I slipped into another Alfred Hitchcock film I hadn’t seen today. Frenzy, from 1972. I knew next to nothing about it but was delighted to see both Jean Marsh and Bernard Cribbins in supporting roles. Set in England, this is a bit of a thriller with some dark humour thrown in for good measure. Based…
Tag: novel
Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi (1983)- James Kahn
Following quickly on the heels of the novelisation of The Empire Strikes Back, Brian Daley delivered us one more Han Solo story, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy, which I read last year on vacation. Then, except for the ongoing Marvel comics series, it was all quiet on the Star Wars front until 1983, when…
Topaz (1969) – Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock takes on Leon Uris’ novel Topaz in this film adaptation of the same name. It’s not quite on the level of a Tom Clancy techno-thriller, but the subject material, centring around the Cuban Missile Crisis and a Russian spy ring within the French intelligence community is pretty engaging stuff. Unfortunately, for me, it ended…
The Trouble With Harry (1955) – Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock brings me a little New England humour in today’s entry, The Trouble With Harry. Based on the novel by Jack Trevor Story, adapted for the screen by John Micheal Hayes, Hitchcock delivers a delightful film that virtually pops with colour and crackles with sharp dialogue. Using the back drop of the turning of the…
Seven Footprints to Satan (1929) – Benjamin Christensen
I move into a new chapter in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies, The Devil’s Work, so I bet this section is going to be a lot of fun! The first film in the chapter that I hadn’t previously watched is a silent film called Seven Footprints to Satan, it’s kind of dark, and kind…
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1963) – Ian Fleming
The eleventh 007 book, and tenth novel, by Ian Fleming is this week’s entry on the Book Shelf, and you could see how the film series would begin to influence the continuing novels as we get a mention of Bond’s parentage, with his father being a Scot, and there is an increasing sense of Connery…
Shogun (1980) – Disc 4
We come to the conclusion of James Clavell’s epic Japanese tale this week (it was definitely quicker to get through the miniseries than the novel – course I was fourteen at the time) as I delve into the fourth disc of the DVD set which has the fifth and final episode. Adapted by Eric Bercovici,…
True Grit (1969) – Henry Hathaway
Ten Bad Dates With De Niro brings me a classic western on their list of titles that bring movie tears to the eye. John Wayne delivers an Oscar winning turn as Rooster Cogburn in Henry Hathaway’s cinematic adaptation of Charles Portis’ novel. I won’t lie, I came to the Coen Brothers version of the story…
The Day of the Dolphin (1973) – Mike Nichols
The next title to be featured on the list of ten films that made me cry from the Ten Bad Dates With De Niro book is this Mike Nichols film from the early seventies. I won’t say that it made me cry by the ending was sad, poignant and necessary. George C. Scott headlines as…
Shogun (1980) – Disc 3
I dive into disc three of the DVD release of Shogun this week which marries the conclusion of the third episode, originally broadcast on 17 September, 1980, and the fourth episode, which aired on 18 September, 1980. James Clavell’s novel, adapted by Eric Bercovici continues to explore feudal Japan through the transplanted Blackthorne (Richard Chamberlain)…
Shogun (1980) – Disc 2
The epic mini-series adaptation of James Clavell’s novel (he also served as one of the show’s producers), Shogun continues this week, as I dive into disc two, which includes episode two and parts of episode three which originally aired on the 16th and 17th September, 1980, following the airing of the three hour premiere on…
Live and Let Die (1954) – Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming’s second James Bond book finds its way to my book shelf this week as I delve into the character’s literary history as well as all the 007 films I haven’t covered for the blog. It’s an enjoyable novel, although it is steeped in way too much racist language and descriptions as Bond goes…
