One Man's Homily

The Ceremony is a long-winded melodrama that can't decide which way to blow. Produced and directed by its star, Laurence Harvey, this film about a killer's escape from prison in Tangiers deplores the death penalty, sadistic bureaucrats, and nine out of ten cops. It adores condemned criminals and closeups. But whenever the camera can wrench itself away from Harvey's grab-bag morality and his own vulpine profile, the supporting actors prove their worth. As Harvey's brother, Robert Walker gives the kind of performance that starts fan clubs springing up, and Girl Friend Sarah Miles, an ignis fatuus personified, fills her slattern's role with a kitten-in-the-rain charm that only the most heartless desperado could resist.

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