Child's Play

source: Child's Play

There's evil afoot in one of those boy's schools were the boys are all played by actors in their early twenties. It makes you wonder at what age pupils graduated from American high-schools. "Child's Play" was adpated from a successful Tony-award winning Broadway play and was directed by Sidney Lumet. It's certainly not one of his better films but it's a nice grisly entertainment nevertheless about the feud between two senior masters, (James Mason and Robert Preston, both terrific), and a seemingly inexplicable eruption of violence amongst the boys. Basically, it's a high-class horror film with possible demonology lurking in the chapel and would be more effective if the 'boys' weren't so clearly young men. Beau Bridges is the new young gym teacher and former pupil torn between loyalty to Preston and sympathy for Mason and David Rounds is good as a fairly liberal young priest. It's nonsense, of course, but the cast give it a real kick and Mason, in particular, might convince you that you're watching something serious. Understandly it isn't much revived.

When I was younger, this movie hit major cities but never made the small burg where I live. Beau Bridges was able to play young innocent roles then. I loved it most because the Catholic Church was playing host to., really, this wonderful horror movie. It was shot like many horror shows I've seen. Quality was as good as the Haunting of Hill House, a very high quality horror film of the early 60s. I was happy to see it just starting on Fox Movies channel when I arrived home tonight. I was riveted. Loved the give and take all the way to the end. But the end was a turnabout like a hundred similar turnabouts, with the obvious turned upside down by a revealing, riveting end piece. Yes, I wanted a surprise ending. But beyond that, as a lapsed Catholic since first grade, I enjoyed seeing the Church get what amounted to what in the seventies would've been an unfair bashing. I went to Catholic school for five years. I'd endured the enormous fear the Church sold then. Recent statements by Pope Francis and errant priest scandals in dioceses everywhere have brought home the realization that all Catholic dioceses in the world have been subject to priests taking up with children, men, women, anyone walking, really. The Church in America is taking a steep dive in members as we speak because of the new understanding. The Church was founded in the First Century. Priests at first married. The Church divided into different branches, the new branches not part of the Roman Church. By the 4th century celibacy was becoming mandatory in the surviving Roman Church. But it didn't become uniform until the 11th century. Given the nature of human beings I think one can assume a great many priests began violating the celibacy rule immediately. Covering up scandals has likely been part of the duty of Catholic dioceses for centuries. The backdrop of a boys school run by the Church is not accidental in Child's Play. Schools run by men in the priesthood have inherently had great potential for scandal, whether driven by sexual scandal or something else.

I confess, I've always loved this film since I first saw it decades ago. I was always amazed that with its strong pedigree, both behind and in front of the camera, that it seemed to be totally forgotten with no official release. Needless to say, I was THRILLED when I heard that Olive was releasing the Blu-ray. I've had a fairly nice print that I got from television many years ago, but now it is awesome to have this unique film available on Blu-ray. You pretty much have the general plot from the other reviewers here, so I won't waste your time on that. But, I will say that one of the primary things I really like about this movie, and that I like most about good Horror films, it is all about MOOD & ATMOSPHERE! Seriously, there is a very low-key but strongly oppressive mood over this film as these boys are mysteriously getting maimed. What is behind it...? Well, that is one of the things this movie (actually Sidney Lumet) does very well. And, that is really being vague and ambiguous about the source of the Evil that is happening. It is most definitely there and you feel it, you just don't quite know where it is coming from 😊 And THAT to me makes for a great film! I'll just leave it at that and say that if you are the kind of person who enjoys mood and atmosphere most in Horror movies like this, and appreciate an oppressive slowly building Evil, and you don't mind a Slow-Burn, low-key build up, there is a good chance that you may very well like it...

A new games master (Beau Bridges) goes back to his old boarding catholic school where he finds that bullying is rife while one of the head's (James Mason) does not have his priorities in order. Another master, (Robert Preston) has an unhealthy relationship with the boys. Based off the play by Robert Marasco, Sidney Lumet's film is an at times over the top and expressive melodrama with some dangerous overtones. A little claustrophobic in places and overly talky, it is however well acted.

Sidney Lumet manages to engender great tension in this curious tale about a group of satan like kids and one of their masters. Reasonable acting with an intelligent script produces satisfactory results. The only thing missing here is a lack of focus on the mechanics of how the boys behaviour is merely down to a local cult or if something more sinister is at work; however it may have been the writers intention to leave us in two minds regarding this aspect. Definitely worth watching

Apparently at this exclusive Catholic prep school even the civilian teachers have to be officially celibate. In Child's Play the focus of the film is on an intense rivalry between a pair of civilian teachers who have no outside attachments, save for James Mason and his dying mother. So they indulge in this rivalry for the approval of the students. And Robert Preston who dusts off a bit of his Harold Hill persona from The Music Man is winning hands down. Child's Play, a David Merrick Production on stage ran 342 performances during the 1970 season and starred Pat Hingle and Fritz Weaver in the roles that Preston and Mason essay here. Preston is a charmer as Professor Harold Hill was, but his charm is laced with malevolence. For reasons I'm not sure whether for money or prestige Preston turns the students against Mason, he wants Mason out to move up in some kind of seniority system. Mason makes it real easy. A stiff demanding pedagogue he's Mr. Chips before Robert Donat's marriage to Greer Garson humanized him. He's way past the age of retirement, but other than a terminally ill mother this guy has no life. Going to teach gives him an excuse to get up in the morning. Both these guys are a pair of real closet cases. Both are obsessed with the young male preppy kids they teach, Mason just does not know how to relate to them. Preston does and he uses his influence with them to produce some terrible consequences. Caught in the middle of all this is new gym teacher Beau Bridges who once went to this school. He knows both men from his years there, but learns a whole lot more once he becomes a faculty member and learns disturbing stuff about both. Child's Play is smartly directed and photographed by Sidney Lumet. Pay attention to some of the deep focus cinematography involving all three of the players I've named in joint scenes. All three register facial expressions that help move the story along immensely. I think a lot was left out of the play coming over from Broadway, but still Child's Play is a fine film with great performances from the leads.

I really wanted to like this one, but, alas, I didn't! This film definitely had a moodiness and strong sense of foreboding that was almost palpable, and which was very appealing and kept me engrossed. Was Dobbs the devil? A warlock? Why did he possess such a strong hold over the boys? The film never quite answers this. It implies that something supernatural is going on, but never explicitly states so. It felt like a really strong build up that ultimately went nowhere.

Not even heavy names like Sidney Lumet, James Mason and Beau Bridges can make of "Child's Play" everything that it should be. Halfway through a more experienced viewer like me will think of similar and better executed examples of the same story: the disturbance between the students of a boy's school after one dangerous incident after another involving injured students are deeply concerning among teachers who'll investigate the case to later find out things are not what they appear, and one of them might be the source of all this trouble. In this grandfather of films like "The Faculty", we follow the rivalry between a tyrant teacher (James Mason) hated by everyone versus a more likable guy (Robert Preston), and in the middle of this is the new PE teacher (Beau Bridges) former student of the place, now trying to uncover the mystery involving the students and their deadly beatings on some of their classmates, and also the threatening letters given to the menacing master. A movie with such divided line of classes shouldn't keep distant at one of them and focus mainly on the other. This should be like "Gosford Park", following from the top of the pyramid to the lowest level. But no. The frightening students are given one horrific scene here and there, most of the time they're in the background of the whole action and let's face it, they suck as actors with those emotionless expressions that doesn't cause anything after a while. One dimensional at its worst. And while we have time to see the teachers and the headmaster dealing with the case everything is incredibly slow, sickening and overplayed. Bridges gets sympathy from us because like him we're entering into a new thing, wanting to get answers on events that seem unexplainable; Mason gets more credit than he ever deserved it, not only from the titles giving him as a lead when he's not but also credit from many critics who praise his performance. Not only his character isn't sympathetic (even when he should be after getting more and more death threats, we should feel something for him but we don't due to its emotional overreactions) but we sense that he is too performatic, representing on a play and never being the character. He's a trained dictator and not the dictator, lack of embodiment ruined his acting in this film. If "Child's Play" deserves a little of recognition is because of Robert Preston playing the cool teacher. The more the film develops, the more he changes into something he's not, a part rarely played that grows on you. Probably the good remembrances after watching this film is because of him. I disliked this yet it was almost enjoyable. First of all there's no lesson learned in here. Movies with teachers in the main roles commonly features some rewarding (or not but they do try) lesson or a useful teaching. By those standards, what do we get? There's little devils in the school working for a great devil with a noble purpose? Quite alright. Unappealing drama, stiff horror with few pleasant and thrilling moments but it doesn't go too far with a predictable plot underworked ruined by its lack of action. This proved to be a wrong project for Lumet, he's good in conducting filmic play adaptations but this one adds almost nothing to his resume. He didn't had the touch for the horror and it's a meaningless play so why do it. Might have been successful on Broadway (as it was played at one time) but as a film doesn't deliver much. Doesn't deliver at all. Just leaves a sour taste in the mouth. 5/10

This is one for the hybridologists. James Mason coming on like Rattigan's Andrew Crocker Harris, the Himmler of the Lower Fifth and Beau Bridges as Taplow. There's even A Leif Ericson figure from Tea And Sympathy in the shape of Robert Preston, it's all terribly overwrought with agonising all over the place. Just about watchable.