The Inspector

Dolores Hart heads a cast of mostly British players in The Inspector, a film about a Dutch Jewish refugee determined to get to Palestine. Her's is a tightly controlled performance of a woman for whom every kind of emotion has been drained out of her. But she wants more than life itself to live in a Jewish homeland, a place where she doesn't feel like an unwanted guest.

Stephen Boyd plays a Dutch police inspector who covers up the fact that she killed a white slaver looking to pimp out her sexual services. Boyd and Hart are kept under a loose surveillance by British intelligence as many try to help them in their quest.

As we know the politics of oil kept the British who occupied Palestine tilting toward the Arabs. But for many, humanity dictated otherwise.

A nice cast was put together in support of Boyd and Hart and standing out are Leo McKern as a gruff Dutch barge captain, Donald Pleasence as a surveilling policeman and Hugh Griffith as a gunrunner.

For the leads this is some of the best work they do in their interrupted careers, Boyd by an early death and Hart by retiring from acting to go into a convent where she still is a mother/prioress.

Exodus was an epic tale of the founding of Israel. The Inspector reduces the story to an inspiring singularity.

I watched it during my mid-teen years (circa 1980); I'm male. Fortunately, I didn't suffer the burdens some of these other reviewers suffered when they viewed it, such as knowing one of the actresses was notoriously Catholic or paying attention to her fair complexion such that I couldn't accept her character as Jewish. I try my best to remain ignorant of these sorts of things so that I have the best chance possible of appreciating a quality movie for what it is. It was probably my first time seeing any of the actors, so I wasn't comparing their performances to their prior and subsequent performances, or wondering why they didn't earn an award nomination for this role when they earned one for some other. Nor did I didn't make note of historical inaccuracies during the movie, as though I expected a documentary. I simply sat down and watched a movie, hoping to be transported--and I was.

This is a love story, first, second, and foremost. It is so in a deep, subtle, convoluted way, however, as opposed to explicitly/passionately/upliftingly so--a love that is fought and denied, inwardly and outwardly, for a variety of reasons, some of which are quite somber. If you don't appreciate that sort of thing or aren't in the mood for it, then I wouldn't be surprised if you rated this movie somewhere between 6 and 8. The suspenseful storyline serves as powerful enrichment to the love story, not as brilliant portrayal of the historical, political, and moral issues involved. If you can appreciate subtle romantic love stories that are devoid of explicit expressions of passion and set in darkness, curl up some emotive evening with a sensitive significant other, and I think you will enjoy it immensely.

This is a haunting, yet little-known film, beautifully acted, that shows the after-effects of Nazi concentration camp sterilization and torture on a young Jewish girl, as she tries to escape to Palestine after the war. The budding romance between the principal actors adds an extra poignancy to the tale, as they are separated in the dramatic and unforgettable ending. I only wish this film were on video, so that a new audience of young people could learn and benefit from its story.

I know very little about Director Philip Dunne, though HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY warrants instant respect. Sadly, THE INSPECTOR (also known as LISA) rates nowhere near as good, even if it boasts a truly stellar cast, with supporting actors of such high quality as Hugh Griffith, Donald Pleasence, Leo McKern, Harry Andrews.

Of course, Stephen Boyd and Dolores Hart are the good looking leads who occupy the screen most of the time, both delivering quite satisfactorily - Boyd is particularly appealing as a Dutch police inspector who wants to take to Palestine a young Jewish woman who had suffered all manner of torture in German concentration camps during WWII.

It stands to reason, however, that a Dutch policeman can only have the power of the law behind him in the Netherlands, and he is warned about that by the authorities of various other countries, notably the United Kingdom's.

The couple's adventures seem more cute than real, with a dog on a barge playing an eye-catching part.

Unfortunately, I watched a rather fuzzy VHS copy but I do not think that cinematography is exceptional in any way.

Uneven script by Nelson Gidding. Ultimately a film that I feel will not stay on my memory for long. 7/10 for the great supporting cast.

Lisa is a powerful drama about a German concentration camp refugee, played by Dolores Hart, trying to get to Israel to begin a new life after the war, and the Dutch Police Inspector, played by Stephen Boyd, who decides to help her. The story is gripping and intense and the performances are superb. Both Stephen Boyd and Dolores Hart turn in one of the finest performances of their careers and so does the all-star supporting cast, including Donald Pleasance and Hugh Griffith. Wonderful film for a rainy day afternoon.