luckysilien

I saw this picture in the 60s quite often at the Thursday night film presentations at Frankfurt (Germany) University. Actually I thought to remember a color film, but IMDb mentions that it is a black and white film. Whenever they screened it I went to see it. I don't exactly remember what it was all about and why it was called the somehow red curtain.

I think someone died while making love. But I don't even remember whether it was a man or lovely Anouk Aime. I am sure that there was no use of the Schufftan process because it definitely was a chamber play and no outdoor action. Alexandre Astruc (one of the many fathers of the NEW WAVE in France) was directing with great elegance and Eugen Schufftan,who had shot PEOPLE on Sunday in Berlin before he emigrated to Hollywood, did great lighting work. Well, just after the war no one in France had money to buy Kodak color stock, so I guess I saw a fine romantic 'colorful' picture in black and White and I probably just loved to see Anouk over and over again.

Michael Zabel, Rodenbach/Offenbach

In world war II James Mason is the captain of a warship operating in the street of Gibraltar. Fercetti is the head of Italian submarine, that is hunted by white uniformed Cap. Mason. They meet in neutral Tanger (the submarine needs some repair) and can't avoid to meet each other as well as their hostile crews. Not a sailor is Lilli Palmer, at that time 39 years of age and a really beautiful woman. Facetti falls in love with her, so would I, he gets his submarine going, tries to escape into the Atlantic and has to (really?)torpedo the Brit vessel of Mason. Question ? Do they get help in time ? Mason was in in his next of his many pictures. This one, BETA SOM, wasn't his worst. Not at all. He is opposite Italian star Gabriele Fercetti (80 today and still going)and the film is about a possible friendship and the script divides the world not in good and bad. Of cause there is the usual fight in Rick's Cafe at Tanger, which is well cut by the way. There is luckily no political talk on any level. Great Lilli Palmer is swell to look at and has some quiet lines. Sort of a MacGuffin is penicillin. Good camera work also under water and the mines are placed by the bad cigar smoking Mr. Hodge who also walks some times to see Miss Palmer. Mines are no regular weapon for sailors.

Michael Zabel, Offenbach/Rodenbach