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Sunday, May 18, 2008

THE FALLEN IDOL (1948)

This is the ‘other’ masterful Graham Greene/Carol Reed collaboration (i.e. not THE THIRD MAN, nor their final outing, OUR MAN IN HAVANA which is a bit of a curate’s egg) and it remains something of an undiscovered gem. Elegantly shot by Georges Perinal (the tilted angles & high contrast/low-key lighting are subtler than Robert Krasker’s work on THE THIRD MAN), the film moves a bit deliberately on the small screen, but it’s very rewarding on its own scale. The cast is outstanding with Ralph Richardson (giving masterful perfs in ANNA KARENINA & THE HEIRESS at about the same time) peerless as an embassy butler whose loveless marriage and stifled affair are dangerously misunderstood by the Ambassador’s lonely, young son. The film is usually taken to task for softening the plot of Greene's original short story (accident or murder?), but that change is the linchpin to much of the film’s originality.

READ ALL ABOUT IT: Greene viewed his novels as either serious or as entertainments, but what did he think of his film reviews? His work in that field is largely remembered for his being sued after claiming that Shirley Temple was really a midget (!), but he wrote wisely & well. GRAHAM GREENE ON FILM has the complete film folder, but there are other mixed collections you can look for.

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