Oliver Twist (1948), dir. David Lean
I actually have a personal connection to Oliver Twist, as I wrote (one of my) thesis on the book. So it is kind of surprising that I have not seen this adaptation before. And it is rather good! The lead actor, John Howard Davies, has this heartwarming/breaking quality which makes him a perfect fit for the role. And David Lean makes some very impressive filmmaking, editing choices that makes his representation of poverty really poignant. Too bad that Alec Guiness’s Fagin is HORRIFCALLY anti-semitic and actually made me cringe when he showed up. And, to be honest, Diana is not the part of the film I am going to remember.
Yield to the Night (1956), dir. J. Lee Thompson
It’s a whole other story with Yield to the Night, though. This movie REALLY surprised me and Diana’s acting blew my mind. She plays a prisoner, awaiting on her execution for murder. It feels like a noir and I’m sure most people would classify it as such, but at one point I started to wonder if it’s just because we look at Diana Dors, looking like a true femme fatale, and we’re unable to see the bigger picture. I am a sucker for unlikable, unhinged female characters. I am a sucker for sad female characters. And the way Diana manages to create such a role, a role of a dead girl waiting was one of the most extraordinary things I have seen in a long time.
Deep End (1970), dir. Jerzy Skolimowski
Too bad she doesn’t get to do something equally great in Skolimowski’s Deep End – here she plays an older woman sexually assaulting a teenage boy, and the film makes sure that we find her as physically repulsive as possible. Well, at least I got to look at Jane Asher a bit, I guess.
Swingin' at the Seance 