Ein charmanter Hochstapler (1960)

Ein charmanter Hochstapler: Directed by Robert Mulligan. With Tony Curtis, Karl Malden, Edmond O’Brien, Arthur O’Connell. Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. is a versatile man who gets his kicks out of impersonating a marine, a monk, a navy surgeon and a prison warden, eventually getting in trouble with the law for it.

“Tony Curtis may not have been the greatest of actors (though he did give some great performances), but he was very charismatic and immensely likeable and improved hugely with each film, it was very difficult to dislike him even early in his career. Reading the subject matter gave the impression that u0026#39;The Great Imposteru0026#39; would be interesting and entertaining. There is also a good deal of talent in the cast.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLuckily, u0026#39;The Great Imposteru0026#39; turned out to be exactly that, exactly what it seemed it would be on paper. It was interesting and it was very entertaining, the latter being especially strong, those two being its main objectives and they were achieved. Wonu0026#39;t say it was a masterpiece or classic cinema because it wasnu0026#39;t, not everything works, but like Curtis one cannot be too hard on u0026#39;The Great Imposteru0026#39; with so much working in its favour. It knows what it wants to be, who to aim it at and shows a lot of effort without trying to bite more than it can chew or play it too safe. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWould have liked DeMurau0026#39;s motivations to have gone into depth more or properly explored/explained, this aspect felt underdeveloped.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAlso didnu0026#39;t buy his reform, which felt rushed and too pat to me, but thatu0026#39;s personal opinion.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOn the other hand, u0026#39;The Great Imposteru0026#39; looks attractive, especially in the photography, and is assuredly directed. The music is never intrusive, low-key, obvious or repetitive, it fits well and not hard at all to remember.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile the facts and subject are adapted loosely and the tone significantly more light-hearted compared to the biography, of which it is a loose adaptation of, the light-hearted wit is infectious, it doesnu0026#39;t get too camp or silly and those unfamiliar with the man and story before seeing the film will find themselves wanting to learn more. The story is crisply paced and while odd in places (in an appealing way) it doesnu0026#39;t get too hard to follow. The surgery scene is priceless and avoids the trap of falling into distaste, do agree though it is not a subject to be laughed or poked fun at usually.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDid worry as to whether Curtis would be able to handle multiple roles and whether he would pull it off, but didnu0026#39;t need to be. He does splendidly here, we have as much fun as he clearly did, and one can really see how much he grew as an actor from when he first started a decade or so before. Raymond Massey, Edmund Ou0026#39;Brien and Karl Malden are particularly note-worthy in support. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll in all, lots of fun. 8/10 Bethany Cox”