Warner Archive Mod dvd March 2016

As a huge fan of the two stars, I've long been waiting for this. I never expected a great film, but I knew Susannah had a special bond to it (due to the Scottish setting) and I still wished to savor it regardless of any shortcomings. Boy, I never thought I could feel like that about a Peter O'Toole-Susannah York film, but, after 20 minutes or so, I already wanted the whole thing to be over. So exemplary of the worst qualities of British cinema of the period: a farcical approach that didn't fit the actually dark subject matter, oddball characters, characters running around in Swinging 60's tradition..  As good as Peter (in a role that felt upsettingly close to home) and Susannah are, it's just impossible to pay any attention to the thin and ill-conceived plot. At least the final scenes are more serious in their approach: that doesn't make them even remotely good, but at least they're less annoying. I believe that, sortly after "The Guns of Navarone", Thompson quickly devolved into one of the most inept directors of the period.