Man on a Swing

Another great Frank Perry Film
I was so happy when I noticed that Amazon had this hard-to-find Frank Perry film (almost all of his are hard to find) available to stream or download. The first Frank Perry film I watched was The Swimmer, and I have been a fan ever since. I was lucky enough to be living in Los Angeles when the Egyptian Theater featured a retrospect of some of his films including The Swimmer, Doc, Diary of a Mad House Wife, and another favorite of mine, Play it as it Lays. I would highly recommend all of his films including his first, David and Lisa. There's just something about them, that I still can't put my finger on. There's a quirkiness to them, and occasional imperfections, especially in The Swimmer, considered one of the first independent films, but under it all is a unique, but often subtle, auteur vision to his films. Man on as Swing was no exception in terms of those qualities, but it also has the feel of a film in which the director had a very solid command of his craft. It's Perry's...

A fascinating performance in an otherwise underwhelming film
Inspired by a true case, Frank Perry's Man on a Swing sees Cliff Robertson's police chief in a small town (the kind that still looks like it's stuck in the late 60s in 1974) out of his depth when trying to solve the murder of a young girl. The case is clearly going nowhere as he almost sleepwalks through the investigation as if numbed by shock, though that may just be because the police are too busy getting their fingerprints over the evidence and drinking Budweiser and making sure the logo is facing the camera at every opportunity: police stations, bars, at home - any time is Budweiser time for these cops. For the first couple of reels it's not much above TV movie of the week level, but it jolts into life every time Joel Grey appears as a clairvoyant who offers to help with the case even though he claims to have heard nothing about the murder. But just how reliable is he and what are his real motives?

It's certainly a fascinating performance, and a surprisingly controlled...

Eerie Mystery
Unusual based on fact movie from the 1970s about the tragic rape/murder of a beautiful young teacher in a California town. The movie changes many of the facts of the case, including the resolution, but this is really unimportant because the film is unique and the acting is terrific.

The murder investigation is interrupted by a phone call to the police chief from a man who describes himself as a psychic. He says he doesn't read the newspapers but has a "feeling" that he is needed to help with an important case.

Grey as the "over the top" psychic monopolizes every scene he is in. You can't take your eyes off of him. His character is nicely balanced by the down to earth common sense of the police chief played by Cliff Robertson.

But the drama doesn't stop at the station because at home Robertson argues with his pregnant wife, Dorothy Tristan, who doesn't like the Grey character. Robertson is doubtful himself, but Grey has so many facts that he...

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