Madeleine
David Lean made Madeleine for his latest new wife – Ann Todd was number three of six. She’d played notorious murderer Madeleine Smith on stage and wanted her performance captured for posterity. The result was a good film, she thought; the great director thought it his worst. Having just watched it, I reckon Todd gets it about right and Lean is being harsh. One thing is obviously completely wrong about Todd though. At 43, she’s just way too old to be playing a young woman. It’s the sort of thing you might get away with on stage but not on camera. And yet, having said that, Todd does OK, busking through on acting prowess. … Read more