Three war buddies (James Coburn, George Kennedy, and Ned Glass) stalk and terrorize the widow (Audrey Hepburn) of their recently murdered comrade believing she knows the location of the pilfered loot taken during their tour of duty. After involving the local Paris prefect (Walter Matthau), she now becomes unsure whether or not to trust the dashing and suspicious acquaintance (Cary Grant) just made at a Swiss ski resort. Stanley Donen's Charade is a light and breezy romantic/comedy suspenser with a fun and silly plot, second rate dialogue, and great chemistry between its stars.

*** out of ****

A recently released low rent criminal (Serge Reggiani) shows up at a crime lord and friends resident, ostensibly to get filled in on a job, and shoots him dead in cold blooded, making out with the loot from a previous heist and stacks full of cash. He returns home and tells his live-in girlfriend and fellow con artist pal (Jean-Paul Belmondo) who may or may not be police informants. Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Doulos is a hard-bitten, tough talking tribute to film noir made with sudden, shocking violence and intricate, convoluted plotting. Reggiani and Belmondo and perfectly cast.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Through a Glass Darkly (1961)

 A young woman (Harriet Andersson), just released from the hospital following treatment for schizophrenia, retreats to a remote island and frolics with her bookish brother (Lars Passgard) while her sullen husband (Max von Sydow) attempts to repair their marriage and she learns the devastating news that her author father (Gunnar Bjornstrand) has been exploiting her sickness for his work. Immaculately shot by Bergman's longtime cinematographer Sven Nykvist, Through a Glass Darkly is cerebral, shocking, and sorrowful with a possessed, otherworldly performance from Andersson.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Winter Light (1963)

A Lutheran minister (Bjornstrand) practices mass without feeling, offers his own feelings of helplessness to a suicidal man (von Sydow) who reaches out to him, and treats his loving mistress (Gunnel Lindblom) with nothing but disdain as the only true believer in his clergy is the hunchback Sexton. Striking, succinct, penetrating, and humorless, Bjornstrand's performance and Lindblom breaking the fourth wall during the letter reading scene stand atop an austere Winter Light.

*** out of ****

The Silence (1963)

A sensual woman (Lindblom) and her child stop for a layover in a bizarre, unnamed and virtually inaudible European town when her cold and distant sister (Ingrid Thulin) takes ill during a journey by train. Oblique, extremely minimalist, and starkly filmed The Silence is ultimately a shocking and viscerally moving experience.

*** out of ****

Tales of Terror and The Raven were two in a succession of early 60s Edgar Allan Poe adaptations by Roger Corman, both of which featured Vincent Price (which was par for the course for most of these other collaborations). Tales of Terror is a well-crafted, generally excellent, and often very funny presentation of three short stories (Morella, The Black Cat, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar) as concocted by Richard Matheson. Peter Lorre is hilarious, Basil Rathbone is very effective, and Price is great in all three shorts. The Raven is a goofy fabrication presented as straightforward comedy and using the famed poem only really as a springboard. The picture runs out of steam, but still is rather riotous with Boris Karloff and again Lorre and Price all a hoot.

Tales of Terror: *** 1/2 out of ****

The Raven: *** out of ****

As infection threatens to wipe out the heard, a cruel and selfish cattle rancher (Paul Newman) lives wildly and dejectedly on his family's homestead inspiring admiration from his nephew (Brandon De Wilde), disappointment from his father (Melvyn Douglas), and both lust and fear in his emotionally wounded housekeeper (Patricia Neal). Directed by Martin Ritt from a Larry McMurtry story, Hud is a perfectly realized, doleful and wretched anti-Western, heavy on atmosphere, exquisitely filmed, and featuring an unforgettable cast.

**** out of ****

When the New Wave landed on shores of France and rocked world cinema, Eric Rohmer quietly but intently observed the work of his contemporaries from the Cahiers du Cinema offices where he worked as an editor. There he plotted a series of ostensibly related films, all dealing with a middle class protagonist's responding to a temptress, which were filmed over the period of a decade, and were grouped together as the Six Moral Tales.

The Bakery Girl of Monceau (1963) is a short two reeler, simple, offbeat, talky, icy, and beautifully shot, effectively setting the tone for the entire series. Featuring future directors Barbet Schroeder in the lead and Bernard Taverneier as narrator, it tells the story of a young attorney who makes increasingly frequent visits to a neighborhood confectionery to encounter the title clerk.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Suzanne's Career (1963) followed, and is an intelligent and incredibly prescient, here detailing a woman coming in between the friendship of two friends, one a skirt chaser the other a bashful introvert.

*** 1/2 out of ****

La Collectionneuse (1967) was the first feature film realeased in the series but was actually intended as the fourth tale, bumped up on the shooting schedule when Rohmer failed to achieve weather effects and postponed My Night with Maud. It tells an idyllically set and beautifully shot story of cruel intellectualism about two friends vacationing on the Riveria who find their vacation impeded by a promiscuous guest. 

*** 1/2 out of ****

My Night with Maud (1969) may be the best known of the lot and is my candidate for the finest realization in an unrivaled program. An uptight intellectual bumps into an old friend around the holidays, is invited for dinner to a recently divorced knock-out's chateu, where the two wind up alone, discussing love and philosophy before getting down to business. Perceptive, crisply filmed, and wonderfully acted

*** 1/2 out of ****

Claire's Knee (1970) involves a diplomat on vacation and awaiting marriage who, while visiting with an ex-lover, becomes obsessed with the idea of caressing his landlady's stepdaughter's knee. 

This fifth entry is somewhat creepy, but again retains the film values of its predecessors and remains very watchable

*** 1/2 out ****

Chloe in the Afternoon (1972) concluded the series and, true to form, is involving, low key, and dialogue heavy. Its plot revolves around a happily married Parisian lawyer who hopelessly pursues a bohemian seductress.

*** 1/2 out of ****

A gorgeous, idle debutante (Tippi Hedren) plays a prank on an attractive man (Rod Taylor) at a San Francisco gift shop, which he quickly foils. She decides to track him down on his island home, bearing a peace offering of two parakeets. There, while contending with a rival (Suzanne Pleshette) for the man's affections and endearing herself to his mother (Jessica Tandy), the local seagull population grows increasingly hostile, eventually posing a threat to everyone on the island and trapping the party inside the island home. Alfred Hitchcok's "The Birds", his third adaptation of a Daphne du Maurier work following "Jamaica Inn" and "Rebecca", is an alternately scary and silly work, which I'm not quite sure belongs on the list of his greatest classics. Tippi Hedren is excellent, and carries much of the film.

A Greek family living in Anatolia near the turn of the 20th century, begin to feel the strain of increased Turkish oppression and send their son (Stathis Giallelis) to Constantinople to start a new life. After losing his entrusting fortune to a con artist and enduring even more hardships, the indomitable young man sets his sights on the promise of America. "America, America" is legendary director Elia Kazan's most personal work, drawing on his uncle's own emigration experiences. Kazan shot the film with his sure hand, in crisp and beautiful black and white, and fills his movie with loving and often harshly realistic details. Giallelis is very endearing in the lead role and keeps a rooting interest through the considerable duration of the film. I thought it started to drag during the Constantinople scenes, but picked again for an extraordinary closing sequence.

While lacking inspiration for his latest sci-fi picture an agitated movie director delves deep into memory and fantasy while fielding complaints from his wife, mistress, stars, and producer. "8 1/2" is legendary director Federico Fellini's autobiographical (the title refers to the number of films he made to that point) and incredibly influential masterpiece. Told in free flow form, the movie blends fantasy, memory, and reality until the line is blurred between all three, resulting in a carnival like atmosphere, directed to the highest sensibilities of an art house picture and abetted by a delightful score from Nino Rota. Fresh off their success in "La Dolce Vita", Marcello Mastroianni reteamed with Fellini and delivers another sly, perfectly realized performance as the frustrated Fellini proxy. "8 1/2" is an almost indescribable picture that, although its reconstruction has been attempted by numerous others, would seem impossible to have been made by anyone else.

A mentally imbalanced young woman is invited to an east coast manor to accompany a pair of scientists and the heir of the estate in an attempt to determine the presence of paranormal activity on the property. Soon, despite the initial reticence of the group members following the unstable woman's initial sightings, it soon appears that sinister otherworldly forces are at play. "The Haunting" is a highly revered haunted house film from acclaimed Hollywood director Robert Wise. From the Shirley Jackson's novel The Haunting of Hill House, Wise's film is extremely well mounted and directed, but is largely marred by the lead performance of Julie Harris, whose manic histrionics greatly wear on the audience. The film also seems to drag during the middle portion, but wraps spectacularly during its climactic parlor scene. "The Haunting" has a reputation as being a standard among haunted house films, and if you focused solely on its staging and direction, it earns this status.

The notorious cat burglar known as The Phantom (David Niven) has eluded Paris police inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) for years, and the bumbling detective hasn't even the slightest clue as to his identity, probably because the thief's inside mole happen's to be his own wife (Capucine)! Now all three, along with The Phantom's shifty nephew (Robert Wagner) wind up at a French Chateau where the cat burglar plans to strike again, stealing the invaluable Pink Panther diamond belonging to a beautiful Middle Eastern princess (Claudia Cardinale). The first entry in the Pink Panther series isn't quite the gag filled laugh riot I remembered as a kid, with Peter Sellers barely being in it, playing more of a supporting role. David Niven adequately fills the void though playing the dashing burglar and Capucine and Claudia Cardinale are quite stunning in their roles. While the film tends to drag at times, it is highlighted by three late, wonderful sequences: first a boudoir mixup scene, then one at a costume party, which is culminated in a pretty great chase number. Though not as plentiful as remembered, "The Pink Panther" offers a few laughs, a lot of glamour, some well realized sequences, and of course the inimitable Peter Sellers, although in reduced form.

Blemished by and fed up with the number of prisoner escape attempts, the Nazis round up all Allied soldiers with a history of decampment and lodge them in a maximum security POW camp. Led by the indomitable British officer (Richard Attenborough), an assorted group also group featuring a brash American fighter pilot (James Garner), a Polish tunneling expert (Charles Bronson), a coy manufacturer (James Coburn), a forger losing his vision (Donald Pleasance), and a stoic loner (Steve McQueen) begins almost immediately a daring plan to build three tunnels (named Tom, Dick, and Harry) to lead the entire camp past the fences to freedom. Based on a true story, John Sturges' "The Great Escape" is a rollicking wartime adventure. Lengthy but never longish, Sturges assuredly builds his well told story that pays off with the incredible escape sequence, which is then followed up with one of the great chase sequences as Steve McQueen tries to outrun a band of Germans on his motorcycle. In a cast full of tough guys, McQueen of course oozes steely coolness but James Garner is also quite convincing as the ace pilot. "The Great Escape" is a grand Hollywood entertainment and the kind of film you watch with longing when you realize the cliche holds true that they don't make 'em like they use to.

A plane crash leaves several dozen British school children stranded on a tropical isle, who break up into two warring factions and quickly descend into savagery. Peter Brock's 1963 filmization of the modern classic novel was done entirely with author William Goldman's consent and is largely faithful to the book. Made with an extremely narrow budget and shot on location with non actors, the result is an authentic and ultimately chilling rendition. All of the children cast are effective, particularly James Aubrey as the principled Ralph, Tom Chapin as the brutish Jack, and especially Hugh Edwards as the weak but intelligent Piggy. "Lord of the Flies" is a wonderful model not only for low budget films but also for book adaptations.

As the Italian Revolution reaches Sicily in the 1860s, the proud Prince of Salina (Burt Lancaster) weighs his options in deciding how to maintain his noble lifestyle while realizing that this new wave will most certainly add unwanted alterations. When his opportunistic nephew (Alan Delon) joins Gibraldi's army and then takes up with the daughter (Claudia Cardinale) of a newly rich mayor he despises, the prince realizes the benefit of the alliance and aids the courtship. "The Leopard" is a gorgeous, exuberant, celebratory yet sorrowful adaptation of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa by master director Luchino Visconti. Featuring a glowing international cast, Burt Lancaster towers over all in a wonderful, commanding performance. Although his dubbed Italian voice is jarring at first (I've read the English dubbed version is an abomination), Lancaster's range is so wide and passion so deeply felt so that in a career of hallmark performances, this is one of his finest. Also, not enough can be said of Visconti's directions, the visuals, and the costumes. The concluding ballroom scene, which runs near an hour in length, is one of the most opulent and impressive of its kind. "The Leopard" captures many of the elements and sentiments of a transitory era and presents them with grace, extravagance, and style.

In the red light district of Paris where policemen turn a blind eye to the rampant abasement, Irma la Douce (the Sweet) is the most formidable of the street's many prostitute. All carries on swimmingly until the arrival of Inspector Nestor Patau, the honest beat cop who has just been promoted from his post at a playground. When he halls all the working girls to jail, confronts their johns and pimps, and insults his superior officer, Nestor soon finds himself jobless looking for affection in the same neighborhood, which he does in Irma's arms. Quickly establishing himself as a top pimp with Irma as his lover and only client, Nestor becomes insanely jealous and devises a preposterous scheme where he can buy all of her time by masquerading as a British aristocrat! From a play by Alexandre Breffort with his longtime screenwriting collaborator I.A.L. Diamond, "Irma la Douce" is a rioutous farce by legendary writer/director Billy Wilder. Working with Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, reteaming after the inimitable "The Apartment", Wilder manages to create another sweet and funny film with several memorable and inventive scenes. MacLaine is at her ditsy best and Lemmon has a field day hamming it up as the cockeyed Lord X. Lou Jacobi also has an amusing role as a bartender who has seemingly played every role in the European underworld. "Irma la Douce" is a hilarious if not slightly overlong film that doesn't quite match up to the best of Wilder's work, mainly because he set the bar so high.

SPECTRE's number 1, the malevolent Blofeld with the help of his number 3, a former KGB dominatrix, and number 5, a world class chess champion, has developed a plan to lure 007 with a beautiful Russian spy carrying a secret decoder device under the guise of defection. Seeing this as a obvious trap, Bond travels to Istanbul to rendezvous with the stunning agent and do battle with the evil organization's muscleman (a young Robert Shaw) aboard the Orient Express. "From Russia with Love" is largely regarded as the best of the Bond series, and while it is a fun and exciting film, it is still an exercise in silliness. Unlike its predecessor "Dr. No" which started off strong and ended in absurdity, "FRWL" starts off turgidly and concludes wonderfully highlighted by the fight to the death on the train. Perhaps I got into this Bond project with the wrong impression of the series and too high of expectations. Still "FRWL" is an entertaining if a bit too campy cinematic excursion.