Horas amargas

MacDonald Carey stars as a public defender taking on the case of a migrant farm worker accused of killing his employer in this unusual RKO production. Directed stylishly by Don Siegel and marvelously photographed by the great John Alton, whose penchant for deep, angular shots is on display throughout, Count the Hours has plenty of the ingredients you'd expect a noir classic to feature. Sadly, it's let down by a drab screenplay by Karen Dewolf and a dull, Lon Chaney Jr.-style performance by John Craven as the falsely accused handy man. The film also suffers from a Louis Forbes score that features an overdone theremin theme whenever the real villain appears on the screen. Count the Hours looks great and also features good performances by Teresa Wright (in a role that seems tailor made for Patricia Neal) and Jack Elam, but on balance, it remains a frustrating though watchable failure.

Surprisingly interesting story for a B picture from the early fifties - this could have been made as a major feature if it was given a bigger budget and a director worthy of its plot developments. Sincere performances by Teresa Wright and McDonald Cary are well above the average but director Don Siegel is just not the right man for the job. The story by Doane Hoag has all the right twists and turns and holds the interest but needed more attention to detail and less clichéd handling. The music score was certainly different but seemed to have been lifted from a Si-Fi -'body snatcher' type movie.

If looking for a 50s time passer (with undeveloped possibilities) this is still worth a look. Prolific and inventive Award winning Hungarian cinematographer John Alton shows terrific flair for B/W photography and lighting - lifting this little crime meller to above average standards. The ending is typical of the era - but, still better than many other average B pictures.

A robber breaks into a farm house. He is confronted by the owner and ends up killing the elderly couple. George Braden and his wife Ellen (Teresa Wright) are the neighbors. After some questionable responses, George is arrested for the murders. Doug Madison (Macdonald Carey) takes the case despite not believing in George's innocence.

At first, I thought some of this plot goes too far. I don't want to nitpick but I can't believe that they couldn't find the gun. Everybody knows where she threw it. It's not a raging river. Then I relaxed about it and realized that it's more about the acting style. The movie is doing that old melodramatic style. Teresa Wright is a great actress, but she's using her skills to do her utmost overwrought acting. I actually grew to like the plot especially if they could tweak some of it. I can see it be remade into something better.

This is far from the best Don Siegel movie. But, despite flaws in writing and acting, it's gripping and moves along, keeping the viewer on the edge of his or her seat.

Nothing is really credible. Theresa Wright as an itinerant farmer's wife? Actors with pronounced New York accents as menacing rednecks? And something about the script seems truly sub-par. The dialogue is not grammatical and this is not a matter of simulating regional speech or signifying class. The dialogue is just not well written.

The music, too, is strangely self-contradictory. At first it is pure schmalz, and Don Siegel is not the man for romance, even if it's romantic noir. Then a theramon is introduced and it sounds better.

Despite quibbling on my part, it's an engrossing movie. Believable? Not exactly. But, if one cuts it some considerable slack, it works well as a suspenseful kind-of noir.

MacDonald Carey stars as an Atticus Finch like attorney in Count The Hours where he's asked to defend George Craven who is accused of killing an elderly rancher and his wife. From the reactions around the town the two were beloved in the community and everyone just wants to hang Craven and be quick about it.

His defense of Craven puts Carey's own relationship with rich girl friend Dolores Moran in jeopardy. And he's certainly not winning any popularity contest defending Craven. Still Carey soldiers on until the truth emerges.

Don Siegel got some beautiful performances from several of his cast members. First Teresa Wright as Craven's wife who is the picture of innocence. Her innocence makes you the audience as well as Carey believe in the rightness of the cause. Also Adele Mara poaches on what is usually Gloria Grahame territory. She plays a real low life white trash slut and she does it magnificently.

Finally though there's Jack Elam who was a former hand at the deceased's place and he's a former mental patient. That blind eye of Elam's served him so well in films he could play some really loony characters. Elam is at his bug-eyed best in this part.

It's sad that Don Siegel did not have a bigger budget to work with. As it is Count The Hours is a real noir classic and Carey's Dave Madison belongs right up there with Atticus Finch in the pantheon of film's incorruptible men of the law.