Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)
My recent 17-day trip to London could hardly fail to induce me to keep adding recklessly to my DVD collection and, in fact, I ended up purchasing some 28 discs! Anyway, I started watching them off now with, appropriately enough, some British films, namely:
02/01/07:
IT ALWAYS RAINS ON SUNDAY (Robert Hamer, 1947) 
Ealing Studios are chiefly remembered nowadays for their string of classic comedies made between 1946-55 but they also put out several notable pictures in other genres – including the justly celebrated horror
portmanteau DEAD OF NIGHT (1945) – and this
noir-ish melodrama is definitely one of their hidden gems. Although the plot
per se is no great shakes – an escaped convict hides out in his by-now-married ex-flame’s household – the idea was still fresh at the time and the film’s marrying of the realistic and evocative recreation of daily life and surroundings (here being the seamier side of London’s East End) with the exciting chase thriller format was much admired in its day and, in hindsight, very influential.
The good cast is headed by the formidable Googie Withers as the embittered housewife whose life of drab domesticity comes crashing down around her with the sudden reappearance of her lover (John McCallum, and Withers’ own real-life husband-to-be) who demands food and shelter until he can skip the country; her much older, unassuming husband is played by frequent Norman Wisdom sidekick Edward Chapman and the pursuing police detective by the ubiquitous Jack Warner who cornered such roles in British films of the era, most notably in Basil Dearden’s THE BLUE LAMP (1950); Chapman’s three children are each having problems of their own and their frequent comings-and-goings in the house during this particular Sunday (the film is set all in one day) brings long-suppressed tensions to the fore.
Even without the eye-catching use of the medium of somebody like Carol Reed, the film is beautifully handled by the talented but ill-fated Robert Hamer – who, among other things, would later direct that which is undoubtedly Ealing’s most famous comedy, KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (1949) – and the climactic sequence (expertly lit, as always, by Douglas Slocombe) in which all the various strands of plot and secondary characters are seamlessly woven together is simply exquisite.
Optimum Releasing also included a featurette with film historian George Perry – who, incidentally, introduced THE BIG SLEEP (1946) at the recent National Film Theatre screening in London I attended; unfortunately, I encountered some playback problems on my Pioneer DVD player even before the start of the main feature but the R2 disc played without a hitch on my cheap HB model.
02/02/07:
THE MAGGIE (Alexander Mackendrick, 1954)
I’ve watched and enjoyed most of Ealing’s classic comedies several times over the years but, along with THE MAGNET (1950), the film under review was one which had eluded me thus far. The main reason for this, perhaps, is the fact that THE MAGGIE is hardly ever discussed when the studio’s golden age is mentioned which is even more remarkable when one realizes that the film was nominated for 3 major British Film Awards in its day; having now caught up with it, all I can say is that it has been unjustly neglected for far too long.
This amiably droll little film, full of the typically wry but gentle humor found in British comedies of its time, deals with a wealthy American businessman (an ideally-cast Paul Douglas) who is tricked by a group of old Scottish seamen (headed by a terrific Alex Mackenzie, whose first film this was, as the skipper) into chartering their ramshackle boat to carry a cargo of valuable furniture to his new summer residence in the British isles which he purchased as a surprise to his wife.
The trouble is that Douglas, forever expecting promptness and efficiency from his subordinates, is hardly equipped to cope with the devious plans of the wily Scots who treasure their own jolly company and a good stiff drink above everything else…as the various detours they take along the way – poaching, pub-hopping, a 100-year birthday party, visits to nearby cousins, etc. – prove only too well to the increasingly exasperated Yankee. The cast is rounded out by some old reliables like Geoffrey Keen and an unrecognizably young Andrew Keir and valuable contributions are also provided by Hubert Clegg (as Douglas’ befuddled secretary) and the child Tommy Kearins (as Mackenzie’s fiercely loyal cabin boy).
Ultimately, while perhaps not among Ealing’s or director Alexander Mackendrick’s very best, THE MAGGIE is certainly very enjoyable in itself and can now be seen as not only a worthy companion piece to Ealing’s WHISKY GALORE! (1949) – also directed by Mackendrick and dealing with the crafty Sots, not to mention my own personal favorite among the Ealing comedies – but also another of those fondly-remembered British comedies dealing with motor vehicles of some kind like Ealing’s own THE TITFIELD THUNDERBOLT (1953; trains) and GENEVIEVE (1953; motor cars).
Once more, Optimum Releasing included a short featurette with film historian George Perry and, unfortunately, as had been the case with IT ALWAYS RAINS ON SUNDAY (1947), I again encountered some playback problems during the course of the film on my Pioneer DVD player but, as usual, my cheap HB model came to the rescue.
02/02/07:
SAW III (Darren Lynn Bousman, 2006)
The first film was compelling and highly original; the second was below par and forgettable; this third entry is among the most repulsive I’ve ever watched: its relentless gloating (in glorious close-up) on pain and flesh ripping is positively insulting; I’ve yet to catch up with several recent horror titles but there’s no clearer indication than this of how low the genre has sunk – it has literally gone down the drain! The plot itself is mildly intriguing and even features a nice final twist – but the film’s parade of gore, creative torture devices (God only knows where the moribund ‘avenger’ picks up the various parts, not to mention the energy to build them!) and self-pitying characters makes for unintentional hilarity all the way through!
02/02/07:
THE THIRTEENTH GUEST (Albert Ray, 1932)
Routine but likeable ‘old dark house’ mystery thriller with numerous familiar but enjoyable trappings (a family reunion for the reading of a will is followed by multiple murders committed by a hooded figure). There’s also comic relief from an inept policeman, while romantic interest for potential heiress Ginger Rogers is provided by the dashing detective on the case (Lyle Talbot); an interesting plot point involves a girl who undergoes plastic surgery in an attempt to replace Rogers. Unsurprisingly, the Alpha print is extremely poor but I’m glad I had this opportunity to watch the film. Director Ray and Rogers later collaborated on the similar A SHRIEK IN THE NIGHT (1933), which I watched a couple of years back (thanks to Michael Elliott).
02/03/07:
ON OUR MERRY WAY (King Vidor, Leslie Fenton and, uncredited, John Huston and George Stevens, 1948)
This odd, freewheeling, independently-made compendium film emerges as little more than a glorified home movie (despite the considerable talent involved) but is certainly watchable and entertaining in itself. The linking narrative revolves around married couple Burgess Meredith and Paulette Goddard (at the time hitched in real life): she’s an artist and he a lowly employee with a newspaper aspiring to be a journalist; while attempting to flee a creditor, he meets and interviews a number of people about the influence of children in their lives.
The three ‘stories’ are quite nice with all the various performers contributing generous and relaxed cameos: the first concerns down-and-out musicians Henry Fonda and James Stewart and their involvement in an instrumental contest taking place in a small town (they’re all too ready to appease the mayor who has promised them a lot of money if his son is allowed to win but, thanks to the intervention of trumpeter Harry James, a multi-talented girl emerges the clear winner and eventually becomes the owner of Fonda and Stewart’s band!); the second finds Dorothy Lamour parodying her former image of a sarong girl (she’s a bit player whose opportunity for stardom finally arises out of a disastrous stint in a vehicle for a spoilt child star); the last story, reminiscent of O. Henry’s “The Ransom Of Red Chief” (later filmed by Howard Hawks), involves ex-con magician Fred MacMurray and how he and his partner William Demarest stumble upon a boy in the woods and are continually outwitted by him (he’s actually fleeing from his eccentric banker uncle but MacMurray eventually discovers his true identity and, in the end, the boy and his elder sister join in on the magic act).
Of course I was paying attention. Have you seen the trailer? All of the supposedly funny scenes in the film are in the trailer, hence leading one to believe it's a comedy. But, in the context of the film, I didn't find any of those funny at all. It's a semi-decent dramatic biopic with admittedly a few attempts at humor, but there are more actual laughs in Cries & Whispers than in this film.
The film's edited so fast that you seldom see much anyway. After the ending, I'm very interested where they're going to take this series with Saw IV.
Decent animated feature from Sony Animation that was in a similar vein as "Over the Hedge" but not quite as amusing or inventive as that film. Highlights were Billy Connolly as McSquizzy the squirrel and the running jokes with the rabbits.
