tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44464558190820458732024-03-12T19:42:40.221-05:0080 years of Oscar Winning Movies<i>The challenge: to watch all 80 Oscar winning movies from 1929-2009.</i>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-66817767854083443272011-08-05T14:27:00.001-05:002011-12-21T21:26:47.960-06:00Around the World in 80 Days (1956) <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Director:</b> Michael Anderson</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Cast:</b> David Niven, Cantinflas, Shirley MacLaine, plus an enormous list of cameos <br />
<b>Genre:</b> Drama, Adventure<br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>Friendly Persuasion, Giant, The King and I, The Ten Commandments</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Around The World in 80 Days </i>is an interesting movie. By today’s standards it seems slow, drawn out, and just not very exciting. With a runtime of close to three hours, an incredible portion of this film rolls by without any dialogue whatsoever. Whether we are on the back of an elephant that saunters through the Indian jungle, or on a steamship looking out at a Pacific sunset, there are many scenes where the setting is the main character on screen and the characters themselves have very little to do. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The film opens with a very unusual sequence. At first I had mistakenly thought I had started a special feature on the DVD and was accidently watching a documentary about the Jules Verne novel upon which the film is based. Upon returning to the menu of the DVD I realized that I was indeed watching the opening scene of the film and continued on with the show. The narrator of this documentary explains to us that, despite the fact that today (1956) a man can journey around the world in 80 hours, back in the late 19<sup>th</sup> Century when Jules Verne penned the book the feat of circumnavigating the world in 80 days was a daring and impressive one. Not only was I confused regarding the use of this documentary to open the movie, but I soon wondered why a movie would go out of its way to point out that what we are about to see will not seem that impressive. That seems a bit negative. Then, just as I am pondering this, the narrator and documentary suddenly disappear and we find ourselves on the streets of 19<sup>th</sup> Century London.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The sets in this film are varied and stunning. The recreation of 19<sup>th</sup> Century London is breathtaking in its detail and all the more impressive knowing that most of the movie takes place elsewhere. The vast number of cities, cultures, and environments that our hero moves through are each one recreated in extreme detail. From bullfighting in Spain, travelling the Suez Canal, a journey through the Indian jungle, Calcutta, Hong Kong, San Francisco, a train ride through the Wild West; probably the best thing about this film is the fact that you genuinely feel like you are getting a world tour as you journey with the cast.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When he has something to do on screen, David Niven plays Phileas Fogg, the epitome of an English Gentleman. Phileas accepts a challenge from his peers to leave London that very evening and journey around the world in 80 days. David Niven has been quoted as saying that this was his most enjoyable role and while there is no doubt that he looks comfortable playing the English gentleman, I cannot wonder if it was his most enjoyable role because of all the travelling involved! The best scenes involving Mr. Fogg show us a refined Englishman maintaining his composure and routine amidst increasingly unfamiliar and strange environments. There is a lot of humor to be found in seeing him relaxed, enjoying his ritual cup of tea on the deck of a ship while a tempest rages around him, or to watch him almost nonchalantly react to scenes of human sacrifice or rampaging Indian braves attacking his train. He reacts to these events, but it is the restrained reaction of a gentleman, and not the excitable reaction of an action hero. Mr. Fogg is not an adventurer and does little to stir the passions of those around him. He is a man dedicated to punctuality and routine and there is a lot of comedy to be found in David Niven’s portrayal of that. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Accompanying Fogg on his journey is his valet Passepartout, played by the Mexican actor Cantinflas. Passepartout is not really a devoted servant to Fogg, having only been taken into service right before the adventure begins. But Passepartout appears to go along with the challenge for the experience of seeing as many females from as many parts of the globe as possible, than for any other reason. While in India, the two join forces with an Indian princess played by Shirley MacLaine. For me, Princess Aouda is the weakest character in the film with her attraction towards Fogg having no real chemistry or explanation. The lack of chemistry is understandable given the emotionless character of the man she is falling for, but the “love scenes” appear to be more and more random as the movie progresses and I found them to be more and more inexplicable and frustrating as time went by. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We cannot talk about the cast of <i>Around The World in 80 Days </i>without discussing the enormous list of cameos that appear onscreen. A full list of the appearances can be found at the link below but there is no doubt that it represents an enormous portion of 1950’s Hollywood. I wonder if this fact alone was a major reason in the movie being so popular. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Around_the_World_in_80_Days_%281956_film%29#Cameo_appearances">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Around_the_World_in_80_Days_%281956_film%29#Cameo_appearances</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Whatever the impact that the list of cameos had on its popularity, this film was as much about the locations and visuals as the actors involved. The movie has become known for being a celebration of Technicolor. And although it falls in the same year as two other renowned color spectacles in <i>The King and I</i> and <i>The Ten Commandments</i>, the combination of the Technicolor spectacle along with the thorough representation of Hollywood stars of the day may have guaranteed its victory. Today, I would recommend this film to cinematography students but not so much to anyone else. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Next up: The Bridge on the River Kwai</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-65644540295649351982011-05-31T10:11:00.001-05:002011-12-21T21:27:26.010-06:00Marty (1955) <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Director:</b> Delbert Mann</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Cast:</b> Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Esther Minciotti, Jerry Paris<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Drama, Romance<br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>Love is a Many Splendored Thing, Mister Roberts, Picnic, The Rose Tattoo</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>“Hey, you know a nice girl for my boy Marty?”</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>“You get married. You hear what I say!...You should be ashamed of yourself.”</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>“All your kid brothers and sisters married and got children. When are you gonna get married?"</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If <i>Marty </i>thought me one lesson it’s that it’s tough to be an aging bachelor in an Italian community! Marty (Ernest Borgnine in as natural a role as I have seen any actor in) is 35, and suffering through a torrent of personal questions regarding his relationship status. When we first meet the butcher in the Bronx, we see a man exhausted by the kind of questions and comments listed above. It does not help that he has just become the only man of his household not wedded, after the recent marriage of his brother. As the patronage, mostly made up of outspoken Italian housewives, ask about the recent wedding they are inevitably moved to asking about Marty’s wedding prospects. He is pleasant enough while answering the questions but you can tell it is an enormous relief when his shift ends and he finds himself at a local bar with two beers and a newspaper spread before him. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The first half of the films deals solely with Marty. It is clear that before any possibility of a love story developing, the directors want us to understand just how alone Marty is, and how far beyond desperate he feels about it. Exhausted after his busy day, he fends off relentless pressure from his friend Tommy (Jerry Paris) to go out dancing for the night, or to do something other than sit in and drink beer. Over dinner with his mother (the brilliant Esther Minciotti) he is again pressured into going out and finding a girl. It is during these interactions that we learn of the sheer hopelessness that Marty feels when it comes to finding love. Marty is trying to accept the fact that he will remain lonely and get on with his life, but with everyone continuing to pressure him and question him he can do very little to escape the misery.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>I've been looking for a girl every Saturday night of my life.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Ma, sooner or later, there comes a point in a man's life when he's gotta face some facts. And one fact I gotta face is that, whatever it is that women like, I ain't got it.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And yet, after finally agreeing to go to a dancehall, Marty’s fortunes with women take a turn for the better when he meets an equally alone Clara (Betsy Blair). <i>Marty </i>is a romance but it is absolutely not epic in its scale. The entire movie takes place over these few days in Marty’s life. It gives us just enough time to learn to know his misery, shows us the early glimpses of the love that he and Clara will share, and any dramatic elements of the movie revolve around Marty’s hesitation to act on his instinct. This is not an epic romance, nor is it epic drama. Even at its most depressing moments there is a sense that all Marty wants to do is just get on with things. The movie does not wish to explore the dark potential of human misery. It is just taking a look at some lonely people and in the end it is a simple story of two people who deserve to find each other. And it is precisely this simplicity that makes Marty such an easy film to connect with. With a runtime of 90 minutes Marty is the perfect movie to sit down to in the afternoon. The ending, and particularly the line that Ernest Borgnine speaks right before the camera fades out (I won't spoil it for you), is so full of joy that I challenge anyone to not leave in good spirits! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Next Up: Around the World in 80 Days</i> </div>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-38467649504102627122011-03-25T10:05:00.001-05:002011-12-21T21:27:45.455-06:00On The Waterfront (1954) <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Director:</b> Elia Kazan</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Cast:</b> Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Rod Steiger, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Drama<br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>The Caine Mutiny, The Country Girl, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Three Coins in the Fountain</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>On The Waterfront </i>boasts one of the most well recognized and memorable scenes in Hollywood history, the famous “contender” scene. I have to admit that since seeing the film I have experienced a full blown obsession with this scene and have watched it repeatedly. While there is certainly a lot more to this film than just this one scene, I have found that to reflect on <i>On The Waterfront</i> is to reflect on this one, grand slam, scene. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The scene takes place in the back of a small cab where two characters sit uncomfortably together. A Venetian blink covers the back window and the camera never gives us any external or wide shots of the conversation. Conditions are cramped and claustrophobic throughout. We see the well dressed mob lawyer Charlie “The Gent” (played by Rod Steiger) attempt to convince his little brother, the subdued Terry Malloy, not to testify against the mob gang that operates out of the local waterfront (Terry is played by Marlon Brando, who deservedly won an Oscar for his role). At first Charlie resorts to typical mob tactics and attempts to bribe his little brother with a high paying job. But Terry has seen too much, been implicated in too much, and life is no longer simple. He tells his brother that <i>“there’s more to this than I thought… much more.” </i>He cannot make money and be ignorant to the corruption around him. The first of many great moments in the scene comes with a sudden shift from relaxed conversation between two brothers, to an immediate anxiety about what will happen next. After failing with the bribe, Charlie begins to get desperate, and in not so many words lets slip the fact that this cab ride is actually a last ditch effort to convince Terry not to rat, and that should he be unmoved the cab is taking Terry to his death. In a moment of frustration, Charlie reveals these details:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>Well make up your mind</i><em><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></em><i> before we get to 437 River Street!!!</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I cannot recall seeing a better example of building tension within a scene. This explosive comment is followed up by a shocked silence and you can physically see the realization of what is being said dawn in Terry’s mind. Suddenly, any trace of the relaxed conversation is gone. But for Charlie the tension held within the silence is even worse and in a state of shock he resorts to pulling a gun on his kid brother. It is a final desperate attempt to get him to take the job and to stay quiet. I understand that Marlon Brando had a real problem with how his character was initially written to “play it cool” when the gun was pulled. It is a testament to Brando’s genius that he transformed the scene into the emotional powerhouse it is. Terry does not play it cool. How could he? His older brother has just pulled a gun on him, an act that has destroyed their relationship once and for all and that cannot be taken back. In the most dramatic way Charlie has just shown how bad things have gotten between the two brothers. Instead of being cool, Brando took the scene in another direction. With eyes full of sadness he almost caresses the gun to one side, and shaking his head he whispers “Oh Charlie”. With these words he disarms his brother, who then slumps back in his chair, defeated. In this deflated moment Charlie also knows that by not quieting his brother, and by not being able to kill him, he has signed his own death warrant. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The brilliant thing about <i>On The Waterfront </i>is the sense of history it gives to its characters and location. I think the really good films accomplish this. They instill in us an understanding that what we are seeing is happening in a timeline, that there is an unseen past which plays into the action. A great film makes us feel that it is a part of a bigger picture, a chapter in a story. It is easy to believe that the characters in <i>On The Waterfront </i>have a past and the movie hints continuously at their past without showing us flash backs or fade outs to memories. Neither character is given time to explain the details of their past to a lover or friend, and in turn to us as the audience. And yet their pasts are all around them, living in every scene. As these two men confront each other in the back of their cab a sad history weighs on them and even though we were not privy to all the details we know enough to notice it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">By the time this scene plays out we have pieced together some major aspects of their sad back story. We know that the brothers were raised in an orphanage, that one brother turned to crime and another to sport in an effort to escape their bleak future. We understand that the older brother looked out for himself and, like the mob that controls the town, used his friends to get ahead. We have also learned that Terry is a failed boxer, and that he was convinced to fix fights for the mobs benefit. In this cab scene the weight of all those years is clearly felt by both. We see the pain that has built up for decades spill out as Terry finally explains his anger at his older brother for not looking out for him, and much worse, for robbing him of his future. Both actors manage to attribute to their characters an entire life that has played out off screen. This is why I consider it to be such a fine example of acting, culminating in the classic Marlon Brando line:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i>You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I can do nothing to hide the fact that this one scene has dominated my <i>On The Waterfront </i>experience. I believe this film is worth seeing for the 5 minutes and 18 seconds I have described above but I can assure you that this scene is not just a diamond in the rough. The film was filmed on location in Hoboken, New Jersey and everything about the neighborhood is authentic from the dockyards to the slum dwellings and bars, the alleys to the rooftops. The supporting cast give fantastic performances, with Karl Malden as the local priest roused into action by the escalating violence, Lee J. Cobb as the mob boss Johnny Friendly who rules the entire neighborhood through fear and intimidation, and Eva Marie Saint as Terry’s love interest, a sister to a murdered brother, and a catalyst for change within both the slumbering priest and Terry. There is a very real threat of danger present and these characters decide to stand up against oppression no matter what the outcome. Terry Malloy knows first hand what the mob is capable of and, as he holds one of his pigeons on his rooftop, he explains to Eva the true nature of the neighborhood. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i>You know this city's full of hawks? That's a fact. They hang around on the top of the big hotels. And they spot a pigeon in the park. Right down on him.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The “contender scene” is here: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeVq1e6JKlw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeVq1e6JKlw</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Next Up: Marty</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00003CXBU&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001FBV4T4&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> </i> </div>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-35854065871037702562011-03-10T12:13:00.001-06:002011-12-21T21:28:02.710-06:00From Here to Eternity (1953) <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Director:</b> Fred Zinnemann</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Cast:</b> Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Ernest Borgnine<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Drama/Romance/War<br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>Julius Caesar, The Robe, Roman Holiday, Shane</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>From Here to Eternity</i> is a film about the sacrifice demanded by a military life. The interesting thing is that these sacrifices are not the ones we typically expect from military films, as the majority of this film takes place in peacetime. It is the summer and fall just before the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and the film takes place on a Hawaiian barracks where three military men suffer for the army, and appear to get nothing in return. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) is a new transfer to the barracks, and both an excellent bugler and boxer. Upon his arrival he finds that the brutal base commander pulled some strings to have him transferred there as it is his personal wish to build a championship boxing team at the base, an achievement which the commander sees leading him directly to promotion. But Prewitt refuses to fight for the commander, eventually revealing details of a tragedy that prevents him from entering the ring. The commander is not impressed by these details:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>You might as well say 'stop war' because one man got killed. Our fighting program is the best morale builder we have.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In response to his refusal to fight Prewitt receives “The Treatment”, an onslaught of abuse, both physical and mental, from some of the higher ranking officers at the base, most of them belonging to the boxing team. In one scene we see him dig a six foot grave to bury a newspaper, before being asked to fill it back in. Scene after scene of forced marches up the side of mountains, running laps of the fields in full gear, and other punishments are seen, all of them unjust punishments for a man who just wants to be a soldier. But even as the severity of the punishments and the pressure to submit to the commanders wishes increases, Prewitt insists on being his own man and refuses to give in:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>I know where I stand. A man don't go his own way, he's nothin'.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On his first day at the base Prewitt meets Private Angelo Maggio and the two quickly become friends (Frank Sinatra won a Best Supporting Actor award for this role, considered his comeback role after a string of unsuccessful movies in the 1940’s). Maggio, on numerous occasions, defends Prewitt’s decision not to box and as a result of his support often ends up sharing the punishment being heaped onto his friend. But Maggio’s sacrifice ultimately stems from his own battle against corruption, centered on the malicious stockade sergeant "Fatso" Judson (Ernest Borgnine). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">From the beginning “Fatso” had taken a disliking to Maggio and after a number of altercations between the two shouts a warning that guys like Maggio sooner or later end up in the stockade and under his jurisdiction. When that very scenario presents itself the sergeant unleashes all of his pent up frustration and anger on Maggio, brutally beating him where marks will not show, knowing that the pride of the young soldier will prevent him making complaints. Maggio’s death at the hands of the warden begins a chain of violence that escalates until it is interrupted by the Japanese attack. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The third example of personal sacrifice is seen in First Sergeant Milton Warden (Burt Lancaster). Disillusioned by operations at the base and at reporting directly to the corrupt base commander, Warden seeks the affection of the commander’s wife Karen, a crime that is punishable by up to twenty years in army prison. The wife has a promiscuous reputation on the base that, once the affair begins, creates a lot of tension. It is clear, even as the two bicker, that at the root of the affair are very strong feelings for each other. The most famous scene in From Here to Eternity, one that has been parodied again and again in film (my favorite parody being Airplane!) is the love making scene on the sandy Oahu beach. This scene was incredibly torrid for its day and remains one of the more erotic scenes in Hollywood history. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Another love story begins to gain momentum as the movie progresses towards that fateful day at Pearl Harbor. This is between Prewitt and a hostess (or prostitute) at a local gentleman’s club. Attracted to each other mostly because of the intense loneliness of their lives, the relationship struggles to gain traction, the nature of both of their careers being the biggest problems. Prewitt is understandably jealous when it comes to Alma’s work while Alma is seeking a man of higher social standing to help her climb out of her current life. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Both relationships play out and result in talk of marriage. And both prospects of marriage or a future together are dashed by the men’s love for the military. It is especially difficult for Alma to understand Prewitt’s love for the army, an institution that not only abuses him on a daily basis, but that is responsible for the death of his best friend. Prewitt tries to explain to her that even after all those things he does not hate the army, that the military was and is all he has got in this life, and that when <i>"A man loves a thing. That don't mean it's gotta love him back".</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">With Warden there comes a clear opportunity to progress in his relationship with Karen and choose the woman he loves over his love for the army. It would require him to become and officer, take a desk job, and leave the barracks and in the end he cannot do it. Warden is not being selfish when he chooses not to be an officer. Although he knows that the job is not for him I believe that he would still do it to be with Karen. Instead he is sacrificing his passion and happiness for the army because he knows that he will make a poor officer and as a poor officer he would not be giving his best to the army. And this reasoning is after years of seeing injustice and brutality performed by the very institution he loves. Karen is understandably devastated but manages to say what the reality is: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>You just don't want to marry me. You're already married - to the Army.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The true test of the men’s heroic dedication to the army comes when the attack on Pearl Harbor begins. At the time of the attack Prewitt is AWOL and in hiding. Suddenly, whatever negativity he is feeling is replaced with pride for the military. Rushing to confront the invaders as a proud soldier, he shouts “<i>Who do they think they're fighting? They're pickin' trouble with the best Army in the world.”</i> Warden, having sacrificed a better life and the potential for love and happiness, leads the men in the defense of the barracks, the attack solidifying him as the soldier he is. Both men have chosen to let their devotion to the army shape their destinies. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">War is the sacrifice of human life and of human spirit but <i>From Here to Eternity</i> deals with sacrifices that occur primarily in peacetime. During this time we see prostitution, adultery, military injustice, corruption and violence, alcohol abuse, and murder. While the last moments of the film cover the barracks heroic reacting the invasion, by then the sacrifices have already been made, and the blood has already been spilled. Even sadder is the moment that you realize the characters who survived to make it to the battle are about to be dragged into a horrifying endeavor, one that will demand even more sacrifice than they have already given and that we have just watched them give. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Next Up: On The Waterfront</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00005JKF6&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> </i> </div>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-61488928865722978042011-03-10T09:58:00.000-06:002011-03-14T11:20:19.370-05:00The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)I am working on tracking down a copy of this film. In the meantime I will post my review of the 1953 winner, From Here to Eternity.StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-9136549518714820462011-02-24T14:11:00.001-06:002011-03-14T11:20:39.975-05:00An American In Paris (1951)<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Director:</b> Vincente Minnelli</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Cast:</b> Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Nina Foch<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Musical/Romance <br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>Decision Before Dawn, A Place in the Sun, Quo Vadis?, A Streetcar Named Desire</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">To begin with, I have to be bluntly honest and say that I found it very difficult to get through to <i>An American in Paris</i>. I think we can put this down to the fact that I list very few musicals among my favorite films. My childhood did have its musical movie moments with the likes of <i>Oliver!, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang</i>, and <i>Mary Poppins</i> but even my love for those once cherished films has diminished over the years. I think it is fair to say that musicals and me just do not mix well. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That being said, when I set out to watch all Best Picture Oscar winning movies I knew that there would be some that I would struggle through. I made a promise that when those films came along I would go beyond my dislike for the film and try to see just what about the film made it the Academy’s choice for Best Picture of that year. So here, with <i>An American in Paris,</i> I am choosing not to focus on why this film did not have a lasting impact on me and instead focus on the positives and wonder why it did impress, and why it continues to be loved by so many others. What is so special about An American in Paris? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The first impressive thing about this film is the setting, the city of Paris, or “La Ville-Lumière”, simply shines in this film. If American cinema goers were not infatuated with the city after Casablanca, it makes sense why this city has gone on to be the romantic capital of the world after it’s representation in this film. The movie centers on Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) who remained in Paris after the war as a struggling painter. As he puts it <i>“back home everyone said I didn't have any talent. They might be saying the same thing over here but it sounds better in French.”</i> Even though his career is less than profitable, Jerry makes it clear that the beauty of the city is fulfilling enough for him, and we see this beauty in every single shot of this film. He lives in a one bedroom studio above a café on a picturesque Parisian corner. The cobblestoned streets are bustling with small markets, local vegetable sellers, and quaint cafés. The residents and workers seem to have accepted Jerry as a native to the street, and his coffee fueled days are filled with singing and dancing at the café with his best friend Adam, a struggling pianist. This life is not the miserably poor life of a struggling Parisian artist we have seen in other films (<i>The Life of Emile Zola</i>, for example) but rather Jerry’s jovial life is the one that artists fantasize about when they entertain thoughts of Parisian life.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As is likely to happen to any character in a story set in Paris, Jerry falls in love. The romance that blossoms between him and Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron) is complicated by the fact that Jerry is attempting to fend off a suitor, who happens to finance his work, and further complicated by the fact that Lise is an engaged woman. The drama centers on these complications but plays out in settings that, with the use of exquisitely painted backdrops, show us more of this beautiful city. The two express their love on the banks of the Seine, under the shadow of an arched bridge, with the Notre-Dame looming in the distance. In the many scenes set in cafés, bars, or jazz clubs, we see the Bohemian side which Paris prides itself on. Paris takes center stage in this film, even when we have a solo dance routine the actor or actress is immersed in the beauty of their surroundings. With less than a decade since Casablanca, here we have another film that romanticizes Paris. I could not help but think of Humphrey Bogart’s immortal words, “We’ll always have Paris” when Jerry and Lise speak about the city:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Lise: Maybe Paris has a way of making people forget. </i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Jerry: Paris? No. Not this city. It's too real and too beautiful to ever let you forget anything.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I can also see the attraction of this film for the many fans of musicals that are out there. A French twist is applied to very American, Gershwin songs such as “Our Love is Here to Stay”, “I Got Rhythm”, and “Nice Work if You Can Get It”. The dance routines were choreographed by Gene Kelly who received an Academy Honorary Award that same year for his <i>“versatility as an actor, singer, director and dancer, and specifically for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film.”</i> And the whole musical extravaganza climaxes with the “An American in Paris ballet”, a whopping 16 minute musical number that takes place in Jerry’s mind as he imagines his life in Paris with Lise. Almost the last twenty minutes of screen time have no dialogue whatsoever. This ballet is the curtain closing number of the movie and is epic in scale. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I could talk about the problems I had with this film but I think it would make for dull reading and may even insult those fans of the film whom I can respect. The fact that it is not one of my favorites does not mean that I cannot acknowledge that there are fans out there and at the very least try to see what the attraction is. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Next Up: The Greatest Show on Earth</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001BHI0JE&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002VWOMRC&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> </i> </div>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-23030670295866458172011-01-23T16:03:00.001-06:002011-12-21T21:28:25.799-06:00All About Eve (1950) <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Director:</b> Joseph L. Mankiewicz</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Cast:</b> Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Hugh Marlowe<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Drama <br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>Born Yesterday, Father of the Bride, King Solomon’s Mines, Sunset Boulevard</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">While the title of the film is <i>All About Eve</i> it is less about the character of Eve and more about the impact that she has when she enters the life of the aging actress, Margo Channing. The greatest scene in <i>All About Eve</i> is delivered by Bette Davis as Margo when she pauses on her staircase, turns to her anxious guests, and mischievously declares, <i>“Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!”</i> Eve is the reason for this line being spoken. She is a catalyst that brings all of Margo’s fears and anxieties to the surface, and all of Margo’s petulant behavior comes right along with them. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The movie opens to a lavish awards ceremony where we meet the recipient of the night’s biggest award, the beautiful Eve Harrington. As Eve accepts the award that recognizes her as the brightest star in theatre she is greeted by rapturous applause. As the camera pans the room we focus in on two women in the audience who are neither clapping nor smiling. Instead these women brood darkly and watch the proceedings with bitter looks. As Eve is about to make her speech the narrator informs us that we shall now learn “all about Eve”.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">From there we flashback one year and take another look at the two brooding women from the audience. Margo Channing is a talented actress sitting at the top of the theatre world. When we first meet her she has just finished a performance and is plastering her face with all manner of beauty treatments. It is clear that Margo struggles with the concept of her aging and with the inevitable effect it will soon have on her career. She is at this time a maturing woman playing twenty year old women on stage. The stress of her situation causes her to be prone to bouts of acting the teenage drama queen, a habit that has no doubt been encouraged by her position of fame. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Karen Richards, played by Celeste Holm, is the second of the brooding women, best friend to Margo, and wife to the playwright Lloyd Richards. It is Karen who introduces Margo to Eve, a timid and mousy girl who Karen has seen waiting outside the theatre night after night.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Eve is introduced as Margo’s biggest fan, a young girl who has stood in the rain to catch a glimpse of her day after day, and who has seen every single performance of Margo’s current play. When she does get a chance to explain her devotion to Margo her life story is touching and full of sadness. Those in the room instantly sympathize and like the impressionable young woman, so much so that Eve is almost instantly accepted by the group as a friend. It is only after a few months of this friendship has passed that we get to see behind the innocent little girl to the manipulating one out to seek her own fame and glory. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">She quickly manipulates the men involved, most notably Margo’s lover, theatre director Bill Sampson, and Karen’s husband Lloyd. Before long, and against Margo’s wishes, Eve has become understudy to Margo, who has already figured out what motivates the young aspiring actress and attempted to put distance between them. I will leave the remainder of Eve’s machinations a mystery. As Eve’s reputation and status rises, Margo’s reputation begins to plummet and the better Eve is appreciated by everyone and the more innocent she appears, the more cruel, unkind, and full of bitterness Margo appears to her lover and friends. And honestly, it makes for great entertainment.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A special mention should be made to George Sanders as Addison DeWitt, a role that won him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Addison is our narrator and the only character in the film that appears immune to Eve’s Machiavellian ways, although it is clear that this immunity stems from his own slippery and conniving ways. Working as a theatre critic, and with an ever present sense of his own self importance, Addison DeWitt was one of the things I enjoyed most about this film. In one scene he arrives at a party with a blonde bombshell on his arm (an early role for the then new to the scene Marilyn Monroe), and immediately and effortlessly takes center stage. He is a socialite and a powerhouse in this theatre world and he knows it. His arrogance is great fun to watch. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I walked into <i>All About Eve</i> with little expectations and was stunned by how great of a movie it is. Nominated for a staggering 14 Oscars (a record that it held firm for 47 years until it was equaled by Titanic in 1997) this is a true classic and a film that has stood, and will stand, the tests of time. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Next Up: An American in Paris</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B004DTLK6W&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00006RCO1&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> </i> </div>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-58854040311108171892010-12-23T11:58:00.001-06:002010-12-23T12:03:12.265-06:00Top 3 -- Best Picture Oscar Winning Movies from the 1940s<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">With the exception of the movie that was always going to be ranked in first place, I found it very difficult to choose from what was a great decade of film. Here is my pick of the litter from the 1940s:<br />
<br />
<b>3rd place</b><br />
<i>1945 The Lost Weekend</i><br />
Watching Don Bingham and the lives of his loved ones decimated by alcoholism is not exactly a fun filled experience. Alcoholism is a lonely and melancholy disease and this film about it is best watched when you are in a lonely and melancholy mood. It was far more brutal than I expected it to be, relentless in both its disturbing imagery and dialog. And with a truly outstanding performance from Ray Milland, this is a film that transcends time and may be as relevant to some today as it was to others over 60 years ago. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYNouaktUI8A7Cqa8zVInyX94HIAc5Cckno2k0UwSkK0XIHyoCT-gQV1TBM59Ok-ulolRXA3a8at8UeowBdLqmhZCZYDEanUf6UZIbZkzRmbdp-i6p9JOfwAOlYKn9HI4PUKIJ0aeziAq/s1600/Lost+Weekend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYNouaktUI8A7Cqa8zVInyX94HIAc5Cckno2k0UwSkK0XIHyoCT-gQV1TBM59Ok-ulolRXA3a8at8UeowBdLqmhZCZYDEanUf6UZIbZkzRmbdp-i6p9JOfwAOlYKn9HI4PUKIJ0aeziAq/s320/Lost+Weekend.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<b>2nd place</b><br />
<i>1940 Rebecca</i><br />
What a fantastic film to start the decade of Best Picture Oscar Winners with! The fact remains that since seeing Rebecca I have felt somewhat obsessed or haunted by the film. It is no coincidence that obsession and the supernatural form two strong themes in Hitchcock’s masterpiece. There are some simple pleasures to be found in this psychological thriller/mystery: I enjoyed the fact that we never learned our heroines name throughout, I enjoyed how we never see the person who gives the film its name and yet she is very much a presence on screen, and I enjoyed how both Manderley house and its inhabitants intimidated me as much as they did our heroine. This is a film that has aged beautifully and I can imagine that the impressions I garnered are exactly the same as those taken away by film goers in the 1940’s. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpeoJlpTdSbulcUKin1q99gw_9-ZeTzHczu7zhlQa3_yKqdOCZBlk5rzeDS87nk0d3wqOlTQpYjoKCf5j4kDggGsR3HJOyZ22GUNk7ZGH20Vjyk_s6FAU8KWmYiSAsKKAsOaX3Vu_o8bE/s1600/rebecca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpeoJlpTdSbulcUKin1q99gw_9-ZeTzHczu7zhlQa3_yKqdOCZBlk5rzeDS87nk0d3wqOlTQpYjoKCf5j4kDggGsR3HJOyZ22GUNk7ZGH20Vjyk_s6FAU8KWmYiSAsKKAsOaX3Vu_o8bE/s320/rebecca.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>1st Place</b><br />
<i>1943 Casablanca</i><br />
As fantastic as the other contenders were there is simply no beating what may be the greatest film ever made in my opinion. As a film Casablanca oozes as much confidence as Humphrey Bogart’s Rick does (that is before his cool demeanor is beaten upon by the return of his lost love). I spoke about The Lost Weekend transcending time and Rebecca aging beautifully but “as time goes by” I doubt there will be another film so ingrained in the fabric of our culture. How often have you found yourself quoting this film without realizing it? I know that I was doing so before I had ever seen the movie which is a fact that speaks for itself. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9wMTT5jPWTDK1-VgwCH_taP3YpTRwcN8zyLUDrr6CrQINZolMpU1ny4CxN2sdXAo5vBCJoQ-gBjL3oIH5hxRxP8NXsVdzxFStA0lM8rP0qSCDeoZuBFplBSNB72zJr3-aDypz6LZuXLf/s1600/Casablanca1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9wMTT5jPWTDK1-VgwCH_taP3YpTRwcN8zyLUDrr6CrQINZolMpU1ny4CxN2sdXAo5vBCJoQ-gBjL3oIH5hxRxP8NXsVdzxFStA0lM8rP0qSCDeoZuBFplBSNB72zJr3-aDypz6LZuXLf/s320/Casablanca1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0000549B1&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> <iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001D8W7EU&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> <iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002C6A6FY&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></div>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-41071847643846417732010-12-22T18:19:00.001-06:002010-12-23T12:00:37.223-06:00All The King's Men (1949)<h1></h1><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Director:</b> Robert Rossen</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Cast:</b> Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Drama <br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>Battleground, The Heiress, A Letter to Three Wives, Twelve O’Clock High</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Is it possible to corrupt even the most honest and decent of people? <i>All the King’s Men</i> takes a hard stance on the subject showing us a very decent and loving family man attain a position of power and then proceed to delve into corruption. The fall from grace is so drastic that this man passes beyond being just corrupt and by the end trends towards becoming truly evil. This is a hero to villain story that blatantly warns us of how frail the condition of being a good person is. While the message may come across as overzealous at times, there is no doubt that the movie sets out to scare you into believing that we are all corruptible and that nobody can be trusted. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At the beginning of the film we meet a witness to these events, Jack Burden (John Ireland). Jack is a newspaper columnist assigned to travel to a small southern town and investigate the political rumblings caused by a then small time, uneducated politician by the name of Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford). It seems that the corrupt officials of the town are making some questionable deals that focus on lining their own pockets rather than on the good of the people. When Jack asks his editor what is so special about Willie the editor replies in all seriousness that <i>“they say he’s an honest man.”</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Willie Stark’s first dalliance with politics occurs when he learns that the building of a local school has been done cheaply to profit those in charge and publically expresses his outrage. He is eventually arrested for his outspoken actions. Soon after the school tragically collapses, and as people look to point the finger of blame, Willie Stark finds himself promoted to a highly trusted member of the community and people begin to flock to him for help with problems. With the purest of intentions Willie puts himself through law school and opens up a firm to help take on these problems, and becomes a local champion against injustice and corruption. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In this early segment of the film great pains are given to show how good a person Willie is. We learn that he and his wife adopted their son from the neighboring farm when both of the boys’ parents passed away. In these early scenes we see a man with absolute adoration for his wife and son, a man completely content with his own family life while being equally focused on helping others reach the same level of contentment. In short Willie appears to be very much the “honest man” that he was described as. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">However, born from the frustration that comes from losing his first political race we begin to see the seeds of the monster that Willie will become. Determined to win the next time he runs, Willie begins to loosen his moral sense. At first he makes statements like <i>“the ends justify the means”</i> as he begins to make the same bad deals that he fought so hard against. In his defense at this time there does appear to be a focus on the “ends” with aggressive plans for a new hospital and free health care for all and a focus on education for every child in the state. But as more and more lucrative deals are brokered and as roads, bridges, hospitals, and churches get built across the state, we begin to see the focus shift towards the gaining of wealth and power. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was interesting to watch Willie make no attempt to hide his increasingly immoral transgressions and begin preaching that<i> “good cannot exist alone, that it can only be born from bad.”</i> At this time we are dealing with a man who is habitually a part of bad dealings and whose sense of purpose has been lost. But like most villains who remain in power he has a way with words and a charming demeanor that allows him to delay any repercussions. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In contrast to the earlier scene of familial bliss the Willie Stark we see in the latter half of the film lives away from his wife and son. He begins to have multiple affairs and the love that existed in those early scenes is utterly destroyed. When the family gathers for a portrait on the front porch of their rural home it is for purely political reasons and his wife’s earlier warm embraces are replaced by a cold and distant peck on the cheek. This demolition of the family is where we see just how much Willie Stark loses sight of himself as the movie progresses. Finally he reaches a state of pure corruption and his mantra changes to <i>“man is conceived in sin and born in corruption”</i>, a statement that both takes away any responsibility he has for his actions and frees him of any remorse. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We see this rise and fall of Willie Stark mostly through Jack Burden’s eyes, the reporter who was sent to investigate the honest politician. The admiration that Jack feels for Willie and for the work he is doing, coupled with the feeling that he himself is not accomplishing anything with his own life, causes Jack to gamble all of his worth, his career, his family and his friends on being associated with Willie. I use the word gamble because I get the sense that, out of a sort of desperation, Jack is betting it all on Willie coming good on his word. And when Willie begins to fall into corruption Jack cannot simply walk away nor can he even accept what is really happening, having invested so much. I struggled throughout the film to understand why Jack remained a supporter of Willie even when his methods turned extremely sinister. But it is quite clear that Jack is a man with little self worth and when a “sure bet” like Willie came along he jumped at the opportunity to be part of something important, and in the end he simply refuses to see when things turn horribly wrong. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I do find the aforementioned <i>“man is conceived in sin and born in corruption”</i> quote interesting for another reason. One of the big themes in this film is the idea that anyone can be corrupted no matter how pure they are. While Willie begins this story as nothing short of perfect, at the risk of sounding dramatic, his rallying speeches to the crowd or to “his militia” found at the end of the film remind me of footage of Adolf Hitler rallying his troops. Willie is full of pride, emotion and enthusiasm but his words hint at an aggression that will mow down innocent people before it and at a man that will do anything to get ahead. </div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Remember, it is not I who have won, but you. Your will is my strength, and your need is my justice, and I shall live in your right and your will. And if any man tries to stop me… I'll break him. I'll break him with my bare hands, for I have the strength of many.</i></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">John Wayne was offered a role in this film and flatly turned it down, calling the film “unpatriotic”. I am assuming he was referring to the hostile representation of the political system shown in All the King’s Men. I was a little taken aback by how this film does nothing to dull the blows it takes at politics. The shocked remarks about there being such a thing as an honest politician scrape the surface of the political stance the film takes. It outright suggests that, not only is our society under a fragile sense of control, but that it inevitably breeds corruption. The movie gives no vision of the it being capable of producing anything but corruption and it was a little surprising to see such distaste in the American political system, especially at a time when America was emerging as the land of freedom.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Up Next: All About Eve</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-20487439543532567742010-11-24T22:53:00.001-06:002010-11-24T22:55:14.293-06:00Laurence Olivier's Hamlet (1948)<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Director:</b> Laurence Olivier</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Cast:</b> Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, John Laurie<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Drama <br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>Johnny Belinda, The Red Shoes, The Snake Pit, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Milton Shulman said in his review of the 1948 adaption of William Shakespeare’s <i>Hamlet </i>that to some it will be considered one of the greatest films ever made and to others it will disappoint deeply. After giving the film some thought I could understand how people could feel either way. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Before I get to my take on why it could be one of the greatest films ever made or why it could disappoint deeply, here is a brief summary of events: On the island of Elsinore we find the Danish prince Hamlet who is in a deep depression. His father had died only a few short months before and Hamlet is furious at his mother’s decision to remarry his uncle Claudius. The queen Gertrude and her new king seem content to forget Hamlet’s father and move on with their ruling of the state while poor Hamlet is clearly still in mourning and very upset. It is while in this frustrated and angry state of mind that Hamlet hears news of an apparition that is appearing nightly on the castle walls. Upon investigating he discovers the ghost of his father who reveals to him a shocking secret, one that demands swift action. The story centers on Hamlet’s response to this information and the disastrous events that play out. Since first appearing on stage the character of Hamlet has become the epitome of procrastination. This film is a study of the impact his inaction has on both his own mental state and on everyone around him. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Why it could be one of the greatest films ever made… </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For me there are two reasons why people would consider this adaption great. First, you have those who rightly recognize the performance from Laurence Olivier as Hamlet as being probably the best incarnation of the Danish prince to date. I have seen Mel Gibson and Kenneth Brannagh’s versions of Hamlet, but Olivier stands above time in terms of sheer passion. In the earlier parts of the film Olivier is brilliantly depressed as the suffering Hamlet and dispels for the audience any notion that this is simply a phase of sadness and grief, as Gertrude attempts to persuade him. Olivier shows us a deep anguish and the thoughts of suicide that are spoken are legitimately disturbing as a result of it. Olivier’s prince is not simply suffering with teenage melodrama but instead is deeply unsettled when he sighs “how weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, seem to me all the uses of this world!”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That same deep anguish is partly responsible for leading young Hamlet to fake madness, or to put on an “antic disposition”. One of the aspects of the play that I always enjoyed was the blurring of the lines between Hamlets pretending to be mad and being overwhelmed by an actual insanity as disasters unfold. By the second time the ghost of his murdered father appears to Hamlet the nature of his apparent instability is brought into serious question. Other characters were able to witness the first appearance of the wretched spirit wandering the battlements but this second appearance is seen by Hamlet only while his equally emotionally disturbed mother sees nothing. Here Olivier shifts his performance and the morose Hamlet is replaced with a frantic and uncontrollable Hamlet. Without the powerful performance of depression up front this frenetic performance would fall flat but Olivier shows us a very believable man whose sanity is on the verge of collapsing. Of the adaptions I’ve seen this version best displays the interpretation that we are witnessing a very real descent into madness and as the King Claudius puts it “madness in great ones should not unwatched go.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Another aspect of the movie I considered to be brilliantly performed and directed was the voiceover work for some of Hamlets famous speeches. For these soliloquies in stage productions, the actor playing Hamlet would oftentimes physically separate himself from the other characters and speak directly to the audience. This separation, sometimes as simple as a step away from the main body of action, was a deliberate means to inform the audience that what they were hearing were Hamlets thoughts and not his spoken word. For this film version I thought the mixing of voiceover and spoken word was a great way to let us into the tortured mind of the prince while making us aware that the other players were not hearing these words. It is a risky approach that could have ended up feeling very kitschy but Olivier brings a professionalism that makes it work well. It can be seen most effectively in his famous soliloquy that begins “to be or not to be that is the question…” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The second reason why this film deserves massive praise is the cinematography used to bring Elsinore to the screen. In the first act we meet the murdered ghost of King Hamlet, lost among the battlements of his castle. The ghost appears as a rotting corpse in armor and looks fantastic on screen. It seems to tower over the terrified guards while being perpetually lost in a thick and swirling fog. When it finally speaks to Hamlet and tells of how it met its end the effect is satisfyingly horrific. I always loved the sheer drama found in the line “the serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown” and thoroughly enjoyed how it manifested itself here. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The sets are stunning with the interior of the castle being an absolute maze where all rooms are connected by twisting stairways and multiple exits. It appears that no matter which exit you take from one room you will inevitably end up where the action is next unfolding and the camera takes liberties in exploring the different paths available to you as it moves from scene to scene. Throughout the play characters are required to hide behind curtains and listen around corners and this castle is an endless source of secret hiding places. The whole structure brings to mind M.C Escher’s Relativity pictured below and the labyrinthine nature of the castle begins to act more and more as a reflection of Hamlets suffering psyche as the movie progresses.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESN9oScTUF73rCKhy8Hgn4nacB89rkKN4XT_Tsf7nS8xI4T0-_1zV9_Uo6pdeudn7B7_FOcYJSb2GmJziir1DAadvT0P7LNRA0G9lKQhkEpNx8sMHOHHGvVB9sYbGNo5Ohnjj5VBh8wRe/s1600/mc_escher_relativity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESN9oScTUF73rCKhy8Hgn4nacB89rkKN4XT_Tsf7nS8xI4T0-_1zV9_Uo6pdeudn7B7_FOcYJSb2GmJziir1DAadvT0P7LNRA0G9lKQhkEpNx8sMHOHHGvVB9sYbGNo5Ohnjj5VBh8wRe/s320/mc_escher_relativity.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Why it could deeply disappoint… </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I can present two reasons that were cause for film can been criticized. Both have the common theme of deviating from the sacred to some source material. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
When performed in its entirety Hamlet runs at about 4.5 hours and yet Olivier’s adaption comes in at just over 2.5 hours. This is the first and greatest cause for concern for some people. The argument is simple… a lot of people feel that Olivier simply cut too much from the play. The omissions from the original material are considered unnecessary by many with lines of dialog cut, altered and even allocated to different characters. The latter decisions to have different characters speak lines were mostly made as a result of the original character being cut from this version altogether. Most notably absent from this version are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who are hired by the king to investigate Hamlets apparent madness. Also missing is the prince Fortinbras and an entire political subplot that shows us more insight into the kings character. These two cuts alone account for most of the missing action but throughout the film dialog and scenes are consistently shortened. In the end these decisions were bound to upset the purists but I have to admit that even I am a little concerned about the simplification of the story. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
The film opens with an excerpt from a speech that is repeated later but then adds a simple statement that is not from the original text (you may have guessed as much when I said it was a simple statement). Olivier appears to sum up the play as being “a tragedy of a man who could not make up his mind”. Personally I think that if the film is to be considered offensive this is where the rankest offense lies and I would agree with the argument that the story is so much more layered than this simple summation. While I have always thought the movie is an extreme warning against procrastination I do think it is somewhat disrespectful to sum it up as being about just that. I can understand how even those who are not purists may be led to question the decisions to cut material after hearing this line at the beginning. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The second reason for criticism, and a reason why this film sits uncomfortably with some people, revolves around the relationship between mother and son, Gertrude and Hamlet. The theme of incest is repeated throughout the play but restricted mostly to Hamlets thoughts on his mother marrying his uncle. He speaks many times on the matter describing his uncle as “that incestuous, that adulterate beast” and describing Denmark as “a couch for luxury and damned incest.” Olivier however clearly interprets the relationship between Hamlet and his mother Gertrude as being incestuous in nature and that notion is played up in this adaptation with some intense physical encounters between the two. I can understand the argument for the interpretation being true but I can certainly understand people being upset, not so much at the interpretation itself, but at the inclusion of it in the film when its existence in the original play is one of those still hotly debated topics. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ultimately what you make of Laurence Olivier’s film all depends on what side of this argument you fall on…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">You may feel that, with such a magnificent performance and a visually stunning experience, any deviations from or interpretations of the original material are justified. After all you could argue that the worst that can happen is that this film inspires people to investigate that original material. And you could further point out that there is no written rule that a movie adaptation need stick so closely to its source material, something that we have seen countless examples of since this films release. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>"He would drown the stage with tears,<br />
And cleave the general ear with horrid speech,<br />
Make mad the guilty, and appal the free,<br />
Confound the ignorant, and amaze, indeed,<br />
The very faculties of eyes and ears."</i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hamlet Scene 2 Act 2</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On the other hand you may consider the works of William Shakespeare to be as close to perfection as they are going to get and in no need of altering. I can respect and tolerate the purists out there when you are dealing with these works. It may also be of concern to you when films attempt to make such works with a preconceived notion of what the audience will be capable of understanding. The “dumbing down” of material in film is also something we have seen countless examples of since this films release..</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>"This above all: to thine own self be true,<br />
And it must follow, as the night the day,<br />
Thou canst not then be false to any man."<br />
Hamlet Scene 1 Act 3</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Up Next: All the Kings Men</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0780021312&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></div>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-12996960480236165122010-11-04T14:43:00.002-05:002010-11-24T22:54:25.827-06:00Gentleman's Agreement (1947)<b>Director:</b> Elia Kazan<br />
<b>Cast:</b> Gregory Peck, Dorothy Mcguire, John Garfield, Anne Revere, Celeste Holm<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Drama, Romance<br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>The Bishop’s Wife, Crossfire, Great Expectations, Miracle on 34th Street</i><br />
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It is not surprising to learn that the three Best Picture Oscar winning films post WWII all dealt with socially conscious themes. We had already seen alcoholism dealt with in <i>The Lost Weekend</i> in 1945 and veteran rehabilitation the subject in <i>The Best Years of Our Lives</i> in 1946. Completing this “trilogy” the 1947 winner turned its attention to racial bigotry and anti-Semitism in <i>Gentleman’s Agreement</i>. With the details of the Holocaust and all its atrocities emerging, I imagine it was hard not to find the subject of bigotry prevalent everywhere in life. In fact <i>Gentleman’s Agreement</i> shared the theme of tackling anti-Semitism with another nominee for Best Picture in 1947, <i>Crossfire</i>. With the evil of Nazism gone from the world perhaps it was only right to look around and attempt to purge any similarities to the regime at home and it appears that anti-Semitism was very much present in American culture. While it goes without saying that it never reached the lunatic levels of Nazism the same seeds of hatred existed and I understand that they demanded exposure. <br />
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In <i>Gentleman’s Agreement</i> Gregory Peck plays Phillip Green who had recently moved his family, his son and his mother, to New York City. Upon meeting with the editor of the liberal magazine he writes for Phillip is tasked with exposing anti-Semitism in the city. Initially he struggles to come up with the “right angle” and feels that the facts and figures lack any real insight into how it must feel to be at the receiving end of any injustice he perceives. Then in a moment of clarity, Phillip decides to take on a Jewish persona to personally discover the actual attitudes of people in a town where very few people know him. From there the film proceeds to display example after example of an underlying bigotry and hatred that seems to be everywhere.<br />
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The examples come thick and fast. While experimenting with his new identity, Phillip finds that applications sent regarding open job positions are rejected when the name implies the person is Jewish, while the same application with a non-Jewish sounding name is accepted for an interview. He discovers that landlords similarly reject rental applications and strive to keep their buildings free of Jewish people. In one scene a doctor discourages seeing a Jewish specialist on the grounds that the patient will be cheated. He quickly makes excuses and leaves when Phillip discloses his “religion”. When Phillip attempts to make reservations at a swanky hotel his request is rejected as management strive to restrict customers to non-Jewish guests. <br />
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While these examples very successfully demonstrate the anti-Semitism in society, the more impactful demonstrations seen in the film are also the more subtle. There is enormous strain put on the blossoming relationship that Phil has with his editor’s daughter Kathy. While their relationship has few problems and they seem a perfect match for each other we see in Kathy an acceptance of the bigotry as being a part of life. When she first learns of the scheme she reacts poorly before attempting to save face:<br />
<blockquote>Phil Green: I'm going to let everybody know I'm Jewish. <br />
Kathy Lacey: Jewish? But you're not! Are you? Not that it would make any difference to me. But you said, "Let everybody know," as if you hadn't before and would now. So I just wondered. Not that it would make any difference to me… … Phil, you're annoyed. <br />
Phil Green: No, I'm just thinking. <br />
Kathy Lacey: Well, don't look serious about it. Surely you must know where I stand. <br />
Phil Green: Oh, I do. <br />
Kathy Lacey: You just caught me off-guard.</blockquote>As the film progresses it becomes clearer to Phil that he had not simply caught Kathy off guard and that even bigger than the problem of outright discrimination was the subtle acceptance that “nice people” had for anti-Semitism. It is a lesson that Kathy learns before the films end but it also becomes the key theme of the film. Just as Phillip could not get his point of view across with pure facts and needed an emotional angle to tell the story the film too cannot get the problems of anti-Semitism across by simply giving examples and needed to explore the emotional impact the divide had on relationships. This demonstration of bigotry being accepted and of the impact it has on Phillip’s relationship with Kathy is where the true power of the film lies. <br />
<blockquote>Phil Green: I've come to see lots of nice people who hate it and deplore it and protest their own innocence, then help it along and wonder why it grows. People who would never beat up a Jew! People who think anti-Semitism is far away in some dark place with low-class morons. That's the biggest discovery I've made. The good people! The nice people!</blockquote>A second relationship impact is shown between Phil and his young son Tommy. When Tommy learns that they are playing a game of pretending to be Jewish he begins to ask questions of breakfast one morning. I really enjoyed this simple scene where Phil struggles to explain bigotry and why it exists to an innocent child. It reminded me of the sad fact that one day I will have to explain similar things to my own child. <br />
<blockquote>Tommy Green: What's anti-Semitism? <br />
Phil Green: Well, uh, that's when some people don't like other people just because they're Jews. <br />
Tommy Green: Why not? Are Jews bad? <br />
Phil Green: Well, some are and some aren't, just like with everyone else. <br />
Tommy Green: What are Jews, anyway? <br />
Phil Green: Well, uh, it's like this. Remember last week when you asked me about that big church, and I told you there are all different kinds of churches? Well, the people who go to that particular church are called Catholics, and there are people who go to different churches and they're called Protestants, and there are people who go to different churches and they're called Jews, only they call their churches temples or synagogues. <br />
Tommy Green: Why don't some people like them? <br />
Phil Green: Well, I can't really explain it, Tommy.</blockquote>Tommy plays along with the game of pretending but the pain that Phil feels when his child begins to be bullied is more powerful than any of the examples mentioned earlier. What at first is just a game to Tommy becomes much worse when the local kids begin to ostracize him. After being bullied one afternoon Tommy arrives home with tears in his eyes. A Jewish friend of Phillips tells him that now that his children have felt the sting of bigotry, he has a complete understanding of what it feels like to be Jewish. This friend goes on to describe comforting his own child who does not understand why he cannot play with other kids or why they are rejected from attending camp. <br />
<br />
That moment where Tommy arrives home also becomes the pivotal moment between Phillip and Kathy. Upon seeing him upset Kathy embraces the crying Tommy and soothingly tells him that <i>“it’s not true. You're no more Jewish than I am. It's just some horrible mistake.”</i> This proves to be the final straw for Phillip who is enraged that rather than explaining to his son that the bullying of Jews is unjust and cruel, she chose to comfort him with the knowledge that he was above being Jewish. Not only does Phillip realize the jeopardy that he has placed his son in, and the injustice of that jeopardy, but this moment also solidifies that idea that good people are propagating anti-Semitism as much as any bully or bigot is. This indifference to injustice becomes the films key message. <br />
<br />
As I watched <i>Gentleman’s Agreement</i> I could not help but think about Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i>, a character who shares a lot in common with Phillip Green. Both are fathers attempting to raise children who see beyond the labels placed on people by the color of their skin or by their religion. Both fathers are forced to explain bigotry to children whose innocence cannot comprehend the complicated reasons of why such hatred manifests itself between different people. Both fathers attempt to stand up against society and show their children that they can behave differently than those around them. In particular I thought about <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> and the continued struggle to treat all people equally when I listened to the words of Phillips mother as she looked to the future:<br />
<blockquote>I suddenly want to live to be very old… Very. I want to be around to see what happens. The world is stirring in very strange ways. Maybe this is the century for it. Maybe that's why it's so troubled. Other centuries had their driving forces. What will ours have been when men look back? Maybe it won't be the American century after all... or the Russian century or the atomic century. Wouldn't it be wonderful... if it turned out to be everybody's century... when people all over the world - free people - found a way to live together? I'd like to be around to see some of that... even the beginning. I may stick around for quite a while.</blockquote>It has been over 50 years since Mrs. Green first said those words to her son and although we have not reached the utopian vision she had of all people finding a way to live together I’d like to think that we are still moving in the right direction. That however is a debate for another day. <br />
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<i>Up Next: Hamlet</i>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-59827366333908506802010-10-21T09:51:00.006-05:002010-12-03T08:58:26.718-06:00The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Director:</b> William Wyler</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Cast:</b> Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Harold Russell<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Drama, Romance<br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>Henry V, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Razor’s Edge, The Yearling</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>The Best Years of our Lives</i> deals with three World War II veterans who return to America to begin the road to rehabilitation, Al Stephenson (Fredric March), Fred Darry (Dana Andrews), and Homer Parrish (Harold Russell). All three soldiers bare either physical or emotional scars from their wartime experience and struggle to adjust to normal life. We see psychological problems manifest themselves in all three, most notably in the night terrors that Fred suffers through and in Al’s struggle with alcoholism. And we see the physical devastation war can leave behind in young Homer Parrish who is missing both hands below the elbows. While all three suffer different agonies they each have women in their lives who attempt to help them through it. <i>The Best Years of Our Lives</i> is a film that tests the love that these women have for their men to see if it can survive the difficulties that the veterans struggle with. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There are three very different love stories in this film and each displays a different test for love to endure. First there is the love between the now disabled Homer and his high school sweetheart Wilma. Homer is a Navy officer who lost both his hands in battle and is played by Harold Russell, an actual war veteran afflicted with said disability. Despite having little acting experience Harold excels in his role, perhaps because the pain and confusion he portrays is less pretend for him than it would have been for other actors. Incidentally, Harold won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this role and was commemorated during the ceremony for “bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans”. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When we first meet Homer Parrish it appears that he has accepted his disability and even overcome it. Rather than suffering with what would have been an understandable depression he is jovial and lively while he speaks with his fellow veterans. But when his disability meets his old life, his family and his girlfriend, it surfaces as a painful problem and it is in the awkward embrace of his girlfriend that we first glimpse his suffering.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Fred Derry: You gotta hand it to the Navy; they sure trained that kid how to use those hooks.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Al Stephenson: They couldn't train him to put his arms around his girl, or to stroke her hair.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We learn that Homer is simply unable to accept the notion that Wilma can see beyond his missing hands. He does not want her to settle for him, for something less than she deserves. As he puts it: <i>“</i><i>I want you to be free, Wilma, to live your own life. I don't want you tied down forever just because you've got a kind heart.”</i> The love that Wilma has for Homer is tested to see if it can be blind to Homer’s physical disability. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The second love story is between the older soldier Al and his wife of a few decades. When Al returns home he bears no physical disabilities and is even welcomed back at work with a promotion. But he has returned to find his children have grown into young adults and finds a wife who is distant and unfamiliar to him. Overwhelmed by his old life suddenly returning to him and by his inability to relate to his family Al turns to alcohol to help him through it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Mrs. Stephenson has a great line in which she explains to her daughter that love is not always easy and alludes to the fact that she and her husband need to rebuild their relationship. This comes after the daughter exclaims that they have <i>"never had any trouble."</i> Speaking to her husband she says:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>How many times have I told you I hated you and believed it in my heart? How many times have you said you were sick and tired of me; that we were all washed up? How many times have we had to fall in love all over again?</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The love between Al and his wife is tested as they struggle to reconnect. Both have to be patient enough, kind enough and understanding enough in order for that to happen. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The third love story is a story of new love that has to overcome an enormous social taboo. Fred returns home but is unable to find his wife. It turns out she has taken up work at a nightclub and, using the money Fred has been sending back home, she has been living the life of a socialite. There is clearly little love between the two and the bitterness that lives in their marriage becomes all the more apparent when Fred is unable to find work and his wife has to face the prospect of a great lifestyle change. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Fred Derry: Thirty-two fifty. I used to make over four hundred dollars a month in the Air Force.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Mr. Thorpe: The war is over, Derry.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When this film was screened to audiences it is said that there were many audible gasps when Marie Darry uttered the word “divorce” to her husband. At the time divorce was severely frowned upon and considered to be socially unacceptable. By today’s standards the big moment has less of an impact and comes across as melodramatic but I think it is important to understand how unheard of this word was in film. Personally, considering that Fred suffered great psychological distress I found the disregard for his experience more shocking than the mention of the D word! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Marie Darry: I gave up the best years of my life, and what have you done? You flopped! Couldn't even hold that job at the drugstore. So I'm going back to work for myself and that means I'm gonna live for myself too. And in case you don't understand English, I'm gonna get a <b><u>divorce</u></b>.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The final test for love does not exist within this marriage but outside it. As he and his wife separate Fred meets Al’s daughter and they begin a romance together. But it is a timid and frightened affair that may not survive in the society it finds itself in. Of the three love stories this is perhaps the one most at risk of survival simply because of its environment. The ultimate test for both lovers is to see if their love is worth the sacrifice of being labeled a social outcast. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>The Best Years of Our Lives</i> challenges love to conquer these tests. The test for love to be blind to physical or monetary problems, the test for love to be patient and understanding, the test for love to defy social conventions when necessary, and the test for love to endure ridicule. The men face enormous problems when they return to a life that no longer makes sense to any of them. In all three examples it is love that helps the men through their problems and in the end perhaps the movie argues that it's only love that could help them through it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Up Next: Gentleman’s Agreement</i></div><br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0792846133&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=6304696639&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-44752715224707165902010-10-02T13:30:00.001-05:002010-10-02T13:34:13.898-05:00The Lost Weekend (1945)<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Director:</b> Billy Wilder</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Cast:</b> Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Howard Da Silva, Frank Faylen<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Drama <br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>Anchors Aweigh, The Bells of St. Mary's, Mildred Pierce, Spellbound</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the previous year director Billy Wilder directed the classic <i>Double Indemnity,</i> a film that was nominated for seven Oscar categories but failed to win a single one. It has been suggested that the success of <i>The Lost Weekend</i> owes a little something to its director’s snubbing by the Academy a year earlier. However, after viewing it and based on the heavy impact it had on me, I strongly feel that <i>The Lost Weekend</i> is a movie that, even today, stands on its own merits and deserved all the accolades it received.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Alcoholism is the subject matter dealt with in <i>The Lost Weekend</i>, a subject matter that is as important and prevalent today as it was in the 1940’s. The victim in this film is Don Bingham who is brilliantly portrayed by Ray Milland. Don refers to himself as being two people, Don the writer and Don the drunk. In one scene he explains to his girlfriend how these two Dons interact, and of how the writer’s lack of self esteem leaves him vulnerable to the drunk. Whenever he attempts to write, a panic seeps in and the drunk whispers in his ear, telling him that one drink will help. But as Nat, the local bartender explains <i>“One’s too many and a hundred’s not enough!”</i> In this way Don has never finished anything he has started writing and his self loathing keeps him stuck in a dangerous routine. <i>“Don’t wipe it away, Nat. Let me have my vicious little cycle”</i> he tells Nat who attempts to wipe away the condensation mark left behind by his last drink. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But as with all alcoholics no matter how disturbing their suffering is, it is the people who love them who suffer the most. In this movie we see two people suffer through Dons disease. Don has been living with his brother Wick free of charge for years and there is his girlfriend Helen St. James, who tells him <i>“I know you’re trying Don. We’re both trying. You’re trying not to drink and I’m trying not to love you.”</i> Both are just as much a victim as Don is. But while Helen, played by Jane Wyman, appears to be endlessly compassionate and forgiving, Wick Bingham has had enough of his brother and is seemingly beyond the point of being compassionate. When faced with the possibility that Don may harm himself over the upcoming weekend he lashes out and says: </div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><i>If it happens, it happens and I hope it does. I've had six years of this. I've had my bellyful ... How often have you cried? How often have I beaten him up? Scrape him out of a gutter and pump some kind of self-respect into him and back he falls, back in every time.</i></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">The score to this film sounds as if it’s straight out of a classic sci-fi film. It is unrelenting and while it may turn some viewers off I thought it did a great job at helping to depict alcohol as a very real onscreen monster. In sci-fi/horror films the appearance of a villain is marked by a dramatic change in music, so too here is a glass or bottle of rye whiskey identified. In <i>The Lost Weekend</i> you are acutely aware when the villain appears to torment and destroy Don, as acutely as if an inhuman creature had just shambled onscreen and started towards him. The music confirms for us that for Don Bingham alcohol is a brutal enemy, a nemesis capable of destroying him completely. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As the weekend in question progresses and Don’s condition deteriorates some truly horrific scenes occur. After awaking to find him in an alcoholic’s ward of a hospital Don is warned of the effects of delirium tremens, or the DTs, a condition which the nurse predicts is imminent for Don given his blood alcohol levels. Don proceeds to escape the ward and return home where horrific hallucinations begin and culminate in the gruesome image of a bat biting the head off a mouse. This scene sees Don at his lowest point in the weekend, when his very sanity is threatened by his drinking. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My only argument against the greatness of this film comes with the ending. Until the final scene this film had been utterly uncompromising and as such had a profound effect on me. The notion of Don committing suicide had been foreshadowed throughout the film and, as disturbing as it is for me to say this, perhaps this film would have better sent the message it intended to send had it had a more negative ending. I will leave it for you to judge the final scene but for me, after being beaten mercilessly until then, I felt like the film pulled a punch. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Up Next: The Best Years of our Lives. </i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0000549B1&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> <iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=081560419X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0520218566&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></div>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-3753121982280600432010-09-15T10:07:00.002-05:002010-12-03T09:01:36.839-06:00Going My Way (1944)<b>Director:</b> Leo McCarey<br />
<b>Cast:</b> Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Gene Lockhart, Frank McHugh<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Musical/Drama <br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>Double Indemnity, Gaslight, Since You Went Away, Wilson</i><br />
<blockquote>“Would you like to swing on a star<br />
Carry moonbeams home in a jar<br />
And be better off than you are<br />
Or would you rather be a mule…”</blockquote>There are some songs that will last forever. While I am hazy on the lyrics to Swinging on a Star the song is immediately recognizable from my own past. I’m sure it was on one of the many compilation records I had as a kid, right next to High Hopes and Puff the Magic Dragon. I still remember the kid friendly, and by that I mean utterly indestructible, record player that I used to play these records on. So imagine my surprise when, while I sat through <i>Going My Way</i>, Bing Crosby’s singing priest and his youth choir perform this song that comes right out of my childhood. <br />
<br />
The singing priest in question, Father Chuck O’Malley, is not your typical priest. He’s the problem solver of the New York City Catholic Church, a cunning thinker with a heart of gold. Even at his young age he has displayed a knack for turning “problem churches” into successful outfits and in <i>Going My Way</i> the young priest is assigned as a curate to an aging Irish priest at Saint Dominic’s, an inner city New York church that’s at risk of being closed down. <br />
<br />
Barry Fitzgerald is excellent as the elderly priest, an aging Irish immigrant who build the church from the ground up, and whose pride is perhaps blinding him from the problems that grow around him. The mortgage payments are overdue and building up, church attendance is low, while the local youth appear to already be well practiced criminals. Enter Bing Crosby to set things right. <br />
<br />
The inspirational thing about Father Chuck O’Malley is how he goes about setting things right. Throughout his efforts he displays an unceasing kindness to others. Chuck is excellent at manipulating people but it is always done with the best of intentions towards those being manipulated. His cunning only result in people doing what is best for them and never in him profiting. When confronted with a person of malicious intent he reacts with kindness. In one early scene he deals with an irate and self proclaimed atheist by lending him his rosary beads to cover an expense owed. Throughout the movie he displays only humility in his accomplishments and a constant desire to make others happy. In short, he makes for the perfect priest, one that is made all the more perfect as Bing Crosby adds his good natured smirk along with some great songs. <br />
<br />
While <i>Going My Way</i> is classified as a musical I was surprised at how little music was involved. It is more a comedy/drama punctuated here and there with songs. In total there are only three original songs here: “Going My Way”, “The Day After Tomorrow”, and the aforementioned “Swinging on a Star”. Add to that a short scene from the opera Carmen, a spattering of catholic hymns, and the repeated singing/humming of an Irish lullaby, and you will find that music takes a backseat in this “musical”. It is the characters that take center stage in this film and in my opinion Father O’Malley may be one of the better examples of a human being portrayed on screen. <br />
<br />
<i>Up Next: The Lost Weekend</i><br />
<br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000KJTGHO&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00001TZ6P&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0000E1R0E&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-55263609500879898622010-08-31T16:08:00.003-05:002010-09-20T17:09:58.384-05:00Casablanca (1943)<b>Director:</b> Michael Curtiz<br />
<b>Cast:</b> Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lore, Conrad Veidt<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Romance/Drama <br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>For Whom the Bell Tolls, Heaven Can Wait, The Human Comedy, In Which We Serve, Madame Curie, The More the Merrier, The Ox-Bow Incident, The Song of Bernadette, Watch on the Rhine</i><br />
<br />
And so chronologically we come to the first Best Picture Oscar Winning film that I had seen before taking on this challenge to watch the entire list. This movie had an honored spot in my DVD collection beforehand and in a way my love for the film has made it more of a challenge to write a synopsis. After all I am arguably writing about the most popular Best Picture Winner of all time. I can say that, although I know that this thought is premature, I personally am not sure I will find another movie on the list that betters <i>Casablanca</i>.<br />
<br />
As the name suggests <i>Casablanca</i> is set in the desert city of Morocco after the Germans had occupied France during World War II. The city was bustling at the time, filled with refugees of all status who were attempting to flee Europe and their Nazi oppressors. These refugees all had one destination in mind: America. As the opening narration explains most of them were on a roundabout journey to get there. This journey took them from the port city of Marseilles, France across the Mediterranean by boat to Oran, Algiers. And from there they trekked to Casablanca, Morocco hoping to continue on to Lisbon, Portugal. Lisbon was a rare European city from which ships still sailed the Atlantic to America. <br />
<br />
But as we learn most refugees never reach Lisbon and find themselves permanently stalled in Casablana. For corrupt officials controlled the necessary exit visas required to leave and these were only exchanged for large amounts of money or even for sexual favors. Crooked gambling houses sprang up and preyed on the hopeless. In an early scene a pickpocket whispers a warning to his victim telling him to be careful, that<i>“this place is full of vultures, vultures everywhere”!</i><br />
<br />
Whether you agree with the accolades bestowed on Casablanca or not you cannot argue with its “quotability”. I have listed here the better known quotes but in my view you could take the script and have a successful social life recycling almost all of it. While some have argued that the writing comes across as corny I feel that this may be the one film that can get away with such cliched speech, which is a credit to the actors involved. <br />
<blockquote>“Play it once, Sam. For old times sake..” <br />
“Here’s looking at you, kid.”<br />
“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”<br />
“Round up the usual suspects.”<br />
“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”<br />
“Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.”<br />
“We’ll always have Paris”<br />
“The problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.”</blockquote>While the above quotes reflect the drama and romance found in the film it is the comedy that makes this film easy to watch. Particularly funny are the conversations between Humphrey Bogart’s character and Louis Renault, the captain of the local police played with guile by Claude Rains.<br />
<blockquote>Louis: What in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca?<br />
Rick: My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.<br />
Louis: The waters? What waters? We're in the desert!<br />
Rick: I was misinformed.</blockquote><blockquote>Major Strasser: What’s your nationality? <br />
Rick: I’m a drunkard. <br />
Louis: That makes Rick a citizen of the world. </blockquote>In another great moment the prefect of police is asked to find a reason to close Ricks and he announces that he is shocked to find that gambling is going on there. Right as he says this a cashier is bringing him his winnings from his nights gambling which he stuffs into his pocket. This wit and humor hardly ever lets up and helps tremendously with the films pace.<br />
<br />
In Casablanca, Rick (Humphrey Bogart) is a cold hearted debonair whose staunch neutrality to both the war effort and to people around him is shattered when his past comes back to haunt him. Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) is his past and a woman torn between love and commitment, between what she wants and what is right. Ingrid Bergman may also be one of the most beautiful women ever captured on screen. In this film she is no less than stunning. Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) is a revolutionary, escaped from a German concentration camp and propagating resistance to the Nazi Party wherever he goes while Captain Renault is the corrupt local official profiting from the refugees plight as they flee across the globe. I should also mention Signor Ferrari (Sydney Greenstreet), the kingpin of all local criminal activities, and Rick’s main rival. It is a combination of these five characters that give the comedy, the drama, and the romance real life in this film. But while all of these characters are essential to the success of <i>Casablanca </i>there can be no doubt that the story rests heavily on the shoulders of the two reunited lovers, Rick and Ilsa. <br />
<br />
The first we see of Rick is his confident signature of authority on paperwork, an ode to his “all business” demeanor. As the camera pans wide we see the owner and proprietor of <i>Ricks Americain Café</i>, smoking and drinking scotch by himself. He is isolated from those around him but has a magnetic swagger of coolness about him. Early on we see him reject a woman and cruelly eject her from his bar, a woman who was clearly in love with him and perhaps was led on by him. He is indifferent to her or to anyone’s feelings and his life is full with profit and loneliness. Rick is a man who <i>“never drinks with customers”</i> and who <i>“sticks his neck out for no man”</i>, two quotes that sufficiently sum him up as the film begins. <br />
<br />
Despite his isolationism or perhaps because of it, Rick still manages to be the most sought after social companion in Casablanca and when a local thief comes into possession of “letters of transit”, letters which would allow the bearer to travel freely and unquestioned across German territory, he entrusts them to Rick before being captured and killed. As if Rick was not powerful enough to begin with he is now granted the ultimate position of power in the community, the ability to grant escape from the Nazis to anyone he wishes.<br />
<br />
But here and there we get small hints that suggest to us that Rick was not always this greedy and self-involved. For one, he refuses to allow German bankers to gamble in his casino no matter how high they rank in society, while we also see his refusal to take German money when he tears up a check left by a German soldier. If he is not outspoken about his political beliefs it is clear that he hides some conviction on the matter. We also hear rumors that he ran guns to the resistance in Ethiopia and fought the fascists in Spain. So like the refugees that run from Europe Rick too is running from something and soon after obtaining the letters his past walks into his bar to meet him. <br />
<br />
Victor Laszlo, a famous Czech resistance leader who had escaped a Nazi concentration camp and further evades Nazi forces across Europe, had arrived in Casablanca and seeks passage to America so that he can continue his important political work. On his arm is Ilsa and it is Ingrid Bergman’s character that comes right out of Ricks past. The impact she has sees his cool façade crumble into anger and sees him show weakness, but ultimately her arrival provides for Rick the chance for redemption. <br />
<br />
Sacrifice is a huge theme of this film and Rick and Isla are asked to sacrifice much for the greater cause. The film has been described as an allegory to the United States own personal journey and this sacrifice, along with the changes we see in Rick, mirror the journey that the United States had just gone on. For the country had changed from the cynical and isolationist mind frame that followed the first World War to the renewal of patriotism and commitment to a greater good experienced during World War II. You may find it interesting to know that this film premiered at the Hollywood Theater in New York City on the same date that the Allied invasion of North Africa began and the city of Casablanca was captured. This was November 26th, 1942.* <br />
<br />
I will leave you with a description of a great scene from <i>Casablanca</i>. While it is not the famous final scene, the one that is littered with many of the quotes I have mentioned above, it is absolutely my favorite. <br />
<br />
The German soldiers are gathered around a piano in one corner of the bar and as the beer flows they begin to sing nationalist songs. Their voices are loud and prideful and practically beat on the rest of the bar. The people are sullen and withdrawn as they listen to the Nazi songs. They are beaten. Rick, hearing German songs being played in his bar, steps out onto the balcony but does nothing to stop the singing. He simply watches as Victor Laszlo strides to the house band and asks them to play “La Merseillaise”, the French national anthem. Rick nods his approval. At first Laszlo sings alone and is barely heard above the Germans but within seconds the patrons are stirred from their stupor and with their own patriotism rekindled they drown out the Germans with a rousing chorus. The German soldiers retreat sulkily to their beers. <br />
<br />
The excitement in this scene is infectious and as impactful as any battle scene could be. It is both uplifting and inspiring, and summarizes what this film is about. For while the love between Rick and Isla takes center stage there is a cause far more important all around them and this cause has the potential to drown out any tears that result from whatever sacrifice is asked of them, and from whatever sacrifice they choose to make. <br />
<br />
<i>Up Next: Going My Way </i><br />
<br />
* It officially released on January 23rd, 1943.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=6305736650&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002C6A6FY&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002VWONB2&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-1197125907607334122010-07-28T09:27:00.001-05:002010-09-17T13:37:41.008-05:00Mrs. Miniver (1942)<b>Director:</b> William Wyler<br />
<b>Cast:</b> Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Henry Travers, Teresa Wright, Richard Ney<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Drama <br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>The Invaders, Kings Row, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Pied Piper, The Pride of the Yankees, Random Harvest, The Talk of the Town, Wake Island, Yankee Doodle Dandy</i><br />
<br />
In my commentary on the 1941 Oscar winning movie, <i>How Green Was My Valley</i>, I suggested that there may have been present in that film an underlying theme of the deconstruction of the family unit. I suggested that the film may have reflected fears that lived in Americans minds as they struggled with whether or not to get involved in the war in Europe, and with whether or not to risk the lives of their sons in battle. It is amazing how much had changed in a single year as there is absolutely no subtlety surrounding the themes of Mrs. Miniver. This is a film whose clear purpose was to foster an emotional bond between the middle classes of America and the suffering middle class of England. The director, William Wyler, commented quite candidly on the matter when he said:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>"I was a warmonger. I was concerned about Americans being isolationists. Mrs. Miniver was obviously a propaganda film."</blockquote><br />
<i>Mrs. Miniver</i> follows a middle class family who live an absolute idyllic life before the bombs start falling and tear it apart. At the beginning of the film there is a very entertaining interaction between husband and wife as both anxiously fret over their overspending that day. This scene really was a joy to watch as both try to manipulate the conversation and their spouse into unknowingly justifying their purchase. The genius here is that this scene is completely recognizable as an ordinary middle class problem and I imagine many American viewers had no difficulty relating their lives to the lives of the Minivers. <br />
<br />
I have to stress that I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction between Mrs. Miniver and her husband, played by Walter Pidgeon. There existed a genuine spark of romance and fun between the two and a real sense of joy emanated from watching them together. This film would not have been so impactful, and any suffering or sadness would not have been as hard hitting, had both Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon not had such great chemistry on screen. <br />
<br />
In steep contrast to the everyday stresses we witness early on, towards the end of the film both husband and wife experience anxiety of a very different nature. As London is Blitzed they spend night after night in a cramped bomb shelter listening to the destruction rain down outside. The films main character, Mrs. Miniver, shows immense hidden strength as she is forced to watch both her eldest son and husband take part in the war effort. Meanwhile her two young children struggle to come to terms with that is happening around them. Much like the rose that features prominently in the plot, Mrs. Miniver stands tall and proud throughout the extreme pressure she is placed under. Having set the stage for audiences to relate to the happy couple the film shifts focus to showing the bravery of the characters involved. Interestingly though, the focus on bravery centers not on the heroes of war. In fact, we see not a single battle scene in this film. Instead focus is placed on the mother of a family who is given the staggering task of keeping a semblance of normalcy as life is thrown into chaos around her. <br />
<br />
Winston Churchill suggested that Mrs. Miniver was <i>"more powerful to the war effort than the combined work of six military divisions."</i> As I stated the motive of the film is crystal clear. This was a piece made to incite patriotism in the American people but more importantly it was to help the American people understand that this fight was not just England's fight, that the battle was for civilization itself! Nowhere is that message more clearly heard than in the village vicar’s sermon towards the end of the movie (note that I have removed certain statements for risk that they spoil plot developments):<br />
<br />
<blockquote>“We, in this quiet corner of England, have suffered the loss of friends very dear to us<br />
…<br />
Why in all conscience should these be the ones to suffer? Children, old people… Why these? Are these our soldiers? Are these our fighters? Why should they be sacrificed?<br />
…<br />
I shall tell you why. Because this is not only a war of soldiers in uniform. It is a war of the people, of <b>all the people</b>, and it must be fought not only on the battlefield, but in the cities and in the villages, in the factories and on the farms, in the home, <b>and in the heart of every man, woman, and child who loves freedom!</b> Well, we have buried our dead, but we shall not forget them. Instead they will inspire us with an unbreakable determination to free ourselves and those who come after us from the tyranny and terror that threaten to strike us down. <br />
…<br />
This is the people's war! It is our war! We are the fighters! Fight it then! Fight it with all that is in us, and may God defend the right.”</blockquote><br />
I cannot help but wonder how it must have felt as an American audience member to suddenly realize that the vicar was not talking just to his parish. That he was in fact speaking out to all Americans, urging them to rise up and come to Britain’s aid. One of the reasons I was interested in seeing all these Oscar winning films was to look at how they were influenced by history and to ponder if they played a part in changing that history. While it would be ludicrous to suggest that all these movies changed the world I truly believe that they represent the times that people lived in, and like all art, had the power to change their audiences perspective. <br />
<br />
Next Up: <i>Casablanca</i><br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00011D1OU&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0156631407&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-75011566319310893582010-06-24T15:10:00.005-05:002010-09-17T13:37:02.321-05:00How Green Was My Valley (1941)<b>Director:</b> John Ford<br />
<b>Cast:</b> Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O’Hara, Roddy McDowall<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Drama <br />
<b>Other Nominees:</b> <i>Blossoms in the Dust, Citizen Kane, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Hold Back the Dawn, The Little Foxes, The Maltese Falcon, One Foot in Heaven, Suspicion</i><br />
<br />
At the time that I write this review the world has been suffering from an economic recession and it is fair to say that times have gotten harder for a lot of folk. So I found it fitting that this film deals with financially hard times and the impact those times can have on a family. The family in question is the Morgan family, whose entire life is built around a Welsh rural village and its coalmine. The father and his five sons all work in the coalmine along with all the men of the Welsh village, while the mother runs the household with the aid of her daughter. The youngest son Hew narrates the story and it is his memories of family life that we are seeing. <br />
<br />
In the opening scenes we see a well functioning family unit. When the men return from work they pool their wages, the household expenses are taken care of, and the remainder divided for money was “made to be spent”. After the eldest son marries the celebrations are joyous, carefree and long. <br />
<br />
But with differences in attitudes towards the coalmine management decisions and on the need to strike, and with lay-offs and wage cuts bruising morale, the family is splintered into groups. I could not help but think of the many families affected by similar financial woes over the past few years, perhaps not to the same extent but the causes of stress are the same. One by one the Morgan sons leave the valley as their futures there become unclear. Young Hew is forced to see his brothers scattered across the globe in search of work and to watch his parent’s life become more and more lonely and unpleasant. The carefree family life we see at the beginning suffers and dies little by little as the movie goes on and as you can imagine it makes for a dreary viewing. <br />
<br />
As we witness the disintegration of this tight knit Welsh family we continually see a direct correlation being made by Hew between the natural health of the valley and the emotional health of his family. We also continually are made aware of the strong connection between the sense of community in the village and the land that the village occupies. It is clear that in this rural Welsh village all life is tied directly to the land and as the land suffers at the hands of industrial revolution both the community and Hew’s family suffer also. <br />
<br />
<blockquote>I can close my eyes on my valley as it is today, and it is gone, and I see it as it was when I was a boy. Green it was, and possessed of the plenty of the Earth…. In those days, the black slag, the waste of the coal pits, had only begun to cover the sides of our hill. Not yet enough to mar the countryside, nor blacken the beauty of our village, for the colliery had only begun to poke its skinny black fingers through the green.</blockquote><br />
For all these reasons this movie is a sad and morose film to watch. In the beginning seeing the men singing together each morning as they marched to work was uplifting. But as the more experienced miners are let go in place of outsiders the same dysfunctional symptoms within the Morgan family household are seen within the village. People turn on each other and even attempt to publically shame and judge each other. Any sense of togetherness is lost and the community itself dies. <br />
<br />
The film culminates in a mining accident and an opportunity for the community to collectively act. I mention it because again it felt relevant to the news today. I could not help but think of the recent accident in West Virginia that killed 29 miners and of the fact that the mining profession continues to be dangerous to this day. This film is set at the turn of the century and yet over a hundred years later the families of 29 coal miners were made suffer a similar tragedy that we see the characters suffer on screen.(<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36183425/ns/us_news-life#storyContinued">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36183425/ns/us_news-life#storyContinued</a>)<br />
<br />
On a final note this movie beat out what is regarding by some to be the greatest film ever made, Citizen Kane. I was intrigued by this decision. I understand that Citizen Kane was not well received when it was first released and that it grew in stature over time. While researching this film I did come across a theory posted on IMDB.com. Remember that the second World War was well underway at this time (in fact John Ford wanted to film the movie in Wales but the situation in Europe prevented him from doing so) and the poster of this theory suggests that perhaps the audience could relate to the theme of the dissolving of the family unit. At the time the neutrality argument being made suggested that if America were to get involved in the war thousands of young men would die and thousands of family units would be destroyed. Is it possible that this fear was captured in <i>How Green Was My Valley</i> and that it resonated with the fearful public? (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033729/board/nest/114419234">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033729/board/nest/114419234</a>)<br />
<br />
<i>Next Up: Mrs. Miniver</i><br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0684825554&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00006RCO3&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-62550580652198688572010-04-27T17:50:00.003-05:002010-09-17T13:36:22.613-05:00Rebecca (1940)<span style="font-weight:bold;">Director:</span> Alfred Hitchcock<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Cast:</span> Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith Anderson<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Genre:</span> Drama, Romance, Thriller, Mystery<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Other Nominees:</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">All This and Heaven Too, Foreign Correspondent, The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Dictator, Kitty Foyle, The Letter, The Long Voyage Home, Our Town, The Philadelphia Story<br />
</span><br />
<blockquote>“Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again. I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter for the way was barred to me. Then, like all dreamers, I was possessed of a sudden with supernatural powers and passed like a spirit through the barrier before me..”</blockquote><br />
What a great opening to a film! I defy anyone to watch this opening scene and not be hooked. The narrator who speaks these lines is the second Mrs. de Winter, lady of this house, and as she tells us of her dream we see it with out own eyes on screen. The camera takes us through the iron gate and down a twisting driveway overgrown with brush and weeds. The fog thickens for some time increasing the eeriness and when it clears standing before us are the ghostly ruins of Manderley, a great estate house in Southern England. In her dream the moon plays tricks on Mrs. de Winter and various rooms appear to be lit up and inhabited. But then the moon passes behind a cloud and the house returns to its dead, lifeless state.<br />
<br />
There is a strong element of the supernatural that plays throughout this film and it is born in this opening scene. The vision of the decayed house at the beginning fills us with a sense of foreboding. <span style="font-style:italic;">Rebecca </span>is a film that cannot easily be classified as any one genre. It is at its heart a romance, and yet prominently a psychological thriller, and even at times an outright horror film, and with a dash of mystery thrown in for good measure. Starting right from this opening scene there is a very real undercurrent of dread that runs throughout and I spent the movie anxiously waiting for the big reveal, for the twist or the shock to come. I was not disappointed. <br />
<br />
So who is <span style="font-style:italic;">Rebecca</span>? What is fascinating about this film is that we never meet it’s namesake in person or otherwise. The original lady of the house never makes her appearance on screen, nor do we meet her in anyone’s dreams or memories. There are also no photos or portraits of her to be found hanging on the walls of Maderley. And yet despite this there is no question that Rebecca de Winter is the main character of this film. She is a ghost in the lives of the characters who remain at the house and she haunts them in a very real sense. It is an amazing experience to watch a film whose main character is off screen and whose influence is felt in every scene you watch and in every characters’ actions and words.<br />
<br />
The first act of the film takes place in Monte Carlo, Southern France. An obnoxious wealthy lady is staying at a plush hotel with her mild mannered handmaid, brilliantly played by Joan Fontaine, when she spots the dashing Maxim de Winter, played by the equally excellent Laurence Olivier. Through conversations that ensue we learn that Maxim is a widower and that his late wife, Rebecca de Winter, died when her boat capsized near her home. Early on we are made aware of two things. One, that <span style="font-style:italic;">Rebecca </span>was loved by everyone and regarded by most as the perfect wife and lady. Two, we are made aware of the brooding nature of Maxim and continually reminded of his outbursts and proneness to anger. Indeed Maxim is not the most debonair of men and his meeting of, courtship of, and proposal to the handmaid is as unnatural and strange as his behavior. <br />
<br />
<blockquote>Maxim de Winter: I'm asking you to marry me, you little fool.</blockquote><br />
As I watched the credits roll I was shocked with the realization that we never learn the name of our heroine. She goes from being a timid and unimportant handmaid to being the Second Mrs. De Winter and despite all of her time spent on screen we never learn her name. I loved this about the film and it is right up Hitchcock’s alley! The fact is that the former Rebecca de Winters’ name is very prominent throughout the movie, everyone talks about her constantly, and her initials are embroidered or emblazoned everywhere. Indeed the final shot of the film is a close-up of her embroidered initials on a pillowcase. Our heroine is not only considered a poor substitute for the late, great <span style="font-style:italic;">Rebecca </span>in appearance and character, but she is apparently not important enough to warrant being named and instead must bare the symbolically derogatory title of the Second Mrs. De Winter. <br />
<br />
When the Second Mrs. De Winter arrives with her husband at Manderley she finds a staff whose loyalty to <span style="font-style:italic;">Rebecca </span>is cemented in their actions. They are not very welcoming of their new mistress to say the least. The running of the house is ordered by a Mrs. Danvers, chillingly portrayed by Judith Anderson. Mrs. Danvers is the extreme example of someone who is devoted to Rebecca and who cannot accept the new Mrs. de Winters. In a way as she orders the running of the house she keeps her former employer very much alive, as things are always done and kept how Rebecca wanted them. “Danny” is cold and hostile towards her new mistress from the moment she enters the house and the relationship only deteriorates as the movie progresses. <br />
<br />
<blockquote>Mrs. Danvers: You thought you could be Mrs. de Winter, live in her house, walk in her steps, take the things that were hers! But she's too strong for you.</blockquote><br />
The character of Mrs. Danvers is also interesting as she represents one of the major changes made between the novel and its screen adaption. In the novel she was an older woman and a mother figure to Rebecca. In the movie Hitchcock made her a younger woman whose infatuation with her employee is passionate and emotional. It has been commented on that in a time when homosexuality was a social taboo here is clearly a lesbian character in a successful major Hollywood production. And while there is no outright comment made there are also questions raised as to the sexual orientation of <span style="font-style:italic;">Rebecca </span>and their relationship together. The censors at the time left these insinuations intact probably because they could not prove that these women were lesbians. <br />
<br />
The house itself plays a huge role in this film. Manderley is impressive, intimidating, gloomy, and beautiful. The film does a great job of remaining grounded in reality, and while never completely crossing over into supernatural territory, the intimidating and gloomy atmosphere found in the house makes for some creepy and frightening scenes. As the new Mrs. de Winter explores the house she is accompanied by a building crescendo of a soundtrack and I cannot help but think of the Overlook Hotel in Kubrick’s <span style="font-style:italic;">The Shining</span>. I imagine this film could have easily been a strong inspiration for Kubrick as it shares similar themes. Both have a heroine who finds herself in an enormous and unfriendly environment that she does not comprehend but is forced to stand up to. <br />
<br />
I will leave the rest of the movie shrouded in mystery just as the motives of the house staff and the natures of both the late Mrs. de Winter and Maxim de Winter are mysterious. There are revelations to be revealed at Manderley and hidden secrets to be discovered and I do not want to spoil the experience of this haunting film for you. If this has not convinced you to see Rebecca then note that this film is Alfred Hitchcock’s only Best Picture Oscar winner. I think this fact should be reason enough for you to see it. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-style:italic;">Next up: How Green Was My Valley</span><br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001D8W7EU&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0380730405&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-14047628903635770852010-03-25T12:09:00.004-05:002010-09-17T13:35:52.750-05:00Gone With The Wind (1939)<span style="font-weight:bold;">Director:</span> Victor Fleming<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Cast:</span> Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Havilland, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Genre:</span> Drama, Romance<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Other Nominees:</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">Dark Victory, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Love Affair, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Ninotchka, Of Mice and Men, Stagecoach, The Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights</span><br />
<br />
This is the most intimidating synopsis I have had to write so far because what more is there to say that has not already been said about <span style="font-style:italic;">Gone With the Wind</span>? If you search the internet you will find an endless sea of praise for this amazing film and in the end I fear that I have very little to add to it. So I will simply do what I can and talk about some of the surprises I found within this brilliant film. <br />
<br />
This is an epic film with a run time of almost four hours and in this time we follow the story of one Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh). When we first meet Scarlett it is 1861 and she is the daughter of a wealthy southern plantation owner. We quickly learn that Scarlett is the center of her own universe, manipulating everyone around her to get her way, and content in the knowledge that every man she meets worships her. But her world comes to an abrupt end when war comes to the South and the Yankee army invades. We watch as she falls into desperate poverty, and then uses her honed powers of manipulation to claw her way out again. As a viewer you build a love/hate relationship with Scarlett, veering from loathing her wicked ways, towards pitying and admiring her resolve and then back to loathing again, and this tug of war on your heart carries throughout the entire film. <br />
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After multiple cases of her preying on men, including her obsession with a married man and her continued efforts to steal him away from his wife, you begin to wonder if she is capable of true love at all. When her first husband dies while away at war she laments that her “life is over” because “nothing will ever happen to me again”, clearly being more upset about her status as a widow than about the death of her husband. But beneath her selfish nature we slowly begin to learn that she is capable of loving a man even though her stubbornness leads to her fighting the feeling for almost the entire film. <br />
<br />
We meet her true love interest early in the story in the form of the swaggering debonair Rhett Butler, played by Clark Gable. We have seen Clark before on this blog in <span style="font-style:italic;">It Happened One Night</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Mutiny on the Bounty</span> but this was clearly the role he was born to play. The single greatest thing about Rhett Butler is that, like Scarlett, he makes no apologizes for what he is. He fraternizes with prostitutes, drinks, smokes, gambles, and is content to do so. He is attracted to Scarlett from the moment he meets her but not for the same reason the other men fawn all over her. He loves Scarlett because he knows her, because in her he sees a female version of himself, and he seems to be the only man who understands what he is up against with her. His immunity to her ways makes for very entertaining interactions. He constantly pokes fun at her and calls her out when she tries to play her mind games and it really is hard not to start enjoying seeing it as much as he enjoys doing it. <br />
<blockquote>Scarlett: Sir, you are no gentleman.<br />
Rhett Butler: And you, Miss, are no lady.</blockquote><br />
The romance between the two is the central storyline of the film but it is set to an incredibly rich background. After the war starts there are some truly amazing special effects as the city of Atlanta gets bombarded by Sherman and the Yankee army. One scene recalls to my mind as Rhett leads a panicked horse and the ladies through an ammunition dump as explosions happen all around. A many storied building crashes down in flames in front of the party as they desperately try to escape the city. This is a film that cost a staggering 3.7 million dollars to make and in 1939 that was a lot of money! But the investment can be seen throughout as this film really does reach a standard of excellence that is rare in Hollywood. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-style:italic;">Gone With the Wind</span> is the first Oscar winning film to be shot in Technicolor, a technique that came with tremendous cost and ate up most of the aforementioned budget. While being the first color Oscar Winning film I was surprised to learn that shooting films in color was a technology that was a around since 1908 but was rarely used because of the expense involved. Hollywood made the first color feature film almost twenty years earlier in 1922 (<span style="font-style:italic;">The Toll of the Sea</span>). This surprised me because most people I know consider <span style="font-style:italic;">The Wizard of Oz</span> to be the first example of color being used in film. <br />
<br />
Speaking of Oz it should be said that the nominations list for Best Picture in 1940 was very impressive and the fact that <span style="font-style:italic;">Gone With The Wind</span> came out on top just emphasizes the magnitude of the film. Not only did it beat out Frank Capra directing his usual suspects of Jean Arthur and James Stewart in <span style="font-style:italic;">Mr. Smith Goes to Washington</span>, John Ford directing John Wayne in the classic <span style="font-style:italic;">Stagecoach</span>, but it also beat out <span style="font-style:italic;">The Wizard of Oz</span> itself! Add to that list <span style="font-style:italic;">Goodbye Mr. Chips</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Of Mice and Men</span> and to me you have what could be the most hotly contended Best Picture nominations list of all time. <br />
<br />
I will leave you with another link to American Film Institutes top 100 movie quotes of all time. I reference the list because <span style="font-style:italic;">Gone With the Wind</span> gets three mentions which again highlights how significant a film this is. Below are the three quotes that made the list and their positions in parenthesis but frankly I think the quote that has the honor of calling itself the greatest movie quote of all time (at least according to AFI) needs no introduction:<br />
<br />
As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again (59)<br />
After all, tomorrow is another day! (31)<br />
Frankly My Dear, I don’t give a damn. (1)<br />
<br />
<a href="Full list: http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/quotes100.pdf?docID=242">Full list: http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/quotes100.pdf?docID=242</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style:italic;">Next Up: Rebecca</span><br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002M2Z3BA&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1416548890&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0013N7FZ6&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0762429429&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-68911035430797655022010-03-08T09:52:00.007-06:002010-06-24T15:24:27.902-05:002010 Oscars Wrap Up<span style="font-weight:bold;">Reflections:</span><br />
This year the Oscars was always billed as the epic clash between <span style="font-style:italic;">Avatar</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">The Hurt Locker</span>. In a way this was the wrong year for the Academy to decide to increase the number of Best Picture nominees to 10. If the goal of this initiative was to widen the scope and give other films a chance at glory it failed because the reality was that Bigelow and Cameron's films were all people talked about.<br />
<br />
Personally I was delighted with <span style="font-style:italic;">The Hurt Locker</span> winning the little gold guy. In IMAX 3D, <span style="font-style:italic;">Avatar</span> was an amazing experience, one that left me bewildered and stunned. After watching it I spent days pleading with people to see it as soon as possible. I convinced my colleagues and even my father to go experience it. Whereas on my 40" tv screen at home, and with no surround sound system, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Hurt Locker</span> proved a different visual experience but ultimately a more rewarding one. The dread established in the opening scene stayed with me throughout and when the credits rolled at the end I found myself to be wholly satisfied. <br />
<br />
And perhaps that is why <span style="font-style:italic;">The Hurt Locker</span> deserved the glory, because it managed to be just as engrossing a film without relying on CGI, IMAX cameras, or the use of 3D! While <span style="font-style:italic;">Avatar</span> was complete fantasy <span style="font-style:italic;">Hurt Locker</span> was reality and when the dust settles I feel that last night both films got what they deserved. In celebration for the beautiful world that <span style="font-style:italic;">Avatar</span> created it won Cinematography, Art Direction, and Visual Effects. In celebration for the beautiful characters and story that <span style="font-style:italic;">Hurt Locker</span> created it won the crown. <br />
<br />
Asides from the center stage fight I thought the categories were very predictable this year. <span style="font-style:italic;">Waltz</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Mo'Nique</span> were absolute shoe ins for their supporting roles. In the weeks leading up to the Oscars all I kept hearing was <span style="font-style:italic;">Bridges</span> in <span style="font-style:italic;">Crazy Heart</span> for Best Leading Actor. All three of these examples simply overshadowed their competitors and made for easy guesses. <br />
<br />
And while I was left confused at <span style="font-style:italic;">Bullock </span>getting the award for Best Actress (to be honest I was left confused by <span style="font-style:italic;">The Blind Side</span> featuring in the awards period) I can see that she was the popular choice.<br />
<br />
Add to these some other obvious picks like the aforementioned artistic awards going to <span style="font-style:italic;">Avatar</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Up </span>for Best Animated Feature, and <span style="font-style:italic;">Precious </span>for Best Adapted Screenplay, and you have a gamblers dream! Although I enjoyed this years show to no end I would like to see a closer race in 2011. <br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />
Notable Moments:</span><br />
I have no idea what the story behind this "Kanye" moment was but while a pleasant speaking chap accepted the award for Best Documentary Short a rather obnoxious lady bulldozed her way onto the stage! The link below has details of the childish squabble.. <br />
http://www.popeater.com/2010/03/08/music-by-prudence-elinor-burkett-oscars/<br />
<br />
I thought it was a nice moment when Jim Cameron immediately stood and clapped after his ex-wife's film won Best Picture. All is fair in love and war. <br />
<br />
Ben Stiller as a N'avi! The comedy moment of the night came not from Martin or Baldwin but from Ben Stiller and a fishing rod!<br />
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SG-H7G4IWg<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">All Winners:</span><br />
Best Picture -- The Hurt Locker<br />
<br />
Actor in a Leading Role -- Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)<br />
<br />
Actor in a Supporting Role -- Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)<br />
<br />
Actress in a Leading Role -- Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)<br />
<br />
Actress in a Supporting Role -- Mo'Nique (Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire)<br />
<br />
Animated Feature Film -- Up<br />
<br />
Art Direction -- Avatar<br />
<br />
Cinematography -- Avatar<br />
<br />
Costume Design -- The Young Victoria<br />
<br />
Directing -- Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)<br />
<br />
Documentary Feature -- The Cove<br />
<br />
Documentary Short -- Music by Prudence<br />
<br />
Film Editing -- The Hurt Locker<br />
<br />
Foreign Language Film -- The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)(Argentina)<br />
<br />
Makeup -- Star Trek<br />
<br />
Music (Original Score) -- Up<br />
<br />
Music (Original Song) -- "The Weary Kind" (Crazy Heart)<br />
<br />
Short Film (Animated) -- Logorama<br />
<br />
Short Film (Live Action) -- The New Tenants<br />
<br />
Sound Editing -- The Hurt Locker<br />
<br />
Sound Mixing -- The Hurt Locker<br />
<br />
Visual Effects -- Avatar<br />
<br />
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) -- Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire<br />
<br />
Writing (Original Screenplay) -- The Hurt Locker<br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00275EGWY&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00275EGX8&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-84598916990794693682010-03-02T17:20:00.021-06:002010-12-23T12:01:35.800-06:00Top 3 -- Best Picture Oscar Winning Movies from the 1930sHere is my pick of the litter from the 1930s:<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">3rd place</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">1935 Mutiny on the Bounty</span><br />
Mutiny on the Bounty surprised me for a lot of reasons... the special effects, the adventurous storyline, the courageous performance from Clark Gable, etc. But the first and foremost reason is Charles Laughton as Captain William Bligh! By playing this character Laughton deserves recognition for bringing to life a villain of equal stature to Darth Vadar, Hannibal Lector or any other malevolent screen creation you can think of. He is simply an evil incarnation of a man and I too wanted to mutiny against his wicked ways!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41scDxmDBAJ1eDyOZ8NS3IrwuLUDmkDYXw11ATFqp5qKjlxL881VbpjWri8nhwnjzCCucVk0X95CVKz508yY0-fu-Y8YpJ6i6t68s1Q7v43a-5ZT7ru2buuP5S1-WdUf5iuJzFurM2X8C/s1600-h/Mutiny.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444189500651716786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41scDxmDBAJ1eDyOZ8NS3IrwuLUDmkDYXw11ATFqp5qKjlxL881VbpjWri8nhwnjzCCucVk0X95CVKz508yY0-fu-Y8YpJ6i6t68s1Q7v43a-5ZT7ru2buuP5S1-WdUf5iuJzFurM2X8C/s400/Mutiny.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">2nd place</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">1930 All Quiet on the Western Front</span><br />
Any preconceptions I had of older movies lacking the ability to shock and stun you were blown away by this truly guttural experience. The psychological horrors of the first World War are brutally portrayed in this film and it is such a shame to think that its release came only years before the world was embroiled once more in another great war. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4llcf8_VCc_s0ZX1Dn89ZSILSP82nTq1rKsf5yLLiYOBvyIPI9UIcB4MEmqG97xJWB4XQivjgyaEUyaRysZOKsVOkWOq9jffEsgfzdD0gwoftzYZ2kobXG1lk5V2i5pjOTCQnyhadvRVA/s1600-h/All+Quiet.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444189389730994706" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4llcf8_VCc_s0ZX1Dn89ZSILSP82nTq1rKsf5yLLiYOBvyIPI9UIcB4MEmqG97xJWB4XQivjgyaEUyaRysZOKsVOkWOq9jffEsgfzdD0gwoftzYZ2kobXG1lk5V2i5pjOTCQnyhadvRVA/s400/All+Quiet.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 271px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">1st Place</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">1939 Gone With The Wind</span><br />
It would be very difficult to suggest another movie from this decade that deserves the top spot. After all, this is a movie that makes a lot of top 10 films of all time lists, never mind just of the 1930's. If you have not seen it then shame on you. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJMGx_vld0GDUH1E7qZdCEN_VaDFOohPQlqJdA3h_BTOQLXZk_yc81N1YXu6FdGoboCMcdLqIBXhfVD7lb2BoEWaa9Tuw73YrW6R-BeoMPCKRcWVTWHF-Expn-7LTwttEF_eXE0-A6b7Xg/s1600/Wind+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJMGx_vld0GDUH1E7qZdCEN_VaDFOohPQlqJdA3h_BTOQLXZk_yc81N1YXu6FdGoboCMcdLqIBXhfVD7lb2BoEWaa9Tuw73YrW6R-BeoMPCKRcWVTWHF-Expn-7LTwttEF_eXE0-A6b7Xg/s320/Wind+3.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00011D1OK&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000KGGJ0Y&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002M2Z3BA&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-25355129790359311422010-03-02T17:14:00.003-06:002010-09-17T13:35:09.206-05:00You Can't Take It With You (1938)<span style="font-weight:bold;">Director:</span> Frank Capra<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Cast:</span> Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart, Ann Miller<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Genre:</span> Comedy<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Other Nominees:</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">The Adventures of Robin Hood, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Boys Town, The Citadel, Four Daughters, Grand Illusion, Jezebel, Pygmalion, Test Pilot</span><br />
<br />
The 1930s was a very successful time for Frank Capra. We had already seen him direct the 1935 winner <span style="font-style:italic;">It Happened One Night</span> and here we again see him direct the last Best Picture winning film of the decade, <span style="font-style:italic;">You Can’t Take it With You</span>. These two movies have a lot in common. They are both romantic comedies and both pictures feature two young lovers from opposite classes. Most of the comedy found in these films is born from the clashing of the classes as the snobbish members of the bourgeoisie are forced to share tables with the common people. But as the title suggests, <span style="font-style:italic;">You Can’t Take it With You</span> also carries with it some important life lessons. <br />
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The film centers on an unusually friendly and welcoming Sycamore family who have abandoned the grind of modern life and devoted themselves to doing what they want to do. The grandfather and head of the family, played by Lionel Barrymore, is the driving force behind this radical approach to life. He talks about how he was a successful business man who one day rode the elevator up to his office and then right back down again, deciding then and there to never set foot inside the building again. He instead turned to a life of stamp collecting and of having fun. The collective family all embody this freewheeling attitude to life with a wide variety of hobbies from chocolate making, to ballet lessons, to writing, to the manufacturing of firecrackers! A constant swarm of activity results from them all living under one roof and practicing these hobbies in a confined space. A framed “Home Sweet Home” picture constantly falls from the wall and is hung back up by various characters throughout the movie and emphasizes the fact that this is a bustling, crazy place to live but also a place filled with love and warmth. Members of this household are rarely stressed, not even when Internal Revenue officers stop by for a chat, as we see in one scene. It quickly becomes equally as uplifting an experience to watch the activities of this family as it appears to be to live with them there. <br />
<br />
The youngest of the family is played by the gorgeous Jean Arthur and she has fallen for son of a banking magnate played by James Stewart. The two are very much in love and perfect for each other but both are struggling with the concept of their families meeting. Opposing the gleeful utopia of the Sycamore family is the wealthy Kirby family who embody everything that the Sycamore family values are against? As you can expect the meeting of the two represents an enormous challenge for the Kirbys but also offers them a chance to evaluate their own happiness and their own way of life. In the end the film is as much an education for us as it is for the wealthy banker and his wife, and it is fitting that the title words are spoken by Grandpa to Mr. Kirby in an effort to make him, and us, see that money is not all there is in this world. There are more important things to invest your time in. <br />
<br />
The other Capra film I am familiar with is, of course, <span style="font-style:italic;">It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)</span>. I mention it as it too shares commonalities with <span style="font-style:italic;">You Can’t Take it With You</span>. Asides from starring the same lead actor, James Stewart, it also delivers that great message that friendships and kindness to others will in the end make you richer than any amount of money will. They are both movies that warn against a life of greed and suggest that you instead focus on building relationships with people. Interestingly enough, both movies also feature a very similar scene where the respective townsfolk enthusiastically gather money to help out (or bail out as the case may be) the main characters who they hold dearly. I have always been a huge fan of the famous Christmas movie and of this heartwarming scene but I have to say that after viewing <span style="font-style:italic;">You Can’t Take it With You</span> I think that this earlier film does a better job at delivering the overall message of goodwill towards all. <br />
<br />
I would like to finish on a different note. I found it fascinating how the threat of Communism was already rearing its head in the late 1930’s and is very present in this movie. I should make the point that the film does not demonize Communism and simply shows how the Sycamore family, in all of their innocence and love for life, become suspected of being Communists. It is a shame that the very things that should be admired in a family like putting each other first, being fun loving, happy, and welcoming to all people, are the things that bring them under suspicion. Grandpa quotes Lincoln when describing the family’s attitudes: "With malice toward none, with charity to all". The film tries to show that we should not judge everyone who is different as being evil but more impressive is that it tries to show this in a time when being different did result in a lot of scrutiny. I imagine that this film ran the risk of being very unpopular. I have pulled some dialogue from the movie where Grandpa talks to his daughter about what he calls “ism-mania”, a trend he sees all around him:<br />
<blockquote>Grandpa: Penny, why don't you write a play about Ism-Mania?<br />
Penny: Ism-Mania?<br />
Grandpa: Yeah, sure, you know, Communism, Fascism, Voodoo-ism, everybody's got an -ism these days.<br />
Penny: Oh [laughs] I thought it was some kind of itch or something.<br />
Grandpa: Well, it's just as catching. When things go a little bad nowadays, you go out, get yourself an -ism and you're in business!</blockquote><br />
I think I should applaud the Academy for recognizing a comedy that, under the surface, is tackling such a great societal problem. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-style:italic;">Next Up: Gone With The Wind</span><br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001GLX6TY&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-20455427742113569882010-01-20T23:02:00.011-06:002010-09-17T13:34:20.090-05:00The Life of Emile Zola (1937)<span style="font-weight:bold;">Director:</span> William Dieterle<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Cast:</span> Paul Muni, Joseph Schildkraut, Vladimir Sokoloff, Henry O’Neill<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Genre:</span> Drama<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Other Nominees:</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">The Awful Truth, Captains Courageous, Dead End, The Good Earth, In Old Chicago, Lost Horizon, One Hundred Men and a Girl, Stage Door, A Star is Born</span><br />
<br />
As the film opens a legal statement appears on screen telling us that this is a fictional story and that the persons and events portrayed here are not based on actual people and events. This confuses me because from the brief research I have done the majority of events portrayed do appear to have happened in the life of Emile Zola. Of course I am accepting that some artistic license was employed when making the film but, at the risk of revealing some elements of the story to you, the following can certainly be said to be true:<br />
<br />
- Emile Zola was a childhood friend of the artist Paul Cezanne and the two did live together in Paris. <br />
- Zola was threatened by the police regarding the sordid nature of his books. <br />
- He did go on to become one of the highest paid artists in Paris and had a falling out with Cezanne who believed that “artists should remain poor”. <br />
- He did get directly involved in the Dreyfus Affair, coming to publically support a man wrongfully sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island, and to brazenly accuse the highest level of the French Army of obstruction of justice and anti-Semitism. <br />
- He was brought to trial on the grounds of criminal libel, convicted and sentenced to one year in prison and removed from the Legion of Honor. <br />
<br />
So I am not sure where it is that the movie strays so wildly from reality but perhaps the legal warning is just there as a precaution. <br />
<br />
Paul Muni is the actor who portrays Emile Zola from his penniless days in a frozen attic shared with Cezanne, through his lethargic wealthy days when his political beliefs were assuaged by comfort and food, to his rebirth as an activist with his defense against a great injustice. <br />
<br />
The injustice in question is the Dreyfus Affair, a political scandal that divided the French people in the 1890’s. Alfred Dreyfus was a young French officer who was wrongly convicted of smuggling military secrets to the German embassy and sentenced to life imprisonment. Two years into his sentence evidence is found that identifies a second officer, one Ferdinand Esterhazy, as the culprit and points to Dreyfus’ innocence. But unable to accept that the administration made an error the high ranking officials in the army hide the evidence and acquitted Esterhazy, leaving Dreyfus to rot in prison. <br />
<br />
When the evidence found its way to Emile Zola he abandons his wealthy lifestyle and his activism is re-ignited. He famously prints a scathing attack on the army on a local newspaper entitled “I accuse”. Thus begins his personal quest to free Dreyfus and right this wrong. He states that:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Not only is an innocent man crying out for justice, but more, much more… a great nation is in desperate danger of forfeiting her honor!</blockquote><br />
The courtroom scenes are by far the most riveting of the movie with the administration clearly pulling out all stops to cover up its crime. There is perhaps the first great example of a courtroom speech being made by Emile at the end of the farcical proceedings when he states that he has accomplished his mission simply by appearing in court for even if he is found guilty <span style="font-style:italic;">“what does it matter if an individual is shattered - if only justice is resurrected?”</span><br />
<br />
This is a heroic story of a man who forsakes his wealth and success in the name of truth. To Zola truth is a powerful force and once it is <span style="font-style:italic;">“on the march… nothing shall stop it.”</span> I think it is a very worthwhile watch, especially if you are interested in French history or in Parisian culture. <br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeO8BxOHrO4YP-136KDTUJxJ_gdVx9ZkcA0EFEUbFgFtp8autRsVNsgllHtbbvdAm3BaQWmj9xIRxd3gT0Nss9gAp37z6sNX1Q2PfUEGfMX-WNpcDrIDZc-fUP-A4gYUY1QrHirYiqT_E/s1600-h/Paul+Alexis+Reading+to+Emile+Zola.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 322px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeO8BxOHrO4YP-136KDTUJxJ_gdVx9ZkcA0EFEUbFgFtp8autRsVNsgllHtbbvdAm3BaQWmj9xIRxd3gT0Nss9gAp37z6sNX1Q2PfUEGfMX-WNpcDrIDZc-fUP-A4gYUY1QrHirYiqT_E/s400/Paul+Alexis+Reading+to+Emile+Zola.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429060555330437250" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Paul Cézanne. Paul Alexis Reading to Emile Zola. c. 1869-70. Oil on canvas. Museu de Arte de Sao Paolo Assis Chateaubriand, Sao Paolo, Brazil.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style:italic;">Next Up: You Can't Take It with You</span><br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0006HBV3W&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-11172417432768610182010-01-10T23:32:00.004-06:002010-09-17T13:33:24.128-05:00The Great Ziegfeld (1936)<span style="font-weight:bold;">Director:</span> Robert Z. Leonard<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Cast:</span> William Powell, Luise Rainer, Frank Morgan<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Genre:</span> Drama<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Other Nominees:</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">Anthony Adverse, Dodsworth, Libeled Lady, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Romeo and Juliet, San Fransisco, The Story of Louis Pasteur, A Tale of Two Cities, Three Smart Girls</span><br />
<br />
Shame on me! Any hesitation you may have noticed in me continuing my journey through cinematic history was due to the fact that I was simply not excited to see this film. Two reasons prevented me from starting, one was the subject matter of a Broadway musical maker’s life, and the second was the runtime of 3+ hours, neither of which sounded appealing to me. And yet while this film would undoubtedly not be for everyone I found it to be a surprisingly rewarding experience. <br />
<br />
The Great Ziegfeld tells of the career of one Florenz Ziegfeld, a Broadway impresario, and of his rise and fall as he creates his masterpieces of stage. But it is really two films in one. <br />
<br />
The first film is a reproduction of some numbers from Ziegfeld’s shows which can be found scattered throughout the movie. As the tagline for the movie suggests we can see “10 Big Shows In 1” as we make our way though The Great Ziegfeld. I think these are the scenes that some modern viewers will find themselves struggling through as most of the numbers are lengthy. But it must be said that I what I took away from them was the distinct impression of Ziegfeld as nothing short of a revolutionary, someone willing to push the envelope of what can be achieved on stage. The extravagance and style that was on display and the astounding set pieces were extremely impressive. <br />
<br />
The second film lives between these fabulous acts and tells the story of the man Florenz Ziegfeld and in particular of his relationships with women, and for me it is the far more interesting of the two. Florenz “glorified the American girl” in his shows and the women he was involved with found themselves in constant competition with the many beautiful women he was surrounded by. The film is really an exploration of how a man obsessed with the beauty of women deals with the women he loves and lives with. This conflict is seen in earnest when his marriage with his first wife, Anna Held deteriorates under the pressure.<br />
<br />
Asides from Florenz being a lady’s man if there was another aspect of the man that I can take away from this movie it is his devotion to the entertainment of the public at any cost. Mr. Ziegfeld did not die a rich man and although he lived a rich lifestyle on borrowed money he lost the modern equivalent of millions in the production of his shows. Ziegfeld himself put it best on his deathbed in this movie when he whispers that he only wanted to “add more stairs and get higher”. <br />
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I will leave you with a recurring thought I had throughout the film. I could not stop thinking about the fact that this film was produced less than 10 years after Ziegfeld’s death. Ziegfeld died in 1932 and 4 years later his life is on screen and winning the best picture award. In modern day we may not all know his name but his influence on the times can be seen most clearly in this fact alone. I imagine that he would have preferred a stage version of his life but I do think that to be recognized in an award winning film so soon after one passes is an amazing compliment. <br />
<span style="font-style:italic;"><br />
Next Up: The Life of Emile Zola</span><br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=80yeaofoscwin-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00012FXJ0&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>StudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446455819082045873.post-8550503787767742662009-12-31T17:11:00.003-06:002010-02-03T10:12:22.271-06:002000 - 2009 My Decade of FilmTo celebrate the end of the decade I have listed here my 25 favorite films from the past 10 years. I had originally intended on coming up with 10 but I found it too difficult to eliminate films and to choose one great movie over another. So in the end I have settled on these 25 movies. You and the critics may not agree with all of them but they are the movies that I have loved and will love again.<br /><br />Note that only 2 of my listed films are Oscar winners which makes me think that I need to re-watch all of the nominated movies from the past 80 years… but that will take the rest of my life so for now let’s be content with the winners. <br /><br />Have a happy new year everyone and let’s raise a glass to another 10 years of film!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. High Fidelity (2000) </span><br />Watching this film over and over again helped me become the man I am today, which is a combination of all four main characters -- Rob, Barry, Dick, and Laura! It also introduced me to the fine art of collecting records.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“I've been listening to my gut since I was 14 years old, and frankly speaking, I've come to the conclusion that my guts have shit for brains”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Gladiator (2000) </span><br />Rarely have I wanted a hero to kick the crap out of a villain as badly as in this film.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“What we do in life echoes in eternity”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Requiem for a Dream (2000) </span><br />If one of the goals of art is to elicit emotional responses then this film gets on my list simply because of the stunned emotional state it left me in. The last scenes represent the most visceral and intense movie experience of my life.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“Anybody wanna waste some time?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) </span><br />A movie has to make my list once I have deliberately seen it over twenty times and I lost count with the number of Tenenbaum viewings a long time ago. This is my sick day, rainy day, bored day movie.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“I'm very sorry for your loss. Your mother was a terribly attractive woman.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings (2001) </span><br />Of the trilogy this will always remain my favorite. The final film, The Return of the King, won the Oscar for Best Picture two years later but this is a far better movie and should have beaten A Beautiful Mind to the gold. Whether you are a Tolkienite or not you have to admire this epic experience!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“The ring must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Minority Report (2002)</span><br />Spielberg and Cruise make a great action movie set against an impressive vision of a utopian society where murders are predicted and offenders punished before any act takes place. The concept works and this is one of Spielberg’s best science fiction films to date.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“Everybody Runs”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Spirited Away (2002)</span><br />I ended up seeing this movie alone as I could not convince any friends to come see a subtitled foreign animated film. Nowadays Disney may have made Mr. Miyazaki a household name but I will never forget seeing the beauty of this movie for the first time. It is a gorgeous experience.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“Once you do something, you never forget, even if you can't remember.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. Finding Nemo (2003)</span><br />Of all of the animated films released in the past decade Finding Nemo has to be the most accessible. It makes my list simply because I cannot find anyone who dislikes it, and for good reason too.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Lost in Translation (2003)</span><br />This movie is about two people who are a little lost in life. It is simple and goes out of its way to not be dramatic about it because life is not always dramatic. And I loved it because I could relate to it. It also gets bonus points for starting a personal obsession with one Miss Scarlett Johansson.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“You're probably just having a mid-life crisis. Did you buy a Porsche yet?” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">10. Mystic River (2003)</span><br />This is a little sucker punch of a film that has some of my favorite performances of the decade from Sean Penn and Tim Robbins. It is a heartbreaking story and I dare you to be unaffected at the end.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“We bury our sins here, Dave. We wash them clean”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">11. The Machinist (2004)</span><br />I did not know whether to respect or fear Christian Bale after seeing him take method acting to the extreme for his role in this film. His physical appearance is harrowing as is the story he plays out. I was awestruck.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“If you were any thinner, you wouldn't exist.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">12. Capote (2005)</span><br />This movie follows Truman Capote as he researches his second book, In Cold Blood. I had read the book which told the story of how two men broke into a Kansas family farm and murdered all four members and was aware of how brutal a story it was. I was not however prepared to see the impact the research had on Truman, to see his decline as a socialite and celebrity, and to watch his emotional struggle as he becomes attached to the killer.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“It's as if Perry and I grew up in the same house. And one day he stood up and went out the back door, while I went out the front.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">13. The Last King of Scotland (2006)</span><br />Forest Whitakers deserves massive praise for his portrayal of the real life monster Idi Amin. The story is told through the eyes of a Scottish doctor who gains the trust of the ruthless dictator but it really is Forest who steals the show.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“I am the father of this nation, Nicholas. And you have most... grossly... offended your father.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">14. The Queen (2006)</span><br />Michael Sheen plays Tony Blair to a tee but is overshadowed by the amazing Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II. After the death of Princess Diana the royal family came under increasing public scrutiny for their apparent lack of any emotional responses. This is a great film that looks at what happens when the traditional clashes with the modern and the struggle that ensued as the Queen tries to come to terms with the tragedy.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“Elton John wishes to sing at the funeral. Should be a first for Westminster Abbey.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">15. El Laberento del Fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth) (2006)</span><br />I have always found that most traditional fairy tales have an underlying darkness to them, as if our more dangerous histories were escaped from into fanciful but still dangerous stories. And that thought is exactly what happens in Pan’s Labyrinth where a young girl runs from her dangerous life and escapes into a dangerous fairy tale. The end result is a beautiful and terrifying film.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“A long time ago, in the underground realm, where there are no lies or pain, there lived a Princess who dreamt of the human world…”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">16. Das Leben Der Anderen (The Lives of Others) (2006)</span><br />This movie follows a secret police agent in the socialist East Berlin state circa 1984 as he is assigned to observe the lives of a prominent writer and his lover who are suspected of not being completely loyal. But as he listens and watches the agent begins to grow more and more attached to the individuals and begins to struggle with his assignment. Fascinating film!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“You don't know me, but I know you. Many people love you for who you are.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">17. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)</span><br />Typically the more a franchise continues the worse it gets but The Bourne series is the exception… a trilogy that gets better and better until it culminates in this explosive film, my favorite action movie of the decade.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“This is Jason Bourne, the toughest target that you have ever tracked. He is really good at staying alive, and trying to kill him and failing... just pisses him off.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">18. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)</span><br />It may not be the fastest moving film ever made but there is no doubting that it is beautifully shot and excellently acted. I have been very impressed with the ability of Casey Afleck but he really shines here. By the end he even manages to outshine Brad Pitt!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“He suspected no one in history had ever so often or so publicly recapitulated an act of betrayal.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">19. No Country for Old Men (2007)</span><br />One of the Oscar winning movies of the decade that I am in complete agreement with. Most people walked away with the same reaction that I had… a complete fear towards one Anton Chigurgh who may well go one to become another celebrated film villain.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“Some of the old time sheriffs never even wore a gun. A lotta folks find that hard to believe.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">20. Juno (2007)</span><br />There is no doubt that this movie is funny but it is far from being just another comedy. There is real heart to be found here, real emotion, and the result is an endearing movie that sticks with you.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“THUNDERCATS ARE GO!”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">21. The Dark Knight (2008)</span><br />Batman Begins was a fantastic film and would have made my list if it was not for the over achieving sequel we see here. Unless you have been living under a rock these past few years you will know all about the breathtaking performance by Heath Ledger as The Joker. The Joker was always Batmans greatest villain and it was fantastic to see the two duke it out for a few hours. Throw in a convincing Two Face and you have the best superhero movie in a decade that was overflowing with superhero movies.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">22. Låt den rätte komma in (Let the right one in) (2008)</span><br />Let the Right One In is my favorite Swedish film of the decade bar none! No, all joking aside this is a great film that reinvents the vampire mythos. What I like so much about it is that in the end I am not sure how I feel. I cannot tell you if the ending is upbeat or not, whether it is good or bad! I am disappointed that there is a remake in the works as I feel that American audiences should just deal with the subtitles and watch this excellent movie.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“It's just I've been twelve for a very long time.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">23. Rachael Getting Married (2008)</span><br />Two reasons this gets on my list: The first is because it has the coolest wedding I have ever seen and I wanted the entire time to be a part of it. And the second is for the story that overshadows the exuberant wedding. This family was torn apart by a tragedy and Anne Hathaway plays the guilt racked sister responsible for it. She thoroughly deserved her Oscar nomination. I was into this film from scene one and it just never let go.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“And I struggle with God so much, because I can't forgive myself. And I don't really want to right now. I can live with it, but I can't forgive myself.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">24. The Wrestler (2008)</span><br />This is the second Darren Aronofsky film on my list but a much more accessible film than Requiem for a Dream. Mickey Rourke makes quite the comeback as a failed professional wrestler who must retire but finds it difficult to leave the ring. You cannot help but like him as you feel extremely sorry for him.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“The only ones gonna tell me when I'm through doing my thing, is you people here. You people here... you people here. You're my family.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">25. Avatar (2009)</span><br />I hesitated before adding Avatar to my list only because the film is still so fresh in my mind that I feel that it may have an unfair advantage over the others. But while I may be unsure about its lasting appeal as a story I can say that in IMAX 3D this film represents the future. And as such I feel it is the only choice to end my list with because based on the evidence presented here the future looks beautiful in all its high-def three dimensional glory!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“You are not in Kansas anymore. You are on Pandora, ladies and gentleman.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Honorable Mentions</span><br />Memento, Oceans 11, A Beautiful Mind, Pirates of the Caribbean, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy, Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Spiderman 2, Hitch, Der Untergang (Downfall), Kingdom of Heaven, Brokeback Mountain, Little Miss Sunshine, Batman Begins, Blood Diamond, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Good Shepherd, Transformers, Gone Baby Gone, Charlie Wilson’s War, El Orfanato (The Orphanage), In Bruges, Burn After Reading, Milk, Star Trek<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">And some of my worst of the decade</span><br />Mission to Mars, The Perfect Storm, Hollow Man, Bedazzled, Dude Where’s My Car, A.I., Dreamcatcher, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Paycheck, Alien vs. Predator, Blade: Trinity, The Brothers Grimm, The Constant Gardener, Doom, King Kong, Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest, Lady in the Water, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Ghost Rider, Shooter, Spiderman 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, I am Legend, Be Kind Rewind, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Max Payne, Synecdoche: New York, Watchmen, Knowing, X-men origins: Wolverine, Transformers II: The Revenge of the FallenStudyCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05949081103439153228noreply@blogger.com0