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Reviews
The Inspector (1962)
Memorable, Very Poignant Film
I saw this movie many years ago, when I was in my teens, and then again when I was in my 20s. I haven't found it since. It was very moving to me at the time, partly because I really loved Delores Hart and Stephen Boyd. Alas, Steven Boyd died young, and never got the credit he was due as an actor while he was alive. And - alas again - Delores Hart's career was quite short because she left Hollywood at a young age and entered the convent.
This is an unusual love story between a Dutch detective/police officer, and a young Jewish woman who is more or less stranded in Holland after the war. The detective is emotionally moved by the plight of this young women, and decides to help her get to Palestine. The rest of the movie revolves around their difficult and event-filled journey.
Both Hart and Boyd are wonderful in their roles, and Hart's plight, and Boyd's emotional response and caring for her, are very moving. I believe that Boyd's character represents the European, non-Jews who went out of their way to help Jews during, and after WW II. But his feelings of caring for her, and his response to her particular story (I won't go into detail here about her tragic circumstances) go beyond guilt and just wanting to help. He is very drawn to her, and eventually, she is to him as well.
Anyway, well worth seeing this emotional and atmospheric film. the film is from a book by the writer Jan de Hartog, and it is a very original, unusual story.
The Razor's Edge (1984)
Does not compare to the original
Sorry folks, call me old fashioned, but having seen the original "Razor's Edge" several times, I was VERY disappointed with the Bill Murray version. The original version with Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, Herbert Marshal, etc., had class, style, gorgeous black and white photography, and a brilliant screenplay and acting with truly talented superstars. The VAST MAJORITY of actors, directors, and "writers" in Hollywood today can't begin to compete with this calibre of talent, and they had NO BUSINESS remaking this film. As for Bill Murray, I don't consider him to be a talented actor for either comedy roles or dramatic ones. His "understated", deadpan "acting" style is simply evidence that he's incapable of projecting any meaningful emotions on the screen, and I am NOT TAKEN IN BY HIM as some reviewers on this site seem to be. In short, I thought the Bill Murray version of "Razor's Edge" was EXTREMELY ho-hum, and I gave it a "one-star" rating because this movie is a very big insult to those of us who appreciate fine romantic drama, and I mean "romantic" not just in the interpersonal "falling in love" sense, I mean it with a big, capital "R". The original "Razor's Edge" conveys a romantic view of life, a search for meaning, and a questioning of how we live our lives. The recent version of this movie is a confused, poorly acted, poorly directed film.
Black Widow (1987)
Must see for mystery/intrigue buffs
Whether or not this film is truly great and will go down in the anals of movie history as unforgettable IS BESIDE THE POINT. It's just so damned much fun to watch !! Debra Winger is great as a somewhat nerdy, nervous and brilliant FBI statistician. She intuits that a series of deaths in different parts of the country of older men who had young wives are not accidents, and that the same woman may be involved. She becomes obsessed with catching this woman, and convinces her boss to let her go "out in the field" rather than just stay behind her computer. Teresa Russell plays "the woman" who Winger pursues. Winger ends up befriending Russell, and then the real story unfolds... that of the complex and compelling relationship between these two women. Russell has never been better on the screen... it's worth seeing this film just to watch her. She's SO BEAUTIFUL, confident, seductive, and yet at the same time neurotic and dangerous. I don't want to say more except that I've seen this film many times at this point, and I never tire of watching it. See this movie and see what you think.