What classics did you see last week ? (13 Jan - 19 Jan 2019 )

Hello Peeps! My lot >

The Man from Colorado (1949) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0041625/reference

War can do strange things to a man. 

The end of the Civil War is nigh and one last pocket of Confederate resistance is holed up at Jacob's Gorge. Knowing their time is up they hoist the white flag in surrender. Union Colonel Owen Devereaux sees the white flag but orders the attack anyway. Returning home with his friend and colleague, Capt. Del Stewart, Devereaux grows ever more erratic by the day, his friends, his loves and all who cross him, are sure to pay if they can't rein in his madness.

Starring Glenn Ford as Devereaux and William Holden as Stewart, directed by Henry Levin, The Man from Colorado, from a story by Borden Chase, is an intriguing psychological Western. The story follows the theme of a man ravaged by war and his inability to let go of the anger and mistrust gnawing away at him. Perfectly essayed by Ford as Devereaux (great to see him donning some bad guy boots), the film is rather grim in context. Light on action (no bad thing here at all) it's with the dialogue driven characters that Levin's film really triumphs. Having both become lawmen, it would have been easy for all to just play out a standard oater as the two friends are driven apart by not only their different levels of sanity (Holden's Stewart is an excellent counter point to Ford's blood thirst), but also the love of a good woman (Ellen Drew's petite Caroline Emmet). However, Chase's story has other elements to keep it from ever being formulaic. There's a deep political thread involving power and those entrusted with it, while the treatment of returning soldiers is firmly given prominence. Here the "boys" return after 3 years of being knee deep in blood and bone, to find that their claims are no longer valid. Snaffled by a greedy corporate type, thus as the "boys" look to the law for help?...

As a story it has substance of depth, how nice to also find that there are smart technical aspects to harness the screenplay. The Simi Valley location work is fabulous, most appealing. William E. Snyder's cinematography work is top draw, arguably his best work in the Western genre. It's fair to say that even a "c" grade Western can look nice if given a good transfer, but when the Technicolor print is good, you can tell the difference big time, and this piece is first rate. The dusty orange and browns of the scenery fabulously envelopes the blue uniforms, while the green and gold glow lamps are vivid and shine bright as if extra characters in the piece. Even Ford's greying temples have a classy sheen to them, almost belying his characters anger. All Western fans simply must hone into High Definition TV because although we always knew how fabulous these pictures looked, now it's another dimension of rewards unbound.

As the finale comes in a blaze of fire (welcome to hell!), The Man from Colorado has achieved the two essential Western requirements if it wants to be taken seriously - one is that it looks gorgeous, the other is that it has strong thematics to drive it forward - this has both. Hooray! 8/10 

Southwest Passage (1954) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0047517/reference

Camel Caravan!

Southwest Passage (AKA: Camels West) is directed by Ray Nazarro and written by Harry Essex and Geoffrey Homes. It stars Rod Cameron, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, John Dehner and Guin Williams. Music is by Emil Newman and Arthur Lang and the Pathe Color photography is by Sam Leavitt.

A robber and hid girl join a Camel Caravan to escape their pursuers.

Originally filmed in 3-D, one might be surprised to find that as fanciful as the premise to this seems, it's very much grounded in facts. Edward Fitzgerald Beale (1822 - 1893) the character played by Cameron is a most fascinating person whose real life work is far more interesting than the film is! Further reading on the subject is recommended.

This is all very routine as a group of various ethnicities and walks of life trek across the desert with camels in tow to test their usage for the U.S. Cavalry. Ireland (posing as a doctor) and Dru (gorgeous but looking like she just wandered in off of a Estée Lauder advertisement) are hiding out. So they are on the bluff which keeps the "will they get caught" factor simmering away. Naturally a rapscallion fellow (Dehner) figures things out and wants a share of the couple's stolen goods.

To further complicate matters and up the peril quota, the water is running low. Add in the fact we are in Apache country and you get the drift of where the picture is heading. Cast make things watchable at least, while the location scenery out of Kanab, Utah, is a treat for the eyes. It all builds to a frantic finale, which is well staged and high on rapid gun fire, but once the "too tidy" resolution is reached it's a Western that quickly fades from memory. 5/10

Cool Hand Luke (1967) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0061512/reference

Oh Luke you wild beautiful thing!  

Luke (Paul Newman) lands himself in a Deep South prison farm for drunkenly cutting the heads off of parking meters. Once at the farm Luke refuses to be ground down by the system and its grinning warden (a brilliant Strother Martin). As things role by Luke becomes something of a hero to his fellow inmates and this is not lost on the authority in charge of the farm. Things are sure to come to a head as Luke rebels to the point of no return...

Division of Corrections. Road Prison 36.

The close examination of Cool Hand Luke over the years has rightly thrown up the fact that it's a Christ allegory. Which is just fine given that Stuart Rosenberg's film is one of the finest films that the 60s had to offer. It also boasts, arguably of course, the Paul Newman signature role (yes even better than The Hustler). As the title suggests, Cool Hand Luke, both the film and character, there is a great deal of cool here, in fact for a great deal of the first half of movie it's laced with comic touches as we warm easily to the "rebel against the system" machismo and charm that Newman provides as Lukas Jackson. Yet the film then shifts considerably at the mid-point to give us something far more potent and dramatic to alter any preconceptions the audience had of this just being a movie about a macho loner earning our sympathy.

Calling it your job don't make it right Boss.

Much in the film has been firmly ensconced in the memorable moments department, 50 eggs, tar that road quickly, the "Kick a Buck" poker game, "still shaking boss", a mountain of rice to be eaten, sneezing bloodhounds, the boxing match and one of the greatest and most iconic of tag-lines ever, "what we got here is a failure to communicate", all forming part of a truly great whole. However, revisiting the picture often brings the realisation that so much more is on offer than at first thought. Luke is a real war hero (this has been missed by both pro and amateur critics) whose crime is pretty tame for the sentence he finds himself faced with. The Dragline (George Kennedy kicking up a storm of acting quality) and Luke friendship that builds with grace and thunder, sexual frustration of the incarcerated male and a mother and son arc that attacks the soul and lets Newman show many of his acting peers just how grief should be acted out on screen...

"Well, I don't care if it rains or freezes, Long as I have my plastic Jesus, Riding on the dashboard of my car. Through all trials and tribulations, We will travel every nation, With my plastic Jesus I'll go far"

With Newman, Kennedy and Martin holding court with every scene they are in, it would be easy at first glance to ignore the supporting roles, but Rosenberg ensures that supporting players make telling marks. It's a roll call of sweaty and twitchy character actors that features the likes of Anthony Zerbe, Joe Don Baker, Clifton James, Harry Dean Stanton, Dennis Hopper, Morgan Woodward, Wayne Rogers and J.D. Cannon. Filmed in Technicolor and Panavision, Rosenberg and cinematographer Conrad Hall do an amazing job of making Stockton, California feel like the actual Deep South. Film unfolds to the backdrop of a sun drenched land inhabited by life's unfortunates and the supposed upstanding face of American officialdom...

Iconography and martyrdom unbound, Cool Hand Luke is a slow-burn classic of deep thematic worth. 10/10

An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0084434/reference 

Don't believe the naysayers, this is a true uplifter. 

Zack Mayo, after years of being shunted around with his woman chasing, alcoholic naval father, decides to up sticks and join the navy himself. He plans to fly jets and enrols at a tough Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School. Very much a loner and used to doing things his own way, Zack must tow the line if he is to succeed. Forming friendships and taking on a romance with a local girl, he may just make the grade. But he has to convince not only his tough no nonsense drill instructor, but also himself.

An Officer And A Gentleman has been bogged down over the years by being labelled as a chick flick, a film they say, that is for the soggy handkerchief brigade. Not so say I. Yes love is a critical strand here, not only finding it after years of being closed off from it, but also to keep it after seizing the day. But it's as much a film about determination as it is about conquering love, in finding strengths from within to achieve ones goals against seemingly badly stacked odds. It really is a film that essays that triumph of the will spirit so lacking in many similar pictures that followed this 1982 piece. There are some incredibly great sequences here, chiefly during the training programme, from Mayo's continuing conflict with Sgt Foley, to a devastating turn of events with a friendship. This film royally packs an emotional punch.

The cast are uniformly excellent, Richard Gere as Mayo is pitch perfect and it pays to notice that he was a 32 year old man playing an early 20s rookie, it's a testament to his undervalued ability that nobody noticed. Debra Winger was nominated for a Best Actress Award for her portrayal as Mayo's love interest, Paula Pokrifki. It's believed that Gere and herself didn't get on off screen, it isn't noticeable, though, because the chemistry sizzles and the resulting end product is one of a joyous returns. Honours have to go to Louis Gossett Jr., though, rightly winning the Best Supporting Actor Award, his performance as instructor Sgt Foley is towering and one of the best of the 1980s. David Keith and Lisa Eilbacher also turn in strong performances, and Taylor Hackford's direction is smooth and without intrusion. The involving screenplay and tidy editing are also noteworthy, and the theme song "Up where We Belong" took home the gong for Best Original Song.

Some critics have called the film sexist, oh come off it people! It may come as a shock to them but a lot of women do actually want to be carried off by some dashing hunk, similarly, a lot of us men are more than willing to be the ones carrying the maiden! And lest we forget that the characterisations here carry much depth. 9/10

Crocodile Dundee (1986) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0090555/reference 

He went walkabout.

New York reporter Sue Charlton hears of a guy in the outback of Australia who survived an attack by a crocodile. For research she meets up with "Crocodile Mick Dundee" and spends time with him out in dangerous Bush Country. Finding a rapport during their time together, Sue convinces Mick to go back with her to New York, which brings interesting results as Mick becomes a big hit by treating the Big Apple, and all that comes his way, the same as he would the Outback.

Crocodile Dundee has a standard fish out of water comedy premise, yet with a number of truly funny sequences and an appealing turn from Paul Hogan as Dundee, it became a monster smash hit that the cinema watching public lapped up with glee. In a decade that is often considered or debated to be the worst for film, it may just be that cinema goers were desperate for a pick me up movie? Possibly, but undoubtedly Crocodile Dundee most assuredly is that type of escapist piece. However, to give that credence would, I feel, be doing it a disservice, for in spite of the rickety concept and the obviousness of where we will ultimately end up, it has bundles of earthy charm, a charm that many can identify with.

As Dundee goes about his way, meeting pimps, transsexuals and muggers et al, they are not only very funny scenes, they are also points of reference to the ever changing way of the Continents. Not that the film doesn't come dangerously close to falling into a sugary rom-com mire, but with a strong performance from Linda Kozlowski as Sue, and Hogan introducing an icon to 80s cinema, Crocodile Dundee safely hits the target that it was surely aiming for. Besides, the love story here is very easy to get on side with, to support it and hanker for this opposites attract coupling to work out.

Two sequels would follow, the first one was a retread reversal and just about passable, the second one, after a gap of 13 years, was bad and evidence that the joke had long since passed. Crocodile Dundee 86 holds up well as the escapist piece of cinema that it is. A nice film to revisit every other year, for it be simple, warm, and yes, I'll say it again, damn funny. 8/10

Can't Buy Me Love (1987) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0092718/reference

Whatever happens to your popularity, stay yourself, don't change to please others. 

Can't Buy Me Love is directed by Steve Rash and written by Michael Swerdlick. It stars Patrick Dempsey and Amanda Peterson. Music is by Robert Folk and cinematography by Peter Lyons Collister.

Plot has Dempsey as nerdy outcast Ronald Miller, who fed up of not being popular pays Cindy Mancini (Peterson), the most popular girl in school, one thousand dollars to be his girlfriend.

The 1980s was awash with films of this ilk, the teen dramedy topped up by a big hearted message and a finale of punch the air worth. What it all comes down to is if the film can hold its head above water, not become too twee, and crucially have you smiling come the finale. As evidenced by its popularity among 80s cineastes of a certain age, Can't Buy Me Love delivers all that you expect from such fare.

The core theme is of course self acceptance, the attainment of such in amongst the scary world of teenage school years. This shines bright in spite of some rather unconvincing dialogue and contrived corny moments. Director Rash just about holds it together, ensuring that the charm of the lead actors holds weight for character engagement, even though for thematic depth the screenplay only skims over the surface.

The teenage dramedy would evolve considerably once the 80s was left behind, becoming more biting, daring and observational. Yet for those who lived and loved this type of film in the 80s, there's a lovely nostalgic glow to be gleaned from revisits to the likes of Can't Buy Me Love. Nothing wrong with that. 6.5/10 

Pretty Woman (1990) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0100405/reference

A street credible Pygmallion?

Edward Lewis is a very rich man, but money, as everyone knows, does not buy everything, and as yet another failed relationship falls by the wayside, Edward faces up to the prospect of a hectic social week on his own. Enter a meeting with ebullient hooker Vivian Ward, who upon impressing Edward with her happy go lucky values, gets herself hired to be his escort for the week ahead, it's a week that both of them are unlikely to ever forget.

It almost became the in thing to stomp all over the respective work of both Richard Gere (Edward) and Julia Roberts (Vivian), adding fuel to the fire of those with an aversion to both actors is that the crowd pleasing Pretty Woman hails from that dreaded genre known as 1980s Rom-Com. Seemingly many can now not see just what made Pretty Woman so popular back in 1990. Gary Marshall's film was the fourth highest box office taker in 1990, grossing a domestic $178,406,268, and at the same time made the date movie hip again, so basically all you Pretty Woman haters can take both those facts to the bank!

As the opening credits emerge, Peter Cox (lead singer of pop band Go West) starts warbling about "The King Of Wishful Thinking", and never was a more appropriate song used to open such a genre piece before or since, and this is the key issue with Pretty Woman. Yes, the whole structure and plot devices are all fanciful splendour, I mean does anyone seriously think that hookers look and act like Julia Roberts? But really if you are entering this picture expecting anything other than a modern "My Fair Lady" like fairytale then the blinkers need to be well and truly taken off. It's also a point of worth to say that Pretty Woman has something to say outside of the main intention to lift hearts and make one smile, Marshall, aided by his screenwriter J.F. Lawton, tie in smartly the fact that Edward is as much a hustler as Vivian is, only difference being that Edward is incredibly wealthy and has therefore grown in public stature.

Both Roberts and Gere have brilliant chemistry, so it was no surprise to see they would work together again in 1999 on "Runaway Bride", and both actors are helped immeasurably by splendid support from Hector Elizondo as the hotel manager, Barney Thompson. The picture is laced with joyous moments that hark back to the golden days of screwy comedies laced with unlikely romances, and this was something that clearly struck a chord with cinema goers back on the film's original release. Yes it's a touch over sweet at times, and yes the ending is never really in doubt, but if you are prepared to invest some fluffy chilled out time with Pretty Woman then you can see and feel just why it was the big hit it was back at the start of the 90s. 8/10 

Nightcrawler (2014) - www.imdb.com/title/tt2872718/reference

That's my job, that's what I do, I'd like to think if you're seeing me you're having the worst day of your life.

Quite a debut from director and writer Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler stars Jake Gyllenhall as Louis Bloom, a low level Los Angles thief desperate for work. Stumbling upon an accident he is introduced to the world of video news filming, opening his eyes to the money that can be made out of real life crime. Muscling his way onto the scene, it's not long before Louis blurs the line between the rights and wrongs of the occupation.

We here have our eyes opened to the world of the nightcrawlers (genuine people), and it's a murky one. Gilroy enjoys multi genre blending, splicing bits of horror thriller conventions with satirical barbs pointed at the television based media. Bloom is a frightening character, a sociopath that easily manoeuvres his way around this shifty world, and Gyllenhaal superbly brings him to life. Gaunt (Gyllenhaal lost a lot of weight for the part) with hollow eyes, and spouting management monologues he has learned off of the internet, Bloom only see human misery as a way of making money. Not that TV station editor Nina Romina (Renee Russo) is that much of a better person, and the relationship between the two is troublesome yet dynamic thanks to the excellent script.

The look of the picture needed to be atmospherically tight to the thematics at work, and thankfully that is the case. Predominantly set at night, it's all darkness and shadows that in turn are mixed with neon lighted cityscapes and dimmed lamplights. Bloom is at home here, the surroundings match his bents, he has found his calling to a side of the City of Angels which has a fascinating car crash kind of believability to it. The key to it all is that Gilroy and Gyllenhaal rope us viewers in to the point we can't look away, even as Bloom gets worse, morally bankrupt, we are right there with him looking trough his cameras.

The relationship between Bloom and his sole employee, Rick (Riz Ahmed) is a little undernourished, but it's a minor complaint. For this is a sharp piece of film making, gloomy of course, but stylish with it, it's also thrilling and deliciously troubling into the bargain. 9/10

Jan 19, 2019 13:53:59 GMT wmcclain said:

Tarzan and His Mate, one of the best pre-code films in my book.

Pre-Code Adventure Excellence.

The second of the MGM Tarzan movies should be heralded as one of the finest adventure films in cinematic history. A sequel to Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), it brings back Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan as Tarzan and Jane respectively, and then runs through scene after scene of pre-code and pre-computer effects excellence.

Plot line is weak, but it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of entertainment things. Basically greedy ivory hunter Martin Arlington (Paul Cavanagh) and Harry Holt (Neil Hamilton as Jane's one time beau who has lost her to Lord of the Apes) travel into the jungle in search of Mutia Escarpment - the elephant burial grounds. Tarzan and Jane arrive on the scene after 20 minutes of film, which is the cue for Jane to make the two Khaki Fatigue wearing lads hot under the collar, and for Tarzan to literally have to fight for his woman - the animals - and his life!

What unfolds in 105 minutes of film is a tale of simmering sexuality, raw animal instincts, brutal battles and some Simian scene stealing. Cedric Gibbons originally directed the picture, well he was there until MGM realised he wasn't up to the task and replaced him with a criminally uncredited Jack Conway, and Conway (The Easiest Way) was just the man to curl the toes of those waiting in the wings at censorship city.

OK! The sexy angle is hard to ignore, and why anyone with a pulse would want to is anyone's guess! O'Sullivan is barely covered and Weismuller is in such fine shape he makes me wish I had never discovered booze and junk food! There is rumble in the jungle as Tarzan and Jane go for a swim, as he blows on her hair to wake her up (oh she sleeps in the raw by the way), and as the city boys revel in getting Jane to once again wear a "city" dress. This is just a point of reference to make us aware that the one time city girl has thrown off her sexual inhibitions and gone natural up in the tree tops. And did I mention a sexy silhouette scene? No? Well I have now.

So, casting aside the wonderful eroticism of it all, as an action film it's also superb. The technical tools available in the early 1930s are used to the max here, it matters not about dummies being flung about the place, or that men in monkey suits fill in while Cheetah is off having a smoke! Or even that the back projection work will appear crude to the X-Box generation, this is film making craft that enchanted those film lovers queueing at the theatre to see this back in 1934. Watching it now demands the utmost respect and admiration.

So, get ready for a native army who during their attacks specialise in firing arrows into the heads of the enemy. For Gorilla's who love to use boulders as weapons. For Tarzan to fight a lion, a crocodile and a rhinoceros. Watch in awe as there is Pachyderm Pandemonium, a pride of lions menacing our Jane, classy chimps proving smarter than your average human, and of course there are high grade gymnastics evident as well.

The Hays Code would soon come into play and dilute the Tarzan series, but still being able to see these early MGM Tarzan movies is akin to going to a film museum where only the open minded are invited. Wonderful. 10/10

Have added I Walk Alone to my get list - thought I had it but apparently not.

The Fifth Element - www.imdb.com/review/rw2080475/?ref_=tt_urv 8/10

Jan 19, 2019 20:34:30 GMT OldAussie said:

Let me know what you thought of these 6 mate.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) - I absolutely love it!

For England, for home, and for the prize! 

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is directed by Peter Weir, it stars Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey and Paul Bettany as Stephen Maturin. It is spliced from various novels in the Aubrey–Maturin series written by Patrick O'Brian. The film takes place during 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars and finds Captain Jack Aubrey and the crew of British frigate HMS Surprise ordered to intercept, destroy or take as a prize the French privateer Acheron. But the Acheron (The Phantom as the crew of the Surprise call her) is no ordinary ship, and her Captain is smart. So Lucky Jack has his work cut out; not only in the pursuit of the Acheron, but in harmonising the crew under his command. Especially his loyal and trusting friend Stephen.

It's pretty evident within the first few minutes of Master & Commander that this is no standard blockbuster naval based war movie. If you are after, or was expecting, a wave to wave Bruckheimer carnage a-like piece, well you best, or should have, stay(ed) away. For this is a Peter Weir movie, in fact this is a Peter Weir "period" movie, where attention to details and character dynamics are the order of the day. There's battle action here for sure, beginning and end, and terrific they are too. As first cannonballs crack and splinter its targets (note the sound work here), and later as blade meets blade; it's exhilarating stuff alright. But this is more interested in palpable tension, both on deck and on the waves. Threat is never far away, again, this is is covered by the impending duel with the Acheron and Aubrey's tactical pursuit/escape of her. While the crew give us a series of character dramas to involve us in the make up of a man-o-war's personnel. How different classes and males (there's not one female in the film) of all ages have to work together as one efficient unit in order to survive and triumph. Except for an interlude spent on the lusciously filmed Galapagos Island (Russell Boyd Best Cinematography Academy Award Winner), the film is set 99% of the time out at sea, on a cramped ship, this tells you that Weir is interested in telling a character driven story, cloaked in realism, above all else.

The teaming of Weir with the highly rated O'Brian material looked a good one, and to someone like me who has never read an O'Brian novel? It is. But many of O'Brian's fans have been upset by either the stuff missing in the film, the stuff put in to fully form Weir's vision of the characters, or for Crowe not being Pugwashy enough. These complaints were inevitable since they come with practically every adaptation of novels these days. It should be noted, tho, that Weir was very much a fan of O'Brian, and in fact always felt inspired by the tight intricate detail of his writings. What of the author himself? Well he passed away three years before the film was released, but he had always envisaged Charlton Heston for the role of Aubrey. So, who in the modern era comes closest to Heston's physical presence on screen. Why Russell Crowe of course. Who not only brings that to the character, but also depth, because Aubrey comes with many traits. Strength, honour, stubbornness, leadership and loyalty are a given for a Captain on the high seas. But Aubrey is also vulnerable, self aware, playful, knows his limitations and able to laugh at himself. Crowe peels off each layer and delivers a high quality performance; from our first encounter with Crowe as Aubrey, the realism so loved by Weir is given a shot in the arm; and it stays throughout the movie.

An excellent piece of casting then, as is that of Paul Bettany as ships surgeon, science and nature lover, and best pal of the Captain, Stephen Maturin. Bettany & Crowe had formed a friendship on 2001s A Beautiful Mind. Where their on screen chemistry lifted an already fine film, to an even better one. So it be here too. Stephen & Jack's relationship is the core of the piece. Two very different men yet as tight as two peas in a pod, with Stephen serving as the code breaker for the audience as sea talk and tactical intrigue weaves in and out of the story. It's there where Bettany excels, for he not only has us believing in this warm (platonic) friendship, he's also got us rooting for him since he is in essence the odd man out on this ship. Our sympathy is firmly with him, our friendly rebel if you please. Of the rest there's note worthy turns from Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy & Edward Woodall, while Lee Ingleby gives a really heartfelt and emotionally engaging turn as Hollom.

The film is not without flaws, tho. The pace of the piece does slip from time to time, while the talky middle section may stretch the patience of some. And the film isn't long enough to give the main characters some back story for the audience to work off. But it's still a great movie. Ripe with intelligence and interesting characterisations: and boasting enough adrenalin, humour and upset to fill out a big budgeted 1950s historical epic. Get on board folks, this is quality film making. 9/10

Witness (1985) - Another great film in my book, I have a problem with Jarre's score, doesn't sit right for me, but other than that it's a cracker, not even Kelly McGillis can drag it down! Another I need to revisit and rewrite a review for.  

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) - Another one that is on my favourite neo-noir list > www.imdb.com/review/rw2629078/?ref_=tt_urv 9/10

Untraceable (2008) - I hated it and I'm still baffled by it's above average rating on IMDb - www.imdb.com/review/rw1927513/?ref_=tt_urv 3/10

Clementine, class 9/10.

You and I have talked about Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) before. I'll say again that I was very surprised to see a lot of disdain towards it on the old CFB. www.imdb.com/review/rw2760456/?ref_=tt_urv  8/10

Jan 19, 2019 21:00:32 GMT mikef6 said:

The Chase / Arthur Ripley (1946). Nero Films. Poor Bob Cummings. His face is boyish, not rugged and his voice is sort of medium in pitch, not deep and authoritarian. These things make him an easy target when appearing in romantic or action leading man roles. But his performances in noir (i.e. this movie under review and Anthony Mann’s “The Black Book” – a historical noir) blunt all those criticisms. His character, Chuck Scott, is first seen penniless and hungry on a city sidewalk. By chance, he finds a lost wallet that belongs to notorious but filthy rich gangster Eddie Roman (Steve Cochran) who, impressed with Scott’s honesty, gives him a job as chauffeur. In this capacity, he meets Roman’s wife Lorna (Michèle Morgan) who is lonely and considers herself a prisoner. They plot to run away together where Roman can’t find them. This results in a couple of mid-movie turnarounds that leaves the audience not knowing where the story will go next. The script is by Philip Yordan from a novel by Cornell Woolrich. Michèle Morgan had been a star in her home country of France but came to Hollywood during the mid-‘40s. She was not as successful. “The Chase” was the next to last of her English language pictures during that period before fleeing back to France where she resumed her stardom. With more screen time Peter Lorre could have stolen the show as Roman’s world-weary, seen-it-all right hand man. Recommended for all film noir fans. Should be more well-known than it is.




Lured / Douglas Sirk (1947). Hunt Stromberg Productions. A serial killer is staking young women in London, luring them with promises of show business work through the personal ads. When a friend of out-of-work and stranded showgirl Sandra Carpenter (Lucille Ball) goes missing, she agrees to work with Scotland Yard to be bait after her pluck and intelligence show themselves to Inspector Temple (Charles Coburn). She catches the eye of rich night club entrepreneur and playboy Robert Fleming (George Sanders). The charming rogue (not much of a stretch for Sanders) begins to pursue her. Is he the killer? Can Scotland Yard really protect her from the killer? Who is that suspicious looking man who is following her everywhere? Lucy is more than marvelous as a smart independent woman who doesn’t mind taking chances. Her performance lights up every scene in this film. Also in the cast is George Zucco, Cedric Hardwicke, and Boris Karloff in a hilarious cameo in which he mocks his screen persona. This is early work for director Douglas Sirk who was yet to find his forte in Hollywood.

Odds Against Tomorrow / Robert Wise (1959). HarBel Productions. There are so many people and positive aspects to the classic film noir but I want to start with cinematographer Joseph Brun and his beautiful, sometimes startling, black-and-white photography shot on locations in New York City and Hudson, New York (called Milton in the movie). Many (maybe most) of the shots in this film could hang in an art museum. The Story: Retired and poor cop Dave Burke (Ed Begley) has a plan to knock over a small bank in upstate New York when the bank gets a once a month delivery of a large amount of cash for factory payrolls. He recruits stylish man about town Johnny Ingram (Harry Belafonte) who owes a bundle in gambling debts and Earle Slater (Robert Ryan), a southern racist who doesn’t like the idea of working with a black partner. But Ryan gives a layered performance of a man who grew up without much to his name and remains stalled in an low economic status with little to no hope of it getting any better. Like so many others of that time as well as our own, they need someTHING, someONE to blame. In the case of Earle Slater, is it African-Americans. This doubles the tension in the film: there is the just-this-one-job-and-then-we’re-through caper as well as the racial anger to worry about. Belafonte also delivers a deeply felt performance. The women in the cast are Slater’s wife Lorry (Shelley Winters) and their apartment neighbor Helen (Gloria Grahame) who makes a play for Earle. You can also catch Wayne Rogers in his film debut and Cicely Tyson in her second film role. This should be considered an essential title in the noir catalog.

The Chase. I'd argue that Lorre does steal the show, but definitely agree it should be better known. It's devilishly off-kilter.

Have you ever been afraid? Really afraid?

The Chase is directed by Arthur Ripley and adapted to screenplay by Philip Yordan from the novel The Black Path of Fear written by Cornell Woolrich. It stars Robert Cummings, Steve Cochran, Michèle Morgan, Peter Lorre and Jack Holt. Music is by Michel Michelet and cinematography comes from Frank F. Planer. Plot finds Cummings as World War II veteran Chuck Scott, drifting and skint, he finds a wallet and returns it to the owner. The owner is one Eddie Roman (Cochran), an apparently wealthy and thriving business man who repays Chuck's honesty by giving him a job as a chauffeur. Nothing from here on in will ever be the same....

The Chase is one of those films that fell in to the public domain, got a cult following in spite of the number of bad prints out there, and now arguably deserves a place on the must see list of film noir enthusiasts. Bad prints aside, The Chase deals in oppressive atmosphere and lives in the void caught between a dream and a nightmare. Ripley (Thunder Road 1958) crafts his whole film in a dream state, keeping it mostly nocturnal, he and photographer Franz Planer thrive on Woolrich's premise and use slow pacing and shadow play to smoother the characters. It feels stifling, odd even, but with a couple of tricks up his sleeve, Ripley garners maximum impact by disorientating the viewer for the wonderfully absurd ending. Some may call out cheat, others are likely to enjoy its Wellesian feel, either way it's certainly a film that can't be called dull.

Cummings is fine as the good guy suddenly finding his world shifting sideways in a blur of pills, sleep and perfume, while Morgan registers nicely - even if ultimately she's underused and often her character is just there to make a romantic point. Cochran, in only his second year of acting, is a dominating and frightening force as the handsome and oily Roman. It's a menacing portrayal of a character who slaps his women around and literally will stop at nothing to get his way. But even Cochran is trumped by yet another weasel turn from Lorre, standing on the side of his boss spitting flem as well as sarcastic quips, Lorre alone is enough to seek the film out for a viewing. Good secondary support comes from Jack Holt in an important small role.

It doesn't push any boundaries or hold up as being hugely influential in the film noir cycle. But it's a relevant piece of work in that cycle, and certainly recommended to those interested in dream like oppression. 7/10

Lured. Uneven tonal flows and a jolly air stop it being a prime noir recommendation, but I found it a very enjoyable pic

Poet Killer Believed To Be At Bay! 

Lured (AKA: Personal Column) is directed by Douglas Sirk and collectively written by Leo Rosten, Jacques Companéez, Simon Gantillon and Ernst Neubach. It stars Lucille Ball, George Sanders, Charles Coburn, Cedric Hardwicke, Joseph Calleia and Boris Karloff. Music is by Michel Michelet and cinematography by William H. Daniels.

A serial killer in London is murdering young women whom he meets through the personal columns section of the newspaper. Taunting the police with cryptic poems, the killer is proving most illusive, so much so that when a friend of dancer Sandra Carpenter (Ball) disappears, the police enlist her to act as bait to lure the killer in.

There's a lot to like about Lured, on proviso you have your expectation level correctly set as to what sort of film it is. It's a very uneven movie in tone, which when one sees that there were four writing contributors involved in bringing it to the screen, perhaps comes as no surprise. A remake of Robert Siodmak's 1939 film Pièges (set in Paris), it is never sure if it wants to be a comedy mystery or a dark brooding thriller. A shame because in spite of it being a set bound production, Sirk and Daniels create a sinister visual mood when the story lurks around the constructed London sets.

The cast are ever watchable, though you can see Ball struggling to rein in her natural comedic bent during the more dramatic sequences, but she leads off from the front and looks positively lovely and radiant. Karloff fans get a fun extended cameo, with the great Uncle Boris playing up to a caricature of unstable characters he could do in his sleep, Sanders is suitably stand-offish, Coburn ebullient, while Hardwicke and Calleia add a touch of class to the support ranks.

Michelet's musical score is in keeping with the mixed tonal flow of the picture, in fact sometimes sounding like it should be in a screwball movie from decades previously, but with competent professionalism coming elsewhere from Sirk, Daniels and the lead cast members, it's an enjoyable movie. Even if it's all a bit too jolly and nonchalant for its own good at times. 6.5/10 

Odds Against Tomorrow. Glad you got a lot out of Brun's work. Noir is a style of film making, first and foremost and cinematography is one of the key and truest elements.

Whatsoever Thy Hand Findeth To Do. Do It With Thy Might.

Odds Against Tomorrow is directed by Robert Wise and adapted to screenplay by Abraham Polonsky and Nelson Gidding from the novel written by William P. McGivern. It stars Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan, Ed Begley, Shelley Winters and Gloria Grahame. Music is by John Lewis and cinematography by Joseph C. Brun.

Don't beat on that Civil War jazz here Slater. We are all in this together - each man equal. And we're taking care of each other, it's one big play, our one and only chance to grab sticks forever. And I don't wanna hear bout what your Grandpappy thought on the old farm down on old Oklahoma. You got it?

A seething ball of fatalism, pessimism and racism, Odds Against Tomorrow packs a firm handed noir punch. At the core it's a tale of 3 men doing a heist, each man with their own reasons for breaking the law, to tackle what looks to be a simple job. Begley is a bitter ex-cop, Ryan a loser living off of his girlfriend, and Belafonte likes to gamble on the horses, only he's not very good at it and now his financial provider wants cashing in - or there are bigger prices to be paid...

All men are evil.

Wise is in no hurry here, he builds the characters and inner turmoil of each protagonist for a good portion of the running time. It's a good move. The racial tension is palpable, Earle Slater (Ryan) is a venomous racist, which obviously doesn't go down too well with Johnny Ingram (Belafonte), their scenes together crackle with electric tinged hatred, which in turn gives the whole pic its ism factors. It's bitter stuff, further compounded by the two femmes of the piece, both of whom are attached to Slater. They are not fatale types, but Lorry (Winters) and Helen (Grahame) are sad cases for differing reasons, both adding to the all round sourness of the narrative, with Helen's key scene with Slater containing razor edged scripting.

Hello dear!

The makers fill out the pic with an array of noir standards, from gay henchmen, facially blemished bystanders and acerbic dialogue, to a whole bunch of scenes and imagery that linger large. Daylight scenes have a threatening hue to them, most often boosted by crafty images such as deflated balloons, a battered doll, a rusty old tin can, a dizzying carousel or even a serene shot of a rabbit caught in the sights of our most hate filled protag. Brun's night photography out in the streets is rich with oppressive and ominous atmosphere, and the interior environments of a cramped apartment (scary stairs outside of course) and a smoky club (hello percussion abuse!) are ripe with a claustrophobic hopelessness befitting the story. And all the time John Lewis lays some sumptuously moody jazz over everything.

It all builds to the big finale, the heist and the heart tugs, a welcome to noirville sign going blink blink blinkity blink somewhere in the shadowed city. The message is clear, and every lover of film noir owes Robert Wise a debt of gratitude for overseeing a change of endings from the literary source. Yes, even the director of two of the most popular musicals of all time could beat a black heart. Thank you Bobby. 9/10

Enjoying your trawl through the noir universe mike, has me scampering to my back catalogue and noting ones down for revisits