Review of Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) by Grant S — 10 Sep 2016
A US Army base somewhere in the South, late-1940s/early-1950s. A quiet, relatively unimportant base, it is the model of serenity. On this base we have Major Weldon Penderton (played by Marlon Brando), a lecturer in military tactics and strategy. He's married to Leonora (Elizabeth Taylor). There's also Lt. Colonel Morris Langton (Brian Keith) and his wife Alison (Julie Harris). On the surface, everything appears normal and uneventful. However, dig a bit deeper and you'll see that there is no passion in the Pendertons' marriage - they barely tolerate each other. Mrs Penderton is having an affair with Lt. Col. Langton. Mrs Langton has mental issues. Then there's the strange, voyeuristic, repressed Private Williams (Robert Forster)...
Directed by John Huston, starring Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor. Three icons of movie making - surely a recipe for success? Well, not entirely.
Slow moving, with brief sparks of intrigue. this movie never kicks into a higher gear. It was never entirely boring but never fully engaging either. The movie seemed set up for a profound ending but the ending was reasonably predictable and inevitable.
While there are some decent themes, especially involving repression of feelings and desires, these are never explored too thoroughly.
Interesting enough, but not overly engaging or satisfying.
Solid performances by Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Brian Keith, Julie Harris and Robert Forster. On the negative side we have the character Anacleto, played by Zorro David. An incredibly badly and irritatingly drawn character, badly played with dialogue badly dubbed.
This review of Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) was written by Grant S on 10 Sep 2016.
Reflections in a Golden Eye has generally received positive reviews.
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