X—The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)—Not as cut-and-dried as most low-budget science-fiction thrillers; some novel ideas help to sustain interest in this one, though eventually it goes the tired old moralizing route, and scientific “transgression” results in doom. A solemnly serious Ray Milland is Dr. Xavier, the scientist whose experiments result in the X-ray vision that torments him; Don Rickles helps to redeem the stereotyped role of the greedy carny man who exploits poor Xavier. With John Hoyt, Diana Van Der Vlis, Harold J. Stone, and John Dierkes. Cinematography by Floyd Crosby; written by Robert Dillon and Ray Russell. Produced and directed by Roger Corman, for A.I.P. color
X Y & Zee The English title is Zee and Co. (1971)—Elizabeth Taylor in an all-out, let-it-bleed performance that shows her talent for comic toughness. She appears to be having a roaring good time on camera and she’s so energetic that Michael Caine and Susannah York (it’s a triangle movie) have to work hard to hold their own. The subject is the shocking messiness of love, and the director, Brian G. Hutton, aims each shot at the jugular; nothing is implied, nothing is suggested—everything belts you. Set in London, it’s an entertaining plush circus of a “women’s picture,” with cinematography in Billy Williams’ ripest palette. Edna O’Brien wrote the script and her dialogue has a sardonic tickle to it. With Margaret Leighton. A Kastner-Ladd-Kanter Production; released by Columbia. color (See Deeper into Movies.)