Boomerang! (1947)

Review #2372: Boomerang! (1947)

Cast: 

Dana Andrews (State's Attorney Henry L. Harvey), Jane Wyatt (Madge Harvey), Lee J. Cobb (Chief Harold F. "Robby" Robinson), Cara Williams (Irene Nelson), Arthur Kennedy (John Waldron), Sam Levene (Dave Woods), Taylor Holmes (T. M. Wade), Robert Keith ("Mac" McCreery), Ed Begley (Paul Harris), and Karl Malden (Det. Lt. White) Directed by Elia Kazan (#104 - East of Eden, #109 - A Streetcar Named Desire, #110 - On the Waterfront, #1375 - Panic in the Streets, #1406 - Splendor in the Grass)

Review: 

"I really will be able to do this picture the way I think pictures should be made. It was our neo-realism."

Sure, it's easy to forget that some movies really can play fast and loose with facts. Here we have Elia Kazan's third feature film as a director, which came in the wake of his debut two years prior in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945). 1947 actually brough three different movies for Kazan as a director: The Sea of Grass (1947) was an MGM Western featuring Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn that for some reason managed to have Kazan express his dislike in later years. Gentleman's Agreement, released in November of 1947, wound up winning Kazan an Academy Award for directing. But Boomerang! (which as with Gentleman was released by Fox) was the second movie to come through for audiences, being released in March of 1947. The movie took its material from a 1945 article in The Reader's Digest called "The Perfect Case", which had been written by Fulton Oursler based on an actual crime that happened in 1924; Richard Murphy wrote the film script. In that year, in the city of Bridgeport in Connecticut, after eight days of anguish over the murder of Father Hubert Dahme, Harold Israel, a vagrant, was arrested and charged for the murder. Israel had given a confession and had been found with a revolver, but through the efforts of state attorney in Fairfield County Homer Stille Cummings, Israel was found innocent, and the indictment was dropped*. Cummings in general was a fascinating person: the Yale graduate actually had served as Mayor of Stamford, Connecticut for four years in the 1900s and he later served in committee work with the national Democratic Party. And, true to the end of the movie, Cummings actually did become U.S. Attorney General, serving six years from 1933 to 1939 (among the things he did in office was make bank robbery a federal crime). Israel essentially faded away into history, dying in the mid 1960s, although he was reported as having been married with children years after being freed, although the case was never solved. He wasn't particularly big on the first two movies he did when it came to their production style (done entirely on sound stages), but the chance to do shooting in Stamford, Connecticut interested him, since Kazan stated that at the time, he "shared the appetites" of neorealist filmmakers (such as Vittorio De Sica with Shoeshine, for example); a few non-professional actors are present in some shots. Kazan's next movie would be Pinky (1949); of his first five films, apparently, he was only big on A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Technically the movie is cited as being a "semi documentary", which is probably helped by the narration heard every so often from Reed Hadley, who had been used to narrate prior films such as The House on 92nd Street (1945) (the narrative touch was big with producer Louis de Rochemont, who was involved with documentary stuff). This is the kind of movie that probably would be interesting to compare with Kazan's subsequent Panic in the Streets (1950) in straight to the bone procedurals. Kazan wasn't as fond of Boomerang! in his later years, basically calling it "the same studio machine - brought outdoors", but he at least stated his learned certain little tricks and techniques because of making the movie (he also once stated he could do a film anywhere and didn't need sets or movie stars). Sure, maybe the actors are still "movie actors", but at least there is an interesting atmosphere of doubts and failings, where a murder investigation turns itself into a city-wide infection that leaves only the reporters with any sort of satisfaction at the end of things. The police** don't win in the end and even the people that knew the victim don't win any sense of peace in the end, suffice to say. Andrews is pretty reliable in uncomplicated feelings that arise in not rolling with just being a cog in the machine of others around them, which works out for the usual reliable presence you would hope for. Cobb probably sticks out just as much in what he gets from his routines, one who shows the weary nature that comes from pressure that probably works the best among the cast, although Kennedy makes for a useful near-sacrificial lamb in worried nature. Of course, the 88-minute runtime does mean there are moments spent with other people about stuff tangentially related to the murder, specifically with Begley and the conniving nature that comes in bits and parts before it literally shoots itself for the climax. Sure, it doesn't have as much power as it likely could have (Williams comes to mind in that regard), but the routines with the ins and outs of the world of people is interesting enough to hold the movie down to at least some fascination. Sure, Kazan may be a bit hard on himself with his own assessment, but it is at least a solid movie to recommend for those who like an old-fashioned yarn.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

*Strangely, I am reminded of another actual case involving coerced confessions and Connecticut with Peter Reilly, who in 1973 was convicted of murder at the age of 18 when cops essentially lied to and coerced him to confess by refusing to let him sleep in a long interrogation - this was a case that happened in the 1970s, mind you.

**Remember: don't fuck around if in the web of a cop, whether that means knowing your rights and asking for a lawyer. Peter Reilly became a reform advocate, particularly for a bill in his state named SB1071. This was a bill trying to curb on deceptive tactics by cops for people under the age of 18, and go figure, not every state has this on their books, but Connecticut now does. See, I don't hate cops, I just know they can give you bad juju if something is in the wrong place.

Splendor in the Grass.

Review #1406: Splendor in the Grass.

Cast: 
Natalie Wood (Wilma Dean "Deanie" Loomis), Warren Beatty (Bud Stamper), Pat Hingle (Ace Stamper), Audrey Christie (Mrs. Loomis), Barbara Loden (Virginia "Ginny" Stamper), Zohra Lampert (Angelina), Fred Stewart (Del Loomis), Joanna Roos (Mrs. Stamper), John McGovern (Doc Smiley), Jan Norris (Juanita Howard), and Martine Bartlett (Miss Metcalf) Directed by Elia Kazan (#104 - East of Eden, #109 - A Streetcar Named Desire, and #110 - On the Waterfront, and #1375 - Panic in the Streets)

Review: 
“I was very lucky to do the first movie that I ever did with Kazan, who really was not only a great director, he was a very, very smart producer,”

The 1960s had plenty of interesting directors and stars to accompany films that found themselves on the center of cultural changes with plenty of distinctive stars of stature and range to go alongside old and new directors to lead them forward. By this point in time, Elia Kazan had directed thirteen films in his career, with most of his success coming in the 1950s (eight of his eighteen films were in this decade), and controversy had surrounded his decision to testify during the Hollywood blacklisting that he felt was "only the more tolerable of two alternatives that were either way painful and wrong" (his decision, one I feel was the correct one, was a fiercely debated one for decades, where even being awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 1999 still inspired sour grapes refusal to applaud from certain circles). Regardless of this decision, it should not be denied that Kazan has a lasting effect as a director that extends to the actors that he directed onto the screen over the decades, which extends to the main stars here in Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood. In the case of Beatty, he had developed a love for films from an early age while watching them (such as The Philadelphia Story and Love Affair) with his sister Shirley, with Warren following in her footsteps to become an actor. He learned his craft from famed coach of acting Stella Adler, with his first few jobs being in television (most notably The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) and one (and only) turn in the theater with A Loss of Roses (1959). Beatty, described by Kazan as having energy, intelligence and more "chutzpah" than anyone else. He was the first of numerous directors that Beatty sought to learn from, though it did not come without disagreement, such as when he snapped at Kazan once about him naming names, which he later described as an arrogant and stupid challenge. In the course of over half a century, Beatty honed his craft into beyond acting, soon founding his own production company and eventually turning to directing as well. Wood had her own path to acting, led by her ambitious mother that led to a debut in a bit part in film at the age of 4. Her debut came three years later with Tomorrow Is Forever (1946), where Orson Welles described her as "so good, she was terrifying". She would do a string of child films before transitioning into teenage rebel roles and television, and Kazan found a "desperate twinkle in her eyes" behind her well-mannered front that would serve her well in retaining herself as a presence to behold.

The film was written by William Inge, playwright and novelist behind works such as Picnic and Bus Stop who had based it off his upbringing in Kansas, which led to an Academy Award for his work on the film. When it comes to heartbreak and romantic repression, one can't really go wrong with a film like this. Anybody else other than Kazan would have made this 124 minute tale run shorter or seem less realistic with trying to soften the film's strike of melodrama and honesty. Wood makes a capable main focus, one with plenty of doubt and frustration that boils to the surface with such honest expressiveness, whether that means dealing with some form of love or with others. Beatty makes for a great debut with confidence in playing the other side of the coin in a tragedy of youth, exhausted at the expectations one must bear from their parents in what to do and who to do what with. The final sequence with them at the farmhouse is especially well-done, perfectly sealing up the pathos of what it means to have loved and lost one's innocence along the way, where time overrides all things, perhaps even happiness in some way, which makes for a somewhat depressing but fair experience.

Kazan sure picked two well counterparts to counter Wood and Beatty in Hingle and Christie. Hingle (a Weslaco High School and University of Texas graduate in radio) had met Kazan years earlier at the Actors' Studio and had done a few productions for Kazan and Inge before a 1959 freak accident involving him being stuck in a lift that led to him losing his balance in crawling out and falling over 50 feet; he fractured many parts of his left side, including a broken leg and losing a finger while having a noticeable limp. He is tremendously entertaining here with composed dominance on a family and business level, a rough but fascinating performance to match up with his on-screen son in Beatty, such as when he speaks for so long and with such spirit that Beatty can't even get in a word of reluctance on him. Although Christie did not have as prolific a career as the other main three did, she cultivated a career in Broadway alongside television spots after taking class and being on vaudeville at the age of 15. She makes for an effective strict performance to go for the grain to reflect the times of authority that doesn't seem outdated or a caricature then as now. The others (who make up a film as twentysomethings trying to play teenagers to make it look less distracting that Wood and Beatty also look a bit too old to be teens) fill the film well in making a heartland tale of heartbreak come across with fair conviction that still finds relevance after over five decades because of how it speaks to us still about expectation and reality in terms of adolescents and beyond.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Panic in the Streets.

Review #1375: Panic in the Streets.

Cast: 
Richard Widmark (Lieutenant Commander "Clint" Reed, M.D.), Paul Douglas (Captain Tom Warren), Barbara Bel Geddes (Nancy Reed), Jack Palance (Blackie), Zero Mostel (Raymond Fitch), Alexis Minotis (John Mefaris), Dan Riss (Neff), Guy Thonajan (Poldi), and Tommy Cook (Vince Poldi) Directed by Elia Kazan (#104 - East of Eden, #109 - A Streetcar Named Desire, and #110 - On the Waterfront)

Review: 
"I don't move unless I have some empathy with the basic theme."

Elia Kazan is thought to be one of the greatest influential directors of our time. He started his post college life as a stage actor, but his most important influence was the Group Theatre, a collective dedicated to a naturalistic and forceful style of acting, influenced by the teachings of Konstantin Stanislavski, with this particular style being associated later in the 20th century as the Method style of acting. Kazan did do some acting in his time with the Theatre, but it was his directing that soon came to be noticed on the New York stage, where he won three Tony Award for direction (most notably with Death of a Salesman). He came to Hollywood to direct his debut picture in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945). 1947 was a critical year in his life, as he directed three films and had one of them (Gentlemen's Agreement) win an Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director. He also helped to form the Actors Studio (along with Cheryl Crawford and Robert Lewis), which later had Group Theatre founder Lee Strasberg as director, who would later be described as the father of method acting in America. Ultimately, Kazan would direct nineteen films in 29 years of directing, with a majority of his films receiving award nominations and nine actors receiving Academy Awards for work in his films. Kazan liked to pick people for his films that weren't necessarily big stars, acting as a mentor to them to try and figure them out so they aren't a complete unknown when it comes to filming. One particular unknown who got a break from Kazan in this film was Walter (Jack) Palance. He had made his debut in theater in 1947 at the age of 28 after spending his life doing a variety of professions, ranging from a coal miner to a boxer to working various cooking jobs at Stanford University (where he nearly gradated from). He was later described by main star Widmark as "the toughest guy I ever met. He was the only actor I've ever been physically afraid of."

In any case, this is certainly an interesting film to pick out from Kazan, one to start out a prime decade for capable films from him alongside ones involving noir thrillers. For one thing, it's a film about a hunt for a killer that doesn't know he has the plague, filmed on location in New Orleans (with the underbelly parts being emphasized for effect) with a mix of professional actors and hired locale. Perhaps predictably, the Hays Code had their slight issues with the film (which had working titles Port of Entry and Outbreak) before it could get itself going, mostly with the ideas of not having a suggestion of a cop being killed, or a falling mattress scene being not too realistic in gruesomeness. The film had two separate writing credits, with Richard Murphy and Daniel Fuchs doing the screenplay while Edna and Edward Anhalt wrote the story. The Anhalts would win an Academy Award for Best Writing, Motion Picture Story for this film. In any case, this is a film that basks itself in its setting with openness and a sense of realism that makes for compelling staying power for this exact time seven decades after its release. It finds a path to not being just a plain procedural with relative tension and a collection of capable presences to follow along with. Widmark (known early for villainous roles) gives off a durable performance, one that is urgent and easy to follow along with no trouble in terms of belief. Douglas (having started his film career just one year earlier) accompanies him with rough assurance. Bel Geddes makes her time count with decent chemistry when needed with Widmark. Undeniably, Palance makes for a enterprising debut, a clear chilling presence whenever he is on screen, while Mostel (who was blacklisted in the late 1940s) accompanies him with panicky brilliance. On the whole, the film balances itself through 96 minutes with a grimy mix of terror and drama that doesn't sell itself short in overwrought decision-making, having a proactive vision of realism that applies especially now more than ever.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: On the Waterfront.

Review #110: On the Waterfront.

Cast
Marlon Brando (Terry Malloy), Karl Malden (Father Barry), Lee J. Cobb (Michael J. Skelly aka "Johnny Friendly"), Rod Steiger (Charley "the Gent" Malloy), Eva Marie Saint (Edie Doyle), Pat Henning (Timothy J. "Kayo" Dugan), John F. Hamilton ('Pop' Doyle), Ben Wagner (Joey Doyle), and James Westerfield (Big Mac) Directed by Elia Kazan (#104 - East of Eden and #109 - A Streetcar Named Desire)

Review
This film is truly a classic, with great acting from Brando, Saint, and Malden, along with Cobb (who I've already talked about a little in 12 Angry Men). The film is dramatic in tone, never letting go and making you think along with being interested. It shows the lesson to not give in due to suspicions of being left out or possibly death. The film's most famous scene has a reason to be famous, and I feel the last scene is a bit memorable in it's drama and other such things. It's funny how I was slated to review this early, back in February (February 11th to be exact), but I didn't get to personal reasons. But now, I have watched the film in its entirity. And I don't regret it.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: A Streetcar Named Desire.

Review #109: A Streetcar Named Desire.

Cast
Vivien Leigh (Blanche DuBois), Marlon Brando (Stanley Kowalski), Kim Hunter (Stella Kowalski), Karl Malden (Harold Mitchell), Rudy Bond (Steve Hubbel), Nick Dennis (Pablo Gonzales), and Peg Hillias (Eunice Hubbel) Directed by Elia Kazan (#104 - East of Eden)

Review
This film was adpated from the classic play by Tennessee Williams, with Brando, Hunter, and Malden as the roles, with Jessica Tandy as DuBois. In the film, he was replaced by another player of the play (in London). Anyway, the film has good acting, dramatic style, and just plain old fashion writing that you don't see a lot anymore. Leigh steals the show, as she should be, commanding this role easily (winning an Oscar for it along with Hunter and Malden, strangely Brando lost in his catagory). The film is not flawed, not too different from the play, given the circumstances and all. In short, a good film.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: East of Eden (1955)

Review #104: East of Eden.

Cast
Julie Harris (Abra Bacon), James Dean (Caleb Trask), Raymond Massey (Adam Trask), Richard Davalos (Aron Trask), Burl Ives (Sam the Sheriff), Jo Van Fleet (Cathy Ames/Kate Trask), and Albert Dekker (Will Hamilton) Directed by Elia Kazan.

Review
The film is based on the classic novel of the same name by John Steinbeck, even if it's only the last 80 pages, but still a good film nonetheless. Dean steals the show with his acting, his first out of three sadly. In fact, this was the only film released when he was alive. The film is a good parallel to the Cain and Abel story strangely enough. It's got good acting, good atmosphere, and a good plot to keep it going in this tragic, but satisfying film.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.