L'affare Blindfold

This thriller/comedy never reaches great heights but is solidly entertaining throughout and that is more of an achievement then one might give it credit for. To be sure, the plot elements and romantic element of two people who can't stand each other for most of the film but eventually fall in love has been done a million times before in various films over the years.

But usually, films containing these elements come across as hackneyed, tiresome and dreary in some shape or form but Blindfold never feels like that and is consistently good fun throughout its journey. Credit for that must go to Hudson and Cardinale who work well as a team and Hudson is especially effective in the film's more comic moments. Jack Warden is reliably effective in his supporting role.

While Blindfold is no classic on any level the solid entertainment it provides is something Hollywood consistently struggles to achieve to this day in films created for that purpose.

If you want to see a really bad example of this genre, see the abysmal pseudo-hip caper comedy A Fine Pair starring Hudson and Cardinale again which is a disaster on all levels.

When Alfred Hitchcock made "North by Northwest", it was so successful that the studios wanted him to make another movie in the same style. However Hitchcock wanted to move on saying, "Style is merely self-plagiarism".

Nevertheless, Hollywood loved the ingredients in "North by Northwest" and attempted many variations on the theme: "Charade", "Arabesque", "Caprice" and "Blindfold", which got as close as any.

Psychiatrist and playboy, Dr Bartholomew Snow, is enlisted by national security chief, General Pratt (Jack Warden), to help the recovery of Arthur Vicenti, a top scientist suffering from a mental breakdown. Vicenti is in danger from an organisation that kidnaps and sells scientists to the highest bidder.

Snow, who never loses his sangfroid for a moment, is blindfolded and taken to a secret location for his meetings with Vincenti, but returns to his practice in New York so that nothing appears out of the ordinary. When Vicenti's sister, showgirl Vicky Vicenti, comes looking for her brother, she and Snow become involved along with enemy agents of varying degrees of intelligence.

Eventually it all ends up in the Florida Everglades with alligators, airboats, quicksand and Rock and Claudia in a clinch at the fadeout.

By this stage of his career, Rock Hudson was as smooth as Cary Grant, but how sexy was Claudia Cardinale in "Blindfold"?

There is a scene in her dressing room where she wears a see-through costume with the only nod to modesty being a sprinkle of strategically placed sequins and some feathers. Claudia Cardinale was never likely to be first choice for Shakespeare, but she was such a stunning presence that it didn't matter if she wasn't totally projecting the Stanislavski Method.

Although Rock could give powerful performances, he just about phoned this one in. However it's really all he needed to do and he had great comedic timing; I love his reaction when his secretary catches him in his office playing with Vicky's knee. There is a stupid fight scene with Rock using a fire extinguisher, but the clever sequence where he retraces the route when he was blindfolded makes up for it.

For those who liked "North by Northwest", "Blindfold" blended the same basic ingredients well.

"Blindfold" is based on a 1960 novel of the same title by Lucille Fletcher. Not having read the book, but from what little I could find out about it, my guess is that it was a straight mystery story of espionage, crime and action. In other words, no comedy. This film is billed as a comedy first, and with its opening and script it's obviously intended to be that. Rock Hudson's New York psychiatrist, Dr. Bartholomew Snow, is about to lose fiancé number six and get number seven. Where the action and skullduggery get a little heavy, one might begin to wonder about this; but then a light touch appears. So, there are things like a mule to ride through a swamp, mannequins that serve as decoys, and such.

Some reviewers saw similarity to Hitchcock thrillers. I'll grant a little bit of a touch of Hitchcock, but it would be a far stretch to compare this with the likes of "North by Northwest." One thing that stood out is this film's bit of satire. The scenes with Dr. Snow trying to get through the various American security and intelligence agencies and running into brick walls are funny.

Most of the characters have something about them that doesn't appear too serious, so the humorous undertone of the film is always apparent, even in the kidnapping and interrogation scenes. So, this never gets to the point of a griping mystery or very exciting action thriller. The romance aspect is almost an afterthought. There isn't much chance for that to take hold with all the scurrying about that goes on.

The screenplay seems a little choppy or disjointed in a couple of places. The cast are all good, but no one stands out as above average. Anne Seymour, as Dr. Snow's receptionist and secretary, Smitty, provides half the humor. She seemed to have an air of enjoying or having fun making the movie. The action or thrill scenes are okay and somewhat interesting, but really quite lame or tame compared even to the standard fare.

This isn't a film to watch if one is looking for lots of laughs or a comedy to enjoy. Or if one wants an edge-of-seat mystery or fast and furious action thriller. Rock Hudson and Claudia Cardinale are in other films that have very good comedy. And Bruce Willis or Tom Cruise would have a slew of edge-of-seat action films one might choose. But, for a rainy afternoon or relaxing evening, fans of these actors at least might enjoy this film.

Here are the best lines in the movie.

Dr. Bartholomew Snow, on the phone with fiancé number six, "She said what? She said all psychiatrists are nuts, did she? Well, let me tell you something about your mother..." She hangs up.

Smitty, "Oh, um, you'll like Mr. Fitzpatrick - typical Madison avenue syndrome." Dr. Snow, "I'll make the diagnosis, Miss Smith." Smitty, "Yes, doctor."

Dr. Snow, with maudlin music in the background, "Miss Smith - just because I have suffered several disappointments, you seem to be under the impression that I am intolerably shallow. On the contrary, it is precisely the warmth of my emotions that causes all these... difficulties. Mine's a... tender spirit... Eager for love.... Easily Wounded." Smitty, who has been working on records at her desk, "Yes, doctor. Just don't bleed on the rug."

Blindfold is a clever and entertaining film with an interesting moral to it about some folk's paranoid obsession with security. As lead Rock Hudson plays a psychiatrist he's in a perfect position to diagnose the problem. Can he find a cure though when security is compromised?

Hudson's practice includes some of New York's society bigwigs and he's quite the lady's man within that set. But one day he gets a call from a general in civilian attire played by Jack Warden who wants him to treat a former patient of his who is now a government scientist and who has had a nervous breakdown. But we can't let the Commies or anyone else know about it.

So Hudson is flown a couple hours to an old mansion where Alejandro Rey is being held and he does his psychiatrist thing and he's blindfolded as well. Two other people are concerned, Claudia Cardinale as Rey's sister who is telling the world about her brother's kidnapping and in point of fact he was. And there's the stuttering Guy Stockwell who convinces Hudson that Warden is a fake.

A great deal of the film is spent with poor Hudson trying to get answers to questions with no one 'authorized' to tell him. So who is real and who is fake, Warden or Stockwell? That you see the film for.

Blindfold is a delightful comedy and suspense film in the Hitchcock tradition. As is the mark of a good film, supporting the charming leads is a flawless cast of memorable performances. Besides those I've already mentioned there is Anne Seymour as Hudson's secretary, Brad Dexter as a thick as a brick NYPD detective, Vito Scotti and Angela Clarke as Cardinale and Rey's parents and a mule named Henry who gives the plot a kick in the right direction.

For fans of Rock Hudson and those who will be after seeing Blindfold.

I've seen this mystery/comedy on one of the cable channels, a few years ago. I believe it's a Universal picture, and it may be one of those movies that the studio hasn't gotten around to putting out on VHS or DVD.

It's not bad as a film, and I hope that it comes out on digital in the years ahead.

Rock Hudson is his usual self in this film, playing his typical cool guy/nice guy self in trying to figure out who the good guys/villains are. And this movie did keep me guessing till the very end.

Nice movie