Llanto del corazón

"I Thank a Fool" begins with a sick man in the hospital. You never know what he's suffering from, but it's exceptionally painful. Into the room comes his doctor (Susan Hayward) and she insists that she, not the nurse attending to him, give him a shot. Soon afterwords he dies and it is assumed she gave him an intentional lethal injection to ease his suffering. Next, she is in court--defending herself against a murder charge. She is convicted of a lesser charge, Manslaughter, and is sent to prison. When she gets out, she cannot find work and she is approached by the man who prosecuted her (Peter Finch)--he wants to hire her to help take care of his wife! It seems that the woman has some mental illness and of all people to choose, he picks this ex-doctor! While this setup for the story is difficult to believe, I did enjoy the euthanasia angle--it was pretty interesting and brings up a complex issue that is too seldom discussed. So where does all this go?

The idea is pretty intriguing and unusual--is what happens next worth your time? The answer is a definite yes--though the film does have a few plot holes here and there. You can't help but wonder why Hayward's character does some of the things she does--they aren't always very logical. Plus, there's the weird coming home scene in Ireland. I think I know what they were implying...but am not sure because it's so obtusely written. And, the very final scene is pretty bad. Still, despite these problems, the movie does keep you guessing and it is unusual. Not a great film but a very good one.

Audrey Erskine-Lindop wrote in a variety of genres and has proved popular with film makers. Although having seen all of them I must confess to having read none of the originals but judging by a synopsis of her 1958 novel 'I thank a Fool', this film adaptation is quite another story!

Unusually for the time it introduces the emotive and controversial issue of 'mercy killing' and the film is topped and tailed by a trial and an inquest. One would hazard a guess that these were inserted by uncredited contributor John Mortimer. The leading female character has been considerably changed to accommodate the age and persona of the customary American import but as she is played by the splendid Susan Hayward, who's complaining? The always-good-value Peter Finch plays the barrister whose prosecution puts her behind bars for manslaughter and who later proceeds to hire her to look after his schizophrenic wife! Yes, it's that sort of movie. The wife is played by Diane Cilento and although her Irish accent is rather in-and-out, she engages our sympathy and acquits herself well in a very demanding role. Playing her drunken, despicable father is Cyril Cusack who succeeds once again in stealing all of his scenes. Both Athene Seyler and Richard Wattis impress and there are brief but brilliant cameos by Miriam Karlin as a tart and Peter Sallis as a lecherous doctor. Even cigar store Indian Kieron Moore shows signs of life.

Superlative camerawork by Harry Waxman and what is for him an unusual score by Ron Goodwin which includes the tried and trusted Theramin for 'atmospheric' purposes.

There are a few plotholes along the way whilst the ending is somewhat contrived but very much in keeping with the melodramatic mood of the piece. Rather like the curate's egg, it is not all bad but is particularly good in parts.

Whatever its weaknesses it is infinitely preferable to director Robert Stevens' next collaboration with Peter Finch, 'In the cool of the Day' but that quite frankly would not be difficult.

This is an odd, somewhat offbeat film, best appreciated if you're in the mood for a satisfying guilty pleasure. It helps to have a certain taste for this sort of thing - an atmospheric adult melodrama of the kind they don't make anymore. The plot meanders and the suspense falls flat, but there's enough going on to keep the viewer interested. Susan Hayward looks beautiful and though she has a tendency to overact in many of her movies, here she's a bit more subdued while still maintaining her tough-as-nails persona. Peter Finch brings his reliably commanding presence to his role. Diane Cilento looks great and gets to act crazy. The ending tries to be a clever twist but is rather ludicrous, just like the rest of the film. Overall "I Thank a Fool" provides a pleasant diversion.

This movie was filmed in Crookhaven, a small fishing village (pop. 38) in West Cork. The village pub, O'Sullivan's Bar, has a large number of stills from the film on its walls. Many of the villagers were employed as extras in the film and some of them still live in the village. The current owner of the bar, Billy O'Sullivan, is pictured in one of the stills with Diane Cilento.

I became aware of this film in 2010 when i was asked by my (then) girlfriend's sister to find her a copy. Their family come from, (and several still live in), Crookhaven in West Cork where the final scenes of the film were shot and several members of her family were used as extras. An uncle appears in the pub scenes and two of her brothers can be seen in the graveyard scene. Also, many local people known to them were featured. I tracked down a copy of the film and sent it over. I'm told that several viewings were arranged for the villagers (who number only about fifty people in the "off season") and much fun was had identifying local people in the film. The film itself has a strange, pretty unbelievable plot and i really can't imagine why Peter Finch and Susan Hayward agreed to star in it! Maybe they fancied a trip to Ireland! There are several "mistakes" in the film, although these are only obvious if you know Crookhaven. The graveyard scene is supposed to be after a Catholic service but was actually filmed in the Protestant graveyard, and when the bus arrives in the village it comes from the wrong direction, and later leaves in the wrong direction, Crookhaven being a dead end, the bus arriving and leaving by a road that doesn't exist! Still, the film does provide interesting external shots of The Marconi Tower and O'Sullivan's bar is a very nice place to have a beer today, as it was then. Go and see for yourself and tell Dermot O'Sullivan that Jeff says hello!