hosk4163 Reviews

Manhunt (1970)

A riveting series of its time

[8/10 · 13 February 2024]

Some reviewers have panned this series, but it is theatre, FGS, not a documentary. What I love about it is the dialogue - a long gone cultured English that is intelligible - whether the action is in French, German, or English it remains in English - and that suits me. The performance of Robert Hardy as the ambivalent Abweht sergeant Gratz is a tour de force. He is moving, funny, frightening and human. Poor Nina (the gorgeous Cyd Hayman) ! Men either want to sleep, torture, or kill her. And the sinister Obersturmbanführer played by Philip Madec (don't tell him Pike) is terrifying.

There are of course, to our contemporary sophisticated eyes sole ludicrous. Moments, but you have to expect that is dramas of that period - think of Olivier's performance as Othello that evokes laughter today with its West Indian mimicry. The dialogue written for Gratz never varies in its brilliant portrayal of his wit and cunning.

I recommend it heartily,-you do not need subtitles to clarify the sloppy diction of today's actors, or the risible portrayal of the upper classes by bit players from East Enders.

Play Dirty (1969)

Rather silly, I thought

[7/10 · 9 October 2023]

There were several things that simply did not make sense. First off, Michael Caine, for whom I have a high regard, in spite of having served in Korea seemed to have forgotten how to salute.

Quite why an oil expert was needed to blow up a dump made little sense. An explosives expert might have been more useful.

If the film was intended to portray the British Army as useless it succeeded. The second group sent off to blow up the dump we're driving through the desert as if they were driving down the High Street in Aldershot. They also appeared to be in two wheel drive lorries. Not in the desert.

The scene with the dog tags - were no advice tribesmen really likely to know the difference between Italian and. British identity tags?

The episode with the winching up of the vehicles. CaptainLeach was an imbecile if he thought the last vehicle should be winched up fully loaded. He was supposed to be the expert.

The scene with the booby trap - unless the bait was on a pressure trigger it was necessary only to tell Caine not to lift the pistol. The bomb was activated by a pin that had to be pulled out..

What was the point of the two gay Arabs who did little but giggle and loot? Two unnecessary mouths to feed.

When I saw that the film was three hours long I gave up - but things may have improved. The desert travel scenes were very good, though.

Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

A curious ending - spoilers

[9/10 · 8 December 2022]

I thought this was a wonderful film, but the ending was so tame that it gave an impression that the director ran out of patience and just - ended it. I felt cheated, in a way.

Is there no law about Hearsay in the USA? At one point the prosecution brings in a surprise witness who then relates "what the accused said to me in custody?" This consisted of several damning statements that were pure reported speech - Hearsay. And inadmissible as evidence. BTW - a great performance by the Judge.

As I awaited the summing up - it suddenly ended with the jury verdict. I had expected an entirely different ending as the evidence had strongly pointed to the wife having lied throughout the investigation. The rape may not have completed which suggested that the sex had been consensual - the use of a contraceptive would have been the reason for absence of sperm. Furthermore the history of the wife's visits to the bar alone late at night in revealing dress must have suggested some carnal interest, and she was extremely flirtacious.. I wonder if my view is shared?

Death in Paradise: Christmas Special (2021) Season 11, Episode 0

Asolute tosh

[5/10 · 30 December 2021]

I have watched this series through all, but the last DIs amd loved it. But this Christmas special was a disaster. Over-complicated and riciculous plot, padded out with "comedy" scenes with the return of Dwayne, and a ludicrously soppy encounter between the new DI (Ralf Little) and Florence. It hadly deserves a rating.

Death in Paradise (2011– )

Accents

[10/10 · 30 December 2021]

This series is supposed to take place in a Caribbean island previously a French colony. The only character to have a French accent, which one woukd expect as it is the principal language, is Sara Martens. Everyone else speaks with a variety of British West Indian accents - Jamaican mostly, which just sounds ludicrous.

The Scandalous Lady W (2015 TV Movie)

Scandalous production

[3/10 · 18 August 2015]

Adams 5905 is absolutely right on every count. Natalie Dormer can hack it as a bit part in East Enders, but like most of the female actors today has no grasp of the language and pronunciation of the well-bred aristocrat or even the upper middle class. Joanna Lumley she is not!

As to the script - who begins a sentence with "Myself" as the nominative singular? Only the barely educated. There were several words not in common usage at that time, but why should we be surprised at the slap-dash writing and direction by people who have little formal classical education in English, let alone simple grammar?

Altogether laughable