London FilmsDirected by Carol Reed
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Criterion Collection)
Carol Reed's study of secrets and lies based on the story and screenplay by Graham Greene. It's a psychological murder mystery told mainly from the point of view of a child, played wonderfully by Bobby Henrey. It took some time to put my finger on what bothered me, but I eventually realized the screenplay was too clever for its own good. All tension in the final scene when the police were questioning Baines was deflated by the knowledge of the undiscovered evidence. I'm not good at mysteries but easily remembered the footprint. Even the first half of the film, before the death, was filled with foreshadow and innuendo: the snake, the murder in Africa, Mrs. Baines portrayal as evil, etc. Maybe I've seen too many Hitchcock films, but this one just lacked subtlety. And could somebody shut that kid up at the end?
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Criterion Collection)
Carol Reed's study of secrets and lies based on the story and screenplay by Graham Greene. It's a psychological murder mystery told mainly from the point of view of a child, played wonderfully by Bobby Henrey. It took some time to put my finger on what bothered me, but I eventually realized the screenplay was too clever for its own good. All tension in the final scene when the police were questioning Baines was deflated by the knowledge of the undiscovered evidence. I'm not good at mysteries but easily remembered the footprint. Even the first half of the film, before the death, was filled with foreshadow and innuendo: the snake, the murder in Africa, Mrs. Baines portrayal as evil, etc. Maybe I've seen too many Hitchcock films, but this one just lacked subtlety. And could somebody shut that kid up at the end?
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