The Bad Seed is one of my very favorite films. I consider it a classic. The movie has a great cast including Patty McCormack as Rhoda Penmark. The movie is basically a film version of the stage play. The only thing I do not like about this film is the Hollywood ending. In the novel and in the play it is Rhoda's mother who dies and it is Rhoda who lives. For some stupid reason the makers of the movie felt it was not a good idea to have the original ending. A cast call at the end was also added, with Rhoda's mother giving her daughter the spanking she has always deserved! This part of the film doesn't bother me as much as the changed ending. A made for television remake of The Bad Seed was made. It is very dull, but at least they stuck to the original ending. If you purchase the DVD of this film, you get the added bonus of watching Patty McCormack talk about her role. Ms. McCormack has continued in acting up until this present day, but she will forever be remembered for this classic film.
Reviews
4 Reviews
Of Mice and Men
(1968 TV Movie)
When is this coming to DVD?
12 February 2011
This was the very first film version I saw of Steinbeck's great novel. Unfortunately it seems go have been totally forgotten. That is a shame as it is incredibly good! The performances are top notch, especially the one of Lenny. I wish this would come out on DVD. This version deserves that and to be known by others who have seen other versions but not this one. I was extremely moved by the ending. Not any film can make me cry like that. I saw this version twice and have been wanting to see it again for a long time. It is not fair that this excellent version if primarily "lost" for so long. Most younger people (and even those my age) are completely unaware of it. It deserves to be well known.
The Legend of Hell House
(1973)
Pamela and Roddy Shine
28 December 2010
I saw this film when it was first released in the movie theaters. I enjoyed it way back then and have seen it several times since then. It still holds up well, though perhaps a bit dated compared to more recent horror/ghost films. The two performances that stand out are of Pamela Franklin and Roddy McDowell. Both shine quite well in this film, especially Mr. McDowell. He is missed as he always brought an element of class to a film, whether it be good or bad. Ms. Franklin (The Innocents, Our Mother's House, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) is especially appealing. I believe she started making films at the age of 11 and by the time this movie came out she had blossomed into a very beautiful young woman. As always she gives an excellent performance. It is a pity she gave up acting sometime in the late 70s to raise a family, never to return film or television again.
I read the original novel on which this film is based on after seeing it in the theater. The movie is very much toned down compared to the book. I have never been fond of remakes, but this is one I would like to see made again as long as it follows the novel more closely and is done well. So much is left out in the film version, probably due to the time period and culture of the day. It would have received an "R" rating if it was more faithful to the book. Nevertheless, this is a decent celluloid version of it. It is sufficiently creepy, even today. It's scariness is not as intense as the original version of The Haunting (which scared me silly), my all time favorite "ghost film" but still is very suspenseful, with a very interesting storyline. What I don't like is how this film has been marketed; ie. the photo on the cover of the DVD. This is not really a violent film, yet they chose the one scene that shows blood for the DVD cover. That is very tacky.
I read the original novel on which this film is based on after seeing it in the theater. The movie is very much toned down compared to the book. I have never been fond of remakes, but this is one I would like to see made again as long as it follows the novel more closely and is done well. So much is left out in the film version, probably due to the time period and culture of the day. It would have received an "R" rating if it was more faithful to the book. Nevertheless, this is a decent celluloid version of it. It is sufficiently creepy, even today. It's scariness is not as intense as the original version of The Haunting (which scared me silly), my all time favorite "ghost film" but still is very suspenseful, with a very interesting storyline. What I don't like is how this film has been marketed; ie. the photo on the cover of the DVD. This is not really a violent film, yet they chose the one scene that shows blood for the DVD cover. That is very tacky.
Pamela Franklin is great but this movie is dull.
26 December 2010
I saw this in the movie theater when first released. I only went to see it because Pamela Franklin is in it. She is beautiful as always, but the movie is very dull. I still wish they would release it on DVD as I am collecting all of Pamela Franklin's films. It is a shame she gave up acting at such a young age. Perhaps if Spielberg had directed it it would have been far better. As it is this is just a fair film, not very engaging at all. Pamela Franklin fans should watch it just for her. She is absolutely gorgeous in it. Cliff Robertson is OK, but even he is unable to make this film very interesting. Ariane Munker has a very small role. She was in the stage production of Kurt Vonnegut's Happy Birthday Wanda June and TV's Between Time and Timbuktu.
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