i never even heard of this film til i saw it on tmc tonite. while watching it i guessed it was by carol reed. when you watch this you see how much it resembles his masterwork, THE THIRD MAN, which also resembles ODD MAN OUT, also with james mason. reed had this european noir down to a science.
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Great post flickersfan...I thought the same thing at the end when the kid followed. It didn't bode to well for the kid to do that. Why don't they make good movies like this anymore?
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You'd be a fun person to hang around...and you're a very good poster with great information. No, I didn't see The Captain's Paradise with Alec Guinness but on your advice I will try and catch next time. I love Guinness in The Quiller Memo which is in my top 10 all time favorite movies. I love movies like the QM, Downfall, Odessa File, Three days of the condor, Funeral in Berlin, Black Book, The Counterfeiters, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Charlie Varrick, Vertigo, Trouble with Harry and North to Northwest, Out of the Past, Kiss Me Deadly, Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, Where Eagles Dare, The Great Escape, Von Ryan's express, Deadfall(Michael Caine) a great movie, The Italian Job (1969), Marathon Man, Eye of the Needle, The Third Man. Another oldie but goodie is "The Counterfeit Traitor." Check out the movie "Saints and Soldiers," a little corny but done very well in my opinion. Also check this one which really impressed me, "Decision Before Dawn." FF, I could go on and on but these are great movies. Check back with me and I'll think of some more I've purchased that I feel are wonderfully done movies. Take care and thanks for the info.
shareAny reason why Flickersfan's posts were deleted by administrator? From your responses, they sound like substantive posts.
shareI didn't think the ending was bad at all. Yes, of course, once you saw the kid following, you knew what would happen, but wasn't that the whole point? This is part of while I love in those distinctive Carol Reed films - the characters are mostly all doomed. We know it. We like it. You knew Alida Valli was going to pass right by Joseph Cotten. You knew Mason would end up dead in Odd Man Out. Just as I and probably most people knew when Mason said "School!" and saw the kid staying around that this was going to be the point to give them away. That's part of the fun.
We're the heirs to the glimmering world.
You are so right, that final scene in the snow is one of the most perfect endings I've ever seen. Along with that other perfect ending; I'm, of course, referring to that final scene in the snow in ODD MAN OUT.
shareYes, it was clear that bicycle boy following the truck was a very bad omen, but, hey, what was the alternative? Would you have rather had a Hollywood ending, with bicycle boy not following and the new lovers safely fleeing into West Berlin? At least this way the set-up for the final scene is firmly established throughout the film and doesn't feel tacked on. Besides, does any fan of Carol Reed feel that they really had a chance to be together anyway? This way, the expected grim ending is at least earned.
By the way, I'd never thought too much of Claire Bloom in the few movies that I'd seen her in before, but she was really making me take notice by the 30-minute mark. I may need to see her in some more roles and reevaluate my opinion of her.
The ending is one of the best I've ever seen in a movie. Absolutely perfect film noir ending. Unforgettable, that last scene with the snow and the German shepherd. As one individual put it, "a knife to the heart." I love this movie and it gets better with each viewing. To think that reviewers panned it. Incredible. They kept whining about how it wasn't THE THIRD MAN. So what. It is a gem. Sadly a gem that is mostly forgotten now.
shareThe production reminded me more of The Spy That Came in from the Cold, especially the ending.
sharevery similarWhen there's no more room in hell, The dead will walk the earth...