LORD JIM (1965) *** Young men go looking for adventure. It turns out to be very easy to find. Too often they find themselves more needing a second chance than wanting one. Decay or roulette. Joseph Conrad's characters are invariably some representation of corroded philosopher prince, offering bold monologues to a sky that's also lost interest. That's different than saying that nothing's there. Peter O'Toole's midnight parlay with James Mason plays out more like Shakespearean actors forging a Cambridge debate than Asian kismet or high cinema but, again, that's very different from saying that it's not worthwhile. It is. It says a lot, and defends itself by declaring that most things can only be made manifest through awkwardness. It's a violent relative of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a hidden interior rendition of some impersonal aspect of Murphy's War, a weary proud statue whispering the universal nature of whatever excommunication is important.
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