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Reviews
Libel (1959)
An excellent mystery
All is ducky in the fine English manor, some years after WWII. The lord of said manor, portrayed by the elegant Dirk Bogarde, is happily married to a beautiful American (Olivia De Havilland) and they have a charming little boy. But for his WWII PTSD, which haunts him from time to time with an irritating tune in his head--and causes a tendency to stammer. the usual bad dreams and insomnia, his life is fine. The fly appears in the ointment in the person of a soldier who knew him in the war and insists he's a fraud. Much of the drama takes place in the courtroom as he sues for libel and the complicated war experience, complete with plot twists, comes out. Bogarde shows his mettle as an actor, playing a dual role very convincingly. Not until the very end does the audience learn the whole story. It's a tight drama, with the added fillip of byplay between the superb prosecutor (Wilfrid Hyde-White) and defense attorney (Robert Morley). Well worth seeing!