Rating: - An interesting failure, written, produced and directed by Ben Hecht
This movie, as self-conscious as it is in telling a tale of art and madness, is no work by Hollywood hacks. Unfortunately, it's even worse; it's the work of probably Hollywood's greatest screenwriter, Ben Hecht. He was at the height of his fame and clout, so he received the go-head to write, direct and produce what must have been a project close to his heart. It goes to show, once again, that even the greatest creative types need an editor, or at least a friend they respect who'll tell them when something isn't working.
The Specter of the Rose tells the story of Andre Sanine (Ivan ... Read More
Rating: - For particular tastes only
This is one of those peculiar films in which you can't tell what is serious and what is a send up, in which the younger actors, who can't really act, are playing it completely straight and the older actors, all strange and wonderful veterans such as Judith Anderson, seem to be doing everything tongue in cheek. Ben Hecht's script is full of self-consciously poetic lines which manage to be both ridiculous and oddly beautiful at the same time. The backstage scenes are the stereotype of how people who don't work in theatre think it would be if they could see it as insiders while simultaneously ... Read More
Rating: - The music is by George Antheil!!!
A hauntingly beautiful musical theme runs throughout this simple minded ballet-company psycho thriller. The music turns out to be by the former enfante terrible of modern music, Brooklyn's own George Antheil. His little post-romantic pavanne ( which Rachmaninoff could not have done any better) is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever to come out of a movie. The "star" of the film, Ivan Kirov, who plays Strange Ivan Sanine never appeared in a film before or since. He did appear however, as a guest on the You Bet Your Life Show with Groucho Marx a few years later (didn't win ... Read More
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