Suspiria.

Review #2461: Suspiria.

Cast: 

Jessica Harper (Suzy Bannion), Stefania Casini (Sara Simms; Silvia Faver as the English voice), Flavio Bucci (Daniel; Gregory Snegoff as the English voice), Miguel Bosé (Mark; Gregory Snegoff as the English voice), Barbara Magnolfi (Olga Ivanova; Carolyn De Fonseca as the English voice), Susanna Javicoli (Sonia; Susan Spafford as the English voice), Eva Axén (Patricia "Pat" Hingle), Alida Valli (Miss Tanner), and Joan Bennett (Madame Blanc) Directed by Dario Argento.

Review: 

“It’s true, almost everyone is female in Suspiria, all the heroes and villains are women, and the few men are either blind, mute or useless. But I don’t know if it is feminist, people tell me it is… The truth is I like working with women, I have always been fascinated by them. When I was very young I went to a school close to my mother’s studio; she was a photographer, famous for her portraits of actresses in the 1940s and 50s. After school, I would run there and sit in the front room where the actresses would do their make-up and get changed into glamorous dresses, and I would see these marvellous women transform. I would watch how my mother lit their faces and bodies, and when I was shooting Suspiria I remembered this.”

Well, it did seem time to cover a Dario Argento movie, so why not just go with the obvious? The son of a film producer and photographer, Argento was a film critic and a columnist before he became a screenwriter, and one of those scripts that he did work for was Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). He became a director with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970). Influenced by American movies of the 1950s and 1960s along with the works of producer Val Lewton, the movie apparently played for years in Milan, with the movie often being associated as among the big ones of the "giallo" genre (which basically combines some form of the slasher, thriller or psychology). Suspiria was the first of what ended up being three movies that took inspiration from the collection of essays Suspiria de Profundis by Thomas de Quincey (as first published in 1845). He was inspired by a trip he had done through various European cities and a particular spot where France, Germany, and Switzerland meet ("Magic Triangle") while being quite serious about the occult and witchcraft. Argento wrote the movie with his partner Daria Nicolodi that also took inspiration from fairy tales such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The imbibition process was utilized to make for more vivid color rendition that previously had been done for films such as The Wizard of Oz (1939); it was among that last movies to be processed in Technicolor. The movie ran 99 minutes in its native Italy but for the original American distributed release, 20th Century Fox cut some minutes out and even used a shell company to show the movie to audiences, which apparently was quite a hit there. The following two films in a so called "Three Mothers" trilogy were Inferno (1980) and Mother of Tears (2007). After years of attempts to do a remake of the film from American hands (most notably David Gordon Green), a "homage" was released in 2018 that was directed by Luca Guadagnino; Argento was quoted as personally being underwhelmed by what he saw in the film, save for the design. Argento directed a film as recently as 2022 with Dark Glasses. 

It may interest you to know that most of the dialogue in the movie is dubbed over by actors in post-production (save for, well...) because that is how it was for a good deal of Italian movies for the time. It does tend to fit the movie in a strange and unnerving way to look upon the flourishes of color and hear voices that aren't exactly the same as the people saying them. Argento aimed (in his eyes) to make color that would remind you of Snow White (along with early Westerns) what you get is a movie that seemingly comes right out of his mind like a dream - or a nightmare. The study by Argento and cinematographer Luciano Tovoli clearly was worth it in the soul. It goes hand in hand with the progressive rock score by Goblin, who did it collaboration with Argento before the movie was actually shot. The darkness within ourselves can be a powerful force, even for a movie that dances around its narrative like it was a ritual, not dwelling on its absurdity (apparently, the cast was meant to be inhabited by younger people before bowing to the hesitation of the producers). Apparently, Harper's performance in Phantom of the Paradise (1974) influenced Argento to cast her. Harper enjoyed the filming experience (four months in Rome, by the way), complete with getting mail every now and then about the movie and she even made an appearance in the 2018 Suspiria. She provides the vulnerability and grace required of a person who basically is thrust in a fairy tale nightmare, one that is delightful in her ballet from oblivion. The violence of the film looms over the movie with such stark execution that might as well be laughing at you in its defiance of what you might see coming. The logic of the movie is all about what you want it to be, at least when you don't consider some of the convenient exposition. But it all comes down in a great swoop for its climax that just burns down on you with its bouts of imagery and sound. The great terror isn't so much a coven of witches but the coven of one's doubt in their mind about what really is real beyond form and the blood of ourselves. It isn't so much a murder mystery or even a movie about what lurks beneath the coven but instead a movie all about the fear and strange things that lurk in us. The movie is exquisite to view in practically any scene for what you are seeing in its reds and blues that make for devastating effect with the gore in a way that you don't see nearly that often in movies, horror in particular. It is the kind of jagged movie that will leave an impression on its viewer more than just for its gore but for the things that it will inspire the next time one is left in the dark by themselves.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Happy Halloween. Get ready for Halloween: The Week After: The 7th Time

Father's Little Dividend.

Review #2225: Father's Little Dividend.

Cast: 

Spencer Tracy (Stanley T. Banks), Joan Bennett (Ellie Banks), Elizabeth Taylor (Kay Dunstan), Don Taylor (Buckley Dunstan), Billie Burke (Doris Dunstan), Moroni Olsen (Herbert Dunstan), Richard Rober (Police Sergeant), Marietta Canty (Delilah), and Russ Tamblyn (Tommy Banks) Directed by Vincente Minnelli (#405 - The Reluctant Debutante, #510 - Father of the Bride, #620 - Lust for Life, #878 - The Long, Long Trailer, #986 - An American in Paris, #1031 - Meet Me in St. Louis, and #1397 - Gigi)

Review: 

Admittedly, covering sequels don't always fall by the wayside so hard like this. I was surprised to realize that I had watched the original Father of the Bride (1950)...nearly eleven years ago. Having to look back at a review made before I could even vote honestly makes me cringe, but I can reasonably defend my assessment of the film now and then as one that, well, has an "always fun to watch" Spencer Tracy. He was a versatile actor that really could run the gamut from drama to comedy, and it showed pretty well in that aforementioned Bride (as adapted from the 1949 novel of the same name that had been written by Edward Streeter) film in showing the road of a man that has seen his one daughter become a married woman (the result was an Academy Award nomination, go figure). Both that film and this one were written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett (a regular couple that did stuff such as The Thin Man and later the play/screenplay of The Diary of Anne Frank) to go with the return of cast and crew for one of those early examples of a studio sequel. Apparently, the movie was shot in just a bit over three weeks as the film made by Vincente Minnelli when he was taking a break from An American in Paris (also released in 1951). The movie was a fair hit with audiences and also one you probably encountered on public domain because due to a failed copyright renewal, one can easily see the 82 minute on the Internet or, well, on a cheap DVD.

Well, it may be a rushed product of a sequel, but it is a lightly entertaining film. It is a family film of the 1950s through and through, in terms of the positive realization that comes in learning to say the words "I am a grandfather". Tracy does narration at times just like the previous film, which here is about the same level of effective on a slightly smaller scale. He apparently had a bit of reluctance to do the film, but it doesn't show here as he remains fairly committed to playing the lead in wry commitment, you'd expect in a patriarch like him. Bennett did not get to do as many films as one would expect after this one, probably because of a scandal where her husband (Walter Wanger) shot her agent in the groin because he thought they were having an affair that occurred the same year that this film was released. She does about as well as she did in the previous film in warm support. The Taylors still make a neat pairing together as pieces that maneuver (and are maneuvered) just as much as one sees with Tracy's character when it comes to routine married life. The film doesn't go too ga-ga on baby jokes and eventually finds some footing for its climax (what else but a christening) because it is hard to really grind cynicism over useful routine like this about maintaining sense in a sometimes sense-less place, family or not. In conclusion, it certainly shows a few seams of strain when it comes to being anything more than what you might find in a sitcom of its ilk, but there is a general warmth that comes through in terms of the commitment of its cast and an overall hopeful message of maintaining oneself even with the inevitable passage of time and family. 

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Scarlet Street.

Review #1365: Scarlet Street.

Cast:
Edward G. Robinson (Christopher Cross), Joan Bennett (Katherine March), Dan Duryea (Johnny Prince), Margaret Lindsay (Millie Ray), Rosalind Ivan (Adele Cross), Jess Barker (David Janeway), Charles Kemper (Patch-eye Higgins), Anita Sharp-Bolster (Mrs. Michaels), Samuel S. Hinds (Charles Pringle), and Vladimir Sokoloff (Pop LeJon) Directed by Fritz Lang (#333 - M and #500 - Metropolis)

Review: 
"Each picture has some sort of rhythm which only the director can give it. He has to be like the captain of a ship."

One can't forget about Fritz Lang when it comes to his diverse career of films, both in Germany and abroad. Born and raised in Vienna, Lang had a lengthy career, starting as a writer for film in 1916 before debuting as a director with Halbblut (1919). He met writer Thea von Harbou the following year, and they later married in 1922. They worked together in film for over a decade, which include films such as Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922), Metropolis (1927), M (1931, his first talking picture), and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933). However, the two divorced due to an affair by Lang that same year. He would soon leave Germany owing to the rise of the Nazis, going to France (where he made one film in Liliom) before going to America. He made his American debut with Fury (1936), with his last in the country being Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956) before he returned to Germany (after thinking about retiring due to tough conditions to make further Hollywood films and growing age), where he made three films between 1959 and 1960, with his last being The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse before his death in 1976 at the age of 85. He was noted for his Expressionism (more so for his German films) alongside his talent in doing numerous genres, particularly with film noir.

The film was adapted (written by Dudley Nichols) from the French novel La Chienne by Georges de La Fouchardiere, which had already been played on the stage and in film in 1931 under its title by Jean Renoir (who notably disliked this film). This was the second time that Lang utilized this trio of actors, as they had appeared together in The Woman in the Window a year earlier. Both films had Robinson play a lonely middle-aged man and Bennett and Duryea play a criminal duo, and they even had the same choreographer in Milton R. Krasner. Robinson for his part did not like his experiences with either film, finding this one to be monotonous to do, although Lang found it to be one of his favorites to do. To each his own, one suppose - both of course do tremendous jobs in making a capable noir tick well. It goes to show how one can make something that plays numerous hands of deception to the benefit of its audience through 109 minutes, a clever experience with some psychological depth to it. It shouldn't prove too surprising that local authorities in three cities for censor boards objected to the content of the film, calling it many things besides "obscene". After all, it isn't exactly a noir with a happy ending, nor is it one that requires so. Just the idea of a character getting away with a murder was in some minds enough to object to, beyond portraying some sort of sordid life or illicitness with love. In other words, one needs a bit of risk sometimes to make things work better than a conventional film would do, with the best noirs utilizing imagination to give the viewer something to look into without needing things spelled out for them. Robinson does well with making an ordinary presence come into focus that we can follow along with to a point as a meek man that doesn't seem cartoonish or underplayed. Bennett and Duryea make for a conniving duo, ones with some luring power alongside a rough nature with chemistry. One can follow the film along without too much trouble, wrapped with a few twists that keep the viewer wanting more without displeasing them with where it needs to get to with its daring ending, where one can certainly find a prison for themselves without needing a conviction to do so. Lang certainly made plenty of memorable films, and this is one that is good to highlight, particularly since it is readily available through the public domain for anyone to view for themselves, a worthwhile little gem for the decade.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Father of the Bride.

Review #510: Father of the Bride.

Cast
Spencer Tracy (Stanley T. Banks), Joan Bennett (Ellie Banks), Elizabeth Taylor (Katherine Banks), Don Taylor (Buckley Dunstan), Billie Burke (Doris Dunstan), Leo G. Carroll (Mr. Massoula), and Moroni Olsen (Herbert Dunstan) Directed by Vincente Minnelli (#405 - The Reluctant Debutante)

Review
Spencer Tracy is always fun to watch, how he acts towards events in the character's life, like what he does in this film. He at first is skeptical about his daughter's soon to be marriage, but at the end he is accepting of his daughter growing up. Tracy interacts well with the rest of the cast, especially with Taylor, the two interact well as father and daughter, especially when Tracy sees Taylor in her wedding dress for the first time, shown on 3 mirrors no less, which is probably why the shot and the scene work so well. Bennett is also effective, and Taylor (while not being in the film too much), is fine. The film has some chuckles and it never slows its pace, making for a quick, but effective film that would inspire a sequel the following year, and a remake with its own sequel.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.