Kirpianuscus
Simone Signoret does a great job. that is the first verdict and for a fan of French cinema , it is not a surprise. the film has a rare virtue for horrors - it is fascinating. more than scary or spectacular. using not an original idea, it is example of beautiful precision for each detail. and the play with old themes has the entire story great. a film about a visit and an eccentric family. about fears and trust and games. nothing special. but the balance between pieces, the acting, the music, the use of ambiguity as basic tool are pillars for an American movie who respects traditional European recipes. a film who could be interesting for many viewers. because not the story itself is the axis but the art of each actor. and, sure, the nuances who builds the role of Simone Signoret.
edwagreen
A pretty bad imitation of the older film "Diabolique."An odd ball couple, James Caan and Katharine Ross, enjoy playing all sorts of tricks with their devised electrical equipment. Suddenly, Mrs. Schindler (Simone Signoret) shows up. While she isn't exactly Mrs. Robinson, she adds much to the mystery.When a gun which is supposed to be filled with blanks goes off, a grocery delivery boy is killed and the couple try their best to hide the murder.What follows is basically a diabolical scheme by Caan to get his wife's money. Mrs. Schindler is a cohort of the Caan character.The picture tries to be scary, but it fails due to a lack of interest. Of course, Schindler turns the tables on Caan at the end, but you can't wait until all this is over.
ags123
"Games" has barely aged in over forty years. What looked avant-garde in the 1960s endures as quintessentially modern. The art-filled New York City brownstone house could be featured on today's HGTV. The cast is first-rate. Simone Signoret does a variation of her "Diabolique" character - a cold, calculating opportunist beneath the serene, matronly exterior. Katherine Ross couldn't be lovelier - whenever the story's logic becomes a bit shaky, you're too distracted by her exquisite beauty to notice. James Caan does a great job as a slick charmer living off his wife's money. It's all a fun-filled puzzle with lots of suspense. Attention Universal Studios: Put this film on DVD!Update: Finally got my hands on the DVD from the Universal Vault series. I enjoy this film now as much as I did back in 1967. For me it holds up well to repeated viewings. Even knowing every twist and turn of the plot, I find the urbane treachery and artful setting endlessly absorbing. "Games" probably won't be a preferred choice of younger audiences, but remains my favorite guilty pleasure.
verna55
Stylish, offbeat American variation on the classic French thriller DIABOLIQUE, which also featured Simone Signoret in the lead. Signoret is equally effective here, and a young James Caan and Katharine Ross are also impressive as the bewildered young couple whose seemingly mindless game-playing takes a deadly turn for the worse when the mystical Signoret enters their lives. Director Curtis Harrington(who also had a hand in the script) has added some exciting and effective new touches to this first-rate suspense tale.
AD
