Films Worth Viewing Year 2

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"Ben- Hur"-William Wyler-1959

This film is one of only 3 films to win 11 Oscars. William Wyler was nominated for best director 11 times. He is supposed to have remarked that it took a Jew to make a great film about Christ. Wyler was a master of spectacles. His producer, Sam Weisman, died during the production, so he was forced to assume the lead producers in addition to his directing responsibilities. He survived a bout with influenza, but he only missed 2 days out of a 9 months shooting schedule at Cinne Citta in Rome.

The chariot race is one of the great set pieces in film history. It required 10,000 extras and the largest everfilm set. Yakima Canut stunt God directed the filming of the race. He also served as an instructor in Chariot driving for Charlton Heston (Ben- Hur) and Stephen Boyd (Messala). 263 feet of film was shot for every foot used in the chariot race. The editing is seamless. $4 million of the reported $15 million budget went to the filming of the chariot race. The film was originally budgeted at $5 million; fortunately it returned $75 million at the box office.
It is interesting to note that this is the last MGM film to receive a best picture Oscar.

The source material was the novel "Ben- Hur : A story of the Christ" by General Lew Wallace. Wallace was a Union general n the Civil War. It was a huge success, and three silent films were made based on the story. The more famous featured Francis X as Messala and Ramon Navaro as Judah Ben-Hur. Surprisingly, I couldn't find a free streaming option, but the 1959 film is available on YouTube.This 1925 film is credited with being the foundation of MGM. You can watch the chariot race which has a real epic crash; extras died in the sea battle. A new score was written for this version. You can watch the chariot race on Daily Motion (best version). The deaths and injuries in this film caused rules to be established to ensure safety in future films.

 

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I should mention several members of the cast: Finlay Currie is an excellent Balthasar, the Israeli actress, Haya Harareet plays Esther, Jack Hawkins give a very solid performance as Quintas Arrias, but the best performance goes to Hugh Griffith as Sheik Ilderrim in an Oscar winning performance. This is a true epic. The running time is over 3 hours. The score by Mikos Raza is one of the most famous in film history. This is a must see. You will find that there is little wasted time. I haven't seen the latest re-make, but this film which is 60 years old has aged superbly. Even Heston's performance is very solid.

 

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"Ben- Hur"-William Wyler-1959

This film is one of only 3 films to win 11 Oscars. William Wyler was nominated for best director 11 times. He is supposed to have remarked that it took a Jew to make a great film about Christ. Wyler was a master of spectacles. His producer, Sam Weisman, died during the production, so he was forced to assume the lead producers in addition to his directing responsibilities. He survived a bout with influenza, but he only missed 2 days out of a 9 months shooting schedule at Cinne Citta in Rome.

The chariot race is one of the great set pieces in film history. It required 10,000 extras and the largest everfilm set. Yakima Canut stunt God directed the filming of the race. He also served as an instructor in Chariot driving for Charlton Heston (Ben- Hur) and Stephen Boyd (Messala). 263 feet of film was shot for every foot used in the chariot race. The editing is seamless. $4 million of the reported $15 million budget went to the filming of the chariot race. The film was originally budgeted at $5 million; fortunately it returned $75 million at the box office.
It is interesting to note that this is the last MGM film to receive a best picture Oscar.

The source material was the novel "Ben- Hur : A story of the Christ" by General Lew Wallace. Wallace was a Union general n the Civil War. It was a huge success, and three silent films were made based on the story. The more famous featured Francis X as Messala and Ramon Navaro as Judah Ben-Hur. Surprisingly, I couldn't find a free streaming option, but the 1959 film is available on YouTube.This 1925 film is credited with being the foundation of MGM. You can watch the chariot race which has a real epic crash; extras died in the sea battle. A new score was written for this version. You can watch the chariot race on Daily Motion (best version). The deaths and injuries in this film caused rules to be established to ensure safety in future films.

By coincidence, Ben-Hur is showing later today on Turner Classic Movies at 4pm Eastern time. It's Charlton Heston day on that channel.

Best parts of the movie for me are the galley slave/sea battle/adrift on the raft/rescue at sea sequence, the epic chariot race, along with any scenes in which Jack Hawkins, Hugh Griffith, or Finley Currie appear. For me Currie is a welcome presence in a number of films over the years.

 

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"L.A. Confidential"-Curtis Hanson-1997

This is considered a landmark neo-noir film. I don't believe that it reaches the level of "Chinatown", but it's close. James Ellroy is one of the best crime novelists, and he loves L.A. "L.A.Confidential" is more than complex.
He thought that there was no way it could be turned into a film. Enter Brian Hegeland who pursued Curtis Hanson on the set of "River Wild." He had spent years writing 7 drafts and developing a workable script. Hanson bought into the project. This of course was only the beginning; there were 80 speaking roles to be cast.
There were locations to be found; it is hard to think of a major city which had undergone more physical changes than L.A.. There were costumes, props, and interiors which must be period correct. Hanson developed a filmography for principal cast members to watch. The purpose was to put the cast in the mood. The film sought to create a realistic Los Angeles of the 1950"s which was the necessary background for the film.

The casting was interesting. First Hanson decided that the film must have 3 protagonists as the book did. None of the 3 leads was a "star." Kevin Spacey plays Jack Vincennes, a public figure who served as a technical consultant for Badge Of Honor a "Dragnet" stand in. He also had a profitable relationship with the scandal rag
Hush, Hush a "Confidential" stand in. He worked with Sid Hudgens (Danny De Vito) the publisher and do it all sleeze journalist to set up celebrity arrests for magazine stories.

Russell Crowe plays Bud White a detective with a violent streak particularly where abused womwn are concerned. Crowe was worried that he wouldn't be credible in this ultimate tough guy role. He has disdain
for Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) a by the book college educated rising star. The L.A. police are trying to improve the department's image.

Mickey Cohen had controlled of L.A."s underworld. He was arrested of the federal charge of income tax evasion and sentenced to ten years in prison. Almost immediately his lieutenants were being killed. Then there was a mass murder at the Nite Owl cafe. The investigation of this mass murder brings together our three protagonists in an attempt to solve the crime.

I should mention the key performances of Kim Bassinger (Oscar winner) and James Crowell as a leading captain in the L.A. Police. Crowell was coming off his leading role in "Babe." This role turns audience expectations on its head. The plot is so complex, that this commentary would have to reach novella length to do it justice. My answer, watch the film. It is available to stream for free, try roku.

This is a must see, particularly for noir fans.

 

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A number of years ago I got the DVD of "Big Fish" as a Christmas gift. At the time I hadn't given any thought to ever seeing this film. So the movie sat on my DVD shelf until one night my wife and I decided to give it a watch. We were both rather impressed with this movie, as it showed quite a bit of imagination to it. My reaction to it pretty much is reflected in the above review. I haven't watched it in a number of years, but from what I recall the giant showing up at the funeral was the highlight of the movie for me.

By the way, our favorite Tim Burton film remains "Ed Wood" (whenever the subject of Bill Murray comes up, my wife always starts talking about this film). "Ed Wood" for many years got regular viewing in our house around Halloween time. "Big Fish" and "Big Eyes" rank just after "Ed Wood" for me on my list of favorite Tim Burton movies.

This review got me thinking of Tim Burton, so I just added "Sweeney Todd" to my Netflix Queue. Sooner or later I'll get around to it.

I can't remember the "why" of why I decided one day to watch "Big Fish". I didn't know much about it at the time. But it's one of those movies where, if you do watch it, it has an impact that will stay with you. Once McGregor stepped into the village, I was ready for anything and everything. It's a fun ride and well worth your time.

 

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"The King's Choice"-Eric Poppe-2016

Perhaps the term "quisling" is part of your vocabulary. Vikund Quisling was the leader of the fascist National Union party in Norway. In two national elections they never were able to elect a member of the Norwegian parliament (Stulling). When Germany invaded in April of 1940, he, with Hitler's approval, headed a coup d'etat
over the national radio service. Hitler wanted King Haakon VII to accept Quisling as the legal leader of Norway's government. This would provide legal cover for the invasion, and Hitler correctly believed that Haakon's acceptance would mean considerable Norwegian support for this puppet regime. The Scandanavian countries had committed to neutrality at the beginning of WWII.

Norway was ill prepared for war. The Germans actually invaded before Norway mobilized. Thirty-five years before Haakon arrived in Norway as the newly elected king. He came from the Danish royal family. He refrained from politics. He was active in charities and national events. Most Norwegians regarded him and his family highly; they were symbols of national unity. The elected government couldn't agree on a coherent policy with regard to the war. They hoped that Nazi Germany would honor their neutrality. German sent a massive sea force,but when a fortress sank one German cruiser and badly damaged another, the German's had to delay their entry into Oslo. This allowed the government and the royal family to escape. The German's pursued them, but Hitler charged the German envoy, Curt Braurer, to negotiate with the King to gain his acceptance of a Quisling regime.

I will let you in on what you probably have guessed, I didn't know all this before I watched "The King's Choice."
The movie involved me so that I needed to know more. This is an unusual war film; there is very little conflict. That is the shooting type of conflict. King Haakon and the German envoy both have find a way to do their duty.

This is a very good film. It is well shot, and I cared about the characters. It is available on Prime with subtitles.
It is historically accurate, and it was very popular in Norway where it swept the awards. It was Norway's official entry to the Oscars. This is well worth viewing and is highly recommended. If this topic interests you, you might opt to view "April 6th". This is the story of a single platoon in the Danish army's resistance to Germany's invasion of Denmark. It doesn't approach the quality of "The King's Choice," but it is watchable.
It is available on IMDb.

 

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"West Side Story"-Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins-1961

On December 18th of this year a new production of "West Side Story" directed by Stephen Spielberg will open.
Why this musical? Why any traditional musical? If you are Stephen Spielberg you can make any movie you want. As he tells it , he was won over by the original cast album from 1957. He wasn't the only one. Several of the cast members of this current production echo similar sentiments. The original movie received 10 Oscars, the most for any movie. Of course the movie is an adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet." Spielberg's production will feature one member of the original cast, Rita Moreno. She is 88 and she plays the wife of Doc who now manages the candy store.

Until the Cohen Brothers, Wise and Robbins were the only duo to win the Best Director Oscar. Robbins was sidelined during production because his re-shoots were taking too much time and costing too much money, Wise did it all for the rest of the picture including the dance sequences which were already planned. On Broadway, Robbins did everything. There are no opening credits, after a musical prelude, we find ourselves high above Manhattan looking down on the city. The end credits (Saul Bass) appear as writing on a wall.

What is in the middle almost an opera rather than a musical. There is little dialogue, most of the story is told in song by members of two street gangs. The non singing and dancing characters are the police (Simon Oakland and William Brimley) and Ned Glass (Doc) the candy store owner. The Jets and the Sharks are two street gangs who are contending over a small bit of territory. The Sharks are Puerto Rican interlopers. When the musical was originally conceived, the duelling gangs were Irish and Italian. The influx of Puerto Ricans into NYC after WWII made them more suited as interlopers. The differences in language,culture,and color, made them better opposites. In 1961 the gang members and their girls wore make-up to achieve Hispanic skin tones. Rita Moreno was just about the only Puerto Rican in the cast. Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks, was played by George Chakiris (a Greek American). The language was similarly made over. Arthur Laurents wanted the book to have selective profanity, but even on Broadway that was a no go. The screen version by Ernest Lehman was even tamer.

Of course the actors were dubbed. Nathalie Wood was dubbed by Marni Nixon. She also dubbed one song for Rita Moreno. I think one of Wood's best scenes is at the dance where she first sees Tony (Richard Beymer). If you remember the sequence, the viewer becomes aware of these two individuals on the sidelines.
The other dancers become indistinct, slowly the two individuals on the sidelines are in focus. Nathalie Wood's facial expressions are wonderful, Beymer's not so much. This is a huge sell,love at first sight. This is Maria's first dance. Tony has a background of expectation, he is waiting for something wonderful to happen.
You have to sell that moment.

On IMDb they have a section for viewer comments. There are 396 written comments; of those 124 give the film 10 out of 10. About 20+ % don't rank by numbers. I don't like number rankings. Musicals are far from my favorite genre, but this is a great movie. I'llbe interested to see what Spielberg does with it. I acknowledge that to many viewers, it is a cultural artifact. I believe that there is still a very special somrthing there. It is available on Amazon Prime.

 

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"Funeral in Berlin"-Guy Hamilton-1966

Hamilton directed several Bond films including "Goldfinger." The Harry Palmer films were the antithesis of the Bond mystique. Palmer is a working class Brit who likes classical music and cooking. He is an underpaid MI5 agent with a criminal past. His superior is Col. Ross (Guy Doleman). He gave Palmer (Michael Caine) the alternative of joining MI5 or prison. This assignment is to pick up a Russian defector in East Berlin. The defector. Col .Stok (Oscar Homulka), would be of considerable value, but Palmer has his doubts that he really is serious about defecting. The local Berlin of MI5, Johnny Vulkan (Paul Hubschmidt) made the initial contact.

Palmer sets up an elaborate scheme to get Col.Stok out of East Berlin using the services of Kreutzman (Gunter Messner) a specialist in bringing defectors out of East Berlin. Of course, nothing is as it seems. This is a solid film which was shot in Berlin and Shepperton Studios. Surprisingly, it was a success with neither the critics nor the public. The police on the wall tried to hamper shooting the film by using light reflected by mirrors into the cameras. That meant that shots across the border had to be made from a distance. Messner and Homulka are excellent, and Caine is every bit as good as he was in "The Ipcress File." The plot is full of twists and turns. This is a satisfying effort. It's on Amazon Prime.

The third Palmer film, "The Billion Dollar Brain" is an over the top effort. It has a crazed performance by Ed Begley as a Texas based billionaire who has planned to overthrow Communism. He spent a billion dollars on a computer which helps to plan everything. Kurt Malden appears as one of his lieutenants. This is available to stream for free on Daily Motion.

I highly recommend "Funeral in Berlin." "The Billion Dollar Brain" is optional, it's not totally awful, but you can have a perfectly happy life without ever seeing this film.

 

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"A Most Wanted Man"-Adam Corbijn-2014

The story comes from a John Le Carre novel of the same name. It is based on the real life story of a Turkish man arrested in Pakistan. He was imprisoned in Kandhar and then in Guantanamo Bay. Le Carre's two sons were involved in the production. Le Carre has a Hitchcock moment where he appears unbilled in a scene. He also did some work on the script. The film is an independent production with dozens of financial supporters. It was filmed entirely in Germany. 38 of 40 days were filmed in Hamburg where the story is set. Most of the principal cast were American. Some commentators complained about the bad German accents. Some felt the story was anti-American or politically correct. All of us bring expectations to the films we view. My viewpoint is to try and respond to what is on the screen. Of course, I do make viewing choices based on my interests and past experiences. Why did I choose this film? I like espionage movies, and I think Phillip Seymour Hoffman is a terrific and versatile actor. Knowing the story came from a John Le Carre novel led me to expect less overt action and more thought.

In 2001 there was a terrorist attack on Hamburg. While there was information available which might have prevented this attack, it still occurred. There is a clear reference to 9/11 in the US. Remember that many of the actors in the 9/11 attack were originally based in Germany. Western countries do a much better job of sharing intelligence now. Germany in particular has many residents who come from countries where Islam is the predominant religion. In Germany as well as in the US there are government agencies which operate outside the conventional legal boundaries. The plot features one such agency in Hamburg led by Gunthur Buchman (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). He and his subordinates identify possible bad actors, and they try to get close to them. Buchman doesn't ignore the immediate dangers of a local incident, but his group is focused on a long game. The long game seeks to identify and manage lower level players. Once they are identified, the organization seeks to use the information they provide to identify mid level players. Finally the goal is to reach the top levels of terrorist networks. The best analogy is drug trafficking; if your focus is on street trafficking; you will never get near to solving the problem. The allure of flashy busts often ruins the long game. Governments often opt for style over substance.

A young man enters Hamburg illegally. He has been tortured in Chechnya by the Russians. He had a Chechen mother and a Russian father. He has come to Hamburg seeking his father's money. This money is on deposit in a Hamburg bank headed by Tommy Broc (Willem Dafoe). Buchman's group notices his arrival.
They are quickly pressured by another security agency. For the moment Buchman is able to hold them off.
He co-opts the banker and Issa Karpov's lawyer, Annabel Richter (Rachael McAdams). As Buchman puts it
"We are not your enemy-we are your solution." Issa turns out to have an inheritance of 10 million euros. He decides he doesn't want the money. His father raped his mother, and he was a brutal criminal in other ways.
Buchman pushes to have the money given to Islamic charities. The main fund raiser for these charities is
is a public appearing moderate professor. Buchman believes he is diverting part of the money raised for charitable purposes to terrorists.

I've ended up revealing more of the plot than I should have. What is most interesting for me is how the characters approach their part of the story. The acting is never less than good, but Hoffman really shines.
His Buchman is real, not a character. He isn't desk bound, he pushes himself to the front lines. While he pursues his intelligence goals; he continually has to fight off other government agencies including the US government (CIA?).

Very highly recommended. This is available on Prime and streams on YouTube. One caveat this focuses on character, ideas, and plot. There aren't any flash bangs. So for some it may seem slow, but hopefully my comment will help you discern if this is a film you will find worth viewing.

 

[storrsroars]

Just wanted to note that "Nobody's Fool" is now streaming free on Amazon till end of Sept. It's a small movie about nothing important, but Paul Newman makes it a great watch.

 

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"My Man Godfrey"-Gregory LaCava-1936

This has a funny and clever trailer. The introduction credits are also worth seeing (they run in lights across drawings of buildings.) Ted Tetzlaff is director of photography. The script is by Morrie Ryskind and Eric Hatcher from his novel. I'm not sure why MGM loaned out William Powell;"The Thin Man" assured his status as a top leading man. He picked hisex-wife, Carole Lombard, as his co-star. This was a solid comedy cast:Eugene Pallette, Misha Auer, and Gail Patrick.

The story starts engagingly; a scavenger hunt brings some of the idle rich to the dump to find a forgotten man.
Godfrey Smith chooses to go with Irene(Lombard) rather than with her sister Constance (Patrick). Irene wins the contest and she hires Godfrey as the family Butler.

Of course there is a developing love story between Godfrey and Irene. In this dysfunctional family it is barely noticed. Godfrey tries to be the best butler he can be. He also must conceal his secret. Constance has a nasty streak, and she tries to make trouble. Mrs. Bullock wastes time and money with Carlo (Misha Auer). Mr. Bullock has the best lines:" All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people." Or how about: Life in this house is one subpoena after another."

The film had a bundle of Oscar nominations, but didn't win a single one. It made money, but Universal needed Diana Durbin to become solvent again. The film is considered by many to be one of the best screwball comedies. It has its moments, but I find Lombard's performance annoying and lacking. Powell is great, but the romance is central to the story. It does not seem plausible to me.

This is available every where since it went into the public domain. The print on Prime is excellent. I should warn you that my opinion is not shared by most viewers.

 

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"My Man Godfrey"-Gregory LaCava-1936

This has a funny and clever trailer. The introduction credits are also worth seeing (they run in lights across drawings of buildings.) Ted Tetzlaff is director of photography. The script is by Morrie Ryskind and Eric Hatcher from his novel. I'm not sure why MGM loaned out William Powell;"The Thin Man" assured his status as a top leading man. He picked hisex-wife, Carole Lombard, as his co-star. This was a solid comedy cast:Eugene Pallette, Misha Auer, and Gail Patrick.

The story starts engagingly; a scavenger hunt brings some of the idle rich to the dump to find a forgotten man.
Godfrey Smith chooses to go with Irene(Lombard) rather than with her sister Constance (Patrick). Irene wins the contest and she hires Godfrey as the family Butler.

Of course there is a developing love story between Godfrey and Irene. In this dysfunctional family it is barely noticed. Godfrey tries to be the best butler he can be. He also must conceal his secret. Constance has a nasty streak, and she tries to make trouble. Mrs. Bullock wastes time and money with Carlo (Misha Auer). Mr. Bullock has the best lines:" All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people." Or how about: Life in this house is one subpoena after another."

The film had a bundle of Oscar nominations, but didn't win a single one. It made money, but Universal needed Diana Durbin to become solvent again. The film is considered by many to be one of the best screwball comedies. It has its moments, but I find Lombard's performance annoying and lacking. Powell is great, but the romance is central to the story. It does not seem plausible to me.

This is available every where since it went into the public domain. The print on Prime is excellent. I should warn you that my opinion is not shared by most viewers.

"My Man Godfrey" is one of my favorite comedies, and is one of my favorite films from this time period. It gets billed as a screwball comedy (which it is), but this movie does have a serious side as well, when William Powell's character launches a campaign to help out his former "forgotten man" compatriots in the second half of the movie. I do concur that Eugene Pallette as Mr. Bullock gets the best lines in this movie.

 

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"All Quiet on the Western Front"-Lewis Milestone-1930

The film ends with a memorable image. A soldier through his rifle port in the trench sees a butterfly near a can in front of the trench. He needs to touch that butterfly,so he raises his head up above the trench wall and extends his hand above the wall. His hand gets ever closer to the butterfly. Beyond the wall an enemy sniper takes aim. His hand gets closer and closer to the wall. Then a bang of a shot. We see the hand clench and finally relax. The soldier is dead. Remember in the last few frames we saw only his hand; he has become anonymous. Then in a final few frames we see his face again among thousands of his comrades, and finally a huge graveyard with an unending sea of crosses.

You might ask, why should we care? Ah, we care because Paul (Lew Ayers) is the central protagonist in the film.
We have followed him from his decision to enlist. He led a group of his fellow students to enlist. Outside the classroom there is a huge military parade. Inside the classroom the teacher encourages his students to enlist to serve and defend the fatherland. Yes, the classroom is in Germany. The film is based on a celebrated novel by Erich Maria Remarque. Remarque wrote a sequel, "The Road Back", which was also made into a film at Universal.
This time the film was directed by James Whale; we know him for his work in the horror genre, but we looked at his "Showboat" as well.

Back to All Quiet, we follow Paul through four years of war. His friends die;he is wounded. His return home is more than uncomfortable. He comes back to the front;he searches out Kat an older soldier who taught him how to survive. Kat is out scavenging for food for the squad. They meet up, but Kat is wounded by a plane attack. Paul seeks to carry him out of danger. While Paul is carrying him to the aide station, he receives a fatal wound. Paul is unaware of this. When he arrives at the aide station, the soldiers there make no special notice. Kat is just another dead soldier.

The world wide audience which saw this film, is not today's audience. This was the very early days of sound, and even motion pictures were not that understood. There was still much of the magic which led early audiences to jump back from pictures of trains hurtling down the track. Milestone relied on this silent magic to conclude the film. There is no dialogue and only one sound. I'm not sure if I've written one thousand words to describe a few shots of the movie. This is storytelling of the most imaginative. The final scenes are set up by two hours of story.

Just a little about Lew Ayers. He was only 22 when the film was made. He was Milestone's choice for the role.
Ayers became a pacifist. He served in WWII but as a medic. This almost ruined his movie career. Olivia de Haviland held out for Ayers to play the lead in a picture in 1946. He was nominated for his performance in "Johnny Belinda." This is available for streaming on YouTube. This is an enduring classic.

 

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"Witness for the Prosecution"- Billy Wilder-1947

This is a wonderfully clever film. The advertising campaign was equally clever. Don't reveal the ending. In fact when a special showing was arranged for the British Royal Family, they were asked to maintain secrecy about the ending. Of course this wouldn't work if the ending wasn't good. The film was written by Billy Wilder and Harry Kurnitz. This was Kurnitz's only collaboration with Wilder who he found maddening. He called Wilder Mr.Hyde and Mr.Hyde; he was without Dr. Jeckyl side. Surprisingly, Wilder was admired by all the actors. Charles Laughton and his wife Elsa Lanchester entertained him. Tyrone Power said this was one of the three films in his career of which he was proud. Marlene Dietrich said he was one of her three favorite directors; the others were Sternberg and Orson Welles. (Welles helped Dietrich with her special makeup.)

This is basically a courtroom drama. The principal set was was a painstaking reconstruction of the London Central Criminal Court. It was all filmed on MGM's backlot. They had me fooled. Leonard Vole is accused of murdering a wealthy widow. Vole (Tyrone Power) tries to hire Sir Wilfred Roberts (Charles Laughton) London's finest criminal barrister. Unfortunately, Roberts is recovering from a heart attack; his doctors have forbidden him to take any criminal cases. They have dispatched Miss Plimsoll (Elsa Lanchester) to see that he sticks to a treatment and rest regime. (Plimsoll is the British word for sneaker. Lanchester doesn't sneak around.) the interplay between the two witty and fun filled.

Naturally, Sir Wilfred takes the case. He meets Vole's wife Christine (Marlene Dietrich). Vole met and married her at the end of World War II in Germany. Sir Wilfred is taken aback by her attitude; Vole is depending upon her as an a witness. Laughton is tremendous in this role. He received one of the 4 Oscar nominations, but the film won none.

The film is available on Prime. Dietrich gives one of the best performances of her career. While this isn't Wilder's best film, it is still compelling viewing more than 60 years after it opened. This is two hours of pure enjoyment. Should anyone care; there are other versions available. There is a good 1982 film (available to stream), and a 2016 BBC mini-series which goes back to Agatha Christie's original. You really should view this film.

 

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"The Bishop's Wife"-Henry Koster-1947

Goldwyn was totally dissatisfied with this production. He fired the director and brought in a new director. The film opens with a well dressed stranger walking down a busy street. He stops to help a blind man cross the street. Then he notices a women lifting up one child to better view a Christmas window. As she does this her baby carriage begins to roll along the sidewalk. Just before the carriage rolls into the side street, the stranger
stops the carriage. She is both thankful and contrite as she promises the stranger never to let this happen again. We, the audience, have immediately recognized Cary Grant. We find out that he is named Dudley. We are never sure if this is his first or last name. He later declares to Bishop Brougham that he is angel. Cary Grant
was originally cast as the Bishop with David Niven playing the angel. Grant opposed the change, but Koster eventually won him over. Dudley has immense charm and charisma on screen, Cary Grant trademarks; it certainly would have been a different picture with the roles as originally cast.

Hollywood excelled in this type of pleasant fantasy. This picture was shooting simultaneously with "The Miracle of 34th Street." 'The Bishop's Wife" is barely remembered today. It never achieved a spot in the holiday film rota. Still this is well acted, well scripted, and well shot. The supporting cast particularly Elsa Lanchester as the maid and Joseph Gleeson as a taxi driver is solid.

The Bishop has lost his way. His push to build a great cathedral occupies all his time. His marriage to Julia (Loretta Young) is suffering. He is unhappy, and the joy is gone from his life. He prays to God, and Dudley is the answer. Dudley has his own problem, he falls for a human woman, Julia. He stops himself, and in addition to solving the cahedral situation, Julia and Bishop Henry are reunited. Along the way Dudley helps the delightful Professor Wutheridge (Monte Wooley) to write a significant book on Roman history. This is not
a prequel to Wim Wender's "Wings of Desire." This is Hollywood whimsy of the late 40's, well done and enjoyable. This is available on Prime and on free streaming elsewhere. Highly recommended.

 

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"The Bishop's Wife"-Henry Koster-1947

Goldwyn was totally dissatisfied with this production. He fired the director and brought in a new director. The film opens with a well dressed stranger walking down a busy street. He stops to help a blind man cross the street. Then he notices a women lifting up one child to better view a Christmas window. As she does this her baby carriage begins to roll along the sidewalk. Just before the carriage rolls into the side street, the stranger
stops the carriage. She is both thankful and contrite as she promises the stranger never to let this happen again. We, the audience, have immediately recognized Cary Grant. We find out that he is named Dudley. We are never sure if this is his first or last name. He later declares to Bishop Brougham that he is angel. Cary Grant
was originally cast as the Bishop with David Niven playing the angel. Grant opposed the change, but Koster eventually won him over. Dudley has immense charm and charisma on screen, Cary Grant trademarks; it certainly would have been a different picture with the roles as originally cast.

Hollywood excelled in this type of pleasant fantasy. This picture was shooting simultaneously with "The Miracle of 34th Street." 'The Bishop's Wife" is barely remembered today. It never achieved a spot in the holiday film rota. Still this is well acted, well scripted, and well shot. The supporting cast particularly Elsa Lanchester as the maid and Joseph Gleeson as a taxi driver is solid.

The Bishop has lost his way. His push to build a great cathedral occupies all his time. His marriage to Julia (Loretta Young) is suffering. He is unhappy, and the joy is gone from his life. He prays to God, and Dudley is the answer. Dudley has his own problem, he falls for a human woman, Julia. He stops himself, and in addition to solving the cahedral situation, Julia and Bishop Henry are reunited. Along the way Dudley helps the delightful Professor Wutheridge (Monte Wooley) to write a significant book on Roman history. This is not
a prequel to Wim Wender's "Wings of Desire." This is Hollywood whimsy of the late 40's, well done and enjoyable. This is available on Prime and on free streaming elsewhere. Highly recommended.

For me, James Gleason is usually a welcome addition to the cast of movies from this time period. Cary Grant carries the film for me, and both Gleason and Monty Woolley add a nice touch as well. "The Bishop's Wife" is a very good film and one of the better Christmas movies around. "Miracle on 34th Street" is also mentioned here, for me that one is one of my top four Christmas films of all time, I just love it.

 

[zymurg]

For me, James Gleason is usually a welcome addition to the cast of movies from this time period. Cary Grant carries the film for me, and both Gleason and Monty Woolley add a nice touch as well. "The Bishop's Wife" is a very good film and one of the better Christmas movies around. "Miracle on 34th Street" is also mentioned here, for me that one is one of my top four Christmas films of all time, I just love it.

I believe that Koster made the right choice; Grant owns this role. The ice skating sequence is a delight. Grant is a total pro, and it is a real pleasure to view this performance.

 

[dbmill]

I believe that Koster made the right choice; Grant owns this role. The ice skating sequence is a delight. Grant is a total pro, and it is a real pleasure to view this performance.

Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart are my favorite movie actors of all time, with James Stewart not far behind them at number 3. Totally agree with what you say about Grant in "The Bishop's Wife", so much that is hard to imagine the Grant and Niven roles being reversed. And Niven was hardly a slouch actor. One of my favorite movies is "A Matter of Life and Death", which I have mentioned before in this thread. Niven is absolutely wonderful in that film, but the role of Dudley and Cary Grant is the perfect match.

 

[zymurg]

"To Kill a Mockingbird"-Robert Mulligan-1962

Few things are more powerful than the unlocking of human memories. The film's credits begin with the opening of a cigar box. Inside the box we see two carved figures, a pair of glasses, an old pocket watch, and some crayons. We are being invited to share someone's memories. A hand removes a crayon which is used to write the title:"To Kill a Mockingbird." The we hear an adult voice in narration (Kim Stanley) taking us back in time to the summer of 1932 in a small Alabama town. The narrator says that we had been told that "we had nothing to fear, but fear itself." Wait, that line comes from FDR's inaugural speech March 4, 1933. Then I had the good sense to realize the the narrator could be making a factual error,human memory is not perfect, but that it could be emotionally true. In this summer of 1932 the Finch children Jem (Phillip Alford) and Scout (Mary
Badham) have nothing to fear as the story begins. Their father, Atticus (Gregory Peck), is a lawyer, but he spends time with them every day. Their mother died so far back that Scout has no real memories of her. Scout and Jem are allowed freedom to play unsupervised, but they are given values which guide their developing lives.

In the novel the story covers several years, but the film covers a period of less than a year and a half. In this few months Jem and Scout make a new friend, Dill (John Megna), see their father shoot a mad dog, watch their father defend an innocent Black man accused of raring a white woman, and finally be rescued by an almost fantasy figure,Boo Radley(Robert DuVall) when their lives are threatened.

The book "To Kill a Mockingbird" was published in 1960. It was a huge success and won the Pulitzer Prize. Surprisingly, it was not snapped up by major studios. That allowed the independent production company of Robert Mulligan and Allan Pakula to acquire the rights. The novel was sent to Gregory Peck. He read it immediately and said he was your man. Horton Foote, a native Southerner, living in Rye, New York was hired to write the script. Harper Lee's home town was looked as a possible shooting site, but it had changed too much. The set for the town including the courthouse was constructed on a Hollywood. Harper Lee, who took an active part in the production, was wowed by the accuracy of the set. The production design won one of the film's three Oscars. The other two were for Best Actor (Peck) and best adapted screenplay (Foote). The book and the film are widely read and seen in schools today.

I had some difficulty writing this comment. In my most recent viewing in addition to watching the film, I watched the DVD extras. They include two feature length films. The first is "A Conversation with Gregory
Peck" is a PBS production and is readily available to stream. The second, "Fearful Symmetry", deals with the making of the film, and it is not readily available. I wrestled with how to begin. Should I try and detail the story? I could also have discussed in detail what went into the making of the film. I decided to focus on what
drew me into the film. Memories are powerful, and some of my childhood memories were awakened. Let me share just one. I had a happy childhood. I grew up in Manchester, Ct.. My parents allowed me the freedom of unsupervised play with my friends. I did experience one tragedy. I had a friend, Billy Prentice, who lived on my street who had cancer. When we were in sixth grade he died, and I was a pall bearer at his funeral. Looking back I wonder how it affected me. I felt a sense of duty to be a pall bearer, and to an extent it made the concept of death more real.

The memory box is really Jem's and not Scout's. The story is told from Scout's viewpoint. It is the adult voice of Scout who narrates the story. A writer who can use her memories to engage and involve her readers has a gift. If she is further able to use her memories to lead us to understand her memories as emotional truth has performed a miracle of storytelling. Sometimes this can be liberating; remember "Big Fish" where the son becomes involved with his father's stories by helping to create one. Sometimes memories are found by a third person. Remember "Amelie" where she discovers a box of boyhood memories and restores them to a man who left them behind many years ago. Harper Lee in the book and the cast in the movie opened the box of my memories.

Gregory Peck has spoken often about what he is proud of in his life. He once responded that he was most
of his being a good father and husband. With regard to his profession; he felt proudest of his ability as a storyteller. He tells one story about the courtroom scene where he is questioning the defendant, Tom Robinson (Brock Peters). Peters was crying, and Peck looked over him so that he wouldn't cry. That would have been too much and ruined the 6 and 1/2 minute scene. It would have ruined the story. Peck worried that he overdid his jury summation. He used the word temerity to explain how Tom Robinson's felling sorry for the alleged victim could color the jury's perception. Blacks couldn't be sorry for whites in Alabama in 1933.

Brock Peters stated that he summoned his memories of a lifetime of mistreatment in the scene where he is questioned by Atticus Finch. The tears then were natural. Atticus tells Scout that she must be able to get into another person's skin to understand them. She needs to walk around in it. We walk around in Scout's skin while watching this movie. That for most of us is easier than to walk in Tom Robinson's skin.

This time for me the courtroom scenes are not the strength of the film. There is one exception, when the black preacher says: "Miss Jean Louise, stand up your father's passing." I must mention the performance of
James Anderson as Bob Ewell the evil center the mad dog of the film. He was disconcerting to the other actors. His presence in the film inspires fear.

This available for free streaming. I should read the book again. This is one of those films that for most of us
remains a part of our cinematic memory which we can and should revisit. Just seeing the reveal of Arthur Rafley behind the door while Jem lies injured on the bed can't be adequately described in words. Watch this film again.

 

[zymurg]

"The Accountant"-Gavin O'Connor-2016

This original script by Bill Dubuque was on the blacklist of best unfilmed scripts. Action films form a solid foundation for the international box office. However, they are dominated by super heroes and sequels. Is there some new template for a hero which can achieve box office success? This was considered to be a medium budget film, under $50 million. It was successful and a sequel has been rumored since release.

The novel aspect of this action film is that the protagonist has Asperger's. He is high functioning as is David Byrne of The Talking Heads. His back story is interspersed with the present action. We meet Christian Wolf (Ben Affleck), one of his many identities. operating as an accountant in a strip mall. His clients are a farmer and his wife who makes necklaces. He solves their tax problems, they offer him shooting privileges on their farm.

Wolf takes a job to forensically examine the books of a robotics company planning to go public. A discrepancy in the books was discovered by a junior accountant, Dana Cummings (Anna Kendrick). Wolf asks for 15 years of financial records. He reviews the 15 years of records in less than 24 hours. He writes his findings all over the glass walls of the small conference room. He shows his work to Dana Cummings. Shortly thereafter he is fired.
He hasn't quite finished the job and he is more than frustrated. The company president, Lamar Blackburn (John Lithglow) gives him a check.

That is the present situation. That is track one of the story. Track two is a Treasury Department investigation headed by Ray King (J.K. Simmons). Wolf is the accountant of choice for many top level criminals. His identity is
unknown. King tasks Maybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) with the task of uncovering the Accountant's identity. Medina has a juvenile record; Kink uses this to force her into taking this job.

Track three is Wolfe's backstory. We first meet him when his parents are visiting a special school for children with his type of problems. While his parents are talking with the head of the school, the boy is assembling a puzzle with the picture face down. He completes the task, but one piece is missing. He exhibits extreme distress, a girl with his symptoms is watching. She hands him the piece; he completes the puzzle. Meanwhile, his father decides that the school will not prepare him for real life. The father works in Psy-Ops, and the family moves around the world.

The fourth track is the introduction of a security specialist. He, Brax( John Barentrall) uses very violent methods to achieve his client's goals.

Of course the tracks are eventually merged. I need to mention one further character Francis Silverberg (Geffrey Tambour) a mob accountant who practically invented money cleaning. He and Wolf are prison cellmates. Francis teaches him the principles of cooking books and washing money. This is the education he needs to become the Accountant.

I liked this picture. The meshing of the story tracks was well done. There are interesting surprises along the way. Afleck does an excellent job as the protagonist. It made solid money. Critics had some negatives to point out. One of the most common was that this was Bourne 2.0. My gut tells me that the sequel won't be made. This is available to stream for free. This merits a solid recommendation, but there is a lot of violence.

 

[zymurg]

"Miss Sloane"-John Madden-2016

I have been rooting around relatively contemporary films recently. I haven't seen any of these films in theaters.
I know that is a mistake, but I've become curious about what works with audiences and critics in today's world film market. This is a well made film with a problematic protagonist who happens to be a woman. The film industry is more open to female leads than in the past. Surprisingly, Disney has been ahead of the industry here. This film is neither action, nor cartoon, and it is based in Washington, D.C.. It also deals with a hot political issue, gun control. The script was a first for Jonathan Perera. Madden is a well known British director. The financing came from Europe (France in particular). The U.S. market is critical for big success. Next is China. Disney had huge hopes for the live action "Mulan." Unfortunately, they filmed a few scenes in a province with a Muslim majority. I am beginning this comment with this material with this background information to highlight some of factors which determine whether or not a project gets greenlit.

This was a low mid-budget film dealing with a U.S. social problem with a female protagonist who isn't remotely likable. Miss Elizabeth Sloane is a lobbyist, a profession not noted for its high-mindedness. Many Americans find their influence in politics and legislation to be bad bordering on evil. Just recently it has been reported that the Meat Packing Industry Association wrote the first draft of President Trump's order to keep the industry open during the coronavirus pandemic. Miss Sloane (Jessica Chastain) has no values other than winning. She leaves a major D.C. firm to lobby for what is the normally loosing position on gun control. This is an excellent portrait of a flawed woman. Among her problems are an addiction to stimulants, and hiring an escort for sex. She takes about half of her team with her when she leaves. One of those who stayed behind was Jane Malloy (Allison Pill)
who wanted to return to academia. The head of the big firm, George Dupont (Sam Watterson) wants to destroy
her. He had wanted to represent the pro 2nd amendment forces for years. Jane Malloy becomes key to his plans because she had served as her assistant for several years. The plot has plenty of twists and turns. The head of the good guy lobbying group, Rudolfo Schmidt (Mark Strong) allows Sloane to lead the effort by his firm to support gun control legislation. Strong has built a reputation as an actor who portrays characters with questionable morals.

I want to single out one of actors, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, she is the daughter of a Nigerian born doctor and an English nurse. She was brought up in England and attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. She has made a number of independent films in England. She starred in a failed U.S. tv series. She plays an American
who had a negative gun experience. Sloane exploits this to help the cause. This is a classic supporting effort.
should also mention John Lithglow who plays a compromised U.S. senator very well.

This is a solid film which was a box office debacle. The plot is clever, the twists are engaging. There are several superior performances. The dialogue is fresh. This was a box office debacle of the first order. Those who actually saw the generally liked it. However,there was a substantial minority who found the film to be Hollywood moralizing. This is on Prime, and it also streams for free. I recommend this highly. This is an emotionally cold film, but well worth viewing.

 

[nwhoopfan]

(Jessica Chastain)

I find her to be consistently very good. Have you seen her in "Molly's Game?" If not, you should add it to your list. Another fairly recent, very well done film that didn't really find an audience.

 

[zymurg]

I find her to be consistently very good. Have you seen her in "Molly's Game?" If not, you should add it to your list. Another fairly recent, very well done film that didn't really find an audience.

I've seen it, but I probably should rewatch it. I have a feeling that she is an actress definitely worth following.

 

[dbmill]

I find her to be consistently very good. Have you seen her in "Molly's Game?" If not, you should add it to your list. Another fairly recent, very well done film that didn't really find an audience.

I've seen it, but I probably should rewatch it. I have a feeling that she is an actress definitely worth following.

I can't claim to be totally familiar with her work, but I thought Jessica Chastain was very good in "The Martian", which is definitely a terrific movie.

 

[zymurg]

"The Shape of Water"-Guillermo del Toro-2017

Hey, I even liked his Hellboy films. Del Toro continually surprises me. I found out in my research that this romance was a childhood dream dating back to his seeing "The Creature from the Black Lagoon." Del Toro also references Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast." He wanted the beast to stay a beast as did Marlene Dietrich. This film is told through three incomplete or perhaps marginal individuals: a mute, a homosexual, and a black woman. The mute, Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins) is fascinated by music, particularly dance music. Often in myths music enraptures the beast. The homosexual, Giles (Richard Jenkins) is an artist driven to attempt to create Jello adds. The only person with whom he communicates is Elisa. The black woman, Zelda Fuller (Octavia Spencer) is Elisa's defender. She is intensely practical; Elisa is romantic. All three of these characters are observers rather than actors who move their world. All three are outsiders.

The insider is Robert Strickland (Michael Shannon); he captured the monster in the Amazon. He is white, male, heterosexual, and part of the military who plan to use this amphibian to help the space program. Zelda and Elisa are part of the janitorial staff. Giles lost his job at an advertising agency; probably because of his sexual orientation. The film is set in 1962, remember the Cuban Missile Crisis? It begins in this time period. The Russians are ahead in Space; it is hoped that by studying the amphibian monster that the US will gain some advantages for their astronauts. Strickland's idea of communication with the "Monster" is to poke it with an electric cattle prod. Elisa gains the creature's trust with the magical combination of music and hard boiled eggs.

Del Toro began working on the creature in 2011. He financed the development with his own money. He also put up the seed money for the underground secret government lab. He creates his own myth set in a period of American history which he despises. Remember "King Kong"; it was beauty that killed the beast. In this case beauty frees the beast. Sally Hawkins isn't conventionally beautiful. Her beauty is soul deep. She is able
to touch outsiders. She believes the beast sees her as she is; she intuitively knows how to communicate with this monster. Of course he isn't a monster in her eyes. The combination of the suit, the actor (Doug Jones) and some computer magic create an individual worthy of being loved for who he is. There is a magical dance sequence lifted from an Astaire and Rogers number in "Follow the Fleet." When the decision is made to kill
the monster and to dissect him; Elisa is forced to develop a plan to free him. Things don't work out as planned, and she needs the help of not only Zelda, but an undercover Russian agent posing as one of the projects scientists (Michael Stulhberg) to bring off the escape plan.

This is just short of a must see for me,near great. Surprisingly, it was a moneymaker big time. This is very unusual for Best Picture Winners recently. It was budgeted at 19 million; the world wide gross was over 194 million. If you haven't seen it you should, the DVD extras are excellent. It is available to stream for for free. It won 4 Oscars:film, director, music, and production design. Del Toro wrote, directed, produced, and probably did dozens of other non credited jobs. He is very hands on. One interesting tidbit about him is that he built a second house to house his collection of comics, graphic novels, and films.

 

[dbmill]

"The Shape of Water"-Guillermo del Toro-2017

Hey, I even liked his Hellboy films. Del Toro continually surprises me. I found out in my research that this romance was a childhood dream dating back to his seeing "The Creature from the Black Lagoon." Del Toro also references Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast." He wanted the beast to stay a beast as did Marlene Dietrich. This film is told through three incomplete or perhaps marginal individuals: a mute, a homosexual, and a black woman. The mute, Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins) is fascinated by music, particularly dance music. Often in myths music enraptures the beast. The homosexual, Giles (Richard Jenkins) is an artist driven to attempt to create Jello adds. The only person with whom he communicates is Elisa. The black woman, Zelda Fuller (Octavia Spencer) is Elisa's defender. She is intensely practical; Elisa is romantic. All three of these characters are observers rather than actors who move their world. All three are outsiders.

The insider is Robert Strickland (Michael Shannon); he captured the monster in the Amazon. He is white, male, heterosexual, and part of the military who plan to use this amphibian to help the space program. Zelda and Elisa are part of the janitorial staff. Giles lost his job at an advertising agency; probably because of his sexual orientation. The film is set in 1962, remember the Cuban Missile Crisis? It begins in this time period. The Russians are ahead in Space; it is hoped that by studying the amphibian monster that the US will gain some advantages for their astronauts. Strickland's idea of communication with the "Monster" is to poke it with an electric cattle prod. Elisa gains the creature's trust with the magical combination of music and hard boiled eggs.

Del Toro began working on the creature in 2011. He financed the development with his own money. He also put up the seed money for the underground secret government lab. He creates his own myth set in a period of American history which he despises. Remember "King Kong"; it was beauty that killed the beast. In this case beauty frees the beast. Sally Hawkins isn't conventionally beautiful. Her beauty is soul deep. She is able
to touch outsiders. She believes the beast sees her as she is; she intuitively knows how to communicate with this monster. Of course he isn't a monster in her eyes. The combination of the suit, the actor (Doug Jones) and some computer magic create an individual worthy of being loved for who he is. There is a magical dance sequence lifted from an Astaire and Rogers number in "Follow the Fleet." When the decision is made to kill
the monster and to dissect him; Elisa is forced to develop a plan to free him. Things don't work out as planned, and she needs the help of not only Zelda, but an undercover Russian agent posing as one of the projects scientists (Michael Stulhberg) to bring off the escape plan.

This is just short of a must see for me,near great. Surprisingly, it was a moneymaker big time. This is very unusual for Best Picture Winners recently. It was budgeted at 19 million; the world wide gross was over 194 million. If you haven't seen it you should, the DVD extras are excellent. It is available to stream for for free. It won 4 Oscars:film, director, music, and production design. Del Toro wrote, directed, produced, and probably did dozens of other non credited jobs. He is very hands on. One interesting tidbit about him is that he built a second house to house his collection of comics, graphic novels, and films.

I concur with the above, "Shape of Water" is an excellent film. Del Toro also directed "Pan's Labyrinth", which I feel is just a bit better, and that is saying something. Nothing wrong with a career which produces these two very fine movies.

 

[zymurg]

"Get Shorty"-Barry Sonnenfeld-1995

Elmore Leonard is a name in crime fiction which for devotees brings a quick smile. He began by writing novels set around Detroit; then some of the characters migrated to Florida. In this novel they migrate from Florida to Hollywood. Scott Frank wrote the screen play. When Travolta landed the part of Chilli Palmer; he fought to maintain the Leonard dialogue. This is Leonard's favorite adaptation of his work.

Travolta was damaged goods for much of the 80's and into the early 90's. Quentin Tarantino raised him from the box office dead with a role in "Pulp Fiction." Chilli Palmer is a Miami outpost for a big time NYC ( Brooklyn)
mobster, Mo. Mo features in one classic Elmore Leonard scene, He struggles to climb along stairway to make an important meeting. He finally reaches the top of the stairs; he opens the door a large applauding crowd awaits him. Signs proclaim "Happy 65th Mo"; he drops dead of a heart attack. This affects Chilli in that now he falls under another NYC mobster, and his Miami Rep is Ray "Bones" Barboni. He and Chilli have already come to blows over a leather coat.

Chilli leaves Miami in search of Leo Devoe who has skipped out owing a considerable sum. He ran a scam on the airlines and his wife. Chilli follows him to Vegas. Devoe (David Paymer) has skipped for LA; when a friend working at a casino gives him this info; he asks Chilli to look up Harry Zinn (Gene Hackman) who owes a sizeable debt to the casino and isn't answering his phone. Chilli agrees. CHilli likes this extra because Zinn is a Hollywood producer of low budget horror films. Palmer is a devotee of all films; he seemingly remembers everything he sees. There is a lot of film trivia, for instance who plays what role in Rio Bravo; and in what film does Charlton Heston have a Spanish accent?

The film is a warm hearted satire of both Hollywood and gangster films. The title refers to Martin Witt (Danny De Vito) who is a major star. A billboard of him as Napoleon is prominently featured. Chilli decides he wants to become a Hollywood producer. Yes, as Preson Sturges admonished there is a girl in the picture; Karen Flores (Rene Russo) who is Witt's ex-wife. Zinn wants to get Martin for the lead in his picture. Zinn not only owes money to the casino; he owes money to an LA based drug dealer and Limo company owner, Bo Catlett (Delroy Lindo). Bo also wants to break into films. Balboni (Dennis Farina) turns up in LA to collect from Leo Devoe. The plot is like a spinning top crossed with a bowling ball.

The film ends with a sequence where a film is being shot with Penny Marshall as the director and Harvey Keitel as one of the characters. An inferior sequel followed. I really like this film. This role fits Travolta like a bespoke suit. The comedy is surprisingly organic despite being the product of a storyline as complex as Marcel Proust. This is too good to be a guilty pleasure, but many would classify it so. It is available to stream for free. You should enjoy this film without guilt,

 

[zymurg]

"White Heat"-Raoul Walsh-1949

Cagney returned to Warner Brothers after several years as an independent after winning the Oscar in 1942. He was disappointed that he was continually cast as a bad guy in gangster films. He was allowed to choose his scripts. So what did he choose, a gangster film, but what a gangster film. If you can access the Warner DVD, you can luxuriate in the extras. The director, Raoul Walsh, was a studio stalwart. His first big film was Douglas Fairbanks' 1924 "Thief of Baghdad."

The writers, Cliff and Roberts, weren't well known. The character of Cody Jarrett is based on several gangsters beginning with Francis Crowley. The relationship with his mother was based on Ma Barker. The train robbery which opens the film was based on a real event in 1923. It was Cagney's idea that Cody was a psychopath with
migraines/seizures and mother problems. The train robbery brings in a huge haul, $300,000, but it puts the gang under huge scrutiny by the Treasury Department. The gang had left behind one member whose face was scalded by steam. He later freezes to death. When his body is found, a connection to the gang is made when the fingerprints of a member are found on a cigarette pack.

Jarrett is almost caught so he leaves his mother (Margaret Wycherly) and his wife (Virginia Mayo) behind and travels to Illinois where he pleads to another robbery. This robbery will only get him a two or three year sentence. The train robbery left 4 dead and it was a federal crime. The Treasury Department sends in an undercover agent (Hank Fallon/Vic Pardo) played by Edmund O'Brien. Cagney liked O'Brien so he did things like show him his poetry. Pardo saves Cody's life from a falling piece of machinery. He has a setup escape plan with
the Treasury Department.

Back home in California one of the gang members, Big Ed Sommers (Steve Cochran) is taking over the gang and Cody's wife. Ma Jarrett is wise to the plan. She visits Cody in prison and tells him that she will take out
Big Ed. Cody tells her not to. Ma is killed, Cody is informed when the inmates are eating. Cagney pulls a fast
one. With 300 extras on scene and unscripted he goes crazy literally. This is one of the top prison scenes ever. The best is yet to come. Naturally, Cody escapes, but not with the Treasury Department plan. When he gets free he confronts his wife. Again Cagney broke with the script and really frightened Virginia Mayo. He liked her and he had her play a leading role in his next picture, "West Point." He kills Big Ed. Then he plans another job. This is a payroll for an oil company.

That takes us to the final scene one of the most memorable in cinema history. The Treasury Department and the local police are there, all his fellow gang members are dead, some by his hand, and he climbs to the top of the tanks. "Made it Ma. Top of the world." The top of the world phrase occurs a half a dozen times in the film. He fires his shotgun into a tank and everything explodes. On the ground with other Treasury Agents,
Hank Fallon says: "He finally got to the top of the world...and it blew up in his face.

When Cagney's films are ranked, this portrayal is #1 or #2. There are other wonderful bits, for instance when he sits in his mother's lap. Margaret Wycherly deserves cudos; this is a memorable performance. This film in common with other top Cagney films has a continuous forward motion. If you enjoy Cagney; this is a must see. Remember, he improvised many of the best bits. He really could act. Available on OK RU for streaming.
Wow, what a performance!

 

[dbmill]

"White Heat"-Raoul Walsh-1949

Cagney returned to Warner Brothers after several years as an independent after winning the Oscar in 1942. He was disappointed that he was continually cast as a bad guy in gangster films. He was allowed to choose his scripts. So what did he choose, a gangster film, but what a gangster film. If you can access the Warner DVD, you can luxuriate in the extras. The director, Raoul Walsh, was a studio stalwart. His first big film was Douglas Fairbanks' 1924 "Thief of Baghdad."

The writers, Cliff and Roberts, weren't well known. The character of Cody Jarrett is based on several gangsters beginning with Francis Crowley. The relationship with his mother was based on Ma Barker. The train robbery which opens the film was based on a real event in 1923. It was Cagney's idea that Cody was a psychopath with
migraines/seizures and mother problems. The train robbery brings in a huge haul, $300,000, but it puts the gang under huge scrutiny by the Treasury Department. The gang had left behind one member whose face was scalded by steam. He later freezes to death. When his body is found, a connection to the gang is made when the fingerprints of a member are found on a cigarette pack.

Jarrett is almost caught so he leaves his mother (Margaret Wycherly) and his wife (Virginia Mayo) behind and travels to Illinois where he pleads to another robbery. This robbery will only get him a two or three year sentence. The train robbery left 4 dead and it was a federal crime. The Treasury Department sends in an undercover agent (Hank Fallon/Vic Pardo) played by Edmund O'Brien. Cagney liked O'Brien so he did things like show him his poetry. Pardo saves Cody's life from a falling piece of machinery. He has a setup escape plan with
the Treasury Department.

Back home in California one of the gang members, Big Ed Sommers (Steve Cochran) is taking over the gang and Cody's wife. Ma Jarrett is wise to the plan. She visits Cody in prison and tells him that she will take out
Big Ed. Cody tells her not to. Ma is killed, Cody is informed when the inmates are eating. Cagney pulls a fast
one. With 300 extras on scene and unscripted he goes crazy literally. This is one of the top prison scenes ever. The best is yet to come. Naturally, Cody escapes, but not with the Treasury Department plan. When he gets free he confronts his wife. Again Cagney broke with the script and really frightened Virginia Mayo. He liked her and he had her play a leading role in his next picture, "West Point." He kills Big Ed. Then he plans another job. This is a payroll for an oil company.

That takes us to the final scene one of the most memorable in cinema history. The Treasury Department and the local police are there, all his fellow gang members are dead, some by his hand, and he climbs to the top of the tanks. "Made it Ma. Top of the world." The top of the world phrase occurs a half a dozen times in the film. He fires his shotgun into a tank and everything explodes. On the ground with other Treasury Agents,
Hank Fallon says: "He finally got to the top of the world...and it blew up in his face.

When Cagney's films are ranked, this portrayal is #1 or #2. There are other wonderful bits, for instance when he sits in his mother's lap. Margaret Wycherly deserves cudos; this is a memorable performance. This film in common with other top Cagney films has a continuous forward motion. If you enjoy Cagney; this is a must see. Remember, he improvised many of the best bits. He really could act. Available on OK RU for streaming.
Wow, what a performance!

I'm pretty much in agreement with the above review. "White Heat" is one of those movies that we will watch anytime we find it on television. While I think it is very good, there is no question in my mind that my wife likes it even more than I do, she is quite enthusiastic about this film. She is a Cagney fan, and she just loves his energy in this movie. And there is no question that Cagney is indeed the show in this one. One scene that isn't mentioned in the above review that I just love is when Cagney gives a little ventilation to someone who is complaining about not being able to breath well in the trunk of a car. Of course, he does it with the use of a gun.

 

[zymurg]

I'm pretty much in agreement with the above review. "White Heat" is one of those movies that we will watch anytime we find it on television. While I think it is very good, there is no question in my mind that my wife likes it even more than I do, she is quite enthusiastic about this film. She is a Cagney fan, and she just loves his energy in this movie. And there is no question that Cagney is indeed the show in this one. One scene that isn't mentioned in the above review that I just love is when Cagney gives a little ventilation to someone who is complaining about not being able to breath well in the trunk of a car. Of course, he does it with the use of a gun.

just reading that air conditioning scene comment made me smile.