A 1970s paranoid thriller, one of the lesser ones. It’s bombastically directed by Michael Winner who shows no understanding of people but does love his zoom, which he seems to think sufficient to generate urgency or suspense. Burt Lancaster is the old CIA operative who wants out. Paul Scofield is his Soviet counterpart, both friend and nemesis, united through their sufferings as ‘premature anti-fascists’. Alain Delon is the younger operative Lancaster’s trained, now paid to off his old mentor. It’s a film with an over-complicated plot not too well conveyed; the whole film seems an over-extended, un-remarkable if not unexciting action sequence. The main reason to see it is the actors. Lancaster is a savvy showman, acting his character but always with an eye towards the audience, gaging effect. He knows what to do in a close-up and can use his whole body – he was famous for rehearsing every bit of movement or business to evoke grace, fluidity or whatever was needed for the audience’s understanding or pleasure; and he keeps it simple, doing the minimum for maximum effect. Paul Scofield is very good too, though in a completely different way. He evokes real feeling in close-up, but his performance can seem over-elaborate in a longer shot, too full of changing inflections and bits of business.
Burt’s star entrance: grace in movement
A little hop from Burt
Scofield Busy Being Drunk
Delon comes off the worst here, acting mainly with his eyes, very effective in close-up but not evoking much in the longer shots, even though he does quite a few of his stunts. Good thing Winner keeps him fondling cats in scene after scene as without that he’d evoke no character at all.
Something to think about is a scene of Lancaster trying to escape the CIA by passing as a black man. It’s ‘blackface’ in 1973 but unusual in that it doesn’t ‘send-up’ race; it’s ostensibly just meant to be an effective disguise. However, there is a sense that the audience is meant to find funny the idea of Golden blond blue-eyed Burt passing as a black man, so in that sense not too different from traditional blackface; and I would be curious to knowwhat the discussions on the set, if any, were like, considering Burt was one of the liberal Hollywood stars who lead the March on Washington where Dr. King delivered the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.
