The Sleeping Tiger

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Alain E The sleeping tiger, or two psychopaths in love. The story has multiple holes that exist to advance the narrative but cannot be explained by ordinary psychology. The apparently well adjusted wife of the psychiatrist suddenly decides to start an affair with the criminal her husband decides to rehabilitate by offering him shelter in his own house. A totally brilliant idea and one wonders why it has not been universally adopted. We have as always in that period, dramatic illumination with strong shadows that cannot originate from the sources of lighting we can see. Unusual for that period is an elementary car chase that doesn’t end well for the wife. In the last scene there is also violation of the laws of physics as the driver of the crashed vehicle is seen on the left side of the car while of course in UK the steering wheel is on the opposite side. Acting is very good, especially by the female lead. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/23/24 Full Review Audience Member The psychology is dated but this is one of Alexis Smith's best roles and performances. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Dirk Bogarde is the reason to watch this film. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Losey's first Brit production, directed anonymously after his blacklisting stateside. This also prominently features Bogarde, who would later work with Losey in less sensational but more complex roles. Condemned to B movie status in terms of budget and topical subject, this is a fascinatingly self-aware collision of noir technique and tragedy of manners. Malcolm Arnold's score repeats thematically in varying contexts and intensity to provoke sympathy or lurid disgust. There is also an interesting use of sound editing applied to crime and chase scenarios which might be considered as anticipatory of Accident (1967). Alexis Smith gives an emotionally intense performance rivaling Bogarde's sublimated inner conflict with a greater capacity for emotional violence. Losey uses mantelpiece mirrors and framing devices to confine his subjects even as they assure themselves that history is not repeating itself. And despite the tawdry and implausible script, the noir stylings and fine acting here elevate it well above most high budget films of any day. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Well, the first hour of this film was rather exquisite, but the last 25 minutes or so are little short of batshit insane. Dirk Bogarde smoulders his way through the film as the lynchpin of a fairly silly story. If you can accept that a psychologist would allow a criminal into his home so that he can work on him, then the film is utterly fabulous. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member A psychotherapist (Knox) invites a wanted criminal (Bogarde) to stay in his home in the hopes of finding a solid treatment for criminal behavior. The experiment starts to go awry when the doctor's sociopathic, bored wife (Smith) starts an affair with the criminal in the hopes that she will run away with her. "The Sleeping Tiger" is an overblown melodrama with just enough character development and film noir elements to make it interesting. A decent cast also helps the movie along quite nicely. Dirk Bogarde--as the young career criminal who finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place, but who might find his way to a new life if he can go straight--and Alexis Smith--as a gorgeous and deeply twisted woman who has everything except a soul) give outstanding performances, with Alexander Knox providing a fine backdrop for them to play off, as he plays a bland but unshakably confident man of science who only has thoughts of his experiment. There's nothing really outstanding about this British excursion into the film noir/crime drama genre, but there's also nothing particularly awful. It's one of those films that's worth checking out if you notice it included in a DVD multipack, or if it shows up on some cable channel, but it's not worth going out of your way for. The Sleeping Tiger Starring: Dirk Bogarde, Alexis Smith, Alexander Knox, Hugh Griffith, and Patricia McCarron Diretor: Victor Hanbury (aka Joseph Losey) Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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