Wizard-8
There may be some people who will object to the core premise of "The Walking Stick" by saying that they've seen the same basic premise in other movies before. I don't object to seeing the same premise again as long as the story is retold professionally and with a fresh light. Indeed, one strength the movie has is that the performances are very good - Eggar and Hemmings manage to make their characters believable. Unfortunately, the script and direction are another matter. The story takes way too much time to get from one major plot turn to another - a lot of fat could have been trimmed before shooting started. Also, the direction for the most part is a little too low key. I'm not asking for a great deal of flashiness, but a little more life should have been put into the movie. I am not saying this is an awful or bad movie, but it is kind of disappointing.
rexshard93
When I watched the film, I thought the story of the film was just OK. Nothing special. I have seen older films with similar ideas.But what made me like the film wasn't the story. I liked the film, because of the strong performance from Samantha Eggar and wonderful score by Stanley Myers.David Hemmings did a fine job playing his role. But Eggar's performance was able to capture the true feelings of a woman who is physically and emotionally wounded. That's why Deborah Dainton (Samantha Eggar) is one of my favorite characters. And Stanley Myer's great cavatina music makes the scenes memorable by capturing the lonely world of Deborah Dainton (Samantha Eggar).But I think the script would have been far better if it was given to a director like Alfred Hitchcock. I still rate the film 7 out of 10, because of its strong points.
John Seal
The Walking Stick features broody, moody David Hemmings as Leigh, an artist living the bohemian lifestyle in London's (then un-redeveloped) Docklands. He makes friends with crippled sweet young thing Deborah (Samantha Eggar, who specialized throughout the sixties in vulnerable female roles), a polio victim with weak legs and unloving parents (Phyllis Calvert and Ferdy Mayne). But Leigh has an ulterior motive: he's going to use Deborah to help him rob the auction house at which she works. If moral ambiguity is your bag, or if you're a fan of either Hemmings or Eggar, you won't want to miss this very special, very rare treat. Also of note: Stanley Myers' terrific score, sometimes lush, sometimes swinging, and Arthur Ibbetson's frequently stunning, beautifully composed cinematography.
richard-meredith27
David Hemmings was THE Icon of Swinging 1960's London following his performance in 'Blow Up'. Here he plays Leigh, a slightly sinister seedy artist in 1969/ 70's London, who picks up Deborah (a very beautiful Samantha Eggar) at a fashionable party in Hampstead.Leigh is a sordid betrayer and crook who may be only using Deborah to gain access to the auction house she works in. When she realises this, Deborah proves to be capable of dealing with the problem and her walking stick, far from eliciting sympathy for her minor disability, proves to be a prop for her strengths.It is a good example of British Cinema. A strong storyline, originally by author Winston Graham, is moved along by well lit, deep technical images of a London that has in the case of the West India Dock sequences disappeared. And unlike modern films it is not afraid of silence. The music is sparse and appropriate (check out the guitar solo. Isn't it familiar?).This is a film to buy and watch when the alternative on a wet Bank Holiday is endless 'Carry-On' or Sitcom spin-off films being shown back-to-back on TV.
