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The Damned
These are the Damned
UK 1962
produced by Anthony Hinds, Michael Carreras (executive), Anthony Nelson Keys (associate) for Hammer
directed by Joseph Losey
starring Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field, Viveca Lindfors, Alexander Knox, Oliver Reed, Walter Gotell, James Villiers, Tom Kempinski, Kenneth Cope, Brian Oulton, Barbara Everest, Allan McClelland, James Maxwell, Rachel Clay, Caroline Sheldon, Rebecca Dignam, Siobhan Taylor, Nicholas Clay, Kit Williams, Christopher Witty, David Palmer, John Thompson
screenplay by Evan Jones, based on the novel by H.L. Lawrence, music by James Bernard, sculpts by Elisabeth Frink
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
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American tourist in England Simon Wells (Macdonald Carey) has gotten in
a kerfuffle with a gang of thugs, so much so that he saw it necessary to
take flight by boat - with Joan (Shirley Anne Field), sister of gangleader
King (Oliver Reed) as his unlikely shipmate, with her being desparate to
escape her brother. This only drives King wild though and he's now
hell-bent on hunting them down - which leads to a finale at some cliffs
where Wells, Joan and King all go over and probably would have drowned
before long if they weren't saved by a bunch of kids. The kids, all 11
years of age, are a strange bunch though, their skin is ice cold, they
claim to have no parents and are brought up at a nearby facility where
they have no direct contact to other humans but receive their education
via video screens - and it soon becomes clear that they are part of a
secret gouvernment experiment led by mysterious Bernard (Alexander Knox),
who claims to be their benefactor. Wells, Joan and King bury their hatchet
to help the children escape - an escape that's unfortunately short-lived
as the kids are all highly radioactive, and being in their presence alone
kills Wells, Joan and King before long, with all the kids quickly
collected again and all other witnesses to the goings-on shot dead. Now
one can't deny how great the film looks. It's expert camerawork get the
most out of the beautiful location, its direction is aesthetically
flawless, and a subplot about a sculptor (Viveca Lindfors) allows for the
inclusion of many an unusual artwork by Elisabeth Frink - all of which
really defies the film's moderate budget. On top of that, the film profits
from some very poignant dialogue - and yet the whole thing is somewhat let
down by its rather silly Cold War propaganda plot that pretends to make
much more sense than it actually does. Now seen from today's perspective
that's endearing as well, as a sort of time capsule, and I won't deny the
film is entertaining enough as it is, one would just wish a movie as good
looking as this one would have been graced with a better plot.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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Thanks for watching !!!
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Robots and rats,
demons and potholes, cuddly toys and shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill Your Bones to is all of that.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to -
a collection of short stories and mini-plays ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle,
all thought up by the twisted mind of screenwriter and film reviewer Michael Haberfelner.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to
the new anthology by Michael Haberfelner
Out now from Amazon!!! |
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