Another handful of films could find a place in this category. A French company has just released the original scope copy and it really shows the brilliant use of the location by Roy Ward Baker. Extremely interesting and emotion packed film, The psychological conflict between Anacleto and Father Keogh, THE SINGER NOT THE SONG (Roy Ward Baker, 1961) ***, Exciting confrontation between a honorable priest and a strange bandit dressed in black. )...A powerful movie even if not a successful one!! The plot is intricate , meaningful , brooding and dramatically played against the Mexican background. Contact The Singer Not The Song on Messenger. But Father Keogh openly defies the bandit and administers his daily priestly duties at the village church. Community See All. And yet And yet what came out of these hectic premises is a unique movie. An unintentional riot of fun! Then, there is the actress, looking quite like Bardot. This was 1961 and the term "Homoerotic" was scarcely common coinage,most of Mr Bogarde's fans were female and blissfully unaware that a lot of chaps found those tight leather trousers just as attractive as they.Pity about the hat though. The title says it all. Visit IMDb page; The Singer Not the Song (1961) Info; In lists (17) Comments (0) Friends; Activity; Checks (33) Favorites (2) Remove ads . Final dish is tastier than its ingredients suggest... One film I have never been able to forget. So he decided, as a sort of retaliation against the company, the actors and the director to ham it up as much as he could. No need to dwell on Bogarde's 'camp' performance as the bandit as this has been more than adequately covered by other reviewers! We all bring our own life experiences to a movie and understand it on different levels. Very funny film. Father Michael Keogh (John Mills) arrives to Quantana - they pronounce it <>, when in Spanish this orthography should be read <>. I first saw it as a teenager and, at the time, thought all that emotion at the end rather an impressive bit of movie drama . In a small Mexican town, a Catholic priest (Sir John Mills) and a local bandit (Sir Dirk Bogarde) clash, but the brave priest ultimately wins the outlaw's respect. This is not an unmixed blessing, for the priest becomes obsessed with saving the soul of "Anacleto" more than with contesting his rule of the village. Bogarde himself described this film as "beyond camp". In retaliation, Anacleto tries to intimidate the priest by starting to murder the villagers in alphabetical order. Forgot account? Dirk Bogarde gives his career best moody, mean , atmospheric performance as a menacing , ambiguous , mysterious western town gunfighter Anacleto. It is all far too 'English' for its own good. During his tenure in the village of Quantano, he fought hard to keep his flock of parishioners, in spite of threats and intimidation from the part of local bandit Anacleto Comachi (Sir Dirk Bogarde) and his men. It concerns on Father Michael Keogh (John Mills , his third of several works with Baker) , a priest who has been given welcome by Father Gomez (Leslie French), whom he then replaces to a Mexican village after the Revolution . Some seem to regard this film as a put-on, or a subtle story of repressed homosexuality, or what-you-will. Father Keogh accepts the challenge and invites Anacleto to live with him and read the Bible. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a Page. Literate script (just a quote: "Isn't that your job, Father; To keep hoping that any soul can be saved, even mine? said it was a Western? Anacleto wants to believe and learn if it's the Church (the Not Now. He also plans a few attempts on the priest's life. And what we witness is the old story of the good guy fighting the villain with the pretty girl thrown in in the middle of this tension. Back then I had no idea that Bogarde was gay and I'm sure that there was no mention of homosexuality in the novel on which the film was based. | The gorgeous Mylene Demongeot is the meat in the sandwich and hers is the performance that lingers. The Singer – Not The Song. was a bit strange and took some getting used to...As someone who was raised strict Irish Catholic (oh, those were the days!! I was an eternal optimist and had a very naive faith that God was in control. Therefore, they cannot charge him or arrest him. You just say so because you give me. Mills is too old at 52 to be playing this role. What glorious fun.Mr Bogarde was never more arch,Mr Mills never more out of his depth. And certainly a very rare, if not unique experience. The script was written by the bloke who invented the "Aero" and only had slightly less holes.Miss Mylene Demongeot clearly had no idea of what was going on and the rest of the cast must have had a lot of fun keeping it a secret. The film is expertly written, produced directed and acted by a top notch cast that includes British stalwart John Mills as a confused priest who befriends a leather clad gunman Bogarde and the ravishing, exciting French starlet Mylene Demongeot as the love interest. She leaves feeling contented with herself. The religious thriller is so surprisingly uncommon in the Cinema, that one is inclined to overlook many faults in a movie that has the virtue of novelty. Very difficult to score, because some of it is ridiculous and unbelievable, whereas other stuff is interesting with content about governance, policing, spirituality and religiosity that give the mind material for real reflection. The theme, expressed in the title, is an interesting, indeed a fascinating one. I must say I was agreeably surprised to come across this offbeat film as part of a collection of John Mills rarities (can't recall the other two,I threw them away). His willingness to make fun of the whole story just add to the ambiguity of the script. To begin with, it is a British western, with two great British actors in the leads. During certain scenes you are thinking that it will go the way of other movies with similar plot ("Satan never sleeps" is an example), ending in infinite praise of the religion, without measure or sense. Awards About See All. The worst thing about this is the waste of cast members including John Bentley, Roger Delgado, Laurence Naismith, and Eric Pohlmann. I rate it eight,only because it was impossible to get it all right,given the subject matter. Taglines L. Muzii, A. Bianchi, C. Croce’, N. Manci, P. Benedetti Panici. Trying to have a serious discussion about camp is futile. It was if the film makers threw in just about everything they could think of--even if it was irrelevant. The Singer Not the Song subtitles. ), I understood the priest's sense of duty and inner turmoil over the beautiful girl, but as a young man with more than my fair share of hormones, I also appreciated the lust and sex aspects of the affair between the bandit chief and the girl as well...As to the final shootout at the end, well, all I can say is...WOW...it totally satisfied the action requirements of a Western film...The Mexican army against a gang of ruthless gunfighters, bodies all over the place, gunsmoke hanging in the air, and of course the bloody demise of both stars...Since finding out that Bogarde was both a homosexual AND a raving Commie, I have lost all respect for him as a person, but still retain admiration for him as an actor...Like I said, this film (which I have not been able to find, or see, since 1962) is one that I have never been able to forget, even to quoting many of the lines of dialogue from time to time...Oh yes, and don't forget the bandit's white Persian cat being hand fed goldfish...(ala Blofeld's cat in 007 films!! Deliciously,hilariously yet innocently homoerotic......... A sad strange show that hinted at far more than it delivered. Almost every line spoken is continuously belied by the understatement it carries. and voiced his objections to the casting of John Mills as the Priest. Slow-moving but compelling psychological Western about a determined priest who arrives at a small town that seems to be mysteriously dominated by a local bad guy, and decides to fight him in his own peaceful way; their confrontations make the movie. I was struck by the simple plot. A blonde young lady, Locha de Cortínez (Mylène Demongeot) advises him not to go to the town, because Anacleto "Malo" Comachi (Dirk Bogarde), the gang-leader who rules in town with a fist of iron will kill him. At the time it was thought "The singer not the song" had dealt a fatal blow to the British Film Industry,but as so often before and since,reports of its death were exaggerated.Good-looking sophisticated nicely brought up actors however dropped rather alarmingly from the radar as the New Wave - more like a tsunami in its affect - swept into the studios. THE SINGER NOT THE SONG is a rare misfire for British director Roy Ward Baker, the man best known for his crime films of the 1950s and his horror output for Hammer in the 1960s. I have watched this movie many times and have always found something new to appreciate. | by Darlene Corbett “Wow, I cannot believe this is happening.” She gazed at her reflection and smiled. The leather-fetishist attire of the villain Anacleto, went entirely unnoticed by my teeny-bopper eyes. In the ensuing decade of whippet and Woodbine sagas the ability to eat peas with a fork became less of a requirement,more of a liability. But some of the ingredients are rather tasty and juicy and so, it is actually quite enjoyable. Alas, how maturity has tarnished my childhood tolerance for "artistic licence". Anacleto regularly attacks the village and steal all their supplies . | Recommended articles Citing articles (0) References 1. The production was troubled and it shows. See more of The Singer Not The Song on Facebook. Bogarde's mean bandit out to control a Mexican town is resisted by Mills. The Singer Not the Song book. OK, we have the regular triangle, the bad guy, the good guy, a priest, and the girl. This shocking waste of time would have been better left on the cutting room floor. If you are open to unusual film (and a British western is already unusual) this is an absolute must where the subtext is only acknowledged with the last sentence of the film (its title as a matter of fact). Here we are in a small Spanish town where a ruthless anti-clerical bandit keeps getting rid (one way or another) of the local priest lest he should turn the town people against him. Comachi is twenty nine years old and natural son and was born a countrywoman . Eventually, the priest assists them in regaining their confidence and defending themselves . Naturally enough these films generally get panned upon their releases and sometimes gain a real stature years later. The movie really shook me out of this blind faith. I saw this movie in 1961 at the army base in Schofield Barracks and was struck by its import. With themes like religious faith, love & sexuality, and what makes a good man, it is sometimes easy to see what we want to see ... what relates to us personally. Meanwhile , the rich owner's daughter (Mylene Demengeot) falls in love with Comachi. One must assume that money was the prime motivation behind theses to old pros participation - Bogarde did go on to give us some of his finest performances in films like The Servant and Death in Venice. | Synopsis: A Roman Catholic priest defies a Mexican bandit whose gang kills villagers in alphabetical order. Love the old stones songs- Here is my cover of this one- I play all instruments and sing all vocals-enjoy- Matt Share. Mills portrays very well the kindliness of Father Michael but his Irish accent is risible. I only went to the movie out of boredom and was not expecting the impact it made on me. This movie leaves so many various impressions on a viewer, it is impossible to form a final opinion. Even he couldn't make that melodramatic ending convincing however - no one could. No doubt that Dirk Bogarde does everything is his power to accentuate the homosexual tension. | It’s the singer, not the song . And he certainly could. 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