90 Degrees in the Shade (1965) User Reviews (7)

Strangely compelling

[MOscarbradley · 7/10 · 1 December 2016]

A genuine oddity. This Raymond Stross produced/Jiri Weiss directed British/Czech co-production disappeared almost before it was released despite being nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of Best Foreign Film in the English Language. It was written by David Mercer, set and filmed in Prague with a British and Czech cast, all of whom were dubbed.

Anne Heywood is the assistant manager of a shop who is having an affair with her married boss, (a miscast James Booth), while helping him steal from their employers. Things come to a head when an auditor, who fancies Heywood, starts snooping around. He is played by Rudolf Hrusinsky, one of the Czech actors in a cast that also includes Ann Todd and Donald Wolfit.

It's superbly shot in black and white by Bedrich Batka with a terrific jazz score by Ludek Hulan. Though fundamentally 'British' it looks and feels like something from the Czech New Wave and had it been made entirely in Czech, rather than very stilted English, its critical reputation might have been much higher. As it is, it's a strange, compelling picture ripe for rediscovery.

The power of love

[trimmerb1234 · 7/10 · 1 September 2016]

Now 51 years old, it nevertheless stands up well. The story is clear at one level at least. A zealous and incorruptible auditor (presumably working in a Czech government department) discovers discrepancies in a shop's stock of (expensive imported) spirits amounting to in current terms to perhaps tens of thousands of Pounds. It is for him a very serious matter, and despite attempts by his supervisor to persuade him otherwise, he insists that an example needs to be made of whoever is responsible. (His incorruptibility and devotion to duty is made clear in the coffee spilling incident). James Booth (the shop manager) reprises the character he played in Zulu - but minus any redeeming features. The auditor's actions set in motion an almost inevitable - given the characters - tragic sequence of events. His punctilious bureaucratic existence is for the first time halted in its tracks by the realisation that he has witnessed an altogether more serious crime - hideous villainy that demands justice. The extremely impassive performance of the auditor is effective in forcing the audience to imagine his inner feeling as we understand something of his unhappy marriage and the effect of proximity to a most lovely (Anne Heywood) and loving - and wronged - woman. That he resembles a typical East European official of those times is undermined by his avuncular and entirely human older junior (well played by Donald Wolfitt). On that subject, given the politics of those times, one wonders if a larger point is being made by the film - is it allegorical? One supposes so but that would have been more evident at the time of making than it is now. But as an unusual British film apparently shot entirely on location (in Prague) and a well played tragic human story, it deserves wider viewing.

The dubbing is rather distracting - the cast is mixed British and Czech. The frequent flashbacks too seem rather clunky. Perhaps these are some of things film makers progressed beyond since 1965

Many thanks - once again - to Talking Pictures for unearthing this worthy, very watchable but almost unseen British film. They put other channels to shame.

The Shop Around the Corner with adult themes.

[FilmFlaneur · 8/10 · 23 March 2013]

90 Degrees is a strange, if excellent little film which sees Zulu's James Booth appear in what could easily be a work from the Czech new wave, and indeed some viewers might find the British accents of the cast (some apparently dubbed, some not) a little disconcerting in the context, although it is done well. It's a modestly scaled tale which is by turn sexual, claustrophobic, and tragic, a title pretty obscure these days but which ought never the less to be better known as it rarely takes a foot wrong. Although Booth looks a little out of place in his European environment, he turns in a characteristically chippy performance as the scoundrel womaniser Vorell, but he is almost upstaged by the dour inspector Kurka (Rudolf Hrusinsky), whose humourlessness is surely inspired by that of contemporary communist functionaries, as well as the performance of Anne Heywood as the doomed Alena.

The 90 degrees of the title of course refers to more than just the sweltering heat of the year, it also invokes the sexual tensions which run throughout the film (most notably in the 'coffee wiping' stock room scene near the beginning). Vorell and Alena, as well as Kurka and his wife, are essentially two aspects of the same game; ultimately Vorell's replacement of tea-filled liquor bottles in the stockroom is a much a betrayal of empathy as is Kurka's replacement of marital warmth back at home with the coldness of duty. Down the cast list is Donald Wolfitt, no barnstorming from him here though, and one eventually wonders why he accepted such a supporting role. In some ways this is The Shop Around the Corner but a year after and with adult themes. Those familiar with Prague will also relish the backgrounds. Altogether this can be highly recommended as a forgotten bywater of British cinema. There is some fleeting nudity.

A curious and likeable film that is an effective blend of Czech and British filmmaking

[christopher-underwood · 8/10 · 31 December 2020]

A curious and likeable film that is an effective blend of Czech and British filmmaking of the early to mid sixties. Script is by David Mercer but from a Czech story and whilst much of the film has a European look there are interior scenes much more akin to British dramas of the time and then there are all these English faces amongst the Czechoslovak. Ann Todd and the lovely Anne Heywood are most effective as is a seemingly out of place Donald Wolfit and less so the overrated James Booth, who at least manages not to disgrace himself here. It is a rather downbeat tale set mostly in and around a grocery store but there is substantial local colour with marvellous Prague street scenes in the city and beside the river and the dialogue convincing enough to draw the viewer in. The main characters are surprisingly well drawn considering the modest running time and although the downward spiral seems inevitable from the start it is never quite clear what might happen as we witness the developing and changing situation. Well worth a look and as the film was apparently cut differently for British and Czech release will merit second viewing of the Czech language version.

Lifeless romantic drama

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 20 April 2017]

NINETY DEGREES IN THE SHADE is obscure for a reason: it's an entirely dull, lifeless, shot-in-black-and-white romantic drama made in the Czech Republic without much in the way of directorial flair or interest. The aim seems to be to make a film in the style of THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD but the resultant drama is instead full of uninteresting characters who do very little.

About the only thing this has going for it is the interesting cast, featuring various imported actors to give it a bit of life. Donald Wolfit plays against type and is fun, for instance; it's difficult to criticise Anne Heywood's lead performance, and both James Booth and Ann Todd are reliable. A shame that the film itself is no fun at all.

The sordid fraud for an adulterous love

[figueroafernando · 9/10 · 20 December 2022]

Sad story that shows moral relativism by compromising work by blindly surrendering to the whims of what I would call an adulterous love on credit. Sensational progressive contrast of the roles, and the bad (the inspector, becomes moral, and the "good" something worse than scoundrels). I couldn´t make this awkward drama out til the B3%44rd Mr Kurka made his point about been a f.....r; I wonder how many there must be, how many of these kind and affable and faithful souls among them (like Mr Bazant, the beautiful Miss Alena Winter covering for Jana and the others for "borrowing" money from the till, but especially covering for her lover Mr Vorel for taking the cocgnas and other bottles of spiritual drinks, etc.) and until the ogre arrives, the supposedly damned auditor or inspector sprout like mosquitoes like a tropical rainy night; Through the painful flashbacks of Alena, the manager in love and in charge of the store, we will penetrate the weakness of the heart and the devastating consequence of a fraud for years by Vorel, using his charms on her, taking money and expensive bottles of heart from the long fraud of several years. On an unforgettable night the couple replaces expensive bottles of whiskey and such but they are adulterated, containing tea and discovered by accident thanks to the chatty Mr. Bazant. The majestic thing about this relatively simple story is, as I already indicated, the transposition of the roles, the solemnity of Mr Kurka who finally re-evaluates his own family life with his son and his complaining wife, while the rascal Vorel not only unfazed by the gas suicide of his lover Alena, but instead returns to his misdeeds with the new store clerk.

Rather depressing

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 20 October 2016]

One assumes that this was made in Czechoslovakia during the brief thaw in the communist regime under Dubcek.One further supposes that one of the main reasons for its production in Prague was economy.Obviously a wise move given the tone of the film.It has to be said that everything about this film reeks of its commercially.The atmosphere in the film is one of dread.The economy of production is self evident,and the title is truly dreadful.It would appear from this site that this film was not distributed in cinemas in the UK,and thus sat on the shelf for over 40 years till it's DVD release.This is not very surprising.The film is of interest in that it features Donald Wolcott and Ann Todd in character roles near to the end of their respective careers.Not to be watched if you are in a melancholic state of mind.