Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

A rather nicely made film about a rather sticky subject...What I appreciated most about this film is the restrained visual style which suits the almost documentary feel of the movie. The cinematography is personal with its use of medium range shots and a hand held camera. This puts us literally in the shoes of a falsely accused child molester.

Keeping with the realistic feeling of the film the movie's structure is in present tense and the story takes place chronologically as a rather innocent event turns into something ugly for the school teacher. The absence of multiple time frames and flash backs makes The Hunt all the more potent as it's happening now....so we feel like Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) does.

Staying within the realistic framework the film makers wisely decided not to do grandiose camera shots or uber dramatic music scores...as that would have drawn the viewer's attention away from the subject being explored. Simplistic cinematography can be beautiful as The Hunt proves.

Take a look at the photo I used above. That screen shot from the movie speaks volumes. It relays a feeling of peace and tranquility with the early morning sun shine back lighting the actors giving them a warm, halo rim light. That photo sets up an idyllic moment that once was...but is then ripped away as all hell breaks loose.

My hat is off to the actors who all beautifully manage to play their characters in a subdued and therefore believable way. Which then dove tails perfectly with the realistic style of film making.

The Hunt explores a modern day witch hunt set in the innocents of Kindergarten. It's a powerful story, sadly it's happened many times over the course of human history that an unfounded accusation is taken as gospel, amplified and fed with the frighting power of self righteousness. Ignorance and hysteria go together like peanut butter and jelly, only as the film shows us those negative human traits leave a bitter taste in one's mouth.

Nah not upsetting, just frustrating as I wanted so much more out of it. I was hoping to see more jungle and more ancient ruins in the movie. I guess I'll just have to go there myself

But a fellow MoFo mentioned this movie recently which sounds similar,
Secret of the Incas (1954)

Im so glad you enjoyed it.... Now you see how awesome of an actor Mads is!!!

@Citizen Rules

One of the most powerful statements made in the film

"We always assume that children don't lie. Unfortunately, they lie often."

Rules - was The Hunt by any chance about or based on the McMartin daycare scandal of the 1980's?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMartin_preschool_trial

I just ask because that event was featured on an episode of Adam Ruins Everything (a humorous look at debunking social myths and misconceptions). The episode was about conspiracy theories and the dangers of acting on them or giving in to mass hysteria (as the people running the daycare center were accused and convicted of abuse along with an array of bizarre crimes, all based on the testimonies of toddlers that grew increasingly unbelievable and were mostly based on the suggestions of the interrogators).

Either way, the film sounds interesting (I always like sticky subjects).

I doubt it.... I would have to tell you in private about the first few scenes of the film.

No it wasn't based on that. I really think you'd like this film, it's so intelligently done without being over the top. Watch it if you can find it.

Director: Geoff Murphy
Writers: Craig Harrison (novel), Bill Baer
Cast: Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge, Pete Smith
Genre: Sci Fi, Mystery


I love sci-fi, but I flat out disliked this one. It was silly and had next to nothing to say. It's main claim to fame is that it shows us all the things a person could do if you were the last person in the world...such as:

None of that was food for the brain. I like to be challenged by a movie or at least care about the characters. I didn't care about anyone in this, especially the lead guy who was like watching paint dry.


The scene where a person walks on the wall, was ridiculously tacked on for eye candy effect. It wasn't incorporated into the story, nor did it move the movie forward or contribute anything other than just being filler space. In fact that's what most of this movie is filler scenes.

The editing wasn't great, especially in the scene where he first has the girl back at his place. Watch that scene carefully, the edits between the camera shots are erratic.

The Quiet Earth reminded me of another sci fi film, The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959) though that one was not only much more cinematic, but also more thought provoking.

I love 1980s sci fi, even B budget movies as long as they have something going on with them, there was nothing engaging in this one. The one cool thing about The Quiet Earth is the movie poster.

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Director: Edmund Goulding
Writers: Jules Furthman (screenplay), William Lindsay Gresham (novel)
Cast: Tyrone Power, Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray, Helen Walker
Genre: Drama, Film-Noir

Nightmare Alley is a film that deals with a very unique subject. I could see this being a difficult film for some to get into, as much of what happens is subtle and not readily shown on the screen. Modern movie making in some ways has spoiled us, as we've learned to be 'clued in' by the visual and aurally content of modern movies...Reading between the lines helps.


Stanton (Tyrone Power) literately commands the film with his presences. Stan, could have been portrayed as some two dimensional bad guy and if that had been the case the film wouldn't be all that special.

But Stan is very human, very three dimensional. Like us, Stan has self doubts and carries baggage from his past that makes his journey all the harder for him. And like us, Stan has potential, that potential is the power of belief in himself, which then causes others to believe in him... and their utter belief makes his words true to them. And that's what the film is about, the power of belief...and self confidence.

Stan is not really motivated by the need for fame or money or even power....even though that's what he aims for and what we are shown...but what he's really seeking is the need to be believed in by others. And that's something most of us can also relate to.

It's only when he runs up against a cold hearted, greedy woman psychologist Lilith (Helen Walker),that he begins to question that belief in himself. "It takes one to catch one"...that's his line to Lilith. He recognizes what she is, but still is drawn to her like a moth to a flame. It's not love or even sex that he's after, it's her knowledge of the human mind.

Stan's utter belief in himself makes him literally invincible...not even Zeena's (Joan Blondell) Tarot cards can break his self confidence....But Lilith can!...and does with her reverse guilt trip that she lays on him, during his one moment of self doubt. She finds the center within him, his Achilles heel, and lays the groundwork to destroy his ego, via Stan's guilt over the accidental poisoning of Pete.

That's when Stan falters, that's when he stops believing in himself. That lack of belief leads him ultimately to the bottom of his world...I call that a powerful film.

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Jagten is a nicely effective film, a solid for me and a rewatch may well see it rate a little higher.

I have Nightmare Alley slated for a viewing at some point, might bump it up the queue a little now after seeing that rating.

I loved it on a personal level, but I wouldn't be surprised if others didn't feel the same. It was in the 13th Hof and came in the middle of the pack.

Well it was gonna get a whirl at some point anyway and HOF positions are totally irrelevant to me tbh, no harm bumping it up a bit

Oh, man. I'm bummed you didn't like it. I like your review. I also "sort of" agree with your points. I have been a long-time fan of this film, but not for story as much as the atmosphere, which I thought was right up my alley.

The poster is super cool! And, the scene happened in the movie, which is rare.

That was in the 13th Hof, it didn't go over too well. It did have some fans, but ended up coming in last. Though there were a lot of great films in that Hof, so last doesn't mean people hated it.

Have you seen The World The Flesh and The Devil? You might like it, I did.

I haven't, no.

I'll add it to the list, though, thank you.

Oh absolutely. In fact, its actually worse outside the front entrance. I work next door (well almost, I'm actually beside Robinsons) and its always a nightmare to get past them all!!

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Too weird to live, and too rare to die.

I like the pictures, which you attech to every movie here. I like to watch them, even if I haven't seen particullar movie

If your watch list is anything like mine it must be huge!

Thanks Ms. M I feel the pictures are very important and sometimes I spend a lot of time finding the right ones, then fixing them/sizing them in Photoshop.

Iimmediately see that the choice is not accidental. Good job It takes a lot of time to prepare pictures. Yours are perfect

Great fun!....I had seen this before, but it was a real treat to watch again. This time around I noticed how much meticulous attention went into the sets. There were so many neat set pieces that were used, and they really added a lot to the specialness of the movie. Just a few of the neat things were:

The detailed laundry scene with the big dyeing vat. I've never seen that done in a period piece movie before...And you know a big castle or manor would need a crew of launderers to do the laundry. It was a neat looking set too.

So was the waterwheel, especially the pond and rocks in the background, very cool to see. And how about the 'magic lantern' that the Cardinal used to project drawings onto the wall. Loved that and the detail of the candle smoke coming out of the top of the apparatus.

Did I mention the medieval 'pinball machine' game in the tavern. A lot of directors would not have spent the money on it, but it adds uniqueness.


Holy smokes what a cast! Michael York was great as the wide eyed, naive country bumpkin who wants to become a Musketeer. I swear at times when he did the wide eyed thing, he reminded me of Claire Danes, odd I know!

Oliver Reed, was a flat out powerhouse. I read that he fought so fearlessly and with so much zeal that no one wanted to fence with him for fear of being impaled. As it turns out during the sword fight at the windmill, Oliver himself was cut badly in the neck. All the sword fighting was well done and from what I read several injuries resulted from it.

I really liked Chuck Heston as the Cardinal, he played that role so well and I would have liked to seen his role expanded. The actors who played the King and Queen were good too, I liked their costumes at the big ball.

Raquel Welch is of course an eye full, but I liked the evil Faye Dunaway character better. I was actually rooting for her to win!