366

The Glue Man? Really?

It begins slow, but the character development never stops until you realize that it isn't the movie you thought it was.

#381

# 434

Is it a comedy? A romance? A war movie? A mystery? I don't know if P&P tried to make a foolhardy movie to embrace all genres, but somehow it worked out.

A quaint and well made war effort movie. It's very nice to look at and everything ties together very well. The optimistic feel and pervading sense of duty and patriotism common in these movies is ever present, and yet it actually fits in very well and doesn't feel forced except for a couple of moments.

The Glue Man plot line is a bit. . .preposterous, but the parallels between The Canterbury Tales and the mystery and legend surrounding the pilgrims of old are definitely interesting. This is also visually stunning, some highlights being any shot of the Canterbury Cathedral, the first time we see Bob wake up in his inn room with light pouring in through the windows, and the shot of fog surrounding a lone silhouetted figure at the back of the frame.

I don't get very excited for Powell & Pressburger, yet I liked this one despite myself. Very bucolic and infectiously optimistic, patriotic and stirring without being too hokey. The movie touches a lot of bases, but does so with a gentle breeziness that carries you along from one theme to another. Almost immediately I was attached to the characters and was pleased to share their journey. Not exactly "my" kind of film, but refreshing and satisfying nonetheless.

Probably the most feel-good "war movie" I've ever seen, it only qualifies because it has WWII as its backdrop, while its plot is a light (even humorous at times) detective story. One suspects that it served a certain function for audiences at the time, but it's far from pacifying propaganda. It's a very well written film, full of likable characters, humane and without an ounce of cynicism.

Powell/Pressburger works are guaranteed to leave a smile on your face.

the first powell/pressburger collaberation i've seen that wasn't awesome, i haven't lost my faith yet, but if this happens more than twice i just might. simply boring, silly (in a bad way), and unbelievably cheesy--so much, in fact, that if the entire plot revolved around the glue man it would have been more realistic.

"Curious allegorical epic which was supposed to speak to Allied spirits during the second world war but was a trifle obscure in its symbolism even then."

334

There's so much I like about this movie: the silly but engaging writing, the snappy way the actors deliver their lines, the even snappier pacing of each individual scene mixed with the lenient pace of the movie as a whole, the way the movie is romantic and traditionalist without being sentimental or overly conservative; and the list goes on. However, the story ended up feeling somewhat ephemeral and the conclusion felt... inconclusive. The last 20 minutes weren't much of anything at all.