The Innocents (1961)

 

The Naked Edge (1961)

 

Five years after George Radcliffe was the chief witness in a high profile murder case, his wife receives a blackmailing letter accusing him of the crime. 

Psychological thriller has some good Noir cinematography, but its narrative is full of loopholes and unnecessary twists so that its suspense is limited.

Halliwell (no star): "Dreary thriller which piles up red herrings in shoals, then abandons them all for a razor-and-bathroom finale."

 

Maltin**1/2: "Uneven suspenser..."

Quo Vadis (1951)

A fierce Roman commander becomes infatuated with a beautiful Christian hostage and begins questioning the tyrannical leadership of the despot Emperor Nero.

Nicely produced epic film which plausibly recreates a sense of what ancient Rome may have been like; quite entertaining, but it's Peter Ustinov's sardonic portrayal of Nero that steals the show.

Halliwell**: "Spectacular but stagey and heavy-handed Hollywood version of a much-filmed colossus which shares much of its plot line with The Sign of the Cross. Three hours of solemn tedium with flashes of vigorous acting and a few set-pieces to take the eye; but the sermonizing does not take away the bad taste of the emphasis on physical brutality."

Maltin***: ""Gargantuan MGM adaptation...Meticulous production includes fine location shooting and Miklos Rozsa score based on music of the era."

Black Narcissus (1947)

After opening a convent in the Himalayas, five nuns encounter conflict and tension - both with the natives and also within their own group - as they attempt to adapt to their remote, exotic surroundings.