Constance Cameron

I read with interest some reviews describing the film as being too slow. This isn’t surprising in an age when people get their “news” and everything else in 30 second increments, if that long. But if anyone remembers how Marshall McLuhan taught us “the medium is the message,” that may inform you of how the movie’s “slow” (to some) pace fits the nature of the deliberations and the culture of the Vatican itself. In a fast-paced movie, you would not be able to experience the agonizing process and all the emotions and political considerations that develop during the internecine struggles related to electing a person of the pope’s stature. If you want that, seek out the plethora of films with car chases and the like—not this one. In many ways I wished the “The Conclave”would have continued on even longer, the story and the acting being that good.

My favorite Christmas film as it’s set in New York and the Connecticut countryside circa the 1940s. That’s when sleighs could still be a common mode of transportation to the village holiday dance. And its plot of a Martha Stewart type writer who doesn’t cook but attracts an attractive man anyway is years ahead of its time. Barbara Stanwyk and Dennis Morgan show real chemistry and the great Sidney Greenstreet shines in a rare good man role.

One of my favorite films of all time. Filled with romance and intrigue with a lesson for all us in terms of the need to face up to political aggression. Plus, the chemistry between Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave is incandescent. Well-written, and perfectly paced. Don't miss it.

Watched the film last night with my granddaughter, and it continues to be as magical as it was when I saw it with her father in 1991. Spielberg telling a classic children’s story = something very special, always.

High school fall play caliber, with most high schools doing a better job than this effort. Costumes are amateurish to match the acting and sets. Only interesting aspect is that the lead actors, Leigh and Curtis, were married at the time. But you’d never know it, given their lack of passion on the screen. Still, she does the better job of the two. The best performance comes from the old pro Herbert Marshall. Curtis doesn’t even pretend to say his lines with a British accent, having committed to speaking as if he just stepped off the boat from Jersey. Yeah, it’s that kind of film.

The late 50s, Hitchcock references, and Glenn Ford and Debbie Reynolds at the top of their game. This dark comedy surprises for its willing to “go there” in terms of murderous impulses in what otherwise seems to be a nice guy. Interesting character parts for people like Carl Reiner. Plus, the lead character is a writer, adding an excuse to explore new territory. I liked it very much.