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Reviews
Secret Beyond the Door... (1947)
Okay Fritz Lang thriller
Secret Beyond The Door is the third Fritz Lang film I've watched and I have to say the other two (film noirs Scarlet Street and The Woman In The Window were a lot more impressive. It's based on the tale of Bluebeard and bears quite a few simililarities to Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca (drafty desolate mansion, shady housekeeper, a new bride feeling she's competing somehow with her husband's deceased ex-wife and even a dramatic fire) but it isn't as good as that film. The main problem is how the romance element is dealt with. Joan Bennett's character falls for Michael Redgrave's character without much reason. Okay, he's a handsome guy, but he gets her attention by staring at her and his chatting up technique is creepy to say the least. We're expected to assume any real attraction occurred when they "spent the next three days together" (Bennett's narration glossing over vital characterisation in a sentence). Still, I kept watching. it had its moments of suspense and I did like the theme and last scene speaking of a wife's loyalty to her husband.
Murder, My Sweet (1944)
Murder, My Sweet
Murder, My Sweet (or Farewell, My Lovely to quote the title of the Chandler book it's based on and the American film title) is an involvng film noir directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Dick Powell as Chandler's famous detective Phillip Marlowe – some say the definitive portrayal of this character. Claire Trevor, Ann Shirley, Otto Kruger and (most effectively) Mike Mazurki are an able cast for a story in which two of Marlowe's cases appear intertwined, but it's best not to get tangled up in the complex plot Just enjoy Powell's one-liners ('My mind felt like a plumber's handkerchief') and let the plot wash over you. The best scene is where the detective finds himself in the house of an unmerciful doctor (complete with a dream sequence every bit as good as Salvador Dali's in Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound). It felt a little overlong, but that's a small criticism against the film's merits.
Gavin & Stacey (2007)
Gavin And Stacey
Gavin And Stacey is a brilliant show. One of the best UK sitcoms of this decade, revolving around the general theme of a long distance relationship, quick marriage and how the distance between Essex (Gavin's home) and Barry, Wales (Stacey's home) underlining that situation – us being treated to the idiosyncrasies of their rival clans along the way. Two strong supporting characters are Nessa and Smiffy (Ruth Jones and James Corden – the show's writers), who try to face up to the life lessons an unplanned pregnancy brings, whilst Rob Brydon shines as stand-out character Bryn (Stacey's ever-present Uncle). There are some poignant moments along the way. The last episode of the first series, where Bryn reads a note from Stacey's deceased father, is very moving indeed. Some moments are a little bit too cloying for my liking (the last episode of series 2 featuring far more situation than comedy), but on the whole I've thoroughly enjoyed the series.