Change Your Image
gelalema
Reviews
Seven Thieves (1960)
Superb performances by Steiger, Wallach and Robinson
This film about a heist of a casino in Monte Carlo is graced by three giants of the film industry, Edward G. Robinson, Rod Steiger, and Eli Wallach. Steiger in particular gives his multi-faceted performance superb shading and sensitivity in the development of his relationship with Edward G. Robinson, whose performance, as always, is stellar. Rod Steiger is incapable of giving a bad performance, but his touching reactions when the character played by Robinson dies at the end of the heist is one of the best portrayals you will ever see an actor give in any film. Joan Collins part is a bit overdrawn, especially with the unnecessary exposition at the beginning where she dances at the strip joint, but her participation later lends gravitas and poignancy to the dramatic line. See this film for the performances of Steiger, Wallach and Robinson if for no other reason. I have watched it five times and never miss it when it is shown on TV. The power and pathos of Steiger's performance make it work the watching, time and again.
The Rains of Ranchipur (1955)
A well-done drama with noted actors
The Rains of Ranchipur is a well-acted, well-cast drama which is especially notable because of the scenes of the flooding and the desolation that followed. Richard Burton is excellent as always, pacing the film and enhancing it with his superb command of the English language. Supporting him ably are Eugenie Leontovich as the Maharani, with strong performances by Fred McMurry, the beautiful Ava Gardner and the dignified Michael Rennie. The fact that the main characters are supposed to be based on actual, world-famous members of the British nobility makes the story even more interesting. The central theme, that of Edwinna and her headlong pursuit of fleeting love for selfish reasons, does not overpower the side plot wherein the redemption of Fred McMurray's character is achieved because of the improbable love of a young girl and his desire to become the man he sees reflected in her eyes. These human dramas play out against the background of a horrendous natural disaster, untold misery and catastrophic loss of life. I watch this film every time I see it on television, and I never tire of it.