WHEN A STRANGER CALLS (1979)

Carol Kane

WHEN A STRANGER CALLS (1979). Director/co-writer: Fred Walton.

Babysitter Jill Johnson (Carol Kane of The Mafu Cage) is terrorized by a caller who keeps asking her if she's checked on the kids. When the police manage to trace the call Jill gets an unpleasant surprise. Years later John Clifford (Charles Durning), a former cop on the case, is hired by the children's father to find Curt Duncan (Tony Beckley), the psychopath who turned his life upside down and who has escaped from an asylum. Clifford tracks Duncan down, but can he stop him permanently before he goes after the terrified babysitter, Jill, who is now a grown woman with children of her own?

Charles Durning

I believe that When a Stranger Calls was expanded from a short film, The Sitter, which comprised only the chilling opening sequence of this movie. The middle section of this film stills holds interest, as it focuses on Duncan, his interactions with barfly (but not drunken) Tracy (Colleen Dewhurst of Annie Hall), and Clifford's efforts to track down Duncan, whom he intends to murder. (A powerful scene has Clifford telling Tracy exactly how Duncan killed two innocent young children.) The final section of the film is another chilling sequence with Duncan, Jill, and her family. In fact the climax may outdo the prologue in creepiness.

Colleen Dewhurst and Tony Beckley

When a Stranger Calls manages to sustain tension via generally good direction and Dana Kaproff's simple but very effective musical score. There are also solid performances, with Beckley and Dewhurst as standouts, although there is very good work from Durning [Sisters] and a mush-mouthed Carol Kane. Rachel Roberts has one scene as a psychiatrist in the institution that Duncan escaped from, and Ron O'Neal is on the mark as a cop colleague of Clifford's. The atmospheric photography is by Don Peterson. One wishes that there was more character development, however, both of the psycho and of Tracy. What little we learn of the latter is due chiefly to Dewhurst's performance. This was busy British actor Tony Beckley's last film; he died the following year.

A very good sequel, When a Stranger Calls Back, came out in 1993. And there was a remake in 2006.

Verdict: Absorbing horror-suspense film. ***. 

ANNIE HALL

Diane Keaton and Woody Allen

ANNIE HALL (1977). Director: Woody Allen. Screenplay by Allen and Marshall Brickman.

:There's too much emphasis on orgasms to make up for the emptiness in life.: -- Alvy.

"Who said that?" -- Annie.

"Leopold and Loeb." -- Alvy.

Comedian Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) tells us of his relationship with, and ultimate bittersweet breakup from, girlfriend Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) in a tale that looks at how people can love one another but may not be right as lifelong partners. Annie Hall is one of Allen's most likable and entertaining movies, a frequently inventive comedy-drama (with emphasis on comedy) in which Allen/Singer talks directly to the audience, and he and other characters observe and comment as they look back at their younger selves with earlier lovers, and so on. Allen [Shadows and Fog] and Keaton [Shoot the Moon] both offer winning performances and there are small roles/cameos from Colleen Dewhurst [You Can't Take It With You], Christopher Walken, Carol Kane, Shelley Duvall, Janet Margolin, and larger roles for Tony Roberts (whose character of a sitcom actor never seems remotely real) and Paul Simon as a wealthy record producer (he's fine). An odd scene has Annie talking about a tragic, shell-shocked uncle without having any real understanding of what the poor man must have gone through and laughing at it until she realizes "I guess it's not funny." Duh! The film has a sub-text of the differences between a New York and Hollywood lifestyle, not to mention the differences between Manhattan and L.A. You can't say that either Alvy or Annie are people you might actually want to hang out with, but they make an engaging sort of couple for the movie if nothing else. Allen won Oscars for writing (along with Marshall Brickman) and directing and was nominated for his performance; Keaton won the Best Actress Oscar, and the movie won Best Picture.

Verdict: Not really a masterpiece as such, but lots of airy charm and creative fun in this. ***.