andrewsarchus Reviews

China 9, Liberty 37 (1978)

What movie did other people see?

[2/10 · 28 December 2012]

The fact that this "tuchia" gets 6 stars on the IMDb scale and Two Lane Blacktop rates only 7.2 is proof how meaningless these aggregate scores are. I do sometimes wonder how much is lost in the pan-and-scan releases that these B movies get but I don't think anything could raise this film above bad and pretentious. Whether this is the fault of the producers or the director is usually a tale untold. My guess is that the producers wanted Agutter naked for half the film (bad) and that Hellman thought it would be cool to have Peckinpah mumble a few lines (pretentious). One interesting note is that this is the only screen credit for Jerry Harvey, the ill-fated programming genius behind Z channel in LA during the 1980's.

Fly Away Home (1996)

Another Animal Classic from Carroll Ballard

[9/10 · 15 October 2007]

Another great film from a great, if not terribly prolific, director. Whether by coincidence or design Ballard always seems to make films about personal family loss and emotional healing through animals, whether it be horses, ducks, or cheetahs. This remarkable story is based on the real life story of Bill Lishman, chronicled in his book "Father Goose: One Man, a Gaggle of Geese, and Their Real Life Incredible Journey South". He expanded his Operation Migration to include the endangered whooping and sandhill cranes. Cranes are hatched in captivity and guided to their northern and southern homes using ultralight aircraft. The website for Operation Migration has updates through 2003. I don't know it is still extant. Maybe it is another victim of Homeland Security!! A must-see family (not in the maudlin sense) film!

Bombardier (1943)

Typical WWII propaganda film

[4/10 · 25 July 2007]

Basically a typical propaganda film for the last good war. But there were a couple things that struck me. First was the use of mouthed epithets. In two cases the Scott character mouths one, once at the beginning when he drops his bomb off target during the bomb-off ("dammit") and once when he is trying to sway a bombardier into being a pilot ("s*%t"). I could be wrong about the second instance but I replayed it several times and that's what it looks like to me. The third case is when the Anne Shirley character wishes the O'Brien character goodbye and good luck ("Give 'em hell") over the roar of the engines. She must have thought that was too unladylike because she clearly says "heck". I also found interesting the character that has moral problems with bombing, specifically bombing civilians. The avuncular superior officer assures him that only military targets will be hit due to the precision of the bombsight used. Given what we know about the LeMay's later strategy of firebombing Japanese cities into oblivion this scene plays with not a little irony. I remember McNamara's quoting of LeMay in "The Fog of War", something to the effect that if the US did not win the conflict he would be tried as a war criminal. The ending is way overwrought, in keeping with the movie. It reminded me a bit of the end of White Heat (I'm not comparing the films, just the ending!). Maybe it's just 'cause he gets blowed up. Blowed up real good!!!

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)

One of Scorsese's best efforts

[10/10 · 5 April 2007]

In terms of pure cinema I've always thought that this is film is one of Scorsese's best, and that is saying a whole lot. Starting with the jarring juxtaposition of the red-lit opening sequence of young Alice with the reality of present day, this movie is a visual tour de force. In the first few minutes Scorsese establishes Alice's need for companionship and her love of music while painting a poignant portrait of this little family. Essentially this is a road movie and its ending has been commented on in several posts as a Hollywood sell out. I don't see that. It is a very bittersweet ending, with Alice having to give up the singing part of her dream for the time being. A Hollywood ending would have had her opening her one-woman show in Monterey or San Francisco (wasn't the movie clip in the hotel from that movie?). As it is she has someone that cares about her and her son. A wonderful trip. Highly recommended.

Since You Went Away (1944)

Good WWII period piece

[5/10 · 26 March 2007]

Good solid effort by good solid director John Cromwell. I completely agree with one poster calling it an American 'Mrs Miniver'. Not that it is remotely in the same league as Wyler's film but it is essentially a US home front propaganda piece with all the same themes of love and loss. Nice cinematography, too, by Lee Garmes and Stanley Cortez (the latter perhaps responsible for all the long shadow effects?). A couple comments on the casting. Robert Walker was generally cast as the innocent youth (The Clock, Bataan). It was this typecasting he was probably rebelling against in 'Strangers on a Train'. Jennifer Jones, never much of an actress, is quite good here. Easy to see how the producer Selznick fell for her.

The Desperate Hours (1955)

Psychological thriller par excellence

[10/10 · 26 March 2007]

The novel begins "Out of the fog they came..". Indeed. I remember this movie as being just a terrifically suspenseful ride, from the opening POV shot canvassing the neighborhood for a suitable hideout to the final clash between the two family "heads" over the son's fear and trust. As with any good psychological tale there is a lot here for everyone. What struck me particularly was the mirroring of the two families - one normal with all the right balances (male-female especially) and one totally perverse. One can view the Bogart-March pair as the family patriarchs and the Kobish-Ralphie pair as their respective sons. In fact, Kobish is basically a future Ralphie, should his rebelliousness remain unchecked (read whatever Oedipal theme you wish here). Thus it is entirely consistent that the climactic struggle center around the two patriarchs' power over the son Ralphie. And that at the very center of the struggle should be a gun, well, it doesn't get more Freudian, does it?

Plus all sorts of neat tensions and characters. How about the FBI/police as the Superego, trying to resolve the Id(Bogart)-Ego(March) clash it sees from afar? Like I said, there is something here for everyone!

Strange Impersonation (1946)

Anthony "Not The" Mann

[2/10 · 5 March 2007]

I'm a huge fan of Anthony Mann films in general and this one was one of the few offered on Netflix that I had not seen. Probably for good reason as it turned out. I agree with the reviewer who said this a noir plot (tragic consequences of kind acts, loss of identity, etc) with no noir visuals. Just two-shots of people talking. A "B" picture with no particularly outstanding merit in any category, including direction. The "scientist" talk and taking lab equipment back to one's home is pretty funny. The main guy scientist is such a schlub it is difficult to imagine these two females fighting over him. Also the main plot line, that of becoming another person, is a bit undermined by the fact that the same actress plays this "transformed" character all the way through. So if it obvious to us that this is the same person, why is it not obvious to the other characters in the film? Unless Mann was pulling some Bunuelian trick on us. But I doubt it. I guess it proves that everyone has to earn a living, even back then!

Starman (1984)

An E.T. for adults

[9/10 · 8 February 2007]

Lots of insightful comments on this movie. This is an almost perfect film that operates on a bunch of different levels - religious, sci-fi film tradition, but most importantly, at the emotional level. The two stars are perfect and complementary, Allen as the vulnerable earthy widow and Bridges as the calculating yet emotionally guileless alien. Sure, it rips off the main image of "ET" (glowing hand instead of glowing finger) and some of the plot of "The Day the Earth Stood Still". But the premise of someone actually responding to the Voyager's invitation to visit Earth is terrific. And the rest of the story is great for all the reasons in the other posts (I think the religious angle is the most intriguing). Carpenter's direction is impeccable in what I think is one of his best films (and that says a lot). Plus the movie never fails to make me cry in a number of spots. I mean, that deer scene....

My only problem was: Why waste a ball on a lousy roadmap??!!

Teorema (1968)

Marxist dream to mythic nightmare

[9/10 · 2 January 2007]

I've not seen a lot of Pasolini and rented this one by way of "Caro Diario" in which both Pasolini and Silvana Mangano, the mother in the film, are mentioned. I actually quite liked it, though it is definitely a product of its heady time. It begins with the Marxist dream - the gift of a factory to the workers. The gifter, we find out, is the capitalist father of a middle class Milanese family and this action leads to the final mythic image of him naked, shouting in the Wasteland. The first scene also provides a number of caveats to this gift, not the least of which is "Everything the middle class does is wrong".

The linear narrative of the film is bookended by these opening and closing scenes. It involves an idyllic middle class family, consisting of mother, father, sister, brother tended by their maid in an idyllic house, being visited by a friend of the son (Stamp). This beatific stranger proves irresistible in turn to each member of the family. I would quibble with the Christ nature of the character mentioned elsewhere in that "The Way" here is definitely through the Crotch and not the Cross. The father of the family is presented as a sickly Fisher King whom the stranger heals (again though the Way of the Crotch is evident in this scene as well). Halfway though the film the stranger leaves and the next half follows the subsequent quests of the four family members and the maid, only the latter of which is to a, literally, higher plane.

There are a lot of nice touches in the film not least of which the cinematic rendering of the maid's story. Amusingly, once the maid Emilia leaves on her quest she is replaced in the household with another maid named Emilia (the interchangeability of the proletariat). I also liked the mother's picking up a male prostitute in front of an Italian tourism poster (thanks to DVD stop motion!). Also the use of the church in the same sequence. The son's thoughts on art and the artistic process are also engaging. One final thought - if the stranger can be considered Christlike (he does, after all, heal the family and foretell his own departure) it is interesting how the paths of each person touched by him diverge. Interesting in the sense that early Christianity was much like this - a variety of interpretations of Christ's life and death. Only after the four NT gospels were canonized was this variety suppressed, even actively persecuted (as with the Spanish Inquisition, which NOBODY expects!!)

Seven Hills of Rome (1957)

Good travelogue but....

[2/10 · 11 December 2006]

This recently screened on TCM under its "Seven Hills of Rome" title. Under any title this is a pretty typical Mario Lanzo offering. I would say every five minutes he gets to belt one out. Actually the only thing that made me want to watch it was when I saw that Tonino Delli Colli, Pier Paolo Pasolini's favorite cinematographer, was behind the camera. Still, I don't think there is much here - even for a Romanophile like myself. Speaking on the travelogue level, though, there was one hilarious scene where Lanzo, his girl, and his Italian host-accompanist Pepe are inexplicably taking a Whirly-bird ride over Rome and environs (even though it was established in the previous scene that they have no money between them). During this ride Pepe gently strums and sings a tune. And everyone talks normally -- with the total lack of any engine noise! Actually, this might have made a better movie, with Lanzo hitting his high notes as the powerless copter spins its way earthward!

Terror on a Train (1953)

Defused from the beginning

[1/10 · 11 December 2006]

Truly awful film made by cinematographer-turned-director Ted Tetzlaff. Decent enough looking film but for a time-bomb movie totally devoid of any tension whatsoever. Ford, as someone put it here, sleepwalks though this one with his characteristic smirk. There are some details thrown around- Canadian ex-army or RAF, defused bombs in the war, his wife is leaving him- but none of these back stories add up to much. The bomber himself is a complete mystery. Why is he trying to blow up this shipment of mines? For that matter, what time period are we talking about here? WWII or postwar?? I assumed the latter which makes bomber's motive even more salient. Generally, though, just a horrible film. There are plenty of good time-bomb flicks to skip this one. Watch any episode of "Danger UXB" for a more exciting time, at about the same running time.

The Window (1949)

Tragic example of life imitating art

[6/10 · 10 October 2006]

I watched this on TCM by virtue of its direction by Ted Tetzlaff, the cinematographer of one of my favorite films Notorious. Overall, the film I think is minor noir. Good performances by all the adults (Paul Stewart is always great to watch) but the performance by Bobby Driscoll is a bit affected (wouldn't be out of place on The Wonderful World of Disney, if you know what I mean). Great job by Tetzlaff in setting the gritty urban environment in an opening scene that perfectly encapsulates what is to come. The climactic escape through a crumbling condemned tenement is wonderfully exciting. The final shot of the redeemed City on the Hill was very Disneyesque (necessary for the use of Disney's Driscoll, I wonder??). When I read the bio of Driscoll, though, I couldn't help feeling that this film eerily presages his own tragic death - a corpse found by children in an abandoned building.

Love Letters (1945)

Nice little effort from Dieterle/Cotten/Jones team

[6/10 · 23 August 2006]

Although it doesn't really come close to 1949's "Portrait of Jennie" this is a nice little psychological thriller from the same director and the same Cotten/Jones team. It lacks Portrait's timeless theme of "love transcendent" but there is a good taut script by Ayn Rand (one of her few Hollywood efforts) and a wonderful score (later song) by Victor Young. Cotten is good and Jones may be more goody-goody than usual (despite portraying a supposed 'free spirit') but it is Dieterle's direction that makes the whole thing watchable, bringing the same sort of haunting atmosphere to this film as he brings to "Portrait", the final denouement being realized with great cinematic economy and style.

White Comanche (1968)

A battle of tightest pants

[2/10 · 22 August 2006]

Hilariously bad western with Shatner playing the dual "good twin/bad twin" roles. This was made in Spain during his Star Trek years (hey, it seemed to have worked for Eastwood before him!). The incomprehensible back story winds up with a gun battle between fractious factions in the town of Rio Hondo (does anyone know what they're fighting about?). It also supports some other characters running around trying to hang innocent people. But the main clash is between the two twins which proceeds to a mano-a-mano finale in which Shatner gets to bare both his chests. I personally found his characteristic staccato delivery perfect for the Comanche twin Notah (speaking sterotypically of course). And for Star Trek fans - only one of him gets the girl! The film also suffers from a jazz influenced musical score, but, hey, that's the least of its problems.

Duma (2005)

Perfect fare for Ballard

[9/10 · 17 August 2006]

This movie is yet another excellent entry in the "One Parent Dies/Child Makes Sense of It Through Animal" portfolio of Carol Ballard. And, along with "Fly Away Home" and "The Black Stallion", his direction is first-class and very evocative. This is a great family film which, for some reason, despite two releases into theaters, never caught on. The story and the actors are great but most of all I admire Ballard as an overlooked genius behind the camera, even when reworking the same emotional ground (albeit in different countries). I always look forward to the relatively few movies he makes with great anticipation. There is some mention here of the political view of the film but I think that is addressed on a very universal level yet, at the same time, very personal level of the two main protagonists. That accounts for much of the movie's magic.

Santa Fe Trail (1940)

Schizophrenic North-South Western

[4/10 · 17 July 2006]

As evidenced by all the comments here this is a rather schizophrenic movie, alternating between romantic comedy on the one hand and abolitionist massacres on the other. This is especially on view in the ending, which juxtaposes the Brown hanging with the Stuart marriage, complete with happy Flynn-de Havilland kiss and dissolve (truly a Hollywood ending!). Massey's characterization of Brown is straight out of the famous Curry mural in Topeka, a wide-eyed and wild bearded zealot. I agree with some reviewers that slavery comes out pretty good in this film. At one point Flynn's Jeb Stuart character actually "saves" a slave family from Brown's clutches, and is thanked for it! This ambivalence towards slavery is certainly the hardest thing to stomach in this film. To think this film was made AFTER Hitler was on the march (at least in Poland) makes these sentiments all the more incredible. I saw this on TCM recently and the weekend host Mankiewicz posed the fanatical Brown character as a metaphor for Hitler, but I don't buy that. Abolitionists = Nazis?

Not as a Stranger (1955)

Bad film in almost every way

[3/10 · 23 June 2006]

This film can most charitably be chalked up as on-the-job training for Kramer. It is bad in almost every way - horrible casting, wooden performances, garish lighting, bad dialogue, and pedestrian direction. A lot of this may be just due to bad aging, but right from the title sequence there is a glaring cheesiness to the film considering all the talent involved, something you would expect from bad 50's TV - even the image is pure Kinescope. All that being said there were some interesting parts - the hand-labelled pentothol bottle for anesthesia, the multiple door-opening tracking shot in which Mitchum meets his small-town America patients, and the truly good climactic operation scene with its head-over-the-shoulder pans. And for pure comedic value, don't miss the "corralled stallion" shot that precedes the big Mitchum-Grahame embrace! Hilarious!

The Wedding Night (1935)

A fine complex film from King Vidor

[7/10 · 13 June 2006]

Interesting film, partly because Cooper is cast so completely against the type he is later to be best known for from his Capra films - that is of the rural innocent encountering the corruption of the city. This movie is much more in the transcendental tradition of Henry Hathaway's Peter Ibbetson, also starring Cooper and released the same year. I had never heard of Anna Sten but according to the posts she was a protégé of Samuel Goldwyn in one of her first Hollywood films. She does remind me of a fresh-faced Garbo. Overall the acting is fine and characters are complex, and the direction is up to King Vidor's high standards.

A fine film. The ending in particular is bittersweet.

Notorious (1946)

A wonderfully structured film

[10/10 · 17 May 2006]

Notorious is definitely one of Hitchcock's best films. The topicality of the atom bomb set against the eternal theme of love and redemption make the film timeless. I was particularly struck by the symmetry of the first and last scenes. The movie begins and ends behind the door of courtroom in the opening shot and what has become a courtroom for Sebastian in the final shot. Similarly the recruitment by Devlin of the hung-over Alicia at the beginning is mirrored by his rescue of the poisoned Alicia at the end - similar POV low angle shots and lighting. In between these bookends there is all the great stuff written about in these comments- the extended, claustrophobic kisses, the I-hurt-you/you-hurt-me relationship of Devlin and Alicia, the extraordinary acting from all, and possibly the best line in cinema from Mrs Sebastian - "We are protected by the enormity of your stupidity. For a time."

One other interesting note- Selznick sold the contract of Hitchcock to RKO in order to finance his out of control production of the rather horrible Duel in the Sun, his paean to his then new flame Jennifer Jones. RKO gave Hitchcock much more freedom than he ever had with Selznick as a producer and he came though with a masterpiece. After Notorious he completed his contract for Selznick (who had brought him over from England) with the very mediocre The Paradine Case. All this was covered in a wonderful PBS American Masters episode on the two men. Free of Selznick, he then went on to direct a series of popular films in the 50's and 60's that I think are unequaled by any director in their quality and impact on the culture.