Saucy free-spirited tart Marianne (a sweetly disarming performance by the delectable Susan George) will inherit a sizable sum of money from her wealthy, but severely dysfunctional family on her 21st birthday. Susan will also acquire several documents about the illegal activities of her crooked judge father (well played by Leo Genn). Pretty soon Marianne finds herself in substantial danger. Director Pete ("Frightmare") Walker crucially fails to wring much tension or momentum from the standard woman-in-peril thriller potboiler premise. Moreover, Walker lets the pace crawl along at a sluggish rate, thereby ensuring that a dull quality hangs heavy throughout most of the movie. Norman Langley's pretty, picturesque cinematography makes cool use of fades, dissolves and split screen. Cyril Ornadel's lush, elegant score, the scenic Portugal locations and the haunting melancholy theme song are all likewise solid and effective. Nice supporting turns by Barry Evans as loyal boyfriend Eli, the lovely Judy Huxtable as bitchy half-sister Hildegarde, and Christopher Sandford as bitter ex-suitor Sebastian. Susan George's deliciously considerable pulchritudinous presence keeps the picture watchable: Susan does a memorably sexy go-go dance during the groovy opening credits sequence and looks absolutely smashing in a skimpy black bikini. Unfortunately, Murray Smith's tediously talky script, an off-putting glum tone and the slow-going, largely uneventful plot make this feature a really draggy chore to endure. A merely decent timewaster.
Review of Die Screaming Marianne
Die Screaming Marianne
(1971)
A strictly so-so woman-in-jeopardy thriller
17 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers