The Walking Stick (1970)

Don't Believe the Hype

Best movie ever!

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Samantha Eggar gives a wonderful performance along with a very effective David Hemmings in "The Walking Stick," from 1970. The beautiful Eggar is Deborah, a young woman who suffered from polio as a child and now has a bad leg; for this reason, she has to use a cane. She believes she is damaged goods, unattractive, and unwanted. She works at an auction house as their porcelain expert and lives with her parents, who don't seem to understand her.One evening she ventures out to a party and meets Leigh Hartley, an aspiring artist, who is attractive but persistent, which puts Deborah off. Eventually she agrees to see him, and they become friends, at last lovers, and ultimately move in together, planning to start their own business. Deborah then begins to find out that Leigh has not been honest about his past, but the final blow has yet to be struck: He and his mates want to rob the auction house and need her to do it.This is a slow film, but the acting is very good, and the story is absorbing and sad. And it leaves one with a few questions, though ultimately I think, like Deborah, we know the answers.The most brutal part of the film is when Deborah does her part at the auction house and, in the way of the robbers, one grabs her and literally throws her out of the way.Thought-provoking, and one asks what it is about love that makes so darn blind all the time. We'll never know the answer.

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.

Pretty but man-shy art-appraiser in London, alienated from the opposite sex due to one leg affected by childhood polio, is courted by a struggling artist and falls in love; soon after moving in with him, however, he demands her help in a burglary, leaving her unsure whether he ever loved her or perhaps was simply using her. Flawlessly acted, rather brilliantly assembled adaptation of Winston Graham's book is a bit slow, yet incredibly assured. Director Eric Till shows a deft touch in weaving sequences together, keeping a fluid pace, and he's helped by wonderful editing and cinematography. The film examines deeply the issues of trust and love...and the consequences of those emotions when they are blind to reality. A real sleeper, with Samantha Eggar giving one of her finest performances. *** from ****

Curtailing evil, criminal intentions, a dashing young man, Leigh, seduces and persuades the dreary, moderate polio victim Deborah Dainton into falling in love with him. Deborah leads a neatly organized life, and is obligated to see it being reduced to shreds when she discovers her boyfriend is part of a gang who intends to rob the auction house in which she works in. That's when Deborah has to come to grips with the fact that Leigh may have maintained a relationship with her solely for the benefit of the heist. This is an utterly unforgettable study on bitterness, hope and disappointment. We get to witness the magnificence of Eggar's performance as her character slowly discovers what Leigh - David Hemmings - truly had in mind when they began living together. And how Eggar manages to show that her bad leg does not stop her from being as tricky - if not trickier - than the good for nothing Leigh.'The Walking Stick' is an emotionally-charged melodrama that does not appeal to tacky tearjerker clichés. Everything is beautifully executed in a low-key, calm and yet gut-wrenchingly real manner, with an emotionally disarming ending that will leave you sobbing.