In the same year that Steve Zahn was winning a Special Jury Prize at Sundance for Happy, Texas, this movie was competing for the Grand Jury Prize. I have to admit that I was not expecting a film that discusses triple penetration to be one on my list, but it came highly recommended by someone I trust.

This film will give you some very interesting things to see, and I don't mean naked women, even though there is plenty of that. I was intrigued that the mother of this middle-class Chinese girl from Singapore was interviewed. Anyone that knows anything about society in Singapore knows this is 180 degrees from reality. In fact Annabel says: To Singapore, pornography is filth. That's okay. But it's become a national ideology that, just, you know, a value judgment, you know, to do pornography is to be against the collective agreement of what it means to be a Singaporean. F*ck 'em. They can lick my a**.

I had to laugh when one porn star (MIchael Coxx) stated that her signature act gave porno a bad name, and a porn star (Ona Zee) trying to pretend that she did "high class" porn.

It was a great inside look at the business that killed Beta and will kill Blu Ray.

I love fried zucchini, but I will never look at a zucchini the same way again.


Probably everyone who has progressed from cell division as the reproductive means of choice has some interest in porn, but if yours runs a little deeper then the "Annabel Chong Story" is a very worthwhile documentary to watch, offering a truthful glimpse behind the scenes. And that's pretty much all there is to say about it.

To dispel a few popular notions about this documentary, it's not exploitative other than of Grace Quek's (that's Annabel Chong's real name) exhibitionism save possibly her parents, it doesn't purport to chronicle all minutiae of human sexuality, pornography is probably not the most wholesome business to be and in and this fact can not reasonably be blamed on the documentary (don't kill the messenger), film maker Gough Lewis repudiates the fact that he and Quek were a couple at the beginning of this movie for the patent reason that he wanted to make a movie about Quek and not about their relationship, Quek is neither centerfoldish-statuesque nor is she phenomenally ugly with the "the most crooked teeth ever", if you think her views are bizarre then you have obviously enjoyed the privilege of blissful ignorance of the field of womens' / gender studies and, unsurprisingly, Grace might not be the wholesome waif that you can exchange coy glances over glasses of iced tea at the country fair with. In fact, she probably is a bit of a whore, bless her little heart.

In approaching this movie please note that it is a documentary and not a sequel from Playboy's Girl Next Door video franchise, thank you.


This is a well-done documentary, but it is also very disturbing. While Annabel Chong may claim she sees her recording breaking sex-a-thon was about women's empowerment, what the filmmaker managed to show is that she is a deeply disturbed woman.


People looking for raunch should look elsewhere. This is a study of a very bright, yet disturbed, young woman, who has something to say, and is willing to do something very extreme in order to make sure she's heard. I suspect many feminists will hate this film, and I suspect it will do Ms. Chong's heart good to rock the feminist theory boat. The way she chooses to claim and embrace her sexuality is repulsive, and yet fascinating and pwoerful. I really found myself thinking that I didn't care much for Ms. Chong, but that I deeply respected her motives. Highly reccomended for anyone interested in what the sex industry means, and can mean, for women.


Beyond moral judgement, I liked this portray of a girl who decided to break a barrier that had never been broken and therefore become as unique as one can be. Of course, stepping in the Guinness book of world records is not exactly enough to create a memorable destiny, and choosing the pornographic field attracts heaps of hungry viewers that cannot exactly be called reputable admirers, and yet...I think movie managed to show us in Annabella a pretty unique and sympathetic character, at the same time excessive, provocative but also sincere and fragile.

I specially liked the episode of her return to Singapore, which depicts so well the gap that has been experienced by this proud, ingenuous nature, hypnotised by the freedom of America - as far as to forget all moral barriers and follow her single pleasure till the extreme - and then crash down on reality when going back to her family roots - probably in search of a recomfort she was starting to miss in the vain and stupid environment of those cynical sex filmmakers.

There is really an Annabel Chong story, that has nothing to do with peeping pornography and condemning judgments.


I was quite pleased not to have found this film, nor Grace/Annabel, to be as depressing and fatalistic as others on the IMDB would have one believe. Though Grace certainly appears to have fallen victim to those in the porn industry who only want to exploit her, and though she seems to have been effectively "castrated" by mainstream public perception of her, I don't think any of this makes her social/political observations less worthy of consideration. Sadly, Grace does not seem to able to publicly express her points very well (we are told by former teachers that she's a very good writer, however), and the filmmakers don't help matters much by painting her pretty much as totally alone in her beliefs (despite the fact these pro-sex "feminist" arguments have been around for at least 15 years).

Finally, I find complaints that the film was not "fun" a bit beside the point. Frankly, it gives one cause to wonder if some of these people came to the film expecting to get aroused, and when they didn't, they chose to look no deeper.


I didn't know quite what to expect from this film. I didn't expect light and fluffy, but this movie, which documents the life of one weird nymphette, was less enjoyable than I could have imagined. Ms. Chong (not her real name) had a very decent middle class upbringing. The question I asked myself was why she turned out the way she did, but we have a person with absolutely no self-esteem, who appears to be totally strung-out on whatever, and who claims to be doing 251 guys in ten hours in the name of liberation. Something she's proud of. Yeah, sure. I thought I'd at least like her in the end. I didn't. In my opinion Ms. Chong is a total flake who needs to see a good therapist. Soon!

If you want to be entertained, go see almost anything else. On the other hand if you want to feel good knowing there's someone out there more messed up than you are, by all means see this movie.


Half way into this movie I began asking myself why I should care about Anabel Chong. I've seen several documentaries on the Porn industry and this is certainly not one of the better ones. It reveals little about the industry itself and yet it also fails to deliver anything more than a superficial glimpse into the world of Anabel Chong. Anabel is at once proud and defiant about her gang bang and yet deeply ashamed and embarrassed - to the point where she tearfully begs her mother for forgiveness and lies to her old teachers about her profession. Yet little light is shed on this contradiction.

There are several scenes which, in and of themselves, sparkle, but they are lost in a film that has little structure and constantly struggles just to have a point.


It is such a great film that i have been watching it for over 9 times at the cinema at the strange film festival. She is so dynamic, beautiful and outrageous. I really do admirer her, she is my idol! I love you Annabel Chong!


This film was quite literally a banging spectacle. I could see the sub-text of 'pity this poor deluded girl' but I instead chose to ignore it and applaud the young woman's decision to work her way through all those men. On film. I only wish I could have joined in! It's her right, so dont get all snotty, people.

More footage of the actual bang would have been appreciated, and indeed, I believe many guys will pick this film up expecting it to be pure porn. It's a bang-me-do!


The escape of nightclub performer's leopard is followed by a series of mutilations--but are these the work of the leopard or of a serial killer stalking a small southwestern town? Although not one of producer Val Lewton's better known films, director Tourner endows the story with considerable atmosphere, and the result is a moody and intriguing film that holds it own with the more celebrated CAT PEOPLE and I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE.

Like other Lewton films, THE LEOPARD MAN relies more upon what it suggests than upon what it actually shows. This film is particularly effective in building suspense in a series of scenes that show various characters walking--a saucy Spanish dancer strolling along the street, a frightened teenager making a night-time trip to the grocer, a young woman rushing through a cemetery at night. The cinematography is elegant in its simplicity, and the sound design is quite remarkable. Hard to find, but Lewton fans will find it worth seeking out.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer


After their success in 1942 with the fabulous 'Cat People', the star team of producer Val Lewton and director Jacques Tourneur would team up twice the year later. First for the compelling and brilliant 'I Walked With a Zombie', and second for this film; The Leopard Man. For the movie, the two filmmakers re-cast the star of their first success, the big black leopard, in this movie, who once again plays a big black leopard. The screenplay this time round makes far better use of the animal at the centre of the film, which allows the impressive creature to make a much bigger impression on the movie, and it also gives the film a unique edge over other horror movies, as there aren't a great deal that can build around a leopard. In fact, one thing that struck me about this movie was it's similarity to the 1980's remake of Cat People, and I wonder just how much influence that film took from this production. Anyway, the story here is deliriously simple and it follows a leopard that has escaped from a nightclub. After a few deaths, the cat is blamed...but is there more to this scenario than meets the eye?

Just like Val Lewton's earlier and later productions, The Leopard Man is notable for it's breathtaking atmosphere, which is once again up there with the greatest ever seen in cinema. The use of shadows and lighting is impressive, and when you combine this with Jacques Tourneur's incredible ability to stage a scene amidst this atmosphere; you've got a recipe for a truly great horror movie. This movie isn't as full of great scenes as Cat People was, but there is still some really good stuff on display, including my favourite scene which sees someone mauled behind a closed door. I'm not a big subscriber to the idea of 'less is more', but the scene I just mentioned goes to show just how well it can work if utilised properly. If the film had directly shown the killing, it would have uprooted the atmosphere and the terror of the movie on the whole wouldn't have been as astute. As it happens, The Leopard Man has got it spot on. But then again, would you expect anything less from a Val Lewton production?


Well, for the most part, anyway. In a rural part of New Mexico, actress Kiki Walker is competing for attention with a local castanets dancer. Kiki's manager brings her a leopard on a leash so she can show the dancer up during her performance. Her rival one-ups her by snapping the castanets right in the leopard's face, which drives it wild. It breaks free from its mistress' grasp. As it flees from the night club, a waiter raises his hand: three bloody claw-marks from trying to stop the wild beast. The meat of the film is made up mostly from three tragedies resulting from the leopard - or do they? Okay, so the "or do they?" part isn't great, but those three tragedies are three of the best sequences in film history, no doubt. The first concerns a young girl forced by her mother to buy cornmeal in the middle of the night. Her younger brother meanly teases her by making leopard-shaped shadow puppets on the wall. The second involves a young girl who has gone to the graveyard to put flowers on her mother's grave, and also to meet with her lover. When she doesn't find him there, she becomes depressed and doesn't hear the groundskeeper's warning that he is locking the gate. The third happens to the castanet player, whose fortune teller turns up the ace of spades for her several times in a row without fail. An expert expresses the belief that the leopard could not have caused all of these events, so the film becomes, unfortunately, a whodunit. The answer is obvious immediately, even if it's not believable. Fortunately, the direction is so excellent, as well as the set pieces, that even with such a weak solution, the film is a near-masterpiece. 9/10.


In an age when serial killers are deified, what Val Lewton and company wrought so long ago must seem tame, indeed; quaint. But THE LEOPARD MAN is anything but a tame little "murder mystery": it's a spooky psycho-sexual story about a serial killer feeding (as is the serial killer's wont) on the innocent. Cornell Woolrich (whose novel BLACK ALIBI was the impetus for this film) was definitely ahead of the curve on this one and the Lewton approach (to suggest rather than to show; to imply rather than indulge) fits, if you'll pardon the allusion, like a glove... Woolrich and Lewton were both on the same wave length, and THE LEOPARD MAN comes highly recommended.


****SPOILERS**** Dark and creepy film based on the Cornell Wollrich novel "Black Alibi" about a leopard on the loose in the desert and towns of New Mexico. With deep and disturbing psychological overtones that strikes more fear in the hearts of those in the movie and audience then the big cat itself.

Publicity agent Jerry Manning, Dennis O'Keefe, trying to spice up his client Kiki Walker, Jean Brooks, nightclub act gets her a black leopard from a local carnival to upstage her rival at the club Spanish dancer Clo Clo, Margo. On the first night of Kiki's act with the big cat the leopard gets startled by an angry Clo Clo who put her hand-clickers almost in it's face. The noise made the cat break away from Kiki as it disappears into the night.

With the local police as well as the towns people looking for the escaped black leopard it later crosses the path of young Teresa Guadalupe who's outside going to the store to get corn meal for her mother to make dinner. Terrified with fear at the sight of the almost demonic-looking black cat Teresa drops the bag of corn meal that she has and runs for her life with the leopard hot on her tail.

Getting to her house her mother doesn't let poor Teresa in because she didn't have the corn meal and thought that her story about her being chased by a big cat was just an excuse for her to let her in the house. A moment later there's a terrifying scream and then all is eerily quiet. Realizing that something is terribly wrong Teresa's mother runs to open the door she sees a stream of blood oozing under it, the cat killed little Teresa.

Terrifying movie that plays with ones nerves like a violinist pays with the strings of his violin. With sounds and shadows instead of special effects and really packs a wallop by doing it. There's three scenes in the movie where someone is killed including the one with Teresa and everyone of them brings the tension to such a hight where your nerves are at the point of breaking down. You just can't wait for the nerve racking scene to finally end where at the same time the director of the movie, Jacques Tourneur, keeps you totally in the dark to what's happening off screen.

Tourneur direction shows how the mind can be easily tricked and manipulated by an imaginative film maker with nothing more then lights sound & shadows. And thus brings far more shocks and jolts to his audience back in 1943 then what the best state-of-the-art special effects can do in a movie today.

Even though "Leopard Man" touched upon a lot of psychological aspects of the human, as well as animal, mind it pre-dates the movie "Spellbound" which many consider the first major Hollywood film about the subject by two years.

The films dark and eerie ending in the darkening New Mexican desert amid a black hooded precession to commemorate the 17th century slaughter of the towns original inhabitants, by the Spanish Conquistadors, was one of the most creepiest sights I've ever seen in a movie.


Slimly-plotted but handsomely-produced second-biller about an escaped leopard in a small dirt town in New Mexico apparently the cause behind several deaths...or is it? Intriguing premise given stylish film-noir treatment. Performances are solid, and Jacques Tourneur's crafty direction lets you see just enough before fading to black. Val Lewton produced, and he gives the proceedings his customary spooky polish. Film tails off near the end, but is still a minor gem. Fantastically atmospheric and fun. Based on the book "Black Alibi" by Cornell Woolrich.

*** from ****


Perhaps not as mysteriously beautiful as "Cat People" or not as nightmarish as "The Body Snatcher", but still this Val Lewton production equally is a solid horror milestone that should be viewed by everyone who wants to learn about the roots of atmospheric horror. The screenplay, adapted from the Woolich novel "Black Alibi", is simple ...yet powerful enough to provide the film with a good 60 minutes of pure tension. Soon after a leopard, hired from a traveling circus for a publicity stunt, escapes from a fancy nightclub, horribly mutilated bodies begin to turn up in a Mexican border town. Is the animal really tearing everyone on its path to pieces or is someone abusing the town's mass-hysteria to satisfy his/her own urge to kill? Director Jacques Tourneur once again proves himself to be a master in creating an unbearably tense atmosphere. His excessive use of shadows and darkness turns the sets into ominous places while the constant unnatural sounds keep you alert for possible animal-attacks! Who needs a budget when you've got this much talent and style? "The Leopard Man" is an excellent film, one to watch preferably in series with "I walked with a Zombie" and "Curse of the Cat People".


A far better than average early film from the Val Lewton unit, The Leopard Man is as much murder mystery as horror picture. It is set in a New Mexico town where there are some weird goings on, including, among other things, big cat attacks. The photography is exceptional, moving from subjective to documentary-style objective without drastically altering the tone of the picture. What horror there is comes more from a sense of dread than anything that actually happens; also from the eerie feeling that certain places are unlucky, that some people are bound to die simply because of where they are. How true.

The star players are somewhat dull, but the supporting cast is quite good. And the merging and sometime colliding of the Anglo, Hispanic and Indian cultures is nicely presented. There is a sense of primitive feeling, of old religion, throughout the film, implied rather than stated, that is beyond the grasp of the hyper-rational lead players. We can catch this mood in fits and starts, but like the major characters, it eludes our grasp. Jacques Tourneur's direction is masterful every step of the way; and he uses music sensually yet emphatically, and the result is a fine-tuned film. It's major flaw is the revelation of the culprit, yet once Tourneur accepted the script's limitations he works superbly within them. The best thing about the movie is that its most crucial events happen mostly off-screen, leaving a good deal to our imaginations. And the minimalist script leaves a great deal in the dark, and even after the picture's florid, almost surreal climax, the air of mystery lingers. There are loose ends for sure, but Tourneur's polite, civilized touch dresses them up to appear profound and suggestive rather than threadbare, and the result is a pleasing conclusion that does not quite give the whole thing away; and we are left wanting to know just a little bit more. Tourneur was a true master.


Is Jacques Tourneur the laziest director ever? He let the audience do all the work. At least he did when making little suspense programmers under producer Val Lewton, who headed RKO's second-feature unit in the wartime 1940s. Hamstrung by parsimonious budgets, they racked their brains for ways to make their movies look good and pack a wallop. Their solutions proved inspired, resulting in a string of classics  The Cat People, The Leopard Man, I Walked With A Zombie  that still rank among the moodiest, most memorable fright-films ever made (with different directors, Lewton oversaw The Seventh Victim and other distinctive works in the same vein). With The Leopard Man, Tourneur was handed a script that showed little promise; when he was finished with it, it shone with his distinctive black magic. That magic was to suggest rather than to show; to plant seeds in viewers' imaginations and let them grow.

In a sleepy New Mexico town that somehow supports a posh night club, publicity man Dennis O'Keefe gets an idea to promote an act by arranging for the star (Jean Brooks) to make a grand entrance with a big black leopard on a leash. The cat escapes  and soon the deaths begin.

First a girl sent out into the night to fetch cornmeal for mama's tortillas finds the corner store closed and must venture further afield. Tumbleweeds stirred up by the dry winds and trains hurtling over trellises are unnerving enough, but then something else starts its pursuit. She almost makes it back safely but the lock is stuck....

Next another young woman sets off in late afternoon for an assignation with her boyfriend at the cemetery. When he doesn't show, she loses track of time and improvidently finds herself locked in among the gravestones and statuary....

A posse sets out to find and kill the leopard, but O'Keefe begins to doubt whether the killer is in fact feline. It's in the resolution (based on a story by Cornell Woolrich) that the script ultimately disappoints, but the trip to it remains a dark ride. Those minuscule budgets didn't compromise the movie's decadently glossy looks, and the extraordinary Roy Webb's castanet-ridden score keeps the tension taut (one high, sustained, almost pianissimo chord hangs over the cemetery scene). The mistress of the castanets, a cabaret dancer called Clo-Clo, is an actress called Margo; the ace of spades keeps turning up in her fortune. Her performance lends The Leopard Man what little heart it shows.


Dennis O'Keefe and Jean Brooks decide to elevate their act in New Mexico by having Brooks walk on-stage with a black leopard. The Mexican castanet dancer, Clo Clo(deliciously played by Margo), mashes the castanets menacingly at the cat, it flees, and a panic spreads amongst the people of the little village. Soon, one girl dies, then another, and another...and evidence points that a cat did it and later to something completely different. The Leopard Man is one of those rare films that is very effective with shadows and fog without showing anything. We never see any of the deaths happen "on-stage" so to speak. The imaginations of the viewers are enlisted to conjure up what might be the scene of each murder. Director Jacques Tournier and producer Val Lewton probably team up for their best collaboration. This film is laced with moody atmosphere, great pacing, quality performances, and a script worked over by the camera that enforces theme and symbolic meaning throughout. I found this film haunting, eerie, and poetic in its own way. O' Keefe, James Bell, Margo, Brooks, and the entire cast give credible turns and enforce our ability to accept what is going on.Some scenes are quite memorable: the young girl walking back home from the store is a classic scene of terror, the cemetery scene, and the procession of the monks allowed Tournier to work his magic with the lens. Tournier was always able to tell so much story with so little dialog. Though some might find the ending a bit of a letdown, I thoroughly enjoyed The Leopard Man.


This film is part of the Val Lewton Horror Collection, released on DVD a short time ago. Each disc contains two feature films. This one was with "The Ghost Ship." I found the latter far more entertaining than this movie.

I first saw this movie in the mid '90s, was not that impressed, but gave it another look when I acquired the Lewton set. On the second viewing, I lost interest halfway through and stopped it.

After a great start, with an extremely suspenseful scene with a woman outdoors alone on a dark street with a panther loose, but after this dramatic part the film bogs down big-time....down to a crawl at times. If only the second half had kept that early momentum up.

There are a lot of nighttime scenes, as was the case with a lot of Lewton's atmospheric films. Since I still own it, I'll give it another look. Who knows? Maybe the third time will be a charm.


Jerry Manning (Dennis O'Keefe) is the manager for a nightclub performer named Kiki Walker (Jean Brooks) and he gets the bright idea to have her bring in a leopard one night. The leopard gets spooked and runs off, only to maul a poor girl later that night. When more young victims are claimed, Jerry begins to doubt that it's still the work of the leopard.

The New Mexico setting is a very good one for this well done Val Lewton production. It provides this incredibly spooky tale with real flavor in addition to the brooding atmosphere common to the Lewton canon. Director Jacques Tourner here had his third and final teaming with Lewton (after "The Cat People" and "I Walked with a Zombie") and he really ratchets up the tension in some scenes. The sequence in which initial victim Teresa (Margaret Landry) is obliged to walk through a tunnel under a train overpass is completely unnerving. Lewton and Tourneur do a great job of setting up the scares with use of sound and firing our imagination as to how gruesome these murders are.

Ardel Wray wrote the screenplay (with an additional dialog credit for Edward Dein) based on the Cornel Woolrich story "Black Alibi". While it works very well as horror, as a mystery it's not so successful, with the perpetrator's identity a little too easy to guess. And the denouement isn't as satisfactory as the balance of the picture, although the motivation for the spree comes off as too creepily real, with what we now know about serial killers. And in the end, there's a bit of meditation on how people sometimes try to hide their feelings and fears behind a show of coolness and imperturbability.

This is well worth catching for any fan of the classic style horror movies. It's a real gem with an always palpable mood and feel.

8/10


This is a 1943 movie. The main storyline revolves around a madman killing young girls while casting the blame on a fugitive leopard...original? Hardly... CHARLIE CHAN AT THE CIRCUS (1936) showed the same device (but it was a gorilla there). The psychopath finally confessing that he's a victim of his urges he cannot control...original? Hardly... 1931's M (Fritz Lang) showed the very same device, so I'm sorry dear mr. Tourneur but you didn't fool ME there. In a city full of Mexicans a tough guy impresario plans a coup de theatre that backfires and a leopard is let loose...people start to die. First is young Teresa...her gargoyle 150kg three-inches-thick-eyebrows mother won't understand her fear of darkness and send her on errands at night to buy...wheat for...tortillas (!!!) so that she's killed on the doorstep of her cabin. Second is a well-off girl who goes on a secret date in the cemetery, overstays and meets her doom. Third a dancer... In spite of its lack of originality, acting is fine, plot contrivances work and atmosphere is good. Worth watching. Were the main actresses hot or what...? One struggles to believe the dancer died in 1985 nearly 70...


The Leopard Man is a master class in efficient scripting and filming on a budget. Despite being 70 minutes long, it has a large ensemble of characters from different areas of a small New Mexico town - English and Spanish, rich and poor, entertainers, police, scientists - all involved in some way in a story about an escaped leopard who may be hunting humans. A mood of fear and foreboding is economically created with plays of light, sudden noises, eerie music, and unseen objects moving in the shadows. The animal attacks occur in darkness and behind doors, but are filmed in such a way as to be suggestive of greater violence than if they had been shown explicitly, and this is very effectively scary. A remarkable film.


******SPOILERS********

Atmospheric horror from the original Lewton crew. The stars are kind of weak and the script isn't as good as the first couple of Lewton Bs, but there is moody photography and a few scenes of real suspense. Some element of sexual violence can't make this film sexy like "Cat People" (in this case, we get middle-aged Bell instead of sexy Simone Simone), and the exotic locale isn't up to "Zombie" par either. The plot carries the film through its (short) length: a search for an escaped cat leads one man to seek for a human killer behind the alleged cat's killings.

It seems like it would have been more interesting if that man (O'Keefe, playing it straight) had turned out to be the killer himself, but I guess that's maybe what the writers though the audience would expect.


Kiki and Clo-Clo (I just love these names.) are rivals in a nightclub act. To upstage Clo-Clo, Kiki's boyfriend arranges for her to enter the club with a black leopard on a leash while Clo-Clo is performing. But things don't go as planned and the leopard escapes. Later that night, a young woman is killed outside her home by a leopard. More deaths of women are blamed on the leopard. But is it really the leopard that's responsible for the deaths or is a maniac using the leopard as a cover to commit murder?

The Leopard Man has an unusual story structure that I find very appealing. Most of the events in the movie and most of the people (or victims) we meet occur through the movements of Clo-Clo. As she walks through the streets, she runs into or passes seemingly random persons. We are immediately taken into their world for a brief glimpse of their lives before the inevitable occurs. It's the realization that these people are unknowingly in danger because of a chance meeting with Clo-Clo and they can do nothing about it that creates much of the suspense in The Leopard Man.

The Leopard Man features some of the best set-pieces and scenes Val Lewton ever put together. The death of the first girl, Teresa, is the most obvious example. To get home, Teresa must go through a tunnel knowing full well that a leopard has escaped and may be inside ready to pounce. This scene is nothing short of scary. It's one of the most frightening moments from a Lewton movie. Teresa finally reaches home but is unable to get inside the house. Before her mother and brother can get the door open, Teresa is attacked. The camera pans to the floor to show the blood running into the house. It's a very chilling moment and one of the best that Lewton ever made.

Most of Lewton's films have a "look" to them that I find very pleasing. In this department, The Leopard Man doesn't disappoint. Everything from the "noirish" look of the city streets to the use of shadows to create atmosphere gives these movies part of their distinctiveness. Lewton couldn't afford fancy special effects or high-priced actors, so he made up for this by creating some of the most visually stunning movies I've seen. In short, The Leopard Man is a real treat to the eye.


A pressman (Dennis O'Keefe) hires a leopard for a publicity stunt for his client (Jean Brooks) in New Mexico. The leopard accidentally escapes and a rash of gruesome murders happen that look like the work of the leopard...or are they?

Not really a horror film as many believe. It's a murder mystery with horrific touches. It contains two very frightening sequences--one in which a young girl is locked out of her house while the leopard is after her; the other is one of the scariest locked in a cemetary after closing sequences I've ever seen.

The movie is short (59 minutes) and interesting and one character (Raoul) has some of the most beautiful face shots at the end--hard to explain, you have to see it. The dialogue is intelligent and the characters have depth and you're kept guessing up to the very end what is going on. Well worth catching.


This mysterious period thriller/horror from genre veteran Jacques Tourneur remains one of the creepiest chillers RKO ever produced. A vicious leopard escapes from a nightclub act and a series of brutal murders begin to take place. Is the leopard the culprit? Tourneur keeps the audience guessing and never lets the secret out till the very end. While the film as a whole may be a bit slow for today's standards, it's main set-pieces (the trapped-in-cemetery scene; the blood behind the locked door sequence; the eyes in the dark scene) retain their shock value. This rare classic is a forgotten gem that should be seen by any fan of classic horror, not least because it reminds one that horror at one time was about more than just bloodsoaked ultra-violence.


A leopard was to be used in an act, until it ran away and panic began in this helpless village. Such is the plot in this Val Lewton production. As usual, Lewton and director Tournier know what they are doing and are able to scare the pants off the viewer with violence that is implied and is never actually seen. The fact that the leopard's victims are women and that we see them running and afraid fuel our increasing anxieties. While it doesn't have the mood of "I Walked with a Zombie", it is in contrast a straightforward story of an animal/enemy that needs to be caught and/or destroyed for the safety of the community. But, there is a twist. The killings don't look like an animal did it.

Starring Dennis O'Keefe, who was a prolific B-movie actor in the 30s and 40s, and Margo, who was in real life married to actor Eddie Albert of "Green Acres" fame and mother of Edward Albert of "Butterflies Are Free", this is another Val Lewton must-see horror film. Its climax and denouement are somewhat disappointing (but that's up to you) and it's to the taste of the viewer whether you like this or "Zombie" better, but, all in all, it's vastly superior to the gore you see today. No one could do it like Lewton.


Half the fun of watching "The Leopard Man" is trying to figure out the plot structure. If you haven't seen it yet, don't read the rest of this review. It's a good creepy little film, and that's all you need to know.

For those who have seen the film, here are my thoughts on it: A symphony traditionally contains four movements. This is the structure of "The Leopard Man". After an attention-grabbing introduction, in which the main theme (clattering castanets) is introduced, along with the main characters (Jerry, Kiki, Clo-Clo, and the escaped leopard), we are treated to four movements.

1st movement: Probably the best of the four parts, we begin with Clo-Clo playing her castanets while walking down the street. She picks a card to receive her fortune, and it's the card of death. This sets an ominous tone when we are suddenly introduced to a completely new set of characters--a poor Mexican family. The daughter is sent to buy some cornmeal, and we have a wonderfully suspenseful scene where she fears an attack by the leopard. The movement climaxes with her death, a perfect combination of visual, audio, and (especially) what's left to the imagination.

2nd movement: We once again have a brief encounter with the main characters and a reminder of the castanet theme. Then we are introduced to a whole new set of characters--a young girl, her family, and her off-camera lover. Another creepy scene takes place in a graveyard, and it also climaxes with the young girl's death.

3rd movement: We are again reminded of the main characters, but this time we begin to follow their stories to completion. The third movement focuses on Clo-Clo, and the castanets, though present, are used sparingly. This completely develops the death card story which was foreshadowed earlier in the film. Once again, this section climaxes with the woman's death.

4th movement (the finale): Up until now, due to selective camera shots, we haven't been entirely certain whether the killings have been the result of the leopard or someone else. The escaped leopard's story is concluded by finding its dead body. The remaining cast's story is also carried out to the end. The true murderer is revealed--once again with the aid of the castanets--and killed. The climax of the entire film is the death of "the leopard man".

In all of his films, Val Lewton played with the idea of life vs. death, and this film is no exception. The castanet music throughout the film helps us to experience the dance between life and death. The deaths are always shocking, and they initially seem to have the final word. But the final scene actually shows the victory of life. Jerry and Kiki walk off together, determined to make the most of their lives together.

We don't know how long we have on this earth, so we should cherish every moment. And only through death can we appreciate the gift of life. This is the message of Lewton's and Tourneur's thrilling, beautiful, and sometimes unsettling symphony.


Well, Jaques Tourneur is a great director. I saw many films by him. I liked most of his works for they are smart. They all have something inside, more that one can expect. This 1943 film is a great detective psychological film. It has to do with a narrow circle of people who are investigating the deaths of several women in New Mexico. They think that the ran away black leopard is killing people, but more they investigate the more they get to know that someone close, who is killer. A lot of cemeteries pictures are here. This film has good suspense and music. I would recommend this film for people who are fond of Hitchcock and black and white surrealism.

Andrey Grachev

www.myspace.com/neizvest


"The Leopard Man" is a pretty good entry in the genre.

**SPOILERS**

Working in a Spanish-theme nightclub, Kiki, (Jean Brooks) and Clo-Clo, (Margo) are surprised when club-owner Jerry Manning, (Dennis O'Keefe) decides to pair Kiki up with a leopard for her act. When it runs away during the performance, the police scour the city for it. Shortly afterward, a vicious crime-spree sweeps through the city where all the victims are viciously slaughtered. Admitting that the leopard is behind the attacks but concerned that the show needs go on, they continue to keep the nightclub open during the investigation. As they decide to pool their resources together to hunt the leopard down, new evidence comes to light that it may not be the creature after all. Finally able to solve the case, they go out to try to catch the killer cat before it strikes again.

The Good News: This one is a little better than expected. One of it's best features is that the creature is loose at the very beginning of the film. The very first scene in the film has the cat loose means that there's plenty of opportunity for attacks spread throughout, and there's something for the film to go for in terms of action. The first confrontation is it's best overall scene, as it's inside an exceptionally creepy location with some great action scenes and a fantastic conclusion that is far ahead of the types of attacks generally shown at the time and becoming quite violent and brutal. That it, for once, actually takes place off-screen through sounds makes it a lot more thrilling than it really should be. This is a really great, chilling scene that is suspenseful and spooky. There's even a mild amount of bloodshed from the attack. A scene in a graveyard preceding an attack is pretty creepy and suspenseful as well, with a long, stalking-like set-up through a pretty creepy-looking location. That there's a sensible-sized body count also works, making it seem a lot more fast-paced despite all the talking in-between. All of these are part of it's pluses.

The Bad News: This one here was a pretty flawed film. One of the worst ones is that it spends tons of time on useless scenes and subplots that serve no purpose in the film. The scenes with the family celebrating the birthday are the most obvious. There's no reason to feature these scenes at all, as watching a family member wandering around picking up a gift and then celebrating with each other is a giant useless series of scenes. These are placed in the middle of a series of scenes that are simply excruciating to sit through. They're boring, dull and have nothing at all to do with the cat tale. They're also hard to sit through for the fact that nothing interesting goes on in them. It's not exciting to see that scene after scene of watching people do absolutely nothing yet continue to talk away. That there's not even an attack as a result of these scenes is only another matter against them. It happens off-screen after a pretty nice set-up. That's what makes the scene so infuriating. These make it a little more flawed.

The Final Verdict: While this one's a little flawed, it does have some good moments in it to make it a little more watchable than most. Recommended viewing for fans of this style of film, or for those who want to see a more subdued creature feature, though those who like more action-packed films seek caution.

Today's Rating-PG: Mild Violence


For publicity at a nightclub, Kiki's manager Jerry Manning gets his hands on a tame black leopard for her performance. But it gets scared, and manages to escape into the small New Mexico town. The town becomes incredibly frightened, when one dead body is replaced with another each night and the evidence is pointing towards the leopard. Although Jerry doesn't believe it is the leopard doing the brutal killings, but someone using it to their advantage.

"The Leopard Man" is another from the Val Lewton staple and it's probably his most unique one too. After directing the minor classics "The Cat People" and "I Walk with a Zombie", Jacques Tourneur returns with another successful stint in the power of suggestion with slick finesse and creepy atmosphere to boot. Tourneur's masterful direction carries the disjointed and fairly unconvincing screenplay by Adrel Wray. The interlocking structure that shifts back and forth between major and minor characters is an interesting (if ambitious) experiment for its time. While being well paced (since it just clocks over the hour mark), it plays more like separate little stories or set pieces to the bigger picture. This gave it an unpredictable pattern on who's going to get it next. This was achieved by the way chance-like camera-work sweeping across the screen onto different characters. Strangely enough the minor stories are far more interesting than the major one of Kiki and Jerry. The problem was I didn't particularly feel any sympathy for any of the characters (well, only the first victim) and the film's final revelation is rather flimsy and truly unfulfilling. Tourner likes to focus on the individually cold-hearted deaths with great skill and subdued intentions. The intensity he brings to the screen with great use of the camera, lighting, sound effects and the music score only added to the dramatic effect of each scene. This was enhanced by the hauntingly bone-rattling edge and eerily shadowy sets. He sure demonstrates some compelling patches that truly are blood curdling without the need of showering the viewer with too much detail. The first death scene is a perfect example. The performances are mostly fine from a fancy cast, if little underdone by Jean Brooks and Dennis O'Keefe. The problem is that they feel to glitzy than being down-to-earth folks. A zippy Margo definitely shines in her flamenco dancer role. Also floating by are sound turns from Ben Ward, Abner Biberman, Isabel Jewell, James Bell and Keefe Brasselle.

What mostly keeps you involved with "The Leopard Man", is Tourneur's memorable touches and Margo's colourfully etched performance.


This film holds up well as a good, basic thriller. It doesn't have the same kind of strange, mystical power of other Lewton films, but is effective at invoking the image of dark streets at night, when the most ordinary sidewalks and street lamps take on a sinister feeling. The most remarkable aspect is the surprisingly strong and unconcealed sexual motive for the killings. SPOILERS AHEAD: The murderer's confession at the end is reminiscent of the speech Peter Lorre makes to the kangaroo court in Lang's M. His compulsive, rambling confession has a strangely authentic quality, of the words spilling out awkwardly and spontaneously, trying to make sense of his crimes as much to himself, as well as justifying his actions to others. Though a blatantly sexual motive isn't mentioned, it's hard to interpret his words any other way, except as a twisted, rape sort of feeling. The photography is excellent and the performances at least adequate. Two sequences are especially effective, the young woman trapped in the locked cemetery, and the terrifying encounter of another girl with the escaped panther under a railroad bridge. This last sequence still has the power to unnerve the viewer sixty years later, and is one of the best of the Lewton "buses". This may seem petty, but at least two other viewers have commented on the same theme. The mean-spirited mother who refuses to pay any attention to her daughter's story of the escaped panther, and dismisses it as a lie to get out of going to the store, and then cruelly locks her out of the house, must be the most obnoxious mother outside of Cinderella. The younger brother mocks his sister's fear, by throwing the shadow puppet silhouette of a leopard's head on the wall of the kitchen, but is seen doing the same thing in the funeral parlor, where his sister is lying in her coffin. Whether this was intentional, or the child actor felt like doing it and didn't know the camera was on him, I don't know, but I found myself yelling at the DVD player, " That a..hole is still doing it! What the hell's the matter with you?" No one in the movie even seems to notice.


Val Lewton's productions have long been treasured by cinematic aestheticians. This accrues not only from his singularly intelligent treatment and subtle presentation of macabre themes, but from his recurring Lewton "stock company" of players. How we Lewton devotees savor the return of Jane Randolph, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, Russell Wade, Sir Lancelot, Tom Conway, Ottola Nesmith ! etc. etc.

Less noted perhaps, are the recurring props to be spotted in Lewton films. Thus, Ottola Nesmith's tufted Victorian sofa from "The Leopard Man," later becomes the property of Miss Julia Dean in "Curse of the Cat People, besides making an appearance in Lewton's "Mademoiselle Fifi," and a 1966 episode of ABC's "That Girl" ! Likewise, Miss Nesmith's daughter in the same film, ("Teresa") sleeps in the same curly maple bed destined to later belong to little Ann Carter in "Curse...".

Many other Lewton props follow this same recycling pattern, i.e., Kim Hunter in "Seventh Victim," turns up in that film's cocktail party sequence sporting Jane Randolph's fur trimmed topcoat from "Cat People"; the exterior double doors to Simone Simon's "Cat People" brownstone apartment building do double duty as the entrance to a hotel in "Seventh Victim," as well as serving as portals to the museum in "Leopard Man."

These delightful economies, however, may have more to do with RKO than Mr. Lewton, since Julia Dean's Victorian chairs may also be spotted in the non Lewton productions, "Beware My Lovely" and "Experiment Perilous."

Lewton aficianados may also be interested in a minor blooper from the "Seventh Victim." In that film Jean Brooks has unpainted fingernails throughout, however, the close-up of her (alleged) hand moving across the stucco wall during the Greenwich Village chase sequence (inexexplicably) features a hand with dark nail paint.


I saw this movie many years ago,and it was plenty scary,especially,the part,where the mother wouldn't let her daughter in the house,unless she brought food,so she went to get food and on the way back,she saw white eyes looking at her,and she started to run,she got to her mothers house,but it was to late,she gets attacked by a leopard and her mother sees blood coming from under the door,when she opens the door she sees her daughter laying dead,that is about all i remember about the movie and often wonder if it will ever be released on video. i really would love to see this movie again.i would like to see if the movie is as scary as when i first saw it.


The Leopard Man is a triumph of style over content. The plot of an escaped leopard terrifying a community certainly justifies calling this a horror film, but it succeeds as a minor masterpiece in the genre only because of the elegant direction and cinematography, which took advantage of the black and white medium. In the DVD Val Lewton Collection , Citizen Kane is mentioned frequently, both for its artistry and for its financial disappointment; (though I have read that in fact it turned a small profit.) Also mentioned are the films of Astaire and Rogers, and their use of black and white photography. It may be that Lewton and company learned from their RKO predecessors, especially Citizen Kane; in this case to cast an ominous aura over the action. The color black is the key, from the time that the leading lady decides to wear a black gown for her night club entrance with the leopard. The leopard image is used to foreshadow the deaths of the two young girls. In one case the black hand shadow of a leopard head made by her brother hangs over and behind her head as she leaves the house. In the other, the mother of the second victim is seen carrying a black cat in her arms. Then there is the Ace of Spades dealt to Margo by the fortune teller on two occasions. All very stylish! If not for the men behind the scenes the film would have been lost in the abyss of B films gone and also forgotten. The performances are about as wooden as one would expect in a typical B film, with only Margo conveying some of the tension one would expect from persons in a small town with a frightened leopard on the loose. However, special note should be taken of Dynamite, the big cat who receives billing, possibly as a result of his terrifying performance in Cat People, when he set the stage for the action, chewing on a large roast in his cage. However, one cannot help but be puzzled by the fact that a black panther is playing a leopard (which in this film did change his spots). Did RKO have him under a long-term contract? Comparing his performance with those of the actors reminds me of the supposed comment of director van Dyke after the filming of Rose Marie, starring Nelson Eddy as a mountie: "It was easier to get a good performance from his horse than it was from Nelson".


Apart from its classic murder sequences (particularly the first with its bloody pay-off), this one has an original, audacious structure (criticized at the time because it was not understood) with the narrative following minor characters every once in a while and veering off into seemingly unrelated subplots - a half-century prior to Tarantino's would-be seminal PULP FICTION (1994), but also Luis Bunuel's THE PHANTOM OF LIBERTY (1974)!!

Dennis O'Keefe is a wonderful lead as the sleuth figure; in fact, the film is actually more of a thriller since the murders do not have a basis in the supernatural (as was the case with the previous two Lewton/Tourneur collaborations). Though Jean Brooks is ostensibly the heroine, Margo is given more screen-time and her role is a lot more interesting: her performance as the doomed artiste - frequently resorting to her fortune-teller friend Isabel Jewell, who unfailing turns up the death card! - is quite moving. James Bell underplays his pivotal role as the museum curator/animal expert (which is similar to the brief doctor part he essayed in I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE [1943]); also fine is Abner Biberman as the owner of the escaped leopard, who blacks out during his frequent drinking binges and thinks he may be the murderer.

The small-town atmosphere is brilliantly captured on a studio set (marred only by some corny elements in the script intended to accentuate the local color, such as the over-use of Margo's castanets - to the point where they even become a motif - or the birthday song delivered to the second victim of the titular creature…but, especially, the infuriatingly stupid mother of the little girl - who bullies her innocent and fearful daughter to an early grave!); the 'outdoor' climax, then, is given an added touch of strangeness by taking place in the midst of a procession headed by a group of caped villagers!

Curiously, both the Leslie Halliwell and Leonard Maltin film guides give the running-time as a mere 59 minutes; however, the two times I've watched the film, it's always been by way of the full-length 66-minute version! William Friedkin's Audio Commentary is a good listen, despite his tendency to describe the on-screen action (though almost always accentuated by his own interpretation of events); this was his favorite among the Lewton horrors - and, in fact, it's very much underrated among fans but, personally, I loved it immediately!


"The Leopard Man" is the third and the last horror film made by Jacques Tourner in collaboration with RKO's producer Val Lewton, others being "Cat People" and "I walked with a Zombie". Made using the same visual and narrative techniques as the previous films, this one is not so successful in achieving the same quality as other two of them. "The Leopard man" is a sort of "mixture" between a horror film and a film "noir" or a "balance" between them, if to say it correctly.

 The story is simple: a leopard escapes from a traveling circus in a small New Mexican town and terror begins to reign when the corpse of a young woman is found apparently dead as a result of leopard's attack. The hunt for the leopard begins while more people become victims of a ferocious animal, meanwhile the question arises: Is it really the leopard who is guilty of all those murders? 7/10


Set in a small New Mexico village, this is a classic 'noir' tale of two rival nightclub entertainers, an escaped black leopard, and a serial killer. By today's standards, the plot is predictable and you'll figure out who the killer is early on, but there is till much to enjoy-great black&white photography, neat camera angles, and at least one chilling scene...the blood of the young girl seeping under the door, while her mother and brother stand by helplessly. Worthy of note is the lack of visuals concerning the actual murders...rarely do we see the cat or the killer. Considered a classic in its time, this one stayed around the theatre circuit for over a decade.


This is a compelling and oddly comforting drama. There is the setting and the time -- Hastings, on the southern coast of England during World War II. Hastings of course was the site of the last successful invasion of England, in 1066, and that threat seems real in the early days of the war. In the series, it is a provincial town where Deputy Chief Superintendent Foyle tries to solve local crimes of theft and murder, while dealing with wartime problems of black markets, sabotage and espionage. In addition to meddling from police superiors with their own agendas, Foyle must contend with bureaucratic and military interference from London as the war creates situations that lets criminals go free.

Then there are the scripts and the actors, not to mention the overall quality of the production -- lucid photography, theme music with echoes of Brideshead Revisited, period clothing, vehicles, etc. The writing is measured, intelligent, no wasted words. Honeysuckle Weeks and Anthony Howell in the supporting roles of Samantha Stewart and Paul Milner are excellent and play off each other well.

But the show belongs to Michael Kitchen and you wonder why you've never seen this actor before and when you will see him again. He conveys the competence and integrity you want in your hero, but the real attraction, I think, is that he is the ultimate father figure. He is concerned about people without wearing it on his sleeve; gruff, even curt, but letting us glimpse the tenderness behind it; and he is wise, not only a clever detective but wise in the ways of the human heart. He is a father not only to his son, Andrew, an RAF pilot, but also to Sam and Milner and to any number of characters in the various episodes, including his goddaughter in the last (final?) episode. Invariably, this father knows best. While he conveys a sense of vulnerability, you never have the feeling Foyle has really made a mistake. This is why I think the films are comforting. With all the chaos of war, and darkness of human behavior, Foyle moves through it all, self-possessed, caring, and ultimately, even when circumstances beyond his control keep him from actually incarcerating the wrongdoer, successful in protecting his charges from evil.


"Foyle's War" is all about Michael Kitchen as Christopher Foyle, a soft-spoken civilian detective who unravels murder mysteries using his deductive prowess while Britain gears up for WWII. Everything that happens in this very civilized, easy-going TV drama series is inextricably involved with the Brit war effort imparting a sense of the period and the history to the intrigues and drama of the stories. Although some clues are kept from the audience, much of each of the 90 minute mysteries can be deduced along with the protag offering an enjoyable "play along" aspect as Foyle slogs toward the inevitable crime busting conclusion. "Foyle's War" should be good stuff for those into cozy mystery fun. (B+)


Michael Kitchen absolutely shines in this fine series; it is about moral dilemmas rather than crime. Kitchen's characterisation of a fearless good man in hard times is magnificent; we know we can trust exactly what he says and even if some of his solutions are a bit deus ex machina we cannot resent it because his moral force absolutely justifies the end. The other actors do a great job of presenting the shades of grey through which he moves. My favourite is still Simon West. Who can resist Kitchen's throwaway response to "It's not a good time"? And his magnificently insulting summing up in the French Drop? I know little enough about the Home Front around this period, and that I learnt from Dad's Army! But the muted colours and all the obscure minutiae of a rationed and regulated society provide a feeling that this is how it was, even if it wasn't.


The most derogatory remark I've ever heard an intelligent people make about this program is that it drags on a bit, but quite frankly that's only because ITV go and stick 25 minutes of adverts into a otherwise perfect fluid 95minute program. I suppose you could argue that the sheer lack of offended and dishearten viewers is testament to its boring nature, but that quite frankly is nonsense as well. You see the thing about this program is that it soothes you, it's relaxing to watch but doesn't insult your intelligence. I could go on for pages and pages about the acting, writing and attention to period detail but I won't bother because by the looks of it many before me have done so already. The two simple and only facts you really need to know about this program are that Kitchen is an underrated genius and that as detective/murder mysteries go this is, and will remain, a timeless masterpiece.


Foyle's War is unique in it's blending of history and fiction. I just finished watching a special feature that filmed the stunt preparation for a spitfire crash in "Enemy Fire". I am amazed at the thought and detail that go into making these films.

This is one of the rare productions that makes you think 'outside the box'. Anthony Horowitz has really perfected his craft in putting together scripts,a cast and a crew that can carry off a challenge like this. The concept of a detective solving crimes during a war is in itself a thought-provoking basis for a series. The challenge of balancing right and wrong is integrally woven into each show, and I find myself thinking about moral dilemmas presented in each episode long after watching.

I highly recommend this series for all ages.


Michael Kitchen is simply outstanding -- there is no other word for it.

The three series I have seen are a model of understatement. The supporting cast is excellent. In Series 2 and 3 Foyle appears as a more self-confident man, and therefore I prefer by a small margin the first series, where he seems less sure of himself and less ready to brook authority.

There is a tendency in the plots for Foyle to reveal the complicated machinations of each case in the last few minutes with what can sometimes appear to be astonishing insight, but this is a minor quibble. Well worth seeing -- and re-seeing.


Personally, I find Foyle's War very well done for a war time series and a police series for that matter. I also like the characters' personalities. Foyle does not use foul language nor does he raise his voice along with other main characters. Sam's character is actually uplifting as a chauffeur and her being helpful to Foyle. For most police series I rather watch British series such as Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders, New Tricks, Rosemary & Thyme, A Touch Of Frost, etc. rather than those hyper tension ones that American networks are bringing out.

I watch it with my wife on either TV Ontario or WPBS from the US. we like it very much.


Positively the worst and most misleading summary I have yet seen on IMDb! (Unless I have been completely hoodwinked - I was born just after the war!) According to my knowledge gleaned from various sources and what I have been told over the years, there may have been concerns at the individual level, but there was certainly no mass terror or hysteria displayed as a result of bombings or the prospect of an invasion of the UK, during the darkest days of WW2!

In fact, one thing that is unfailingly depicted throughout the whole, excellent series of Foyles War is the calm control and sangfroid of the main characters that was typical back then, even if it seems to have disappeared somewhat these days. This was exemplified in the way that Foyle managed to winkle out the truth in the various situations he encountered by means of shrewd observation and reasoned deduction, without any trace of unnecessary drama, raised voices or arm-waving and the series is all the better for it - the modern trend in TV/movies that portrays police work as panicky, fraught and highly-charged emotionally is unrealistic (certainly unBritish) and, thankfully, absent in this excellent series.

Anyone who enjoyed tapping into the lost, old-worlde charm of this UK series set during WW2 may well enjoy the equally good (but far funnier) lighthearted but soulful comedy series 'Dad's Army'!


Foyle's War has a good and quite believable wartime atmosphere, largely due to the good sets and costumes. The stories are also often good. There are some quite glaring problems, though. One is the anachronistic speech, for which the revered Michael Kitchen is often to blame. He tends towards the dreaded (and very modern) "uptalk" which turns normal statements into seeming questions, as in, "My name's Foyle? I'm a policeman?" His extremely mannered performance is a bit of a trial overall, in my opinion. He manages to make underacting into a kind of overacting.

Some of the phraseology is too modern, too. For example, British people did not talk about the 'train station' until very recent times. It was just called the station, or, in full, the railway station.

Foyle's two sidekicks are better than him. In particular, Honeysuckle Weeks excellently picks up on Deborah Kerr's role as Colonel Blimp's driver Johnny (in the famous 1943 film). She seems exactly in period and lifts the series.


Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) is a widowed middle-aged detective stationed on the south coast of England at the outbreak of the Second World War; Foyle has a son Andrew who is a student at Oxford before volunteering with the Royal Air Force.

Due to wartime shortages in manpower amongst the Police, Foyle requests a driver and gets a uniformed civilian volunteer named Samantha Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks). Foyle also recruits a disabled war veteran and former police detective Paul Milner from his hospital bed as his Sergeant.

The series serves both as a good period piece drama with some very informative and interesting historical elements combined with some very good detective/mystery story elements.

The series puts considerable emphasis on a number of social issues of the time and also paints a very evocative portrait of England during the war. The production values are very impressive especially when you consider this is a period television series with considerable scope and budget limitations.

The standouts for me amongst the regular cast are Michael Kitchen who is incredibly effective in underplaying his role while still managing to make Foyle a very sympathetic character, and Honeysuckle Weeks who seems perfectly suited to her character. The interplay between these two characters is certainly a highlight of the series.

The series has attracted some very impressive talent which has included such veterans as Edward Fox and Charles Dance as well as up and coming talent like James McAvoy and David Tennant (Doctor Who).


My wife and I became obsessed with the British crime series "Midsomer Murders". We've seen all the episodes available. Then my wife latched onto "Foyle's War" and we've become big, big fans of this series also. We agree with everyone about Michael Kitchen's performances and the historical background against which the story unfolds. Everything about this show looks authentic, feels authentic and sounds authentic. Not having lived through that time we are learning so much about the period. We're beginning to learn more about just exactly what England went through during the war by connecting some of these events in a time line. We are looking forward to the possible three new episodes to be filmed in the spring of '09. And we wouldn't mind if the series went on for longer than the war lasted. We let "M*A*S*H" get away with it. This is one series that deserves to be on longer.


I found the comment about the rank of Detective Chief Superintendent, not being introduced, until post World War 2, nit picking. It takes nothing away from the entertainment, to me. Do not people watch this kind of programme, just to be entertained? If one looks for them, one can find flaws in anything.

Samantha, adds a welcome touch of mischievous humour. However her comment, about hoping for a German Invasion, just so she could get a cup of tea,was OTT. Something as traumatic as that should not have been so trivialised. The reality thankfully never happened. Another likable person, apart from Mr Foyle, was the Uniformed Superintendent.

p.s. For your information. The Oxford English Dictionary, gives 'Trivialized.' as a correct spelling for this word.


The main advantage of this series is that it not only gives us a vivid description of life in Britain during World War 2 but also adds all the ingredients that are inherent to good detective stories. The threat of a possible German invasion obviously had an enormous impact on the inhabitants and these aspects are often discarded in many historical accounts of this tragic period. "Foyle's War" concentrates on what really went on in the average person's mind and does not avoid revealing the darker side of human nature in general. Themes such as the undeniable sympathy for Hitler and Nazi Germany that existed in certain aristocratic circles, the growing hatred towards refugees and Jews, the plight of young children who were sent to the countryside in order to avoid the bombings in the major cities and were often worse off than had they stayed with their parents, are touchy subjects which are not avoided in a series that certainly aims at painting a truthful picture. Most episodes are very slow paced as if to illustrate how insignificant a crime committed by an individual basically is compared to the imminent danger of the destruction of a whole nation. This atmosphere of gloom and doom often leads the protagonists to reflect profoundly on the meaning of war and life in general which gives the series an extra dimension.The acting is exquisite and contributes largely to the sense of contained despair that many must have experienced at that time in history.


That phrase isn't always an oxymoron, just usually. A fine British drama about a seaside town policeman Foyle, who against the backdrop of early WW2, is left behind to fight plain vanilla law and order. Excellent, excellent excellent accomplishment on all fronts. Michael Kitchen does the brooding intensity bit quite well. The extreme close ups of the cool-blue eyes, and his unemotional but very sharp one-liners make for both an extremely effective and likable pro-tag. Like all good TV series, Foyle too has a marvelous supporting cast. But i think the true credit here has to go the writing for some very imaginative non-tiring stories. Like all of these modern quasi whodunits however, Foyle's War withholds from the audience some if not most of the requisite tools needed to solve the crime, no surprise there. And like all series good and bad, the general theme lacks subtlety and is too clearly repetitive. Foyle every week has a crime usually murder to solve, that is somehow entangled in the war effort, very cool idea. But, it also usually involves either the aristocracy or military or both, as the ultimate culprit. Hardly a unique phenomenon in modern entertainment, this posturing is evident in most outlets for viewers, c'est la vie I suppose. Foyle is so well done, that even I can overlook the commie claptrap and strongly recommend it to weary viewers tired of the usual rubbish we are force fed here in America. Foyle is most certainly a cut above most.


There is really nothing with which to compare this episodic series. The pacing, the acting, and the plots blend to create a superb fictional experience. I find very, very little to like in today's movies (No Country for Old Men being an exception) and much more to like on television, which I understand his heresy to some, but Six Feet Under, Doctor Findlay, Morse, Midsomer Murders, The Shield etc. far surpass any movie I've seen in a long time. This show in particular shows what can be done in cinema but not in writing--very, very unique. Seeing Foyle, his driver and his immediate subordinate act their parts really helps make this a fine viewing experience. Kitchen, playing the lead, is a fine actor and performs admirably, but the writing is what makes this show--Horowitz, the writer and creator, never varies from show to show. He controls the unfolding of this show, without the viewer having to worry about different writers muddling the waters. I highly recommend this show and would urge viewers to watch the series sequentially, starting, of course with the first episode.


I love this show, not only for it's good and cozy criminal stories, but also for the new perspective of a criminal story; during war and is actually being affected by it. Great directed, good actors and actresses, nice storyline and atmosphere/environment. 9 out of 10, because I don't think it's perfect. If it had been perfect, I couldn't live without it and I can. I do recommend it though, especially for a nice quiet evening with hot chocolate and other cozy features.

(I've managed to see as many episodes as possible and tonight I just saw the last one and was devastated to see that this is the end of Foyle's War. I will as soon as possible write to BBC concerning this and ask why it had to come to an end and insinuate my opinion.)


It goes without saying that by this time detective stories and murder mysteries arrive with a great deal of thespian baggage. Any filmed story that depends heavily on plot with an emphasis on finding all the clues along the way to a revealing conclusion must by its very nature owe much to established convention. Thus a review or critique seeking to find unique properties must needs look to elements other than plot. In this case one comes across excellent production values, superb acting, and an historical feel that avoids 21st century sentiment.

To anyone who lived through the time in question, the notion that people behave differently in times of national peril is a given. Yet there was always underlying the stress and uncertainty as to mere survival an everyday kind of dealing with affairs such as buying and selling goods, attending to civic duties, looking out for one's family, and avoiding the tax man. The role of a policeman was in that sense highly valued, as this series seeks to demonstrate. Even during blackouts and air raid drills, we still had to depend on ordinary policemen to maintain order. And things like rationing and price controls lent themselves quite naturally to crimes such as profiteering and, to some extent, episodes of violence that are the stuff of all murder mysteries.

Foyle as created by the writer was trapped by circumstance as so many of us were in roles on the home front. As one of the episodes points out, he was prevented from taking a direct role in military affairs by way of having made enemies of influential officers in the course of pursuing his police investigations. The scope of this series is broad, much more than can be conveyed in any one episode. I was particularly impressed with how the father and son relationship, appropriately played by Kitchen and Ovenden (who even bear a physical resemblance to each other), evolve over several episodes.

Do by all means find a way to buy or rent the whole series so as to appreciate more than this or that plot. Some of them are a little thin and formulaic without that spectrum.


With so much work done on detail in this series, I was some what shocked to see a RN Captain with a mustache. As a former Lieut in the RNVR I know that at least during the war they were not allowed in the Navy. You had to have a full beard or be clean shaven. I also noticed that several times they left a door open at night and a light was seen, Other than these two items, I must praise all involved with Foyle's for making not only a first class murder mystery but such interesting background into the war.I read somewhere that they hopes the show would go on till at V Day. I sure hope that it will and the DVD's will be on sale in the USA.


With so few decent prime-time shows on regular networks- we can't let this one go! My husband and I have mostly just been hooked on HBO shows for years and only have 1-2 shows that we regularly watch on the non-cable channels (like the original CSI). Lipstick Jungle, while toned down from Sex and the City, is a great option for those of us missing that show. And it's actually much more realistic- more development on the careers and family issues. If you haven't watched, check out some of the full episodes on the internet- you'll see it's worth saving. And while I'm at it- My Own Worst Enemy is also VERY worth saving- already great and with lots of potential for future story line twists...


This show seems to be quite underrated. It's got it going on - solid story lines and characters. Everyone is very believable in the roles and the story lines are relate-able. It's kinda fresh too vs. cliché and predictable. There are familiar faces and several new ones. Rosie Perez is a nice addition. Great acting and eye candy for the ladies and guys. This show deserves way more credit then it gets. Each episode gets better and better. The 10/8 was awesome. It's in a good time slot too - watch Project Runway then switch to NBC for this quality programming. I feel invested in the show and will keep watching it. Hope you give it a chance.


I actually am in the minority & really like this show. I thought there was a certain level of realness here, that is definitely missing in Cashmere Mafia. Yes, there are areas that need to be flushed out and fixed. But that takes time. Hey, the 1st season of Sex and the City just DID NOT work, but went on to be a great show. I believe the same can happen here. Lindsay Price needs time to settle into her role and the whole cast could use a moment to mesh. By no means am I saying these are the same show, but I feel this one needs a moment to gel and form into its own. Please stop beating the show up and give it a chance. You may actually be surprised. 8 stars!


I watched season 1 and the beginning of season 2 in a weekend, and now I am addicted. Could Nico and Kirby together be any hotter??? They have amazing chemistry! I am in awe of the two of them together, it is crazy. I hope the writers of this show keep them together because it is hot! All three women are strong women who I can totally relate to because of my own career. This show is real good and I can't wait to watch it again. I think everyone who loved sex and the city would love this show. My friends have talked about this show since it was on, but I figured since i missed the first season it would be hard to get into it, but I was wrong. It is a great show!


there are things grown people should not be subjected to.Hannah montana concerts,spice girl reunions, and lipstick jungle.This was TV at its absolute worst pandering to every fantasy, delusion and fond dream of either young single women or middle aged married ones who are sure they were meant for better things if they had just not married that bum and had those three kids.The acting,plot,premise and storyline all add to a cacaphony of bad bad TV.I'm sure Brooks shields is nice to her mother and the other two ladies have good qualities as people and actors but they weren't in that dopey soap opera I should've known as Brook shields was in the only movie I can remember walking out of It was a black and white thing called "Pretty baby " Look for it if all the copies haven't been destroyed


This is a GREAT show - finally strong, independent, successful women on TV. We can all learn from watching Nico and Co, who in the show does with the usual problems successful women have to deal with, such as jealousy of their partners or macho-colleagues. My favourite character on this show is Nico, she has so much class and is very forceful. I really enjoyed watching Sex in the City and I also like Desperate Housewives from time to time. But my favourite characters of these shows are definitely the strong women who don't scream "Save me, Prince, save me!" But I also like the glamour-factor, which Desperate Housewives lacks completely and in Sex and the City Miranda wasn't very glamorous and Samantha.. well, was unique, but no one I would see as a role model in certain ways. Lipstick Jungle has both: Glamour and strong women with role model ability!

I'm totally addicted to this show! I also absolutely adore the jewellery they're wearing.


This show is so good. You can actually tell the characters apart. They have relationships and problems you care about. You can even identify with them. The dialog is not stupid. Finally, a show that doesn't feature sex crazed neurotic morons. This one is smart and every scene is so pretty. It's big budget all the way around. I love it. Please do not dumb it down or make it like every other lame show. I don't think it needs more sex. I think it's just fine, the way it is. I'm sick of all the idiotic shows on TV that have fast scenes, and trite one-liners that are obvious innuendo setups from the beginning. Are people really that dumb? Do writers/producers not see these shows fail over and over? Why do they keep underestimating the intelligence of the American public? On Lipstick, the guys are hot, and I like that the woman are older but hot too. You don't have to be 20 to look amazing. And I freaking love Victory Ford. I love all the characters but I love her the most. Seriously. Watch the show. I am a throw back fan from Melrose Place. This does not have near the same level of scandal but it has my attention just as well. I was originally worried that it would be too much of a Sex and the City ripoff but it really isn't. So if you're going into it worried that you're going to find Carrie and the girls, or even that you're not, don't worry-- it's worlds away from Sex. I also love Brooke Sheilds. Nico's character is growing on me, but I love her plot line. I love getting home on Thursdays, grabbing a glass of wine and settling in for the Lipstick Jungle. It really is the best way to close down the week because we all know Friday doesn't count! I do hope there's more scandal to come, but clever scandal, not just who's- sleeping- with- who scandal. Not that sex is bad, but it really should be more of a magnifier than the backbone. So far, Lipstick has proved just this, and I hope that its momentum keeps going.


I never intended to watch this show in the first place because I thought the name of the show was ridiculous and I don't particularly like Brooke Shields. Well, this series pleasantly surprised me. Kim Raver is fantastic, Lindsay Price is uplifting, and Brooke Shields is growing on me. This show balances comedy and drama effectively, and maintains a realistic tone while delving into the hackneyed fairy tale scenario of working businesswomen. The overall concept of the show is not fresh, but delving into the fictional lives of three strong women is refreshing all the same.

Just a warning: the pilot leaves a bit to be desired, so watch the next few episodes before you make a decision. I was slightly disappointed with the pilot because Brooke Shields was over-acting and the casting choice for her husband seemed random to me. Also, Lindsay Price's character started a relationship with a billionaire so quickly that it seemed even more unbelievable than a story line like that normally would.

Nice additions: Sarah Hyland as Wendy's daughter, Robert Buckley as Kirby, Andrew McCarthy as Joe Bennett, and Wendy's assistant (I can't find his name).

When it comes down to it, I wouldn't be watching if it weren't for Kim Raver. She's the backbone of the show.


I love all three of these women, they are stunning actresses, just beyond beautiful. But this series has no story anyone could possibly want to watch. Their lives have no more relation to the real world than fairy tales do. It is not just that frequent contrivances jar the viewer, it is that every aspect of their lives and every situation they face is contrived. This show cannot replicate the success of Sex in the City because part of what made that series work was its originality, and you can't repeat originality.

The show makes the mistake of carrying over Sex and the City's obsession with wealth and fame, but taking it up several notches. What the producers missed is that this obsession was never one of S&C's draws; it was not the reason people tuned in. Every time some new boyfriend on S&C was described at the most famous blabla or the leading blabla or the most powerful blabla in the widget industry the show lost its footing, but for the obliviousness of its audience of American women who cannot discern logic from nonsense.

In LJ, it is not only the boyfriends of the week who are plutonian overlords, it is the women themselves. I have no objection to a story about the most wealthy, powerful women on earth, but I don't think such a story can work as a series. I don't think you can do an entire series about them, and you can't put them in those roles and still try to make them just nice, hard-working underdogs just trying to get by.


I am in Greece Europe and watching EVERY episode, I am a strong woman with a career, I'm 34, about to get married and FINALLY a show SHOWS how it is for a woman, and the way she has to deal with things.

FINALLY something that does not betray my intelligence as sex in the city did, of which i maybe ever saw 3 episodes- couldn't stand it. (it was a ridiculous show... such as desperate housewives is)

FINALLY something that feels real and not from a different world. It is VERY natural, I love Brooke Shields and Lindsay Price and Raver, they are just ... one of a kind, EACH of them. The photography,...real, perfect, inspired.. I hate Brooke's husband in the show but again,(his character is pictured somehow like having a low IQ, which of course is something that can happen in life and shows her making a compromise - am sure she somehow is wishing deep inside shed have a husband that is more active from the start and not this "sorry", "shyish" boy-man that wakes up suddenly to realize he wasn't taking care of himself and blaming everybody else!.

THIS is the first time i think this has been portrayed by a man in a sitcom, i mean in this honest way - a man, in the position a woman usually is/or was, after her kids grew up and shes there suddenly having no plans in life, being angry that she didn't foresee this day coming - because she didn't take time to work or achieve her personal goals, in order to take care the rest of the family.

So convenient for men to look away from this wonderful story.

Oh Lindseys man, he is also in this difficult situation. finally men with feelings, but like they are in reality. not all the same and flat like in other sitcom or movies. the casting Couldn't be better..... (again except Brookes husband which every time i see him somehow, i feel he is overacting the role.. but it might also be that i hate whiny men/roles and this is maybe the point in his role)

so many feelings... it would be TOTALLY be a shame to cut the show.

thanks for reading my thoughts... I love lipstick jungle couldn't live without it.

oh ,. and Lindsey price in her role..... the most beautiful charismatic role / woman / visual.. replaces all the fake and empty Barbie dreams i maybe once had as a little girl.

KEEP THIS SHOW ALIVE PLEASE!!! I love it. ..


Unfortunately for me, i missed Sex and the City, and luckily for me, Cashmere Mafia but i would like to state for the record that this show is the pinnacle of my Sunday nights, it involves most of the things i wish i had, 100 shoes would be nice the clichés annoy me but the acting surprised me. The cheating on the husband fiasco loses the show some points, but i do love the rugged husband who does his washing. The underlying message that women can make it in the workforce and not have to apologize for it is strong in places, yet weak in others...like when they submit to the stereotypes of their gender. Some teething problems, but the show is dusted with a smooth romantic side including a house full of flowers and a candle lit romp. The series definitely has some potential and i look forward to enjoying the next seasons.


I can't wait for season 3! Is there going to be a third season? I watched both seasons back to back and loved it. This is much better than Sex in the City. This show is worth watching and leaves you wanting more. I love that it does not just focus on their careers, they have a life outside of the job that you can believe. The dialog is better than good...it's great! The fashion is good and I really like all the characters. The story line is better than Sex in the City because the character are much more realistic. There must be a season 3 in production. I hope the network is not suited up and stupid were they cancel the show because that would be a waste.


Hello everybody!

I see that I'm not the only one taken away by this great series.

I simply love it and I think it's a great, down to earth movie. Every movie is about teenager issues, finding great love, a lot of things that people only dream of, makes your heart run faster, you wish you were young again. All the issues, series focus on the same age-group, but as we get older shall I say "wiser" our problems and lifestyle, life patterns change. So we need something that is close to our age, lifestyle.

This is what I missed about SEX and the City...love this one too. Single life, single life's issues, fun and attraction....they hold on to their single status but as we find out...everyone is looking for the same thing, wants the same thing:LOVE, that special SOMEONE. They find it...so what then? Life ends?

NO...and this is when Lipstick jungle comes into the picture. Don't we have issues and problems and fun and all that when we are in a serious relationship or married?? I loved lipstick Jungle and I really hope that I get to see season 3,4,5,6,7,8....and so on. ACtually this is the reason for writing this. I hope they haven't shut down production and I get to see the next season. We need not only SEX and The City in our lives but Lipstick Jungle( or some king of Sex and Marriage/Relationship):))

THanks, hopefully someone will read it, who can help in this department:D Enjoy life:)


In Holland the second season is now on TV. I couldn't wait and i watched in on DVD already.

I also liked season 1 but it wasn't as good as sex and the city. But the second season is so good!!!! Much more humor which i really liked! The best part of season two for me is the episode where they go to the spa (without alcohol en cellphones....) when they go back as fast as they can... hahaha....and then they get car trouble. They open the hood en they are staring at the engine. It was hilarious!

In short. From season two i love this show!!!!! Really funny, but also real problems en great lovestories....just GREAT! I hope there will be much more seasons to come, i can't wait!


Recently most of my friends recommended this sitcom to me strongly. They rarely push a TV show to such high position. So I started to watch it two month ago. Now I have finished all of two seasons. I find it's better than Sex and the City from the same writer. It's more close to real life and reflects there are many factors in our real life except sex. I love Victory Ferd, who has a Asia face and good personality. She love Joe so much not for his money. Especially, when Joe was in bad condition, she proposed to him and never gave him up. That's so lovely and moving. I love this show and look forward to the next season.

By the way, I like Joe very much, who is so gentleman and seems to handle everything. Even though, sometimes he is very strong and wanna control the life of Victory.


Give Sex and the City a B-movie treatment and this is what you get. The story is in place and the characters are in place, but it is just put together in a very over-the-top, run-of-the-mill way that is hardly as classy as Sex and the City ("SatC" from now on). And no, making the characters wear designer clothes does not count as classy! I would understand that the people making this would have wanted to stay away from giving it the same treatment as SatC, but in an effort to do so ended up making it bland, pretentious and preposterous. And to be honest, having some candid sex scenes in it would have made it more honest! For me, what soured it was the fact that i could predict what was going to happen and instead of being immersed in the story, i found myself recognizing every camera trick and cut that was used in the filming! There are so many points here that could have been explored in better and/or subtle ways...Joe the billionaire deserved to be toned down for the sake of realism, for one! When, after watching an episode, you find yourself discussing what could have been instead of discussing what just happened, you know what the fate of the show is going to be, and that's what happened!

P.S.: This review is based on Season one only. Never bothered myself with season-2.


I'd rather kill myself than watch Lipstick Jungle. The acting is TERRIBLE and there is NO humor in any episode at any minute at any second. Boring story-lines, really the story changes every episode. It is just like the twenty minute series, where the story changes in every episode. From the first episode I was a little impressed. Though it wasn't funny, they produced a fine 'Pilot'. But then- when we get to 'Pink Poison'. BOR--------ING------------!!!!!!!! Cannot believe these producers want to make a series like 'Sex And The City'. And now there's Cashmere Mafia. Oh God! Brooke Shields wasn't the best actor, Kim Raver was pathetic and Linsday Price acted like an over-excited child. Her voice just makes me want to rip her throat out... I beg you, all of you who haven't watch Dipshit Jungle yet, Don't WASTE YOUR TIME.


I watched the first episode out of curiosity, but I really did not expect to like it. Even with such great actresses, I thought it would probably be stupid. But once the first episode was over I couldn't wait to watch the next one, and it's continued to be that way! These women lead such exciting lives, and their love for each other is so refreshing to watch. This show is about what friendship is suppose to be, and rich people with seemingly great lives have problems too. I'm also really enjoying Andrew McCarthy's character, Joe! He's a billionaire that can be very romantic, but he also has issues. This is a very enjoyable show!!!


I caught about 15 minutes of Cashmere Mafia (gets my vote for Worst Overall) and was sorely disappointed. I was very excited about LJ. Now, I am happy that the show seemed to flow from the beginning. I am hooked. I just want to be entertained. There is not much on t.v. these days that can pull me away from work. I don't think you can compare to Sex in the City, but this is definitely a chick show. And, I really, really want Andrew back for more. I like him anyway, but having him play a freakin' billionaire makes me over the top crazy. I just want to slap Victory when she starts that "I don't need you to rescue me" stuff. Move over V, he can rescue me anytime.


Finally a replacement for sex and the city!!!!!!! ever since that show finished there's been a much need of something that measures even halfway. The shows these days are either too melodramatic,have too many characters without much depth or are a terrible attempt at comedy. Lipstick jungle is funny, casual, scandalous and non complicated. what i love about this show is that aside from its theme of power and relationships, there is depth to all the characters. The script is engaging and even if you can't relate to the characters, you can feel for them. I would highly recommend this show to everyone. Great acting, script and direction.bravo to the team!!!


I started to watch it just because of the spoiler, when one of girls writes something bad on a coat and the woman leaves and everyone see's it. I loved that, so I had to watch. I gave it a chance and I was sucked in immediately. I absolutely loved it right away. The characters are wonderful and the actress' play them beautifully. But I do have to say, what did keep me watching was Kirby.Lord help me. I fell deeper in love and began to watch it just to see him. Its great, its hot, steamy and intriguing.The womens stories are great, and how they handle it all is interesting as well. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a great second season.


The story begins in Shanghai as it is being seized and occupied by Japan in 1940. The male lead is a collaborator with the Japanese, and the female lead is a patriotic drama student who is a friend of his wife. The students decide to use her access to the hated traitor, to assassinate him and it takes three years of caution and planning to fulfill. The production values were extravagant with beautiful cinematography, 1940s sets, music and costumes for that period, and well cast actors.

As an old timer I enjoyed seeing the 1940s atmosphere and the political intrigue. I thought of Hitchock's Notorious during a couple of the scenes. I believe the script could have been nicely topped off if the final line was: C'est la guerre!

Ang Lee's films are diverse and well executed. I've seen The Ice Storm, Hulk, Tiger/Dragon, Brokeback Mountain,and now Lust/Caution.

A plus was seeing Joan Chen in a small role as Mrs. Yee.


I saw this movie at the Moving Pictures Film Festival in Prince George, B.C. When the movie was presented to us, the organizer said that even though the main character is dying, it's not a depressing movie.

How right she was.

If anything this is an uplifting movie. Absolutely hilarious at times, which is the last thing I expected. Especially the scenes between the main character and the woman who wants to get.... well, I guess I shouldn't give that away 'til you see the movie.

I gave Two Thousand And None 8 out of 10.


I really enjoyed this movie. I always catch funny, interesting or thought provoking films late at night on television and this happens to be one of those.

John Turturro (the reason I started watching the film in the first place) plays Benjamin a character facing death attempting to make the best of it. One of the consequences of the illness causing his death is memory loss and memory is a running theme in the movie. Hilarious yet quiet, the film uses old home movie projections on different sources of water to show Benjamin's earlier memories.

Giving away some of his possessions, drinking and casual sex run a gamut of things Benjamin attempts after learning he has five weeks to live. His odd behaviour is noted and addressed by his ex-wife and friends, a very good supporting cast.

You may think the theme of a man living his life extravagantly with only weeks to live thus showing us how little time we really have is a tired and overplayed one. I thought this at the beginning of the film, but it soon won me over and I recommend it to most anyone (language and some nudity are present). Especially to anyone living in Montreal, as that is where it was filmed. Big city shots are used, which is rare when something is being filmed in Canada. 8/10


Two Thousand and None is a film about an individual facing his death. This is a tragic situation, and the tragedy is present throughout the film. The main character, a paleontologist named Benjamin Kasparian, however, has a really admirable and stoical attitude towards dying. The contrast between Kasparian's bravery and the worry of people close to him is a source of warm and humane comedy. However, the movie seems to be made to provoke thought about the value of life rather than to amuse the audience.

It's really a shame that Two Thousand and None doesn't seem to have found it's audience. People who would love it haven't seen it and most of them never will. Myself I was fortunate enough to see the movie in the Finnish television, but in order to have access to a DVD version, I had to order it from Italy with a name L'Uomo di Talbot. Fortunately the original English audio track was included.

Anyone with a terminal condition called life should see and enjoy this film and learn from it.