Dotsthavesp
I wanted to but couldn't!
Curapedi
I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
Aiden Melton
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
moonspinner55
Idealistic new gym teacher at an all-boys Catholic boarding school, his alma mater after graduating there nine years ago, is warned by one of the priests on arrival that the students have changed over time, their attitudes towards each other have become malicious and their violent actions touched by evil. Overcooked melodrama from Robert Marasco's Tony-winning play is, at its core, a battle of wills between two veteran instructors: one, a sagging-faced, paranoid old taskmaster (James Mason) whom the students deplore and the other (Robert Preston) a gregarious, glinty-eyed teacher who has rallied the students to his side. When these men face-off, the material hints at something headier than what director Sidney Lumet and screenwriter Leon Prochnik really hope to present: the dehumanization of young men into soldiers of misfortune. Broadway showman David Merrick made an inauspicious debut here as movie producer, and his first mistake was to hire Lumet as director. Lumet, who specializes in his keeping his actors riled-up on-screen, wants to give us the shakes with bloody beatings, an eye-gouging and a desecration in the church (underlined by Michael Small's "scare music"), scenes which are nasty and unpleasant to sit through--and also time-consuming. The real drama, between Mason and Preston (with Beau Bridges caught in the middle), is nearly buried under the morass. Though ultimately too theatrical to feel honest, the performances by the principals are at least polished by the actors' professionalism, bringing substance to a picture caught in the balance between melodrama and its own horror-movie subtext. *1/2 from ****
JasparLamarCrabb
Sidney Lumet's fascinating, ambiguous fight between good and evil. Robert Preston and James Mason are teachers at a Catholic school for boys fighting for the collective soul of the student body. On the surface, Preston is the angelic one, while Mason is evil incarnate...that shifts as new teacher Beau Bridges slowly unravels what's really going on. The film is slow but never lethargic with terrific performances by Preston and Bridges and an absolutely brilliant turn by Mason (he hasn't been this neurotic and pathetic since LOLITA). Preston was reportedly a last minute replacement for Marlon Brando and, while he seems the least likely choice, he pulls off this dramatic role with ease.
preppy-3
I haven't seen this in years but here's what I remember.Dull horror film about the strange behavior of students at an all boys school. James Mason as a teacher thinks Robert Preston (another teacher) is trying to drive him out (or crazy). Beau Bridges tries to figure it all out.You think that a film which has young students attacked (one is blinded, another is tied up and hung from a statue) might at least be disturbing...but it's not. It's dull, slow and it's pretty obvious who the villain is (he's always lit to look evil). Also, for a PG film, this is pretty grim stuff. It all leads to an unsatisfying ending which never truly explains what's going on. Also Preston, Mason and Bridges are at their worst. I caught this on TV years ago and had trouble staying awake! A rightfully forgotten horror film. Skip it.
grybop
*minor spoiler*Boring so-called thriller about a seemingly possessed bunch of students.The direction is totally unimaginative, while most of the characters are paper-thin. The students are like muppets with no personality at all during the second half of the film, despite signs at the beginning that they would play a significant role in the story - which unfortunately never happens. Beau Bridges is at his most unconvincing, but then again, the script doesn't help him much.I'd say you better avoid this.3
