The Hill
When the head of a prison institution isn’t paying attention, and the medical officer lacks courage, those in authority one step beneath them can give free rein to their sadistic tendencies, and the inmates have no chance of escape. With a focus on the functions and dysfunctions of systems of justice reminiscent of 12 ANGRY MEN (1957), but filmed in an almost expressionistic style that at times foreshadows something like SECONDS (1966), this contains a lot of shouting but is well-written (by a former prisoner) and well-acted (they’re all good, but perhaps the standout is Harry Andrews), so that ultimately it succeeds in involving the viewer in the unfolding tragic drama. Cf., Sidney Lumet, Making Movies (New York: Vintage Books, 1995), p. 212:
“Long after the ordeal of making it was over, I went to the distributor’s office to look at the opening-day ads. It consisted of a full-page drawing of Sean Connery, mouth wide open as if screaming in rage. Above his head, in a ‘thought balloon’ right out of the comics, was a drawing of a belly dancer. Don’t ask me why. Was he angry at the belly dancer? But there was more. Across the top of the ad, in big white letters, the copy read: ‘Eat it, Mister!’ I couldn’t believe my eyes. Even if it had anything to do with the movie – and it didn’t – it made no sense. It was blatant insanity.
“That night at dinner, I literally burst into tears. My wife asked what was wrong. I said I was just so tired of fighting. I’d fought for the script, for the right cast, then fought the heat of the desert, the exhaustion, the British rules about extras. I felt like Margaret Booth, who had fought with me about the same picture. And now I was fighting about an idiotic ad.”
“Long after the ordeal of making it was over, I went to the distributor’s office to look at the opening-day ads. It consisted of a full-page drawing of Sean Connery, mouth wide open as if screaming in rage. Above his head, in a ‘thought balloon’ right out of the comics, was a drawing of a belly dancer. Don’t ask me why. Was he angry at the belly dancer? But there was more. Across the top of the ad, in big white letters, the copy read: ‘Eat it, Mister!’ I couldn’t believe my eyes. Even if it had anything to do with the movie – and it didn’t – it made no sense. It was blatant insanity.
“That night at dinner, I literally burst into tears. My wife asked what was wrong. I said I was just so tired of fighting. I’d fought for the script, for the right cast, then fought the heat of the desert, the exhaustion, the British rules about extras. I felt like Margaret Booth, who had fought with me about the same picture. And now I was fighting about an idiotic ad.”
Mini Review: When the head of a prison institution isn’t paying attention and the medical officer lacks courage, those in authority one step beneath them can give free rein to their sadistic tendencies, and the inmates have no chance of escape. Focused on the dysfunctions of justice like 12 ANGRY MEN but filmed in an almost expressionistic style. Lots of shouting but well-written (by a former prisoner) and well-acted (perhaps the best is Harry Andrews). Succeeds in involving the viewer in the tragic drama.
