halle95

The jacket looked interesting and the subject matter is definitely interesting, but.....I found the movie disappointing....True, the main characters had situations that should have kept the viewer intent on the outcome, but.....the way it was handled left me, yes, disappointed. Also, there are many parts in the movie where the dialog is presented at so low a volume that I could not catch it all, a lot was almost mumbled....??? why??? for intimacy? I could not understand just exactly WHAT Mesmer's theory really was, except for the fact that in the end he confesses that as a child he saw that all of creation was in harmony except for people and he tried to relieve the pain and suffering he saw in humanity.....The psychological state of the blind pianist was indeed interesting though. The costumes of the period ARE worth seeing and by watching the way mental illness was handled in that day, one comes away thankful the same conditions do not exist now. Doctor Mesmer reacted to the suffering of others and was out of the norm in his treatment of them, but something was missing. It does show his empathy.

Rented this video because I like 1930's history and the drama of the story made my heart race as the characters had to decide their loyalties. As German youths are swept into the Nazi frenzy, they are forced to interpret, as an individual, what is humane and what is not, or forced to accept the Nazi ways just to survive. In the beginning the swing music is something fun and exciting, but through til the climax, it is the swing music that expresses an individual repulsion and rebellion against the Nazi mindset. A real character study of family and friendship loyalties in a time of extreme crisis.

Radioland Murders is a movie that should be seen more than once because it is so fast-paced and contains lots of inside jokes....it helps to have worked in radio (i've been a control board operator for 6 yrs) to catch some of the adsurdity. In my opinion, it's mostly about "timing" because in radio "dead air" is a no-no....one program must flow into another (with commercials in between, of course)....the audience has no idea of the confusion going on behind the scenes! Watch the contrast of the writers' hectic schedule and the actors performing whatever they are given so smoothly...this script is well-written, I think. Dissect the lines and they work, like when Billy tells Mr. Henderson, "that's quite a reach, Mr. H". Just say it out loud and it has a rhyme to it. I love the part where the cops are staring at the TV test pattern!! Some of the silly parts were a bit too long for my taste, but the movie works on many humorous levels. I also enjoyed the 1930 popular lingo as dialog in places. And the last script Mr. Henderson delivers IS a pip and pulls it all together!

Assuming a new life in Connecticut, a Nazi war criminal still has the same evil in his intentions. How seared his conscience has become is evident in how easily he strangles someone he has known from Germany, so that he himself is not discovered. The most interesting development of the story is how (Loretta Young) the new wife of the imposter is changed from sweetness to willingness to incriminate herself to finally having her own morale character resurface at the end...it seems to be more about her dilemma than just whether the imposter will be found out and exposed by the investigator, played by Edward G. Robinson. Throughout the movie, Orson Welles character is despicable, but I doubt if an experienced criminal would have allowed himself to be discovered. He may have taken flight as soon as he thought he was suspected.

This film is well worth watching for the emotions that are allowed to develop between the main characters. The mysterious stranger has his own secrets, and it may possibly just have happened, (leaving room for artistic license.) I liked being caught into that particular time-frame of the '40's when morality still existed in the American culture, and people (generally) had depth of character. The film does not "assault" the viewer, like so many recent releases will assault the senses. Really well acted and directed, I thought.

I have watched this movie perhaps 16 to 20 times and always like it...The part I found most interesting is that the plot, or the larger picture is always in the background (like on the TV-screen news when that is shown). Angela Bennett is dragged into a crisis that she did not bring upon herself but she's traumatically involved. I found the names of characters interesting in that the character Angela is similar to "Angel" and the sinister Jack Devlin is similar to "Devil"...

More than this I will not say, so as not to spoil it for a first-time viewer...

Having seen this film around 1967, I was glad to read on-line a little more to refresh my memory of it...I have remembered the plot and the drama of this particular film since that time...It is that strong of a film! Something about the tenderness of the friendship between Pierre and the young girl who's name is his Christmas present from her. The tragedy lies in the fact that it truly illustrates what DOES happen in life: that people misjudge what is happening, and take regretful actions sometimes.