close to Bava's masterpiece and is an absolute joy to behold. With an excellent cast throughout, this confidently paced mystery offers atmosphere, thrills and surprises, with the added benefit of a highly effective score by the great Elisabeth Lutyens. Totally deserves to be lifted from unmerited obscurity with a luxury Blu Ray release by one of the major labels.

A great noir for sure, but maybe not quite the absolute masterpiece many seem to consider it. The ending, though, is devastating and apart from Power's brave against type star turn, it's Helen Walker who really stood out for me - she totally owns the screen when she's there, and Coleen Gray's sensitive performance genuinely moved me. Having coincidentally revisited Tod Browning's Freaks a mere week or so before my first encounter with Alley, I was amazed by the kinship apparent in pretty much all the carney scenes. Watch them back to back if you can, it's worth it!

Not quite as bad as all that. It's a mess, for sure, but it does have a handful of very effective scenes and some quite atmospheric shots. Tarride père makes a decent (older, in the book he's still quite young) Comissaire Maigret - God knows there have been way worse ones in later years. And Le Vigan is deliciously weird.