Harleybloke

A Dutch Film directed by Paul Verhoevan about the Dutch resistance in WW2.

Very good. Great sets, looked the period and it introduced me to Carice Van Houten, a sexy Cloggy Lady I shall share with you on the sexiest Actresses thread.................

I'd recommend it!

.....You couldn't hear it, if they were shooting at me with howitzers!

Steve Crook

Did you notice young Peter Ustinov? Wasn't he young?
The other odd thing about it is that there's no music soundtrack.
They do hear music but only where things like the church organ or the record player would be making music which the characters would hear

You can also compare and contrast to the film that Powell & Pressburger made just before this one, 49th Parallel. In that it's Nazi submariners trying to escape to the neutral USA. In OOOAIM it's a British bomber crew trying to escape back to Blighty

Steve

Steve Crook

Yes, she was lovely, and the sets were good. But they could have done with a better scriptwriter. I found the underlying story itself to be confused and confusing.

I don't mind, in fact I quite like to see a film with a complex plot. But I prefer ones where the characters know the reasons for their actions

Steve

Chevyman

I did. I think that was his first film appearance at the tender age of 23?

Hugh Burden, another of my favourites, was in good form as well

A Happy and Healthy New Year to all

"Don't tread on Greta Garbo, as you walk down the boulevard?"

julian_craster

Originally Posted by Steve Crook
Sweeney 2 (1978)
This was shown on TV during the week and somehow I'd never seen it before.
It was better than the first Sweeney feature film, but was still obviously an extended TV show. Interesting, but far from being great.



The first 45 minutes was great, especially if you are familar with the Putney and Roehampton areas of London.......it brought back lots of memories....

Steve Crook

Whatever happened to that cafe on the river?

Steve

Mark O

I wonder?!!....... Putney Bridge on one side (south) has a huge block of new Glass as Walls Flats with a Pub underneath that gets so crowded I couldn't even get to the Bar for a flippin' Drink!.......though the Cafe would be on the Embankment side, being a Sweeney fan I'll check it out next time I'm near.......

Mark

Keechelus

" You can also compare and contrast to the film that Powell & Pressburger made just before this one, 49th Parallel. In that it's Nazi submariners trying to escape to the neutral USA. In OOOAIM it's a British bomber crew trying to escape back to Blighty ... "

Yep, both excellent and rather surprising for WW2 flag wavers. The Dutch civilians in OOOAIM are not universally heroic. There are a few collaborators, and many cautious, suspicious people. The British airmen were well-played as well; not square-jawed supermen, but ordinary guys trying to get home. Quite believable.

Wasn't Googie Withers great as the last link in the chain?

49th PARALLEL is a big fave for me. The Canadians are shown with a minimum of stereotyping, though Olivier's French-Canadian trapper was a bit over the top. In the Hudson's Bay scene, there is poster in the background: King George VI and his wife, with the caption "Le Roi et la Reine du Canada". A subtle reminder that Canada tried to promote French-Anglo unity then as now.

The writers certainly did some research on Canada. Especially good is the German-speaking Hutterite colony in Manitoba. Surprising for 1940-41, when pacifist Hutterites and Mennonites were seriously suspected by our wartime government - without foundation, but they suffered prejudice all through WW2. P&P told their story very well.

Canada's geography, with a few minor slips, was portrayed quite well. P&P's attention to detail is evident in both these movies.

Steve Crook

Superb. And remember that up to that time she'd been known for more "dressy" roles even in contemporary films. So to see her without any (obvious) make-up and in dungarees was quite a surprise for the cinema going public. Although she does "glam up" a bit later on in the film.

And I love that speech of hers during the air-raid (by the RAF):
You see. That's what you're doing for us. Can you hear them running for shelter? Can you understand what that means to all the occupied countries? To enslaved people, having it drummed into their ears that the Germans are masters of the Earth. Seeing these masters running for shelter. Seeing them crouching under tables. And hearing that steady hum night after night. That noise which is oil for the burning fire in our hearts.


Olivier's accent as Johnnie the trapper comes in for a lot of discussion. He gets a bit strained with it as he's fighting the submariners. But generally, is it accurate or an insulting parody?

There were a few scenes cut in the final edit (and a few more cut in the version first seen in the USA). They had one leg of their trip where they flew by a commercial airline. But they didn't think of taking a plane across the border

That opening monologue is spoken by Raymond Massey's big brother Vincent, the first Canadian born Governor General of Canada. He was very useful in getting them permission to travel and film as much as they did.

And what about Mr Massey himself? I think that Andy Brock is a great character and it's the only time that Ray Massey ever played a Canadian on screen.
The government says, "We want men to fight the Nazis, join today." So I joined. I figured they were in a hurry. That was three hundred and eighty seven days ago. Four divisions and a lot of drafts have gone overseas, and what's number B987642 doing? Guarding the Chippewa Canal. Who'd want to steal it anyway?

Steve

Steve Crook

P.S. A friend of ours from Vancouver had cause to go up to Banff recently so she took some screen-shots to do some location hunting and the took some photos for a Then & Now comparison.

If any of our Canadian readers can do similar in any of the other locations, we'd be much obliged

Steve

Keechelus

" Olivier's accent as Johnnie the trapper comes in for a lot of discussion ... "

Insulting, hell no. Olivier's voice isn't far off the mark. The script requires him to be emotional, and the repeated "Ma foi!" and "By sure!" exclamations are bowlderized from the real words Canadiens use in English speech: Tabernac' and maudits batardes ... and more.

Johnnie set a key note in 49th. His character responded to an appeal from the Nazis: "We will bring you freedom! Your own language, your own laws, your religion."

"Ma foi! I got dat already. Your Mr Hitler ain't done so good to people in Europe. Why do I want him here?"

theuofc

Hello, Joe,

Bogarde and Mai Zetterling are excellent in Desperate Moment. It's a rarely seen film, so thanks for mentioning it. Did you watch it on television? If so, applause to the channel airing it. Bogarde and Zetterling had appeared before together both in film and on stage and were, to my mind, a sizzle couple.

Regards,

Barbara

Joe Fraguela

Last night's viewing consisted of Send for Paul Temple from 1946 starring Anthony Hulme as Paul Temple. Also starring Joy Shelton, Tamara Desni, Beatrice Varley, Jack Raine, Philip Ray, Hylton Allen, Melville Crawford, Michael Golden, Norman Pierce, Olive Sloane and Marie O'Neill.

A series of mystery jewellery robberies around the UK has Scotland Yard flummoxed and it appears that a well organised gang are the ones involved. The press are hassling Scotland Yard to 'Send for Paul Temple' reluctantly the the Commissioner of Scotland Yard Sir Graham Forbes played by Jack Raine asks for his assistance. Paul Temple aided by a journalist reporter Steve Trent played by Joy Shelton set about capturing the gang.

Following on was Devil's Bait from 1959 starring Geoffrey Keen, Jane Hylton, Gordon Jackson, Dermot Kelly, Rupert Davies, Molly Urquhart, Eileen Morre, Shirley Lawrence, Barbara Archer and Timothy Bateson.

A very good suspense thriller about a rat-catcher who leaves cyanide around a bakery and the frantic efforts of the baker and his wife to avoid fatal consequences.

Rounding off last night's viewing was Out of the Clouds from 1954 starring Robert Beatty, Eunice Gayson, Anthony Steel, David Knight, Margo Lorenz, Bernard Lee, James Robertson-Justice, Isabel Dean, Gordon Harker, Megs Jenkins, Sid James, Melissa Stribbling, Marie Lohr, Esma Cannon, Harold Kasket, Jill Melford, Lloyd Lamble, Terence Alexander and Abraham Sofaer.

An unusually busy day at London's Heathrow Airport provides the setting for this documentary style drama. Following the lives and loves of some of the Airport's staff and passengers.

Joe Fraguela

I purchased the film on DVD on Ebay several years ago. A rarely seldom seen film. They had also appeared in the 1948 Somerset Maughan film Quartet albeit featuring in different stories.

Prior to Desperate Moment they made a film called Blackmailed from 1951, which I have never seen before but sounds interesting.

wadsy

They cant Hang Me 1955

Terence Morgan, Yolande Donlan, Andre Morell (as a traitor) & Ursula Howells

looking great as his wife! Not your average Police thriller!!

Cosh Boy 1953

James Kenney (looking uncannily like Gary Oldman) quite hysterical as the title

character. Also featuring a very young & pretty Joan Collins & among Kenney's

gang a juvenile Johnny Briggs & Ian Whittaker (whatever happened to him?).

Dated now but it must have been quite shocking in its day!!