tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66741555689535056522024-03-14T01:16:46.032-05:00Virtual ViragoClassic movies, literature, and popular culture - welcome to my world!Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.comBlogger656125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-30199073160818946032024-03-08T16:45:00.000-06:002024-03-08T16:45:25.284-06:00Rough and Dirty Girlhood in ANNIE (1982)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkexmw55PXlWEEcDZdu-au6GwRyNiphMJmXunS3Kn5aESzESqWccljEHkmw9fRUbwXf_8opchPUILX-37XQi4EQW7s2_XZzJk2UU5PVMpUV69hRpRv-jYmTWz7O-QDvbkcPz1HlRw617zgBCsfRf5v30g5mwWTpNHUGe5fhcBmQQ4qtgT9FvW1Kuk6b_k/s347/Annie%2082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkexmw55PXlWEEcDZdu-au6GwRyNiphMJmXunS3Kn5aESzESqWccljEHkmw9fRUbwXf_8opchPUILX-37XQi4EQW7s2_XZzJk2UU5PVMpUV69hRpRv-jYmTWz7O-QDvbkcPz1HlRw617zgBCsfRf5v30g5mwWTpNHUGe5fhcBmQQ4qtgT9FvW1Kuk6b_k/s320/Annie%2082.jpg" width="203" /></a></div>In his <a href="https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/annie-1982" target="_blank">original review</a> of the 1982 film musical, Roger Ebert offers qualified - and often rather faint - praise for <i>Annie</i> but says he doesn't know if kids will actually like the movie. Ebert doesn't find the story's heroine very compelling or believable, but it's noteworthy that all of the other child characters and performers he mentions in comparison are boys: Oliver Twist in <i>Oliver!</i> (1968), Henry Thomas in <i>E.T.</i> (1982), and Ricky Shroder in general. I recently rewatched <i>Annie</i>, and I have a very different perspective on the picture from the late, great reviewer, having actually been a ten year old girl (the same age as Annie herself) when I first saw the movie in theaters in 1982. While certain elements have aged poorly or lack the same appeal they had when I was a child, I can still see why my younger sister and I were so thoroughly charmed by the spunky heroine and her fellow orphans that we belted out "Tomorrow" incessantly and even got dolls of some of the characters. Yes, we were kids who liked <i>Annie</i>, and although we enjoyed the music and the adult characters very much, what really appealed to us was the depiction of girlhood as we experienced it, a rough and dirty childhood full of fights, conflict, and unbrushed hair.<p></p><p>Our culture as a whole has long imagined girls as more or less the opposite of boys. Girls are dear little things who play with dolls while waiting to grow up into loving wives and mothers. Even when they're protagonists and not merely supporting characters, most of them have to be pretty, kind, and generally well-behaved as models of permissible girl behavior. Shirley Temple, the quintessential "little girl" of Hollywood, wins everyone over with her dimpled sweetness, and even Alice and Dorothy are depicted as very "proper" girls in most of their film and TV adaptations (when their girlhood is not erased entirely by making them teenagers or even adults). There are exceptions, of course, like the <i>Little House on the Prairie</i> books and TV series, but celebrated girl-centered stories are harder to come by than stories about boys, and stories about groups of young girls (not marriageable young women) are even rarer.</p><p><i>Annie</i> dispenses with all of those well-worn stereotypes about who and what girls are, replacing the usual sugar and spice with Depression era spunk. It's both a girl's version of <i>Oliver Twist</i> and a prepubescent take on <i>Gold Diggers of 1933 </i>(1933), with a scrappy crew of orphan girls trying to survive by their wits, camaraderie, and sheer stubbornness. Imagine the delight my little sister and I experienced seeing these dirty, grumpy, combative girls playing tricks on Miss Hannigan (Carol Burnett) and fighting amongst themselves just like we often did, much to our mother's dismay. We were girls who played outside, got dirty, tore our clothes, and only brushed our hair under duress. Annie and her friends provided a rare chance to see girls who looked and acted like us on the big screen, and we loved them for it. It helped that they weren't preternaturally cute or beautiful, like so many of the little and big girls Hollywood showcases. Mop wig aside, Aileen Quinn's Annie seemed like a kid we'd like to know, even if we felt disappointed that she had to be rescued by adults in the final act. We were hoping she'd kick Tim Curry's Rooster right off the top of the train bridge and send him screaming to his death, but at least she tore up the ill-gotten check and made her initial escape all by herself, while her friends persevered in their race to uncover the villains' deception.</p><p>In the decades since <i>Annie</i>, Hollywood movies have made some progress in telling stories about girls, especially in films like <i>Matilda </i>(1996), but Japan's Hiyao Miyazaki has done far better with <i>My Neighbor Totoro</i> (1988), <i>Kiki's Delivery Service</i> (1989), <i>Spirited Away</i> (2001), and <i>Howl's Moving Castle </i>(2004), just to name a few of the Studio Ghibli movies to center the experiences of young girls as interesting and not idealized characters. Women film reviewers, however, are still well aware of the dearth of great movies about young girls, as Anya Jaremko-Greenwold opines in the 2016 <i>Atlantic</i> essay, "<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/06/why-its-so-hard-to-make-great-films-forand-aboutgirls/486269/" target="_blank">Why Hollywood Doesn't Tell More Stories for - and About - Girls</a>." Given that Hollywood still doesn't make many movies like <i>Annie</i>, I'm glad that today's little girls can see the 1982 version in spite of its dated elements. Maybe, at this very moment, some stubborn little girl with tangled pigtails and a dirty face is watching the movie on Netflix as the orphans sing "It's the Hard Knock Life" and delighting in the vision of girls who look and act like her.</p><p>Related Posts:</p><p>"<a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-life-at-movies.html" target="_blank">My Life at the Movies</a>" (2011)</p><p>"<a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2018/09/high-school-movies-then-and-now.html" target="_blank">High School Movies, Then and Now</a>" (2018)<br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-66171483246555708722024-02-25T15:11:00.000-06:002024-02-25T15:11:09.970-06:00Modern Movies: HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (2022)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JfWbKVcy_HXjC-xw-UhfZCKGSmQ4f79OQw-67qKRLD7hYHTHfDNUrM0x3_UFGNwAmwc7rSZ9XfpvAfdhBMchxbfsxJV9gIZxNo2KZccZXojk4e3b9DcraZ-z3_gnvGEJGOruq-woCDgrRBqeCy1IWrMKT8dkmo2PNcfpmbz_Auk5yykT3cdtVb_1SO0/s3000/Hundreds%20of%20Beavers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JfWbKVcy_HXjC-xw-UhfZCKGSmQ4f79OQw-67qKRLD7hYHTHfDNUrM0x3_UFGNwAmwc7rSZ9XfpvAfdhBMchxbfsxJV9gIZxNo2KZccZXojk4e3b9DcraZ-z3_gnvGEJGOruq-woCDgrRBqeCy1IWrMKT8dkmo2PNcfpmbz_Auk5yykT3cdtVb_1SO0/s320/Hundreds%20of%20Beavers.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>I often tell people that I love "weird movies," and <i>Hundreds of Beavers</i> (2022) is definitely one of the weirdest, wackiest, and most purely delightful movies I have seen in a long time. This festival darling from Mike Cheslik (writer and director) and Ryland Brickson Cole Tews (writer and star) puts silent comedy, Looney Tunes cartoons, and modern video games into a blender to create an absurdist masterpiece with gags flying by at a breakneck pace for the entire 108 minute run of the picture. If you have the opportunity to see <i>Hundreds of Beavers</i> in a theater, you should skip this review and hurry out the door, but for those who - like me - have to make elaborate travel plans to see indie festival flicks, here's my review to encourage you to book the hotel and gas up the car (or at least make sure you track this one down when it hits streaming or physical media release).<p></p><p>Ryland Brickson Cole Tews plays the hapless Jean Kayak, whose boozy good times making and selling applejack abruptly end when beavers destroy his business. Forced to survive in the relentlessly cold winter, Jean learns by painful trial and error to hunt the beavers and other local critters (all played by actors in cartoonish costumes). He's encouraged in his efforts by an old Master Trapper (Wes Tank) and the attractive furrier (Olivia Graves), but as it turns out the beavers have much more grandiose plans than general mischief against the local humans.</p><p>There's so much going on in addition to this basic narrative that it's hard to know where to start, but try to imagine Tex Avery directing <i>Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) </i>with Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton in the starring role and you might begin to get the idea. The movie owes a lot to silent comedy, with many scenes evoking <i>The Gold Rush</i> (1925) thanks to the setting but also <i>Modern Times</i> (1936) and any of the Keystone Cops pictures. There are sight gags and stunts Keaton would love, especially the more meta examples like the holes that dot the landscape or the elaborate Rube Goldberg traps Jean builds. Watching the movie is often like watching someone play a puzzle game (I found myself especially thinking of the 1996 classic, The Neverhood), and the video game vibe is enhanced by action scenes that recall Frogger, Donkey Kong, and other iconic games as well as the intentionally flat and artificial backgrounds against which these scenes occur. <br /></p><p>As funny as Cheslik and the other actors are in the human roles - and they are very funny, indeed - the "animals" in the movie are absolutely uproarious, and presenting the story this way is a brilliant stroke that effectively separates us from any expectation of a moral. I won't spoil the dozens of hilarious bits, but a few of my favorites include the two detective beavers, the melodramatic story of the rabbit family, the poker playing sled dogs, and the horse. There are also several delightful puppets to represent smaller animals, including a frog, some fish, and a very annoying woodpecker. Whenever you think the movie has surely reached peak absurdity, it raises the ante again, much to the whooping delight of the audience with whom I saw it. Because it's so maniacally silly, older children will almost certainly love it, but I should add that there's a brief pole dancing scene, a fair bit of sexual innuendo and imagery, and a<i> lot</i> of scatological humor, in addition to non-stop cartoon violence. It's all in service to the comedy, but it's important to consider your own tolerance or that of your children before taking anyone under 12 to see it. There was at least one kid who was about 10 in our small audience, and I could hear him laughing even louder than the adults throughout the movie.</p><p>If you want to learn more about <i>Hundreds of Beavers</i> or find the nearest theater screening, head over to the <a href="https://hundredsofbeavers.com/" target="_blank">official website</a>. A Blu-ray release is planned for Summer 2024, and the movie will stream on Fandor starting in the spring. I will definitely be buying a copy of the movie so that I can see it again and force all of my friends to watch it. <br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-75923027289708705072024-02-08T20:00:00.001-06:002024-02-08T20:00:46.918-06:00Classic Films in Focus: MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (1945)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSFMuVmlMKdgJNIaPPMAUA-MSzPqMY7hC934_5I31_5X0Zm4nPOp-JHJn3wlHohnom2o73DAZ6q1fui5-sdqzHFU2gqG2rJYmuyldVy6SaJathbeX1cVKCg8sUlRMBI4QHPMtZkUpA_iyDvYGg9ZDGxKKVUZYbk0rDeUz5SYXiAULo4_VL0MBgYjUGeE/s334/Julia%20Ross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSFMuVmlMKdgJNIaPPMAUA-MSzPqMY7hC934_5I31_5X0Zm4nPOp-JHJn3wlHohnom2o73DAZ6q1fui5-sdqzHFU2gqG2rJYmuyldVy6SaJathbeX1cVKCg8sUlRMBI4QHPMtZkUpA_iyDvYGg9ZDGxKKVUZYbk0rDeUz5SYXiAULo4_VL0MBgYjUGeE/s320/Julia%20Ross.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>Director Joseph H. Lewis is best remembered today for his influential noir classic, <i>Gun Crazy</i> (1950), but he also brings great tension to <i>My Name is Julia Ross</i> (1945), an atmospheric thriller from Columbia Pictures that stars Nina Foch as the titular heroine. Despite its modern day setting, Julia's story revels in Gothic trappings, with an imprisoned and imperiled protagonist who endures extreme gaslighting at the hands of her kidnappers. Fans of <i>Gaslight</i> (either the 1940 or the 1944 version) and more traditional Gothic fare will find a lot to appreciate in this tight, well-acted production, including especially sinister performances from Dame May Whitty and a barely restrained George Macready.<p></p><p>Foch plays the penniless but determined Julia Ross, who lands a seemingly perfect job as the live-in secretary of wealthy Mrs. Hughes (May Whitty). Julia is too relieved to worry at questions about her being absolutely without friends or family, but she realizes the awful truth when she awakens from a drugged slumber to find herself transported to Cornwall and declared to be the mentally ill wife of Ralph Hughes (George Macready). Luckily, Julia's aspiring love interest, Dennis (Roland Varno), is searching for her while Julia repeatedly tries to escape before Ralph and his mother can carry out their nefarious plans.</p><p>The success of the whole picture depends on its heroine, and Nina Foch makes Julia active and appealing in spite of her damsel in distress situation. Foch's long career included a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role in <i>Executive Suite</i> (1954), but she never became a top star, which seems a shame considering her energetic performance here. Foch is beautiful in a wide-eyed but spirited way, definitely not the kind of girl to surrender meekly to villainous schemes, no matter how many times the Hughes family tries to convince Julia that she's Marion Hughes. Our heroine might be naive enough to jump at the sudden job offer, but she's never passive or resigned to her fate. Ironically, Julia's constant efforts to escape and tell someone about her situation only support the Hughes' claim that she's insane, but Julia manages to outsmart them enough to get a letter out to Dennis. Part of the fun of the movie lies in waiting to see what Julia will try next, whether she's hiding in cars, looking for secret passages, or pretending that she really believes she might be Marion Hughes.</p><p>Most of the other important characters present threats to Julia's well-being, and each is interesting in his or her own fashion. Julia's chief antagonist is the unflappable Mrs. Hughes, played with sly menace by Dame May Whitty. Whitty is a fun choice for the role because she doesn't <i>seem</i> like a villain even when she's blatantly plotting Julia's demise. The mother provides a stark contrast to the psychopath son, Ralph, who has already murdered the original Marion and clearly yearns to kill again. Only Mrs. Hughes can control him, and one wonders how long that can last, given the number of sharp objects she has to confiscate from Ralph over the course of the picture. The criminal pair have ample assistance from their most trusted servants, especially Sparkes (Anita Bolster), who poses as the employment agent and ensures that the newer servants spread gossip about "Marion Hughes" being insane. She's a great example of the <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-housekeeper-in-gothic-film-tradition.html" target="_blank">sinister housekeeper</a> so quintessential in the Gothic genre, and Bolster has a perfect face for the role.</p><p>My only real complaint about <i>My Name is Julia Ross</i> relates to the abrupt and overly tidy ending, which turns a blind eye to the extremity of Julia's ordeal. Compare that with the endings of <i>Gaslight</i> or <i>Notorious</i> (1946), in which the heroines are clearly going to need to work through some heavy post-traumatic stress. For more of the lovely Nina Foch, see <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/06/classic-films-in-focus-return-of.html" target="_blank">The Return of the Vampire</a></i> (1943), in which Roland Varno also plays her love interest, <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/09/classic-films-in-focus-american-in.html" target="_blank"><i>An American in Paris</i></a> (1951), or <i>Illegal</i> (1955). She also appears in both <i>The Ten Commandments</i> (1956) and <i>Spartacus</i> (1960). Dame May Whitty earned Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominations for <i>Night Must Fall</i> (1937) and <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2018/01/classic-films-in-focus-mrs-miniver-1942.html" target="_blank">Mrs. Miniver</a> </i>(1942), but she has memorable roles in <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/06/classic-films-in-focus-lady-vanishes.html" target="_blank">The Lady Vanishes</a></i> (1938), <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/12/classic-films-in-focus-suspicion-1941.html" target="_blank"><i>Suspicion</i></a> (1941), and <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/06/classic-films-in-focus-gaslight-1944.html" target="_blank">Gaslight</a></i> (1944). Don't miss George Macready in <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search?q=gilda" target="_blank">Gilda</a></i> (1946), which is probably his most important film. <br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-29096033148429303122024-01-30T14:17:00.001-06:002024-01-30T14:17:49.239-06:00The Colors of Contagion in JEZEBEL (1938)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vVw9Gh9FAP3fPv4f55E3YjYGqyExuliS1fT5ZOwpaayIAijgmcV5c4TeX2265FLz3wFSGSj8ylFSlCR48jbVN6hfxjC3gag41NpCq5pk3YX-Xh0WRbvfbKFi6p8AK93rGUb7mi9S7ucyPcvp5u97EvJfayhWczdoRag7Sm8wNeg38b6wYL6drq30ycg/s2936/Jezebel%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2936" data-original-width="1917" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vVw9Gh9FAP3fPv4f55E3YjYGqyExuliS1fT5ZOwpaayIAijgmcV5c4TeX2265FLz3wFSGSj8ylFSlCR48jbVN6hfxjC3gag41NpCq5pk3YX-Xh0WRbvfbKFi6p8AK93rGUb7mi9S7ucyPcvp5u97EvJfayhWczdoRag7Sm8wNeg38b6wYL6drq30ycg/s320/Jezebel%201.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>Bette Davis won her second Academy Award for Best Actress for the Civil War melodrama, <i>Jezebel</i> (1938), which took advantage of the cultural mania over <i>Gone with the Wind</i> by using many of the same plot elements and beating the 1939 blockbuster to theaters. Like <i>Gone with the Wind</i>, <i>Jezebel</i> tells the story of a spoiled, headstrong Southern belle who pines for the love of a married man, and the two pictures also share problematic visions of the antebellum South and slavery that perpetuate fantasies about happy plantations with graceful ladies in hoop skirts. The films even share the same composer, the great Max Steiner. <i>Gone with the Wind</i>, however, boasts one very important advantage over <i>Jezebel</i> because it had the time and budget to be a lavish Technicolor spectacle, while <i>Jezebel</i> unfolds in cheaper, faster black and white. The lack of color onscreen is particularly ironic for <i>Jezebel</i> as it's very much a story <i>about</i> color, specifically the sexually charged red of the scandalous dress Davis' heroine wears but also the deadly yellow of the fever outbreak that dominates the film's second half. In both cases, <i>Jezebel</i> connects color with contagion, something that spreads and infects the simple black and white world around it and thus should be avoided at all costs.<p></p><p>Davis plays Julie Marsden, a wealthy and temperamental young woman living in New Orleans before the start of the Civil War. Julie loves her prim suitor, Preston (Henry Fonda), but she also loves getting her own way, and she retaliates when Pres chooses business over pleasure by making a spectacle of herself at the Olympus Ball, which causes Pres to break off their engagement. One year later, Pres returns with his Northern bride, Amy (Margaret Lindsay), and Julie is once again torn between her love for Pres and her desire to stir up trouble for the sake of revenge. Julie is finally forced to reckon with her transgressions when Pres becomes one of the thousands suffering from yellow fever and in danger of being quarantined to a desolate leper colony.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBwS_TT09ZoDZGpm2n3wtqClvdv2djNYwB_vRXFz1yB6-3PbhNOgsix0Ju1H6yz1QaTwdgCz2pwhGjTjDZkO5RvfYQ96T4AShwwN14ca6-E3MHSK2cVqiaD7bToC409sEJbwtqhskUxfusskz-S9PM1mr2GbElq8oKLgwBtGzlcZSddCdRW8tNR7bqjg/s268/Jezebel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="182" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBwS_TT09ZoDZGpm2n3wtqClvdv2djNYwB_vRXFz1yB6-3PbhNOgsix0Ju1H6yz1QaTwdgCz2pwhGjTjDZkO5RvfYQ96T4AShwwN14ca6-E3MHSK2cVqiaD7bToC409sEJbwtqhskUxfusskz-S9PM1mr2GbElq8oKLgwBtGzlcZSddCdRW8tNR7bqjg/s1600/Jezebel.jpg" width="182" /></a></div>The first, and most memorable, contagious color is red, the shade of the inappropriate dress Julie wears to the Olympus Ball, where all unmarried young ladies are expected to wear white. In the movie we can't actually see a red dress, only a dark one, but the characters discuss its vulgarity and shocking color at length. The dressmaker tells Julie and her Aunt Belle (Fay Bainter) that the gown was made for a local woman of ill repute, but this information only strengthens Julie's perverse desire to wear it to a ball intended to celebrate the virginal purity of young ladies of her station. Julie's plan to punish Pres backfires when he grimly insists on parading her around the ball, where everyone recoils from her in horror. The camera looks down from above to show us Pres and Julie dancing while girls in white dresses fly away from them, fearful of being associated with such disregard for convention and the sexual knowledge that the red dress strongly suggests. In this scene, it is Julie herself who is contagious, contaminating the reputation of everyone close to her. She has very literally made herself a scarlet woman, although she is thoughtless and perhaps naive enough not to realize the implications of her appearance. Pres, who understands the extent of her transgression, dares anyone to insult her because he still feels obligated by their social code to duel to the death in her defense, but after the ball he breaks with her and leaves town. Julie is so struck by his rejection and her own humiliation that she becomes something of a hermit for the next year, waiting at home with her white dress ready for the day Pres returns, but Julie doesn't realize how permanently she has contaminated their relationship. <p></p><p>In the second half of the story, yellow replaces red as the contagious color, this time a color of fever and death. New Orleans and its surrounding areas succumb to a yellow fever outbreak, which people in the 19th century believed to be spread from person to person (as opposed to being spread by infected mosquitos). The film shows the audience that Pres is, indeed, bitten by an infected mosquito in a small but crucial moment at Julie's plantation outside the city, but the other characters only know that yellow fever is highly contagious and terrifying. Their fear is compounded by the city's decree that every known sufferer be exiled to an island normally used as a leper colony, where the chance of survival is almost nonexistent. Julie rushes to New Orleans to tend Pres, even though she might be shot for sneaking across the quarantine lines, but her desire to shake off her moral contamination is stronger than her fear of viral contagion. Julie argues with Amy for the right to accompany Pres to the fatal island; although Amy is Pres' wife, Julie needs the redemption her sacrifice can offer. She begs Amy, "Help me make myself clean again as you are clean. Let me prove myself worthy of the love I bear him." Ironically, one form of contagion counteracts the other; her willingness to embrace death by yellow fever serves to atone for Julie's moral contamination as embodied by the red dress. Julie wins the argument and is last seen in a wagon rolling away toward exile, suffering, and almost certain doom, very like Sidney Carton at the end of <i>A Tale of Two Cities</i>. In many ways it's a conventional ending for a woman who crosses the moral and sexual boundaries of her culture, whether she exists in the 19th century or under the tight control of the Hays Code. Julie, however, makes a triumph of her martyrdom because she believes that dying with Pres is better than living without him, and her sacrifice means that she will be remembered for her heroic final act rather than her many sins. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSn-mzYe7bZq8Dvtn3wquTQAK91UFW9xAY7lKtfAoxZ_Z2Z5vYcPkfmU1rVdwgYvJ5j9Q7jP9f08zxoEEtzZqzQd5iQo36sUu1GRE4xMMO3bXiegoIJ-6e6bVoJfMMI2WGqPCvuRBJhagjdcqxNr8HbbUoVZ891K5_Dm1QjtSN3DBFRsgvc9LcYcslCew/s531/Jezebel%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSn-mzYe7bZq8Dvtn3wquTQAK91UFW9xAY7lKtfAoxZ_Z2Z5vYcPkfmU1rVdwgYvJ5j9Q7jP9f08zxoEEtzZqzQd5iQo36sUu1GRE4xMMO3bXiegoIJ-6e6bVoJfMMI2WGqPCvuRBJhagjdcqxNr8HbbUoVZ891K5_Dm1QjtSN3DBFRsgvc9LcYcslCew/s320/Jezebel%202.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>While neither color actually appears on the screen, red and yellow dominate the imagination of the viewer as <i>Jezebel</i> unfolds, and both signal danger and contagion to the inhabitants of the film's world. Director William Wyler and cinematographer Ernest Haller skillfully evoke the effects of the red dress and yellow fever, but it would have been fascinating to see how those two fatal hues could have been used in a color production. One need only think of the iconic use of red in <i>Black Narcissus</i> (1947) and <i>The Red Shoes</i> (1948) or the way that color enhances every shot in <i>Gone with the Wind</i>. For more of Bette in black and white, watch <i>Dark Victory</i> (1939), <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/11/classic-films-in-focus-letter-1940.html" target="_blank"><i>The Letter</i></a> (1940), and <i>Now, Voyager</i> (1942). If you're interested in seeing period melodramas in lavish color, check out <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/09/classic-films-in-focus-blanche-fury-1948.html" target="_blank">Blanche Fury</a></i> (1948) or <i>Raintree County</i> (1955). According to an <a href="https://catalog.lib.msu.edu/Record/folio.in00005663460/Details">interview with Robert Osborne</a>, Bette Davis herself preferred black and white to Technicolor, but you can see her in color in movies like <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/11/classic-films-in-focus-private-lives-of.html" target="_blank">The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex</a></i> (1939), <i>The Virgin Queen</i> (1955), and <i>The Whales of August</i> (1987).<p></p><p> </p><p>* If you like my posts here, you can read more in my <a href="https://www.classicmoviehub.com/blog/author/jennifer-garlen/" target="_blank">Silver Screen Standards</a> column for Classic Movie Hub!<br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-13120093781901583832024-01-01T14:01:00.000-06:002024-01-01T14:01:13.669-06:002023 Movie Log in Review<p>Happy New Year! Here's hoping that 2024 brings you good moments and many great movies. It's time again to look back at the last year of my movie viewing and make the final tally of films watched. My classic movie choices for 2023 were heavily affected by the many great collections on the Criterion Channel last year, and I'm looking forward to another year of old favorites and new discoveries there. Most of the other streaming services continue to be useless for classic films, but I watched quite a few new movies on them. Visits to the theater continue to be low compared to pre-pandemic numbers; we saw a few new releases on the big screen this year - including super hit <i>Barbie</i> - but in general it just wasn't worth the cost and hassle, especially after we were accosted by a drunk/high and very noisy audience member at <i>Dungeons and Dragons</i>. Much of my energy in 2023 went to work on a forthcoming anthology of feminist essays about <i>Star Trek</i>, so I spent a lot of time rewatching episodes and films from that iconic franchise (more about that later!). </p><p>Here's the monthly breakdown for every movie I watched at home or elsewhere in 2023.<br /></p><p><b>January</b></p><p>The Woman on the Beach (1947) <br /></p><p>Francis (1950)</p><p>Forbidden Planet (1956)</p><p>The Nice Guys (2016)</p><p>Love is News (1937)</p><p>Honor Society (2023)</p><p>Theodora Goes Wild (1936)</p><p>Big Brown Eyes (1936)</p><p>The Pale Blue Eye (2023)</p><p>Dead of Night (1945)</p><p>Goldeneye (1995)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>February</b></p><p>The Unknown (1927)</p><p>Pillow Talk (1959)</p><p>Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)</p><p>Harvey (1950)</p><p>The Suspect (1944)</p><p>The World is Not Enough (1999)</p><p>Rosaline (2022)</p><p>The Sound of 007 (2022)</p><p>Lover Come Back (1961)</p><p>Phantom Lady (1944)</p><p>A View to a Kill (1985)</p><p>Send Me No Flowers (1964)</p><p>For Your Eyes Only (1981)</p><p>The Queen of Spades (1949)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>March</b></p><p>Dancing Lady (1933)</p><p>The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964)</p><p>The Princess Bride (1987)</p><p>42nd Street (1933)</p><p>The Heroic Trio (1993)</p><p>Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)</p><p>Antman: Quantumania (2023)</p><p>Clue (1985)</p><p>Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022)</p><p>Thunder on the Hill (1951)</p><p>Prom Pact (2023)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>April</b></p><p>Sky High (2005)</p><p>The Importance of Being Earnest (1951)</p><p>A Woman's Face (1941)</p><p>Grease 2 (1982)</p><p>Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)</p><p>Magic (1978)</p><p> </p><p><b>May</b> (my kid graduated from college and we had a big family trip to the UK!)<br /></p><p>Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)</p><p>The Damned Don't Cry (1950)</p><p> </p><p><b>June</b></p><p>The Lost King (2023)</p><p>What's Love Go to Do With It? (2022)</p><p>For Me and My Gal (1942)</p><p>Monkey Business (1952)</p><p>Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)</p><p> </p><p><b>July</b></p><p>Polite Society (2023)</p><p>The Seven Year Itch (1955)</p><p>The Mad Miss Manton (1938)</p><p>On the Town (1949)</p><p>The Woman in Question (1950)</p><p> </p><p><b>August</b></p><p>Haunted Mansion (2023)</p><p>Barbie (2023)</p><p>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)</p><p>Asteroid City (2023)</p><p>Murder, My Sweet (1944)</p><p>Ladies in Retirement (1941)</p><p>Brigadoon (1954)</p><p> </p><p><b>September </b></p><p>Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980)</p><p>Mr. Vampire (1985)</p><p>Mr. Vampire II (1986)</p><p>Mr. Vampire III (1987)</p><p>Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)</p><p>Jane Eyre (1943)</p><p>Mr. Vampire IV (1988)</p><p>MST3K: Beyond Atlantis (1973) - live at the Center for Puppetry Arts</p><p>Ivy (1947)</p><p>Moss Rose (1947)</p><p>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2023)</p><p>Blanche Fury (1948)</p><p>Elemental (2023)</p><p>3000 Years of Longing (2022)</p><p> </p><p><b>October</b></p><p>Red, White and Royal Blue (2023)</p><p>So Long at the Fair (1950)</p><p>Murders in the Zoo (1933)</p><p>Doctor X (1932)</p><p>Haunted Mansion (2023) - second time this year<br /></p><p>The Old Dark House (1933)</p><p>Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)</p><p>Corridor of Mirrors (1948)</p><p>Gaslight (1944)</p><p>Star Trek: First Contact (1996)</p><p>Dial M for Murder (1954)</p><p>The Monster Squad (1987)</p><p>Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)</p><p>So Evil My Love (1947)</p><p>Phantom of the Paradise (1974)</p><p>Devotion (1946)</p><p>The Lost Boys (1987)</p><p>Dead Again (1991)</p><p>Freaks (1932)</p><p>Madeline (1950)</p><p>Hocus Pocus (1993)</p><p>Haunted Spooks (1920)</p><p>Bewitched (2005)</p><p>No Hard Feelings (2023)</p><p>Casper (1995)</p><p> </p><p><b>November</b></p><p>The Lodger (1944)</p><p>The Quick and the Dead (1995)</p><p>Johnny Guitar (1954)</p><p>Rancho Notorious (1952)</p><p>A Haunting in Venice (2023)</p><p>My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)</p><p>The Marvels (2023)</p><p>The House on Telegraph Hill (1951)</p><p>High Anxiety (1977)</p><p>Dragnet (1987)</p><p>Werewolves Within (2021)</p><p>The Cheat (1931)</p><p>Three on a Match (1932)</p><p> </p><p><b>December</b></p><p>The Spiral Staircase (1946)</p><p>Repeat Performance (1947)</p><p>Bell, Book and Candle (1958)</p><p>The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)</p><p>Die Hard (1988)</p><p>The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)</p><p>Hudson Hawk (1991)</p><p>Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)</p><p>Scrooged (1987)</p><p>White Christmas (1955)</p><p>Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget (2023)</p><p>Love, Actually (2003)</p><p>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)</p><p>A Christmas Story (1983)</p><p>Iron Man 3 (2013)</p><p>Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)</p><p>Glass Onion (2022)</p><p> </p><p><b>Total for 2023: 130</b></p><p>I watched 23 more movies in 2023 than in 2022, so that's an improvement! As usual, it's an eclectic mix of classics, new releases, family favorites, and weeknight compromises with the spouse.<br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-86159704767657755472023-12-02T17:37:00.000-06:002023-12-02T17:37:18.051-06:00Classic Films in Focus: THE CHEAT (1931)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXWqKR5vERzTKyHfsLBkF76ozK5POGOSHyLEiTJcpoHCd7E7BDhVt2nB8Li0E3bwjsrAzq5qRJ2ZmkZDgT3PrueRE7RXzkNzimXXkj7Kdo7x2DI3cM06yIqh2lSTwZNhmPuY7fyeleyqOhv1IoCisL6G_AEHZoNqHYuL4VA2b0t5ys2zaZTiOVr6MSm0/s1793/Cheat%201931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1793" data-original-width="1413" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXWqKR5vERzTKyHfsLBkF76ozK5POGOSHyLEiTJcpoHCd7E7BDhVt2nB8Li0E3bwjsrAzq5qRJ2ZmkZDgT3PrueRE7RXzkNzimXXkj7Kdo7x2DI3cM06yIqh2lSTwZNhmPuY7fyeleyqOhv1IoCisL6G_AEHZoNqHYuL4VA2b0t5ys2zaZTiOVr6MSm0/s320/Cheat%201931.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>I decided to watch <i>The Cheat</i> (1931) knowing that other classic movie bloggers have found the picture merely mediocre, but with <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2019/10/tallulah-bankheads-huntsville-roots.html" target="_blank">Huntsville native Tallulah Bankhead</a> in the starring role I felt obligated to give it a try and see for myself. Sadly, this Pre-Code drama deserves the lukewarm reviews others have given it. Despite the shocking act that serves as its focal moment, <i>The Cheat</i> drags through its hour and 14 minutes and fails to make the most of its stars or themes. Despite its problematic use of Japanese culture, it's not so bad as to be unwatchable, but it isn't good enough to hold your full attention, either.<p></p><p>Bankhead stars as gambling addict Elsa Carlyle, whose husband, Jeffrey (Harvey Stephens), futilely asks his wife to rein in her expensive habits. When Elsa loses a huge sum of money on a frivolous bet, she steals from a charity fund to pay it off so that her husband doesn't find out about her debts, but she ends up in even worse shape because her investment of the pilfered cash crashes. Sensing an opportunity, the lecherous Hardy Livingstone (Irving Pichel) offers to give her the money in exchange for sexual submission, and the desperate Elsa agrees. A change of luck seems to offer an escape from her adulterous bargain, but Elsa discovers Hardy's deeply sadistic nature when she attempts to back out of their deal.</p><p>With its Faustian bargain, its climatic scenes of torture and public exposure, and Bankhead's tremendous presence, <i>The Cheat</i> ought to be a provocative Pre-Code shocker, but the end result falls sadly flat. Bankhead certainly has the persona to play a debauched gambler, but it's impossible to believe in her as an otherwise loving and faithful wife. Her husky, rich voice and world weary stare radiate carnal knowledge and experience, and as a giddy fool who doesn't realize her peril she's simply miscast. The happy ending, which insists on Elsa's reform and return to marital propriety, seems bizarre and out of joint with the events that have come before, especially the chaotic trial scene. Jeffrey himself is a bore, and Stephens has zero chemistry onscreen with Bankhead to make us believe these two people actually love each other. Irving Pichel provides moments of menace, but he's not equal to the lavish trappings of his character, which revel in a troublesome Orientialist vision of Japanese culture and people. </p><p>Part of the problem with Pichel's villain reveals itself when we look back at Cecil B. DeMille's original 1915 version of <i>The Cheat</i>, which cast Japanese star Sessue Hayakawa as the vindictive seducer. In the 1931 remake, a white character replaces the Asian one but keeps all of his cultural context, which alters the racial stereotyping without dispelling it. Pichel's Hardy Livingstone is yellowface casting in disguise, but without the screen charisma of Fu Manchu stars Warner Oland, Boris Karloff, or Christopher Lee to make it interesting (although still offensive). I have yet to see the silent version, but I imagine that the smoldering good looks of Hayakawa at least make the villain's seduction more exciting, and, according to the <a href="https://silentfilm.org/the-cheat/" target="_blank">San Francisco Silent Film Festival's discussion of the picture</a>, the role brought Hayakawa instant - and controversial - fame. If Pichel sits awkwardly in the role, that might not be entirely his fault, given the ways in which the altered character obscures racial stereotyping without actually erasing it.</p><p>The best place to see Tallulah Bankhead on film remains Alfred Hitchcock's excellent WWII story, <i>Lifeboat</i> (1944), so start there if you're looking for the scandalous Broadway star's Hollywood work. George Abbott is the credited director for <i>The Cheat</i> (with uncredited assistance from Berthold Viertel); Abbott also directed Bankhead in <i>My Sin</i> (1931), but his best known pictures are <i>The Pajama Game</i> (1957) and <i>Damn Yankees</i> (1958). <i>The Cheat</i> marked the film debut of stage actor Harvey Stephens, who continued to appear in movies and television but in smaller supporting roles. Irving Pichel is probably better remembered as a director whose work includes <i>The Most Dangerous Game</i> (1932), <i>The Man I Married</i> (1940, and <i>They Won't Believe Me</i> (1947), as well as the charming romantic fantasy <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/12/classic-films-in-focus-mr-peabody-and.html" target="_blank"><i>Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid</i> (1948)</a> and the Technicolor sci-fi classic <i>Destination Moon</i> (1950).</p><p>See also: <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2021/09/a-tallulah-tribute-in-cruella-2021.html" target="_blank">A Tallulah Tribute in CRUELLA (2021)</a><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-88947660921176198282023-10-15T14:16:00.001-05:002023-10-15T14:16:39.223-05:00Classic Films in Focus: MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1932)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9MyItveBoyj0wnsP_xuy7YONbPQDA_oDgea7-AyBovk1OKLQaTd2s6SEoKBxH6OGtX3L4yHdXTo_Z6rrTO-r9YypptoDS-IlmGtEZZgFAwe1da2yA6GMsuTOJvFtKdaPXrWWTgWTdpUwNipsriRDlxuieCUWHLoX7QLLpcdDIpyZivBM4Ag7g-4Ne7s/s337/Murders%20Rue%20Morgue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9MyItveBoyj0wnsP_xuy7YONbPQDA_oDgea7-AyBovk1OKLQaTd2s6SEoKBxH6OGtX3L4yHdXTo_Z6rrTO-r9YypptoDS-IlmGtEZZgFAwe1da2yA6GMsuTOJvFtKdaPXrWWTgWTdpUwNipsriRDlxuieCUWHLoX7QLLpcdDIpyZivBM4Ag7g-4Ne7s/s320/Murders%20Rue%20Morgue.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>On paper, Universal's 1932 <i>Murders in the Rue Morgue</i> sounds terrific; it adapts a chilling story from Edgar Allan Poe, stars Bela Lugosi, and offers Expressionist cinematography by Karl Freund, complete with all the lurid sensibility that Pre-Code horror can provide. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't work as well in practice, especially for viewers who know and appreciate Poe's original tale. While Lugosi is truly terrifying as the menacing Dr. Mirakle, the picture suffers from a weak leading man, creaky monster effects, and too much deviation from its source material that also leads it into some extremely thorny issues regarding racist tropes. Fans of Pre-Code horror and/or Edgar Allan Poe might be willing to forgive some of its failings for Lugosi's sake, but overall this is a far less successful picture than stand-out classics like <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/06/classic-films-in-focus-black-cat-1934.html" target="_blank"><i>The Black Cat</i></a> (1934) and Roger Corman's Poe cycle.<p></p><p>Lugosi plays a character who doesn't exist in the original tale, a mad scientist obsessed with proving evolution by injecting the blood of his captive gorilla into beautiful young women. His experiments have inevitably proved fatal to the women, but Dr. Mirakle blames the failure on the women's "impure" blood instead of his own mad theory. When the gorilla takes a particular shine to lovely Camille L'Espanaye (Sidney Fox), Dr. Mirakle plans to kidnap her as his next test subject, but Camille's suitor, Pierre Dupin (Leon Ames), rightly suspects the doctor of having sinister motives. </p><p>Deviations from the source create more problems than opportunities here. Poe's tale focuses on the murders of two women and the clever detective, C. Auguste Dupin, an important forerunner of and inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Weirdly, the Universal picture isn't a detective mystery at all, even though Poe's story is widely considered the original example of the genre. Instead, Leon Ames plays a medical student named Pierre Dupin, who already knows who did it when his sweetheart, Camille, disappears and her mother's corpse is found stuffed up a chimney. Ames is not particularly effective in this role, and the problems are all the more noticeable because Pierre is such a ho-hum hero compared to Poe's brilliant detective. The locked room mystery of the short story gives way to a bizarre mad scientist plot that draws on deeply racist imagery about gorillas as substitutes for Black men and their supposed desire for White women. Mirakle's experiment is a thinly veiled take on miscegenation that results in the deaths of the women whose blood has been "contaminated" by that of the gorilla. None of this comes from Poe's story, in which a pet orangutan gets loose from its owner and cannot really be held responsible for its actions. On a more practical level, the gorilla who replaces Poe's orangutan is very obviously a guy in a bad gorilla suit, except during closeups, when he transforms into an actual chimpanzee. It's a jarring and absurd switch every time it happens, but the movie does it repeatedly, even recycling the same shot of the chimp pressing against the bars of its cage.</p><p>All of these problems detract from a fine performance by Lugosi, who certainly knows how to leer menacingly at an audience and deliver a chilling monologue. His face is by far the scariest thing in the movie; its signature feature is an impressive monobrow that sprouts over his trademark burning gaze. The Expressionist influence reaches it high point during the experiment scene with Lugosi's only onscreen victim, a kidnapped streetwalker played by Arlene Francis. Tied to a huge wooden X like a martyr or a witch at the stake, Mirakle's victim exposes a lot of pretty flesh and casts a striking shadow on the laboratory wall. When she dies as a result of his injections, he seems surprised, even though he has her positioned over a convenient trapdoor that drops her body directly into the river. These effective scenes connect <i>Murders in the Rue Morgue</i> to German Expressionist classics like <i>The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari</i> (1920) and <i>Nosferatu</i> (1922) as well as better Universal horrors like <i>Dracula</i> (1931), <i>Frankenstein</i> (1931), and <i>The Mummy</i> (1932), reflecting the influence of cinematographer and occasional director Karl Freund after his relocation from Germany to Hollywood.</p><p>Robert Florey, who directed <i>Murders in the Rue Morgue</i>, eventually moved to television work, but before that he directed the 1946 horror, <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/06/classic-films-in-focus-beast-with-five.html" target="_blank">The Beast with Five Fingers</a></i>, starring Peter Lorre. Karl Freund also directed Lorre in another Expressionist horror feature, <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/10/classic-films-in-focus-mad-love-1935.html" target="_blank"><i>Mad Love</i></a> (1935), and I would recommend either Lorre picture over <i>Murders in the Rue Morgue</i>. Leon Ames is much more in his element in <i>Meet Me in St. Louis</i> (1944), <i>A Date with Judy</i> (1948), and <i>Little Women</i> (1949); <i>Murders in the Rue Morgue</i> was one of his first screen appearances, and it's not really his fault that he's miscast. Poe adaptations and loose retellings abound, with the most recent being the 2023 Netflix miniseries, <i>The Fall of the House of Usher</i>. Roger Corman, however, still reigns as the king of Poe on film, with Vincent Price as his star of choice. Start with Corman's <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/10/classic-films-in-focus-house-of-usher.html" target="_blank">House of Usher</a></i> (1960) and proceed to <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/11/classic-films-in-focus-tales-of-terror.html" target="_blank"><i>Tales of Terror</i></a> (1962) and <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/10/classic-films-in-focus-tomb-of-ligeia.html" target="_blank">The Tomb of Ligeia</a></i> (1964) for a sample of their best efforts.<br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-76807979400899789722023-09-27T15:04:00.000-05:002023-09-27T15:04:04.086-05:00Classic Films in Focus: BLANCHE FURY (1948)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uU1-mIgfZqvxY5xoxxbOobc8ZpQI1czu1plEk7odp3k3VlSSiVE7zhxzzp86HpQxuqjyFWaWi7Xbpg4mZSEz0QuXqdFdM3Y2mcHRfJkshSw2g7ItB6OtQFMlI9BGq_Z07bc4tgUGL43LvJrgoFgWdEVATwV9YU1H2o2cAO8gdE9ECtPnm2Al2GCg6d0/s1201/Blanche%20Fury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="780" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uU1-mIgfZqvxY5xoxxbOobc8ZpQI1czu1plEk7odp3k3VlSSiVE7zhxzzp86HpQxuqjyFWaWi7Xbpg4mZSEz0QuXqdFdM3Y2mcHRfJkshSw2g7ItB6OtQFMlI9BGq_Z07bc4tgUGL43LvJrgoFgWdEVATwV9YU1H2o2cAO8gdE9ECtPnm2Al2GCg6d0/s320/Blanche%20Fury.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>Of all the films I have watched so far in the <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/09/gaslight-noir-on-criterion-channel.html" target="_blank">Criterion Channel's Gaslight Noir</a> collection, <i>Blanche Fury</i> (1948) is the darkest, even though it's also the brightest thanks to its use of gorgeous Technicolor. This adaptation of the 1939 novel by Marjorie Bowen (under the pseudonym Joseph Shearing) employs many of the familiar elements of Victorian Gothic fiction, including the governess heroine and the upper class's obsessions with legitimacy and inheritance, but it has more in common with <i>Wuthering Heights</i> than <i>Jane Eyre</i> in the romance department, with doomed lovers who are both far from innocent in their desires. Without spoiling the ending too much, let me at least warn you that <i>Blanche Fury</i> is true noir in Victorian dress, and no happy endings should be expected for any of the central characters. That said, it's a fascinating example of the overlap between traditional Gothic and noir, with a complex anti-heroine whose better angels are as dangerous to her as her demons.<p></p><p>Valerie Hobson takes the lead as the title character, a penniless young woman named Blanche Fuller who changes her surname to Fury when she joins her wealthy uncle (Walter Fitzgerald) and his household as a governess to the uncle's granddaughter, Lavinia (Suzanne Gibbs). Soon Blanche is married to her cousin, Lawrence (Michael Gough), but also engaged in a passionate affair with Philip Thorn (Stewart Granger), the illegitimate son of the estate's previous owners, who is now reduced to a servant in his own childhood home. The embittered Philip is obsessed with reclaiming the property for himself, even to the point of plotting to murder everyone who stands in his way. When Philip decides that Lavinia is just another obstacle to his plans, Blanche must choose between the man she loves and the innocent stepchild she longs to protect.</p><p>Hobson nimbly walks the fine line required for Blanche, who possesses both good and bad qualities that dominate her nature at different times. We first see her as a Becky Sharp type of adventuress, chafing under her subservient role as a paid companion and eager to improve her situation through marriage to the weak-willed but unfeeling Lawrence. At the Fury estate, her immediate kindness to Lavinia softens her, and her courage in retrieving stolen horses proves her fortitude. What seems at first like mere carnal lust for Philip develops into real love, which makes her choices in the third act all the more difficult, and she evokes our sympathy even as we recognize her complicity in the events that have brought her so much suffering. In addition, Hobson looks divine in the costumes and elaborate hairstyles worn by Blanche, with a finely made face that conveys hatred, love, and grief equally well in her many closeups. As the title suggests, this story belongs to Blanche and therefore to Hobson, but Stewart Granger has fantastic energy as Philip that evokes shades of <i>Wuthering Heights</i>' Heathcliff in his intensity and dark, brooding sex appeal. Their scenes together don't really need the confirmation of a closing door to tell us the nature of their relationship, while doors repeatedly closing against Gough's character symbolize the contrasting coldness of Blanche's marriage to Lawrence.</p><p>The real darkness and noir mood of <i>Blanche Fury</i> stem from the relentless sense of fate bearing down over the unfolding events, starting with the opening scene, which is actually the end of the story being told. The legend of the fierce ape who defends the Fury name and fortune serves to remind us constantly that the current family are interlopers who have usurped both the name and estate from the biological - if not legal - heir, Philip. Fate, as embodied by the figure of the ape, will not spare any of the usurpers as it works to restore the line of the rightful owners. Blanche's uncle and husband are too dim to sense the doom that hangs over them, but Blanche and the old Italian nurse (Sybilla Binder) both feel it. Fate wields a Shakespearean level of power here, so much so that neither Blanche nor even Philip can be considered free agents; they are pulled by forces they cannot fathom or resist. Blanche attempts to moderate the scorched earth tactics of Fate, but like many noir protagonists she suffers more for her good actions than she does for her evil ones, and Fate still wins in the end. </p><p>The Gaslight Noir collection includes two other movies adapted from novels by Marjorie Bowen: <i>Moss Rose</i> (1947) and <i>So Evil My Love</i> (1948). Her 1943 novel, <i>Airing in a Closed Carriage</i>, was adapted as <i>The Mark of Cain</i> (1947). Valerie Hobson also stars in <i>The Bride of Frankenstein</i> (1935), <i>Great Expectations</i> (1946), and <i>Kind Hearts and Coronets</i> (1949). See more of Stewart Granger in <i>Scaramouche</i> (1952), <i>The Prisoner of Zenda</i> (1952), and <i>Footsteps in the Fog</i> (1955). If you enjoy melodramatic tales of governesses and forbidden love, try <i>All This and Heaven Too</i> (1940), <i>Adam Had Four Sons</i> (1941), and, of course, <i>Jane Eyre</i> (1943) or any of the other adaptations of the classic novel. <br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-70025261027298116662023-09-06T14:31:00.002-05:002023-09-06T14:31:54.275-05:00My Criterion Closet Wish List<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUR8nhoZUNDc3rdnI41jCew9k8Go2mk7fDnJTQ9KCxLHSdEu28Rke8ozam07_3xKy-Y0sUFCGzaMc-QSKroahbe930VSnIKzK_zIcamBLyzwe4TQ6FxKMSOk-_5KbY_ECWdndx_1svisrKW9cyW7HKKMMXML4Gk6sxfbJSbJkuQsZ-b-BqpdMG0kJO-8/s240/Beauty%20and%20the%20Beast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="240" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUR8nhoZUNDc3rdnI41jCew9k8Go2mk7fDnJTQ9KCxLHSdEu28Rke8ozam07_3xKy-Y0sUFCGzaMc-QSKroahbe930VSnIKzK_zIcamBLyzwe4TQ6FxKMSOk-_5KbY_ECWdndx_1svisrKW9cyW7HKKMMXML4Gk6sxfbJSbJkuQsZ-b-BqpdMG0kJO-8/s1600/Beauty%20and%20the%20Beast.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I really enjoy watching the <a href="https://www.criterion.com/closet-picks" target="_blank">Criterion Closet Picks</a> videos where various actors and filmmakers get to choose movies to take home with them. Their selections reveal interesting details about their tastes and experience with film, although they do tend to favor certain genres, decades, and directors, partly because of the generational range of the guests themselves and partly because of the cinematic tastes cultivated by being in the film business. I don't own a lot of Criterion Collection discs because I spent many years building up a classic movie DVD collection back when they were more widely available and fairly cheap, but now that DVDs and Blu-rays of classic movies are much harder to acquire I am increasingly turning to Criterion and Kino Lorber to expand my collection. <br /><p></p><p>The Closet Picks videos always make me wish I could afford a full scale Criterion shopping spree, but if, by magic or divine intervention, I got to be a guest on Closet Picks, what movies would I choose? I'd want to pick films I don't already own and that I have seen at least once and know I would enjoy owning. I'm limiting myself to eight movies because the Closet Picks videos only show a handful being selected, which means I spent a lot of time narrowing my list! </p><p>Here's my fantasy Criterion Closet list:</p><p><i>I Know Where I'm Going!</i> (1945) - I absolutely adore this comic gem from Powell and Pressburger, with Wendy Hiller as a headstrong young woman determined to marry a rich, older man in spite of the handsome Scottish laird fate suddenly throws her way. The location cinematography, the delightful visual style, and the wonderful characters make this movie truly special. </p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/04/classic-films-in-focus-nightmare-alley.html" target="_blank"><i>Nightmare Alley</i> (1947)</a> - As much as I love the romantic swashbuckling version of Tyrone Power, I can't deny his brilliance as the scheming carny in this original movie adaptation of the novel. It's one of the weirder noir classics, but the carnival sideshow makes a perfect setting for noir's favorite themes. The Criterion Blu-ray has been in my Amazon wish list for ages, but other items keep taking precedence.</p><p><i>The Third Man</i> (1949) - Carol Reed's fantastic post-war noir is such a great use of Orson Welles' sinister charisma. Who can resist Harry Lime? Joseph Cotten and Alida Valli are also terrific, and the musical score really gets into your head. I've seen this movie several times, but somehow I haven't managed to own it yet, even though I love it enough to build LEGO tributes to its more iconic scenes.<br /></p><p><i>Kind Hearts and Coronets</i> (1949) - I would love to own all of the Ealing Studios films, but this one is especially hilarious thanks to Alec Guinness playing eight different characters. It's currently listed as out of print on the Criterion website, but I bet they still have copies in that closet. (It looks like Kino Lorber might have this and some other Ealing pictures available for those of us who can't get invited to raid the closet or launch a daring <i>Ladykillers</i> style heist.) </p><p><i>Stagecoach</i> (1939) - Along with <i>My Darling Clementine</i> (1946), this is one of my favorite John Ford Westerns, thanks to its amazing ensemble cast. John Wayne doesn't show up right away, but he has a tender romance with Claire Trevor that works beautifully and allows him to be sweet and vulnerable. I'm a sucker for great character actors, and this movie just bursts with them - John Carradine, Andy Devine, Thomas Mitchell, and Donald Meek all have significant roles.</p><p><i>Arsenic and Old Lace</i> (1944) - I don't have an actual Boris Karloff movie on this list, but he's present in spirit for this wacky Capra adaptation of the stage play, in which Karloff played the role taken by Raymond Massey for the movie version. This is one my top Halloween favorites, so it's a shame I don't own it yet, but I went with the Criterion edition of <i>I Married a Witch</i> (1942) the last time I had to pick which Halloween comedy to buy.</p><p><i>Beauty and the Beast</i> (1946) - Jean Cocteau's dreamy fairy tale is a great starter choice for kids and people just venturing into foreign classics. It's both deeply familiar and hauntingly strange, and Disney borrowed heavily from it for their own animated version of the old story. Every frame is just gorgeous, and I'd love to be able to revisit it whenever I want.</p><p><i>Mildred Pierce</i> (1945) - This Joan Crawford tour de force is another one I've seen several times but haven't managed to pick up yet for my personal collection. It's packed with so many of the things I love in classic movies - female narratives, noir style, romance and melodrama, great cinematography and costumes. Women's noir fascinates me, and this is one of the very best of the genre. I especially appreciate the way it focuses on Mildred's relationship with her poisonous daughter and the lengths to which the guilt-stricken Mildred will go to protect her.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyY2pV1u3cHmSktDHOpr04JK4G2SMxILdj8x1T0NOcIDpsq4J4IjDauDc-lFn1Wn472CzuAYzx_OL1wuOX7exeY6VL5tVoawqgBS4oCRev4JCHnngbJoTNHcjCS7ITHXntjI7fL-Dr9e52h3N8vBCVgnmeleKemdzotpPEG-Zdzi0su2RcLJegQ7XmQEE/s1277/Criterion%20DVDs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="1277" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyY2pV1u3cHmSktDHOpr04JK4G2SMxILdj8x1T0NOcIDpsq4J4IjDauDc-lFn1Wn472CzuAYzx_OL1wuOX7exeY6VL5tVoawqgBS4oCRev4JCHnngbJoTNHcjCS7ITHXntjI7fL-Dr9e52h3N8vBCVgnmeleKemdzotpPEG-Zdzi0su2RcLJegQ7XmQEE/w400-h299/Criterion%20DVDs.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Criterion films I already own (both great!).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>That's my wish list! Some of the movies that almost made the final eight are <i>To Be or Not to Be</i> (1942), <i>Heaven Can Wait</i> (1943), <i>Hobson's Choice</i> (1954), <i>3:10 to Yuma</i> (1957), and <i>The Heiress</i> (1949), but there are dozens of others in the Criterion catalog that I would love to own. What movies would you pick from the Criterion Closet if you had the opportunity?*</p><p>* Reminder! If, like me, you enjoy classic movies on a more modest budget, you can get access to a wide selection of Criterion titles by subscribing to the <a href="https://www.criterionchannel.com/browse?utm_source=criterion.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=navigation&utm_content=header" target="_blank">Criterion Channel</a>, which is a great bargain at $11 a month.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-9753289956236376722023-09-01T11:42:00.000-05:002023-09-01T11:42:11.082-05:00Gaslight Noir on the Criterion Channel <p>While many of the Criterion Channel's featured categories highlight newer or international films, the <a href="https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8230-the-criterion-channels-september-2023-lineup?utm_source=braze&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=monthly-lineup-announcement&utm_content=sep-2023" target="_blank">lineup for September 2023</a> also includes one of my favorite classic sub-genres, "Gaslight Noir." If you love films like <i>Gaslight</i> (whether the 1940 or 1944 version), this is a collection sure to send delicious chills up and down your corseted spine.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFw2s3qvIqW7J7A6z1AQx4IETW4V26Shq667CVkujdtqaKVINJya3qaZzyCdlhYlSnTbRjMN7-LI1e-Al1gmnhk5H6Ht3BZu69O3SCckZ6fhKlZF00lfFuR1zOkZrozce2YZ-XkX3nZlsrCqEV9IQTSgiN_WE_kL7TEhr1iQZI_laGElOhDT0Q4rkqBE/s1599/Gaslight%20Noir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1599" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFw2s3qvIqW7J7A6z1AQx4IETW4V26Shq667CVkujdtqaKVINJya3qaZzyCdlhYlSnTbRjMN7-LI1e-Al1gmnhk5H6Ht3BZu69O3SCckZ6fhKlZF00lfFuR1zOkZrozce2YZ-XkX3nZlsrCqEV9IQTSgiN_WE_kL7TEhr1iQZI_laGElOhDT0Q4rkqBE/w400-h225/Gaslight%20Noir.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Most of the iconic noir classics take place in their own present day, usually the 1940s and 1950s, but gaslight noir sets the action in an earlier age, usually the 19th century and often in London or elsewhere in the UK or Europe, although looming manor houses in America can also provide a suitably sinister location. The protagonist is most often a young woman who is both victim and de facto detective, striving to solve a mystery before she meets a tragic end. The films provide a heady mix of Gothic sensibility, noir style, and romance, and many of them appeared in the wake of the success of Hitchcock's <i>Rebecca</i> (1940) and the 1943 adaptation of <i>Jane Eyre</i>, the Gothic masterpiece that Daphne du Maurier's original novel of <i>Rebecca</i> uses as a thematic touchstone. <p></p><p>Here is the full list of films available this month on the Criterion Channel as part of the Gaslight Noir collection (use the links to read my discussions of these films):</p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/08/classic-films-in-focus-ladies-in.html" target="_blank"><i>Ladies in Retirement</i> (1941)</a></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/06/classic-films-in-focus-gaslight-1944.html" target="_blank"><i>Gaslight </i>(1944)</a></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/02/classic-films-in-focus-suspect-1944.html" target="_blank"><i>The Suspect</i> (1944)</a></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/06/classic-films-in-focus-experiment.html" target="_blank"><i>Experiment Perilous</i> (1944)</a></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/09/classic-films-in-focus-hangover-square.html" target="_blank"><i>Hangover Square</i> (1945)</a></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/11/classic-films-in-focus-dragonwyck-1946.html" target="_blank"><i>Dragonwyck</i> (1946)</a></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4B_K03tas2ls47Hz1Puk0UOeIVJAmnP0Wbm6BNAkPChdFeNMrTzmKosPfOSRyv0Erpn2APis3Bshk1clGGjUoQ4vaPXoSft-eVKQo-DI-8JseaPyI9AaPRMUhlBzk8LwbuDpVCKiH3VtwODU2vN2eFqtfZ7IiAVbrSixwwAk6pp-2PBnlmsWtpGMHGE/s329/Dragonwyck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4B_K03tas2ls47Hz1Puk0UOeIVJAmnP0Wbm6BNAkPChdFeNMrTzmKosPfOSRyv0Erpn2APis3Bshk1clGGjUoQ4vaPXoSft-eVKQo-DI-8JseaPyI9AaPRMUhlBzk8LwbuDpVCKiH3VtwODU2vN2eFqtfZ7IiAVbrSixwwAk6pp-2PBnlmsWtpGMHGE/s320/Dragonwyck.jpg" width="214" /></a></i></div><i>Ivy</i> (1947)<p></p><p><i>Moss Rose</i> (1947)</p><p><i>Blanche Fury</i> (1948)</p><p><i>Corridor of Mirrors</i> (1948)</p><p><i>So Evil My Love</i> (1948)</p><p><i>Madeleine</i> (1950)</p><p><i>So Long at the Fair</i> (1950) </p><p>While I've seen and written about several of these films, quite a few are new to me, and I'm really looking forward to watching them. I hope to add several new Classic Films in Focus posts about these movies in the coming weeks. <br /></p><p>For more in-depth discussions of the Gothic tradition in film, check out my essays:</p><p>"<a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search?q=jane+eyre" target="_blank">Consuming Passions: Gothic Romance and the Bronte Sisters</a>"</p><p>"<a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-housekeeper-in-gothic-film-tradition.html" target="_blank">The Housekeeper in the Gothic Film Tradition</a>"<br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-59383396677540546852023-08-29T18:57:00.000-05:002023-08-29T18:57:18.623-05:00Classic Films in Focus: LADIES IN RETIREMENT (1941)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvj68t-bX8pEZ5CQhRdzv59JSnWCHJJQOU0fstVXPX3cR1LgQ576uf8pkMiXh3jg4YKb3bsWek4PeuxTRZq6sm4JZuu7rJKUoNXf4QKN-4D_pKQXBmTycnGkmI_8Jv1pGj3_FLn8I9V_ejvXTR9mEx2we62xRBniPsDu4xCSYGWE0Fr8pS7JUHfC1bTNM/s310/Ladies%20Retirement.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="220" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvj68t-bX8pEZ5CQhRdzv59JSnWCHJJQOU0fstVXPX3cR1LgQ576uf8pkMiXh3jg4YKb3bsWek4PeuxTRZq6sm4JZuu7rJKUoNXf4QKN-4D_pKQXBmTycnGkmI_8Jv1pGj3_FLn8I9V_ejvXTR9mEx2we62xRBniPsDu4xCSYGWE0Fr8pS7JUHfC1bTNM/s1600/Ladies%20Retirement.jpeg" width="220" /></a></div>If <i>Arsenic and Old Lace</i> (1944) were a tragic drama instead of a screwball comedy, it might play out something like <i>Ladies in Retirement</i> (1941), in which a desperate young woman goes to extreme measures to protect her psychologically complicated sisters. We talk about insanity and mental health very differently today, as well we should, but the trope of the mad woman (or women) has a long history in literature and film, and in <i>Ladies in Retirement</i> we get a profoundly moving depiction of the type from both Elsa Lanchester and Edith Barrett, who play the two older sisters of Ida Lupino's grimly determined anti-heroine. Director Charles Vidor keeps the suspense brewing even though there's very little mystery about the story's central murder, while sharply defined performances from the stars and supporting cast members Louis Hayward, Evelyn Keyes, and Isobel Elsom draw us into multiple tangled webs of desire and deception.<p></p><p>Lupino leads the cast as paid companion Ellen Creed, who struggles to keep her difficult sisters out of an asylum or worse. Gentle Louisa (Edith Barrett) is a harmless chatterbox, but Emily (Elsa Lanchester) is prone to outbursts and mischief, and soon enough Ellen gets an eviction letter from the landlady in London where the two sisters have been living. Ellen deceives her wealthy employer, Leonora Fiske (Isobel Elsom), into letting the sisters stay with them in the country, but Leonora soon tires of the troublesome guests and insists that they depart. After Leonora mysteriously disappears for a sudden trip abroad, the sisters seem to be settling into the house for good, but the arrival of a charming, amoral cousin named Albert Feather (Louis Hayward) puts Ellen's schemes in danger.</p><p><i>Ladies in Retirement</i> offers a feast of fascinating characters, with actors who know how to hold their own against scene stealers like Lanchester and Barrett. Both of those gifted character actors play their roles with sensitivity that tempers the more outlandish quirks of the sisters, and we sympathize with Ellen's desire to protect them. The aunts of <i>Arsenic and Old Lace</i> are comical figures, but Louisa and Emily grieve us because they cannot comprehend the tragedy of their situation or the despair to which they drive their devoted younger sister. Louis Hayward, who was married to Lupino when they made this picture, brings both menace and charisma to the cad Albert, although it's ironic that his romantic overtures in this story are directed at the gullible maid, Lucy (Evelyn Keyes), and never at Lupino's more skeptical protagonist. Isobel Elsom's temperamental Leonora is more like the sisters than she'd care to admit; it's easy to see why Ellen is so good at dealing with her but also pushed to the limit by having three difficult older women all making demands of her in one small house.</p><p>With its Victorian setting and Gothic mystery atmosphere, <i>Ladies in Retirement</i> might seem like a classic tale of suspense, and a very good one at that, but it's also a serious engagement of the limited options available to unmarried women and caregivers struggling with their dependents' mental instability. The Creed sisters have no brothers or husbands to support them in a deeply patriarchal society that also makes no provisions for the humane care of mentally ill people. Ellen is a woman with no good choices in front of her, and the film dares us to judge her harshly for the course of action she takes. Some of Ellen's problems are specific to the time and place of the story, but even today older, unmarried or widowed women are more likely to suffer poverty and become homeless or dependent on overstretched family members (also more likely to be women). As I watched the film, I couldn't help but think about <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/09/18/490677146/for-some-seniors-without-housing-a-parking-lot-is-home" target="_blank">this NPR piece from 2016 about older women who had lost their homes and were reduced to living in their cars</a>. What would happen to Louisa and Emily today? What would Ellen be forced to do in order to care for them? These questions give <i>Ladies in Retirement</i> currency and encourage us to think very carefully about the bonds and boundaries of familial devotion. </p><p>The inspiration for the original stage version of <i>Ladies in Retirement </i>was apparently the 19th century French murderer <a href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/mercier-euphrasie-1823" target="_blank">Euphrasie Mercier</a>, whose brief history makes a great read for true crime fans. A 1969 remake called <i>The Mad Room</i> stars Stella Stevens and Shelley Winters, but it's a more typical horror film that adds extra murders and gore. For other intense performances from Ida Lupino, see <i>They Drive by Night</i> (1940), <i>The Hard Way</i> (1943), and <i>Devotion</i> (1946). <i>Ladies in Retirement</i> would be the last screen appearance of Louise Hayward before several years of service in the US Marine Corps during World War II. His marriage to Ida Lupino ended in 1945, the same year he returned to films with his role in <i>And Then There Were None</i>.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-3471667948474718282023-07-19T12:03:00.000-05:002023-07-19T12:03:10.299-05:00Classic Films in Focus: THE MAD MISS MANTON (1938)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJcMufLAXYpaNSakSZxS2oF1nZbRDQdWKeZWs54qhVmab1g8ulIE9nCZyCCRjkSjTU9zR0JvEOAwFocUVcr_5f7sJyp5wPU2mssvON1S7Hcf3Tu_kQ4Ji-ODzeZmyUPtOqCezWPj12f_Wpnp_n1o7ldCXDxe09ZWClPIYhJEQZMSzDxaNVd_7lgaLEHY/s278/Mad%20Miss%20Manton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="181" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJcMufLAXYpaNSakSZxS2oF1nZbRDQdWKeZWs54qhVmab1g8ulIE9nCZyCCRjkSjTU9zR0JvEOAwFocUVcr_5f7sJyp5wPU2mssvON1S7Hcf3Tu_kQ4Ji-ODzeZmyUPtOqCezWPj12f_Wpnp_n1o7ldCXDxe09ZWClPIYhJEQZMSzDxaNVd_7lgaLEHY/w208-h320/Mad%20Miss%20Manton.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>Although it's not on the same level as their later collaboration, <i>The Lady Eve</i> (1941), <i>The Mad Miss Manton</i> is still an amusing outing for stars Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. It's a goofy mix of romantic comedy and murder mystery, with Stanwyck leading a pack of socialite sleuths and Fonda falling head over heels as a reporter who gets entangled in the titular Miss Manton's adventures. You won't find a lot of household names here beyond the two leads, but Leigh Jason directs a fairly large cast that includes Sam Levene, Stanley Ridges, Penny Singleton, and the always memorable Hattie McDaniel. Fans of Fonda's funny side will especially appreciate his silly antics in this picture, but Stanwyck's all-girl Scooby gang also proves delightful, even if they're a little too prone to fainting when they find a corpse.<p></p><p>Stanwyck stars as wealthy socialite Melsa Manton, who discovers a murdered man while walking her dogs late one night after her return from a costume party. Her reputation and costume make the cops doubt her report, especially when the corpse in question has disappeared, but Melsa enlists the help of her society girlfriends to search for clues. At the same time, Melsa enters a war with newspaper reporter Peter Ames (Henry Fonda) because of his printed tirades against her and her group, but Peter's ire turns to adoration once he meets Melsa in person, even as he continues to frustrate her schemes. With the suspects and corpses piling up, Melsa and Peter must help the beleaguered Lieutenant Brent (Sam Levene) catch the murderer before Melsa becomes the next victim.</p><p><i>The Mad Miss Manton</i> is not a comic masterpiece, but it moves along briskly and lands enough laughs to be entertaining throughout. It can be hard to differentiate Melsa's gang of friends, who might have more individual development if there were just three or four of them instead of a crowded half dozen. On the plus side, the picture passes the Bechdel-Wallace Test with flying colors as the women scramble to find clues and track suspects. Hattie McDaniel has a much larger role than any of the other supporting women, and she makes the most of it even though she's playing another of her inevitable maid characters. The film does, at least, depict McDaniel's Hilda as a sensible, capable person in contrast to the giddy socialites around her. </p><p>Although Stanwyck's Miss Manton is much saner than the title of the movie implies, she doesn't let anything stop her from pursuing the case, even the death threats the murderer makes to scare her off. She has a general's command over her group of friends, who complain about their lost meals and dates but always follow her orders. Fonda's newspaper reporter is by far the giddier of the pair; he is absolutely smitten from the moment he meets Melsa, which leads him into some truly silly situations. One highlight is the scene in which Peter fakes being on his deathbed in order to trick Melsa into revealing information she has uncovered about the murders. The chemistry Fonda and Stanwyck share here paves the way for the sparks that fly between them in <i>The Lady Eve</i>, and if you enjoy them together in that classic then <i>The Mad Miss Manton</i> is well worth your time.</p><p>Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda made one additional movie together, the 1941 romantic comedy <i>You Belong to Me</i>. For more of Stanwyck's comedy roles, see <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/01/classic-films-in-focus-ball-of-fire-1941.html" target="_blank">Ball of Fire</a></i> (1941) and <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/12/classic-films-in-focus-christmas-in.html" target="_blank"><i>Christmas in Connecticut</i> </a>(1945). You'll find her solving another comic mystery in <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/12/classic-films-in-focus-lady-of.html" target="_blank">Lady of Burlesque</a></i> (1943). For Fonda's lighter side try <i>The Male Animal</i> (1942), <i>Rings on Her Fingers </i>(1942), and <i>The Magnificent Dope</i> (1942), as well as later career roles in <i>Yours, Mine and Ours</i> (1968) and <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/05/classic-films-in-focus-cheyenne-social.html" target="_blank">The Cheyenne Social Club</a></i> (1970).<br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-5450342923246308442023-07-10T13:37:00.000-05:002023-07-10T13:37:57.470-05:00A Vivien Leigh Tribute in Stratford-Upon-Avon<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NbYz3zjIQL5ovhvn7cIVdgtiCHqyCujGpynS3VjinsEsI0LGGA0gejhvPuE9WmghXm1EUAXudhpYCDGsvX6pE6CvGPKAqC1JfavOft7q6uDt6xrkqWZxz5Tx5aXsPtJ0C-tn1If4IqfSW7bMdTDTYJlYOEesKZXDsJZexlb3pixX_cmRnhSNQxHWgac/s4032/PXL_20230602_150206969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NbYz3zjIQL5ovhvn7cIVdgtiCHqyCujGpynS3VjinsEsI0LGGA0gejhvPuE9WmghXm1EUAXudhpYCDGsvX6pE6CvGPKAqC1JfavOft7q6uDt6xrkqWZxz5Tx5aXsPtJ0C-tn1If4IqfSW7bMdTDTYJlYOEesKZXDsJZexlb3pixX_cmRnhSNQxHWgac/w480-h640/PXL_20230602_150206969.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p>As I was walking from the Royal Shakespeare Company to Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-Upon-Avon, I came across this sweet little tribute to legendary actress Vivien Leigh. Best remembered today for Oscar winning film roles as Scarlett O'Hara in <i>Gone with the Wind</i> (1939) and Blanche DuBois in <i>A Streetcar Named Desire </i>(1951), Leigh was also a stage actress who starred in productions of <i>Twelfth Night</i>, <i>Macbeth</i>, and <i>Titus Andronicus</i> at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1955. You can learn more about Leigh's connections to Shakespeare in <a href="https://theshakespeareblog.com/2015/01/vivien-leigh-shakespeares-lass-unparalleled/" target="_blank">this 2015 post</a> from Sylvia Morris at The Shakespeare Blog. It's clear that someone in the area continues to honor Leigh's memory; one of the two potted plants was a fairly recent arrival and still boasted blooms.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1s6rTHWVqr4sYiNsM0C10HZ4b406fTrYt0TRotJZ1bNSc-Ugfb6qC4N_AfHHhzwx06pC_b_1-b0uLFiM1xp9G59D7zNj8WpwSkCICmQGjlML1-lTC-KHyVwOL_XtRj6vxHju24D4tgZJauSmW5FZjHOSDNDEhzxIHl31RI-JArmGiCBQQJf9ak9ZIks/s4032/PXL_20230602_142516916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1s6rTHWVqr4sYiNsM0C10HZ4b406fTrYt0TRotJZ1bNSc-Ugfb6qC4N_AfHHhzwx06pC_b_1-b0uLFiM1xp9G59D7zNj8WpwSkCICmQGjlML1-lTC-KHyVwOL_XtRj6vxHju24D4tgZJauSmW5FZjHOSDNDEhzxIHl31RI-JArmGiCBQQJf9ak9ZIks/s320/PXL_20230602_142516916.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>If you're ever in Stratford-Upon-Avon, I highly recommend the backstage tour at the RSC, which includes wonderful stories about classic stars of stage and screen. There's also a free exhibit onsite called "The Play's the Thing," which tells the history of the RSC and features costumes worn by some of the most notable performers to appear there (you will NOT spend a day at the RSC without learning a lot about Judi Dench, but she's fabulous and deserves the attention). You'll also find displays dedicated to Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud, both of whom shared the stage with Leigh. Olivier, of course, also shared a turbulent romance with the beautiful actress, who suffered from mental illness and tuberculosis throughout much of her career. If you want to learn more about Leigh and Olivier, check out the excellent blog, <a href="http://vivandlarry.com/" target="_blank">Vivien Leigh & Laurence Olivier</a>, by Kendra Bean.<br /><p></p><p><br /><br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-22008156858335348372023-05-23T13:09:00.000-05:002023-05-23T13:09:32.675-05:00Wanting More: The Open Ending of THE DAMNED DON'T CRY (1950)<p><b>WARNING! This post contains major spoilers for THE DAMNED DON'T CRY and other classic noir films. Proceed at your own risk.</b> <br /></p><p>When I showed <i>The Damned Don't Cry</i> (1950) to my lifetime learners as the final film of our Joan Crawford series, they were especially struck by the open ending of the story, which leaves us wondering about the ultimate fate of protagonist Ethel Whitehead, aka Mrs. Lorna Hansen Forbes. Director Vincent Sherman and leading lady Crawford carry us through a dark journey over the course of the picture, which is equal parts melodrama and film noir as it shows us Ethel's seduction by avarice and ambition. My lifetime learners fully expected Ethel to die or at least go to prison in the movie's final scenes, but neither happens. Why doesn't Ethel pay a heavier price for her actions, and why are we surprised that she doesn't? Those questions deserve some consideration, especially since both melodrama and noir are known for killing off their most deeply flawed protagonists. Ethel Whitehead is, indeed, deeply flawed, but the film consistently displays a degree of sympathy for her that resists reading her as a villain or reaching a harsher conclusion as poetic justice for her crimes.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5upc1UCAz34zbgYhJrZA855rLTmROW3BaI9u8MsUpUKJ460VAYe4xyelnR_M4VY7yeqY4Vww7S5wh_LXhLhH_wKfttduMhYoR2tU_4WEIJje2CEY4tZlxVK2q5CUAW2tyd_6iZwJOuHRNWvQT6SATNbWXlT52UpVutOkQN2JqCGdnmfrHrlH-GJbu/s326/Damned%20Don't%20Cry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="213" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5upc1UCAz34zbgYhJrZA855rLTmROW3BaI9u8MsUpUKJ460VAYe4xyelnR_M4VY7yeqY4Vww7S5wh_LXhLhH_wKfttduMhYoR2tU_4WEIJje2CEY4tZlxVK2q5CUAW2tyd_6iZwJOuHRNWvQT6SATNbWXlT52UpVutOkQN2JqCGdnmfrHrlH-GJbu/s320/Damned%20Don't%20Cry.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>The picture opens with murder and scandal as the wealthy Mrs. Lorna Hansen Forbes is revealed as a fraud, but we are soon provided with her backstory. Ethel Whitehead is a poor woman from a working class family, scraping to get by and unable to afford any of the things her beloved young son desires. When the son tragically dies, Ethel feels that she has nothing to lose by leaving her old life behind. She heads to New York City and gets a job as a dress model, which she uses as a springboard to better - but increasingly criminal - prospects. Along the way she entangles Martin Blackford (Kent Smith), an accountant who accepts lucrative jobs with mobsters to win her love, but she abandons Martin in favor of the boss himself, the ruthless but refined George Castleman (David Brian). George remakes Ethel into socialite oil heiress Lorna, but his favors come at a price, and Ethel eventually finds herself dispatched to California on a dangerous mission to uncover the treachery of mob underling Nick Prenta (Steve Cochran).<p></p><p>Given that Ethel abandons her husband and parents, ruins Martin's life, misrepresents her identity and social standing, and knowingly gets involved with gangsters, we might imagine death or prison to be more than justified, and perhaps even obligatory given the Hays Code demand that crime always be punished. She also demonstrates dissatisfaction with married poverty and a desire to have money and nice possessions, and that kind of rebellion against conservative, patriarchal values usually doesn't end well for female characters, especially after the enforcement of Hays in 1934, which brought an end to heroines who cheerfully hustle their way to the top. Ethel wants more, and wanting more is very dangerous to a woman's life expectancy in Hays era films. Crawford's heroine in <i>Humoresque</i> (1946) drowns herself as penance for her sins, while her rival Bette Davis pays the ultimate price in pictures like <i>Of Human Bondage</i> (1934), <i>Jezebel</i> (1938), <i>The Letter</i> (1940), and <i>Another Man's Poison</i> (1951). Although melodramas sometimes kill their heroines, noir's <i>femme fatale</i> types are especially likely to meet violent ends. Mary Astor's slippery Brigid faces hanging or hard time at the end of <i>The Maltese Falcon</i> (1941), while Barbara Stanwyck eats lead in both <i>Double Indemnity</i> (1944) and <i>The Strange Love of Martha Ivers</i> (1946). If we hold Ethel fully responsible for Martin's corruption and Nick's murder, then we might conclude that she deserves the same fate as her "sisters under the mink," as Gloria Grahame says in <i>The Big Heat</i> (1953) (her character doesn't make it out alive, either).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtoDEKx10ugJZOT5EFcv1iBAnP6nBNjOi91Cwh5RAyEKGmjxcb7rYQSvaHDcK1GeshnYMxNMpMZeBUwR-SnsEbNUBc_ZHAoWGeuN9KwSgrr2Uvh0WE9kGhKxQQUNpSfn4GQt6oUWMmFpZfIEf-pmYBf2XPGPCnKM6i0g93CaL7AWh-ftPJxdaqOMG/s600/Damned%20Cry%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="600" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtoDEKx10ugJZOT5EFcv1iBAnP6nBNjOi91Cwh5RAyEKGmjxcb7rYQSvaHDcK1GeshnYMxNMpMZeBUwR-SnsEbNUBc_ZHAoWGeuN9KwSgrr2Uvh0WE9kGhKxQQUNpSfn4GQt6oUWMmFpZfIEf-pmYBf2XPGPCnKM6i0g93CaL7AWh-ftPJxdaqOMG/w400-h198/Damned%20Cry%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Ethel, however, is never presented as a true <i>femme fatale</i>, and the film repeatedly balances her materialism with scenes that humanize her. We sympathize with her desire to get out of her miserable life in the oil fields and away from her brutish father and domineering husband. Her child's death breaks her resolve to endure that life any longer, and we can't blame her for running away from a hollow existence without the sole joy she found there. As a dress model, Ethel at first balks at the shady aspects of the job, but she grows accustomed to trading moral qualms for money by degrees. The rewards are concrete - a nicer place, better food, prettier clothes - while the costs are less tangible. Ethel doesn't intentionally corrupt Martin or plan to jilt him from the beginning; she really cares about him but can't stop herself from taking the opportunity that George represents. She holds no animosity toward George's pitiful wife and is, in fact, gentle with her in their one scene together. When George orders her to California, Ethel obeys because she thinks she loves him, but her sympathy for Nick and revulsion at the idea of murder prove stronger than her loyalty to George. Martin, who has clearly resented Ethel for his fall from grace, similarly reveals that his love for her trumps other concerns, and his forgiveness encourages our own.<p></p><p>By the end of the film, Nick and George are both dead, Martin has turned police informant, and Ethel has been shot by George after returning to her parents' spartan hovel. Her ruse as Lorna Hansen Forbes is definitely over, especially with the source of her illicit wealth now gone. The final scenes focus again on Ethel's humanity and the better aspects of her nature. We see her reunited with her parents and with Martin, whom she bravely tries to protect by going alone to face the vengeful George. After George shoots Ethel, the movie could easily have ended with her death, but instead we see that she survives to be comforted by her parents and questioned by both reporters and the police. Martin is notably absent at the conclusion, possibly in police custody and possibly on the lam; we get no hint about a reunion with Ethel. The clusters of policemen all around the house suggest that Ethel might also be looking at jail, but instead of speculating about her trial the departing reporters wonder if she'll make another attempt to escape the stark poverty of her home. "Wouldn't you?" asks one of the reporters, and the other nods his answer with certainty. We leave the story not knowing the fates of either Ethel or Martin, but we're encouraged by the last bit of dialogue to wonder what happens next.</p><p>While this open ending might well surprise viewers expecting a definite conclusion, it lets <i>The Damned Don't Cry</i> obey the letter of the Hays Code while still offering us hope for a flawed heroine whom the narrative encourages us to care about in spite of her flaws. Ethel has already suffered a great deal, although of course a narrow-minded moralist like Joseph Breen would be happy to see her die in the dirt or the execution chamber. Instead, we get an ending that lets the viewer imagine what happens next according to his or her own preferences. Personally, I like to imagine that Ethel and Martin get back together and disappear into new identities far away from the shadow of their shared past, maybe somewhere in Mexico. I don't blame Ethel for wanting out of her miserable, downtrodden life, but I hope that she can find a <i>via media</i> to real happiness somewhere between poverty and ruthless materialism. A less sympathetic viewer might assume that jail time, if nothing worse, awaits Ethel as punishment for her crimes, and the hovering police officers certainly make that option plausible. If we want more from the ending of <i>The Damned Don't Cry</i>, that in itself makes us more like Ethel than some viewers who judge her harshly might care to admit. How much is someone allowed to want? How much wanting is too much, and what should happen to someone who wants it? Like Ethel, we're left wanting more, but we'll have to make it up ourselves to get it.</p><p>If you're interested in reading more of my posts about Joan Crawford, check out the following:</p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/04/classic-films-in-focus-dancing-lady-1933.html" target="_blank">DANCING LADY (1933)</a></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/09/classic-films-in-focus-johnny-guitar.html" target="_blank">JOHNNY GUITAR (1954)</a></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/02/classic-films-in-focus-damned-dont-cry.html" target="_blank">THE DAMNED DON'T CRY (1950)</a> </p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/09/classic-films-in-focus-strange-cargo.html" target="_blank">STRANGE CARGO (1940)</a> <br /></p><br /><p><br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-9581169683843013802023-05-15T17:06:00.000-05:002023-05-15T17:06:43.951-05:00Big Stars on the Small Screen: THE MUPPET SHOW<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKVz_DWeTlwBLakz1YtJOi67RUlwDZkNnf5gIzAFltU0bMggLZ-IajxbljIzK3kK-waGnG6hRh06dZN5m4bnZFMT8fE4cv3Vf0ax51-IN0CfhhwAb0555FVNo4Mc4l9XIg60-zSsL8YVpkZOcGd-_1c6yrnLpMy05sgSw8iMMhfQUa6_jIS-xpeWEG/s600/CMBA_Spring%202023%20Blogathon_Banner%2012.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKVz_DWeTlwBLakz1YtJOi67RUlwDZkNnf5gIzAFltU0bMggLZ-IajxbljIzK3kK-waGnG6hRh06dZN5m4bnZFMT8fE4cv3Vf0ax51-IN0CfhhwAb0555FVNo4Mc4l9XIg60-zSsL8YVpkZOcGd-_1c6yrnLpMy05sgSw8iMMhfQUa6_jIS-xpeWEG/s320/CMBA_Spring%202023%20Blogathon_Banner%2012.jpeg" width="160" /></a></div>This post is part of the CMBA Spring Blogathon - <i>Big Stars on the Small Screen: In Support of National Classic Movie Day</i>. Check out all of the participating blogs and posts by visiting the <a href="http://clamba.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-cmba-presents-2023-spring-blogathon.html" target="_blank">Classic Movie Blog Association's post about the blogathon</a>!<p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Big Stars on the Small Screen: Classic Movie Guest Stars on <i>The Muppet Show</i></b></p><p>Guest stars on the original <i>Muppet Show</i> television series spanned the full range of celebrity types in the public eye during the late 1970s, from singers and actors to puppeteers, dancers, and musicians. For many children watching the episodes, <i>The Muppet Show </i>provided a kid-friendly introduction to entertainers they had never encountered before, including many classic movie stars entering the later decades of their careers. If you were four years old in 1976, as I was that year when the first season of <i>The Muppet Show</i> aired, you might not know who most of the Season 1 guest stars were, but a Muppet curated introduction to Vincent Price might prove a watershed moment in your young life. For five seasons, <i>The Muppet Show</i> entertained adults and children alike with its quirky mix of old and new, high and low, classy and wacky, all mingled together to form the joyful chaos so quintessential to the Muppet aesthetic. Here's a look at some of the classic movie stars featured in each season of the series, with highlights on some of my personal favorites.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaiTCVioQn9C6sCgeAdZxd6_49YyldFehsIY_SD2vG0M6IapCZ58BJpLd82bLHtgXYyir03HubOEySzbtZvAhytcN-Ey_kmjdhq5187lDx-xM3MNvy2Pfd-AhjqAJi0sUOCcHPOUkJdkG9Bqddo2OYDoAniCLraJV9GW-6OxMUv56IRS-tc327mpF/s250/Muppet%20Show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="250" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaiTCVioQn9C6sCgeAdZxd6_49YyldFehsIY_SD2vG0M6IapCZ58BJpLd82bLHtgXYyir03HubOEySzbtZvAhytcN-Ey_kmjdhq5187lDx-xM3MNvy2Pfd-AhjqAJi0sUOCcHPOUkJdkG9Bqddo2OYDoAniCLraJV9GW-6OxMUv56IRS-tc327mpF/w400-h302/Muppet%20Show.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /></div><br /><p></p><p><b>Season One</b></p><p>The 24 episodes of Season One offer a wide range of guest stars, including Joel Grey, Ruth Buzzi, Florence Henderson, Paul Williams, Sandy Duncan, and Phyllis Diller, and of course many stars who were fairly new in 1976 are considered "classics" today. Among the guest stars who hail from the Golden Age of Hollywood are Rita Moreno, Lena Horne, Peter Ustinov, Vincent Price, and Ethel Merman. Of the group, both the Rita Moreno and Vincent Price episodes are standouts, with both stars fully committed to interacting with their puppet hosts.</p><p>For me, the Vincent Price episode is a special favorite. The campy horror maestro is totally at home with his weird monster companions, including the delightful Uncle Deadly, who appears as Price's "beautiful assistant" in one horror movie parody sketch. Price also gets to tout his reputation as a gourmet and art lover, although of course the sketches veer into vampirism, cannibalism, and other gruesome but silly twists. It's a thoroughly essential episode for any fan of the Muppets, Price, or classic horror in general.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGd7ew9UlOGEW2PG_y6CPjd1L5J0JyvSkj7g12DSq1TCoKz0uMxHZnLR-btgI1mckUAcKRaCfh79QH2h9mcWmWVc5zqyGaCzNTzU2AyCNOOCA1IYLK0hQw0eQPWPgAjyogGTPuwh2C404qeUT0z9G7SYBM7kk-5gXlEZDsgzU_Zz7ZkVjmVq671e3/s1200/Uncle%20Deadly%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1131" data-original-width="1200" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGd7ew9UlOGEW2PG_y6CPjd1L5J0JyvSkj7g12DSq1TCoKz0uMxHZnLR-btgI1mckUAcKRaCfh79QH2h9mcWmWVc5zqyGaCzNTzU2AyCNOOCA1IYLK0hQw0eQPWPgAjyogGTPuwh2C404qeUT0z9G7SYBM7kk-5gXlEZDsgzU_Zz7ZkVjmVq671e3/s320/Uncle%20Deadly%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b>Season Two </b></p><p>Classic movie stars in the second season include many performers who were also famous for their radio and television work, like Don Knotts, Milton Berle, George Burns, and Bob Hope, but you'll also find stars like Julie Andrews and Peter Sellers in the mix ("modern" guest stars for this season include Rich Little, Madeline Kahn, Elton John, and John Cleese). Both the Julie Andrews and Peter Sellers episodes are noteworthy in their own, separate ways, although the Sellers episode suffers some for Sellers' outdated and stereotyped performance of "A Gypsy's Violin."</p><p>I can't really choose between the Peter Sellers and Julie Andrews episodes because they're both great. While the first sketch with Sellers is culturally problematic, the Queen Victoria sketch is a brilliant bit of meta comedy that is one of my all-time favorite <i>Muppet Show</i> moments, and the segment with Sellers as a sadistic German masseur who mangles Link Hogthrob is another demented gem. The Sellers episode is also notable for featuring Kermit's performance of "Bein' Green," which would become a signature song for the character. The Julie Andrews episode is sweeter in tone, with Andrews performing "The Lonely Goatherd" from <i>The Sound of Music</i> (1965) for her first number. Andrews is very natural and funny with her puppet costars throughout the episode, and for added humor you can watch Carol Burnett be jealous of Andrews' popularity on the show in Burnett's Season 5 appearance.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBE4WeorGwyP3Kmd6bWwwUUKJarXAWxV-Qsncq410jDqNVk_hyUzc3veRi_bV66YtvzYU0ebqua8P3Vua0xZqYv6DmdtyW9wy4DTABkV7ZEcdDzL1MEcVhOeJNgc7o7hTQuRhVLMe_sZ9ddueT-WogLDbuxpGsrwCHidEHIgpPqCZoSOlB4o8scw9A/s430/Muppet%20Sellers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="430" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBE4WeorGwyP3Kmd6bWwwUUKJarXAWxV-Qsncq410jDqNVk_hyUzc3veRi_bV66YtvzYU0ebqua8P3Vua0xZqYv6DmdtyW9wy4DTABkV7ZEcdDzL1MEcVhOeJNgc7o7hTQuRhVLMe_sZ9ddueT-WogLDbuxpGsrwCHidEHIgpPqCZoSOlB4o8scw9A/w400-h304/Muppet%20Sellers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>Season Three</b></p><p>The most memorable episode of Season 3, for me, at least, is the one featuring Alice Cooper, who might as well <i>be</i> a Muppet given how well he fits in with the monsters of the group. The <i>Faust</i> angle of the episode's plot also makes it a hit. Among the newer stars featured, the episodes guest starring Gilda Radner and Roger Miller also stand out. Classic movie stars appearing in the third season include Jean Stapleton, Raquel Welch, Harry Belafonte, Danny Kaye, and Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (who appear together, naturally). </p><p>While the Danny Kaye episode is cute, the must-see classic star of the season is definitely Harry Belafonte, who collaborated closely with the show's creative team to make a truly special episode. "Day-O" is a Belafonte hit that adult viewers would have recognized, but the real highlight is Belafonte's performance of "Turn the World Around," a song that would prove so meaningful to Muppets creator Jim Henson that Belafonte performed it at Henson's New York memorial service in 1990. While this episode of <i>The Muppet Show</i> focuses on Harry Belafonte's skill as a singer, his acting ability serves him well in his interactions with the puppets. I couldn't help but think of this episode and the song, "Turn the World Around," when Belafonte died on April 25, 2023.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAGUa07nnekbQR8FsKN0IfI2TPKhve2agoqvweLc05Yk_Vmvt5mCbxzGN4G5ZMcdLSQGXrPfz-0CSxEk_zO6_3X3KNYlpz7nQoMrU1oJM-3CaKmhzwmnInSWzyPZHaciFjMfPA8KBlH7imMgTOzwUThnK_N-ZkCK0-Nuy-rl6qcOnySbH5PDzjZOR/s626/Muppet%20Belafonte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="626" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAGUa07nnekbQR8FsKN0IfI2TPKhve2agoqvweLc05Yk_Vmvt5mCbxzGN4G5ZMcdLSQGXrPfz-0CSxEk_zO6_3X3KNYlpz7nQoMrU1oJM-3CaKmhzwmnInSWzyPZHaciFjMfPA8KBlH7imMgTOzwUThnK_N-ZkCK0-Nuy-rl6qcOnySbH5PDzjZOR/w400-h306/Muppet%20Belafonte.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><b>Season Four</b></p><p>The fourth season includes fewer guests who really qualify as "classic movie stars" in the strictest sense, and overall there are a lot of popular singers represented, such as John Denver, Arlo Guthrie, Crystal Gayle, Andy Williams, and Diana Ross. The best episode of the season is the one featuring the stars of <i>Star Wars</i>, with Mark Hamill absolutely game for the comedy shenanigans and accompanied by C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), R2-D2, and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). The most "classic" of the stars included in this season are Liza Minnelli and Carol Channing, and both of their episodes are worth watching.</p><p>If you're interested in episodes where <i>The Muppet Show</i> varied its usual format (as it did several times during its five season run), the Liza Minnelli episode is the one to watch. The usual songs and comedy skits are organized as part of a murder mystery with Kermit as the detective and Minnelli as his client. The episode earned an Emmy for Outstanding Directing, and the Mystery Writers of America honored it with a Raven Award, as well. If you want to see how a human Muppet interacts with actual Muppets, see the episode with Carol Channing, who really fits in perfectly and performs some delightfully nutty numbers.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95ryAUm9mNlK58KMvVDssNV61uMT8Acr__QZ_BYetmOWd8EHD7fI1E2bCmBWvC3wtcpOT5JB8h1j4VVIkrI7i4EHQr-FrMb_cIbDzNRjQU7TZ0O2wnalHEHnHez0o72eI2rAGGkTE724zOaM1SloLFaN3aM8Beg8ccxBLFylmg6j3MxpO_JMwD_3Z/s768/Muppet%20Minnelli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="768" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95ryAUm9mNlK58KMvVDssNV61uMT8Acr__QZ_BYetmOWd8EHD7fI1E2bCmBWvC3wtcpOT5JB8h1j4VVIkrI7i4EHQr-FrMb_cIbDzNRjQU7TZ0O2wnalHEHnHez0o72eI2rAGGkTE724zOaM1SloLFaN3aM8Beg8ccxBLFylmg6j3MxpO_JMwD_3Z/w400-h368/Muppet%20Minnelli.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>Season Five</b></p><p>The final season of <i>The Muppet Show</i> ran from the fall of 1980 to the spring of 1981, and it followed the fourth season in leaning toward newer celebrity guests. Some of the best include Brooke Shields (in an <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> themed episode), Carol Burnett, Johnny Cash, Marty Feldman, Linda Ronstadt, and Paul Simon. The classic movie stars featured in this season are, however, truly classic, with Gene Kelly, James Coburn, and Tony Randall all making appearances. As great a star as Kelly was, he looks uncomfortable with the puppets, and it's not a great performance (his episode aired around the same time as his appearance in the 1980 film, <i>Xanadu</i>). Tony Randall is having more fun, but the wackiest of the lot turns out to be James Coburn.</p><p>I'll admit that, having seen the entire series multiple times and co-edited two books about Jim Henson, I can't really <i>remember</i> a lot about the Tony Randall episode, which is why I'm giving the nod to James Coburn as the best classic star guest for this season. The finale, which involves a chaotic tribute to Japan that turns into a square dance with invading cowboys, has some of the same cultural sensitivity issues as the Peter Sellers episode, but James Coburn going for broke with a bunch of Muppets is just too wacky to resist. The sketches poke great fun at Coburn's tough guy reputation, especially in the salute to the Roaring 20s segment. Coburn also has a fun cameo as the owner of the El Sleezo Cafe in <i>The Muppet Movie</i> (1979), if you want another bit of Coburn-Muppet collaboration.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9pAkAROHKR-x7ZMkmSPC7YRdSS9_dNSRj06gOmUvCrITY2d2za0gF3YUxgK1RKPRp4Ze7HGlyHkiVsB8SuLfIhX-jvjIeMyqrJWtcRb-dSJiucOtSksL5XyQDMoIgUG2LlR7BevCrOrnjfzbzKfQ4gKfdxEIiNK8QKJOUqg3v2mnL4eoKsBaf4We/s432/Muppet%20Coburn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="432" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9pAkAROHKR-x7ZMkmSPC7YRdSS9_dNSRj06gOmUvCrITY2d2za0gF3YUxgK1RKPRp4Ze7HGlyHkiVsB8SuLfIhX-jvjIeMyqrJWtcRb-dSJiucOtSksL5XyQDMoIgUG2LlR7BevCrOrnjfzbzKfQ4gKfdxEIiNK8QKJOUqg3v2mnL4eoKsBaf4We/w400-h296/Muppet%20Coburn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>If you're interested in reading more of my posts about the Muppets, check out these links:</p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2021/03/classic-movie-stars-on-muppet-show.html" target="_blank">Classic Movie Stars on THE MUPPET SHOW</a> <br /></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/01/lovers-dreamers-and-me-reflections-on.html" target="_blank">The Lovers, the Dreamers, and Me: Reflections on The Muppets</a></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/10/from-phantom-to-phenom-evolution-of.html" target="_blank">From Phantom to Phenom: The Evolution of Uncle Deadly</a></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-movie-blogathon-muppet.html" target="_blank">Christmas Movie Blogathon: THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992)</a> </p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/01/making-news-with-muppets.html" target="_blank">Making News with The Muppets</a></p><p> <br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-18453721013547574202023-03-22T13:51:00.000-05:002023-03-22T13:51:00.389-05:00Classic Films in Focus: WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? (1957)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9oEn9uV7u5hxZE-F3FX-7RUXQmcWSERXwDKnfMIdMZPcucJgZDe4wEqTMAB-Y58ZtSw8ztZ_Ni8w3g-byk8q1iVhfssPLv6UmSNVWuiJoh6cuDzhPGkLC03eRAlxgWu4GbzF68-Ue9UH_gCi-SVySEfyM4l4k6-CaRg34_KCMug8RUOf95v1adJC/s335/Spoil%20Rock%20Hunter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9oEn9uV7u5hxZE-F3FX-7RUXQmcWSERXwDKnfMIdMZPcucJgZDe4wEqTMAB-Y58ZtSw8ztZ_Ni8w3g-byk8q1iVhfssPLv6UmSNVWuiJoh6cuDzhPGkLC03eRAlxgWu4GbzF68-Ue9UH_gCi-SVySEfyM4l4k6-CaRg34_KCMug8RUOf95v1adJC/s320/Spoil%20Rock%20Hunter.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>The 1950s proved a challenging time in the movie industry as television became a full-fledged competitor for audience attention, and Frank Tashlin confronts the issue with satiric glee in his 1957 comedy, <i>Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?</i>, which Tashlin wrote, directed, and produced with only the most superficial lip service to the original stage play of the same name. In fact, Tashlin has a wide range of targets for satire here, including the Hollywood film industry, American advertising, fan culture, and the mega stardom of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe. Hilarious at times, but a bit uneven thanks to its fractured focus, <i>Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?</i> works largely because of Tony Randall's delightful performance as an advertising writer whose career ambitions land him in an unexpected - and very public - fake romance with a Hollywood sex symbol.<p></p><p>Randall plays the titular Rock Hunter, a rather average New York adman whose engagement to his assistant, Jenny (Betsy Drake), has dragged on while Rock tries to climb the company ladder enough to get married. When the company struggles to retain its top client, Rock hatches a plan to save the account by getting sexy star Rita Marlowe (Jayne Mansfield) to endorse the product, but in return Rita demands that Rock pose as her new lover to make her ex (Mickey Hargitay) jealous. Jenny is understandably upset by this arrangement, and Rock finds his new notoriety as Rita's "Lover Doll" both rewarding and chaotic.</p><p>Having recently watched Randall play second fiddle to Rock Hudson in <i>Pillow Talk</i> (1959), <i>Lover Come Back</i> (1961), and <i>Send Me No Flowers</i> (1964), I enjoyed the chance to catch him as the lead here, although his Rock Hunter (a joke, of course, referring to Hudson) has much in common with the neurotic sidekicks he plays in those later pictures. Randall grounds this absurd comedy with his performance, which is played mostly straight but is still versatile enough to switch into breaking the fourth wall during the opening credits and the "intermission" that pretends to cater to the disrupted attention spans of television viewers. Randall's everyman character also balances the exaggerated persona of Rita, an obvious parody of Marilyn Monroe but, ironically, the single most powerful person in the story. Mansfield's squealing might wear thin - especially when the other women start to imitate it - but she's a platinum goddess at whose altar the lipstick company, the advertising executives, and the American public all worship with enthusiasm. Randall is perfect as the mere mortal who never has a chance against this dyed blonde deity, even though his devotion to the comparatively average Jenny never wavers.</p><p>A variety of supporting characters enhance our understanding of the protagonists and their approaches to life while underscoring the satirical points of the picture. At home, Rock is perpetually outmaneuvered by his teenage niece, April (Lili Gentle), who is also the president of the local Rita Marlowe fan club. At the advertising agency, Rock enjoys support from fellow Harvard grad Henry Rufus (Henry Jones) but struggles to get the attention of his boss (John Williams), who turns out to have his own long-denied ambitions. Although conflicted about his career choices, Rock yearns for the perks of status at the office, which leads to a very funny scene with Rufus and Rock weeping tears of joy over access to the executive washroom. Equally silly but somehow essential is Rita's desire to punish former flame Bobo Branigansky (Hargitay), a Tarzan type who boasts to the press that Rita will come crawling back to him. Rita's long-suffering assistant, Violet (Joan Blondell), astutely observes that Rita doesn't love Bobo or Rock, having long ago lost her heart to the mysterious George Schmidlap (whose eventual appearance provides a surprising cameo). Blondell is an especially apt choice for the role of the older and wiser Vi, who has worked for Hollywood stars since the silent era, and her scenes with Mansfield allow us to see Rita without her sex kitten schtick.</p><p>I won't spoil the George Schmidlap cameo, but pay close attention to catch brief appearances by TV icons Majel Barrett (in the fake TV ads) and Barbara Eden (as Miss Carstairs). Jayne Mansfield married costar Mickey Hargitay in 1958, and the pair would go on to star together in a handful of pictures before their divorce in 1964. She is better remembered today for <i>The Girl Can't Help It</i> (1956), which Frank Tashlin also wrote, produced, and directed, and <i>Kiss Them for Me</i> (1957), a romantic comedy costarring Cary Grant. Betsy Drake, who was married to Grant from 1949 to 1962, starred with him in <i>Every Girl Should Be Married</i> (1948) and <i>Room for One More</i> (1952). For more of Joan Blondell's work from this era, see <i>The Opposite Sex</i> (1956), <i>Desk Set</i> (1957), and <i>The Cincinnati Kid</i> (1965). In addition to his movies with Doris Day and Rock Hudson, Tony Randall stars in <i>The Mating Game</i> (1959), <i>Let's Make Love</i> (1960), and <i>Boys' Night Out</i> (1962). Frank Tashlin got his start directing cartoons, including many Looney Tunes shorts, but more of his live action directing efforts see <i>Son of Paleface</i> (1952), <i>Artists and Models</i> (1955), and <i>The Glass Bottom Boat</i> (1966). <br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-80070026107341838702023-02-20T20:34:00.000-06:002023-02-20T20:34:16.807-06:00Classic Films in Focus: THE QUEEN OF SPADES (1949)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZJm69FzZB_Qe-z8aJe0tcHfS7z2rmd-mgSqTIA1QWFpt5znD_K7OrXFWQrF8qBBcvvzPEiD2vaH9B6cF0bJmEbpBcGuiicIwLVT_snmtd4q36ivv_8XqsqrMF-T86yej13YmySjIDouZF0b86KfjFfccBxBKgncpQFkJE_ih0BjCsXjE2F6YQohg/s330/Queen%20of%20Spades2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZJm69FzZB_Qe-z8aJe0tcHfS7z2rmd-mgSqTIA1QWFpt5znD_K7OrXFWQrF8qBBcvvzPEiD2vaH9B6cF0bJmEbpBcGuiicIwLVT_snmtd4q36ivv_8XqsqrMF-T86yej13YmySjIDouZF0b86KfjFfccBxBKgncpQFkJE_ih0BjCsXjE2F6YQohg/s320/Queen%20of%20Spades2.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div>Once considered lost, <i>The Queen of Spades</i> (1949) is an example of buried cinematic treasure that was luckily rediscovered so that we can enjoy it again today, an ironic twist since it's a tale about the fickle turns of Fortune's wheel. The plot comes from a short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin, which explains its Russian setting and Romantic bent, but the movie is a British production directed by Thorold Dickinson, with Anton Walbrook, Edith Evans, and Yvonne Mitchell in its most significant roles. A meticulous 4K restoration by Studiocanal means that modern viewers can enjoy <i>The Queen of Spades</i> in all her baroque glory, and it really is a stunning picture, with a moody atmosphere reminiscent of <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2021/09/five-favorite-films-val-lewton.html" target="_blank">Val Lewton</a> and a delirious mix of romance, menace, and supernatural chills.<p></p><p>Anton Walbrook stars as Herman Suvorin, an officer in the Russian army who envies the wealth and good fortune of his nobler and more successful peers. When he hears the story of a beautiful countess who sold her soul for the secret of winning at cards, he sets out to learn it from her by first seducing her lonely young companion, Lizaveta (Yvonne Mitchell). Soon Suvorin comes face to face with the now ancient Countess (Edith Evans), but his meeting with her does not go as planned, and his manipulation of Lizaveta rouses the resentment of her honest admirer, Andrei (Ronald Howard).</p><p>The horror element of <i>The Queen of Spades</i> relies more on Gothic ambience than overt terrors, but it's always there, pulsing in the undercurrent of the narrative and rising with Suvorin's paranoia in the third act, when he might or might not be experiencing supernatural encounters. We're introduced early to the idea that malevolent forces are at work in this world, as we hear the story of Countess Ranevskaya and her desperate bargain to regain a fortune stolen from her by a secret lover. Faustian deals with the devil, wax figures containing lost souls, and unseen horrors prime our imaginations for the unfolding tale of Suvorin's obsession. The resulting narrative exists somewhere between the Lewton oeuvre and classic thrillers like <i>Gaslight</i> (the British 1940 version was also directed by Dickinson and stars Anton Walbrook). The reality of the supernatural is up for debate, especially where the final climactic scene is concerned, but there's a fantastic turn of the screw quality to Suvorin's increasing hysteria, and if anyone deserves to be haunted he's top of the list. Fans of the 1961 anthology film, <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/10/classic-films-in-focus-black-sabbath.html" target="_blank">Black Sabbath</a></i>, might appreciate the parallels between the haunting scenes and those found in the segment titled "The Drop of Water," although Mario Bava's movie provides more lurid terrors for the guilty protagonist.</p><p>Elegant performances help to elevate <i>The Queen of Spades</i> and complement its gorgeous period settings, with Walbrook especially compelling as the ambitious Suvorin. He opens the picture tightly controlled and standoffish, and it's enthralling to watch him succumb to his envy, avarice, and guilt as he worms his way into the presence of the elderly Countess. Dame Edith Evans, looking about a hundred years old and outfitted in full 18th-century finery with a stupendous wig, still manages to be shrewish, funny, pathetic, and terrible by turns. Neither she nor Suvorin is a good person, but both retain degrees of humanity and frailty that excite some sympathy from the viewer, especially because Lizaveta feels pity for both of them. Yvonne Mitchell invests Lizaveta with moving Gothic sensibility; as a paid companion she's very similar to a governess, inhabiting an uneasy liminal space between servant and family member, but she burns with longing and a desire to be loved. The film's brilliant visual metaphors make it clear that Suvorin means to trap Lizaveta in his web of lies, but she attracts a nobler suitor in handsome Andrei, played to great effect by Leslie Howard's son, Ronald. </p><p>Arresting cinematography by Otto Heller also makes this picture a gem.
It's a stunning feast for the eyes, making the most of the gorgeous
costumes and elaborately decorated sets created by Oliver Messel. Memorable moments abound: we see the young Countess hurrying down a secret passage, Suvorin waiting in the snow at night, and a beautiful dancer entertaining the amorous officers. Most of the central characters are shown in mirrors at various times, confronting themselves, reflecting themselves, or revealing their natures to the viewer, and the scenes in which we see one character directly and another in reflection are particularly striking and well shot. The long awaited confrontation between Suvorin and the Countess is absolutely riveting, thanks to the performances of the actors and the ways in which the camera frames them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1ZJTQTk8_FqzMCPg7TScQf-v6Ie0liIifYmkTAUIl2vI2WG2jgJO3maUKptouw6QPQYcP3cl46i3jr5Iny9eJ5voJkc8Uv4al-91NSTogqjfuy6ev1qN75HXttzSfB3QnpKZ10lA5pdanepiVAoVTteMZLF2iRFV8FPpBxgCBs6xRMiVHRDuholJ/s460/Queen%20of%20Spades.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="460" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1ZJTQTk8_FqzMCPg7TScQf-v6Ie0liIifYmkTAUIl2vI2WG2jgJO3maUKptouw6QPQYcP3cl46i3jr5Iny9eJ5voJkc8Uv4al-91NSTogqjfuy6ev1qN75HXttzSfB3QnpKZ10lA5pdanepiVAoVTteMZLF2iRFV8FPpBxgCBs6xRMiVHRDuholJ/w400-h240/Queen%20of%20Spades.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>For more of director Thorold Dickinson and Anton Walbrook, start with the 1940 <i>Gaslight</i>, which some consider superior to the 1944 Hollywood version. Walbrook's other British films include <i>49th Parallel</i> (1941), <i>The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp</i> (1943), and <i>The Red Shoes</i> (1948). Edith Evans earned Oscar nominations for her performances in <i>Tom Jones</i> (1963), <i>The Chalk Garden</i> (1964), and <i>The Whisperers</i> (1967), but don't miss her as Lady Bracknell in <i>The Importance of Being Earnest</i> (1952). Yvonne Mitchell, who made her screen debut in <i>The Queen of Spades</i>, can also be found in <i>The Divided Heart</i> (1954), <i>Woman in a Dressing Gown</i> (1957), and <i>Sapphire</i> (1959). For an eerie period double feature, try pairing <i>The Queen of Spades</i> with <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2011/04/hogarthian-gothic-imagining-madhouse-in.html" target="_blank">Bedlam</a> </i>(1946), or follow up with Gothic thrillers like <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/10/classic-films-in-focus-uninvited-1944.html" target="_blank">The Uninvited</a> </i>(1944),<i> The Spiral Staircase</i> (1946), and <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/11/classic-films-in-focus-dragonwyck-1946.html" target="_blank"><i>Dragonwyck</i></a> (1946).</p><p><i>The Queen of Spades</i> is available on Blu-ray and DVD; the new Studiocanal restoration is region specific, but a 2019 version with some extras is available on Amazon from Kino Lorber. You can also find it streaming on the horror subscription channel Shudder as of February 2023.<br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-744511615514818502023-02-20T13:02:00.000-06:002023-02-20T13:02:11.283-06:00Time to Quit Twitter<p><b><u>It's time to quit Twitter.</u></b></p><p><br />I joined Twitter over a decade ago to connect with classic movie fans, writers, fellow LEGO enthusiasts, and other people who shared some of my eclectic interests. It was, for many years, a satisfying experience that introduced me to films, books, and people I would not otherwise have found, including my current gig writing a monthly column for <a href="http://www.classicmoviehub.com/blog/author/jennifer-garlen/" target="_blank">Classic Movie Hub</a>. This week, however, I decided the time had finally come to pull the plug on my Twitter account. </p><p>It has been a gradual process of disillusionment, but the current state of Twitter makes it less useful, less enjoyable, and more problematic than ever. I'll miss the good old days and the classic movie people I interacted with, but I've seen less and less of them in recent years, as my feed became flooded with the most aggressive retweeters and promoted posts. I found that looking at Twitter increased my anxiety but not my knowledge or feeling of connection, and now basic services on the site are rapidly shifting to "paid only" access, while Elon Musk treats Twitter as his personal megaphone and cudgel.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHXbZXV6V97-bW5ypYESjODJgqH9QlX-gsM3Z5erFizaew5wCfRQZK0Ev0RMHIRAqQNAQOD3Hln07t_qxUB8jLY7i4SCJ_D84rYQCL7WRYoBwY4h6NS1B4bjZbOi64Fbsk-BkOYSNr1E2eyk6EObZoyCvxJWDQMfCGbaVqkMlLpSkFjupWNbsRvJB/s1272/Niagara%20Falls%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="1272" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHXbZXV6V97-bW5ypYESjODJgqH9QlX-gsM3Z5erFizaew5wCfRQZK0Ev0RMHIRAqQNAQOD3Hln07t_qxUB8jLY7i4SCJ_D84rYQCL7WRYoBwY4h6NS1B4bjZbOi64Fbsk-BkOYSNr1E2eyk6EObZoyCvxJWDQMfCGbaVqkMlLpSkFjupWNbsRvJB/w400-h300/Niagara%20Falls%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying real life at Niagara Falls in 2022. So much better than Twitter!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Going forward, you'll find links to my blog posts on my <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/jennifergarlen" target="_blank">Tumblr account</a>. Classic movie and LEGO content will also continue on my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jennifergarlen/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, along with way too many pictures of my cats. I am not, at this time, attempting to join one of the new social media sites like Mastodon. This blog will continue, too, although I long ago stopped trying to make it profitable. It's purely a labor of love, and I find that the regular writing practice is good for me. I hope my posts here on Virtual Virago occasionally find readers who enjoy them. You can also read my Silver Screen Standards column each month at Classic Movie Hub!</p><p>Finally, if you really want to be supportive, you can always visit my <a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jennifer-C.-Garlen/author/B009BHNAVE?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true" target="_blank">Amazon Author page</a> and buy a book. <br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-43368163186128813012023-02-09T15:00:00.000-06:002023-02-09T15:00:02.541-06:00Classic Films in Focus: THE SUSPECT (1944)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXcfkaBsKc-w5vUO4edS3wj1DvrjPNe3kahmTnGkZ030cEPOTjNTIOQGNJokJQsXtAmItkdk6-KWlgC-Rao-SqeVn1YT6yH8M939lv9qoEDHHtW4qObjbz3jlhkfSo29xdRRl8_mAFbvZe7_zp1DpYx3f1FEYyPVgGRTE3mQPBI0b1rg6LEbfrOFV/s327/Suspect%2044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXcfkaBsKc-w5vUO4edS3wj1DvrjPNe3kahmTnGkZ030cEPOTjNTIOQGNJokJQsXtAmItkdk6-KWlgC-Rao-SqeVn1YT6yH8M939lv9qoEDHHtW4qObjbz3jlhkfSo29xdRRl8_mAFbvZe7_zp1DpYx3f1FEYyPVgGRTE3mQPBI0b1rg6LEbfrOFV/s320/Suspect%2044.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><b><u>Warning: This review contains spoilers for The Suspect (1944). </u></b><br /><p></p><p>Director Robert Siodmak weaves Victorian sensibility with noir energy in the justifiable homicide story of <i>The Suspect</i> (1944), which sees a mild-mannered Charles Laughton driven to murder by his extremely disagreeable wife. It's an unusual tale in that it pitches our sympathies toward the murderer throughout, even though we know the Hays Code won't let the picture - or its protagonist - get away with the crimes. Laughton, equally adept at comedic and horror roles, here plays an amiable working man who never stops being likable even as the corpses pile up. Ella Raines gives a sweet performance as the young woman whose affection ironically plunges the protagonist into violence, while Rosalind Ivan and Henry Daniell are delightfully horrible as the two antagonists who threaten him to their peril.</p><p>Laughton stars as Philip Marshall, a pleasant middle-aged man who manages a cigar store and does his best to placate the wrath of his hectoring, hateful wife, Cora (Rosalind Ivan). After Cora drives away their son, Philip takes comfort in a new friendship with pretty, young Mary (Ella Raines), but his hopes for a second chance at happiness are dashed when Cora refuses to give him a divorce. Cora's threat to ruin both of the lovers by publicly exposing them proves too much for Philip, but his snap decision to take drastic action has unexpected effects, especially when his abusive, alcoholic neighbor, Mr. Simmons (Henry Daniell), sees an opportunity for blackmail.<br /></p><p>The success of this picture relies very much on Laughton's ability to play a truly kind, sympathetic man who is also believably capable of outright murder. Philip Marshall is no smiling sociopath like Joseph Cotten's character in <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/02/classic-films-in-focus-shadow-of-doubt.html" target="_blank"><i>Shadow of a Doubt</i></a> (1943), nor is he incompetent once he commits to the deed. It helps that Cora and Mr. Simmons are so thoroughly rotten that even a saint might be forgiven for wishing them dead. Cora is unhinged enough that she doesn't seem to realize or care that ruining Philip's career would put her in the poorhouse, too; she means to torment him until death do them part. The revelation that Mr. Simmons beats his long-suffering wife (Molly Lamont) makes Philip and the audience hate him long before the blackmail attempt, as ironic as that seems when we consider that Mr. Simmons doesn't actually murder <i>his</i> wife. The Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Huxley (Stanley Ridges), enters this story as a most unwelcome pest; he's determined to prove Philip's guilt but doesn't care at all about the circumstances or the consequences. He might not be a corrupt cop, but he's willing to tell lies, set traps, and ruin lives without a moment's hesitation because he believes in his own moral superiority.</p><p>Touches of romance and comedy constantly lighten the mood to remind us of Philip's essential decency and the happiness he and Mary might enjoy if only fate would deal them a better hand, but there are fully realized moments of thrilling noir tension, too. Some of the sweetest scenes feature Raymond Severn as the errand boy, Merridew, whom Philip treats with paternal affection. The mix of moods also leads to black comedy, including a perversely entertaining sequence where Philip attempts to hide a body behind a couch while also entertaining unexpected guests. Laughton carries all of it beautifully, even the tenderest scenes with Raines, which might easily be rendered ridiculous by the difference in their ages and Laughton's cherubic curls atop a round, sad face. The ending might not offer what the audience really wants, but it's as gentle as possible given the inevitable conclusion to Philip's experience, and it leaves some poignant questions hanging in the air. Can you forgive a murderer depending on who they murder and why? How does that change the nature of justice and who gets it? What does the end of the story mean for Mary, or Mrs. Simmons, or Philip's adult son, John? <i>The Suspect</i> is the kind of murder story that begs for group viewing and discussion.</p><p>Robert Siodmak's other films from the 1940s include classics like <i>Phantom Lady</i> (1944), <i>The Spiral Staircase</i> (1946), and <i>The Killers</i> (1946). Charles Laughton won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in <i>The Private Life of Henry VIII</i> (1933) and was nominated again for <i>Mutiny on the Bounty</i> (1935) and <i>Witness for the Prosecution</i> (1957), but be sure to see him in <i>Hobson's Choice</i> (1954), too. Ella Raines also stars in <i>Phantom Lady</i>, <i>The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry</i> (1945), <i>The Web</i> (1947), and <i>Brute Force</i> (1947). If you like mild-mannered men embroiled in murder, pair <i>The Suspect</i> with <i>The Woman in the Window</i> (1944) or <i>Scarlet Street</i> (1945), both starring Edward G. Robinson.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-71291576404035325852023-02-02T17:35:00.000-06:002023-02-02T17:35:19.971-06:00Classic Films in Focus: DEAD OF NIGHT (1945)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxegkplS_5otxeCkiNsd049IAuWO6BB7aTkZZwhPbXOOi_hyQagpqSu0gZLO81x9DIvCP32z55S2G6HwCMZR8xSl37729V5EpdxBhLlNw-UuTD8JWsaETJ6jo6EgT8RPMyjOjh83qNtz1smTnI1AtuWUDpuh7z3vfWCN4GewhvEYLml-5I6SQ0EEqL/s3000/Dead%20of%20Night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2013" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxegkplS_5otxeCkiNsd049IAuWO6BB7aTkZZwhPbXOOi_hyQagpqSu0gZLO81x9DIvCP32z55S2G6HwCMZR8xSl37729V5EpdxBhLlNw-UuTD8JWsaETJ6jo6EgT8RPMyjOjh83qNtz1smTnI1AtuWUDpuh7z3vfWCN4GewhvEYLml-5I6SQ0EEqL/s320/Dead%20of%20Night.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>Long before <i>The Twilight Zone</i> came the 1945 British anthology film, <i>Dead of Night</i>, which weaves together a collection of eerie tales within a framework that gathers a small group of people in an English country house. While it's not exactly a horror movie, it does offer plenty of weird and even disturbing moments, and it would profoundly influence future horror anthologies, which have since become a unique and much-loved subgenre. Each segment of this multi-part narrative has its own director and stars, and each has its own charms, but standouts of the group include Mervyn Johns, Googie Withers, and Michael Redgrave as some of the unfortunate visitors to the stranger side of experience.<p></p><p>The frame tale follows mild-mannered architect Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns) on a professional visit to a remote country house, where he meets the owner, Mr. Foley (Roland Culver), and a group of his friends. Craig feels an overwhelming sense of uneasiness as he realizes that he has seen these people somewhere before, but he only remembers that the gathering ends in tragedy. Psychologist Dr. Van Straaten (Frederick Valk) doubts that Craig is really experiencing a supernatural vision, but the other guests try to support Craig by telling stories about their own brushes with the inexplicable, which range from the horrific to the humorous.</p><p>The anthology contains five stories in addition to the frame tale with Craig, and each one strikes a different tone. The hearse driver tale has an urban legend quality; it mostly functions as a short opening act for the more complex stories that follow. The Christmas party is a lovely, old fashioned ghost story that briskly moves through its beats, with Sally Ann Howes very charming as the heroine and narrator, also named Sally. In the story of the haunted mirror, Googie Withers and Ralph Michael play an engaged couple who become ensnared by the eerie menace of a newly acquired antique. Fans of iconic TV series like <i>The Twilight Zone</i> and <i>Night Gallery</i> will find the mirror adventure very much to their taste, and the two leads give great performances that really sell the story. In the fourth segment, Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne play golfing pals whose rivalry for the same woman leads to ghostly misadventures; it's a bit of comedic fun that fans of the duo - who first became famous for their appearance in <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/06/classic-films-in-focus-lady-vanishes.html" target="_blank"><i>The Lady Vanishes</i></a> (1938) - will especially appreciate, but you don't need to recognize them as Charters and Caldicott to laugh at their scenes. The final segment stars Michael Redgrave as an increasingly deranged ventriloquist plagued by his sadistic dummy, and it's easily the creepiest and most iconic of the lot, with Redgrave absolutely riveting as the tortured partner of the nightmarish Hugo.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMDPIKcf5hhCPWFV0jrWYkSPN6s6X5UKmIuXuaIyqOZOa23LqDJQClu8E40Tu9ml17nvOR7g04s9cmRtSiWaQKKnYex2QzbbHHYh234JCM7wYenI2YnBR0ENKCU8FWTZzACNxNtl-fPstVx64g07W17TOZuvOZl867wlKgvZqjOl-yBYVZ4lmthZs/s600/Dead%20of%20Night%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMDPIKcf5hhCPWFV0jrWYkSPN6s6X5UKmIuXuaIyqOZOa23LqDJQClu8E40Tu9ml17nvOR7g04s9cmRtSiWaQKKnYex2QzbbHHYh234JCM7wYenI2YnBR0ENKCU8FWTZzACNxNtl-fPstVx64g07W17TOZuvOZl867wlKgvZqjOl-yBYVZ4lmthZs/w400-h300/Dead%20of%20Night%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Redgrave hushes the devilish Hugo.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>The changes in cast and tone keep each new experience fresh as the picture unfolds, with the haunted mirror and the ventriloquist stories cranking up the horror and the other episodes offering varying levels of relief. In between we return to the frame tale, which works its way toward a hallucinatory climax that merges bits from every segment. The format would inspire many later horror anthologies, leading to genre classics like <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/11/classic-films-in-focus-tales-of-terror.html" target="_blank"><i>Tales of Terror</i></a> (1962), <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/11/classic-films-in-focus-twice-told-tales.html" target="_blank"><i>Twice-Told Tales</i></a> (1963), <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/10/classic-films-in-focus-black-sabbath.html" target="_blank"><i>Black Sabbath</i></a> (1963), <i>Dr. Terror's House of Horrors</i> (1965), and <i>The House That Dripped Blood</i> (1971), just to name a few. These later pictures increasingly leaned into the sexuality and gore that <i>Dead of Night</i> eschews, but television series like <i>Alfred Hitchcock Presents</i>, <i>Thriller</i>, <i>The Outer Limits</i>, and <i>Amazing Stories</i> continued to provide eerie chills without buckets of blood. It's worth noting that the anthology format is itself a very old literary genre, famously used in Boccaccio's <i>Decameron</i> and Chaucer's <i>Canterbury Tales</i>, which makes <i>Dead of Night</i> a fascinating link in a long genre chain that connects 14th century texts to modern hits like <i>Black Mirror</i>.</p><p>Ealing Studios is remembered today for its comedies, and <i>Dead of Night</i> was very much a departure from its usual fare, but it includes many of the studio's regular directors and stars. Charles Crichton, who directed the golfing story, went on to make <i>The Lavender Hill Mob</i> (1951) and <i>The Titfield Thunderbolt</i> (1953), and Robert Hamer, the director of the haunted mirror tale, later directed the classic Ealing comedy, <i>Kind Hearts and Coronets</i> (1949). You'll find Michael Redgrave and Googie Withers along with Radford and Wayne in <i>The Lady Vanishes</i>, while Withers and Roland Culver both appear in <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/09/classic-films-in-focus-on-approval-1944.html" target="_blank"><i>On Approval</i></a> (1944). Director Robert Hamer also works with Withers, Mervyn Johns, and Sally Ann Howes on <i>Pink String and Sealing Wax</i> (1945). If Hugo Fitch, the ventriloquist's dummy, fascinates you, check out <i>Magic</i> (1978) or the two <i>Twilight Zone</i> episodes with similar themes, "The Dummy" and "Caesar and Me." The first one is the more iconic of the two.<br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-36265892973079685552023-01-25T14:43:00.000-06:002023-01-25T14:43:26.259-06:00Classic Films in Focus: THEODORA GOES WILD (1936)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWQaUeU4C8rPcGNU3ZHEuputR-JJ5imuSG0Uadl7QEj9_AKm2ZPbkmLpwsfOayNcIRhlaNeJBVOJ_pqlo1bkrUa-hBp7Nh-qWSMUJnyaQYT9Y8EyFHNRAmSyKbK08rQd-1f0vleEOYbGojAiQv7E0J7gwxbyJFotrzfgiz-UaOEPnKB2DR4Krh-Jc/s2985/Theodora%20Goes%20Wild.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2985" data-original-width="1997" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWQaUeU4C8rPcGNU3ZHEuputR-JJ5imuSG0Uadl7QEj9_AKm2ZPbkmLpwsfOayNcIRhlaNeJBVOJ_pqlo1bkrUa-hBp7Nh-qWSMUJnyaQYT9Y8EyFHNRAmSyKbK08rQd-1f0vleEOYbGojAiQv7E0J7gwxbyJFotrzfgiz-UaOEPnKB2DR4Krh-Jc/s320/Theodora%20Goes%20Wild.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>The truly delightful <i>Theodora Goes Wild</i> (1936) is an underappreciated gem of the screwball genre, one that ought to be much better known today among fans of classic romantic comedy. Its stars, Irene Dunne and Melvyn Douglas, are A-listers performing at their comedic best in this outing, although director Richard Boleslawski lacks the name recognition of Capra, Hawks, and Sturges, all widely celebrated for their screwball films. The movie was a hit in 1936, and Dunne, in her first starring comedic role, earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her performance as the titular Theodora, a young woman living a double life in a conservative New England town. Knowing that some readers won't have seen it before, I'm hesitant to spoil too much of the plot of <i>Theodora Goes Wild</i>, which makes great use of its second act twist, but it's such a charmer that I can't help shouting its praise now that I've finally seen it myself.<p></p><p>Dunne plays Theodora Lynn, a church organist raised by her strict spinster aunts (Elisabeth Risdon and Margaret McWade) in a narrow-minded little town named for the Lynn family. Under the pseudonym Caroline Adams, Theodora is also the best-selling author of a racy romance novel, with heaps of money piling up in her bank account and her publisher (Thurston Hall) eager for a new book. Theodora's effort to keep her two lives completely separate becomes complicated once nosy, carefree illustrator Michael Grant (Melvyn Douglas) learns her secret and blackmails his way into her aunts' house. When Theodora finally "goes wild," Michael finds that his intervention has worked far better than expected, and with alarming consequences for everyone connected to her, including Michael himself.</p><p>The situation of a young person chafing under the constraints of life in a small, uptight town full of busybodies has enduring appeal, especially to those who experience it in real life, but the movie softens its criticism with scenes of berry picking, fishing, and other rural pleasures. Still, it won't make you want to relocate to Lynnfield, where self-righteous old women decry the liberal values of "civilization" and threaten to boycott the local newspaper run by Jed Waterbury (Thomas Mitchell) when he publishes the Caroline Adams novel as a serial. Theodora's aunts have great sway with this crowd as representatives of the Lynn family, but the worst of the lot is the gossipy, hypocritical Rebecca Perry, played with particular comedic malice by Spring Byington. Melvyn Douglas' Michael drops into the town like a bomb, and he quickly throws Theodora, her aunts, and the gossips into a tizzy. The rakish troublemaker is determined to dig Theodora up like a rosebush in her aunts' garden and see her transplanted into more suitable soil, preferably New York, where her literary talents and her youthful energy have room to breathe. As it turns out, Michael also needs some digging up, which Theodora proves only too happy to undertake.</p><p>Screwball comedies so often turn on the idea of the woman as a chaotic, disruptive force, and it's great fun to see that switched here, with Douglas gamely balancing the obnoxious and attractive elements of the role. His constant whistling is especially destructive of the Lynn family's peace, but his instant attachment to a stray dog speaks to his generous heart, so we know that he's really a good guy in spite of his antics. When their situations are reversed, Theodora takes on the role of the relentless saboteur with equal enthusiasm and a striking disregard for her own reputation. Dunne is absolutely hilarious throughout, whether she's in retreat from Douglas or on the attack, and it's easy to see how this performance launched her into comedy classics like <i>The Awful Truth</i> (1937) and <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2018/02/classic-films-in-focus-my-favorite-wife.html" target="_blank"><i>My Favorite Wife</i></a> (1940). In spite of the disapproving Lynnfield ladies, the entire movie cheers for modernity, women's liberation, and gender parity with palpable enthusiasm. Ironically, their two chief supporters are both old men: Waterbury, the newspaper publisher, is an unrepentant radical, and Theodora's Uncle John (Robert Greig) is an unreformed rake who encourages her to live as she pleases. The second half of the story establishes the perfect equality between the two protagonists and gives <i>Theodora Goes Wild</i> an especially satisfying conclusion, with a finale that scandalizes Lynnfield in uproarious fashion and flirts with the limits of the recently enforced Hays Code.</p><p>Richard Boleslawski's directorial credits include <i>The Painted Veil</i> (1934), <i>Les Miserables</i> (1935), and <i>The Last of Mrs. Cheyney </i>(1937); his sudden death in 1937 put a premature end to his career. A five-time nominee for Best Actress, Irene Dunne never won an Oscar but gained lasting fame in dramatic films like <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/03/classic-films-in-focus-show-boat-1936.html" target="_blank"><i>Show Boat</i></a> (1936), <i>Love Affair</i> (1939), and <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/07/classic-films-in-focus-i-remember-mama.html" target="_blank"><i>I Remember Mama</i></a> (1948), as well as her comedy roles. Melvyn Douglas won two Best Supporting Actor Oscars late in his career, for <i>Hud</i> (1963) and <i>Being There</i> (1979), and earned a Best Actor nomination for <i>I Never Sang for My Father</i> (1970), but be sure to see him in earlier pictures like <i>Ninotchka</i> (1939) and <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/11/domestic-madness-in-mr-blandings-builds.html" target="_blank"><i>Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House</i> </a>(1948). Nana Bryant has a small but very funny role as the book publisher's wife, Ethel Stevenson, which might tempt you to look for more of her in <i>Brewster's Millions</i> (1945) and <i>Harvey</i> (1950).</p><p><i>Theodora Goes Wild</i> is currently available for streaming on The Criterion Channel.<br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-89027585981456562182023-01-01T14:34:00.000-06:002023-01-01T14:34:23.207-06:002022 Movie Log in Review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4D01wTnZcpktEUjA-TaD0YP1_0_E-ivXEAbKqqMSmXBoMW1KsK9J2pzaqim1hudjkf86I-chm4kVRsjvNbCb-qMM2dw7cDgAYdb-89e02vWJpkjsiLUK0UX97JyNN1VVn1PTD7Gt9Ysh4NswUKOvJIfV_PZfQC42FkpKso30MdDCfobxmutmjo_X/s1112/Sparrows.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4D01wTnZcpktEUjA-TaD0YP1_0_E-ivXEAbKqqMSmXBoMW1KsK9J2pzaqim1hudjkf86I-chm4kVRsjvNbCb-qMM2dw7cDgAYdb-89e02vWJpkjsiLUK0UX97JyNN1VVn1PTD7Gt9Ysh4NswUKOvJIfV_PZfQC42FkpKso30MdDCfobxmutmjo_X/s320/Sparrows.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Happy New Year! Here's my annual post listing every movie I watched in the previous year. Getting the Criterion Channel rather late in 2022 helped me add more new-to-me classics to my list - it's far and away my favorite streaming service at the moment, and I plan to continue using it in 2023. As always, my list is a wide-ranging collection of classics, favorite hits, and new movies. June and August were busy months for family travel, gardening, and other activities, which meant less time for movies. As always, we closed out the year with the family's holiday favorites. <br /><p></p><p>Total for 2022: 107</p><p><br /></p><p><b>January</b><b> </b></p><p>Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)</p><p>Sparrows (1926)</p><p>Iron Monkey (1993)</p><p>Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)</p><p>Afterlife of the Party (2021)</p><p>Dark City (1998)</p><p>The Egg and I (1947)</p><p>Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)</p><p>Easy A (2010)</p><p>Jonah Hex (2010)</p><p>Jolt (2021)</p><p>Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gJ4ukq9JVmvXxrT1X-EdIv42y2XmAwW-mqXBbKJBxb0-O6G4oEZ003npFUgN4extEbGE664FYazTnlDbd5ko0-NBiEzjFKvmubS4mRokE0muZjGJAQP-DsI74_scSIofBw2VKNcwqKEM4twjIOBN39zsmcH7nj7CvZpWLJ5i1G_qiKlIM-xRFsYj/s220/Sylvia%20Scarlett.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="220" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gJ4ukq9JVmvXxrT1X-EdIv42y2XmAwW-mqXBbKJBxb0-O6G4oEZ003npFUgN4extEbGE664FYazTnlDbd5ko0-NBiEzjFKvmubS4mRokE0muZjGJAQP-DsI74_scSIofBw2VKNcwqKEM4twjIOBN39zsmcH7nj7CvZpWLJ5i1G_qiKlIM-xRFsYj/w320-h252/Sylvia%20Scarlett.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>February</b><p></p><p>Sylvia Scarlett (1935)</p><p>10 Things I Hate About You (1999)</p><p>It Happened One Night (1934)</p><p>Down with Love (2003)</p><p>Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies (2020)</p><p>Palm Springs (2020)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>March</b></p><p>Bringing Up Baby (1938)</p><p>The Haunted Palace (1963)</p><p>To Be or Not to Be (1942)</p><p>Turning Red (2022)</p><p>Save Yourselves! (2020)</p><p>That Night in Rio (1941)</p><p>Midnight (1939)</p><p>Death on the Nile (2022)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXOI_uq4x4quS5i646oXPrl15UJBIbP0oQZF6rFsfUdgy_vWqsM5iUJXQ5n088nn_SSeKo3qhK4BLqA0088pIvhpxHCC9DE7DhQEA8NTP6aMnvRf89OgzIVvvfPkTzmCUBOrildSozT6vxQycQsmi7aVJE4MvV7T8Vmw5gW-lhBcwWXTyI3oCvASc/s343/Palm%20Beach%20Story.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXOI_uq4x4quS5i646oXPrl15UJBIbP0oQZF6rFsfUdgy_vWqsM5iUJXQ5n088nn_SSeKo3qhK4BLqA0088pIvhpxHCC9DE7DhQEA8NTP6aMnvRf89OgzIVvvfPkTzmCUBOrildSozT6vxQycQsmi7aVJE4MvV7T8Vmw5gW-lhBcwWXTyI3oCvASc/s320/Palm%20Beach%20Story.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>April</b></p><p>Holiday (1938)</p><p>The French Dispatch (2021)</p><p>The Palm Beach Story (1942)</p><p>The Most Dangerous Game (1932)</p><p>Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)</p><p>Turning Red (2022) - Second time</p><p>Crazy Rich Asians (2018)</p><p>Cruella (2021)</p><p> </p><p><b>May</b></p><p>The Philadelphia Story (1940)</p><p>The Lady from Shanghai (1947)</p><p>Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - Second time</p><p>The Lady Eve (1941)</p><p>The Lost City (2022)</p><p>Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqv1PZUDr4q1E-aCACi0lr-A4O5Rr4sSq2x57Xx7peB81iVcoPkb6YSf8R5FX8EsLKsItgtgszXJY_00IBBl8HkY_DNhk85q8Ez0QzEXIfU2Ln08tDw0Sr9BF25diEplrVfxHnTO7hUyQ-jKvq_w_03QMHJ2JapyY5dZTAro2tl61EtBD_oQOJGgP/s300/Lady%20from%20Shanghai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqv1PZUDr4q1E-aCACi0lr-A4O5Rr4sSq2x57Xx7peB81iVcoPkb6YSf8R5FX8EsLKsItgtgszXJY_00IBBl8HkY_DNhk85q8Ez0QzEXIfU2Ln08tDw0Sr9BF25diEplrVfxHnTO7hUyQ-jKvq_w_03QMHJ2JapyY5dZTAro2tl61EtBD_oQOJGgP/s1600/Lady%20from%20Shanghai.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>June</b></p><p>Fire Island (2022)</p><p>Sullivan's Travels (1941)</p><p>Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)</p><p> </p><p><b>July</b></p><p>Stage Fright (1950)</p><p>Bombshell (1933)</p><p>The Bad Guys (2022)</p><p>Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)</p><p>The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)</p><p>Shadow of a Doubt (1943)</p><p>O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)</p><p> </p><p><b>August</b></p><p>Lightyear (2022)</p><p>The Sea Beast (2022)</p><p>Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFImroZM2MUeIFXcgGeciCSlFOACsel0ALR4fRVU9DBidqTphl0u1zWoCDRmYyBQBWPSJIXjreP7mC5mb_RDiH9sjwWKzJKC1-nu2F2dOjzlag0E4232h-35fUknT4ro_n2f3uow6OHlmLWQXb1kF6UwzBdCmlaGEj4o6DPl1quSb5bHH9glbdQ2eD/s345/Blob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFImroZM2MUeIFXcgGeciCSlFOACsel0ALR4fRVU9DBidqTphl0u1zWoCDRmYyBQBWPSJIXjreP7mC5mb_RDiH9sjwWKzJKC1-nu2F2dOjzlag0E4232h-35fUknT4ro_n2f3uow6OHlmLWQXb1kF6UwzBdCmlaGEj4o6DPl1quSb5bHH9glbdQ2eD/s320/Blob.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>September</b></p><p>Holiday Affair (1949)</p><p>Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)</p><p>The Blob (1958)</p><p>Star Trek (2009)</p><p>Destry Rides Again (1939)</p><p>The Mark of Zorro (1920)</p><p>Marjorie Prime (2017)</p><p>Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)</p><p> </p><p><b>October</b></p><p>Do Revenge (2022)</p><p>Angel Face (1952)</p><p>Winchester 73 (1950)</p><p>The Corpse Vanishes (1942)</p><p>Tormented (1960)</p><p>The Curse of Bridge Hollow (2022)</p><p>Wolfen (1981)</p><p>Elvira's Haunted Hills (2001)</p><p>The Raven (1935)</p><p>Caught (1949)</p><p>The Mummy (1932)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dvp4LhkpDvyBPL_Ztv0BW2-FyANN17pHbzrlB2_qDZiz1nCpdShATl_iOPF55EXu5NE2t5x-MKZR1Bun8XeYO0ehUPvfXwUWeik-bHFDnqomLmAGOP0GYsyLl514HiRHIJcL8sZwOk3Jgtm-vnuZaF4nQALQyrb4ebzo67xpZYeIowLMfzP8u4MK/s324/Angel%20Face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dvp4LhkpDvyBPL_Ztv0BW2-FyANN17pHbzrlB2_qDZiz1nCpdShATl_iOPF55EXu5NE2t5x-MKZR1Bun8XeYO0ehUPvfXwUWeik-bHFDnqomLmAGOP0GYsyLl514HiRHIJcL8sZwOk3Jgtm-vnuZaF4nQALQyrb4ebzo67xpZYeIowLMfzP8u4MK/s320/Angel%20Face.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>November</b></p><p>The Blue Dahlia (1946)</p><p>This Gun for Hire (1942)</p><p>The Dark Corner (1946)</p><p>Cape Fear (1962)</p><p>The Glass Key (1942)</p><p>Out of the Fog (1941)</p><p>I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)</p><p>The Man from Laramie (1955)</p><p>The Divorce of Lady X (1938)</p><p>Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)</p><p>The Bubble (2022)</p><p>See How They Run (2022)</p><p>The People We Hate at the Wedding (2022)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexcoFV_TcAGSt84MGMOSwt2Q1tZlruqmYJq-ZoQlJGMgBL19nJg3UecCbbaBXHwxQwjYh0neCE3HF83P-LqSytkRSX1jDmQo8PW3hBAq_BzQ8dVV304f_HoUtobVrDklH2-S6uxHDaMUJCg5hFSM_GR9BOGGgmkiT_789fAdnbvq6kv6NhqEYnwEH/s1254/Murder%20He%20Says.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="955" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexcoFV_TcAGSt84MGMOSwt2Q1tZlruqmYJq-ZoQlJGMgBL19nJg3UecCbbaBXHwxQwjYh0neCE3HF83P-LqSytkRSX1jDmQo8PW3hBAq_BzQ8dVV304f_HoUtobVrDklH2-S6uxHDaMUJCg5hFSM_GR9BOGGgmkiT_789fAdnbvq6kv6NhqEYnwEH/s320/Murder%20He%20Says.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>December</b></p><p>Twentieth Century (1934)</p><p>Murder, He Says (1945)</p><p>Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938)</p><p>You Never Can Tell (1951)</p><p>Pinocchio (GDT version) (2022)</p><p>Lady in the Lake (1946)</p><p>Theodora Goes Wild (1936)</p><p>His Girl Friday (1940)</p><p>The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)</p><p>White Christmas (1954)</p><p>Scrooged (1988)</p><p>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)</p><p>Glass Onion (2022)</p><p>Knives Out (2019)</p><p>Your Christmas or Mine (2022)</p><p>The Addams Family (1991)</p><p>Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)</p><p>Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)</p><p>Easy Living (1937)</p><p>Strange World (2022)</p><p>The Adam Project (2022)</p><p>Bullet Train (2022) <br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-27017380738010580402022-12-17T13:32:00.001-06:002022-12-17T13:32:54.844-06:00Classic Films in Focus: MURDER, HE SAYS (1945)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVYVi-oudkmcZCOOklOYmnHOTY9doTSj-HRuZs4Z7TTbTw5VQg-AT2gkOP_mCHjLd07r94ge3nd4ZUmAns6T-HxGMfp4rlx9mZ5vIzhjMwJGdzELEws8nd5E88eOHp8kXmb9ZjueMQy97H3LtkJ29HusvUhu2sQBtgH3qA0tJcrI-Esal6Lv8_LNV/s1254/Murder%20He%20Says.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="955" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVYVi-oudkmcZCOOklOYmnHOTY9doTSj-HRuZs4Z7TTbTw5VQg-AT2gkOP_mCHjLd07r94ge3nd4ZUmAns6T-HxGMfp4rlx9mZ5vIzhjMwJGdzELEws8nd5E88eOHp8kXmb9ZjueMQy97H3LtkJ29HusvUhu2sQBtgH3qA0tJcrI-Esal6Lv8_LNV/s320/Murder%20He%20Says.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>Fred MacMurray and <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-grandmother-and-marjorie-main.html" target="_blank">Marjorie Main</a> most famously appear together in the 1947 comedy classic, <a href="http://www.classicmoviehub.com/blog/silver-screen-standards-the-egg-and-i-1947/" target="_blank"><i>The Egg and I</i></a>, but <i>Murder, He Says</i> (1945) offers an earlier pairing that pits the two against one another as hapless city slicker and unscrupulous backwoods crook. This comic mystery from director George Marshall bursts with physical comedy, sight gags, and cartoon peril that even the youngest viewers can appreciate; I first saw <i>Murder, He Says</i> many decades ago, and the memory of its loony fun has stayed with me ever since. MacMurray and Main are the chief attractions in this homicidal hoot, but the supporting cast features entertaining, offbeat performances from Porter Hall, Jean Heather, Peter Whitney, Barbara Pepper, and Helen Walker as MacMurray's attractive ally.<p></p><p>The story opens with locals concerned about the lawless Fleagle gang just as professional pollster Pete Marshall (MacMurray) arrives in town looking for his missing coworker. Pete soon discovers that his predecessor had a fateful encounter with the Fleagles, who also take Pete prisoner with the intention of murdering him. The Fleagle matriarch, Mamie (Marjorie Main), spares Pete so she can use him to get dying Grandma Fleagle (Mabel Paige) to reveal the location of a fortune in stolen cash, but Pete only acquires a confusing clue before the old lady expires. Everyone in the house rushes to find the loot while thwarting or betraying the others, but the confusion increases when two different women claiming to be Bonnie Fleagle turn up and demand the money.</p><p>The Fleagles are as nutty and sinister a gang as any madcap comedy could invent, but their wackiness overpowers their ability to terrorize. Main leads the pack as bad-tempered but duplicitous Mamie, alternating between imitations of human tenderness and cracks of her much-used whip. The role lets Main cut loose with an extreme version of her usual character type; Mamie is a rough matriarch with no heart of gold to redeem her brusque manner. Mamie's current husband, a mild-looking little man named Mr. Johnson, is played by comedy stalwart Porter Hall with sly amiability and amoral intentions. Peter Whitney does double duty as identical twins Bert and Mert, a hilarious gag that the picture fully commits to in repeated scenes that frequently have Whitney acting against himself. Of the other family members, Grandma and the real Bonnie (Barbara Pepper) make brief but memorable appearances, while Jean Heather gets a sympathetic but rather tragic role as Mamie's daughter, Elany, a pretty sort of Ophelia figure whose main job is to sing the nonsense song wherein the clue to the stolen cash is hidden. Together they're a lot to keep track of as the rapid action unfolds, especially in a house full of trap doors, secret passages, and even radioactive poison. Each character, though, is played with enough energy and comedy to be memorable, even if nobody can tell Bert and Mert apart.</p><p>MacMurray and Helen Walker play the sane characters in the midst of this mayhem, but their roles also have great comedy moments. Walker's tough act in her first scene gives way to her development as the hero's love interest and partner against the Fleagles, but she gamely keeps up the deception for much of the movie. While he starred in dramas and serious films like <i>Double Indemnity</i> (1944), MacMurray is also widely celebrated as a comedy lead in pictures like <i>The Egg and I</i> (1947), <i>The Shaggy Dog</i> (1959), and <i>The Absent-Minded Professor</i> (1961). <i>Murder, He Says</i> belongs very much to the second set, despite its title, which recalls a song written for the 1943 film, <i>Happy Go Lucky</i>, and predates the arrival of the Miss Marple comedy, <i>Murder She Said</i>, in 1961. As the unlucky but quick-thinking Pete, MacMurray is constantly on the move, falling into traps, climbing out windows, and always trying to stay one step ahead of the violent but incompetent Mert and Bert. His scenes with the imaginary ghost are especially fun and will remind viewers of <i>Harvey</i> (1950), which might well be intentional as the original stage version had appeared in 1944.</p><p>For more of Marjorie Main's comic roles, see <i>The Women</i> (1939), <i>Heaven Can Wait</i> (1943), and <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/10/cmba-blogathon-harvey-girls-1946.html" target="_blank"><i>The Harvey Girls</i></a> (1946). George Marshall's other comedy films include <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/01/classic-films-in-focus-ghost-breakers.html" target="_blank"><i>The Ghost Breakers</i></a> (1940), <i>Hold That Blonde!</i> (1945), and <i>Scared Stiff</i> (1953). Look for Helen Walker in <i>Brewster's Millions</i> (1945), <i>Cluny Brown</i> (1946), and <i>Call Northside 777</i> (1948). Jean Heather appears in supporting roles in <i>Double Indemnity</i> and <i>Going My Way</i> (1944), but her film career was cut short by a 1947 car accident that damaged her face. If the clue tune in <i>Murder, He Says</i> sounds weirdly familiar, you probably listen to NPR's <i>All Things Considered</i>, which features an identical song as its theme music.</p><p>You can find <i>Murder, He Says</i> on DVD or stream it on The Criterion Channel (as part of the December 2022 Screwball Comedy lineup).<br /></p><p><br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-19224260602316011332022-12-15T11:02:00.000-06:002022-12-15T11:02:21.803-06:00Classic Films in Focus: YOU NEVER CAN TELL (1951)<p>I've seen a lot of unusual classic movies, but <i>You Never Can Tell</i> (1951) might be in a class all by itself when it comes to animal themed reincarnation private detective mystery comedies. Directed by film writer Lou Breslow, this offbeat picture stars Dick Powell as a murdered German Shepherd who comes back to earth as a human private detective in order to reveal the identity of his killer. If that sounds like a lot to process, there's also a reincarnated racehorse (Joyce Holden) along for the trip to serve as his assistant! Imagine <i>Angel on My Shoulder </i>(1946) mixed with <i>The Shaggy Dog</i> (1959) and <i><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/08/classic-films-in-focus-murder-my-sweet.html" target="_blank">Murder, My Sweet</a> </i>(1944) and you begin to get an idea of <i>You Never Can Tell</i>. As bizarre as that sounds, the whole thing comes together to create a delightful romp with some hilarious performances from Powell and Holden as the animals in human form. Those who enjoy oddball comedies will find plenty of laughs in this wacky gem, and it's definitely zany enough to hold the attention of younger viewers who are used to cartoon antics.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRigS82yje2XHzPPxNwpBpY-xoHAtFpEaq2ZsKk-8UIDytIFzcZhH1t24K_UeLnbH2sBNgyq2hnMP9SzX9MTglroGU44RyzxndxcBv8eeOnrPmrOxPoSZqqQuCvZjWrhOMwjNxbE6QGbiDGNMwBxn4Nq97EKgGPet17eXoahzetO7qPlNai33-mbM/s358/You%20Never%20Can%20Tell2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="358" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRigS82yje2XHzPPxNwpBpY-xoHAtFpEaq2ZsKk-8UIDytIFzcZhH1t24K_UeLnbH2sBNgyq2hnMP9SzX9MTglroGU44RyzxndxcBv8eeOnrPmrOxPoSZqqQuCvZjWrhOMwjNxbE6QGbiDGNMwBxn4Nq97EKgGPet17eXoahzetO7qPlNai33-mbM/w400-h310/You%20Never%20Can%20Tell2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Powell plays private detective Rex Shepherd, who was previously known as King before his untimely demise thanks to a killer who slipped the dog a fatal dose of poison. King was murdered because he inherited the immense fortune of his misanthropic owner, and public opinion says his caretaker, the lovely young Ellen Hathaway (Peggy Dow), is the most likely culprit, since she inherited the money after King's death. Determined to expose the real murderer, King asks to return to Earth as a human being, where he presents himself to Ellen as a private eye who can clear her name and get justice for King. The racehorse Golden Harvest comes with him to be his sidekick, Goldie (Holden), but the two have a limited amount of time before they must either return to animal heaven or be stuck living out second lives as human beings.</p><p>There's not really much mystery about the killer's identity here, since King/Rex knows who poisoned him, but the noir angle lets Powell play the hard-boiled detective type again after his 1944 outing as Philip Marlowe in <i>Murder, My Sweet</i> and subsequent noir roles. Rex looks and talks like a detective but also enjoys snacking on dog food, chasing balls, and sitting on previously forbidden chairs. His biggest problem is convincing the cops that he's not insane, a criminal, or both, since he can't exactly explain his situation to them. Powell is having fun here, but Joyce Holden proves a scene-stealer as Goldie, and she gallops off with the picture at every opportunity. Her costume, complete with ponytail, straw hat, stirrups belt, and horseshoes under the soles of her pumps, is funny on its own, but Holden's performance goes all in on the Kentucky Thoroughbred persona. The regular human characters are pretty tame in comparison: Peggy Dow has ample charm and warmth as Ellen, but Charles Drake is a bit bland as dog trainer turned suitor Perry Collins. We don't see him for long, but it's also worth mentioning that King is played by animal star Flame the Wonder Dog, here nearing the end of his acting career after starring as Shep, Rusty, and Pal in a string of features and shorts.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffVE5GnSz9dwZ5mAZ3hMWllHkcHlUkptSfWUKjMax_s_GCRI1KN_9kASDg2Fn-yWfl1YDpzclHdtTEa3pQeB6Ns9YcSSJ1xlOqA8QDXbLKKhF8igRSmV14KCIXxrWDyBRWvG3TRKg7kusHxcwejSPidakSSn6HNKyG33q6RFC9-IR0clyao2KWHsM/s1201/You%20Never%20Can%20Tell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="1201" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffVE5GnSz9dwZ5mAZ3hMWllHkcHlUkptSfWUKjMax_s_GCRI1KN_9kASDg2Fn-yWfl1YDpzclHdtTEa3pQeB6Ns9YcSSJ1xlOqA8QDXbLKKhF8igRSmV14KCIXxrWDyBRWvG3TRKg7kusHxcwejSPidakSSn6HNKyG33q6RFC9-IR0clyao2KWHsM/w400-h261/You%20Never%20Can%20Tell.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rex watches as Goldie surveys the latest racing news.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>The scenes on Earth feature constant gags and comic takes on the private detective plot, but the weirdest moments of <i>You Never Can Tell</i> take place in the afterlife, where King joins other dead animals to appear before their ruler/god, who is, of course, a lion. The cinematography for this segment makes the setting even stranger, and the scene goes on longer than you might want or expect, especially if you're showing this movie to kids who will immediately ask if animals have souls or go to heaven. The picture's commitment to this sequence is impressive, though, and it does show us why King wants to return to Earth and what he's giving up to do that. It also sets up the idea that other animals have become humans before (the movie even has an unwieldy portmanteau name for them - "humanimals"), so we aren't too surprised when Goldie identifies some of these animal people later in the picture. </p><p>If <i>You Never Can Tell</i> sounds like a treat, check out other animal themed comedies like <i>Francis </i>(1950), <i>Rhubarb</i> (1951), and <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/classic-films-in-focus-incredible-mr.html" target="_blank"><i>The Incredible Mr. Limpet</i></a> (1964). Lou Breslow was primarily a film writer; in addition to the story for <i>You Never Can Tell</i>, he also worked on <i>A-Haunting We Will Go</i> (1942), <i>Murder, He Says</i> (1945), and <i>Bedtime for Bonzo</i> (1951). Dick Powell rose to fame in musicals like <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/01/classic-films-in-focus-42nd-street-1933.html" target="_blank"><i>42nd Street</i></a> (1933) and <i>Gold Diggers of 1933</i> (1933), while Peggy Dow also appears in <i>Harvey</i> (1950) and <i>Bright Victory</i> (1951). Look for Joyce Holden in <i>The Milkman</i> (1950), <i>Iron Man</i> (1951), and <i>Private Eyes</i> (1953).<br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674155568953505652.post-43133421340085739842022-11-17T13:40:00.000-06:002022-11-17T13:40:00.219-06:00Classic Films in Focus: THE DIVORCE OF LADY X (1938)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCC5NwTCrKQ4OEj31qwh7HAVe5T6JTcBpQrgeDJJjDGRX8TRjlu5Y9hGGJx6XCbOw-z5xklP07H0G-OjsLdKHSDbuwMrD02Igsw7EVPQQjEccgeBv1dLZWaZ7lPta0aIVzTejrGKwcZ8CVqaG5KmFkhCbQwGcBn8uqwUTz3kuFiynlh_m9WMV68CnT/s1281/Divorce%20Lady%20X.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1281" data-original-width="815" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCC5NwTCrKQ4OEj31qwh7HAVe5T6JTcBpQrgeDJJjDGRX8TRjlu5Y9hGGJx6XCbOw-z5xklP07H0G-OjsLdKHSDbuwMrD02Igsw7EVPQQjEccgeBv1dLZWaZ7lPta0aIVzTejrGKwcZ8CVqaG5KmFkhCbQwGcBn8uqwUTz3kuFiynlh_m9WMV68CnT/s320/Divorce%20Lady%20X.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>While not on par with the greatest of the screwball comedies, <i>The Divorce of Lady X</i> (1938) delivers a thoroughly engaging British take on the genre with notable performances from two iconic stars. Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon lead a fairly small cast in this second adaptation of Gilbert Wakefield's play, <i>Counsel's Opinion</i>, the first having appeared under that title in 1933. Alexander Korda produced both versions and even brings back Binnie Barnes, who previously had Oberon's role, as one of the supporting characters, while Tim Whelan provides direction. Gorgeous Technicolor brightens the scenes, especially a fancy dress ball at the beginning of the picture, and the absurd comedy of the mistaken identity plot keeps the mood lively and light, even though Olivier's dialogue occasionally veers into sexist rants about the nature of womankind. Fans of the two stars and screwball comedy in general will appreciate <i>The Divorce of Lady X</i> for its madcap romance and the chance to see Olivier and Oberon paired in a lighter setting than the more famous <i>Wuthering Heights</i> (1939), which would be the last time the two shared the screen.<p></p><p>Olivier plays barrister Everard Logan, who specializes in divorce cases and has returned to London for an important trial when a heavy fog brings the entire city to a standstill for the night. He nabs the last room at a nearby hotel just before a mob of trapped party guests descends on the front desk demanding places to sleep. Unwilling to share his suite with a group of ladies, Everard nonetheless finds himself giving up his bed and his pajamas to the relentlessly charming Leslie (Merle Oberon), who tells him that she's a married woman and refuses to disclose her last name for the sake of discretion. When an incensed Lord Mere (Ralph Richardson) later appears in Everard's office to demand a divorce from his wife, the circumstance lead Everard to assume that Leslie is actually Lady Mere, making him the co-respondent in the impending trial.</p><p>Despite <a href="https://www.slashfilm.com/897417/laurence-olivier-was-less-than-polite-on-the-set-of-wuthering-heights/" target="_blank">accounts of their dislike for one another</a>, Olivier and Oberon generate plenty of chemistry onscreen, perhaps because love and loathing both radiate palpable energy that can be hard for the viewer to differentiate. Oberon's feline smile and wide eyes suit the scheming Leslie perfectly; like most screwball heroines, she takes control of the romance from the start and then upends every aspect of the hero's life. We learn quite early on that Leslie is not Lady Mere and is, in fact, a single young lady and perfectly acceptable love interest, but the ironic comedy of watching Everard suffer under his assumptions delights Leslie and the audience. Our introduction to the barrister sets him up as a selfish cad with a history of questionable liaisons, so we don't judge Leslie too harshly for manipulating him and then forcing him to prove his devotion repeatedly. Everard needs to be taught a few lessons, and Leslie, the granddaughter of a powerful judge, is just the girl to teach them. It's also great fun to watch Olivier, so lionized now for his serious Shakespearean roles, fumble about in pajamas or try to hide his face from the notice of Lady Mere's maid. His physical comedy here never rivals that of Cary Grant or Henry Fonda in their best screwball parts, but Everard has a lot in common with David Huxley and "Hopsy" Pike as he careens between pleasure and panic.</p><p>The reveal scene at the end falls a bit flat, and the movie feels like it could do more with its supporting characters, especially Binnie Barnes as the real Lady Mere and Morton Selton as Lord Steele, but the biggest hiccups are the moments of sexist nonsense. Everard has one scene where he humiliates a woman in court solely because of his frustration with Leslie; he rants about the deceptive, irrational nature of women and how they don't deserve independence and respect. Later, when he's happy, he gives the reverse of the same speech, now lauding women as helpmates and loving companions to men but still not recognizing them as human equals in any capacity. Everard wants to read Leslie - and all women - as either evil temptresses or angels in the house, but Leslie's character throughout the movie defies both categories. She's a bit of each, depending on the moment, but mostly she's a very intelligent, ambitious young woman who has no chance of her own career but sees Everard as husband material with potential for greatness. In a modern setting Leslie could be ambitious for herself, and she'd certainly make a cunning lawyer or politician with her ability to talk a complete stranger out of his room, his bed, and his pajamas for the night. It's grating to think that Everard can understand so little about her even after their misadventures end in mutual affection.</p><p>Olivier's big pictures following <i>The Divorce of Lady X</i> include <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/02/classic-films-in-focus-rebecca-1940.html" target="_blank"><i>Rebecca</i></a> (1940), <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> (1940), and <i>That Hamilton Woman</i> (1941), but if you like him as a romantic comedy lead try <i>The Prince and the Showgirl</i> (1957), which pairs him with Marilyn Monroe. Merle Oberon also stars in <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2021/02/classic-films-in-focus-scarlet.html" target="_blank"><i>The Scarlet Pimpernel</i></a> (1934), <i>The Cowboy and the Lady</i> (1938), and <i>That Uncertain Feeling</i> (1941). Oberon and Binnie Barnes both get beheaded as wives in <i>The Private Life of Henry VIII</i> (1933), which came out the same year that Barnes played Leslie in <i>Counsel's Opinion</i>. Although he's hamming it up here as the foolish Lord Mere, Sir Ralph Richardson is remembered as a great Shakespearean stage actor whose extensive film credits include <i>Anna Karenina</i> (1948), <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/11/classic-films-in-focus-heiress-1949.html" target="_blank"><i>The Heiress</i></a> (1949), and <i>Doctor Zhivago </i>(1965). <br /></p>Jennifer Garlenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143noreply@blogger.com1