Blueprint For Robbery - 1961 - USA

Blueprint For Robbery - 1961 - 6/10

 
Fine caper flick, based on the Brink’s Robbery.
Financial backers contact one to assemble and lead a crew.
Observe the premises, plan meticulously, rehearse, do the job.
An inverted police procedural, where we watch the bad guys execute the heist.
Then they have to wait three and a half years.
Which proves so hard.

Homicidal - 1961 - USA

Homicidal - 1961 - 6/10  

Emily strolls into a Ventura hotel, requests the “younger” bellboy to carry her bag.
Upstairs, she offers him $2000 to marry her that night – followed by an annulment.
Like you or I, he says sure, hotstuff.
Once the Justice Of The Peace does the deed, Emily stabs the JP dead and flees.
End of intro.

 
Think the killing is over?  No, sir, Emily is one busy, one twisted blonde.
She tortures an invalid, flirts with her sister-in-law’s boyfriend, buys strychnine.
Cheap, messy William Castle flick, with an icy performance by Joan Marshall.

The Ghost Story of Oiwa's Spirit - 1961 - Japan

The Ghost Story of Oiwa's Spirit - 1961 - 6/10
AKA - Kaidan Oiwa no Borei // 怪談お岩の亡霊

 
Tamiya was to have been one of the 47 Ronin, but he missed the event.
Now, self-disgraced, he has turned to villainy to feed his antisocial habits.
Witnessing him murder someone, wife Ida leaves him.
He misses her, rather he misses her body, and schemes to get her back.
Until he see the glowing young daughter of his new neighbor.
Now the wife has to go.
Extremely dog-eat-dog version of the Yotsuya ghost story.
Tomisaburô Wakayama as the disgraced samurai is despicable, cunning, and lethal.

Operation Eichmann - 1961 - USA

Operation Eichmann - 1961 - 6/10

 
Four years before Hogan’s Heroes Klemperer and Banner as hardcore Nazis in this.
First thirty minutes features an intense Klemperer, bigger, badder, more powerful than one might suppose.
Browbeating Hoss (Auschwitz), putting Goebbels in his place, going toe to toe with Himmler.
As the war ends, he flees with his mistress to Spain, then the ratlines.
Second half follows the Mossad, and is more angsty.
Creative license throughout; quite topical when was released, the “history” is dubious.
Bizarre watching Klink and Schultz out of character.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3357653

The Terror Of The Tongs - 1961 - UK

The Terror Of The Tongs - 1961 - 5/10

 
The Count and the Master.  Oops!  The leaders of the Red Dragon Tong.
Opium smugglers, dealers in flesh and gambling in 1910 Hong Kong.
Merciless rulers of the Oriental capital of vice
Until they get of the wrong side of Captain Jackson, whose energetic fist is ready to resist!
This is bad in so many ways.  Westerners wearing Asian makeup.
Fights that are American wrestling rather than martial arts.  A lazy, confused plot.
Still, one gets to watch Christopher Lee and Roger Delgado ham it up.

The Basketball Fix - 1961 - USA

The Basketball Fix - 1961 - 5/10

 
High school phenom Johnny is spotted early on.
By the newspaper sports journalist, by the college coach, by the racketeer.
He leads the team, but money is tight and the racketeer is generous.
“No, you don’t throw the game.  Just keep the score close.  Point shave.”
As timely today as it was then.  Now, with gambling rampant in all sports.
Our athletes are short and skinny and white.
John Ireland provides the Noir; Marshall Thompson looks 30.  Not enough Hazel Brooks.

The Guns Of Navarone - 1961 - UK

The Guns Of Navarone - 1961 - 7/10

 
2000 British troops are stranded on a Mediterranean isle.
Rescue is thwarted by two massive German guns, capable of blasting any vessel.
The installation is impervious to aerial bombardment.
Solution?  Crack experts on a suicide mission.
Rolling boil WWII film, packed with obstacles and tension.
Lacks the action of Dirty Dozen and Where Eagles Dare but seems more realistic.
Plausible?  I look the other way.

The Curse Of Nostradamus - 1961 - Mexico

 

The Curse Of Nostradamus - 1961 - 4/10
AKA - La Maldición de Nostradamus

 
Will he open the crypt?  What do you think?
The descendant of a powerful necromancer arrives to punish those who had thwarted his ascent.
And to take control, eventually, or the world.
First , however, he wants the intelligentsia to recognize and acknowledge his supremacy.
Gothic sets, brooding acting by Germán Robles.
Undermined by endlessly talky script, and limited action.
Parts of a serial, reedited into a film, unsure if I shall continue.

The Forger Of London - 1961 - Germany

The Forger Of London - 1961 - 6/10
AKA - Der Fälscher von London

 
His father was insane, a murderer.  What if he inherited –– What’s that sound?
Jane marries the wealthy Peter who suffers from amnesia and missing time.
Nonetheless, he is rich.  Money smooths problems, such as the occasional corpse.
At the same time, counterfeit bills are flooding various countries.
Suspect #1?  You got it, wealthy playboy, AKA who am I again?

 
Krimi based on Edgar Wallace novel moves briskly.
Superb use of lighting, possibly too many characters (more dead bodies).
None of the camp or comedy that hampered latter Krimi.

Nude On The Moon - 1961 - USA

Nude On The Moon - 1961 - 5/10

 
Doris Wishman nudie cutie finds our old professor and sidekick rocketing off to the moon.
Where – believe it or not – moon folk are all nude (well, they wear jumbo panties).
How can you differentiate them from Earthlings?  By their pipe cleaner antennas!
Aside from a fair amount of volleyball in a pool, action is limited to strolling about.
Inspired shooting location at Coral Castle in Florida (which I have been to).
Performers are, by and large, healthy sized.

Atlantis, The Lost Continent - 1961 - USA

Atlantis, The Lost Continent - 1961 - 5/10

 
Two fishermen rescue a shipwrecked female, then take her back to her home.
Turns out, she is a princess of Atlantis!
Is there a reward?  Nope, just slave labor for our eagle scouts.
Turns out there is a power struggle for the kingdom.
Big budget sword and sandal has interesting effects, but no script.
Expensive and stupid.
My favorite was the energy crystal death ray gizmo, which was swiped from Archimedes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes'_heat_ray

El Cid - 1961 - USA

El Cid - 1961 - 5/10

 
Bombastic turkey that helped drive another coffin nail into spectacle films, for awhile.
Charlton Heston plays the Spanish leader against the Moors.
Castle locations, hundreds of extras bedecked in lavish costumes.
Add a mighty length (3 hours) for this medieval epic.
Alas, there is an on-again off-again romance amidst court intrigue.
The pace drags and plods, Heston compensates by overacting.
Action is like an impulsive teenager:  too little, too late, too quick.

Twenty Plus Two - 1961 - USA

Twenty Plus Two - 1961 - 6/10

 
She sees her old flame, actually the man she promised to marry, until she mailed him a Dear John letter.
Now he tracks missing heirs.  This time, a big one, an heiress gone for a decade.
Latest lead, the murder of a film star’s fan club secretary.
Yes, pretty slender, as is the plot itself.
The construction is odd, with an extended flashback midway (making one realize how dumb the investigator is).
Swanky jazz score and a strong supporting cast.
Janssen himself is stiff, surprising since this is so similar to his Richard Diamond series.

Five Minutes To Live - 1961 - USA

Five Minutes To Live - 1961 - 5/10

 
Fred and Johnny team up to rob the bank.
Inside man and outside man.
While Fred shakes down the bank manager, Johnny holds the exec’s wife hostage.
Grade D cheapie boasts the reliable Vic Tayback along with Johnny Cash.
Cash gives a sneering, gonzo performance as the kidnapper, but truth to tell, he can’t act worth a flip.
The entire ensemble look like they were working for cookies and carrots.
Direction is akin to,  “OK, good enough.  Next!”
Did I mention how slow it was?  Probably because this is a snoozer.

A Taste Of Honey - 1961 - UK

A Taste Of Honey - 1961 - 6/10

 
High school senior Jo and mother, barfly Helen spit and feud ceaselessly.
Forever behind in rent, they flee from one flat to the next.
Once there, Helen drags home boyfriend de jour for a tumble.
Not exactly rivals, they are simply an ill fit and tired of each other.
Jo eventually moves out, finds work, rents what appears to be warehouse space.
She is actually doing pretty well, though complications are swelling.
Film is very much of a time and place, post WWII London.
Viewers who can relate to the era and situations may appreciate more and score higher.

The Gleiwitz Case - 1961 - Germany

The Gleiwitz Case - 1961 - 7/10
AKA - Der Fall Gleiwitz

 
Stylized docu-drama with more than a passing nod to 1928‘s Berlin: Symphonie der Großstadt.
A German commando type group, impersonating Poles, cross the frontier border, assault a radio station, and urge Poland to rise up and attack Germany.
The provocation was false, but the blitzkrieg launched the next day.  Britain and France declared war two days later.
Theatrical looking production.  Closeups, high contrast black n white, angular film compositions.
Several sequences are slow, yet the visuals are always imaginative.
“Travel” scenes faithfully recreate the montage and pan effects from aforementioned Symphony Of A Great City.

Blast Of Silence - 1961 - USA

Blast Of Silence - 1961 - 6/10

 
Frank, hitman from Cleveland, exits the train in New York, then heads south.
Further, eight-ball, all the way, until he catches the Staten Island Ferry.
Onboard, his client hands the envelope containing half payment and photo of the target.
Looking at the weak mouth and foolish mustache, Franks hates him already.
The target is a low level guy with “ambitions” and two bodyguards.
Frank hates them too, along with the season, Christmas, and the busy pedestrians.
Frank has a lot of hate, pent up, which the mob appreciates.
Chance encounters with old friends, however, kink up his pattern.
New York street scenes predominate in gritty, low budget film.
Frank’s stream of consciousness narrates constantly.
At first, I found this irritating, then simply rolled with it.
One of the last from the “classic” Noir era.

Night Tide - 1961 - USA

Night Tide - 1961 - 6/10

 
Locals try to warn Johnny, seaman Johnny, on shore leave.
His girlfriend, Mora, her previous two boyfriends … well … both died.
Nevertheless, Johnny finds himself falling in love with the exotic Mora.
Who works the beach sideshow as a mermaid.
Rumors aside, mermaids are simply creatures of myth.  Right?
Strange, independent film has many offbeat characters and odd settings that capture interest.
The story is a blend of horror, mystery and fantasy.
Lovingly restored by Nicolas Winding Refn.
English subtitles = https://subscene.com/subtitles/night-tide/english/2712780

Blueprint Of Murder - 1961 - Japan

Blueprint Of Murder - 1961 - 6/10
AKA - Ankokugai no Dankon  //  暗黒街の弾痕

Ratings?  Ratings don’t apply to gems like this one!
Driver and mechanic are still road-testing the experimental engine.
Once perfected, it will be lighter, cheaper to manufacture, and have better fuel economy than anything else.
Meanwhile, scoundrels try to steal.  A yakuza gang, a rival engine firm, an oil consortium.
Then, after one of the partners dies mysteriously, his brother appears and all hell breaks loose.

 
Extreme espionage actioner roars ahead in full bore overdrive.
Industrial spies, shadowy hitmen, a whispered group from Hong Kong, the police detective, an aggressive news hound, the shameless mogul, fast talking lovelies,  etc …
There is enough material here for five films, packed into 70”.
The pace is frantic, your head will spin off if you try to keep track of everything.

 
Two of the best interludes occur at the nightclub, where a songbird croons “Nobody Knows” while three silhouetted men shift and sway behind her.
Whole film is funny and wildly over the top bonkers.  007 fans, look for Mie Hama!

The Devil’s Hand - 1961 - USA

The Devil’s Hand - 1961 - 4/10

 
Our guy keeps having nightmares of a leggy blonde flouncing around in her sheer nightgown up in clouds.
By chance (ha!) he walks into a doll shop and sees a doll that looks just like that blonde!
The shopkeeper says it belongs to Bianca, and the guy can deliver it if he wants.
Curvy Bianca, still wearing sheer fabric, greets him at the door then flows against our man.
Before he can say he’s got a mousy girlfriend, his mind goes soft and his trousers go stiff.
For devotees of the great devil god, Gamba, this is a must!
Anyone else, this is crap - see through crap - though it is fun for about an hour.