JOE MACBETH

Paul Douglas as Joe Macbeth

JOE MACBETH (1955 ). Director: Ken Hughes.

Gangster Joe Macbeth (Paul Douglas) is made the number two man in an outfit run by DeLuca, "the Duke" (Gregoire Aslan), but his wife, Lily (Ruth Roman of The Baby) thinks he ought to be number one himself. Mrs. Macbeth importunes her husband to knock DeLuca off when he comes for a visit at their estate, and this is only the first of several murders as the Macbeths opt for power and try their damnedest to hold on to it. But when Macbeth has his suspicious friend, Banky (Sidney James of The Man in Black), taken care of, he'll have to face the wrath of Banky's furious son, Lennie (Bonar Colleano of Pool of London).

Bonar Colleano

Joe Macbeth is an obvious updating and vulgarization of Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, but even on its own terms it just doesn't work. Douglas has been seen to better advantage in other pictures, Roman is not that convincing as a Lady Macbeth type, and even the highly talented British actor Bonar Colleano, although he has some fine moments, is somewhat lacklustre as Lennie (his character is actually a combination of Macduff -- although another guy is named "Duffy" -- and Banquo's son, Fleance). Joe Macbeth is also a disappointment as a gangster movie, lacking the tension, suspense, and excitement that the genre requires. As others have noted, you keep waiting for the Shakespearean "moments" instead of being gripped by the story. Another problem are those moments of black comedy that don't fit the tone of the picture (most of these have to do with an ever-hungry rival mobster named Dutch, played by Harry Green).

Verdict: Stick to the original. **.  

PICKUP ALLEY

Anita Ekberg and Trevor Howard

PICKUP ALLEY (1957). Director: John Gilling.

Drug enforcement agent Charles Sturgis (Victor Mature of Kiss of Death) is still recovering from the death of his sister, Helen (Dorothy Alison) -- who was working undercover and wound up strangled by dope smuggler Frank McNally (Trevor Howard) -- when he learns that McNally is now in London. Sturgis discovers that McNally is using a beautiful woman named Gina (Anita Ekberg of The Killer Nun) to run certain errands for him, so Sturgis decides to follow her. The trail goes to Lisbon to Rome to Athens -- the film is an exciting scenic travelogue with location shooting -- until he catches up to her and tries to convince her to tell what she knows. The trouble is, she thinks she murdered an associate of McNally's who tried to rape her in London. Pickup Alley  -- a lousy title for a good movie -- is borderline film noir, proceeds at a fast pace, and is very well-acted, with Howard underplaying as the slimy drug dealer. Gorgeous Ekberg has little to do but look uncertain and frightened and sometimes a little defiant, and she pulls if off competently. Victor Mature is quite good as the battered, sad and obsessive drug agent. Pickup Alley is also distinguished by first-rate widescreen photography by Ted Moore, and there's a good score by Richard Bennett, although one might have wished it was a little more intense at times. A problem with the picture is that most of the characters are completely one-dimensional, with Ekberg in particular never developed beyond a shadowy femme fatale type. Bonar Colleano [Pool of London] scores as Amalio, a transplanted New Yorker trying to make a living selling souvenirs at the catacombs in Rome and who tries to pick up some extra money as a leg man for Strugis; Martin Benson and Andre Morell also have smaller roles and are typically adept. In an early scene in a nightclub the beautiful singer Yana does a very nice rendition of the snappy "Anyone For Love."

Verdict: Vivid crime thriller with very interesting settings. ***.

POOL OF LONDON

Earl Cameron and Bonar Colleano

POOL OF LONDON (1951). Director: Basil Dearden.

Several sailors have misadventures and find romantic interests when they disembark in London. The film focuses on two of them, Dan Macdonald (Bonar Colleano) who participates in a robbery in which a watchman is killed; and his Jamaican friend, Johnny (Earl Cameron), who develops a warm relationship with a pretty white girl named Pat (Susan Shaw). Leslie Phillips is another sailor named Harry, and the women include Sally (Renee Asherson), Maisie (Moira Lister),  and her sister Pamela (Joan Dowling); two of them have a zesty "cat-fight" at one point. The most interesting aspect of the film is the dilemma of Johnny, a black man on the outside looking in, and his doomed romance with the sympathetic Pat. Earl Cameron gives a wonderful performance, as does Colleano [Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?], who has personality and presence if not conventional good looks. There are great shots of London locations (Gordon Dines did the photography), a fine musical score by John Addison [Dead Man's Folly], and Dearden's direction is solid.

Verdict: A nice picture that just misses being a classic. ***.

IS YOUR HONEYMOON REALLY NECESSARY

Diana Dors and Bonar Colleano

IS YOUR HONEYMOON REALLY NECESSARY (1953). Director: Maurice Elvey.

American serviceman Commander Laurie Vining (Bonar Colleano) arrives in London for his honeymoon with his second wife, Gillian (Diana Decker). Unfortunately his first wife, Candy (Diana Dors of Berserk) shows up at the hotel and insists that they were never actually divorced. Laurie calls his lawyer, Frank (David Tomlinson) for help even as he makes up excuses to stay out of the marital bed. Eventually both Candy and Frank wind up moving into the suite. How will Laurie manage to get out of this sticky situation! Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary is based on what must have been a mediocre drawing room comedy and never gets off the ground, although some of the performances help. Dors is adorable and adept; Tomlinson is on the money; Becker is very appealing; and while the unconventionally attractive Colleano is certainly no Cary Grant as an actor, he manages to get his character across. Sidney James is a soldier friend of Laurie's named Hank, and MacDonald Parke is Admiral Fields. Lou Jacobi has a very small role as a testy captain. One odd thing is that an unmarried maid named Lucy (Audrey Freeman) keeps flirting with various men and they react as if she's Margaret Hamilton when she's actually quite pretty. Hank acts upset when she kisses him, but she's out of the homely guy's league, which the picture just doesn't seem to get. Maurice Elvey also directed The Tunnel.

Verdict: Skip it if you can. **.