The Amazing Mr. X.

Review #2420: The Amazing Mr. X.

Cast: 

Turhan Bey (Alexis), Lynn Bari (Christine Faber), Cathy O'Donnell (Janet Burke), Richard Carlson (Martin Abbott), Donald Curtis (Paul Faber), Virginia Gregg (Emily), and Harry Mendoza (Detective Hoffman) Directed by Bernard Vorhaus.

Review: 

Sure, let's do one of these movies. This is one of those films that you find in the bargain bin, the kind that could be seen at any time on the Internet because it slipped into the public domain and therefore is readily available to varying quality. Apparently, the movie actually had a different title: It was known as "The Spiritualist" but somehow the movie was re-issued and put on television as the title you see today in...The Amazing Mr. X. Debate for yourself over which title fits the movie better. Crane Wilbur (the former actor-turned-writer of works such as The Monster) wrote the story that became this movie, which went from being a possible production for him to oversee with Producers Releasing Corporation to being a production led by Bernard Vorhaus at Eagle-Lion Films that had Muriel Bolton turn the story into a script. Vorhaus, not liking the script, asked for a re-write and got the services of Ian McLellan Hunter*. The movie apparently was shot in three weeks that went from January filming to being released in July. Vorhaus was an experienced director for several years, having gone from screenwriting to making quota quickies (i.e. fast and cheap) in England that resulted in movies such as The Last Journey (1936). Apparently, he was a young mentor to David Lean. He returned to the States with Republic Pictures, directing a handful of B-movies and later stuff for the war effort. It was among his last films as an American, as the House Un-American Activities Committee investigation on alleged Communists led to him being blacklisted. He didn't participate in the HUAC hearing and retired to England, where he operated a firm converting houses to offices and shops. He lived there for the remainder of his life, where he died in 2000 at the age of 95.

It helps to have John Alton as a cinematographer, doesn't it? He was the cameraman behind a number of noirs such as He Walked by Night (1948), Raw Deal (1948) and The Big Combo (1955), and he helps the effort here with a movie that at times seems eerie with its angles that make the film interesting to view beyond just a shabby little noir/thriller (well it isn't really any one genre, but whatever).* The 78-minute runtime is fairly satisfying for a movie that doesn't hesitate to just let its audience have a fair shot at following its attempts at showing the troubles of those who may very well believe what they see. You get an odd little caper that mostly is held up with Bey at hand. Bey had been playing a handful of roles on film ever since he had come to the States from Austria but the only reason he was with Eagle-Lion is because his contract had been sold due to struggles with Universal. This was the third of four movies he did for the studio before his career dwindled down, but he at least seems game to be a charming snake in the grass here, selling the audacity required in being involved with trying to play with things that aren't easy to quantify or understand. Bari makes for a quality type to get into the whirlwind of seeing and hearing things that may not be all the way there, mainly because it still seems pretty real now to see people fooled by things they want to hear, particularly since Carlson is probably too ordinary to really contrast the interest obviously generated by Bey, and O'Donnell is merely just fine. In general, it may be an average movie on a first impression, but it eventually finds its footing with stark imagery, sly charm by Bey and a general respect for wanting to keep the audience interested in its arrangement of emotional cons that at least shows you could find a good time with "old movies" if you know where to go.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

*Coincidentally, Vorhaus did uncredited work as an assistant director on Roman Holiday (1953), the movie that notably saw Hunter's name listed on the credits as a writer as a front for the actual work of Dalton Trumbo, which resulted in an Academy Award.

*Interestingly, Alton also wrote a book on the subject of cinematography with Painting with Light in 1949.

Drunken Angel.

Review #2004: Drunken Angel.

Cast: 

Takashi Shimura (Doctor Sanada), Toshiro Mifune (Matsunaga), Reisaburo Yamamoto (Okada), Michiyo Kogure (Nanae), Chieko Nakakita (Nurse Miyo), Eitarō Shindō (Takahama), Noriko Sengoku (Gin), Shizuko Kasagi (Singer), Masao Shimizu (Oyabun), and Yoshiko Kuga (Schoolgirl) Directed by Akira Kurosawa (#968 - Throne of Blood, #1385 - Seven Samurai, and #1870 - Sanshiro Sugata)

Review: 

Well, it was time to do another Kurosawa film, this time with dueling interests. In addition to it belonging as a yazuka film, it is the first film with Kurosawa did with Toshiro Mifune. They would do sixteen films together over the course of nearly two decades. Mifune actually hoped to transfer to the photography department at Toho Productions (requiring new actors due to a strike) rather than be an actor (he was the son of a photographer, after all), having served in the Imperial Japanese Army in its aviation division for photography. He made his audition and happened to have it happen in the presence of Kurosawa, who saw it as "frightening as watching a wounded beast trying to break loose. I was transfixed." As for Kurosawa, he had made fair progress as a director ever since he had made his debut with Sanshiro Sugata (1943). Some of the films since that film fell under the spell of the wartime pushes (such as the two films that followed Sugata), with The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail not being allowed for release in 1945 due to scrutiny from sensors until seven years later; No Regrets for Our Youth (1946) and One Wonderful Sunday (1947) were distinct melodramas. Cutting the two together, Mifune made the cut among the roster and proceeded to make his debut with Snow Trail (1947), which had Kurosawa as a co-writer on the script. The label of "yakuza film" is perhaps a bit debatable, considering that films taking a look at the Japanese organized crime syndicate would be firmly more apparent by the 1950s and 1960s (with studios such as Nikkatsu and Toei), but there were various films before this one that dealt with outlaws such as A Diary of Chuji's Travels (1927), and there are various distinct angles to yakuza films, as represented by Branded to Kill (1967) or most notably with Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973). Point is, there are many roads yet to take within films that could be quite fascinating in future dealings.

Kurosawa wrote the film with Keinosuke Uekusa, with the script finding modification upon the realization of just how good Mifune was in a role that was not as large as originally planned. Of course, nothing is ever planned to go the way they are meant to go, whether it be film or with life. For those familiar with world cinema, or actors with plenty of familiar work, Shimura was actually the most prolific actor in a Kurosawa film, for which he appeared in 21 of them in four different decades (which includes such films as the aforementioned Sugata alongside others such as the lead role in Ikaru). He provides a worthy performance that is not upstaged in any way when it comes to acting against Mifune, one with the nerve to stand against the eyes of absurd feudalistic loyalty when it comes to gangsters. Handling the sick and depraved while trying to cope with alcohol is all that matters when it comes to life in a post-war time. He is the title character after all, one with an impulse to do what he must for his patient (black market or not) without thinking of the sense of danger if it comes to falling on the negative side of a yakuza (or worse yet, too much alcohol). The decay is visible on the places that fall prey to yakuza, whether that involves poisonous bog or little inflections of occupied fashions mimicking the West or jazz performed by Shuzuko Kasagi (note: Kurosawa had to be subtle, since the American occupation of 1945-1952 meant having to deal with an American censor board, while Kasagi happened to find popularity as someone who could sing jazz or the boogie-woogie). Mifune is exquisite in raw energy, one that seemed like a name to watch out for even back then. There would be far more opportunities for him to show his prowess and for good reason, because he has the cadence and timing required to make this burrowing man of intensity one to watch with curiosity as a beast that could only change what they want to change, which makes the shaky friendship between him and Shimura all the more involving. Each tower over the other actors, even with Yamamoto and his adversarial presence that outranks the pawns that make up the chess game of gangsters. Of course, since the film moves along with worthy patience for 98 minutes, this doesn't prove a meaningful problem when faced with such a compelling duet of people. The fight at the end is quite exquisite, tragic in its timing that sees a tired man make his final act for a duel that could only end one way. As a whole, the movie finds a quiet message of hope amongst the decay, where the only way to approach the ever-growing sense of life going on regardless of who is there is to just go rationally. It works as a film of urgency, one that forges its own tradition for an audience that surely wanted to see what Kurosawa could provide next.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

3 Godfathers (1948).

Review #1778: 3 Godfathers.

Cast: 

John Wayne (Robert Marmaduke Hightower), Pedro Armendáriz (Pedro Encarnación Escalante y Rocafuerte), Harry Carey Jr. (William "The Abilene Kid" Kearney), Mildred Natwick (Dying Mother), Ward Bond (Sheriff Buck Sweet), Mae Marsh (Mrs. Sweet), Jane Darwell (Miss Florie), Guy Kibbee (Judge), Hank Worden (Deputy Curly), Dorothy Ford (Ruby Latham), Charles Halton (Oliver Latham), Jack Pennick (Luke), Fred Libby (Deputy), Ben Johnson (Posseman #1), Michael Dugan (Posseman #2), and Francis Ford (Drunken Old-Timer at Bar) Directed by John Ford (#398 - The Last Hurrah, #1324 - 3 Bad Men, #1349 - Stagecoach, #1372 - Fort Apache, #1392 - The Searchers, #1409 - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) 

Review: 

Well, if you need a Western with a Christmas bent, here you go? Of course, this also happens to be yet another John Ford and John Wayne collaboration, albeit one that is probably not as well-noted as the others (such as Fort Apache, released around the same time). The film is adapted from the 1913 novel The Three Godfathers, which was written by Peter B. Kyne. That novel had been adapted into a film five times: The Three Godfathers (1916), Marked Men (1919), Action (1921), Hell's Heroes (1930, directed by William Wyler), and Three Godfathers (1936); Ford had directed the 1919 and 1921 films, while Harry Carey Sr had starred in the first two adaptations (I'm sure you are all familiar with the next adaptation of the book in Tokyo Godfathers (2003)). As such, when Ford decided to do another version of this tale, he dedicated it to Carey (who had died in 1947), with the opening title card describing him as the "Bright Star of the early western sky..."). At any rate, this was the fifth starring role for Wayne in a John Ford film, coming off the heels of Fort Apache (1948) that would be followed by She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) and a handful of others, although this might be the lightest of the Westerns they did together. This was the third and final collaboration of Ford and Armendariz (who decided to take on roles besides Mexican cinema in the mid 1940s), while Harry Carey Jr is given an "introduction" despite having done a handful of appearances in film prior to this one, which would be part of a solid run in character roles. The film had three screenwriters in Laurence Stallings, Frank S. Nugent, and Robert Nathan.

You have to understand that the tale is basically a re-telling of the religious tale of the Three Wise Men, so it shouldn't be surprising that there were varying levels of sentimentality in those feature films I just mentioned. The result is a movie that turns out to be just fine, one that will give a fair smile to one's face without turning it into a gloppy mess. For the most part, anyway (106 minutes), since it is sort of a family film that has a bit more chuckles than action (case in point about the adaptation differences, earlier versions featured a bloody gunfight). Well, that and plenty of sand (for Death Valley...doubling as Arizona, anyway), which means that this results in a nice-looking feature that you would expect from Ford. Wayne does fine with what is required from the role in stiff chiseling, one that isn't meant to toe too much into the sentimentality pool that is mostly believable in the long run. Armendariz and Carey Jr make worthy supporting presences in terms of snappy charm that make a useful triangle of pseudo-wise men in a makeshift family feature. Bond is the other key presence, doing exactly what is needed in light casual charm. The sacrifice at the end can only work if one believes it. In two of the previous adaptations (i.e. the 1930/1936 versions), attempts to find suitable water were a key part. Here, it is a bit more tied down, syrupy and curious at the same time. Well, since this is one of the John Wayne features where he isn't engaged in a duel at the end, that shouldn't be too surprising. As long as one stomachs where it goes, all should work out. As a whole, it is a light and charming Western that serves itself well in adapting familiar material with a useful spin and a solid trio that make for a curious Ford selection that follows the holiday tradition well enough without becoming stuck in comparisons. Instead, one takes its message of hope and cheer and runs with it.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Red River.

Review #1773: Red River.

Cast: 

John Wayne (Thomas Dunson), Montgomery Clift (Matthew "Matt" Garth), Walter Brennan (Nadine Groot), Joanne Dru (Tess Millay), Coleen Gray (Fen), Harry Carey (Mr. Melville), John Ireland (Cherry Valance), Noah Beery Jr. (Buster McGee), Harry Carey Jr. (Dan Latimer), (Two Jaw Quo), and Paul Fix (Teeler Yacey) Produced and Directed by Howard Hawks (#951 - The Big Sleep, #1352 - His Girl Friday, #1399 - Rio Bravo, #1687 - O. Henry's Full House), with co-direction by Arthur Rosson.

Review: 

I'm sure we all know the name Howard Hawks as a director. At least, I would hope so, in part because how diverse he managed to be within his filmmaking that spanned four decades within all of the major studios and multiple genres. He did films in his particular way that inspired plenty of future directors even after his death. Red River (1948) was the first of five Westerns that he would direct in his career, and it also would be the first of five films Hawks directed with Wayne as star. The film is adapted from Blazing Guns on the Chisholm Trail, a 1946 novel originally serialized in The Saturday Evening Post (albeit without the "Blazing Guns" part of the title, which was added for the hardcover publication) that was written by Borden Chase. When Chase chafed at changes to the story (one that resembled Mutiny on the Bounty, albeit with a fictionalized angle at a cattle drive), Charles Schnee was brought in to do the screenplay as well, with the two not actually writing together. Chase would write a variety of screenplays and stories, such as with Winchester '73 while Schnee would write and produce for films such as The Bad and the Beautiful. By this point in time, Arthur Rosson had moved from featuredirecting to do work as a second unit director, most notably for Cecil B. DeMille, but for this film he was given credit as a co-director, as he had shot some of the cattle drive and action sequences (as such, he gets credit here as a director, instead of using that weasely "co-director" label that is still present with certain animated features). The film was shot in 1946 but was delayed for two years, with a great deal of editing done by Christian Nyby. Somehow, right as the film had premiered in 1948, Howard Hughes claimed similarities between this film and The Outlaw (1943) with its climatic fight, and you may remember Hawks had been fired from the earlier film. This resulted in a few seconds being cut out in order to fast-track the film for the studio rather than deal with a frivolous lawsuit they would have won handily over Hughes and the content of his alleged Western. There existed two different versions of the film: The pre-release cut lasted 133 minutes while featuring shots of a diary for transition shots; the cuts forced by the lawsuit resulted in a 127 minute film (Hawks also commissioned Brennan to provide a voiceover instead of those shots). When interviewed late in his life (specifically an interview with Peter Bogdanovich), Hawks stated his preference for the shorter version, but it has not stopped the debate over just what version seems better.

You have to remember that Wayne is a movie star bigger than life, an icon that certainly stood differently in presence depending on just who was directing him. The lasting quote about him in this film comes from long-time collaborator John Ford, who famously stated (whether facetious or not) that he didn't know he could act. Well, Wayne does what he does in terms of handling the frontier front and center, only this time with an imitation of Captain Ahab with a granite foundation that works quite well with a look at a different Wayne (if only slightly): middle age. 1948 was the first year folks could see Clift on screen as an actor (he had starred on the stage for over ten years), with this coming out after The Search. He does quite well here, standing well against Wayne in conviction in not getting lost within such presence. You see the conflict within him about the measure of what being a man is, especially after being part of a makeshift family only to leave and comeback from it. It may be a Western, but it also could be thought of as a family tragedy too, since this involves the inevitability of what has to happen between father and son when it comes to being a man. Brennan accompanies the two with the expected supporting presence that matches with both with resourceful chemistry (as would be expected from a semi-regular on Hawks films). When Dru finally comes onto the screen, she brings an added edge needed when either paired with Clift or Wayne in a scene (the best one is the first though, involving her mood during a fight before casually taking an arrow to the arm). The rest of the character presences make their parts count well, whether that means a casual Ireland or the various associates that stand starkly to the granite-laced Wayne in terms of drive, which only makes the build to the climax all the more interesting. Apparently, Clift didn't care much for the overall conclusion (or his overall acting), which is strange, because it actually is quite interesting in sticking out from just being a fistfight. It doesn't seem like the "farce" that he thought it was in my mind - besides, Chase's story has one of them die, and we are talking about a film involving both family conflict amid a clash of relentless drive and youth along with moving cattle (Hawks and Chase did not exactly get along anyway). It seems quite foolish to learn a lesson right before they die anyway, and the film is called "Red River", not "Showdown at Red River", so there. The movie isn't perfect, but the ending isn't a letdown in the long run. It is an odyssey, pure and simple.

At any rate, Hawks created a worthy epic that isn't weighed down by needing a large scope or folks to try and reach over the presence of Wayne, because he has the skills of editor Nyby to go with Dimitri Tiomkin as a driving music composer and Russell Harlan in sweeping cinematographer to go with a dynamic cast that does what is needed in worthy entertainment. It is the classic imperfect Western for its time, one that moves steadfast for what Hawks wants to display about the nature of being a man that couldn't have been done by anyone else but him. In that sense, he did it exactly to his standards.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Review #1736: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Cast: 

Bud Abbott (Chick Young), Lou Costello (Wilbur Grey), Lon Chaney Jr. (Lawrence "Larry" Talbot / The Wolf Man), Béla Lugosi (Count Dracula), Glenn Strange (Frankenstein's monster), Lenore Aubert (Dr. Sandra Mornay), Jane Randolph (Joan Raymond), Frank Ferguson (Mr. McDougal), and Charles Bradstreet (Professor Stevens) Directed by Charles Barton.

Review: 

Oh, sure, I had been waiting to do this film for a time. Technically speaking, the idea of doing a Universal horror film with tinges of comedy isn't exactly the newest concept, since a handful of the classic films had comic relief (ranging from Una O'Connor to Wallace Ford), with varying results. Of course, by the time of 1948 (now under the moniker of Universal-International), the well was starting to run a bit dry with the monsters they had brought in and used over the prevailing decade, and I'm sure you remember that House of Dracula (1946) and its middling quality of bringing in monsters with little plot to support it (the next serious horror film wasn't until Creature from the Black Lagoon). You might wonder why this is even being covered at all...well, because it is one of the more memorable features involving the studio and its monsters, and all it took was two comedians at their relative peak. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello first worked together in 1935 because Costello's regular partner was sick; as such, they would do a variety of burlesque sketches together, and they would start doing radio together in 1938, with their own show coming in 1940 (which lasted nine years). In 1940, they were signed by Universal Studios for supporting roles with One Night in the Tropics; this and The Naughty Nineties (1945) contain the two doing their most famous routine with "Who's on First?" (which I'm sure you know a little about, at least for baseball). Buck Privates (1941), their first film as stars, started them on a path of box office demand.

This wasn't exactly their first foray into comedy-horror, having ventured into it with stuff such as Hold that Ghost (1941), which had its own gag involving a candle. But it would be their first of numerous films with them encountering monsters, which would include one with Boris Karloff (named in the title as "the Killer", for some reason), one with the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Mummy (while each was made with Universal, the middle involved a character not previously featured in a Universal film). This was the 22nd collaboration between the duo in a film, for which they did 36 together from 1940 to 1956 (with 28 done at Universal), including a television and radio series. So, yea, there's that to think about. Producer Robert Arthur suggested the idea first, with Oscar Brodney and Bertram Milhauser being brought in to consult on writing before being dismissed. Ultimately, it would be written by Robert Lees and Frederic I. Rinaldo (who had written the aforementioned Ghost film along with stuff such as 1940's The Invisible Woman); Costello hated the initial idea, but a cash advance and choice of director soothed him. So yeah, we have a comedy that plays on the clichés from before without deluding into all of the cheesy failings that can come from weak efforts. In other words, it's a nice chuckler of a movie that happens to be a nice swan song for folks interested in the original Universal line (ranging from the curiosity of the actors to the fair sets and so on), complete with a budget of $800,000 that helps to show the benefits that come from not being trapped in all the B-movie elements. No matter how experienced or not one is with the comic duo or the monsters, there is something for everyone that is readily apparent and quick to please for 83 minutes, with a good majority of the gags working well. Abbott is a quality straight man, jawing his way through the odd duck stuff that happens in and offside from him, which we can appreciate. Costello plays the other side in amusement in wisecracking franticness that gels perfectly with the honed-down Abbott (because hey, seeing a monster is one thing, having other see it is another); each have their little lines to shine, with Costello getting the benefit of being paired with Aubert and Randolph for curiosity (each by the way are just fine, including a neat heel turn for one of them).

Among the actors playing monsters, the easiest highlight is Lugosi, returning to play Dracula (somehow, he had been in such a down state in his career that the studio thought he was dead at first). He was said to have liked the humor on the set (quoted by his son as laughing just as hard as others who would be around to hear the gags), although he would not be as patient if a scene was not progressing as efficiently as possible. He probably has more things to do than he did in the original movie (complete with a transformation sequence in animation by Walter Lantz), and this includes actually being involved in the climax without trouble of woodenness. Folks familiar with Chaney and his sympathetic role will find nothing too different and therefore find it suitable. Strange is nobody's idea of the ideal monster portrayal, but he fits the imposing nature needed in those short moments required (including one on his lap). The table scene near the end with Dracula and the Wolfman going after each other while someone is tied to the bed near them is pretty interesting, although the demise sequences are a little too convenient (still, continuity is a puddle). As a whole, the gags and overall pacing in horror cliches make for a worthy swan song for Lugosi and Chaney (who of course kept working, just not so much for Universal as stars) while being a favorite to have a frightful laugh with, goofy but right on target.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Next Time: The Creature Walks Among Us.

No Orchids for Miss Blandish.

Review #1598: No Orchids for Miss Blandish.

Cast:

Jack La Rue (Slim Grisson), Hugh McDermott (Dave Fenner), Linden Travers (Miss Blandish), Walter Crisham (Eddie Schultz), MacDonald Parke (Doc), Danny Green (Flyn), Lilli Molnar (Ma Grisson), Charles Goldner (Louis, Headwaiter), Zoe Gail (Margo), Leslie Bradley (Ted Bailey), and Richard Neilson (Riley) Directed, Written, and Produced by St. John Legh Clowes.

Review:

In fairness, this film is only notable to really get around to covering because of the furor it inspired with contemporary critics of the time. The film is based on two sources: the original book, which was originally written by James Hadley Chase in 1939, and the play of the same name that was adapted by Chase and Robert Nesbitt in 1942. The original production ran at Prince of Wales Theatre in the West End for a brief run that had starred Travers in the lead role. Somehow, the play received better notice than the film eventually proved to have. The film starts with a listing on an "A" [Passed for Public Exhibition to Adult Audiences] rating, which would mean that someone under 12 couldn't watch it. Some of the critiques at the time even mentioned that when decrying the film as "salacious". Actually, let me rewind that a bit, because even the book had a bit of critique at the time for its violence and sensuality, where even George Orwell (essayist, journalist, and famous writer of works such as Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four) made an essay about it. To add on to that, the Chase novel was inspired by another novel involving "salacious" material with Sanctuary, written by William Faulkner in 1931 that involved a kidnapping of a college girl with bootleggers in the South alongside other seedy elements. Incidentally, Sanctuary also had its own film adaptation in The Story of Temple Drake (1933) that had La Rue in the lead role, and a further adaptation of the book alongside its follow-up book was done in later years, while Chase's novel would also receive a further film adaptation with The Grissom Gang (1971) by Robert Aldrich as director. In any case, this was the third and last film directed by Clowes, with the most other notable contribution being his play Dear Murderer (1946), which was turned into a film by others the following year. One alternate title was actually called Black Dice...creative in decadence, surely. Apparently, while the film was a hit with British audiences, it has never been shown on British television.

Look, the book had a blurb on the front that said it was "the toughest novel you'll ever read", so is the film really that surprising? Actually, the real surprise is the fact that the film really isn't that bad. Is it over-the-top and weird? Oh you bet, but that doesn't mean this is exactly horrific in its crime of daring to make a gangster film, albeit one that tries to sell a mix of British and European actors (save for La Rue) as Americans in a New York affair. Was this really something so bad that led to a publication calling it a "sickening exhibition"? Sure, the film tries to sell a kidnapping-turned-romance with a variety of plot twists and lines that are cliché to the maximum effect, but this isn't exactly what I call gruesomely disgusting. With lines like asking to soften up and given one a tumble, it has all the markings of a classic trashy gangster piece, complete with numerous examples of violence and raw energy that don't lift for its ending. What's to hate about this? I don't care for romance films like Twilight, but I didn't exactly call it sickening. If this had been done in the following decade, one would be wondering how similar in tone it sounded to Kiss Me Deadly (1955, which happened to he directed by Aldrich), which had a government commission decrying its effect on young viewers. The crime presented here is how easy this does well at being a B-movie. The acting is a blend of mediocrity, but that seems like part of the charm: La Rue and Travers are stuck in a tawdry script that puts them together: in that regard, Travers does well with her wavering nerves of grace, one that makes for plenty of posh quivers and swoons in a role near the end of her career before retiring. La Rue is fine as well in that tradition of gangster-ese acting that wants to play tender too, one supposes. Others are weird in placement, such as McDermott (a golfer-turned-actor) and his narc-type acting with a character that nearly distracts from the climax, while Molnar's maternal gangster presence is quirky enough to work. Crisham and Green make for good goon folks to go with refined Parke and others. For 102 minutes, what we have is a movie that might as well serve as unintentional parody, with a considerable count of bodies falling in a variety of ways (namely shooting) that nevertheless has a keen appeal to keep watching anyway. It might have been a bit much (or perhaps enough) for certain groups in 1948, but it has a place for itself regardless to be remembered. It is a strange, unusual movie that will make one look back on their noirs and romance and wonder just where this film got all of its weird hang-ups from each genre from.

Next Time: Killers from Space.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Fort Apache.

Review #1372: Fort Apache.

Cast: 
John Wayne (Capt. Kirby York), Henry Fonda (Lt. Col. Owen Thursday), Ward Bond (Sgt. Major Michael O'Rourke), Shirley Temple (Miss Philadelphia Thursday), John Agar (Lt. Michael Shannon "Mickey" O'Rourke), Dick Foran (Sgt. Quincannon), Pedro Armendariz (Sgt. Beaufort), Miguel Inclan (Cochise), Victor McLaglen (Sgt. Festus Mulcahy), Guy Kibbee (Capt. Wilkens), Anna Lee (Emily Collingwood), George O'Brien (Capt. Sam Collingwood), Jack Pennick (Sgt. Daniel Schattuck), Irene Rich (Mary O'Rourke), and Grant Withers (Silas Meacham) Directed by John Ford (#398 - The Last Hurrah and #1324 - 3 Bad Men, and #1349 - Stagecoach)

Review: 
"Anybody can direct a picture once they know the fundamentals. Directing is not a mystery, it's not an art. The main thing about directing is: photograph the people's eyes."

Legends can be an interesting thing to think about when relating to film, depending on who has the vision to make it come alive more so than if one just went to a museum or read a book. As such, it should prove no surprise that this was based on a prior work, in this case a 1947 short story "Massacre", written by James Warner Bellah in The Saturday Evening Post, which was adapted to film by Frank Nugent. It had utilized two historical battles involving Native Americans in their fight against the US Army in the 19th century with the Fetterman Fight and The Battle of Little Big Horn, particularly the leader of the latter battle, George Armstrong Custer, whose certainly has had a debatable reputation that has certainly had varied opinions over his leadership decisions in the battle that led to his death, with the efforts of his widow campaigning on his behalf helping to mold Custer into a legend for a great deal of the 20th century. This is a film that has its own view on Native American alongside a parallel of Custer in its film, which certainly does seem a bit different from the old-fashioned fare from Westerns of its time (compare this film to Unconquered, for example). It is the first film of what is referred to as director-producer Ford's "cavalry trilogy", with each of the films (the others being She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande) featuring Wayne as the main star along with adapting short stories from Bellah in each of the films. It should prove no surprise to see Wayne and Fonda in a Western, since they both stood out in their decades-long careers for their work in them, with the former making roughly one-to-three films a year for this decade; Fonda had slowed his versatile career due to serving in World War II, and he decided to return to the stage, not appearing again in a feature role for the next seven years. This happened to be the fifth-to-last role for Temple along with the first for Agar (an Army Air Corps man who served in World War II), with the two having married three years earlier. One particular person who found themselves a break was Ben Johnson, the champion rodeo cowboy-turned stuntman that found himself with an acting contract because of his help with stopping a runaway wagon from a potential deadly accident.

One will find themselves impressed with the way that Ford handles this capable tale of the nature of leadership and heroism with solid foundation to make fine entertainment. This is a film that Fonda and Wayne share with equal strength of solid acting that match like bighorned sheep on the grass. On one side is the tactically stubborn but capable humane performance from Fonda and on the other is the practical reliability of Wayne in the face of anyone. Bond makes for a fine presence, engaging with rugged rough charm that made him a character actor worth having throughout the years. Temple and Agar are okay, with fair chemistry. Foran and the others make for capable camaraderie through the moments they have on screen in making this regiment as interesting as it needs to be when setting up its conflict - whether within or with its possible enemy. The battles certainly are well-executed, even when one knows the inevitability provided by its inspiration, particularly with its lasting point about legends and glory in perspective of the one who writes it, whether that seems right or not. One is left in awe of the towering Monument Valley when seeing it in the film, particularly with the use of infrared film stock, which was utilized in outdoor sequences to enhance the scenery. There were a few quibbles with the script with stuff one might not expect. Concerns involved a manure pile scene, a shot of dead troopers, keeping contact with the Humane Society when dealing with animals, and an order to not show a toilet on screen (I kid you not). In any case, this is a relatively interesting film, one with a solid cast and ambitions beyond the usual Western of conflict that make it a worthwhile Ford film for its era.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

The Naked City.

Review #1043: The Naked City.

Cast: 
Barry Fitzgerald (Detective Lt. Dan Muldoon), Howard Duff (Frank Niles), Dorothy Hart (Ruth Morrison), Don Taylor (Detective Jimmy Halloran), Frank Conroy (Captain Donahue), Ted de Corsia (Willie Garzah), House Jameson (Dr. Lawrence Stoneman), Anne Sargent (Mrs. Halloran), Adelaide Klein (Mrs. Paula Batory), Grover Burgess (Mr. Batory), and Mark Hellinger (Narrator) Directed by Jules Dassin.

Review: 
It is interesting to see a film noir like this, one with a semi documentary kind of style that depicts an investigation of a murder case step by step. In an interesting coincidence, I had already reviewed a police procedural film that has the same kind of semi-documentary style that also happened to be released in 1948, He Walked by Night (#947). Both movies stand on their own when it comes to detailing crime investigation, so it's hard to say which is the better of the two. Admittedly, the film has aged a substantial bit due to time along with the countless amounts of crime dramas that have followed (and continue to follow) after the film's release 70 years ago, although that doesn't mean the film isn't fairly well packaged. The film was produced and narrated by Mark Hellinger, who served as a journalist prior to becoming a producer, and he certainly contributes to making the film feel particularly effective in the story it wants to weave. The film was filmed on location in New York City, and there is certainly an interesting atmosphere that the film makes interesting to watch. The cinematography was done by William H. Daniels and the editing was done by Paul Weatherwax, with both receiving Academy Awards for their respective work in the film, and they certainly have standout moments, with Daniels' shots looking particularly good with action sequences or nighttime shots. The acting is acceptable for the movie and what it's going for, particularly from Fitzgerald and Taylor, who work fairly well together as the police leads, clicking without much struggle. The other cast members are a bit subdued, but they do their parts well, such as de Corsia in his adversarial role that doesn't come off as too forced. The best quality the movie has is that the movie seems comfortable with what it wants to tell, being a capable thriller without adhering to going through all of the cliches for noirs, going straight-forward with a straight shot. This film has a good deal of entertainment value along with staying power even after all of these decades. I would check it out, particularly if you are interested in a good crime yarn.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

He Walked by Night.

Review #947: He Walked by Night.

Cast:
Richard Basehart (Roy Martin/Roy Morgan), Scott Brady (Sgt. Marty Brennan), Roy Roberts (Captain Breen), Whit Bissell (Paul Reeves), James Cardwell (Sgt. Chuck Jones), and Jack Webb (Lee) Directed by Alfred L. Werker (#676 - Shock and #721 - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) and Anthony Mann.

Review:
This is an interesting type of film noir in the fact that it is shot in a semi-documentary tone that is also loosely based off the crime spree of Erwin "Machine Gun" Walker, who like the character in the film was a former police employee and World War II veteran that committed thefts and burglaries with police in Los Angeles roughly three years before the film was made. In any case, this is a police procedural that does not waste much time in establishing its story along with its choices in how to film it, from the narration that occurs throughout the movie to the cinematography by John Alton (who I previously mentioned in The Big Combo - #934) to the group of police characters (and small supporting cast) that are given focus. Werker (along with an uncredited Anthony Mann) gives fine direction to the movie, delivering tension and violence without overshadowing the story.

Basehart gives the gritty kind of performance for a movie bounding itself in reality and having no sort of frills, and it works quite well in serving its purpose. Brady and Roberts are fairly decent police leads, working the movie in a serviceable way. Bissell does a fine job in making this character feel gullible but not outright annoyingly weaselly. One thing to note is that Jack Webb was inspired by a conversation with Detective Sergeant Mary Wynn (who served as police technical advisor for the movie) to create Dragnet, which is the most notable and most influential police procedural drama that had separate runs on radio and television.  Reed Hadley provides the narration in an uncredited role, and he does a capable job, doing a fair job in making the movie seem accessible. There is a consistent type of pace in this 79-minute movie, where nothing seems over-extended past a logical conclusion nor too short; one highlight is the scene where they attempt to identify the suspect via building a composite, with numerous changes before it is finally finished. The ending scene in the sewers is a riveting finale that has the right balance of sounds, shadows and lights, with Basehart's expressions and movements being quite helpful in seeing the climax to its bitter end (which is not exactly like the events in real life, but no matter). This is a fine little gem that does it by the book and succeeds.

To any readers, I am experimenting with using hyperlinks for anytime a previous review is mentioned. With any luck, this will work out without any problems. Hope you enjoy it.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

The Big Clock.

Review #882: The Big Clock.

Cast:
Ray Milland (George Stroud), Charles Laughton (Earl Janoth), Maureen O'Sullivan (Georgette Stroud), George Macready (Steve Hagen), Rita Johnson (Pauline York), Elsa Lanchester (Louise Patterson), Harry Morgan (Bill Womack), Harold Vermilyea (Don Klausmeyer), Dan Tobin (Ray Cordette), Richard Webb (Nat Sperling), Elaine Riley (Lily Gold), Luis Van Rooten (Edwin Orlin), Bobby Watson (Morton Spaulding), and Lloyd Corrigan (McKinley) Directed by John Farrow.

Review:
The Big Clock utilizes its main actors (Milland and Laughton) to great effect, in a movie that manages to work a film noir in part due to its sharp and quick pace. Laughton portrays this villain with a great kind of villainy, in part because how mean he comes off. It's so easy to see parts of this man in other people, but Laughton manages to make him seem so compelling. You know from the gecko that he's a villain, but the way he oozes the lines makes him so watchable. Milland shouldn't be forgotten either, as he makes for a good everyman protagonist. He's a believable character who isn't overplayed from reality. It is a film noir, but it also has some good snappy dialogue along with melodrama. O'Sullivan is okay, though she doesn't really get much screen time. Corrigan is pretty noteworthy, especially around the climax, alongside Macready's effort with a sniveling character. The ending of the movie is swift, after a good deal of buildup and suspense. It's a clever film where the hunter becomes the hunted, but it also is a nifty little look into newspaper editorials of the time, with a serviceable length of 95 minutes and some nice shots (such as the clock) which work well enough for me, and I'm sure it will work well enough for you as well.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Babe Ruth Story.

Review #432: The Babe Ruth Story.

Cast
William Bendix (George Herman "Babe" Ruth), Claire Trevor (Claire Hodgson Ruth), Charles Bickford (Brother Matthias), Sam Levene (Phil Conrad), William Frawley (Jack Dunn), Gertrude Niesen (Nightclub Singer), and Fred Lightner (Miller Huggins) Directed by Roy Del Ruth (#398 - The Maltese Falcon (1931)

Review
I've already reviewed a film based off Babe Ruth (#389 - The Babe), but this film managed to be released in Ruth's lifetime. How much of his lifetime? Long enough for him to see it before he died, as he would see the film three weeks before his death. In that respect, this film feels like it was rushed beyond oblivion with no care for the facts which stink more than a skunk. The Babe wasn't good because of awkwardness, its fallacy of history and a weak script.  But this? This is the anti-thesis of a sports film, this is a sugar coat of a film. How much of a sugar coat? Imagine a Twix candy bar deep fried in chocolate and then filled with sugar. It's so sickeningly sweet with its character that no amount of acting could help this film. And that's where the film keeps on dragging down, down, down. Part of the problem of The Babe Ruth Story is that while it has a sweet side, that's all it has. Bendix isn't even a good player when it comes to the baseball scenes, swinging very oddly and throwing very...weirdly, making John Goodman look great by comparison. Bendix portrays him very child-like, resembling Curly from the Three Stooges. The worst scene in the film is either the ending scene (where the child that he once met that apparently started walking after they met), that "Called Shot" scene (The myth being he called his shot before he hit a home run in the World Series - in the scene, his home run apparently saves a sick child), or when kids sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" outside his hospital window. It's a disgrace to sports biopics that manages to make even "The Babe" look average by comparison. In two attempts to make a biopic about Babe Ruth, both times the films failed to do just one single purpose: Have a good Babe Ruth. You might as well read "The Babe and I" by Claire Ruth, a biopic by his wife. But oh well.

Overall, I give it 1 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Key Largo.

Review #419: Key Largo.

Cast
Humphrey Bogart (Frank McCloud), Edward G. Robinson (Johnny Rocco), Lauren Bacall (Nora Temple), Lionel Barrymore (James Temple), Claire Trevor (Gaye Dawn), Thomas Gomez (Richard "Curly" Hoff), Harry Lewis (Edward "Toots" Bass), John Rodney (Deputy Sheriff Clyde Sawyer), Marc Lawrence (Ziggy), and Dan Seymour (Angel Garcia) Directed by John Huston (#081 - The Maltese Falcon (1941), #094 - The Misfits, #224 - Casino Royale (1967)

Review
Once again I have the chance to review a film directed by John Huston, and one with Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson, who I loved in The Cincinnati Kid (#273), with Laura Bacall and Lionel Barrymore, who I last reviewed in America (not everyday you review a star who stars in silent and talkie films), so this was irresistible. And it did not disappoint. The main four (Bogart, Robinson, Bacall and Barrymore) all do respectable jobs, but Claire Trevor stands out among the rest, especially when she sings a capella in front of everyone, a moving scene. This film has a tense pace going, never letting go of its roots, having a climatic ending and a good directing job by Huston once again.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Rope.

Review #219: Rope.

Cast
James Stewart (Rupert Cadell), John Dall (Brandon Shaw), Farley Granger (Phillip Morgan), Douglas Dick (Kenneth Lawrence), Joan Chandler (Janet Walker), Cedric Hardwicke (Mr. Henry Kentley), Constance Collier (Mrs. Anita Atwater), Douglas Dick (Kenneth Lawrence), and Edith Evanson (Mrs. Wilson) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Review
Before I begin, today is Alfred Hitchcock's 113th birthday (born August 13, 1899). You might be wondering why I'm not reviewing something more known (such as Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest) The reason is because I wanted to review something different for a change. The film is an interesting experiment, filmed with long shots with no interruption (In short the effect of a single take while actually being 10), all operating in real time. The performances are good, especially from Stewart and Dall. While the film takes its time before getting to its climax, it is intriguing enough to keep you watching. And lastly, the directing is good. And that is all you need in a good film.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.