Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

01/19/09

Nazi Agent (1942) Dir: Jules Dassin
Production: MGM

Nazi fifth columnists are the subject of this wartime thriller, Jules Dassin’s first feature. Conrad Veidt stars as German-born twin brothers, Otto, a humble book and stamp trader who moved to America following the Nazi rise to power, and Hugo, now the Baron Hugo von Detner, a German consul and Nazi in charge of a domestic sabotage ring. Although they haven’t seen each other in years, the Baron is interested in using Otto’s store as a relay center for messages to be sent to and fro his fellow Nazi operatives. Otto is loyal to his adoptive country, but is blackmailed into compliance. The brothers’ animosity toward each other soon reaches a head, forcing both sides to deal with questions of which brother is which (perhaps a suggestion to wartime audiences not to be too trusting, a subtle play on “loose lips sink ships”).

Languid and diffidently paced for an espionage story, and probably a consequence of Dassin still finding his way. But visually interesting and light on wartime speechifying. Well acted, though you’re not going to find Conrad Veidt as the romantic lead too often. Serial Nazi portrayer Martin Kosleck is the Baron’s suspicious second-in-command. Marc Lawrence plays a hired saboteur who’s more loathsome than the Nazis. Able support from Moroni Olsen as an SS officer and Sidney Blackmer as a traitorous American. Good ending, although the very last shot is one of the few spoonfuls of hokum.

out of 4
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JULES DASSIN – “Strained Seriousness”
Nazi Agent (1942)

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Sahara (1943) Zoltan Korda

Exciting and highly entertaining WW2 drama has Humphrey Bogart playing the leader of a tank crew who are slowly trying to make their way to safety by crossing the Sahara Desert. Soon the group of men begin to struggle as the sand storms and lack of water begin to have a toll on them so they decide to give their lives and battle a large number of German's. This is certainly one of the better WW2 dramas out there and I guess it's what you'd call a "man's movie" since there isn't a single woman in the film. The movie works so well because of the wonderful cast who turn in some great and memorable performances. Bogart leads the way and turns in another winning performance but I'd stop short of calling it amongst his best. He certainly fits that tough guy role better than anyone in history so there's no problem believing anything his character is doing. The supporting cast is where the real greatness is as several members are able to outshine Bogie. J. Carrol Naish gives one of his greatest performances with a spot on Italian accent. It's a real shame so many people just remember Naish from his later day exploitation titles because he was certainly one of the better character actors from this era. Lloyd Bridges, Rex Ingram, Bruce Bennett and Richard Nugent also add great support. Guy Kingsford also should receive special attention as Stegman. I think the best part of the movie is the first sixty-minutes or so where the men are having to deal with the desert as their main enemy. The effects of them dealing with a sand storm was very well done as was a terrific scene where the men get to taste water for the first time in days. I think the later part of the story gets a tad bit far fetched but one should also keep in mind that movies like this were being made to make those watching them feel proud of the troops battling in the real war.

Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948) John Huston

One of the all time great films has Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt playing down on their luck Americans try to make something of themselves in Mexico. After the two come into some money they decide to try their luck at gold searching with the help of a veteran (Walter Huston). Huston picked up an Oscar for his direction as well as the screenplay, which to me is the key to the success of this film. To me this film has one of the greatest and richest screenplays in film history and that's why this thing turned out to be the masterpiece that it is. I guess it shouldn't come as a shock to read that the film wasn't a success when originally released and that's certainly understandable as I'm sure many people didn't want to see an ugly picture about ugly characters. The whole notion of the story is that greed is evil and gold can turn any man to do bad things. None of this is truer than when it comes to the character of Fred C. Dobbs, the Bogart character. Bogart deserves a lot of credit for being willing to jump out of his safe and comfortable roles and do something quite challenging. There are countless scenes that could have embarrassed the actor but he nails everything so perfectly that you can't help but think of this when discussing his greatest works. The screenplay allows his character to grow, or fall apart if you will, so richly that Bogart perfectly soaks up the craziness that befalls his character as the gold begins to add up. Walter Huston rightfully won an Oscar for his performance, which is among the richest of his career. There isn't a single second in the film where you think you're seeing an actor because Huston is so believable in the role that you don't for a second believe him as a real prospector knowing every step of the game. Holt never did become a huge star, which is a shame because he too delivers an excellent performance. As great as Huston and Holt are there's no denying that the film belongs to Bogart. But once again the brilliant and complete screenplay is where a lot of the credit must go because it doesn't shy away from the dark and ugly nature of man. Huston does a wonderful job in his direction because he holds the three characters together even as they each start to gain and lose portions of their mind, faith and reasons for being on the journey. In the end this remains one of the greatest American movies ever made and its riches are a lot more valuable than the gold the three characters are so desperately searching for.

Big Sleep, The (1946) (Theatrical version) Howard Hawks

Classic film has private detective Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) getting involved with a rich family who seems to be getting blackmailed over some photos of the youngest sister. Soon the detective is in over his head with the older sister (Lauren Bacall) who might know more than she's telling. It's hard to believe that one of the greatest films of the decade also has what is perhaps the worst story. I believe this was my third time watching this and the story doesn't make any more sense now than it did the first couple of times I watched it. It's rather amazing at how highly thought of this film is even with its lack of a coherent story to follow. You'd really think a weak plot would lead to a weak film but that's far from the case because this here is certainly a pure classic of the genre. What works so well are the incredible performances mixed with the strong direction. Bogart is once again playing a cool but tough detective and God knows no one was ever better than he was. I often wonder if Bogart got a kick out of practicing his various walks for these types of films because he certainly nails it each time he walks into a room to knock out a bad guy or just flirt with a woman. His calm and cool nature really makes for a great leading man and he makes the role his own. Bacall also turns in another winning performance but it's Martha Vickers as her younger sister who really steals the show. John Ridgely, Dorothy Malone and Regis Toomey add great support as well. If you discuss this film the rather strange plot often gets talked about but I think the reason people overlook this is because the heart of the film isn't with solving the case but with the fun behind trying to solve it. The end result really doesn't matter because the viewer, as well as the characters, are having fun going through all the trouble of trying to come up with clues, villains and the reasons behind everything. A lot of the credit for this certainly goes to Hawks whose direction is solid and never wavers any of his style or vision.

Dead Reckoning (1947) John Cromwell

Mildly entertaining drama has Humphrey Bogart playing a Captain who goes searching for his buddy who ran off just days before he was suppose to receive the Medal of Honor. Bogart is able to track him down but it's too late because he's been murdered. Staying on to try and solve the case he runs into an ex-girlfriend (Lizabeth Scott) who might know more than she's telling. This film has a pretty good reputation among film-noir buffs but I was left rather bored by it. It's certainly not a bad film and in fact it's far from it but on the other hand it's not very good either. Needless to say we've got Bogart in a role he was born to play but this is certainly a far cry from The Maltese Falcon or The Big Sleep. The actor certainly turns in another stylish performance but he doesn't have too much to work with. Scott has become a cult figure over the past few years but I found her rather dull here and a poor imitation of Lauren Bacall. The thick voice and her ways of coming off sexual really reminded of Bogart's real-life wife but she just didn't cut it. Wallace Ford has a brief small role and does fine with it but the rest of the supporting cast are rather mediocre at best. I think the biggest problem is the direction by Cromwell, which doesn't bring much to the familiar drama. There's really no visual style here nor is there any real suspense built up. Everything seems to be moving in slow motion but I knew I was in trouble when I thought the movie had been playing for close to an hour but then noticed twenty-five minutes hadn't passed.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

01/20/09

Gabriel Over the White House (1933) Dir: Gregory La Cava
Production: Cosmopolitan Pictures/MGM

Oddball fantasy about a lightweight, disinterested party-tool of a president (Walter Huston) who, whilst recovering from a near fatal car accident, undergoes a mysterious change of heart. As a result, he’s transformed into a serious, reform-minded new Prez.

The film, made in the heart of the depression mind you, is one big angry lashing-out at the government and the “stupid, lazy people of the United States” who aide and abet their miscreant representatives with their complacency. The film’s hilarious solution to the hardships of the time is to have President Hammond declare a state of emergency, adjourn the Congress, and assume full power of the government for himself (within a few years this storyline became an uncomfortable parallel with the events in Germany, forcing MGM to withdraw the picture from circulation for decades). When President Hammond sets his sights on the gangsters who had been prospering off the 18th Amendment, he sets off a gang war by nationalizing the liquor industry! A gang war between the President and the bootleggers!! Complete with Chicago-style attempted mob hits of the President--at the White House!!! It only gets more insane from there (the gangsters trial and ‘sentencing’, the president’s international debt repayment incentive plan…both brilliant).

Of course, it’s the peculiarities that make this such a fascinating watch. The film is even rather prescient in a speech about the increased capacity for killing that a theoretical next world war would pioneer (mega-weapons, an army in the sky). The picture is lucky enough to have Walter Huston, surely one of the best actors of the day (or any day), in the role as president. Other familiar faces, Franchot Tone, Karen Morley (‘Poppy’ from SCARFACE), Dickie Moore, have roles that were probably heavily cut (IMDb lists a 16-minute longer preview version). A strange and fitting ending puts a cap on the experience.

Note: The producing company was owned by William Randolph Hearst, and was most notable for making Marion Davies’ films. A Wikipedia article on the film claims Hearst produced it as a kind of road map for FDR, who approved (!) of the film. Noted screenwriter Carey Wilson (BEN-HUR ’25, MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, YOU, JOHN JONES!) wrote it.

out of 4
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GREGORY LA CAVA – “Far Side of Paradise”
Gabriel Over the White House (1933)


01/20/09

Swing High, Swing Low (1937) Dir: Mitchell Leisen
Production: Paramount Pictures

Stranded in Panama, Maggie King (Carole Lombard) hooks up with feckless trumpet player, Skid (Fred MacMurray) and his piano playing pal, Harry (Charles Butterworth). She can sing a little so they form a trio. Their success eventually leads to an opportunity for Skid in New York, which separates the group and the now-married Maggie and Skid. Once in New York, Skid’s out of control lifestyle, and a sexy chanteuse (Dorothy Lamour), threaten to derail his career and marriage.

This is a musical dramedy, I guess, but the comedy’s flat, the music’s unremarkable, and the drama is mostly predictable, albeit well done. So its got problems. The cast isn’t one of them. At first Skid is obnoxious and unlikable, but when he hits the skids (yuk, yuk) MacMurray brings him to life (he has a drunken amble through the streets that prefigures THE LOST WEEKEND, which is ironic in that Wilder despised Leisen**—did he see this film?). Lombard also is very fine in the dramatic moments. Their scenes together bear Leisen’s stamp and his frequent theme of reversing gender roles: it’s Maggie who is the driving force behind Skid’s career and when he crashes, it’s Maggie who has to get him back on his feet again. Franklin Pangborn does his thing in a brief but funny scene. Anthony Quinn appears, but only speaks Spanish. He starts a bar fight with Skid.

This script, five year later, would have been a perfect ‘Road’ movie. Presumably Hope and Crosby would've improv'd some comedy into it and hey, it already has Dorothy Lamour. As it is, while lesser Leisen, it still has some importance in his body of work.

**Here is a quote from Wilder about Leisen: "All he did was he fucked up the script and our scripts were damn near perfection, let me tell you. Leisen was too goddamn fey. I don’t knock fairies. Let him be a fairy. Leisen’s problem was that he was a stupid fairy".

out of 4
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MITCHELL LEISEN – “Lightly Likable”
Swing High, Swing Low (1937) , The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

God knows I've seen way too many trashy, exploitation type films but I must say that GABRIEL is one of the strangest movies I've ever seen and it pretty much hits the family genre. I watched it about a month ago and there are moments in the film that are still stuck in my head. It's hard to take the film serious yet at the same time you know that the movie is wanting you to. I'm really shocked no one has tried remaking this thing and perhaps putting a GRAN TORINO like spin on it in terms of the Pres. going after the gangster. As with GRAN today, I'm sure back then many people were getting tired of crime and hoping someone would go after these gangsters.

I'd love to see what was cut out of the film because as it is the thing is pretty out there in terms of what happens throughout. TCM shows this one quite often and those with the channel should certainly check it out.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Hey Pete,


Have you been tailing me again? I have recently acquired GABRIEL OVER THE WHITE HOUSE (1933) myself and am in the process of getting SWING HIGH, SWING LOW (1937), too! Seriously, though: you’ve been watching some great stuff. Keep it up!


Martin,


I’m glad you caught up with GRAN CASINO (1947). Having now seen all of Bunuel’s films (and this was the very last one to get viewed), I agree with you on both counts: on the one hand, it’s Bunuel’s least (and least typical) movie but, then, it’s not too bad and not unentertaining either and, as you also rightly say, there are still a couple of Bunuelian touches in it (one startlingly so).

By the way, did you know that Bunuel considered PETER IBBETSON (1935) to be “one of the world’s ten best films”!


Joe,


That’s a nice little anecdote about meeting Woody Allen


Re: Nazisploitation

I don’t know what made you put on one of these and at that ungodly hour but, for what it’s worth, I have a handful of these myself – with Tinto Brass’ SALON KITTY (1975) the only one I’ve yet to get to; the best ones I’ve seen are certainly Luchino Visconti’s THE DAMNED (1969) – which is the one that started it all but, given its respectable pedigree, is far more arthouse than exploitation – and Mario Caiano’s NAZI LOVE CAMP 27 (1977).


Re: The DIRTY HARRY movies

Given that I’ve been familiar with the original for 24 years (and seen it numerous times during that period), it’s hard for me to grasp how anyone can not have seen such a national institution as DIRTY HARRY (1971) yet but I’ll bet Joe Karlosi will “make my day” sometime soon! As if you didn’t know, the sequels aren’t up to the original but they’re enjoyable thrillers nevertheless (although I’ve only seen the last two of them once a very long time ago). With regards to TIGHTROPE (1984), I’d say it’s to Clint Eastwood what 10 TO MIDNIGHT (1983) was to Charles Bronson (in view of the comparable sleaze factor).


Re: Italian Cannibal movies

I first watched JUNGLE HOLOCAUST (1977) and CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1979) back-to-back and hated them both – even if I did find the former more enjoyable than the latter. Then, like I mentioned in my review above of CUT AND RUN (1985), I watched CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST again at the 2004 Venice Film Festival and after the screening met its director. The film was the very last screened at the festival (around 01:00) and I have to admit that, watching it in Italian, on the big screen and via a restored print, I liked it much more than the first time around (my rating went from the original BOMB to a more decent . Since then, I’ve acquired both CUT AND RUN and JUNGLE HOLOCAUST itself for my DVD-R collection but, strangely enough, not CANNIBAL (although it is available to rent locally). Being an animal lover, I naturally find the animal killing sequences deplorable (he came up with a very lame excuse for it during his introduction to the screening) but, frankly, I have become really conscious of animal cruelty in films of late – particularly to horses in Westerns and Epics – so, I guess, we might cut Deodato some slack and not keep painting him as this depraved sadist!


Michael,


Re: The MONDO CANE Collection

Actually, I do think that two of those movies – AFRICA ADDIO (1966) and ADDIO ZIO TOM (1971) – were quite good…and the latter must surely be seen at least once by every self-respecting ‘fan’ of exploitation, political incorrectness and general weirdness!

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Sleeping Beauty (1959) Clyde Geronimi

Disney classic about an evil fairy who puts a curse on a young princess putting her to sleep and only a prince can awaken her with a kiss. This is a pretty straight-forward film that doesn't have anything dangerous or even challenging but what it does have is some wonderful animation and some very memorable characters. I'm pretty sure I had seen parts of this when I was a kid but never the full thing until the recently released Blu-ray, which features the film in its 2.55:1 glory with a terrific transfer. Anyone having to suffer through a Pan & Scan version of this would certainly be missing a lot because this is one of the most beautiful animated films I've ever seen. I heard this was the most expensive Disney movie in its time and that's easy to see because of how much is on the screen. I'm really not sure where to start in terms of the animation and colors but I guess a good place would be when two of the fairies are fighting over what color the dress should be. The pink and blue colors are flying back and forth and the beauty of this really caught my eye. Another great sequence in terms of animation is the ending where the prince must battle the dragon. What really sticks out as well are all the wonderful characters and this includes pretty much everyone that shows up on the screen. Not only are the main characters very memorable but so are all the supporting ones. Even the animals who just have one sequence stand out with their charm. The parents of the prince and princess are wonderful as well and there's certainly nothing more charming than the three good fairies. I'm not sure if a stronger or more complicated story would have helped or not but I'm going to guess no because the simple nature of the film is something that makes this very charming.

Little Maestro, The (1937) Joseph Sherman

A hobo violin player (Jerry Bergen) needs some food so a restaurant offers to feed him if in return he'll play some music. The deal goes through with the food but when it comes time to entertain the little man doesn't know what he's doing. There aren't any laughs in this film but it is somewhat entertaining just because of Bergen. I'm going to guess he isn't over four feet tall and a lot of the humor seems to be trying to come from this. It doesn't work but Bergen, I must admit, was hard to keep my eyes off. It seems he was wanting to come off as some sort of Chaplin like character because he doesn't say anything and he is always, innocently, getting himself into trouble. On that level I found the film entertaining but if you're expecting laughs then this MGM short falls very short.

Boss Didn't Say Good Morning, The (1937) Jacques Tourneur

Carey Wilson narrates this MGM short about an office boy (Donald Haines) who has a horrible weekend just because his boss didn't say good morning. Director Tourneur is best known for films like Cat People and Night of the Demon but he got his start making these MGM shorts and that included the brilliant The Man in the Barn. I'm sure some film buffs might be attracted to this film since he directed it but they should be warned that this is all Wilson. Tourneur really doesn't have much to direct here so that beautiful style of his never comes through. The short itself is pretty much just set up for various remarks by Wilson, which was a staple of his career. The film offers up a couple laughs but it's rather confusing to know what this thing is trying for. Is it trying to say workers shouldn't worry if their boss doesn't talk to them? Is it saying bosses should always talk to their employee? I'm really not sure but it's not a horrible way to spend ten minutes.

Letter from a Soldier, A (1951) Don Weis

A Korean war soldier (Keefe Brasselle) goes to visit his dead friend's mother (Marjorie Main) so that he can read her his final letter. At first the mother rejects the soldier until he starts to read the letter where her son speaks highly of him. This is a rather interesting short from MGM because it's taken from their film It's a Big Country, which would be later in the year. One has to wonder why they'd release this before the feature and not even mention that a feature was coming but either way this is a pretty good film. I haven't seen the full length version, which features various segments from directors like Sturges, Thorpe and Wellman, but this one from Weist makes me want to seek out the full film. The performances by Brasselle and Main are very good and the emotion behind the words in the letter are very touching. This is certainly a message picture but that doesn't really matter since the message works so well.

Three on a Rope (1938) Willard Van der Veer

Entertaining Pete Smith short from MGM takes a look at three rock climbers and the various techniques they use to keep from being killed. The Smith shorts are all hit and miss but this one here is one of the good entries in the series. Fans of rock climbing will probably get a lot of entertainment but even those non-fans should enjoy this. We get some pretty good cinematography as we go along with the three climbers but we also get a good lesson on the various things used to keep them safe. Smith's narration is mainly used for wisecracks and he actually has a couple pretty good ones here including one involving a friend from the Bronx who comes to climb. This was apparently shot at the Lily Rock in Southern California and this makes for some great scenery.

King of the Duplicators, The (1968) No Director Credited

Documentary short takes a look at the work of MGM's make up man William Tuttle who worked on hundreds of films including The Wizard of Oz, Father of the Bride, North by Northwest, Young Frankenstein Singin' in the Rain and many others. This ten-minute film takes a look at his use of latex and older uses of molding actor's faces. We really don't get to learn too much but the film remains mildly interesting just seeing the legend do a little work. We get to see some plasters of stars like Clark Gable, Paul Newman, Doris Day and even Jimmy Durante. The film does suffer from poor production values and some really bad editing but fans of make up will certainly want to check this out.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

I had two friends over at my place for Movie Night and we had a "sexploitation" theme for the evening - which is how we came to see PLEASE DON'T EAT MY MOTHER, THE CURIOUS DR. HUMPP, and the PRIVATE HOUSE OF THE SS. These films were all supplied by one of my friends, and there are a ton more to get to in the future!


As I was telling Mike, I have CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST here -- a friend let me borrow it months ago, but I've never had the "urge" to give it a spin. I'm not an animal hater by any means - in fact just yesterday the wife and I took a drive to an area where deer freely roam about, and they came right up to our car and I felt nothing but disdain for hunters who shoot deer, just admiring their innocent beauty. Having gotten all of that out of the way, I'm still somewhat curious to see those controversial animal scenes in the cannibal movie to judge for myself and see what all the hoopla is about. When I get the nerve, that is.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Musical Day #2:


01/20/09: BROADWAY MELODY OF 1940(Norman Taurog, 1940)

Fred Astaire’s first MGM vehicle could well pass off for one of his RKO teamings – especially plotwise – with Ginger Rogers, except that she’s replaced here by Eleanor Powell; the latter’s dancing is flashier but she lacks Rogers’ gift as a comedienne, which had stood her in good stead in those classic 9 films with Astaire. In fact, here we get yet another instance of mistaken identity as entrepreneur Frank Morgan notices Astaire dancing (as part of a duo with George Murphy) and recommends him to his own partner, Ian Hunter; however, since Astaire had given him Murphy’s name (thinking him a creditor), it’s the latter who lands the job of co-starring in the new Hunter/Morgan production featuring tap-dancing diva Powell! The ever-humble Astaire decides to stay on in order to choreograph his pal’s moves; the trouble starts when both fall for Powell and, this being Hollywood, she’s made to romance her co-star when she really loves Astaire. Of course, on the big night, Murphy is drunk and Astaire has to step into his shoes and, by the end, he’s reconciled himself to the idea that his pal merits both success and happiness. Incidentally, several “Broadway Melody” films were made over the years – with the first one even emerging the Best Picture Oscar-winner of 1929 (which I’d watched via a screening on local TV, of all places); this, then, was the last official entry in the loosely-connected series. Given my coolness to old-style Musicals, I can’t say I was enthused by the splashy numbers (despite their surface style, not to mention a Cole Porter score – with, for instance, the climactic “Begin The Beguine” running a full 10 minutes!); that said, Astaire and Powell’s natural elegance is fully evident in the simpler i.e more intimate dances. Apart from their contribution, the most pleasant element here is surely Frank Morgan’s comic relief as the befuddled impresario who not only comes up with the unlikeliest of talents (such as a wacky female opera singer/male pianist combo) but is forever having to swipe an all-purpose fur coat off girlfriends (notably one with a heavy Southern accent) who think it’s being donated to them.


01/20/09: THE EDDY DUCHIN STORY (George Sidney, 1956)

A popular branch of the musical genre during the 1940s and 1950s was the biopic of composers (of both classical pieces and popular tunes), singers or musicians/bandleaders; this belongs to the latter category. I can’t say I was familiar with Duchin’s history or style and, in any case, despite numerous musical numbers (where star Tyrone Power’s piano-playing is obviously dubbed by a professional), the film seems much more concerned with the man’s turbulent and tragic life. Ironically, both the star and his subject would suffer an untimely death – for the record, when Power’s passing was announced, the film under review was (belatedly) on general release locally! He does O.K. in eliciting both Duchin’s wholesomeness (which endeared him to audiences) and his ambivalent feeling towards a son he blamed for the death of beloved first wife Kim Novak. Nudged by manager James Whitmore, however, Duchin’s ready to make it up to the boy following his war service in the Pacific; here, he also meets, falls for and marries young war orphan Victoria Shaw (following some initial sparring when Duchin Jr. is seen preferring her company!). Just when it seems that his domestic problems could be surmounted comes a fatal blow: he’s diagnosed with a neurological condition which even curtails his career. At the end of the day, THE EDDY DUCHIN STORY is far from a highlight of its subgenre or, for that matter, the filmography of its matinee` idol star; nonetheless, it was deemed serviceable enough to garner 4 Oscar nominations (not to mention landing director Sidney a surprising DGA nod).

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

It was Griffith's birthday today so I caught up with a couple new ones as well as his Civil War shorts, which I hadn't seen in many years. Last Thanksgiving when I was driving down to Louisville I decided to take some time and look for his burial place, which I eventually found. I took a few pictures that I was going to share here for those interested but I can't get them posted for some reason.


Orphans of the Storm (1921) D.W. Griffith

Griffith's epic telling of "The Two Orphans" play casts the Gish sisters in the two lead roles. Henriette (Lillian Gish) promises to protect her blind sister (Dorothy Gish) no matter what troubles the two might find. Their lives are turned upside down when they're separated at the start of the French Revolution and both near death but for different reasons. This was my 122nd film seen by Griffith and this is a highly flawed one but at the same time this contains many examples of the brilliance he contained. I'll be perfectly honest and say the film really wasn't working for me for the first hour because I had a hard time getting involved with the story, which seemed to be too epic for its own good. The simple story of the two sisters seemed to get drowned in all the supporting characters and to me the entire first hour was just a build up for what was to follow. Then, just before the second act, is when the film really picked up and ended up packing one hell of a punch. As I said, the start of the film is highly flawed but don't give up on the movie because it eventually picks up to something really great. As is the usual case, Griffith doesn't shy away from the melodrama and he doesn't shy away from getting his political views passed. He also doesn't shy away from his familiar formula of the poor being taken advantage of by the rich. The familiar subject of evil beggars are also on hand for another villain. As you can see there's a lot of familiar stuff going on here for the director but throughout my film going life I've never seen a director who could build up drama quicker than Griffith. This movie ends on another chase sequence where Lillian's character is about to be killed and her hero must race towards her before it's too late. The fast past editing and Griffith's knowledge of how to build drama makes this scene another of the most memorable from the silent era. Griffith's ability to build drama out of simple melodrama is also wonderfully shown at the end of act one when the Gish sisters are finally reunited but they can't reach one another. As with most Griffith epics this one here benefits from the amazing sets and hundreds, if not thousands, of extras. It's really amazing to watch these Griffith epics because we're never going to see anything like them again but we've never really seen anything come close to them at any point in film history. The mammoth amount of extras really put you in the center of everything that's going on and this is a major plus. Both Gish sisters also deliver very strong performances but I'd also add that Lillian has been much better in other movies. The supporting cast are also fairly strong but this film certainly belongs to Griffith. While the flaws keep this from being brilliant like The Birth of a Nation or Intolerance it's still mighty impressive for its age.

In the Border States (1910) D.W. Griffith

Civil War short has a father (Charles West) joining the Union and going off to war. The father gets sent on a secret mission but he is wounded and barely makes it back home. When his child rushes off to get help a group of Confederate solders come in and its up to one to turn the father in or not. This is a pretty interesting short from Griffith because it's rather low-key and shows the human side of war. The story itself is pretty far fetched but that doesn't really matter because the main thing is its message and the director has no trouble getting this across. The fact that two sides could be fighting for their own beliefs but this shouldn't stand in front of doing the right thing is something Griffith told in many of his movies but the war backdrop here just makes it all the more memorable. Another big plus is the cinematography by G.W. Bitzer is excellent as are the New Jersey locations, which are filling in for a Southern state. Henry B. Walthall, Dorothy West and Mack Sennett are among the cast.

House with Closed Shutters, The (1910) D.W. Griffith

Henry B. Walthall plays a Confederate solder who is sent on a mission by General Lee but he soon turns coward and returns home. Fearing the family name being disgraced, his sister (Dorothy West) takes his place and delivers the message but she is then killed. The mother then closes up the house so that their secret will not get out. This is a rather strange Civil War short from Griffith because the story is pretty wild but there's still a lot of power here. I'd be lying if I said I knew what Griffith was trying to get across here, although there's no doubt that the word coward is looked at very strongly. I'm not sure if he wanted women of the war to get more respect than they did but there's also another side to a family's shame and what they'll do to keep their name clean. The film benefits from some very strong performances with Walthall leading the way. His scenes of turning coward are very powerful as are the moments with West taking over and fighting. Grace Henderson is good as the mother and Charles West appears as well. The cinematography is once again top-notch as is the one battle sequence.

Fugitive, The (1910) D.W. Griffith

Two soldiers, John the Southerner (Edwin August) and John the Northerner (Edward Dillon) leave their sweethearts and mothers behind to go fight in the war. Of course the two end up meeting on the battle field where the Southerner is killed. Soon afterwards the Northerner tries to take shelter at the home of his victim's mother. This is another interesting short from Griffith dealing with the Civil War. As you may notice none of them are that traditional and instead of doing an easy story the director tries to look at different aspects of the war. This time out the film really looks at the women who are often left behind wondering if their son or lovers will ever return. That aspect is a unique one and makes this film worth watching even when the story itself becomes a little far fetched. The two actors playing the soldiers do a fine job but it's Kate Bruce who steals the show as the Union soldiers mother. Dorothy West has a small role as well.

Swords and Hearts (1911) D.W. Griffith

A poor girl (Dorothy West) is secretly in love with her rich neighbor (Wilfred Lucas) but he's in love with another woman. He goes off to fight in the war but soon finds himself being chased by Union soldiers but the poor girl comes to his aid. After the war the boy returns home to see that his riches are now gone. Once again Griffith ventures into Civil War territory but at the same time he also gives his morality play about the rich. It's rather amazing to see how many of Griffith's shorts were attacking the rich but its done so with nice detail here. West delivers a very strong performance in the lead and Lucas comes off quite nice as well. There's no big battle scenes but most of the drama comes from one sequence where the Union soldiers burn down the house of the rich boy. Griffith was known for pushing his actors into dangerous situations and this looks like one of those cases. I'm not sure what type of safety procedures were taken but it looks like the two actors are in the burning house way too long and just barely escape. Also, as with His Trust and His Trust Fulfilled, Griffith shows the importance to the black servants helping their owners.

Battle, The (1911) D.W. Griffith

A Union soldier (Charles West) loses his nerve during his first big battle and runs of to his girlfriend (Blanche Sweet). She, embarrassed by him being a coward, throws him out so to regain his dignity he decides to cross enemy lines and rescue a couple friends (one played by Robert Harron). This is perhaps Griffith's best known Civil War short because the word "epic" belongs here even though the films run under twenty-minutes. While the stories might be the most important thing to many war shorts from the director that's not the case here because God knows how much money they spent on the battle sequences, which feature hundreds of extras as well as some pretty explosive scenes. The battle scenes are certainly the main reason to watch this and you could say these were a blueprint of what we'd eventually get in The Birth of a Nation. West turns in a very good and believable performance as a young boy who simply doesn't know how to handle the situation he's in. Sweet on the other hand has a strange character to deal with because of how wildly she goes when throwing her boyfriend out. You might also want to look closely for a young Lionel Barrymore playing the wagon driver.

His Trust (1911) D.W. Griffith

A Union soldier goes to fight in the Civil War and asks his black servant George (Wilfred Lucas) to take care of his wife and children. After the soldier dies the servant must do everything he can to keep the family strong. I think this here is one of Griffith's strongest shorts and I'd add that I also think this film shows black in the most positive way of any early film I've seen. The debate on the blacks being in blackface could go on and on but Griffith worked from his own group actors. I think the film is incredibly strong story and action wise. The battle sequences aren't the biggest that the director handled in his career but they are still full of excitement and wonder. I think their greatest aspect is how realistic they are. The story itself is a quite touching one as the servant must do whatever he can to protect the family since he gave his word to do so. Loyalty and love are subjects Griffith would tackle many times but the special detail here really makes this movie stick out among the five-hundred plus that he made.

His Trust Fulfilled (1911) D.W. Griffith

Sequel to His Trust finds the servant George (Wlfred Lucas) still taking care of the dead soldier's family but after the mother's death he finds it even harder to support the daughter and send her to college. Once again people could debate the use of blackface but with that aside this is another example of showing black people in a positive light, which was something that wouldn't become the norm for at least fifty-years. As with the first film, Griffith's direction is very tender in terms of telling the story because it's clear he had admiration for the servant character. Griffith allows the character to fully grow and not once is he seen in a negative way. Loyalty is something Griffith often did films about and this here is one of the best. Both movies were probably split in two so that theater owners could charge double admission but watching them together is the best way to go. Once again Lucas delivers a fine performance as George with Dorothy West, Jack Pickford and Mack Sennett doing fine supporting work.

Narrow Road, The (1912) D.W. Griffith

Jim Holcomb (Elmer Booth) and a friend (Charles Hill Mailes) are released from prison. Jim has his loving wife (Mary Pickford) there to help him go straight but the friend decides to go down the wrong path and this here might fall back on Jim. This is a pretty good morality tale from Griffith who once again tries to push his message of hard work and redemption over on the viewer. Considering some of the person issues in Griffith's own life I always found it rather interesting that he was so up beat in his films. This movie really benefits from the strong performances by Booth and Pickford. The two do very good work together and really comes across nicely. Pickford basically has the role of standing around preaching but she does well with it. The most notable thing is that Griffith was experimenting with his cross cutting of two stories. He does this extremely well to the point that the story never becomes confusing.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Being Two Isn't Easy - Lightweight film exploring the pros and cons of raising an infant through a series of typical episodes, with occasional commentary from the child himself. This makes it something of a precursor to Look Who's Talking, something I wasn't going to forgive just because it's Kon Ichikawa. The film is shot pretty well (with a few intriguing touches like the animated "banana moon" sequence) and the acting is fine, but it's not much more than a parenting primer. I wonder if perhaps the project was commissed for some specific purpose. Rating: 6


My Love Has Been Burning - One of Mizoguchi's finest pictures. I'd put it in his top 5, at least. It embodies his strongest feminist statements, and even the "liberal" males in the story are unenlightened in their treatment of women. What really elevates this one over similar works of his is the exquisite camerawork (all the graceful movement of 47 Ronin without the tedium) and the compelling lead performance by Mizoguchi regular Kinuyo Tanaka (star of Life of Oharu, Sumako the Actress, Sansho the Bailiff and others). It's also concise and tense and moving, and the music is suitable without being overwhelming. The only drawback is that Tanaka's character occasionally spells out the message too plainly. I really hope Criterion gets around to releasing more Mizoguchi on DVD, he has so many worthy films that are virtually unknown in this country. Rating: 9

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

This is rather brilliant outside-the-box thinking. I first read it as 'remake it as a trashy, exploitation type film' and had visions of Fred Williamson as the President, D'urville Martin in the Franchot Tone role and Jayne Kennedy as the personal secretary. Maybe Sid Haig as Nick Diamond. But I like the idea of someone doing it today, extrapolating the batshit insanity of the original.


Ha! TCM and Fox Movie have both just happened to have had good months (and '31 Days of Oscar' next month on Turner looks more varied than recent years) so I haven't had to go to the video store in a while. Although I was there recently and I could have sworn I saw you picking out MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, which I have here in my pile so don't be surprised to see me have at that one too, soon. I'm sure the ending will be a shock.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

You're right - I did 'rent' MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD (1935) but I haven't watched it yet. However, given its pedigree (an atypical Universal horror plus a good cast), it might get viewed sooner rather than later. In any case, I look forward to your own comments.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

It's great that you've landed these two rare Japanese films which I'd rate in the same way you did.

Speaking of Mizoguchi, it's astonishing for me to contemplate that a decade ago all I had seen from him (and for the longest time thereafter) were 3 of his last movies, and now I have increased that number to 10 and have another 12 (!) in my unwatched pile - having added THE STORY OF THE LATE CHRYSANTEMUMS (1939) to my queue just yesterday. Actually, an Italian TV channel is showing THE LADY OF MUSASHINO (1951) next week and, hopefully by that time, I'll have my brand new DVD recorder installed so that I can add it to the list.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

It's hard to keep up with anniversaries, isn't it? A couple of days ago was DeMille's 50th death anniversary but I had already planned a Patrick McGoohan tribute - HELL DRIVERS (1957) - and still had a Dana Andrews (100th birth anniversary on 01.01.09) noir, WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (1950) to watch. Later on in 2009, I plan to pay tribute to Carl Theodor Dreyer (120th birth anniversary), Jean Renoir (30th death), Nicholas Ray (30th death), James Mason (100th birth & 25th death!), Errol Flynn (100th birth and 50th death!), (Richard Burton (25th death), etc. I don't know if this sounds morbid or something but, frankly, I like taking these occasions to indulge in the films of the people concerned...especially when they happen to be directors or actors I greatly admire or, in the case of Flynn, childhood heroes.

As for Griffith, I'm glad you've finally got around to ORPHANS OF THE STORM (1921) which I've seen once (and was much impressed by) when Kino's first Griffith set came out. I still haven't watched WAY DOWN EAST (1920) and several of those movies I obtained through a certain Southern gentleman from these here parts.... By the way, it's great that you've visited Griffith's grave (I dream of doing the same for Bunuel's in Mexico one day) and I'd love to see that picture you took if you manage to sort it out.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Vamp

I thought that I would spend this weekend watching some vampire movies. They are my favorite of the horror sub-genres. I thought I would start things out with a guilty pleasure type movie. It is not what I would call a great movie by any means... but it is definitely a lot of fun. It has a good mixture of comedy and horror. Though it is over the top at times. At first I wasn't sure what I thought of Grace Jones as the Vampire Katrina... but she did fine in this movie... and definitely brought something to the role. Over-all this is just a leave your brain at the door pop-corn flick type of movie. One that I just enjoy every second of once in a while.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Thriller Day #2:


01/21/09: HELL DRIVERS (Cy Endfield, 1957)

The career of American film director Cy Enfield is similar to that of his contemporary Joseph Losey in that, despite having made some highly-regarded movies in Hollywood, these where so overshadowed by their later, bigger successes in England (to where they both relocated following the McCarthy scourge) that they could well be mistaken for genuine Englishmen! This rugged action film about short-haul truck drivers was the second of 6 collaborations with star Stanley Baker which peaked with the celebrated epic ZULU (1964) which is also Endfield’s best-known work. Although probably inspired by the recent international success of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s THE WAGES OF FEAR (1953), Endfield’s film stands on its own two feet by virtue of its remarkable cast, generally stylish handling and a handful of powerful sequences. Stanley Baker (in his own first starring role as an ex-con) is abetted by Peggy Cummins (as the sultry secretary of the firm), Herbert Lom (as her Italian boyfriend), Patrick McGoohan (in so vivid a characterization as the mean-spirited foreman that he’s virtually unrecognizable), Sean Connery, David McCallum (as Baker’s crippled brother), Gordon Jackson, Sidney James, Alfie Bass, William Hartnell, Wilfred Lawson (in a notable bit as Baker’s cynical trainer) and Jill Ireland (as the local barmaid). Reckless truck driving along perilous roads (where truckers are awarded for the greater number of trips undertaken in a day – with McGoohan’s dishonest, and occasionally dangerous, tactics ensuring his superiority every time, until Baker’s arrival) take up the bulk of the terrific action scenes but there is also a big brawl between the townspeople and the truckers, a bloody fistfight between Baker and McGoohan (shot for real since they had both been amateur boxers!) and the climactic truck chase leading to a fateful leap off a clifftop. Ironically, given Endfield’s origins, the film was trimmed from its original British running time of 108 minutes to 91 when released in the U.S. but, obviously, Network’s 2-Disc Set on Region 2 presents the film in its complete form.


01/21/09:LOOKING IN ON "HELL DRIVERS" (Bill Morton, 1957)

It’s indeed rare that a featurette from the time of the original release exists for a movie of this vintage. The so-called “Location Report” has a personality from British TV interviewing cast and crew members at work on the grueling actioner HELL DRIVERS (1957) – a few choice scenes from which are presented here for our benefit – including scriptwriter John Kruse (also author of the source material), director Cy Endfield and lead Stanley Baker. However, we also get the viewpoint of real-life short-haul drivers on the precarious nature of their job – which is appropriate since the film would be noted for its realism.


01/21/09:THE STANLEY BAKER STORY(N/A, 1958)

This 16-minute piece finds the sturdy Welsh actor at 30 discussing his (up to that point) already considerable 16-year acting career. In films, he had started out in small parts or villains but would slowly graduate to men-of-action and/or romantic leads. He proves an affable guest and erudite speaker, belying the rebellious working-class types he often played; during the course of the featurette, whose source is not credited on Network’s “Special Edition” release of HELL DRIVERS (1957) – one of the star’s more notable efforts from this era – we’re treated to scenes from that film and two more of Baker’s actioners, namely VIOLENT PLAYGROUND and Cy Endfield’s SEA FURY (both 1958). His subsequent filmography (including work for auteurs like Joseph Losey, not to mention turning producer) would only further elevate his stature; sadly, he would die in 1976 at only 49 years of age.


01/21/09:WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (Otto Preminger, 1950)

The director and two stars of LAURA (1944) were reteamed for this solid policier: Dana Andrews is the son of a criminal who becomes a cop to cut all ties with the past but cannot keep his inherited violent ways in check while interrogating suspects and, one night, he goes too far; Gene Tierney is the estranged wife of his victim, a decorated war hero who has become involved with the town’s leading racketeer and Andrews’ No. 1 nemesis, Gary Merrill (who had himself been the protégé of Andrews Snr.)! As usual with Preminger, this is a well-crafted movie with a notable opening credits sequence and enlivened by a good cast that also includes Karl Malden (as Andrews’ incumbent superior), Tom Tully (as Tierney’s motor-mouth taxi driver dad) and Neville Brand (as Merrill’s chief thug), with notable support also coming from Craig Stevens (as the slimy, wife-beating victim), Bert Freed (as Andrews’ sympathetic partner) and Robert F. Nolan (as Andrews’ stern outgoing superior). Having already been warned by the latter to mend his ways or else, Andrews panics and impersonates Stevens for a couple of hours following his murder to put the police on the (in this case) wrong tracks of Merrill; however, after Tully becomes the prime suspect (by which time Andrews and Tierney are romantically involved), the cop goes by himself in Merrill’s lair fully intending to get bumped off and ‘frame’ the racketeer for his own murder! Clearly, the protagonist is a complex character and Andrews rises to the challenge with a first-rate characterization that is typically complemented by the in-house Fox noir style.


01/21/09:STRANGE IMPERSONATION (Anthony Mann, 1946)

The third noir from director Mann – after THE GREAT FLAMARION (1945; which I haven’t seen) and the minor but not unentertaining TWO O’CLOCK COURAGE (1945) – also has some very welcome horror/sci-fi trappings that should endear it to fans of those kind of movies as well. Lovely blonde, bespectacled scientist Brenda Marshall (who, in real life, was Mrs. William Holden at the time) keeps postponing her marriage to colleague William Gargan because of her all-important experiments in anaesthesia, until one night her jealous assistant Hillary Brooke contrives to overdo the mixture causing an explosion in the vicinity of Marshall (who is out cold) that leaves her facially scarred. More treachery from the two-faced Brooke manages to bar Gargan from visiting the hospitalized Marshall which leads to their breaking off the engagement. A slight traffic accident on the night of the explosion has also put a blackmailing woman and a snooping lawyer in Marshall’s path but, seeing the former fall to her death from the apartment window after a tussle, gives her a new lease on life which enables her to change identities with the dead woman and perform plastic surgery (courtesy of surgeon H.B. Warner). Adopting the facial features of the blackmailer (including shedding her glasses and dying her hair black), she introduces herself to Gargan and Brooke as her own school-friend from chemistry class and is soon employed by the former as his personal aide! In the meantime, Brooke starts looking into this intruder’s past and, confronting Marshall with her contradictory findings, is shocked when her new rival reveals she is the old one in disguise, after all. On the other hand, the obnoxious lawyer is still on Marshall’s trail and, in fact, almost gets her convicted for her own murder when Brooke refuses to corroborate her story about who she really is! The climatic interrogation sequence is where Mann lets all the expressionistic stops out…until the unexpected (and unwarranted) end revelation that it has all been the heroine’s nightmare!! That the film succeeds as much as it does in spite of the meager cast, inexistent production values and cop-out finale is a tribute to the mastery of a film-maker who is just finding a firm footing in a genre he will be making his own in the following year or two.


01/21/09:THE FRIGHTENED CITY(John Lemont, 1961)

One of a clutch of vintage British thrillers released by Anchor Bay Entertainment (back when it was still going by that name and enjoying its deserved status as one of the major specialist DVD labels) that also included two superior Stanley Baker efforts – Val Guest’s HELL IS A CITY (1959) and Joseph Losey’s THE CRIMINAL (1960). That THE FRIGHTENING CITY comes up short when compared to these two movies is perhaps unsurprising in view of the fact that director John Lemont – best-known today (if at all) for the campy monster flick KONGA (1961) – is clearly not the equal of either Guest or Losey at the top of their game. In fact, there is little evidence here of anything as individualistic as Guest’s combination of wit and grit or Losey’s extraordinary expressionist pyrotechnics and, ultimately, the film rises or fall on the strength of its actors. A pre-Bond Sean Connery may be third billed but he commendably carries the film on his shoulders for much of its running time; smooth-talking shady lawyer Herbert Lom is also quite good but his screen time is much less than his top billing might suggest; lock-jawed copper John Gregson adequately stands up to both men, pitting them one against the other when Connery’s friend (a reluctant ‘director’ in Lom’s crime syndicate) is shot in cold blood by Lom’s sleazy partner (a scene-stealing turn from Alfred Marks). Of course, a gangster is only as good as his moll and Lom’s is ambitious French singer Yvonne Romain (actually, she’s half-Maltese!) who soon gets under Connery’s skin (or should I say bed sheets) but does not think twice of betraying his whereabouts to the police when they threaten her with deportation! Also featuring in the cast are Kenneth Griffith (as Connery’s crippled ex-partner from his cat burglar days) and Italian restauranteur George Pastell (who soon finds out that ‘accidents will happen’ when one does not pay his dues in protection money).

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

30 Days of Night

This is the second time I have watched this movie. The first time I enjoyed it... but was left with a bit of disappointment as I didn't feel it lived up to all the hype it got. This time around I found I enjoyed it even more then the first time as I was able to go into it without expecting too much. It still isn't the best vampire movie I ever seen... but definitely one worth watching. I especially enjoyed Melissa George in this movie. I have become a fan of hers since she was on that season of Alias.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

TV, Serial & Documentary Day #2:


01/22/09: WHO KILLED LAMB? (TV) (David Cunliffe, 1974)

Typically proficient murder mystery (associated with but not actually forming part of the popular 1970s “Thriller” series) from the golden age of British TV: reasonably compelling and twist-laden, it is further elevated by the presence of Stanley Baker as the gruff yet unperturbed Police Superintendent on the case and the bouncy music played over the opening, intermissions and end credits. The plot deals with the killing of a family-and-business man who, by all accounts, is a symbol of respectability; however, the probing by Baker and his team (including the requisite bumbling and perennially hungry subordinate) unearths the proverbial can of worms. The murdered party – Derek Francis – is actually a blackmailer (living out his double life under a fictitious identity, using a modest and remote post-office as his checkpoint), but whose underhanded activities obviously aren’t condoned by his immediate family. On the fateful night, his wife and son are out: she with her lover, having been denied a divorce by Francis, and he ostensibly at a cinema. Having been directed to the blackmailer’s home via an anonymous note, the latter receives unexpected visits from two of his ‘victims’ involved in illicit relationships (incidentally, another is Francis’ own manager at work who, unable to take the strain, slashes his wrists in the office restroom); while one of these crashes his bike on leaving, the other – a lady – eventually goes to the Police of her own accord. Though necessarily tortuous (where virtually nothing is what it seems), the various plot strands are nicely tied up by the end; alleviating the dour proceedings somewhat, however, is a healthy vein of dry British humor that runs through the whole show.


01/22/09: DANGER MAN: LOYALTY ALWAYS PAYS (TV) (Peter Yates, 1965)

Back in the day, when the U.K.-based cable channel Bravo was transmitting respectable material – namely classic British movies and TV series – this popular effort was on virtually every weekday; I used to catch snippets from it while awaiting for some film to start but, not being into TV at the time, I missed the show and others of its ilk. Having subsequently been much impressed with THE PRISONER (1967-8), the other signature series featuring the same star – recently-deceased Patrick McGoohan – I regretted the fact all the more; for the record, the whole run of DANGER MAN has been released on R2 DVD by Network and, in fact, this particular episode was included on their 2-Disc Set of HELL DRIVERS (1957), in which McGoohan plays the flamboyant villain. Judging by this one episode, the series is very much standard secret agent fare for its era i.e. old-fashioned yet effortlessly stylish (even on this meager budget), having exotic locales (Africa, in this case) for backdrop and where the hero emerges – thanks to ingenuity (including gadgets that would make James Bond’s provider Q green with envy!) – out of every fix with his coolness intact. McGoohan’s trademark mix of smugness and intensity, however, gives the protagonist here the edge over most of his contemporaries – which would eventually reach its zenith in the aforementioned THE PRISONER (originally intended to be the same character, John Drake, in retirement…but the intrinsic surreal/cerebral nature of the later series probably would not have jelled with DANGER MAN’s more conventional ambience). Anyway, the narrative of “Loyalty Always Pays” concerns McGoohan’s attempts to obtain proof of an African Minister’s secret arms dealings with the Chinese; since the country was still under British jurisdiction at the time, he seeks the aid of military officer Nigel Stock to this end (ensuring his co-operation by blackmailing him via an intricate fraudulent scheme and shaking the Major’s apparent firmness of character into the bargain). The episode (helmed by future action expert Yates) is thoroughly engaging and very entertaining that is made even more palatable by the urgent notes of the series’ moody theme.


01/22/09: RETURN TO THE RHONDDA (Colin Voisey, 1965)

The Rhondda Valley is synonymous with Wales’ coal-mining industry; this 37-minute documentary, hosted by countryman Donald Houston, is a valediction to the place and its people. Though it certainly makes for a decent educational piece, unfortunately, the end product is rather dull – despite the brief amicable participation of fellow Welshman Stanley Baker; an interesting sideline here is the fact that the only escape for young men from the grime of the coal-pits was either boxing or acting: Baker, in fact, would try both but obviously settled for the latter. Of course, equally redolent of the country are the pubs and the heartfelt singing (which we get plenty of here); still, perhaps the best moments in the short are devoted to the long-running miners’ strikes (naturally over better working conditions) which often saw them clashing violently with the police.


01/22/09: MASTERS OF HORROR: IMPRINT (TV) (Takashi Miike, 2006)

I saw a bit of Japanese cult director Miike at the 2004 Venice Film Festival, though I hated his own contribution to it i.e. IZO; for the record, this opinion is true of all that I’ve checked out so far from his incredibly vast (and mostly sick) body work and this latter venture into Miike’s filmography certainly doesn’t break the trend. It’s easily the most extreme entry in the “Masters Of Horror” series, but also possibly the least; incidentally, the TV-film’s planned screening was eventually banned on account of its disturbing imagery (not only graphic depictions of torture but the female protagonist is a “freak”) and themes (involving such taboo material as incest and abortion). Even if, typical of Asian films, the attention to period detail and the color scheme are notable, what really stands out here (and this is not meant as a compliment) is leading man Billy Drago’s rampant histrionics and, even more so, the presence of the heroine’s unforgettably (indeed amusingly) vile, misshapen evil twin. At the end of the day, the episode strives too much for significance by dealing with too many issues and ends up going on too long for its own good.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

The Forsaken

This one... to me... is a decent vampire flick... but somewhat been there done that. Really not much new or original in this movie. But it can be entertaining. It is kinda fun seeing a vampire road movie. And topless women throughout the movie don't hurt my feelings any either. But this is not a movie I would feel comfortable recommending... if you must see it I would say try to catch it on cable... or rent it.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Saw V (2008) David Hackl

This film picks up right after the previous two with Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) being looked at as a hero for finally killing Jigsaw (Tobin Bell). FBI agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) isn't so sure because he feels Jigsaw had a partner and perhaps Hoffman was him. Okay, so this film is certainly better than the previous one but this time out we're left with an incredibly boring movie. I enjoyed the first three, thought the fourth was horrid but this one here falls somewhere in the middle but it might be the one I'd revisit last just because of how tired I got while watching it. We're let in on what's going on early in the film so I'm not sure what surprise or turns this film is meant to be taking during the final forty-five minutes or so. Perhaps I just figured it out too easily but either way this movie left me yawning throughout, which is never a good thing. While the FBI agent tries to figure out what's going on we're introduced to five new characters who will be playing the game put on by Jigsaw. This of course means new ways to torture but all five games were just as boring as the story. The only mildly interesting one was at the start of the film with a pendulum. The rest of the tricks were rather tiresome and not too much thought was put into them as they're basically reworked stuff that we've seen in earlier films. Gore hounds will love the blood and guts being thrown around but for me it's time to give them up and try to build a better story. The performances are about average of what you'd find in this type of film, although I'll give Bell credit for his good turn as Jigsaw in his few scenes. In the end there really isn't too much to say about this film other than I hope the next one brings a little more energy to the series. I put a lot of the blame on the screenplay for going for cheap twists and turns and a director who obviously couldn't put much life into it.

Mirrors (2008) Alexandre Aja

Remake of the Japanese film Into the Mirror has Kiefer Sutherland playing a former NYPD who has fallen on hard times. He's trying to get his life in order so he starts a new job working security at an old building, which was the scene of a fire that killed over twenty-five people. Pretty soon he finds himself being haunted by images within the mirrors. Considering director Aja had been behind Haute Tension and the remake of The Hills Have Eyes, I went into this film expecting a lot but within twenty-minutes I was bored out of my mind and we still had another ninety-minutes to go. I'll start right there but having a film like this running 110-minutes is just downright crazy because the story here, as weak as it was, could barely make fit of a 80-minute running time. I'm really not sure where to start with this thing but it's pretty bad when a "scary" film is making you laugh. I counted at least seven times when I broke down in laughter when I was suppose to be being scared. Some of this is due to Sutherland's overacting, which caught me off guard because I've always been a fan of him. Perhaps seeing him act scared just didn't cut it for me. Another major issue with the film is its incredibly bad CGI effects. Just look at a scene early on when Sutherland catches fire. The fire effects are so obviously fake that I couldn't help but laugh and these poor effects are used later when more people catch fire. Aja tries to create an atmosphere but I never once felt it and I think the screenplay doesn't do the film any justice either because it likes to jump around, trying to be mysterious, but it just comes off as very silly. The running time seemed at least double what it actually was because every single scene just comes off as predictable and as something we've seen countless times before. How many movies do we need where we know the hero is right yet we have to hear everyone tell him that he's crazy? There were some bad horror films in 2008 and this here is one of the worst.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

028) 01/20/2009 In the Heat of the Night (1967) 1/2 (out of four)

Officer Sam Wood (Warren Oates) is on patrol one night when he comes upon the body of Philip Colbert, a wealthy industrialist who was going to bring many jobs to Sparta, Mississippi. Looking for suspects Wood comes upon Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a lone black man waiting in the train station to return to Philadelphia. Tibbs is arrested, for no reason except for his race, and presented to Police Chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) as the likely killer. But Gillespie is shocked to learn that Tibbs is a well-paid homicide detective in the City of Brotherly Love. What’s more, Tibbs’ Captain suggests that Tibbs help out on the investigation. A black man investigating murder does not sit well with many citizens of Sparta.

Effective as a mystery/drama, In the Heat of the Night gets its real strength from the racial subplot and the sparks that fly between Poitier and Steiger. Or perhaps it’s fairer to say that the mystery is the subplot, and the real reason to see this culturally important film is to witness a turning point in cinema. As Tibbs is investigating the murder he politely insinuates that a rival of Colbert’s had a strong motive for committing the crime. The outwardly racist Eric Endicott (Larry Gates) slaps Tibbs across the face. Tibbs responds in kind. Gates, virtually in tears, tells Tibbs there was a time he would have been shot for something like that. Even after 40 years, that scene packs a wallop.

It’s shocking to see that a man, minding his own business quietly waiting for a train, could be arrested for absolutely no reason except for his skin color. And even though that, today, there are strict laws against such things, we continue to read about such things happening. As a result, In the Heat of the Night feels as relevant as ever, and is a wake up call to what minorities continue to face in certain areas of this country and the world at large.

That Tibbs has come to accept this type of treatment is even more chilling. He calmly submits to being searched, accused, and dragged to police headquarters, which results in him missing his train. He’s called “Boy” and worse constantly. He’s assaulted at least twice. But Tibbs keeps his cool and dignity, and earns respect from Gillespie, himself something of an outcast as the Chief nobody wants. Poitier and Steiger are excellent and they crackle during several heated exchanges. Steiger won an Oscar for his role.

The mystery itself is engrossing enough, with Tibbs stunning the authorities with his knowledge of forensics and powers of deductive reasoning. He finds proof why a prime suspect (arrested after Tibbs is cleared) could not have committed the murder but meets with resistance. The problem plot wise though is how muddled the time line becomes. We’re not clearly told who was where when the murder occurred and the villain turns out to be someone who appeared to have an alibi. It feels a bit of a cheat. (Of course it’s possible I missed something that was said or established early in the movie. A second viewing may necessitate a reassessment on this point.)

But In the Heat of the Night succeeds because the tension is not really generated by whether Tibbs will solve the crime but rather will he survive the investigation. In the Heat of the Night remains a riveting drama about racism that, sadly, could just as easily been made last year.



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Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

029) 01/21/2009 The Wrestler (2008) (out of four)

As someone who came into their love of film, or at least the acknowledgement that the movies were something more than just a way to kill two hours, during the 1980s, Mickey Rourke was a favorite. His brief but important role in Body Heat (1981) as Teddy, an ex-con bomb expert, made such an impression because Teddy really seemed like a sweet guy. Then came Diner (1982), a heartfelt comedy about college friends in 1950s Baltimore. Rourke moved onto more controversial films such as Year of the Dragon (1985) and Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986) due to their respective themes of racism and sexuality. But 1987’s Angel Heart is the film that features a criminally underrated performance by Rourke, as 1955 New York private detective Harry Angel who travels to New Orleans to find a missing person. Then the bodies start piling up. What makes the ending of Angel Heart so powerful is that we really have come to like Harry Angel. His fate is emotionally devastating. Rourke is in every scene in Angel Heart, and his is a terrific performance.

Mickey Rourke is also in every scene of The Wrestler, a film which just landed Rourke his first Oscar nomination. He deserves it and I hope he wins. His Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson is one of those seemingly unenviable guys who have nothing left, living day to day hoping he doesn’t get evicted from his rented trailer. His daughter hates him. His supervisor at the supermarket makes fun of him. The only pleasure for Randy is reliving his glory days as a 1980s iconic wrestler by taking low-paying gigs at reunions and community centers. He likes a stripper (Marisa Tomei, also Oscar nominated) who calls herself Cassidy but refuses to date any customers. When a turn of events threatens Randy’s future in the ring, Cassidy may be his only shot at happiness.

I was never a wrestling fan but the bouts dramatized in The Wrestler match with my recollection of what I did see. I always figured these events were staged, but I don’t think I realized just how physically brutal they truly were for the participants. Professional wrestlers made good money, became celebrities, and knew what they were doing. But like all professional sports figures, one wonders what happens when they physically cannot perform anymore.

The Ram’s glory days may be behind him, but he still gets much enjoyment, in spite of the pain, by hanging out with his peers and hearing the cheering crowds. He lives for those weekend gigs. And suddenly we do find ourselves envying Randy – even if only a little bit – because he has found something so special in his life. Maybe we don’t agree with it, or some of the choices Randy makes during the film. But Rourke makes us understand and ultimately feel for this guy. And this connection with the character overrides whatever familiarity we may have with the story itself. The Wrestler is a character piece about a man who finds he must now wrestle with certain decisions that are literally matters of life and death.

Director Darren Aronofsky uses hand-held cameras to give The Wrestler a documentary feel, made even more so by having Rourke work along side real wrestlers. The several bouts that are filmed are realistic and brutal. They involve not only head locks and back flips, but also broken glass, staples and ladders. The result is that Aronofsky creates a realistic world in which Rourke can work. And Randy ‘The Ram’ feels as authentic as any wrestler ever seen on pay-per-view.

The Wrestler may well earn Rourke the gold. And like Randy, the actor will hopefully be on the comeback trail. I say, “Welcome back, Harry Angel. I hope your time in hell is over.” )



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Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

030) 01/21/2009 Oliver! (1968) 1/2 (out of four)

Upon until its final acts of violence, Oliver! is about as sweet a film that could be made about orphans being lured into a life of crime. Adapted from the stage musical based upon Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist, Oliver! is a giddy enterprise with lively song and dance numbers, engaging performances, and an eager-to-please approach.

Young Oliver (Mark Lester), an orphan who died shortly after his mother gave birth, works at the Workhouse, a place where boys are subjected to grueling labor and inadequate nutrition. When Oliver asks for another helping of gruel he is sold to an undertaker. Oliver escapes to the streets of London where he meets Dodger (Jack Wild), a boy about Oliver’s age who makes his living picking pockets. Dodger takes Oliver to meet his boss and provider, Fagin (Ron Moody, in a delightful performance), who allows Oliver to join the gang of young thieves under his wing. Danger comes from Bill Sikes (Oliver Reed), a former pupil of Fagin’s who has continued his life of crime well into adulthood. When Sikes suspects Oliver may tell all he knows to the police after being falsely arrested, Sikes plans to kidnap Oliver, and perhaps, do even worse.

Oliver! is a real treat that features several infectious set pieces. The opening song, “Food, Glorious Food,” has the orphans longing for something other than the tasteless mash they are being served. “Pick a Pocket or Two” has Fagin humorously demonstrating the craft of lifting sundry goods. “Who Will Buy?” which opens the second act, is a lovely sequence showing the beginning of the busy day for those who hawk their wares on the streets. And “Reviewing the Situation” has Fagin trying to decide if he should leave his life of crime. All of these numbers are energetically choreographed and wittily written. They bring a smile to the face in spite of the fact that there is a dark side to the subject matter, specifically, abuse and poverty.

Thus when Oliver! turns nasty during the climax it’s rather jarring. There’s a brutal attack and lives are at stake. And while the requisite happy ending does follow, there is still a bit of a sour taste left over.

Of the cast, Ron Moody is the stand out. In spite of his wild, glazed eyes and Satan-like beard, Fagin is really a sweetheart in that he abhors violence and has a fondness for his lads. Technically Fagin is a villain, albeit a minor one. But Moody makes him loveable. Mark Lester makes a fine Oliver and never overplays him or mugs for the camera. And Oliver Reed is appropriately intense as that no-good Sikes.

But it’s the engaging music and largely pleasant tone that make Oliver! so rewarding. It would be the last true musical to win Best Picture until Chicago in 2002. Chicago also deals with unsavory types and violence but isn’t nearly as much fun as Oliver! Today Oliver! looks better than ever.



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Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

031) 01/22/2009 Midnight Cowboy (1969) (out of four)

The only X-Rated film to ever win Best Picture, Midnight Cowboy is an engrossing character study of two losers who form a friendship out of necessity. One of them finds himself without a place to live, while the other grows sicker by the day and needs someone to take care of him. What results is a touching story about two people whom, in real life, the average person would want nothing to do with.

Joe Buck (Jon Voight), a native Texan who thinks of himself as quite the stud, heads to New York City to make a living as a hustler. He plans to find wealthy women who will pay him for sex. But his total ignorance of the New York populace empties his wallet quickly. At a coffee house he meets a low-level con man, Enrico “Ratso” Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) who tricks him out of twenty dollars by promising to put Joe in contact with a pimp. Joe eventually catches up with Ratso, who offers to let Joe stay with him in his room in a condemned building. The two start to look out for each other as they work small cons and engage in petty thefts to survive. But as Ratso’s health continues to decline, Joe remembers what happened to the girl (Jennifer Salt) he loved, and is determined to protect his friend from the same fate.

It is very clear from the beginning that Joe is not cut out for what he plans on doing. His first conquest actually gets money out of Joe to pay for cab fair. Later a client at a movie theater confesses he cannot pay, but successfully pleads with Joe not take his watch, the only thing of value he has. Joe is too much of a nice guy to get tough with anyone - that is, until he needs bus fare to get himself and Ratso to Florida. It’s a shocking moment of violence that is uncharacteristic of Joe, but shows how he has come to care about Ratso. Voight plays Joe as a sunny, bright, positive and cheerful person who always thinks success is just around the corner.

Hoffman’s Rizzo, on the other hand, is something of a weasel. He speaks in a whiny, nasally voice and immediately comes across as someone to avoid. But as we get to know Rizzo we start to understand him. Polio has left him a cripple and his father’s shoeshine job did not provide Rizzo with any kind of financial security. He is clearly ill (characters who cough in the movies are always doomed) and he is all alone. Joe may be Ratso’s first real friend. At first their relationship is a business arrangement. Joe can stay with Ratso as a way for Ratso to make up for the $20. They can work together to get funds need to buy food and cigarettes. But their shared, often humorous experiences (Joe getting thrown out of a posh apartment building, the two attending a trendy photography affair) bring them closer together. Voight and Hoffman have real chemistry as Joe and Ratso, and the audience starts to feel tenderness towards this unlikely duo.

John Schlesinger’s direction is full of quick cuts, hallucinatory images, and vivid nightmares. Joe is haunted by a gang rape of himself and his girlfriend, and by the sudden death of his grandmother. These memories will suddenly burst on the screen in black and white or unsteady focus. The sex scenes are energetic but chaotic. But, in spite of the stylish visuals, Midnight Cowboy remains focused on the two leads.

The result is a unique film experience, one that has the audience wrapped up in a story that deals in the exploits of unsavory characters. But the film reveals the humanity of these two misfits and that humanity is what makes their journey together compelling. Thus Midnight Cowboy emerges as one of the great films of the 1960s.



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Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Just have to say that the content in this thread continues to be pure gold. I don't have the time or inclination to be as prolific as some of you, but I'm going to try to contribute some comments from time to time this year.

01/20 White Lightning (1973) (of 5) (netflix 360)
One can see the seeds that would later come to full bloom in the brilliant (yes I said it) Smokey And The Bandit; Burt at his ha-ha-haaa 70's best, Ned Beatty as a sheriff who thinks way too highly of himself, delicious and authentic southern atmosphere, and a dude who looks like Jerry Reed. But this is no comedy- it's mainly a sort of dramatic Walter Hill-esque action movie, usually with a little something on its mind throughout. Some nice, very real romantic interplay with Burt and Jennifer Billingsley and sharp cinematography make this a cut above what could have been just a car chase movie. Not that there's anything wrong with that. And honestly most films with any kind of gritty documentation of the 1970's pretty much have me at hello these days. Nice to see this in widescreen on Netflix streaming, as the DVD was only pan and scan iirc.

01/22 Interview (2007) (netflix 360)
2 stars seems a bit rough on it, but 2 feels too generous-the performances are good enough (though Buscemi isn't as strong as usual), and Sienna Miller is hot as a got-damn pistol, but I just never bought it. The tone just so wildly and implausibly wavers, that none of the alleged fireworks between these two ever feels real or coheres into something worth caring about. The dialogue isn't that incisive for very long, and the staginess makes it even worse. Judging by the IMDB rating of 7.5 a lot of people seem to be able to look past these flaws, but in the end I couldn't, though it did at least keep me interested throughout. Did I mention how hot Sienna Miller is? I might actually have to sit through Factory Girl now, because she really does display a lot of talent here, even if it is in the service of a disjointed, clunky script that isn't as prescient or edgy as it thinks it is.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

It sure is. I knew Griffith's birthday fairly well since his hometown has that "birthday party" each year. I wasn't able to go this year but I did send down a few of his rarer shorts as well as a written thing to be read before the films were viewed. I'm not sure how well the even went since I've been too busy to call and check. I'm curious to know if those hearing what I wrote would ever guess I was 28 years old.


Joe always talks about the famous people he has met but I'm not sure I'd handle it so well. I could have met Dylan once after a concert but I ended up chickening out, which I certainly regret now. I did bump into John Mellencamp at a Pacers game but totally kicked my ass afterwards. He actually asked me for a lighter and asked if I knew who he was a like an idiot I said: "Yeah, I saw you in concert". We ended up having a nice little chat though.

My girlfriend and her two kids thought I was nuts for going to look for a grave and I, for some reason, was nervous like a baby. I'm not sure why but I was really nervous and my girlfriend finally asked why I was so nervous just for meeting a dead guy. "It's not like you're going to have to talk with him". That made me laugh.

I mention earlier that I put on his top hat and held the cigarette holder given to him at the 1936 Oscars. It was strange because his tombstone was bought by the DGA and there are even photos of Mary Pickford and Lillian Gish at it. That gave me rather cold chills standing in the same place where those two visited as well as being by the grave of one of my favorite directors. I really wasn't sure how to react but a certain sadness came over me for some reason. Perhaps it's because of how he's looked at today or how he ended up not being able to make more films. I'm not sure what it was but it was really strange being there. I took a few photos as well as one of me by the grave. We took pictures of a marker they had, which of course had some incorrect information on it. Perhaps the most interesting thing was the tombstone he built for his father and mother. It's certainly an amazing thing to see in person. I'll try to figure out how to post the picture for those interested. When I'm back down in LaGrange I'll try to get photos of the cigarette lighter and top hots.

EDIT TO ADD:

Heck, I found this but I'll try to add my own pictures later.

http://www.silentsaregolden.com/arti...fithgrave.html

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Milk (2008) Gus Van Sant

Emotional story of Harvey Milk (Sean Penn), the first openly gay elected official. The San Francisco supervisor fights for gay rights, which will eventually put him up against another supervisor, Dan White (Josh Brolin). Throughout the movie I couldn't take my eyes off of Penn due to his incredibly strong performance, which is so against many of the other roles we've seen him in. I've always considered Penn the greatest actor of his generation and he just keeps adding to his legendary resume and I think it's reaching the point where you can easily put him along side other greats like a Tracy, a Brando or a Newman. I don't think the overall film is as great as many are calling it but there's no denying that Penn puts his heart and soul into bringing Harvey Milk to the screen. There were times that I forgot I was watching a movie because Van Sant really brings the film a documentary like feel and Penn's performance is so dead on that you feel like you're watching the actual guy. Everything from Penn's voice to his walk are perfectly captured so he certainly deserves a standing ovation. The supporting cast are equally strong with Emile Hirsch, Brolin and Diego Luna turning in great work. I think it's James Franco who really stands out with a terrific turn as one of Milk's lovers. I really enjoyed the visual look Van Sant gave the film as he mixes in stock footage from the day and puts it against the new stuff very well. I think this helps put the film back into the 1970's without a problem, which is good with a film like this. The costumes, set design and everything else hits the mark perfectly and the screenplay by Dustin Lance Black does a good job at mixing up all the political stuff with Milk's personal life. I don't think his relationship to Diego Luna was written too well considering what happens but that's a minor issue. I'm sure Penn and Van Sant wanted people walking out of the theater feeling for Milk and I think they succeeded at that. I'm not sure how many people's opinions will change on certain issues but this is still strong work by the two men.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Bram Stoker's Dracula

This is a very good telling of the Dracula story. I enjoyed watching it... though it is a little slow at times. But I guess that goes with having a good story within a horror movie. I thought that all the people involved did a good job. I don't know why I don't watch this movie more often then I do. I think it is no more then the pure length that puts me off... being over 2 hours it is hard to get in the mood for such a long movie at times.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Mike,


Thanks for the write-up on your visit to Griffith’s graveyard and your other celebrity meetings. I still would love to see the pictures you took – especially the one with you in it!

I can relate to feeling uneasy about coming face to face with celebrities from my visits to London in 2002 – where I ‘met’ David Bowie (who waved to me from afar after I did so, maniacally, to him!), Ethan Hawke (whom I nearly bumped into at the National Film Theatre) and Emily Watson (who was performing in Sam Mendes’ stage production of Chekov’s “Uncle Vanya” in a really small theater) – and 2007 – where I was in the front seat at a stage play where Neve Campbell, Cillian Murphy and SPINAL TAP-per Michael McKean had the lead roles and, more importantly, I also was in the front row at a Rock superconcert which featured Pete Tonwshend, Bill Wyman, Steve Winwood, Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens), Paul Weller, Joe Walsh, Jon Lord, Gary Moore (who played so loud he could well have brought the roof of the indoor venue down on us!), etc.

Then, when I was in Hollywood in January 2006, I went to a fantastically well-stocked DVD store on Santa Monica Blvd. and was amused by an old man (who clearly knew his stuff) dragging his much younger companion around the store while extolling loudly the merits of this and that foreign movie to her. Then, before they left the store, the old man turned to the proprietor, shook his hand and said, “Hi, I’m Seymour Cassel”! Having only seen Cassel from his John Cassavetes movies of almost 40 years previously, it’s no wonder I didn’t recognize him - but I was so dismayed by the missed opportunity that I decided to stay indoors and watch Radley Metzger’s THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN (1976) which I had just rented on DVD, rather than go to a theatrical double-feature screening of NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) and THE PRIZE (1963) at Grauman’s Egyptian Theater!!

But, of course, I got my biggest celebrity meeting boost from that fortnight spent at the 2004 Venice Film Festival. My twin brother (who accompanied me on all these trips) and I jotted down the names of every celebrity who crossed our path at the Venice Lido and the grand total amount was close to 80!! Everyone from Hollywood stars (Javier Bardem, Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson {hubba-hubba}, Nicole Kidman, Helen Mirren, Charlotte Rampling, Tim Robbins, John Travolta, Kate Winslet, etc.) to Italian celebrities (Lino Banfi, eccentric historian Enrico Ghezzi, Giancarlo Giannini, Maurizio Nichetti, Paolo Villaggio, etc.) to Euro-Cult exponents (Barbara Bouchet, Enzo G. Castellari, Mark Damon, Ruggero Deodato, Umberto Lenzi, Sergio Martino, screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti, etc.) to film-makers renowned the world over (Michelangelo Antonioni, John Boorman, Joe Dante, Spike Lee, Dusan Makavejev, Takashi Miike, Chan-Wook Park, Gillo Pontecorvo, Steven Soderbergh, Steven Spielberg, Quentin “Motormouth” Tarantino, Wim Wenders, etc.). Still, even in such illustrious company, my greatest personal thrills in Venice (apart from my two ‘close encounters’ with Johansson, natch) were seeing the legendary Lauren Bacall, that most prolific director of the French New Wave, Claude Chabrol and (of all people) Yoko Ono!!

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

032) 01/23/2009 Patton (1970) 1/2 (out of four)

According to the film Patton, General George S. Patton was a man of contradictions. He believed in God but also reincarnation. He loved war but also wrote poetry. He could be tough and mean to a soldier but also gentle and kind. Patton was an easy man to respect but a hard man to love. This 1970 film is based on two biographies on Patton and one suspects it’s more truthful than not. George C. Scott gives a towering, Oscar-winning performance as the larger-than-life general, a man who felt he was born to be at war.

As the film opens Patton (George C. Scott) has just been promoted to Lieutenant General and already has a reputation as a hard ass. He takes over command in North Africa after a crushing American defeat at the Battle of the Kasserine Pass. His leadership results in a successful campaign to invade Italy. But when Patton slaps around a soldier suffering from bad nerves, he is relieved of his command. Assigned to duties such as speaking to the ladies of the “Doughnut Dugout,” Patton cannot stand the idea of not being in battle, and begs General “Brad” Bradley (Karl Malden), a close associate, to give him another chance at command before the war ends.

Patton is a fascinating portrait of a man who believes he was meant for great things. He reads and studies past leaders and their accomplishments – he seems to know about every battle ever fought. He realizes he’s a prima donna but also knows his abilities. He speaks his mind without regard to consequence. And he believes God is on his side – why else would the weather suddenly clear up so he can march his troops into Germany? He doesn’t really have friends, but he is generally admired by those who work for him. He is clearly a born leader. But it is disturbing that he seems to need war so much, to fight some enemy. As soon as World War II is over he wants to go after the Russians, allies during the war who now, as Patton sees it, pose a threat. “God, how I love it so,” he says while observing the aftermath of battle.

The film opens with the now-classic scene of Patton addressing the military while a large American flag hangs in the background. His message is essentially to kick the Nazi’s collective asses and take no prisoners. Americans love to fight; we love it so much that we can’t possibly lose. It’s a savage but stirring call to arms. It’s the best scene in the movie. But there are many other memorable scenes, such as Patton shooting two mules and having them tossed over a bridge so the troops can continue their march. There’s his deliberate insult to the Russian commander as Patton refuses to drink with this, “son of a bitch.” There’s the moment where he berates a weeping soldier, accusing him of cowardice. Scott grabs the role of Patton by the throat and never lets it go. He famously refused his Best Actor Oscar since he did not feel acting was meant to be a competition.

Director Franklin J. Schaffner stages some intense battle sequences during Patton. Some of them are mixed with humor, such as when Patton fires a handgun at German fighter planes, which completely miss hitting him. Patton wonders aloud how they missed. The pacing at times seems off, however, as Schaffner lets certain scenes (marching troops, for example) continue longer than need be. Another minor quibble relates to what comes off as a Hollywoodized version of the German headquarters, with impeccably dressed Nazi officers who always look well groomed and never appear to sweat. These brief but regular glimpses at the enemy serve really to show the impact Patton is having on Hitler’s forces. Perhaps subsequent grittier war films such as Saving Private Ryan have made Patton seem too "clean" to a 21st Century audience.

But the true focus of Patton is on the general himself, and in this regard the film does not disappoint. Anchored by Scott’s riveting performance Patton remains a fascinating look at one of the most complex World War II heroes.



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