picicici

Really the best movie ever, which shows the world of the high-class thieves. It has been copied several times since its making. For example the use of the French Riviera for a superb car chase. It reminds me of the "Ronin". Or the play with the invisible laser rays can be compared with the "Entrapment". Finally the stylish ball scene, when Cherie Cheung steals the key of the safe. Is it familiar? For years later in the movie called "True Lies" we can find a similar scene like this. So it's an essential action-comedy, which collects the greatest moments of the movie history ("To Catch a Thief", "Raiders of the Lost Ark") into an endless fun although the funny moments are sometimes a little bit embarrassing. It's still highly recommended.

Shakespeare's plays are very fashionable nowadays, but film-makers only use his stories and adapt them into a teenage movie (e.g. 10 Things I Hate About You). It seems to be very comfortable to them, because they've got the best stories of all time. But it's a shame, that there are no real Shakespeare adaptations anymore (except the ones by Kenneth Branagh). Doesn't matter, we still have got timeless classics like the Joseph L. Mankiewicz's version of 'Julius Ceasar'. He had the best story about intrigue, hatred and revenge, which has ever been written. And he doesn't fail. Whit his stars, like Marlon Brando, John Gielgud, James Mason, Louis Calhern, Greer Garson and Deborah Kerr and with Joseph Ruttenberg's brilliant B&W pictures and Miklós Rózsa's fantastic and pompous music, he made one of the finest Shakespeare adaptation of all time. I have to say, that Joseph Ruttenberg is the ultimate master of the B&W cinema. He has already proved his talent in such films, like 'Mrs. Miniver' (Academy Award) and in 1956 he got another Oscar for 'Somebody Up There Likes Me'. Miklós Rózsa is simply fantastic. Let's speak about the actors! OK, Marlon Brando is mad as always, but in my opinion John Gielgud steals the show with such lines like: 'I do fear of people choose Ceasar for their king.' He is the best Cassius. Greer Garson is beautiful and shows real talent in her minor role as Ceasar's wife. The direction is atmospheric. The scene of Ceasar's murder is very fearful. He says: 'I am constant as the Northern Star.' And the conspirators are all around. WOW! So don't afraid of the year of making: 1953. It's a very modern adaptation. Even Kenneth Branagh couldn't have done it better. Enjoy it!

A movie that shows the world of gamblers and card players should be elegant, claustrophobic, decadent, sexy an full of suspense. In 'The Cincinnati Kid' these are mixed in the most delicious way. Set in New Orleans, during the Depression the film tells the story of 'Cincinnati Kid', who wants to be the best card player in the world. He has the opportunity when the best ones get together in New Orleans for a marathon-lenght poker party. It's obvious that the final party would be between The Kid and Lancey Howard (very cool: Edward G. Robinson). It's a fine classic like almost all Steve McQueen-movies. McQueen is the king of cools and the supporting cast is good too. Tuesday Weld is pretty but Ann-Margret is the most seductive chick in town. The cock-fight scene and the final poker party is fantastically photographed and wonderfully edited (by Hal Ashby, who later directed the 'Coming Home'). And the music! Lalo Schifrin is a master and Ray Charles' song is simply fantastic and fits to the set and mood of the movie. The ending is unusual and unpredictable, but in my opinion it's very fair. Norman Jewison must have been liked his actors very much. The only flaw is the women hair-style. But it's an usual thing mostly in the films from the 60s (like 'Doctor Zhivago'). Although it's regarded as a classic, the wide audience don't recognize and respect it - 'You just not ready for me, yet.'