Maya Koumani Movies
- 1960
When an ex-con changes his name and tries to make a new start, everything seems to conspire against him in his efforts. First of all, he is trying to fend of the attentions of his boss' wife. Then, to make things worse, an ex-cellmate shows up and blackmails him by threatening to tell about his past. Push comes to shove and our man, innocent of any crime, winds up back in jail with a murder conviction hanging on him. Not as interesting as it sounds. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
The power of hypnotism provides the basis of this film that was released in "Hypnovision" (yet another promotional gimmick) A budding and frustrated mystery writer takes extreme steps to insure that his latest thriller contains accurate descriptions of horrible murders in this gory horror thriller. He decides that the best way to do this is to set up and witness similar murders first- hand, so, not wanting to bloody his own hands, he hypnotizes his assistant, turns him into a deformed monster and has him do the dirty work using a few devilishly clever gadgets that include binoculars equipped with spring-loaded spikes, a secret guillotine poised above a young woman's bed, and deadly ice tongs. Afterward, the writer drops the bodies in a vat of acid. Several people die before the assistant rebels and gets bloody revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Gough, June Cunningham, (more)
- 1959
A talented director (Charles Saunders) and cast cannot do very much with this weak story about an odd double deception. Two con-men, former Commander Binham-Ryley (Richard Murdoch) and former Major Rory McQuarry (William Kendall), are just out of prison for their dubious money-making schemes. They decide to hook up together to see how to bilk the next mark, when they meet a wealthy widow who obviously cannot see through them, and she hires them to run a factory for her. What the two men do not realize is that the widow needs two fall guys in her own shady, profit-making scheme. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Murdoch, Maya Koumani, (more)
- 1959
Bandit of Zhobe is what actor Hans Conried once described as a "western in burnoose." Victor Mature plays the title character, one Kasim Khan. Cutting a swath of terror and pillage through India, Kasim Khan pauses only to romance the romanceable Anne Aubrey. Khan's principal foes are the British, who have wiped out his family--or so he thinks, until set aright in the final scenes. Anthony Newley co-stars as a comedy-relief British tommy, behaving as though he's just wandered in from another movie. Bandit of Zhobe was coproduced by Albert Broccoli, on the verge of bigger and better things as one of the mentors of the James Bond series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Victor Mature, Anne Aubrey, (more)
- 1959
In this thriller, a novelist is quite upset to discover himself awakening with a gun in his hand. He is more dismayed to find a dead relative nearby. Now he wonders: did he do it? He is assisted by a lady hitchhiker in discovering that the real killer is a female impersonator. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1959
The off-spring of the legendary British bandit dons his father's tights to help save his countrymen from the tyrannical rule of an evil aristocrat. Unfortunately, the "son" is a sham and after several unsuccessful attempts to stop the nasty nobleman, the merry men decide to send for Robin's real son. Imagine their surprise when they discover that Robin, Jr. is a she! Still the men rally around her and the imposter. Together they successfully defeat the evil-doer and the country is again safe. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Hedison, June Laverick, (more)
- 1958
The Diplomatic Corpse has been rendered lifeless by a couple of foreign diplomats. London reporter Robin Phillips suspects much, but can prove little. Going beyond the law, Phillips unearths a sinister conspiracy (there's a nice conspiracy?) He also rescues girlfriend Susan Shaw from the villains. Montgomery Tully could direct a film like Diplomatic Corpse in his sleep, which may well have been the case. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Jack Lemmon and Robert Mitchum star as Tony and Felix, co-owners of a tramp-steamer service in the West Indies. Threatening their friendship is itinerant trollop Irena (Rita Hayworth). Tony seethes with jealousy as Irena gravitates towards Felix, leading to a heated confrontation. Felix retaliates by blowing the whistle on Tony's under-the-counter smuggling activities. Tony in turns plots to kill his former partner, but changes his mind when Felix saves his life during a shipwreck. The supporting cast includes Herbert Lom, Bernard Lee, and Anthony Newley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum, (more)
- 1957
Kay Callard plays Joan Foster, the title role, in the British quickie Undercover Girl. She works in a nightclub that serves as the front for a dope ring. When a reporter is murdered, Joan agrees to help the reporter's brother (Paul Carter) bust up the criminal gang. Naturally, this means putting her own life on the line, but you knew that when you saw the title. If nothing else, Undercover Girl affords ample opportunities to show off attractively undressed chorus girls. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1957
In this suspense movie, a Yankee mercenary is hired to blow up an Arab dignitary. A gun battle thwarts the bombing and the mercenary's lover gives her life to protect the Arab. The grieving soldier the goes after the man who hired him. The two foes shoot each other dead. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1956
This silly British-made space opera finds distant ancestors of the lost civilization of Atlantis -- all of them nubile young ladies, of course, and starved for male company -- residing for some unexplained reason on the thirteenth moon of Jupiter, where they are discovered by an Earth exploration team headed by Anthony Dexter. The Earthmen offer to help the Atlantean cuties return home and re-establish their fallen city, but only manage to rescue one of them after they come under attack from a cheesy monster known as the "Black God." The film's camp highlight comes when the maidens perform an interpretive dance to the music of Borodin. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- 1956
Though his Hollywood career had petered out, Tom Conway continued to star in British films throughout the 1950s. In Last Man to Hang, Conway heads the cast as Roderick, who at present is on trial for his life. Accused of poisoning his wife, Roderick's fate rests in the hands of the jury, who must decide whether or not the death was accidental. The most damning evidence is provided by Roderick's housekeeper Mrs. Tucker (Freda Jackson), who will do anything to see her ex-employer swinging from a gibbet. The title refers to the British Parliament's mid-1950s efforts to outlaw capital punishment; this legislation would in fact not come about until after the miscarriage of justice dramatized in 1972's Ten Rillington Place. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Conway, Elizabeth Sellars, (more)
- 1956
No relation to the 1939 Claudette Colbert-James Stewart comedy of the same name, It's a Wonderful World is essentially a vehicle for British-based bandleader Ted Heath. The thinnish plot is set in motion by would-be songwriters Terence Morgan and George Cole, who manage to sell a tune by claiming that it was composed by a reclusive musical genius. When the tune hits the top of the charts, Morgan and Cole find themselves in the embarrassing position of having to produce the "real" composer. Director Val Guest manages to extract new laughs out of such old setpieces as showing a snobbish audience being gradually won over by pop music. The principal attraction of It's a Wonderful World--to modern viewers, at least is the presence of Ted Heath, whose screen appearances were all too few and far between. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Terence Morgan, George Cole, (more)
- 1955
The ever-adventuresome Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger are responsible for the British musical farce Oh, Rosalinda! Set in postwar Vienna, the film stars Michael Redgrave as Colonel Eisenstein, a military officer who because of a little legal misunderstanding must serve a few months in prison. While sitting alone in her sumptuous house, the colonel's wife Rosalinda (Ludmilla Tcherina) is romanced by American officer Alfred Westerman (Mel Ferrer). When the guard assigned to escort Rosalinda to prison marches in, Westerman, hoping to save Rosalinda from disgrace, claims that he's her husband, and winds up in the pokey himself. Later on, Rosalinda attends a costume ball, where she flirts outrageously with her own husband. Sound familiar? It should: Oh, Rosalinda is a modernized version of Johann Strauss' comic opera Die Fledermaus. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Redgrave, Mel Ferrer, (more)
