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Watching "Girl in the Headlines," a 1963 British whodunit, drives home the point that the vast majority of films in this forum are in, or nearly in, the elite category. There are *so many* middling, or just plain bad, movies out there, that whenever I see one, it stands out like a sore thumb - such is the case with "Girl in the Headlines." This film is 94 minutes of tedium, followed by a payoff that leaves the viewer feeling cheated - although it is "classic" in that it represents what so many early-1960s British mystery films are, it is nothing more than an average film, and the viewer has to be in a really good mood just to rate it average.

As to *why* I watched this? It's because Season 1, Episode 1 of "The Saint" - "The Talented Husband" - is *so* damned good, that I thought I'd give director Michael Truman a go on the big screen, and this is about the only film I could find by him. In fact, this film is so hard to find that I had to get "a subscription within a subscription," signing up for Fandor as a supplement to my Amazon Prime subscription. 

After one free week, Fandor kicks in month-to-month at $3.99, and it may well be worth it, because all of its films are free, and it specializes in obscure, foreign films that you just cannot find on typical subscription services - I seriously doubt you'll find "Girl in the Headlines" in many other places. Even with my expensive Amazon Prime subscription, I seem to end up paying $3.99 for most films I watch, so Fandor could turn out to be a bargain in the long-term.

Oh, you wanted a review of the movie? Okay, here it is:

A slain model, a detective, red herrings, numerous suspects, and a twist ending that's just not worth the investment.

There's your film. It's not terrible, but it's not good either, and I cannot recommend it when there is just so much else out there worth watching.

Given how unbelievably good "The Talented Husband" is, I don't fault Michael Truman for this film; it's more that he had almost nothing to work with - I would instead be skeptical about the producer, screenwriters, the story itself, or a combination of the three - there's nothing about the actual direction that seems so bad; in fact, it has a very nice feel to it - it's just kind of boring. The acting, especially that of the two detectives on the case, is quite good.

This film is also out there under the name, "The Model Girl Murder Case."

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23 hours ago, DonRocks said:

It's not terrible, but it's not good either, and I cannot recommend it when there is just so much else out there worth watching.

I have made the ultimate sacrifice: I watched this film a second time, just to make sure I wasn't tired, or just missing something when I saw it before.

My comment above stands. There is *nothing* in this film until the last minute that would allow the viewer any fair chance of figuring out the murderer - essentially, the person walked up and said, "Oh, by the way, I'm the murderer," and the film ended.

I'm sorry if I ruined this for you, but I'm urging you not to watch it. Let me instead list the positive traits:

* The directing
* The cinematography
* The music is dated but appropriate
* The acting by just about everyone, but especially the two lead detectives

I know that sounds like a lot of positive attributes, but the story just isn't there - the story is terrible. If the above four things were only of average quality, it would qualify as a downright "bad" movie; as it stands, it's mediocre at best, and a waste of your time. Do not invest 90 minutes of your life in this film, much less 180 minutes, as I did.

Incidentally, director Michael Truman (who was the only reason I watched this rather worthless film) was very high-up at Ealing Studios, which is the oldest continually working film studio in the entire world. This may seem like trivia, but it's a big deal - Truman was a very respected director in England in the 1940s and 1950s, and I cannot urge you strongly enough to watch "The Talented Husband" - SE1, EP1 of "The Saint" - if you have Hulu, just watch it, and you'll understand why I wanted to pursue Michael Truman one step deeper.

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