Harlekin

A movie of wonder, magic, and intrigue, "Harlequin" or "Dark Forces" is a force to be reckoned with. At a birthday party, a boy named Alex(Mark Spain) who suffers from leukemia gets to meet a clown who entertains everyone. That night, a man named Gregory Wolfe(Robert Powell) enters the house and cures the son. Skeptics including the father and his political cronies would try anything to discredit the faith healer. Wolfe performed many feats that would mesmerize. Many would think that there are tricks behind his acts. But no one has ever been able to figure it out. This movie is about magic and political intrigue. What you see is a slight of hand. Being from Australia is something that I like to see. At least it's not a Mad Max film. Don't try to figure out the tricks in the film. Otherwise, you just might disappear! 3 out of 5 stars

Clearly not the greatest film ever made but very clear that a lot went into this to make it that little bit different. If it has a bit of a TV movie look to it that is because of the limited location shooting, much in the same rooms, and not because of the acting which is solid. Broderick Crawford holds his own, apparently with a little help from booze in between scenes, but David Hemmings and Robert Powell are very good indeed. I understand Hemmings also had a bit of a drink problem but it clearly didn't affect his acting here and as for Powell, I have never understood why he never made it so much bigger, maybe he got typecast as Jesus. There is much to enjoy here amid the magic and mayhem and with a convincing performance from the young boy and various shocks and surprises this is well worth a look. There, and I haven't even mentioned that it is Australian or that it is loosely based upon the story of Rasputin and the Czar!

Fascinating, dark study of a political family seduced by the powers of a traveling magician who befriends their ill son. The story works well on that level, and the acting is certainly passable enough to be entertaining.

Even more fascinating when one realizes that this is a retelling of the historical plot of the fall of the Czar of Russia! In history, Nicholas (Nicky in this film) and Alexandra (Sandy) had and extremely ill son, Alexander (Alex) and allowed the "Mad Monk" Gregory Rasputin (Gregory Wolfe) into the family with his promises of a cure for the the boy. Viewed on this level, this interesting enough B-movie become a fascinating study in parallels. Well worth a rental and some time to enjoy!

harlequin is a fun film and very entertaining. It's problem is that it seems to get a bit confused as to what it's all about. Robert powell, one of the most underused talents of modern times, shies as Wolfe, and there are some excellent moments exploiting his strengths, such as those intense blue eyes and angelic yet sinister demeanour. A scene at the start with Powell as a clown is particularly intriguing. The Rasputin illusions are noticeable, but here is where the film's weakness lies. Unlike Rasputin, who was gaining control of the affairs of no less than the Tsar of russia, Gregory wolfe hewre seems to be fascinated by a minor Australian politician, and when we can see what he is capable of himself one can't help thinking that Nick must seem a rather trivial target for his talents. It would be interesting to speculate that unlike us, Wolfe can see that nick will become important in the future and therefore warrants the attention he is being given but there is no attempt made in the film to explain this. Wolfe's relationship with Sandra is equally baffling, veering at random from rejection to seduction. The locations are generally rather dull and the film looks cumbersome, there being little elegance in the composition, all muddy colour and blocks of contrasting images, like a 70s American commercial. But on the plus side, the story keeps one intrigued, Powell is fascinating, his appearance in the window, distorted, is superb, and the final scene with Hemmings at his mercy in the house is pretty chilling. Certainly a good discussion can ensue after viewing for those in the mood!

As a long-time fan of Robert Powell, I have to say he was fantastic in this little known film, which I saw under the title "Dark Forces." The actor's ability is far under rated -why, I'll never know. This tale of a mysterious being entering the lives of a family was curiously spiritual as well as supernatural. I even found Powell quoting a line from his masterpiece "Jesus of Nazareth." There were some unanswered questions in the film, but I wasn't bothered by this. After all, the supernatural leaves a lot of gaps for us to dwell on and come up with our own conclusions.