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Tag Archives: Peter Ustinov

Lorenzo’s Oil

17 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

1990's, Based on a true story, Drama, George Miller, Lorenzo's Oil, Margo Martindale, Nick Nolte, Peter Ustinov, Susan Sarandon, Zack O'Malley Greenburg

Film Title

Lorenzo’s Oil

Director

George Miller

Starring

  • Susan Sarandon as Michaela Odone
  • Nick Nolte as Augusto Odone
  • Peter Ustinov as Professor Nikolais
  • Margo Martindale as Wendy Gimble
  • Zack O’Malley Greenburg as Lorenzo Odone

A harrowing but inspiring true story is brought to the screen in the drama Lorenzo’s Oil. Focusing on Augusto and Michaela Odone’s unending determination and eventual success in finding a treatment to stabilize their son’s terminal disease, it gains power and deep emotion from heartfelt direction and most successfully two outstanding performances from Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte.

Lorenzo Odone is a five-year-old boy as the movie opens, full of energy and brightness. He lives initially with his banker father Augusto and mother Michaela in the Comoros. Lorenzo's Oil Movie PosterThe family then relocates back to the United States and this is when things become very worrying for young Lorenzo. He begins to lose some of his hearing, has convulsions and displays neurological problems. His concerned parents have him evaluated and he is then diagnosed with the rare and complex disease ALD, which is usually fatal within two years and . Reeling from the prognosis, Michaela and Augusto find that no doctor is able to treat the disease because of how rare it is. But instead of sitting back and waiting for the inevitable, Michaela and Augusto begin their search for a treatment. Despite neither of them having any real knowledge in medical or scientific study, they soon bury their heads in research, reviewing records of tests and trying any means necessary to treat their son. Along the way, the couple are met with adversity and skepticism from support groups, doctors and scientists who are all about going through the proper channels and waiting until something is found. Undettered by the fact that nothing is in their favour, the two parents continue their crusade, hanging on by sheer will and faith that they will find something and not be torn apart by everything. Lorenzo's OilEventually they manage to discover the usage of two types of oil that will break the boundaries of modern medicine and assist in stabilizing young Lorenzo’s condition, that many said couldn’t be treated.

George Miller as director crafts this inspiring film from the true story and keeps it rooted in emotion and faith. I admire the way that Miller successfully didn’t make Lorenzo’s Oil yet another  ‘Disease of the week’ style movie, instead bringing forth the heart and steadfast love that both parents exhibit and are willing to use if it means saving their son from an early death. Employing unusual angles and quick camera shots to place us right in the middle of the harrowing turn of events that befall’s Lorenzo and his family, before making the camera smoothly operated as a tiny glimmer of hope begins to appear when at first it looked as if there was none to find. Nick Nolte and Susan SarandonDespite the fact that the audience knows the outcome of the story, this shouldn’t be held against Lorenzo’s Oil as it really cranks up the tension throughout as the Odone’s bury themselves in anything that can be of help to their boy in a desperate time. If anything knowing that the family succeed only makes the film more inspiring and triumphant as it shows the tenacity of their hopes and research, that many wrote off as in vain but was proven wrong.

A major high point of Lorenzo’s Oil is the cast, in particular Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte as the crusading Odone’s. Both actors pour the hearts and souls into the roles and it really shows. Susan Sarandon is a force of nature as Michaela, who holds firm that her son will survive and won’t listen to anyone else who says otherwise. Susan Sarandon Lorenzo's OilPart of this is why I found her performance so compelling, she never sugar coats the woman or makes her saintly. She snaps at others who don’t share her faith and can be ruthless in order to get what she wants, but all of that comes from a place of love and the soulful eyes of Susan Sarandon wonderfully portray this. Nick Nolte, sporting an Italian accent that gets easier to listen to as the film progresses, is equally as good as Augusto, who throws himself into research. He is the more rational of the two parents, yet while their attitudes at times of what is best to do clash, they are both united in their goal to save their son and Nolte sensitively displays this. Peter Ustinov is very good as a medical professor who wants to help, but whose hands are tied due to ethics, time and bureaucracy. Margo Martindale is hugely effective as the mother of two children afflicted with the disease and is one of the few people to be of support to the Odone’s. As the young Lorenzo, Zack O’Malley Greenburg shows him in the beginning as a vibrant child who is then struck with the disease that affects him significantly and cruelly.

Truly moving, evocatively performed by the cast and never falling into cloying sentimentality, Lorenzo’s Oil is a stirring account of determination in the face of hopelessness and the fighting spirit of a parent’s love for their child.

Evil Under the Sun

10 Friday Apr 2015

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 65 Comments

Tags

1980's, Agatha Christie, Colin Blakely, Denis Quilley, Diana Rigg, Emily Hone, Evil Under the Sun, Guy Hamilton, James Mason, Jane Birkin, Maggie Smith, Murder Mystery, Nicholas Clay, Peter Ustinov, Roddy McDowall, Sylvia Miles

Film Title

Evil Under the Sun

Director

Guy Hamilton

Starring

  • Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot
  • Jane Birkin as Christine Redfern
  • Nicholas Clay as Patrick Redfern
  • Maggie Smith as Daphne Castle
  • Roddy McDowall as Rex Brewster
  • James Mason as Odell Gardener
  • Sylvia Miles as Myra Gardener
  • Denis Quilley as Kenneth Marshall
  • Colin Blakely as Sir Horace Blatt
  • Diana Rigg as Arlena Marshall
  • Emily Hone as Linda Marshall

Based on the 1941 book by Agatha Christie, Evil Under the Sun may not be up there with Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile as a spectacular rendering of a classic murder mystery, but it does have its charms along the way thanks to a game cast.

The world-renowned Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot is contacted by one SiEvil Under the Sun Posterr Horace Blatt, an industrialist in need of his expertise. He concludes that a diamond in the man’s possession is in fact a fake, Blatt believes that his one time mistress Arlena has the real one that could be worth a huge fortune. Poirot agrees to look into the case and travels to an exclusive island resort in the Adriatic, owned by the acerbic Daphne Castle. Arlena is staying at the resort along with her new husband Kenneth and stepdaughter Linda, who she constantly belittles and berates. Also present is Patrick Redfern, a dashing young man with a roving eye, his meek and mousy wife Christine, bickering theatre managers Odell and Myra Gardener, gossip hound Rex Brewster and eventually Sir Horace Blatt himself. Arlena is a stage actress who has a habit of rubbing people up the wrong way with her bitchy behaviour and diva antics. Although married to Kenneth, she rather publicly begins an affair with the handsome Patrick. Poirot Evil Under the SunEveryone at the resort has some bone to pick with the obnoxious Arlena in one way or another. It is no surprise then to the very observant Poirot that the much hated diva eventually turns up strangled to death on one of the island’s beaches. With an array of suspects who by their own admissions had every reason to kill her, Poirot must deduce who the murderer is among them in order to solve the crime.

If Murder on the Orient Express was the classy and stately affair, and Death on the Nile was the exotic murder mystery, that makes Evil Under the Sun the lighter souffle of the bunch. Whereas the other two Poirot movies succeeded with intrigue, this one sadly falls a little flat in the thrilling mystery department. Daphne CastleThat isn’t to say it’s bad in any way, just not as memorable as the ones that came before it. Guy Hamilton has a decent go at directing this and the picture does benefit from a certain humorous edge, but after a while it becomes a bit repetitive. The island location is beautifully rendered and bathed in sun-kissed glory. The costume design is absolutely outrageous, with colours here, there and everywhere. The Cole Porter influenced score adds that dash of excitement, but other ventures in the musical department overdo the tropical setting.

What doesn’t falter in Evil Under the Sun is most of the talented cast assembled for it. Peter Ustinov, returning to the role, brings wise and eccentric charm to the part of Poirot. He is clearly having fun with the part, but brings an amount of gravity to it so it doesn’t slip into ridiculousness. Jane Birkin exudes scared vulnerability and weak-willed manners as the wronged wife Christine, who watches as her husband openly has an affair with the bitchy Arlena. Patrick RedfernNicholas Clay is excellently virile as the muscled Adonis, most of the time seen in the most revealing pair of speedos known to man, whose dalliance with Arlena may have led to her death. Maggie Smith is an utter delight as the cynical hotel owner Daphne, whose sarcastic barbs and witty tongue make her a joy to watch. Roddy McDowall is a hoot as the gossip hungry journalist trying to unearth scandal, while James Mason and Sylvia Miles are wonderful as the constantly arguing couple. Denis Quilley, while slightly underused on occasion, is good enough as Arlena’s put-upon husband. Meanwhile, Colin Blakely injects garrulous humour to the part of Sir Horace Blatt. As the diva who eventually turns up dead, Diana Rigg has an utter blast portraying the glamorous but shallow and cutting bitch. Emily Hone is suitably angry and increasingly resentful as her stepdaughter.

So all in all, Evil Under the Sun isn’t the best adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel to hit the screen. But it has its positives that make it good entertainment for a matinee screening.

Topkapi

11 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

1960's, Caper, Comedy, Crime, Gilles Ségal, Jules Dassin, Maximilian Schell, Melina Mercouri, Peter Ustinov, Robert Morley, Topkapi

Film Title

Topkapi

Director

Jules Dassin

Starring

  • Melina Mercouri as Elizabeth Lipp
  • Peter Ustinov as Arthur Simon Simpson
  • Maximilian Schell as Walter Harper
  • Robert Morley as Cedric Page
  • Gilles Ségal as Giulio

Jules Dassin excellently sends up his previous heist movie Rififi with the comedy caper Topkapi. Boasting eccentric characters, an ingenious plan to steal a heavily guarded object from an exotic location and some genuinely nail-biting suspense, it is not a film to be missed for fans of comedic capers and suspense alike.

Melina Mercouri TopkapiElizabeth Lipp is an accomplished and seductive thief who has her eye set on obtaining the emerald encrusted dagger owned by a former sultan in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul. In order to carry out this daring theft of extreme danger and precision, she enlists the help of intelligent and suave Walter Harper, also an expert in the thief business. He decides to form a crew of amateurs, so it will be harder for the police to track if something goes wrong. He enlists the help of Cedric Page, a British expert in all things mechanical and Giulio, a mute acrobat known as “The Human Fly”. Travelling to another destination, they employ the unwitting Arthur Simon Simpson, a bumbling con artist to drive a car through Turkish customs, which unbeknownst to him is filled with explosives and weapons for the master plan. All seems to be going well until Simpson is stopped at customs and the weapons are discovered. Rather than charging him, the police recruit him to spy on Elizabeth and Walter as they mistakenly believe they are planning an attack on National Security. What ensures is a nail-biting, tongue in cheek movie that keeps you laughing but leaves you on the very edge of your seat.

The direction of Jules Dassin should be praised for raising what could have been a run of the mill heist mill and adding his own, satiric and tension-laden spin on it. The luxurious and eye-catching sets are stunningly mounted, especially the treasury that contains the desired dagger. Only sometimes, such as the blinding opening does the colourful atmospTopkapi Walter, Arthur and Giuliohere distract from the plot, but for the most part the visual style is controlled admirably. The costume design, particularly for Mercouri’s character is outstanding, capturing her enthusiasm for extravagance.

The success of Topkapi is benefited by a cracking script that gives the actors interesting and eclectic characters to play. As the female lead, Melina Mercouri is the seductive Elizabeth, who utilises her sexy appearance and husky voice to great effect when manipulating the men into taking part in the scheme. Peter Ustinov deservedly won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance of the hapless Simpson, his many mishaps and inept ventures both funny and endearing to the audience. Maximilian Schell is the smooth-talking brains of the operation who knows the dTopkapi movieanger yet is excited by the prospect of it. As the other member of the heist, Robert Morely adds humour as the electric expert Cedric and Gilles Ségal adds athleticism and daring quality to his acrobatic character. As mentioned prior, Dassin creates some excellently suspenseful scenes, especially in the almost wordless attempt to retrieve the dagger. Making great use of silence, close-ups and the athletic Giulio hanging by a rope harness whilst trying to evade the censor filled floor, he creates a masterful heist sequence that leaves you panicking as to whether it will all eventually work.

If it’s an old-school crime caper with eccentric characters, stunning locations and a humorous script to boot that you want to watch, I don’t think you can go wrong wit Topkapi.

Death on the Nile

14 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 23 Comments

Tags

1970's, Agatha Christie, Angela Lansbury, Bette Davis, David Niven, Death on the Nile, George Kennedy, Jack Warden, Jane Birkin, John Guillermin, Jon Finch, Lois Chiles, Maggie Smith, Mia Farrow, Murder Mystery, Olivia Hussey, Peter Ustinov, Simon MacCorkindale

Film Title

Death on the Nile

Director

John Guillermin

Cast

  • Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot
  • Simon MacCorkindale as Simon Doyle
  • Mia Farrow as Jacqueline De Bellefort
  • Lois Chiles as Linnet Ridgeway Doyle
  • Bette Davis as Mrs. Van Schuyler
  • Maggie Smith as Miss Bowers
  • Angela Lansbury as Salome Otterbourne
  • David Niven as Colonel Johnny Race
  • Jane Birkin as Louise Bourget
  • Olivia Hussey as Rosalie Otterbourne
  • George Kennedy as Andrew Pennington
  • Jon Finch as James Ferguson
  • Jack Warden as Dr. Bessner

Although it may not meet the lofty standards set by Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile proves to be a star-studded and stunningly filmed mystery from the novel by Agatha Christie. Featuring Peter Ustinov in the first of his many outings as the eccentric Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot, Death on the Nile is not to be missed for Christie fans and murder mystery hounds alike. Peter Ustinov Death on the Nile

The setting is the glamorous 30’s. Linnet Ridgeway is the spoilt heiress who has everything she could ask for. Her best friend Jacqueline on the other hand is broke and in need of money. Her fiancée Simon is proposed a job working at Linnet’s English estate, it is here that he immediately falls for the beautiful Linnet. We later learn that he broke of his engagement to Jacqueline and married Linnet. This has incurred the wrath of Jacqueline who has stalked the couple on their honeymoon. The newlyweds eventually take a cruise down the Nile, not realising that the wounded Jacqueline is onboard. Also onboard is the famed Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot, who is enjoying a vacation along with his good friend, Colonel Johnny Race. The rest of the people onboard the ship down the Nile are an eclectic bunch consisting of;Mrs Van Schuyler, a crusty old widow with a habit of stealing; her resentful nurse and companion Miss Bowers; Salome Otterbourne, a flamboyant writer of romantic novels; her unhappy but devoted daughter,Rosalie; Linnet’s melancholy lady in waiting, Louise; Linnet’s American lawyer Andrew Pennington, who is embezzling money from her; Jim Ferguson, a so-called citizen of the world who despises the rich and the odious Dr.Bessner.

Jacqueline’s persecution of the couple comes to a head one night in the saloon of the boat. She angrily confronts Simon and produces a pistol from her bag, before shooting Simon in the leg. This commotion is stopped when Simon is taken to Dr. Bessner for treatment and Jacqueline is given a short of morphine from Miss Bowers, in order to calm her manic state of mind. The next morning, Linnet is found dead in her cabin, her cause of death a gunshot wound to the head. It is then up to the Death on the Nile Lois Chilesintelligent Poirot to distinguish who out of the many guests would kill the heiress. It turns out that everyone on the boat either had a motive or grudge against her, but who actually went through with bumping her off? Prepare for a sumptuous and twisting web of secrets, deceit and revenge as the scrupulous Poirot tries to get to the heart of the increasingly difficult investigation.

The first thing that strikes you the most about Death on the Nile is the attention to detail. The authentic costumes deservedly won an Oscar and the set decoration is richly adorned to a high visual standard. The film also makes stunning use of many landmarks in Egypt, such as the temples of Abu Simbel and Karnak. The score is excellently composed, and captures the beauty of the Nile and then eventually the suspense and secrecy as Poirot attempts to find the murderer. Perhaps the biggest draw of the film is the cast, loaded with star power. As with most Christie adaptations, we have many eccentric characters, some more interesting than others in various cases. In his first performance as Poirot, Peter Ustinov combines eccentric mannerisms with a humour and intellect that make him a great interpretation of the iconic character. His scenes with David Niven, who is ideally cast as the archetypal British gentleman, have a fun edge to them but a serious understanding as they each work their way through the murky case in hand. Simon MacCorkindale makes an impression as the simple man whose relationships with two women seem to have caused fatal consequences. Mia Farrow embodies anger, jealousy and dejection as the vengeful Jacqueline, who won’t let go of the man she has always loved. In the small but pivotal part of the wealthy Linnet, the beautiful Lois Chiles creates a character who is both an arrogant, home-wrecking bitch and a persecuted woman. It is because of her actions that the whole story is set in motion and culminates in her death.

Death on the Nile some of the suspectsThe great Bette Davis is a hoot as the scolding old widow, she is matched by Maggie Smith as her put upon nurse. The two actresses have a great energy in their scenes, bickering and exchanging bitchy lines with great zeal. There is also a delightfully eccentric performance from Angela Lansbury, as the scandal loving author who embarrasses herself a lot, especially in front of her daughter. In a brief part, Jane Birkin exudes a sad and tired quality as Linnet’s lady in waiting, who secretly wants a dowry in order for her to marry. As well as these stars, there are others but their roles are not fleshed out well enough to make them really interesting. Olivia Hussey works as best she can with her part, but isn’t given enough material to make her character memorable. George Kennedy and Jon Finch both suffer from the fact that their supposed motives for killing Linnet are not that convincing. And Jack Warden, who does have his funny moments, is most certainly underused. These are the only quibbles that I have with the film, as for the most part it is an exciting and gripping mystery with talent and locations surrounding it.

Although slightly slow in parts, Death on the Nile is still great fun as you try to work out who it was who killed Linnet. Mystery lovers this the film for you and for fans of starry casts, look no further than this excellent adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel.

Also on another note, I’ve just realised this is my 100th post. I can’t beleive I have written this many.

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