Double Indemnity.

Review #1825: Double Indemnity.

Cast: 
Fred MacMurray (Walter Neff), Barbara Stanwyck (Phyllis Dietrichson), Edward G. Robinson (Barton Keyes), Porter Hall (Mr. Jackson), Jean Heather (Lola Dietrichson), Tom Powers (Mr. Dietrichson), Byron Barr (Nino Zachetti), and Richard Gaines (Mr. Norton) Directed by Billy Wilder (#106 - Some Like It Hot, #194 - Ace in the Hole, #422 - The Fortune Cookie, #641 - The Apartment, #809 - Sunset Boulevard), #1384 - Stalag 17, and #1390 - The Seven Year Itch)

Review: 
"I never heard that expression film noir when I made Double Indemnity  ... I just made pictures I would have liked to see. When I was lucky, it coincided with the taste of the audience. With Double Indemnity, I was lucky."

If you can believe it, this was only the fourth directorial effort from Billy Wilder (along with his third since moving to America), who had more experience with scriptwriting (such as Ninotchka (1939), for example). It would also be his first notable effort, one that received considerable attention from audiences and critics (nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture) that he later called one of his best films. It was an adaptation of the crime novel of the same name by James M. Cain, which was first published in serial form for Liberty magazine in 1936 before being published in 1943 alongside two other stories (Career in C Major and The Embezzler were those stories); he based his novella on a 1927 murder by Ruth Synder, who had her boyfriend kill her husband after having him sign an insurance policy (with a certain clause), with the novel having an insurance agent as the inside man, inspired by conversations had with insurance men. Cain was a journalist before he was a writer, which he started with his first novel in The Postman Always Rings Twice in 1934 (which has had numerous film adaptations). His other most notable work was with Mildred Pierce (1941), which was adapted into a film as well. The plot changed slightly from translation onto the film screen, most notably with the final fate of its main characters, since it wasn't exactly something the Production Code would approve of (of course in the novella, the leads almost escape on an ocean liner together). In fact, the story was mired in development hell for years because of it being deemed "thoroughly unacceptable for screen presentation"; one of the biggest objections made by the Hays Office was to the omission of a gas-chamber execution scene (Wilder did film the scene, but he felt that the closing scene between the two male leads served as a more fitting one). The writers tasked to adapt the film was none other than Wilder and Raymond Chandler, a noted crime fiction writer who dabbled as a screenwriter; Wilder guided the structure and some of the dialogue while Chandler (in Wilder's words) comprehended the dialogue and start his own construction (i.e., not simply just incorporate Cain's words into dialogue). Cain was quite proud of the final result, one that he loved for the changes made because he wished he had thought of those himself.

It may be a cliche to say this by now, but this is one of the prime film noirs of its time (amusingly, not even a moral panic complaint by Kate Smith could stop audiences). It has all the aspects of a great film that would become a habit for its director in later years, one with tight execution and a solid acting trio. It is the kind of movie where 107 minutes runs so smoothly, doing so with great arrangement from Wilder and cinematography by John F. Seitz that capture the shadows one requires from a movie filled with such compelling people and dark corners. One can see the pulpy dialogue from Chandler and Wilder come across with such vivid effectiveness, one that glides across the screen with how it moves the process along in terms of pulp brilliance. MacMurray was generally known for his work in "nice guy" roles (at one point, the filmmakers actually considered George Raft, and yet it is this role that proved one of his most memorable in a lengthy career, one that sees him work so well in cultivating malleable curiosity, driving the story along with dutiful energy (not exactly just a "weak-willed guy", for example); one will find something interesting about the final scene before the climax in the little scene that happens afterwards, where MacMurray tells another character about going to the person they love. Stanwyck (as with her co-star) had a bit of reluctance in doing the role, but she makes it count for such alluring double-sidedness, one who glides across topics like murder without batting an eye, smoldering the screen in a way that makes the interactions between the two of them all the more interesting, right down to their fateful last scene; truly, she exemplifies the femme fatale role to a T. Robinson proves the contrast in a character role that has plenty of time to share with MacMurray in a mentor role that is graceful along with making a bond just as interesting as the MacMurray-Stanwyck sequences. The others (such as Powers as the limp mark) do fine in sharing the stage with the key three. As a whole, the movie is balanced in its aspects that work for any viewer (with or without experience in the noir sense), maneuvering through its quick setup (a man confessing his story on phone) with no cheap tricks that result in a kinetic success. There are a handful of interesting noirs but only so many that are really considered great, and this one belongs firmly in the latter category with no question, serving as one of Wilder's finest achievements in effective casting, music, and all-around atmosphere. 

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

The Night Walker.

Review #1418: The Night Walker.

Cast: 
Robert Taylor (Barry Morland), Barbara Stanwyck (Irene Trent), Judi Meredith (Joyce), Hayden Rorke (Howard Trent), Rochelle Hudson (Hilda), Marjorie Bennett (Manager), Jess Barker (Malone), Tetsu Komai (Gardener), and Lloyd Bochner (The Dream) Produced and Directed by William Castle (#369 - House on Haunted Hill, and #1071 - 13 Ghosts)

Review: 
"We all have a common interest: bigger and more horrible monsters--and I'm just the monster to bring them to you."

One cannot forget the master entertainer when they think about film, and there aren't many as capable in self-promotion and imagination as William Castle. He was an orphan by the age of 11, but he found inspiration to entertain audiences by seeing the play Dracula (1927-28), which featured Bela Lugosi. He found what he wanted to do in life from watching numerous performances: "to scare the pants off audiences." A meeting with Lugosi led to a recommendation for a position as assistant stage manager for the touring production, and he later dropped out of high school to do a variety of work on Broadway shows such as stage building. He performed his first great stunt of persuasion by convincing Orson Welles to lease out his theater in Connecticut (vacated in preparation for work on Citizen Kane), where Castle would do a play with German actress Ellen Schwanneke. However, regulations regarding actors speaking plays originally performed in their native country meant that Castle had to conjure up a play in German in only two days. This, combined with a telegram from Germany to invite her home to the country she left led to Castle promoting the actress as "The Girl Who Said No to Hitler", which proved successful. He soon found a job with Columbia Pictures, where he would work for a few years as bit player and dialogue director before being slated to direct in 1943. Although he is remembered for horror, he had started his career with The Chance of a Lifetime (1943, a drama), and he would also spring to doing Westerns and noirs, all being B-movies before he decided to shift focus to independent filmmaking for himself. Inspired by Les Diaboliques (1955, which Robert Bloch noted as his favorite horror film), he was inspired to do horror. which he would start doing with Macabre (1958). He was a master of self promotion and imagination, with gimmicks ranging from moviegoers being given a life insurance policy for $1,000 if they happened to die of fright because of the film they watched, vibrating motors that came from military surplus airplane wing de-icers being installed into some of the theater seats to buzz for a key moment with a supposed tingler. In a career of over 40 years, it is the films in the last fifteen years that are most remembered, some for their gimmicks (like 13 Ghosts, with Illusion-O) but some for their interesting qualities (such as House on Haunted Hill). His filmmaking helped inspire other filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock (noting the returns for violent B-movies by him) and John Waters (who described him as his idol).

The film was written by Robert Bloch, most known for his novel Psycho, which was adapted into the hit film of the same name that Castle had done his own take of in Homicidal (1961). The pairing of Taylor and Stanwyck seems planned by Castle as a play on the fact that they were married for twelve years. It would be the last film for Stanwyck in a career that had started in the 1920s in stage shows and Broadway before film stardom and eventual shifting to television that she did until her retirement in 1986 and her death four years later. She was cast when Joan Crawford (another classic actress/actor doing horror in the near end of their career in the 1960) declined due to her intent to star in Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964). She does a fair job in lending dignity to a film that has a careful touch of suspense that demands conviction and is accomplished without fail. Simply put, you care to follow this character in a film that grows a web of weirdness, betrayal, and deception that is done with careful control to make a solid 86 minute thriller. One should expect nothing less than something to drive some curiosity after a creeping voiceover from Paul Frees involving something about the nature of dreams that have some catchy Vic Mizzy music to dig into your head. Taylor does fine with matching up to growing tension in what is real and what isn't. Rorke, though not in the movie too much manages to make a fair impression of mania (particularly with the makeup for his eyes), while the others prove fine in bits, such as Bochner and his strange alluring presence to accompany the sometimes surreal nature of the film. This particularly proves true for its wedding sequence, involving a buildup to showing some mannequins as viewers. It finds a middle in suspense in its buildup to the climax that doesn't spring too many clichés nor do something completely out of left field for enjoyment. It makes for a pleasant experience with atmosphere and consistency expected from a Castle film that delivers most of what it wants to deliver to its audience without trouble.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Meet John Doe.

Review #1356: Meet John Doe.

Cast: 
Gary Cooper (John Doe/Long John Willoughby), Barbara Stanwyck (Ann Mitchell), Edward Arnold (D.B. Norton), Walter Brennan (The Colonel), Spring Byington (Mrs. Mitchell), James Gleason (Henry Connell), Gene Lockhart (Mayor Lovett), Rod La Rocque (Ted Sheldon), Irving Bacon ("Beanie"), Regis Toomey (Bert), and J. Farrell MacDonald ("Sourpuss") Directed by Frank Capra (#102 - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, #319 - It's a Wonderful Life and #456 - It Happened One Night)

Review: 
Frank Capra was a director of tremendous skill who came out of the rags to make great memorable entertainment in the 1930s and 1940s. He had emigrated from Italy with his family at the age of five to America, eventually ending up in Los Angeles. By the time he was 25, he had done a variety of jobs before and after graduating college, ranging from selling newspapers to working at the laundry facility at the California Institute of Technology (where he graduated from in chemical engineering). He would serve in both World Wars, serving as a teacher of mathematics to artillerymen in the former and as a director for war information documentaries (Why We Fight) in the latter. He found his way to films in gagwriting and luck. He directed his first film with independent Fireside Productions in 1922 with Fultah Fisher's Boarding House, getting the job by touting his experience with film (which was scant) but it proved effective. He also wrote gags for the Our Gang series alongside scripts for comedian Harry Langdon, which led to his feature film debut with The Strong Man (1926). After one more film with Langdon, he was fired by the comedian. He eventually found himself with newly named Columbia Pictures, which at the time was a start-up studio in minor status compared to the big icons that had their own facilities and distribution. From 1928 to 1939, he made 25 features for the company, including numerous classics such as Lady for a Day (1933) and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) among others, winning Best Director at the Academy Awards three times in a period of four years. This film was one of two films that he did with Warner Bros (the other being Arsenic and Old Lace) along with the last before America entered World War II. The screenplay was done by Robert Riskin (his tenth and last collaboration with Capra) with story from Robert Presnell that was adapted from Richard Connell's A Reputation, a 1922 story originally published in Century Magazine.

Of course who better to headline the film than Cooper and Stanwyck, both veteran actors who had previous experience with Capra that would have decades-long careers of success. They both prove important to the film's success in material that is dark but still relevant in its message about the everyman and creeping corporate influence when dealing with hope. Cooper makes it worth his while as a folksy everyman, rising to the occasion through gradual evolution from anonymous tramp to club-creating philosopher. Stanwyck proves just as well, ambitious but warm to follow along with in her zealous energy. Arnold proves a conniving clever presence, and Brennan proves a worthy tramp foil for Cooper alongside Byington for Stanwyck. Gleason makes a worthy hard-driving role, particularly in one scene where he reveals a deception about to take place to our star while espousing about the good done by him (including unwittingly creating a grassroot movement) to folks that need it. Lockhart and the rest prove just as worthy with filling the details for the film to make its statements without needless aspects for a diverting 122 minutes. The ending is certainly an interesting one. There were numerous ideas shot or edited that found their way into previews, owing in part because Capra hadn't had a clear idea of how it should end when production began. All of them revolved around the exposing the truth of John Doe (done at a convention), with one ending directing ending on the convention scene with his disgrace. Another apparently ended up with him committing suicide, while others involved him being saved or the reforming of Arnold's character. A comment from a preview led to a fifth and eventual ending, where some of the club members show up to express their still-present belief in him and the club (along with a statement by Stanwyck's character about how another "John Doe" already gave himself up for humanity). The film holds itself together without too many troubles, making its point about media and hope without becoming sanctimonious or overly cynical. It's a fair comedy-drama, balancing its way through with enough competency worth a viewing alongside other Capra movies. In fact, it is an easy one to do because of its public domain status (occurring due to a failure in copyright renewal). For each of its main talents at stars and director, it's a good one to go with for curiosity and perhaps some subsequent discussion afterwards.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Christmas in Connecticut.

Review #504: Christmas in Connecticut.

Cast
Barbara Stanwyck (Elizabeth Lane), Dennis Morgan (Jefferson Jones), Sydney Greenstreet (Alexander Yardley), Reginald Gardiner (John Sloan), S.Z. Sakall (Felix Bassenak), Robert Shayne (Dudley Beecham), Una O'Connor (Norah), Frank Jenks (Sinkewicz), Joyce Compton (Mary Lee), and Dick Elliott (Judge Crothers) Directed by Peter Godfrey.

Review
Ah yes, another Christmas film, but this time not involving Santa or Scrooge, but with Barbara Stanwyck (and Connecticut to a similar extent) instead. This is my first foray into a film with Stanwyck in it, and she does a pretty fine job, she has her share of dramatic moments, but she also has her share of laughs, helped with the pairing of her and Dennis Morgan, along with Sydney Greenstreet, whose mannerisms and way of speaking help make his lines fun to listen to. The Christmas spirit is certainly present here, with loads of warmth and happy cheer...and good looking food. The film is certainly welcome in a Christmas season like this, snow and all.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.