Mark Turner With the invention of the 24 hour news cycle and cable news it seems like every atrocity on the face of the Earth is presented to us nonstop around the clock. When a mass shooting happens or serial killer is on the lose we hear about it constantly without relief. Growing up when there were only three major networks and people relied as much on print journalism as they did TV we never had that. When something like this occurred the story would unfold over time rather than tons of speculation and unverified tidbits coming at us fast and furious.So it was with the case of Albert DeSalvo, aka the Boston Strangler. The story was mostly regional in the Boston area at first. Once the killing was solved the story spread out across the country. Pundits didn't weigh in automatically about this, that or the other. The deepest look into what happened was put in books rather than a movie of the week. But a movie was made and it was a great depiction of events.In 1962 the city of Boston is filled with fear as a series of murders of women occur. No one feels safe and no location is safe as the women were murdered in their own homes in most cases. There was no sign of forced entry and most were sexually assaulted. To say that there was intense pressure on law enforcement to catch this killer is an understatement.The movie moves back and forth between two stories, the second developing as we get into things. On one hand we have the typical police procedural story to watch. Led by appointee John Bottomly (Henry Fonda) a task force is set up to bring together all the clues and information about the killer in the hopes of capturing him and ending his reign of terror. Things get so desperate that Bottomly allows psychic Peter Hurkos in to help the task force. But it is luck that results in the killer's apprehension.As this story unfolds we are also presented with that of Albert DeSalvo, the man who is indeed the Boston strangler. A middle aged married man with children, DeSalvo goes to work, comes home, watches TV and seems normal on the surface. While watching TV one day he tells his wife he has to leave for work. In reality he has another victim in mind. His attack goes off and he rapes the woman, being bitten by her as she tries to free herself. While running away he is apprehended by the police and eventually his story is revealed.The third act here involves the interrogation of DeSalvo and how they came to find out more about the man and his mental issues. Without a confession the evidence to convict is slim. As Bottomly questions DeSalvo it at first appears he won't succeed. Whether he can or not makes for a well thought out, stunningly portrayed performance by two great actors.When the movie was released it received solid reviews but most critics took note that much was changed from the reality of the story. Rather than praising it for being an accurate portrayal they noted it was more in the vein of a "based on real events" type film. This didn't hold back the public who went to see the movie and made it a success.The movie offered actor Tony Curtis who fought for the role one of the best parts of his life. He was able to show that he wasn't just another pretty face but a dynamite actor who had the chops to bring the character to life. At a time when many thought his career was over this revitalized it instead. Watching his performance is one of the highlights of the film.The release by Twilight Time is every bit as good as the rest of their catalog, offering a pristine version of the movie on blu-ray. In addition to the quality image on screen extras include an isolated music & effects track, audio commentary by film historians David Del Valle and Steven Peros, "Split-screen Personality" a short with William Friedkin on the film, Real Killer Fake Nose, AMC Backstory: The Boston Strangler, Fox Movietone Newsreel and the original theatrical trailers. As is always the case with their releases this has a limited run so if you are interested make a point of picking one up before they're gone.

Leofwine_draca THE BOSTON STRANGLER tells the true-life story of a serial killer who terrorised the women of Boston, Massachusetts, in the early 1960s. I came to this film as somebody totally unaware of the facts surrounding the case, so watching the story unfold and develop made for an interesting film. My only complaint really is with the style; director Richard Fleischer insists on using various split-screen techniques to tell his story, and I think they detract from it.This isn't just brief, de Palma-level split screen; the entire film is full of shots which roll on and off the screen, and are manipulated in various ways. To be honest, it's fairly distracting, and comes across as dated more than anything else; I get the impression that split-screen was a bit of a fad, and I'm happy it hasn't taken off to a great degree.Otherwise, the movie is a mixed bag. Casting pretty boy Tony Curtis as the killer was a good stroke, as the star acquits himself well with the role, while Henry Fonda and George Kennedy are fine as the dogged cops on his tail. However, it's fair to say that this film is a bit overlong, with over an hour before we get to meet the killer himself. It becomes more interesting towards the end, when it takes more of a psychological approach to the proceedings, but it's never electrifying in the same way the likes of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS were electrifying. An interesting curio, then.

richieandsam THE BOSTON STRANGLER.What a great film.I only watched this movie because it is based on a true story about a serial killer in America. I am fascinated with serial killers anyway, i am interested in what makes them kill, what makes them not care about human life.This film was really well made. The effects were not great... when Tony Curtis was driving his car, you could see so easily that he was not actually driving the car... but then this film was made in 1968... they didn't have the special effects that we have now.The story was good... it is about Albert DeSalvo. He was convicted of rape and sentenced to life imprisonment. He also confessed to the murder of 13 women...Tony Curtis did a fantastic job playing DeSalvo. He was believable. The movie also starred Henry Fonda and George Kennedy who also did a great job.The film had some really nice shots in it... a lot of the film was split screen with 2 or more pictures on the screen playing at the same time. It was really well done, but I did find that if there were about 4 or more pictures at once, it was difficult to see everything that was happening.Obviously, this is a movie based on a true story... so I don;t know hoe much of it is true and how much is made up... but it was a very entertaining movie and really well made.I will give this film 8 out of 10.I really liked it, and would watch it again.To read more of my reviews, please like my Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ordinary-Person-Movie- Reviews/456572047728204?ref=hl

TxMike When Tony Curtis took this role he was already a veteran of about 60 movies, and was most known for the sometimes goofy romantic comedies he was in. But here he is in the title character of Albert DeSalvo, a laborer in Boston who became known as the probable Boston Strangler. I say probable because DeSalvo was never accused and tried. But as this movie tells the story, there is little doubt.The second key character is the always superb Henry Fonda as attorney and lecturer John S. Bottomly who reluctantly becomes the leader of a task force to consolidate all the "strangler" evidence at one place, because the various murders had happened in a number of different jurisdictions and a consistent effort was needed. The third key character is George Kennedy as Det. Phil DiNatale who was the lead investigator in many of the murders and who tracked down an unlimited number of leads.The editing technique used here is unusual but worked very well. Often at critical times in the story a split screen was used, for example to simultaneously show what was happening outside an entry door and what was inside the room. In some scenes as many as 6 split screens are used simultaneously. Overall a very good drama, and Tony Curtis shows he can act, and not just a pretty face. In fact, he wore a prosthesis on his nose to make him look a bit more menacing.SPOILERS: It turned out that DeSalvo had a split personality, and in his interviews with a Psychiatist probably had been that way since a fairly young age. In his one personality he was a calm, loving family man with a wife and children. But when something would upset him, like the assassination of JFK, the other personality would take over and he would commit the crimes, killing women by strangulation. According to the movie's dramatization, he had trouble actually remembering the crimes. He was not tried, but committed to a mental institution.