The Steel Helmet.

Review #2234: The Steel Helmet.

Cast: 

Gene Evans (Sergeant Zack), Robert Hutton (Private Bronte), Steve Brodie (Lieutenant Driscoll), James Edwards (Corporal Thompson), Richard Loo (Sergeant Tanaka), Sid Melton (Joe), Richard Monahan (Private Baldy), William Chun ("Short Round"), Harold Fong (The Red), Neyle Morrow (First GI), and Lynn Stalmaster (Second Lieutenant) Written, Produced, and Directed by Samuel Fuller (#1790 - Park Row)

Review: 

"I hate violence. That has never prevented me from using it in my films. It's part of human nature." - Samuel Fuller

It isn't too surprising that there were a few films made about the war effort in Korea while the war there was occurring, particularly one made by a veteran of the last World War. Samuel Fuller had served in the United States Army within the infantry. He went from working on screenplays to offering his services to direct with I Shot Jesse James (1949), which worked well enough to get him to continue as a director, which led to The Baron of Arizona (1950). With this film, he added producer to his line of credits (each of these first films were produced in some way by Robert L. Lippert). In his autobiography, he stated that he wanted to make a movie different from the usual stuff seen involving war, such as seeing the "genuine hardship of soldiers" to go with the fact that war in its confusion and brutality needed to be shown more so than straight heroism. Fuller cast Evans (an actor who had done only bit parts after returning from U.S. Army after having served as an engineer) on the strength of his actions when he approached for the role: when Fuller tossed an M1 rifle at him, he grabbed it, complete with racking it back when asked to by Fuller. He was kept even when suggestions were made to cast Larry Parks (of course, bigger studios earlier had thought of making it with John Wayne as the lead). Fuller shot exteriors for the film at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. His attempts to show the "organized insanity" that comes in war managed to ruffle feathers on each side (lefty or not), particularly with a visit with Army officials because of certain actions depicted in the film that, well, matched with actual events seen by Fuller, such as the shooting of a prisoner of war. The resulting film was a general hit (incidentally, the war would enter a period of stalemates that lasted until the 1953 ceasefire) that saw Fuller get a contract with 20th Century Fox for a time, for which his next film in Fixed Bayonets! (1951) also was a war film.

What we have is a straight-to-the-point story that manages to achieve the brilliance of looking like a thoughtful movie about the madness that arises in war that struck differently from the angle of the time within budgetary limitations that do more than if it had been a multimillion-dollar film. One gets an honest movie for 85 minutes with a worthwhile ensemble that shows the worry that arises from being packed in such a rough situation without turning it into a mark for eventual ra-ra heroism. In fact, the end of the film merely has a card saying, "There is no end to this story", which one doesn't usually get from their war films. It stokes curiosity for seeing strangers in a strange land rather than just being a mark for patriotism. Of course, they also don't usually see people asked about why they maintained their service even in the face of racism back home (such as the prior internment of Japanese Americans less than ten years prior). Fuller acts on his instincts to make a pulpy war film (dedicated to the U.S. infantry, as seen in the intro) that likely will leave a cutting impression on its viewer after it is finished. It doesn't take long to see the wisdom of having casted Evans (who would feature in a few more Fuller films) when it comes to his naturalistic performance that we follow along with in great interest in its gruff glory from the word go. The melting pot within the people around Evans is a curious one (one even is a conscientious objector) that consisted of actors who either didn't get many chances to get their due that do pretty well, such as the weariness played by Loo (a Hawaiian-born actor with Chinese ancestry that did plenty of stock roles) and Edwards. The bond of Evans and Chun is a curious one because of how each fit in the loosest of senses with the others, particularly since most of it is spent in a Buddhist temple with tension bubbling among these strangers that probably match the quote stated best in the film involving two kinds of soldiers, "those who are dead and those who are going to die." Aside from its partial time with Fong, one is mostly here with these shaky band of brothers before that fateful climax (as skillfully done with a handful of extras in a park) that drifts to a sobering conclusion for those who survive as opposed to the ones that did not get killed that day. As such, this is a worthwhile hard-nosed war film that rises above expectations with a useful cast and director all working in stride that results in an honest winner.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Park Row.

Review #1790: Park Row.

Cast: 

Gene Evans (Phineas Mitchell), Mary Welch (Charity Hackett), Bela Kovacs (Ottmar Mergenthaler), Herbert Heyes (Josiah Davenport), Tina Pine (Jenny O'Rourke), George O'Hanlon (Steve Brodie), J. M. Kerrigan (Dan O'Rourke), Forrest Taylor (Charles A. Leach), Don Orlando (Mr. Angelo), Neyle Morrow (Thomas Guest), Dick Elliott (Jeff Hudson), Stuart Randall (Mr. Spiro), and Dee Pollock (Rusty) Written, Produced and Directed by Samuel Fuller.

Review: 

"Film is like a battleground ... Love, hate, action, violence, death. In one word, emotion!"

Generally, maverick directors are an interesting breed to consider when it comes to film. Samuel Fuller is no different, even if he had the interesting quirk of directing both studio features and independent features. Born in Massachusetts but later raised in New York, his first job was a copyboy of the New York Journal, doing so at the age of thirteen. He eventually moved to become a crime reporter for the San Diego Sun. He took up writing in the 1930s: Hats Off (1936) was his first screenwriting credit (he co-wrote it with a handful of writers). One of his novels, The Dark Page (written in 1944) was even adapted into a film in Scandal Sheet years later. He served in World War II for the United States Army in the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division that saw him fight in various countries and saw him awarded with the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart. He directed his first film with I Shot Jesse James (1949) at the age of 37. Fuller's films may not have always enjoyed success, but he did receive considerable attention from countries abroad (particularly in France), and he appeared in a handful of films from other directors. He made over two dozen feature films in a career that spanned four decades, for which he did a variety of genres that ranged from war dramas to Westerns to thrillers (studio-based and independent), with notable films such as The Steel Helmet (1951), The Naked Kiss (1964), The Big Red One (1980), and White Dog (1982).

Well, there are some interesting historical tidbits one can find through this film. For one, Park Row refers to the variety of newspapers in the late 19th century that were located in New York City near City Hall, such as The New York Times. Later, newspapers would have early skyscrapers built as headquarters, and newspapers would stay around there until the 20th century. People from history are utilized here in the bridge jumper Steve Brodie (believed to have jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge) along with Ottmar Mergenthaler, inventor of the Linotype machine. A newspaper (New York World, published by Joseph Pulitzer) did indeed help fund the Statue of Liberty (which had begun fundraising in 1882 but did not start construction until 1885), in that it helped raise funds for the pedestal (which had started in 1882) that helped keep the statue in New York that published the names of the contributors in the paper. Park Row was the fifth feature film for Fuller, and he funded it entirely on his own, as one might expect from someone making a clear passion project. In fact, Fuller later stated that this was his favorite film of his. Of course, the film did not do well with audiences, suffering from a lack of big-name stars or even a gimmick to attract enough interest to earn Fuller his money back (dedicating it to the nation's papers did do some publicity, but not quite enough). He persisted in making this an independent feature (as opposed to making at 20th Century Fox, where he had made some of his first few films) as his studio employer suggested making it in color or even as a musical. So, for $200,000 (give or take) and sixteen days to shoot, Fuller did it himself, with most of the budget going to making a replica of the famed Park Row. As a whole, it is a decent movie, one that certainly has pulpy filming methods utilized exactly to what Fuller wants in efficient moviemaking that is meant to pull a useful punch for the craft of news making that succeeds in most of its goals. Granted, its ties to history are a bit fast and loose, but it is the enthusiasm that pulls through more than anything, one that prevents the movie from falling into the trap of becoming history hokum or murky sentimentality. 

Evans first attracted the interest of Fuller he was casting for The Steel Helmet (1950); Fuller threw a rifle at him, and Evans responded by inspecting it like a soldier, which convinced Fuller to want him for the lead role no matter what (which despite demands by producers for others was allowed). He apparently lost over forty pounds to do the film. He certainly seems right for the role, in that he fits the pace of the film with harsh determination. He seems like the kind of hero that Fuller would love to be - one who fights for truth in both print and his fists, for which one will likely appreciate. This was the first and only film appearance of Welch, who was primarily a stage and television actress before her sudden death in 1958. Fuller later described her in his autobiography as "beautiful, self-possessed woman with an inner strength that shone through her personality." He seems apt in his statement, in that she does pretty well with a steely role that eventually shows layers in those sequences paired with Evans, which is interesting. Heyes is the "elder" character, and he does what is needed in a role that could have screamed of pap (such as say, the scene where two characters are reading his "obituary", for example). At any rate, there is enough present in 83 minutes when it comes to its handful of interesting sequences that keep its message of truth on level, whether involving the assembling of the fictional newspaper to be featured in the film or when it comes to scenes with a bit more punch to them (the sequence where Evans punches a man who did a terrible crime to the paper in front of two statues is the showstopper). By the time one gets to the end (one with predictability that you could see coming for a passion project that doesn't look like a depressing time), learning a bit of history within a movie made fast and cheap with dependable character actors and a suitable presence behind the camera results in a decent movie. Whether one sees it as their first Fuller experience or not, Park Row makes a serviceable impression seventy years later.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Next Time: I Bury the Living (1958).

Donovan's Brain.

Review #1094: Donovan's Brain.

Cast: 
Lew Ayres (Dr. Patrick Cory), Nancy Davis (Janice Cory), Gene Evans (Dr. Frank Schratt), Steve Brodie (Yocum), Tom Powers (Donovan's Washington Advisor), Lisa Howard (Chloe Donovan), James Anderson (Chief Tuttle), Victor Sutherland (Nathaniel Fuller), Michael Colgan (Tom Donovan), and Peter Adams (Mr. Webster) Directed by Felix E. Feist (#723 - The Threat)

Review: 
Independently made by Dowling Productions (with distribution from United Artists, Donovan's Brain is based off the novel of the same name by Curt Siodmak, who you may recognize as the writer behind films such as The Wolf Man (1941) and I Walked with a Zombie (1943). The novel had already been adapted into a film before by Republic Pictures as The Lady and the Monster (1944), with a radio drama adaptation on the CBS Radio program Suspense featuring Orson Welles being transmitted that same year. Another adaptation occurred in 1962 named The Brain. 

In any case, this is a movie that banks on you being invested into its concept of a megalomaniac brain for its 83 minute run-time. Unfortunately, I don't think the film is entirely successful in its goal, falling just short at both science fiction and horror, although it is certainly average enough to be harmless. The best thing that I can say is that this is a pretty competent movie, not one to insult the intelligence of the viewer with any sort of overwhelming junk - for the most part. The exposition parts are fairly familiar, but the movie doesn't bungle that up too much. Ayres plays the scientist role fairly okay, but it is his scenes under the control of the brain where the film is a bit more interesting, in part because of his mannerisms when acting as the title character. It isn't so much overacting as just a bit of scenery chewing that is certainly energetically amusing. Davis is okay for the material that she is given, but it proves to make a character that isn't too interesting to really follow with, at least for me anyway. Evans fares a bit better, albeit with a marginal amount of meaningful time on screen to make this role slightly interesting to watch and how it stands out a bit from the other two. The rest of the cast is okay, with Brodie's sneaky reporter role being a fair standout. I can't fault the movie for trying to have some faithfulness with the novel it is made from, but I really do wonder if the book was more interesting with its premise than the film presented here, particularly since that one apparently ended with some sort of mental battle. Maybe if we actually saw more of Donovan than just being told of his miserly ways (not counting the brain sequences) or even saw his offspring more often, then there would be something a bit more interesting. The shots involving the lab room and the brain are fairly nice, and the movie as a whole is decent to look at, with credit going to cinematographer Joseph Biroc. It's a film that doesn't fall too much into being corny nor too much into being creepy, falling in the middle. All in all, this is a fairly average movie that won't be a tremendous waste of your time. It won't be anybody's favorite film even for 1953 (with its quality being more akin to stuff like Cat-Women of the Moon (#668) or Spaceways (#833), basically), being hit or miss with getting enough satisfaction with its premise and execution, but if you are curious about it, I can't really blame you for doing so.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.