La Cérémonie

Halfway through "The Ceremony " (screened on the British Talking Pictures TV channel), I was wondering whether to give it an 8, mainly due to the cinematography and intriguing characters. But then it deteriorated, with the trio's celebrations after Sean's escape being embarrassingly prolonged, the unconvincing fluctuations in the brothers' relationship and the even more unconvincing substitution for the execution. At least the final scenes provided a thought-provoking religious sub-text, albeit somewhat heavy handed. Every time the man in native costume appeared, I wondered exactly who he was - presumably an indigenous local mayor or governor? Top marks for Jack MacGowran as Father O'Brien and for the scenes involving the gendarmes who were to form the firing squad. In the end I gave it 7.

A real bore-fest, this one, which is a shame as the cast is exceptional, featuring a good mix of big stars and character actors in support. What a shame then that this Spanish production is so unrelentingly boring, with a prisoner on death row involved in a plot to help him achieve freedom. It's arty in the worst kind of way, full of boring dialogue and routine scenarios. No thanks!

Some of the best lighting and cinematography I can remember ever seeing .....;slightly surreal. Remarkable characters ... very beautiful people. No terrible background music... at least very little ...

When I saw this in the sixties it really made me realize the breadth of acting ability of Ross Martin. I had only seen him in roles of the comedic sidekick prior to this role. His believability as the evil commandant was astounding. This made the movie for me.

Dismissed by the late David Shipman as "a pretentious plea against capital punishment" and now disinterred by the miracle that is Talking Pictures. Boasting a truly extraordinary international cast, shot in kafkaesque black & white by Ossie Morris and full of ripe one-liners, it's just the film you'd expect Lawrence Harvey to have directed.

If you didn't know this was a Spain/US production, you'd think it was a timeless fable: there are so few localized contexts. The supporting actors delineate themselves sharply, but Laurence Harvey steals the show, as always, with his intensity (check out his work in Tamiko, a neurotic romance set in Japan), and compounds this by directing with intensity: the camera is always zooming into people's faces from above, below, and sideways. It's dizzying. That said, the movie's worth seeing. All praise to early 60's B&W films.