Actually this is one of my favorite neglected films, Huston having one more of the same ilk, Kremlin Letter. Just why it and the other film have fallen so low is part of the usual blindness of the unwashed masses, often the best taking time to sift out the flashy from the good. There are very many interesting moments in this one, a lively cast, great theme, all the way from Trevor Howard to Juliette Greco. Everything is overdone in it and it makes for pretty good watching. The worst thing about it in fact is its astonishing unavailability. There has never been a film quite like it, and coming from Huston, well, it borders on the criminal that it is almost impossible to find. We can only hope that all its negatives are not also lost.
Review of The Roots of Heaven
