¿Quién mató a mi mujer?

I readily admit that I know very little about Director George Schaefer, who appears to have done more TV film than cinema.

The title PENDULUM comes from the words of a circuit judge reluctant to release on technical grounds proven rapist cum murderer Sanderson (coyly played by Rpbert Lyons, with typical connection to Mom Madeleine Sherwood).

The movie opens with an interesting relationship between police captain Matthews (Peppard) and cheating wife Jean Seberg, looking somewhat plumper than nine years earlier in Jean-Luc Godard's A BOUT DE SOUFFLE but still extremely gorgeous in her 1960s attire, and in her translucent gowns. You know instinctively that her deception will not last and that Sanderson, who Peppard put behind bars, will seek revenge.

That part of the movie is engrossing. The part of Peppard being immediately found guilty by his own copper colleagues, escaping, and using the street phone booth to gain access to Sanderson at his mother's place beggars an excessive amount of suspension of disbelief.

In any event, PENDULUM remains quite watchable. Seberg comes across as a charming cheat, Richard Kiley does well as lawyer Woodrow Wilson King (familiar names, ain't it?), interesting to see Charles McGraw as deputy police chief (up from police detective in the great B picture, NARROW MARGIN, of 1952) and cinematography by Lionel Lindon is quite professionally done. 7/10.

Check out the top of the Pendulum IMDb page, and you'll see a guy by the name of Stanley Niss, who wrote and produced this movie. He was my father's mother's brother, or great uncle. I recently learned more about my Great Uncle, and I was finally able to dig up my grandma's VHS copy of Pendulum in her condo. Just the fact that they were able to get a movie centered around a rapist rated only PG is enough of an accomplishment, but seeing George Peppard star surprised me even more.

So, I popped it in my 18 inch VHS TV and watched. Well, it's the 60's alright, the music, the sets, the wardrobes, the chain smoking, there's no denying that. But all in all, I liked it as a standard courtroom drama, the actors did well with their roles, and though I'm biased, I liked it well enough, and it kept me excited throughout.

Afterwards, I looked online and searched for some movie reviews, and saw that Roger Ebert himself reviewed upon its release, though he panned it. Gave it one and a half stars, and called my Great Uncle Stanley's script "written ineptly." Oh well. I had a good time, and I have a small piece of my family history in my hands now.

I had never heard of "Pendulum" before and as shocked how good the movie was. It's definitely among the best films of the 1960s even though it's a rather obscure movie.

George Peppard stars as Captain Matthews...a decorated cop who recently arrested a murderous psychopath. However, two things happen that will become important. First, Matthews' wife is cheating on him and he is beginning to suspect the truth. Second, due to a technicality, the psychopath has been released even though everyone knows he is guilty. How do these two things work together to REALLY impact on the Captain? See the film.

George Peppard is really good here. The other actor who was a major standout is Robert Lyons as the psychotic murderer and rapist. He's quite smug and chilling! Now one part of the film MIGHT seem like a cliche that isn't is when the Captain escapes from custody after he's arrested (yes, he ends up being arrested for a double murder). Normally, this is a bad plot element...the notion of an innocent man escaping in order to prove he's not guilty. Here it's handled well...as it's obvious that for political reasons the Captain is assumed to be guilty and the cops aren't even considering other options. In a case like this, you can understand Matthews' actions.

Overall, a very exciting, taut and suspenseful film...well worth seeing because it is so intelligently made from start to finish. So good, I nearly gave this one a 10....and I almost never do that!

A bit preachy in the Jack Webb style but plot wise it's a good movie to spend 100 minutes watching. Peppard leads the cast. Seberg is hardly present in the movie yet she receives 2nd billing. The supporting cast is good with a few tv familiar faces including Dana Elcar and Isabelle Sanford. The exterior shots are interesting to see as a time capsule of Washington DC in 1968. The Columbia back lot used for many tv shows is used but with an obvious matte painting to hide some of the wide shots that would have shown to much of the studio. The content is mature but it is not a film to be given as many ads say an R rating by the mpaa. It would most likely be rated PG today no more no less. No nudity, no severe language, violent but not terribly unwatchable. It could be on tv today completely uncut. It's definitely not R! Enjoy.

Peppard is frank matthews, who has just left his job as a cop to work for a senator. When someone close to him is knocked off, he's the lead suspect! So now he's got to find the real killer before he gets locked up.. or even gets the death penalty. Lots of talk about one's rights when someone is arrested. The miranda warning had just been instituted in 1966. A fair amount of suspense. First, matthews keeps meddling in the investigation, and might screw up his own defense if it goes to trial. Then, later, it looks like matthews really has done the murder himself. It's pretty good! Nothing too new or earth shaking, but it was during the era of discussions of civil rights. Keep an eye out for isabel sanford as the maid; she will play louise in "the jeffersons". Peppard made this after tiffany's and crossbow, but just before banacek. He was nominated for a bafta for "home from the hill." directed by george schaefer. Story by stanley niss. He died young at 53, soon after this film was released. It's good!