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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Odd, but intensely compelling film,
This review is from: Eye of the Devil (DVD)
I am surprised this movie is not out on DVD or video because it's one of the few films of the beautiful Sharon Tate, the actress killed by the Mason Cult. Supposedly her "introduction" film along with fellow actor David Hemmings, MGM made a big todo of showcasing them before the films release.The film was also called 13 in some releases, and the supposedly unlucky number seems apropos for the film with Tate later being murdered, and the trouble over initial casting. The simply gorgeous Kim Novak was set to play the lead, they had actually begun filming when she was thrown from a horse. A broken bone resulted in her being replaced by the powerhouse Deborah Kerr, who seems, truthfully, better suited to be playing David Niven's wife. This is like no other Niven film, an high popular, but I believe, underrated actor. He made it seems so easy. But you watch him with Gregory Peck in GUNS OF NAVARONE and you will see he was a marvellous talent. It's a low-key thriller, in the WICKERMAN vein. Kerr, Niven and family have been living a good life in Paris, but the arrival of mysterious priest from Niven's home, starts them spiralling into a nightmare of unbelievable proportions. Niven, says the countryside of his province requires the return of the Marquis de Bellac, there is a prolong draught of years, and he must go back, though he won't say what he can do to stop a draught. He insists Kerr and the children stay behind. In typical headstrong fashion, Kerr is not content to remain behind being the 'little woman', so she and the children travel to the medieval honour of Bellac. Stuck in a time warp of the Middle Ages, Bellac is a total feudal estate. Niven in NOT happy to see she has come. She soon runs afoul of two strange young people (Hemmings, an archer, and the beautiful Tate, who shows disdain for all the males around her). Though they are not really a part of the estate, they seems to come and go as they please and laugh at Kerr's affront. The strange priest, played by Donald Pleasence, continues to exert a strong hold over Niven, almost as if he is compelling and preparing Niven for 'what will come'. It is clear things are very wrong at Bellac. After a ride in the wood, she discovers that nearly every Bellac Marquis has died a mysterious death at an young age, and is harassed by hooded monk-like figures after finding the tomb of the last Marquis in the wood. There are strange comings and goings at all hours. Niven;s aunt tucks her head and ignores it all, but seems ready to burst into tears. A strange man is hiding in the attic and he warns her to leave before it's too late. Oddly, she discovered though the whole area is very religious, the religion has a taint of heresy about it. One day, she catches Tate teaching the children to play on the edge of the crenellations of the roof. When she rushes up to stop it, she soon finds herself at peril, as Tate hypnotises her in to nearly stepping off the roof. Worse, is the distance between her and her husband, and his insistence he has accepted his fate. Very understated, mesmerising dancing in the ring of 13....with a knockout of an ending. Ted Turner occasionally shows this - beware he cuts it bloody pieces! POWERFUL! Highly recommended to those who appreciate The WICKERMAN.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Paganistic Inheritance,
This review is from: Eye Of The Devil [Remaster] (DVD)
The sixties gave birth to many films dealing with every aspect of the occult from witchcraft to demonic possession and sometimes they branched off into something else of which director J. Lee Thompson's 'EYE OF THE DEVIL' is one of them. Without giving way the essence of the plot, the wife of a grand marquis in modern day France gets mixed up in a nightmare involving her husband and children, suffice it too say that it truly is not a horror film per se but an exercise in Paganism and predates Robin Hardy and Anthony Schaeffer's production of 'THE WICKER MAN' by a number of years. David Niven gives a subdued performance as the Marquis and Deborah Kerr in a role reminiscent of her turn as the governess in Jack Clayton's 'THE INNOCENTS' gives her wife in peril performance a fine driven feel. David Hemmings right from his debut in Antonioni's 'BLOW UP' and Sharon Tate in her first film role give the proceedings an eerie, unsettling twist but the real stars of the affair are the first rate black and white photography by Erwin Hellier and brilliant editing by Ernest Walter. Always known for his action films, this may be J. Lee Thompson's best work. Available as a DVD-R from Warner Archive, its a beautiful transfer and an unusual way ahead of its time tragic excercise in traditions and religious beliefs.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning Black And White Photography, Compelling Performances,
By Noirdame (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Eye of the Devil (DVD)
From the novel "The Day Of The Arrow" by Phillip Loraine, this is a supernatural thriller concerning a creepy ch?teau in the French countryside, beset by bizarre occurrences and rumors of witchcraft. Phillipe De Monfaucon, Marquis de Bellac (David Niven), his wife, Catherine (Deborah Kerr) and their children, Jacques (Robert Duncan) and Antionette (Suky Appleby) become concerned and then victimized by the mysteriousness, including the presence of foreboding brother and sister, Christian (David Hemmings) and Odile (Sharon Tate)D'Carey. It soon becomes clear that the menacing pair is attempting to initiate the family into their cult. Even the village priest Father Dominick (Donald Pleasance) appears to have a sinister agenda. An interesting premise, excellent cast, glorious black and white photography; a cult favorite in the making. Young up and comers Hemmings and Tate embody their cherubic blonde innocence and evil blackness wonderfully - their appearance only enhances one's feelings of dread and menace. Although only listed seventh in the credits, Tate remains a lovely presence, and definitely worth watching. The parallels between her tragic demise just a few years later and her role here is almost too close for comfort.
A very unnerving, effective supernatural chiller.
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