Taking a look at IMDb's Classic Film board,I noticed that a fellow poster was talking about a very interesting sounding title that was Audrey Hepburn only R-Rated film! Getting to the end of the review,I spotted a mention to a 150 minute TV cut of the movie.Tracking down the uncut version of the film online,I soon got set to discover where the bloodline runs to.
The plot:
With her dad having recently died in a skiing accident, Elizabeth Roffe finds out that she has been appointed as the head of her dad's major pharmaceutical company. Meeting the board of directors,Roffe is told that the business is too heavier burden for her to carry,and that it would be much better if she allowed the board to run the company for her.
Seriously considering the boards take over,Roffe gets a sudden shot of determination,when she discovers that the company has been working on a pill which will extend life.Shortly after Roffe has given the decision,the breaks in her car suddenly break down,which leads Roffe to fearing that her dad's death was far from an accident.
View on the film:
Spanning half a dozen capitol cities and a 2 and a half hour running time,the adaptation of Sidney Sheldon's novel by Laird Koenig spends the first hour setting up the glamorous business world of Roffe,which whilst allow for the exotic locations to be fully displayed,does lead to the movie feeling rather slow-paced,and also being drained of any satirical bite about a board of directors being more than a little desperate for power.Cutting into the Giallo sub- genre,Koenig does very well at building a sinister mood around the mysterious killer,with the murderers obsession with snuff footage being used in a rather daring manner.
Taking advantage of the movies huge locations,director Terence Young gives the movie a striking elegance,as Young uses sweeping shots to show the endless towers that Roffe is surrounded by.For the Giallo elements of the title,Young reveals a surprisingly unflinching eye towards the stylish scenes,with the killers use of snuff footage allowing Young to give each of the scenes a raw,rustic sting.
While she openly admitted to being far from happy about only discovering the snuff element in the film half way into its shooting, Audrey Hepburn gives a fine performance in her reunion with Young, (who she had worked with on Wait Until Dark)with Hepburn showing Roffe to really enjoy the glamour connected to a major job,but also having a real determining to show that she can successfully run a business ,and that Roffe is far from just being a "pretty thing".
Surrounding Roffe with knives behind their back, (in one case literally!)each of the board members give excellent eerie performances,with James Mason giving a wonderful out of breath performance as the egotistical Sir Alec Nichols,while the stunning Claudia Mori gives the title a shot of sass as the mistress waiting for her payment.After Young missed the chance to work with him by not directing Goldfinger, Gert Fröbe gives a terrific,wacky performance as Inspector Max Hornung,who is investigating where the blood-soaked bloodline runs to.
The plot:
With her dad having recently died in a skiing accident, Elizabeth Roffe finds out that she has been appointed as the head of her dad's major pharmaceutical company. Meeting the board of directors,Roffe is told that the business is too heavier burden for her to carry,and that it would be much better if she allowed the board to run the company for her.
Seriously considering the boards take over,Roffe gets a sudden shot of determination,when she discovers that the company has been working on a pill which will extend life.Shortly after Roffe has given the decision,the breaks in her car suddenly break down,which leads Roffe to fearing that her dad's death was far from an accident.
View on the film:
Spanning half a dozen capitol cities and a 2 and a half hour running time,the adaptation of Sidney Sheldon's novel by Laird Koenig spends the first hour setting up the glamorous business world of Roffe,which whilst allow for the exotic locations to be fully displayed,does lead to the movie feeling rather slow-paced,and also being drained of any satirical bite about a board of directors being more than a little desperate for power.Cutting into the Giallo sub- genre,Koenig does very well at building a sinister mood around the mysterious killer,with the murderers obsession with snuff footage being used in a rather daring manner.
Taking advantage of the movies huge locations,director Terence Young gives the movie a striking elegance,as Young uses sweeping shots to show the endless towers that Roffe is surrounded by.For the Giallo elements of the title,Young reveals a surprisingly unflinching eye towards the stylish scenes,with the killers use of snuff footage allowing Young to give each of the scenes a raw,rustic sting.
While she openly admitted to being far from happy about only discovering the snuff element in the film half way into its shooting, Audrey Hepburn gives a fine performance in her reunion with Young, (who she had worked with on Wait Until Dark)with Hepburn showing Roffe to really enjoy the glamour connected to a major job,but also having a real determining to show that she can successfully run a business ,and that Roffe is far from just being a "pretty thing".
Surrounding Roffe with knives behind their back, (in one case literally!)each of the board members give excellent eerie performances,with James Mason giving a wonderful out of breath performance as the egotistical Sir Alec Nichols,while the stunning Claudia Mori gives the title a shot of sass as the mistress waiting for her payment.After Young missed the chance to work with him by not directing Goldfinger, Gert Fröbe gives a terrific,wacky performance as Inspector Max Hornung,who is investigating where the blood-soaked bloodline runs to.