Love and Bullets is a 1979 Charles Bronson starrer that Roger
Ebert appropriately described at the time as "an assemblyline
potboiler". The film initially showed promise. Originally titled Love and Bullets, Charlie, the
movie had John Huston as its director. However, Huston left after
"creative differences" about the concept of the story and its execution
on screen. The absurdity of losing a director as esteemed as Huston
might have been understandable if the resulting flick wasn't such a
mess. However, one suspects that, whatever the conceptual vision Huston
had for the movie may have been, it must have been superior to what
ultimately emerged. Stuart Rosenberg, the competent director of Cool Hand Luke, took
over but was unable to create anything more than a sub-par action
movie. The plot finds Bronson as a Phoenix cop who is reluctantly sent
to Switzerland on an undercover assignment. The local prosecutor has
been doggedly trying to convict a local mob kingpin (Rod Steiger) for
years. Now it appears that his moll girlfriend (Jill Ireland) might be a
viable witness in terms of spilling the beans about his operations.
Thus, Steiger has stashed her abroad and is keeping her under constant
watch. Bronson's job is to pretend he is also a mob guy and convince
Ireland to return with him to Phoenix to testify against her lover. The
movie seems to exist for one reason only: the main participants desired a
paid working vacation in Switzerland. This concept is nothing new. The
Rat Pack squeezed in filming Oceans Eleven almost as an
afterthought while they were performing nightly in Las Vegas at the
Sands casino. In the twilight of his years, John Ford famously got his
stock company together for a jaunt to Hawaii and released the result as a
big boxoffice hit called Donovan's Reef, which still must retain the status of being the most expensive home movie ever made.
Love and Bullets is such a lazy effort you have to believe it
must have taken a great deal of effort for the cast to meander to the
set every day. The film also illustrates the danger of love-struck
leading men force-feeding the lady in their lives into virtually every
movie they make. Clint Eastwood shoe-horned Sondra Locke into a string
of his films in the 1970s and 1980s and while some of them were artistic
and commercial successes, I always greeted their next teaming with a sense
of bored inevitability. (Locke was also a prime perpetrator in the
creation of the worst movie of Eastwood's career, The Gauntlet.) In
this case, Ireland had been Mrs. Bronson for over a decade following
her divorce from David McCallum. She was always a competent enough
actress but the couple obviously envisioned themselves as a new William
Powell/Myrna Loy teaming. Not quite. Bronson is on full automatic pilot,
registering almost no emotion. Ireland overplays the role of
bubble-headed moll to an embarrassing level, as though she is a
character in a sitcom sketch. She is saddled with intentionally
laughable fright wigs but the real joke comes when she decides to
discard them for her natural hair style, which proves to be even less
flattering. Absurdity piles upon absurdity as the film becomes one long,
extended chase sequence with Bronson and Ireland squabbling like Ralph
and Alice Kramden, if you can imagine The Honeymooners being
pursued by assassins. Steiger is in full scenery-chewing mode and an
impressive array of supporting actors (Val Avery, Michael V. Gazzo,
Henry Silva and Strother Martin) are pretty much wasted along the way.
I'm generally undemanding when it comes to the pleasures of watching an
unpretentious Charles Bronson action movie but Love and Bullets represents
the latter period of his career where he rarely even tried to elevate
his films beyond being vehicles for an easy pay check.
The YouTube channel Black Film History presents the original trailer for Fox's 1964 western "Rio Conchos" starring Richard Boone, Stuart Whitman, Edmond O'Brien and - most significantly- football legend Jim Brown in his screen debut. Brown's screen presence was such that within a few years he would be a leading man and major boxoffice draw. The film itself is a rousing adventure, directed by the ever-underrated Gordon Douglas and set to a wonderful Jerry Goldsmith score. There are so many similarities to Fox's 1961 western "The Comancheros" starring John Wayne and Stuart Whitman, that some retro movie lovers are still debating whether "Rio Conchos" can be considered a remake. It's a topic we covered in an early issue of Cinema Retro. (Lee Pfeiffer)
Click here to order DVD double feature with "Take a Hard Ride" starring Jim Brown and Lee Van Cleef.
Once upon a time a highly successful film director named Blake Edwards teamed with his very popular actress wife to make a big budget Paramount musical called "Darling Lili". Released in 1970, the WWI-era movie was a major flop. Edwards blamed studio head Robert Evans for having made significant cuts to the final version of the film, though Paramount maintained that the film's budget had gone out of control and they had to exercise their right to salvage it through whatever means necessary. Several years later, Edwards had a contentious relationship with MGM that was exacerbated by the studio altering his final cuts of "The Carey Treatment" and "Wild Rovers". Hell hath no fury like a director scorned, especially a director who was not lacking in self-esteem. Ultimately, Edwards sought his revenge with the release of his notorious 1981 madcap comedy "S.O.B." The movie is a take-down of the film industry, presenting an ugly picture of Hollywood as a place populated by crooks, shnooks, disreputable studio brass and disloyal hangers-on all willing to sell their souls to advance their careers. Doubtless, Edwards was done wrong by certain studio executives but by all accounts, he wasn't "Mr. Popularity" either. Edwards had fractious working relationships with many people including Peter Sellers, with whom he made several successful "Pink Panther" films despite the fact the men came to loath one another. I was having lunch with a former studio big wig in 2010 when I informed him that the news just broke that Edwards had died. His response: "It's a shame it took so long." Ouch!
Edwards was indeed multi-talented. He was capable of directing successful dramas ("Days of Wine and Roses") and the occasional thriller ("Experiment in Terror") but his niche was comedy and for a period of years he produced some great successes including "Operation Petticoat" and "Breakfast at Tiffanys" as well as the best-received Inspector Clouseau films ("A Shot in the Dark" and "The Pink Panther".) By the 1970s, however, his films were under-performing. In 1975, more out of necessity than sentimentality, he and Peter Sellers returned to the "Pink Panther" franchise and scored three more hits. "S.O.B." was his most personal film, however, and allowed him to figuratively put his considerable list of enemies in his cross-hairs. Edwards wrote, produced and directed the film which boasted an impressive all-star cast, including Julie Andrews, who would break new ground in her career by famously baring her breasts (thus causing Johnny Carson to quip to Andrews that he was thankful to see that "the hills were still alive!")
The film begins with a comical suicide attempt by once-esteemed film director Felix Farmer (Richard Mulligan), who can't cope with the demise of his career due to the catastrophic boxoffice returns on "Night Wind", his mega-budget family musical starring his wife Sally Miles (Julie Andrews). Felix bungles the attempt which will become a running gag throughout the film as fate keeps preventing him from taking his own life. Now suffering from a mental illness, Felix is convinced that he has heard advice from God about how to salvage his film and career. He approaches the Machiavellian studio chief David Blackman (Robert Vaughn, whose character is supposedly based on Robert Evans.) Felix offers to reimburse the studio for their investment in the musical so that he can own all the rights and reshoot it as a pornographic production complete with the songs intact, only with an S&M take. Blackman jumps at the chance to redeem his own reputation and agrees, but Sally is a tough sell. Her entire career has been built on playing sweet, innocent characters, much as Andrews's career was defined in the early days. She is appalled at Felix's mental state and the fact that he hocked their entire net worth to pull off this madcap scheme. She turns to the film's original director, Tim Culley (William Holden) for advice and he and their mutual friend, quack physician Irving Finegarten (Robert Preston) for counsel. They both convince her the daffy scheme might work and would prove to be a good career move. With Sally reluctantly immersing herself into a sex-filled musical, word around Hollywood gets out that Felix might actually be creating a potential blockbuster. This causes Blackman to renege on the deal. Felix now goes entirely off the deep end and "kidnaps" the reels of his completed film in order to thwart Blackman from exploiting him.
Movies that present Hollywood as a soulless climate are as old as the film industry itself but "S.O.B." is in a class of its own in this regard. There are no sympathetic characters. As Felix devolves into complete madness, his family, confidantes and friends all conspire to take advantage of him for their own selfish purposes. Edwards presents a Devil's Playground of cheating lovers, emotionless sex and untrustworthy partners. It was a parlor game back in the day to guess which real-life personalities were being portrayed on screen. For example, there was little doubt that Shelly Winters' obnoxious talent agent was based on the much-feared Sue Mengers. Loretta Swit, playing the film's most grating character, seems to be a compilation of every gossip columnist who Edwards grew to loathe. Other well-known stars are also used to good effect including Larry Hagman, Robert Webber, Robert Loggia, Marisa Berenson, Stuart Margolin and Craig Stevens. Ostensibly, the star is Richard Mulligan, who gives a very spirited performance that is ultimately undone by Edwards having him cross over into theater of the absurd. Because of the large cast, most of the actors don't get much screen time but those who do resonate very well especially Andrews, Holden, Preston, Webber and Vaughn. The latter has a show-stopping scene that almost rivals the unveiling of Andrews' prized bosoms when it is revealed that his character of the macho studio executive has a passion for making love to his mistress (Berenson) while he is attired in female lingerie.
"S.O.B." is genuinely funny but, as previously stated, Edwards goes overboard into silliness especially in the last third of the film. Until then the events that we witnessed have been mostly plausible but Edwards goes over the top and resorts to almost slapstick as well as introducing some characters such as a manic Asian chef and an Indian guru (played respectively by Benson Fong and Larry Storch) who would be far more at home in a Pink Panther movie. Still, it remains a biting satire that is mostly quite enjoyable- and it's all accompanied by a score from Edwards' frequent collaborator, Henry Mancini.
The Warner Archive Blu-ray looks gorgeous and contains the original trailer.
CLICK HEREto order from the Cinema Retro Movie Store.
A William Holden record album? Well, sort of. When Holden was one of the top boxoffice stars in the world, he loaned his name to this 1959 Warner Bros. record album that featured themes associated with exotic places around the world. Holden wrote the liner notes seen on the reverse side of the album, or allegedly he did. Supposedly he and music director Warren Baker based these themes on Holden's personal travels.
I'm always somewhat amused when I read articles that look back on the 1960s as the decade in which cinematic Westerns went out of style. The theory is that the new screen freedoms appealed to younger viewers and indeed they did. "Easy Rider" and "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice", both released in 1969, would have never made it to theater screens in the prior decade. However, Westerns were far from dead. They may not have dominated movie screens in the manner they traditionally did, but the genre was still thriving and co-existing with the breakthrough films being made a generation of inventive young turks. Case in point: the year 1969, which saw the release of three classic Westerns: Henry Hathaway's "True Grit", Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" and George Roy Hill's "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". The latter inspired an Emmy-winning documentary that has appeared on special edition videos of the film and is now streaming on Amazon Prime. The show was made during production of the film and narrated by George Roy Hill but it was not telecast until after the movie had been released to sensational reviews and boxoffice. Thus, when watching the show, it's from an interesting perspective, as the director admits he doesn't know how well his ambitious film will be received. In fact, "Butch Cassidy" would help to not only reinvent the Western in a hip, funny manner but would also inspire the countless "buddy" movies that would follow in its wake. They would all feature characters patterned after Butch and Sundance's habit of making quips even in the face of deadly threats.
The program provides a master class in filmmaking, demonstrating how many talented people are crucial to bringing a movie to the screen. In this case, Hill constantly refers to the contributions of cinematographer Conrad Hall, already an esteemed industry veteran and composer Burt Bacharach, who decided to go with a contemporary-sounding score that worked surprisingly well. Hill's commentary isn't sanitized (though his expletives most certainly would have been censored for T.V. broadcast.) The challenges he faced are made clear starting with stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who were to play inseparable best friends. In real life, the two actors had not known each other prior to filming. Luckily, they bonded immediately. Hill seems to have been not so enamored with his leading lady, Katharine Ross, who he alludes to having some frustrations with and dismisses with some faint praise, not to be mentioned again despite being shown throughout the program. Hill demonstrates how he was open to hearing creative suggestions from his stars and sometimes going with their judgment.
The most enjoyable aspects of the program, which was impressively directed by Robert Crawford, Jr., is the way it demonstrates the monotonous aspects of movie-making, which quickly strips the glamour away. If you have ever watched a major movie being filmed then you know most of the time is spent just waiting around as the director, actors and technicians discuss strategies and even the seemingly easy scenes require a great deal of preparation and the involvement of countless professionals. Hill also points out the magic of filmmaking through the use of deceitful methods. When Butch and Sundance make their famous jump into the rapids, the stars were filmed atop a cliff in Colorado but the actual jump was shot with two stuntmen at the famed Fox Ranch studio set in California, using the same lake where scenes from "Our Man Flint" and "Planet of the Apes", among countless others, were filmed.
George Roy Hill and his stars and crew thought they had a winner with "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". They were probably wrong only in the sense that it transcended being a hit and became an all-time classic, reaffirming Paul Newman as an endurable leading man and launching Robert Redford to superstardom. None of them would realize that their second act would be even bigger, with their combined talents reunited for the Oscar winning Best Picture "The Sting" four years later.
Ted Kotcheff, one of the most prominent Canadian movie directors, has passed away at age 94. Kotcheff became interested in directing after a trip to Broadway in 1953. Enamored by the shows he had seen, he decided to concentrate on a career in the arts. He emigrated to London where he directed live T.V. shows and theater productions. In 1974, he had gravitated to feature films and directed "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz", the acclaimed Canadian film that made a star of Richard Dreyfuss. The success of that film opened doors in Hollywood. Kotcheff provided Sylvester Stallone with his first post-"Rocky" hit, 'First Blood", the movie that introduced the character of Rambo. Despite the film being a boxoffice smash, Kotcheff declined to direct the sequel because he felt it glamorized the Vietnam War, which he opposed. Kotcheff's portfolio of films were distinguished by their diversity. Among them: "North Dallas 40", "Life at the Top", "Uncommon Valor", "Weekend at Bernie's", "Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe" and the acclaimed 1971 Australian film "Wake in Fright" (aka "Outback"), a truly unsettling and disturbing tale that won wide critical acclaim but which never enjoyed a wide international release. Kotcheff was also the Executive Producer of the long-running hit T.V. series "Law and Order:SVU". For more, click here. (Lee Pfeiffer)
Val Kilmer has died from pneumonia. He was 65 years-old. The acclaimed actor was once a rising star and appeared in such hits as "Top Gun", "The Doors", "Batman Forever", "Heat", and "Tombstone". He was known for immersing himself in the characters he played and won praise from directors and critics alike. His talents were recognized at an early age, as evidenced by the fact he was admitted to study acting at the elite Julliard school in New York City. Unlike most screen actors who work their way up from bit parts in films, Kilmer had a starring role in his first movie, "Top Secret!" in 1984. The film was produced by the team who had brought "Airplane!" to the screen. Although the movie wasn't as a big of a hit, Kilmer scored by playing broad comedy as an over-the-top rock and roll singer based on Elvis Presley. In 1986, he co-starred with Tom Cruise in the blockbuster boxoffice hit "Top Gun" and and a few years later, his performance as doomed rock star Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's "The Doors" won him wide acclaim. In 1993, he was also praised his complex portrayal of the legendary Doc Holliday in the western "Tombstone". His career was sidelined by a couple of factors. He had a reputation of being difficult to work with, causing director John Frankenheimer to observe that there were two certainties in his life: that he would not climb Mount Everest and he would not work with Val Kilmer again. Ultimately, the plum roles began to dissipate along with his boxoffice clout. In 2015, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, which he battled valiantly and very publicly. He let it be known that he very much wanted to appear with Cruise again in the 2022 sequel to "Top Gun" and his pleas were heeded. He and Cruise were reunited in the film, though Kilmer's was seen only briefly due to his health challenges. For more, click here. (Lee Pfeiffer)
Yul Brynner had such a dynamic and commanding screen presence that he remained a viable leading man long after his boxoffice clout had diminished considerably. Brynner rose to fame and fortune in the mid-1950s with his Oscar-winning performance in "The King and I" as well as his portrayal of the villainous Ramses in Cecil B. DeMille's blockbuster "The Ten Commandments". Many of his high profile films continued to perform well and he proved he could carry stories of a diverse nature including the classic 1960 film "The Magnificent Seven" despite conventional wisdom that he would be a bizarre choice for a leading man in a western. In fact, Brynner managed to avoid being upstaged on screen despite the presence of such up-and-coming major stars as Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn and James Coburn. After that film, Brynner would not enjoy a notable hit until his appearance as a seemingly indestructible and deadly robot in Michael Crichton's 1973 sci-fi film "Westworld". Perhaps a major reason for the film's success is that Brynner was basically recreating the look of his character Chris in "The Magnificent Seven". Brynner worked consistently throughout his career and never lost his status as a leading man. Occasionally, he would make a good film "("Taras Bulba", "Morituri") but more often than not this was not the case. By the late 1970s, Brynner eschewed motion pictures to launch a worldwide touring stage production of "The King and I" with Constance Towers as his leading lady. The show was an international smash and reaffirmed his status as an iconic leading man, as well as filled his coffers with considerable sums. Brynner was diagnosed with terminal cancer during the run of the play, but ever the professional, continued to perform after taking a leave of absence, culminating in the show's triumphant closing run on Broadway. Brynner died in 1985 at age 65.
Yul Brynner's final film was a rather inglorious one, a 1976 Italian crime flick, "Con la rabbia agli occhi", released in 1978 in the U.S. under the unimaginative title "Death Rage". Why? Simply because a few years earlier, director Michael Winner's "Death Wish" proved to be a major international hit, thus studios seemed to insert "Death" in every other film title. In fact, the title seems to be forecasting those films with bland, interchangeable names made by the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal. A UK title (one among several used) was even worse: "Anger in His Eyes". The film was directed by Antonio Margheriti under the name Anthony M. Dawson. The pseudonym caused some fans to believe the film was directed by British actor Anthony Dawson, who famously played the villain Professor Dent in "Dr. No". If all this is confusing, wait until you get to the movie itself. Brynner plays retired hit man Peter Marciani. When we first see him, he's idly fishing on a bank on New York's East River. Given the pollution of the river back in the day, devouring his catch would probably be more dangerous than any assassination mission he ever undertook. A member of the Italian mob approaches him and informs him that he has an opportunity to take revenge on those who killed his brother, a fellow mobster. It seems the same mob boss who killed his brother has also assassinated a lieutenant in their mob. Marciani is offered the job to avenge the killing and, in doing so, taking revenge on the same man responsible for killing his brother. Suffice it to say that Marciani is suitably inspired to fly to Italy where he visits the horse race track where the mobster was killed. Here he meets Angelo (Massimo Ranieri), a young wanna-be mobster who idolizes Manciani based on his legendary reputation in mob circles. Marciani takes the young man under his wing as a henchman. The two escape death and deal out murderous fates to their would-be killers in the quest of killing their ultimate target, Genarre Gallo (Giancarlo Sbragia.) Oh, and along the way, Marciani has a fling with Anny (Barbara Bouchet), a local stripper who emulates Marlene Dietrich on stage, albeit sans any encumbering articles of clothing. Martin Balsam is seen in a rare action role as a Naples police chief who is desperately trying to stop Marciani's trail of murder as he works his way to Gallo.
"Death Rage" is like many other entries in the Italian crime genre of the era in that it is rather crudely made and often looks like it was edited with a meat cleaver. The film also suffers from bad English language dubbing, though Brynner and Balsam retain their real voices. Despite pointing out these criticisms, I actually liked "Death Rage" despite the fact that it borrows heavily from "Death Wish" as well as another Michael Winner crime film of the era, "The Mechanic". Brynner may be in a second-rate thriller but he still gives a first-rate performance as an emotionless killer whose assassination skills are almost supernatural in their effectiveness. Barbara Bouchet is cast mostly as eye candy and to provide a bedroom romp with Brynner. and Massimo Ranieri, who was (and is) a very popular singer in Italy, acquits himself well as Brynner's eager-to-learn student. The movie has some very inventive action sequences including a dazzling car chase through the streets of Naples that clearly scared the hell out of bystanders caught on film.
One would have hoped that Yul Brynner's final movie would have been more prestigious. However, taken on its own, "Death Rage" is actually quite enjoyable.
Throughout
motion picture history, there have always been "disaster" movies. From
Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy facing the great earthquake in "San
Francisco" to John Wayne trying to rescue an airliner in distress in
"The High and the Mighty". However, the disaster movie didn't emerge as a
genre until the 1970s. Most people credit "The Poseidon Adventure"
(1972) with being the first major entry among these kinds of films
during that era, but arguably the genre began two years earlier with
"Airport". That blockbuster flick set the standard for all of the
disaster movies to follow:
An all-star cast ranging from top boxoffice attractions to respected veteran stars and popular character actors
Big production values
State-of-the-art special effects
Majestic musical score (and, if possible, a Top 40 hit shoe-horned into the proceedings)
A well-regarded director at the helm to preside over the mayhem
For the most
part the formula worked fairly well. "Poseidon" was a major boxoffice
smash and that film begat the short-lived genre's best year, 1974, which
saw the virtual back-to-back release of "Gold", "Earthquake" and "The
Towering Inferno", the latter being the "Citizen Kane" of disaster
movies. However, the genre was to burn brightly but briefly. In the wake
of "Inferno", there was nowhere else to go. The 1977 film "Black
Sunday" was excellent, but despite a blimp crashing into the Superbowl
stadium, it is not a "disaster movie" in the traditional sense. Most of
those films that were, flopped badly. Producer Irwin Allen, who struck
pay dirt as the producer of "Poseidon" and "Inferno" found the formula
had grown stale by the late 1970s. His 1978 release "The Swarm" is
generally referred to as the worst "Bee" movie ever made. His 1980
anemic attempt to blend cast members with elements of "Poseidon" and
"Inferno" was released as "When Time Ran Out", an appropriate enough
title for the flop that ended his big screen career. Another costly
casualty of the disaster genre ebb was "Meteor", a 1979 production that
top-lined an impressive cast: Sean Connery, Natalie Wood, Brian Keith,
Karl Malden, Martin Landau, Trevor Howard and Henry Fonda. It was
produced by Gabe Gatzka and Sandy Howard (among others), two veterans
with very respected backgrounds in the film industry. The film was
directed by another highly respected individual, Ronald Neame, the man
who had helmed "The Poseidon Adventure". On paper, the project must have
looked like a "can't lose" proposition. Yet, "Meteor" turned out to be a
major flop at the boxoffice as well as a critical disaster. What went
wrong? To start with, it was probably ill-advised to entrust the
production to American-International Pictures which specialized in
making low-budget horror and teeny bopper exploitation films. The AIP
association branded "Meteor" with a "cheesy" stigma even before cameras
rolled.
Connery
stars as a cynical, world-respected scientist whose warnings about the
possibility of earth being hit by a destructive meteor have largely been
ignored. When the film opens, he is summoned to Washington by
government officials who tell him the top secret bombshell disclosure
that his worst nightmare is about to come true. A gigantic meteor is
racing towards earth and there is only one way to stop it: by having the
USA and Soviet Union join forces to synchronize their nuclear missiles
in the hopes of blasting the meteor out of the sky. Brian Keith plays
the Soviet foreign minister who meets up with Connery and his colleagues
at a secret underground New York City command center located adjacent
to the subway system (!) Natalie Wood is his gorgeous interpreter, which
allows for some mildly suggestive byplay between Connery and her.
There's little time for romance, however, as advance particles from the
meteor are already hitting earth and causing widespread damage. With
time running out, the U.S, and Soviet technicians scramble to employ
their nuclear arsenals in a last ditch attempt to save earth. This
scenario might seem stale today, but it was a relatively fresh concept
back in '79. However, the film was undermined by the apparent shortage
of production funds for use in the special effects. The sets are
elaborate and impressive but the key sequences showing the missiles in
action are laughably poor. Equally bad are the shots of the presumably
menacing meteor hurtling towards earth. No matter how much the
filmmakers try, it never looks much more terrifying than a large rock
you might encounter in your garden. (Sean Connery once referred to the
meteor special effects as making the titular objects resemble "little
balls of shit".) The screenplay is a scattershot affair. Apparently
concerned that concentrating on the key characters who are locked into
an underground command center might prove to be too claustrophobic, the
decision was made to "open up" the scenario by showing various
international locations being destroyed by meteor fragments. In doing
so, the screenwriters cram in completely extraneous characters who are
given approximately ten seconds each to develop personalities in the
hope we can sympathize with them when they are pulverized. Thus, we see a
young father in Hong Kong scrambling to save his child before a tidal
wave engulfs the city. People in a ski resort in Switzerland are given
equal opportunity for brief character development before they are buried
under an avalanche. The sin of it all is that the production company
really did film on location in these places but, aside from a few
impressive snippets of crowds running frantically through the streets of
Hong Kong, there is limited to value to the expenses incurred in
shooting in such disparate areas of the globe.
(Above: about half-way through this interview, Sean Connery discusses "Meteor".)
Yet, for all
its cheesiness, "Meteor" somehow plays better today than it did at the
time of its initial release. This is primarily due to the fact that we
can appreciate seeing the great cast members interacting on the big
screen. Connery, middle-aged and handsome, makes for a fine leading man.
Natalie Wood is given little of substance to do here but, given this
was one of her last films, it gives us a precious opportunity to at
least see her natural beauty. Brian Keith, long underrated as a leading
man in feature films, steals the show, playing against type as a witty
and funny Soviet diplomat. Only poor Martin Landau comes across awful in
an unintentionally funny performance as a fussy U.S. general who
refuses to trust his Soviet counterparts (Fritz Weaver played
essentially the same role very well in "Fail Safe" fifteen years
earlier.) The finale of the film is truly impressive as a sea of mud
descends upon the underground command center. The sequence was a
challenge to film and, if it looks like it was dangerous for the actors,
it indeed was: several cast members were injured during this elaborate
sequence.
"Meteor" isn't the bottom of the barrel of disaster movies. In fact,
it is quite entertaining in its own way. If you don't compare it to "The
Poseidon Adventure" and "The Towering Inferno" you very well may end up
liking it.
There is no progress to report on plans for the next James Bond movie. Industry sources say there is some tension between Eon Productions and Amazon MGM Studios. (The two companies are rights owners to the franchise.) However, it seems that the two entities have agreed to launch a remake of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". The film was originally brought to the screen in 1968 as a big budget production from Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli in between making "You Only Live Twice" and "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". The classic children's story was the brainchild of Bond author Ian Fleming and it was the only children's novel he wrote. The film under-performed at the boxoffice when originally released but over the decades it has become beloved by a generation that first saw it on British T.V. broadcasts and on home video. Indeed, enthusiasm for the movie is far greater in Great Britain than anywhere else. In 2002, Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli premiered a high profile stage production on the West End. A Broadway engagement followed. Since then, the production has proven to be very profitable through tours. At this time, no specific details are available about the new screen version. Stay Tuned. For more, click here. (Lee Pfeiffer)
Here's a rarity: original 1969 behind-the-scenes production featurette for "Paint Your Wagon". The quality is pretty lousy but it's still fun to watch and hear comments from the stars. Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg starred in the mega-budget musical that went down in flames at the boxoffice, but there's still plenty to like in the film including production designer John Truscott's amazing sets and Marvin's unexpectedly effective warbling of "Wanderin' Star".
Director Michael Ritchie seemed to be on the fast track in becoming
one of Hollywood's "A" list young filmmakers. His career started in
television and hit a speed bump when he was fired from "The Man from
U.N.C.L.E." after arguing with a producer about the content of a script.
However, he eventually segued into movies. His first big screen feature
was "Downhill Racer", the 1969 drama starring Robert Redford that
displayed Ritchie's talents behind the cameras. A few years later, his
career went into overdrive. He directed the quirky hit crime film "Prime
Cut" followed by the prescient political satire "The Candidate" and
then the critically-praised satire "Smile". His genial comedy "The Bad
News Bears" proved to be a major boxoffice hit. Ritchie never stopped
working but the momentum faded by the late 1970s. He had the occasional
modest hit ("Semi-Tough", "Fletch") but all too often he was consigned
to mediocre films that played to mediocre results. Whether Ritchie was
denied bringing innovative visions to reality by short-sighted studio
executives or whether he just ran out of steam is not known. However, by
the time he died in 2001 at only 62 years of age, those of us who
admired his earlier films couldn't help but think that some great,
unfilled projects had died with him. One of Ritchie's "work-for-hire"
productions, the 1988 comedy "The Couch Trip" is now streaming on Amazon Prime. The quirky screwball concept falls short of its
potential but there is much to recommend about it.
The movie opens at a psychiatric institution in Illinois where John
W. Burns Jr. (Dan Aykroyd) is being held against his will. However, if
he is a prisoner, it is in the sense that Bob Crane's Colonel Hogan was
prisoner: the inmate is literally running the asylum. Burns has it
pretty good for an incarcerated man. He's overflowing with confidence,
charisma and superficial charm and wins over everyone in his sphere of
influence. There seem to be few pleasures that he is denied at the
institution and even finds a way to have sex with the secretary
(Victoria Jackson) of the chief psychiatrist, Dr. Lawrence Baird (David
Clennon), an uptight, humorless man who doesn't relate to the inmates
under his care. The script introduces a separate story line concerning
Dr. George Maitlin (Charles Grodin), an esteemed and very popular
psychiatrist who dispenses pearls of wisdom to "patients" who call into
his popular radio program. When it turns out that Maitlin himself is on
the verge of a nervous breakdown, he decides to take a sabbatical and
attend a professional conference in London with his bubble-headed wife
Vera (Mary Gross). He puts out the word that he wants an obscure
psychiatrist to fill in for him by hosting his radio program, on the
proviso that the substitute host isn't impressive enough to challenge
Maitland's stranglehold on his audience. When word reaches the institute
that Dr. Baird has been chosen to interview for the hosting gig, Burns
intercepts the message, orchestrates a brilliant escape, steals a car
and adopts the identity of Baird, even managing to fly to L.A. on his
plane ticket (this was 1988, after all, before today's onerous security
measures would render such a feat virtually impossible). Once in
Hollywood, Burns is met by his "colleague", Dr. Laura Rollins (Aykroyd's
real life wife Donna Dixon), who- in addition to being brainy- is also a
sexy, leggy blonde. He also meets Harvey Michaels (Richard Romanus), a
smarmy, fast-talking agent who is representing Maitland. The faux Dr.
Baird quickly intimidates Michaels by making outrageous demands to host
the radio program, all of which are met. Burns hits a speed bump when he
has a chance encounter with a seemingly crazed con man named Donald
Becker (Walter Matthau), who recognizes him as a wanted man and
threatens to expose him if he doesn't make him a partner in his schemes.
Left with no choice, Burns has Becker move into his lush hotel suite.
When Burns makes his debut in the guise of substitute host Dr. Baird
on the radio program, he radicalizes the format by dispensing brutally
honest advice to his troubled call-in audience. At times, he indulges in
outrageous behavior and tosses out obscenities that shock Michaels and
Dr. Rollins. However, all is forgiven when he becomes an overnight
sensation and a ratings smash. Before long, "Dr. Baird" is the toast of
Hollywood, leading to him making even more outrageous demands. A fly in
the ointment comes when the real Dr. Baird meets Dr. Maitland at a
convention in London. The two men realize they're being exploited and
hurry back to Hollywood where they attempt to thwart Burns as he accepts
an award on Maitland's behalf at a black tie dinner.
"The Couch Trip" starts out as an uninspired comedy but improves
considerably as it progresses. The script is most effective in
satirizing the (then) new populist trend of having troubled people rely
on advice of radio show hosts to make life-altering decisions in their
lives. The concept was absurd in the 1980s and has grown exponentially
today with people using social media platforms as Dollar Store versions
of psychiatrists, taking the advice of total strangers in regard to
resolving their most intimate problems. Aykroyd is in top form with his
cynical con man schtick. Matthau appears only fleetingly but adds his
considerable skills to the merriment- and the supporting cast is also
very amusing with Charles Grodin and David Clennon particularly funny.
Director Michael Ritchie proves to be as adept with comedy as he was
with dramas and thrillers and his "hands off" style allows both Aykroyd
and Matthau to shine. The film bombed on its theatrical release but it
offers enough gentle pleasures that it can recommended for home viewing.
James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson accepted the Motion Picture Academy's coveted Thalberg Award for lifetime achievement in the film industry. It's the same award that was earned by Albert R. Broccoli in 1981. Barbara and Michael inherited the mantle of producing the Bond films when Cubby retired from that role prior to "GoldenEye" going into production. Since then, they have overseen the series reaching new heights in terms of boxoffice receipts around the world and also the kind of critical praise that unjustly eluded many of the earlier Bond films. There was a time when the annual Oscar awards telecast would include the presentation of the Thalberg Award. Indeed, the presentation to Cubby in 1981 inspired an impressive stage production in honor of the Bond films. However, in recent years, the award was presented at a separate ceremony. Here is Daniel Craig's introduction and Barbara and Michael's acceptance speech.
When Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H" was released in 1970 it was a critical and boxoffice sensation. Audiences immediately recognized that, although the film was set in the Korean War, it was very obviously an analogy to the current controversial conflict in Vietnam. The film thrust Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould into the top tier of leading actors and the movie spawned the classic TV series that was a phenomenon in its own right. The film's success, along with the simultaneous triumph of the more traditional war film "Patton", helped stem the red ink that was plaguing 20th Century Fox and played a key role in making the studio solvent once again.
Kino Lorber has released
the 1975 Charles Bronson crime thriller "Breakout" as a Blu-ray special edition. Bronson
was riding high at the time, coming off the sensational success of
"Death Wish". The film was originally supposed to star Kris
Kristofferson under the direction of Michael Ritchie but those plans
soon fell apart. Bronson took over the lead role with veteran director
Tom Gries at the helm. The film finds Bronson well-cast as Nick Colton, a
shady businessman/con man/grifter who operates a variety of small time
business ventures on the Mexican border with his partner Hawk Hawkins
(pre-kooky Randy Quaid.) Nick is living hand-to-mouth when he is
approached by Ann Wagner (Jill Ireland) with a proposition to help her
husband, equally shady rich guy Jay (Robert Duvall), escape from a Mexican prison where he has
been sentenced after being framed for a murder. Time is of the essence
because Jay is in declining health and may well be too weak to help
effect his own escape. Colton and Hawk's first attempt to spring him
ends disastrously and they barely escape back to America. Colton
concocts an audacious plan for a second escape attempt that involves
split-second timing. He will arrange for a helicopter to land in the
courtyard of the prison and in the inevitable confusion, Jay is to make
his way on board and presumably fly away to freedom. In order to pull
off the caper, Nick enlists the help of a professional helicopter pilot
as well as Myrna (Sheree North), a married ex-call girl who will be used
to distract some of the guards when the copter lands inside the prison.
When the pilot gets cold feet, Nick is forced to fly the chopper
himself despite the fact that he only has minimum experience doing so.
Another complication ensues when Jay is confined to the prison hospital
and doubts he will be able to be in the courtyard at the precise moment
Colton lands.
"Breakout" was inspired by an incredible 1971 real life escape in
which an American was indeed rescued by helicopter from a Mexican
prison. The screenplay has some other sub-plots that are poorly
developed and quite confusing, but some of which are obviously related
to the actual escape including some rumored involvement by the CIA. In
the film, Jay Wagner's frame-up takes place at the behest of his evil
tycoon grandfather, Harris Wagner (John Huston) for reasons that never
become clear. Apparently, Harris is concerned that Jay may inherit some
control over the company Harris runs with an iron fist, though these
plot points remain murky as does the involvement of some CIA characters.
Another potential plot device, which finds Nick and Ann obviously
attracted to each other, also goes nowhere. The film has a rushed look
to it and there are some unsatisfying aspects caused by the movie's
rather abrupt ending. The movie studio, Columbia, apparently felt the
film was a rather weak production and thus gambled on a massive ad
campaign that probably cost more than the film's modest budget. Ads for
"Breakout" were everywhere: in newspapers, on TV and on radio.
Additionally, the film opened wide in 1,000 American theaters, which was
a big number in 1975. The movie was dismissed by critics with Variety
calling it a "cheap exploitation pic", and indeed the main poster
artwork (different from the Blu-ray sleeve artwork) and graphics looked surprisingly amateurish considering this was
a golden age for film poster designs. Nevertheless, Bronson's appeal
seemed to override these negative factors. "Breakout" proved to be a
major hit and helped cement his status as a top boxoffice attraction ,
though his clout would gradually diminish henceforth.
Like a lot of older movies, "Breakout" probably plays better today
than it did at the time of its initial release. Bronson is in top form
and gives an unusually energetic performance that allows him to stress
his rarely-used talent for light comedy. The only other standout member
of the cast is Sheree North, as the epitome of the sexy cougar. She's a
fast-talking, tough cookie who parades about in sexy lingerie in an
attempt to seduce Bronson. (Surprisingly, Bronson's character does not
engage in any sexual action throughout the movie.) Robert Duvall is
largely underutilized in a low-key role and performance that could have
been credibly played by almost any other competent actor. Huston's
presence in the movie is disappointing, also. His role is confined to a
few scattered cameo appearances that probably don't last more than two
minutes. Some other familiar faces include Paul Mantee, Alejandro Rey,
Roy Jenson and the Mexican cinema's favorite bad guy, Emilio Fernandez.
As for Bronson teaming for the umpteenth time with real life wife Jill
Ireland, the gimmick was wearing thin. Some screen couples could team
without wearing out their welcome. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
made many films together but they were always playing entirely different
characters in entirely different scenarios. Bronson and Ireland,
despite being competent actors, were no Liz and Dick. It became clear
that their films together were largely made possible by Bronson's clout
with the studios. Although Ireland always gave credible performances,
she never lit up the screen. After a while the sheer predictability of
their on-screen teamings probably undermined Bronson's popularity
because it constrained him from interacting with other actresses. It was
a trap Clint Eastwood also fell into for a period of time when he cast
Sondra Locke in the female lead in six of his movies over a period of
only seven years. Despite these gripes, it must be said that director
Tom Gries keeps the pace moving briskly and there isn't a dull moment.
He also knows how to milk some genuine suspense out of the helicopter
escape scene, which is exceptionally well photographed by the great
cinematographer Lucien Ballard. Jerry Goldsmith also contributes a
typically fine score. The movie was shot in a wide number of locations
including California, Mexico, Spain and France, where the impressive
edifice that serves as the prison is located.
The Kino Lorber Blu-ray looks great
and features a very informative commentary track by Paul Talbot, author
of the excellent "Bronson's Loose" books, which analyze his action
movies. There is also a trailer, TV spot and radio spot. In all, an
impressive package for a fun '70s adventure flick. Recommended.
Canon Films was a sensation in the movie industry during the 1980s. The ailing company was acquired by partners Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, who quickly brought to the screen an eclectic array of low-to-middle range budgeted films. The company was not interested in producing high art and their range of product ran from exploiting the latest trends (i.e break dancing) to action movies aimed squarely at audiences that weren't too discriminating and who just wanted some fun flicks to indulge in. Sometimes their films sank at the boxoffice but more often than not they returned a good profit. Occasionally, they hit paydirt, as in their successful efforts to make Chuck Norris into a bankable leading man. The studio also became a one-stop employment agency for the aging Charles Bronson, whose glory days with the big studios were over. Cannon Films gave Bronson a new lease on life with a seemingly endless string of urban crime thrillers. Some were lousy (the "Death Wish" sequels) while others proved to be rather good and that Bronson still had the power to attract audiences. Golan and Globus weren't chasing Oscars, just good return on investment. By the late 1980s, however, the formula was showing signs of stress. The partners decided to go a bit upscale by securing the screen rights to famed adventure novelist Alistair MacLean's 1981 novel "River of Death". The film sank at the boxoffice but, like many Canon films, has enjoyed popularity through home video and streaming. MacLean, who passed away in 1987, was, for a while anyway, a surefire name to attract movie audiences via such high profile titles as "The Guns of Navarone", "Ice Station Zebra" and "Where Eagles Dare".
"River of Death" is set in the mid-1960s and presents Canon's in-house hunky action star Michael Dudikoff as John Hamilton, a freelance adventurer-for-hire who is engaged by a disparate group of suspicious people to help them find a legendary lost city deep in the inhospitable Amazon jungle. His primary client is Heinrich Spaatz (Donald Pleasence) who presents himself as a Holocaust survivor who lost his family in the Dachau concentration camp. However, due to a dramatic prologue, we know that "Spaatz" is actually a surviving member of the Nazi high command. Ostensibly, the group is supposed to be investigating the outbreak of a mysterious disease that is devastating a tribe in the jungle. In fact, Spaatz is trying to locate his old nemesis and fellow surviving Nazi big wig Dr. Wolfgang Manteuffel (Robert Vaughn) who had schemed with Spaatz to abscond with treasures of the Third Reich during the hectic final days of the war. However, Manteuffel double-crossed him and left him for dead. Spaatz suspects that the mad doctor is with the tribe, where he is unleashing his quack medical experiments with deadly results. We won't belabor the plot other than to say that the group Hamilton is leading includes two gorgeous blonds and a local American ex-pat Eddie Hiller (L.Q. Jones), who is an expert helicopter pilot who can deliver the group to where they will embark on the Amazon up river by boat. Needless to say, there are plenty of revelations along the way and the streetwise Hamilton is suspicious about the group's motives. They also meet the local corrupt police chief Col. Ricardo Diaz (Herbert Lom), who is determined to find out what the group is really up to.
I have not read MacLean's novel but it becomes clear that it was inspired in part by Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness", as was "Apocalypse Now", which explains why there are similarities between this film and Francis Ford Coppola's classic. Under the competent direction of Steve Carver, the production is better than most Canon fare. The movie was supposed to be shot in Brazil, but the penny-pinching Golan and Globus decided they could shoot it in South Africa for lower costs. That's because South Africa was an international pariah at the time due to its unspeakably cruel apartheid practices. Major movie studios refused to shoot films there, but Carver, claiming his was "non-political" took the job and ended up getting sanctioned by the Director's Guild of America. Carver came to rue his decision before that happened simply because of the inhospitable locations he had to film in. He would later say they were so dangerous that it was amazing no one in the cast and crew was murdered. Nonetheless, this particular Canon film has some higher production values than most of the studio's fare. It also has some genuine suspense and impressive cast. Dudikoff makes for a suitable leading man and he can actually act. The film also benefits from the likes of Pleasence, Lom and Jones, all of whom have meaty roles. Although Robert Vaughn gets second billing, he only appears briefly in the prologue and again at the finale, filling the role of the Colonel Kurtz-like figure who has managed to preside over a tribe of savage warriors. In Manteuffel's case, however, he isn't regarded as the god-like figure Kurtz was. Rather, he enforces his control over the tribe with an army of heavily armed neo-Nazis.
I don't want to overstate the merits of "River of Death" because when one reviews a Canon production, your thumb has to firmly placed on a scale in terms of comparing it to most of their films. However, the movie moves at a brisk pace and contains some genuinely exciting action scenes. In the finale, you get to see an iconic T.V. hero, Napoleon Solo (Vaughn) squaring off against an iconic Bond villain, Ernest Stavro Blofeld (Pleasence). For that memorable moment in pop culture alone, the film is worth viewing.
("River of Death" is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and MGM+.)
Film critic Ann Thompson worked on early John Carpenter movies as a press agent, including the original 1978 horror classic "Halloween". In 2018, Thompson reunited with the director and actress Jamie Lee Curtis to reminisce about the making of "Halloween", which was made for a relatively small budget and became a boxoffice blockbuster. Carpenter also discusses how his superb remake of "The Thing" made him cynical about working with major studios after it under-performed at the boxoffice- a fate that was blamed on his ambiguous ending to the movie. Click here to read.
Author Nat Segaloff can write excellent film-related books faster than I can read them. Segaloff is veteran of the movie industry and worked as a marketing and publicity executive for such high profile films as "The Exorcist" and "The Towering Inferno". (Yes, he's written books about both.) His latest work is titled "The Naughty Bits: What the Censors Wouldn't Let You See in Hollywood's Most Famous Movies". It's a look at the history of censorship in the American film industry. The industry did not want to answer to a government-run censorship office so it was decided that the movie studios would police themselves by answering to a bureau they created themselves. It would be referred to by numerous official names during the course of the decades that followed but it was commonly referred to as the Production Code Office. Ironically, instead of being fairly liberal about the content of motion pictures, the office would prove to as stringent as many had feared, especially when the notorious Will Hays was appointed head of the bureau in the late 1920s. Hays, a former Postmaster General of the United States without any experience in the film industry, came to believe he needed another strongman to assist him. Thus, in 1934 he promoted one Joseph Breen to the position as the nominal head of the Production Code office, leaving him to do most of the day-to-day dirty work. The studios would soon suffer the consequences of the decision. Segaloff's book goes through this entire period in great detail but ensuring it makes for a breezy read. The most consequential aspect of the new rules that were introduced was that every motion picture had to be submitted for approval in order to get the Production Code office's coveted "Seal of Approval". Although there were no laws mandating that films needed to obtain this, in reality, it was virtually impossible for studios to get major distribution for any film if it had not had the Seal bequeathed upon.The book illustrates that the Production Code Office wasn't the only group of uptight people studios had to contend with. Even if a film received the Seal and was put into general release, Catholic and Protestant churches wielded great influence over what appeared on movie screens. Additionally, some individual American states had their own censorship boards that took it upon themselves to carve up films before they were publicly exhibited.
Segaloff consulted a virtual library of old files pertaining to the Code and is able to recreate the draconian power that the Production Code office brought to the making of every type of movie. Breen was a conservative blue-nose when it came to all sorts of objections. This began in the formative stages of a movie, with the studio submitting their final script for approval. Inevitably, Breen and his henchmen would find countless objections in even the most mundane plots and bits of dialogue. Woody Allen once said "Sex is only dirty if you're doing it right." However, the Code officials were that breed of men who still exist today: they were afraid that somewhere, somehow, somebody was enjoying sexual activity. Breen and his cohorts objected to almost any insinuation of sex, especially the illicit kind. Female characters bore the brunt of the objections, as any woman who seemed to initiate or enjoy lovemaking was deemed to be too tawdry for adult audiences to cope with. The self-imposed guardians of American morality therefore demanded significant changes to virtually every script sent to them. The result was the watering down of eroticism at every level. Clever studio executives often objected to these demands and sometimes they won the case, but more often than not they had to comply, 'lest they would not receive the Seal. This meant that for decades American movies would suffer from being infantilized. Cursing was forbidden until MGM managed to get permission for Clark Gable to memorably say "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"- and that took until 1939. The use of alcohol was also subjected to tight restrictions on the big screen.
Segaloff chooses an abundance of famous movies and provides a page or two on each to describe the ordeals that studio executives had to go through in order to release a film that resembled what they had envisioned. The list of objections naturally mostly affected such steamy films as "The Apartment", "Hud", "A Streetcar Named Desire", "Psycho" and "Sunset Boulevard". However, Segaloff also provides evidence that objections extended to such inoffensive fare as "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "The Gay Divorcee" with Fred and Ginger. The studios won enough battles to ensure that these films did become classics, but the mind reels at what they could have been if men with sexual hangups hadn't insisted that the scripts be tinkered with. As the years went by, the Production Code office recognized that society was becoming more liberal about sex, drinking and drugs- all topics that were once highly constricted on screen. Slowly, more mature dialogue and sexual situations were permitted until Jack Warner refused to tamper with the classic 1966 screen version of Edward Albee's Broadway masterpiece "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. The movie caused a sensation when it was released sans the Seal of Approval and went on to be an Oscar-winning boxoffice winner. Everyone sensed that the Production Code's day's were over and ultimately the ratings system was introduced in 1968 and remains in place today. This unleashed a fabulous era of filmmaking.
The impact of the Production Code seems a relic of the distant past today. We now have T.V. commercials with more sexual content than was allowed in entire feature films decades ago. However, we should remember the warning of philosopher George Santayana, who famously said "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." This is worth thinking about with the current resurgence of attempts in some quarters to ban certain books. If they succeed, films will certainly follow.
Nat Segaloff's "The Naughty Bits" is a highly entertaining book, written in a very witty manner. However, it's also an important book and its message about the Orwellian aspects of censorship is a sobering one.
Following his break-out performance as Superman in the 1978
blockbuster, Christopher Reeve deftly avoided being typecast in the role
despite appearing in several sequels. However, his non-Superman flicks
were a decidedly mixed bag. Virtually none of them were successful at
the boxoffice at the time of their initial release, although Somewhere in Time found a loyal cult audience over the years and Deathtrap
seems more entertaining now than it did in 1982. Reeve proved to be a
good, if unremarkable actor, who had an affable screen presence and the
kind of handsome features and physique that recalled the more
traditional Hollywood leading men of days gone by. (Think Rock Hudson).
However, Reeve's scattershot record of choosing film projects prevented
him from fully capitalizing on his potential. There were too many
boxoffice bombs along the way and Reeve sometimes returned to his first
love, live theater, to continue to grow as an artist. One of Reeve's
least-known films, The Aviator, is now streaming on Screenpix.
The movie was based on the novel by Ernest K. Gann, who specialized in
aerial adventure stories. (He wrote the novel and screenplay for John
Wayne's smash hit The High and the Mighty.) The film opens
intriguingly at a military air base in WWI. Reeve is Edgar Anscombe, a
cocky pilot who is training a novice on his first flight when things go
wrong. The trainee panics and the plane crashes, leaving the student
pilot dead and Anscombe suffering from severe burns. The plot then jumps
ahead by a decade. Anscombe is now a bitter and introverted man still
haunted by his wartime experiences, especially the deadly training
accident that he feels responsible for. He's now working for Moravia
(Jack Warden), the owner of a small air fleet that delivers mail from
Nevada across the western states. In order to supplement the company's
meager profits, Moravia sometimes accepts a passenger to accompany the
pilots on their route. Along comes Tillie Hansen (Rosanna Arquette), a
perky but troubled 17 year-old whose father (Sam Wanamaker) finds her to
be incorrigible. Against Tillie's wishes, he decides to send her to a
strict, disciplinarian aunt in order to teach her social and personal
values. Anscombe immediately resents having to take Tillie along on his
next flight. He snubs her overtures at friendliness and makes it clear
that he wants no part of socially interacting with her. However, while
in flight over a remote mountain region, their plane develops a problem
with the fuel line, forcing them to crash land. Both Anscombe and Tillie
emerge unscathed but their trials and tribulations are just beginning.
Anscombe admits he went off course to take a short-cut, making it
unlikely that rescue parties will find them. Additionally, they lack
shelter and food and are menaced by a pack of hungry wolves. All they
have for a weapon is a pistol with a few rounds of ammunition.
Once the survivalist aspect of The Aviator kicks in, the film
should soar beyond the bland opening scenes that predictably thrust the
viewer into yet another one of those scenarios in which the leading man
and leading lady bicker and kvetch at each other. However,
director George Miller (not the same director George Miller of the Mad
Max movies, unfortunately) establishes a leaden pace that makes The Aviator
resemble a TV movie. You're practically waiting for one of those cringy commercials for
full-body deodorant to pop up any minute. The film lumbers through some
moments of crisis that don't pack much suspense. Dopey Tillie wants to
smoke a cigarette and ends up burning down the wreckage of the plane the
stranded couple had been using for shelter. Anscombe manages to kill
some game for much-needed sustenance only to have it ripped from him by
wolves. The couple decides they must try to make the arduous climb down
the mountain to find help. In the film's only unexpected twist, Anscombe
comes across a remote cabin only to find its eccentric inhabitant won't
help him and threatens him with a gun. Reeve makes for a bland, boring
hero in the under-written role of Anscombe and Arquette grates on the
viewer like nails on a blackboard with her ditzy Valley Girl-like
interpretation of a liberated young woman from the 1920s. The last,
inexcusable cliche the screenplay thrusts upon us finds the
once-bickering Anscombe and Tillie now falling in love.
The Aviator does have some aspects to commend. Jack Warden, Sam
Wanakmaker and Scott Wilson manage to outshine the leading actors and
put some much-needed realism and empathy into their roles, although Tyne
Daly is largely wasted in a minor role. There is a suitably
old-fashioned score by the estimable Dominic Frontiere and the film
boasts some impressive camerawork by David Connell. The film was shot
entirely in Yugoslavia but it must be said that the locations
convincingly resemble the American northwest. The Aviator isn't a
terrible movie, just an unnecessary one that unfortunately helped
contribute to the likeable Christopher Reeve's less-than-inspired career
choices.
(Kristofferson in "A Star is Born". (Photo: Warner Bros.)
By Lee Pfeiffer
Kris Kristofferson has passed away at age 88. Kristofferson enjoyed two successful careers simultaneously, as a singer/songwriter and leading man on the big screen. Kristofferson had a colorful life that included a stint in the military, studying under a Rhodes Scholarship and earning a Golden Gloves boxing honor. Inspired by seeing Bob Dylan perform, Kristofferson turned his talents toward writing and performing songs. Some of his biggest hits were cover versions recorded by other artists. :Me and Bobbie McGee" became a signature song for Janis Joplin. Johnny Cash is the artist most associated with "Sunday Morning Coming Down" and Sammi Smith had a major hit with "Help Me Make It Through the Night". He soon became a success in his own right and formed the band The Highwaymen with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. (The three also starred in the 1986 TV remake of John Ford's 1939 classic Western "Stagecoach".) Kristofferson successfully clicked with audiences in movies, playing the leading man in such diverse fare as the 1976 remake of "A Star is Born" opposite Barbra Streisand, Martin Scorsese's "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore", Sam Peckinpah's "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid", "Convoy" and "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia", "Semi-Tough", the sensual drama "The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea" and "Big Top Pee-Wee". Kristofferson also had the top-billed role in director Michael Cimino's epic 1980 western "Heaven's Gate", but the film's colossal failure at the boxoffice affected Kristofferson's career. He would later recall that the prime, starring roles began to dry up. In recent years, however, the film has been favorably re-evaluated by critics and movie fans.
Kris Kristofferson was a true music legend, one of the last of his kind. His songs are sure to live on as they are interpreted by new generations of performers.
Kirk Douglas leads an impressive cast in "The Final Countdown", a 1980 military adventure with a sci-fi twist. The film is set aboard the real-life U.S. aircraft carrier Nimitz, named after the legendary U.S. fleet commander Chester Nimitz who was in charge of the Pacific fleet. Douglas plays the fictitious character of Matthew Yelland, who is the current captain of the ship. When the film opens, the Nimitz is in service off of the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Yellen's ship is loaded with state-of-the-art, highly armed jets that are undertaking training missions from the deck of the carrier. When we first meet Yellen, his biggest problem is having an unwanted but important civilian passenger aboard, Warren Lasky (Martin Sheen) who represents the company that manufactures the planes. The Department of Defense has assigned him to act as a quasi efficiency expert and report back any findings he has in terms of making the planes operate more effectively. Yellen assigns Cmdr. Richard Owens (James Farantino) to assist Lasky. The two men get off on the wrong foot when Owens catches Lasky reading the draft of a historic book manuscript that Owens is writing about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which propelled America into WWII. (You know immediately that this plot point will resurface in dramatic fashion later in the story.) Things takes an unusual turn when the ship encounters a terrifying storm that appears out of nowhere. It's effects include what appears to be bizarre manifestations of lightning, accompanying by ear-splitting and ominous sounds. (The storm effects were created by Maurice Binder, who
designed the inventive title sequences for many of the James Bond
films.) Ultimately, the storm subsides and the Nimitz is back in sunny weather. However, radio broadcasts from the mainland are inexplicably shows from the 1940s, including Jack Benny bantering with Rochester. Even if you haven't seen the film, you know where this is going.
Evidence continues to mount that the ship has somehow sailed through a time warp and that the date is December 6, 1941, a story hook that only a screenwriter could envision. Radar detects the presence of the Japanese fleet sailing nearby and preparing to launch its fleets of Zero war planes on the unprepared and unsuspecting U.S. base at Pearl Harbor. Yellen 's first impulse is to prevent the attack by using the modern weaponry he has at his disposal to destroy the Japanese fleet. However, Lasky challenges his decision by pointing out that if history is altered, it might have a devastating effect on how the future plays out. This is where the film is most intriguing. Scientists have speculated endlessly about whether time travel might be possible and what the consequences of it might be. Lasky warns that if people who were supposed to die during the attack are spared, it would inevitably lead to mind-boggling issues to deal with. Some people alive at the present time would cease to exist, for example. Things get stickier for Yellen when a private pleasure yacht is sunk by a Japanese Zero. On board is U.S. Senator Samuel Chapman (Charles Durning) and his devoted secretary, Laurel Scott (Katharine Ross). They are plucked from the ocean and brought aboard the Nimitz. Chapman, a powerful political force on a defense committee, is understandably gobsmacked by the hi-tech weaponry on the ship and believes a conspiracy is going in terms of keeping the technology secret from his committee. Lasky informs Yellen that Chapman had died during the hostilities on December 7. What are they to do regarding his fate? Lasky postures that if he is allowed to survive, there is evidence he would have succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt as President following FDR's death in 1945.
The "Twilight Zone"-like scenario dreamed up by the screenwriters has some fascinating aspects to it. Douglas makes a predictably strong impression as the captain who faces the kinds of decisions that no one in history has been confronted with. The supporting cast is all very good, though Ross seems to have been added to provide some feminine grace in the otherwise all-male cast. Farantino and Sheen are very fine and Durning is suitably blustery as the demanding and obnoxious senator. Soon Tek-Oh appears as a Japanese pilot who is captured when his Zero is shot down. The film benefits from having had the full cooperation of the U.S. Navy. Some of the scenes of the planes taking off and landing are genuinely exciting and the cinematography by Victor J. Kemper is especially impressive, as is John Scott's lush score. Director Don Taylor keeps the action flowing and is equally good in conveying the tensions aboard the ship between the main characters.
Kirk Douglas's son Peter brought the script to his father's attention and Kirk decided to make the film through his own production company with Peter producing. Douglas recounted in his biography "The Ragman's Son" that he was disappointed with the boxoffice results but did have the time of his life when he was allowed to take off as a passenger on one of the Naval supersonic jets. If the film has a flaw its in the decision to punt when it comes to the most crucial elements of the story. I won't reveal the details but the emphasis on providing the audience with an uplifting finale compromises what could have been a more effective ending if the screenwriters were bolder. Still, "The Final Countdown" is thoroughly entertaining. It is current streaming on Amazon Prime. Click here to order Blue Underground's Blu-ray special edition from Amazon.
In 1980, the creative team of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker unleashed the disaster movie spoof "Airplane!" upon an unsuspecting world. The film became a boxoffice smash and an iconic comedy. In 1988, the team unveiled "The Naked Gun" series that was based on their short-lived T.V. series, "Police Squad". Sandwiched in between these achievements was the 1984 release of a film that didn't have much impact when released in 1984, the Cold War comedy "Top Secret!". Since I am a junkie for politics, like most Americans I've been greatly disturbed by the volatile and sometimes surrealistic nature of the forthcoming presidential election. It speaks volumes that I sought some laughs from a film that evokes an era in which the major problem was the possibility of the U.S. and Soviet Union engaging in mutual nuclear destruction. Not having seen "Top Secret!" since its original release in the Cold War era, I can say that it's held up well and provided at least a temporary antidote for today's political madness.
Val Kilmer, then an unknown in his first screen role, top-lines as Nick Rivers, a teenage rock 'n roll idol who, for reasons I can't quite remember, is sent to East Germany on a goodwill mission to help bring about better relations with the U.S. Amusingly-and inexplicably- Rivers adheres to the dress and performing habits of rock stars from the 1950s, with a special emphasis on Elvis Presley. However, in a production like this, logic doesn't enter into the plot. Once behind the Iron Curtain, he becomes saves beautiful Hillary Flammond (Lucy Gutteridge) from arrest by the secret police for being part of a local resistance group. Naturally, they find each other irresistible and Lucy recruits Nick to use his presence as a guest of the government to enable him to join the freedom fighters. This leads to another bizarre and very funny scenario in which we learn that the resistance is comprised of French Underground fighters with names such as Croissant and Deja Vu. This twist allows the filmmakers to incorporate elements of WWII movies into a contemporary spy comedy. (The East German soldiers are all wearing WWII helmets and uniforms.) The third element of the "plot" includes elaborate rock 'n roll musical numbers in which Rick Rivers leads rooms full of teenagers in songs that are very good imitations of the actual hits. (The film's opening credits offers clever riffs of Brian Wilson's Beach Boys classics.) There isn't much of an attempt to meld any of these various scenarios in a meaningful or logical way, which only adds to the goofy fun. Oh, and there's a very clever spoof of the Brooke Shields/Christopher Atkins version of "The Blue Lagoon" with Christopher Villiers very funny as Hillary's former island castaway and lover, Nigel. They are reunited, as he now is the leader of the Underground. She is immediately smitten by him, much to Nick's distress...and she doesn't seem to notice that Nigel is quite effeminate.
Beginning with "Airplane!", the filmmakers made signature aspect of their movies their ability to see comedic potential in some of Hollywood's great stone faces, managing to get very funny performances from the likes of Peter Graves, Robert Stack and most notably Leslie Nielsen, whose success in comedies afforded him an entirely new career (although he would never be able to play a dramatic role again.) Similarly, "Top Secret!" affords some comic turns for actors known for their dramatic roles. These include horror film icons Michael Gough and Peter Cushing (in a very funny cameo), Jeremy Kemp, and, of all people, Omar Sharif, whose fleeting appearances are the funniest aspects of the movie. Val Kilmer makes for a very suitable leading man,handing the singing, gyrations and quips with equal skill. He would go on to stardom a couple of years later in "Top Gun".
One aspect of the film that resonated with me was the fact that until the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Germany had been a divided country since the end of WWII in 1945 when Stalin was awarded East Germany and much of Eastern Europe as the Soviet Union's reward for its role in defeating Hitler's forces. (Overlooking the fact that he had originally been in alliance with Hitler). Consequently, countless millions of people were forced to live in authoritarian states for almost half-a-century, and East Germany was arguably the most repressive of them all (as documented in the Oscar-winning film "The Lives of Others".) Watching the manner in which the dictatorship is spoofed in the film reminded me of what Mel Brooks once told me about spoofing Hitler in "The Producers". He said the only way he could voice his indignation at what Hitler stood for was through mockery. The filmmakers used the same tactics here. Dictators and wanna-be dictators don't have a great sense of humor about themselves and in some small way, comedies that target them must get under their skin.
"Top Secret!" is a fun jaunt throughout. It's theater of the absurd and I wish we had comedies this inspired today, but they are in short supply. After all, where else can find scenarios including an homage to the car-crushing scene in "Goldfinger", another in which a man disguised as a cow is violated by a real cow and another character is reported to have been killed in a scenario involving misuse of an anal sex toy?
The film is currently streaming on Paramount+. Click here to order the Blu-ray from Amazon.
Acclaimed actor Donald Sutherland has passed away at age 88. Sutherland defied the odds by becoming an extremely popular leading man despite lacking the traditional handsome looks of male stars during the era in which he entered show business. A native Canadian, Sutherland was quite sickly during his childhood but he eventually recovered his health. He originally attended university in hopes of becoming an engineer, but a nagging ambition to become an actor brought him to London in the 1960s. He was cast in a "B" horror movie, "Castle of the Living Dead" which was shot in Italy. Returning to London, Sutherland's offbeat acting style and distinctive physical characteristics intrigued producers and he found work guest starring in various T.V. series and films. He had a key role in the first Amicus horror film, "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" in 1965 in which he shared the screen with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. While still in England, Sutherland landed his breakthrough role as a non-too-bright but courageous G.I. convict in the 1967 classic WWII blockbuster "The Dirty Dozen". This, in turn, led to his ultimately being cast in director Robert Altman's counter-culture military comedy "M*A*S*H" in 1970. Sutherland introduced the character of Hawkeye Pierce opposite his co-star Elliott Gould. The film was based on Richard Hooker's anti-war novel. Although set in the Korean War, everyone recognized that the target audience was young people who were in opposition of the Vietnam War. The film spawned the acclaimed, long-running T.V. series in which Alan Alda assumed the role of Hawkeye. That same year, Sutherland landed another standout role opposite Clint Eastwood in director Brian G. Hutton's WWII comedy crime caper "Kelly's Heroes" opposite Clint Eastwood. The hippie-like character of Oddball made him a pop culture icon and you can still buy T shirts depicting Sutherland in the role.
Sutherland could have concentrated exclusively on his popularity as a comedic actor but he wanted to stretch his talents in dramatic roles. In the 1971 thriller "Klute", Sutherland won praise for his performance opposite Jane Fonda, who won an Oscar for the film. In 1973, Sutherland starred with Julie Christie in director Nicolas Roeg's supernatural chiller "Don't Look Now", one of the most inventive and terrifying movies ever made. He also starred in director John Schlesinger's 1975 film version of "The Day of the Locust", a cynical look at Hollywood that won acclaim in some quarters but which was a boxoffice disaster. In fact, some of Sutherland's most popular films under-performed at the boxoffice during their initial release including the inventive WWII thrillers "The Eagle Has Landed" and "The Eye of the Needle". Sutherland played the villain in both films. He co-starred with Sean Connery in the 1979 Victorian caper film "The Great Train Robbery", another film that became more popular after its theatrical release. He made a brief appearance as a hipster college professor in director John Landis's classic 1978 comedy "National Lampoon's Animal House". He also starred in director Philip Kaufman's 1978 remake of the classic 1956 sci-fi film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". Many film fans think the remake matched or exceeded the original in terms of its impact. In 1980, under the direction of Robert Redford, Sutherland gave a brilliant performance as the male lead in the domestic drama "Ordinary People" about a family in distress. It won the Best Picture Oscar. In the ensuing years, Sutherland never stopped working. Many of his ventures were independent films with limited release but he won acclaim (and an Emmy) for his work in television. In the year 2000, he starred with Clint Eastwood, James Garner and Tommy Lee Jones in the humorous adventure film "Space Cowboys", which proved to be a boxoffice hit. He also gained a new generation of fans for his recurring role in "The Hunger Games" films. In 2015, he co-starred with his son, Kiefer Sutherland, in the Western "Forsaken". Despite his status as a beloved and acclaimed actor, he was never nominated for an Oscar but did receive honorary recognition by the Academy in 2017.
Donald Sutherland was an outstanding talent and a superb presence on both the big screen and in television. Cinema Retro joins film fans worldwide in mourning his loss.
From the Cinema Retro Archives: Boxoffice magazine's 1967 coverage of the opening of Elvis Presley's "Spinout" at the Trans-Texas Hollywood Theatre in Fort Worth Texas. This kind of ballyhoo opening was quite common back in the day when theater managers were encouraged to use their ingenuity to create fun, high profile openings of new films.
Here's a vintage 1972 advertisement for the July, 1972 British opening of director Michael Winner's eerie (and kinky) supernatural flick "The Nightcomers", which imagines a story line that serves as a prequel for Henry James' classic novel "The Turn of the Screw", which had been brought to the screen in 1961 as "The Innocents". Brando was still in a decade-long career slump when Winner's film was released in February, 1972... precisely one month prior to the opening of his eagerly-anticipated comeback blockbuster "The Godfather". Producer Elliott Kastner told Cinema Retro that the release date exasperated him because the studio could have sat on the film for another month and capitalized on Brando's acclaimed work in "The Godfather". However, the film was rushed out to bad to reviews and poor boxoffice. It fared better in England, where it was released later in the year, riding the wave of "The Godfather"'s acclaim. It's a good film with fine performances.
A long time ago in our own galaxy, independent movie theaters prided themselves on creating unique promotional stunts, as evidenced from these photos from a March 1968 issue of Boxoffice magazine. In the parlance of the era, theater owners were "taking it to the streets" in order to drum up awareness of their latest showings. Sometimes models were employed and on other occasions, hapless theater employees were subjected to participating in rather bizarre and comical publicity stunts. These two photos show a model on the streets passing out leaflets to seemingly unimpressed passersby for the Joan Crawford thriller "Berserk!" and a mannequin dressed as Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name for "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." Those were the days!
Vinegar Syndrome has released a special edition of the 1968 whodunnit Western "5 Card Stud". It's an unusual title for the company, which generally specializes in releasing first rate special editions of obscure cult films and vintage erotica. The film was a follow-up project between veteran producer Hal Wallis and director Henry Hathaway, who had great success with their 1965 Western "The Sons of Katie Elder" which top-lined John Wayne and Dean Martin, who were reunited six years after co-starring in Howard Hawks' classic "Rio Bravo". "Stud" is by no means a classic, but it is a highly entertaining, offbeat entry in the genre, combining traditional Western elements with the novel idea of incorporating a plot concerning serial murders. Martin plays a character with a Hollywoodish name, Van Morgan. He's a professional gambler who finances his life and travels by dressing up like a dude and finding great success in the gambling parlors of Denver. In between games, he leads a low-key life in a small town of Ricon, Colorado, which is attracting miners intent on finding gold that is rumored to in the surrounding area. When the film opens, he is embroiled in a hard-fought game of poker with local men that extends well into the night. When one of the players is revealed to be cheating, the hot-headed Nick Evers (Roddy McDowell) overreacts and gets the other men to join him in tying up the culprit, riding him out by a nearby bridge to lynch him. Van attempts to stop the hanging, but Nick knocks him out with the butt of his pistol. Not much is done about the crime, since Nick is the son of beloved local cattle baron Sig Evers (Denver Pyle), a widower who runs the ranch with Nick and his sister Nora (Katherine Justice), who are both heirs to the cattle ranch. Nora clearly is smitten by Van, who is reluctant to formally court her, given the fact that she is a decent woman and he lives a somewhat indecent lifestyle. Things kick into gear when one-by-one the men who participated in the fateful poker game are murdered.
The plot is yet another example of Agatha Christie's classic suspense novel "Ten Little Indians" having influenced films of every type of genre. However, the script by the estimable Marguerite Roberts (who would collaborate with Wallis and Hathaway the next year for the triumphant "True Grit") gives the movie an unusual angle for a Western. Roberts had adapted a little-known novel titled "Glory Gulch" by Ray Gaulden and by all accounts took liberties to improve the story substantially. The movie comes to life with the introduction of the film's most dynamic character, the Reverend Rudd (Robert Mitchum), a gunslinging preacher who arrives out of nowhere to open the town's first chapel, determined to bring God into the lives of the town's hedonistic inhabitants. Rudd is a preacher in the fire-and-brimstone tradition. He's outwardly polite but also displays a healthy dose of cynicism. When one of the murders occurs in the chapel, he teams with Van to find the culprit as each of the poker players become increasingly paranoid that they might be the next victim.
The whodunnit aspect of the script is done away with when the identity of the killer is revealed well before the climax. The villain's identity won't come as a shock to any astute viewer, but it's an awful lot of fun watching the clues unravel. Martin was criticized by some reviewers for sleepwalking through his part, but it's an unfair criticism. He gives a perfectly fine performance even if he is upstaged by Mitchum in the meatier and more interesting role. Inger Stevens, in one of her final screen roles before tragically committing suicide at age 35, appears as Lily, a local madame who moves into town with her "girls" and opens a bordello disguised as an upscale tonsorial parlor, which results in some amusing dialogue and sight gags. Van finds himself torn between good girl Nora and the exotic bad girl Lily. The film boasts a marvelous cast of beloved character actors, some of whom only have bit roles. In addition to Denver Pyle, you can relish the presence of Yaphet Kotto, who is excellent in an early career performance. Other participants include John Anderson, Ruth Springford, Roy Jenson,Whit Bissell and Hope Summers, who was a regular on "The Andy Griffith Show". The only off-key note is provided by the miscast Roddy McDowell, who plays a villain in traditional Roddy McDowell style, with a quasi-English accent and an erudite manner that doesn't fit his role as a hard scrabbled cattle rancher. Hathaway's direction is spot-on and the film also offers a quirky musical score by Maurice Jarre that seems to emulate the music found in the Sergio Leone Westerns. We even get to hear Dino warble the catchy title song.
The Vinegar Syndrome release is highly impressive, having been newly scanned and restored in 4K from its original camera negative. Aside from a blurry few seconds in the opening poker game the rest of transfer is excellent. The sleeve has very creative artwork by Tony Stella that seems to pay tribute to the Italian movie poster designs of the era. (There is also reversible sleeve artwork that shows the stars.) There's a 16-page, amply illustrated collector's booklet with an excellent and informative essay by film historian Jim Healy, who astutely points out elements of the film noir genre that are interwoven in the movie. Historian Lizzie Francke provides an excellent video essay about the dramatic life and career of Marguerite Roberts, who managed to rebound after being blacklisted during the dark days of McCarthyism. Film critic Walter Chaw provides a video essay that is devoted entirely to the life and career of Henry Hathaway, and states the obvious: he was always underrated. There is also an impressive commentary track by film book author and Cinema Retro columnist Brian Hannan, who provides plenty of very interesting insights into the making of the film and the Western genre of the 1960s. (He points out that "5 Card Stud" was quite successful at the boxoffice.) As side note, Hannan also runs the addictive blog "The Magnificent 60s".
I don't know if there will be more films of this type released by Vinegar Syndrome, but I hope this isn't an aberration and that there will be more to follow, especially if they are presented in such a fine manner.
"Sweet November", released in 1968, came and went without generating
much enthusiasm from critics or the public. Produced the estimable team
of Jerry Gershwin and Elliott Kastner, who would go on to make "Where
Eagles Dare", the film is a romantic comedy set in Brooklyn Heights,
just across the river from Manhattan decades before the area was deemed
to be hip. Anthony Newley is Charlie Blake, a stuffy British import to
Gotham who is the workaholic president of a company that manufactures
cardboard boxes. You know the type: no time for love or laughs and just
perfect to be taught a life lesson by the right girl, who, in this case,
happens to be Sara Deever (Sandy Dennis), a 23 year-old independent
young woman who meets cute with Charlie while they both are taking a
test to renew their driver's licenses. As in all such scenarios, the
small talk is awkward and Charlie finds Sara to be wacky and annoying-
before discovering that her bizarre conversations are somewhat
intoxicating. Before long, they are pals and Sara brings him to her
apartment. She explains she's an artist who has found a way to act as a
de facto repair woman for other apartment dwellers, thus supplementing
her income. She also has unusual living arrangements. Every month, she
"adopts" a new man with emotional needs who gets to live with her for a
full month, during which time she serves as an amateur psychiatrist who
documents the progress (or lack there of) in bringing the temporary man
of the house to a better status than she found him in. At the end of
every month, the male tenant must leave to make room for his
replacement. Sara can discern that Charlie is an uptight nerd who is
also frustrated poet at heart. She convinces him to be her tenant for
November. Since Charlie owns his company, he's able to take the time
off, which serves as a reminder of nice things were before E- mails and
text messages came to rule the lives of executives.
Sara's modest flat provides some amusing sight gags: her bed is
located on a shaky platform accessible only by a even shakier ladder.
However, the perks of being her "Tenant of the Month" are that you don't
have to pay rent and you get to sleep with her, though the sexual
aspect of the relationship is only hinted at. Charlie finds Sara to be a
handful in terms of personality quirks. She has an opinion on
everything and likes to play "Mother Hen", advising her tenants about
how to improve their lives. Gradually, Charlie becomes intoxicated by
her innocence and good nature. She's Holly Golightly on steroids, as she
inspires him to explore his creative impulses, shed his business attire
and dress in the currently mod styles. Sara introduces Charlie to her
best friend, Alonzo (nicely played by Theodore Bikel), an artist and
local activist who serves as a father figure to her. Before long,
Charlie is madly in love with Sara and dreads the day when his eventual
departure will have to occur in order to accommodate her next tenant.
Until this point, "Sweet November" plays out like a sitcom of the era,
albeit with some nice footage of Brooklyn. Director Robert Ellis Miller
often encourages his stars to overplay the "cutesy" elements of their
characters. Sara is almost pretentiously quirky and Charlie displays a
fey personality and habits that were mostly associated with
stereotypical gay characters of the era. However, Herman Raucher's
script takes a somber turn in the last third of the film as Charlie
desperately convinces himself that Sara loves him as much as he loves
her. A dramatic twist is introduced that leads to a genuinely touching,
if unexpected finale. As the script grows darker, the two leads have
more to work with. Dennis brings a sensitivity to her performance as the
ultimate liberated woman and Newley (who generally displays more ham
than your local supermarket) eventually reigns in his comedic mannerisms
and redeems himself by making Charlie a more sympathetic figure.
"Sweet November" has all the trappings of a stage play that was
adapted to a film. In fact, it is not, although one can easily see it
translated into a theater production, as most of the scenes take place
in an apartment. The script was considered to be a hot property back in
the day and Audrey Hepburn was said to have been interested in starring
in the film. It enjoyed a prestigious opening at Radio City Music Hall
but critics were dismissive of the movie, though the influential New
York Times almost begrudgingly acknowledged a positive recommendation.
The film quickly disappeared until 2001 when it was remade starring
Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron, though that film failed at the
boxoffice as well. Despite its unenviable legacy, "Sweet November" is a
touching film that will probably please most retro movie lovers. It is
currently available as a region-free DVD through the Warner Archive.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM THE CINEMA RETRO MOVIE STORE
Simpson publicity photo for the "Naked Gun" film series. (Photo: Paramount.)
By Lee Pfeiffer
O.J. Simpson, the American football Hall of Fame honoree who went on to develop a successful acting career, has died of cancer at age 76. In 1994, Simpson became the key suspect in the murder of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman. The resulting trial became one of the most riveting of the modern era with TV audiences following every aspect of his case. The ensuing mania involving Simpson's fate elevated some people associated with the case to prominence while destroying the reputations of others. Although there was considerable evidence tying Simpson to the murders and the fact that he tried to escape police in a notorious and bizarre slow-moving car chase through Los Angeles, the case took on racial elements that divided the nation. For many Black people, Simpson's ultimate acquittal represented a rare case of justice being delivered to a member of their community. White viewers were largely convinced that Simpson had literally gotten away with murder. The "must-see" TV element of the case often overshadowed the fact that it was about two people who had been brutally murdered, as defense attorneys, prosecutors and even the judge became immediate media sensations. When the verdict was announced, America seemed to come to a standstill while everyone found a TV or radio to gather around during the pre-social media era. Simpson's acquittal didn't end his troubles. He was found liable in a civil case for the deaths and was ordered to pay Ron Goldman's family substantial damages. Simpson went to great lengths to avoid doing so, as Goldman's father used media sources to relentlessly hound him. In his post-trial years, Simpson maintained a low key persona, though comedians would often scoff at his public commitment to track down "the real killer".
After leaving football as a true legend, Simpson successfully built an acting career. Although he was never a major boxoffice draw as a leading man, he was very popular in supporting roles. He appeared in such films as "Capricorn One", along with Hollywood royalty in the 1974 blockbuster "The Towering Inferno" as well as the star-studded "The Cassandra Crossing" before co-starring with Leslie Nielsen in the "Naked Gun" trilogy, adeptly playing a hapless, accident-prone detective. Simpson's acting career and role as a popular TV pitchman were casualties of his murder trial and work in the entertainment field dried up even though he had been found not guilty. Simpson was back in the news again some years later when he was arrested and convicted of an armed robbery connected to his attempt to reclaim sports memorabilia that he said had been stolen from him. Simpson would serve nine years in prison for the crime.
Louis Gossett Jr., star of stage, feature films and television, has passed away at age 87. Gossett was up against racial prejudice in the entertainment industry when he made his screen debut in 1961 opposite Sidney Poitier in the classic African-American drama "A Raisin in the Sun". Gossett had already appeared in the 1959 Broadway production of the acclaimed drama. A long career in films and television followed including playing both villains and heroes in such productions as "The Deep", "Diggstown" and "Skin Game". He won an Emmy for his performance in the 1977 landmark TV mini-series "Roots". Gossett also dabbled in song-writing and one of his songs was sung by Richie Havens in his opening appearance at the Woodstock festival. In 1983, Gossett became the second Black actor to win an Oscar following Sidney Poitier's 1964 win for "Lilies of the Field". Gossett's win for Best Supporting Actor was for playing a tough-as-nails Marine drill instructor in the 1982 boxoffice smash "An Officer and a Gentleman". He would go on to star in the popular "Iron Eagle" military adventure films. Gossett's career would go into decline due to problems with alcoholism and drug abuse, but he bounced back and began to work steadily once more. Most recently he was seen in the 2023 musical version of "The Color Purple". Gossett had dedicated much of his life to eradicating racism and created a foundation to pursue that aim. For more and a video essay, click here.
The first African-American to direct a major film for a Hollywood
studio was Gordon Parks, whose feature film debut "The Learning Tree"
was released in 1969. Parks may have shattered the glass ceiling but
there wasn't a tidal wave of opportunities that immediately opened for
other minority filmmakers, in part because there were so few with any
formal training in the art. One beneficiary of Parks' achievement was
Ossie Davis, who was internationally respected as a well-rounded artist.
He was a triple threat: actor, director and writer but his directing
skills had been relegated to the stage. In 1970 Davis co-wrote the
screenplay for and directed "Cotton Comes to Harlem", a major production
for United Artists. The film was based on a novel by African-American
writer Chester Himes and proved to be pivotal in ushering in what became
known as the Blaxploitation genre. In reality, it's debatable whether
"Cotton" really is a Blaxploitation film. While most of the major roles
are played by Black actors, the term "Blaxploitation" has largely come
to symbolize the kinds of goofy, low-budget films that are fondly
remembered as guilty pleasures. However, "Cotton"- like Gordon Parks's
"Shaft" films which would follow- boasts first class production values
and top talent both in front of and behind the cameras. Regardless, the
movie had sufficient impact at the boxoffice to inspire a seemingly
endless barrage of Black-oriented American films that were all the rage
from the early to mid-1970s. The Blaxploitation fever burned briefly but
shone brightly and opened many doors for minority actors.
The film was shot when New York City was in the midst of a
precipitous decline in terms of quality of life. Crime was soaring, the
infrastructure was aging and the city itself would be on the verge of
bankruptcy a few years later. Harlem was among the hardest hit areas in
terms of the economy. The once dazzling jewel of a neighborhood had
boasted popular nightclubs, theaters and restaurants that attracted
affluent white patrons. By the mid-to-late 1960s, however, that had
changed radically. Street crimes, organized gangs and the drug culture
spread rapidly, making Harlem a very dangerous place to be. It was
foreboding enough if you were Black but it was considered a "Forbidden
Zone" for most white people, who spent their money elsewhere, thus
exacerbating the decline of the neighborhoods. "Cotton Comes to Harlem"
serves as an interesting time capsule of what life was like in the area,
having been shot during this period of decline. Director Davis was
considered royalty in Harlem. Despite his success in show business, he
and his equally acclaimed wife, actress Ruby Dee, never "went
Hollywood". They stayed in the community and worked hard to improve the
environment. Thus, Davis was perfectly suited to capture the action on
the streets in a manner that played authentically on screen. Similarly,
he had a real feel for the local population. As with any major urban
area, Harlem undoubtedly had its share of amusing eccentrics and Davis
populates the movie with plenty of such characters.
The film opens with a major rally held by Rev. Deke O'Malley (Calvin
Lockhart), a local guy who made good and who is idolized by the
population of Harlem. O'Malley is a smooth-talking, charismatic con man
in the mode of the notorious Reverend Ike who uses religion as a facade
to rip off gullible followers. This time, O'Malley has launched a "Back
to Africa" campaign for which he is soliciting funds. It's based on the
absurd premise that he will be able to finance disgruntled Harlem
residents back to the land of their ancestry. The hard-working,
semi-impoverished locals end up donating $87,000 in cash but the rally
is interrupted by a daring daytime robbery. An armored car filled with
masked men armed with heavy weaponry descend upon the goings-on, loot
the cashbox and take off. They are pursued by two street-wise local
cops, "Grave Digger" Jones (Godfrey Cambridge) and his partner "Coffin"
Ed Johnson (Raymond St. Jacques). Davis provides an exciting and
colorful car chase through the streets of Harlem, as the cops fail to
snag the robbers. They also discover that O'Malley has gone missing,
leading them to believe that he orchestrated the heist himself so he
could keep the proceeds raised at the rally. The plot becomes rather
convoluted, as Jones and Johnson learn that a bale of cotton has arrived
in Harlem and its somehow connected to the crime. They assume that the
stolen money has been stashed in said cotton bale, which quickly changes
hands among the most unsavory characters in the community. Getting in
on the action is a white mob boss and his goons who are also trying to
recover the cotton bale. The cotton itself is resented in Harlem because
of its historical links to slavery and by the end of the film, the bale
ends up in a stage show at the famed Apollo Theater where it is used as
a prop in a bizarre production that involves historical observations
about the black experience intermingled with a striptease act! Through
it all, Jones and Johnson doggedly chase any number of people through
the streets, engage in shoot-outs and car chases and come in and out of
contact with Rev. O'Malley, who professes his innocence about being
involved in the robbery. The Rev isn't so innocent when it comes to
other unscrupulous activities such as chronically cheating on his
long-suffering girlfriend Iris (Judy Pace) and manipulating other women
in a variety of ways.
The most delightful aspect of the film is the showcasing of some very
diverse talents of the era. Godfrey Cambridge (who made it big as a
stand-up comic) and Raymond St. Jacques enjoy considerable on-screen
chemistry even if the script deprives them of the kind of witty dialogue
that would have enhanced their scenes together. They make wisecracks
all the time and harass some less-than-savory characters but the
screenplay never truly capitalizes on Cambridge's comedic potential. The
film's most impressive performance comes from Calvin Lockhart, who
perfectly captures the traits of phony, larger-than-life "preachers".
He's all flashy good looks, gaudy outfits and narcissistic behavior.
Lockhart seems to be having a ball playing this character and the screen
ignites every time he appears. There are some nice turns by other good
character actors including pre-"Sanford and Son" Redd Foxx, who figures
in the film's amusing "sting-in-the-tail" ending, John Anderson as the
exasperated white captain of a Harlem police station that is constantly
on the verge of being besieged by local activists, Lou Jacobi as a junk
dealer, Cleavon Little as a local eccentric, J.D. Canon as a mob hit man
and Dick Sabol as a goofy white cop who suffers humiliation from
virtually everyone (which is sort of a payback for the decades in which
Black characters were routinely used as comic foils). The film has a
surprisingly contemporary feel about it, save for a few garish fashions
from the 1970s. It's also rather nostalgic to hear genuine soul music
peppered through the soundtrack in this pre-rap era. Happily, life has
not imitated art in the years since the film was released. Harlem has
been undergoing the kind of Renaissance that would have seemed
unimaginable in 1970. The old glory has come back strong and the center
of the neighorhood, 125th Street, is vibrant and thriving once again.
These societal perspectives make watching "Cotton Comes to Harlem"
enjoyable on an entirely different level than simply an amusing crime
comedy.
The film is currently streaming on Screenpix, available for subscription through Amazon Prime.
Here's a blast from the past: In August, 1966, Boxoffice magazine reported on the opening of a new, state-of-the-art 900+ seat movie theater: the Winchester in Lubbock, Texas. The description reads:
"It was constructed at a cost of about $250,000...Exterior finish of the the theatre is of face brick, Egyptian stucco and glass. From the 400-vehicle paved parking area, lighted and supervised, at the front of the Winchester, patrons enter the theatre under the canopy protection of a drive-through portico. (There is) an elaborate box office, with inside and outside service windows for convenience and a refreshment center highlights the foyer. Year around air-conditioning comfort-controls the entire structure. The projection room, with an all-transistor Century sound system, is equipped for all processes, including Cinerama. Projectors are Century with Strong Futura lamps...The 1,820- square-foot screen measures 28 x 65 feet. There is no stage. Invitational previews of the theatre and showings of the premiere attraction, "Doctor Zhivago", were held on August 16 and 17 and formal opening for the general public-a sellout- was held on August 18. A full house of dignitaries and opinion-makers, industry representatives, and Lubbock press, radio and television people were guests for the Tuesday affair."
Oscar-nominated director Norman Jewison has passed away at age 97. Born in Canada, he served in the Canadian navy in WWII. He made his mark in Hollywood in the mid-1960s. His first directorial effort, the romantic comedy "40 Pounds of Trouble" starring Tony Curtis was a hit. This led to him directing Doris Day and James Garner in "The Thrill of It All", one of the most popular movies of 1963. More hit comedies followed including "Send Me No Flowers" with Doris Day and Rock Hudson and the all-star production of "The Art of Love". Jewison got his first opportunity to direct a drama when the mercurially-tempered Sam Peckinpah was fired from "The Cincinnati Kid" starring Steve McQueen in 1965. Jewison stepped in to replace him, earning critical praise. A string of very popular and diverse films followed including the classic Cold War comedy "The Russians are Coming. The Russians are Coming", the racially-tinged crime drama "In the Heat of the Night" which won the Best Picture Oscar and the classic crime caper "The Thomas Crown Affair". Jewison was hoping to cast Sean Connery in the lead role but was persuaded by Steve McQueen to give him the part because McQueen very much wanted to prove he could play a sophisticated rogue. The film was a major hit and spawned a popular 1999 remake starring Pierce Brosnan.
Jewison's diversity as a filmmaker was illustrated by his direction of the high profile 1971 musical "Fiddler on the Roof", based on the Broadway stage production. Jewison was amused when, upon being hired, he confessed to the United Artists brass that he not Jewish, despite his surname. The irony of him directing the ultimate Jewish musical was not lost on the executives who were Jewish. They believed Jewison could be entrusted with the film and it proved to be a major hit in an era in which many other big-budget musicals had flopped. Jewison was nominated for the Best Director Oscar and would be nominated again for the 1987 smash hit comedy "Moonstruck" starring Cher, who did win an Oscar for the film. Not all of Jewison's films were successful critically and at the boxoffice. Among those that didn't meet expectations were "F.I.S.T." and the screen adaptation of "Jesus Christ, Superstar". His futuristic thriller "Rollerball" under-performed in 1975 but has developed a loyal following in the ensuing years. The political satire "And Justice for All" was well-received as was the film adaptation of the play "A Soldier's Story" but most of his other films were not especially successful critically or commercially, although his 1999 production of "The Hurricane" saw Denzel Washington nab a Best Actor nomination in the true life story of former boxer "Hurricane" Carter, who waged a long campaign to prove that he was unjustly jailed for murder. Jewison's film was a lightning rod for controversy. Carter's supporters welcomed the sympathetic portrayal of him as a victim of a racist justice system. Others accused Jewison of being naive and ignoring considerable evidence that Carter was guilty. Either way, Jewison proved he could still stir things up on the big screen. His last big screen feature film was the little-seen "The Statement" starring Michael Caine.
Norman Jewison was a consummate professional who was respected by his peers and appreciated by movie fans worldwide. He was an early contributor to Cinema Retro and we join film lovers around the globe in mourning his passing. For more, click here.
By the time Burt Reynolds finally starred in the 1972 classic
"Deliverance", he had been paying his dues in Hollywood for many years
with varying degrees of success on television. His feature films,
however, were strictly "B" grade. Saul David, who produced a 1970 film
starring Reynolds titled "Skullduggery", bemoaned at the time that he
should have been a major movie star but bad luck seemed to always
interfere. Reynolds wisely cultivated an image as a hip, towel-snapping
wiseguy through appearing on seemingly every American game and chat
show. His appearances on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" merited
"must-see TV" status. Ironically, "Deliverance" entirely abandoned this
popular image of Reynolds and afforded him a dramatic role that he
fulfilled with excellent results. But the success of the film made
Reynolds anxious to prove he could sustain his boxoffice clout without
the help of a strong co-star, in the case of of "Deliverance", Jon
Voight. Reynolds chose wisely for his follow-up feature. "White
Lightning" was developed under the working title "McClusky". The role of
a hunky, charismatic southern good ol' boy fit Reynolds like a glove
because it allowed him to incorporate his penchant for performing stunts
with his flippant, wise-cracking TV persona.
Filmed in Arkansas, the movie finds Reynolds as "Gator" McClusky, a
man doing prison time for running illegal moonshine. Gator still has
another year to spend on the prison farm when he gets word that his
younger brother has been murdered. (We see the scene play out over the
opening credits in which two young men are brutally drowned in a swamp
by the local sheriff, J.C. Connors (Ned Beatty) and his deputy.) Enraged
and spoiling for revenge, Gator accepts a deal to work undercover for
federal agents to expose Connors as the local Huey Long-type power
broker in Bogan County. Indeed, the seemingly affable, understated
Connors runs the entire county like a personal fiefdom, using extortion,
shakedowns and outright murder to ensure his stature. He also gets a
piece of the action from the very moonshiners he's supposed to
prosecute. Gator feels uncomfortable working as a snitch but it's the
only way to find out why his brother was killed and to bring Connors to
justice. Using his considerable charm and his background as a guy from a
small rural community, he finds himself quickly working for a moonshine
ring headed by Big Bear (R.G. Armstrong), who is brutal in retribution
against anyone who crosses him. Gator is assigned to deliver moonshine
with a partner, Roy Boone (Bo Hopkins). They spend a lot of time
together and become fast friends, even though Roy's hot-to-trot
girlfriend Lou (Jennifer Billingsley) succeeds in seducing Gator, thus
endangering his mission when Roy gets wind of the deception. When Gator
learns the reason why his brother and his friend were murdered, he
becomes even more vengeful, leading to a spectacular car chase involving
Connors and his corrupt deputies.
"White Lightning" was directed by Joseph Sargent, who was primarily
known for his work in television. He fulfills the requirements of the
film quite well, though the spectacular car chases and jaw-dropping
action scenes were largely the work of legendary stutman/coordinator Hal
Needham, who would go on to work on many films with Reynolds. The film
is consistently lively but it also has moments of poignancy and drama.
The supporting cast is terrific with Ned Beatty of "Deliverance"
reuniting with Reynolds with good results. Beatty underplays the sense
of menace attributable to his character. He also plays up his status as a
pillar of the community, tossing off barbs about how hippies and big
city liberals threaten "our values" and-worst of all- encourage "our
coloreds to vote!". Meanwhile, he is heading up a vast criminal
enterprise. Jennifer Billingsley is wonderful as the lovable air-headed
seductress who will jump into bed with a man if there's a prospect of
getting a new dress out of the bargain. There are also fine turns by Bo
Hopkins, R.G. Armstrong and Diane Ladd (whose name in the opening and
closing credits is misspelled as "Lad". Ouch!) The movie turned out to
be a big hit for United Artists, aided in part by striking ad campaigns
with the same weapon-as-phallic symbol design employed for Richard
Roundtree's "Shaft's Big Score" the previous year coupled with another
poster showing Reynolds behind the wheel of a speeding car. Sex and
speed became hallmarks for promoting a Reynolds action movie.
Kino Lorber has reissued their 2019 Blu-ray edition, which is
first-rate in all aspects, with a fine transfer and a 2014 interview
with Burt Reynolds, who looks back fondly on the importance the movie
had on proving he could be top-billed in a hit movie. The film initiated
his association with rural-based comedies and action films and three
years later, a successful sequel ("Gator") would be released. Reynolds
also drops the interesting fact that this was to be Steven Spielberg's
first feature film. However, Reynolds says the young TV director got
cold feet about his ability to film on so many difficult locations,
given that his background was largely working in studios. Reynolds
praises his co-star Ned Beatty and reminds everyone that "White
Lightning" was only his second film, having made his screen debut in
"Deliverance". He is also very complimentary towards Jennifer
Billingsley and regrets that she never became a big star. Reynolds also
discusses Hal Needham's zealousness for performing dangerous stunts and
relates how one key scene in which a car shoots out over water to land
on a moving barge almost went disastrously wrong. He says the film has a
realistic atmosphere because of the screenplay by William W. Norton,
who adapted many aspects of his own hard scrabble life. The only
negative note Reynolds sounds is about Diane Ladd, who he cryptically
says he did not like working with, although he doesn't go into detail as
to why.The set includes a new feature not available on the previous
Blu-ray release: a commentary track by film historian collaborators
Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson. As far as commentary tracks are
concerned, the duo are always terrific and this outing is no exception.
Their easy-going, laid-back and humorous style is appropriate for the
tone of the film. They go into great detail about aspects of the and
cast. I hadn't realized until listening to the track how on-the-mark
they are in assessing Ned Beatty as an actor whose physical appearance
varied dramatically depending upon the type of story he was cast in.
Indeed, they are correct. The evil good ol' boy corrupt sheriff of
"White Lightning" is light years away from the fish-out-water rape
victim of "Deliverance" or the demagogic TV executive of "Network". The
track is good enough to merit upgrading to this version of the Blu-ray
even if you have the previous release.
The Blu-ray also includes the original trailer, which was very
effective in playing up Reynolds' emerging star power and reversible sleeve art showing an alternative ad campaign. Highly
recommended.
"Young Billy Young" is the kind of film of which it can be said, "They don't make 'em like that anymore". Not because the movie is so exceptional. In fact, it isn't exceptional on any level whatsoever. Rather, it's the sheer ordinariness of the entire production that makes one pine away for an era in which top talent could be attracted to enjoyable, if unremarkable, fare such as this. Such films, especially Westerns, were churned out with workmanlike professionalism to play to undemanding audiences that didn't require mega-budget blockbusters to feel they got their money's worth at the boxoffice. Sadly, such movies have largely gone the way of the dodo bird. In today's film industry, bigger must always be better and mid-range flicks such as are no longer made. However, through streaming services such as ScreenPix, it's possible to still enjoy the simple pleasures that such movies provide. (The Kino Lorber Blu-ray is now out of print.)
The story opens with botched robbery in Mexico committed by Billy Young (Robert Walker) and some cohorts including Jesse (David Carradine). The plan to steal horses from the Mexican military goes awry and Billy is forced to split from his fellow robbers with the army in hot pursuit. Making his way back across the border to New Mexico, he is penniless and desperate. He has a chance encounter with Ben Kane (Robert Mitchum), a tough, sarcastic older man who he encounters again in a nearby town. Here, Billy is being cheated at cards by the local sheriff, who goads him into a gunfight. Billy ends up killing him but stands to be framed for the sheriff's death. He's saved by Ben, who rides along with him to another town where Ben has agreed to take on the job of lawman. Ostensibly he is there to keep order and collect back taxes from deadbeats but in reality, he is on a mission of revenge. Some years before, Ben's son had been gunned down by a criminal named Boone (John Anderson) and Kane has learned that Boone is a presence in the new town and that he is being protected by a local corrupt businessman, John Behan (Jack Kelly). Ben makes his presence known immediately by enforcing the law in a strict manner. He's confronted by Behan, who tries to intimidate him. This results in Behan being slapped around by Kane. Behan also grows to resent the new lawman because he is flirting with his mistress, saloon entertainer Lily Beloit (Angie Dickinson). When Behan abuses her as punishment, he gets another beating from Kane. Meanwhile, Billy runs into Jesse and accuses him of having deserted him in Mexico. The two men fight it out and Jesse is later involved with the accidental shooting of the town's beloved doctor while in the employ of Behan. Kane learns that Jesse is Boone's son and holds him in jail as bait for Boone to come out of hiding. The plan works all too well. Boone turns up with a small army and lays siege to the jailhouse where Kane and Billy are holed up.
"Young Billy Young" was compared to a TV show by New York Times critic Howard Thompson on the basis that it contains so many standard elements of westerns from this time period. There is the bad girl with the heart of gold, the evil business tycoon, the brash young gun and his wiser, older mentor, the heroes outnumbered by superior forces and a lovable old coot (played against type by Paul Fix in full Walter Brennan/Gabby Hayes mode.) Yet somehow it all works very well, thanks mostly to Robert Mitchum's stalwart presence. With his trademark ramrod stiff walk and cool persona, Mitchum tosses off bon mots like a frontier version of 007. Even the Times acknowledged that "Mitchum can do laconic wonders with a good wise-crack". He has considerable chemistry with Dickinson, though the action between the sheets is more implied than shown. Robert Walker Jr. acquits himself well in the title role and David Carradine makes an impression even with limited screen time. The film was directed by Burt Kennedy, an old hand at directing fine westerns in reliable, if not remarkable, style and it all culminates in a rip-snorting shoot-out that is genuinely exciting. The fine supporting cast includes Willis Bouchey, Parley Baer and Deanna Martin (Dino's daughter) in her acting debut. One oddball element to the film: Mitchum croons the title song over the opening credits. If this sounds strange, keep in mind that Mitchum improbably once had a hit album of calypso music.
The film is currently streaming on ScreenPix, which is available to Amazon Prime customers for $2.99 a month.
From a 1974 issue of Boxoffice magazine, though the photos are from at least a couple of years previous to this issue with the exception of the depiction of the Colorado 4 Cinemas in Denver, which was an artist's concept drawing. The Alameda Theatre in San Francisco is showing "Pete 'n Tille" with Carol Burnett and Walter Matthau, while the Americana 5 multiplex in Panorama City, California is showing "The Graduate", "Doctor Zhivago", "The Dunwich Horror", "The Brain" and "Take the Money and Run". The photos were from an advertisement promoting theater chains.
"Some Kind of a Nut" is yet another obscure movie from the late 1960s (1969, to be precise) that is available through Screenpix, which is an ancillary subscription channel through Amazon Prime. The film is not currently available on home video in the U.S. and I don't know if it ever was. I was aware that the movie didn't make any impact upon its initial release but, given the amount of talent involved in it, I thought it was time to invest 90 minutes of my life to see a collaboration between star Dick Van Dyke and legendary writer/director Garson Kanin. Van Dyke was a hot property at the time, having left his classic TV sitcom "The Dick Van Dyke Show" to concentrate on a career in feature films, where he initially found considerable success. Van Dyke was busy with so many projects at the time that "Some Kind of a Nut" had a bizarre shooting schedule to accommodate him. According to the TCM web site, some of the film was shot in May of 1968 with the rest filmed in January 1969. The logistics of arranging this with a full cast and crew must have been challenging but Van Dyke's presence in the film led United Artists to agree to the terms. The company had recently released "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" with Van Dyke in the starring role. The studio was also seeking a long-term relationship with Garson Kanin and signed him to a four-picture deal arranged by producer Walter Mirisch, but none of the other projects came to fruition and Kanin retired from making feature films after "Some Kind of a Nut".
Van Dyke is cast as Fred Amidon, a mousey bank teller who works in a busy branch in the heart of mid-town Manhattan. He and the other employees suffer in an Orwellian atmosphere under the thumb of a priggish, humorless boss who demands complete conformity with conservative banking policies. Fred is also carrying the weight of his pending divorce from his wife Rachel (Angie Dickinson) which will be finalized in a few weeks time. His one pleasant diversion is his romantic relationship with fellow bank clerk Pamela Anderson (no, not that Pamela Anderson) played by Rosemary Forsyth. While enjoying a precious lunch hour together in Central Park, Fred is stung on the chin by a bee. The painful sting proves to be stubborn and won't go away even when the couple leave on a cross-country vacation. Frustrated by the unsightly wound on his chin, Fred decides to grow a beard. (For a bank with prison-like working conditions, the institution must have a very liberal vacation policy, as Fred and Pamela have enough time to drive to San Francisco and back and for Fred's beard to come into full glory.) Upon returning to the bank, his new appearance causes a scandal. His boss insists that he shave it off, as beards are against bank policy. When Fred refuses, he is summarily fired. His stance earns him the respect of his fellow employees and when the media learns of his situation, he becomes a cause celebre. Before long, Fred becomes a reluctant hero to everyday people who are fed up with having to conform to outdated policies in society. He is particularly embraced by the counter-culture movement, making him an unlikely figurehead for local hippies. He has more problems: his soon to be ex-wife Rachel reconnects with him because she is impressed by his new-found courage. This complicates things with Pamela, who detests the beard and the symbolism it represents. She's under the influence of her two meddlesome brothers who seek to compromise Fred's status as a cult figure. Meanwhile, Fred starts to dabble in Eastern mysticism and begins consulting an Asian guru in one of the film's funniest scenes. Beyond this, however, Kanin's script is anything but unpredictable and you can pretty much guess the outcome of the movie long before it arrives.
"Some Kind of a Nut" was filmed under the working title "The One with the Fuzz". It was a dud with critics and audiences, as was often the case when older filmmakers tried to be relevant to the anti-Establishment crowd of the era. (All the hippies are safe, joyous and satisfied carrying protest signs that are about as controversial as "No Trespassing". There isn't a hint of the Vietnam War and civil rights protests that defined the era, let alone any expletives. The film paints a Brady Bunch-like depiction of a time that never was. Nevertheless, the script does have something to say about the price of conformity, expressed in comical fashion through the inimitable talents of Dick Van Dyke, who makes otherwise unfunny scenes amusing. Angie Dickinson has a rather bland role and her screen time is limited, though director Kanin ensures there is a scene set at a swimming pool for no other reason than to present the welcome sight of Dickinson in a bikini.The film also has the virtue of presenting some nostalgic scenes shot on location in Manhattan. For Dick Van Dyke, the movie would be the first of two feature films released in 1969 that were ambitious in content but failures at the boxoffice and with critics, although the second film, Carl Reiner's comedy/drama "The Comic" has earned respect over the years in certain quarters. Van Dyke would only star in one more comedy on the big screen, "Cold Turkey", released in 1971. That film proved to be quite popular. Thereafter, he would not star in a feature film for another eight years, when he appeared in the leading role in Stanley Kramer's admirable but under-appreciated final movie "The Runner Stumbles", in which Van Dyke gave a fine dramatic performance. He returned to the medium where he had originally found success: television and his late career series "Diagnosis: Murder" would prove to be a major hit that ran for many seasons.
("Some Kind of a Nut" is currently streaming on Screenpix, available to Amazon Prime subscribers for an additional $2.99 a month.)
Don Knotts
came to fame with his trademark comedy style of portraying a meek, excessively
nervous character. He was Woody Allen before Woody Allen was Woody Allen.
Knotts honed his skills on Steve Allen's show in the 1950s, with his "man
on the street" Nervous Nellie routine sending audiences into fits of
laughter. He co-starred with fellow up-and-comer Andy Griffith in the hit
Broadway production of "No Time for Sergeants" and the subsequent
film version. When Griffith landed his own TV series in 1960 in which he played
the sheriff of fictional small town Mayberry, Knotts imposed upon him to write
a small, occasional part he could play as Barney Fife, Griffith's inept but
loyal sheriff. Griffith complied and the role made Knotts an icon of American
comedy, allowing him to win an astonishing five Emmys for playing the same
character. Five years into the series, Knotts was offered a multi-feature deal
by Lew Wasserman, the reigning mogul of Universal Pictures. Knotts took the
bait and enjoyed creative control over the films to a certain degree. He could
pretty much do what he wanted as long has he played the same nervous schlep audiences wanted to
see. The films had to be low-budget, shot quickly and enjoy modest profits from
rural audiences where Knotts' popularity skewed the highest. His first feature
film was The Ghost and Mr.
Chicken, released in 1966 and written by the same writing team from
the "The Andy Griffith Show". (Griffith actually co-wrote the script
but declined taking a writing credit.) The film astonished the industry,
rolling up big grosses in small markets where it proved to have remarkable
staying power. Similarly, his next film, The
Reluctant Astronaut also proved to be a big hit, as was his
1969 western spoof The
Shakiest Gun in the West. Within a few years, however,
changing audience tastes had rendered Knotts' brand of innocent, gentle humor
somewhat moot. By the late 1960s audiences were getting their laughs from the
new film freedoms. It was hard to find the antics of a middle-aged virgin much
fun when you could see Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice cavorting in the same
bed. Still, Knotts soldiered on, providing fare for the drive-in markets that
still wanted his films. In 1969 he made The
Love God?, a very funny and underrated film that tried to be more
contemporary by casting Knotts as an innocent ninny who is manipulated into
fronting what he thinks is a magazine for bird watchers but, in reality, is a
cover for a pornography empire. Knotts' traditional audience balked at the
relatively tame sex jokes and for his final film for Universal, How to Frame a Figg, he
reverted back to his old formula.
Released in
1971, Figg casts
Don Knotts as the titular character, Hollis Figg, a nondescript wimp who toils
as an overlooked accountant in a basement of city hall. The film is set in a
Mayberry-like small town environment but any other similarity ends there. In
Mayberry, only the visiting city slickers were ever corrupt. The citizenry may
have been comprised of goofballs and eccentrics, but they were all scrupulously
honest. In Figg's world, however, the top government officials are all con-men
and crooks. They are ruled by the town's beloved paternal father figure, Old
Charley Spaulding (Parker Fennelly), a decrepit character who hands out pennies
to everyone he encounters, with the heart-warming greeting "A shiny penny
for your future!" In fact, Old Charley has plenty of those pennies
stashed away. He and his hand-picked fellow crooks, including the mayor and
police chief, have been systemically ripping off the state by grossly inflating
the costs of local building projects and secretly pocketing the overages.
Concerned that the accountants might get wind of their activities, they
summarily fire them all except for Figg, who is deemed to be too naive to ever
catch on. They justify the firings by saying it's fiscally prudent and replace
the accountants with a gigantic computer that is supposed to be even more
efficient. Through a quirk of fate, Figg and his equally naive friend, Prentiss
(Frank Welker), the janitor for city hall, discover exactly what is going on.
Figg dutifully reports his findings to the mayor (Edward Andrews), who
convinces him to keep it secret while he launches his own investigation. Old
Charley, the mayor and their cohorts decide to make Figg the fall guy for the
corrupt practices. They give him a big promotion, a new red convertible and
even hire a private secretary for him. She's Glorianna (Yvonne Craig), a leggy
femme fatale who wears mini skirts and oozes sex. When her attempts to seduce
Figg leave him paralyzed with fear because of his allegiance to his new
girlfriend, the equally virginal waitress Ema Letha (Elaine Joyce), Glorianna
gets Figg drunk, takes some embarrassing photos of him and then proceeds to have
him sign a stream of incriminating documents that he has not bothered to read.
Before long, Figg is blamed for all the missing funds and faces a jail
sentence- unless he and the dim-witted Prentiss can figure out how to use the
computer to thwart the real crooks.
When Lillian Helllman's "Toys in the Attic" debuted on Broadway in 1960, it was not unanimously acclaimed but it did win enough acclaim to secure major Tony nominations and enjoy a healthy run that lasted over one year. The show was an important career boost for up-and-coming Jason Robards, who played the male lead. In 1963, United Artists brought the play to the screen, directed by future Oscar winner George Roy Hill. It was Hill's second major film following "Period of Adjustment" the year before. In the 1950s and early 1960s, studios were enamored of moss-dripping family dramas set in the deep South. That's because this sub-genre often derived from the works of acclaimed authors such as Hellman, Tennessee Williams and William Inge. Some memorable films resulted: A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Baby Doll and The Long Hot Summer among them. Although these stories diverge in terms of plot, there is a commonality: they generally deal with an emotionally-wrought woman or women who are devoted to a manipulative and generally charismatic cad."Toys in the Attic" is firmly entrenched in this scenario. Dean Martin plays Julian Berniers, a ne're-do-well hunky young man who returns to his family home in New Orleans with his new bride, Lily (Yvette Mimieaux). The house is occupied by Julian's two spinster sisters, Carrie (Geraldine Page) and Anna (Wendy Hiller), both of whom live in self-imposed isolation, largely removed from the outside world. Julian's reputation as a man with big dreams and small results precedes him. He has lost a valuable factory and is presumed in bankruptcy. However, he appears in a jubilant mood bearing expensive gifts for his bewildered sisters. Carrie is especially overjoyed to see him, having harbored incestuous feelings for Julian for many years. She takes an instant dislike to the affable but naive Lily, largely due to personal jealousy. Julian is loaded with cash after concluding a mysterious $150,000 business deal that he won't reveal the details of. He assures his sisters that their days of financial challenges are over and even books them on a European cruise. However, there are consequential aspects to the secrets that Julian keeps and as they are eventually unwoven, a web of lies, deceit and betrayal are unveiled with devastating consequences for all.
"Toys in the Attic" probably works better as a stage production. Director George Roy Hill, confined by a modest budget, doesn't try to "open up" the tale, as there are very few exterior shots in the film. In some cases, this proves to be a wise choice when transferring a stage production to the screen, as evidenced by "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". However, "Toys in the Attic" simply looks like a cheapo production despite the impressive cast. Dean Martin registers well in the role of Julian, a serial exaggerator and braggart who is finally trying to elevate himself from being known as a loser. Martin had already established himself as a serious actor in the wake of his breakup with Jerry Lewis, giving powerful performances in "The Young Lions" and "Some Came Running". Nevertheless, critics were rather cruel to him in regard to his casting in this film, but no one emerged unscathed except for Wendy Hiller, who is the only cast member whose performance is somewhat understated. Mimieux radiates wide-eyed innocence as Julian's child-like bride, but her whining and dependency grow weary to view. Coming off worst is Geraldine Page, who director Hill encourages to play her character in an over-the-top manner that comes close to Piper Laurie's lunatic mother in "Carrie". Gene Tierney makes a brief appearance as Lily's rich-but-shallow mother who Lily suspects of having paid Julien to marry her. There's also an interracial romance hinted at between Tierney's character and her Black servant, played by Frank Silvera. Apparently, this relationship was watered down from the stage production version. James Poe's screenplay is a muddled affair filled with some many eccentric characters concerned about so many scandals that the story becomes difficult to follow. New York Times critic Bosley Crowther wrote "With an eye for more melodramatics than for contours of character that might make plausible its story of two spinster sisters' odd devotion to their brother, Mr. Hill has allowed this turgid drama and his avid actors to get completely out of hand and run wild in a baffling confusion of theatrical bursts and attitudes." Other critics followed suit and the movie was a financial failure that seemed to diffuse Hollywood's belief that films about Southern scandal-scarred families meant good results at the boxoffice. Fortunately, all involved would move on to more impressive work.
"Toys in the Attic" is available on DVD through MGM.There are no bonus extras. Click here to order DVD from Amazon.
Warner Bros. provides this half-hour documentary about the making of director Ridley Scott's science fiction classic, which was considered to be a boxoffice disappointment when it opened in 1982.
"BLAST FROM THE PAST: FROM THE CINEMA RETRO ARCHIVES"
By Lee Pfeiffer
"Saturday Night Live" spawned many a memorable comic character, some of whom were exploited in feature films. While "The Coneheads" proved to be popular on the big screen, other TV-to-cinema transfers of iconic "SNL" pop culture figures proved to be duds. Al Franken's memorable incarnation of Stuart Smalley was the subject of "Stuart Saves His Family", a 1995 production directed by Harold Ramis that received some surprisingly favorable reviews but ended up with a North American boxoffice gross of less than $1 million. That ranks as a major success compared to "It's Pat: The Movie", released the prior year and starring Julia Sweeney as the androgynous character that proved to be a popular staple of "SNL" during this period. Pat was a visually unattractive figure with an obnoxious manner of speaking that repulsed his/her coworkers, who were constantly striving to discover whether Pat was a male or female. Inevitably, Pat would provide unintentionally ambiguous answers to leading questions that would only heighten the mystery and thwart those who were seeking to unveil Pat's genetic makeup. As the subject of five-minute comedy sketches the concept worked great and Sweeney's Pat became a popular staple of the show. Then Hollywood came knocking. Fox approached Sweeney to turn the concept into a feature film. Sweeney admitted she couldn't envision how Pat could remain interesting to viewers in any format other than TV skits. After putting some development money into the film, Fox agreed and backed off only to have Disney's Touchstone Pictures ride to the rescue and give the production the green light. The result was a disaster. The film was given some sporadic openings only to be pulled within a week due to complete rejection by audiences. The movie's boxoffice gross in North America stands at $61,000. Although modestly-budgeted, the movie still had cost more than $10 million to make. Time has not been kind to dear Pat, as it boasts a Rotten Tomatoes score of 0%. Now those brave souls at Kino Lorber have released a Blu-ray of "Pat: The Movie" and, consequently, it's time to revisit the film.
The plot (such as it is) opens with Pat alienating everyone in his/her orbit with obnoxious behavior. A local store owner gives Pat items for free just to expedite his/her departure. Pat tries various career moves but inevitably loses every job due to ineptness. Just when things seem hopeless, Pat finds love with Chris (Dave Foley in a role originated by Dana Carvey on "SNL"), another androgynous individual. The two set up house together and live as a normal couple, though both seem blissfully unaware that their sexuality is a mystery to those around them. Are they a straight couple? A gay couple? Two men? Two women? A subplot is introduced in which a hunky new neighbor, Kyle (Charles Rocket) and his wife Stacy (Julie Hayden) find their lives disrupted by Kyle's increasing obsession with Pat. He is sexually attracted to him/her, much to the alarm of Stacy, and that attraction turns into a psychological mania that finds Kyle dressing like Pat and even stroking a doll that resembles him/her. Meanwhile, the hapless Pat blunders into some successful career steps by making an appearance with a rock band that leads to him/ her becoming a media sensation. When he/she drops by a radio station to visit a friend, Kathy (Kathy Griffin), who hosts a popular romantic advice show, Pat unintentionally upstages her and gets the hosting gig. Pat's success has alienated Chris, who breaks up the relationship and decides to move abroad. The finale finds Pat coming to grips with his/her faults and making a mad dash to a cruise ship line to prevent Chris from leaving the country.
The animosity extended to "Pat: The Movie", which was directed by
Adam Bernstein, is a bit difficult to understand. It isn't very good, to
be sure, but it's amusing at times and never veers into the overtly
offensive gross-out humor that characterizes many of today's comedies.
One of the main problems with the film is that there are no sympathetic
characters. I don't recall Pat being an overt narcissist on the "SNL"
sketches but here the character is mean-spirited, self-centered and
devoid of any likable behavior. Kyle is even more repulsive and barely
looks up when his wife leaves him. Now this is an absurdist comedy, to
be sure, but the best comedies allow the audience to relate to the
protagonists on some level. Jerry Lewis and Jim Carrey played klutzes
but they were klutzes you could cheer for. Not so with Sweeney's Pat.
Additionally, Sweeney's fears that the one-note concept could not be
sustained over the course of a feature film proved correct. Even with
the running time of 77 minutes, the movie plods. Still, there are some
genuine laughs, most of them centered on the traditional gag of those
around Pat becoming increasingly frustrated by their failure to
determine his/her sex. When Pat and Chris are presented with a gift of a
sexy corset, they both smile wryly and say "We'll enjoy this!"
There is also some genuine amusement in Pat's physical appearance, a
kind of grotesque version of Jerry Lewis's Prof. Kelp from "The Nutty
Professor". But the laughs are too few even for the abbreviated running
time. There also some annoyances that are due to simple sloppiness: when
Pat tries to escape a pursuer, she randomly enters a building only to
find the place is a night club hosting a packed, on-going, ear-splitting
rock concert taking place apparently in the middle of the afternoon. Such absurdities leave one to think that the film was slapped together quickly in order to make a fast buck.
Julia Sweeney tragically faced more challenges than the complete
failure of "It's Pat" with critics and the public. Around the time of
the film's release, her brother was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
After caring for him, she was diagnosed with cancer. Sweeney beat the
disease and made lemonade from the lemons life had handed her when she
wrote and starred in her acclaimed one-woman play, "God Said Hah!" which
chronicled her personal trials and tribulations through a comedic lens.
(The play would later be the basis for a documentary.) Her co-star
Charles Rocket fared worse, committing suicide in 2005. However, most of
those associated with the debacle of "It's Pat" found their careers
survived. Director Adam Bernstein went on to a highly successful career
in television. Dave Foley continues to work steadily in TV and films and
Kathy Griffin emerged as a popular standup comedienne and pundit on CNN
until her increasingly foul-mouthed rants backfired, topped by sending
around an image on social media depicting her holding the bloody,
severed head of President Trump. That stunt achieved the distinction of
being denounced by even the president's most ardent critics and Griffin
lost her CNN gig.
"It's Pat" opened and closed before the age of E mail and social
media had taken the world by storm. It's failure today would have been
the stuff of snarky jokes and cynical criticisms of all those involved.
However, because the film wasn't highly anticipated, it's failure
occurred without much notice or damage to anyone's personal reputation.
There's plenty of laughs left in dear Pat but they can mostly be found
in the original "SNL" skits. Ironically, with transgender issues now the topic of current debates, the film might have found a more receptive audience today.
The Kino Lorber Blu-ray has an impressive transfer, a teaser trailer
for the film and a gallery of other comedies available through the
company.
Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Fabulous Films regarding the Region 2 Blu-ray and DVD releases of "Manhattan" and "Hannah and Her Sisters", which are being released on 28 August.
One of Woody Allen’s best-loved films, Hannah and Her Sisters, won
three richly deserved Oscars and is considered a joy from start to
perfectly-judged finish.
The films ensemble
cast includes Max von Sydow, Carrie Fisher, Sir Michael Caine, Diane Wiest, Lloyd
Nolan (who died 4 months before the film's release), Mia Farrow and Daniel
Stern. Caine won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role while Wiest won
Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Allen won Best Screenplay (beating Crocodile
Dundee, My Beautiful Laundrette, Platoon and Salvador). Max von
Sydow and Barbara Hershey received a standing ovation from the crew after they
finished filming their characters' break-up scene.
The film has some
great one-liners, with a philosophical discussion about the nature of good and
evil getting shot down with “How should I know why there were Nazi’s, I don’t
even know how the can opener works”
Synopsis: Hannah (Mia Farrow) is a devoted wife, loving mother and successful
actress. She’s also the emotional backbone of the family, and her sisters Lee
(Barbara Hershey) and Holly (Dianne Wiest) depend on this stability while also
resenting it because they can’t help but compare Hannah’s seemingly perfect
life with theirs. But with her husband Elliott (Michael Caine) becoming
increasingly interested in Lee, it’s clear that Hannah might have problems of
her own.
Cast: Woody Allen, Michael
Caine, Mia Farrow, Carrie Fisher, Barbara Hershey, Lloyd Nolan, Maureen
O’Sullivan, Daniel Stern, Max von Sydow, Julie Kavner, Richard Jenkins, Fred
Melamed, Lewis Black, Joanna Gleason, John Turturro, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and
Dianne Wiest.
“One of (Woody)
Allen’s most enduring accomplishments” - BoxOffice
Nominated for two
Academy-Awards® Manhattan is a wry, touching and finely rendered portrait of
modern relationships set against the backdrop of urban alienation. Sumptuously
photographed in black and white (Allen’s first film in that format) and
accompanied by a magnificent Gershwin score which includes Rhapsody in Blue.
Released in 1979. Manhattan
won Best Film and Best Screenplay at the BAFTAs. Mariel Hemingway aged 16
years old earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards
for her performance. Woody Allen and Marshall Brinkman were nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. In 2001, the United States Library
of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Synopsis: Forty-two-year-old
Manhattan native Isaac Davis (Allen) has a job he hates, a seventeen-year-old
girlfriend, Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), whom he doesn’t love, and a lesbian
ex-wife, Jill (Meryl Streep), who’s writing a tell-all book about their
marriage...and whom he’d like to strangle. But when he meets his best friend’s
sexy intellectual mistress, Mary (Diane Keaton), Isaac falls head over heels in
lust! Leaving Tracy, bedding Mary and quitting his job are just the beginnings
of Isaac’s quest for romance and fulfilment . In a city where sex is as
intimate as a handshake - and the gateway to true love...is a revolving door.
Cast: Woody Allen, Diane
Keaton, Michael Murphy, Mariel Hemingway, Meryl Streep, Anne Byrne.
Friedkin with Gene Hackman on location in New York City for "The French Connection", 1971.
(Photo: Cinema Retro Archive.)
By Lee Pfeiffer
William Friedkin, who reinvented the crime and horror film genres with "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist", has died in Los Angeles at age 87. Friedkin's first film was based on a personal obsession- to get a man incarcerated on Death Row exonerated. The 1962 documentary "The People vs. Paul Crump" was deemed a deciding factor in getting the innocent man released. The Chicago native first worked in the television industry before landing his first Hollywood feature film, directing the comedy "Good Times" starring Sonny and Cher in 1967. The film wasn't a hit but Friedkin was learning his craft. His diverse output included a screen adaptation of Harold Pinter's acclaimed, offbeat play "The Birthday Party" starring Robert Shaw and Donald Pleasence, the exuberant Prohibition era comedy "The Night They Raided Minsky's" and "The Boys in the Band", a daring screen version of the controversial play about the lives and relationships of gay men.
Friedkin's biggest break came when he was hired to direct "The French Connection" in 1971, an adaptation of the bestselling book that documented the biggest drug bust in U.S. history. Friedkin's passion for eschewing the trappings of conventional crime films paid off when he won the Oscar for directing. The film also won Best Picture and Best Actor for Gene Hackman in a star-making role. Friedkin's next film was also an adaptation of a bestseller- in this case William Peter Blatty's horror novel "The Exorcist". Friedkin resisted hiring popular leading actors of the day in place of casting reliable character actors and leads with little name recognition. His transformation of 12 year-old Linda Blair into a terrifying demon immediately became the stuff of horror film legend. However, the film won over critics and was nominated for numerous Oscars because Friedkin made the production a thinking person's horror film with interesting characters and believable reactions to the surrealistic events. Following the worldwide success of this second Friedkin blockbuster, Friedkin did not bring another film to the screen for four years. When he did, it was "Sorcerer", a lavish and grueling reinterpretation of French director Henri-Georges Clouzot's acclaimed 1953 adventure film "The Wages of Fear". The film seemed to be cursed. On location in the Dominican Republic, Friedkin had to face soaring budget costs due to natural disasters and other seemingly insurmountable problems. When the film opened, it flopped. Friedkin, in an interview about the film with this writer in Cinema Retro issue #29, said that studio executives threw him under the bus by implying the film had gone over-budget because Friedkin lacked self-control in terms of spending. Friedkin tried to set the record straight but the damage was done. His reputation had taken a hit and his next film, the comedy "The Brink's Job" was also a critical and financial disappointment. his 1980 crime thriller "Cruising" cast Al Pacino as a New York detective who goes under cover in Gotham's gay leather bar scene to find a serial killer. The film caused great controversy, with gay activists denouncing it even before filming had been completed. Critics assailed the film as vulgar and unsatisfying, but like "Sorcerer" it has been favorably re-evaluated in the ensuing years. Friedkin continued to work steadily but only the 1985 crime thriller "To Live and Die in L.A." gained any kind of attention and that was largely due to an extravagant car chase.
Over the following years, Friedkin would divide his time directing films and TV productions as well as live operas. He would never score another boxoffice hit but he appreciated the attention and accolades he received later in life that commemorated his body of work. He took satisfaction from the fact that his 2011 film "Killer Joe" starring Matthew McConaughey became a cult favorite for younger audiences. Friedkin is survived by his wife, producer and former studio head Sherry Lansing. His final film, a remake of "The Caine Mutiny", will premiere at this year's Venice Film Festival.
Friedkin with Cinema Retro's Todd Garbarini.
(Photo: Todd Garbarini)
Cinema Retro mourns the passing of this great filmmaker and we appreciate his contributions to our magazine. His last interview (with Todd Garbarini) appeared in issue #50 in which he discussed the 50th anniversary of "The French Connection".
This review from the Independent Film Journal captured the general consensus that was felt by James Bond fans upon the much-anticipated December, 1971 release of "Diamonds are Forever", which brought Sean Connery back to the screen as 007 after George Lazenby quit the role following "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Despite the mixed reception, the film lived up to boxoffice expectations and was a major international hit.
With Russia currently dominating world news in an unfavorable way and authoritarian political figures making headlines even in democracies, it's relevant to look back on the 1983 crime thriller "Gorky Park", which has been released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber. The film was based on Martin Cruz Smith's international bestseller and was unique in its day because it centered on subterfuge within the Soviet law enforcement system and was set primarily in Moscow. Director Michael Apted had hoped to be the first major Hollywood studio production to shoot within the Soviet Union but unsurprisingly he was turned down due to the fact that the story dealt with systemic corruption throughout every layer of the government. Apted settled for the next best thing, shooting in Finland and Sweden, both of which make convincing substitutes for the USSR. Transforming the lengthy, complex novel to a screenplay could have been no easy task, even for acclaimed screenwriter Dennis Potter ("Pennies from Heaven"). Although the film has a leisurely running time of 128 minutes, there are still some portions of the story that are not fleshed out enough to be easily understood.
The movie gets off to a gripping start when three young people drift away from the crowd at a winter festival in Moscow's Gorky Park. They are shot dead shortly thereafter, although we don't know why or by who. Police detective Arkady Renko (William Hurt) is first on the scene and he discovers that the snow-covered bodies have been horribly mutilated with their fingers removed and their faces skinned so that their can be no recognition of the victims. This leads to some particularly gory scenes in which a pathologist skillfully manages to recreate their facial features using synthetic skin. In a country and political system in which everyone is justifiably paranoid, Renko begins to suspect that the KGB might have been behind the killings and are looking to set him up as a fall guy. An interesting cast of characters is gradually introduced. Irina Asanova (Joanna Pacula in her screen debut) is a glamorous actress who was a friend of the victims. Renko cannot persuade her that they are dead, as she has been assured that they escaped into exile by Jack Osborne (Lee Marvin). He's a well-connected, rich American businessman who deals in the lucrative trade of sable furs. Renko is immediately suspicious that Osborne, with his bought-and-paid for allies in Soviet law enforcement, is somehow tied to the murders. This results in a few of those scenes moviegoers love in which the hero and villain banter words, using euphemisms to represent their actual thoughts as they engage in a duel of wits. The more dedicated Renko becomes in solving the crime, the more he realizes his is putting his own life in danger. He later gets assistance from an American visitor, William Kirwill (Brian Dennehy), a detective who is in Moscow to try to solve the murder of his brother, who was one of the three victims. Together, he and Renko begin to unravel a tangled web of corruption, deceit, betrayal and more murders.
"Gorky Park" enjoyed good reviews at the time of its release but it was a boxoffice disappointment. Viewing the new Blu-ray, I found it more intriguing and enjoyable than I had previously- even though the plot gets very complicated and so many characters are introduced that by the end of the movie, I can't say for sure why the original three murder victims were killed. The movie was an important early starring role for William Hurt and he's adequate in the role but rather bland at times, although he and Pacula engage in the kind of steamy sex scene that was de rigueur at a time before movies became largely devoid of eroticism. Pacula gives a very fine performance that earned her a Golden Globe nomination and Dennehy steals every scene he's in, although the premise of an American detective thinking he will have free reign to operate in one of the most oppressive societies in the world is a bit of a stretch. Ian Bannen is a welcome presence as Renko's superior officer, who may be in the pocket of Osborne. As the American fur trader, Lee Marvin is terrific in a marvelous late-career role. It must be said that the largely British cast of supporting actors retain their natural accents, which proves to be a distraction since they are supposed to be playing Russians. Hurt supposedly complained about this because, for the sake of consistency, it forced him to adapt his own version of a British accent, which seems like a hybrid with American English. It doesn't work at all and it's surprising that a skilled director like Apted didn't simply encourage his cast to adopt Russian accents. The production design is rich and expensive-looking but James Horner's score, which was acclaimed in some quarters, sounds dated and very much from an era in which synthesizers were employed ad nauseum.
For those of who came of age during the Cold War period, the film is a reminder of how every aspect of Soviet life was put under scrutiny, with paranoia instilled in citizens to keep everyone off-balance and reluctant to trust anyone else. Despite the Putin regime's quashing of many societal freedoms, today's Russia still enjoys far more freedoms and prosperity than it did when "Gorky Park" was made. Michael Apted's direction is first-rate. Dennis Potter's screenplay excels at showing what life is like in an authoritarian state, where the trappings of democracy are undermined by the fact that everyone knows that there are people who follow the people who follow them. What I found surprising and refreshing is that Renko, who is aware of and frustrated by the Orwellian aspects of his country, remains a dedicated law enforcement official who proudly serves the Soviet state. "Gorky Park" is not a classic but it is a compelling and offbeat thriller that holds up today.
The Kino Lorber Blu-ray looks very good, indeed. Cinematographer Rolf D. Bode's cinematography really impresses, as he shot the film in a rather washed out, colorless manner to reflect the blandness of the Soviet state. The release is one of the few from KL that doesn't include a commentary track, but there is an excellent 16-minute recent interview with Michael Apted, who says he rarely revisits his own films but did so in this case. He says he was surprised at how well the film has held up but expresses his frustration that, despite good reviews, the movie was not successful at the American boxoffice, though it did well internationally. Apted recalls the challenges of trying to replicate Moscow in Helsinki and speaks well of his cast and crew. He says that Lee Marvin, though appearing healthy on screen, was in intensive care in a hospital just prior to filming, as he suffered from emphysema. He relates that Marvin was especially enthused about the film because it gave him a rare opportunity to play a character who was sophisticated and highly cultured. The Blu-ray also includes the original trailer, a teaser trailer and TV spots for "Gorky Park" and an extensive number of trailers for other action films available from KL.
A personal observation: it should be noted that the interview segment with Michael Apted was produced by Walter Olsen, co-founder with his brother Bill of the Scorpion Releasing video label. Scorpion had partnered with KL in recent years to release many under-radar-films on Blu-ray. Walter passed away in May just months after his brother died. Those of us who value their contributions to the home video industry mourn their passing.
By the year 1972, the esteemed Billy Wilder was licking his wounds
over the boxoffice debacle that was "The Private Life of Sherlock
Holmes". Wilder's revisionist depiction of the legendary sleuth is
precisely what Holmes fan clamor for today, but to a generation that
defined the depiction of Holmes and Watson by the low-budget film series
starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, there was little enthusiasm to
see an all-too human Holmes with all-too-human failings. Wilder blamed
the poor reception for the film on the fact that the studio had
overridden his objections and made major cuts to the movie. Years ago,
some of the missing footage was discovered and the altered film was
accepted favorably by reviewers and retro movie lovers. Still, at the
time, Wilder was not used to suffering the humiliation of public
rejection of one of his movies. After all, he had given us classics such
as "Some Like It Hot", "The Apartment", "Sabrina", "Double Indemnity"
and "Stalag 17". Wilder was eager to return to his comedic roots and for
his next film, "Avanti!" and he enlisted long-time collaborator Jack
Lemmon to star and his esteemed writing partner I.A.L. Diamond to
co-author the script with him. The stars seemed be aligned for another
Wilder comedy hit, but it didn't work out that way, to put it mildly.
"Avanti!" was another critical and commercial failure and this time it really hurt.
Henceforth, the few films Wilder would direct would all be bombs,
marking an inglorious end to an otherwise glorious career. Yet,
"Avanti!" deserved a better fate. It's certainly Wilder in an inspired
mode even if the inspiration came from a flop Broadway comedy production
that he and Diamond kept the basic plot premise of but otherwise
rewrote.
Wilder and Lemmon had enjoyed such audience-pleasing hits as "Some
Like It Hot", "The Apartment", "Irma La Douce" and "The Fortune Cookie".
Lemmon is well-cast as Wendell Armbruster, Jr., the son of a titan of
American industry who has just died in an automobile accident in Italy
where he went every year for a month-long personal sabbatical to cleanse
his body and soul. Wendell is already in a state of nervous panic when
we first see him on board the flight to Italy. He has just a few days to
arrange to bring his father's body back to Washington, D.C. where a
high profile televised funeral will take place with the President and
other world dignitaries in attendance. (It's never explained why the
Armbruster family self-imposed such a tight deadline for retrieving the
body and staging the funeral.) Wendell idolized his father as the symbol
of American family values and conservative political doctrine; a robust
Republican who socialized with Henry Kissinger and who was devoted to
Wendell's mother. Upon arrival in the quaint coastal town where his
father died at his favorite small hotel, Wendell is greeted by the
manager, Carlo Carlucci (Clive Revill), an unflappable local "Mr.
Fix-It" with a penchant for reassuring words and an ability to move
mountains to carry out impossible tasks. However, Wendell is in for a
shock when he meets Pamela Piggott (Juliet Mills), a working class girl
from East London whose mother also died in the same car crash as Wendell Sr.
Turns out the two were lovers who met for the past ten years at the
hotel, where they were adored local legends. Thus begins a madcap farce
in which Wendell has to deal with the emotional revelation that his
father was an adulterer while at the same time keeping family members
and the public in the dark about the scandal. Pamela has a different
attitude. Unlike Wendell, she knew of the affair long ago and assures
Wendell that the two were madly in love and could fulfill their
fantasies through their annual reunion. Wendell also learns that his
ultra conservative father would join his lover for daily nude swim.
If the conventional wisdom in Hollywood is that comedies must run
under two hours, Wilder was happy to ignore it. "Avanti!" clocks in at
144 minutes. It's as though he was celebrating the leisurely Italian
lifestyle depicted in the film, a lifestyle that can be both
simultaneously maddening and idyllic. Do we have to tell you that
Wendell and Pamela lock horns only to become lovers themselves, even
going so far as to replicate the dear departed's daily nude swim in the
best-remembered scene from the movie? Despite the lengthy running time,
the film is never boring and the performances are all top-notch with
both Lemmon and Mills in fine form. However, the scene-stealer is Clive
Revill in a remarkably funny performance. You'll swear you're watching
an Italian actor instead of a native New Zealander who made his mark in
British film and stage productions. The movie is peppered with some
genuine Italian character actors, as Wendell becomes embroiled with a
local group of poverty-row mobsters. Wilder and Diamond also mix in an
amusing murder and blackmail plot. There is a late appearance by the
marvelous Edward Andrews as a U.S. State Department official who arrives
to resolve Wendell's problem of getting his father's body back home in
time for the funeral. For all the laughs, however, there is a poignancy
to the story, as Wendell learns to love and admire Pamela, who has
initially disparages because of her "weight problem." This is an
uncomfortable aspect of the movie not only because Juliet Mills most
decidedly did not have a "weight problem", but she endures (as women did
during this era) constant barbs and insults and even makes
self-deprecating jokes about her non-existent girth.
"Avanti!"
may not be classic Wilder, but it's very good Wilder and that's enough
to merit a "highly recommended" designation.The film is currently streaming on Screenpix, which is available to Amazon Prime subscribers for an additional fee of $2.99 a month.
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In reviewing "Fuzz" when it opened in 1972, Vincent Canby of the New York Times noted that the film looks more like a dress rehearsal than a finished movie and was obviously intended to appeal to viewers who had a limited attention span. In contrast, Roger Ebert said he was put off by the exploitive elements of the movie poster, but in the end called it a funny, quietly cheerful movie. I guess I land in the same ballpark as Ebert, although I'm not without criticism of the film, which was based on author Ed McBain's popular "87th Precinct" novels that explored the excitement and absurdities found in a modern, big city police department. The film has an impressive ensemble cast: Burt Reynolds and Raquel Welch (reunited after co-starring in "100 Rifles"), Tom Skeritt, Jack Weston and Raquel Welch, who appears rather fleetingly despite her prominent billing. Oh, and the bad guy is played by Yuel Brynner, who appears rather late in the film in a limited number of scenes.
The film is primarily played for laughs and it's scattershot plot jumps around at a dizzying pace. The action takes place in the aforementioned 87th Precinct in Boston, a run-down venue located in a troubled part of the city. The plot focuses on a harried group of cynical detectives who report to their equally cynical, burned-out boss, Lt. Byrnes (Dan Frazer). The precinct is depicted as decrepit and as worn-out as its inhabitants. There's a lot of chaotic action going on throughout the day with various local miscreants and eccentrics clogging up the works, much to the frustration of the burned-out cops. The plot sees seasoned veteran cops Steve Carella (Burt Reynolds), Bert Kling (Tom Skerritt) and Meyer Meyer (you read that right) (Jack Weston) trying to cope with the chaos- as well as the arrival of a strikingly beautiful policewoman who has been assigned to the precinct, Eileen McHenry (Raquel Welch). Among the cases being investigated simultaneously are the identities of the creeps who have been setting local hobos on fire, a serial rapist, various petty crimes and a late-breaking, high-profile threat posed by an unknown man who phones in death threats aimed at local public officials.When the ransom he demands isn't paid, said officials are bumped off in a high profile manner despite intense efforts by the police to thwart the plots. The villain is known as The Deaf Man (Yul Brynner), a sophisticated brute with the persona of a Bond villain, who employs a small team of loyal and very competent crooks to help him carry out the various assassinations.
Director Richard A. Colla employs the Altmanesque gimmick of having characters talk over each other in a Tower of Babel-like scenario, but in the context of a chaotic police department, the tactic works. The air of realism is accurate. During this era, my father was a cop in Jersey City, a stone's throw across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Like most urban areas during this era, it was a city beset by plenty of problems. Whenever I would see him at the precinct, I witnessed the kind of mutual ball-busting humor cops would engage in. I realized it was their way of coping with the pressures of the job and "Fuzz" captures this environment perfectly. The screenplay by Evan Hunter, who wrote the source novel under the nom de plume Ed McBain, is rather episodic and some plot lines are left to dwindle as the cops try to solve any number of on-going threats to the city. Raquel Welch's character is subjected to the predictable sexist comments, but, refreshingly she is spared any exploitation scenes (except for one fleeting moment) and acquits herself well as this valiant public servant. The whole messy scenario comes together in a very clever ending in which all of the unrelated characters end up converging on a local liquor store where the cops are holding a stakeout. The mayhem that ensues is both funny and exciting and ties some of the loose ends together. A comic highlight finds Reynolds and Weston dressed as nuns in a stakeout to capture the rapist.
The cast is first-rate. Reynolds is in top form and he gets fine support from Tom Skerritt, Jack Weston (particularly impressive), Dan Frazer and James McEachin. Don Gordon is among the bad guys, and as with any of his screen appearances, he's a welcome presence. Reynolds breaks the wise-cracking mode in a touching scene that shows him with his wife, a deaf mute played by Neile Adams. Yul Brynner adds his customary classy presence in his limited screen time.
Reynolds and Welch could not have been pleased with the marketing campaign for the movie: a Mad magazine-style ad that capitalized on Reynold's recent centerfold in Cosmopolitan and had Welch depicted in a bikini, although she appears in no such attire and is demurely dressed in the film. (Her character disappears mid-way through the movie and inexplicably doesn't show up again.) Nevertheless, Reynolds would finally rise to major boxoffice status later in the year with his superb performance in "Deliverance" and Welch would graduate to intelligently-written roles that proved she was more than a pretty face.
"Fuzz" is an imperfect movie but it's a lot of fun. Recommended.
(The film is currently showing on Screenpix, which is available by subscription through Amazon Prime, Roku and Apple TV.)
