Change Your Image
rflock
Reviews
Michel Strogoff (1975)
nearly as good as new
I have watched this series again a few days ago, and i must admit that it is still quite as good as it was when i watched it for the first time, that means on a small black and white TV screen when i was a kid maybe 30 years ago. There is adventure all the way, and the music by Vladimir Cosma is highly enjoyable and suits marvelously. He is certainly one of the best European film composer. The only thing that has suffered with the years may be the image, which is sometimes much too dark, and sometimes very pale... but well, what could be appreciated on a small black and white TV screen... What's interesting when you watch it now also, is that you now understand the plot, which was of lower importance it seems when you were a kid. Just like when you read Tintin comics. The influence of Verne on Herge appears quite clearly here (well, i'm not as brave as to read Verne's novels in order to check that up). The British reporter and his french counterpart remind me of the Thomson & Thompson duo too... pretty funny characters actually. Well... Anyway, to cut a long story short, 'Michel Strogoff' the series is highly recommendable. Attention les yeux!
Panique (1946)
Duvivier
Blind love... For me, this is just one of the best movies ever. Michel Simon shows here how gifted an actor he was. His character can hardly inspire sympathy, anyway you can only feel at least disturbed by what happens to him... the bad part is played by the crowd, merciless, depicted as a gang of sympathetic, funny, common characters... and how cruel. it's a history of common cruelty, of a disillusioned 'noone loves me'. there are some haunting scenes in this movie: the bumper cars, the treason(s), and... the terrible flight on the roofs... And Mr Hire who has build himself a shell, which he thought could not be damaged... but... blind love... Simply: Duvivier was and is one of the ten best movie directors ever. At least 'Panique' is the best adaptation of a novel written by Simenon ever.