THE VERY EDGE

Richard Todd and Anne Heywood

THE VERY EDGE (1963). Director: Cyril Frankel.

"You can't change what happens to you -- only how you feel about it."

Former model and happily married wife Tracey Lawrence (Anne Heywood) is assaulted and nearly raped in her home by a stalker,  Mullen (Jeremy Brett), who is obsessed with her; the incident results in her miscarrying. Her architect husband, Geoffrey (Richard Todd), is supportive, but eventually becomes impatient because Tracey's trauma prevents her from being intimate with him. Geoffrey's new secretary, Helen (Nicole Maurey), seems more than willing to take up the slack and an attraction between the two develops. Meanwhile, the stalker is still on the loose, and still focused on having his way with Tracey ... The Very Edge has all the elements of a good thriller, but it might have been more entertaining had it gone in more lurid directions. Anne Heywood gives an excellent performance as the likable Tracey, and Todd [The Hasty Heart] is also top notch, even if one questions his character and his actions late in the film. Brett is compelling in an unusual role for him, especially when you consider that just the following year he would be warbling "On the Street Where You Live" in My Fair Lady. Jack Hedley [The Anniversary] also scores as Inspector McInnes, adding nuances to his role, such as a possible attraction to Tracey himself. One might not expect the brilliance of , say, a Bernard Herrmann, but David Lee's musical score is rather poor. Cyril Frankel also directed the harder-hitting Never Take Candy from a Stranger.

Verdict: Reasonably absorbing if minor-league melodrama. **1/2, 

THE MEDUSA TOUCH

Richard Burton 

THE MEDUSA TOUCH (1978). Director: Jack Gold.

A writer named Morlar (Richard Burton) is found apparently beaten to death in his London apartment, but Inspector Brunel (Lino Ventura) is shocked to discover that Morlar is still alive. In the intensive care unit, the doctors hold out little hope, but then Morlar's brain activity begins to register. Hoping to find out who assaulted the man, Brunel questions Morlar's psychiatrist, Ms. Zonfled (Lee Remick), who tells him that her patient insists he's responsible for a series of terrible tragedies. Is Morlar merely a quilt-wracked neurotic, or does he truly possess amazing and deadly telekinetic abilities that can send airliners crashing into buildings? What do you think? Morlar has a social conscience, hates the establishment, and has essentially turned into a terrorist. The Medusa Touch certainly tells an interesting story, but the way it's told -- with too many flashbacks and a rather slow pace, not to mention a dragged out final quarter -- works against it. The film recovers a bit with the exciting and well-handled destruction of a Cathedral at the climax. Burton's performance, while not among his most notable, is suitably intense; Lee Remick is good, although she underplays too much at times; and there are interesting performances from Derek Jacobi [The King's Speech] as Burton's publisher; Jeremy Brett [Young and Willing] as one of Morlar's wife's paramours; and Harry Andrews [Sands of the Kalahari] as Brunel's supervisor; among others. It may seem strange that Italian-born Lino Ventura is cast as a French inspector visiting England, but Ventura was raised in France where he became a well-known character actor. The Power is a better film with a similar theme.

Verdict: Quite interesting, but just misses being a superior thriller. **1/2.

YOUNG AND WILLING aka THE WILD AND THE WILLING

Virginia Maskell and Ian McShane

YOUNG AND WILLING aka The Wild and the Willing/1962). Director: Ralph Thomas.

"Damn it woman! Lloyds doesn't underwrite everything in life!"

Harry Brown (Ian McShane in his film debut) is a charismatic ladies man at an English college who has a steady girl, Josie (Samantha Eggar of Curtains), but has an affair with the wife, Virginia (Virginia Maskell), of one of his professors, the rather stern Chown (Paul Rogers). Harry is kind to his somewhat geeky roommate, Phil (John Hurt of Alien), and friendly with what appears to be the sole black student on campus, Reggie (Johnny Sekka). Other characters include Sarah (Katherine Woodwille), for whom Phil is carrying a torch, and somewhat snooty Andrew (Jeremy Brett), who was also involved with Virginia. It all leads up to a protracted finale in which Harry gets Phil to help him climb a tower and plant a flag as a prank, an act that leads to tragedy. Young and Willing has its moments, but a lot of it is very predictable. However, the actors are quite good, especially McShane and Maskell, here playing a role very different from hers in Doctor in Love, which was also directed by Ralph Thomas.

Verdict: Some compelling moments and performances. **1/2.