What classics did you see last week ? (23 Jun- 29 Jun 2019)

The Talk of the Town is the second Grant film to pop up this week that's firmly in the divisive department. I think it's quality film making.

What is the law? It's a gun pointed at somebody's head. All depends upon which end of the gun you stand, whether the law is just or not. 

The Talk of the Town is directed by George Stevens and Stevens co-produces with Fred Guiol. It's adapted by Dale Van Every, Irwin Shaw and Sidney Buchman from a story by Sidney Harmon. It stars Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Ronald Colman, Rex Ingram and Edgar Buchanan.

Leopold Dilg (Grant), a radical and political thinking man, is accused of burning down a mill and causing the death of a foreman in the subsequent fire. On trial for his life, he decides to escape from jail and makes his way to the home of his school day friend Nora Shelley (Arthur). However, his timing couldn't be worse, for Nora has taken in a tenant for the summer, a law professor, Michael Lightcap (Colman). Passing him off as the gardener, Nora has to hope that Lightcap doesn't cop on to Dilg being an escaped prisoner. But with both men feeling each other out, and both having designs on Nora, something is going to have to give.

Though nominated in seven Academy Award categories, The Talk of the Town won none. Perhaps more surprisingly is that of those seven nominations, none were for acting or direction. Surprising because the film is impeccably acted and smoothly directed. It was, however, rightly nominated for Best Picture (it lost out to William Wyler's Mrs. Miniver) and was a big smash at the box office. The public quickly warmed to its blend of comedy with intelligent politico musings. The set up is safe, a potential love triangle - with the three leads playing off each other sublimely - is nicely played out whilst the two men partake in discussions about the law, the applications of such and its moral worth. The comedy that comes in fits and starts is not so much of the screwball variety, but more that of ebullience born out of beautifully written sequences. Some argue that the plot is heavily reliant on contrivances (how many 1940s comedies aren't?), but ultimately that is easily forgiven given the quality on show across the board. 8/10

I haven't reviewed - to my shame - The 39 Steps yet, but know that I will do this summer and it's easily 9/10 as a starting point 

hitchcockthelegend

Thanks for sharing your reviews of The Glass Key, Shadow On The Wall, and Kansas City Confidential. They are interesting and insightful, as always.

As for your weekly set:

I am glad you liked Losey’s “M” and could take it on its own merits. That’s not always easy to do. For example, I don’t think the just announced new movie of Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca” with Armie Hammer, Lily James, and Kristin Scott Thomas is going to be so easy to swallow.

“The Scarlet Hour” looks very watchable. I’ll try to get to it this week. Michael Curtiz sure had a varied career and was triumphantly successful in many genres. That is why – like with John Huston – he was initially overlooked by the auteur critics because they could not find signature themes or techniques in his films that he had sneaked in while working under the studio system. Instead, he just turned out quality pictures whose direction and editing were appropriate to what was on the screen.

I will say about “Sabata” about what I said in my comments of “Kingsmen” – too much of the same thing. What kept me in the movie was mainly Lee Van Cleef. He commands the screen and builds suspense by making you wonder from moment to moment what he is about to do. His smile is particularly unsettling – and he smiles a lot. The movie tries for a Yojimbo/Fistful Of Dollars plot as Sabata tries to scam a town full of Bad Guys by blackmailing them with his knowledge of their participation in the robbery of federal funds. But instead of Kurosawa’s web of lies and double-crosses, the villains in “Sabata” just send one assassin after another after Van Cleef and he shoots it out with them until he and his two sidekicks decide to turn the tables and attack the gang at their stronghold. I am a great lover of classic American westerns, even those low budget programmers that I used to see on Saturday morning TV as a young boy in the 1950s. But, with a few exceptions, I never got on the “Spaghetti Western” train.

Well I'm a confirmed Wilder fan, own his box sets I do, but I positively dislike One, Two, Three. Irma is a divisive pic amongst his fans as well >

Adapted from Alexandre Breffort's stage musical, Irma la Douce in film form turns into something of a roller-coaster ride. Even allowing for the absence of the songs (a major gripe with purists), the film is far too bloated to really achieve the heights of being a great comedy classic. If it had been condensed to perhaps a 100 minute film then I think it could have achieved the splendour that some sequences hint at. As it is though, there is still much to enjoy, and nobody should be under the impression that this film isn't funny, because it is, but just how long can you stretch the joke Mr Wilder?

I think the chief thing that sticks out is just how did Wilder get such an overtly sexual farce past the censors? He pushes the boundary more than usual with this one, and I honestly would be surprised if he himself wasn't surprised to get away with so much cheeky sexual shenanigans. The sets are fabulous from Alexandre Trauner, and Andre Previn's score is perfect and in tune with the Parisian heart of the film, but the lead actors here are oddly not firing on all cylinders.

Jack Lemmon's hopeless romantic Nestor is the core humour character. A character who becomes jealous of himself! His transformation into an English fop is hilarious at first, but on, and on, and on it goes till the joke becomes a heavy weight on the film's shoulders. Lemmon is fine, he's just the victim of over ambition from Wilder. Shirley MacLaine is the title character and it doesn't quite come off, sure she gives it gusto and she looks fabulous (as always), but the role cried out for a more cosmopolitan actress, and this again comes down to Wilder losing site of things with this particular project.

It's a safe recommend for Lemmon fans, but for Wilder worshippers such as me the problems are evident in spite the film being his highest grossing film of the decade. A cautionary 7/10.

The Fortune Cookie

Morality and cynicism not quite the bedfellows Wilder intended? 

Wilder's response to his previous film Kiss Me Stupid's criticism was intended to be a bitter attack on American morality, yet many critics of the time felt Wilder chickened out by sweetening the finale. If he actualy did this is obviously down to each individual viewer to decide, but in my case I just feel that it comes together nicely to finish off a very funny and sharp Wilder film.

Camerman Harry Henkle is working the sidelines filming a Browns/Vikings game when he is flattened by running back Boom Boom Jackson and taken to hospital. His crafty chiseller brother-in-law Willie sees an opportunity to make big money by suing all and sundry for negligence, that Harry is actually OK is a minor inconvenience. This sets us up to watch the dynamic duo of Walter Matthau (Willie) & Jack Lemmon (Harry) try and fake major injury to garner a big pay out. Naturally there are many problems along the way as Harry fights with his moral fibre and a burning torch for his ex wife Sandy. While convincing the doctors and insurance people that he is actually injured is not going to be easy, thus it makes for some truly funny sequences.

As you would expect from Wilder & I.A.L Diamond, the script sizzles with wit and cynicism (perfect material here for Matthau who won the best supporting Oscar), and although the running plot strand of Boom Boom Jackson's guilt and subsequent career jolt does dampen the film down a touch, it's still a winner that can be pleasantly sampled from time to time. 8/10

I'm jealous that you got to see Lawrence of Arabia for the first time, wish I could do that all over again - and on the big screen as well, what joy! One of the reasons I fell in love with historical epics. One of these days I'll find the strength to review it, it is due another spin so maybe this time...

Yes you gave me the nudge to seek out Losey's M, glad you did 

I will be very interested in how you find The Scarlet Hour, being as you are a noir head as well.

I'm actually not a great advocate of Spaghetti's as such, it gets tiresome wading through a 100 sub-standard efforts to get to 1 good one! And it really does feel like that sort of average. But there are some excellent ones out there, but for sure give me classic American Oaters any day of the week. As for Sabata, it pitches the blend of comedy and action about right, knowing it's more airy before viewing it definitely helps. I have the two "sequels" to watch, with Bryner starring in the first sequel Adiós, Sabata (1970) (though it's apparently just in name a sequel) and Return of Sabata (1971) with Cleef back in the role.