Yield to the Night

Tags

1950's, Crime, Diana Dors, Drama, Geoffrey Keen, J. Lee Thompson, Michael Craig, Yield to the Night, Yvonne Mitchell

Film Title

Yield to the Night

Director

J. Lee Thompson

Starring

• Diana Dors as Mary Hilton
• Yvonne Mitchell as Matron MacFarlane
• Michael Craig as Jim Lancaster
• Geoffrey Keen as Prison Chaplain

A crime drama that also functions as an impassioned plea against the death penalty, Yield to the Night chronicles the last days of a murderess’ life by revealing what drove her to the act in flashback. Grimly powerful and featuring a truly convincing performance from Diana Dors, it really makes a startling impact and still holds up remarkably well today.

The movie begins with a beautiful young blonde woman calmly approaching a glamorous woman as she enters her London home. Without warning, the approaching blonde woman unloads the contents of her gun into the other woman and stands emotionless as a crowd gathers around the dead body. We soon learn that the blonde woman is Mary Hilton and that she has been sentenced to death for her crime, unless she is given a reprieve. As she shuts herself away, has no remorse for her crime and refuses the kind treatment of the matrons; Mary begins to think back on what lead her to killing the woman, whose name was Lucy. Through a series of flashbacks, a lot is revealed about the ultimately tragic story of Mary. The beautiful Mary was a sales girl who fell hopelessly in love with the charming Jim Lancaster. Crazy for him and holding onto the naive notion of true love, she leaves her own husband who is never really around to be with Jim. But while everything is initially idyllic for Mary, Jim begins to string her along as he grows attracted to the very rich Lucy. Mary can’t take this rejection and sinks into depression as the man she loves chases another woman, who it turns out is using him. It’s when events take a tragic turn, that Mary snaps and thoughts of revenge invade her mind. And while now in prison, as she begins to reflect on what she did, the hours begin to tick away with intent as her life hangs in the balance and at the hands of the justice system.

Yield to the Night is very much a movie that calls for the abolition of the death penalty, but it never feels preachy and in your face. Instead, director J. Lee Thompson employs an up close and personal story of a woman driven by her passion and sense of betrayal to kill. His visual style of unusual angles that frame Mary as a prisoner of her own desire and a vulnerable woman taken advantage of who snaps with jealousy with deadly results is striking to say the least. We are put like flies on the wall into this film, as the setting of her prison cell is confined and restrictive. It is like we are living through the turmoil of knowing that death is going to come very soon to her and the torturous wait endured. As a film, Yield to the Night doesn’t justify Mary’s actions as right. It shows us the sad circumstances that lead to it and gets us to sympathise with her as she has been used so much and feels the only way to deal with it is to take matters into her own hands. The black and white that the film is shot in is very beneficial to such a grim story and gives it a bleak sense of purpose. This is the kind of movie that wouldn’t be very effective in colour as it is so dramatic and gritty. A stark but dramatic score compliments the inevitable sadness of the tale with monotonous drums and brass.

Now before watching Yield to the Night, I only knew Diana Dors as being a glamour girl and buxom bombshell. Well I was so surprised at her performance here, that I want to check out more of her work. Shunning her seductive image, Dors digs deep into the romantic soul of a woman who couldn’t live without taking matters into her own hands as a result of the tragedy that devastated her. Virtually make up free, Dors exudes a weariness, sadness and numbness that gets the audience to feel for Mary as the time passes and we glimpse her sad tale. Her eyes have this haunting quality that is featured heavily throughout the film and I don’t think I will ever forget the look of fear in them. While Yield to the Night belongs to the convincing performance of great depth from Dors, the rest of the cast is very fine. Yvonne Mitchell in particular stands out as the main matron who becomes fond of Mary and becomes very close with her in the weeks prior to her sentence. Michael Craig is a suitable louse as Jim, whose selfish stringing along of Mary and obsession with Lucy cost him very dearly. Geoffrey Keen is well cast as the prison chaplain, who is kind to Mary and wants to help her while she is still alive.

Striking but impassioned and very topical upon its release, Yield to the Night is a grimly powerful film that benefits from the immensely committed performance by Diana Dors and sympathetic direction.

For Your Eyes Only

Tags

007, 1980's, Carole Bouquet, Cassandra Harris, Desmond Llewelyn, For Your Eyes Only, Geoffrey Keen, James Bond, Jill Bennett, John Glen, Julian Glover, Lois Maxwell, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Michael Gothard, Roger Moore, Spy, Topol

Film Title

For Your Eyes Only

Director

John Glen

Starring

• Roger Moore as James Bond
• Carole Bouquet as Melina Havelock
• Julian Glover as Aristotle Kristatos
• Topol as Milos Columbo
• Lynn-Holly Johnson as Bibi Dahl
• Cassandra Harris as Countess Lisl
• Michael Gothard as Locque
• Jill Bennett as Jacoba Brink
• Geoffrey Keen as Frederick Gray
• Desmond Llewelyn as Q
• Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny

After the sci-fi excess of Moonraker, the Bond producers had to bring him back down to Earth. They did this by giving this film a seriousness and return to the spy formula, crossed with elements of a thriller. Some of For Your Eyes Only may look a little subdued in comparison with other Bond adventures, but after the spectacle of the previous film, it succeeds in bringing Bond back from outrageous fantasy and contributing a little more grit to the series.

The sinking of a British spy ship, the St. George’s in the Ionian Sea disturbs MI6. The ship was equipped with ATAC, a system that helps order the firing of missiles from the British fleet. If the precious device falls into the wrong hands, then world devastation could be arriving very soon. It is up to our man, James Bond to uncover the location of the device. Another element of this case is Melina Havelock, a beautiful woman who is out for revenge after witnessing the brutal murder of her parents. Her parents where helping MI6 to locate the sunken ship just before their tragic murder. Travelling to Spain, Italy and then Greece, Bond comes into contact with Aristotle Kristatos, a well-informed Greek businessman who gives him information regarding a smuggling operation, supposedly headed by Milos Columbo. Yet there is something not right about Kristatos and Bond soon concludes he is the enemy and the one who has the intent on selling ATAC to the Soviets. With the vengeful Melina, who is nifty with a crossbow, and Columbo, who has the necessary supplies and the men to bring down Kristatos on hand, Bond sets out to save the world once more.

The direction taken with For Your Eyes Only into the serious spy film, with action and some genuine suspense, is a wise one and one that grounds the series, yet still keeps it going. John Glen, who had worked as an editor on many a Bond film, makes an assured first entry into directing by carefully downplaying some of the broad humour and injecting a thrilling atmosphere as Bond comes up against interesting characters and duplicitous motives. The sense of realism is further enhanced by using a minimal amount of gadgets, leaving Bond as a spy relying on his wits and his gun to survive death. Saying this, the serious approach does become a little boring at various points in For Your Eyes Only. Yet, it does add a different dimension to the usual formula. Thrilling moments abound in this adventure, whether it be Bond scaling a mountainside to him and Melina tied to a ship and being dragged through shark infested waters, it isn’t short on excitement that’s for sure. Location work is of the highest order, with the islands of Greece serving as beautiful places for Bond to uncover plots and the snowy mountains of Cortina lending itself to a ski chase sequence. Bill Conti scores the movie and it does have its moments of classic Bond cues, but at times feels a little to loud for its own good and this does detract from many a scene. The same can’t be said about the title song, which is sung with earnest emotion by Sheena Easton. The ballad perfectly enhances the underwater lovelies and aquatic theme of the title sequence, which are super imposed over Easton as she sings.

Roger Moore gives his trademark charm to the role of 007, but he also gets a chance to inject a seriousness into the part that he hasn’t had the opportunity to do before. Moore may be seen as the comedic Bond, but he has his share of unexpectedly cold-blooded moments during his tenure, the highlight here being him kicking an assassins car into a rocky ravine. Carole Bouquet makes a mature impression as the strong and vengeful Melina Havelock. Through her melancholy eyes and wounded glares, we see a young woman who can clearly handle herself with her trusted crossbow and will not rest until she kills those responsible for shattering her heart. Julian Glover makes for a more subdued villain in the shape of Kristatos than the usual evil masterminds, but he does have a sly smile and wit that stands him in good stead when faced with Bond coming up against him. In a colourful performance full of panache and humour, Topol stars as Columbo, a smuggler with many friends who aids Bond on his journey with his knowledge and resources. Wholly out-of-place in the movie and the Bond universe is Lynn-Holly Johnson as Bibi, a lovesick teenage figure skater, sponsored by Kristatos who takes an amorous interest in Bond. The whole character just feels superfluous and the film could have been better if her character wasn’t in it. Cassandra Harris is lovely and serene as a countess romanced by Bond, while Michael Gothard is on form as the silent assassin Locque. Jill Bennett is wasted as Bibi’s stern coach Jacoba Brink and like Bibi, her character doesn’t add anything to the plot in the slightest. This is also the first movie to not feature M, as Bernard Lee died before production on this film and the producers respectfully didn’t cast the role immediately. Bond receives his instructions from the high-ranking but flabbergasted Minister of Defense Frederick, who is played with wise humour by Geoffrey Keen. Desmond Llewelyn and Lois Maxwell are once again on hand for their short but memorable turns as Q and Moneypenny.

Subdued but also thrilling and tense, For Your Eyes Only presents a serious return to the gritty side of Bond and succeeds very well indeed.

 

Moonraker

Tags

007, 1970's, Bernard Lee, Corinne Cléry, Desmond Llewelyn, Geoffrey Keen, James Bond, Lewis Gilbert, Lois Chiles, Lois Maxwell, Michael Lonsdale, Moonraker, Richard Kiel, Roger Moore, Spy

Film Title

Moonraker

Director

Lewis Gilbert

Starring

• Roger Moore as James Bond
• Lois Chiles as Holly Goodhead
• Michael Lonsdale as Hugo Drax
• Richard Kiel as Jaws
• Corinne Cléry as Corinne Dufour
• Bernard Lee as M
• Desmond Llewelyn as Q
• Geoffrey Keen as Frederick Gray
• Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny

Often referred to as one of the weaker entries into the Bond canon, Moonraker does have its appeal every now and then. But after the greatness that was The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker feels like a bit of a let down and just an attempt to cash in on the Star Wars phenomenon that was raging at the time of release. Saying that, every movie in the Bond series has something to praise in one way or another.

After surviving an aerial battle with old enemy Jaws, 007 arrives in London to receive his briefing from his superior M. In this adventure for James Bond, he is sent to uncover the theft of a space shuttle. Travelling to California, he investigates Hugo Drax, a suave industrialist with a passion for space whose corporation builds and owns the Moonraker space ship that was hijacked. What Bond uncovers is that Drax has a more dastardly plan than mere space travel. He plans to wipe out the world’s civilization with a deadly poison he has extracted from a rare orchid. After this and with human life gone, a specially picked group of people, who Drax dubs his master race will populate the Earth. With astronaut and CIA agent Holly Goodhead on hand in this mission, Bond must go from America to Venice, from Brazil to eventually the outer reaches of space in order to thwart the maniacal plot of Drax. Yet with Jaws once again on his tail, it won’t be easy for 007 to save the world from utter devastation.

As I mentioned earlier, Moonraker isn’t my favourite of the cavalcade of Bond flicks. Chief among the problems are the outlandish space angle that the movie has. Granted some of the space scenes are visually amazing, I just think the producers went a bit too far with the outrageous tone. As well, the plot just seems like a rehash of The Spy Who Loved Me, with only the settings being changed from underwater to outer space. Lewis Gilbert, to his credit, does his best to keep the action going, but too many examples of kookiness get in the way. Onto the positives of Moonraker and believe it or not, there are many good moments to mention. There is the kitsch appeal of Bond driving a motorized Gondola through the streets of Venice( keep an eye out for the double take pigeon). There is a very menacing scene in which Corinne, one of Drax’s workers who helps Bond find covert information, is chased through the morning woods by vicious Doberman’s to her eventual death. The set design is impeccable, from the house in which Drax resides to his stunning space station, every set is a marvel. I must admit that the space battle is quite thrilling with laser guns and gravity defying bodies, even if it is nothing more than just a riff on Star Wars. John Barry returns and gives Moonraker a beautiful score, with some chilling suspense pieces appearing that heighten a certain tension in the film. Shirley Bassey returns to sing the title song, and although it isn’t the best Bond song, Bassey performs admirably.

It may not be his best outing as 007, but Roger Moore nails the debonair wit and style of Bond with his mix of suave assurance and boyish charm. Lois Chiles, who is saddled with an underwritten role, does her best with the part of the suggestively named Holly Goodhead by giving her a feisty self-assurance and resistance to Bond’s seduction. I wouldn’t rank him among the best in the villains that 007 has encountered, but Michael Lonsdale has a cultured and ruthless quality that gives Hugo Drax a warped side that is good enough to give the character a presence. While he was menace personified as Jaws in the last film, Richard Kiel is unfortunately lumbered with the more comedic aspects of the character. This is largely distracting and the introduction of a love interest for him is just plain goofy in my eyes. Corinne Cléry is suitably winsome as the doomed worker who pays the price for betraying Drax for the affections of Bond. In what was his final performance as M before his death, Bernard Lee is arch and eye-rolling as Bond’s superior. It really is sad that Lee died as he made the role his own from the very beginning. Thank God he got an excellent send off and out of respect they didn’t feature the character in the next movie. Desmond Llewelyn has some witty moments as Q, while Geoffrey Keen is excellently exasperated by Bond’s methods as Minister of Defense Frederick Gray. Lois Maxwell is still as lovely and charming as ever in the part of loyal secretary Moneypenny.

All in all, Moonraker is a flawed Bond movie, but it does have a certain kitsch appeal in various moments and certainly stands out as one of the most outlandish movies featuring 007.