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Reviews
No Kidding (1960)
Oh dear!
It is a real shame, but this is a poor film. The potential is there with a good, strong cast, but the story is weak, there are far too many predictable moments and occasions when there is a try at humour which fails miserably. I am surprised that it has been rated as a Comedy. What this film has got going for it, and the only reason I didn't score it 1 out of 10, are the performances from most of the actors, particularly Joan Hickson and Irene Handl (playing a straight role for a change). It is worth watching to see the usual British character actors (Cyril Chamberlain, Sydney Tafler etc) and the wonderful Leslie Phillips and gorgeous Geraldine McEwen who, of course, shares the film with another "Miss Marple"! However, I doubt I will ever sit through it again.
Gold (1974)
Not all Gold ...
Not a particularly good film. The story plods along at an incredibly slow rate and is very predictable. It is a hard slog to watch the whole thing through in one sitting. Each catastrophe that occurs is overworked and expanded far more than is necessary with an excessive amount of time wasted on each event.
There are also numerous inconsistencies with the amount of people involved in each disaster, the size of the mine and how long each rescue takes.
That being said, Ray Milland is absolutely superb as the gruff gold mine chairman, playing the grumpy character he mastered in his later years showing a lack of patience with all around him. The desperation he shows when shouting at the other members of the bowling team is priceless.
Fans of Roger Moore will also appreciate his performance and there is a certain chemistry between Moore and Susannah York - particularly in the bath scene! A certain amount of ad-libbing I wonder!
The question has to be how John Gielgud was persuaded to take part. A very small part which was hardly worthy of such a great actor.
If you enjoy either Milland or Moore, and can put up with a huge number of bad bits, this film may be worth watching just the once.