Jeff's Reviews

Thoughts on every movie I've ever seen.

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Pather Panchali (1955)

Reviewed on Dec 31, 1969

I understand that the print of the film that I watched was old, decrepit, and had lost its luster due to the inconsistencies of older international cinema, but what else am I to judge the film on? Until I see a quality copy of this film, my rating stands. I…

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Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Reviewed on Dec 31, 1969

Marlene Deitrech was the 1950’s version of Rosie Perez, complete with the tight lips, r-to-w pronunciation, and eerie beauty. And I could have sworn I have seen the film’s dorky protagonist as a game show host somewhere. And somebody else was Gilda Radner or some other SNL character. It was…

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Vertigo (1958)

Reviewed on Dec 31, 1969

I like Jimmy Stewart. It is interesting how he makes the transition from cool-headed dork in black and white films (Jefferson Smith Goes to Washington) to hot-headed stud in the color Vertigo. It was interesting seeing him in color. It seemed like it was a black and white movie, only…

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Breathless (1960)

Reviewed on Dec 31, 1969

The plot and characters were cheesy and a bit corny. What was the deal with the lips? And what was the point of the 5-minute Eiffel Tower introduction? I didn’t know Julie Andrews was making movies in the 50’s.

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The Young Philadelphians (1959)

Reviewed on Dec 31, 1969

Pretty long, and not good enough to support its length. Nice illustration of the transition from Classical Hollywood films. Newman (playing the hot-headed lawyer like Tom Cruise in The Firm) and the girl were young, refreshing, and kinda funny sometimes. Newman is a good-looking guy, but he was a bit…

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L’avventura (1960)

Reviewed on Dec 31, 1969

Not much of an adventure at all. Once again, any movie that I find myself trying to sleep though can’t get that high a rating. I am a firm believer that film should indeed be realized as an art form, but it must also be at least entertaining enough to…

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Primary (1960)

Reviewed on Dec 31, 1969

Nice behind the scenes look at popular historical figures. The lack of narration is refreshing. They used some Kennedy footage twice, and I don’t think it worked. Strange how it begins and ends with Hubert. Not sure about the end. No payoff or resolution?

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Psycho (1998)

Reviewed on Dec 31, 1969

Like everyone else is asking, why was it made? There certainly wasn’t anything wrong with the original film’s place in film history. If they absolutely had to remake it, I would only wish that they had made it an artistic venture rather than the business venture it obviously was. Remaking…

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Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)

Reviewed on Dec 31, 1969

Good character development for an old movie, but pretty slow-moving. And it left me hanging a bit at the end. I didn’t know Conan O’Brien was making movies this early. Albert Finney was a virtual look-alike.

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Spartacus (1960)

Reviewed on Dec 31, 1969

Without a doubt, a huge production. A combination of Planet of the Apes and Braveheart. Nice and slow-moving. Nice and gory for an older movie. The battle scene (choreography and photography) was great, although there should have been more of them. Armbands for a crucifixion? The story is told with…

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