The Heart Of The Matter details
| Format: | PG DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Elizabeth Allen, Trevor Howard, Denholm Elliott, Maria Schell |
| Director: | George More O'Ferrall |
| Genre: | Drama - General |
| Studio: | ELEVATION |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
The Heart Of The Matter |
PG Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 45 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 25 Sep 2006 |
| Main languages: | English |
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Most helpful review
Morality Tale
By Ivor Browne from Derry City, N Ireland , 18 Feb 2007[Highly rated reviewer]
I first saw this movie many years ago on television but it was Trevor Howard's performance as the Police Officer in an African colony that stuck with me. It was a curious subject for a commercial movie back in 1953 and odd that it should appear on DVD. Based on the Graham Greene story, Howard has an affair with the lovely Maria Schell while his wife, Elizabeth Allan, is away and is torn by his religious beliefs and his duty which is compromised. Young actors such as Peter Finch and Denholm Elliott make appearances. Filmed in Sierra Leone, one can almost feel the claustrophobic heat and humidity.- Was this review helpful to you?
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(6)An interesting disaster
By AB from Brighton, England , 19 Oct 2009'The Heart of the Matter' is often said to be Graham Greene's finest novel - so it is something of a mystery to know why the film is so rarely seen. After all, 'The Third Man' and 'Our Man in Havana' were pretty excellent. So : I read the novel again and watched the film. It's a complete disaster. But a very good lesson to anyone who wonders the purpose of the film director. The actors are completely adrift - it's almost amateur! (I can, however, recommend the original novel.)- Was this review helpful to you?
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Good tension
By Pinkmat (205 reviews) from Exeter , 03 Aug 2009This film is full of tension from beginning to end. It's a film of its time with good old British stiff upper lip middle class people running colonies. As always, Graham Greene brings in his own conflict with religion. It might be a bit dated but still worth a watch.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Heart of the matter
By uhygtiuplkuh (28 reviews) from Eastbourne , 09 Jun 2009Trevor Howard almost made for the part of Scobie. A fabulous piece of old style film making about colonial power as it might once have been. The only real disappointment was the change in the ending compared to the book, even if it was the same outcome. Why do that ? It was an anti-climax, as if they ran out of money & couldn't afford to go on a day longer.
Obviously the book's ending was too repugnant to show to a public audience.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Curiously engaging
By HDX (124 reviews) from Barry, Wales , 03 Sep 2008Even in love, Trevor Howard is a rather wintry presence in this adaptation of Graham Greene's novel. And in doing so he gets the Scobie character exactly right – a man so detached that he seems to be dispassionately watching himself stumble towards ignomy, failure and death. A young German widow stirs some warmth inside him but the poor soul has no real idea how to handle it. A tragic character brilliantly portrayed by an actor with his own devils. Strong supporting roles also feature in this under-rated black and white classic set in West Africa.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Customer Review
By a customer from UK , 23 Jun 2008This is a good film as far as it goes, in that the acting is excellent and moving (particularly that of Trevor Howard and Maria Schell,with subtle performances from the supporting cast),and the steamy atmosphere of Colonial West Africa is well caught. However, it certainly lacks the depth and complexity of Greene's original novel - which I would urge anyone unfamiliar with it to read - and does not really do justice to the appalling tensions faced by the main characters, nor indeed to the undercurrent of menace which pervades the original book. The actors battle valiantly to convey these features but there just isn't sufficient material. Too much is omitted. However, despite the limitations it is a taut and entertaining drama and, despite frustrations, I enjoyed it.- Was this review helpful to you?
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