Lone Star
This is a recent revisit to a film that came out almost 20 years ago. With the passage of time I have become more aware of how much reality was created in the film relative to cultural rules and attitudes and individual expressions in conjunction with or at times in conflict with these realities. It's a film really worth enjoying in the details of the telling and in particular the use of common ordinary language which normally I associate with the more sophisticated humorous pictures. It is a film that really satisfies ones curiosity of what makes things the way they are in the United States.
The film's time frame is a nearly 40 year period of special events and happenings in a fictional Texas border city which appears to be on the Rio Grande River near El Paso, Texas. In the beginning we see a couple of soldiers looking for artifacts or stones of value out in the nearby desert when they happen to come on a human skeleton. They notify the local law enforcement authorities which in this case turns out to be Chris Cooper as a member of a Texas Rangers organization. The mystery has it's beginnings here.
Cooper plays the law enforcement lead in the local police organization, Sam Deeds, the son of the former sheriff , Buddy Deeds, of the department during the early part of the film. Mathew McGonaughey plays the father in this first really important role of his career.
Buddy became sheriff after a period as one of the members of the sheriff department in the earlier period that was run by a many named Charlie Wade, a role handled with beady eyed cruelty and corruption by Kris Kristofferson. Wade used the office to extort money from local people and enrich himself with ease. Ultimately Wade disappears and as the really most effective member of the department 'Buddy takes office as the new sheriff.
Sam has been married but is not now. His ex-wife, in another outstanding performance in the minor role of Bunny is played by Frances McDormand. Bunny is a special case, suffering from major mental problem a serious bi-polar condition. When Sam visits her he asks if she is still taking her medications. She is either up or down depending on the situation at the moment. She is a big fan of the Dallas Cowboys and also upset with Sam for the failure of the marriage. He's there for information that ends up being a primary mystery solution. She resents that but soon gets caught up in the Dallas game which is on television and overcomes her moodiness.
The Latino contingent is centered on Pilar the daughter of a Mercedez Cruz who came into the United Stares as a wetback by wading across the Rio Grande River. She eventually opened a restaurant specializing in Mexican food and became quite successful and ultimately living in a more expensive home on the banks of the Rio Grande. Her success enables her to send Pilar to college where after majoring in education becomes a teacher in the local high school. Incidentally neither of these ladies is of primarily Mexican descent. Pilar played by Elizabeth Pena is of Cuban descent but was actually born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Mercedes played by Miriam Colon is actually an American born in Puerto Rico. Sam and Pilar have an early relationship when both were in high school but this was dramatically broken up by Buddy.
I am not going to try and explain the outcomes of the story. The complexities of the relationships are dealt with in an analytical fashion, and viewers only gradually learn these complexities. The third factor in the cultures is the black Americans which finds the newly assigned Military officer at the local army base is a Black Colonel. He also has a past relationship with the area since his father operated a local bar and dance club that was often considered out of bounds by the military. The father has a long term companion played by Carmen de Lavaliade a really beautiful women of mixed heritage.
There are two other characters who I found particularly interesting. One is Private Johnson a female soldier who is also black named Private Johnson. The Colonel has her brought to him for informational purposes since she was picked up during a fight and shooting at the Dance Club. Their discussion revolves around why she is in the army and her view on that and life in general is very heart warming. She is played by an actress out of Houston, Texas named Chandra Wilson. And, finally we must note an native American role of Gordon Tootoosis who operates a kind of open air junk shop near the Mexican border. The role is handled by Wesley Birdsong who is definitely of Native background, but was actually born in Canada and is of Cree and Stoney heritage. He also provides Sam of an illustration of why trying to dig up facts out of the past might not be a good idea.
These many minor roles have an important part in the films overall presentation. The differences in cultures and the difference in attitudes to others and to those in their immediate relationships provides some what of a reality revelation of why relations between cultures can be so different just as they appear to be today.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Four Feathers - 1939
This film produced, written and directed by the three Korda Brothers has much in common with events of today. It involved the result of an Islamic Group in the then called Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. This was a revolt that had initiated in 1885 in Khartoum the then Capital and still Capital of Sudan. The difference then was that it was state controlled by the British and Egyptians in a joint endeavor. The British forces at that time including had been defeated and it's General Gordan killed in the encounter with forces led by a Somali leader named Mohammed Abdullah Hassan who then ended up controlling all this southern area of the Sudan and neighboring Somaliland. Do you see the resemblance to activities today centered in Easter Syria and Western Iraq in an area just east of the Red Sea and being led by an Islamist group that calls itself ISIS?
Four Feathers deals with the situation by detailing the lives of a particular British military company Dispatched to the Sudan in 1898. The company is led by a Captain John Durrance a role played by Ralph Richardson. It also features three lieutenants all close friends of Durrance. One of these is Harry Fabersham played by John Clements. Fabersham has a hidden problem which he has carried from childhood of fear of military combat. He has no need to address this emotional reality until Durrance's Company is ordered to the Sudan to do battle with the Sudanese/Somali's. This result's in his quitting his company a situation treated by his three military companions as despicable and cowardly and which causes them to send him three white feathers in envelopes attached to their calling cards.
There is a fourth feather as the title indicates. Fabersham provides that one himself as representative of feelings of his fiance Ethne Burroughs played by June Duprez. In reality Ethne doesn't really feel this way but life is complicated for her in that Durance also loves her and is aware of the fact that she loves Fabersham.
The story is best viewed by seeing the film. It does discuss and show the war and shows the participation of the principals. Howver, the film iself, despite the fictional story is one of fantastic beautiful color, great photographic views of the area and depiction of the forms of battle described by the camera. Important is a description of the battle form of the square utilizd by the British at this time. Members of the battle group are formed to a square facing all four directions at once. In this case it is a British Company. My experience in the U.S. army back in the middle 40's would see this as a group of 200 soldiers separated into four platoons of 50 men each. In the British tradition the square considered each side as containing soldiers some kneeling and others standing, aith all facing outward with rifles cocked and aimed. This was viewed as an impenetrable force. However, in Four Feathers the shear number of the opposing Dervishes both on foot, and riding horses and camels was just to large to successfully resist the attack. The result are available for you if you see the film.
Later on we view the final battle in all its intensity with the mass of the Islamic forces attacking outside Omdurman. The result are overwhelming. At the same time within the fortress maintained by the Dervish forces an escape by British and other prisoners is engineered. The latter of course is a Filmic depiction not ncessarily reality. Ultimately, in real life, the battle was a colossel victory for the British and resulted by the Somali's ceding control back to the Anglo-Egyptians.
The film is a true spectacular. The leading players Clements, Richardson and Duprez seem to bautifully fit their roles. Richardson plays exceedingly well in a few other films and most particularly in "Things to To Come," "Anna Karenina" and "Breaking the Sound Bearier." Duprez is also excellent n the "Thief of Baghdad" made a few years earlier and in particullar in Cary Grant's dark out of character film for him, "None But The Lonely Heart." If possible to view any or all five of the films listed above you may be treated to an unusually satisfying film pleasure.
One last comment, that concerning June Duprez. I enjoyed her more than average in my younger days particularly in None But the Lonely Heart. She had an interesting and unusual background. Her father was an English Stage performer back in the teens and early 20's. He was an American by birth however. June, was born in 1918. The thing about her is that there is no information availbable on her mother. It is generally agreed that like Merle Oberon her mother was Ceylonese. There is a certain exotic look about her somewhat typical of those born outside of traditional similar cultural backgrounds.
I suspect you'll be able to find the 1939 version of Four Feathers and some of the other films described above if you search the internet or your other favorite sites for films.
This film produced, written and directed by the three Korda Brothers has much in common with events of today. It involved the result of an Islamic Group in the then called Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. This was a revolt that had initiated in 1885 in Khartoum the then Capital and still Capital of Sudan. The difference then was that it was state controlled by the British and Egyptians in a joint endeavor. The British forces at that time including had been defeated and it's General Gordan killed in the encounter with forces led by a Somali leader named Mohammed Abdullah Hassan who then ended up controlling all this southern area of the Sudan and neighboring Somaliland. Do you see the resemblance to activities today centered in Easter Syria and Western Iraq in an area just east of the Red Sea and being led by an Islamist group that calls itself ISIS?
Four Feathers deals with the situation by detailing the lives of a particular British military company Dispatched to the Sudan in 1898. The company is led by a Captain John Durrance a role played by Ralph Richardson. It also features three lieutenants all close friends of Durrance. One of these is Harry Fabersham played by John Clements. Fabersham has a hidden problem which he has carried from childhood of fear of military combat. He has no need to address this emotional reality until Durrance's Company is ordered to the Sudan to do battle with the Sudanese/Somali's. This result's in his quitting his company a situation treated by his three military companions as despicable and cowardly and which causes them to send him three white feathers in envelopes attached to their calling cards.
There is a fourth feather as the title indicates. Fabersham provides that one himself as representative of feelings of his fiance Ethne Burroughs played by June Duprez. In reality Ethne doesn't really feel this way but life is complicated for her in that Durance also loves her and is aware of the fact that she loves Fabersham.
The story is best viewed by seeing the film. It does discuss and show the war and shows the participation of the principals. Howver, the film iself, despite the fictional story is one of fantastic beautiful color, great photographic views of the area and depiction of the forms of battle described by the camera. Important is a description of the battle form of the square utilizd by the British at this time. Members of the battle group are formed to a square facing all four directions at once. In this case it is a British Company. My experience in the U.S. army back in the middle 40's would see this as a group of 200 soldiers separated into four platoons of 50 men each. In the British tradition the square considered each side as containing soldiers some kneeling and others standing, aith all facing outward with rifles cocked and aimed. This was viewed as an impenetrable force. However, in Four Feathers the shear number of the opposing Dervishes both on foot, and riding horses and camels was just to large to successfully resist the attack. The result are available for you if you see the film.
Later on we view the final battle in all its intensity with the mass of the Islamic forces attacking outside Omdurman. The result are overwhelming. At the same time within the fortress maintained by the Dervish forces an escape by British and other prisoners is engineered. The latter of course is a Filmic depiction not ncessarily reality. Ultimately, in real life, the battle was a colossel victory for the British and resulted by the Somali's ceding control back to the Anglo-Egyptians.
The film is a true spectacular. The leading players Clements, Richardson and Duprez seem to bautifully fit their roles. Richardson plays exceedingly well in a few other films and most particularly in "Things to To Come," "Anna Karenina" and "Breaking the Sound Bearier." Duprez is also excellent n the "Thief of Baghdad" made a few years earlier and in particullar in Cary Grant's dark out of character film for him, "None But The Lonely Heart." If possible to view any or all five of the films listed above you may be treated to an unusually satisfying film pleasure.
One last comment, that concerning June Duprez. I enjoyed her more than average in my younger days particularly in None But the Lonely Heart. She had an interesting and unusual background. Her father was an English Stage performer back in the teens and early 20's. He was an American by birth however. June, was born in 1918. The thing about her is that there is no information availbable on her mother. It is generally agreed that like Merle Oberon her mother was Ceylonese. There is a certain exotic look about her somewhat typical of those born outside of traditional similar cultural backgrounds.
I suspect you'll be able to find the 1939 version of Four Feathers and some of the other films described above if you search the internet or your other favorite sites for films.
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