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Reviews
The Cape Town Affair (1967)
Remake with a South African Flair
Great for pre-integration scenes of Cape Town (look for one black person and you won't find them!), this remake of Pick Up on South Street (1953) is missing several things, notably Richard Widmark as the film noir villain that makes the whole thing work. This film is the exact opposite of film noir. It's too clean and crisp to be suspenseful. The colors reek of a British comedy ala the Pink Panther or something with Alec Guiness. The whole thing plays like a poor man's "Man From U.N.C.L.E." without the savoir faire of Robert Vaughn. James Brolin, a few years shy of Marcus Welby, M.D., has yet to learn how to act and Jacqueline Bisset is not worth the trip. See the original.
Call Northside 777 (1948)
The beginning of film noir
Although not credited as the beginning of film noir, Call Northside 777 is the beginning of the film noir tradition that will trail throughout the fifties and into the early sixties as the detective film. James Stewart, the Hitchcovian everyman, makes another brilliant leap by portraying the man who becomes convinced that Wiecek is innocent. Fast moving and directed by Hathaway, known for his Western films, you never lose interest. A must see for the noir fan!