What classics did you see last week? (7 Jan to 13 Jan 2018)

A mixed week of viewings influenced by other family members -

The Les Miserables I've seen in rough order -

1 2012 the musical has some great moments and is solid over all
2 1935 Laughton and March are both excellent
3 1978 "only" a made for tv movie but the 2 leads (Perkins and Jordon) are also very good
4 2000 Originally a 6 hour mini-series (I think) but cut to about 3 hours on DVD, was heavy going
5 1998 haven't seen this for nearly 20 years - need to see it again
6 1952 haven't seen this for nearly 40 years - need to see it again

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME LUBITSCH? (on TCM this week and next..)

Eternal Love (1929) www.imdb.com/title/tt0019852/?ref_=nv_sr_2 is one of Ernst Lubitsch's last silent movies. It takes place in early 19th century Switzerland when the France and Austria are "at each other's throats" in fighting over control of Switzerland. When there is a French edict for the Swiss citizens to give up their guns, Marcus Paltran (John Barrymore) resists, drawing the ire of the townspeople of his Alpine village. When the wildly uninhibited Mona Rico , Pia (Mona Rico), throws herself at him, he resists. Marcus loves another villager, Ciglia (Camilla Horn). But, Marcus is forced to marry Pia and Cilgia is left alone to marry another villiager, Rev. Tass (Hobart Bosworth). This leads to a love triangle with two couples "trapped" in loveless marriages....

This movie is OK but not great. The images are OK but not crystal clear; the title cards are good. I watched it more for its historical interest that for its merit. The IMDb informs me that this was filmed at Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada (a beautiful place that I have visited). Here, one gets to see  John Barrymore's broad gestures and personal appeal during the silent era as well as an example of some early Lubitsch.  (I was able to watch this movie via my Amazon Prime where it can be found).

---------------------------------------------

Broken Lullaby (1932) www.imdb.com/title/tt0022725/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_16 is a truly remarkable early Lubitsch drama, placed right in the middle phase of his musical comedies. It may be one of the best anti-war movies I have ever seen.

Its story starts in a Paris church on November 11, 1919 where former soldiers and civilians are celebrating the first anniversary of the armistice of the Great War. With bells ringing and cannons firing in celebration, not all people have forgotten the terror of the Great War. One former French soldier, Paul Renard (Phillips Holmes), can only remember the man he murdered during the war, Walter Holderlin. (Renard knows of his identity through letters he had found on Walter's body in the foxhole where Walter and Phillip made their encounter.) Upon advise from the church's priest (Frank Sheridan), whom he asks for peace and absolution, Renard commits to traveling to Germany to find Walter's family and former fiancée to find the peace he had so badly needed since he had killed Walter. In Germany, he finds no peace from Walter's father, Dr. H. Holderlinthe (Lionel Barrymore) or Walter's family. He sees only German hatred for  the French victors. But, through his actions (rather than his words) he does find forgiveness and understanding. Nancy Carroll plays Fraulein Elsa, Walter's former fiancée; Zasu Pitts plays the Holderlin the family maid. 

This movie is nothing like those Lubitsch cookie-cutter comedies that was we have come to call the "Lubistsch touch." It is powerful stuff!! One thing I noticed--especially at the beginning of the movie--was Lubistsch's powerful use of imaging: the soldiers kneeling in the French church, with those long military boots; the stern and solemn looks on the veterans' faces; the military officers with metals on their chest; the terror shown on the faces of the hospitalized veterans as the cannons fire in celebration.... 

----------------------------------         

Angel (1937) www.imdb.com/title/tt0028575/?ref_=nv_sr_1 is one of those Lubitsch movies that is SO
sophisticated that I missed the humor of it all. Here, we have three main characters: Lady Maria Barker (Marlene Dietrich), her Parisian lover, Anthony Halton (Melvyn Douglas) and her English husband, Sir Frederick Barker (Herbert Marshall). Is this a fantasy, a mystery or a comedy? Well, who is Angel and who is Lady Maria Barker? We know; they know--don't they?  Is Marlene Dietrich's character such a good chameleon that she can fool both men in the same room at the same time?....no, no, wait for the brilliant denouement at the end of the movie.

This would not rank high among my favorite Lubitsch comedies, it would fall closer to That Uncertain Feeling (1941), also with Melvyn Douglas, than Trouble in Paradise (1932), also with Herbert Marshall--the former being rather too dry, the latter being very clever. 

-----------------------------------

Design for Living (1933) www.imdb.com/title/tt0023940/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 is a movie that tests this question: Is it possible to make a bad pre-code Ernest Lubitsch movie, based on Noël Coward play, and starring two actors who would later become double-Oscar winners for Best Actor in a Leading Role? The answer for me is, sadly, yes, it IS possible! 

The story takes place in France when two "buddies," Thomas B. 'Tom' Chambers (Fredric March) and George Curtis (Gary Cooper) are napping in a train compartment with a commercial caricature artist, Gilda Farrell (Miriam Hopkins) sketching them while seated across from them in the same compartment. When Tom and George wake up and see Gilda's caricature, they start discussing it in French until they find out that they are all Americans. Tom is a struggling comedy play-write, George is a struggling painter, and Gilda is a successful commercial caricature artist who works for an advertising agency owned by Max Plunkett (Edward Everett Horton).

When George and Tom take up residence in a Bohemian neighborhood of Paris, Gilda tries to promote both of their careers by both championing them and being their most severe critic. As she "makes love" to both, everyone is OK with the arrangement and all is well. The most possessive of the three men seems to be Max who values Gilda for her talent in his agency. Gilda finally marries Max, but soon finds he is more interested the companies she can bring to his company than he is for her....
So, is this a consentual ménage à trois arrangement--a love triangle--or what?
While this may have been a daring play at the time, it now seems silly beyond belief.
There are several problems here:
---We are not sure if George and Tom are just long-standing roommates or "closeted" lovers. And,neither Noël Coward nor Ernest Lubitsch seem to want to broach this subject at all; maybe this is intended. 
---And, what about Gilda (Miriam Hopkins) marriage to Max (Edward Everett Horton)??  Why HIM? One even starts to wonder about Gilda's sexual preference after a while.
---The term "making love" has had several meanings over the years: what it means to my generation is not the same thing as what it meant to my parents' generation (when this movie was showing). There, it just meant "making out"--not having sex.  

This all seems to be too clever by half if it is truly a design for living.        

==========================

Broken Arrow (1950) www.imdb.com/title/tt0042286/?ref_=nv_sr_1 is much better than I remember. Jeff Chandler received an Oscar nomination for his role as Cochise. Though I am not generally a fan of Westerns, this one is very nice, indeed, since it focus on the Apache culture and humanized the American Indians more than other movies of the era. I once lived in Tucson, and the background of this movie setting is very close to that in Chiricahua National Monument, with its jutting rocks and green trees and shrubs, where the Cochise once led the Apaches. (This movie, however, was filmed in Sedona AZ. which is closer to Flagstaff than Tucson.)

----------------------------------

All That Jazz (1979) www.imdb.com/title/tt0078754/?ref_=ttawd_awd_tt received nine Oscar nominations including one for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Roy Scheider) and Best Director (Bob Fosse). I had never seen it before and decided to add it my list of movies seen. The dancing was great, but the story is a little long-winded and repetitive. Still it is one of those one-of-kind movies that movie lovers should see. Other actors of note in the movie are Jessica Lange and Ben Vereen (who played Chicken' George in  Roots TV mini-series).

---------------------------------

3 by W.C. Fields  No plot descriptions of these three movies would suffice...

It's a Gift (1934) www.imdb.com/title/tt0025318/?ref_=nm_knf_t1
"Closed on account of Molasses'


The Bank Dick (1940) www.imdb.com/title/tt0032234/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_6. That isn't an accent grave over the name Sousé--it is an accent acute. 


Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941) www.imdb.com/title/tt0033945/?ref_=nm_knf_t3 




 

 


(more reviews to be added as I write them)   

Kita no hotaru (1984) aka Fireflies in the North. Dir. Hideo Gosha

Kita no hotaru is an icy cold drama it opens with a narration, a brief historical background accompanied with original photos, the foundations of this fascinating tale. The story setting is the frigid untamed wilderness of Hokkaido during the early days of the Meiji era 1868-1912. This is a Hideo Gosha film , typical a dizzying mixture of history, politics, brutality, sexuality, romance, and bloody violence. Beautifully filmed, skilfully stylish, Gosha masterly blends all of these elements to create a compelling action packed historical drama.

Nakadai Tatsuya stars in a brilliant lead performance as Kiyoshi Tsukigata who in real life was the first warden of Kabato Prison 1881, It was here at this remote outpost that a prisoner rebellion broke out, brought on by the endless abuse & mistreatment. The Japanese government had established a European-style civil police system in 1874, and began using political prisoners as slave labour, many of the men came from former samurai clans now outlawed. Rounded up from prisons across the country the prisoner workforce was critical for building infrastructure roads/railroads to open up the snowbound wilds. The prisoners suffered a terrible fate in the harsh conditions, there was a heavy death toll among them.

There is a polished gleam to this production, very 1984, missing is that gritty raw edge of his earlier masterpieces eg Hitokiri (1969), however no way is this a detraction,. Kita no hotaru is a tense action packed adventure, a thought provoking twisting tale of intrigue and passion loyalty and honour, it is enthralling cinema, superior artistry, nothing less from the Japanese master Hideo Gosha..

                                               

I've had a truly classic viewing week, all first time views:

Gangster Story / Walter Matthau (1959). Here is some trivia for you: Walter Matthau directed one (and only one) movie – this one. Matthau also stars as Jack Martin, a wanted killer who has just escaped from the police as the movie opens. To raise money, he pulls of a clever scam on a bank which, along with another cute robbery of a country club near the end, are the best parts of this movie. The bank job gets the notice of the mob boss who controls the territory. On the run in central California, Martin meets and falls in love with the local librarian (Carol Grace) and decides to settle down. But when the mob boss catches up to Martin, he is offered a job planning capers. This film was shot on the extreme cheap using a lot of public space (whether with or without permits, I don’t know). It was produced and distributed by Swen Productions, a company hitherto unknown to me. The best performance (and that’s not saying much) is from Carol Grace. Matthau, himself, is not very good. Matthau and Grace, it is to be noted, were newlyweds when “Gangster Story” was released. It was a second marriage for Matthau and a third for Grace who had just had but one other husband, i.e. she was married to and divorced from American author William Saroyan – twice.

Carol Grace and Walter Matthau in “Gangster Story”


Une Ravissante Idiote (The Ravishing Idiot, Agent 38-24-36) / Édouard Molinaro (1964). Incredibly annoying spy spoof set in London pitting British spies against Soviet agents but filmed in France with a French speaking cast. The lead player is American actor Anthony Perkins who is obviously dubbed to make him sound like a native French speaker, but Perkins clearly learned his lines in French so the dub would match his lip movements; so good for him. His female co-lead is Brigitte Bardot who I suspect needs no introduction. Perkins plays a Russian living in London under the name Harry Compton. Compton, something of a dim bulb, wants to forget about his Russian past and become a Englishman, but his friend and mentor is a spy and is supposed to be Compton’s boss. Meanwhile, the British spy service sets a trap with a fake file that is believed by the other side to be the NATO defense plans. They want the Russians to steal and believe the misinformation. Perkins and his control are given the task of getting their hands on the file. Also in the mix is the blonde bubblehead with a laugh like a donkey’s bray, Penny Lightfeather (Bardot) who Compton has fallen for. Turns out, she is Communist Party member and glad to help out but is even more stupid and incompetent than Compton. Some madcap stuff ensues. There is a lot of quick cutting, speeded up action, falling into cakes, bumbling around, getting the file, losing the file, getting the file, loosing the file, fighting a runaway vacuum cleaner, and…well, you get the idea. And every silly thing that happens is pointed out to us by what is possibly the most irritating underscore in film history – worse, composed by the great Michel Legrand (The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg). I felt really sorry for both Perkins and Legrand. And this went on for an hour and 45 minutes. The plot was chaotic but it did have two twists in the last few minutes. One came as a surprise; the other I spotted coming an hour and 40 minutes earlier. Really terrible.

Perkins and Bardot in The Ravishing Idiot


The Beguiled / Sofia Coppola (2017). Once this movie had ended for me, I had mixed feelings about it. But as the days past, I came to dislike it more and more. Yet – this may seem contradictory – I understand what kijii said last week about the first version you see may be your favorite (the first was a 1971 release with Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page, directed by Don Siegel). Although there were some pretty shots of scenery, most of the Southern Gothic atmosphere, the “horror” element, was missing. Much of the main characters’ backstory was not retained. Colin Farrell was a mere shadow of Eastwood. And what was the point of shooting so many scenes in so much darkness that hardly anything can be discerned except candle flame. I was going to finish the last half of the film in the afternoon but even with window blinds closed and all lights out, what little glare was left was still too much against the black screen. I had to wait until after sundown before catching the ending. The best part: Kirsten Dunst as the lonely school teacher. The other major players were Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning. As politicians sometimes say, “My opinion is evolving.” Well, for me, each day that goes by I dislike this movie more.

Farrell and Dunst in a brightly lit scene


The Post / Steven Spielberg (2017). Two lions of American screen acting, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, team up to save the world. In 1971, political analyst Daniel Ellsberg, working for the RAND Corporation, a think-tank, photocopied over the period of a month, 7,000 pages of a Top Secret study tracing a pattern of lying to Congress and the public by U.S. Presidents from Truman, through Eisenhower, JFK, LBJ, and Nixon, about the war going on in Vietnam and America’s participation in it. When the New York Times got possession of a few hundred pages and printed a summery, news editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks) over at the Washington Post goes ballistic because they didn’t get the story first. Ace reporter Ben Bagdikian (Bob Odenkirk) thinks he knows who the source is. He leaves messages all over for Ellsberg to call him. Meanwhile, Katharine Graham (Streep) has recently been thrust into the job of publisher and printer of the Post, a job she doesn’t feel suited for because she had been raised to be a wife and mother. Now, she will have to lead the paper through a legal and ethical labyrinth. Acting throughout is at the highest level. Streep, Hanks, and Odenkirk lead a cast that is perfect down to the smallest speaking part. I’ll just mention Bruce Greenwood as Robert McNamara, Don Graham as an intern that Bradlee sends to NYC to spy on the times, and Tracy Letts as Graham’s top advisor. The script is by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer. One of the best of 2017. Highly recommended.

Hanks and Streep (as if you didn't know)


The Opera House / Susan Froemke (2017). A documentary chronicling the final years of the Old Met (the aging and inadequate theater that had housed the Metropolitan Opera in New York since 1883) and the construction of Lincoln Center with its new opera house in 1966. The hunt for a new site actually began in 1905 but nothing came of it until the mid-1950s This film takes up step-by-step through the city bureaucracy, the infighting among the architects, the budget battles, and the extensive “slum clearance” (called Urban Renewal back then) which kicked several thousand people out of their apartments (sub-standard, yes, but that was were they could live) without providing for them in any way so Lincoln Center could be built. And finally, the technical problems with the staging of the new opera (Samuel Barber’s “Antony and Cleopatra”) that would be performed on the very first night. The best part of the film is the scenes from an extensive interview with 90-year-old opera legend Leontyne Price, looking and sounding at least 20 years younger than her real age. The African-American wunderkind from Laurel, Mississippi broke a lot of barriers. She attended Julliard in the 1950s, began a recital career in Europe, then began appearing on the opera stage. She was already a mainstay at the Old Met when General Manager Rudolf Bing asked her to appear as Cleopatra on Opening Night. It is Price’s reminiscences that guide much of the documentary. While this summary of mine might seem dry and academic, it is not a bit so. It is often funny, touching, infuriating, and inspiring.

Leontyne Price @ 90


Some TV Shows. The Westerns are from the misty mist and the dusky dusk of early TV. The Gabby Hayes reviews were posted earlier on the Westerns Board.

The Gabby Hayes Show. Half-hour. May 12, 1956 – July 14, 1956.

Gabby had two shows, each had the same format. From 1950 to 1954 it ran on NBC as a 15-minute program. It moved to ABC where the half-hour version played for about two months. There couldn’t have been more that 8 to 10 episodes of the latter. I watched two of them.

Even though the opening titles show Gabby vigorously riding a horse, once the show starts, he sits on a set of a cabin front porch whittling a stick. He opens each show saying, “Well howdy, buckaroos. This is your ol’ pal, Gabby Hayes comin’ at’cha with another one of them rip-roaring western yarns. Yer dern tootin’. Yessiree, bob.” That, children, is authentic western gibberish. The “yarn” he spins is about 20 minutes of clips from an older PRC studio western. In other words, there is no new material and Gabby doesn’t play a role except presenter.

“Telescope” The western being excerpted is “Gentlemen with Guns,” a 1946 oater with Buster Crabb in one of 24 westerns where he played Billy Carson. His sidekick is Al 'Fuzzy' St. John (himself a Gabby Hayes rip-off) playing Fuzzy Q. Jones.

“Silver Skate” This is from “Wild Country” (1947), from a series starring country & western singer Eddie Dean playing “Eddie Dean” with his kick, Roscoe Ates as Soapy Jones. Often seen western villain Douglas Fowley is present and, while acting is not usually a consideration in these kids’ westerns, I. Stanford Jolley is noticeably good as a ruthless killer with the unlikely moniker of Rip Caxton.

At the time these shows were playing on Saturday morning TV, I was watching Saturday morning TV, including a lot of 1940s westerns, but I’ll be dad-gummed and danged (oops, too much Gabby) if I remember this show in either of its incarnations.



The Adventures Of Kit Carson. Half-hour. Syndicated. 1951 - ?

It is uncertain how many seasons Kit Carson was produced. According to the reference book Total Television, it was only on the air in 1951. The IMDb provides an episode guide for four seasons (1951 to 1955), but indicates elsewhere that the series ended in 1960. I watched two episodes from season 1. The show seems to be trying to walk a line between a juvenile audience and more adult psychological fare. Playing the title historical character (though these adventures have nothing to do with history) is hardworking actor Bill Williams. Williams was all over TV and movie screens (mostly in programmers) during the 1950s and 1960s. His spouse, Barbara Hale, was just as busy as an actor. She was seen by millions every week for seven years as Della Street on “Perry Mason.” They were married for 45 years until his death. Their son is actor William Katt (Williams’ birth name was Hermann August Wilhelm Katt). Playing Kit’s sidekick is Don Diamond who is still known for playing ethnicities other than his own. In “Kit Carson” he is a Mexican named El Toro (complete with Speedy Gonzales accent). He played a Native American, Crazy Cat, on the western comedy series “F Troop.”

S. 1, Ep. 18. December 8, 1951. “The Teton Tornado” Brad Randal, an old friend of Kit’s, is a mountain man who can’t conform to civilized ways. First, Kit learns that Brad is running a horse race scam. But when Randall tries to force himself on the young woman working at the boarding house, the result is a major fist fight and subsequent gun fight on main street.

S. 1, Ep. 22. January 5, 1952. “The Trap” Kit and El Toro capture Conover, a wanted outlaw. Conover explains that the family he left is in trouble and asks to be able to go to their aid. Not entirely trusting the man, Kit and El Toro go along. Myron Healy plays the boss behind the gunmen trying to run the family off their spread. Isabel Jewell (GWTW, Lost Horizon) is Conover’s bitter wife. The role of Healy’s main henchman is taken by former professional baseball player Fred Graham. You will remember Graham as Sheriff Jeff in “The Giant Gila Monster” (one of MST3K’s best) and as the policeman who falls from the roof in “Vertigo.”

Bill Williams and Don Diamond


Fred Graham


…Continuing a watch straight through the 10 seasons of Doctor Who: New Series in anticipation of next year’s introduction of the 13th Doctor.

S. 7, Ep. 3 “A Town Called Mercy” September 15, 2012. A sci-fi western set in the remote 19th century American town of Mercy where the residents are being held hostage by a cyborg gunman who demands they turn over a war criminal from his planet. Off-beat. Excellent.

S. 7, Ep 4 “The Power Of Three” September 22, 2012. The story of the Slow Invasion. One morning millions of black cubes appear all over the world. They don’t seem to have any function so people collect them, use them for paperweights, store them in closets, and generally forget about them. When, months later, they suddenly come to life, The Doctor has to act quickly to prevent Earth from being destroyed.

S. 7, Ep 5 “The Angels Take Manhattan” September 29, 2012. The Weeping Angels are back, to everyone’s delight. Also, River Song (Alex Kingston). Amy and Rory leave the show for good and in a way that shatters The Doctor. (You will find no spoilers here.) Another complex time travel paradox from writer and showrunner Steven Moffat.

S. 7, Christmas Special “The Snowmen” December 25, 2012. For once and only, the Christmas Special comes at the half-way point in the season instead of the first. The second best of the Christmas Specials. The Doctor meets Clara Oswald for the second time in a completely different time period and plant (the first time in Asylum Of The Daleks, 7:1) – and again she dies. She even exists in 2012. The Impossible Girl! Richard E. Grant is the main baddie and Ian McKellen is the voice of the Great Intelligence, another villain from the Classic Series. The Paternoster Gang makes its second appearance. Great script from Steven Moffat with wonderful back-and-forth between The Doctor and Clara.

S.7, Ep 6 “The Bells Of Saint John” March 30, 2013. The Doctor makes contact with the 21st century Clara Oswald who seems like a normal young lady. He saves her (and the world…again) from The Great Intelligence who invades the Wifi. By the end, we know, of course, that The Doctor is thinking at least two moves ahead of everybody else.

Jenna-Louisa Coleman as Clara Oswald


Matt Smith as The Doctor

mikef6

I actually didn't know it was an Atom Egoyan movie until I had to look up what I had seen, I was absorbed into the story and movie while zapping TV channels, and this one looked interesting and I followed it until the end forgetting the time as one feels that something isn't quiet what it looks in it, and I was right, it was worth my time.

I've always meant to, I was in a rush earlier when I posted those posters.

Sunset Boulevard was a movie I'd been looking forward to finally seeing for eons, and it not only lived up to expectations, but surpassed them. Like a love letter at the time for fans of what was then considered classic cinema. Now, this movie is considered a classic as well. I believe this movie made William Holden a star, and reinvigorated Gloria Swanson's career, if only slightly. She's on fire in this role! Loved it from start to finish. The first of two classics this week I rated 10/10.

Beat the Devil was a Bogie movie I had lying around for quite awhile. It's enjoyable but kind of a mess. Interesting that it was an early example of Hollywood traveling overseas on location. 

To Have and Have Not was another Bogie movie I had lying around, and the first with wife Lauren Bacall. Very Casablana-ish, a fun WWII Caribbean romp.

Key Largo seemed like a good follow up to To Have and Have Not, they used the same boat for both movies, apparently. What a cast! Bogie, Bacall,  Barrymore, Robinson, and Claire Trevor. A gluttony of talent, a great script and a pure joy to watch. 10/10.

Dark Passage was a real Bogie noir, on the run in San Francisco with a new face. Twisty-turny plot with Agnes Moorehead as a nasty noir dame, see! Great fun!

The Big Sleep (1946) The last Bogie/Bacall team-up, I had to see it after all the rest. Dorothy Malone tries to steals the whole movie as a sexy book store employee! 

The Big Sleep (1978) I'm a completist, I need to see remakes right after seeing the original, call me weird, I know. This time the movie is set in England, and the sexy book seller is now sexy 70's are Joan Collins! Nice casting! Oliver Reed is around to glare menacingly and we are treated to seeing legends Robert Mitchum and Jimmy Stewart on screen together. It's a bit of a nice mess, an entertaining one at least.

Stonewall just happened to be on TV so I watched it. The true, but slightly watered down story of gay men and women fighting for their rights in NYC in the late 60's.