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Reviews
The Killing Kind (1973)
Little seen, neglected gem of a thriller
I first saw this film by accident on cable television years ago, and it haunted me ever since. Thankfully, the 2007 DVD release is of a quality that does justice to this undeservedly obscure film. Director Curtis Harrington details in the supplementary interview the unfortunate problems this film had being distributed, and I sought a copy of it for years before (again almost by accident) learning it was to be released on DVD. The actors are uniformly fine, but the primary reason to seek this film out is the great Ann Sothern. Far from giving a perfunctory performance in what was obviously an inexpensive film even for its time, she imbues her role as a smothering but well-intentioned mother with such dignity and compassion and a lost longing for a better life, that by the time the film ends, her plight brings a lump to the throat. Sothern was an underrated actress who had success in many B-movie roles in the 30s and 40s (the Maisie series, etc., April Showers), and in a few A pictures (e.g., Joseph Mankiewicz's A Letter to Three Wives). She also enjoyed great success in 50s comedy series (Private Secretary, The Ann Sothern Show). In her last film, The Whales of August (1987) she was finally rewarded with a supporting actress Oscar nomination. Had there been any justice in the awards process (we know there is little), she would have had a best actress nod for The Killing Kind. It is a remarkable performance in a film that one expect to be exploitative, but which ends up being psychologically complex and touching and tragic. Highly recommended.
The Wrong Box (1966)
The Wrong Box is one of the top comedies of all time
Having seen The Wrong Box originally at the long ago torn down Festival Theater in Dallas in 1966, there have been few comedy films before or since that bring quite the smile to one's face in recollection as this one. With a such terrific cast (Ralph Richardson, John Mills, Michael Caine, Peter Sellers, Peter Cook & Dudley Moore, et al.), and cult status pedigree, how strange that the latest video release was the full screen, rather washed out laserdisc. The John Barry soundtrack (once announced for CD release, but it never materialized) goes for big $$$ on ebay and is in great demand among aficionados. Presumably Columbia/Tristar owns the rights, but I have written to suggest the Criterion Collection might want to look into a special release - so far to no avail. If enough people get on this bandwagon, maybe Criterion or the studio will get the message for a new widescreen remastered release. All comedy is a matter of taste, but I cannot recommend this more highly.