Valerie is a 1957 American Western film directed by Gerd Oswald and starring Sterling Hayden, Anita Ekberg and Anthony Steel.[1][2] The film was apparently inspired by Akira Kurosawa's 1950 classic Rashomon.[1]
| Valerie | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Gerd Oswald |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Produced by | Hal R. Makelim |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ernest Laszlo |
| Edited by | David Bretherton |
| Music by | Albert Glasser |
| Color process | Black and white |
Production company | Hal R. Makelim Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editRancher John Garth is arrested for critically wounding his wife Valerie and killing her parents. During Garth's trial, contradictory flashback sequences are depicted.[1]
Cast
edit- Sterling Hayden as John Garth
- Anita Ekberg as Valerie Horvat
- Anthony Steel as Reverend Steven Blake
- Peter Walker as Herb Garth
- Jerry Barclay as Jim Mingo
- Iphigenie Castiglioni as Mrs. Horvat
- John Wengraf as Mr. Louis Horvat
- Gage Clarke as Jonathan Griggs
- Tom McKee as Dave Carlin
- Sydney Smith as Judge Frisbee
- Bob Adler as Lundy
- Stanley Adams as Dr. Jackson
- Malcolm Atterbury as Sheriff
- Juney Ellis as Nurse Linsey
- John Dierkes as Bartender
- Norman Leavitt as Linsey
- Darryl Duran as Earl Davis
Production
editFilming for Valerie started in December 1956.[3] It was the only film that Anthony Steel and Anita Ekberg made together during their marriage.[4]
Reception
editVariety called the film "a challenging experiment."[5]
In a contemporary review in Baltimore's The Evening Sun, reviewer Hope Pantell wrote: "This opus opens with an assortment of bodies, then proceeds to show, sometimes in painfully long-winded fashion, how they got to be so stiff."[6]
Writing in The Philadelphia Inquirer, reviewer Samuel L. Singer assessed the lead actors' performances: "Lovely Anita Ekberg, Swedish beauty, displays her charms and engages in a limited amount of histrionics. Sterling Hayden is grimly nonsmiling as her husband, and Anthony Steel, her real-life husband, is convincing as the minister."[7]
Home media
editValerie was released on DVD by MGM Home Video on September 26, 2011 via MGM's MOD (manufacture-on-demand) program through Amazon.com.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Valerie (1957) - Gerd Oswald | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie".
- ^ VALERIE Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 24, Iss. 276, (Jan 1, 1957): 91.
- ^ Paris Night-Club Singer Signed; Wengraff Acts Anita Ekberg's Father Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times 4 Dec 1956: A11.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (September 23, 2020). "The Emasculation of Anthony Steel: A Cold Streak Saga". Filmink.
- ^ Review of film at Variety
- ^ Pantell, Hope (October 25, 1957). "On the Screen". The Evening Sun. p. 22.
- ^ Singer, Samuel L. (October 3, 1957). "'Valerie' Stars Anita Ekberg". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 8.
External links
edit- Valerie at IMDb
- Valerie at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Valerie at the TCM Movie Database
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