clanciai

There were many films made on this the best novel of Dumas (which he confessed himself), but this version of 1948 is still the best one, while the others became worse the more modern they were. This version was also the first one to adapt the whole novel for the screen, and in spite of necessary abbreviations it is successful, mainly because of all the actors finding themselves perfectly in their parts. Gene Kelly is the best d'Artagnan ever, Athos is the best Athos ever, Porthos comes slightly in the background, while Robert Coote as Aramis is also perfect. They could hardly have found a better Mylady ever than Lana Turner, she is all poison all the way and perfectly convincing, while the one female part you'll never forget from here is June Allyson as Constance. Vincent Price makes a perfectly awesome Richelieu, and the music of Tchaikovsky (from "Romeo and Juliet" and "Manfred") is well chosen and fits perfectly into the highly strung adventure melodrama. There are inconsistencies in the novel, and it is unavoidable that the films also would contain inconsistencies, but you forgive it all because of the marvellous good humour and imagination. Not only d'Artagnan but also Athos, Porthos and Aramis did exist in real life, d'Artagnan actually ended up as lieutenent of the musketeers under Louis XIV, but went down in a battle. We don't know from where Dumas got the fascinating vampire character of Mylady, but Cardinal Richelieu was imposingly historical indeed, even if Dumas' story somewhat darkened his character. In brief, this is the classical film version of Alexander Dumas' best novel, and may it always find new audiences, which it deserves.

Francesco Rosi was famous for his implicit uncompromising realism, and this film of the famous opera confirms his consistence in this. This was not his only bullfight film, but it is probably one of the best bullfight films ever made if not the very best. This is no glamorous Carmen playing on her sex appeal, so many interpretations of Carmen being so twistedly overdone, but this Carmen is a very ordinary commonplace cigarette girl of some gipsy charatcter and nothing else, and a very common woman, and there was never a better Carmen. Placido Domingo is also ideal as perhaps the best Don José ever, and Ruggero Raimondi as Escamillo is equally perfect. It is all filmed on location, enhancing the dazzling realism, showing the back strets of Seville under the scorching sun in all its bareness. This is a film version of Carmen that you will never forget for its blunt and extremely straight-forward visual eloquence.

They say everyone has a double somewhere. This film is a speculation and experiment in the fascinating possibility that two such doubles would meet and one take advantage of the other for their incredible likeness. The story is totally improbable, but the film is efficient, and the last manhunt is quite captivating mainly because of the presence of a dog taking the lead turning the film into a thriller of horror. It is all filmed in Puerto Rico, and the shots of the island are enthralling. The film is ruined by not being convincing at all - this could never happen to anyone, and the calculated evil of the plot is absurd - there is no realism here. Nevertheless, it is worth watching for the excitement, and of course you would want to know how such an impossible intrigue would end.