Eyewitness

Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful drama
Review: Mark Lester, the androgynous waif of Oliver!, starred in five films in 1970-71, when he was just at the cusp of adolescence, young enough so that he was still bewildered by the adult world, but old enough to take an active role in its events. Here he plays Ziggy, an exuberant 12-year old prone to fanciful stories, who sees the assassination of a visiting African dignitary but can't get anyone to believe him -- even when the local police force, which is in on the plot, starts trying to kill him.

The story is subsidiary to the array of quirky characters, including Mark's Carnaby Street-mod older sister, the blond hippie Adonis she hooks up with (and who never treats her as anything but a friend), Mark's eccentric grandfather (who runs the local lighthouse), and the shrill, suspicious housekeeper who may or may not be Grandpa's lover.

Interest is heightened by setting the film on the island of Malta, so there are many shots of quaint cobbled streets and breathtaking cliffs, but no hint that anyone lives on Malta besides quirky Brits.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting modern version of 'the boy who cried wolf' story.
Review: Ziggy(the extraordinarily talented Mark Lester of "Oliver!") is an eleven-year-old boy living on the island of Malta with his sister and grandfather. Like most boys of his age, Ziggy has a tendency to stretch the truth. His sister and grandfather are very much aware of this fact, and that's what makes it so difficult for them to believe Ziggy when he tells them that he actually did witness a murder. Ziggy is in a particularly dangerous situation because the murderers saw him and are out to make the boy their next victim. Will Ziggy be able to convince anyone that he is telling the truth before it is too late? This is an exciting and thoroughly engrossing new version of the boy who cried wolf story. Mark Lester is excellent as the boy who has told one tale too many, and Susan George("Straw Dogs") and Lionel Jeffries("The Quatermass Experiment") also do very fine work as Mark's concerned sister and grandfather. This one will put you on the edge of your seat from the very beginning and keep you there until the very end! The DVD from Anchor Bay is especially nice. It looks absolutely amazing! I honestly don't see how this movie could look any better. It looks as though it were made today instead of the early 1970's. Special features on the DVD include the film's original UK and US theatrical trailers, and very interesting audio commentary by director John Hough and writer(uncredited)/executive producer Bryan Forbes moderated by journalist Jonathan Sothcott.