tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307896131636174352024-02-19T11:59:16.382-05:00moviefanionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-71982211311295370132013-07-25T21:30:00.001-04:002013-07-25T21:30:21.185-04:00Scarlet Street (1945) Fritz Lang & La Chienne (1931) Jean Renoir<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These should probably be listed in reverse order but the original 1931 film was not seen in the U.S. until 1975, so most U.S. viewers had no idea "Scarlet Street" was a remake. The story is based on a 1930 novel by Georges de La Fouchardiere and although the story lines are similar, the movies ended up being quite different.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Scarlet Street" opens in Fritz Lang style - dark city street, raining, complete with hurdy gurdy man with monkey - and moves into a smoked filled room with cigar chomping men gathered around a conference table, imbibing happily. They are celebrating 25 years of service by cashier, Christopher Cross (Chris Cross, played by Edward G Robinson), who receives a gold watch from the company president.<br /><br />The evening is a success, Chris walks his friend Samuel Hinds to the bus stop in the rain (for no other movie purpose other than to have Hinds invited over Sunday afternoon that will introduce us to Chris’ home life). Chris then encounters Johnny Prince (Dan Duryea) slapping around Kitty March (Joan Bennett). He gives him a shove and then in such non-Edward G Robinson-form, flinches back, holding his umbrella up in defense. But Johnny doesn’t get up right away. Chris runs for a cop, Johnny runs off, Kitty tells the cop he went the other way, and Chris is smitten with Kitty, stopping for a drink together while walking her home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kitty leads Chris to believe that she is an actress, Chris lets her believe he is a wealthy artist (he is an amateur painter). Chris pursues her. She resists because she’s in love with Johnny, who is always looking for easy money and Johnny insists that she take Chris for all she (they) can take. Chris sets her up in an apartment where he also keeps his paintings due to his shrew of a wife (Adele) who berates him at every turn, and continually compares Chris unfavorably to her first husband, the late police sergeant who gave his life trying to save the life of a jumper.<br /><br />Kitty lets Chris believe that Johnny is her roommate’s boyfriend. At one point Chris asks her who Johnny is and she freezes, whirls around, and stonily asks, “why do you ask that?” To support her, Chris steals money from his wife and from his employer<br /><br />Johnny starts to doubt that Chris is a wealthy artist and takes a couple of his paintings to a vendor in Washington Square, where an art critic snaps them up. Johnny sees the money road and tells the dealer and critic, who later track him down, that Kitty is the artist. The art is a success, Chris’ wife sees the paintings in the dealer’s window, comes home and accuses Chris of being a fake because he’s copying the work of artist, Katharine March (Kitty’s full name).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chris is surprisingly cool with this, still thinking that Kitty is in love with him and is doing this for the both of them. The art begins to rake in the money.<br /><br />Here’s the big twist: someone asks to see Chris outside his office, and he meets Adele’s first husband, recognized from the large picture Adele has hanging in their living room. He is looking for money from Chris to stay away, not knowing that Chris would welcome his return so Chris can escape from Adele and be free for Kitty. Chris sets up a scenario that will bring Adele’s first husband back into their home for Adele to discover. Chris has his suitcase packed and leaves as he hears Adele screaming about the intruder. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alas and alack, when he arrives at Kitty’s apartment, he finds Kitty declaring her love for Johnny, drops his suitcase and leaves. Johnny is dismayed that Kitty talked him into staying and thereby blowing their money train and leaves her. Shortly afterward Kitty hears steps coming back and hopes it is Johnny, but it’s a drunk Chris is at the door. He declares his love and wants to forgive her but she is cruel and laughs at him, at which point he grabs an ice pick (conveniently loaded with Johnny’s fingerprints) and stabs her to death.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A drunken Johnny also returns but after Chris has done the deed. The cops come to Chris’ workplace and he thinks he’s caught, but it’s for the embezzlement not the murder. The tip was phoned in by Higgins (Adele’s first husband, taking his revenge). His employer won’t press charges but he’s lost his position. “Chris, it was a woman, wasn’t it.”<br /><br />Johnny’s arrested for the murder of Kitty as he is found with many of her valuable possessions (“You cleaned her out.” "Well, why wouldn’t I? She didn’t have any more use for them, did she?”).<br /><br />Witnesses at the trial are filmed by themselves, in a very effective black and white circle, while each gives a brief statement. The trial turns on whether Kitty could paint or if the work was by Chris. Chris denies that he could paint, thereby sentencing Johnny to death. This is what he wants but he ends up being haunted by the voices of Johnny & Kitty, tries to commit suicide, and ends up being a homeless man, treated as crazy when he continually tries to turn himself in for the murder of two people.<br /><br />“My Melancholy Baby” plays throughout the movie, most poignantly in the room with Chris after Johnny’s execution, against an ominous drumbeat (telltale heartish) when he’s hearing the voices of Kitty and Johnny. <br /><br />The very last scene shows the homeless Chris walking past the art dealer who is selling the portrait of Kitty, done by Chris, to a woman for $10,000.00. Chris is expressionless, the crowd disappears from our view, which was never in his, and he walks on, finally and completely alone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> La Chienne (1931) Jean Renoir</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“La Chienne” was Renoir’s second sound film and in this original version, Kitty is now Lulu (Janie Mareze), Johnny is Dede (Georges Flamant), and Chris Cross is Maurice Legrand (Michel Simon).<br /><br />It’s introduced by a puppet act, and after the third puppet beats down the first two (in deed and word), he states that this play “has no moral whatsoever and proves nothing at all...The three main ones (characters) are HE, SHE, and THE OTHER GUY, as usual.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The opening company party is quite different than in “Scarlet Street.” It’s a general get-together not honoring anyone but seems to be a prelude to further night time activities. The group mocks Maurice because he doesn’t join in the frivolity and he’s referred to as a wet blanket and the “life of the party.” They try to get him to come along to the after party, just for laughs for them, but he poetically declines, and they dislike him even more. <br /><br />As Maurice returns home, he comes across the same abusive boyfriend to girlfriend scenario but this time there is no cop called. Legrand grabs a cab to take Dede and Lulu home to their respective places, and Lulu freely admits that Dede is her boyfriend and they’ve been together three years. Apparently this doesn’t matter because Maurice is smitten. Lulu promises to write to him. Maurice then returns home to his very verbally abusive wife, Adele (the only name remaining the same in both movies), and takes what she dishes humbly and without much reaction. (The first husband this time was a sergeant who died in World War I.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One month later, we find Lulu ensconced in an apartment funded by Maurice. Once again, Lulu picked out the wallpaper so Dede would feel at home. Lulu still believes Maurice is rich, and he continues to get money from her (stealing from Adele and his employer). Lulu tries to keep as much of the money for herself as she can because if Dede finds out about it he’d “put the bite”on her to pay his own debts.<br /><br />One clearly major difference between a movie made in France at this time and in 1945 Hollywood was the Hayes code. Renoir was much freer to frankly show the relationships between his characters. In “La Chienne” it is very clear that these two parties are sleeping together. In “Scarlet Street,” she barely lets him touch her.<br /><br />Lulu’s girlfriend and Lulu: “Do you love your painter?” “I can’t say it disgusts me to do it with Maurice. It’s just nothing.” “So why do you do it with Maurice?” “Dede was broke.”<br /><br />Shrew wife Adele continues to mock Maurice’s paintings (“Self-portrait, again?”) and throws her ownership of the apartment in his face (“Nothing here is yours.”), along with her first husband, Alexis (“He was a real man.”).<br /><br />Lulu wants to leave Maurice, Dede tells her to stay with him for the money, and when Lulu claims to have no money for Dede today, he takes a couple of Maurice’s paintings off the wall. He shops them around to dealers where again, they are spotted by an art critic and appreciated by a dealer. Lulu, as Clara Wood, becomes the famous artist. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />This time Maurice himself sees the art in the dealer’s window and is not upset. Lulu explains that her brother took them to the dealer and once again, Maurice thinks she’s doing this for them but Dede is keeping the money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After leaving work one evening, Maurice is met by none other than Alexis, the “dead” husband. Alexis tries the same ploy on Maurice as it becomes clear that neither man wants to be Adele’s husband. Alexis switched his papers with a dead pal in a POW camp to get away from his wife, not the army.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Maurice has much more fun with his plan than Chris did, however. Maurice gets home happy and drunk, looks at Alexis’ picture on the living room wall and tells Adele “I’d love to see your face if he came back.” The subsequent scene is much more creative than in “Scarlet Street” and too much to relate here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Maurice takes off with his suitcase to Lulu’s apartment and at the door, hears Lulu making up excuses for as to why Dede is there: (“You’re my brother...I’m sick...you came to visit...hurry up and dress). Then as he faces them: “Sure, he’s my boyfriend. What about it?”<br /><br />Maurice sadly leaves and Dede is angry with Lulu because she talked him into staying overnight. Now will be no more pictures for Dede to sell. He slaps her around a bit and she has no trouble taking it. But he’s finished with her. In a nice little twist from an earlier scene with Lulu and Maurice, Lulu asks: “Then, you’ll write me?” “That’s right...I’ll write you.”<br /><br />Next morning, Maurice is back, trying to be forgiving and understanding, but she’ll have no part of it and turns cruel “If it wasn’t for your money, I’d have dropped you like a hot potato.” But like Kitty, it’s the cruel mocking laughter that turns the tide. The scene moves from a letter opener, down to the street musicians below, and then back up to the third story window where we see Lulu’s bloodied body and Maurice still kissing her hand. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The street crowd has grown around the musicians and no one sees Maurice leaving the building. But everyone sees the obnoxious Dede drive his large car right into the middle of the crowd before he goes upstairs and quickly comes back down. The trial goes very differently but the result is the same and we last see Dede being woken up on his last day on earth.<br /><br />The epilogue gives us Maurice who randomly meets up with Alexis, both being vagabonds of a sort. Maurice cheerfully describes himself as having been “a junk man, hobo, drunkard, thief, and to begin with, a murderer.” We see Maurice’s self-portrait being put into a car, whose occupant throws 20 francs to the bum on the street. Maurice happily picks it up and says to Alexis, “Life is beautiful. Come on.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is a very different ending than “Scarlet Street” and after having watched both movies, I can see why Renoir would not have appreciated the remake. “La Chienne” sometimes moves stiffly but has some very effective camera work such as the aforementioned murder scene and a shot where the camera moves outside the bedroom window to watch Maurice first seeing Lulu and Dede in bed. <br /><br />Both films are by master directors and therefore worthy in their own right. An interesting back story to “La Chienne” is that Michel Simon (Maurice) and Janie Mareze (Lulu) became real life lovers but Mareze was killed on the way to the movie premiere of “La Chienne” in a car driven by Georges Flamant (Dede). Sad ending to a very short career. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<br /><script src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/s/ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-70880307580862183632012-11-11T21:43:00.000-05:002013-01-15T22:12:43.978-05:00The Last Man on Earth - Omega Man - I Am Legend <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Three movies have been made based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel “I Am Legend.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watching all three is an </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">interesting study in contrasts and I would suggest watching them in chronological order, starting with the first, “The Last Man on Earth” from 1964, starring a somewhat miscast Vincent Price as Dr. Robert Morgan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A plague has wiped out most of the world’s population, and bodies not burned morph into zombie-like vampires. They’re slow and dull, and speak just a little when calling out to Morgan at night: “Morgan, come o--u--t. Come out of the h--o--use.” In a flashback we that </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Morgan/Price doesn't believe the proposed theory of metamorphosis until his recently buried dead wife turns up at his door.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mirrors, garlic, and a flimsily boarded up home keep the vampires at bay at night. By day, Morgan drags dead bodies to a huge burning pit and searches for vampire lairs to drive stakes through their hearts. He’s been at it three years. “Another day to live through. Better get started.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Almost all of his story is told through voice-overs and flashbacks but when he suddenly encounters a woman during the day, we find out why the plague didn’t take him. He was bitten long ago by a bat in Panama. The bat had a vampire germ but by the time it entered Morgan’s blood, it has been strained and weakened by the bat system and he now has immunity. Plausible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The woman is from a group, who exist somewhere between human and vampire (“we’re infected but alive”). They’ve found their own solution to the situation and they take umbrage at Morgan’s activities, in spite of the too late revealed fact that Morgan’s blood can permanently prevent them from going vampire. Although there’s too much sacrificial lamb in it, this movie ending is my favorite of the three films. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 1971 Omega Man stars an over-the-top Charlton Heston as scientist Robert Neville, and he’s holed up in a penthouse in Los Angeles, complete with a wine cellar and is well-stocked with Scotch. The movie opens stylishly with Heston driving around an abandoned LA with the theme from “A Summer Place” playing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead of vampires, Heston has to contend with hooded mutants that cannot tolerate light, speak just fine, although a little archaically, and have retained more brain power than the previous vampires. They also move faster. Their goal seems to be destroying any remnants of the previous civilization, which includes Heston, “that creature of the wheel.” And we can understand their anger. It was civilization’s actions that made them what they are today. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The mutant-causing fault this time lies with biological warfare between China and Russia. Symptom are as follows: choking, unconsciousness, death, mutant. Fortunately for Heston, he developed a trial vaccine that he administered to himself in the nick of time. Too late for the rest of the world, however.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heston’s place is the Taj Mahal compared to Price’s abode. He has outdoor cameras and is comfortable enough with his handling and knowledge of the mutants to watch them at night through an open window. He plays chess with a bust of Caesar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His days are spent “shopping”, and searching for the mutants and their leader, Mathias. Like Price, he suddenly encounters a woman, whom he chases after to catch (Heston performing a little more effectively than Price). The </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“others” inevitably surface, dramatically saving Heston from a burning crucifixion death and rescue him via a crazy motorcycle chase/escape scene.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Again, Heston/Robert Neville’s blood holds the key to humanity’s survival and instead of the sacrificial lamb we get an actual crucifixion pose. Hokey. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will Smith’s “I Am Legend” modernizes the story which is now set in New York City. The scenes are great and include a from-the-top view ala “Side Street.” The cheesy 1970s music is gone and replaced by a mostly Bob Marley soundtrack. Smith doesn’t take his shirt off as much as Heston and does quote movie lines better (Heston - Woodstock; Smith - Shrek). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His residence, again as scientist Robert Neville, is a veritable fortress and his “dark-seekers” are much more formidable. They do not speak, but only roar or scream. They cannot tolerate light of any kind, they climb and jump like monkeys, and move at lightning speed. You won’t see one until about 30 minutes into the movie, and they are angry and smart enough to strategize.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flashbacks help to fill in the story and the movie opens with Dr. Alice Krippen (Emma Thompson) announcing a cure for cancer that was created with a genetically modified measles virus. Naturally, things go horribly wrong and the virus mutates. These creatures are the result. Smith spends his time working on a cure and testing it on infected animals and dark-seekers but so far to no avail. “The Krippen virus is ... elegant.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like Heston, Smith has conversations with mannequins as both men attempt to retain sanity. Also like Heston, Smith charts out the city and where he’s been. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This version offers some visual strokes of genius: the evacuation of Manhattan; Smith sitting alone at South Street Seaport looking at the destroyed bridges; Smith hitting golf balls into NYC off an aircraft carrier; and stunning images of an abandoned, post-apocalyptic Manhattan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bridges are destroyed but a woman and child show up and save Smith in his moment of distress. No reason is given to explain the immunity of Smith and the others to the virus. At one point Smith states that he is immune to both the airborne and contact strains, and canines are immune to airborne only. Reasons unknown. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I Am Legend” is much closer to “The Omega Man” than to “The Last Man on Earth.” In addition to the story line, both have great art on the walls of their homes. But both Smith and Price have to put down a dog that turns. Smith’s version is much more emotional and dramatic but the scene leading up to meeting the first dark-seeker is very long and drawn out. And although beautifully photographed, there’s a bit too much sentimentality thrown in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And should I even talk about the alternate ending that completely ruins “I am Legend”? Moving from “typical human behavior is now entirely absent” to alpha male zombie exhibiting human characteristics by loving his zombie woman and the entire group sparing the lives of the humans when said woman is retrieved suspends zombie movie belief. Butterfly motif? Hugely expanded. Both endings result in people driving out of Manhattan (via what bridge?) so that logic stream is lost either way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although all three movies are worth watching, “Legend” is the most visually satisfying, “Last Man” is the grittiest in black & white and interesting with its lame zombie-vampire combination, and “Omega” is notable for its intelligent and devious monkish-mutants. Enjoy!</span><br />
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<script src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/s/ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-25214117484876156572012-09-02T11:51:00.000-04:002013-12-25T21:50:51.576-05:00The Bad Seed (1956) Mervyn LeRoy<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John Waters refers to this movie as being one of his early, artistic, negative influences and mentions these three characters as being his holy trinity: the Wicked Witch of the East, Captain Hook, and Rhoda Penmark.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you don’t know or remember Rhoda, it’s time to watch this film. Considered a shocker in its day, the movie is an early entry in the creepy-kids-in-movies genre (followed by “Village of the Damned,” “The Omen,” “Children of the Corn,” etc., right up to 2011's “We Need to Talk About Kevin”).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Little Rhoda (Patty McCormack) is a picture perfect, adorable girl with doting parents. Her teacher and school chums don’t feel quite the same way, and the mentally-challenged and somewhat sinister handyman (Henry Jones as Leroy Jessup) thinks he’s onto her real personality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story slowly unfolds and we’re following along with Rhoda’s mother, Christine (Nancy Kelly) as various clues are dropped. Kelly’s acting is over the top and histrionic; at one point she pommels her abdomen when she suspects her heredity and increasingly fears her progeny. (Interestingly, she won a Tony for her Broadway performance and was nominated for an Oscar for the movie role.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The landlady (Evelyn Varden as Monica Breedlove) is an affectionate, over-bearing woman, devoted to psychology, and to Rhoda. She heaps advice on Christine ("you need vitamins and sleeping pills") (“I know I shouldn’t take things into my own two capable hands but...”) and gifts on Rhoda while indulging her every whim. When Rhoda is chastised by her mother for being not just a little rude and greedy, Monica responds with “she knows what she wants and asks for it.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Monica’s conversations are laced with psycho-babble, and the encounter of Monica, Christine, and Rhoda with Leroy on the sidewalk is a classic:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I’ve thought of you as emotionally immature, torn by irrational rages and a bit on the psychopathic side. But after this demonstration (he sprayed Rhoda’s shoes with the hose - remember those shoes), I think my diagnosis was entirely too mild. You’re definitely a schizophrenic with paranoid overtones.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Monica hosts a dinner party that includes Christine (whose military husband has been called out of town), Monica’s brother (Jesse White), and noted criminologist, Reggie Tasker (Gage Clarke). Earlier, when reminded of the dinner Christine asks: “What do you feed a criminologist?” Monica responds:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Prussic acid, blue vitriol, and ground glass; hot weather things...; he thrives on buckets of blood and sudden death.” This response holds great promise for the upcoming dinner but it, and the later cocktail party, which brings back Reggie and introduces Christine’s father, an ex-crime reporter, serves up rather stilted discussions of child criminals, nature vs. nurture, and also some surprising plot twists. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Christine and her father (Paul Fix) are a little too weirdly affectionate and we sense there’s something unknown with that relationship; not sordid, just a little off. Rhoda is permitted to greet her grandfather but is then sent up to dine with Monica (when she leaves the room she flips her braid to her back and is in essence flipping off her mother and grandfather). Christine has an awkward talk with her father about her dreams/nightmares, which end up being her father’s secrets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jesse White’s role as Monica’s brother and as one inhabitant of the apartment building is very small but he has the honor of spewing out one of the weirdest lines of the movie: “Well, I’ll be a middle-aged mongoloid from Memphis.” We don’t see him again until someone is being burned up in the basement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eileen Heckart, playing the mother of a son who drowned at a school picnic, has two scenes, and she steals them both, earning her a nomination for Best Supporting actress. “I’m drunk and unfortunate.” She also introduces the theme of underclass vs. upperclass, and calls out the snobbery of the school teacher, “Miss-butter-wouldn’t-melt-Fern.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The aforementioned handyman, Leroy, has been kept on by Monica because he has a family and although everyone mistrusts him, only he and Rhoda eventually see each other’s true identities. At one point, Leroy is watching Rhoda, and muttering about her, repeating the butter-wouldn’t-melt-theme. ”Lookin’ cute and innocent; lookin’ like she wouldn’t melt better; she’s that cool.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leroy later tries to scare Rhoda with the threat of the electric chair: “They got a little blue chair for little boys and a little pink chair for little girls.” That leads into the Rhoda’s true colors scene: “Give me those shoes! Give me back my shoes!”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just when you think you’ve arrived at the ending, there’s a surprise twist at a hospital and justice is subsequently meted out by the heavens (changing the plot of the novel and play). The players then appear for their credits (as they would on the stage), and a ridiculous spanking scene finally ensues that dissipates all of the drama. The film ends with this statement: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One can’t leave this movie without mentioning the musical theme of “Au claire de la lune” by Jean-Baptiste Lully. It’s played on the piano by Rhoda, whistled by handyman Leroy, and featured prominently in the musical score by Alex North. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The scene at the end by the water nicely dovetails with the opening credits, and the cinematography by Harold Rosson was Oscar-nominated. The entire film feels like a stage play but I love a movie that uses the word “specious,” twice, and made me look up “excelsior.” While the studio could have made the ending so much better, Patty McCormack rules in the child-horror movie genre, and if she asks you for her shoes, you'd be well-advised to give them to her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Now and then we get a twisted brain chemistry born to healthy, enlightened parents, but that’s one in a million.”</span><br />
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<script src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/s/ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-17722604272506439472012-06-10T21:28:00.000-04:002012-06-10T21:28:33.143-04:00From Hell It Came (1957) Dan Milner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is an hour and ten minutes of stilted, idiotic dialogue and very poor acting that together end up hilariously funny, although not by intent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have scientists/doctors on a South seas island checking radiation fallout from an atom bomb and treating the native population for plague (“Let’s try Formula X37.”). The scientists/doctors are very boring and talkative, and spend a lot of time explaining plot points.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The natives have just killed off one of their own, who vowed his revenge. “I shall come back from Hell and make you pay for your crimes!” The very Caucasian-looking chief (nice conch shell ornaments) and medicine man (bear claw headband) have wrongly accused the murdered man of killing his father, the previous chief. (The current chief speaks with a New York accent and most of the natives speak in fractured English.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ex-chief’s son is buried in a stand-up wooden coffin, knife still in his heart, with a voodoo doll, 2 large bones, and some seeds thrown in on top. Then these words are spoken portentously, “breethee pooro capu, zumu clova negatoro.” No translation provided.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Soon enough we hear from Hell as a stump starts growing out of the grave site and turns into a tree, containing the same plunged in knife - and a heartbeat. The natives recall a previous Tabanga (Creature of Revenge) that grew out of a murdered man’s grave and was released from the ground by a bolt of lightning and went on a killing spree until it disappeared (probably in the quicksand).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The scientists are advised that the Tabanga should be destroyed before it gets loose and starts killing. But the medicine man has more sinister designs and creates a concoction that when applied to the roots will allow him to control the Tabanga and its killing. He’s too late, however.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The scientists are intrigued by the heartbeat and want to study this creature, so they cut it free from its roots and bring it back to the lab where it’s chained onto a table. The move doesn’t go well and the pulse weakens and suddenly death is imminent (“The pulse is weak! It’s dying!”). Tina Carver wants to save it while Tod Andrews wants to throw it in quicksand. “Couldn’t we try to energize the adrenal gland with an electro-resister?” Classic cure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead, the doctors set up an IV that pumps Formula 447 into the creature for 8 hours to revive it. One of my favorite small scenes in this movie is the brief camera panning of the laboratory after the scientists have left, with the IV in place. It scans the room as it is and moves to the clock which is at 10pm. The clock is then fast forwarded to 6am and the camera scans back over the laboratory revealing the results of the last 8 hours. Complete with a monkey on the loose and a snake on the overhead lamp, the room shows the effects of the IV drip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The tree monster was not only revived but also had the strength to break out of his chains and reek havoc on the laboratory. Now they’ve done it. Tabanga is loosed upon the island. “I just wanted it to live, not to destroy!” Ah, too late.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tabanga’s first activity is to break up the funniest cat-fight you will ever see and we watch his first revenge kill, death by quicksand. The next victim suffers death by squeezing, and the next by being branch-stabbed. All good stuff.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The movie draws to its inevitable conclusion with our damsel in distress needing rescue and falling in love with her rescuer, whom she had previously rebuffed, inconceivably not falling for his approach: “Don’t you want a husband and children, like other women?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tabanga is a lumbering tree stump that won’t burn, from which bullets bounce off, and has a face resembling a bull dog with the lower jaw constantly quivering. You don’t get to see him in motion until 47 minutes into the film, and it’s a thing of beauty to behold. He has suitable, eerie music to accompany his strolls. His visage and the quicksand deaths are very likely burned into the memory banks of 1950s children.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One final note is necessary regarding Linda Watkins who plays an Australian widow running a trading post. She is particularly annoying and I think all viewers wish Tabanga had thrown her into the quicksand before this 80 minutes of campy fun ended. This is a must-see for fans of 1950s-1960s "horror" films.</span></div>
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</script>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-86359124957004766582012-03-03T14:53:00.003-05:002012-03-03T16:01:35.933-05:00The Prince and the Showgirl (1957) Laurence Olivier<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The setting is 1911 London with visiting dignitaries in town for the coronation of George V. One of these foreign dignitaries is Laurence Olivier as a Prince. And the showgirl is, of course, the beautiful Marilyn Monroe.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_9m_xVckAxW86ytVLsQBOkL0rG7oQkbe1fSqvLMbEa8SD3CCS6MeQQO2s6OkApkGvEihkPT6zuqQIJoq3k2fLKxEaLgYaT2JrnffyvnqSiYqFqb65Jfu2RWUZ6wdz3IJ8VbDn9QcQNE/s1600/tpatsgmm01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_9m_xVckAxW86ytVLsQBOkL0rG7oQkbe1fSqvLMbEa8SD3CCS6MeQQO2s6OkApkGvEihkPT6zuqQIJoq3k2fLKxEaLgYaT2JrnffyvnqSiYqFqb65Jfu2RWUZ6wdz3IJ8VbDn9QcQNE/s320/tpatsgmm01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This movie held no interest for me until I saw the 2011 “My Week with Marilyn,” starring the Oscar-nominated Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe. The title refers to the making of this movie in England, Monroe’s only film made abroad. And the best way to enjoy the 1957 movie, is to watch “My Week” beforehand.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqTC_HeU0dydgjZJ_GHdtM0YP39SsaK2dXsXewk3QxRp2fEH9W2JC69iBRZd4hhPRocxlRQhR_o2NlWWF2FqUCBefNFnhdMmF7-Xc7MT2U9XuyuSi0H_1lrDWtMuYX8CKg2B_9eroVoaI/s1600/my_week_with_marilyn_michelle_williams_image_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqTC_HeU0dydgjZJ_GHdtM0YP39SsaK2dXsXewk3QxRp2fEH9W2JC69iBRZd4hhPRocxlRQhR_o2NlWWF2FqUCBefNFnhdMmF7-Xc7MT2U9XuyuSi0H_1lrDWtMuYX8CKg2B_9eroVoaI/s320/my_week_with_marilyn_michelle_williams_image_01.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Olivier, who also directed, is wasted here as an actor and was so demoralized by the making of this picture that he didn’t direct another film for 14 years. (He’s brilliantly portrayed by Kenneth Branagh in “My Week.”)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKuL6WLbUS47z9tcIgT3jCcGYFl0u-fobWM_GJ6FxtHI4pYGnuL7rgT_rolib8BERpRzNrZ_LhAcCnPnEn3x0iWbJLMsq6XW1cJ8VAR7hcmQvZCCYv5YZTy6SJrgrr0PJDTbdTPjhHWo/s1600/Branaugh+images-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKuL6WLbUS47z9tcIgT3jCcGYFl0u-fobWM_GJ6FxtHI4pYGnuL7rgT_rolib8BERpRzNrZ_LhAcCnPnEn3x0iWbJLMsq6XW1cJ8VAR7hcmQvZCCYv5YZTy6SJrgrr0PJDTbdTPjhHWo/s1600/Branaugh+images-13.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the showgirl who caught the fancy of a Prince, Monroe is gorgeous in that ridiculously tight, white dress, and is at times, incredibly funny. After being corrected several times about how to address Olivier, she finally gives a quiet throw-away line, “Oh, the hell with it.” She also charmingly imitates/mocks Olivier’s laughter while he was on the phone. In spite of a pretty bad movie, Monroe’s talent shines through. Also watch for the scene when a passed out Monroe is carried out of the room by three men with her head lolling down - very nice comedic touch. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5e15Pw3IEpVQkgVhrYBfV2mmTGT_oNy4phEbBoPnu6kPUWXSWpq-B5YTKF5BbAP9Sn1tg4O4V5r34F7-GumGqT5SL7T4n8WqVpdTPSeUqdrEaHpX9uHyhj-s1HwJbOZFRNohoFIqI8eA/s1600/Celebrity-Image-The-Prince-and-the-Showgirl-1957-250973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5e15Pw3IEpVQkgVhrYBfV2mmTGT_oNy4phEbBoPnu6kPUWXSWpq-B5YTKF5BbAP9Sn1tg4O4V5r34F7-GumGqT5SL7T4n8WqVpdTPSeUqdrEaHpX9uHyhj-s1HwJbOZFRNohoFIqI8eA/s320/Celebrity-Image-The-Prince-and-the-Showgirl-1957-250973.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Her short solo dance scene in the prince’s hotel is exquisite (and was beautifully recreated by Michelle Williams). However, there are way too many gags with Olivier pinning an over-sized medal on Monroe’s chest and far too many shots of Monroe’s ample behind. What may have been entertaining then is not so much now.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQj4AvjDzqTm1q08iDjEmBFtjo8kACfq4mSUQhCYsF_q2Dtd7tpABsSdLgf3DkkaNVAriJZyboc2SKyY65UUTDhUK7vcG-ofd5rwBkTjDhdC0XUy1ww8YWjfMgVBqpaDG1hrB8gYhhpE/s1600/Medal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQj4AvjDzqTm1q08iDjEmBFtjo8kACfq4mSUQhCYsF_q2Dtd7tpABsSdLgf3DkkaNVAriJZyboc2SKyY65UUTDhUK7vcG-ofd5rwBkTjDhdC0XUy1ww8YWjfMgVBqpaDG1hrB8gYhhpE/s320/Medal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two supporting actors deserve a mention seeing as how they helped to round out the movie and fill in the empty spaces in the chemistry between Olivier and Monroe.</span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZ9M5zpt8J6oMow6vesCwpyU9kVhojIjcsgEv2tPOgVItWI2FRJV8bm2CAvVXG298d0KVSpACEBBMCj3E88Tgo5BaDxdCjeKu3DoKe0uJDUl-Zr1NSlBTO7jPvjb-LGmOXgX_xOvxLUc/s1600/s-the-prince-and-the-showgirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZ9M5zpt8J6oMow6vesCwpyU9kVhojIjcsgEv2tPOgVItWI2FRJV8bm2CAvVXG298d0KVSpACEBBMCj3E88Tgo5BaDxdCjeKu3DoKe0uJDUl-Zr1NSlBTO7jPvjb-LGmOXgX_xOvxLUc/s320/s-the-prince-and-the-showgirl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sybil Thorndike was a noted British theater actress who, here as the Queen Dowager visiting London, stands out in every scene in which she appears, and gets the biggest laughs. “Who was that creature? Was it an anarchist?”</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3uvzJfUmC3p-Y-3BBJumMvyMmtMMHKetx8dHvr-G1VGGmP7i0_uoTRKZS-zA3Y90tUVJh5gdtNC0IpfUanphqVZF6wu8Nq6Ev4J7YTv7DFLAXvYFR8l7WPtrXMHhWGZgYIAc6bVNQxw/s1600/Thorndike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3uvzJfUmC3p-Y-3BBJumMvyMmtMMHKetx8dHvr-G1VGGmP7i0_uoTRKZS-zA3Y90tUVJh5gdtNC0IpfUanphqVZF6wu8Nq6Ev4J7YTv7DFLAXvYFR8l7WPtrXMHhWGZgYIAc6bVNQxw/s320/Thorndike.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Richard Wattis, a British comedic actor, is consistently humorous as Northbrook, a British civil servant assigned to keeping the Queen (Thorndike) and the Prince (Olivier) happy during their stay in London.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkD7YhrAhCsTOTp6RIa8VHcif1fgw63iH0z9hDTrHtoUTjettOILQ7JLBb0VJyGA4TMkl_g5O4L1xVxU6CpWCQfyySEaOOBgWZI7nUOwb21Uq4UOZGyz7fWoyqtgoT6MTAVfCQX3YBdSA/s1600/Wattis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkD7YhrAhCsTOTp6RIa8VHcif1fgw63iH0z9hDTrHtoUTjettOILQ7JLBb0VJyGA4TMkl_g5O4L1xVxU6CpWCQfyySEaOOBgWZI7nUOwb21Uq4UOZGyz7fWoyqtgoT6MTAVfCQX3YBdSA/s320/Wattis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Coronation scene in Westminster was overly long and spent too much time on Monroe gazing about in wonder with her finally shedding a tear. It’s a lesson in poor film editing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the movie is in comic mode, it’s amusing. When it’s in serious mode, it’s just boring. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Written by Terence Rattigan (play and screenplay), there is some clever wordplay:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Why do you always swear in German?”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Because Germans have the best oaths...and machine guns.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It will answer those stupid American protests. I mean it will satisfy the democratic opinion.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So see the film if you’re a Monroe fan, but please watch “My Week with Marilyn” before you do. It will enhance your viewing pleasure.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“She is to be given carte blanche.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Carte quite blanche?”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“As blanche as she cares to make it.”</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6tO6xOkEcsFN7ei8PAhoemJRolCuO2YUlehlUG_xls4DEXsbUuN7_OMNlq-bBDQHPbO7IQ2Yf0wlCWBBJNb97kpMJJ4GbCFXXg2r0od05nHKkxbMhKMbBZG9cY_V-UgIvWWC29zfMYc/s1600/Terence-Rattigan-007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6tO6xOkEcsFN7ei8PAhoemJRolCuO2YUlehlUG_xls4DEXsbUuN7_OMNlq-bBDQHPbO7IQ2Yf0wlCWBBJNb97kpMJJ4GbCFXXg2r0od05nHKkxbMhKMbBZG9cY_V-UgIvWWC29zfMYc/s320/Terence-Rattigan-007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Rattigan</i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Before your insults grow too great to be borne, I'm ringing for your motor."</span></div></div><script type="text/javascript">
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</script>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-72890793407861978842011-12-06T16:12:00.001-05:002021-02-18T18:11:43.959-05:00The Seven Little Foys (1955) Melville Shavelson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPLgQIs0nEC52JHW37fbs2PwydZT9Gg9pbrsFBV96-3YcQFUgl9aTfRhVbsUz2Rqf4paHhuMl1OrAd8Y6Ms2MMhVGRUiV7JN0jzZ1an2OBSndBXBy7kllx84ZaO1g4YDAoABI-9DsdMw/s1600/17.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPLgQIs0nEC52JHW37fbs2PwydZT9Gg9pbrsFBV96-3YcQFUgl9aTfRhVbsUz2Rqf4paHhuMl1OrAd8Y6Ms2MMhVGRUiV7JN0jzZ1an2OBSndBXBy7kllx84ZaO1g4YDAoABI-9DsdMw/s320/17.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">As with most biopic films, there’s probably some basic truth in this story of Eddie Foy, Sr., and his seven children but the screenwriters (Melville Shavelson and Jack Rose) changed his life story in many significant ways.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The story is a bit sentimental and somewhat predictable: an actor struggling to be successful gives his family short shrift, he becomes a celebrity, tragedy occurs, priorities are realigned. Despite this, the movie is still fun to watch because of Bob Hope. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbWfjX84jgp_UB-HdnwZpv_h5n_CfTQKsdX_JgPdEC67O-ae_D7_PVF8aySCYDf_MHLjAQ9cbgQ0UTflY-k0w94VfFxAq6pQkQVgdSs462GXa9HwpiH6Ra2gveDIgQo2PKXUUpfH3330/s1600/MV5BNTY2MzA1MjU3MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMzkxMDM2._V1._SY314_CR12%252C0%252C214%252C314_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbWfjX84jgp_UB-HdnwZpv_h5n_CfTQKsdX_JgPdEC67O-ae_D7_PVF8aySCYDf_MHLjAQ9cbgQ0UTflY-k0w94VfFxAq6pQkQVgdSs462GXa9HwpiH6Ra2gveDIgQo2PKXUUpfH3330/s1600/MV5BNTY2MzA1MjU3MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMzkxMDM2._V1._SY314_CR12%252C0%252C214%252C314_.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Although more dramatic a role than his usual fare, Hope still shows off his glib wit and sarcastic bantering. “You’ll feel right at home. There’s a lot of old goats in the lobby” (to his sister-in-law).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">He also sings (“Nobody” by Bert Williams/Alex Rogers was particularly touching), dances, and continually shows off his lack of parenting skills, sometimes quite amusingly as when one son is sawing off the leg of a chair and no one takes any note of it.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The film includes the Iroquois Theater fire of 1903, which made Foy a hero for his actions in trying to calm the crowd. More than 600 people died in the fire.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEFi-MfbJK9TN6UVWqJsibU4I3wXJcGMd5_gSstbA9npRyELlGbnQUiQVd7pSf5GVi4tW6VOb-WoUwu5v2IcriDT3Nl8YPG5WWifwsS_Xk9OiWvfRs81Jih2ZCSVdiy2yY021mqdPrSco/s1600/iroquois1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEFi-MfbJK9TN6UVWqJsibU4I3wXJcGMd5_gSstbA9npRyELlGbnQUiQVd7pSf5GVi4tW6VOb-WoUwu5v2IcriDT3Nl8YPG5WWifwsS_Xk9OiWvfRs81Jih2ZCSVdiy2yY021mqdPrSco/s1600/iroquois1.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">So now it’s around 1912 or 1913 and Foy is a very successful actor, moving in between vaudeville and musical theater. He has seven children (none with his previous wife who died, and none with a companion with whom he spent 10 years and who also died) and decides to add his kids to the act.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY00ehR2aQ6uME6btheUT7RwwX6QSwQYcXpCEGRmsfZB7CDmkw8ENnG9sbvc5mUGBldhRehEmlW4QDrgf_VoQYMMiPRRofyTZueXJRtJsVnRAK_7UPUnwE1zmdMAMCbga6Ye3NNvJ8gsI/s1600/vc28b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY00ehR2aQ6uME6btheUT7RwwX6QSwQYcXpCEGRmsfZB7CDmkw8ENnG9sbvc5mUGBldhRehEmlW4QDrgf_VoQYMMiPRRofyTZueXJRtJsVnRAK_7UPUnwE1zmdMAMCbga6Ye3NNvJ8gsI/s320/vc28b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Contrary to the movie, his children could sing and dance and his wife was also occasionally part of the act until her death in 1918. Eddie Foy and the Seven Little Foys lasted for five years but some of the younger Foys continued to perform as a group into the 1930s.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">(Included in the Little Foys are Billy Gray, better known as Bud in TV's "Father Knows Best," and Jerry Mathers, later appearing as the Beaver in "Leave It To Beaver.") </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">If none of this sounds interesting to you, watch the best 3 1/2 minutes of the movie, with Jimmy Cagney reprising his role as George M Cohan.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOoNOs8Ql28">Cagney and Hope Dance</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This was the directorial debut of Shavelson, who was a gag writer on Bob Hope’s radio show in the 1930s. He continued to collaborate with Jack Rose and Bob Hope, notably in the 1957 “Beau James”, another of Hope’s dramatic roles. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The very talented Eddie Foy, Sr. (born 1856), died in 1928. I think he would have liked Bob Hope’s performance.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">“What do you need friends for? You’ve got all the friends and enemies you need right here in this family.”</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPB5maeNa4OJ3wbG77WMdr9bQ7qHXrmeneeAwWuvvk9V6ZkWffoNQ6PA0Yy4PVfgvEPYkNNW8FCIQBgmqJYCgQEsHzqJlnSF5Mh9XRgmIPSuhMYmpyN0w69CrRUOMMauqAUQPxJQODQkk/s1600/271_eddie_foy_sr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPB5maeNa4OJ3wbG77WMdr9bQ7qHXrmeneeAwWuvvk9V6ZkWffoNQ6PA0Yy4PVfgvEPYkNNW8FCIQBgmqJYCgQEsHzqJlnSF5Mh9XRgmIPSuhMYmpyN0w69CrRUOMMauqAUQPxJQODQkk/s320/271_eddie_foy_sr.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br />
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</script>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-30013072027598623112011-10-29T21:37:00.008-04:002011-10-30T08:19:34.898-04:00Gojira (Godzilla) vs. Godzilla, King of the Monsters!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcufWOKRmkkz78SadZFRE56D2c00ACFSxtukSc9LJDwsJC51UFrRAEKblfMHDo6o0N-iCbzD8zBmyKpla8BXHhB3l2AHBkbF5vaqADlkmHiXPZOtfOhkIeTZqSmaEky5WSXgVBExqCWx8/s1600/gojira+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcufWOKRmkkz78SadZFRE56D2c00ACFSxtukSc9LJDwsJC51UFrRAEKblfMHDo6o0N-iCbzD8zBmyKpla8BXHhB3l2AHBkbF5vaqADlkmHiXPZOtfOhkIeTZqSmaEky5WSXgVBExqCWx8/s320/gojira+%25281%2529.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first was made in 1954 in Japan and when the movie makers shopped for U.S. distribution, it was picked up, heavily edited, dubbed (sometimes), and released in 1956. I’m not sure which to recommend viewing first but if you watch the original and then the 1956 movie, you will hate the 1956 version even more. Characters and plots are slashed and rearranged, and new footage featuring Raymond Burr, as reporter Steve Martin, is spliced in throughout, and not seamlessly. It’s a mess.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEB4CygWXjWx4S-z6LCVbQ75zbxLoD37xxPWmAhyphenhypheniEqcN8TPUr8vgQUdgeNrzOdwN4K6gPbqWs4VojGsUkG0MrzxQO6yp6EbIkwCLIzkC410U02rVB-Fcg7l9qEcHb8cAOQdbNUPYzFE/s1600/4928895783_a1bc861d01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEB4CygWXjWx4S-z6LCVbQ75zbxLoD37xxPWmAhyphenhypheniEqcN8TPUr8vgQUdgeNrzOdwN4K6gPbqWs4VojGsUkG0MrzxQO6yp6EbIkwCLIzkC410U02rVB-Fcg7l9qEcHb8cAOQdbNUPYzFE/s320/4928895783_a1bc861d01.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Holes were punched in the plot, the storylines were truncated, and Burr’s presence was supposed to fill the empty spaces. He explains what’s happening when the dubbing is absent and his voice-overs are ever-present and annoying. Dubbed and described dialogue is changed almost completely from the original.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Burr is a reporter supposedly stopping in Tokyo for a few days to visit his old college friend, Dr. Serizawa, before Burr has to head to Cairo. Having watched the 1954 film first, I laughed at this as the two gents were obviously nowhere close to being the same age. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprx0udx30SJa1wRXJEu1Z2fvpTfWBkoaozdj6ZM-3uwbZf_7o8fw2EjXtrDzDyWUr08fesiwVR3W5B-QfubIQo0jhs44S4bJ0qcwLkC2omFPfES55pF5aawwNyxYM4YMh5wsRxb45CS0/s1600/BurronOtoIsland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprx0udx30SJa1wRXJEu1Z2fvpTfWBkoaozdj6ZM-3uwbZf_7o8fw2EjXtrDzDyWUr08fesiwVR3W5B-QfubIQo0jhs44S4bJ0qcwLkC2omFPfES55pF5aawwNyxYM4YMh5wsRxb45CS0/s320/BurronOtoIsland.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throughout the 1956 film, Burr and his interjected scenes stick out like sore thumbs and he pretty much stays expressionless. As the monster approaches the building from which he’s reporting, he does start to sweat, however. When the building collapses on him, I felt a sense of relief at his disappearance. Unfortunately, due to the re-sequencing of scenes, I guessed from the opening of the film that he survived.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Besides being stiff and expressionless, Burr’s dialogue is horrible. When asked by his home office about this monster, Burr responds, “It’s big, and terrible.” Well said, Mr. Reporter.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Relationships and back stories will be found only in the 1954 film where the characters are given some depth. Takashi Shimura, as Professor Yamane, is a shell of himself in 1956 (if you’re a fan of Kurosawa movies, you will recognize Shimura immediately). You will also miss the still relevant debate about whether the information is too important to disclose to the public.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBmDJ0uEEpDIhkBa-HojXLrQ5qsPQT-4FQ83LHYZZJmq_3d47pHdFh27f2-1PgbH7foI2xvVENx58cKZpgQNokzH9NTx9h88hjca-z8Qc2VRK1sG95sL5jaaL09g2PCy7_nUvK9h8Cv8/s1600/5233186_gal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBmDJ0uEEpDIhkBa-HojXLrQ5qsPQT-4FQ83LHYZZJmq_3d47pHdFh27f2-1PgbH7foI2xvVENx58cKZpgQNokzH9NTx9h88hjca-z8Qc2VRK1sG95sL5jaaL09g2PCy7_nUvK9h8Cv8/s320/5233186_gal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A crucial scene near the end when Doctor Serizawa has to decide whether or not to use his invention (the Oxygen Destroyer) to kill Godzilla is drastically shortened and changed, and loses most of its impact. Reactions of the love interest go unexplained as does any explanation of how the invention works.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXW3AnTSRBgwiZz9SnrI9uR6fsYzp7u1LFrZUPZQFnL1FCL5Cvtb4tePqtlK-tS4uVEtjxJlJvJAhMwwGh0jTpqxJst-SmSJTgn_mmAYGB4NIgjVfmuM_bb0jXy1FxBcuJYH103b5Bqw/s1600/g54inthelab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXW3AnTSRBgwiZz9SnrI9uR6fsYzp7u1LFrZUPZQFnL1FCL5Cvtb4tePqtlK-tS4uVEtjxJlJvJAhMwwGh0jTpqxJst-SmSJTgn_mmAYGB4NIgjVfmuM_bb0jXy1FxBcuJYH103b5Bqw/s1600/g54inthelab.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other poignant scenes are cut, such as a war widow cowering with her child under the onslaught of Godzilla. Mentions of the atomic bomb are gone as is any commentary regarding politicians and bombs.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMO_N0GKhvcXaeKGASKwWASyGVgOtYU808Kl01Ij02gFAV4BmSLXWQNR7GucUWKtf02_4DKQT_vW1S3wvu7u_tK34AoiDqSPh8VOYk2aB3pPi4I495LxrdRiiW3TijH7hCsSuYdlfKme4/s1600/mother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMO_N0GKhvcXaeKGASKwWASyGVgOtYU808Kl01Ij02gFAV4BmSLXWQNR7GucUWKtf02_4DKQT_vW1S3wvu7u_tK34AoiDqSPh8VOYk2aB3pPi4I495LxrdRiiW3TijH7hCsSuYdlfKme4/s320/mother.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last words of the both movies reflect the difference in tone.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1954:</b> But if we keep on conducting nuclear tests, it’s possible that another Godzilla might appear, somewhere in the world, again.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1956:</b> The menace was gone... so was a great man. But the whole world can wake up and live again.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There’s more to say about the special effects (no stop motion animation here) and the monster (he hates trains and lights, and has steamy-looking, fire-spewing breath) but you should view the films for yourself.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxDilJKFUgob-46hRWpYB5GJqpuVuHzBfYh5dPntUPNAAaYLiH-HszW9S8g1vIQNFt5GeDnxcYslGBY_THv_LN5qiRFaT7uiaWDshPwgGdVxcFGa7HwJXWaMrLUK-msyogUCcRLcNbaQ/s1600/godzilla1954c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxDilJKFUgob-46hRWpYB5GJqpuVuHzBfYh5dPntUPNAAaYLiH-HszW9S8g1vIQNFt5GeDnxcYslGBY_THv_LN5qiRFaT7uiaWDshPwgGdVxcFGa7HwJXWaMrLUK-msyogUCcRLcNbaQ/s320/godzilla1954c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m left with the sad, painful, last scream of Godzilla before he drops to the sea floor, and my last painful view of the 1956 film.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is Director Ishiro Hondo before the Hollywood massacre.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_C4QiZQTT86147nOVv7OyYevCd887IxBHzsW9rzIS0Ia21QTZK3sxcUEZM3j7Y4vpHUkRW62Q7ieLPdh4sULZdVLaULjGJLtmBVDYd_VFLFeLqq7GSf7SUAgXdNou-nODjsGM5QcWutA/s1600/Inoshiro_Honda_and_Godzilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_C4QiZQTT86147nOVv7OyYevCd887IxBHzsW9rzIS0Ia21QTZK3sxcUEZM3j7Y4vpHUkRW62Q7ieLPdh4sULZdVLaULjGJLtmBVDYd_VFLFeLqq7GSf7SUAgXdNou-nODjsGM5QcWutA/s320/Inoshiro_Honda_and_Godzilla.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Initiate Security Command Code 129!" </span><br />
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</script>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-66920439886289869052011-09-14T20:16:00.000-04:002012-06-25T19:58:08.144-04:00Kansas City Confidential (1952) Phil Karlson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJ8Z5olsZYs62CjXqa_E_eTiXBXOEApNpfFM-WB9IlbT0L_xeu-UNjmiqVpusTsxS__sQjRq7h0vePSkybKtehL79WP5JQE0_A1yGBJoz7yQFFFKsCwBe6PdJLzvctvTM3WwuXkBISnY/s1600/220px-KCConfidential.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJ8Z5olsZYs62CjXqa_E_eTiXBXOEApNpfFM-WB9IlbT0L_xeu-UNjmiqVpusTsxS__sQjRq7h0vePSkybKtehL79WP5JQE0_A1yGBJoz7yQFFFKsCwBe6PdJLzvctvTM3WwuXkBISnY/s1600/220px-KCConfidential.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A mastermind (Preston Foster) plans and executes a successful bank heist. An ex-con (John Payne) is framed and he takes umbrage. Since he’s fired from his job, he now has nothing but time to solve the crime. The opening, scrolling credits promise the perfect crime, and we are immediately hooked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The heist scene is awkward as the armored truck cops come out of the bank with guns drawn but yet are stiffly taken unawares when three masked men jump them from a truck pulled up next to their truck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We know the culprits from the beginning and the movie involves watching the star pigeon, John Payne, unravel the story. Most people will remember him from “Miracle on 34th Street” but Payne had so much more to offer, as you can see here and in <a href="http://ionmovies.blogspot.com/2011_06_01_archive.html">99 River Street</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkOP8r6VDH71ku7ObqaXNJHAxmfUqxUQXaxtxjFQGqxcgx9g5D73XM2nyh9CIV6JmvRLIeFQBbmY0EU_ye9IXEbg8_WuEprxGH713omNc2M27vCq6dVtlfSt7Y18bBX2N_TuXxI64CQg/s1600/dvd_kansascc_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkOP8r6VDH71ku7ObqaXNJHAxmfUqxUQXaxtxjFQGqxcgx9g5D73XM2nyh9CIV6JmvRLIeFQBbmY0EU_ye9IXEbg8_WuEprxGH713omNc2M27vCq6dVtlfSt7Y18bBX2N_TuXxI64CQg/s1600/dvd_kansascc_02.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Payne is physically abused for two days in jail by the police looking for a confession but he gets released due to additional evidence (and the lack of Miranda rights).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are introduced to three criminals, one at a time, whose names and faces are forever etched in bad-guy film history: Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef, and Neville Brand. Each of them is under the threat of a life or death sentence and their menacing faces and actions permeate the movie, to great effect. And the mastermind knows just how to handle them.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmwmmI_tsYZKv5ZRWexBrqxlSvy8wSP6YhuzmNJusM-qTbx7bp86SxlXTrBXmFRnsMX5qMBwUVexkmCXNZF-74ASFt9xjkZWgAebejravxK7q2ymz7K_6lg7Rg05UpEDr6iPNu40moeE/s1600/images-KC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmwmmI_tsYZKv5ZRWexBrqxlSvy8wSP6YhuzmNJusM-qTbx7bp86SxlXTrBXmFRnsMX5qMBwUVexkmCXNZF-74ASFt9xjkZWgAebejravxK7q2ymz7K_6lg7Rg05UpEDr6iPNu40moeE/s1600/images-KC.jpeg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I’m giving you one chance to get out from under. Three hundred grand and a clean get-away, out of the country.” How could a bad guy on the lam resist?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It makes you cop-proof and stool-pigeon proof, and it’s gonna stay that way!” (on wearing masks, and perhaps inspiring Ben Affleck’s “The Town.”)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_RSX-6CFw-qHr9jlKFFwK8_LFsgyJioAjwn1LjL4O9bZFWHWm6R6uWVvgXy1t8-LTR5UV41pX-44mGqx6dRwmNU49KcxTyXRablMmHphGAytyJePAIKnLrLqSpMeDP2f-LBMEV8Owfw/s1600/Kansas.web_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_RSX-6CFw-qHr9jlKFFwK8_LFsgyJioAjwn1LjL4O9bZFWHWm6R6uWVvgXy1t8-LTR5UV41pX-44mGqx6dRwmNU49KcxTyXRablMmHphGAytyJePAIKnLrLqSpMeDP2f-LBMEV8Owfw/s320/Kansas.web_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Payne also encounters the evil ones one at a time as he attempts to sort out the event that sent his life down the tube. “OK, so I’m moving blind but I’ve got you as a bird dog!” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There’s a lot of heavy slapping, sweating, close-ups, and double-crossing, and 300 grand is always the number: the cut, and the reward. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkx_kP10ua4QIDHyzskBJtuxCV3E2BEvqwAYAAshng3eXbjwxz1Qw9NNC3xHQXTcnkEQQXePQtBAiX-X4z8Kg1YjNJTLncxcbrStMrx-JCxOtAKA6-_-7O6A17ak6pmBus06YWPLejfY/s1600/kansascity444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkx_kP10ua4QIDHyzskBJtuxCV3E2BEvqwAYAAshng3eXbjwxz1Qw9NNC3xHQXTcnkEQQXePQtBAiX-X4z8Kg1YjNJTLncxcbrStMrx-JCxOtAKA6-_-7O6A17ak6pmBus06YWPLejfY/s320/kansascity444.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The dialogue is standard, and wonderfully, film noir:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You’ve been giving me the fisheye all night.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“If I can spot you back of those trick cheaters, so can the cops.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I know a sure cure for a nose bleed; a cold knife in the middle of the back!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film opens in Kansas City but the bulk of it takes place in Mexico with the requisite Tomaso and Teresa. Everything changes when the mastermind’s innocent daughter (and law student) shows up in Mexico and takes a hankering to the patsy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Coleen Gray plays the daughter, and although you may not recognize her name, Gray has more than 100 movie and TV credits to her name and is still alive today as of this posting.)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesg2pwWAw3cZO-Gn23ATU7zkIsHJ6OiXL-Qwczch6BfKyiK0oA6Z8d6gQlJylJa3BJz55onnidU70I9bi4JuU6jIX1VqOFH-HBmENFQRntij96BpmH1Ymhpa2nOUxmQtEIRAJCiodHdw/s1600/Kansas+City+Confidential+%25232a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesg2pwWAw3cZO-Gn23ATU7zkIsHJ6OiXL-Qwczch6BfKyiK0oA6Z8d6gQlJylJa3BJz55onnidU70I9bi4JuU6jIX1VqOFH-HBmENFQRntij96BpmH1Ymhpa2nOUxmQtEIRAJCiodHdw/s320/Kansas+City+Confidential+%25232a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what’s a father/mastermind to do? Watch and find out.</span></div>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-56789960361410997042011-07-03T21:20:00.000-04:002011-07-03T21:20:30.646-04:00Out of the Past (1947) Jacques Tourneur<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-XzZKAK_w5jy6FPdoQtjczehQnBwUMMFye9GHMaue0ghZQ-I0T7faCZuzEHg39Yh9tQqS5o96hIpp1phpgOpqcjbBguOTqVhcUxs5ew89L-vokCAYykd0dyNRBwK9w3UtwOTCexk0mo/s1600/index1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-XzZKAK_w5jy6FPdoQtjczehQnBwUMMFye9GHMaue0ghZQ-I0T7faCZuzEHg39Yh9tQqS5o96hIpp1phpgOpqcjbBguOTqVhcUxs5ew89L-vokCAYykd0dyNRBwK9w3UtwOTCexk0mo/s1600/index1.jpeg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">People may quibble about what qualifies a movie to be classified as film noir, but no one would argue about this movie. It’s classic noir. </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shortly after the film opens, we’re taken into a long flashback where we are filled on characters and events. Eventually, we’re back in the present where the movie remains until the surprising ending.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Robert Mitchum is a world-weary, ex-detective living a quiet life in a nice small town when suddenly his past catches up with him and he’s pulled back into the dark, underbelly of the criminal world. “How big a chump can you get to be? I was finding out.”</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This role was made for Mitchum and he pulls it off beautifully. There’s a very striking scene, after the flashback has ended, that finds Mitchum standing in front of very large wrought iron gates that will lead him into “who-knows-what” while his sweet, innocent girlfriend is driving away. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNKRS-rfXtm9s6qXuKovPyCLN5BOppatajJkX9m_tR3Q1F-Imc7uK88HR2O973RlFH_rYoXe2agX0EPTxvPRDTXZkcQwWacYzqaXP7sFYGgZeONyNzxboBILr5FDhmghQClxBlswD6JI/s1600/index.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNKRS-rfXtm9s6qXuKovPyCLN5BOppatajJkX9m_tR3Q1F-Imc7uK88HR2O973RlFH_rYoXe2agX0EPTxvPRDTXZkcQwWacYzqaXP7sFYGgZeONyNzxboBILr5FDhmghQClxBlswD6JI/s1600/index.jpeg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">His nemesis is played by the smoothly sinister Kirk Douglas in his second film ever. Douglas smiles, Mitchum does not, but they both smoke, and smoke, and smoke, sometimes with each other, and sometimes at each other. At one point, Douglas offers Mitchum a cigarette and in response, Mitchum lifts his hand holding a cigarette and says “smokin’ ”. I found that really funny.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The two of them are wonderful together and play off each other very effectively.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Let’s go down to the bar where we can cool off and try to impress each other.”</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7-a4wHlBRiE0skk5fxDKnCy16EM_XbAgs8Xn3sNN6E3Bv8Pq3D3yKmH0yk2QwOBkWhYys3gqUTMiTjYd5-fA8XBh7PkGRAkPVHKydby_65ft8ehKLgnlU8e7EFY13sBZs2duO_4mqyY/s1600/tumblr_lh68ueMHb31qey19go1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7-a4wHlBRiE0skk5fxDKnCy16EM_XbAgs8Xn3sNN6E3Bv8Pq3D3yKmH0yk2QwOBkWhYys3gqUTMiTjYd5-fA8XBh7PkGRAkPVHKydby_65ft8ehKLgnlU8e7EFY13sBZs2duO_4mqyY/s320/tumblr_lh68ueMHb31qey19go1_400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of the femme fatales is the lovely Jane Greer, and you will never know when to believe her throughout the entire movie. (“You’re no good and neither am I. That’s why we deserve each other.” [Greer]). </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXeX3VYdshylnzOuIohmCXn_cqqzPQD2aug-qsJz5fb5cZZAcP5smhlxNOB36sO650fxsPHgTmiiQH18_ROZqsARCuqAdRe4xse9J9cFKCzSVylGgIY_3wYcIDwUw2BQCMYyquQI3Be8/s1600/sjff_01_img0373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXeX3VYdshylnzOuIohmCXn_cqqzPQD2aug-qsJz5fb5cZZAcP5smhlxNOB36sO650fxsPHgTmiiQH18_ROZqsARCuqAdRe4xse9J9cFKCzSVylGgIY_3wYcIDwUw2BQCMYyquQI3Be8/s320/sjff_01_img0373.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The always-stunning Rhonda Fleming has a small role as a less than dedicated secretary, and Virginia Houston is the faithful girl-next-door.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Richard Webb (of Captain Midnight fame) is the good, home-town guy trying to do right by everyone. Steve Brodie is Mitchum’s partner, ex-partner, and then blackmailer wanna-be (“I wish it was nicer to see you.” [Mitchum]). Paul Valentine aptly plays a Douglas henchman.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Noted radio announcer, Ken Niles, has a brief, ill-fated part, and Dickie Moore is a deaf mute and a loyal Mitchum friend. He reads lips and communicates with Mitchum via sign language. (Moore was a well-known child/juvenile actor, still alive today and still married to actress, Jane Powell.) </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are three character actors to watch for in their very minor roles. Mary Field is the diner owner (over 150 movie roles), Eunice Leonard, known as “the beautiful maid” is the lovely woman questioned in the club, and John Kellogg (131 movie and TV parts) plays Lou Baylord.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The screenplay was based on a novel by Geoffrey Homes (Daniel Mainwaring) and Homes is also credited as the screenwriter. Frank Fenton and James Cain are uncredited writers and which of these men really wrote this clever, hard-boiled dialogue is unknown to me. The banter/patter runs non-stop and the entire movie is filled with witty, quotable quotes.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Oh, Jeff, I don’t want to die!” “Neither do I, baby, but if I have to, I’m gonna die last.”</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“It was the bottom of the barrel, and I scraped it.”</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Well, if you’ll drop this junior league patter, we may get this conversation down where it belongs.”</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The trenchcoat-clad Mitchum is smart enough to know when he’s walking into a trap, but also thinks he’s smart enough to outsmart everyone else. The plot twists and turns while bodies continue to pile up (once in a while I was reminded of “The Maltese Falcon”). Double-crosses abound but nothing more of the plot will be revealed because that would take away the fun.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4KP80rve_6AibgMKnyF3zeM_z5xpLAC1RZWkEYW6aPVN0O4en0_cDHkEV7aCy2wMx7bfhMdih9aoCFv4qW_p2RS-8IZJh8IWs7S2mL3zQNgiOdXG0iprOa9r4G-5P5hGl29-obEzdkE/s1600/Annex+-+Mitchum%252C+Robert+%2528Out+of+the+Past%2529_06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4KP80rve_6AibgMKnyF3zeM_z5xpLAC1RZWkEYW6aPVN0O4en0_cDHkEV7aCy2wMx7bfhMdih9aoCFv4qW_p2RS-8IZJh8IWs7S2mL3zQNgiOdXG0iprOa9r4G-5P5hGl29-obEzdkE/s320/Annex+-+Mitchum%252C+Robert+%2528Out+of+the+Past%2529_06.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cinematography is by Nicholas Musuraca, and as you can see in this film, he was known as the “Master of Lighting” at RKO. The black and white photography is superb and the use of light and shadows is masterful, indeed. The gritty atmosphere is enhanced by some shooting on location in California and Nevada.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Music was composed and directed by Roy Webb and C. Bakaleinikoff, respectively, two talented RKO veterans. The music is subtle but adds to the tension and suspense. </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The director, Jacques Tourneur (“Cat People” 1942, cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca), keeps the action tight and quick, and the dialogue quicker. </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The title of the novel is used once by Mitchum when he senses he might have been outplayed: “Build my gallows high, baby.”</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The final scene with Dickie Moore is ambiguous to some but perfectly clear to me.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2D0vcoxJisYrphyJURtspWrPSTVqxDurfgc9HLg7CvVzKjl91rLfdBOJ95uabZU1LJuyh4pTYBRJ46f0A6efiVG9B_hYBlpVgjVBeYplBM0A7_ZUZYimP424JhMPlIPzJN2huCGtVic/s1600/out+of+the+past.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2D0vcoxJisYrphyJURtspWrPSTVqxDurfgc9HLg7CvVzKjl91rLfdBOJ95uabZU1LJuyh4pTYBRJ46f0A6efiVG9B_hYBlpVgjVBeYplBM0A7_ZUZYimP424JhMPlIPzJN2huCGtVic/s320/out+of+the+past.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Oh Jeff, you ought to have killed me for what I did a moment ago.” “There’s time.”</span>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-89410526027926775132011-06-14T18:13:00.000-04:002011-06-14T18:13:41.613-04:0099 River Street (1953) Phil Karlson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaDanzKTX5yJes3veyuhiyFz4cYzEn1KWf7zACY5jmIKaHB6l3CXTmIASQ41EWS3hSRZAgiQjfDcY3aNi25qdC0I91h5eUiDEqdjETnYaOp8XTpbe2FVX3MnaBqOEHoEPS-5Uva4YxBk/s1600/99-river-street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaDanzKTX5yJes3veyuhiyFz4cYzEn1KWf7zACY5jmIKaHB6l3CXTmIASQ41EWS3hSRZAgiQjfDcY3aNi25qdC0I91h5eUiDEqdjETnYaOp8XTpbe2FVX3MnaBqOEHoEPS-5Uva4YxBk/s320/99-river-street.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“There are worse things than murder. You can kill someone an inch at a time.”</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Frequently I find “frame-up” movies annoying and frustrating to watch, possibly because many of them are poorly done. But this is not one of those movies, and it’s a wonderful contribution to film noir.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">John Payne, known more for his appearance in “Miracle on 34th Street” than anything else, plays a starring role as an ex-boxer. His unhappy and devious but beautiful wife is played by Peggie Castle (who had a short, unhappy life of her own). Payne is now driving a cab, and ends up driving into a world of trouble.</span><br />
<br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">His performance is award-winning (although he didn’t win any :) He is short-tempered, likes to use his fists, and is a man whose self-image was based on his boxing ability. </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Payne has a couple of pals, Frankie Faylen as the cab company dispatcher, and his old boxing manager, Eddy Waller (named “Pop” of course), in a very small role. Payne is also acquainted with an aspiring Broadway actress, Evelyn Keyes. Faylen puts in his usual solid performance and Keyes is fantastic. </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">She is wonderful and luminous throughout the movie but two scenes in particular stand out. The first is her re-enactment for Payne as to what happened when she met a producer for a part (it includes a great twist). And the second scene is towards the end when she gives an amazing seductress performance in a café. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOIRQaG2el8DnUotsXT-3OEeYroTy5qpm5cy16zBaru3cYg_zEC4_hK9yFcpWgDkRL46FqQeoNZckXL8wODo8wwinlG55RUAmiVDRm3JjpWFO9dT07UMu_Efyz8_BiIzMZaF31SxqGRU/s1600/99RiverStreet11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOIRQaG2el8DnUotsXT-3OEeYroTy5qpm5cy16zBaru3cYg_zEC4_hK9yFcpWgDkRL46FqQeoNZckXL8wODo8wwinlG55RUAmiVDRm3JjpWFO9dT07UMu_Efyz8_BiIzMZaF31SxqGRU/s320/99RiverStreet11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The bad guys are played with equal aplomb by Brad Dexter, Jack Lambert, and Jay Adler. Dexter is sinister, Lambert is double-crossing bad, and Adler pulls the strings. They’re all violent and you’ll see a lot of punching, slapping, and knock-outs throughout the movie.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of the more humorous lines is made by Elam near the end. A previous encounter between Elam’s karate chops and Payne’s fists left Elam a little bloodied. Later on Elam gets the drop on Payne and brings him to Adler who asks who this is. Elam answers that “it’s one of the guys that beat me up.”</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A gum-chewing passport forger is played by Ric Roman, and look for Ian Wolfe, the ubiquitous character actor, in a small role in the theater.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Writing credits are shared among Harold Essex, George Bruce, Harold Greene, Rowland Brown, and the uncredited director and star, Phil Karlson and John Payne.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The musical score is dramatic and enhances every scene (Arthur Lange and Emil Newman) and the cinematography (Franz Planer) is beautiful in black and white with creative camera angles, many of which shoot up at the characters. Watch for the pre-Mrs. Robinson leg image with Castle and Dexter. And also look for a beautiful, long shot of the final fight at the harbor. </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The action is fast-paced and the plot is clever. Beginning and ending with a boxing match, the movie is neatly tied together with the voices in Payne’s head replaying his last official fight.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here are a few parting, wise words from John Payne: “When you get clipped on the chin, that’s exactly when you have to keep your head.”</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIPbnzhVnzlEqCixbR7NFgHmHlLSXESzNu2VxpyJrSFBlTOEFdwz1u2BYUYX4wLGVFJZMqyoFlABqk9RRhj4wm5-ctPT-wah-JX4Nh0vGOSViTvmwXKIOLI3x-2iGkVTyKJ1BX3oyU8E/s1600/keyes-payne-99_opt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIPbnzhVnzlEqCixbR7NFgHmHlLSXESzNu2VxpyJrSFBlTOEFdwz1u2BYUYX4wLGVFJZMqyoFlABqk9RRhj4wm5-ctPT-wah-JX4Nh0vGOSViTvmwXKIOLI3x-2iGkVTyKJ1BX3oyU8E/s320/keyes-payne-99_opt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-8193661843298132252011-03-05T17:38:00.000-05:002012-06-26T13:49:22.640-04:00The Strip (1951) Laszlo Kardos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCU2qPMm9wvDP95VwRTHpn0Q9hNDp_SceStefOew9d9G6HKaDK2w5contz7paMdf38WErxbOKUo80FAeEPVjC8QmoSzAQa6k-lh-3IPkaT0ZbvKfH0thZrtcwuS5YqELXu7EorVGcdfIY/s1600/resized_The_Strip_Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCU2qPMm9wvDP95VwRTHpn0Q9hNDp_SceStefOew9d9G6HKaDK2w5contz7paMdf38WErxbOKUo80FAeEPVjC8QmoSzAQa6k-lh-3IPkaT0ZbvKfH0thZrtcwuS5YqELXu7EorVGcdfIY/s320/resized_The_Strip_Poster.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigh0bDCfswEIPy7SMXpeOSuu4guhg162kRxKuNmsrL9_V1Ho99ZXIobFEhAJVBJUUftOTbixeWe9gVxQDH0nv41OzL7jzgmKlU-UIHjBrjyke_F6xc5x1OYI32IFP8dB6fGbvanctABqg/s1600/Strip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigh0bDCfswEIPy7SMXpeOSuu4guhg162kRxKuNmsrL9_V1Ho99ZXIobFEhAJVBJUUftOTbixeWe9gVxQDH0nv41OzL7jzgmKlU-UIHjBrjyke_F6xc5x1OYI32IFP8dB6fGbvanctABqg/s1600/Strip.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The movie begins in the present and quickly moves into Mickey Rooney’s flashback. which takes us through the rest of most of the movie that includes some Rooney voice overs. The few minutes in the present provide several pertinent facts so there’s not too much suspense. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooney gets to play an adult as a recently discharged vet who meets some interesting people in and around Los Angeles. The plot doesn’t hold a lot of surprises and the dialogue is average. What makes this film worth watching is the musical score and the setting of Los Angeles, particularly the Sunset Strip. The movie is quite stylish, complete with neon flashing signs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jazz musicians featured include Louis Armstrong and Jack Teagarden in performances of “Shadrack,” “Basin Street Blues,” and more. But the number one song from the movie is “A Kiss to Build a Dream on,” performed four times throughout the movie. (The song was nominated for a Best Original Song Academy Award.) </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While visiting a few nightclubs, we are also treated to performances by Vic Damone and Monica Lewis, both of whom were huge stars in their day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooney shows himself to be a skilled drummer and a very naive man. William Demarest is wonderful as the crusty, soft-hearted nightclub owner nicknamed “Fluff.” He and Rooney perform one of the four versions of the award-nominated song previously mentioned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sally Forrest plays Rooney’s love interest and was not often seen in films. She gives a fine performance as an ambitious showgirl and dancer. James Craig plays the handsome heavy effectively and sufficiently slimy. He loves his indoor plants, and he is usually sitting down when he’s talking to Rooney. (“You talk pretty big for a little man.”)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don’t miss the brief and humorous appearance of the talented child actor, Tommy Rettig. (His appearance as Bartholemew Collins in “The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.” in 1953 was fantastic, and he was the first Lassie master on the TV show). Kay Brown has a sweet and memorable role as a hat check girl, one of her four film roles ever. In the credits, she’s called Edna, but she’s referenced only as “kid” or “honey” throughout the movie.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The usual MGM studio personnel had a hand in the production; Cedric Gibbons and Edwin B. Willis are credited with Art Direction and Set Decoration, respectively. Sound is by Douglas Shearer and Special Effects by A. Arnold Gillespie and Warren Newcombe. The black and white cinematography was beautifully done by Robert Surtees, and the dances were ably staged by well-known choreographer, Nick Castle. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The musical numbers fit nicely into the movie and do not interrupt the plot. It’s an entertaining little movie and worthy of 85 minutes. And if you ever hear “send in Behr and Boynton,” run for the door!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
The Strip (1951) Laszlo Kardos
The movie begins in the present and quickly moves into Mickey Rooney’s flashback. which takes us through the rest of most of the movie that includes some Rooney voice overs. The few minutes in the present provide several pertinent facts so there’s not too much suspense.
Rooney gets to play an adult as a recently discharged vet who meets some interesting people in and around Los Angeles. The plot doesn’t hold a lot of surprises and the dialogue is average. What makes this film worth watching is the musical score and the setting of Los Angeles, particularly the Sunset Strip. The movie is quite stylish, complete with neon flashing signs.
Jazz musicians featured include Louis Armstrong and Jack Teagarden in performances of “Shadrack,” “Basin Street Blues,” and more. But the number one song from the movie is “A Kiss to Build a Dream on,” performed four times throughout the movie. (The song was nominated for a Best Original Song Academy Award.)
While visiting a few nightclubs, we are also treated to performances by Vic Damone and Monica Lewis, both of whom were huge stars in their day.
Rooney shows himself to be a skilled drummer and a very naive man. William Demarest is wonderful as the crusty, soft-hearted nightclub owner nicknamed “Fluff.” He and Rooney perform one of the three versions of the award-nominated song previously mentioned.
Sally Forrest plays Rooney’s love interest and was not often seen in films. She gives a fine performance as an ambitious showgirl and dancer. James Craig plays the handsome heavy effectively and sufficiently slimy. He loves his indoor plants and he is usually sitting down when he’s talking to Rooney. (“You talk pretty big for a little man.”)
Don’t miss the brief and humorous appearance of the talented child actor, Tommy Rettig. (His appearance as Bartholemew Collins in “The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.” in 1953 was amazing.) Kay Brown has a sweet and memorable role as a hat check girl, one of her four film roles ever. In the credits, she’s called Edna, but she’s only referenced as “kid” or “honey” throughout the movie.
The usual MGM studio personnel had a hand in the production; Cedric Gibbons and Edwin B. Willis are credited with Art Direction and Set Decoration, respectively. Sound is by Douglas Shearer and Special Effects by A. Arnold Gillespie and Warren Newcombe. The black and white cinematography was beautifully done by Robert Surtees and the dances were aptly staged by well-known choreographer, Nick Castle.
The musical numbers fit nicely into the movie and do not interrupt the plot. It’s an entertaining little movie and worthy of 85 minutes. And if you ever hear “send in Behr and Boynton,” run for the door.<!--
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</script>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-16473254891160267002011-01-15T12:01:00.000-05:002012-06-26T14:08:42.715-04:00Cover Up (1949) Alfred E. Green<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59i-xCb2xcdTR9pibzKQ-lpvckaVRxcc7KYb54qE_JI9X7Oyl-eYoD3xVwaN2Gx3SWK3YSuge8qppRlNB60a0zMQvvHuCZMyedzW7di8olFoWBmDbRciRp2rjqhyphenhyphenY0A-S4F65wBknx_k/s1600/CoverUp61R1MXQ0YQL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59i-xCb2xcdTR9pibzKQ-lpvckaVRxcc7KYb54qE_JI9X7Oyl-eYoD3xVwaN2Gx3SWK3YSuge8qppRlNB60a0zMQvvHuCZMyedzW7di8olFoWBmDbRciRp2rjqhyphenhyphenY0A-S4F65wBknx_k/s320/CoverUp61R1MXQ0YQL.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meet “a small town with big secrets.” Dennis O’Keefe is the insurance investigator who arrives to gather information about an apparent suicide before his insurance company will pay out benefits.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He immediately suspects something is afoot. The gun is gone, the bullet is gone, and there is no coroner’s report. William Bendix as the town sheriff is less than cooperative and acts more like a brick wall. O’Keefe starts to believe foul play and sets out to prove the death was murder, not suicide.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first thing O’Keefe finds, or senses, is a town-wide conspiracy of silence. He doggedly persists and gradually discovers that many of the town’s people had a motive to kill the man. “There are too many people in this town that wanted Philips dead.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clues and red herrings are tossed every which way, and you’ll be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Bendix and O’Keefe play well off each other, and throughout the movie you’ll be wondering where Bendix falls on the good/evil line.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the center of the film is the Weatherby family, with stalwart actor Art Baker as its titular head. His beautiful, older daughter is played by Revlon Girl, Barbara Britton. And Ann E. Todd is the younger daughter who has a very amusing scene with O’Keefe while she was flirting with him.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But as Hilda the housekeeper, Doro Merande, takes over every scene in which she appears. She’s caustic, funny, and rules the household. Virginia Christine (Folger Coffee’s Mrs. Olson) also appears in a pivotal role.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cinematography is by Ernest Laszlo, who had a lengthy career that culminated in eight Academy Award nominations and one Oscar in the 1960s and 70s. Original music was composed by Hans Salter, and the musical score falters only at the end when it cheesily moves into “O Come All Ye Faithful” (but it was Christmas time).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Combine “Bad Day at Black Rock” with “Double Indemnity,” make it ‘lite’, and you have this film. It’s nowhere near the caliber of those two films but it’s an interesting little mystery that will take up only 80 or so minutes of your time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I hoped with everything I had that it wasn’t you.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
Cover Up (1949) Alfred E. Green
Meet “a small town with big secrets.” Dennis O’Keefe is the insurance investigator who arrives to gather information about an apparent suicide before his insurance company will pay out benefits.
He immediately suspects something is afoot. The gun is gone, the bullet is gone, and there is no coroner’s report. William Bendix as the town sheriff is less than cooperative and acts more like a brick wall. O’Keefe starts to believe foul play and sets out to prove the death was murder, not suicide.
The first thing O’Keefe finds, or senses, is a town-wide conspiracy of silence. He doggedly persists and gradually discovers that many of the town’s people had a motive to kill the man. “There are too many people in this town that wanted Philips dead.”
Clues and red herrings are tossed every which way, and you’ll be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Bendix and O’Keefe play well off each other, and throughout the movie you’ll be wondering where Bendix falls on the good/evil line.
At the center of the film is the Weatherby family, with stalwart actor Art Baker as its titular head. His beautiful, older daughter is played by Revlon Girl, Barbara Britton. And Ann E. Todd is the younger daughter who has a very amusing scene with O’Keefe while she was flirting with him.
But as Hilda the housekeeper, Doro Merande, takes over every scene in which she appears. She’s caustic, funny, and rules the household. Virginia Christine (Folger Coffee’s Mrs. Olson) also appears in a pivotal role.
Cinematography is by Ernest Laszlo, who had a lengthy career that culminated in eight Academy Award nominations and one Oscar in the 1960s and 70s. Original music was composed by Hans Salter, and the musical score falters only at the end when it cheesily moves into “O Come All Ye Faithful” (but it was Christmas time).
Combine “Bad Day at Black Rock” with “Double Indemnity,” make it ‘lite’, and you have this film. It’s nowhere near the caliber of those two films but it’s an interesting little mystery that will take up only 80 or so minutes of your time.
“I hoped with everything I had that it wasn’t you.”<!--
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</script>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-67072637161173250392011-01-11T16:06:00.001-05:002018-07-30T20:25:25.611-04:00Them (1954) Gordon Douglas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“It’s them all right.” This is another wonderful 1950s science fiction film that spawned many subsequent radiated/mutated creature movies. It’s the cold war era, and this movie was one of the earliest to look at possible effects of nuclear technology, with a good, well-acted cast.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">James Whitmore and Chris Drake (one of whom stays with us for a while) are officers on patrol in New Mexico when suddenly they see a young girl (Sandy Descher) carrying a doll, wandering alone in the desert. She can’t speak and has apparently been traumatized. It’s a memorable beginning and you won’t forget her face. “She’s a classic case of hysteria conversion.”</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The little girl is a mystery but when the owner of a general store is found dead, with nothing stolen but sugar, the mystery deepens. Here is the coroner’s report:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“He could have died five ways. His neck and back were broken, his chest was crushed, his skull was fractured, and here’s one for Sherlock Holmes - there was enough formic acid in him to kill twenty men.” Now we have a real murder mystery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The professionals are brought in, scientists Edmund Gwenn and his daughter, Joan Weldon (how nice to see a smart woman who doesn’t become a screaming victim). They have their suspicions, which are quickly and terrifyingly confirmed. And now, what to do about it? Gwenn is terrific as the eccentric but brilliant doctor. Before his Gunsmoke fame and after playing the creature (Thing from Another World, 1951), James Arness is here as an FBI agent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mary Alan Hokanson has a small role as Mrs. Lodge, the mother of missing boys that may or may not be alive. Olin Howland is remarkable as an alcoholic ward patient who reveals crucial information, along with his repeated line: “Make me a Sergeant in charge of the booze!” And look quickly for Leonard Nimoy as a Telex Sergeant in army headquarters. Noted character actor Lawrence Dobkin plays a Los Angeles City Engineer. Before his TV fame as Davey Crockett and Daniel Boone, Fess Parker appears here in a small but very effective role as a patient in a mental ward, institutionalized because of what he claims he saw. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You will hear the famous Wilhelm Scream four times in this movie so listen for it. The musical soundtrack was composed by Bronislau Kaper, a well-known Hollywood composer with more than 100 credits to his name (Green Dolphin Street, Life of Her Own). Cinematography by Sidney Hickox is excellent. (Hickox made one more film after this and then moved successfully into television.) Los Angeles in the 1950s is the final star of the movie. The settings, including downtown and a river basin, are beautifully photographed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Viewers today may find the special effects less than adequate, but in 1954 they were nominated for an Academy Award (no individual credited). Don’t miss this movie if you are a fan of old science fiction films. It has an exciting conclusion down in the storm drains of Los Angeles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“We may be witnesses to a Biblical prophecy come true: ‘And there shall be destruction and darkness come upon creation and the beast shall reign over the earth.’ "</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Mpy4TocDja09QMIK2DlvcB0fXh4wxK5q1VJanfU4wfEz0qtpQvRlmkVwQtrV5QEcLh7F6xLZgckALLPpU4_uqzFBtsmxPIeNkc0cecZJ5DSU1WXHZj-CfWKR3SxzZiakW66l6uhRj1U/s1600/themPDVD_013+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Mpy4TocDja09QMIK2DlvcB0fXh4wxK5q1VJanfU4wfEz0qtpQvRlmkVwQtrV5QEcLh7F6xLZgckALLPpU4_uqzFBtsmxPIeNkc0cecZJ5DSU1WXHZj-CfWKR3SxzZiakW66l6uhRj1U/s320/themPDVD_013+.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-69818036934907211882011-01-10T14:03:00.000-05:002011-01-10T14:03:27.457-05:00This is the Night (1932) Frank Tuttle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvq9-XjJUVxzEs6XFZvbvyGPdFE0xxX4MaFkoCTg-oX-2VH_vJ0fa2k8oOySivNcNmgGr1TdvsltfuMHcAe9FAVLNOz2C-s_9K15lmPgyalEutnxVxm-VW3qrIi5QuQZP1hYs_qTcM4ow/s1600/This_is_the_Night_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvq9-XjJUVxzEs6XFZvbvyGPdFE0xxX4MaFkoCTg-oX-2VH_vJ0fa2k8oOySivNcNmgGr1TdvsltfuMHcAe9FAVLNOz2C-s_9K15lmPgyalEutnxVxm-VW3qrIi5QuQZP1hYs_qTcM4ow/s1600/This_is_the_Night_poster.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The night you watch this film, it will be the night for laughing. Perhaps known more for being Cary Grant’s full feature film debut, it’s a delightful movie with witty dialogue and clever farce. Adultery and suspicion of same are the themes that make up the plot, and they are lightly bandied about.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Grant is memorable but plays a supporting role to the other four main characters, the first of whom is Lili Damita. The French actress’ career was brief but she is superb in this role. Besides being beautiful, she puts in an effective performance, mastering two characters, and does comedy very well.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Charles Ruggles and Roland Young are incredibly funny and masters of comic timing. Thelma Todd is visually stunning and owns the running gag, “Madam has lost her dress!” When the gag is being set up in the beginning of the film, it’s accompanied by a melody that’s frequently repeated, and a crowd chanting. It’s a bit of comic opera. Listen for that melody throughout the film, and also for the lovely “This is the Night”, composed by Sam Coslow and Ralph Rainger.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Irving Bacon is the last piece of this hectic puzzle and plays ‘Sparks,’ the chauffeur of Roland Young. He always happens to be present whenever Thelma Todd loses a piece of clothing. (Bacon’s roles were always small but he was a prolific character actor with hundred of movies to his credit.)</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are so many humorous scenes in this movie that it’s difficult to choose highlights. But nonetheless, watch for the few minutes when luggage is being loaded onto a train, and also for the drinking scene with Young and Ruggles. “This problem’s going to be very absorbing.” What are you going to absorb it with?” “Scotch, I think.” </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cinematography is very well done (Victor Milner) and noted director, Jean Negulesco, worked uncredited on the film as a technical director. </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are several interesting back stories to mention. Lili Damita would later become better known as the first wife of Errol Flynn. And Thelma Todd died in 1935 at age 29 under mysterious circumstances, either accidental death or murder. The incident was never solved and rumors still abound about mob ties and her violent live-in boyfriend, director Roland West.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But murder, mayhem, and notoriety aside, this is an entertaining 80 minutes that will be well worth your time.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ieS6c-Durfs3ZZXaMpm4KYdhkB8swBIvf7dUFSKTf3muc0IG8x34nTQijBuPf52GDQclgmCtXO0sJKYPilJnJkSEO-JRl9Bhe_mxt2awhp0_rxiKM9dCYDX0yw4jYYW-dQxwjNuRu8E/s1600/th_th_54584_carygrant33_122_77lo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ieS6c-Durfs3ZZXaMpm4KYdhkB8swBIvf7dUFSKTf3muc0IG8x34nTQijBuPf52GDQclgmCtXO0sJKYPilJnJkSEO-JRl9Bhe_mxt2awhp0_rxiKM9dCYDX0yw4jYYW-dQxwjNuRu8E/s1600/th_th_54584_carygrant33_122_77lo.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
This is the Night (1932) Frank Tuttle
The night you watch this film, it will be the night for laughing. Perhaps known more for being Cary Grant’s full feature film debut, it’s a delightful movie with witty dialogue and clever farce. Adultery and suspicion of same are the themes that make up the plot, and they are lightly bandied about.
Grant is memorable but plays a supporting role to the other four main characters, the first of whom is Lili Damita. The French actress’ career was brief but she is superb in this role. Besides being beautiful, she puts in an effective performance, mastering two characters, and does comedy very well.
Charles Ruggles and Roland Young are incredibly funny and masters of comic timing. Thelma Todd is visually stunning and owns the running gag, “Madam has lost her dress!” When the gag is being set up in the beginning of the film, it’s accompanied by a melody, that’s frequently repeated, and a crowd chanting. It’s a bit of comic opera. Listen for that melody throughout the film, and also for the lovely “This is the Night”, composed by Sam Coslow and Ralph Rainger.
Irving Bacon is the last piece of this hectic puzzle and plays ‘Sparks,’ the chauffeur of Roland Young. He always happens to be present whenever Thelma Todd loses a piece of clothing. (Bacon’s roles were always small but he was a prolific character actor with hundred of movies to his credit.)
There are so many humorous scenes in this movie that it’s difficult to choose highlights. But nonetheless, watch for the few minutes when luggage is being loaded onto a train, and also for the drinking scene with Young and Ruggles. “This problem’s going to be very absorbing.” What are you going to absorb it with?” “Scotch, I think.”
Cinematography is very well done (Victor Milner) and noted director, Jean Negulesco, worked uncredited on the film as a technical director.
There are several interesting back stories to mention. Lili Damita would later become better known as the first wife of Errol Flynn. And Thelma Todd died in 1935 at age 29 under mysterious circumstances, either accidental death or murder. The incident was never solved and rumors still abound about mob ties and her violent live-in boyfriend, director Roland West.
But murder, mayhem, and notoriety aside, this is an entertaining 80 minutes that will be well worth your time.<!--
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</script>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-31843199921461694642011-01-08T16:48:00.003-05:002011-01-08T16:58:38.130-05:00The Tell-Tale Heart (1941) Jules Dassin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqBiBxjscMVUGBtQlNdMYYgBKyYdg4o_Efuj73sO9zXxcDGPAFXdp-rgMNa_nOEQrLnYwghBroKDVcck6Ifov_zbo0jeKHaj78eaaAw7Yi61garA3vsMoF2BpgJHp1f1gEREjAZAqdO0/s1600/9582193417_The_Tell_Tale_Heart_1941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqBiBxjscMVUGBtQlNdMYYgBKyYdg4o_Efuj73sO9zXxcDGPAFXdp-rgMNa_nOEQrLnYwghBroKDVcck6Ifov_zbo0jeKHaj78eaaAw7Yi61garA3vsMoF2BpgJHp1f1gEREjAZAqdO0/s320/9582193417_The_Tell_Tale_Heart_1941.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I stumbled upon this 20 minute film on Turner Classic Movies and was instantly mesmerized. Directed by Jules Dassin, the movie stars Joseph Schildkraut as the Young Man, and he is wonderful to watch. Most film fans will know him as Frank Otto in 1959's Diary of Anne Frank, or as Ferencz Vadas in the 1940 Shop Around the Corner.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Old Man is played by Roman Bohnen, The First Deputy Sheriff is Oscar O’Shea, and Will Wright plays the Second Deputy Sheriff. And that rounds out the cast.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cinematography is very stylish and beautifully filmed in black and white by Paul Vogel. The musical soundtrack was composed by Sol Krandel and consists primarily of the beating, thumping heart. It’s very effectively done. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Unfortunately, the screenwriter (Doane R. Hoag) and the director completely changed the relationship of the Old Man and the Young Man. The short story can be read in less time than it takes to watch the film and it’s pretty straight forward. The other objection I have is that the last lines of the Young Man, and the film, were changed. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Other works by Poe have been filmed, and greatly modified from his original writings, but in a tight film like this, why don’t we let genius of Edgar Allan Poe speak for itself.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHRab0iDYjWIJvhK0uDzpvXPJkZv0Np3RqD4EB27Hx2cSQR8m4Yx9F-T0N7eT-_SZ8AD6hZc6prYcL55QtEGgeGDB43-kDDVMUqEWsKCWvrVRtHWDa6otzGhm62c70FcB_atRao8Drog/s1600/edgar-allan-poe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHRab0iDYjWIJvhK0uDzpvXPJkZv0Np3RqD4EB27Hx2cSQR8m4Yx9F-T0N7eT-_SZ8AD6hZc6prYcL55QtEGgeGDB43-kDDVMUqEWsKCWvrVRtHWDa6otzGhm62c70FcB_atRao8Drog/s320/edgar-allan-poe.jpg" width="245" /></a></div><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" />ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-60722135834863548752010-12-27T12:09:00.002-05:002010-12-28T14:47:11.472-05:00It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947) Roy Del Ruth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaADaRzLYM5Lta4L_R9sjSdOGBdXU6zMNoM9yj-G3N2xnOG3Kf1RKI5j4kmUaflRjXObr4zqS3ELlXnGepF9DW9-WzXQp7BO9ybstXSQ0xAif88ILhQMkPuMZPlg0ULxcM-ToFqG1a6E/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaADaRzLYM5Lta4L_R9sjSdOGBdXU6zMNoM9yj-G3N2xnOG3Kf1RKI5j4kmUaflRjXObr4zqS3ELlXnGepF9DW9-WzXQp7BO9ybstXSQ0xAif88ILhQMkPuMZPlg0ULxcM-ToFqG1a6E/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is a lesser known movie but very worth a watch. Some refer to it as a Christmas movie but it’s really not. It’s more a commentary on post-war society and on what being “rich” really means.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A hobo with an unexplained past figures out how to live in boarded up mansions of absentee wealthy people, gone for the season. He meets up with other unfortunates, who hook up with others, and the story takes off from there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Victor Moore is the hobo star who is best known to me for his hilarious role in Swing Time (1936) as Pop Cardetti. Charles Ruggles is also a favorite and here he plays the second richest man in the world. These two had long-lasting careers beginning in silent movies and ending with a few appearances on television, and it’s great to see them together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Filling out the cast are some soon-to-be TV stars, Don Defore (Ozzie and Harriet, Hazel) and Gale Storm (My Little Margie, the Gale Storm Show). And Alan Hale Jr, with over 200 TV and movie roles, became best known for playing Skipper on Gilligan’s Island. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another notable performances is by actress Ann Harding. Most of her film roles were back in the 1930s, and she adds a beautiful and poignant presence as the ex-wife of Charles Ruggles. She also introduces us to “slumgullion.” </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Look for character actors Edward Brophy as the local patrolman and Charles Lane as the recalcitrant landlord. Edward Gargan is the policeman in the park who is less than sympathetic to a supposed hobo (“If you need a place to stay, go to a flophouse. If you’re hungry, go to a soup kitchen”). I’m reminded of Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are two hilarious sequences in the movie, neither having much to do with the plot. The first is Abe Reynolds as the tailor. He did not make many films but his monologue here will make you laugh out loud. (Reynolds also played the tailor in the aforementioned Swing Time.) The second scene, although not as witty, involves a waiter in a restaurant trying to balance an uneven table, and some aggressive musicians. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The musical score uses George M. Cohan’s “Mary” when Ruggles interacts with his ex-wife Mary, Ann Harding. But the original score is by Edward Ward, who has more than one hundred credits as composer/musical director. There are many clever lines in the movie, and Herbert Clyde Lewis and Frederick Stephani were Oscar nominated for Best Writing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">DeFore: “Just because I’m in bed doesn’t mean I’ll take this lying down.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Brophy: “That joint’s as empty as a sewing basket at a nudist camp.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Brophy and Moore: “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s cousin.” “Oh, your family connections must be better than that.” </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The classic line is the last of the movie so listen for it. This film is an enjoyable lark and is sometimes compared to It’s a Wonderful Life, with the theme of what it really means to be rich running through both. But don’t be fooled. It’s not anywhere near that good. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“To be without friends is a serious form of poverty.”</span><br />
<br />
<script type="text/javascript">
It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947) Roy Del Ruth
This is a lesser known movie but very worth a watch. Some refer to it as a Christmas movie but it’s really not. It’s more a commentary on post-war society and on what being “rich” really means.
A hobo with an unexplained past figures out how to live in boarded up mansions of absentee wealthy people, gone for the season. He meets up with other unfortunates, who hook up with others, and the story takes off from there.
Victor Moore is the hobo star who is best known to me for his hilarious role in Swing Time (1936) as Pop Cardetti. Charles Ruggles is also a favorite and here he plays the second richest man in the world. These two had long-lasting careers beginning in silent movies and ending with a few appearances on television, and it’s great to see them together.
Filling out the cast are some soon-to-be TV stars, Don Defore (Ozzie and Harriet, Hazel) and Gale Storm (My Little Margie, the Gale Storm Show). And Alan Hale Jr, with over 200 TV and movie roles, became best known for playing Skipper on Gilligan’s Island.
Another notable performances is by actress Ann Harding. Most of her film roles were back in the 1930s, and she adds a beautiful and poignant presence as the ex-wife of Charles Ruggles. She also introduces us to “slumgullion.”
Look for character actors Edward Brophy as the local patrolman and Charles Lane as the recalcitrant landlord. Edward Gargan is the policeman in the park who is less than sympathetic to a supposed hobo (“If you need a place to stay, go to a flophouse. If you’re hungry, go to a soup kitchen”). I’m reminded of Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge.
There are two hilarious sequences in the movie, neither having much to do with the plot. The first is Abe Reynolds as the tailor. He did not make many films but his monologue here will make you laugh out loud. (Reynolds also played the tailor in the aforementioned Swing Time.) The second scene, although not as witty, involves a waiter in a restaurant trying to balance an uneven table and some aggressive musicians.
The musical score uses George M. Cohan’s “Mary” when Ruggles interacts with his ex-wife Mary, Ann Harding. But the original score is by Edward Ward, who has more than one hundred credits as composer/musical director. There are many clever lines in the movie, and Herbert Clyde Lewis and Frederick Stephani were Oscar nominated for Best Writing.
DeFore: “Just because I’m in bed doesn’t mean I’ll take this lying down.”
Brophy: “That joint’s as empty as a sewing basket at a nudist’s camp.”
Brophy and Moore: “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s cousin.” “Oh, your family connections must be better than that.”
The classic line is the last of the movie so listen for it. This film is an enjoyable lark and is sometimes compared to It’s a Wonderful Life, with the theme of what it really means to be rich running through both. But don’t be fooled. It’s not anywhere near that good.
“To be without friends is a serious form of poverty.”<!--
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</script>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-32032165185333543682010-12-17T13:35:00.000-05:002010-12-17T13:35:51.951-05:00The Blob (1958) Irvin S Yeaworth Jr, Russell S Doughten Jr<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLC0bBP60FzwBWOFL1JmmaGciOeHw8CC0QSrblokhA4qjQaGxpPSMPjz1BpC8_HRFaLYa1wxEidd_cKrh7BUm3EJ6CDKmzzsb9vU6jzNug4o9k1QeR_qkA-2vlSG7odc-PK8SFeWSXiM/s1600/91_box_348x490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLC0bBP60FzwBWOFL1JmmaGciOeHw8CC0QSrblokhA4qjQaGxpPSMPjz1BpC8_HRFaLYa1wxEidd_cKrh7BUm3EJ6CDKmzzsb9vU6jzNug4o9k1QeR_qkA-2vlSG7odc-PK8SFeWSXiM/s320/91_box_348x490.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s a campy 1950s sci-fi film that is still fun to watch. It scared the heck out of young viewers back in the day but today, not so much. The studio had Burt Bacharach and Mack David compose the song that plays during the opening credits and wanted it to be “non-threatening.” The song is light-hearted and goofy, and completely belies the tone of the film. “Beware of the blob, it creeps and leaps and glides and slides...” </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Opening scene: Steve McQueen and Aneta Corsaut are teenagers watching for shooting stars, and see a big one. They go searching for the point of impact, along with an old man who lives nearby. We hear a slurping sound and a dog barking. The old man reaches the “arrival” and inquisitively, or foolishly, starts poking it with a stick. And that is where this narrative ends because you need to see the rest for yourself.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thrown into the movie are hot-rodding, rebellious teenagers, a good cop and a bad cop (he has his background reasons), and a stuffed-shirt father who just may redeem himself. The teenagers, of course, win the day as the town is finally forced to believe their story. “How do you get people to protect themselves from something they don’t believe in?”</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The sound recording is poor with studio echoes everywhere. Dialogue is stilted, and McQueen and Corsaut are 28 and 25, respectively, playing teenagers. The film did bring stardom to Steve McQueen as he was hired for the television series “Wanted: Dead or Alive” on the basis of this performance. Aneta Corsaut would later become best known as Helen Crump, Andy’s girlfriend, on the Andy Griffeth Show; this was her film debut.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The old man in the beginning should be noted as Olin Howland, an actor with more than 200 movie credits and who was taught to fly by the Wright Brothers. This was his last film. The original music in the film is credited to Ralph Carmichael, better known for his musical association with Billy Graham.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The movie isn’t nearly as good as “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956) or “Thing From Another World” (1951) and has nowhere near their staying power. But it’s an interesting little part of 1950s movie history.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There has been one sequel to date, a 1972 production directed by Larry Hagman, “Beware the Blob," the only film Hagman ever directed. The screenplay took off from the last lines of the original movie: "I don’t think it can be killed but at least we’ve got it stopped.” “At least if the Arctic stays cold.” Chuck Russell directed a 1988 remake, and there is currently a 2011 version in development. </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here is one last piece of trivia in case you find yourself on Jeopardy someday. The movie being viewed in the theater in the film’s classic scene is the 1955 “Dementia” by John Parker. Take the movie for what it is and enjoy it.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“It’s kind of like a mass that gets bigger and bigger.”</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Don’t go in there, Jim It’s the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen in my life!” </span>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-72674976401515929272010-12-13T16:51:00.002-05:002010-12-16T19:12:30.406-05:00The Thing From Another World (1951) Christian Nyby, Howard Hawks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWwpO7pyHu0of_ao5iASbZ11dEqCGj-WUxfrhm5coPX1GLlRPuZ9UJVNbsQDWYWHHmVFJC-GtPEi2Mrk1aNZcs6ZffYFyF-tF2d_mGWEzF_IbDBhk2wBYeZcGO2gWKytDjHbTbljWLJw/s1600/TheThingFromAnotherWorld04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWwpO7pyHu0of_ao5iASbZ11dEqCGj-WUxfrhm5coPX1GLlRPuZ9UJVNbsQDWYWHHmVFJC-GtPEi2Mrk1aNZcs6ZffYFyF-tF2d_mGWEzF_IbDBhk2wBYeZcGO2gWKytDjHbTbljWLJw/s320/TheThingFromAnotherWorld04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Think 1950s science fiction and this film has to be near the top of the list. The director credited with the movie is Christian Nyby, and there are divergent opinions on the level of Hawks’ involvement. But after you watch it, you will know that it’s a Howard Hawks film. Hawks was noted for quick, overlapping dialogue (remember “His Girl Friday”?), and this movie is replete with it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The movie opens in a Officer’s Club in Anchorage, Alaska, and a group of Air Force personnel are soon sent to investigate a mysterious crash at an arctic scientific outpost. They arrive and are in immediate conflict with a brilliant but naive scientist. Preserve our lives and possibly the world’s, or the protect a source of possibly superior knowledge and information? And who gets to decide? “There are no enemies in science, just phenomena, and we are studying one.” “No pleasure, no pain, no emotion, no heart. Our superior in every way.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There’s a wonderful scene early on when air force personnel and scientists are gathered at the scene of the crash. As they circle with their elongated shadows, the light slowly dawns on their faces as to what they have found.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The characters are on the whole quite likeable, and their dialogue and interactions are laced with wit and humor. (“We’re getting nowhere.” “We’re consistent!”) There’s also a good deal of suspense and no wasted scenes. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You won’t see “The Thing” until about an hour into the movie, and slowly, more and more of it is revealed. You’d never know it but it’s James Arness in a role he took, and hated, before his Gunsmoke fame. No other big name stars will be found here, just a cast full of experienced character actors, some with familiar faces.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The cinematography by Russell Harlan makes heavy use of light and shadows for dramatic effect. A noted cinematographer, Harlan has over 100 credits to his name, including his work in “To Kill A Mockingbird.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dimitri Tiomkin was a well-known Hollywood composer and conductor with hundreds of musical score credits (e.g., “High Noon,” “It’s a Wonderful Life”). His score for “The Thing” is suitably eerie when there’s about to be an alien moment, complete with a soprano descant at one point, and theremin by Samuel, and is altogether effective. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">John Carpenter remade the movie in 1982 starring Kurt Russell. I haven’t seen it so I can’t comment on any comparison. But I can recommend the 1951 version. How can you resist a closing like this?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Watch the skies everywhere! Keep looking! Keep watching the skies!”</span><br />
<br />
<script type="text/javascript">
The Thing From Another World (1951) Christian Nyby, Howard Hawks
Think 1950s science fiction and this film has to be near the top of the list. The director credited with the movie is Christian Nyby, and there are divergent opinions on the level of Hawks’ involvement. But after you watch it, you will know that it’s a Howard Hawks film. Hawks was noted for quick, overlapping dialogue (remember “His Girl Friday”?), and this movie is replete with it.
The movie opens in a Officer’s Club in Anchorage, Alaska, and a group of Air Force personnel are soon sent to investigate a mysterious crash at an arctic scientific outpost. They arrive and are in immediate conflict with a brilliant but naive scientist. Preserve our lives and possibly the world’s, or the protect a source of possibly superior knowledge and information? And who gets to decide? “There are no enemies in science, just phenomena, and we are studying one.” “No pleasure, no pain, no emotion, no heart. Our superior in every way.”
There’s a wonderful scene early on when air force personnel and scientists are gathered at the scene of the crash. As they circle with their elongated shadows, the light slowly dawns on their faces as to what they have found.
The characters are on the whole quite likeable, and their dialogue and interactions are laced with wit and humor. (“We’re getting nowhere.” “We’re consistent!”) There’s also a good deal of suspense and no wasted scenes.
You won’t see “The Thing” until about an hour into the movie, and slowly, more and more of him is revealed. You’d never know it but it’s James Arness in a role he took, and hated, before his Gunsmoke fame. No other big name stars will be found here, just a cast full of experienced character actors, some with familiar faces.
The cinematography by Russell Harlan makes heavy use of light and shadows for dramatic effect. A noted cinematographer, Harlan has over 100 credits to his name, including his work in “To Kill A Mockingbird.”
Dimitri Tiomkin was a well-known Hollywood composer and conductor with hundreds of musical score credits (e.g., “High Noon,” “It’s a Wonderful Life”). His score for “The Thing” is suitably eerie when there’s about to be an alien moment, complete with a soprano descant at one point, and is altogether effective.
John Carpenter remade the movie in 1982 starring Kurt Russell. I haven’t seen it so I can’t comment on any comparison. But I can recommend the 1951 version. How can you resist a closing like this?
“Watch the skies everywhere! Keep looking! Keep watching the skies!”<!--
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</script>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-51799218385736145882010-12-07T16:49:00.001-05:002010-12-07T20:52:12.057-05:00The Mortal Storm (1940) Frank Borzage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu57Z49PcwsqRsKCASKzOOsqdekz4DfAM3nrYf1JyQtrk2M5oJU5nStz-KjEB9M6JFrj-b4CHsqqtnZO_P8Md9zwKVIVR2v4FrZNZb_7bit8gTIHZy_c5qTEgFUn7NYDqWAZNq3pB91rI/s1600/134storm90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu57Z49PcwsqRsKCASKzOOsqdekz4DfAM3nrYf1JyQtrk2M5oJU5nStz-KjEB9M6JFrj-b4CHsqqtnZO_P8Md9zwKVIVR2v4FrZNZb_7bit8gTIHZy_c5qTEgFUn7NYDqWAZNq3pB91rI/s320/134storm90.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To fully appreciate this movie, one has to understand its historical significance. It was released in 1940, before the U.S. had entered WWII. The majority of Americans did not want to get involved in “Europe’s War,” information was starting to leak out about the treatment of the Jews, and yet appeasing Hitler was still the name of the game. But Louie B Mayer, as head of MGM, and Frank Borzage plunged ahead, portraying the Nazis as brutal, ignorant, and anti-Semitic. This was a bold move in 1940, and Hitler banned all MGM films in German-controlled countries after the film’s release.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The film is set in 1933, just as Hitler comes to power in Germany. The setting is a small German town near the border of Austria. Frank Morgan is the respected Professor Roth, teaching at a local college. He has two step-sons from his wife’s previous marriage, and he and his wife have had two children together. The word “Jew” is never mentioned but we know that Profession Roth is Jewish, and his step-sons are not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The effects of Nazi politics on this family slowly play out, beginning with a happy family birthday party and ending with a camera panning through the now deserted home, and snowfall filling in the last footprints, walking away. It’s a powerful film, with this family being a microcosm for all of Germany and its conquered countries. It dispelled with the notion of a person, or a country, being able to remain neutral.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are a few things you’ll want to ignore, the first and foremost being the use of rear projection filming for the ski scenes. The other is the accents or lack thereof. Everyone in the film is a German and it would make sense for them to all have the same accent, whatever it might be. But we have Nazi officers speaking English with a German accent, and the wonderful Maria Ouspenskaya with her heavy Russian accent, playing Jimmy Stewart’s German mother. Everyone else has a distinctive American accent. But these are trivial points.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Robert Young and Jimmy Stewart pop up effectively into the movie in Frank Morgan’s classroom. The always enchanting Margaret Sullavan plays the daughter of the Professor. Robert Stack and William T Orr are the Aryan step-sons, and their mother is played by Irene Rich. Watch for Ward Bond as a cruel Nazi torturing Bonita Granville (of Nancy Drew fame) for information. Dan Dailey also makes an brief appearance as a stalwart Nazi. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And listen for the “I was only following orders,” the excuse that would hauntingly return during the Nuremberg Trials in 1945. Bond delivers several of the most chilling statements in the movie to Sullavan, as Freya Roth, Jewish from her father, Aryan by her mother: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“You belong ‘in part’ to the German race.” “Your name doesn’t sound very well to German ears.” In 1940, it was just the beginning.</span>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-6774696104561092102010-12-06T15:48:00.000-05:002012-06-26T09:07:13.524-04:00Kiss Me Deadly (1955) Robert Aldrich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKh1w0we1vhUbkvIwOm2asQnFQP_Jb9u9HErOEYbUTUcr0zSGYbHJKnRkOy6I3gOegqWsdO5CEuucarTHSrfnGlJev8bKVh6kgBDqzPOcPK8AGQftiz57VsLgE1gERPFK6TfG4n9shXg/s1600/kissmedeadly2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKh1w0we1vhUbkvIwOm2asQnFQP_Jb9u9HErOEYbUTUcr0zSGYbHJKnRkOy6I3gOegqWsdO5CEuucarTHSrfnGlJev8bKVh6kgBDqzPOcPK8AGQftiz57VsLgE1gERPFK6TfG4n9shXg/s320/kissmedeadly2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Filmed in less than three weeks, this is a film noir detective story not to be missed. Based on a novel by Mickey Spillane, the dialogue is snappy and wise-cracking, and always entertaining. It’s the ultimate pulp fiction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The opening sequence is one of my favorites. Before any credits role, we see bare feet running down a highway at night. Next up we meet Mike Hammer, slamming on his breaks so as not to hit the barefoot woman, saying, “You almost wrecked my car. Well? Get in.” We’re immediately hooked.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWIi4RhsCd4xa0f-VnOUIMYasMwSYugZjOcuon3lHf1E9f1bBH9AviDz-cmnXXhNfBuLRbYE9gjS6mxUh0UskTrCaO3YZmtYyMnv7f14tZj8uWsewv-_sq2WZShi48nSNQline-Rrmnw/s1600/kissmedeadly02+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWIi4RhsCd4xa0f-VnOUIMYasMwSYugZjOcuon3lHf1E9f1bBH9AviDz-cmnXXhNfBuLRbYE9gjS6mxUh0UskTrCaO3YZmtYyMnv7f14tZj8uWsewv-_sq2WZShi48nSNQline-Rrmnw/s320/kissmedeadly02+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From here on in, the movie is fast-paced action with a plot that is not spoon-fed. It’s difficult to review the movie without giving anything away, but the film should be viewed without any previous knowledge and information for the full impact. Shocking murders take place but not in the bloody Quentin Tarantino sense. The scenes will stay with you but not give you nightmares.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ralph Meeker plays Mike Hammer to perfection. He’s a sleazy bedroom detective, a tough guy who relishes a bit of violence. After picking up the running feet, he becomes further and further entangled in nefarious and mysterious activities. We follow along with him as he tries to figure things out, and just maybe get a piece of the action. It’s a brutal world and Hammer is not uncomfortable in it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_8E0G4Md_DAIcB1gFQN-3T3_hibsSOBmyWANgkxJQnLUXR6zcso9Rued4d2yIvwbAjN-bSTVZ1bmpD4ht671vWTx9XoLQTJtybUFhwoQBOf90-cMEcCZ-1Cm-xRJeaBz0mZEzats30s/s1600/KissMeDeadly3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_8E0G4Md_DAIcB1gFQN-3T3_hibsSOBmyWANgkxJQnLUXR6zcso9Rued4d2yIvwbAjN-bSTVZ1bmpD4ht671vWTx9XoLQTJtybUFhwoQBOf90-cMEcCZ-1Cm-xRJeaBz0mZEzats30s/s320/KissMeDeadly3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cloris Leachman has her film debut as the running feet. Albert Dekker is a perfectly sinister Dr. Soberin. Maxine Cooper is well played as Hammer’s Girl Friday, and look for villains, Jack Lambert and Jack Elam, early in their careers. Paul Stewart, Marian Carr, and Wesley Addy also have notable roles. Percy Helton has a memorable part as Doc Kennedy; you won’t forget his screams. And Gaby Rodgers? You won’t see her anywhere else because she had two movie roles and only a few TV appearances. But you will remember her. And here’s a Gaby piece of trivia: she co-wrote the popular country-western song “Jackson.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The black and white cinematography of Ernest Lazlo is spot-on, crisp and atmospheric. Aldrich’s direction is taut and he never lets up with the story. Hitchcock had his “MacGuffins”, and much later Tarantino had his Briefcase. In between the two, Aldrich introduces us to his “Great Whatsit.” So step into the world of Mike Hammer as he tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together, and stay alive.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqTfQrDhtXWNzvHiCIuSgZ9bS4Qr9104RK19ZE7z8evn6IIgNENusvdHZNByY3Fm5PvYRrugRmyiEsieHMw-89-mIybgDQIMhFD3lL6IKIKK9pUJujxoZfPk18zmTI0rz4BB9PGRaF1o/s1600/KissMeDeadly3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqTfQrDhtXWNzvHiCIuSgZ9bS4Qr9104RK19ZE7z8evn6IIgNENusvdHZNByY3Fm5PvYRrugRmyiEsieHMw-89-mIybgDQIMhFD3lL6IKIKK9pUJujxoZfPk18zmTI0rz4BB9PGRaF1o/s320/KissMeDeadly3.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What did they pay you? I’ll top it.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You can’t top this: they said they’d let me breathe.”</span>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-11682705833965745582010-12-03T10:16:00.000-05:002010-12-03T10:16:45.876-05:00Upperworld (1934) Roy Del Ruth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlscD8eykgD0iVnaIiU3WZjnQIeJrFY0tNcMnatLyEf9I5qzRCHiYmMe6XnqSfizazmv39HbfPZQRY_mVvZw3acY1T1TXsGAVXFgOq2e9pBWuAXBWusqr2xKLjPBHrraRNj351vcqplys/s1600/3FLYF00Z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlscD8eykgD0iVnaIiU3WZjnQIeJrFY0tNcMnatLyEf9I5qzRCHiYmMe6XnqSfizazmv39HbfPZQRY_mVvZw3acY1T1TXsGAVXFgOq2e9pBWuAXBWusqr2xKLjPBHrraRNj351vcqplys/s320/3FLYF00Z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is an odd little movie but not without its merits. The first is Warren William, a prominent star in early talkies due to his beautiful voice and patrician good looks that included a John Barrymore-ish profile. The second is Mary Astor, known more today for her appearance in “The Maltese Falcon” (also directed by Roy Del Ruth). She’s a status-seeking wife and William is her indulgent and very wealthy husband. Their son, who’s packed off to camp like we’d put our dog out, is played by popular child actor, Dickie Moore.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A young Ginger Rogers is a showgirl with a heart of gold, or greed. She’s attracted and attractive to William, who is otherwise a somewhat happily, though neglected, married man. Rogers’ boyfriend/manager is effectively played by J. Carroll Naish, who keeps his eye on the money.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A maybe affair ensues along with an attempt at blackmail, a couple of murders, and a scandalous trial. Along the way, you will meet Andy Devine as a pleasant chauffeur, John Qualen as a bribeable janitor, the handsome Robert Barrat as the police commissioner who may have been paid off, and the intrepid Sidney Toler, as a policeman who finds pertinent information and won’t be stifled. </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The ending is somewhat abrupt and when the chauffeur props Dickie Moore up on the railing of a cruise ship to Europe, I have to admit I cringed.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But it’s interesting to see an early Ginger Rogers, who had only one pairing with Fred Astaire behind her; she was on the cusp of stardom. Dickie Moore went on to make more than 100 movies, retired at age 29, and married Jane Powell in 1988. Sidney Toler came to fame later for playing Charlie Chan from 1939-1946. Warren William died young in 1948 at age 54 and is not so well known today but should be appreciated for his body of work.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The movie is a Warner Brothers production and the musical credits go to Leo F. Forbstein. He signed with Warner Brothers in 1926 as head of the music department and director of the Vitaphone Orchestra. When he died in 1948, he had almost 600 credits to his name. This is a movie for movie buffs only but it has its worthy moments.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
Upperworld (1934) Roy Del Ruth
This is an odd little movie but not without its merits. The first is Warren William, a prominent star in early talkies due to his beautiful voice and patrician good looks that included a John Barrymore-ish profile. The second is Mary Astor, known more today for her appearance in “The Maltese Falcon” (also directed by Roy Del Ruth). She’s a status-seeking wife and William is her indulgent and very wealthy husband. Their son, who’s packed off to camp like we’d put our dog out, is played by popular child actor, Dickie Moore.
A young Ginger Rogers is a showgirl with a heart of gold, or greed. She’s attracted and attractive to William, who is otherwise a somewhat happily, though neglected, married man. Rogers’ boyfriend/manager is effectively played by J. Carroll Naish, who keeps his eye on the money.
A maybe affair ensues along with an attempt at blackmail, a couple of murders, and a scandalous trial. Along the way, you will meet Andy Devine as a pleasant chauffeur, John Qualen as a bribable janitor, the handsome Robert Barrat as the police commissioner who may have been paid off, and the intrepid Sidney Toler, as a policeman who finds pertinent information and won’t be stifled.
The ending is somewhat abrupt and when the chauffeur props Dickie Moore up on the railing of a cruise ship to Europe, I have to admit I cringed.
But it’s interesting to see an early Ginger Rogers, who had only one pairing with Fred Astaire behind her; she was on the cusp of stardom. Dickie Moore went on to make more than 100 movies, retired at age 29, and married Jane Powell in 1988. Sidney Toler came to fame later for playing Charlie Chan from 1939-1946. Warren William died young in 1948 at age 54 and is not so well known today but should be appreciated for his body of work.
The movie is a Warner Brothers production and the musical credits go to Leo F. Forbstein. He signed with Warner Brothers in 1926 as head of the music department and director of the Vitaphone Orchestra. When he died in 1948, he had almost 600 credits to his name. This is a movie for movie buffs only but worth a watch.
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</script>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-25552858651033202392010-11-15T21:50:00.002-05:002012-06-26T12:56:33.280-04:00The Big Heat (1963) Fritz Lang<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxf3AWx0XPIFn_goKvChzQZHh2JP86hZkb_K6-iHCWyb90sNmJ8BH_Y8iNn4hnQSI34gAgRj_Y8_PBxOBVdWb_4ju3BWNdSHCixvaTa-xZsEhNGzjIe_4fKri442b3FfCbevem4mkr98/s1600/fritz_lang_the_big_heat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxf3AWx0XPIFn_goKvChzQZHh2JP86hZkb_K6-iHCWyb90sNmJ8BH_Y8iNn4hnQSI34gAgRj_Y8_PBxOBVdWb_4ju3BWNdSHCixvaTa-xZsEhNGzjIe_4fKri442b3FfCbevem4mkr98/s320/fritz_lang_the_big_heat.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although made in 1953, this film is an essential film noir that should not be missed. Mild by today’s standards, the violence must have been shocking back in the 1950s even though most of it takes place off-screen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Glenn Ford is a by-the-book cop who finds himself surrounded by graft and corruption. His personal life is suddenly impacted, and the rest of the movie is about revenge and how far a person might go to exact it. This is the dark side of the movie. How many lives would you sacrifice to get your revenge? </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zgwQUnhAKatcHYk21CvUbBxZAo788opUv6AvP04YJpwDiD8n-bssNENkB7IlVSVgVxj2LDiEajjPha9hPxoMvYdkVDNBdVkAYwMiicnYZ2uut8-8HjL1ArHCH3sdezOiBXR4p8Q1qKk/s1600/thebigheat01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zgwQUnhAKatcHYk21CvUbBxZAo788opUv6AvP04YJpwDiD8n-bssNENkB7IlVSVgVxj2LDiEajjPha9hPxoMvYdkVDNBdVkAYwMiicnYZ2uut8-8HjL1ArHCH3sdezOiBXR4p8Q1qKk/s320/thebigheat01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ford appears to be somewhat unaware of the sacrifices made on his behalf (complete with his last line in the movie) and is mesmerizing to watch. He coldly operates on the verge of violence and with barely controlled rage throughout the film, and it’s one of his best roles. We know a little more than he does as he slowly pieces things together but there are plenty of surprises.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gloria Grahame plays a pivotal role and when she’s on the screen, you’ll be paying attention. A young Lee Marvin is evilly sinister, and don’t miss his scene with Carolyn Jones, well before her Addams’ Family fame. Also watch for Jocelyn Brando, the older sister of her famous brother, Marlon.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The real stars of the movie, however, are the director and the cinematographer. The movie is concise, fast-paced, and expertly directed with no extraneous footage. Cinematography by Charles Lang is beautiful in black & white; he is one of the most Oscar-nominated cinematographers in history and his name is attached to many notable films, e.g., Some Like It Hot, Charade, The Magnificent Seven, Sabrina, and many more. The musical score is riveting but there seems to be disagreement as to the credit, some films sites naming Henry Vars and others, Daniele Amfitheatrof.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbcsonbnSBBCNAft4vd_envdtfMYboej3rpjBTQo213E4xhPtMU61wlMJKWcj48394hS8tXOIJCaIft7Q1duie56A8SNYiOBXWkiLgvondebsVh9iEa7qQYw9XewvYXfuaW19eNKIup8/s1600/Fritz-Lang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbcsonbnSBBCNAft4vd_envdtfMYboej3rpjBTQo213E4xhPtMU61wlMJKWcj48394hS8tXOIJCaIft7Q1duie56A8SNYiOBXWkiLgvondebsVh9iEa7qQYw9XewvYXfuaW19eNKIup8/s320/Fritz-Lang.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Noted Director, Fritz Lang</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This story originated as a Saturday Evening Post serial by crime writer William McGivern, and was turned into a screenplay by Sydney Boehm. I'll leave you with Gloria Grahame speaking their words.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The lid’s off the garbage can and I did it."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"You made better time than they make in the Olympics." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the classic: "The main thing is to have the money. I've been rich and I've been poor. Believe me, rich is better."</span>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-91752621517655997522010-08-27T11:41:00.002-04:002010-08-27T11:50:02.796-04:00Undercurrent (1946) Vincente Minnelli<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2Zj_D539sQw71hBhMZeItzuVor-dnzq7JNPOsLX9EeAC1wxFAyw_8ARNxA5jowLHhFNfBV-9yedmYNoFokXkXCghYCHlQvkCv60bQW5XtP-GxFLumVHqyYUZh03NUkkyh_a1FpWEtjI/s1600/undercurrent1a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2Zj_D539sQw71hBhMZeItzuVor-dnzq7JNPOsLX9EeAC1wxFAyw_8ARNxA5jowLHhFNfBV-9yedmYNoFokXkXCghYCHlQvkCv60bQW5XtP-GxFLumVHqyYUZh03NUkkyh_a1FpWEtjI/s320/undercurrent1a.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s from Minnelli at MGM but this is no extravagant technicolor musical. It’s not really film noir either but more an interesting melodrama and sometime thriller. Although not his usual fare, director Minnelli does his best to build the slow-growing tension and suspense throughout the movie culminating in the somewhat exciting yet overwrought ending.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tall, dark, and handsome Robert Taylor has a very strong role and plays his switching personalities very effectively. He sweeps Katharine Hepburn off her feet but she soon senses that everything may not be as it seems, or is it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And Katharine Hepburn is the star, here playing a timid woman. Sometimes she’s a little over the top but on the whole she does a fine job and is enjoyable to watch as she slowly pieces things together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The third character in this ever-evolving story is Robert Mitchum. And he is revealed throughout the movie without physically being there. He appears three short times, most compellingly in a scene with Robert Taylor in the stable. Light and shadows, good and evil, unerring cinematography, and a rearing horse make this one of the best scenes in the movie. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Minor roles that complete the picture are played by Edmund Gwynne, Marjorie Main, Jayne Meadows (in her first film role), and Kathryn Card, better known as Mrs. McGillicuddy, Lucy’s mother in T.V.’s “I Love Lucy.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The usual MGM talent is present: Sound by Douglas Shearer, and Art Direction and Set Decoration by Cedric Gibbons and Edwin Willis, respectively. Shearer and Gibbons have been noted previously, and Willis needs special mention for being a talented Set Decorator with more than 600 movie credits and eight Academy Awards for his set designs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Adding to the great atmosphere created in this film is the stunning cinematography of Karl Freund, who moved into television in the 1950s. (While working for Desilu Productions, Freund developed the three-camera system to film a television show and finished his career as the head cinematographer for “I Love Lucy.”) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And lastly, Irene Lentz Gibbons, who billed herself with first name only. Married to Cedric Gibbons’ brother, she became a gown designer for many stars, beginning with Ginger Rogers, and ended up with about 200 design or costume supervisor credits to her name. Her life did not end well but her name is always recognizable as the credits roll: “Costumes by Irene.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The best part of this movie is the atmosphere: storms, sinister shadows lurking everywhere, and mysteries abounding. It could have been a better movie with a different director but it is also the only movie Hepburn ever made with Mitchum, Taylor, or Minnelli. So maybe that in itself merits a viewing. And if you’re wondering about the memorable, uncredited music theme - it’s Brahms Symphony # 3, third movement.</span>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-66150664124780657422010-08-09T12:31:00.002-04:002010-08-09T12:33:25.386-04:00Uncertain Glory (1944) Raoul Walsh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxNBBh3myU2UjzPTdMZGW7rjpN2Qrape-zLWP2cBXmxJCTSNhSu-JB9fnxsUFvZMiCG9q6Tj2Lvmn1sLL5u_gZ1EvzYB0KBKjpH-w8RGCpZ-5ffgwvrpja9BxT1U3vK4VhKJkzHosoA8/s1600/20081023220728-uncertain-glory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxNBBh3myU2UjzPTdMZGW7rjpN2Qrape-zLWP2cBXmxJCTSNhSu-JB9fnxsUFvZMiCG9q6Tj2Lvmn1sLL5u_gZ1EvzYB0KBKjpH-w8RGCpZ-5ffgwvrpja9BxT1U3vK4VhKJkzHosoA8/s320/20081023220728-uncertain-glory.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although this film stars Errol Flynn, there is no swashbuckling, just Flynn in one of his better performances. Taking place in France during World War II, the movie has the Gestapo, Vichy France, and the French resistance providing the backdrop for the story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our central characters are Flynn, playing Jean Picard *, a possible murderous criminal, and his nemesis, Paul Lukas, as French Inspector Marcel Bonet. They take us on a journey that includes many twists and turns, some expected and others not. Flynn’s character has the charming insouciance present in most of his roles and he’s still a rake. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Paul Lukas was a Hungarian stage and movie actor, usually confined to small film roles (around 100 film appearances, including that of Professor Aronnax in “20,000 Leagues under the Sea”). This was a big role for Lukas and he plays the serious, honest police officer very effectively. We watch him struggle throughout the film whether or not to believe Flynn. Sometimes he’s taken in, sometimes not - just like us. Flynn and Lukas play off each other very well and their many scenes together are fun to watch. (“How brave a gun makes a little man.”) The scene that takes place in a church is beautifully directed and filmed. Watch their faces as Flynn’s tale unwinds.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lucile Watson plays a mother willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to save her son from death at the hands of the Germans. Dennis Hoey (Inspector Lestrade in a few Sherlock Holmes movies) is the town priest and moral compass. The beautiful Faye Emerson has a brief role as one of the women Flynn easily charms, and Jean Sullivan plays another. Sullivan resembles Jennifer Jones, made a total of four films, and plays this part sickeningly sweet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Accents need to be ignored because they’re all different: English, Hungarian, American, and German, and Sheldon Leonard with his New York City accent playing a Frenchman.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Director Raoul Walsh, better known for “High Sierra,” “Public Enemy,” “White Heat,” and many, many more, also directed Flynn in “Gentleman Jim” in 1942. Sidney Hickcox did a notable job with the black and white cinematography, and Adolph Deutsch is credited with the original music. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As befitting 1944, the ending is a little over the top as we watch Errol Flynn moving toward his destiny, buoyed up by huge swells of “La Marseillaise.” Viva la France!</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">* Jean Picard was a famous French astronomer, 1620-1682. </span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Raoul Walsh </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfNPNT0_xK3rq7F4OpIgIEY9uWfHcHQhck6uLuxobiFIywqtLzRIMXGFARBFaecK3OAh15s0DnpIXQ5MhsAZbfkVKyj0o67hcbeLmzDYE2exzmNWH-uBrcxsKz_arf9K7Kl2e5VMBdZ0/s1600/walsh-raoul-02-g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfNPNT0_xK3rq7F4OpIgIEY9uWfHcHQhck6uLuxobiFIywqtLzRIMXGFARBFaecK3OAh15s0DnpIXQ5MhsAZbfkVKyj0o67hcbeLmzDYE2exzmNWH-uBrcxsKz_arf9K7Kl2e5VMBdZ0/s320/walsh-raoul-02-g.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530789613163617435.post-43393335321227669392010-08-05T16:53:00.001-04:002010-08-06T09:17:11.439-04:00Deadline - U.S.A. (1952) Richard Brooks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-h-Ufw5Pm3WM0e45Mu7z5XncT21gp3AWb1r6go2cZ4WpS4waKfl2q7lRg21QL3gKbDyeasaFdQlpaRRhRLOq7EimBDDJOz6fPm3jqJ6hLPv655Qkfhif5IKuy2nS4sv1N_fb-vP_FEd8/s1600/deadline_usa_copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-h-Ufw5Pm3WM0e45Mu7z5XncT21gp3AWb1r6go2cZ4WpS4waKfl2q7lRg21QL3gKbDyeasaFdQlpaRRhRLOq7EimBDDJOz6fPm3jqJ6hLPv655Qkfhif5IKuy2nS4sv1N_fb-vP_FEd8/s320/deadline_usa_copy.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Humphrey Bogart made ten movies after this, and this one is not to be missed if you’re a Bogart fan. He’s a newspaperman, the editor of a family owned paper that just may be sold to a Rupert Murdoch type of conglomerate. While this drama is playing out, there are two newspaper stories being investigated. One pertains to a murdered woman found in a river, clad in nothing but a fur coat. The other story revolves around a notorious gangster who has so far avoided any criminal convictions (think Al Capone or Tony Soprano). All three plot lines eventually coalesce as the movie winds toward its dramatic, although somewhat abrupt, conclusion. <br />
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It’s a fascinating representation of how a newspaper was run and is also a strong commentary on the importance of freedom of the press. Bogart shines as the world-weary editor who retains his journalistic integrity with moral fervor.<br />
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Ethel Barrymore plays the widowed matriarch of the family who owns the paper and is also the mother of two daughters (“Stupidity isn’t hereditary; you acquire it by yourself.”). As would be expected, Barrymore plays her like the grand lady she is. Bogart and Barrymore have good rapport, and watch in particular for the sweet scene when they discuss life, love, and the newspaper business. <br />
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Kim Hunter (of Stella Streetcar fame) plays Bogart’s ex-wife and she doesn’t have much of a part. She has an inexplicable little role in the conclusion as well. The gangster is very well played by Martin Gabel. He practically seethes with evil and has the overwhelming confidence of a mobster who knows he’s in control. <br />
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The newspaper room is filled with hard-working, fast-living reporters, and you will find Ed Begley and Jim Backus among them. Backus has a great part in the newspaper “wake” and the entire wake is a wonderful, black-humor scene. <br />
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Faces you will recognize in the newsroom, even if you don’t know their names, include Warren Stevens, Paul Stewart, Willis Bouchey, and John Doucette. Henchmen of note include Robert Foulk and Joe Sawyer. All of these people have hundreds of movie roles to their credits. James Dean purportedly has a small role in the movie but I didn’t see him. <br />
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The director, Richard Brooks, also wrote the film. His previous experience as a reporter in New York City certainly helped the realistic tone of the newsroom. And his love of the newspaper business comes through in the film. It’s an early directorial attempt for film-writer Brooks who went on to direct “Blackboard Jungle,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Elmer Gantry,” and “In Cold Blood.” The production feels like a gritty Warner Brothers film but this was put out by 20th Century Fox.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes the idealism gets a little heavy-handed (e.g., a corpse falls on the printing press at one point; will it, and all it represents, stop the presses?). But overall, it’s a well-paced drama and an interesting depiction of journalistic integrity and the newspaper business. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“It may not be the oldest profession but it’s the best.” </span>ionnaturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418636693676086440noreply@blogger.com0