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jagauze
Reviews
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968)
Arkin speaks volumes
Arkin is compelling as the quintessential "good listener". Seeing Sondra Locke emoting at such a young age (24 credibly passing for 16), I can see why Clint Eastwood fell for her a few years later (and cast her in several of his movies). These two carry the movie but the supporting cast also offer great character portrayals. The movie is slow in parts -- and there are, necessarily, many silences (Arkin plays a deaf mute) -- but I was drawn in by all the characters' personal stories. I'm writing this review 3 days after watching the film, and it's still stayed with me. I highly recommend it.
It Started in Naples (1960)
Suspend all disbelief
Sophia Loren gets a 10/10: at 26 she's at her playful and provocative peak.
Clark Gable? All the hair dye in the world can't hide the fact that he's more than twice Ms. Loren's age. Gable's 1930s silver screen smile notwithstanding, the biggest joke in this admittedly cute comedy is the premise that a gorgeous, freewheelin' Italian beauty might fall for a stilted 59 year old senior citizen. Try making that movie today and audiences would write it off as dirty-old-man creepy. (Not nearly a "Lolita"; more a "Gigi".)
But still... Sophia Loren! Wow! She alone gets the film part marks.