Touches You

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

"The Challenge" (or if you prefer "It Takes a Thief"), may not be "Rififi" or "The Killing" but this John Gilling directed crime movie isn't nearly as bad as people would have you believe. In fact, it's a consistently fast-moving, surprisingly tough picture with a decent cast that includes Anthony Quale and Carl Mohner as crooks under the thumb of unlikely crime boss Jayne Mansfield. Yes, that's right - Jayne Mansfield, who isn't just miscast here but is perfectly dreadful and was probably the main reason the movie bombed, (was casting her really such a good idea in the first place?). Still, she turns almost every line she utters into a howler and is just one of the reasons the movie is so damned entertaining. Nice black and white photography, too, by Gordon Dines and a good use of locations.

When you watch a British crime film from the 1950s you expect that the gang boss will be played by Herbert Lom,or Martin Benson or maybe Eric Pohlman,but Jayne Mansfield!\whereas Joan Crawford is a tigress when she is a gang boss,Eg Johnny Notorious,Mansfield is a pussycat.She has all the toughness of a rotten tomato.Once the going gets tough she gets going and Carl Mohne takes over.The best she can do is simper in a variety of wigs and a different outfit for every scene.She simpers a song in a sort of Monroe imitation.She is in short dreadful.Quayle plays against type as her crook lover who went to prison but kept the loot.If you were to take Monroe out of this film you would have a good film.Nevertheless when Mansfield is off the screen the film is quite entertaining.

...so did Mansfield star with another noted Shakespearean actor, Anthony Quayle. The difference being that Mansfield was never the star that Monroe was,and Quayle was just a jobbing actor in films, and the production accorded them was a cheapie. Actually, for the first part of this, with Mansfield hiding beneath a brunette wig, she is not bad, but back to blonde for the last half of the film she resorts to her usual simpering. The picture and sound quality of the CD is so bad, I could not even take my usual pleasure in this sort of film of enjoying the cast of familiar faces. The credits said Percy Herbert was in there somewhere, but I didn't see him.

This is a very well acted British film starring superstar Jayne Mansfield and highly respected actor Anthony Quayle. The film begins as Jayne plays a ruthless villianness type woman who gets her kicks robbing banks and jewelry stores and such. She enlists the help of lover Quayle only he gets caught but doesn't rat out Jayne or her gang of thugs. While Quayle's character is in prison, Jayne continues the heists and eventually opens a club. Quayle gets out and beautiful Jaynie looks him up wanting the money he hid before he got caught. Eventually as Quayle refuses to help Jayne and the gang her thugs kidnap his son and chaos ensues. As you view the film you'll forget you are watching a shoddy copy of the tape. My tape is from one of those quickie $5.99 companies called EPI Entertainment Programs. Fans of Jayne Mansfield positively MUST have this in their collection as her performance totally dismisses the naysayers and she acts superbly. Yes I am a fan but I can still honestly say her acting is A+ in this. Many times people don't get past her beautiful face or incredible super figure and forget about her acting which totally shines in this. I also liked Barbara Mullen as Quayle's nervous wreck of a mother. Jayne and Anthony also have a lot of chemistry together. And we are treated to a lovely musical number by Jayne wearing a stunning and incredibly tight evening gown. A must see! I only hope this will be remastered and released to DVD ASAP!