Nonureva Really Surprised!

Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

bob_meg It's hard if not impossible to believe the studios tossing around names like Marlene Dietrich and Simone Signoret when casting the the role of Lisa Schindler, the down-on-her-luck cosmetics saleswoman who wanders into the lives of bon vivants Paul and Jennifer Montgomery (deliciously cast James Caan and Katherine Ross). Such were the days when true Hollywood icons were available to lend gravitas to what could be standard horror fare.The thing is, "Games" is hardly standard. It's wickedly evil, perverse, and calculating --- playing you like a piano, much the way Ross and Caan's characters typically play their party guests. The film takes place almost entirely in a fantastic set-piece brownstone owned by the couple, filled with off-putting expressionistic artwork and baroque/Gothic decorations. It's obvious neither Paul nor Jennifer work for a living, and placing a sophisticated cypher like Signoret among them, who oozes both charm and menace with equal ease, is a superb set-up.All three of these characters enjoy playing "games" and suffice it to say, things take a turn for the worse rather quickly when Signoret gifts Jen and Paul a pair of antique dueling revolvers.Curtis Harrington's direction really ignites this film: he plays with a lot of transposition and editing tricks that really heighten the suspense and paranoia. The last third of the film contains many moments that are downright terrifying, especially given the way they're set up and performed.And of course, the script measures up to it, leading you down various false alleys and never giving you much clue as to what's going to happen next. When it's over, you can't believe you didn't see it coming, but that's part of the fun of "Games." It weaves a spell over you much like that mystical crystal ball of Madame Schindler's.

preppy-3 Good thriller about couple Paul and Jennifer Montgomery (James Caan and Katharine Ross) who play strange "mind games" on each other and friends. Then they meet the mysterious Lisa Schindler (Simone Signoret) who joins them and the games turn deadly.**MILD SPOILERS** Very odd film by Curtis Harrington. At the beginning I found the bizarre games and dialogue off-putting but it slowly grew on me. It builds quickly and ends with a bang involving two double-crosses. The set design (especially in the games room) was inventive. It also has quite a few very scary and effective sequences thanks to the great direction of Harrington. One with Ross alone in her house at the end really got to me. The acting varies. Signoret is OK as is Ross. No award winning performances but adequate. However Caan is terrible. It's fun seeing him so young (he was 27 when he did this) but he's so lifeless and bland it's annoying. Also it's fun to see a young hunky Don Stroud in a small part.My only complaint is the plot. If you REALLY think about it afterwards you'll see there are plot holes here and there. Still it does work and is worth catching. I give it an 8.

ags123 "Games" has barely aged in over forty years. What looked avant-garde in the 1960s endures as quintessentially modern. The art-filled New York City brownstone house could be featured on today's HGTV. The cast is first-rate. Simone Signoret does a variation of her "Diabolique" character - a cold, calculating opportunist beneath the serene, matronly exterior. Katherine Ross couldn't be lovelier - whenever the story's logic becomes a bit shaky, you're too distracted by her exquisite beauty to notice. James Caan does a great job as a slick charmer living off his wife's money. It's all a fun-filled puzzle with lots of suspense. Attention Universal Studios: Put this film on DVD!Update: Finally got my hands on the DVD from the Universal Vault series. I enjoy this film now as much as I did back in 1967. For me it holds up well to repeated viewings. Even knowing every twist and turn of the plot, I find the urbane treachery and artful setting endlessly absorbing. "Games" probably won't be a preferred choice of younger audiences, but remains my favorite guilty pleasure.

Athanatos This film is quite good, but it should be clear that it is very much derived from Les Diaboliques (1955). In fact, the makers tacitly admit as much exactly by casting Simone Signoret in this film. (Apparently, given her physical state in 1967, she could not play Nicole/Jennifer.) The alternative here to the swimming pool is very, very powerful, and one cannot help but think that Boileau (in Celle qui n'était plus) or Clouzot (in Les Diaboliques) would have thought long and hard about using it had it occurred to them.