Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night
TV movie: 1969

Raymond, Plowright

4/5 stars

This is a tale of twins, Viola and Sebastian (both played by Joan Plowright), who are separated by a shipwreck. Viola disguises herself as a man (Cesario) and becomes an attendant to Duke Orsino (Gary Raymond), with whom she falls in love. He loves Olivia (Adreinne Corri), who in turn falls in love with Cesario.   The plot is further complicated when Malvolio (Alec Guinness), Olivia's steward, is tricked into believing that she is in love with him.

This version was directed by John Sichel and John Dexter, and shows both comedy and drama equally well. Guinness is superb as Malvolio, both comedic and tragic.  Plowright, while an excellent actress, is not visually convincing, and this weakens the performance.  The other weakness is the plot itself.  As I said in my review of the play, too many ends need tying up, and it is done too quickly in the last scene.  Otherwise, this is a delightful performance of Shakespeare's light and enjoyable play.

Shakespeare Wallah

Shakespeare Wallah
1965
5/5 stars

Lizzie Buckingham (Felicity Kendal) is the teen-aged daughter of a roving acting couple (played by her real life parents, Geoffrey Kendal and Laura Liddell) in India during the 1960s.  Lizzie falls in love with Sanju (Shashi Kapoor) who seems to reciprocate her feelings, but he is also having an affair with the jealous actress Manjula (Madhur Jaffrey).

Loosely based on the true life of the Kendal family, this second collaboration of Merchant, Ivory, and Jhabvala is perfection.  The cast is talented and natural, the plot believable and beautifully written, the film-work graceful and personal.  The Shakespeare references may be problematic for some, but regardless, I recommend this movie whole-heartedly.

Kendal and Kapoor

The Householder

The Householder
1963
5/5 stars

Prem (Shashi Kapoor), an immature young teacher recently married, is not happy with his even younger wife, Indu (Leela Naidu). She doesn't do things the way his mother  does, is more outspoken than he would like, and neither of them have any idea of how to form a working relationship.  In a fit of childishness, Prem telegraphs for his mother (Durga Khote) to come, and what seems to spell doom for the marriage, instead works an amazing change.

Based on the novel Gharbar by the movie's screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the Householder is a gentle, beautiful movie, with natural acting and a fully immersible plot. This Merchant Ivory Production was the pair's first collaboration, and yet it shows their now famous style fully formed from the beginning.  This character study is a charming drama well worth watching.

On a personal note: Oh my gosh, y'all, Shashi Kapoor was so adorable in this film!

Damn the Defiant!

Damn the Defiant!
(originally released as HMS Defiant)
1962
4/5 stars

Captain Crawford (Alec Guinness) of HMS Defiant takes on a new Lieutenant, Scott-Padget (Dirk Bogarde), who becomes hated by the crew and is the eventual cause of their mutiny under the leadership of seaman Vizard (Anthony Quayle).

Guinness is, naturally, fantastic as the well-respected Captain.  His emotions are obvious, giving a depth to the character.  Bogarde and Quayle are credible in their roles, displaying fine acting as well.  The plot is easy to follow, often exciting, and always interesting.  The viewer is left guessing as to what the ending will be.  Costumes and sets looked good, especially the Defiant.  My only problem with this film is the inexplicable weakness of Crawford in a few parts; he reacted in a way that no Captain of that era would have.  Otherwise, it's a good movie with lots of action and excellent acting.

Guinness and Bogarde

This movie is available to rent on Amazon.

An Evening in Paris

An Evening in Paris
1967
3/5 stars

Rich and pretty Deepa (Sharmila Tagore) comes to Paris to get away from failed relationships in India.  She meets Sam (Shammi Kapoor), who falls in love with her and tries to win her affection.  In the meantime, wicked gambler Shankar and his evil friends are scheming a way to get Deepa's money.  What follows is kidnapping, impersonation, and dangerous adventures.

Filmed in four locations outside India, An Evening in Paris is lovely to watch.  As for the plot-- the better part of the first hour of the is spent with Deepa in various locations, pretending to ignore Sam who is behind her, singing.  All the excitement comes in the last 30 minutes or so, and the climax occurs too quickly.  Kapoor is energetic and exuberant in every movement, which is entertaining.  Tagore, who shocked the public by wearing a bikini, does a nice job of playing a double role.  The music, and there is a lot of it, is catchy with a definite 60's feel to it.  Tagore's costumes were exceptionally lovely.  Overall, though the acting is great, the movie is somewhat dull up until the "thriller" aspect begins, and there just isn't enough suspense to make it better than okay.

Jewel Thief

Jewel Thief
1967
4/5 stars

Vinay (Dev Anand) suddenly finds himself being mistaken for another man named Amar.  It then begins to seem that this Amar is a jewel thief, and Vinay's doppelganger.  Vinay joins with his father, the police commissioner, to infiltrate Amar's gang to catch the thief.

The film also stars Vyjayantimala as the main love interest, and Ashok Kumar as her brother.  It also features four actresses in secondary romantic roles: Anju Mahendru, Tanuja, Faryal and Helen.

This popular movie is, for the most part, an enjoyable watch.  It becomes genuinely confusing--intentionally, no doubt--to keep up with who is doing what: Amar or Vinay.  This adds to the feeling of suspense, as does some excellent film angles and the incidental music.  It contains a great surprising plot twist.  The music was average, and there are no exciting musical numbers, though it was fun to see the famous Helen dance.  The costumes are mostly typical 1960's outfits, though Vyjayantimala did wear some beautiful traditional saris.  The acting was more stilted than is the style today, but all the cast did well portraying their roles and creating the tense atmosphere.  Despite being sometimes hard to follow--perhaps a problem due to having to read subtitles--it's easy to see why Jewel Thief was such a success and still enjoyed today.

Cactus Flower

Cactus Flower
1969
5/5 stars

Womanizing Dr. Julian Winston (Walter Matthau) has told his new girlfriend, Toni (Goldie Hawn) that he is married, to prevent the relationship from getting serious.  He decides he does want to marry Toni, and tells her that he will get a divorce, but she insists on meeting his wife first.  He persuades his longtime nurse Stephanie (Ingrid Bergman) to pretend to be his wife.  Stephanie and Toni meet, but things don't turn out just the way Julian had expected.

This romantic comedy is pure fun, with great lines and perfect delivery from the two veteran actors.  Goldie Hawn's Oscar winning debut performance is a true delight.  The sets and costumes looked wonderful, and the supporting cast of Jack Weston, Rick Lenz, Vito Scotti, and Irene Hervey added greatly to the overall experience.  This is a film well worth watching.

This movie is available to rent on Amazon.