by Barb Lentz

 

The five movies Bob provided for me from which to choose were these:

Arizona  (1940)

Catch-22  (1970)

Experiment in Terror  (1962)

The Lost World  (1925)

The Seventh Seal  (1957)

 

I chose Experiment in Terror as it is a Blake Edwards film I had never seen.  It is also a suspense film, which I had an interest in seeing and is also quite different from Elmer Gantry and The Naked City.

Experiment in Terror is a black and white film set in San Francisco.  It focuses on a young bank teller, Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick), who is unexpectedly approached and threatened and how she copes with the threats.  Tension is introduced by how the intruder sounds as well as the demands that he makes of Kelly.  The tension is enhanced by creepy music, written by Henry Mancini.  There are many interesting camera angles in the movie — from extreme close-ups to various different perspectives in scenes — and my favorite features a great deal of dust and how it lifts into the air when disturbed.  Some of these camera angles also enhance the suspense of the film.

The music is stellar and greatly enhances the mood.  The film is extremely clear and sharp.  The dialog is easy to hear and to follow.  The story moves along and keeps your interest.

My top five moments of the movie are:

1.  When Kelly answers the phone, giving answers that would lead the intruder to disregard the call, but providing enough details to FBi agent Ripley to arrange a meeting.

2.  When Kelly is joined in the ladies’ room by someone appearing like an old woman who turns out to be the intruder and conveys more demands to Kelly.  “You never know who you’ll meet in the ladies’ room.”

3.  When the police informant whose nickname is Popcorn (Ned Glass) makes his appearances.  This is a very unique nickname, gained from his habit of often going to movies and chewing on popcorn.  At first he doesn’t want to get involved, but this changes after agent Riley takes Popcorn to see the intended victims (Kelly and her sister, Toby), which humanized them to him.

4.  When the beautiful musical stuffed tiger appears at the hospital.  It leads the FBI agents to an address where they find Kelly’s sister.

5.  When Kelly and her sister are reunited, and their ordeal is over.  Whew!

Is Experiment in Terror a classic?  Yes, I believe so.  The story is not dated; it is interesting and the filmmaking was quite effective.  It is so well done that it has to be a classic.

BRL  26 January 2014.

 

Experiment in Terror  (April 13, 1962)  Geoffrey-Kate Productions / Columbia.

Directed by Blake Edwards.  Produced by Blake Edwards and Don Peters.

Screenplay by The Gordons, based upon their novel “Operation Terror”.

Principal cast  (character, performer):

FBI agent John Ripley                                      Glenn Ford

Kelly Sherwood                                              Lee Remick

Toby Sherwood                                              Stefanie Powers

Garland Humphrey “Red” Lynch                         Ross Martin

Brad                                                             Roy Poole

Popcorn                                                        Ned Glass

Lisa Soong                                                    Anita Loo

Nancy Ashton                                                Patricia Huston

Captain Moreno                                              Clifton James

Joey Soong                                                   Warren Hsieh

Man Who Picks up Kelly at Nightclub                  Al Avalon

123 minutes.  B&W.  Widescreen (1.85:1).  Not Rated.