Le Gitan [The Gypsy] (1975) What seems at first to be a standard crime/action story develops surprising depth and intriguing characters. Alain Delon is an armed robber who turns out to have ideals - he only robs the state to use the money to better the condition of his fellow Gypsies. Paul Meurisse, a classic hound-dog faced Frenchman, is an aging safecracker whose life seems tied to The Gypsy's by repeated coincidence. The secondary characters, and they are numerous, are all well-developed personalities, and everything becomes quite captivating. It's easy to forget that the terrible crimes they commit are actually a bad thing, because they are such compelling and magnetic people. Delon is not his usual golden boy here, and is truly charismatic. The settings of the gypsy camps and the sunburned streets of southern France are fascinating as well. I liked it a lot is what I am trying to say. 9/10
Murder at the Vanities (1934) Creaky backstage murder mystery. The show must go on even when people start dropping dead. Exorbitant near-nude spectacles onstage, interrupted by backstage antics by Victor McLaglen and Jack Oakie. European import Carl Brisson's manic grin and reedy voice are not very attractive - though he is extremely good in Hitchcock's outstanding 1927 silent film The Ring, which I recommend. The only real acting in the whole movie is the stirring explanatory monologue by Dorothy Stickney as the much-abused maid who saw it all, but with all those half-naked dolls who needs acting. 6/10
