The Missionary (1982)

I wish I could tell you that The Missionary was yet another film I regretted not seeing for years, but I can't. It's not a terrible film, and features a cast all being a lot of fun in their various roles, but it's not quite as good as I had hoped it would be.

Michael Palin plays Fortescue, a man of the cloth who returns to England and the love and kindness of his fiance, Deborah (Phoebe Nicholls). He still wants to do good work though, and soon ends up tasked by a Bishop (Denholm Elliott) to create a charitable home for the purpose of helping and rehabilitating prostitutes. Fortescue has to secure funding, which puts him in the sights of Lady Ames (Maggie Smith) and her husband (Trevor Howard), and he also ends up offering the women comfort in ways that would surely be frowned upon by the church.

Loosely based on the life of Reverend Harold Francis Davidson, aka the "prostitutes' padre", The Missionary has Palin also on board as a writer, and Richard Loncraine in the director's chair. Neither seem quite able to decide exactly the tone they want to go for, which leads to only a few scenes working as well as they should. This is a character piece, and Fortescue is fun to watch as he wrestles with his conscience, decides what ends up being the best way to help others, and gets himself further and further into a big mess that seems likely to prove his undoing at any minute. Loncraine doesn't make the best use of his talented cast, especially when there are people like Timothy Spall and Sophie Thompson in very small roles, but there is a lovely attention to period detail throughout that makes up for some of the less entertaining moments. 

Palin is very enjoyable in the lead role, all sweet innocence and good intentions. If he'd given himself a better script to work with then this could have easily been one of his best works. Smith is also very good, especially as she continues to create reasons for Fortescue to have to stay under her roof for a night she plans to make the most of. Howard and Elliott are as enjoyable as expected, Michael Hordern is a delightfully forgetful butler, and David Suchet does well in his feature debut, although his character only makes a few brief appearances in the back end of the film. Nicholls is sadly underused, as are those I mentioned earlier, and there's a disappointing lack of main characters from the selection of "fallen women" who end up around our lead.

There's certainly enough to appreciate here, especially if you're a fan of Palin and Smith. There's just not quite enough to make it fully work as either a drama or a gentle comedy, with the end result landing a bit awkwardly in between the two. It's also a shame that there doesn't seem to be any sharpness to what could have been a real exploration of morality, rehabilitation, and the role that the church tries to hold within many communities. There are a few points raised as things muddle along from the start to the finish, but nothing that really sticks with you once the end credits roll. In fact, I'd say that the best thing about the movie is how it can then lead you to read up on the extraordinary life, and strange end, of the "prostitute's padre".

Often as pleasant and harmless as the central character, The Missionary should prove slightly disappointing to those wanting something (anything) more than a nice-looking distraction to take up 90 minutes of their day.

5/10

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Noirvember: They Made Me A Fugitive (1947)

Considering how well it depicts post-war England, and also how well it makes use of Trevor Howard in the main role, you may be surprised to find out that They Made Me A Fugitive was directed by a Brazilian, Alberto Cavalcanti. Fans of classic British film may be less surprised though, considering the fact that Cavalcanti also helmed a number of films for the mighty Ealing Studios at this time.

Howard plays Clem, a thieving criminal who has a major pang of conscience when the ruthless Narcy (Griffith Jones) starts dealing in the drug trade. Clem doesn't want any part of the drug business, and plans to quit after one last job. That last job doesn't go to plan, which leads to Clem being framed for the murder of a policeman. He ends up sentenced to fifteen years in prison. An escape is inevitable, considering the title of the movie, and Clem is soon seeking revenge against those who framed him for a murder he didn't commit. 

Based on the novel "A Convict Has Escaped" by Jackson Budd, They Made Me A Fugitive was turned into a screenplay by Noel Langley, who does a great job of mixing together a large cast of characters into a frothing pot of dark soup that is destined to be spilled all over by the time the finale comes around. While everything is tame compared to more modern content, there are moments of nastiness and grit that keep you feeling as if nothing is guaranteed. Main characters may or may not survive to the end credits, pain will be the main currency for everyone involved (be it physical or emotional), and as for a happy ending . . . this is a noir, after all, so even that isn't a given.

Howard may not seem like the best fit for the lead role, but he grows into his performance with each minute of screentime, and has that essential spark of charm that keeps viewers onside. Jones is deliciously dastardly and irredeemable as Narcy (short for Narcissus, which basically tells you all you need to know about him). Jack McNaughton does well as another crook, Soapy, and Ballard Berkeley is entertaining as Rockliffe, an officer heading up the manhunt for Clem. It's not all about the men though, and Sally Gray, Rene Ray, Mary Merrall, and Vida Hope all get time to shine as they play their part in the unfolding drama, with Gray cutting a particularly sad and vulnerable figure as things turn even darker in the third act.

It may lack some of the style and edge of similar films being made in the USA at this time, but that is what helps to make They Made Me A Fugitive so memorable. It's very British, but the Britishness is placed around some serious unpleasantness and violence that wasn't usually part of the fabric of UK cinema at this time. It was there, and you can certainly find some other classics from this time that make good use of it, but it was very rare.

8/10

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Noir November: The Third Man (1949)

A tale of death, friendship and black-market trading, The Third Man is a classic mystery thriller that uses a decent script, a great cast, and an evocative location, and creates something that ends up being more than the sum of its parts.

Joseph Cotten plays Holly Martins, a pulp novelist who travels to post-war Vienna to visit his friend, Harry Lime. Unfortunately, when he arrives he finds out that his friend has recently died. And then he finds out that a bunch of people thought he was mixed up in some criminal activities. Not willing to stand around and see his friend's name dragged through the mud, Martins starts to investigate the death. He soon finds out that there may be more to it than just a tragic accident.

Written by Graham Greene, this is a smart film that unfolds at a leisurely pace. Director Carol Reed uses his cast to great effect, simply allowing them to have their conversations and relay information in ways that manage to somehow seem both unfussy and yet never dull. That's due to the fact that the central characters are all nicely fleshed out, with more than one having a secret or two up their sleeves, and also down to great dialogue that spends a lot of time teasing viewers with intriguing details and hints of something being amiss before some great reveals in the second half.

Cotten makes for a likable lead, whether he's arguing with officials (mainly the Major played by Trevor Howard) or finding himself draw to a woman (Alida Valli) who has feelings for Lime. Despite being the main obstacle as Cotten conducts his investigation, Howard still manages to avoid becoming some kind of obvious villain of the piece, helped in no small part by a supporting turn from Bernard Lee (as a Sergeant who enjoys reading Martins' books). Valli is lovely, and her character has a real core of sadness that becomes more and more apparent as things play out. And then, last but not least, we have the man himself. Mr. Orson Welles. He's fantastic, and gets to make the most of his relatively limited screentime with some truly wonderful lines of dialogue, including one great speech that he came up with himself.

There are two other main characters worth mentioning. One, the setting. Made to appear both beautiful and mysterious and home to oh-so-many shadows, Vienna is both a wonderful setting for the events, and also integral to the plot development. Two, the music by Anton Karas. If you don't think you're aware of it then think again, The Third Man Theme (AKA The Harry Lime Theme) has to be, arguably, the most famous tune ever played on a zither. Even those who have yet to see the movie have, probably, heard at least a snippet of the main theme.

A sedate, intelligent thriller for those more interested in characters and morality than chases and cliffhangers (although it delivers some standard thrills in the finale), The Third Man is a film that won't lose its reputation as a classic any time soon. The pacing could be better, with some sections feeling slightly drawn out and one main section feeling slightly rushed, but that's a very minor criticism when considering how much greatness you get to experience in one sitting. Those characters, that music, those shadows, those camera angles. Just wonderful stuff.

9/10

http://www.amazon.com/Third-Man-Joseph-Cotten/dp/B000HEVTEA/ref=tmm_dvd_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-2&qid=1415887670