adrianovasconcelos
Joined Feb 2017
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adrianovasconcelos's rating
One of my regrets as a movie lover is that I have only recently discovered Pietro Germi as director, writer and actor - and he is phenomenal at every level!
MALEDETTO IMBROGLIO stands as one of the very best films noir cum whodunnit I have had the privilege to watch and, to add to my bewilderment, hardly any of my fellow cinephiles knows about it.
With masterful B&W cinematography by Leonida Barboni and editing by Roberto Cinquini, it boasts highly inspired direction by Pietro Germi, who also delivers superbly as the dark spectacle-wearing, quiet, demanding, astute, attentive to detail, persevering police commissioner Ingravallo.
Stunningly beautiful Claudia Cardinale would always stay in my mind, but the impressive support performances come from Saro Urzi as mareschialo, a senior subordinate to Ingravallo, and Franco Fabrizi as an opportunistic medical doctor who beds any woman he can, steals money from the dead, lies to police and amounts to what a member of the very noble medical profession should never be.
Nino Castelnuovo, as Cardinale's love interest, also makes the most of his small but crucial role.
I am not Italian but, trusting my Latin language background, I watched the film on Youtube in Italian, so I must have missed some important details along the way. Even so, I found MALEDETTO IMBROGLIO thoroughly engrossing from beginning to end.
Recommended viewing. 9/10.
MALEDETTO IMBROGLIO stands as one of the very best films noir cum whodunnit I have had the privilege to watch and, to add to my bewilderment, hardly any of my fellow cinephiles knows about it.
With masterful B&W cinematography by Leonida Barboni and editing by Roberto Cinquini, it boasts highly inspired direction by Pietro Germi, who also delivers superbly as the dark spectacle-wearing, quiet, demanding, astute, attentive to detail, persevering police commissioner Ingravallo.
Stunningly beautiful Claudia Cardinale would always stay in my mind, but the impressive support performances come from Saro Urzi as mareschialo, a senior subordinate to Ingravallo, and Franco Fabrizi as an opportunistic medical doctor who beds any woman he can, steals money from the dead, lies to police and amounts to what a member of the very noble medical profession should never be.
Nino Castelnuovo, as Cardinale's love interest, also makes the most of his small but crucial role.
I am not Italian but, trusting my Latin language background, I watched the film on Youtube in Italian, so I must have missed some important details along the way. Even so, I found MALEDETTO IMBROGLIO thoroughly engrossing from beginning to end.
Recommended viewing. 9/10.
I am not a fan of Ray Nazarro, well known for his numerous B and C Westerns. In DAVID HARDING, COUNTERSPY he tackles an altogether diverse genre: film noir with a needless voiceover intro and occasional commentary that kind of brings it into the realm of docunoir.
At any rate, it probes a sensitive area at the time: the Cold War that already prompted Senator McCarthy and the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC) to launch an anti-communist witch hunt in Hollywood and society at large, leading to an abiding atmosphere of distrust and suspicion incisively depicted in the film.
In addition, it shows how bugging and camera technology evolved rapidly and in multifaceted ways (interestingly, Harding discloses the presence of 55 cameras constantly filming the workers of a weapon-manufacturing plant). But for the fact that, as I write, the events in DAVID HARDING occurred 75 years ago, counterespionage police investigation was laying the foundations for the investigative procedures we see today in CSI and other police-related TV programs.
I would not write home about the screenplay by Clint Johnston, but perhaps the abovementioned needless voiceover was studio-imposed. Other than that, the script presents some interesting twists and turns, and an unusual love relationship whereby the best friend (Willard Parker) of a just deceased colleague promptly tells the just widowed beautiful Audrey Long that he loves her.
I dock a star for Parker failing to impress as the lead. In addition to little expression, let alone nuance, in his craggy mug, he keeps getting beaten up and very nearly smoked to death (now, that amounts to an amateurish miscalculation by the supposedly sharp and professional foreign agents, as they had disposed of Long's hubby in precisely the same manner and repeating it would surely attract unwanted attention).
Long and Greenleaf, as the unsuspected spy ring head, provide the eye-catching performances, Howard St John the anchor to all the action as the intelligent, calm and on the ball chief counterspy.
Highly competent B&W cinematography by George Diskant.
At 71 minutes long, DAVD is definitely no waste of time and a bonus to any film noir lover. 7/10.
At any rate, it probes a sensitive area at the time: the Cold War that already prompted Senator McCarthy and the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC) to launch an anti-communist witch hunt in Hollywood and society at large, leading to an abiding atmosphere of distrust and suspicion incisively depicted in the film.
In addition, it shows how bugging and camera technology evolved rapidly and in multifaceted ways (interestingly, Harding discloses the presence of 55 cameras constantly filming the workers of a weapon-manufacturing plant). But for the fact that, as I write, the events in DAVID HARDING occurred 75 years ago, counterespionage police investigation was laying the foundations for the investigative procedures we see today in CSI and other police-related TV programs.
I would not write home about the screenplay by Clint Johnston, but perhaps the abovementioned needless voiceover was studio-imposed. Other than that, the script presents some interesting twists and turns, and an unusual love relationship whereby the best friend (Willard Parker) of a just deceased colleague promptly tells the just widowed beautiful Audrey Long that he loves her.
I dock a star for Parker failing to impress as the lead. In addition to little expression, let alone nuance, in his craggy mug, he keeps getting beaten up and very nearly smoked to death (now, that amounts to an amateurish miscalculation by the supposedly sharp and professional foreign agents, as they had disposed of Long's hubby in precisely the same manner and repeating it would surely attract unwanted attention).
Long and Greenleaf, as the unsuspected spy ring head, provide the eye-catching performances, Howard St John the anchor to all the action as the intelligent, calm and on the ball chief counterspy.
Highly competent B&W cinematography by George Diskant.
At 71 minutes long, DAVD is definitely no waste of time and a bonus to any film noir lover. 7/10.
Never saw Director Dominic Cooke's name before but, for a first filmic venture, I find THE COURIER worthy of high praise.
He extracts superb performances from Benedict Cumberbatch (an actor I did not care for, prior to watching COURIER), and Merab Ninidze as Oleg/Alex, the Russian Government official who sees nuclear war looming and betrays his country to prevent global conflict. To that end, he passes a note to a couple of US youngsters visiting Moscow, asking them to deliver it to the US Embassy. Needless to say, the Americans are interested when they establish the sender's identity.
Greville Wynne (Cumberbatch) is the classic useful idiot. He is a salesman, the Americans are looking for a non-US citizen to contact Oleg, and against the best judgement and advice of British Government officials but with promises of monetary reward from Uncle Sam, he does fly to Moscow. Naturally, the Russians also have moles in the West, notably in Washington, and they soon become aware of a possible mole in their own structure.
I had a creepy feeling that, good intentions notwithstanding, the British salesman turned spy and the Russian colonel turned traitor were constantly watched, and Russians have always been known for their famous dictum: "Trust but verify."
My other suspicion - well built up by the narrative and action in COURIER - was that if the Russians caught them, they would be left to their fates. It is all very well to recruit, much tougher to care when your spy could prove an embarrassment to your government.
So the final quarter of the film is not easy to watch. At one point, Cumberbatch reminded me of Steve McQueen in PAPILLON, exercising in his cell to keep fit and eating rubbishy food to keep his strength as far as possible.
Interesting to note that while the various governments deceived, spied and plotted against each other, Greville and Oleg remained decent human beings, putting their lives on the line to try to save each other.
Tom O'Connor's articulate screenplay had me hooked throughout, and the cinematography by Sean Bobbitt proved competent and effective, including British and Russian vehicles of the time, lending period credibility to the action.
I liked to see the footage of the real Greville Wynne being interviewed at the end. He seemed like a real gentleman and a good sport, showing no stiff upper lip but a smile instead, despite his horrid time at the hands of Soviet torturers.
Recommended viewing. 8/10.
He extracts superb performances from Benedict Cumberbatch (an actor I did not care for, prior to watching COURIER), and Merab Ninidze as Oleg/Alex, the Russian Government official who sees nuclear war looming and betrays his country to prevent global conflict. To that end, he passes a note to a couple of US youngsters visiting Moscow, asking them to deliver it to the US Embassy. Needless to say, the Americans are interested when they establish the sender's identity.
Greville Wynne (Cumberbatch) is the classic useful idiot. He is a salesman, the Americans are looking for a non-US citizen to contact Oleg, and against the best judgement and advice of British Government officials but with promises of monetary reward from Uncle Sam, he does fly to Moscow. Naturally, the Russians also have moles in the West, notably in Washington, and they soon become aware of a possible mole in their own structure.
I had a creepy feeling that, good intentions notwithstanding, the British salesman turned spy and the Russian colonel turned traitor were constantly watched, and Russians have always been known for their famous dictum: "Trust but verify."
My other suspicion - well built up by the narrative and action in COURIER - was that if the Russians caught them, they would be left to their fates. It is all very well to recruit, much tougher to care when your spy could prove an embarrassment to your government.
So the final quarter of the film is not easy to watch. At one point, Cumberbatch reminded me of Steve McQueen in PAPILLON, exercising in his cell to keep fit and eating rubbishy food to keep his strength as far as possible.
Interesting to note that while the various governments deceived, spied and plotted against each other, Greville and Oleg remained decent human beings, putting their lives on the line to try to save each other.
Tom O'Connor's articulate screenplay had me hooked throughout, and the cinematography by Sean Bobbitt proved competent and effective, including British and Russian vehicles of the time, lending period credibility to the action.
I liked to see the footage of the real Greville Wynne being interviewed at the end. He seemed like a real gentleman and a good sport, showing no stiff upper lip but a smile instead, despite his horrid time at the hands of Soviet torturers.
Recommended viewing. 8/10.
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