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jwaterman
Reviews
Experiment in Terror (1962)
Did this inspire David Lynch?
Just saw this movie for the first time and the DVD transfer just released is fine.
From the moment this film opens, I couldn't help but wonder how many times Lynch has seen this movie. Those of you who've seen Experiment should know what I mean.
The score, the angles, the subdued dialogue all help to create one heck of a moody, brooding piece of work. I couldn't agree more with some of the other IMDB comments here...this is a great piece of film noir, if not the last great piece of film noir for a particular generation!
What I so admire about classic film-making from years past is how directors, like Blake in this instance, don't or couldn't resort to gratuitous blood and nudity to creat atmosphere. Unlike Lynch, who exploits graphic gore and nudity, Blake thrills with mere thoughts of sexual deviency and violence.
The opening scene to Experiment is one I shall not forget soon! As our villain forces himself on Remick and proceeds to dirty her ears with the filth of what he could do to her is just simply incredible film-making. It reminded me of the scene from Lynch's Wild at Heart where Dafoe's character has Dern's character in his filthy clutches. Except in Experiment, I think it works even better...why? Because there were no profane words or over-the-top characterizations, just simple text and superb acting that later matches a villain who seems quite normal as he strolls the streets of San Fran. I really believed the characters in this film...Blake puts everyone in context.
Congrats to Blake Edwards on his only serious movie...I wish you had done more! And, Mancini is as sly as ever on the score. I could go on and on. Suffice it to say, I really enjoyed this movie and am happy to have it as part of my DVD collection. Although, I'd love to see Criterion get a hold of this one...I'd love to learn more about the history of this film.
Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
OK movie, lousy DVD release
I just watched the DVD release from MGM after many years passing since I last saw this on video. Radford sets an acceptable pace given this story's bleak content and there are some truly memorable scenes (especially between the O'Brien and Winston characters in the second half). However, I think this movie really fails in captivating its audience fully. Anytime a classic novel is turned into film there is certainly risk in not being "true" to the original material. I think Radford does a decent job of captivating the right visual cues from the book, I just felt the characters wandered too much during the first half and I felt very disconnected with them by the time I'm suppose to feel pity for them in the second half.
"1984" Is still worth a watch if you're a fan of political dramas, but I doubt it has ever had the impact on its viewers the way Orwell's writing impacts his readers. Tough material for Radford to adapt to screen, and I give him a lot of credit for trying.
Strangely, the DVD version of this movie seems to have adopted Orwell's social-minimalist ideology in its own presentation. This DVD is bare, folks. Transfer is OK, but audio is still in MONO, if you can believe that. The only extra material is the original trailer and that's it. There isn't so much as an insert card for the keepcase!? I would hope that this movie receives the Criterion treatment someday, and maybe include the early versions of the film (1950s?), almost the way Criterion recently presented "The Killers". The audio certainly needs a reworking and this is an easy movie for some interesting supplements.
I rated this movie "5". If I rated the DVD, it would be a "2".