Movie #1580: La donna del fiume (1954, Mario Soldati)
Didn't think I'd ever see this one again. I saw this on late night TV sometime in the 70s. The only difference is that it was in b&w then but in colour now.
The whole thing is quite confusing. Do you need to be Italian to understand this? Sophia Loren says "no" to Rik Battaglia when she really means "yes". Afterwards the "yes" turns into a baby. On hearing the news, Rik shows his joy by shoving Sophia to the ground and walking away. Later on, the baby dies. So, Rik walks up to Sophia at the funeral and everything is lovey-dovey. Huh?
No, I didn't understand the motivation here at all but watching Sophia wade around in the river was worth the 90 minutes spent.
Movie #1581: Five (1951, Arch Oboler)
Another gem amongst the trash. I remember the name Arch Oboler from Andrew Sarris' book "The American Cinema". If a director was mentioned there then they were a name to watch out for. The first two Oboler movies that I've seen were nothing special.
Then there was "Five". Five people find each other after the rest of the world's population has been destroyed by atomic radiation after World War III. They have a chance to start civilization again but unfortunately some of the five begin to act all too human.
Points deducted for using that idiot plot devise where lies are told to people "for their own good" which drives the story to it's conclusion.
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