Blindfold (1966)

Perfect cast and a good story

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

This comedy thriller needs to be seen to be believed. It's half mystery/half Three Stooges, and a stunning look at Central Park in the mid 1960's. Rock Hudson is a noted psychiatrist, approached by Jack Warden in the middle of the park, and asked to assist him with a former patient. But there's more to it than meets the patient's closed file, as we find out when the former patient (Alejandro Rey) tries to strangle him, and later when a hot tempered dancer (Claudia Cardinale) arranges for a rather abrupt encounter with him along the Central Park bridal path, overlooked by the Dakota.The encounter reveals to Hudson that more is going on than he was initially lead to believe, but Hudson manages to keep one step ahead of her, eventually breaking the ice until Warden demands that he breaks it off with her. But there's no way that's going to happen, leading to twice as much intrigue, verbal humor and physical pratfalls, and enough trips through Central Park to keep a pedicab in business for six months. The many paths and bridges of Central Park almost become like characters, and much of it remains unchanged. But a good movie set in a popular city needs much more than just location to make a good film, and much of that involves not only the scenery but the farce as well. One sequence in the middle of a long gone storage house near the reservoir actually has Hudson swinging around with a canoe over his shoulders, ultimately spraying his enemies with paint. It's all very finny, but this makes it seem closer to a Bugs Bunny cartoon than a 60's thriller. There's some fun supporting performances by well known character players, especially Anne Seymour as an Eve Arden like secretary who obviously tells boss Hudson how to run his office. I guarantee that you won't be bored, but you'll be laughing at it, not just with it.

Aside from all too few location scenes of Manhattan in 1964, the movie "Blindfold" is a low-budget affair that wastes the acting talents of all involved in this movie. One scene stands out for me, as Rock Hudson's character is talking to the general, played by Jack Warden. They are supposedly flying in a turboprop airplane, yet their seats face each other, the window is covered by a long curtain and you see no one else, not even the pilot. Just a studio set, Universal wouldn't spring for filming in a mock up of a real plane or even in a real small plane. As usual throughout this movie, director Philip Dunne does an abysmal job staging the scene. What is surprising to me is that Joseph MacDonald, the director of photography, does such as bad job lighting up this scene and most of the movie outside of the scenes in Central Park. DP MacDonald usually was aces, as in westerns like "Rio Conchos" and "Alvarez Kelly." The less said about the story, the better. This movie was co-writer Dunne's last screenplay and he quit while he was at the bottom. I still can't figure out why everyone made such a big deal about kidnapping the scientist, there is no explanation of what he was working on. Beautiful Claudia Cardinale wanders about the movie looking upset. In a chase scene at the end through a swamp, she wears a tight blouse that the director makes sure never gets wet, don't want to show too much of her assets. The one word that describes this movie is "tired." No one wanted to do more then turn out about ten reels of film. Flat lighting, cheap sets, badly edited chase scenes and dull characters. Rock Hudson as a famous psychiatrist who has a problem with his girlfriend? This movie was a good way for Hudson to prepare for his later career on his series "McMillan & Wife," where cheap production values, bad lighting and shoddy writing were the norm for that 1970s series.Except for the fine actors in this movie, I can't think of one positive thing to say about "Blindfold."

Rock Hudson (Dr Bartholomew Snow) is a psychologist who is approached by Jack Warden (the General) to treat important scientist Alejandro Rey (Arthur Vincenti) who has been recently taken to a secret location for matters of National importance. This means that Dr Rock can only be transported to his patient while blindfolded so that he is kept unaware as to the scientist's hiding place. Claudia Cardinale plays the missing scientist's sister who suspects Dr Rock of being involved in her brother's kidnapping but then teams up with him to track down the scientist. All Dr Rock has to go on are the sounds that he has heard on the several journeys that he has made to him. Dr Rock and Claudia Cardinale set out on their adventure but there are others on the trail - stuttering Guy Stockwell (Mr Fitzpatrick) and bumble-brained detective Brad Dexter (Harrigan).I'm not sure what is so important about this scientist or why people are suddenly interested in capturing him. The film's premise is that if he falls into the wrong hands, the enemy will be able to unlock his brain. He is on the verge of a nervous breakdown so only psychology can save him! However, up to this point, it seems that no-one has really felt the need to capture him. Why now? He seems like an unpleasant sort of fellow so the most effective cure would be to tell him to snap out of it or he's going into the swampy waters with the quicksands and alligators.Another dodgy part of the film which isn't dwelt upon is the rather unhealthy past-time of Claudia's uncle Vito Scotti (Michaelangelo) who makes mannequins of her and dresses them up in underwear! I think that's the crime that needs investigating not the silly scientist storyline.Rock Hudson keeps us watching as the story unfolds but the film is nothing special. The cast are all fine, apart from the curiosity that is Claudia Cardinale's diction. She speaks by stressing the wrong parts of every word so that she sounds as if she is putting on a deliberate Mexican accent with her already noticeable Italian accent. She is also given unrealistic dialogue for a foreigner, eg, "cock-eyed stunt" (3 times!) and "Bluebeard". This is not natural language that a non-native speaker would casually work into a conversation. She does have some great clothes, though, a sign of the times, particularly a stylish green outfit when she is in the park, where she reminded me of my mother (who also spoke English with a foreign accent - Portuguese). She also has a funny moment when she steps out of a van into a swamp.Another stupid part of the story comes during a swamp chase sequence where Rock and Claudia get out of a predicament by using 2 mannequin lookalikes of Rock Hudson!! Where on earth did they suddenly spring from!!?? Of course, they must have been carrying them around with them throughout the whole swamp chase sequence but the audience just never noticed.It's a comedy-thriller where everyone functions according to plan and clever use is made of the sound of geese. It's true - they sound like people laughing at a party. That's something I will take away from this film. That along with Claudia looking like my mum and the boy John Megna (Mario) playing Chinese Chequers. I've never seen Chinese Chequers in a film before.

Good fun entertainment by Rock Hudson and Claudia Cardinale. As always Jack Warden does a nice job in a support role. When Hudson is kidnapped he makes note of the things he hears on the way to the kidnappers hideout. He is able to help the police track down the kidnappers following the sounds. To this day this movie stands out in my mind because of them noting the geese sounding like people at a party. Grab some popcorn and enjoy it if you are lucky enough to catch an airing of this on TV.