Skip to main content

The Man Who Never Was Review

What I liked: I think this is an excellent example of old movies. It isn’t too long (Gone with the Wind/Lawrence of Arabia). It isn’t boring (Thing from the Black Lagoon). It isn’t sappy (Little Women/Citizen Kane). It isn’t just weird (Dr Strangelove). It has a good story to tell and does so quite well. It is the story of the misinformation campaign prior to the allied invasion of the continent. The pace is much slower than if it were made today, there is plenty of British tea drinking, but I think this actually works quite well to capture the amount of time that went into planning. It was also impressive to see the level of detail that the orchestrators included about the fictional man. I was also impressed by the execution of the token love story. Normally, I find romantic side stories boring, unbelievable, and completely superfluous. This one was actually believable and played an important role in the plot without upstaging the real action. I liked the morse code action, though do think the spy should have been more careful. If you carefully lock your door when you are sending a message you should probably wait to open your door until you have actually put away your radio. I also liked the map showing troop movements. This is something that would utterly fail now but since it was made when they actually presented information like that, it added a layer of authenticity.
What I didn’t: the score. There were way too many flutes and violins happening and not enough drums and trumpets. I know the Brits are all about stiff upper lip but they really should have been more supportive of the secretary after she encountered the spy. I would be curious to know how closely the film followed real events.
Who should watch this: anyone on a old timey movie spree.
Would I watch it again? Yes
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Titanic

What I liked: Liked is definitely the wrong word for it but the scenes of the sinking of the Titanic were masterful. They were technologically impressive, apparently remarkably accurate, and emotionally gripping. The variety of ways in which different people dealt with a completely hopeless situation was both touching and thought provoking. Especially beautiful was the string quartet. In isolation from the love story, the sinking of the Titanic is a tragic reminder of the cost of hubris and the necessity of regulating emergency procedures and capacities. It carries similar gravitas as a war film. At the 25th anniversary of the film, I can appreciate how Titanic has impacted movies made later.  What I didn't: So here's the thing. I feel very bad for you if you died in the sinking of the Titanic. I feel less bad for you if you managed to get on a lifeboat on the Titanic and then decided to get off. I question all of your decision making and priorities if you decide to get off a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Annihilation

  What I liked: I liked the crystal trees and the creepy people plants. The multi colored lichen and flowers were cool too. I liked how disorienting the loss of time and flashbacks were, they did a good job of maintaining the disquiet and suspense. I liked that they remembered that mutation and evolution has no goal, it's just a thing that happens with all kinds of side effects. I liked their little boat trip in giant crocodile infested swamp. I'm not sure if I loved the silver skin suit but I can't deny that it was interesting.  What I didn't: The heroes are all scientists who go on a mission to find out what is going on inside the "shimmer". For being all scientists they don't draw very well on their test one variable at a time training. If nothing has ever come out of the shimmer, try sticking a stick in and see if you can pull it out. Step inside with a harness on so if you don't come back they can try and pull you back. Walk in a little ways and t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Reveiw

What I liked: For a movie based on what is in essence a fictional encyclopedia, this movie has a surprising amount of plot. Not great plot, but more than I usually get from reading an alphabetical reference book. I liked the dopey sidekick, his facial expressions were great and he was the only one who acknowledged that what happening on screen was not actually normal. I liked that the president led the tiny army of US wizards to their tiny battle in a subway. So as military victories go, this was not one for the history books, for many reasons. But it did lend more meaning to the phrase Commander in Chief. I felt like Dr Who was once again a bow tie wearing socially awkward guy who lives in a box that is bigger on the inside. Some of the creatures were cool but the CGI didn't quite make them alive. I liked the sloth monkey, I don't really know who it was or what it was doing but I would support a slothmonkey planet of the apes crossover. I like that the guy from SWAT has fina...
Post a Comment
Read more