I see why David Lean considered this his worst movie, in the second half it really begins to drag on and the story loses its juice, but as with every other Lean film I’ve seen, there were many redeeming qualities. I have no clue why Ann Todd never got more roles or was talked about more, I loved both her performance in The Passionate Friends and now this, she really stole the show every time she was on camera. That being said, a lot of the supporting acting was subpar. Ivan Desny wasn’t very good, neither was the man playing Madeleine’s father, maybe that’s the writing or maybe that’s just me, not sure. Still has Lean’s token skill with camera work and lighting, it’s just unfortunate the story doesn’t really deliver. Still a solid time watching though, especially since I knew nothing about the true story going in.

I see why David Lean considered this his worst movie, in the second half it really begins to drag on and the story loses its juice, but as with every other Lean film I’ve seen, there were many redeeming qualities. I have no clue why Ann Todd never got more roles or was talked about more, I loved both her performance in The Passionate Friends and now this, she really stole the show every time she was on camera. That being said, a lot of the supporting acting was subpar. Ivan Desny wasn’t very good, neither was the man playing Madeleine’s father, maybe that’s the writing or maybe that’s just me, not sure. Still has Lean’s token skill with camera work and lighting, it’s just unfortunate the story doesn’t really deliver. Still a solid time watching though, especially since I knew nothing about the true story going in.

mi amiga la intensa

mi amiga la intensa

Yikes, after leans amazing run in the 40s he really dropped a stinker. I think that’s mostly down to the screenplay, there’s no real character and it can feel intentional at times but it never pulled me in. It looks great as all leans films do but it lacked a real driving force for the story and was honestly quite boring.

Yikes, after leans amazing run in the 40s he really dropped a stinker. I think that’s mostly down to the screenplay, there’s no real character and it can feel intentional at times but it never pulled me in. It looks great as all leans films do but it lacked a real driving force for the story and was honestly quite boring.

Really really enjoyed this one - the suspense, mystery, and the court proceedings. Ann Todd was a revelation, the ending was haunting, and even before he did grand epics David Lean was a visual master. There are a number of great looking shots in this movie!

Really really enjoyed this one - the suspense, mystery, and the court proceedings. Ann Todd was a revelation, the ending was haunting, and even before he did grand epics David Lean was a visual master. There are a number of great looking shots in this movie!