Post by Eddie Love on Jul 11, 2010 19:17:52 GMT -5
NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY stands as the first (and still only?) romantic-comedy-serial-killer-thriller. Released in 1967, it holds up today. This is a relief, as it was one of my all-time favorite movies growing up. I seem to recall this was broadcast every Saturday night at 11:30 by one or another of the local channels, and I devoured it each time. When I watched it recently, I could have recited much of the dialogue along with the cast, even though I’d not seen it in years. It’s what I call a “personal classic”. It was such a big favorite of mine; I was surprised to later realize others didn’t universally regard it to the same exalted degree.
The picture’s based on an early novel by William Goldman, one he published under the pseudonym of the Sundance Kid’s real name. It’s a pretty brisk, somewhat sloppy book, written in the vein of Ed McBain 87th Precinct series. It’s interesting though, in that it seems to introduce in 1964 what would become many of the tropes of serial killer novels and films. We get the killer’s crazed interior monologues and, late in the action, a copycat is introduced. There’s also a lot of mean-spirited humor in the book, which is overall fairly nasty.
The film is faithful to much of the novel, but takes a much lighter touch. (And omits the downbeat tone brought on by one of the main character’s death in the book.) The story involves a serial killer with a penchant for disguise (Rod Steiger) strangling middle-aged single woman in New York. He engages in a game of cat and mouse with the young Jewish, detective leading the investigation (George Segal) who in turn pursues a romantic relationship with an early witness at one of the killer’s crime scenes. As the killings mount, terror grips New York and the stakes get higher for cop and killer.
Considering how grisly the goings-on are, the film is irresistibly entertaining. Jack Smight directed, and the filmmaking isn't cutting edge, but it effortlessly strikes the perfect tone. Everything is believable, but not so much so that we take the crimes seriously and our enjoyment is diminished. The blood isn’t real. However, the picture doesn’t have the arch, black comic feel of some pictures from the period. It walks a fine line perfectly.
Steiger is terrific and he clearly enjoys hamming it up in the many disguises he adopts. Nevertheless, he manages to be compellingly realistic throughout, even wringing pathos out of his lethal portrayal. He goes over-the-top a few times — he often did -- but all told, it’s a great performance. George Segal is wonderfully relatable as the cop looking for love and a killer at the same time. His likability is the perfect counterpoint to Steiger’s unpredictability.
As the love interest, Lee Remick does her patented routine of the promiscuous Manhattanite. The many times I watched this as a kid, I don't think I ever saw the scene of her describing her sexual history until I watched the DVD. (She played a very similar role in THE DETECTIVE with Frank Sinatra.) She looks sensational throughout the film. In fact, when I watch this now, she reminds me a little of Kristen Bell...
...though she lacks K-Bell’s charm, as Remick employs a cloying singsong delivery at times that get’s irritating. Eileen Heckett plays Morris’ Jewish mother and she and Segal bring well-played humor to this labored stereotype. (As appalling as these scenes may seem, their counterpoints in the novel are even worse.)
If your heart aches for the lost cityscapes of New York in the 60s, this film will hold the same sway over you of other thrillers like MADIGAN or COOGAN’S BLUFF. It’s a great New York picture, with lots of location shot street scenes, much of them in the theater district, which will delight Broadway babies everywhere. (Surprisingly, this was later made into musical itself!)
If any of this sounds to your liking, join me in the cult of this terrific picture.
The picture’s based on an early novel by William Goldman, one he published under the pseudonym of the Sundance Kid’s real name. It’s a pretty brisk, somewhat sloppy book, written in the vein of Ed McBain 87th Precinct series. It’s interesting though, in that it seems to introduce in 1964 what would become many of the tropes of serial killer novels and films. We get the killer’s crazed interior monologues and, late in the action, a copycat is introduced. There’s also a lot of mean-spirited humor in the book, which is overall fairly nasty.
The film is faithful to much of the novel, but takes a much lighter touch. (And omits the downbeat tone brought on by one of the main character’s death in the book.) The story involves a serial killer with a penchant for disguise (Rod Steiger) strangling middle-aged single woman in New York. He engages in a game of cat and mouse with the young Jewish, detective leading the investigation (George Segal) who in turn pursues a romantic relationship with an early witness at one of the killer’s crime scenes. As the killings mount, terror grips New York and the stakes get higher for cop and killer.
Considering how grisly the goings-on are, the film is irresistibly entertaining. Jack Smight directed, and the filmmaking isn't cutting edge, but it effortlessly strikes the perfect tone. Everything is believable, but not so much so that we take the crimes seriously and our enjoyment is diminished. The blood isn’t real. However, the picture doesn’t have the arch, black comic feel of some pictures from the period. It walks a fine line perfectly.
Steiger is terrific and he clearly enjoys hamming it up in the many disguises he adopts. Nevertheless, he manages to be compellingly realistic throughout, even wringing pathos out of his lethal portrayal. He goes over-the-top a few times — he often did -- but all told, it’s a great performance. George Segal is wonderfully relatable as the cop looking for love and a killer at the same time. His likability is the perfect counterpoint to Steiger’s unpredictability.
As the love interest, Lee Remick does her patented routine of the promiscuous Manhattanite. The many times I watched this as a kid, I don't think I ever saw the scene of her describing her sexual history until I watched the DVD. (She played a very similar role in THE DETECTIVE with Frank Sinatra.) She looks sensational throughout the film. In fact, when I watch this now, she reminds me a little of Kristen Bell...
...though she lacks K-Bell’s charm, as Remick employs a cloying singsong delivery at times that get’s irritating. Eileen Heckett plays Morris’ Jewish mother and she and Segal bring well-played humor to this labored stereotype. (As appalling as these scenes may seem, their counterpoints in the novel are even worse.)
If your heart aches for the lost cityscapes of New York in the 60s, this film will hold the same sway over you of other thrillers like MADIGAN or COOGAN’S BLUFF. It’s a great New York picture, with lots of location shot street scenes, much of them in the theater district, which will delight Broadway babies everywhere. (Surprisingly, this was later made into musical itself!)
If any of this sounds to your liking, join me in the cult of this terrific picture.