cinema 1963

天国と地獄 High and Low. Kurosawa does not disappoint in this policier, from a novel by Ed McBain (King’s Ransom). As in 野良犬 Stray Dog, it’s weird to see Mifune with a modern haircut and mustache; I could not be sure it was him until a close-up. Three other actors from 7 Samurai and Tsubaki Sanjuro were easier to spot.

新・座頭市物語 New Tale of Zatôichi (#3, dir. Tanaka). Now in color. We learn more of Ichi’s past.

The Birds (dir. Hitchcock). Every bit as pointless as I feared it might be.

The Mind Benders (dir. Basil Dearden).

Hud (dir. Martin Ritt). I was curious about this for a silly reason. Soon after I first heard of it (I guess in advertisements for a television showing), there was a radio PSA saying “call HUD” if you’ve been treated unfairly. At the time I didn’t know that HUD was an acronym, so I thought, is this a subtle ad for the movie or what? So it stuck like a burr in a corner of my mind.

Irma la Douce (dir. Billy Wilder). For once, a comedy set in Paris where no one tries to put on a frog-eating accent — despite the opening narration by Louis Jourdan.

座頭市兇状旅 Zatôichi the Fugitive (#4; dir. Tanaka). Subtitles of Japanese movies seem always to be more or less compressed; here, I think some important background was omitted.

The Haunting (dir. Robert Wise).

Tom Jones (dir. Tony Richardson). Damned fine sport, as some of the characters might say. — In the book, I believe, Squire Western illustrates his name by speaking with a pronounzed Zomerzet dialect, voizing all his vricatives; zadly there’s none of that in Hugh Griffith’s portrayal.

Le Mépris (Contempt) (dir. Godard). Abandoned for boredom.

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (dir. Stanley Kramer). At least half an hour could be cut as repetitive, and it would still be unusually long for a comedy; yet the plot is quite simple.

Doctor Who. I’m enough of a fan to watch as much of the canon as is available. The disc Lost in Time: the William Hartnell years collects surviving early episodes (most were wiped so the BBC could reuse the tape). I wonder whether “The Crusade”, in which the Doctor’s party get entangled with Cœur de Lion and Saladin, would have the same plot if written fifteen years later!

Zatôichi’s Fighting Journey (#5; dir. Yasuda). Good use of color; good script; good fight-scenes.