vincentlynch-moonoi Amnesia is a film topic that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Here it works fairly well as we see the story of a Brit who -- after WWII -- has forgotten patches of his life, particularly the part of his life when he and several others escaped from a POW camp. Is he who he says he is, or is a look-alike who killed the real person? A lot of the film takes place in a British courtroom, and while it is not as enthralling a courtroom drama as say "Witness For The Proscecution", it still does nicely, although there times that the film drags just a bit.Dirk Bogarde was an actor whom I pretty much ignored over the years, although lately I've taken a new look at him. He really was quite good...and is here in a dual role. On balance, it's his film. But Olivia De Havilland has a good role as the wife, though more of her really good scenes come fairly late in the film. She certainly was attractive here. I can't quite make up my mind about Paul Massie as the soldier who questions who is the real character. Robert Morley is good as one of the attorneys, although Wilfrid Hyde White, as the other attorney, is a bit more entertaining.A great film? No. But pretty decent. It won't end up on my DVD shelf, but I'm glad to have seen it.

jarrodmcdonald-1 In Libel, Olivia de Havilland and Dirk Bogarde are paired as a married couple whose perfect yet vulnerable world is on display for all to see. The lavishly mounted production was filmed at MGM's studio in Britain.The use of close-ups by director Anthony Asquith to give us clues about the emotional states of the characters during trial testimony is very well done-- especially with de Havilland who does not have much dialogue in these scenes before she is finally put on the stand. She conveys as much with her eyes as a silent film actress would: the surprise, anguish, horror, confusion and conviction of her character. When Number 15 enters the courtroom, Asquith is using a moving camera to get the reaction shots of the key players. He keeps us close, up on the characters' faces, as they react...and that is the emotional turning point of the whole film.Dirk Bogarde performs multiple roles in Libel. The trick photography is very good, especially a scene in flashback, when he is in the hut during the war. As one of his characters walks past the other, the shadow that is cast over the face of the other Bogarde is perfectly timed and indicates the double was exactly the right height. Therefore, it did seem like there were two actors instead of one doing two characters.Of course, an astute viewer knows the medallion would be the item that saves Mark (Bogarde's good guy character) in the end. But having it come after de Havilland denounces him in court and rails against him at home carries a great deal more impact.This is a deliciously plotted thriller, even if a bit contrived in some places. Though it could easily have veered from a psychological study into horror claptrap, the fairly restrained performances of the actors keep it in check.

gerdeen-1 Dirk Bogarde was a marvelous actor, and this is a fine film. But if you insist on believable stories, you won't like it. It's as true to life as an Agatha Christie story, and just as entertaining.The plot is this: An English lord and a penniless scoundrel who looks exactly like him are in the same POW camp during World War II. Years later, another veteran claims the scoundrel actually killed the aristocrat and has been impersonating him ever since. The whole thing winds up in court, putting the aristocrat's wife through some agonizing moments. Finally, when nobody can stand the suspense any longer, the truth is revealed.The idea of someone meeting his exact double is as silly as it is unbelievable, and by the 1950s there were ways to verify whether a living man was the war veteran he claimed to be. So you can't take this seriously. But if you suspend disbelief, you will really enjoy it. Though it's not marketed as a mystery, it's ideal for mystery fans.I had to talk my wife into watching this movie on TCM, because it looked to her like a gloomy psychological drama. Once she started watching, she couldn't turn away (especially when Dirk Bogarde was on the screen). She was still talking about it an hour after it ended. "What if something like that really happened?" she remarked. Well, it wouldn't, but ...

bkoganbing Updated to make the protagonists be World War II veterans instead of World War I, Libel made its Broadway debut in 1935 after a run in London and ran for 159 performances during the 1935-36 season. Playing the role Dirk Bogarde does here was the screen's original Dr. Frankenstein, Colin Clive.As for Bogarde due to movie screen magic he gets to play two roles, the respected titled English Lord with American wife Olivia DeHavilland and a Canadian fellow prisoner of war who was a traveling player and who looks like him. Worse than that, we see in flashback how he envied him.Into their happy lives intrudes another former POW Paul Massie who knew both men in the camp and makes the startling accusation that the one stole the identity of the other who died during the war. This indeed is a case of Libel and one for the courts to straighten out.Bringing the suit on Bogarde's behalf is Robert Morley and defending Massie is Wilfrid Hyde-White, they make a fine pair of antagonists. What is the truth, for that you have to watch Libel.Though Olivia is first billed, the film clearly belongs to Dirk Bogarde who delivers a fine poignant performance of a man tortured by doubt, there are things tucked away in his mind that he prefers not dealing with. Olivia gets her innings in when even she starts to doubt the identity of the man she's been married to.This film also gives we Yanks a chance to see Richard Dimbleby who was a combination of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, that kind of trusted voice of the British Empire for the BBC. In fact Dimbleby is hosting Bogarde and DeHavilland on a tour of their mansion when Massie spots them on a bar television and sets everything in motion.Libel holds up very well today it could probably be easily remade for something like the Iraq or Afghan war in about 15 years time.