David Mamet's principal fame rests on nearly 40 years of successful theatre stage productions. Mamet's style is shaped around short sentences and immediate responses. Much of it is devoted to slang and profanity with an emphasis on terms typical of criminal activity. Crime is a basic ingredent in almost all of his work, though in some instances the crime is secondary to the basic story. In the crime world Mamet is particularly adept at dealing with the con game and the self delusion that makes con's work.
I have slelected five films which I view as personal favorates. This group does not include what is generally considered to be Mamet's finest film, "Glengary Glen Ross," which initially was a successful theatre production. My personal trouble with that film was the excessive use of obscene language. I don't have much of a problem with profanity, but continous use of obscenity is a real turnoff for me. Overall the film is a downer and tends to remind me of my short army career where at one time a fellow GI called my atention to a third member of our company by noting that the G.I.in question used an obscenity as every third or fourth word in a sentence.
Another Mamet classic, and one he received an Acadmy Award for relative to his script writing was "The Verdict." This film was a starrer for Paul Newman and received a lot of acclaim from qualified critics. Certainly it and the previously noted Glengary Glen Ross are worth viewing.
My list includes five other Mamet films which may be directed by him and/or used Scripts he wrote. I will list and discuss them in the order in which I like them, with my first choice topping the list. Generally these films feature actors and actresses that I particularly like. Without further discussion the list follows including the year of release:
1. State and Main (2000)
2. The Winslow Boy (1999)
3. The Spanish Prisoner (1997)
4. Things Change (1988)
5. The House of Games (1987)
One thing you will quickly note is that Mamet has particular favorite performers much like Woody Allen, Preston Sturges, John Ford and other writers and directors. In Mamet's case they most notably include Joe Mantegna who is one of my personal favorites and who appears in two of the films listed above plus several others not on my list. Others include Ricky Jay in three of my selections, W.C. Macy in two and Mamet's wife Rebecca Pidgeon in three. In addition it will become obvious to you that others have roles in more than one of the pictures on my list.
STATE AND MAIN - This is a comedy, and a really effective one with a touch of crime as well. It's set in Vermont where a Hollywood film company is shooting a film called "The Old Mill." W.C. Macy is directing this film, Seymour Philip Hoffman is the script writer who is adapting his own novel, Alec Baldwin plays the film within a film's lead actor working with Sarah Jessica Parker as the lead actress.
Macy has several problems before starting production including controlling Alec Baldwin who has developed a fixation on young females starting as young as age 13. One of Macy's jobs is to keep Baldwin under lock and key. Julia Styles plays the teenager in State and Main who comes under Baldwin's observation.
Macy faces a different problem with Parker whose contract calls for her to bare her breasts. Suddenly she just can't do it. Apparently, according to Macy''s assitant, "She recently got religion."
Philip Seymour Hoffman also has a different problem in that he has to rewrite his script. Originally, the crew was going to shoot "The Old Mill" in New Hampshire, but the town father's of the city the company selected wanted too much money. The film crew has moved to the Vermont town because the city they selected in that state has a far more co-operative city government. Unfortunately, however, that town's old mill burnt down a couple of years ago. Hoffman has to rewrite the scipt reflecting this no longer available venue, no old mill. He just can't do it. His good luck however, is that Rebecca Pidgeon , the owner of the local Book Store assures him that it can be done and ultimaely guides him through the solution to his problem.
In the end everything works out though Baldwin does get involved with Styles; Parker is given a new role to play where she doesn't have to expose her breasts and the new script proves to be a great success. There are many great lines and scenes. We learn more about Parker when she comes out of her room at the hotel wearing just a bath towel complaining to Baldwin who had preceded her out, "The reason I can't come is because everyone treats me like a child."
THE WINSLOW BOY - Mamet moved in a different direction in this film which is a period piece set in England in 1910 and based on a real incident. It features Nigel Hawthorne as the father of a boy in an English boys military type school for prospective naval officers. The boy is a 14 year old and interestingly is played by Rebecca Pidgeon's younger brother, Mathew. Rebecca Pidgeon plays Hawthorne's older daughter and Gemma Jones his wife.
The film involves a crime, the theft of an English Postal Note in the value of 5 schillings. Evidence seems to prove that the boy had indeed stolen the note and cashed it resulting in his being expelled from the school. Hawthorne is sure his son did not commit the crime and decides to fight the allegation and expulsion by attempting to sue the English Admiralty for falsely accusing his son.
In order to fight his case Hawthorne contacts and attempts to hire a barrister who also is a member of Parliament to pursue his lawsuit. This role is played very effectivly by Jeremy Northam. The boy is brought before Northam who questions him vigorously much to the alarm of the family members who are there. They are convinced that Northam doesn't believe the boy. Finally, he turns to them and says with a hard to describe expression, "The boy is obviously telling the truth." Later he explains how he reached that conclusion.
Rebecca Pidgeon and Northam develop a relationship during the film. She is a suffragate and very strong willed over her convictions. At the films conclusion Northam tells her he will see her in Parliament again. She notes with her superior air that he doesn't know anything about women, and if he does see her in Parliament she will be a sitting MP. He notes in return, "She doesn't know men very well, and she will be seeing him again." My paraphraising is not 100% on the mark but the implication of their exchange is quite clear.
THE SPANISH PRISONER - I never developed a concise understanding of the phrase "Spanish Prisoner," even though it is explained in the film, but it's implication is clear in that the person in this sitation is trapped in a spider web of deceit that he can't escape from.
The film stars Campbell Scott, George C. Scott's very capable son. Campbell Scott is a mechanical genius type who has developed a concept called THE PROCESS that is sure to make his company a really large sum of money and consequently will benefit Scott handsomly as well. He has the formula carefully locked up in his office safe, in order to protect it from being stolen. His boss Ben Gazzara is the company president and warns him to be very careful since others would be most interested in acquiring the Process, most notably the Japanese.
The film also includes Rebecca Pidgeon as a secretary within Gazzara's company, Ricky Jay who helped Scott in developing the Process and Steve Martin who plays a mysterious and very wealthy New Yorker who befriends Scott.
What we are about to see unfold is an outstanding example of the Big Con. Slowly but surely Scott is taken in and eventually loses the Process. Pidgeon continues to try to help him and eventually drives him from New York to Boston to fly out of the U.S. and flee the coountry since by now Scott is a prime murder suspect. The film draws to a close with the revelation to Scott of what has been going and his rescue at he very end. I won't dwell on the details of the spider's web aspects, but it is very clever and real. One thing to note, the Japanese menace is always in the forefront of the picture. After the third or fourth watching I finally noted that there were a couple of Japanese people, a man and a woman, who appear in several scenes as the film proceeds. This is an obvious reference to the Japanese threat.
This is a tidy film and makes you think back to times in the past when you were fooled perhaps by people you took for granted or perhaps and just as likely when you ended up fooling yourself.
THINGS CHANGE - This is another of Mamet's convoluted stories. In this film Mamet used Don Ameche, a big time name from musical films of the thirties and forties, in an entirely different environment. Ameche is a shoe shine specialist who operates a shoe shine stand in a big city down town environment. Some one from the mob notes that Ameche bares a strong resemblence to an important mafia leader. A plan is developed to have Ameche take the fall when the big time hood commits a murder. Ameche is elderly and is looking forward to retiring in Italy where he will own a small boat and live contentedly in retirement. What the gangsters are going to do is have Ameche get charged with the crime, and then get him off in two or three years and pay him enough money to fullil his dream. Eventually he agrees to the improbable plan.
Joe Mantagna, a low level member of the crime organization , is assigned the task of keeping Ameche under observation and out of site until after the murder. Mantagna takes him to Reno where the two of them stay in a fabulous suite provided by the mob group. Mantagna gets bored, and wants action so he takes Ameche to one of the gambling casino's where the first of many interesting events takes place.
The substance of the story is that Ameche plays everything straight just as you might imagine an unpretentious very self controlled older man might do. However, his closed mouth and relaxed persona has the effect of intimidating other mob operators who are not in on what is going on and who through time mentally elevate Ameche to a very high level in the mobs herirachy.
The whole concept plays out beautifully. Montagna plays his gangster image to perfection, but it's Ameche whose nonchalant very conservative personal image drives the film. His is a very nice overall performance.
HOUSE OF GAMES - This is another of Mamet's investigations into the world of con and in this case it is the real Big Con, one structured without a touch of humor and very diferent from the Paul Newman-Robert Redford film of a few years back, "The Sting." The difference is we are on the outside looking on without any real knowledge of the Con. The ultimate real Big Con is not revealed until near the end of the picture. It's pretty revealing in it's dealings with more perverse human behavior.
Lindsay Crouse, who at that time she Mamet's wife, plays the female lead in the film. She is a psychiatrist who has written a very successful book on compulsive behavior. One of her patients comes for an appointment and lets her know he's going to be killed because he couldn't control his gambling obsessions and now owes several thousand dollars to a local gambler. Crouse agrees to try and help him partly from curiosity and partly from genuine interest in helping her patient. She visits the site where the gambling took place. It is a very sleazy dive in some ugly part of New York. There she meets Mantagna, who is a real low life and who is the guy her patient owes the money too. While there she watches an on-going poker game and eventally, in order to help Mantagna, bankroles him. She accidentally discovers and exposes a con supposedly of Mantagna by Mamet regular Ricky Jay.
As time goes by Crouse gets more and more involved and interested in this kind of criminal activity. Mantagna lets her observe more fleecing attempts and gradually she becomes so fascinated in him that a personal relationship evolves. Eventually all this activity ends up in the biggest con of all which finds her extending Mantagna more financial support. Her observations eventually lead her to revealing conclusions which are resolved at the very end of the film.
One further comment. Early on in the film Crouse is advised by her mentor another psychologist Phd to get herself a lighter rather than always looking and asking for matches to support hr smoking habit. This advice comes back to us at the very end of the film.
The con game and related false playing are heavy elements in several other Mamet films, most notably in "Ronin" and "Heist" which starred Robert DeNiro. Also "Homicide" where Joe Mantagna, W.C. Macy and Rebecca Pidgeon are involved in a drama of self delusion. One thing that is consistent with Mamet films is that they are deeply engrossing and require close atention to eventually understand what is going on. Usually one viewing will not be enough to saisfy this need for undersanding.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Monday, August 3, 2009
Pearl Harbor
War has certainly been one of the most favored genre's of movie watchers. This is particularly true of that conflict known as World War II. It was a war that covered almost every geographical location ranging from South America, the destruction of the German Pocket Battleship "Graf Spee" off the coast comes to mind through the prolonged warfare in the two principal theatre's, Europe and Eastern Asia.
During the war a number of films were produced devoted to areas that were involved in war time activities. Most of these are pretty much forgettable today, having been victims of excess propaganda. Some of them seem downright silly today. There was the Errol Flynn film set in Burma where after each day of fighting Flynn appears clean shaven and sparkling clean. There are plenty of other examples. There were, however, a few memorable pictures. Most notably those made by the Brits. I'm recalling such films as "One of Our Aircraft Is Missing," "Brief Encounter," and "In Which We Serve," (some consider the latter the best of all). John Ford in the US made one similarly great war film "The Long Voyage Home" which featured some of his standard players including, John Wayne. It was another power film with a poetic feel to it.
After the war was over there were many well made films. To mention only a few, perhaps the biggest of all "The Longest Day" appealed to practically all film goer's. The Germans made one of the greatest films based on submarine warfare "Das Boot" which was power and claustrophobia combined.
In recent years two other films really stand out. The first of these "Saving Private Ryan" was memorable in both what it covered, a small story in the overall vastness of the Normandy invasion, and as an example of how much detail can be of intense interest. A second film of nearly equal quality in recent works is the film we are discussing here, "Pearl Harbor." Not nearly as popularly received as "Saving Private Ryan," yet in it's story of the personal relationship between two air force flyers from Tennessee, the woman both loved and their participation in the famous Dec. 7, 1941 attack preceded with some coverage of the Battle of Britain and followed by the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. Another feature of the film is the extensive coverage of nurses and their participation in the war, an area of service which is most often overlooked in covering war.
This whole thread of historical events portrayed in Pearl Harbor rests in the relationships between Rafe McCawley played as an adult by Ben Afleck and of Danny Walker played by Josh Hartnet. The two had been boyhood friends and interested in flying primarily because Walker's father operated a crop dusting plane. The third principal of the trio was Evelyn Johnson played by Kate Beckansale who plays an army nurse. That meet Beckansale or McCawley does after he becomes attracted to her while undergoing service vaccinations and shots. In his efforts to make time he ends up being vaccinated more than once and ends up passing out in the medical center. Johnson's description of the events to other nurses is very humorous particularly as she tells them, "so, I stuck him in the butt again."
The flyers had undergone their extended flight training at an air force facility on Long Island. This shot was obviously done in Southern California actually at the Van Nuys air field in San Fernando Valley. The San Gabriel mountains show up in the background.
McCawley and Johnson get very attached to each other, however that doesn't stop McCawley for volunteering to join the British air force during the Air Battle of Britain. There are several shots of air combat in this theatre ending with McCawley being shot down over the English channel. We see him crash into the water and apparently drown. Prior to his leaving for Britain McCawley requests that Walker watch out for Johnson and protect McCawley's interest.
Walker is stationed in Hawaii and so is Johnson. Walker learns of McCawley's death and has the problem of telling Johnson. Afterwards they gradually become better acquainted and both fall in love. There are some lovely moments in this relationship including a couple of liaison's. One is in Walker's Buick convertible and a second more romantic one in an aircraft hanger where parachute's are being folded. There are also beautiful shots taken by the ocean with waves crashing over the rocks.
This idyllic episode is about to be interrupted by the Pearl Harbor attack, but before this Walker learns that McCawley is alive. The latter returns to the US from Britain and is sent to Hawaii. He is very angry at both the nurse and his long time aviation buddy and cannot accept the fact that the pair fell in love after learning he was dead. This ends up in a fight at a Honolulu night club between the two men who eventually spend the early morning hours together sobering up in Walker's convertible.
The Pearl Harbor attack occurs that same morning. The whole attack scenario is spectacular and realistic. There are marvelous shots of ships blowing up, of men being killed and incessant gunfire. The Japanese attack was well planned and cleverly arranged to occur early on a Sunday morning. Many men were off duty and the fleet and the whole complex of Pearl Harbor and other parts of Oahu were completely unaware of what was happening. Both McCawley and Walker managed to get to their planes and in particular with McCawley providing combat experience perform as well as can be expected against the overwhelming force of Japanese planes. Each has more than one kill flying the sturdy P-40's who were not nearly as maneuverable as their Japanese counterparts.
Also, most memorable are the moments spent with the nurses groups whose valiant response in this trying period or chaos and death is matched by their immediate response to need. It is a wild and confusing scene. One nurse is heard shouting what shall I do. Johnson in one scene has her finger in a wounded mans jugular vein keeping him from bleeding to death before surgery can start. Overall the scene with the nurses is probably the highlight of the film.
The recording of the chaos continues into the next day with death everywhere. Fires, explosions, etc. continue to haunt the screen. McCawley and Walker evetually receive orders to report to another location back in the states. This is going to be the Tokyo bombing attack. It includes a cabinet meeting with President Roosevelt played by John Voight. Voight's performance in the several scenes where he portrays the President are remarkable and include his standing without help in response to being told that it's not possible at this time to bring the war to the Japanese home islands. He says, after he struggles to his feet, "don't tell me something is impossible."
The Doolittle raid is led by James Doolittle who is played by Alex Baldwin. The preparations for the apparently impossible task are very detailed. Finally when the 16 B-26 bombers are at sea on the American Aircraft Carrier Hornet and are forced to take off early. The excitement of the pilots including Doolittle, McCawley and Walker is very engrossing. You can't help joining in that feeling of excitement.
The raid is a success and a real shock to the Japanese military and government authorities. Most of the planes managed to reach the Chinese mainland. There, after crashing, both McCawley and Walker are together for a short time before the flyers are attacked by Japanese troops. At this moment when walker lays dying McCawley tells him that he must live because he is to become a father. Before they had flown out Johnson had told him that she was pregnant, but had been afraid to tell Walker.
McCawley accompanies Walker's casket back. It is then that Johnson learns the truth. The films coda finds McCawley and Johnson together on Walker's fathers farm. There McCawley takes the old crop duster up with Walker and Johnson's young son riding with him.
I think that those who were alive at the time of Dec. 7th will probably react to this film much more than others. The relationship between the three young people is typical of what happened in those days before the development of the pill took the worry out of becoming pregnant. Des Kennelly the original editor of Mensa Classic Films, and who survived the blitz in England, once noted that the excitement of the times, and the proximity of death had an effect on personal relationships in Britain, and she suppose here as well. People did things, that their upbringing had told them not to do. The excitement of bombs falling and fires and gunfire were often stimulating to emotional relationships.
A couple of notes for Southern Californians. The Los Angeles Union Station posed as a New York station in one scene. Most interesting to me was the scene of Japanese planners for the attack working in what seemed to be a concrete dugout. Actually, this is a former concrete gun mount for the 14" cannon that were located in Fort MacArthur in Los Angeles to protect against a Japanese invasion by sea. These mounts are opened to visitors. Touring is fun and includes a museum and walking down dank clammy tunnels between gun sites.
War has certainly been one of the most favored genre's of movie watchers. This is particularly true of that conflict known as World War II. It was a war that covered almost every geographical location ranging from South America, the destruction of the German Pocket Battleship "Graf Spee" off the coast comes to mind through the prolonged warfare in the two principal theatre's, Europe and Eastern Asia.
During the war a number of films were produced devoted to areas that were involved in war time activities. Most of these are pretty much forgettable today, having been victims of excess propaganda. Some of them seem downright silly today. There was the Errol Flynn film set in Burma where after each day of fighting Flynn appears clean shaven and sparkling clean. There are plenty of other examples. There were, however, a few memorable pictures. Most notably those made by the Brits. I'm recalling such films as "One of Our Aircraft Is Missing," "Brief Encounter," and "In Which We Serve," (some consider the latter the best of all). John Ford in the US made one similarly great war film "The Long Voyage Home" which featured some of his standard players including, John Wayne. It was another power film with a poetic feel to it.
After the war was over there were many well made films. To mention only a few, perhaps the biggest of all "The Longest Day" appealed to practically all film goer's. The Germans made one of the greatest films based on submarine warfare "Das Boot" which was power and claustrophobia combined.
In recent years two other films really stand out. The first of these "Saving Private Ryan" was memorable in both what it covered, a small story in the overall vastness of the Normandy invasion, and as an example of how much detail can be of intense interest. A second film of nearly equal quality in recent works is the film we are discussing here, "Pearl Harbor." Not nearly as popularly received as "Saving Private Ryan," yet in it's story of the personal relationship between two air force flyers from Tennessee, the woman both loved and their participation in the famous Dec. 7, 1941 attack preceded with some coverage of the Battle of Britain and followed by the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. Another feature of the film is the extensive coverage of nurses and their participation in the war, an area of service which is most often overlooked in covering war.
This whole thread of historical events portrayed in Pearl Harbor rests in the relationships between Rafe McCawley played as an adult by Ben Afleck and of Danny Walker played by Josh Hartnet. The two had been boyhood friends and interested in flying primarily because Walker's father operated a crop dusting plane. The third principal of the trio was Evelyn Johnson played by Kate Beckansale who plays an army nurse. That meet Beckansale or McCawley does after he becomes attracted to her while undergoing service vaccinations and shots. In his efforts to make time he ends up being vaccinated more than once and ends up passing out in the medical center. Johnson's description of the events to other nurses is very humorous particularly as she tells them, "so, I stuck him in the butt again."
The flyers had undergone their extended flight training at an air force facility on Long Island. This shot was obviously done in Southern California actually at the Van Nuys air field in San Fernando Valley. The San Gabriel mountains show up in the background.
McCawley and Johnson get very attached to each other, however that doesn't stop McCawley for volunteering to join the British air force during the Air Battle of Britain. There are several shots of air combat in this theatre ending with McCawley being shot down over the English channel. We see him crash into the water and apparently drown. Prior to his leaving for Britain McCawley requests that Walker watch out for Johnson and protect McCawley's interest.
Walker is stationed in Hawaii and so is Johnson. Walker learns of McCawley's death and has the problem of telling Johnson. Afterwards they gradually become better acquainted and both fall in love. There are some lovely moments in this relationship including a couple of liaison's. One is in Walker's Buick convertible and a second more romantic one in an aircraft hanger where parachute's are being folded. There are also beautiful shots taken by the ocean with waves crashing over the rocks.
This idyllic episode is about to be interrupted by the Pearl Harbor attack, but before this Walker learns that McCawley is alive. The latter returns to the US from Britain and is sent to Hawaii. He is very angry at both the nurse and his long time aviation buddy and cannot accept the fact that the pair fell in love after learning he was dead. This ends up in a fight at a Honolulu night club between the two men who eventually spend the early morning hours together sobering up in Walker's convertible.
The Pearl Harbor attack occurs that same morning. The whole attack scenario is spectacular and realistic. There are marvelous shots of ships blowing up, of men being killed and incessant gunfire. The Japanese attack was well planned and cleverly arranged to occur early on a Sunday morning. Many men were off duty and the fleet and the whole complex of Pearl Harbor and other parts of Oahu were completely unaware of what was happening. Both McCawley and Walker managed to get to their planes and in particular with McCawley providing combat experience perform as well as can be expected against the overwhelming force of Japanese planes. Each has more than one kill flying the sturdy P-40's who were not nearly as maneuverable as their Japanese counterparts.
Also, most memorable are the moments spent with the nurses groups whose valiant response in this trying period or chaos and death is matched by their immediate response to need. It is a wild and confusing scene. One nurse is heard shouting what shall I do. Johnson in one scene has her finger in a wounded mans jugular vein keeping him from bleeding to death before surgery can start. Overall the scene with the nurses is probably the highlight of the film.
The recording of the chaos continues into the next day with death everywhere. Fires, explosions, etc. continue to haunt the screen. McCawley and Walker evetually receive orders to report to another location back in the states. This is going to be the Tokyo bombing attack. It includes a cabinet meeting with President Roosevelt played by John Voight. Voight's performance in the several scenes where he portrays the President are remarkable and include his standing without help in response to being told that it's not possible at this time to bring the war to the Japanese home islands. He says, after he struggles to his feet, "don't tell me something is impossible."
The Doolittle raid is led by James Doolittle who is played by Alex Baldwin. The preparations for the apparently impossible task are very detailed. Finally when the 16 B-26 bombers are at sea on the American Aircraft Carrier Hornet and are forced to take off early. The excitement of the pilots including Doolittle, McCawley and Walker is very engrossing. You can't help joining in that feeling of excitement.
The raid is a success and a real shock to the Japanese military and government authorities. Most of the planes managed to reach the Chinese mainland. There, after crashing, both McCawley and Walker are together for a short time before the flyers are attacked by Japanese troops. At this moment when walker lays dying McCawley tells him that he must live because he is to become a father. Before they had flown out Johnson had told him that she was pregnant, but had been afraid to tell Walker.
McCawley accompanies Walker's casket back. It is then that Johnson learns the truth. The films coda finds McCawley and Johnson together on Walker's fathers farm. There McCawley takes the old crop duster up with Walker and Johnson's young son riding with him.
I think that those who were alive at the time of Dec. 7th will probably react to this film much more than others. The relationship between the three young people is typical of what happened in those days before the development of the pill took the worry out of becoming pregnant. Des Kennelly the original editor of Mensa Classic Films, and who survived the blitz in England, once noted that the excitement of the times, and the proximity of death had an effect on personal relationships in Britain, and she suppose here as well. People did things, that their upbringing had told them not to do. The excitement of bombs falling and fires and gunfire were often stimulating to emotional relationships.
A couple of notes for Southern Californians. The Los Angeles Union Station posed as a New York station in one scene. Most interesting to me was the scene of Japanese planners for the attack working in what seemed to be a concrete dugout. Actually, this is a former concrete gun mount for the 14" cannon that were located in Fort MacArthur in Los Angeles to protect against a Japanese invasion by sea. These mounts are opened to visitors. Touring is fun and includes a museum and walking down dank clammy tunnels between gun sites.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
coencoen
The Coen Brothers
"Burn After Reading," the most recent in a long string of successful films, is fully in the tradition of the Coen Brothers ability to mate comedy and crime into one package. Before going into details on this film it might be worth it to review some of their top films of the past. I'll make this a five film listing ending with "Burn After Reading." These are not necessarily in the same order as that contained in the Internet Movie Data Base ratings of their work since my taste runs toward their more humorous films rather than the primarily dramatic productions. Three of my choices are ranked among the top five by the contributors to IMDB ratings, and my number one choice is the same as theirs. Here is my list plus short commentaries on the individual films.
1. Fargo - This criminal film is filled with some truly outstanding humorous moments. My two favorites in the latter category include Fargo's detective Marge Gunderson played my Joel Coen's wife Francis McDormand querying a couple of prostitutes about their customers who are her suspects. She asks if they had any identifiable physical characteristics where in one of the prostitutes notes that the one she slept with was funny looking and was not circumcised. Marge notes the comment and asks "Was he funny looking apart from that." A second memorable bit of humor is late in the film where a police officer is interviewing a man busy working outside his house. It's icy and snow covered and about as dismal a day as you can imagine. When the officer goes to leave the gentleman comments, after looking up at the leaden sky, "It looks like it's going to turn to cold."
Francis McDormand won an award as best actress, and film was voted best film of the year by the Academy. Her use of a regional accent with emphasis on the large presence of Scandinavians in this area was a feature of her performance. She managed to keep her calm demeanor when discussing events of the murder crimes which including the feeding of a body into a wood chipper. That's pretty world class and ranks almost as high as being in a chain gang for shear horrer.
2. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou. This was a very funny film about three escapees from a good old southern chain gang. I have never had a lot of affection for chain gangs one of the creative forms of handling prisoners by penal authorities in the deep south. Paul Muni made a most memorable performance as an escapee from a chain gang in the Academy Award Nominated film "I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang." Muni was also nominated for the film as best actor. This was not a humorous film in the least and closed very dramatically with Muni fading into the shadows and responding to the query of how he lives by responding, "I steal." It was a memorable ending.
Paul Newman also played a chain gang victim in "Cool Hand Luke." Though this film had some humorous moments it dealt primarily with the cruelty faced when trapped in a Chain Gang. And Joel McCrae illustrated a similar experience with his performance as 'Sully' Sullivan in the Preston Sturges film "Sullivan's Travels." Sullivan was scheduled to direct "Ants in your Pants, 1940," but he wanted to work on a more significant story. His travails in "Sullivan's Travels" led to his being incarcerated in a chain gang. This brings us to "Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou" which was the film that film director Sully Sullivan (McCrae) wanted to make rather than another comedy. In this film the chain gang is treated humorously. Though there is no despicable cruelty of the type shown in than the Muni and Newman films, it did as in "Sullivan's Travels" illustrate the indignity that can occur in life.
"Oh, Brother" opens with three convicts escaping from a Chain Gang. These are listed in the films advertising as DUMB (George Clooney), DUMBER (John Turturro) and DUMBEST (Tim Blake Nelson). Then follows a whole pile of funny episodes with Clooney playing the lead. His crime was practicing law without a license. The Coen Brothers used Homer's Ulysses as a structure to shoot against. Most notably are the three Sirens the convicts discover next to a river who serenade them with lovely singing and ardent affection. There is some great country boy singing, mostly by the three principles, an episode with Baby Face Nelson, and other episodes as wild as you can imagine. Overall this film is really world class.
3. The Big Lebowski. The Coen Brothers styled this picture after the work of Raymond Chandler. They had worked in a similar framework in "Miller's Crossing," the dark film starring Albert Finney and Gabriel Byrne with an attempt to do a crime in the mode typical of Dashiel Hammett. The resemblance of "The Big Lebowski" to Raymond Chandler is most notable in the film "The Big Sleep," a starring vehicle for Humphrey Bogart as the Chandler private eye, Phillip Marlowe. Like with "The Big Sleep" the "Big Lebowski," if anything is confusing. "The Big Sleep" was so confusing to Hawks and Humphrey Bogart who played Marlowe that Hawks queried Chandler as to who killed the chauffeur and received the ambiguous reply of, "I don't know."
In the "Big Lebowski" there is a collection of confusion. First there are two Lebowski's, the actual Big Lebowski, Jeffrey Lebowski, played by David Huddleston who is a handicapped older man stuck to using a wheel chair. In addition there is another Jeffrey Lebowski who is played by Jeff Bridges and who prefers to go by the name of "The Dude." The real Big Lebowski has a young wife who has rung up tremendous debts. Some collectors agents mix up the two Lebowski and go after the Dude. They do this by coming into his house, sticking him head first into a toilet thereby nearly drowning him. In addition one member of the party urinates on The Dudes Persian Rug. which really infuriates him. To attempt to explain the picture beyond that is rather difficult to say the least. The cast includes The Dude's two bowling buddies, played by John Goodman and Steve Buscime and The Big Lebowski's daughter played by Julianne Moore whose hobby is to paint in the drip style while being propelled stark naked below the ceiling of the Lebowski mansion, dripping paint from her brush and while being propelled. John Turturro is also instantly memorable as a foul mouthed bowler who calls himself "The Jesus."
It's my contention that you cannot figure out the film with a single viewing, so good luck.
4. The Hudsucker Proxy is another delightful film in the Coen Brothers zany environment. It stars Tim Robbins as a young college grad, a world class smoe from Muncie, Indiana, who gets a job at Hudsucker Industries in the mail room. Paul Newman is the Executive Vice President of this firm, whose president, Charles Durning, will soon be leaving the company and life in general with a sleep from the 40th floor tower at the corporate headquarters. These persons are called Norville Barnes, Sydney J. Mussburger, and Waring Hudsucker respectively. Also, very important to the cast and the film is Amy Archer, a delightful performance by Jennifer Jason Liegh. Miss Liegh has been described as playing a combination of Katherine Hepburn, think of her pretending to be a gun moll in a portion of "Bringing Up Baby," and Rosalind Russell most formidably as top reporter Hilde Johnson in "His Girl Friday." It's the brassiness these two mentors expressed in their respective roles, but in Hudsucker's Ms. Leigh must also play a tough broad, and a sensitive woman at the same time. It's a nice performance. The story is not too complex to follow but fun. The settings are terrific, with the real chaos and confusion of the huge mailroom being very similar to the chaos and confusion of the section where Jonathan Price works in the memorable futuristic fable "Brazil."
I won't go to far into the story which includes an attempt by Newman to bankrupt the company after selling off his and the board of Director's shares and then buying them back at the greatly reduced price. His plan was to have Robbins run the company into bankruptcy. However, Robbins or rather Norville has an invention, very simple, but a natural, the hula hoop. Of course what happens is that the stock goes way up, and the board has to come up with another scheme to accomplish their objective. A happy ending is on the way, and Norville is vindicated of false charges and eventually is working on his next invention, the Frisbee.
There are two really memorable though not important scenes that have no effect on the plot. In the first of these Peter Gallagher appears, with a strong resemblance to Dean Martin and lip cync to one of Martin's hits recordings at a big society party. It is terrific. Second is a fantasy dance sequence featuring Norville and a dancer wearing a very skimpy outfit. They dance to a segment of Bizet's Carmen against an all white background including a white floor. Though the lady dancer, possibly Amy Archer is spectacular in her dance moves, Norville is a complete idiot, dancing in imitation of a bull. It's another fantastic moment and definite highlights to a very amusing film.
5. Burn After Reading. The most recent of the Coen Brothers very funny films also includes a few deaths to liven things up. It's cast includes some of the Coen Brothers regulars, i.e. George Clooney and Francis McDormand, playing Harry Pfarer and Linda Lizle respectively, but it also features a very funny take by Brad Pitt as Chad Feldheimer and a very uptight performance by Tilda Swinton as Katie Cox playing in her usual tight lipped style. The story takes place in Washington D.C. and begins with John Malkovich, Katie's husband Osbourne Cox being relieved of his position with the CIA as a specialist on the Balkans. He is very angry about this dismissal and decides to write his memoirs describing his work with the Agency and of course he is planning to be very careful not to reveal any important secrets. Katie is having an affair with Clooney who also works for the government. In this role Clooney plays a world class womanizer and is very funny.
But the stars of the humor section are Pitt and McDormand. They work for a commercial workout venture, exercise equipment, gym. Earlier we are treated to the observations of a doctor who is examining an unseen McDormand and providing answers to her plea of needing a new body. He notes that surgery can solve an overlarge butt, too fat arms, etc. and a reinforcement medical procedure of breast implants can solve the bust problem, for the thighs, though he recommends an exercise program. McDormand as Linda Litze is to far advanced into her 40's to be satisfied with half measures if she hopes to acquire a real strongly commited male companion. She has taken to using the internet for dates. We are introduced to one of her partners in this venture and note virtually no life in the man. She is really frustrated and determined to earn enough money for the surgery after her insurance company has turned down She makes another inernet contact and arranges to meet the latter at her favorite spot, a park bench in a D.C. park next to the Potomac. There she meets Clooney, who has decided on a rest, and who responds when she says the name of her internet source. She asks his name, "are you Absalom (or whatever) and he says, "what" initially and then "yes" when his womanizing instincts come into play. He had just finished another liaison with Malkovich's wife, Tilda Swindon, but is already for more action.
All this has little to do with the overall story, but it does come together when Pitt and McDormand find the CD containing Malkovich's memoirs on the floor at their place of employment. A quick review and the two are convinced that it is real intelligence and decide, or at least she does, that selling it to the Russians will provide the most money.
Well that's enough of the plot which is far more involved than this. Some people are killed, one flees the country, and you'll have to see it and try to keep all the roles straight. It's classic Coen Brothers with humor, confusion and some crime thrown in to provide a well rounded flick entertainment.
"Burn After Reading," the most recent in a long string of successful films, is fully in the tradition of the Coen Brothers ability to mate comedy and crime into one package. Before going into details on this film it might be worth it to review some of their top films of the past. I'll make this a five film listing ending with "Burn After Reading." These are not necessarily in the same order as that contained in the Internet Movie Data Base ratings of their work since my taste runs toward their more humorous films rather than the primarily dramatic productions. Three of my choices are ranked among the top five by the contributors to IMDB ratings, and my number one choice is the same as theirs. Here is my list plus short commentaries on the individual films.
1. Fargo - This criminal film is filled with some truly outstanding humorous moments. My two favorites in the latter category include Fargo's detective Marge Gunderson played my Joel Coen's wife Francis McDormand querying a couple of prostitutes about their customers who are her suspects. She asks if they had any identifiable physical characteristics where in one of the prostitutes notes that the one she slept with was funny looking and was not circumcised. Marge notes the comment and asks "Was he funny looking apart from that." A second memorable bit of humor is late in the film where a police officer is interviewing a man busy working outside his house. It's icy and snow covered and about as dismal a day as you can imagine. When the officer goes to leave the gentleman comments, after looking up at the leaden sky, "It looks like it's going to turn to cold."
Francis McDormand won an award as best actress, and film was voted best film of the year by the Academy. Her use of a regional accent with emphasis on the large presence of Scandinavians in this area was a feature of her performance. She managed to keep her calm demeanor when discussing events of the murder crimes which including the feeding of a body into a wood chipper. That's pretty world class and ranks almost as high as being in a chain gang for shear horrer.
2. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou. This was a very funny film about three escapees from a good old southern chain gang. I have never had a lot of affection for chain gangs one of the creative forms of handling prisoners by penal authorities in the deep south. Paul Muni made a most memorable performance as an escapee from a chain gang in the Academy Award Nominated film "I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang." Muni was also nominated for the film as best actor. This was not a humorous film in the least and closed very dramatically with Muni fading into the shadows and responding to the query of how he lives by responding, "I steal." It was a memorable ending.
Paul Newman also played a chain gang victim in "Cool Hand Luke." Though this film had some humorous moments it dealt primarily with the cruelty faced when trapped in a Chain Gang. And Joel McCrae illustrated a similar experience with his performance as 'Sully' Sullivan in the Preston Sturges film "Sullivan's Travels." Sullivan was scheduled to direct "Ants in your Pants, 1940," but he wanted to work on a more significant story. His travails in "Sullivan's Travels" led to his being incarcerated in a chain gang. This brings us to "Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou" which was the film that film director Sully Sullivan (McCrae) wanted to make rather than another comedy. In this film the chain gang is treated humorously. Though there is no despicable cruelty of the type shown in than the Muni and Newman films, it did as in "Sullivan's Travels" illustrate the indignity that can occur in life.
"Oh, Brother" opens with three convicts escaping from a Chain Gang. These are listed in the films advertising as DUMB (George Clooney), DUMBER (John Turturro) and DUMBEST (Tim Blake Nelson). Then follows a whole pile of funny episodes with Clooney playing the lead. His crime was practicing law without a license. The Coen Brothers used Homer's Ulysses as a structure to shoot against. Most notably are the three Sirens the convicts discover next to a river who serenade them with lovely singing and ardent affection. There is some great country boy singing, mostly by the three principles, an episode with Baby Face Nelson, and other episodes as wild as you can imagine. Overall this film is really world class.
3. The Big Lebowski. The Coen Brothers styled this picture after the work of Raymond Chandler. They had worked in a similar framework in "Miller's Crossing," the dark film starring Albert Finney and Gabriel Byrne with an attempt to do a crime in the mode typical of Dashiel Hammett. The resemblance of "The Big Lebowski" to Raymond Chandler is most notable in the film "The Big Sleep," a starring vehicle for Humphrey Bogart as the Chandler private eye, Phillip Marlowe. Like with "The Big Sleep" the "Big Lebowski," if anything is confusing. "The Big Sleep" was so confusing to Hawks and Humphrey Bogart who played Marlowe that Hawks queried Chandler as to who killed the chauffeur and received the ambiguous reply of, "I don't know."
In the "Big Lebowski" there is a collection of confusion. First there are two Lebowski's, the actual Big Lebowski, Jeffrey Lebowski, played by David Huddleston who is a handicapped older man stuck to using a wheel chair. In addition there is another Jeffrey Lebowski who is played by Jeff Bridges and who prefers to go by the name of "The Dude." The real Big Lebowski has a young wife who has rung up tremendous debts. Some collectors agents mix up the two Lebowski and go after the Dude. They do this by coming into his house, sticking him head first into a toilet thereby nearly drowning him. In addition one member of the party urinates on The Dudes Persian Rug. which really infuriates him. To attempt to explain the picture beyond that is rather difficult to say the least. The cast includes The Dude's two bowling buddies, played by John Goodman and Steve Buscime and The Big Lebowski's daughter played by Julianne Moore whose hobby is to paint in the drip style while being propelled stark naked below the ceiling of the Lebowski mansion, dripping paint from her brush and while being propelled. John Turturro is also instantly memorable as a foul mouthed bowler who calls himself "The Jesus."
It's my contention that you cannot figure out the film with a single viewing, so good luck.
4. The Hudsucker Proxy is another delightful film in the Coen Brothers zany environment. It stars Tim Robbins as a young college grad, a world class smoe from Muncie, Indiana, who gets a job at Hudsucker Industries in the mail room. Paul Newman is the Executive Vice President of this firm, whose president, Charles Durning, will soon be leaving the company and life in general with a sleep from the 40th floor tower at the corporate headquarters. These persons are called Norville Barnes, Sydney J. Mussburger, and Waring Hudsucker respectively. Also, very important to the cast and the film is Amy Archer, a delightful performance by Jennifer Jason Liegh. Miss Liegh has been described as playing a combination of Katherine Hepburn, think of her pretending to be a gun moll in a portion of "Bringing Up Baby," and Rosalind Russell most formidably as top reporter Hilde Johnson in "His Girl Friday." It's the brassiness these two mentors expressed in their respective roles, but in Hudsucker's Ms. Leigh must also play a tough broad, and a sensitive woman at the same time. It's a nice performance. The story is not too complex to follow but fun. The settings are terrific, with the real chaos and confusion of the huge mailroom being very similar to the chaos and confusion of the section where Jonathan Price works in the memorable futuristic fable "Brazil."
I won't go to far into the story which includes an attempt by Newman to bankrupt the company after selling off his and the board of Director's shares and then buying them back at the greatly reduced price. His plan was to have Robbins run the company into bankruptcy. However, Robbins or rather Norville has an invention, very simple, but a natural, the hula hoop. Of course what happens is that the stock goes way up, and the board has to come up with another scheme to accomplish their objective. A happy ending is on the way, and Norville is vindicated of false charges and eventually is working on his next invention, the Frisbee.
There are two really memorable though not important scenes that have no effect on the plot. In the first of these Peter Gallagher appears, with a strong resemblance to Dean Martin and lip cync to one of Martin's hits recordings at a big society party. It is terrific. Second is a fantasy dance sequence featuring Norville and a dancer wearing a very skimpy outfit. They dance to a segment of Bizet's Carmen against an all white background including a white floor. Though the lady dancer, possibly Amy Archer is spectacular in her dance moves, Norville is a complete idiot, dancing in imitation of a bull. It's another fantastic moment and definite highlights to a very amusing film.
5. Burn After Reading. The most recent of the Coen Brothers very funny films also includes a few deaths to liven things up. It's cast includes some of the Coen Brothers regulars, i.e. George Clooney and Francis McDormand, playing Harry Pfarer and Linda Lizle respectively, but it also features a very funny take by Brad Pitt as Chad Feldheimer and a very uptight performance by Tilda Swinton as Katie Cox playing in her usual tight lipped style. The story takes place in Washington D.C. and begins with John Malkovich, Katie's husband Osbourne Cox being relieved of his position with the CIA as a specialist on the Balkans. He is very angry about this dismissal and decides to write his memoirs describing his work with the Agency and of course he is planning to be very careful not to reveal any important secrets. Katie is having an affair with Clooney who also works for the government. In this role Clooney plays a world class womanizer and is very funny.
But the stars of the humor section are Pitt and McDormand. They work for a commercial workout venture, exercise equipment, gym. Earlier we are treated to the observations of a doctor who is examining an unseen McDormand and providing answers to her plea of needing a new body. He notes that surgery can solve an overlarge butt, too fat arms, etc. and a reinforcement medical procedure of breast implants can solve the bust problem, for the thighs, though he recommends an exercise program. McDormand as Linda Litze is to far advanced into her 40's to be satisfied with half measures if she hopes to acquire a real strongly commited male companion. She has taken to using the internet for dates. We are introduced to one of her partners in this venture and note virtually no life in the man. She is really frustrated and determined to earn enough money for the surgery after her insurance company has turned down She makes another inernet contact and arranges to meet the latter at her favorite spot, a park bench in a D.C. park next to the Potomac. There she meets Clooney, who has decided on a rest, and who responds when she says the name of her internet source. She asks his name, "are you Absalom (or whatever) and he says, "what" initially and then "yes" when his womanizing instincts come into play. He had just finished another liaison with Malkovich's wife, Tilda Swindon, but is already for more action.
All this has little to do with the overall story, but it does come together when Pitt and McDormand find the CD containing Malkovich's memoirs on the floor at their place of employment. A quick review and the two are convinced that it is real intelligence and decide, or at least she does, that selling it to the Russians will provide the most money.
Well that's enough of the plot which is far more involved than this. Some people are killed, one flees the country, and you'll have to see it and try to keep all the roles straight. It's classic Coen Brothers with humor, confusion and some crime thrown in to provide a well rounded flick entertainment.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
The Children of Paradise, Redux
I originally reviewed this film some 27 years ago in the Mensa Classic Films issue number 9, July 1982. I intend to re-visit that review but also to provide some additional commentary as related to my recent viewing on the tube. As originally released the film covered just 120 minutes. This is the version I originally saw as a college student in Los Angeles in the late 40's. At the time the time the film was shot it extended over three hours. This caused complications since it was filmed during the Nazi occupation of France during the early 1940's. The German occupiers had a limit of 90 minutes for each individual film. I don't know the purpose of this limitation, but like many things I'm not sure the Nazis knew as well, however, being oriented towards discipline, they enforced this ruling.
The film when finally released to it's original specifications covered 186 minutes. The version I received from the LA County Library was of that length. To many years have passed by since my original viewing for me to note what was missing from my first viewing. I do know of just one tiny cut which I'll cover later.
Through all these years it has remained my all time favorite foreign language film. Les Enfants du Paradis or The Children of Paradise is recognized as the all time most important work by producer Marcel Carne. It is a story in the grand style. Stories within stories, drama within drama and ultimately an examination of a broad range of humanity from the aristocracy to the very dregs of society. It is not just a history in the grand style it is many different things at once, actually fictionalized history in an epic style. It is a filmic discussion of the inner complexities of men and women, a history or fictionalized history, but most of all it is a story of love, both
physical and emotional in all it's complexities.
Today I see that reference to love as perhaps not in keeping with today's focus on sex and love. Love is an emotional experience devoted to a feeling that it is next to impossible to live without the person you believe you love. Sex on the other hand, is a physical process that may involve love though love is not necessary in the desire for or expressing or satisfying sexual desire. As we well know today, marriage and the joining of two people is not really a product of love but rather a contract between two people that calls for observing certain rules of behavior. These are most pertinent in the laws relative to property rights, inheritance and the various products making up a persons wealth. It is nice when romance and true love are a part of the union of two people but in most cases in most societies marriage is a contractual agreement between a father and a man wanting a wife. In other words the wife is a piece of property
This fact is born out in The children of Paradise in that only two people truly love, Garrance (Arletty's role) and Baptiste played by Jean Louis Barrault. For them love is the ingredient, but despite this they are deprived of the ability to be together. Their relationship results in only one sexual occurrence. Then the mysterious Garrance disappears from Baptiste life in the swirling madness of celebrants on the Rue de la Crime.
Garrance has three other lovers who have a continuing influence on her life. These are identified in the first half of the dual film. They include a ham actor, Frederick, a petty criminal Lacenaire, and ultimately a titled Count de Montray. Each of these wants to possess her for sexual reasons though with different emphasis. Frederick, because he is a world class romancer, Lacenaire who essentially desires her but won't compromise his own independence to have her, and Montray, who really wants her as a sop to his personal image of possessing a woman of enigmatic beauty that is owned by no one else.
The first segment of the movie involves introducing the principal performers and establishing their relationships. It also includes extensive mime performances that are fully indicative of Barrault's learning the art Mime from Marcel Marceau, France's premier pantomimemist. Garrance is introduced as a minor entertainer, sitting in a tank full of water looking at herself in a mirror while her audience pays to come in an observe her, supposedly expecting something more. Lacenaire is identified as a petty criminal, buying and selling stolen goods. And, we first see Montray when he observes and desires Garrance after seeing her play a statue in one of the Mime productions. All in all it is the Mime segments that are the most interesting in this egment of the overall film.
Section two is far more interesting in that it begins several years later when at this time we find the Baptiste is the talk of Paris because of Miming skills. Frederick has now advanced to an acting principal appearing in a production of Shakespeare's Othello at Paris's principle theatre. Lacenaire is still a criminal, but he has advanced upward. And Arletty, having been observed by the Count has become his mistress and resides at his palatial residence.
In this second segment Arletty is introduced to us as a mysterious beautifully dressed lady wearing a veil and appearing in a box at one of Baptiste's performances. We learn she is a regular attendee at his performances, always coming alone and veiled. Eventually all the players come together. Most importantly Baptiste and Garrance renew their friendship, but more importantly return to the room they occupied the night that Baptiste fled from her in innocent confusion. The single missing scene was her exposing her breasts to him in the initial failed liaison. But now in this renewal their long love is finally consummated.
Frederick has managed to bring them together and confronted the Count who insults him and issues a challenge. Lacenaire has participated in this charade and insults the Count as well. The film ends with Garrance leaving Baptiste, and he following desperately trying to find her in a massive crowd of celebrants on the Rue de la Crime.
I originally reviewed this film some 27 years ago in the Mensa Classic Films issue number 9, July 1982. I intend to re-visit that review but also to provide some additional commentary as related to my recent viewing on the tube. As originally released the film covered just 120 minutes. This is the version I originally saw as a college student in Los Angeles in the late 40's. At the time the time the film was shot it extended over three hours. This caused complications since it was filmed during the Nazi occupation of France during the early 1940's. The German occupiers had a limit of 90 minutes for each individual film. I don't know the purpose of this limitation, but like many things I'm not sure the Nazis knew as well, however, being oriented towards discipline, they enforced this ruling.
The film when finally released to it's original specifications covered 186 minutes. The version I received from the LA County Library was of that length. To many years have passed by since my original viewing for me to note what was missing from my first viewing. I do know of just one tiny cut which I'll cover later.
Through all these years it has remained my all time favorite foreign language film. Les Enfants du Paradis or The Children of Paradise is recognized as the all time most important work by producer Marcel Carne. It is a story in the grand style. Stories within stories, drama within drama and ultimately an examination of a broad range of humanity from the aristocracy to the very dregs of society. It is not just a history in the grand style it is many different things at once, actually fictionalized history in an epic style. It is a filmic discussion of the inner complexities of men and women, a history or fictionalized history, but most of all it is a story of love, both
physical and emotional in all it's complexities.
Today I see that reference to love as perhaps not in keeping with today's focus on sex and love. Love is an emotional experience devoted to a feeling that it is next to impossible to live without the person you believe you love. Sex on the other hand, is a physical process that may involve love though love is not necessary in the desire for or expressing or satisfying sexual desire. As we well know today, marriage and the joining of two people is not really a product of love but rather a contract between two people that calls for observing certain rules of behavior. These are most pertinent in the laws relative to property rights, inheritance and the various products making up a persons wealth. It is nice when romance and true love are a part of the union of two people but in most cases in most societies marriage is a contractual agreement between a father and a man wanting a wife. In other words the wife is a piece of property
This fact is born out in The children of Paradise in that only two people truly love, Garrance (Arletty's role) and Baptiste played by Jean Louis Barrault. For them love is the ingredient, but despite this they are deprived of the ability to be together. Their relationship results in only one sexual occurrence. Then the mysterious Garrance disappears from Baptiste life in the swirling madness of celebrants on the Rue de la Crime.
Garrance has three other lovers who have a continuing influence on her life. These are identified in the first half of the dual film. They include a ham actor, Frederick, a petty criminal Lacenaire, and ultimately a titled Count de Montray. Each of these wants to possess her for sexual reasons though with different emphasis. Frederick, because he is a world class romancer, Lacenaire who essentially desires her but won't compromise his own independence to have her, and Montray, who really wants her as a sop to his personal image of possessing a woman of enigmatic beauty that is owned by no one else.
The first segment of the movie involves introducing the principal performers and establishing their relationships. It also includes extensive mime performances that are fully indicative of Barrault's learning the art Mime from Marcel Marceau, France's premier pantomimemist. Garrance is introduced as a minor entertainer, sitting in a tank full of water looking at herself in a mirror while her audience pays to come in an observe her, supposedly expecting something more. Lacenaire is identified as a petty criminal, buying and selling stolen goods. And, we first see Montray when he observes and desires Garrance after seeing her play a statue in one of the Mime productions. All in all it is the Mime segments that are the most interesting in this egment of the overall film.
Section two is far more interesting in that it begins several years later when at this time we find the Baptiste is the talk of Paris because of Miming skills. Frederick has now advanced to an acting principal appearing in a production of Shakespeare's Othello at Paris's principle theatre. Lacenaire is still a criminal, but he has advanced upward. And Arletty, having been observed by the Count has become his mistress and resides at his palatial residence.
In this second segment Arletty is introduced to us as a mysterious beautifully dressed lady wearing a veil and appearing in a box at one of Baptiste's performances. We learn she is a regular attendee at his performances, always coming alone and veiled. Eventually all the players come together. Most importantly Baptiste and Garrance renew their friendship, but more importantly return to the room they occupied the night that Baptiste fled from her in innocent confusion. The single missing scene was her exposing her breasts to him in the initial failed liaison. But now in this renewal their long love is finally consummated.
Frederick has managed to bring them together and confronted the Count who insults him and issues a challenge. Lacenaire has participated in this charade and insults the Count as well. The film ends with Garrance leaving Baptiste, and he following desperately trying to find her in a massive crowd of celebrants on the Rue de la Crime.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
A PRE-PREVIEW OF 1986 ACADEMY AWARD CONTENDERS
In the first issue of 1987, the Mensa Classic Films SIG Newsletter, considered the possible candidates for 1986 best picture. I wrote this article and based my considerations on several information sources. These included then LATimes films critics Sheila Benson, Kevin Thomas, Michael Wilmington and Patrick Goldstein who came up with separate lists of what they considered were the years top ten films. Of the four, two are still associated with the Times, Thomas and Goldstein while Benson who is basically retired is writing for a weekly in the state of Washington, and Wilmington left the Times and has been with the Chicago Tribune for several years.
I reviewed their lists and noted that my usual practice of not seeing everything worth seeing had held up again that year. Among their various top tens I found only three films that I had seen, though Benson have second list which also contained three of my theatre viewings. Anyhow, comparing the various lists I came up with a composite top ten which I'll list for your interest and as a probable source for this years Academy Award candidates and eventual winners. I'll warn you ahead of time, however, that Benson had "Brazil" on top last year, a film that was ranked first by the LA film critics, but which was largely ignored by the rest of the nations critics and the Academy. Needless to say that film is a real gem, and one you should definitely plan on seeing, though I am sure it will probably take more than one viewing for the shear pleasure of it to come through.
Well enough digression here is the list, points are ten for 1st down to one for 10th.
1. Hannah and her Sister's - 35
2. Blue Velvet - 25
3. The Sacrifice - 19
4. 'Round Midnight - 17
5 Platoon - 15
Summer - 15 (Le Crayon Bleu)
7. Room With A View - 13
8. Mona Lisa - 9
The Legend of Surami Fortress - 9
10. Kaos - 8
Something Wild - 8
That's the list of ten, actually eleven with the 10th place tie of "Kaos" and "Something Wild." Of these films, I have seen "Hannah and her Sisters," "Rome With a view," and "Mona Lisa." From Sheila Benson's second list, I saw "the Color of Money" her number 16, "Peggy Sue Got Married" number 17, and "F/X" her number 18.
I can see I have my work cut out for me when it comes to viewing top films for the year 1986. My own list of top films has seven titles, since there are only seven films that I deem worth of top ranking. These are in my order of preference:
1. Room With A View
2. Mona Lisa
3. Hannah and Her Sisters
4. Peggy Sue Got Married
5. The Color of Money
6. The Decline of the American Empire
7. F/X
I would rate the first three very closely, anyone of the three attracts a second viewing, though I find I am more anxious to see a "Room with A view" again than the other two. "Peggy Sue Got Married" and "The Color of Money" I would consider about equal as entertainment's rather than serious films. There is a nostalgia quality to the first of these two, that I find very attractive, which accounts for my preference. "the Decline of the American Empire" makes you think, but the sexual exploits of its principals goes beyond reality. "F/X" is another entertainment, probably liked at least by me, because of the presence of Bryan Brown.
In the films I haven't seen I am looking forward to are "Ginger and Fred," the 12ft place finisher in the Times list, "El Amor Brujo," not on the list, "Round Midnight," I have a strong interest in jazz, "Summer," "Malcolm" and "Defense of the Realm,'" not on the list. If we manage to see some of these during the holiday season (I'm writing between Christmas and New Years we'll try to give them some space in this years Mensa Classic Films.
Now here we are 22 years later and I'll take a quick review. It turns out there were far more riches than the films I discussed above. The top foreign language film was a Dutch film called "de Auslag" set in World War II. Platoon won the best film award. Paul Newman was voted best actor for "The Color of Money". The best actress award went to deaf actress Mary Matlin for "Children of a Lesser God. Michael Caine and Diane Wiest won for best supporting actors both from "Hannah and Her Sisters." Also of interest are the ratings accumulated by the Internet Movie Data Base, IMDB. IMDB gave "Platoon" it's highest rating with an 8.7 based on a 10 for highest. Their ratings are based on submittals from users, which is a film like "Platoon" consists of thousands of voters. The other top five films in order were "The Sacrifice (Offret)" with an 8.0, "Hannah and her Sisters" tied with "Kaos" at 7.9, and "Blue Velvet" and "El Amor Brujo," tied for sixth with a 7.8. All those ratings are excellent and indicative of a film well worth viewing.
Despite my best intentions there are several films I have yet to see. I hope to correct that in the coming weeks by utilizing the resources of the Los Angeles County Library and Netflix I hope you utilize the resources available to you to also review some of the top films of that year.
In the first issue of 1987, the Mensa Classic Films SIG Newsletter, considered the possible candidates for 1986 best picture. I wrote this article and based my considerations on several information sources. These included then LATimes films critics Sheila Benson, Kevin Thomas, Michael Wilmington and Patrick Goldstein who came up with separate lists of what they considered were the years top ten films. Of the four, two are still associated with the Times, Thomas and Goldstein while Benson who is basically retired is writing for a weekly in the state of Washington, and Wilmington left the Times and has been with the Chicago Tribune for several years.
I reviewed their lists and noted that my usual practice of not seeing everything worth seeing had held up again that year. Among their various top tens I found only three films that I had seen, though Benson have second list which also contained three of my theatre viewings. Anyhow, comparing the various lists I came up with a composite top ten which I'll list for your interest and as a probable source for this years Academy Award candidates and eventual winners. I'll warn you ahead of time, however, that Benson had "Brazil" on top last year, a film that was ranked first by the LA film critics, but which was largely ignored by the rest of the nations critics and the Academy. Needless to say that film is a real gem, and one you should definitely plan on seeing, though I am sure it will probably take more than one viewing for the shear pleasure of it to come through.
Well enough digression here is the list, points are ten for 1st down to one for 10th.
1. Hannah and her Sister's - 35
2. Blue Velvet - 25
3. The Sacrifice - 19
4. 'Round Midnight - 17
5 Platoon - 15
Summer - 15 (Le Crayon Bleu)
7. Room With A View - 13
8. Mona Lisa - 9
The Legend of Surami Fortress - 9
10. Kaos - 8
Something Wild - 8
That's the list of ten, actually eleven with the 10th place tie of "Kaos" and "Something Wild." Of these films, I have seen "Hannah and her Sisters," "Rome With a view," and "Mona Lisa." From Sheila Benson's second list, I saw "the Color of Money" her number 16, "Peggy Sue Got Married" number 17, and "F/X" her number 18.
I can see I have my work cut out for me when it comes to viewing top films for the year 1986. My own list of top films has seven titles, since there are only seven films that I deem worth of top ranking. These are in my order of preference:
1. Room With A View
2. Mona Lisa
3. Hannah and Her Sisters
4. Peggy Sue Got Married
5. The Color of Money
6. The Decline of the American Empire
7. F/X
I would rate the first three very closely, anyone of the three attracts a second viewing, though I find I am more anxious to see a "Room with A view" again than the other two. "Peggy Sue Got Married" and "The Color of Money" I would consider about equal as entertainment's rather than serious films. There is a nostalgia quality to the first of these two, that I find very attractive, which accounts for my preference. "the Decline of the American Empire" makes you think, but the sexual exploits of its principals goes beyond reality. "F/X" is another entertainment, probably liked at least by me, because of the presence of Bryan Brown.
In the films I haven't seen I am looking forward to are "Ginger and Fred," the 12ft place finisher in the Times list, "El Amor Brujo," not on the list, "Round Midnight," I have a strong interest in jazz, "Summer," "Malcolm" and "Defense of the Realm,'" not on the list. If we manage to see some of these during the holiday season (I'm writing between Christmas and New Years we'll try to give them some space in this years Mensa Classic Films.
Now here we are 22 years later and I'll take a quick review. It turns out there were far more riches than the films I discussed above. The top foreign language film was a Dutch film called "de Auslag" set in World War II. Platoon won the best film award. Paul Newman was voted best actor for "The Color of Money". The best actress award went to deaf actress Mary Matlin for "Children of a Lesser God. Michael Caine and Diane Wiest won for best supporting actors both from "Hannah and Her Sisters." Also of interest are the ratings accumulated by the Internet Movie Data Base, IMDB. IMDB gave "Platoon" it's highest rating with an 8.7 based on a 10 for highest. Their ratings are based on submittals from users, which is a film like "Platoon" consists of thousands of voters. The other top five films in order were "The Sacrifice (Offret)" with an 8.0, "Hannah and her Sisters" tied with "Kaos" at 7.9, and "Blue Velvet" and "El Amor Brujo," tied for sixth with a 7.8. All those ratings are excellent and indicative of a film well worth viewing.
Despite my best intentions there are several films I have yet to see. I hope to correct that in the coming weeks by utilizing the resources of the Los Angeles County Library and Netflix I hope you utilize the resources available to you to also review some of the top films of that year.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Joan of Arcadia
A couple of years ago there was a brouhaha over the possibility that Hollywood film producers were avoiding making films or television programs that used God as a base. Mrs. Gardner received an e-mail from a friend sending her this information, a form letter, decrying Hollywood's refusing to use God in entertainment productions and signing up persons angry enough over the situation to get something done about it. Mrs. Gardner was surprised at this since she was a regular viewer of the CBS Television program "Joan of Arcadia," that dealt with a teenage girl having regular conversations with God.
A couple of years have passed and last year, I decided maybe I should investigate the program Mrs. Gardner so enjoyed. I'm not much of commercial television watcher because of commercials. I prefer PBS and the non commercial film channels i.e. IFC and TCM among others. So except for an odd episode or so I never really watched "Joan of Arcadia" and got a handle on what was happening. That has been corrected by the available DVD's covering the entire two year history of the program. I found that it was an impressive two years dealing with an interesting concept of God, with excellent stories and dialogue and a truly outstanding performance by Amber Tamblyn as the title character Joan.
I might note that the series lasted only two years. I believe that it was that old devil of what makes the money go round. The show just wasn't picking up enough of an audience to justify keeping it running. You would think that with the concern over the lack of coverage of God on the networks that the program would have had a ready made audience. But once you see "Joan of Arcadia" you realize that it is not that attractive to more conservative viewers interested in seeing more of God on television. For God in "Joan of Arcadia" is not the powerful strongly built middle-aged gentleman represented by Zeus, Jupiter, Thor and other of the earlier religions. Probably the most symbolic image for God is in Michaelangelo's painting in the Sistine Chapel where he is reaching out to Adam. Man is made in God's image, which when you think about it means that God has an infinite number of appearances. In "Joan of Arcadia" this is readily apparent when you find that the initial appearance of God is that of a rather cool looking high school student in a leather jacket. Subsequent depiction's of God on the show have a wide range of human look a likes. Some stand out. My personal favorites are God as a ten year old little girl. It is fun to see this child wearing rather wild kids play clothes advising Joan as to how to behave in certain situations and to do important chores that she, God, wants her to do. Probably my second favorite is an elderly woman who in a late episode in the series comforts Joan after a particularly unfortunate episode in her life.
There are several different cast members who are either friends of Joan or family members. Joan is the second child of the Girardi family. They live in the town of Arcadia somewhere in the US. In reviewing sites on the net that discussed the film I found references to this being in Maryland and in another instance Wilmington, Delaware served as the model city.
There are five members of the Girardi family. The father, Will Girardi, is played by veteran film actor Joe Mantegna who most notably has played lead roles in films of writer/Director David Mamet. Mr. Girardi is an acting chief of police in the city of Arcadia. Will is married to Helen Girardi who is played by veteran actress Mary Steenbergen. Helen works in the Attendance office at the high school that Joan attends. She is also a fall away Catholic who is trying to reconnect with the church. She is motivated by Joan's supposed conversations with God. Eventually Helen becomes the schools art teacher, a role she is well qualified for because of her education history in art.
There are three children, Joan, her older brother Kevin who is a paraplegic having been seriously injured and paralyzed from the waist down after an automobile accident on graduation night. Kevin is approximately nineteen. He is joined in the family with Joan's younger brother Luke who is a genius and a bit on the geeky side. Luke is a fifteen year old. The two brothers are played by Jason Ritter, Kevin, and Michael Welch, Luke.
Amber Tamblyn plays sixteen year old Joan. It's a marvelous performance which I find right on the money. Watching her mannerisms, expressions, and reactions is very reminiscent of my own granddaughter Sierra who is a high school fifteen year old. The whole show is centered on Joan. My granddaughter Sierra had to inform me that Joan of Arcadia is a take on Joan of Arc from French history. I wasn't quick enough to note that connection. Incidentally, Sierra really loved the show and enjoyed watching it I would assume that it would probably be of interest to most teenage girls.
In the initial episode Joan awakens in the middle of the night hearing a voice calling out to her. Then in the morning she looks out her bedroom window and sees a person, a young man, looking up at her. She tells her family about this incident, and they go outside but find no one there. On her way to school on the bus Joan also notes a good looking young man looking at her on the bus, and later sees him at school. At noon time he accosts her and they are talking until Joan finally asks him who he is. He tells her that he's God and he gives her a task to perform. He also tells her she will see him again, but that he will not look exactly the same. The task he gives her is to do is to take a job at a nearby book store. Joan checks it out and decides to skip it. Then at lunch in the school cafeteria the next day, one of the food servers, asks her if she got that job yet. Joan has to say no, and the server tells her she needs to do what she's requested to do. In this case God, the server, is a much older woman.
Joan takes the job and finds out that by doing it she performs a deed that is useful to society, in this case leading to the apprehension of a serial rapist/killer that the police department have been unable to identify. He had attempted to drag Joan into his vehicle when she was on her way home from the book store, but she escaped and was able to provide an identification of the man and his vehicle.
All of Joan's activities at God's request involve tasks she is asked to perform that will have benefits to society including members of her own family and friends.
Joans parents begin to worry about her and her conversations with God. Her younger brother Luke suggests she's nuts. When God talks to her, no one is aware of it. God usually addresses her by Joan so she knows that it is God she is talking to. There is one funny incident when the parent of one of her school friends, who Joan hasn't met refers to her as Joan. Joan thinks it's God. Actually, Joan is one of the helpers at a back to school night and is wearing a badge that says Joan on it.
When summer comes her parents send her away to a camp where children who are suffering from hallucinating events are wheedled out of there strange beliefs with psychiatric treatments. When Joan gets back she is convinced she is cured, and refuses to acknowledge God when he/she speaks to her. This happens several times, until finally something drastic happens that would have been averted if Joan had responded to God. She breaks down after this event and is comforted by the elderly lady God when she, Joan, is upset and crying. This event brings her back into responding to God.
In some instances Joan argues with God about the task she is asked to perform. It's satisfying to see her treating God like an equal. Some episodes result in some very entertaining results. In one God has her go out to take diving in a swimming class. She does this but in one grand attempt to do what he says she makes a tremendous belly flop off the high board. The next day she runs into God, in this instance a cleaning lady at the school, who laughs and kids her about her big belly flop. Joan is really angry and tells God that it is inappropriate for God to make fun of one of his humans. Another funny incident involves a failure in a science project that spectacularly douses one of Joan's friends and the teacher in a shower of splashed water.
Some of the supporting players are memorable. These include Adam Rove played by Christopher Marquette who is Joan's principal friend from the opposite sex. Adam is one of those deep type people that others have trouble understanding. He lives with his father, and has many strange sculptures in his home that he has created. Peculiarly he always calls Joan, 'Jane,' except when he is angry with her.
Grace Polk is Joan's best friend. She is a very different girl, rides a skate board and dresses in very masculine clothes. A couple of Joan's other friends ask her to find out if Grace is a lesbian. Though carefully addressed by Joan, this results in very strong response from Grace that her sexual persuasion is no ones business but her own. Like most of Joan's friends Grace has a cross to bear in this case it rests with her mother being an alcoholic. Grace's father is also a rabbi. Joan consults with him one day on God without letting Grace know she is going to talk to him, which also angers Grace.
Glynis Figiola is another friend. A very tall slim girl who was involved in the incident with the science teacher. She is kind of a geek as well.
Friedman is still another. He is a boy who comes up with a lot of wiseguy comments and is continually being berated by the girls. All these people are in the science class together along with Joan's brother Luke. The science teacher, Mrs. Lischak, is a delightful eccentric who caries a baton with her which she occasionally bangs on a desk to gain attention. She's played by the tall Elaine Hendrix who has been in a number of films as a chief supporting player. Friedman is played by Aaron Hindestein, Glynis by Mageina Tovah and Grace by Becky Wahlstron. None of these players are of high school age, but it isn't obvious that they are older.
A couple of more players I particularly liked were Sidney Tamiia Poitier, daughter of film actor Sidney Poitier. She's another very lovely girl who becomes friends with and guides Kevin when he gets a reporters job at the local newspaper. She's on the staff and mentors him and eventually a personal relationship develops.
Two last observations. The writing is spread out between about seven different contributors. It is uniformly good and seamless in the way each writes to the shows themes. Also, God is played by more than ten different people including among others Amber's father Russ who is a paid dog walker and always appears walking about a half dozen dogs on individual leases when he addresses Joan. And, finally, Helen in her search for closure in her concern over her declining Catholic faith is advised by the local priest to consult with Sister Lilly Walter. Constance Zimmer has this role and she plays the nun as a woman with tattoos, eccentric clothes and a strong will. Joan first sees her from a distance and thinks that her mother may be buying drugs from a woman of the street. Actually, Sister Walter is a disciplined Catholic with a just certain free spirit.
The last couple of episodes lead to what was going to be a third season which of course was never realized. In it they develop another new character that of the devil. God tells her that some of her most challenging tasks will be in dealing with this new threat in her life.
Joan of Arcadia is about as good a show if you can find on network television. It probably would have been more appropriate on PBS where the more leisurely environment would have allowed it to continue on into Joan's college years, and where it is more likely to have acquired a larger audience. For a network show I can't recommend it more highly.
A couple of years have passed and last year, I decided maybe I should investigate the program Mrs. Gardner so enjoyed. I'm not much of commercial television watcher because of commercials. I prefer PBS and the non commercial film channels i.e. IFC and TCM among others. So except for an odd episode or so I never really watched "Joan of Arcadia" and got a handle on what was happening. That has been corrected by the available DVD's covering the entire two year history of the program. I found that it was an impressive two years dealing with an interesting concept of God, with excellent stories and dialogue and a truly outstanding performance by Amber Tamblyn as the title character Joan.
I might note that the series lasted only two years. I believe that it was that old devil of what makes the money go round. The show just wasn't picking up enough of an audience to justify keeping it running. You would think that with the concern over the lack of coverage of God on the networks that the program would have had a ready made audience. But once you see "Joan of Arcadia" you realize that it is not that attractive to more conservative viewers interested in seeing more of God on television. For God in "Joan of Arcadia" is not the powerful strongly built middle-aged gentleman represented by Zeus, Jupiter, Thor and other of the earlier religions. Probably the most symbolic image for God is in Michaelangelo's painting in the Sistine Chapel where he is reaching out to Adam. Man is made in God's image, which when you think about it means that God has an infinite number of appearances. In "Joan of Arcadia" this is readily apparent when you find that the initial appearance of God is that of a rather cool looking high school student in a leather jacket. Subsequent depiction's of God on the show have a wide range of human look a likes. Some stand out. My personal favorites are God as a ten year old little girl. It is fun to see this child wearing rather wild kids play clothes advising Joan as to how to behave in certain situations and to do important chores that she, God, wants her to do. Probably my second favorite is an elderly woman who in a late episode in the series comforts Joan after a particularly unfortunate episode in her life.
There are several different cast members who are either friends of Joan or family members. Joan is the second child of the Girardi family. They live in the town of Arcadia somewhere in the US. In reviewing sites on the net that discussed the film I found references to this being in Maryland and in another instance Wilmington, Delaware served as the model city.
There are five members of the Girardi family. The father, Will Girardi, is played by veteran film actor Joe Mantegna who most notably has played lead roles in films of writer/Director David Mamet. Mr. Girardi is an acting chief of police in the city of Arcadia. Will is married to Helen Girardi who is played by veteran actress Mary Steenbergen. Helen works in the Attendance office at the high school that Joan attends. She is also a fall away Catholic who is trying to reconnect with the church. She is motivated by Joan's supposed conversations with God. Eventually Helen becomes the schools art teacher, a role she is well qualified for because of her education history in art.
There are three children, Joan, her older brother Kevin who is a paraplegic having been seriously injured and paralyzed from the waist down after an automobile accident on graduation night. Kevin is approximately nineteen. He is joined in the family with Joan's younger brother Luke who is a genius and a bit on the geeky side. Luke is a fifteen year old. The two brothers are played by Jason Ritter, Kevin, and Michael Welch, Luke.
Amber Tamblyn plays sixteen year old Joan. It's a marvelous performance which I find right on the money. Watching her mannerisms, expressions, and reactions is very reminiscent of my own granddaughter Sierra who is a high school fifteen year old. The whole show is centered on Joan. My granddaughter Sierra had to inform me that Joan of Arcadia is a take on Joan of Arc from French history. I wasn't quick enough to note that connection. Incidentally, Sierra really loved the show and enjoyed watching it I would assume that it would probably be of interest to most teenage girls.
In the initial episode Joan awakens in the middle of the night hearing a voice calling out to her. Then in the morning she looks out her bedroom window and sees a person, a young man, looking up at her. She tells her family about this incident, and they go outside but find no one there. On her way to school on the bus Joan also notes a good looking young man looking at her on the bus, and later sees him at school. At noon time he accosts her and they are talking until Joan finally asks him who he is. He tells her that he's God and he gives her a task to perform. He also tells her she will see him again, but that he will not look exactly the same. The task he gives her is to do is to take a job at a nearby book store. Joan checks it out and decides to skip it. Then at lunch in the school cafeteria the next day, one of the food servers, asks her if she got that job yet. Joan has to say no, and the server tells her she needs to do what she's requested to do. In this case God, the server, is a much older woman.
Joan takes the job and finds out that by doing it she performs a deed that is useful to society, in this case leading to the apprehension of a serial rapist/killer that the police department have been unable to identify. He had attempted to drag Joan into his vehicle when she was on her way home from the book store, but she escaped and was able to provide an identification of the man and his vehicle.
All of Joan's activities at God's request involve tasks she is asked to perform that will have benefits to society including members of her own family and friends.
Joans parents begin to worry about her and her conversations with God. Her younger brother Luke suggests she's nuts. When God talks to her, no one is aware of it. God usually addresses her by Joan so she knows that it is God she is talking to. There is one funny incident when the parent of one of her school friends, who Joan hasn't met refers to her as Joan. Joan thinks it's God. Actually, Joan is one of the helpers at a back to school night and is wearing a badge that says Joan on it.
When summer comes her parents send her away to a camp where children who are suffering from hallucinating events are wheedled out of there strange beliefs with psychiatric treatments. When Joan gets back she is convinced she is cured, and refuses to acknowledge God when he/she speaks to her. This happens several times, until finally something drastic happens that would have been averted if Joan had responded to God. She breaks down after this event and is comforted by the elderly lady God when she, Joan, is upset and crying. This event brings her back into responding to God.
In some instances Joan argues with God about the task she is asked to perform. It's satisfying to see her treating God like an equal. Some episodes result in some very entertaining results. In one God has her go out to take diving in a swimming class. She does this but in one grand attempt to do what he says she makes a tremendous belly flop off the high board. The next day she runs into God, in this instance a cleaning lady at the school, who laughs and kids her about her big belly flop. Joan is really angry and tells God that it is inappropriate for God to make fun of one of his humans. Another funny incident involves a failure in a science project that spectacularly douses one of Joan's friends and the teacher in a shower of splashed water.
Some of the supporting players are memorable. These include Adam Rove played by Christopher Marquette who is Joan's principal friend from the opposite sex. Adam is one of those deep type people that others have trouble understanding. He lives with his father, and has many strange sculptures in his home that he has created. Peculiarly he always calls Joan, 'Jane,' except when he is angry with her.
Grace Polk is Joan's best friend. She is a very different girl, rides a skate board and dresses in very masculine clothes. A couple of Joan's other friends ask her to find out if Grace is a lesbian. Though carefully addressed by Joan, this results in very strong response from Grace that her sexual persuasion is no ones business but her own. Like most of Joan's friends Grace has a cross to bear in this case it rests with her mother being an alcoholic. Grace's father is also a rabbi. Joan consults with him one day on God without letting Grace know she is going to talk to him, which also angers Grace.
Glynis Figiola is another friend. A very tall slim girl who was involved in the incident with the science teacher. She is kind of a geek as well.
Friedman is still another. He is a boy who comes up with a lot of wiseguy comments and is continually being berated by the girls. All these people are in the science class together along with Joan's brother Luke. The science teacher, Mrs. Lischak, is a delightful eccentric who caries a baton with her which she occasionally bangs on a desk to gain attention. She's played by the tall Elaine Hendrix who has been in a number of films as a chief supporting player. Friedman is played by Aaron Hindestein, Glynis by Mageina Tovah and Grace by Becky Wahlstron. None of these players are of high school age, but it isn't obvious that they are older.
A couple of more players I particularly liked were Sidney Tamiia Poitier, daughter of film actor Sidney Poitier. She's another very lovely girl who becomes friends with and guides Kevin when he gets a reporters job at the local newspaper. She's on the staff and mentors him and eventually a personal relationship develops.
Two last observations. The writing is spread out between about seven different contributors. It is uniformly good and seamless in the way each writes to the shows themes. Also, God is played by more than ten different people including among others Amber's father Russ who is a paid dog walker and always appears walking about a half dozen dogs on individual leases when he addresses Joan. And, finally, Helen in her search for closure in her concern over her declining Catholic faith is advised by the local priest to consult with Sister Lilly Walter. Constance Zimmer has this role and she plays the nun as a woman with tattoos, eccentric clothes and a strong will. Joan first sees her from a distance and thinks that her mother may be buying drugs from a woman of the street. Actually, Sister Walter is a disciplined Catholic with a just certain free spirit.
The last couple of episodes lead to what was going to be a third season which of course was never realized. In it they develop another new character that of the devil. God tells her that some of her most challenging tasks will be in dealing with this new threat in her life.
Joan of Arcadia is about as good a show if you can find on network television. It probably would have been more appropriate on PBS where the more leisurely environment would have allowed it to continue on into Joan's college years, and where it is more likely to have acquired a larger audience. For a network show I can't recommend it more highly.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
THE INDISPENSABLE CARY GRANT
According to Bill Libby's 1978-1979 poll, Cary Grant had more films cited as favorites by film fans than any other actor, yet critical acclaim has largely escaped Grant. He is one of the many acting greats who have failed to achieve that pinnacle of industry acclaim, the award of an Oscar. I wrote these opening lines in 1986 when I did a second evaluation of Grant's work. It seems appropriate to update once more the list of best films for one of America's most distinguished actors, the English born Archie Leach, Grant's real name.
Grant's failure to win an Oscar can probably be attributed to his particular skill at playing light sophisticated comedy. Because of this he was largely cast in such roles, which are much last likely to be attributed as best performances as compared to more serious roles. During his long career Grant received only two nominations. The first of these, was a tear-jerker called "Penny Serenade" with co-star Irene Dunne who often played opposite Grant and had very similar comedic skills. The Penny Serenade is entertaining, but would probably be seen as a bit on the corny side by today's audiences.
The second Oscar nomination was for a genuinely serious picture, the dark "None But the Lonely Heart" where Grant played a cockney loser without much in the way of a warm nature. This picture has all the qualities of a typical Film Noir
Early in the life of Mensa Classic Films we developed a concept of five films of a particular type or featuring a particular performer or director that we could take with us to an imagingary Desert Island. This provided a convenient way of listing our favorites. However when it came to doing Cary Grant a real problem developed in coming up with only five Grant films, so we compromised and named a top five followed by three more of almost the same prime classification.
Without further ado, here are the Big Five, and as usual, in alphabetical order:
o Gunga Din
o None But the Lonely Heart
o Only Angels Have Wings
o Philadelphia Story
o Topper
The near three, that we would probably be just as happy with in exchange for any of the above are:
o Arsenic and Old Lace
o Bringing Up Baby
o North by Northwest
Those eight films cover a span of 23 years and indicate Grant's enduring skill
Gunga Din - Adventure par excellence and surely one of the all-time favorite films in this genre. The north Indian frontier, the British Raj and that line of aristocratic officers, dedicated soldiers and native warriors opposing the hordes that come out of the mountains and through the passes in an attempt to overrun India. Victor McLaglen and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. are Grant's cohorts, and Sam Jaffe is memorable in the title role. (See Classic Films issue no. 40, June 1985 for the writer's critique).
None but the Lonely Heart - Grant in probably his most serious role received a nomination for best actor but was panned by some critics and but grudgingly liked by others. He plays a cockney son of Ethel Barrymore and is loved by two women, the sensitive Jane Wyatt and June Duprez of the sensual almond-shaped eyes. Grant is the neer-do-well Ernie Mott in a film set in a dark London area of crime and deprivation.
Only Angels Have Wings - One of our favorite films on the early days of aviation, with grant playing the charismatic leader of a floundering airline in equatorial south America with the amazed and anguished Jean Arthur, the cool and reserved Rita Hayworth, and a crew of enthusiastic pilots played by a number of Hollywood's finest supporting players. (see our issue No. 3, Jan. 1982 for a review of the film).
Philadelphia Story - Grant as the super-sophisticated C.K. Dexter Haven, unconquerable Katherine Hepburn as the soon-to-be conquered Tracy Lord, and a host of other outstanding character players in this period piece on Mainline Philadelphians in the years before World War II. (The writer reviewed this film in Classic Films issue Number 17, March 1983).
Topper - The earliest film in our list with Grant in another sophisticated role accompanied by excellent support from Constance Bennett, our favorite role for the latter. They're the madcap Kirbys of wealth and ectoplasm. Roland Young is the mousy banker they reeducate, and Billie Burke is the banker's stiff and bossy wife plagued with dyspepsia.
Of the films in this list, the movie fans via the L.A. Times survey of 1978 rated "Philadelphia Story" as the 48th best top film of all time. "Gunga Din" finished 95th. "Bringing Up Baby" and "Northwest by Northwest" were in the top 100. The most recent survey of the Internet Movie Data Base ratings listed North by Northwest as the most favored Grant film followed by Notorious. Both of these films used the spy environment as a basic setting.
In the five year period following my development of the Cary Grant list of favored film, I had the opportunity of seeing various Grant pictures a number of times. One film which I would include in my all time favorite list would be "Sylvia Scarlett" another Grant co-starrer with Katherine Hepburn. This film was made in 1935 and featured Grant in his only other performance playing with a cockney accent. Grant is a hustler in this film and has become acquainted with Edmund Gwenn and Katherine Hepburn in a cross channel journey from France to England. The latter pair have had to flee France because of the father's shenanigans. The three form a team and skuldugger as best they can with mixed success. Grant does not know that Hepburn is a girl since she is always dressed in boys clothing. In the attempt to escape France she has had her hair cut and is dressed in mens clothes posing as her father's son. It is a very different and off beat film for all three performers and one certainly worth watching. Grant performs an English music hall song or two in his cockney accent.
Grant has another vocal which he delivers in a nice baritone voice in the World War I aviation film called "Suzy," Grant plays a French flying office and co-stars with Franchot Tone. The female lead is Jean Harlow who Grant meets in a French cafe where Harlow is an entertainer. After she does her vocal piece, "Did I Remember," a really lovely and very plaintive song, he gets up and proves to her he can do it from memory. Much like Rex Harrison in "My Fair Lady" Grant does the song half singing and half reciting.
Both "Sylvia Scarlett" and "Suzy" rank pretty far down the list of favorite Grant films. Grant also sang a couple of numbers in the peculiar farce "Kiss and Makeup." Grant is a cosmetic beauty expert in France, which I find hard to believe. Perhaps the most interesting part of this film is Toby Wing who did the "Young and Healthy" number with Dick Powell in "42nd Street" without speaking a line, and who has a couple of lines in this film while disrobing down to her undergarments.
Another of Grant's really funny roles was that of newspaper editor Walter Burns in "His Girl Friday." Grant played opposite Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy and a slew of great supporting character actors in the remake of Hecht and MacArthur's "Front Page." This film is one of the principal "Fast Paced Films" that I reviewed in Classic Films issue number 28 in February of 1984.
Grant had two very successful comedies made in early in his career playing opposite co-star Irene Dunne. Irene Dunne's comedic talents are readily notable in the two films. In the first, "The Awful Truth" Grant and Dunne have grown tired of each other and gotten a divorce. The main problem with the divorce is who gets the dog, played by the venerable Asta of the Thin Man series of films made with William Powell and Myrna Loy. After the divorce Dunne has taken up with Ralph Bellamy, playing one of his dopey guys, this time a cowboy from Texas who lives with his mother.
In "My Favorite Wife" Grant remarries after his wife is declared legally dead. She had been on an archaeological expedition in the south Pacific and was presumed to have drowned. She arrives back when Grant gets married accompanied by her companion for seven years, Randolph Scott who had survived with her on a desert island, which of course causes Grant much internal. It's a delightfully silly film which ends with Grant dressed up in a Santa Claus outfit wishing Dunne a Merry Christmas in the attic of a mountain cabin. You will have to see the film to understand the whole significance of the scene.
When I wrote much of this in 1986 I noted that I had seen several of my favorite Grant films on the tube. In addition I have been exposed to a number of other Grant films that I was largely unaware of, including DVD's of some earlier and later films. I might note that one film I really enjoyed was "Thirty Day Princess" which starred Silvia Sydney in the key role of an out of work American actress being hired to portray a princess form a ruritarian like country from the Balkans. Her performance is terrific in both roles. Grant plays a newspaper publisher who is much against the Princess's visit, she's here to help float a loan for her impoverished country. After meeting her, played by the out of work actress, Grant falls in love. Edward Arnold plays the wealthy Bank President who is behind the loan.
Back in 1986 there was a lot of controversy over the process of colorizing films which was largely a brain child of Ted Turner of Turner Classic Movies. Fortunately the enthusiasm for this process has largely disappeared. I worried of their attempting to apply it in particular to a dark stark black and white film noir type picture like 'None But the Lonely Heart."
Grant remains a class by himself. Of modern day actors only George Clooney has some of the same charisma. Clooney has worked in a far greater range of productions. He has shown real comedic abilities including spoofing his persona. Cary Grant was once asked about the Cary Grant mystique and he commented, "Everybody wants to be Cary Grant, even I would like to be Cary Grant.
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