What classics did you see last week? 10th Jan to 16th Jan?

They Died With Their Boots On / Raoul Walsh (1941). Warner Bros. Cinematography by Bert Glennon. This was the 8th and last time Errol Flynn and Olivia de Haviland starred together in a movie (there were cameos from both in “Thank Your Lucky Stars” from 1943 but I’m not counting that). TDWTBO is a mostly fictional account of the life of the flamboyant and reckless 19th century cavalry officer George Armstrong Custer and is the best of them all mainly because Errol Flynn is the perfect choice to play Custer. De Haviland is his loyal wife Libby who puts up with a lot from him. Raoul Walsh is also the ideal director to helm this sweeping historical saga with plenty of battles and action in particular the finale near the banks of the Little Big Horn river in Montana. Even though there are places, especially during Custer’s courting of Libby, where the romance and corny attempts at humor slow things down, but another action scene is right around the corner. Arthur Kennedy plays Ned Sharp, Custer’s nemesis in the army and enemy in the later years. The two actors have a couple of fine face-to-face scenes together. Anthony Quinn is Crazy Horse, John Litel as General Sheridan and Sidney Greenstreet, walking of with the picture in his hip pocket every time he shows up on screen, is General Winfield Scott. A must for western movie fans but possibly painful to history buffs familiar with Custer’s story.


The Burglar / Paul Wendkos (1957). Columbia Pictures. Cinematography by Don Malkames. Nat Harbin (Dan Duryea) is a master thief you has never been arrested, never fingerprinted, nor had his mug shot taken because he have been carefully tutored in the profession from childhood by an older master. Now, has a vow to this dead mentor to always watch out for the older man’s daughter, Gladden (Jayne Mansfield), who, unaware of this background, is in love with Nat although he keeps her at arms’ length. The two of them are confined in a house with two henchmen waiting for the heat to die down after their most recent caper. But the other two men are getting anxious and a little rapey toward Gladden. Nat and Gladden have to get away but they don’t know there is an unknown lurker aware of their crime and waiting a chance. This late noir is surprisingly good. I was surprised. Although Mansfield in at least one other movie have showed hints of an actual acting talent, it is more evident here – although the film makers could not help including a figure revealing bathing suit scene. Duryea is excellent, as per usual, in a good/bad guy role.




Macbeth / Rupert Goold (2010).Violent, bloody Macbeths have been common since the 1971 Roman Polanski film. This newer production, from what I read in advance, surpass even the Polanski. However, gory in places (mainly the murder of the king), often the violence occurs either off camera or otherwise shies away from depicting it. Thankfully, even the unbearable scene of the murders of Macduff’s wife and children, sometimes rendered brutally on screen, is not shown. In the title role, Sir Patrick Stewart is nothing short of magnificent. Macbeth’s journey from reluctant regicide to guilt-ridden monarch to final suicidal warrior in battle is very carefully and finely graded. Kate Fleetwood, mainly a stage and TV actress, not known much in the U.S., is a good choice for Lady Macbeth, while not one of my top favorites. Highly recommended, especially for Patrick Stewart fans.