Very Cool!!!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

In Libel, Olivia de Havilland and Dirk Bogarde are paired as a married couple whose perfect yet vulnerable world is on display for all to see. The lavishly mounted production was filmed at MGM's studio in Britain.The use of close-ups by director Anthony Asquith to give us clues about the emotional states of the characters during trial testimony is very well done-- especially with de Havilland who does not have much dialogue in these scenes before she is finally put on the stand. She conveys as much with her eyes as a silent film actress would: the surprise, anguish, horror, confusion and conviction of her character. When Number 15 enters the courtroom, Asquith is using a moving camera to get the reaction shots of the key players. He keeps us close, up on the characters' faces, as they react...and that is the emotional turning point of the whole film.Dirk Bogarde performs multiple roles in Libel. The trick photography is very good, especially a scene in flashback, when he is in the hut during the war. As one of his characters walks past the other, the shadow that is cast over the face of the other Bogarde is perfectly timed and indicates the double was exactly the right height. Therefore, it did seem like there were two actors instead of one doing two characters.Of course, an astute viewer knows the medallion would be the item that saves Mark (Bogarde's good guy character) in the end. But having it come after de Havilland denounces him in court and rails against him at home carries a great deal more impact.This is a deliciously plotted thriller, even if a bit contrived in some places. Though it could easily have veered from a psychological study into horror claptrap, the fairly restrained performances of the actors keep it in check.

In London, veteran pilot Paul Massie (as Jeffrey "Jeff" Buckenham) sees a former World War II buddy on television. The show's reporter is interviewing handsome British aristocrat Dirk Bogarde (as Mark Sebastian Loddon) and his American wife Olivia de Havilland (as Margaret "Maggie" Loddon) about Mr. Bogarde's notable family estate. Bogarde has trouble remembering events from prior to his years as a prisoner of war in Germany. The experience made his memory unreliable and his hair turn grey, according to Bogarde. After watching the broadcast, Mr. Massie declares Bogarde an impostor..."Libel" ends up being a little confusing, even though the identity problems in the plot are cleared up satisfactorily. For most of the running tome, the story favors one conclusion, making it seem less like a mystery; Bogarde does an excellent job, considering. Distracting, but important in the script, is his "grey" hair color. He looks more like a younger, blond man while his co-star's dated hairstyle makes Ms. De Havilland look like the older woman. Their age difference, five years, wasn't that big. As dueling lawyers, Robert Morley and Wilfrid Hyde-White ensure the courtroom scenes play engagingly.******* Libel (10/23/59) Anthony Asquith ~ Dirk Bogarde, Olivia de Havilland, Paul Massie, Robert Morley

Mediocre film where Dirk Bogarde takes two roles. He is accused of assuming the identity of someone that he has killed. Remember Bette Davis doing this in 1964's "Dead Ringer?" That was so much better.The real acting here is done by Olivia DeHavilland who portrays Bogarde's wife. From all the testimony, it appears that the man she has married has duped her and everyone else. She denounces him but the surprise Alfred Hitchcock-like ending is about the only good thing this film has to offer. The film may be seen by others as somewhat confusing. After all these years, someone from the outfit sees Bogarde on television. This someone knew both gentlemen and observes the way Bogarde is holding his hand. Something seems to be wrong. The stranger confronts Bogarde who naturally denies everything. This shall ultimately lead to the court battle where identity theft is the name of the game.

This film seems to be based on the true story of Martin Guerre, the sixteenth century Frenchman who went off to war and came back a changed man. Some of these changes turned out to be so great that his neighbors suspected it wasn't really Martin. It turned out they were right; it was an impostor, Arnaud du Tilh, so clever he even fooled Martin's wife. The real Martin eventually showed up and Arnaud confessed his crime. IN 192 the story was made into a film starring Gerard Depardieu as Arnaud. American audiences will be more familiar with Sommersby (1993), an adaptation of the same story starring Jodie Foster and Richard Gere, set after the American Civil War.