The Daily Brute: Because it's Christmas Pt. 2

Friday, 21 December 2007

A brief extract from a wonderful, wonderful film, my all-time, number-one favourite.

Jon said...: Where does one begin to praise Ralph Richardson? English through and through, mad as a hatter, sane as Solomon.

Graham Greene apparently had a huge row with Carol Reed about the snake, McGregor, complaining about diversion from the original story (which is also excellent in its own way); but was won over completely when he saw the film.

They don't make 'em like that any more.

Greetings on the nativity of your boy, BTW!; 22 December 2007 at 21:09
The Creator said...: I didn't know that about Reed and Greene had disagreed about McGregor. Very interesting. Reed, clearly, was right.

You are dead right about Ralphy, who is unspeakably, staggeringly, startlingly good. There is a wonderful potato face lunacy at work here that I defy anyone to better.

But the boy, Phillippe, is perfectly cast, too, ditto the beastly wife. Ditto in fact the French girlfriend and the hopeless British plods.

The paper dart, almost as much as the hair grip dropping onto the pillow, is just wonderful, narrative and drama instantly, grippingly condensed.

In short, near perfect in almost every way.

I could go on for ages, but 'tis time for beddy byes.; 23 December 2007 at 01:10