Guns At Batasi (1964)

Dir: John Guillermin

After watching ZULU for the umpteenth time I was in the mood for another tale of British soldiers under siege in a foreign land and stumbled across a recommendation for GUNS AT BATASI, a B&W film I had not previously heard of.

Pinewood studios fills in for an unnamed African nation recently granted independence by Britain. A British military presence remains at the base for the 2nd Battalion African Rifles at Batasi, commanded by Colonel Deal (Jack Hawkins ZULU). The Brits are to provide training and assistance to the new government. During an up swell of protests breaking out, military command of the base is transferred to the Africans, led by Captain Abraham (Earl Cameron REVELATION). However, many of the African soldiers, led by Lieut. Boniface (Errol John SHEENA), are sympathetic to the protesters and stage a coup at the military base in the name of the populist rebels. Abraham is taken captive.

Unaware of the events taking place outside the Sergeants' mess, Regimental Sergeant Major Lauderdale (Richard Attenborough) prepares the mess and readies the NCOs for a visit by the British MP Miss Barker-Wise (Flora Robson BLACK NARCISSUS). Lauderdale is a throw back to another era, one when the British empire was ascending rather than declining. He is a man of rules and regulations, with a neatly twirled mustache and spotless uniform who will regale anyone about the glory days of serving in India. His by the book routine and attitude are tested when a private Wilkes (John Leyton SCHIZO) and the pretty U.N. worker Karen Eriksson (Mia Farrow ROSEMARY'S BABY) arrive at the mess unable to leave the country due to the airport being closed down. Matters are greatly complicated when the coup leader Boniface orders his men to surround the mess. Lauderdale takes the action as a personal affront and mounts a defense to maintain what little is left of the Empire.

Based on the novel THE SIEGE OF BATTERSEA by Robert Holles, this John Guillermin (KING KONG) film is not an action adventure like ZULU as I was expecting. There is little in the way of fighting, it's a political drama and character study. The cast does an exceptional job with the NCOs played by a solid group of English and Australian actors including Bernard Horsfall (BRAVEHEART), David Lodge (EDGE OF SANITY), Percy Herbert (ISLAND OF THE BURNING DAMNED) and John Meillon (WALKABOUT). But it is Attenborough's performance as the too tight, not all what he seems at first Sergeant that makes this film. Not once did I see the actor, it was always the character. A brilliant performance by a man who will probably be best remembered from JURASSIC PARK instead of this film or his equally riveting performance in SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON and many other films.

*** 1/2 out of ****

The Uninvited (1944)

Dir: Lewis Allen

London based music critic Rick (Ray Milland) and his sister Pamela (Ruth Hussey) are on holiday in the English coastal town of Biddlecombe (a made up town that reminded me of Cornwall) on a hike along the sea facing cliffs. When their dog runs off into an abandoned house chasing after a squirrel the pair follow to retrieve the pooch. Once inside Pamela is enthralled by the beautiful house, in surprisingly good shape for being uninhabited. As the pair continue to explore the house Pamela falls in love with it and persuades her brother that pooling their money together to buy the house and leave their London flat will make for a bright future. Never mind about that one upstairs room with the locked door.

Back in town they track down the owner, Commander Beech (Donald Crisp) and call on him. Invited in by Beech's lovely grand daughter Stella Meredith (Gail Russell) to await Beech's return home, the three chat. Stella insists the house is not for sale but is contradicted by her grand father when he arrives. Not only is the house for sale, it is offered up at a bargain price. Beech does mention that the locals say it is haunted but he'll have none of that nonsense.

After purchasing the house Pamela stays on to fix it up and make it presentable while Rick returns to London to deal with the flat, send on the furniture and pick up their Irish house keeper Lizzie (O! that Oirish brogue of hers). Returning to Biddlecombe a few weeks later, Rick finds that Pamela has done a marvelous job of getting the house ready. That night Rick is awoken by the cries of a woman. Entering the hallway from his bedroom to check on his sister and Lizzie to see what is wrong, he's joined by Pamela who relates that she has heard the crying woman since staying at the house and investigated it but was never able to pin down the source of the ghostly noise. Rick and Pamela delve into the mystery which leads them to meet with the local doctor (Alan 'Alfred' Napier) who shares Rick's skepticism of ghosts, Miss Holloway who has unorthodox methods of curing the mentally ill and a fascination with Stella's deceased mother and finally the unsavory truth.

Exalted by many, The Uninvited has received the Criterion treatment, it has all the familiar haunted house tropes; the locked door that leads to a gloomy room, cold chills manifesting out of nowhere, spectral apparitions (nicely done optical effects), pets who refuse to enter certain parts of the house and a mystery to be solved. I was never scared by the film, perhaps due to its age and old dark house conventions that are now worn thin, but it does build tension in a few scenes as the plot comes to a boil. Ignoring that the two leads have more of a Mid Atlantic accent and the film was shot on sound stages in California (which is understandable seeing how dangerous a trip to the U.K. at the time would have been) I do have an issue with the film's usage of comedy. Ray Milland cracks wise throughout the entire film, including during the climax. Tension would have been far more enveloping without the jokes. But perhaps the film makers thought it necessary for the cinema audience of the day.

Overall it's a good looking B&W film with solid direction, engaging performances and a nicely done ghost tale.

*** out of ****

Room 43 (1958)

aka: PASSPORT TO SHAME
Dir: Alvin Rakoff

Marie set up by Aggie

Young and beautiful Parisian Marie (Odile Versois) is having difficulty making ends meet as a waitress  in a bistro. Her troubles are amplified when the bistro owner accuses her of stealing from the til. Out of a job and facing arrest, Marie finds a helping hand from English woman Aggie (Brenda de Banzie) who offers her the job of companion at Aggie's sprawling English home. The naive Marie accepts the position not knowing Aggie's true nature.

Canadian Johnny (Eddie Constantine) is a taxi cab driver in England and things are looking up for him. He's just purchased his own cab and he's pulling ahead in the 'rat race' he calls life. When a lorry smashes into his taxi and takes off, his dreams become as smashed up as his car. With an outstanding loan and no vehicle to earn the money necessary to pay back the loan, Johnny finds friendship in Nick Biaggi (Herbert Lom), a witness to the accident who claims to have been rescued by a soldier from Johnny's unit during the war and wants to pay it back.

Nick waits to spring his trap on Johnny

Marie's and Johnny's paths cross but not in any way they would have ever imagined. They are 'dupes', 'mugs'. Nick is no friend of anyone. He's an East End pimp who has exploited women so that he can wear clothing from Savile Row and look flash. Aggie is the madam with a mean streak who worked her way up through the ranks and needs Nick like an addict needs a fix. Together they are working on the long con to force Marie to become Nick's shining prostitute. Johnny is brought into the plot to marry Marie for a day so she can get documentation to stay and work in Britain legally.

Johnny marries Marie for the promise of 200 quid to help him get ahead of the other rats but he didn't count of falling for Marie and his good guy conscience. With the help of the other taxi drivers he seeks to break Nick's hold on Marie and save her from a life of prostitution.

Along the way we meet up with Vicki (Diana Dors) the hooker with a heart of gold who turns tricks to raise money so her younger sister can have an operation. Marie smokes a marijuana cigarette for the first time and hallucinates what the hell her life will become as a prostitute. Lom puts in a delightfully sleazy performance as a pimp who dreams of creating the perfect prostitute and can't help himself from gazing longingly at himself whenever he spots a mirror. Look for a young Michael Caine in the wedding scene sporting quite the mop of blonde hair.

Diana Dors as Vicki

The sleaze factor is right up there for a film released in 1958 but because of the strong script and compelling performances I think the film makers set out to create a cautionary tale and not an exploitation film that depicts sleaze to pull the punters in. Marie is believably naive yet strong in the face of danger. I don't buy Eddie as a Canadian but he puts in a solid performance as the tough guy who has lost his way but not sight of right and wrong. Even Diana does a fine job and makes a believable woman of the night.

Michael Caine and his fabulous hair

*** out of ****