Walter Grauman — Director (4)
Crowhaven Farm (1970) [Movie] TMDB IMDb WikiData
Crowhaven Farm
director: Walter Grauman actor: 霍普·兰格 / Paul Burke
other title: La granja maldita / 庆重生
A couple, Maggie and Ben Porter, inherit an old farmhouse and move in, hoping to reinvigorate their marriage. When they learn the home was occupied long ago by a woman who was executed for practicing witchcraft, Maggie begins to have nightmares about her.
A Rage to Live (1965) [Movie] WikiData IMDb TMDB
A Rage to Live
other title: Obsessão de Amar / Nymphomania
Grace Caldwell, a young Pennsylvania newspaper heiress living with her widowed mother, has trouble restraining herself when it comes to the amorous attentions of young men. As word starts to spread about her behavior, Grace becomes a major source of heartache for her mother and a big source of concern to her brother.
633轰炸大队 (1964) [Movie] Douban
633 Squadron
other title: 633 Squadron / 六三三敢死队(港)
In the spring of 1944 an RAF Mosquito Squadron are ordered to attack a German rocket fuel plant in Norway. The mission involves flying up a heavily defended fjord and bombing a cliff overhang in an attempt to bury the factory, which is built into the rock.
I bought this on DVD in a '3 for £20' offer, as I had fond memories of it from childhood, and it had been around 20 years since I last remember seeing it. I have to say that it's not nearly as good as I remembered it to be. The plot is full of cliches and there's the inevitable love interest for the lead. That said, there are points to recommend it. Cliff Robertson gives another reliable performance as the Wing Commander in charge of the squadron, and there are equally dependable turns from Harry Andrews and Donald Houston. The numerous flying sequences with the Mosquito Bombers are expertly filmed, and it's a real bonus to finally see the film in its correct 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The special effects aren't bad for 1964, and Ron Goodwin's famous score underpins the whole venture.
The main problem that I have with the film is that it borrows heavily from 'The Dam Busters' in terms of plot, without ever scaling the heights (no pun intended) of that classic. It may have lush Panavision photography, better effects etc., but lacks the nail biting tension and expertly constructed drama of its predecessor. However, it's perfectly acceptable entertainment, if somewhat abrupt at the end.
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