Films Worth Viewing Year 2

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"Major Barbara"-Gabriel Pascal-1941

Harold French and David Lean shared directing responsibilities without credit. Pascal was an immigrant from what is now Rumania. He along with other immigrants came to work with Alexander Korda. Pascal developed a friendship with George Bernard Shaw; Shaw agreed to let him film multiple plays. The failure of "Caesar and Cleopatra" ended this partnership. This film was a major success. Shaw's work formed the backbone of the film.
He never appeared on set; he did film an introduction which is no longer available.

The cast was quite solid. Wendy Hiller starred as Major Barbara; Rex Harrison played Her love interest, Adolphus Cousins. Robert Morley as Andrew Undershot, munitions tycoon, delivers a clever and enjoyable Performance.
Barbara, his daughter still lives with her mother. The senior Undershots have been separated for years. Barbara joined the Salvation Army several years before. Her abilities helped her toquickly rise through the ranks to become a Major. She is one of the Army's best speakers and recruiters. The film opens with a policeman, an early role for Sterling Holloway, telling a poor public speaker, Cousins, to go to one of Major Barbara's rallies. It is love at first sight.

Undershot makes his first visit to his quarrelsome family which he still supports financially.. His goal is to find a successor to run the family business. His advancing age has convinced him that he must plan for the future now. Barbara wants to save his soul; Undershot wants to find a successor. He settles on Barbara with a look at
Cousins her unofficial life partner. So far all Cousins has done is to beat the drum. Barbara and her father make a bet. Each will spend some time in the other's world. Undershot wins after he cleverly exposes his power by donating 50, 000 pounds sterling to the Salvation Army. This enables their work to continue, but Barbara believes the Army shouldn't accept the money of rich men with bad moral values. Undershot shows Barbara and Cousins the workers' paradise he has constructed. Barbara believes that she can do more good for the people with her father than with the Army.

There is a very good print available to stream for free. Neame's camerwork is top drawer. There is much to like here, but I found the story didn't move me. This is a qualified recommendation. You may well find this more to your taste.

 

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"City For Conquest"-Anton Litvak-1940

This is a forgotten Cagney film. It's pretty darn good. One of the best parts of the film is the old timer(Frank Craven). He introduces the film, and he comments of the action from time to time. He played the stage manager in "Our Town." We start out with a bunch of kids from the lower East Side. One girl is dancing. There are a bunch of pre-teen boys acting up. One threatens the girl, and Danny Kenny steps up to protect Peggy Nash. This is our first view of a tangled love affair. Peggy (Ann Sheridan) is an aspiring dancer; Danny becomes a truck driver, despite having been a Golden Gloves champ. He supports his brother Eddie (Arthur Kennedy in his first role) who is a talented aspiring composer. Peggy hooks up with Manny Burns (Anthony Quinn) a professional dancer who promises to help her make a professional career. Danny doesn't want to fight, but financial necessity drives him into the ring to pay for his brother's musical education. Cagney was a Golden Gloves finalist, but he was doubled in most scenes by a seasoned professional. He hooks up with an honest promoter, Scottie McPherson (Donald Crisp). Things start off well for our star crossed lovers, but circumstances drive them apart. Scottie makes sure to keep Danny's fights out of the cities where Peggy is appearing in a review.

The script is by John Wexley from Aben Kendel's novel. James Wong Howe, one of the best all time handled the cinematography. Max Steiner did the score. Ward Bond and Elia Kazan had cameos. This was a top flight production. The story is classic melodrama. Peggy's dancing career falls apart, and she is out on the street. Danny gets so badly beaten in his big fight that he is almost blind. He operates a news stand, and in the concluding scene he is listening to his brother conduct his symphony on the radio. His brother achieved success, but Danny will never fight again. Peggy comes by the news stand; he recognizes her. There is no coming together in a romantic relationship. They'll be friends.

Solid acting, memorable shots. a solid script, and an affecting score add up to a very good film. Cagney's character has some twists and turns which he handles well. The city for conquest is New York City, and the symphony musically depicts life in the city. This is available to stream for free. A classic good studio film from Warner Brothers. This is well worth viewing.

 

[dbmill]

"City For Conquest"-Anton Litvak-1940

This is a forgotten Cagney film. It's pretty darn good. One of the best parts of the film is the old timer(Frank Craven). He introduces the film, and he comments of the action from time to time. He played the stage manager in "Our Town." We start out with a bunch of kids from the lower East Side. One girl is dancing. There are a bunch of pre-teen boys acting up. One threatens the girl, and Danny Kenny steps up to protect Peggy Nash. This is our first view of a tangled love affair. Peggy (Ann Sheridan) is an aspiring dancer; Danny becomes a truck driver, despite having been a Golden Gloves champ. He supports his brother Eddie (Arthur Kennedy in his first role) who is a talented aspiring composer. Peggy hooks up with Manny Burns (Anthony Quinn) a professional dancer who promises to help her make a professional career. Danny doesn't want to fight, but financial necessity drives him into the ring to pay for his brother's musical education. Cagney was a Golden Gloves finalist, but he was doubled in most scenes by a seasoned professional. He hooks up with an honest promoter, Scottie McPherson (Donald Crisp). Things start off well for our star crossed lovers, but circumstances drive them apart. Scottie makes sure to keep Danny's fights out of the cities where Peggy is appearing in a review.

The script is by John Wexley from Aben Kendel's novel. James Wong Howe, one of the best all time handled the cinematography. Max Steiner did the score. Ward Bond and Elia Kazan had cameos. This was a top flight production. The story is classic melodrama. Peggy's dancing career falls apart, and she is out on the street. Danny gets so badly beaten in his big fight that he is almost blind. He operates a news stand, and in the concluding scene he is listening to his brother conduct his symphony on the radio. His brother achieved success, but Danny will never fight again. Peggy comes by the news stand; he recognizes her. There is no coming together in a romantic relationship. They'll be friends.

Solid acting, memorable shots. a solid script, and an affecting score add up to a very good film. Cagney's character has some twists and turns which he handles well. The city for conquest is New York City, and the symphony musically depicts life in the city. This is available to stream for free. A classic good studio film from Warner Brothers. This is well worth viewing.

I saw "City For Conquest" for the first time earlier this year on Turner Classic Movies, and thought it was pretty good. As is often the case, Cagney's performance is key to the film. If I remember correctly, George Raft was slated for the professional dancer role that Anthony Quinn ended up with, but in typical Raft fashion when under contract with Warner Brothers, he turned down a decent role.

Funny the mention of Ward Bond having a bit role towards the beginning of this film. Ward Bond was in so many worthwhile films, but up until the early 1940's many of them were small bit parts. He started getting meatier supporting roles as the 1940's progressed. At any rate, my wife are always looking to pick him out of the cast in these films, and my wife often jokes that in a film like this he is in another uniform, usually in the guise of a cop or whatever.

 

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"Petrified Forrest"-Archie Mayo-1936

Warner's wanted Edward G. Robinson for the role of Duke Mantee; Leslie Howard insisted on his Broadway co-star, Humphrey Bogart. There were problems with Robinson's availability, and Hal Wallis was eager to make the film. Wallis liked making films from plays, and Sherwood's play was a big Broadway hit. The script was by Charles Kenyan and Delmer Davies. The vast majority of the film takes place in one room of a diner/gas station near the Petrified Forest. The diner is owned by the Maple family. Grandpa is an old timer full of stories of meeting up with Billy the Kid. His grand daughter is a poetry reading waitress, Gabrielle (Betty Davis). Her father is something of a joke. He talks a tough game and is a member of a local vigilante group,but but even a fancy uniform can't hide his nature.

Gabrielle is desperate to leave the desert diner. Her goal is France. Her mother left the desert and returned to Brouges. A former college football player, Boze, handles the fill up and oil changes. He is sweet on Gabby, out of boredom she offers some encouragement. Then walking down the road comes the cultured Alan Squire (Leslie Howard). He is a published author escaping from his life in Europe. His only current goal is to see the Pacific Ocean. He notices the book of Francois Villion's poetry which is Gabby's current reading. He knows how to correctly pronounce the name of the author. He speaks beautifully; Gabby is entranced. She shows him her secret stash of paintings.

It turns out that Squire has no money to pay for his food. He leaves with a wealthy couple going to Sant Fe. Gabby arranges that, and she gives him a silver dollar. All through the early part of the movie, we see news paper stories, and hear radio bulletins about a murderous gangster Duke Mantee (Humphrey Bogart) whose gang was responsible for six deaths in Oklahoma City. The vigilantes are part of an army of lawmen chasing the gang. The gang was traveling in two separate cars . They set a rendezvous in the desert; they would meet up and travel together to Mexico. The car in which Duke is traveling breaks down; Fortunately the rich couple, the Chisholms, are traveling on the same road. The gang ambushes them, and steals their car.

This gets the gang to the diner. The Chisholms and Squire turn up. The movie picks up when Duke Mantee arrives. His situation is increasingly precarious. There some interesting plot twists and character developments. The ending is bittersweet. This film made Bogart a hot Hollywood commodity. Davis didn't want to do this film, but her performance is engaging and believable. Charley Grapewin does solid work as Grandpa. Howard handles a talky intellectual part very well, but it is Bogart who dominates the screen when he arrives. It took him a few years before he was cast in leading roles in A pictures, but this gave him entree.

Very highly recommended, and it's available to stream for free.

 

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"A Letter to Elia"-Martin Scorcese-2010

This is an excellent piece of work. Scorcese discusses Kazan's work with particular emphasis on two films: "On the Waterfront," and "East of Eden." It is difficult to find; I spent well over an hour looking at all the usual sites for free streaming without success. It is available on DVD. Why should you make the effort? If you are interested in Kazan and you want an excellent expression of why he is important, this a film for you. I watched it because I was interested about what Kazan did after his final film; it didn't provide me with the answers I sought.

"The Last Tycoon"-Elia Kazan-1976

This was F.Scott Fitzgerald's final unfinished novel. I saw it many years ago when it first came out; it confused me at the time, and it still confuses. Fitzgerald doesn't seem to lend himself as a source for compelling films.
"The Great Gatsby" is exhibit #1. There have been several major productions well cast and with seemingly all the necessities to make a good film. There is a certain great white whale aspect to Gatsby. I have difficulty understanding why Kazan took up a project with less possibility of success. Sol Siegel, the producer, couldn't understand how he, Kazan, and Harold Pinter could work together and produce such a bad film. Kazan is noted for his ability to get performances out actors. Brando is the leading example, but consider James Dean, Julie Harris. Lee Remick, Montgomery Clift, Peggy Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Andy Griffiths, and Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty to name just a few. He also had a close relationship with many of the screen writers he worked with.

The cast for this film includes: Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, Robert Mitchum, Tony Curtis, Jeanne Moreau,
David Pleasence, Ray Milland, Dana Andrews, Theresa Russell, and John Carradine. De Niro plays Monroe Starr, a character based on Irving Thalberg. Thalberg was a boy wonder he became studio head at 26. He was
a longtime friend of Fitzgerald's from his college days at Princeton.

Starr was a do everything man at the studio. He was mister fix it. He had totally given his life to the movies.
He had lost a great love. While directing a crisis solution., he sees someone who reminds him of his lost love.
He discover who she is, and there is an ill fated romance. She is played by an unknown, Ingrid Boulting. Kathleen Moore loves Starr, but she chooses a simple life with another man. Starr falls apart. Another young woman tries to rescue him, but Starr cannot accept the help. He comes to blows with the representative of the screenwriters. I think the movie falls apart. It doesn't seem to go anywhere. This is a beautiful film, and it is well acted. It is hard to feel empathy for Starr; I think this is the problem of the script. Pinter and Fitzgerald are a bad combination. Pinter was Siegel's choice; I would like to see a David Mamet or Aaron Sorkin adaptation of this book. We are left with a film where sum of the parts is greater than the whole. Kazan is one of my all time favorite directors. He wasn't directly involved in either the theater or films for over 25 years.

He died in 2003. He was given a lifetime Oscar in 1999 This was controversial because of his testimony during the Hollywood hearings.

So do I recommend watching this film on free streaming? Yes, with reservations. If you are interested in Kazan and what he represented in the American theater and film; this is worth viewing. If you are looking for entertainment; I suggest another of his films. If you haven't seen the two films detailed in the Scorcese film, start there. "Wild River" or "Splendor in the Grass" are good entertainment and something more.

 

[zymurg]

Well, I did it again. My commentary on Kazan's "Wild River" is at Movie Hindsight.

 

[Palatine]

The Last Tycoon was a very bad movie, very bad in the "it wasn't any good" sense.

 

[zymurg]

"Odd Man Out"-Carol Reed-1947

This is the first of three celebrated films which established Reed's reputation as a great director. Reed already had enough clout to be given the ability to choose his own subject. In this case he chose as the film's basis a new novel by F.C. Green. Never heard of him? I hadn't either. However, in Bosley Crother's review his name is prominently mentioned. Crother opines that fans of the book should want to see this new movie. Reed recruited Green to write the script; he also hired an experience screenwriter, R.C. Sheriff. The film acquired a reputation as a great thriller over the years. I watched the Criterion version from 2014. Surprisingly, I had never seen it before. That is my best recollection. Returning to Crother's review for a moment, he also mentioned that the presence of several actors from the famous Dublin's Abbey Theater as another incentive to see this film.
I wonder how many Abbey Theater fans in NYC had actually read the novel.

The title is never really explained in the movie. Odd man out brought to my mind the nursery rhyme/counting game often used in hide and seek: Eenie, meenie, mo. The odd man out is the hider in the game. This led me to consider Alice going down the rabbit hole. She emerges into Wonderland. In this case the viewer falls into a different world, the world of the "troubles." In 1916 there was a rebellion against British rule in Ireland. In 1921 a new country emerged from a treaty, The Irish Free State. 26 counties made up the Free State, the remaining 6
remained a part of Great Britain. The official name of the country is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The film is set in Northern Ireland immediately after the end of WWII. Parts of the film were shot in Belfast. But must ofthe film was shot on location in London. A model of the famous Belfast clock tower was constructed in London. There is a written preamble which acknowledges the conflict without ever identifying either the IRA or Belfast. It should be noted that Northern Ireland was Protestant, and Southern Ireland was Catholic.

The film opens with a group of men planning a robbery. This robbery will finance their organization. The leader of the group is Johnny McQueen, James Mason. He had escaped from Prison months before, and he has been living with two female supporters of his revolutionary group, Granny (Kitty Krwin) and Kathleen Sullivan (Kathleen Ryan). During WWII IRA members were imprisoned in Both the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. Now the fight to re-unite Ireland was going to start again. Interestingly, Johnny has had a change of heart. He no longer is convinced that violence is necessarily the way to pursue the struggle. He has made this plan, and he is determined to see it through. Things fall apart.

On the way to the robbery Johnny experiences hallucinations. He pulls himself together without mentioning anything. However, during the robbery he has another incident at a critical time. Just as the other members of the gang are leaving; he experiences another episode. This enables a guard to tussell with him. The guard is armed and he shoots Johnny. Johnny then shoots and kills the guard. The getaway car is already moving. Johnny manages to grab onto one of his gang members, but he cannot maintain his grip. He falls in the street. The police are coming. (In Northern Ireland the police, unlike in the rest of the UK are armed.) Johnny is able to escape on foot. This sets up the rest of the film. Perhaps this is the meaning of odd man out. Johnny is the odd man out, the rest escape in the car. We follow Johnny through Belfast as the effects of his wound become more and more serious. He is loosing blood and the hallucinations become more and more serious.

Each encounter with members of the public focuses attention on not only Johnny but on how the members of the public will respond. There is a substantial reward. The Police Inspector in charge of the police search, Dennis 'Dea, knows quite a bit about the criminal/terrorist group. He seems to have as his mission to capture Johnny without setting off a violent reaction. Johnny's group is searching. After waiting for several uncomfortable hours, Kathleen goes out to search on her own. She arranges an exit plan, and she goes to see Father Tom (W.G. Fay) hoping he will have information to narrow her search.

Kathleen is in love with Johnny;; she has arranged an escape together. Father Tom wants to save his soul. Shell, F.J. McCormack, hopes to receive something tangible in return for his knowledge of Johnny's current hiding place. The film takes place in eight hours. Classical tragedies often take place over 24 hours. Is Johnny a tragic figure, perhaps.

Commentators often reference German Expressionism and certain French films of the 1930's, particularly "Pepe Le Moko" which has a very similar ending. I found surrealist elements particularly in the frequent visual hallucinations. Commentators in the UK were unhappy with the accents. They were Irish but not Belfast. This distinction is lost on American audiences. One final criticism is that the first two thirds of the film is a suspense thriller, and the last third is something else. I'm not sure what the final third is, but neither are the critics. Perhaps it is an attempt to universalize the tragedy. This is hinted at in the preamble. This remains very watchable. The performances are uniformly good to excellent. Some, in particular Robert Newton's performance as an almost crazed painter looking for a soul in Johnny, contribute to the sense of belonging to another movie. This is available to stream for free. I can recommend this highly.

The score was written simultaneously with the filming; this is quite unusual. Like "Once Upon a Time in the West" the score allows room for natural sounds to stand without music. In "The Third Man" Reed heard Anton Karas's zither before filming had even begun. Music was quite important to Reed. There is brilliant black and white photography. This adds to the suspense, and the sense of isolation.

Again, this is worth your time.

 

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"The Year of Living Dangerously"-Peter Weir-1982

The universal and the particular; the outsider and one of the people; the 3rd world and the "West", here and there; logic and emotion; these and many other juxtapositions fill our perceptions of the world around us. Sometimes in movies we are offered the opportunity to see a strange particular. This is one such movie. For virtually all of us Indonesia in the 1960's is a new particular. Peter Weir places us there without ceremony and introduction. He offers a strange window, a guide who in himself is not one of the people of this place. In fact the guide is a person who fits in no place. He is racially mixed: Chinese and Australian. He is also a little person, only 4'9" tall. His job is to be an observer; he is a photographer. He works with both still and moving pictures.
In addition he keeps meticulous files on dozens of people. Billy Kwan (Linda Hunt) has more than a passing acquaintance with other outside observers, the foreign press, He can provide information, contacts, and access to the world of Sukarno's Djakarta. The Brits had a term for this, going native. Billy identifies with the particular and its inhabitants. This identification is informed by his conviction that these Indonesians are part of he universal'

Billy is drawn to people who he believes can see the universal. He has evolved a philosophy one can tell the stories of Indonesians if one recognizes that they are part of the universal. He almost immediately sees this potential in Guy Hamilton (Mel Gibson). Hamilton is on his first foreign assignment for an Australian Radio Network, He is open to new experiences, but his inexperience is both a handicap and a blessing. Billy gets him an interview with the local Communist leader, This is a professional success for Hamilton. This is the beginning of a real problem. The stories which provide professional success in the West, are not necessarily the stories that contain the truth Billy wants told.

In Guy's first visit to Billy's apartment. We notice the variety of still photographs displayed, the type writer, the file cabinets, and the air conditioning. Guy questions Billy about this; Billy responds that this is necessary to preserve his film stock. Billy shows Guy something remarkable and unexpected, shadow puppets. Shadows are souls and the screen is heaven. In the culture a priest is the puppeteer. What isn't revealed n the film is that the puppets and the shadow plays come from India. They plays originally depicted stories from the Ramayana. There were still Hindus in Java in the middle sixties, but Islam had become the dominant religion in Indonesia. The shadow plays were still a vital part of the local culture. I actually purchased several antique shadow puppets in India while I was in the Peace Corps.

Billy facilitates the meeting of Hamilton and a member of the British embassy staff, Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver). Billy had/has a crush on Jill, but he brings them together because he wants to and can. Billy refers to Sukarno as the shadow master. He sees himself as a shadow master. He has an illusion of control. Billy became involved with a local mother and her child. He helped provide for them and he tried to watch over them. Toward the end of the film ,the little boy dies. Guy uses material Jill gives him in confidence about an arms shipment to the Communist rebels to help him break a major story. To Billy this is a violation of trust.

This is a well constructed film. It had to be filmed in the Philippines , because Indonesia refused access. The extras are all Filipinos. The gritty pictures of the slums were shot locally and not on a sound stage. The cinematographer, Russell Boyd, does excellent work. Maurice Jarre composed the score. It features not only rock tunes but opera arias. It worked for me.

At some point in one of these commentaries I end up discussing "reality." This film is based on a novel ;the central characters are fictional. I've never been to Indonesia, so my observations are singularly unverified.
I did know one American, Colonel Amos A Jordan, who served in Indonesia during the sixties a few years before the time covered in the movie. He had an aphorism that when you can't believe things can get any worse; they do. This was based on his experiences in Indonesia. I should mention the performance of Bembol Roco as Kumar Hamilton's local assistant. Let's face it Linda Hunt's performance makes the movie.

Highly recommended. I wasn't able to find a free streaming service, you may have better luck. I like quite a few Weir films. He has the ability to transport us to new worlds. His characters are well constructed.

 

[zymurg]

"Pygmalion"-Anthony Asquith and Leslie Howard-1938

In Greek mythology a sculptor, Pygmalion, creates a sculpture so lovely that he falls in love with it, Galatea. The goddess of love, Aphrodite, grants the sculptor's wish/prayer and the statue comes to life. Of course the story told by George Bernard Shaw has moved quite a bit from the mythology. The central figure is no longer an artist; he is a professor of linguistics. Shaw had a lifelong interest in the proper pronunciation of the English language. He developed his own alphabet of 48 letters which allowed English speech to be properly depicted in writing. Any language which is depicted in writing using an alphabet has the same problems. French and German suffer from the same deficiencies. Many languages have resolved this problem by using a syllabary to render the sounds in a written form, Examples include Japanese and Hindi.

Shaw was quite involved with this film. The script is basically his adaptation of his stage play with the major adaptation of the scene at the ball. The producer was Gabriel Pascal, the director of "Major Barbara." The belief that proper use of the language helped define social class was Shaw's. He had Liza marry Freddy Hill in the play.
In the movie, Higgins and Liza are the couple. That was Pascal's choice. Shaw showed what he really thought of Pascal by using him as the template for Count Karpathy, the "hory hound from Budapest; I've never met a ruder pest." (That comes from the musical, rather than the play.) Shaw regarded his Oscar as an insult; he said as much. Of course in mythology Pygmalion and Galatea end up together. It is interesting that British film was made by foreigners, Korda for instance, those who had extensive experience abroad, Hitchcock for instance, and those of the lower middle class, David Lean and Noel Coward for instance. Male English aristocrats often married female theatrical and music hall performers. Even royalty acknowledged actors and actresses; Sir Alec Guiness and Dame Margaret Rutherford.

This is a good film; Leslie Howard is a fine Higgins, but check out Peter O'Toole's performance in the 1983 film. Wendy Hiller is the best Liza I have seen. The third key character, Colonel Pickering, I find a little flat in this film. Near the end of the film after Liza has fled Higgins house and ended up with Higgins' mother; Eliza has a scene where she credits Colonel Pickering with making her a lady. In the film the difference between Higgins and Pickering's behavior is not that great. This is done better in "My Fair Lady." Finally, Liza's father,
Alfred Doolittle (Wilfred Lawson) does justice to a brilliantly written role. Shaw sticks in a little jab to Americans. Doolittle received his 3,000 pounds a year in the will of an American millionaire. He had only to speak six times a year at meetings of his moral uplift foundation. Americans had too much money and they used it for dubious social causes. The notion of American heiresses coming to England to find aristocratic husbands was reality. Winston Churchill's mother was a rich American. I must mention Higgins' mother (Marie Lohr) who nails another brilliantly written part. Her gibes at male pretension are on target and still relevant today.

There is a stunningly good free streaming option available which has English captions. This is a great advantage as much of the dialogue is rapid fire and the accents can be difficult for American ears. This is highly recommended. I have provided little of the plot; for those of you who are familiar with the play or the musical; it is redundant. If you are not familiar; I will not spoil your joys of discovering this story.

 

[zymurg]

"The Hunchback of Notre Dame"-Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise-1996

This an interesting choice for a Disney animated feature. The classic novel has been made into a film many time before most notably the silent featuring Lon Chaney as Quasimodo, and the classic 1939 film with Charles Laughton as Quasimodo. Interestingly enough, in the novel when the action takes place Quasimodo is only 20 years. This animated version is closer to the novel in that regard. Quasimodo (Tom Hulce) is young, inexperienced, and yearning to make human connections. Of course the animated statues are a Disney innovation. They are not properly called gargoyles because the gargoyles are the type of statuary which spout runoff water. Frollo is changed from an archdeacon to a judge in this film. Frollo (Tony Jay) is guilty of all seven deadly sins, but most particularly Pride.

The opening is spectacular. The overhead shots of late 15th century Paris are stunning. The song "The Belles of Notre Dame "(Markin and Schwartz) is both effective musically and as a set up for the centrality of the cathedral to the story. Quasimodo was left at the cathedral as a baby. In this version Frollo was ready to kill him after killing his mother. He is shamed into saving the deformed child. Quasimodo has grown up in the cathedral where he know is officially the bell ringer. His master, Frollo, makes sure he stays confined in the cathedral.
The three animated statues, Hugo, Laverne, and Victor serve almost as a Greek Chorus, and almost as a trifurcated conscience or inner voice for Quasimodo. The directors indicated that perhaps the statues were products of Quasimodo's imagination, but this is belied by their active roles in the defense of the cathedral.

If you remember previous comments on this story; Hugo was moved by his concern for the preservation/restoration of Notre Dame. Disney sent a very large crew to Paris to accurately depict the cathedral and its surroundings. Interestingly, the major characters are all the product of the animators. It is the crowds which are created using CGI.

The Festival of Fools traditionally on January 6th is really the starting place for the action. Esmeralda (Demi Moore) makes a spectacular entrance with her performance on stage. Quasimodo breaks his word to Frollo and come down from the belfry to join the crowd, but it is Esmeralda who gets him to enter the contest to become King of Fools. Frollo is observing, Esmeralda mocks him. Phoebus(Kevin Kline) recently invested as Captain of the Guard, is tasked with capturing Esmeralda after she frees Quasimodo.

The score is solid. Most of the characters are effective. Phoebus is a bit of a noble jerk, but he is somewhat rescued by his humor. The central problem is the juxtaposition of humor with the darkness of the story.
This is still worth viewing.. The first 30 minutes particularly the opening song sung by Clopin (Paul Klandel) and Quasimodo's song about his yearning to be down there could hardly be bettered, unfortunately the rest of the film doesn't maintain the same level. When Quasimodo is pelted with tomatoes; things start to go downhill. Still this is a worthy effort. It is available to stream for free on KissCartoon. Recommended for all, but not a must see.

 

[zymurg]

"Sunset Boulevard"-Billy Wilder-1950

This is post war USA. Hollywood was just coming back, and on the horizon was the menace of television. Wilder had a solid reputation, but his greatest successes (Stalag 17, Some Like it Hot, and The Apartment were in the future. Wilder and his writing partner, Charles Barnett, had an idea. What about a film centered on Hollywood? More particularly, this would be a film about an almost forgotten actress who was one of the biggest silent screen stars. Who would play the central role? Names were thrown around, but finally Gloria Swanson was chosen. She almost refused to take a screen test that Wilder insisted upon. She was Norma Desmond. The film had 3 other key roles; first there was the role of her do everything man, Max Von Meyerling, Erich von Stroheim. He later dismissed the role as "that butler part." Then there was the role of a young fairly desperate screen writer, Joe Gillis(William Hilden. Holden had a huge start with "Golden Boy." but his 40's films were average at best. The final part was for a reader at Paramount. Wilder wanted an unknown. he chose Nancy Olson, only 21 and with only two previous credits to play Betty Schaffer.

Wilder was under contract to Paramount, and Paramount was happy to use the studio's name and location for publicity. The picture generated some much needed publicity. The cameo roles two played by Buster Keaton and Hedda Hopper didn't hurt. A proper mansion and an exotic car were found. Cecil B. DeMille wanted $25,000 and a new car for his performance. He was directing "Samson and Delliah: at the time. His scenes were shot on his Paramount sound stage.

The film begins with a body floating in a Beverly Hills pool. There is a voice over from Joe Gillis. He invites us back six months. Gillis is writing scripts on spec. Men have come to take his car for non payment. He escapes them, but he is forced to seek automobile refuge when he has a flat with no spare. The empty garage is attached to Norma Desmond's mansion. She lives there with her Jack of all trades Max. Joe needs a place to stay and some money to avoid his car being repossessed. Norma has a six hundred handwritten page script for her comeback film. The subject is "Salome: , and the preferred director is DeMille.

Joe Gillis accepts a position with Norma Desmond. He initially thinks it entails polishing the script. Max moves his possessions from his apartment while he sleeps, he understands that the job is not what it originally seems. He is a kept man. He leaves from a New Year's Eve party where he and Norma are the only couple in attendance. He seeks out a party of an old friend, a working assistant director. At the party he meets again Betty Schaffer. She was the reader who found nothing of value in a script he submitted to Paramount, but now she finds a scene which she likes in another old script. Joe is reluctant to work with her turning this into a full script. When he calls the mansion to have Max move his belongings to his friend's apartment; he finds that Norma has attempted suicide.

Joe is back in his strange relationship with Norma. Norma has submitted her script to DeMille. She visits the studio. While she is there, Joe goes up to the readers area. He decides to work with Betty on the script. DeMille hated the script ,but he attempts to let her down easy. The studio wanted her car for a Bing Crosby picture and not her script. Things fall apart.

This is a wonderfully intelligent script; however, Barnett and Wilder had a major conflict. This was their 17th and last collaboration. The film benefits from Franz Waxman's score and the art direction. It was nominated for 11 Oscars including all four acting Oscars. It won only 3 for best script, music, and art direction. Swanson went on tour to promote the film. Unlike Norma Desmond, she had moved to New York and worked in radio and T.V. She was well adjusted. Her performance should have won the Oscar and perhaps rebuilt her career.
Holden benefitted hugely; he would win his Oscar in another Wilder film, "Stalag 17" a few years later. Nancy Olson never had another nomination and never became an A list star. The movie was shot in just over two months in 1949. It straddles several genres; some consider it a film noir; I don't. Still this is a true classic, and a must see. Among other virtues; it contains two of the greatest lines in film history: "I am big; it's the pictures that got small," and even more famous: "Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."

It is on Prime, and other sites for free. It still retains its power 70 years after it hit theaters. This is a masterpiece of both style and substance.

 

[dbmill]

"Sunset Boulevard"-Billy Wilder-1950

This is post war USA. Hollywood was just coming back, and on the horizon was the menace of television. Wilder had a solid reputation, but his greatest successes (Stalag 17, Some Like it Hot, and The Apartment were in the future. Wilder and his writing partner, Charles Barnett, had an idea. What about a film centered on Hollywood? More particularly, this would be a film about an almost forgotten actress who was one of the biggest silent screen stars. Who would play the central role? Names were thrown around, but finally Gloria Swanson was chosen. She almost refused to take a screen test that Wilder insisted upon. She was Norma Desmond. The film had 3 other key roles; first there was the role of her do everything man, Max Von Meyerling, Erich von Stroheim. He later dismissed the role as "that butler part." Then there was the role of a young fairly desperate screen writer, Joe Gillis(William Hilden. Holden had a huge start with "Golden Boy." but his 40's films were average at best. The final part was for a reader at Paramount. Wilder wanted an unknown. he chose Nancy Olson, only 21 and with only two previous credits to play Betty Schaffer.

Wilder was under contract to Paramount, and Paramount was happy to use the studio's name and location for publicity. The picture generated some much needed publicity. The cameo roles two played by Buster Keaton and Hedda Hopper didn't hurt. A proper mansion and an exotic car were found. Cecil B. DeMille wanted $25,000 and a new car for his performance. He was directing "Samson and Delliah: at the time. His scenes were shot on his Paramount sound stage.

The film begins with a body floating in a Beverly Hills pool. There is a voice over from Joe Gillis. He invites us back six months. Gillis is writing scripts on spec. Men have come to take his car for non payment. He escapes them, but he is forced to seek automobile refuge when he has a flat with no spare. The empty garage is attached to Norma Desmond's mansion. She lives there with her Jack of all trades Max. Joe needs a place to stay and some money to avoid his car being repossessed. Norma has a six hundred handwritten page script for her comeback film. The subject is "Salome: , and the preferred director is DeMille.

Joe Gillis accepts a position with Norma Desmond. He initially thinks it entails polishing the script. Max moves his possessions from his apartment while he sleeps, he understands that the job is not what it originally seems. He is a kept man. He leaves from a New Year's Eve party where he and Norma are the only couple in attendance. He seeks out a party of an old friend, a working assistant director. At the party he meets again Betty Schaffer. She was the reader who found nothing of value in a script he submitted to Paramount, but now she finds a scene which she likes in another old script. Joe is reluctant to work with her turning this into a full script. When he calls the mansion to have Max move his belongings to his friend's apartment; he finds that Norma has attempted suicide.

Joe is back in his strange relationship with Norma. Norma has submitted her script to DeMille. She visits the studio. While she is there, Joe goes up to the readers area. He decides to work with Betty on the script. DeMille hated the script ,but he attempts to let her down easy. The studio wanted her car for a Bing Crosby picture and not her script. Things fall apart.

This is a wonderfully intelligent script; however, Barnett and Wilder had a major conflict. This was their 17th and last collaboration. The film benefits from Franz Waxman's score and the art direction. It was nominated for 11 Oscars including all four acting Oscars. It won only 3 for best script, music, and art direction. Swanson went on tour to promote the film. Unlike Norma Desmond, she had moved to New York and worked in radio and T.V. She was well adjusted. Her performance should have won the Oscar and perhaps rebuilt her career.
Holden benefitted hugely; he would win his Oscar in another Wilder film, "Stalag 17" a few years later. Nancy Olson never had another nomination and never became an A list star. The movie was shot in just over two months in 1949. It straddles several genres; some consider it a film noir; I don't. Still this is a true classic, and a must see. Among other virtues; it contains two of the greatest lines in film history: "I am big; it's the pictures that got small," and even more famous: "Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."

It is on Prime, and other sites for free. It still retains its power 70 years after it hit theaters. This is a masterpiece of both style and substance.

Sunset Boulevard is a great, great movie. In my opinion, the two best Billy Wilder films are Sunset Boulevard and Double Indemnity, I find it difficult to pick one over the other. And as mentioned above, Billy Wilder made several other excellent films as well.

 

[zymurg]

"Aguirre, the Wrath of God"-Werner Herzog-1972

Many consider this film Herzog's crowning achievement; I rate "Fitzcaraldo" higher. Still this is one of the top films of the 1970's. It was a major influence on "Apocalypse Now" according to Coppola. After Gonzollo Pizzaro conquered the Incas; he set off to find a mythical city of gold, El Dorado. This was in late 1560. The expedition included several chained Incas as well as Spanish soldiers, a priest, and several women. The second ranking officer, Don Pedro de Ursua (Ruy Guerra) brought his mistress, Inez de Altenza with him. She traveled by sedan chair across the Andes. Shortly after going through the last pass, Pizzaro came to a decision. The river was too great an impediment. The main body would wait for a limited time while a group of around 40 soldiers would search down river. Their goal was to survey the area, find the local native population, and hopefully find more information on El Dorado. They were under the command of Don Pedro; they would proceed downriver on rafts. Don Lupe de Aguirre(Klaus Kinski) would be second in command.; he had brought his 15 year old daughter along on the expedition. Father Gaspar de Carvajal came along to convert the heathens.

This sets up the doomed scenario. Aguirre sets up a mutiny against Don Pedro when he opts to turn back when one of the rafts gets caught in an eddy and it crew is murdered by hostile Indians. Aguirre leads the men who are willing to risk all for gold and glory. He holds up the example of Cortez in Mexico as evidence that such an ending was possible. Of course Cortez literally burned his boats behind. His men could follow him to victory or die. Cortez achieved wealth and fame, and Spain because of the riches on the New World became the most powerful and richest country in Europe.

This expedition ended in total failure. We have only the account of Father Carvajal to tell the story. Herzog found out . about Aguirre in a book about conquistadores. The story intrigued him. He wanted to make this into a movie. So he wrote an outline and contacted Klaus Kinski. This film was the beginning of their 15 yeal collaboration. I'm not sure about Aguirre's looks, but it seems unlikely that he was a blue eyed blonde. It is significant that Herzog made no attempt to use make-up on Kinski. Even at this early stage Kinski was Kinski.
He shot into a hut where crew members were sleeping. Kinski and Herzog had a showdown where Herzog threatened him with shooting if he left the shoot. In the closing scene Aguirre is the lone person left alive.
He is on the final raft with a bevy of monkeys who suddenly appeared. His madness becomes more apparent as the scene goes on. Herzog kept Kinski was exhausted; this moderated his performance, so Herzog got what he wanted in a single take. Despite the Wilderness location, this production didn't experience the disasters that "Fitzcaraldo" had to contend with.

The film was made on a limited budget. The dialogue was unintelligible; everything had to be dubbed back in Germany. Kinski wanted more money; Herzog had his part dubbed by another actor. Herzog has a fondness for protagonists with supreme visions who are brought down by the workings of fate. This is beautifully filmed by Thomas Mauch. They used a 35mm camera which Herzog had stolen years before from a film school in Germany. The score is arresting; Popul Vuh had a band, but he was also classically trained. Herzog used him on a number of films. There was no real script. The film was an improvisation. The characters and the action were discussed, but what happened including the dialogue was improvised. Typically for Herzog; the budget was minimal. Herzog used tricks and cons to continue filming.

This is a magnificent film, but very strange. Herzog may be too out there for many film fans. I recommend it very highly. Give Herzog a try. There is an English language version available to stream for free.

 

[zymurg]

I can watch bad movies all by myself, But in honor of closing Year Two of Films Worth Viewing, I have decided to include two warnings. The first," Earthquake" is just a bad example of disaster films, with a couple of twists.

Mark Robson was a highly competent director of B pictures. This was a chance at an A picture: "Earthquake"-Mark Robson-1974. The Poseidon Adventure had shown the way for massive productions with dozens of stars to be a very profitable venture. Universal hired Mario Puzzo to write the script, 10 versions later, Puzzo had long since departed for the "Godfather" films. Another writer struggled, so Robson did some fixing.

Not everything is bad in this film; the effects are pretty solid. Credit should be given to Frank Bandel and to Glenn Robinson who designed and supervised the miniatures. It should have been a warning to all when during the first day of shooting there was a minor earth quake. The central plot device is a scientific theory that when a minor quake occurs and is followed by another quake within 24 hours; this is the setup for "The big one" within 48 hours. This film to its credit doesn't portray scientists as fools lacking common sense. They take a chance and go to the authorities with their theory after the first small quake. The authorities try to strike a balance between alarmist over reaction, and ignoring the science. Things deteriorate too fast.

The film includes a cast of major names: Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner (she took the gig so she could spend summer in LA) , George Kennedy (reprising his Airport success), Lorne Greene (about the 5th choice), Genevieve Bujold (making the third film in a 3 film contract), Richard Roundtree (no one is quite sure why a motorcycle stuntman becomes a central character), Lloyd Nolan (whose part as a dedicated doctor is cut severely), Walter Matthau (playing an incredibly stupid drunk role under an assumed name as a favor), and Pedro Armendirez Jr (his connection to disaster will be explained in part two)

The major weirdness associated with this film was a new sound system, Sensesurround. This system was designed so that very low pitched sounds would give the theater audience some of the experience of being in an earthquake. It caused small pieces of the ceiling to drop in several venues. When the film was first televised, NBC arranged to have local FM stations broadcast the soundtrack. The film released for TV was two long for a single night 2 hour viewing with commercials. It was too short for two nights. There was quite a bit of extra film available, but most of it would never get by the TV censors. A whole new sub plot was added and filmed.

Despite all the problems, this was a success at the box office (4th biggest grossing fil of 1974) and it drew very high TV ratings. I didn't search for a free streaming alternative. To be continued

 

[zymurg]

"The Conqueror"-Dick Powell-1956

This is sometimes called the RKO radioactive picture. 91 of about 240 cast and crew contracted cancer. This doesn't include the hundreds of Navaho extras nor other locals. The picture was filmed in Utah near the site of 5 nuclear tests in the past year. The Atomic Energy Commission assured the local residents and Howard Hughes who financed and produced the picture that the area was safe. Hughes paid to bring 60 tons of local dirt back to Hollywood to complete filming. 40 + people died from cancer including Wayne, Powell, and Susan Hayward.
The most spectacular death was that of Pedro Armendirez. The cancer hit him so strongly while filming "From Russia with Love" that the director covered for him in long shots. When he returned home he shot himself when he realized that he had no hope of treatment. His son was featured in our previous disaster film, "Earthquake".

Of course this wasn't all that was wrong with the film. John Wayne as Genghis Khan is probably one of the worst bits of casting in cinema history. Even stranger, Wayne wanted the role. Susan Hayward was just as much out of place as a Tartar Princess. The performances are wooden. The script has some really bad dialogue. Powell had morphed from an actor to a decent director, but he was off his game. Hughes paid 12 million for the film so it couldn't be reissued . He called this his worst decision ever. The film's commercial failure sunk RKO. The critics hated it. It is Wayne's worst; it was selected as the worst film of the year by several groups.
It consistently makes the lists forthe worst 50 Hollywood films of all time.

Hughes estate lost control of the film after his death, so it occasionally appears on television. I don't think this is a case of being so bad it is a guilty pleasure. Wayne hated this film. Believe me, this isn't like Rooster Cogburn which I just watched and found quite enjoyable. The only reason to watch this film is to wallow in the mire of cinematic failure. It is available to stream for free. It is available on DVD as a part of a 10 film collection which includes lesser Wayne films that have fallen into the possession of Universal. Several of the films were originally released by other studios. This concludes Year Two of Films Worth Viewing. As T.S. Eliot
would put it: "This is the way the year ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper.

 

[dbmill]

"The Conqueror"-Dick Powell-1956

This is sometimes called the RKO radioactive picture. 91 of about 240 cast and crew contracted cancer. This doesn't include the hundreds of Navaho extras nor other locals. The picture was filmed in Utah near the site of 5 nuclear tests in the past year. The Atomic Energy Commission assured the local residents and Howard Hughes who financed and produced the picture that the area was safe. Hughes paid to bring 60 tons of local dirt back to Hollywood to complete filming. 40 + people died from cancer including Wayne, Powell, and Susan Hayward.
The most spectacular death was that of Pedro Armendirez. The cancer hit him so strongly while filming "From Russia with Love" that the director covered for him in long shots. When he returned home he shot himself when he realized that he had no hope of treatment. His son was featured in our previous disaster film, "Earthquake".

Of course this wasn't all that was wrong with the film. John Wayne as Genghis Khan is probably one of the worst bits of casting in cinema history. Even stranger, Wayne wanted the role. Susan Hayward was just as much out of place as a Tartar Princess. The performances are wooden. The script has some really bad dialogue. Powell had morphed from an actor to a decent director, but he was off his game. Hughes paid 12 million for the film so it couldn't be reissued . He called this his worst decision ever. The film's commercial failure sunk RKO. The critics hated it. It is Wayne's worst; it was selected as the worst film of the year by several groups.
It consistently makes the lists forthe worst 50 Hollywood films of all time.

Hughes estate lost control of the film after his death, so it occasionally appears on television. I don't think this is a case of being so bad it is a guilty pleasure. Wayne hated this film. Believe me, this isn't like Rooster Cogburn which I just watched and found quite enjoyable. The only reason to watch this film is to wallow in the mire of cinematic failure. It is available to stream for free. It is available on DVD as a part of a 10 film collection which includes lesser Wayne films that have fallen into the possession of Universal. Several of the films were originally released by other studios. This concludes Year Two of Films Worth Viewing. As T.S. Eliot
would put it: "This is the way the year ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper.

I've seen "The Conqueror" a couple of times. It definitely leaves a bad taste in your mouth, it is pretty bad.