THE SINGER NOT THE SONG is a rare misfire for British director Roy Ward Baker, the man best known for his crime films of the 1950s and his horror output for Hammer in the 1960s. This is one of those rare beasts, a British western, and the truth is that it never really gels despite the large cast and worthwhile genre trappings. The problem with this film is the long-winded and overly pious storyline, which is a battle of wits between a good-natured priest (John Mills) and the town outlaw (Dirk Bogarde). It's intriguing at times, but the film goes on so long and is so slowly paced that it all becomes very dull. The worst thing about this is the waste of cast members including John Bentley, Roger Delgado, Laurence Naismith, and Eric Pohlmann.
Review of The Singer Not the Song
