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Lorna (1964)
Jim (James Rucker) is married to Lorna (Lorna Maitland), one of… More
Jim (James Rucker) is married to Lorna (Lorna Maitland), one of director Russ Meyer's typical restless, bra-busting vixens. While Lorna scowls at home, Jim literally works in the salt mines with two leering cretins who spend most of their energy fantasizing about Lorna and resenting Jim for snaring her first. But when a macho convict (Mark Bradley) escapes from prison and comes across Lorna bathing nude in the bayou, sparks inevitably fly between the two. What will happen if Jim returns from work and catches them in the act?
"Lorna" is an early Meyer film (sorry, the breasts are in black-and-white and mostly shown from the side) and, arguably, it's his first to show some professional polish. His later humor is missing, and the only real laugh comes from a totally unnecessary shot of a cloaked "Death" figure. "The Seventh Seal," this ain't. The film does contain another example of Meyer's quirkiest trademark: the grandiose onscreen narrator. In this case, it's a stern preacher (James Griffith) who draws a parallel between this story and the Biblical tale of Lot's wife.
1 hour ago via Flixster
Eric reviewed...
"The Green Room" is one of director Francois Truffaut's most obscure… More
"The Green Room" is one of director Francois Truffaut's most obscure features. Deservedly so, perhaps. Truffaut himself stars as Julien Davenne, a 1920's loner who writes obituaries for an outdated journal that only senior citizens read. He is obsessed with his lost loved ones, most notably his wife Julie (who died very young) and the fallen members of his World War I squad. Maintaining intense reverence for the dead is his top concern, to such an extreme that he's greatly offended when a widowed friend dares to remarry.
The film hammers on Julien's fixation for 90 minutes, offering little development beyond a growing relationship with a younger woman (Nathalie Baye) who shares his pervasive grief. His principles are also tested with the death of a one-time close friend whom he now detests. But by the time Julien decides to create a large-scale, physical shrine to the departed (is that a snapshot of "Fahrenheit 451"'s Oskar Werner on the wall?), he seems more demented than sympathetic and you'll probably feel an emotional distance from his crusade.
Truffaut gives a solid, credible performance, though his character's reserved nature doesn't make any great demands. A second unusual casting is a deaf boy as Julien's son Georges -- this was the actor's only credit, so there may be an interesting tale behind the choice. (The common ground between the Julien/Georges bond and the doctor/boy relationship in 1970's "The Wild Child" should be noted.)
Given previous classics like "Two English Girls" and "The Story of Adele H.," it's no surprise that Truffaut shows an expert touch with period drama here. And Maurice Jaubert adds a lovely, classical score. But "The Green Room"'s narrow plot just feels too repetitive and claustrophobic.
19 hours ago via Rotten Tomatoes
