It's silly and completely dated, and exactly what we all need right now.
Wonderfully talented Ginger Rogers plays Susan Applegate, a small-town girl trying to make it in the big city of New York - to which I immediately bonded with her over that feeling. After a client makes advances on her, and refuses to take no for an answer, she leaves that seen and the city altogether. However, when she tries to buy a train ticket, she learns that the money she kept for a one-way ticket back home has since increased in price since she moved in New York. Having no other money and trying to come up with a solution, she witnesses a mother purchases less expensive tickets for her underage children. Enter, the minor: Susan quickly alters her attire and her appearance and convinces the ticket seller that she is in fact eligible for the cheaper fare.
Having issues keeping up with her youthful façade, Susan runs from the train conductor who sees the cracks in her story, and she flees into what she thinks is an empty sleeper cabin. Enter, the major. Ray Milland, who I absolutely loved in The Uninvited (1944) skillfully plays Major Philip Kirby. And I say skillfully, because while it does seem odd (especially by 2020 standards) that the Major would suddenly take a strange girl under his wing, the character and storyline is as plausible as you're going to get; and it never once strays over to the creepy side of things.
Though what can you expect when the story was written and directed by Billy Wilder (Double Indemnity [1944]; Sunset Boulevard [1950], etc.); need I say more!! ...Sorry, just have to pause for a moment to reflect in the awesomeness that is Wilder movies....
Major Kirby insists young "Susu" stay with him in his sleeper cabin, as he has an extra bed. This would be the end of the story expect the train is detained from flooding, and Kirby cannot expect a young girl to fend for herself as she tries to get home, can he? He insists she comes with her to the Military Academy where he teaches, and where his fiancé lives with her father (Kirby's commanding officer). The only one to catch-on to Susan's scheme is the fiancé's teenage sister, Lucy - who is far too smart in science and biology to fall for the figure of a grown woman as a young teenager girl. But she agrees to keep Susan's secret as she sees she is falling for Kirby - who also wants to see the engagement ends as her sister is secretly keeping Kirby back in his career but not allowing a transfer to go through.
Again the movie becomes a bit dated as all of the boys at the Academy take a shot a dating Susu, but it's still sweet and endearing, and actually quite funny. Eventually Kirby's fiancé discovers Susan's secret, and threatens to "out" her. Susan tries to have a proper meeting with Kirby to confess to him, but the fiancé stops the meeting and Susan has no choice but to leave and return home. Cut to Susan living quietly at home with her mother (played by Rogers real life mother!) when she receives a call from Kirby advising he'll be in town for a few hours during a stopover to San Diego. Susan keeps up the scheme by acting as her own mother when Kirby arrives for a visit - only to find out that "Susu" is at a school play. He tells the fake Mrs. Applegate that his fiancé married another man, as a man heading off to war as no right to marry - but that one man on his train is meeting his girl in Nevada to get married.
At the station, Kirby waits for his train and sees at the end of the platform, Susan, the real deal Susan. He asks her where she is going, and Susan lovingly tells him that she's heading to Nevada to marry a soldier - if she'll have him. They embrace and kiss, and I actually cheered at the screen.
Monday, April 27, 2020
Thursday, April 23, 2020
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Here's a little confession: movies that tend to be highly rated, or widely known in pop-culture, I try to avoid, because I'm usually disappointed - and that goes for both classic and contemporary films. That is, of course, unless the subject matter or the actors/director appeal to me. Neither is the case with this movie - which leads to me a second confession: I'm really not a big Bogie fan.
The movie follows Humphrey Bogart as Fredd C. Dobbs, an American living in Mexico, begging on the streets to make a living. He eventually meets up with a fellow American sleeping on the park bench, and the two of them go to work on the oil rigs, only to be swindled out of their pay. While staying at a shelter they meet an older man with experience in mining gold. He has the brains, and they have the brawn; and despite the old man warning them that the lure for gold usually ruins men, they set out to pan for gold.
The plan is to split the haul (or "the goods" as they repeatedly say) equally, despite Dobbs putting in most of the money, after winning a local lottery to pay for their equipment and donkeys. Once they start finding gold, they must decide if they split it now and each man is responsible for guarding their own, or if they keep it all together, and only split it once they return to the city. They decide on the former, and for a point in the movie it becomes equally a western, and a psychological study on how the idea of riches changes a man altogether.
Bad guys arrive, there's a shootout, and one guy - a fourth guy that had joined them - dies but the three men press on. At one point the older man is called back to a tribe of natives after he had helped heal a young boy in the tribe, and Dobbs takes off with the loot, shooting and leaving for dead his friend.
The pack of bad guys arrive again, and come upon Dobbs alone and dehydrated. They steal all the donkeys and animal pelts, and the rip up the bags of "goods", dismissing it as nothing but sand. Eventually the nice guy and older guy come upon the body of Dobbs and the empty bags. They cut their loses and head back to the city.
More stuff happens, but I really don't care. It's a Western, and it's a guy's movie and I really didn't like it. In the end, the two left living are able to re-claim at least the pelts they had from their time on the mountain, and can sell those for money. They satisfy themselves with not being rich - the older man deciding to return to the tribe he helped as they now treat him like the kind. The nice guy decides to visit the widow of the nice guy - she does, after all have a fruit tree farm, which is his dream to own.
Blah, blah, the end.
The movie follows Humphrey Bogart as Fredd C. Dobbs, an American living in Mexico, begging on the streets to make a living. He eventually meets up with a fellow American sleeping on the park bench, and the two of them go to work on the oil rigs, only to be swindled out of their pay. While staying at a shelter they meet an older man with experience in mining gold. He has the brains, and they have the brawn; and despite the old man warning them that the lure for gold usually ruins men, they set out to pan for gold.
The plan is to split the haul (or "the goods" as they repeatedly say) equally, despite Dobbs putting in most of the money, after winning a local lottery to pay for their equipment and donkeys. Once they start finding gold, they must decide if they split it now and each man is responsible for guarding their own, or if they keep it all together, and only split it once they return to the city. They decide on the former, and for a point in the movie it becomes equally a western, and a psychological study on how the idea of riches changes a man altogether.
Bad guys arrive, there's a shootout, and one guy - a fourth guy that had joined them - dies but the three men press on. At one point the older man is called back to a tribe of natives after he had helped heal a young boy in the tribe, and Dobbs takes off with the loot, shooting and leaving for dead his friend.
The pack of bad guys arrive again, and come upon Dobbs alone and dehydrated. They steal all the donkeys and animal pelts, and the rip up the bags of "goods", dismissing it as nothing but sand. Eventually the nice guy and older guy come upon the body of Dobbs and the empty bags. They cut their loses and head back to the city.
More stuff happens, but I really don't care. It's a Western, and it's a guy's movie and I really didn't like it. In the end, the two left living are able to re-claim at least the pelts they had from their time on the mountain, and can sell those for money. They satisfy themselves with not being rich - the older man deciding to return to the tribe he helped as they now treat him like the kind. The nice guy decides to visit the widow of the nice guy - she does, after all have a fruit tree farm, which is his dream to own.
Blah, blah, the end.
Try and Get Me (1950)
This movie was originally titled "The Sound Fury", and honestly that is a way better title for this extraordinary movie, and far more fitting. Alternatively, you could add, "If you like Fritz Lang, watch this!"
I recorded this on TCM's Noir Alley, and host Eddie Muller warned it was grim. He added, "if you watch noir as a 'comfort food' film, this will only bring you cold comfort". Now if that isn't intriguing for noir fans, I don't know what is.
This movie is based on a true story from 1933 about two men who kidnapped and murdered a young aristocrat, which dramatically resulted in the last public lynching in California. Fritz's Lang's movie, Fury (1936) is also based on this incident, and is also an amazing film.
Howard Tyler (Frank Lovejoy), is a down on his luck family man with a wife, kid, and one on the way. He meets a con man, Jerry Slocum (played so well by Lloyd Bridges) who is willing to take him on as his driver in some robberies and split the profit - of course Tyler isn't aware in the beginning what type of job he was signing on for. As a viewer you know this guy is sketchy, but putting myself in Tyler's shoes, I can’t blame him for taking the job; the money was desperately needed.
Slocum's heists escalates and without warning Tyler, he kidnaps the son of a wealthy family and tells Tyler he is going to ask for ransom. That's going to be their big score. With no intention of returning the son, Slocum throws his victim down a rocky ledge and bashes his head in on a beach.
The shock of this event causes Tyler to spiral out of control, drink heavily and confess to a lonely woman who is just looking for love and companionship. She takes off and reports Tyler to the police. Once surrounded by the cops, he gives himself up. It's all been too much for Tyler, who never wanted any of this in the first place.
Meanwhile a reporter new to the crime beat has been reporting on the story and writes a series of scathing article about the two men. This sensational story whips people into a fury. The reporter - thanks to his moralistic friend - realizes his one-sided reporting was unfair, but it’s too late. While the both Tyler and Slocum are locked behind bars, a massive lynch mob gathers outside the prison, yelling, wanting to take the matter into their own hands. The crowd manages to muscle their way into the prison, and in the most intense, dramatic, and violent (minus blood and gore - this is 1950) scene I’ve ever seen portrayed in a film. They bust through the jail and drag the two men out of their cells and beat them to death. As a viewer, you are simply at a loss for words. You want justice, but you don’t want this.
This incredible storyline was elevated by superb acting in this movie. Lloyd Bridges transforms seamlessly from a slick con-man, to a caged animal intent to kill. Watching Katherine Locke as Heather Weatherwax, a woman desperately hoping for love is downright awkward - which is actually as it should be. Never once do you dislike Howard Tyler, despite showing so many flaws throughout the movie. It's just altogether so good. A film that should be studied.
I recorded this on TCM's Noir Alley, and host Eddie Muller warned it was grim. He added, "if you watch noir as a 'comfort food' film, this will only bring you cold comfort". Now if that isn't intriguing for noir fans, I don't know what is.
This movie is based on a true story from 1933 about two men who kidnapped and murdered a young aristocrat, which dramatically resulted in the last public lynching in California. Fritz's Lang's movie, Fury (1936) is also based on this incident, and is also an amazing film.
Howard Tyler (Frank Lovejoy), is a down on his luck family man with a wife, kid, and one on the way. He meets a con man, Jerry Slocum (played so well by Lloyd Bridges) who is willing to take him on as his driver in some robberies and split the profit - of course Tyler isn't aware in the beginning what type of job he was signing on for. As a viewer you know this guy is sketchy, but putting myself in Tyler's shoes, I can’t blame him for taking the job; the money was desperately needed.
Slocum's heists escalates and without warning Tyler, he kidnaps the son of a wealthy family and tells Tyler he is going to ask for ransom. That's going to be their big score. With no intention of returning the son, Slocum throws his victim down a rocky ledge and bashes his head in on a beach.
The shock of this event causes Tyler to spiral out of control, drink heavily and confess to a lonely woman who is just looking for love and companionship. She takes off and reports Tyler to the police. Once surrounded by the cops, he gives himself up. It's all been too much for Tyler, who never wanted any of this in the first place.
Meanwhile a reporter new to the crime beat has been reporting on the story and writes a series of scathing article about the two men. This sensational story whips people into a fury. The reporter - thanks to his moralistic friend - realizes his one-sided reporting was unfair, but it’s too late. While the both Tyler and Slocum are locked behind bars, a massive lynch mob gathers outside the prison, yelling, wanting to take the matter into their own hands. The crowd manages to muscle their way into the prison, and in the most intense, dramatic, and violent (minus blood and gore - this is 1950) scene I’ve ever seen portrayed in a film. They bust through the jail and drag the two men out of their cells and beat them to death. As a viewer, you are simply at a loss for words. You want justice, but you don’t want this.
This incredible storyline was elevated by superb acting in this movie. Lloyd Bridges transforms seamlessly from a slick con-man, to a caged animal intent to kill. Watching Katherine Locke as Heather Weatherwax, a woman desperately hoping for love is downright awkward - which is actually as it should be. Never once do you dislike Howard Tyler, despite showing so many flaws throughout the movie. It's just altogether so good. A film that should be studied.
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
This Gun for Hire (1942)
It's a Film Noir, starring Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd. Based on a novel by Graham Greene. One would think this is going to be a memorable movie! But sadly, it has fallen into obscurity in my memory bank. Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised - I know that I've watched another Lake/Ladd movie, The Glass Key (1942) but I also can't tell you what it's about. This was my main reason for starting this blog. I had started a list on my phone of classic movies I love, and those I really enjoyed as well - so I could perhaps revisit those movies some day. But then there are those that are just "okay"; or those that were good, but just not good enough to stick in your memory. A lot of those movies I have found myself recording on TCM a second time, only to turn it on and say to myself "Hey, I've seen this before! I don't remember it, but I know I've seen it!" I want a record of all the movies - good, bad, okay but forgettable. So I'm going to be really lazy here, and just copy and paste the plot of This Gun for Hire from Wikipedia:
In contemporary wartime San Francisco, chemist and blackmailer Albert Baker is killed by hit man Philip Raven, who recovers a stolen chemical formula. Raven is double-crossed by his employer, Willard Gates, who pays him with marked bills and reports them to the Los Angeles Police Department as stolen from his company, Nitro Chemical Corporation of Los Angeles. Raven learns of the setup and decides to get revenge. Police Detective Lieutenant Michael Crane, who is vacationing in San Francisco to visit his girlfriend, nightclub singer Ellen Graham, is immediately assigned the case. He goes after Raven, but the assassin eludes him.
Meanwhile, Gates hires Ellen to work in his Los Angeles nightclub after an audition wherein she sings and performs magic. Then, she is taken to a clandestine meeting with Senator Burnett, where she learns that Gates and Nitro Chemical are under investigation as suspected traitors, and is recruited to spy on Gates. Unknown to each other, Gates and she board a train for Los Angeles, followed by Raven. By chance, Raven and Ellen sit next to each other. The next morning, Gates is alarmed when he sees them asleep with Raven's head on her shoulder. He wires ahead to alert the police, but Raven forces Ellen at gunpoint to help him elude them again. He is about to kill her, but is interrupted by workmen, allowing Ellen to flee. From Gates's club, she tries to contact Crane, but he has left San Francisco to return to Los Angeles.
That evening, the suspicious Gates invites Ellen to his Hollywood mansion, where his chauffeur Tommy knocks her unconscious to set up a fake suicide. Tipped off by Ellen's friend at the club, Crane goes to the mansion looking for Ellen, but Gates has already left. Tommy tells Crane that Ellen has been gone for two hours. While Crane questions Tommy, and makes a phone call to Ellen's hotel, Raven arrives and hides outside, where he sees Tommy discard Ellen's purse, to keep Crane from spotting it. Raven realizes that Ellen is in danger. After Crane leaves, Raven knocks Tommy down a flight of stairs when the chauffeur denies Ellen is still there. Raven searches the house and rescues her. Tommy recovers and warns Gates at his club, where Crane has caught up with him. Raven and Ellen are confronted as they enter the club, so Raven takes her hostage as he flees. She surreptitiously drops monogrammed playing cards as a trail of "breadcrumbs". The police corner them in a railroad yard, but wait for daylight to move in.
Raven reveals to Ellen that he was orphaned at a young age and raised by an abusive aunt. One day, he snapped while she was beating him, and killed her, for which he was imprisoned in reform school; there, he was abused by the other children. She tells him that the formula he recovered was for a poison gas that Nitro is selling to the Japanese and begs him to extract a signed confession instead of killing Gates. Ellen helps Raven escape the dragnet, hoping she has appealed to his patriotism. However, he breaks his promise to her and kills a policeman who had almost managed to capture him to get away.
Raven arrives as Nitro Chemical conducts a gas attack drill and its employees wear gas masks, obscuring their faces. Gates orders Tommy to guard his door. Tommy spots Raven and gives chase, but Raven knocks him out. Raven disguises himself in Tommy's uniform and gas mask to surprise Gates, forcing him to take him to company president Alvin Brewster, the mastermind of the treasonous Nitro sale. Raven barricades himself with them when the police and Ellen arrive, and coerces both into signing a confession. Brewster dies of a heart attack while trying to kill Raven, who then kills Gates. Crane is lowered on a scaffold and exchanges gunfire with Raven, wounding him. Raven passes up the opportunity to kill Crane when he sees Ellen helping the detective. Other police fatally shoot Raven, but he lives long enough to be assured by Ellen that she did not turn him in and that he succeeded in getting the confession.
In contemporary wartime San Francisco, chemist and blackmailer Albert Baker is killed by hit man Philip Raven, who recovers a stolen chemical formula. Raven is double-crossed by his employer, Willard Gates, who pays him with marked bills and reports them to the Los Angeles Police Department as stolen from his company, Nitro Chemical Corporation of Los Angeles. Raven learns of the setup and decides to get revenge. Police Detective Lieutenant Michael Crane, who is vacationing in San Francisco to visit his girlfriend, nightclub singer Ellen Graham, is immediately assigned the case. He goes after Raven, but the assassin eludes him.
Meanwhile, Gates hires Ellen to work in his Los Angeles nightclub after an audition wherein she sings and performs magic. Then, she is taken to a clandestine meeting with Senator Burnett, where she learns that Gates and Nitro Chemical are under investigation as suspected traitors, and is recruited to spy on Gates. Unknown to each other, Gates and she board a train for Los Angeles, followed by Raven. By chance, Raven and Ellen sit next to each other. The next morning, Gates is alarmed when he sees them asleep with Raven's head on her shoulder. He wires ahead to alert the police, but Raven forces Ellen at gunpoint to help him elude them again. He is about to kill her, but is interrupted by workmen, allowing Ellen to flee. From Gates's club, she tries to contact Crane, but he has left San Francisco to return to Los Angeles.
That evening, the suspicious Gates invites Ellen to his Hollywood mansion, where his chauffeur Tommy knocks her unconscious to set up a fake suicide. Tipped off by Ellen's friend at the club, Crane goes to the mansion looking for Ellen, but Gates has already left. Tommy tells Crane that Ellen has been gone for two hours. While Crane questions Tommy, and makes a phone call to Ellen's hotel, Raven arrives and hides outside, where he sees Tommy discard Ellen's purse, to keep Crane from spotting it. Raven realizes that Ellen is in danger. After Crane leaves, Raven knocks Tommy down a flight of stairs when the chauffeur denies Ellen is still there. Raven searches the house and rescues her. Tommy recovers and warns Gates at his club, where Crane has caught up with him. Raven and Ellen are confronted as they enter the club, so Raven takes her hostage as he flees. She surreptitiously drops monogrammed playing cards as a trail of "breadcrumbs". The police corner them in a railroad yard, but wait for daylight to move in.
Raven reveals to Ellen that he was orphaned at a young age and raised by an abusive aunt. One day, he snapped while she was beating him, and killed her, for which he was imprisoned in reform school; there, he was abused by the other children. She tells him that the formula he recovered was for a poison gas that Nitro is selling to the Japanese and begs him to extract a signed confession instead of killing Gates. Ellen helps Raven escape the dragnet, hoping she has appealed to his patriotism. However, he breaks his promise to her and kills a policeman who had almost managed to capture him to get away.
Raven arrives as Nitro Chemical conducts a gas attack drill and its employees wear gas masks, obscuring their faces. Gates orders Tommy to guard his door. Tommy spots Raven and gives chase, but Raven knocks him out. Raven disguises himself in Tommy's uniform and gas mask to surprise Gates, forcing him to take him to company president Alvin Brewster, the mastermind of the treasonous Nitro sale. Raven barricades himself with them when the police and Ellen arrive, and coerces both into signing a confession. Brewster dies of a heart attack while trying to kill Raven, who then kills Gates. Crane is lowered on a scaffold and exchanges gunfire with Raven, wounding him. Raven passes up the opportunity to kill Crane when he sees Ellen helping the detective. Other police fatally shoot Raven, but he lives long enough to be assured by Ellen that she did not turn him in and that he succeeded in getting the confession.
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
The Trouble with Harry (1955)
The "Master of Suspense" produces and directs a comedy...huh? It sounds like the start of a bad joke - and a disaster of a movie. But no, it really happened, and it's really good! So good, that I am actually surprised I had never heard of the movie before.
The comedy is actually a romantic black comedy which stars the charismatic Shirley MacLean in her very first screen role ever - and she does not disappoint. The plot of the movie revolves around a dead body found in the woods (and hilarity ensures!) as Captain Wiles (Edmund Gwenn) is hunting rabbits. Easy going starving artist, Same Marlowe (John Forsythe) comes upon Wiles, and joins in on the plot to cover up the body of the stranger they think the Captain has accidentally shot. The cast of characters also includes an absent minded doctor (who literally stumbles upon the body more than once, but never notices); Miss Gravely a middle-aged wall flower looking for love; shop owner Mrs. Wiggs; her son, the Sheriff, who is trigger happy as he gets paid by the arrest; and Jennifer Rogers (MacLean), a young mom who is new in town. The inter-woven relationships between the characters is funny in itself, but the movie becomes not a who-dunnit, but a who didn't do it as a number of them think they are responsible for the murder!
Wiles thinks he was hit by a stay bullet, until Jennifer's son presents him with the rabbit he actually shot. Jennifer thinks she is responsible after it is revealed that the body is that of her estranged husband, who she hit on the head with a milk bottle after he came to see her. And Miss Gravely is sure she is responsible after she hit him on the head with her spiked hiking boot, after he lunged at her from the woods, already suffering from the dizzying blow from Jennifer. Throughout the day, as events unfold and more is learned about the body and what happened to him, he is dug up and buried several times. With the Sheriff on their tail, they dig up the body for the final time, and bring it to Jennifer's home where he is placed in the bathtub so they can clean him up and place him back on the hill exactly as he was found. During the clean-up process the doctor comes by, and they learn from him that the man died of natural causes.
As if that wasn't enough of a happy ending for this black comedy, a millionaire comes to town and wants to buy all of Marlowe's art. Being the easy-going non-conformist that he is, he doesn't ask for money, but for simples gifts for each of the bonded group of friends. And after just asking Jennifer to marry him, his whispered request is something very practical...a double bed. Tee-hee!
For the record, here is my updated list of favourite Hitchock films:
1. The Birds
2. Rear Window
4. Vertigo
5. Psycho
6. North by Northwest
7. The Trouble with Harry (I can't say that it is my least favorite of all my favourites, but it's hard to compare comedy to suspense)
(Note: I've not seen Rebecca, To Catch a Thief, or Marnie. I have seen Rope, Suspicion, I Confess, and Dial M for Murder, but they do not belong on my list of favourites)
The comedy is actually a romantic black comedy which stars the charismatic Shirley MacLean in her very first screen role ever - and she does not disappoint. The plot of the movie revolves around a dead body found in the woods (and hilarity ensures!) as Captain Wiles (Edmund Gwenn) is hunting rabbits. Easy going starving artist, Same Marlowe (John Forsythe) comes upon Wiles, and joins in on the plot to cover up the body of the stranger they think the Captain has accidentally shot. The cast of characters also includes an absent minded doctor (who literally stumbles upon the body more than once, but never notices); Miss Gravely a middle-aged wall flower looking for love; shop owner Mrs. Wiggs; her son, the Sheriff, who is trigger happy as he gets paid by the arrest; and Jennifer Rogers (MacLean), a young mom who is new in town. The inter-woven relationships between the characters is funny in itself, but the movie becomes not a who-dunnit, but a who didn't do it as a number of them think they are responsible for the murder!
Wiles thinks he was hit by a stay bullet, until Jennifer's son presents him with the rabbit he actually shot. Jennifer thinks she is responsible after it is revealed that the body is that of her estranged husband, who she hit on the head with a milk bottle after he came to see her. And Miss Gravely is sure she is responsible after she hit him on the head with her spiked hiking boot, after he lunged at her from the woods, already suffering from the dizzying blow from Jennifer. Throughout the day, as events unfold and more is learned about the body and what happened to him, he is dug up and buried several times. With the Sheriff on their tail, they dig up the body for the final time, and bring it to Jennifer's home where he is placed in the bathtub so they can clean him up and place him back on the hill exactly as he was found. During the clean-up process the doctor comes by, and they learn from him that the man died of natural causes.
As if that wasn't enough of a happy ending for this black comedy, a millionaire comes to town and wants to buy all of Marlowe's art. Being the easy-going non-conformist that he is, he doesn't ask for money, but for simples gifts for each of the bonded group of friends. And after just asking Jennifer to marry him, his whispered request is something very practical...a double bed. Tee-hee!
For the record, here is my updated list of favourite Hitchock films:
1. The Birds
2. Rear Window
4. Vertigo
5. Psycho
6. North by Northwest
7. The Trouble with Harry (I can't say that it is my least favorite of all my favourites, but it's hard to compare comedy to suspense)
(Note: I've not seen Rebecca, To Catch a Thief, or Marnie. I have seen Rope, Suspicion, I Confess, and Dial M for Murder, but they do not belong on my list of favourites)
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Westworld (1973)
Okay, so this is not a movie from the Golden Age of Hollywood, but it is from a time before I was born, and I watched it on TCM, so it counts for this blog.
At this point in time, in 2020, most people are familiar with the HBO series, Westworld, which is also based on the Michael Crichton novel. I honestly had lowered my expectations for the movie, mostly because it was made in the '70s, but also because I wasn't sure how it would stand up to the technology of today and the story telling HBO is famous for. But the thing I love about a movie over a series, is there is a proper beginning and ending, just as the novel intended. And since Crichton wrote and directed this movie adaptation of this book, I'm guessing that it is more true to the book.
Unlike a lot of movies I've attempted to watch from the '70s, this movie packed a punch - it was action filled, and the action and dialogue had very little hint of cheese. Like the show, the movie starts with two colleagues heading to Western World, or Westworld; a fantastic amusement park in the future, only accessible to the super rich. Unlike the show, we get glimpses into the other nearby parks, Medieval World, and Roman World. The resorts three worlds are an immersive experience with robots that look, act, sound, and feel just like humans.
And if you've read as much historical sci-fi as I have, you'll know this is never good. There will never be an ending where robots and humans live happily ever after. This is a story I will never tire of!
The two colleagues explore Westworld, and do the things one would expect: drink a lot of whiskey, play cards, play with brothel women, get in fights, ride horses, get in fights while riding horses, etc. But they are unaware that there is a wrench in the gears of these theme parks. The robots are programmed to not be able to harm a human - and their guns can likewise not activate and kill a human. The colleagues however, are chased out of the western town and into the desert by a gunslinger dressed in black that seems to take issue every day by the fact that they killed him. And when a robot snake lunges and bites one of them, you can bet this is foreshadowing for what is to come.
Using infrared scanners, the gunslinger chases one of them (after killing the other) throughout all of the parks. A splash of acid slows the gunslinger down, but doesn't stop him. His battery is fully charged, after all. The only thing that can stop a robot with infrared sight is fire, and the theme part guest figures this out, and definitely fights fire with fire. This movie is absolutely worth a watch, whether you are a fan of the TV show or not.
At this point in time, in 2020, most people are familiar with the HBO series, Westworld, which is also based on the Michael Crichton novel. I honestly had lowered my expectations for the movie, mostly because it was made in the '70s, but also because I wasn't sure how it would stand up to the technology of today and the story telling HBO is famous for. But the thing I love about a movie over a series, is there is a proper beginning and ending, just as the novel intended. And since Crichton wrote and directed this movie adaptation of this book, I'm guessing that it is more true to the book.
Unlike a lot of movies I've attempted to watch from the '70s, this movie packed a punch - it was action filled, and the action and dialogue had very little hint of cheese. Like the show, the movie starts with two colleagues heading to Western World, or Westworld; a fantastic amusement park in the future, only accessible to the super rich. Unlike the show, we get glimpses into the other nearby parks, Medieval World, and Roman World. The resorts three worlds are an immersive experience with robots that look, act, sound, and feel just like humans.
And if you've read as much historical sci-fi as I have, you'll know this is never good. There will never be an ending where robots and humans live happily ever after. This is a story I will never tire of!
The two colleagues explore Westworld, and do the things one would expect: drink a lot of whiskey, play cards, play with brothel women, get in fights, ride horses, get in fights while riding horses, etc. But they are unaware that there is a wrench in the gears of these theme parks. The robots are programmed to not be able to harm a human - and their guns can likewise not activate and kill a human. The colleagues however, are chased out of the western town and into the desert by a gunslinger dressed in black that seems to take issue every day by the fact that they killed him. And when a robot snake lunges and bites one of them, you can bet this is foreshadowing for what is to come.
Using infrared scanners, the gunslinger chases one of them (after killing the other) throughout all of the parks. A splash of acid slows the gunslinger down, but doesn't stop him. His battery is fully charged, after all. The only thing that can stop a robot with infrared sight is fire, and the theme part guest figures this out, and definitely fights fire with fire. This movie is absolutely worth a watch, whether you are a fan of the TV show or not.
The Mask of Dimitrios (1944)
They saying goes, 'Don't judge a book by its cover', so I will also add: don't judge a movie by its title. I had recorded this movie several months prior to actually watching it, because frankly, it sounded more like a cheesy action movie than the noir it was supposed to be. The title is horrible; the movie is great. But really, I should have just known this by its main cast: Peter Lorre mystery writer, Cornelius Leyden; and Sydney Greenstreet as Mr. Peters, who Leyden meets on his journey to unravel a mystery.
While visiting Istanbul, Leyden meets a Police Officer and fan of his work, who tells him about the real-life mystery of a body that as washed up on the beach. The body is alleged to be that of famed criminal Dimitrios Makropoulos, which fascinates Leyden and sends him on a journey to discover the truth behind the mystery. As Leyden journeys through Europe, we meet a host of characters that knew Dimitrios - each telling Leyden sordid tales, and each linking Leyden to the next character in his journey. This is how he meets Mr. Peters, who is not convinced Dimitrios is dead, and in fact plans on blackmailing him. He tries to cut Leyden into the deal, but Leyden only wants the truth. As a viewer, and fan of Lorre, I was afraid he would easily get sucked into the scheme and get in over his head. But Leyden holds his own throughout the story, in a very soft, unassuming way. It's so enjoyable to watch.
The stories each character in Leyden's journey twist and weave into a thrilling tales of double-crossing, state secrets crime and gambling; and eventually Leyden and Mr. Peters track down the very much alive Dimitrios in Paris. Dimitrios pays Mr. Peters off to keep his secrets, but later tracks Mr. Peters down and tries to kill him. A shoot-out ensues and Mr. Peters sends Leyden away to avoid the violence. In the hallway Leyden hears gunshots, and the police arrive. Mr. Peters comes out of his hotel room and confesses to killing Dimitrios, as he is in fact quite satisfied by this accomplishment. So satisfied, that as the police take him away, Mr. Peters asks Leyden to write this story as his next mystery book and send him a copy in prison. Such a great and satisfactory ending. I loved it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)