Peeping Tom (1960)
Genre: Thriller / Drama
Duration: 101 minuten
Alternative titles: Naaktsymfonie / De Loerder
Country:
United Kingdom
Directed by: Michael Powell
Stars: Karlheinz Böhm, Moira Shearer and Anna Massey
IMDb score:
7,6 (44.099)
Releasedate: 16 May 1960
Peeping Tom plot
"What made this the most diabolical murder weapon ever used?"
Mark Lewis, who works as a focus puller on a film set, is a frustrated and traumatized, but gentle man. However, he is obsessed with his camera, the effects of fear and portraying fear on film. Mark kills women and captures their last, terrified glance on film. When he meets the beautiful Helen, he is confronted with his obsession.
Actors and actresses
Mark Lewis
Vivian
Helen Stephens
Mrs. Stephens
Dora
Elderly Gentleman Customer
Arthur Baden
Don Jarvis
Chief Insp. Gregg
Pauline Shields
Reviews & comments
mister blonde
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- 12754 messages
- 5934 votes
Beautiful portrait of a sick mind. One of the better movies of its kind. 4 stars.
Strange that Powell was a bit denounced after this film. It wasn't all that bad, was it? Fritz Lang made such a film almost 30 years earlier. It will be the remnants of the ideas about film from the frumpy fifties.
Translated from Dutch · View original
The One Ring
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- 29974 messages
- 4109 votes
Had a great review yesterday. So good, in fact, that I can't understand why I didn't immediately see a masterpiece in it. Even weirder is how little I remembered about the movie, because many of the scenes are very good-looking. In fact, the whole atmosphere creation in itself is worth mentioning. Powell's hand is very recognizable, but he has never indulged in a macabre subject and his style fits remarkably well with more obscure material. On the one hand it is very colorful, but on the other hand it enhances the sinister atmosphere.
Even Böhm's casting seems like a stylistic choice. I've never seen Sissi and don't know the actor, but his over-acting is clearly done this way on purpose, almost as if he's from a silent movie, or Fritz Lang's M. I mentioned Peter Lorre in a previous review and now did Böhm reminds me of him again. Weird choice to have a German with a guy accent play a Brit, but it does help with the strange effect.
The fact that the film is so thick also works because it is clearly a film about film making. Nobody can miss that, of course, but it is still quite unique to make a film in which creative urge and artistic perfection is practically equated with murder. It gives the film an extra layer that makes you get the impression that Powell took it very personally, even though I don't even really know what he was trying to say with it (he probably didn't either). It doesn't really matter, because the film works perfectly as a dark study of the soul of an artist who needs to capture people's darkest emotions. I still don't find the film really exciting, but that doesn't really matter, because the uncomfortable, sinister atmosphere is enough. And like many old monster movies, there's something tragic about this monster too, which is an essential part of the movie's feel.
Possibly Powell's best, although it's hard to choose.
Increase to 4.5*.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Onderhond
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- 87698 messages
- 13075 votes
faint.
It's not that hard to see where the film got its image from. Only, Peeping Tom is now 60 years old and nothing is left of that "daring" character. What remains is a somewhat bland and frumpy film.
Maybe if Mark's character had been a bit more interesting, but as a psycho he's just a tame character. The classic storylines of course, but it is mainly Böhm's rather stiff acting performance that gets in the way of the character.
Audiovisually, the film is also not much. Rather ugly colors and mediocre camera work ensure that it never really becomes atmospheric. Much more than a little surprised every now and then given the theme and age of the film, but that's about it.
Fortunately it doesn't take too long, but that's only a small consolation.
1.5*
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