Reviews

Considering the time this was made and with all of the more recent revelations of the Me Too movement this episode is a bit disconcerting.

I have to wonder if in some way this was an opportunity for Andy Griffith to break away from the Andy Taylor character.

Griffith had always desired to be a leading man in movies and in this episode we see some of this as he connects with the lovely prisoner. The premise is a bad one. A woman alone in a jail with a single jailer who is about to kiss her before being interrupted by Barney breaks all the rules.

The sight of Andy and Barney watching her silhouette is creepy and the two arguing about who gets to stay the night to guard her is disturbing.

The Andy Taylor character would have had Helen, Aunt Bee or some other female come spend the night to watch over the woman. A jail romance between jailer and prisoner breaks protocol then and now.

I was not aware that this was the last episode made in the original series until many years after my obsession with the series ended.

I think the plot about a culture where youth is not wasted on young people as their young bodies are given to those more wise and experienced is an interesting one. But being young when I first saw this I recall confusion about how Janice Lester and Kirk would so easily deal with an instant gender swap. Attempts to make Shatner act more feminine as Janice in Kirk's body are rather silly. Not much foresight that this far in the future women still would not be able to command a Star Ship.

Then there is the scene where Kirk in the woman's body is able to escape from sick bay. A breakable glass on a Star Ship so far in the future? The restraints so flimsy that they could be easily cut? Potentially dangerous insane person left unmonitored? Why not give a sedative in pill or shot form? Of course 1960s technology and the need for a setup to keep plots moving is a factor in many episodes.

I think believe that by this time this was shot the cast and crew knew the series was going to be axed so perhaps that set the tone for the episode.

Of course this is 1960s television and there are many things that.

I realize this was written during a different era but as more secrets from the past have surfaced in recent times this episode becomes disturbing in this era.

The intent of the episode is to show Andy's desire to be a father like figure to Opie's new friend who lacks a dad. The methods by which he does so are uncomfortable to watch.

Andy has the boy sleep with him in his bed while leaving Opie in his own bed? He takes the boy to remote places without Opie? He in fact plans events with the boy w/o Opie?

This episode does not past the test of time.

Werner Klemperer (aka Colonel Kink in Hogan's Heroes) playing a fanatic Nazi shows how much acting talent he actually had.

The premise of this episode I think is based on a legend about a ship named the Great Eastern built in 1854. The legend(of which there is no documentation earlier than 1953) was based on the allegation that skeletons of workers accidentally sealed between hulls were found were found when it was salvaged in 1888. Variants included mysterious pounding noises during the ships operations and that one of the skeletons was clasping a wrench.

In this episode the banging on the U-boat starts when a Nazi officer seeking passage to South America boards at the end WWII . The banging only happens when he is awake and it eventually drives him mad.

At the end the claim is made that this came from a true story and that when the U-boat was salvaged a skeleton, possibly of a slave laborer who helped build it is found between the hulls.

Of course the ease of research that was lacking(there actually was a U-147 that was sunk early in the war) 60 years ago dispels any truth to this or the Great Eastern story that I think inspired it.

Still, enjoyed watching it and had I seen it back in the day would have been interesting believing it was a true story.

What is really interesting in watching these episodes in bulk thanks to Youtube is the way some really hit the mark and others fall flat. This episode falls into the latter but it did keep my interest long enough to keep me watching to the end.

The premise is a common one. Bored wife having affair wants to be rid of husband and takes advantage of man who allegedly loves her. This rendition of the tale goes too fast and far in trying to display it in a new and interesting way. The twist at the end that isn't that interesting.

The actors are high caliber but other than the wife don't really fit the characters they play. In the case of Colin's character it is never apparent what kind of person he is supposed to be. We eventfully learn he is the bitter step brother of George but the path to that is rambling.

I could rattle off a series of questionable plot points. An obviously unstable man is in the bed of a woman home alone and she casually chides him rather than call the police. He opens a gas valve while supposedly checking the meter she immediately knows how to shut it off and then threatens to call his boss. Their joint decision to do in the husband was done almost as if they were reading from cue cards.

This was an excellent series and many of the episodes are outstanding but being weekly and having to be done under strict timelines sometimes they things just don't come together.

As with many of the Alfred Hitchcock presents episodes the quality of acting is high. Robert Strauss does a credible job as the wealthy and bombstic toy magnate(Ted Beale) and Anne Frances is excellent as his younger, sultry and bored trophy wife(Peg Beale).

While easy to miss, I believe there is an underlying reason why Ted Beale would hire a hunky male(Donnelly Rhodes as John Cochran) as his personal assistant . It appears to be a trap to catch his beautiful wife Peg's unfaithfulness by putting a younger attractive man in her presence.

Before his interview for the personal assistant job Cochran accidentally catches Peg Beale in an uncompromising situation with a another man. When Ted later introduces her to her to John as his wife there is a great deal of tension.

Initially Peg implores Ted not to hire John as he has might tell of her exploits with another man. Ted ignores her pleas and hires John, eventually inviting him to live in their home which is where he runs the toy business from.

Peg is cold and dismissive towards John until he prevents a drunken Ted from catching her in a liason with another man during Ted's birthday party. After this she softens towards him, sparks fly and the two become intimate.

An often repeated plot line emerges with John and Peg falling in love and deciding that Ted has to go in a way that leaves his wealth to Peg. I initially assumed that Peg was trying to coax John into killing Ted and be blamed for it but that premis(another often repeated plot line) does not take hold.

We learn that the elevator can get stuck and the reason is a particular fuse. Peg and John get stuck on it(perhaps pre-planned by Ted), allowing for their first kiss. A allegedly hungover Ted, unconcerned that the two were on it together explains why it stops sometime and how to fix it. In doing so he also makes clear a way someone could make it stop, hint hint..

Before leaving on a long vacation planned by Ted, Peg, aware that no one will be in the house for several weeks pulls the elevator fuse thinking Ted is on it, thus dooming him to a slow horrible death.

Unable to contact John, who was supposed to be n Europe hawking Ted's business and assuming Ted is now dead, Peg returns home to find the elevator still stuck where is was when she left. After she replaces the fuse and prepares the bring the elevator down, Ted appears. His demeanor is creepy and after some banter he suggests they go upstairs on the elevator. When it opens Johns body is on it and Ted's expression show relish in Peg's horror.

My conclusion is that I think the trap was set by Ted from the beginning. He was aware of Peg's philandering and wanted to make her pay for it. He hires John as bait and everything plays out as planned right down to the elevator fuse. A jealous older man with a young beautiful wife who married him only for money gets his revenge in gruesome fashion. Both are guilty as Peg caused John's death by rigging the elevator and Ted could have saved him. A common plot with some twists.

A bit contrived and there are some technical flaws the most notable that I would expect the smell in the house to be putrid enough to cause a grimace from Peg given a dead human body was in it. Overall for a 1 hour TV show made in 1965 this is watchable and the acting, especially that of Robert Strauss, is excellent.

I remember as a teen watching this film with my best friend during the UFO craze of the 1970s. We were both starry eyed((pun intended)after watching and it convinced us both that indeed our planet was being visited by out of world beings. At very least at the end where they proclaim that under hypnosis Betty Hill had drawn a picture of a yet undiscovered star system from a chart in the alien ship wall sealed it for me.

Once a passion, my fascination with UFOs faded fast as the reality that despite all of the books, movies and news stories alleging contact with aliens nothing close to definitive proof has come forth that aliens from other planets have visited earth. Even today videos and photos are never high quality and book deals, movie rights and other profit motives discount most if not all events.

I believe that life could exist outside our planet and that there have been a few UFO incidents not yet fully explained that are not profit or mind altering substance driven. I allowed that the Betty and Barney Hill UFO encounter might fall in that category until on a whim one day I decided to research it a bit.

It seems that rather than the naive lady depicted in the film, Betty was already well versed in the world of UFO incidents at the time of the alleged encounter and in the years after was seen as a bit of an eccentric even in the UFO community. Her drawing of a so called then undiscovered star system has been discounted as well.

So from a science fiction perspective this is a decent film with good acting and an interesting topic but it is not an accurate depiction of real events. For me it was exciting and intriguing at the time I watched it and so a happy memory.

My first ever Russian movie musical and I absolutely loved it!

I enjoy Russian made movies, especially those about the war and life during the Soviet era so the synopsis interested me. When I realized it was a musical I nearly stopped watching. Glad I did not!

The costuming, acting, dancing and music is top notch in my view and I felt like the leads really captured the spirit of the story-line.

The plot had a familiar feel to it with Mels, the young man drawn away from the stoic norm by romance and a desire to escape the status quo. He becomes Mel and adapts a wild look complete with and outlandish Pompadour hairstyle.

The fact that it is set in Soviet Russia and based on a little known episode in history gives it a flavor its own. It also has plenty of twists and turns to keep it unique.

I find it interesting that they adapted exaggerated looks based on the very limited access they had to American culture. Fred, the leader of the Stilyagi who is also the son of a high official is the first to shed the look to take on his high position in Soviet government. Mel can't accept it when Fred returns from the US and tells him that there are no Stilyagi in America.

I now feel some compulsion to research the Stilyagi and learn more about this little known tale of a counter culture in the post Stalin era.

A really good film overall and I will be watching again. I could really see this being turned into a Broadway show. Would not be surprised if someone is already working on it.

I found this gem on a random search of one of my favorite genres, Russian war movies.

I hesitated because it was Hungarian made and I have seen some bad Hungarian war films but this one piqued my interest after I watched a few minutes.

It touches a part of the war not often seen in films. Mainly non- German troops that tool part in the invasion of Russia. There were Romanian, Hungarian, Italian and even a smattering of anti communist French troops that took part.

The protagonist Lombos, is a Hungarian soldier fighting for the Axis. He is prevented from going on home on leave by some unknown bureaucratic mistake and ends up a prisoner of the Russians. He is forced to walk through mine fields at risk of stepping on one to find safe paths for his captors. A old man who appears to be a Hungarian fighting for the Russians offers advice to Lombos as he deals with various challenges leading to a point where he decides to escape.

I thought the acting was excellent and battle scenes well depicted. There were some minor issues such as the protagonist Lombos going from unshaven to shaven at random points as I would expect as a POW's opportunity to shave were slim and none. I also noted a couple bodies that breathed and could not deduce if it was late fall or early spring? Either way I would not expect there to be crickets chirping at night. I still thought the overall quality was good.

Where I maybe got a bit confused was the symbolism of the old man who seemed to be everywhere Lombos went and apparently was not a real person. Was he the devil? Lombos's conscience? And why does Lombos open his journal telling Elza he has decided to kill her?

My conclusion is that by staying loyal to the Hungarian army which is on the losing side, he ironically makes it home via the Red Army as he awakens from his botched suicide attempt and is discovered by a Red Army unit about to enter Hungary. The Russians think he is Russian and take action to help him

As I said, the symbolism of the old man and how Lombos ends up where he does at the end confuses, but I am easily confused. :-)

Kind of an odd plot but overall a good movie.

Life in a small Belorussian village has resumed a sense of normalcy as the front has moved well past it and the villagers, minus their young men try to peacefully coexist with the German occupiers.

During the turmoil that was the German invasion of Russia the peace cannot last even with a German commander who has some sense of compassion. A woman, who develops a friendship with the commander learns her young son, who narrates during much of the film has been arrested for bombing a train track. She goes on a desperate quest to save his life and her charge up a hill holding a stick at the end is intense.

Eventually a more cruel commander arrives and it is clear things will start to turn for the worst for all.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film and found the cinematography and acting to be outstanding, especially the female lead. The actors are like real people and bring their characters to life. If there is a flaw I would only note that the German tanks shown appeared more modern than WWII but I could be wrong on that.

Rarely does a Hollywood made war film comes close to capturing the realities of war as movies like this do. I am a big fan if Russian cinema!

I am a big fan of Russian cinema but this movie fell short of my expectations. An officer accused of cowardliness is sentenced to death and the soldier assigned to guard him and he go through several adventures.

The film is watchable but I never really identified with the characters or grasped the point. The plot was bland and the battle sequences lack the intensity and realism I have seen in other Russian films. Too many cliche's and far fetched scenes.

There are some technical issues such as that I think German Tiger tanks are shown where in 1942 they were not yet available. During the river crossing scene where it is supposed pitch black there is a part where the boy and guard are shown in bright light. It also seemed odd that at times the two walked around in the wide open when in areas crawling with Germans.

The convicted officer goes from being terrified in wake of his expected execution to being fully complaint to the authority of a single guard of whom he could have escaped from or overpowered at many points. Eventually the two connect so strongly that when the guard dies his prisoner goes to the authorities to accept his fate. Far fetched and the relationship is not well depicted by the actors.

Overall the filmed just had a rushed feel to it as if the directors and cast were going through the motions to knock the film out.

Finally, why the title Road to Berlin? The very end is in Germany but nothing in the plot really has anything to do with the drive to Berlin except that the war ends there.

This plot of this movie is rather depressing and has a sad ending, but like so many Russian films the acting and cinematography are great.

The film centers on the issue of corruption in the Russian system and the influence the mafia has on law enforcement.

The protagonist, a deputy police chief, by accident runs over a boy while rushing to witness his own child's birth. The mother of the child signs a statement taking the blame for the boy's death to save her husband from a beating by police.

The conscience of the protagonist gets the better of him and he refuses to allow blame for the boy's death to shift to the mother. This angers the corrupt officials who fear the bad publicity will threaten their hold on power.

Ultimately the protagonist's desire to take responsibility for his action leads to more spilled blood and turns a bad situation into a tragedy when he has to take the life of the boy's mother to save his own wife and child.

No Hollywood fluff or pizazz here, just gritty and realistic characters caught up in a drama. One of the reasons I am a big fan of Russian cinema.

It is a story theme I have seen many times before under various premises complete with the heroic last minute rescue. The overall plot reminded me of old Lost In Space episodes where the crew gets in some hopeless situation and clever little Will saves the day with some outlandish and risky solution.

The movie is predictable, overacted, full of corn ball clichés and completely far fetched for non fantasy(attempts to be realistic) based science fiction. For example, our lead is able to find a probe from a failed mission sent many years earlier, dig it up and it works just fine? How was a ready to launch rocket placed my NASA for a future mission with no debris around it and why wouldn't a storm knock it over like it almost did to the current mission's rocket when the crew escaped at the beginning? I could go on and on.

I was not even wowed by the special effects and found them inferior to "2001 a Space Odyssey"(I mention this film because comparisons where made) which was made decades ago with far less technology.

On top of all that it was just tedious and I had to force myself to watch to the all too predictable ending.

My ranking is low because my expectations were high based on ratings and accolades about how great this film was.