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"A Royal Scandal" has unfairly gained the reputation of a minor curio, with much ink having been spilt over its troubled production history and unusual Preminger-Lubitsch dual-director credit. Indeed, the opening scenes merely creak along, but once we're introduced to Tallulah Bankhead's exquisitely randy take on Catherine the Great, the movie becomes a a bawdy riot. Bankhead's risqué take on Catherine the Great is oversexed and shameless, yet wise and judicious when she needs to be.

Much of the movie's plot concerns Catherine's dalliance with a young soldier, Alexei, who rapidly rises through the ranks as his affair with Catherine grows in intensity. Unfortunately, he doesn't quite grasp the nature of their relationship, being downright insufferable in his pursuit of serious political matters. Most happily, the movie never seriously punishes Catherine for her amorous pursuits, allowing her to run off to her next himbo without the moral reckoning that movies of the time tend to force.

The script never lets Bankhead down: the scene where she verbally spars with Anne Baxter over their respective ages is particularly inspired, and a bit "All About Eve"-coded! It's often been said that Bankhead's best work remained on the stage, but this very fine comedic performance is surely up there. Given the directorial pedigree, there's not a great deal of visual flare here, being essentially a filmed play, but it has many more delights to offer.

"Shuttlecock" is the code name for Alan Bates' character, a British agent renowned for his work with the French Resistance in World War II. Having just released a successful book about his wartime exploits, he has retired to 1960s Portugal in the time of Salazar's fascist regime. Shortly after the book's release, he is found speechless and disheveled near a train station, nearly catatonic after experiencing an unknown trauma. Bates' adult son begins to investigate his father's past, becoming obsessed with unlocking the truth and explaining his muteness.

"Shuttlecock" is a technically accomplished, quite beautiful film with a troubled production history. The director's cut features new footage filmed in 2014 with the original actors that bookends and elucidates the family saga. The new footage is edited seamlessly, and all of it looks fantastic. Many film databases list the revised version as an entirely separate movie with a 2020 release date.

Although the story's mysteries are ultimately revealed in a satisfying way, it must be admitted it can be slow going getting there. There is a chilly, reserved quality to the storytelling that requires patience from the viewer. In addition to the great Alan Bates, the film features a very strong Lambert Wilson performance, who portrays a character that may have seemed histrionic in the hands of a lesser actor.

This handsomely produced, well-acted drama of World War II's impact on one British family will reward patient viewers, and I'm glad it got finished so many years later.

Despite its exceptional quality and the presence of genre hero Richard Widmark, "The Trap" has mostly eluded noir enthusiasts. It's hard to see why: coming in at barely 85 minutes, the script is taut as a piano wire and immediately hits you with its vitality and tension. Widmark plays a mafia lawyer forced to use family law enforcement connections to help mob boss Lee J. Cobb escape from an oppressively hot desert town. Chaotic action and dark family tension erupt as the hour of Cobb's departure approaches.

Earl Holliman gives one of his best performances as Widmark's brother, the local deputy. Holliman is a barely functioning alcoholic with serious daddy issue who is quickly losing the affection of wife Tina Louise and the respect of his father, the sheriff. His rapid moral collapse, occurring while Widmark starts to gain backbone, provides the core tension of the film. It's wonderful to see Tina Louise in a starring role: she is excellent in these thrillers (see also "Day of the Outlaw") and should have been a much bigger star. The movie climaxes with a splendid action sequence on a plane runway that's beautifully executed given the film's limited budget.