MovieChat Forums > Le couteau dans la plaie (1962) Discussion > Why did it get 14 negative reviews out o...

Why did it get 14 negative reviews out of 15?

posted 11 years ago by waldenpond88
8 replies | jump to latest

"Five Miles to Midnight" (German title "Die dritte Dimension" aka The third Dimension) is one of the most suspenseful movies that I have watched in my life and I watch a lot of old films. Only "Scream of Fear" and "Constance aux enfers" with Michèle Morgan come close to this movie regarding suspense.

But I still don't understand why all reviews claim that Perkins, Loren and Gig Young were miscast? Who would have worked better for the movie?
And what exactly makes this a campy movie?
Loren and Perkins were both superstars at that time in the early sixties. To be honest, I prefer "Five Miles to Midnight" to "Psycho".
And Sophia Loren didn't do too many thrillers, more dramas and comedies. So it's a quite unique combination and in any case much better than "Desire under the Elms".

And why on earth do the reviewers rate this movie so very low. Which movies from the early to mid sixties are actually so much better and more thrilling than "Five Miles to Midnight"?
I rated it 10 stars on imdb and clicked "No" at all negative reviews (I think there was just one positive review).

To me it seems that most people cannot really appreciate suspenseful movies.

[–] seveb-25179 9 years ago

I totally agree with you

I hadn't bothered watching this before because of the negative reviews it always seems to get, but I love Sophia and she made so few decent movies in the genre's I like to watch, that I finally gave it a go, and I was pleasantly surprised
I found this to be a very enjoyable sub Hitchcock vehicle
Anthony Perkins is very effective as the wheedling, manipulative man child that is his trademark and Gig Young is effectively ambiguous as the smarmy, stranger, who may turn out be an ally or an enemy
The movie teases you with possibilities for violence or revelation that come to nothing, so that when something does happen it is all the more of a surprise (Which is considered slow and old fashioned these days, but was par for the course back then)
Black and white suits the ambiance that they producers are aiming for, the veneer of French avant guard for a film that aspires to be more than it is, however what it is, is still fine by me
PS; - Those who strangely expected Sophia to take her clothes off at some point obviously don't know her very well, as apart from, and perhaps because of, her experiences in her very early days in the movie business, she never does more than undo a couple of top buttons, as she does here

[–] waldenpond66 9 years ago

Finally a wonderful review of one of my favorite 60's thrillers filmed in France.
I agree with every word you wrote. Thank you!

Yes, I was always wondering why so many Loren fans never watched this film. When I was young, it was on German TV over and over again late at night due to the harrowing "accident" scene and was on TCM with the "accident" scene cut (even though TCM claims that they show movies uncut, unfortunately that's not always true).

Actually the only movie where I remember that Loren took some of her clothes off was "Ieri-Oggi-Domani" (1963) with Mastroianni howling like a wolf :). Cute scene!

[–] seveb-25179 9 years ago

I've seen a couple of topless still shots of her from some Swords & Sandals movie she must have been involved in when she was starting out

She doesn't take her clothes off in Boy on a Dolphin either, but then she doesn't need to...

There's a natural raw energy in her performance in that film that I've not seen from her again, but then I've only watched her in English language pictures, where maybe she is not comfortable enough with the lingo to fully relax into her part

[–] waldenpond66 9 years ago

You are right, she seems to be very nervous in "Five Miles to Midnight", but I thought it was part of her role.
One of her earliest Italian movies that I remember is "Aida", the opera.

I love "Houseboat" and both Grumpy Old Men movies. Loren was in the 2nd movie and despite her age she was absolutely gorgeous!

[–] seveb-25179 9 years ago

I agree, in Five Miles, I think it's definitely part of the role, but some other Films I've seen her in things like El Cid, Fall Of The Roman Empire, The Millionairess and Arabesque, where she seems a bit detached to me at times

She was more relaxed in an action movie she did with James Coburn called Firepower
Houseboat was enjoyable too, I guess it can depend a lot on other factors in the production, Cary Grant and James Coburn were fun guys who would be easy to relax around

[–] Devans00 9 years ago

waldenpond88
But I still don't understand why all reviews claim that Perkins, Loren and Gig Young were miscast? Who would have worked better for the movie?
And what exactly makes this a campy movie?

I think I understand the "camp" label but I think it's not really fair. Some of the scenes with Anthony Perkins and some of Lisa's party friends came across as over the top, flaming gay. Automatically some people call that camp.

Perkins and Young were OK in their roles. Sophia Loren was interesting. The role of Lisa could have been a generic,brainless pretty girl. Sophia made us feel Lisa's pain and her trappedness. Despite her best effort to make a decent life for herself, things didn't work out. I feel so sorry for her.

No two persons ever watch the same movie.

[–] waldenpond88 9 years ago

Well, if you've seen as many movies from the 50's and 60's as I did and still do, you would probably not find them campy, but younger people probably do. I understand your point of view.

Yes, Lisa was in a very bad situation and didn't see any other way out. She played one of the first abused wives on screen that I remember. The next movie about an abused wife that I watched was some 20+ years later, "Sleeping with the Enemy" (with Julia Roberts).

Towards the end of "Five Miles to Midnight" I got the impression as if Lisa lost her mind (when her hair is all wet). Did you notice that?

[–] stormhappy106 9 years ago

agree---they were going for the temporary insanity angle toward the end, her expressions, unflattering lighting, ruffled hair, rambling on--good movie