Laura (1944): A Review

LAURA (1944)

This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon. Today's star is Dana Andrews.

Film noir never came so lush and elegant as it does in Laura. Excellent performances, a daring twist and a deeply romantic score create one of the most fascinating and beautiful mysteries ever made. 

Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney) has been murdered. Who would want this beautiful businesswoman iced? That is what Detective Marc McPherson (Dana Andrews) has to find out. McPherson is a hard-bitten, cynical man. He is more cynical when he has to go around the posh crowd that make up the suspects.

There is bitchy newspaper columnist Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb). He was Laura's mentor, who introduced her to the upper echelons of society. Lydecker got Laura her start by endorsing her advertising company's pen. That eventually helped set her up at her own agency, where she went from strength to strength.

Lydecker, however, was possessive of Laura. There was no intimacy between them, more of a sugar daddy with a pretty young thing he could escort but not touch. Still, it drove Lydecker into rage if anyone so much as looked upon Laura, let alone touched her in any way. One person who did want to touch her was Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price). He is a charming ne'er-do-well, living off both his personality and Laura's Aunt Ann Tredwell (Judith Anderson). Shelby is breezy and lighthearted, scion of a wealthy family fallen on hard times. Shelby may be Ann's kept man, but he also keeps company with Laura.

Each of them had reason to murder Laura. Lydecker could not tolerate anyone else "possessing" Laura. Shelby feared that she might break off their engagement, especially after she finds he's been seeing a certain Diane Redfern, a model in her agency. Ann would not let Shelby go easily. As the investigation goes on, something strange happens to McPherson. He reads her journals and looks upon her portrait. Somehow, McPherson has fallen in love with Laura.

Then, we get the wildest twist imaginable. Laura Hunt is actually alive! McPherson, who had fallen asleep slightly drunk in her apartment, is shocked to see her come in. Laura claims to know nothing of what had happened. She had been in her secluded woodland retreat with no newspapers or radios. If Laura was not murdered, then who is the corpse found dead wearing her nightgown? Is it a case of mistaken identity? Could someone else have murdered Diane Redfern thinking it was Laura? Could Laura, rather than being the victim, be the murderess? With her apparently back from the dead, McPherson must smoke out the real killer before he or she tries again. Will Laura survive this time round? Will she and McPherson find love with each other?

Rarely do I have strong reactions upon finishing a film. As soon as I finished Laura, I pounded the table and declared, "DAMN GOOD MOVIE!". Laura runs a crisp 88 minutes, and not one moment is wasted. Laura has everyone one could wish for in a movie. It has an engaging story. It has brilliant performances. It has a twist that is open to interpretation. Everything in director Otto Preminger's adaption of the Vera Caspary novel works. 

Laura is unique among film noirs in that with perhaps one exception, it goes against almost all the conventions of the genre. Noir films tend to center around desperate people in the lower rungs of society. Laura, however, takes place in the poshest of locales. There are no shifty dames or hardscrabble, shadowy figures. This noir takes place in lavish apartments and chic restaurants. These are wealthy people, successful in business and the arts. Laura is an elegant noir, but it still is noir. There's a murder. There is an alluring woman leading our hero through a curious journey (albeit mostly from beyond the grave).

There is also the distinct possibility that it is not real. Laura carries with it a curious sense of a dream. We learn that McPherson has put in a bid for Laura's portrait. Our hero has become obsessed with the murdered woman. As Preminger filmed it, a strong case can be mounted that Laura slips from noir to fantasy. As McPherson falls asleep, the camera moves forward towards him, then moves away. 

Once that happens, Laura suddenly appears forty-six minutes into the film. From that point on, one is never completely sure if Laura Hunt really is alive or if all that comes at this point is McPherson dreaming or wishing or fantasizing his dream woman is still alive. I have seen Laura twice. The first time, I was shocked by the twist of her return from the grave and took things at face value. Having seen it again, I now wonder if the whole thing was a wish fulfillment on McPherson's part.

Yes, there is a strange logic to how it was Diana Redfern and not Laura Hunt who was the real murder victim. However, there is also on how Laura, the obscure object of desire for McPherson, ends up falling in love with him. The case is resolved in a clever way. There are now no more impediments to McPherson having Laura all to himself. 

Preminger and screenwriters Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein and Elizabeth Reinhart (all of whom received Oscar nominations for their work on the film) allows for two interpretations. Laura could be a straightforward mystery where Laura's resurrection is true. Laura could also be a straightforward mystery until Laura's resurrection occurs, at which point it slips into McPherson's dream to fulfill his own private desires. Either interpretation works. It is up to the viewer which version he or she believes. 

There is not a bad performance throughout the film. Gene Tierney was one of the most beautiful women to grace the screen. Laura gives her a chance to showcase that beauty. However, it also shows her as a woman who grows. She does not appear until about fifteen minutes into the film. By that time, we have anticipated what kind of figure our mysterious title character will be. Tierney starts out as a bit naive and sweet, but with a quiet determination. She may be hesitant against the obnoxious Lydecker, but she also tells him that she pities him. As the film continues, Tierney makes Laura into a woman who grows in confidence. 

Dana Andrews is probably the only Laura actor who plays up to a more traditional noir figure. As Detective McPherson, Andrews makes his character cynical and jaded. To him, all women are "dolls or dames" as Lydecker sneeringly tells him. If McPherson had referred to Laura or Ann as "broads", he would have had a trifecta. Andrews' performance shifts from the jaded to the quietly yearnful. "Dames always pulling a switch on you", he tells a fellow cop when Laura returns. You see Andrews' shift into a man in love, but who still seeks to find the truth.

The three supporting players also did well. Clifton Webb was singled out with a Best Supporting Actor nomination (the film also recognized in the Black-and-White Art Direction and Cinematography categories, winning in the latter). His Waldo Lydecker is bitchy and snippy, able to throw barbs with naked abandon. He calls Shelby a "male beauty in distress" to his face. When recounting to McPherson how he got rid of another rival (the painter of Laura's portrait), his sneer is palpable. "It was a masterpiece because it was a labor of love", he tells the detective, fully aware that this was not a compliment but an admission of triumph over a potential rival. 

Webb's Lydecker is the voiceover you hear in the beginning. Here, we see a slight contravention of expectations. Lydecker is not our guide through this world. He is closer to an unreliable narrator. Lydecker can give as good as he gets in the insults department. When Shelby sees who Laura's companion is, he is not impressed. "Oh, him," Shelby tells Laura. "I'll bet he's still doing the polka". "Yes. Betsy Ross taught it me," Lydecker replies. Waldo is an expert at the witty comebacks and insults.

Webb also shows him to be possessive, almost dangerously so. He is cold and passive-aggressive and controlled throughout. It is surprising to see Clifton Webb being surprisingly menacing in Laura. It does stretch the imagination that Lydecker can be romantically or erotically desirous of Laura Hunt. This is a man who seems to have no problem emerging from the bathtub in front of a non-plussed McPherson. He in a controlled rage berates Laura for finding McPherson attractive, diminishing him as "muscular and handsome in a cheap sort of way". Still, Clifton Webb impresses as Waldo Lydecker.

Both Vincent Price and Judith Anderson did well in their roles too. Price has a breezy charm as Shelby Carpenter. We see someone who has gotten through life with charm and good humor. We also see his selfishness and cowardice when he both cheats on Laura with Diane and when he apparently left his unfortunate mistress dead. Anderson shows Ann to be besotted with Shelby with glances and gestures. 

One of if perhaps the most memorable aspects of Laura is David Raksin's score. His music, specifically the theme, evokes a lushness and romance not usually associated with film noir. The theme adds to the romantic, dreamlike atmosphere in the film. It is a theme that plays throughout Laura in many versions. It can be jazzy, it can be elegant, it can be mournful. The theme in Laura is deeply beautiful and haunting. 

Laura is simply a beautiful, brilliant film. Everything within it blends so well that one ends the film with deep respect and admiration for all the work within it. Laura is, to quote another noir film, the stuff that dreams are made of.

DECISION: A+

The Philadelphia Story: A Review

THE PHILADELPHIA STORY

This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon. Today's star is Katharine Hepburn.

It's class warfare blended with a battle of the sexes in The Philadelphia Story. Exceptional performances, brilliant pacing and a witty script all elevate The Philadelphia Story into being one of the standout films in the filmographies of everyone involved.

Two years after her contentious divorce, Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) is set to remarry. Her fiancée is respectable George Kittridge (John Howard). George, unlike the Lord family, was not to the manor born. He is not a bad man but not on the same social position as the Lords. A man who is on the same level is C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant). He just happens to be the first Mr. Tracy Lord. The Lords tend to like Dexter, especially Tracy's much younger sister Dinah (Virginia Weidler). Unfortunately, Tracy herself loathes her first husband.

Not as much, however, as she loathes the press. She finds the whole lot of them gouache and sensationalist. All the worse for Tracy, as Spy Magazine has its eyes on covering this high society wedding. The Lords are particularly private, making Spy more desirous to get the scoop. Dexter just happens to work for Spy's Argentina branch. He uses his connections to get two Spy reporters to essentially crash the wedding. One is photographer Elizabeth Imbrie (Ruth Hussey). The other is writer Macaulay "Mike" Connor (James Stewart). Mike openly loathes the one percent, while Liz finds them more amusing than parasitic. Dexter pretty much blackmails Tracy to go along with a rouse accepting Mike and Liz into the home when he points out that Spy is ready to publish reports of her father Seth (John Halliday) and his dalliance with a dancer.

With all these people trapesing about, Tracy is at her wit's end. She inadvertently makes things worse when she introduces her Uncle Willie (Roland Young) as Seth. The Lords are convinced that Seth will not come to give his daughter away, but come he comes. Tracy, forever perfect and correct in her mind, manner and behavior, is set to get rid of Connor and Dexter. Unfortunately, she finds that Mike has a good mind and a way with words. Mike finds that Tracy is not a remote goddess but a full woman. Dexter finds a lot of this could help him win Tracy back. As the weekend reaches its climax, we find romantic entanglements going off all over the place but in the end, the right couples end up together. 

The Philadelphia Story has so many elements that make it stand out as a bright, witty production.  At the top of that list for me is Donald Odgen Stewart's adaptation of Phillip Barry's play. The screenplay manages to blend witty dialogue and silence to give us the story. The opening scene for example is a good showcase for the latter. Using only Franz Waxman's music, we see the breakdown of the Dexter/Tracy relationship. The music indicates that The Philadelphia Story is a comedy with its exaggerated tones. That is why the audience would be more amused than horrified when Dexter pushes Tracy down. This moment is played for laughs, especially given how Grant and Hepburn play this bitter couple storming out and breaking each other's property.

As The Philadelphia Story goes on, we have a natural build to the eccentric situations the characters fall into. I do not know if The Philadelphia Story is considered a screwball comedy, but it does have some elements of that genre. We have the wrong people falling in love, the right people right under those thwarted lovers' noses. We have mistaken identities, mostly due to Tracy's efforts to irritate Mike and Liz. We have people throwing out quips all about the place. Dinah, for example, wants to see if Dexter will "sock" Tracy again. 

One thing that did surprise me while watching The Philadelphia Story is how both sides had contempt for the other. The Lord family accepts being wealthy as a fact of life and see nothing wrong with that. They look upon Mike and Liz as harsh and judgmental, who see the Lords not as individuals but as symbols of unearned wealth. Mike, for his part, has open contempt for the Lords. As Tracy tells him, he is a snob in his own way. "The prettiest sight in this fine pretty world is the privileged class enjoying its privileges", Mike quips. He fancies himself a champion of the people, but he is so bitter against those whose only fault is having more than he does. Yet, I digress.

Another element is in all the performances. Major credit should go to George Cukor, who kept the pace steady and kept things grounded for a comedy. Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart and Ruth Hussey received Oscar nominations for their performances, with Stewart winning Best Actor. 

The Philadelphia Story is one of Katharine Hepburn's finest performances. I think it might be fair to say that she is playing a variation of herself. That might not be too far off the mark seeing as how The Philadelphia Story was written for her and she was recreating her Broadway role. Hepburn's Tracy Lord is haughty and imperious. She holds high exacting standards for others and for herself. However, she is also a woman who is seen as remote precisely because she is so unforgiving. "You have a good mind, a pretty face and a disciplined body. You have everything it takes to make a lovely woman, except the one essential: an understanding heart. Without that, you might just as well be made of bronze". That assessment comes from her own father. In The Philadelphia Story, we see Tracy's evolution from strict and harsh judgments to a realization that all of us have frailties. That she maintains high standards for herself does not exclude her from failing those standards. Tracy learns to give grace to others and herself.

James Stewart plays against type as the cynical, jaded, bitter Mike Connors. The Philadelphia Story is his only competitive Oscar win in his career. It is a good performance. Stewart starts out as arrogant about his supposed superiority over the Lords due to him having to work and not have his writing appreciated. As the film goes on, we see his own softening in seeing the woman behind the goddess. I am unsure if Stewart, however, was the correct Best Actor choice. Again, it is not a bad performance. However, I think his loss the year prior for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington may have played a role in his Oscar win. 

In a curious turn, both of The Philadelphia Story's Oscar wins would go to a Stewart: James in Best Actor and Donald Ogden in Adapted Screenplay. 

Cary Grant, who was not nominated, more than held his own as the shrewd C.K. Dexter Haven. Grant made Dexter a man of quick wit who did love Tracy despite how unforgiving she was. Charming, funny without being goofy or the butt of a joke, Grant brought a blend of elegance and hardscrabble to his role. Dexter, like Tracy, was born into wealth. Unlike Tracy, he also knew what it was like to work because he needed to. 

Hussey, the last of the nominated performances, was able to rattle off quips with ease. However, she too had solid dramatic moments where her eyes and face told more. A glance or quick expression to show that she was in love with an oblivious Mike. Hussey handled the dialogue and the silences well.

The other actors all showed solid work. Roland Young was amusing, even a bit naughty, as Uncle Willie. He was a randy old man, having no issue pinching Liz. He also pained for his boozing with terrible hangovers played for laughs. Virginia Weidler was witty and brassy as Dinah, though again I question how she could be Tracy's sister given that Tracy looked old enough to be Dinah's mother.

The Philadelphia Story runs smoothly and keeps the romance and comedy going. Everything about it works brilliantly. The film has some of the best performances from its cast. It has a clever, witty script that moves the plot without being far-fetched. The City of Brotherly Love is well represented in this tale of love gone wrong but ultimately ending right.

DECISION: A+

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon: A Review (Review #2210)

SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON

This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon. Today's star is John Wayne.

John Ford and John Wayne are synonymous with the Western. Their many collaborations have become enshrined in the pantheon of great films. I do not know if She Wore a Yellow Ribbon will find itself listed alongside such collaborations as Stagecoach, The Searchers and The Quiet Man. However, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is an effective and entertaining film, with strong performances and beautiful imagery.

1876 does not bode well for Captain Nathan Brittles (John Wayne). He is set to retire from the U.S. Cavalry in a week's time. He also is shocked and saddened to learn of General Custer's defeat and extermination at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Brittles, a widower who lost his daughters as well, feels that his final days will not be peaceful.

Prior to all this, Brittles' biggest challenge was to serve as informal referee between two lovestruck cavalry officers. On one side is Second Lieutenant Ross Pannell (Harry Carey, Jr.), who comes from a wealthy background. On the other is First Lieutenant Flint Cohill (John Agar), who does not. The object of their mutual affection is Olivia Dandridge (Joanne Dru), niece of commanding officer Major Allshard (George O'Brien). As the song goes, "she wore a yellow ribbon", indicating that her heart belonged to a cavalry officer. Which one though?

If that were the end of things, Brittles' gruff but loving manner would tolerate things. However, Custer's demise has emboldened various Native tribes to take up arms to rid themselves of the white man forever. Brittles must not only force nearby warriors back onto their reservations but must escort Olivia and her Aunt Abby (Mildred Natwick) to safety out of the fort. The mission meets various failures. Larger than expected Arapaho warriors force the cavalry to take a longer route. This in turn leaves the stagecoach station where Abby and Olivia were to go thinly protected. The troop finds only two orphan children there. 

Time is running out for Brittles, and he hates how his last mission may be a failure. To be fair, it was through little fault of his own. That brings him little comfort. Brittles is determined to squeeze in every single minute to see things through. He makes efforts to prevent war by going to his old friend, Chief Pony That Walks (Chief John Big Tree) to try to persuade the younger warriors to not fight. Both men know, however, that old men must stop war, but young men will not listen. What fate lies in store for Captain Nathan Brittles and his men? Which of the two virile young men will Olivia finally be with? Will Nathan find that he may not end up going to California?

John Wayne looms so large on the American scene that sometimes people forget that he was also a skilled actor. Too often, Wayne's image and/or politics blocks people from appreciating how good he could be as an actor. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon shows Wayne in top form as Nathan Brittles. A deeply moving and affecting scene is when he is at the gravesite of his wife and two daughters. Wayne must carry a monologue where he updates his wife Mary about the latest goings-on, both amusing and alarming. He is very gentle and soft here, revealing the brokenhearted man resigned to life as it is. 

Wayne has several moments that reveal the full humanity of Nathan. He could be quietly understanding of his friend Sergeant Quincannon (Victor McLaglen). The Irish-accented Quincannon, who has been with Brittles for years, likes to take a nip every so often. Brittles forever keeps examining and wondering how and where Quincannon finds a bit of booze. In the end, however, we find that he has always known. At one point, Parnell and Olivia are about to leave the fort, much to Cohill's irritation. Brittles has to navigate the two roosters, doing so with a mix of cleverness and military precision. It is a lighthearted moment in the film. 

Late in the film, the men present Brittles a watch on his final day. In Wayne's performance, you can see Brittles' struggles to not be openly overcome with emotion. We also see his sheepish acknowledgement of his age when he, reluctantly, has to pull out his reading glasses to read the inscription. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon should put to rest ideas that John Wayne could not act. He gives a well-crafted, well-rounded performance. 

Wayne could also easily deliver the action scenes, commanding the men and having no patience for their lapses in judgment. The daring race across the river with the wagon forever in danger of falling is a thrilling sequence. 

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon does a fine job balancing the serious danger the cavalry men and women face with the love triangle. I was not overwhelmed with Harry Carey, Jr., John Agar and Joanne Dru as the triangle. They were not terrible. They all did serviceable, respectable performances. They did have moments of amusement, such as when Parnell attempted to take Olivia "picnicking" over Cohill's objections. The film does keep a good balance of which man Olivia will choose. That plot works well in the story, allowing for the human element within the looming threat of war.

Victor McLaglen was the comic relief as Quincannon. His best moment was when Brittles encouraged him to wear civilian clothes (Quincannon himself was close to retirement). This big-hearted boozing Irishman was not about to let young whippersnappers stop him from going into the bar or put him in the brig. That task would be to the feisty, no-nonsense Abby Allshard, who knew how to handle a man. That sequence might have lengthened She Wore a Yellow Ribbon more than needed and been a bit out of place. However, it did not take away from the enjoyment of the film.

Mildred Natwick had a good moment as well when tending to a wounded soldier. While singing She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, we see her mix of professionalism and fear as to whether the cavalry trooper would make it. 

An element that I do not think has been remarked much on in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is on how the United States was slowly healing from the Civil War. When the troop arrives at the stagecoach station, an old trooper named John Smith gives a commendation to a young trooper, Sargeant Tyree (Ben Johnson). Both have discernable Southern accents, and Sgt. Tyree is puzzled on why this trooper would praise him. We hear a soft and gentle rendition of Dixie play in the background; it becomes clear quickly why the Confederate anthem was heard. Nathan Brittles gives the trooper a burial on the site, where he gives John Smith's true name and rank: Brigadier General Rome Clay of the Confederate States of America. Abby had hurriedly stitched a small Confederate flag to place over the coffin. 

When Brittles boasts about the various men who endorsed a promotion near the end of the film, he rattles them off with pride. Phil Sheridan, William Tecumsah Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant, President of the United States, Brittles almost squeals with delight. Tyree smiles and says that it would have been nice if he had had four aces. When Brittles asks what he means by that, Tyree merely smiles and says, "Robert E. Lee". Brittles returns the smiles and says, "Hey. Wouldn't have been bad". Tyree was a thorough Southerner (often referring to men such as Custer as "Yankees"). He was also loyal to the Union officer Brittles. There was no judgment on either side, no resentments. The film, intentionally or not, covers the slow healing between North and South.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon won Winton C. Hotch the Oscar for its Color Cinematography. It was an excellent choice. The film is beautiful to look at. Hotch bathed scenes with elegant visuals, and the vastness of Monument Valley is brilliantly captured.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon delves into the private and professional lives of those who won the West. It balances the action and romance well. Beautiful and well-acted, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon will never go out of fashion.

DECISION: B+

The Island of Dr. Moreau: A Review

THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU

This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon. Today's star is Marlon Brando.

Divas to the left of me. Crazies to the right. Sometimes, the divas and crazies switch places and were even one and the same. The bonkers behind-the-scenes stories during the filming of The Island of Dr. Moreau have become infamous. Fired directors who had nervous breakdowns. Actors who accidentally repeated police reports as if it were actual dialogue. Other actors who fled or attempted to flee the filming location. Those wild stories range from the amusing to the terrifying. However, what about the film itself? Separate from the eccentric anecdotes, how is The Island of Dr. Moreau as a movie? 

Told occasionally in voiceover, we start with Edward Douglas (David Thewlis). He is the eventual sole survivor of a plane crash on the Java Sea. Edward is a United Nations negotiator who is close to finding peace with warring nations in the region. However, it is not the U.N. that comes to his rescue. Instead, it is the Ombak Penari, a small ship that came across Edward's raft. Aboard is Dr. Montgomery (Val Kilmer), who first tells Edward that he will be dropped off on Java. However, they end up on what Montgomery calls "Moreau's Island", where Edward reluctantly agrees to go.

Montgomery appears somewhat hospitable. That hospitality, however, includes locking Edward in his guestroom. Why would Montgomery make Edward a de facto prisoner? Who is the beautiful woman dancing in the courtyard? The answer to the second is Aissa (Fairuza Balk), who says that she is Moreau's daughter. The answer to the first is a shocking secret. Montgomery is helping give birth to new creatures who are half-man, half-animal.

Edward, aided by Aissa, flee to a village of these new mutants overseen by the Sayer of the Law (Ron Perlman). This blind half-man/half-goat creature speaks the words of the Father. Edward now comes face to face with the mysterious Doctor Moreau (Marlon Brando). He is the mad scientist who has created his "children" with varying degrees of success. Montgomery is his hands at the various surgeries. Edward is appalled at Moreau's activities but his efforts at escape flop.

One creature who does not escape is Lo-Mai (Marc Dacascos), who has violated Moreau's laws about killing other creatures. He's disposed of with Azazello (Temuera Morrison) violating another law: shooting him. Moreau controls his creatures via electroshock implants inside of them. Montgomery also controls them with various shots that allegedly are to stop them from regressing but which he adds some marijuana. However, by now one of the creatures, Hyena-Swine (Daniel Rigney) has uncovered the implant and removed it.

The mutants are revolting, leading to a cascade of butchery and death. Which of the three pure humans (Moreau, Montgomery and Douglas) will survive the growing chaos on the Island of Misfit Monsters? 

It is approximately twenty minutes into The Island of Dr. Moreau before Marlon Brando appears. When he does, I would not blame anyone watching from having one of two reactions. He or she will either sit in stunned disbelief or burst out into laughter. Those are probably the only logical reactions to seeing Kabuki Brando arrive on his version of the Pope-Mobile. 

It does not get any better for Brando. His performance is one for the ages in that it somehow transcends goofy, bypasses loony and lands on Bizarro World. Actually, even on Bizarro World, Marlon Brando's performance would be seen as flat-out bonkers. Brando's first appearance has him in garish white makeup and all-white ensemble, looking like the illegitimate child of the Abominable Snowman and Frozen's Olaf.

His appearance then shifts to his speaking. That does not improve matters. Brando adopts a very curious accent, presumably British but the type more suited to a P.G. Wodehouse adaptation than an H.G. Wells one. He is quite foppish in his manner, with grand gestures and an air of not being fully aware of where or even who he is. I will give credit where credit is due. Marlon Brando does seem to play it oddly straight when Moreau is surrounded by beast men waiting to lunge at him.

Even here, when the animals are revolting against Father, Marlon Brando looks as if he either doesn't care or doesn't seem aware of anything. Sometimes though, one flat-out laughs at how broad Marlon Brando is (and no, that is not a fat joke).

The height or nadir of Brando's gonzo acting comes in what should be a curiously tender scene. Aissa has come to Moreau for help. She is slowly transitioning to animal (Aissa being the most human-looking of his creations). There we see Marlon Brando, usually ranked among the greatest actors of all time, with an ice bucket on his head. He tells Aissa that his "caloric converter" is empty, requiring her to dump ice directly into Moreau's head. The entire scene, I think, is meant to be a tender heart-to-heart between Aissa and Moreau. Instead, one could not help but to laugh at the hilarity of the "caloric converter".

Caloric converter probably is one of the saner elements in The Island of Dr. Moreau. The mad doctor has with him one of his favorite creations: Majai (Nelson De La Rosa). One never knows why he is almost always at Moreau's side (we do get to see this tiny figure nude when Montgomery is vaccinating the various creatures). This attachment to Majai is an unexplained whim. Majai later became the inspiration for the character of Mini-Me in the Austin Powers franchise. Majai adds nothing to whatever plot Ron Hutchinson and the film's former director Richard Stanley had. Then again, I don't know if The Island of Dr. Moreau had an actual script or director. Technically, the latter role was filled by John Frankenheimer. Visually, it's anyone's guess if someone was overseeing this madhouse.

Marlon Brando didn't embarrass himself in The Island of Dr. Moreau. He didn't humiliate himself. He looked like he was too whacked out to even be aware of what he was doing. His performance is such that one can believe the stories that Brando repeated police reports accidentally picked up through his earpiece as if it were actual dialogue. Brando does not appear to know anything about reality if one judges by his performance. 

As bad as Brando was, and he was bad, his two other costars were hardly better. David Thewlis did embarrass and humiliate himself as Edward Douglas. While Marlon Brando was acting on a whole other planet, Thewlis was not bothering to show his utter contempt for everything to do with the film. Brando may have slipped into some alternate universe, but Thewlis was one-note throughout. One can watch Marlon Brando as some kind of bizarre avant-garde acting style he was doing for his own eccentric amusement. One cannot watch David Thewlis as anything other than looking and sounding irritated.

A mild defense can be made owing to a lack of script. However, David Thewlis never convinced anyone that he was genuinely shocked or horrified at the demonic experiments going on. His character says that this is a mad and evil world that Moreau has created. Edward, however, never seems to believe anything that he says. One can say that it is wrong to create human/animal hybrids. Thewlis, however, never delivers his statements with any conviction. It is pretty sad that someone apparently cannot make the case why bestiality is wrong. 

Then we got Val Kilmer. He seemed to act as if the whole thing was crazy and it was best to be crazier. Given the reports of intense animosity between Kilmer and Brando, one imagines that the former enjoyed mocking the latter when Montgomery goes mad. However, in that short time period when Montgomery is the new Father, he looks less crazy and more bored. I think Kilmer may have tried to be menacing. He might have tried, but he failed spectacularly.

It is unfortunate that Fairuza Balk gave the most honest performance in The Island of Dr. Moreau. She is the only major player to appear to at least try to make any of this remotely plausible. It is probably the best performance in the film because she steered clear of what doomed her male costars. She did not make Aissa a whacked-out loon (Brando), a bored actor (Kilmer) or an angry actor desperate to get out (Thewlis). Ron Perlman was basically sad as the Goat-Boy. One often forgets that he is there or what his purpose is.

The film is confused about itself. Its efforts to be deep end up looking goofy. We start with a fistfight between the other survivors of Edward's doomed flight. "They fought like beasts, not men", we hear in Thewlis' voiceover. That's not subtle foreshadowing. The film ends with footage of various fights, again pushing the "man is really a beast" theme that it thinks it is communicating. "You all killed the Father. You all ate the flesh", Douglas somewhat mockingly tells Hyena-Swine when the latter appears close to demanding worship. My guess is that even atheists would roll their eyes at The Island of Dr. Moreau's pretentions of intellect.

The Island of Dr. Moreau has exactly two good things in it: Fairuza Balk and Gary Chang's score. The music is strong and effective in its effort to make things ominous and thrilling. Like Balk, Chang's score was making the effort. Apart from those two aspects, The Island of Dr. Moreau is a film that one watches almost in stunned disbelief at how laughable it all is. I figure that it may be revived as a cult film. It is not a "so bad it's good" film. It just gives mad scientists a bad name. 

DECISION: D-

Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel. The Television Documentary

BEYOND TARA: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF HATTIE MCDANIEL

This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon. Today's star is Hattie McDaniel.

Trailblazer. Pioneer. Groundbreaker. These qualities are usually held in high regard. Sometimes, though, such terms are damning with faint praise. Such appears to be the case with Hattie McDaniel. She was the first black person, male or female, to be nominated for and win an Academy Award. That recognition, however, came at a very heavy personal price. Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel looks at her life and career to show a person who chipped away at the racism African Americans faced while being condemned for it.

Beyond Tara is hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. It is fitting that Goldberg narrate our journey through McDaniel's life and career. She is the second black woman to win Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Ghost. It was surprising to read that it took fifty years for another black woman to achieve what McDaniel had done. McDaniel's bit of Academy history, however, was hard-fought.

We learn in Beyond Tara that Hattie McDaniel was a respected theater and film veteran by the time she was cast as Mammy in Gone with the Wind. Opportunities for black performers of both genders, regardless of talent, were very limited. McDaniel has been working on the vaudeville circuit for years with her family. After vaudeville declined, she set out to break into the burgeoning film industry. Here, the roles that black women could get were as maids or slaves. To make ends meet, McDaniel had to work as a real-life domestic for a time.

However, her desire and determination to work in film started paying dividends. While she was relegated to stock parts of maids and slaves, McDaniel managed to defy the stereotypes by playing against them. She was able to play the roles as more outspoken, even brash. McDaniel's maids were able to show up and sometimes talk back to her employers. One particularly wonderful performance from McDaniel was in Alice Adams. Here, she stole the scene from people like Katharine Hepburn with her blend of physical comedy and apparently clumsy manner. Unlike the airs and graces that Hepburn's title character was attempting, McDaniel's Melina had a blend of silly and wise. She had a great schtick of forever struggling to keep her maid's cap from falling. She also warned the family that the planned meal was wrong for the weather, and she was proven right.

Then came Gone with the Wind; this would be an epic film, and despite the rather bucolic look at the antebellum South, McDaniel saw an opportunity to be in a major production. She had supporters in the industry. Both Bing Crosby and her eventual Gone with the Wind costar Clark Gable recommended her to the film's producer. Once David O. Selznick saw her audition, he said, "I can almost smell the magnolias". McDaniel fought hard for the role, knowing that every black actress would want a crack at the grand production. 

That grand production, however, did not sit well with many in the black press. They were still displeased with the limitations placed on black actors. They also disliked the almost genteel portrayal of the peculiar institution. The black press, however, might not have known that McDaniel had enough pull, limited as it may have been, to get some concessions from Selznick. No use of the n-word whatsoever was a key win for her.

McDaniel's turn as Mammy gave her a character with depth that overcame the limitations of the times. Her Mammy was a woman of quiet strength who was able to show a deeper figure than usually seen. She was even able, to use current terms, to throw shade at the main character of Scarlett O'Hara. Her performance defied the negative connotations of these roles. Her performance won her the respect of her peers.

At the Academy Awards, we saw the dichotomy of McDaniel's situation. She received a standing ovation when she entered the ceremony. She was also forced to sit in the back, separate from her fellow actors. She had also hoped that winning the Oscar would get her better parts. Sadly, her long-term contract at MGM kept her well within the confines of Mammy-type roles. McDaniel saw that, like many actors with or without Oscars, she was typecast. Except for a more sympathetic role of the mother of an accused hit-and-run driver in the film In This Our Life, McDaniel could not shift away from those maids and slaves.

That was bad enough. Making things worse were the attacks by NAACP head Walter White (yes, that was his real name). White had an animus towards the roles that black actors were playing. His preference was for the glamourous Lena Horne. His antagonism towards the other black actors seemed to become fixated on Hattie McDaniel. White was "disgusted at the sheer selfishness of actors like Hattie, who just wanted to save their jobs without regard to the future of Negroes* as a whole". 

McDaniel, already struggling to eke out a living as an actress, sneered at White's complaints. She pointed out that White was only 1/8th black. Not pointed out in Beyond Tara is that White was "white passing", with blonde hair and blue eyes. McDaniel's efforts in racial integration, such as her successful fight against housing discrimination in Los Angeles, apparently cut no ice with White.

Nevertheless, McDaniel persisted. When film roles dried up, she did what many other actors did: turn to radio. The Beulah Show, which centered around an African American maid, was originally voiced by a white male actor. McDaniel became the first black woman to have her own radio show at $2,000 a week. She was an instant hit, receiving thousands of fan letters. She may have played yet another maid, but a job's a job. She was also set to do the television version of The Beulah Show. Unfortunately, she became ill with what would be breast cancer and could not complete the season.

Beyond Tara has actors like Nell Carter, who followed in McDaniel's footsteps, speak about her importance as that trailblazer. Other figures, like cultural historian Gerald Early give us background into the times when McDaniel worked.  One interviewee, entertainer Bobby Short, knew Hattie McDaniel and recalled that she had racial pride. He adds that she was "an elegant lady". 

One finishes Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel, with deep respect and admiration for the actress. She did take the blows so that others following her would not. Mo'Nique, who would follow in McDaniel's footsteps in winning Best Supporting Actress for Precious, wore gardenias in her hair as tribute to McDaniel, who wore those flowers when she broke that barrier on her own Best Supporting Actress win. The documentary does end on a somewhat somber note. We learn that McDaniel had donated her Oscar plaque** to Howard University, a Historic Black University. In the tumult of the Civil Rights era, the Oscar disappeared. Whether it was stolen for profit during the chaos or potentially destroyed as a symbolic protest of McDaniel's Mammy role, no one knows. In some ways, that lost Oscar represents something of Hattie McDaniel's lost legacy. 

However, Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel, is a good primer to give this talented performer her due. Hopefully, Hattie McDaniel's genuine groundbreaking work will be seen separate from however one sees her most famous character. 

Finally, as a side note, Beyond Tara was part of the American Movie Classics' Hollywood Lives & Legends series. At the time, AMC had a variety of film-related programming. There was Hollywood Lives & Legends. There was Backstory, which gave behind-the-scenes on classic films. Cinema Secrets chronicled technical aspects of filmmaking. Director's Showcase featured films and television productions from legendary filmmakers. There was a kids-centered program, Little Rascals 2.0 hosted by Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz. AMC even had an original program, The Lot, about a fictional studio during the so-called Golden Age of Filmmaking. Now, it would surprise people if they knew what "AMC" stood for, both literally and figuratively. 

Once, the network chronicled a battle between Hattie McDaniel and Walter White. Now, the network's great claim to fame is another altogether different Walter White.

8/10

*Negro/Negroes was the terminology of the time.

** Best Supporting Actor and Actress winners were presented with plaques rather than full Oscar statues for the first seven years of the category. As such, McDaniel received a plaque just like Stagecoach's Thomas Mitchell, that year's Best Supporting Actor winner. 

Pete's Dragon (2016): A Review

PETE'S DRAGON (2016)

This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon. Today's star is Robert Redford.

I go into Pete's Dragon not having seen the original as of this writing. As such, I think I come at this with an advantage as I have neither negative nor nostalgic feelings for the property. The 2016 version of Pete's Dragon has a curious logical flaw that I struggled with. However, I found it a decent enough family film that works separate from that. 

Young Pete Healy (Oakes Fegley) is riding along with his parents in what I presume is the Pacific Northwest. He is on "an adventure" with his parents when they are involved in a car accident. Pete is the only survivor, and he stumbles into the forest. Wolves come close to devouring him, but he is rescued by an unlikely figure. It is a large, green dragon who can turn invisible. The dragon takes a shine to this young five-year-old, who names him "Elliot".

Pete, now living as a wild boy in the woods, is not the only person to have seen what is called "the Millhaven Dragon". Conrad Meacham (Robert Redford) regales local children with his tale of his own encounter with this dragon. They delight in his stories of dubious veracity. One person who does not delight in these stories is his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard). While she appreciates how Meacham's tales of the western woods were the impetus for her career as a park ranger, she thinks them frivolous. Grace is engaged to Jack Magary (Wes Bentley), who ironically is a logger working alongside his brother Gavin (Karl Urban). Jack is displeased, like Grace is, that Gavin keeps pushing further into the woods almost at a haphazard and rushed manner.

Attempting to mediate, Jack's daughter Natalie (Oona Laurence) spots a strange wild child. It is Pete, who has been essentially raised by Elliot. Eventually, Pete is discovered by Jack, Grace and Gavin. Elliot, however, has not. Gavin, however, is no fool and knows that something is out there.

Pete is fiercely resistant to entering the human world and wants to go back to the woods. That, however, is impossible. Grace, reluctant to turn Pete over to Child Protective Services, turns to her father after Pete tells Grace, Natalie and Jack about Elliot. Could the stories of the Millhaven Dragon be true? Gavin finds that they are and has the literal proof. However, wild dragons must be free. Will everyone live happily ever after?

What I found a bit illogical to downright nonsensical is how Pete spent those six years completely missing and raised by a dragon. Did Elliot procure food and what little clothing he had for Pete? How did no one find Pete's parents? There is mention by local Sheriff Gene Dentler (Isiah Whitlock) about Pete being part of a "missing persons" cold case. However, I never accepted that a child could be raised by a dragon and speak relatively well. I especially struggled in believing that Pete's parents were never found. Come to think of it, the thought of their rotting corpses trapped in their car for six years is rather gruesome.

Then again, I might be overthinking something like Pete's Dragon. This is supposed to be a family-friendly fantasy. Those rarely have true logic in them. One knows that Pete's Dragon is family-friendly in that Gavin and his hunting party are not shooting Elliot with bullets. As Grace, Conrad, Jack and especially Pete & Natalie watch in horror, Gavin and his men are firing at the lassoed Elliot. Gavin and I think Jack immediately shout to everyone that Elliot is being shot with tranquilizers. Therefore, any young child who fears for Elliot will see that he is merely being put to sleep and not killed. 

The film does take great care to not frighten its target audience. We see this with the aforementioned treatment of Elliot. It is threatening but never vicious. We also see it in the characters. Gavin is the de facto villain. However, I would argue that Gavin is more misguided than truly evil or heartless. He does initially rescue Pete. He also makes a daring rescue attempt of Grace and Jack when Elliot begins taking his own version of revenge towards those who threaten him and/or Pete.

The performances also show how Pete's Dragon is geared towards the younger set. Bryce Dallas Howard speaks in a soft voice. She is aiming with Grace to be that gentle, maternal figure. Even when she appears cross, Howard never carries a strong, angry tone. Instead, Grace is made to be kind and caring. Wes Bentley and Karl Urban are also not made out to be bad men because they cut down trees. Urban's Gavin is sharper about the need to skirt the edge of the forest more than Jack would like. However, they do show genuine affection for each other as brothers. In fact, a major plot point in Pete's Dragon is how Gavin feels betrayed when Jack both refuses to believe Gavin's story of seeing the dragon but will not help him in trying to capture it.

One usually does not think of Robert Redford as being part of a family-friendly ensemble film. However, in his scenes as Conrad, he had a surprise rapport with the children when he is regaling them with his dragon encounter. When Grace asks him about what really happened when he met the Millhaven Dragon (minus the embellishments), Redford delivers a surprisingly effective monologue where he talks about feeling a sense of "magic". 

The two children did well in their roles. Oona Laurence and Oakes Fegley were not precocious or cutesy. Instead, they showed themselves to be realistic in how their characters behaved and interacted with both strangers and strange new worlds. Director David Lowery (who also adapted the original film's screenplay with Toby Halbrooks) guided all his actors to good performances that kept within the family-friendly mode. He also kept things going at a steady pace.

Finally, we see that the music plays a role in how Pete's Dragon is that family-friendly fantasy. Daniel Hart's score had a strong fantasy feel that aimed high to make things magical. The film had pleasant soft songs such as the opening theme The Dragon Song. It gives us not specially the origin of Elliot but on how dragons might be real.

The visual effects were not awe-inspiring. They were serviceable and pleasant, in keeping with the overall feel the film I think was aiming for.

Pete's Dragon is a charmer of a film. I think it will appeal to young children without frightening them. It might be a touch longer than needed. That, however, is a relatively small point. It might not be logical. However, Pete's Dragon has its dragon heart in the right place.

DECISION: B-

The Velvet Touch: A Review

THE VELVET TOUCH

This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon. Today's star is Rosalind Russell.

People may die for their art, but would they murder for it? The Velvet Touch is a surprisingly solid murder mystery despite knowing whodunit in the beginning. 

Valerie Stanton (Rosalind Russell) is the Queen of Broadway. Her newest comedy, Escapade, has been another roaring success. On this closing night, however, it is curtains for more than just the show. Val has learned to her rage that her Svengali, Gordon Dunning (Leon Ames) has no plans to let Valerie go either professionally or personally. An argument ensues between them, culminating in Val whacking Gordon on the head with a trophy. Shocked and slightly dazed by her act, Valerie manages to slip out of the theater unobserved. Unaware of anything that has happened, her fellow Escapade actress Marion Webster (Claire Trevor) finds Gordon's lifeless body and also goes into shock.

At home, she dreams in an extended flashback on how all this came to happen. Valerie had been Gordon's professional and personal muse. She starred in all the comedies that he produced. Gordon had dumped Marion Webster for Val, making the professional and personal rivals. Now, two new opportunities had come to Valerie. The first was an offer to appear in Hedda Gabler. Valerie itches for the chance to play drama versus the successful but lightweight comedies she specializes in. The second is Michael Morrell (Leo Genn). He is a dashing British architect who is enchanted by Valerie. She in turn is enchanted by Michael.

No dice, however, from Gordon. He plants a story with bitchy theater columnist Jeff Trent (Dan Tobin) that she has agreed to be in Gordon's newest comedy and not Hedda Gabler. Enraged, she demands that he retract the story. Nothing doing, and in their tussle, she accidentally murders him. Now, the story of Gordon's murder breaks. She is convinced that she will be quickly found. 

However, a twist of fate coupled with Marion Webster being found alongside the body shifts focus onto Valerie's love rival. Captain Danberry (Sydney Greenstreet) is a shadow around Valerie, but he too starts turning towards Marion Webster as the murderess. Could Valerie find herself literally getting away with murder? She does feel guilty. Marion Webster accuses her privately of murder. However, Marion Webster ends herself, leaving everyone in little doubt that she is the guilty party. Now, Valerie Stanton may at last shift from comedienne to tragedy queen. She may have a husband. Even theater-mad Captain Danberry seems satisfied that the case is closed. Is it though? Will Valerie keep her secret shame or crack?

After watching The Velvet Touch, I was reminded of a few films that both preceded and came after it. The first is Mourning Becomes Electra. That film was meant to showcase Rosalind Russell as a dramatic actress. That lurid story did earn her a Best Actress nomination. Unfortunately, it was such a critical and commercial disaster that Loretta Young in The Farmer's Daughter ended up winning. In a curious way, The Velvet Touch seems to mirror Russell's own artistic aspirations.  Like Valerie Stanton, Russell was seen primarily as a brilliant comic actress who wanted to show that she had versatility. I think that had Russell and her team not focused so much on the lumbering Eugene O'Neill adaptation that is Mourning Becomes Electra, Russell could have legitimate earned a Best Actress nomination for The Velvet Touch. 

Here, Russell showed that she could do drama and comedy remarkably well. The Velvet Touch has nice comedic moments. Of particular note is when she is at a dinner party where her more rapid-fire delivery and eager-to-please manner brought an amusing touch. In that scene, she compliments a writer for his newest work, oblivious to his hesitancy in accepting the praise. It is not until someone tells her that she has been speaking to the book's publisher and not author that she shows a slightly manic manner reminiscent of yet another film, Auntie Mame. 

Russell could also show strong dramatic manner. We see this when she is shown performing Hedda Gabler or when confronting Marion Webster. I figure that director Jack Gage could not completely break Russell of a habit of widening her eyes when expressing drama. I, however, put that down to the intense theatrics that Mourning Becomes Electra mistook as great drama versus unintended comedy. The scene where she learns of Marion Webster's suicide is an especially strong piece of acting. It is not overdone but not restrained either.

The Leo Rosten screenplay does have some surprising moments of humor. They almost always come at Sydney Greenstreet's willing expense. He first appears to the Escapade cast and crew to start his investigation. As he slowly starts to sit, his physicality suggests that he expects that his girth will cause the chair to collapse. Later on, Danberry is hounded by reporters. "Looks like a big case," one of them says. Looking somewhat serious, Danberry snaps back, "Don't get personal!", pauses, then starts laughing. 

The other film that The Velvet Touch reminds me of is All About Eve. Both are set in the theater world. Both have divas who are looking for love. Both have secondary actresses who work against said divas. Both have a pretty bitchy theater columnist who delights in his maliciousness. Both even have a hard, shrewd theater figure. The parallel between Thelma Ritter's Birdie in All About Eve and Esther Howard's Pansy in The Velvet Touch is not an exact parallel. Pansy hangs around the stage door, giving the cast and fans the latest reviews and reports. However, one can see how these two films could fit in a metaphorical double bill.

Rosalind Russell gives a strong performance as the guilt-ridden Valerie. Despite Claire Trevor's Marion Webster's protests, I think Valerie did have a sense of guilt over murdering Gordon. She clearly did not intent to do so. However, The Velvet Touch is not about the crime itself. We know from the get-go that Valerie is the murderess. Instead, the film is about a bigger mystery: whether or not she will get away with it. Almost all the performances are strong.

The aforementioned Greenstreet brings a lightness to things. He is not a fool, able to use his powers of deduction to a proper albeit incorrect conclusion. We also see Greenstreet showing a caring side, comforting Valerie when she learns the shocking news. A surprise is seeing Leon Ames as the villainous Gordon Dunning. Ames usually played well-meaning and caring fathers. Here, he is arrogant, selfish and possessive. It is Ames that one is impressed with most. The paterfamilias of Meet Me in St. Louis showed himself a manipulative figure. You did not mind that he got done in. 

Dan Tobin also did well in his small role as the fussy Jeff Trent. I would put two performers on the lower end. The first is Claire Trevor as Marion Webster. She was not terrible. Trevor had a good moment when she meets with Gordon as part of a plan to help her now-frenemy take Michael while she gets Gordon back. However, her final scene where she is coming in and out of her hysteria when confronting Valerie might have been a bit much.

The wettest blanket was Leo Genn as Michael Morrill. Why anyone would want this man, especially with his long nose, I cannot guess at. He and his character were both bland and boring.

A particular poor element in The Velvet Touch involves Marion Webster. It is not the character herself. It is her name. One cannot be faulted for wondering why "Merriam Webster" was so important. It did not help that she was routinely called "Marion Webster". Why anyone involved in The Velvet Touch thought that the character's name might not elicit laughter or at least bemusement I also cannot guess at. Let us say that the name choice was in the long run, a curious one.

The Velvet Touch also has a surprising element in a lovely theme song. It is lush and romantic. It might be slightly at odds with the plot. However, it is a nice romantic number. 

If one wants to see Rosalind Russell show her dramatic range, it would be better to watch The Velvet Touch over Mourning Becomes Electra. We know whodunit. We watch to see if she will get caught or get away. How it turns out requires watching, which I think will be worth the time to do so. 

DECISION: B+

His Girl Friday: A Review

HIS GIRL FRIDAY

This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon. Today's star is Cary Grant.

Screwball comedy rarely came as fast, as smooth and as funny as in His Girl Friday. Standout performances by two of the finest actors of their generation showcases the witty script and rapid-fire manner to this witty film.

Morning Post editor Walter Burns (Cary Grant) is as unscrupulous a figure as they come. He's the embodiment of the charming rogue. He gets his story no matter what. One thing that he cannot get is his ex-wife, star reporter Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell). She had endured Walter's schemes and manners for far too long. She, for example, was denied a honeymoon with Walter because he had to get her to cover a story. Now, all Hildy wants is to settle down with staid insurance agent Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy). 

Walter knows that Hildy is the best man for the job. He also knows that he is the best man for her. Walter tempts Hildy with one final major story. Earl Williams (John Qualen) is set to be executed for murdering a police officer. Williams didn't just kill a police officer. He killed a "colored" police officer. The mayor (Clarence Klob) and Sheriff Peter B. "Pinky" Hartnell (Gene Lockhart) know that Williams' death will get them the "colored" vote. Williams, however, maintains his innocence. Walter believes that Williams is being set up for political reasons. He knows that Hildy is the best man for the story. 

He also wants to keep her from marrying Bruce. Hildy, for her part, slowly starts finding her journalistic instincts harder to suppress. Walter finagles things to stop them from going to Albany where Bruce lives with his mother. If it means repeatedly getting the hapless Bruce arrested, then so be it. If it means literally abducting Mrs. Baldwin (Alma Kruger), then so be it.

One thing that Walter did not arrange was Williams busting out, thanks in part to Pinky's incompetence. He also did not arrange for Williams' reprieve. Williams, however, did not flee into the night. He is still, technically, inside the prison. Hildy, who had gotten an exclusive with him earlier, is astounded to find Williams in the prison's journalist room. Now Hildy and Walter are sitting on the biggest news story in town. Will Pinky and the mayor manage to "not" receive the reprieve in time? Will Bruce keep himself out of jail? Will Hildy find that she and Walter really are best for each other?

His Girl Friday is a remake of The Front Page with one major change. Hildy Johnson was switched from a male to a female character, with the added change of making the new Hildy into Walter's ex-wife. This gives His Girl Friday a different dynamic altogether. The film goes from a clever take on journalism and political corruption to a battle of the sexes. Charles Lederer's adaptation of the Ben Hecht/Charles MacArthur play (with uncredited work by Hecht) has many amusing moments both in situations and dialogue. The naive Bruce compliments Walter to Hildy, calling him "charming". Hildy chuckles at this assertion. "He comes by it naturally. His grandfather was a snake", she retorts. Later, Hildy suspects that Walter will try and pull a fast one on Bruce by trying to steal the certified check that Walter will give Bruce so as to not let him cash it. In a clever set of circumstances, Hildy does her own hoodwinking, conning Bruce to literally put it under (or inside) his hat.

The dialogue even allows for a few inside jokes, which I figure was not common in the day. Walter seems to struggle describing what Bruce looks like to a woman Walter uses to frame him for solicitation. Walter soon comes up with the perfect answer. "He looks like that fellow in the movies...Ralph Bellamy". Later on, the corrupt mayor and dimwitted sheriff think that they have Hildy and Walter over a barrel. "Listen, the last man that said that to me was Archie Leach, just a week before he cut his throat". The joke is that "Archie Leach" was Cary Grant's real name. His Girl Friday, in short, was meta before the concept really existed. 

His Girl Friday also, I think, is the rare film where a woman is shown as the equal to a man in a male-dominated world. Hildy is treated more than just "one of the boys" by the other reporters. She is actually shown as someone who is extremely well-liked and very respected amongst her peers. The other journalists are more cynical about things than Hildy is. She is not naive or unaware of how politics and corruption work. There is a wonderful comedic bit where she is denied a chance for an interview with Williams until she "happens" to find a $20 that she "assumes" the warden dropped. However, Hildy is also more optimistic about Williams' chances. She also, as a woman, appears more sympathetic to Molly Malloy (Helen Mack), whose initial caring for Williams was misconstrued by the other reporters in print.

One of His Girl Friday's best elements is with its cast. Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant were absolute masters of wordplay. Both are able to rattle off rapid-fire dialogue and make it sound perfectly natural. His Girl Friday gives both of them many moments where they seem to speak over each but are actually in tandem. Their double-act makes their interplay a delight to watch. Of particular note is when they are desperately trying to keep poor Williams hidden in a rolltop desk. Their verbal and physical comedy is a great thing to watch.

Cary Grant is delightful rakish as Walter Burns. He is ruthless and manipulative. However, he has such a breeze, almost playful manner in his antics and schemes that you end up liking him. Yes, he might have repeatedly framed Bruce for crimes. He may have hired a kidnapper to keep Mrs. Baldwin out of things. However, Grant makes Walter not into a villain but into a sharp, quick-witted fellow who will scheme his way to get what he wants. I think the success comes from the fact that Grant plays Walter as someone who is so thoroughly convinced that he is right that he never stops to think anything he does is wrong. I never sensed that Walter was cruel or corrupt. In fact, he was very much anti-corruption, noting that Williams was being railroaded for other people's crooked schemes. 

In some ways, Grant gives Walter something of a childlike manner. He is like a big kid delighting in making mischief for others, especially if it benefits him. 

Rosalind Russell is more than able to match Cary Grant in fast-paced dialogue. Her Hildy is sharp and hard-edged while also showing genuine caring for others. Her interview with Williams is surprisingly dramatic. Here, Russell shows that she could play serious while still firmly in the madcap world of His Girl Friday. She is able to show her moral strength and courage when facing off against the desperate Williams. She is also able to have great physical comedy. One has to laugh when she literally makes a giant tackle to stop the terrified Warden Cooley (Pat West). 

Ralph Bellamy has a pretty thankless role as the naive Bruce Baldwin. He, however, makes Bruce into an ideal third wheel. Bellamy does have one moment when he does stand up for himself. As Walter and Hildy are furiously on the phone lines attempting to give their stories, Bruce berates Hildy for ignoring him and his repeated arrests. For the most part, Bellamy played the part correctly. He is slightly befuddled but totally sincere in his affection for Hildy.

His Girl Friday is a sheer delight from start to end. This is more surprising given that His Girl Friday runs a rapid-fire 92 minutes long. In that surprisingly brief runtime, the film packs in a whole set of wit, great performances and hilarious situations. Everyone should be so lucky if they had His Girl Friday in their lives.

DECISION: A+

Dad (1989): A Review (Review #2205)

DAD (1989)

This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon. Today's star is Jack Lemmon.

It is inevitable that as an actor ages, his roles shift from son to father to grandfather. Jack Lemmon is no exception. Dad, if memory serves right, was my first exposure to Lemmon as an actor. It has been a long, long time since I have revisited this film. Dad is shamelessly hokey and sentimental. However, it is well-meaning in said hokeyness and sentimentality, so I can see why it is appealing to audiences.  

Jake Tremont (Jack Lemmon) lives a pretty sheltered and henpecked life. His wife Bette (Olympia Dukakis) is firm, rigid and pretty much the boss. Bette does love Jake, but her dominant personality is such that Jake and everyone Bette comes in contact with is rendered pretty powerless. They keep to a solid routine, which is interrupted when Bette suffers a heart attack while they are grocery shopping.

Into this health crisis steps, their son John (Ted Danson) steps in. John, a busy executive, flies back home to California from New York to look in on his parents. His sister Annie (Kathy Baker) and brother-in-law Mario (Kevin Spacey) do their best for both Jake and Bette. Bette continues to insist that all she had was bad indigestion. Jake, who has been rendered pretty much docile by Bette, now finds himself slightly out of sorts without her guidance. 

John soon starts showing Dad how to do the most basic things. Jake does not know how to do laundry. He does not appear to know how to wash dishes. He might have once been a Lockheed employee and amateur racecar driver. Today though, Jake Tremont is a sympathetic well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory. John takes an extended leave of absence to guide his dad into a new lease on life. Jake gets his driver's license back. He starts to go back to bingo. Soon, Jake and John are finding life.

Struggling to find life is John's own son Billy (Ethan Hawke). Billy is drifting through life, having left college to be a beach bum in Mexico. John does his best to guide Billy but sees that after his divorce he has not made Billy a priority.  Bette has returned and is still as chilly as ever. This runs counter to Jake's newfound joie de vivre. That joy of life, however, is short-lived. Jake is diagnosed with cancer. The mere word "cancer" so terrifies Jake that John at first insists that Jake not be told. The doctor ignores this request. The word so triggers Jake that he eventually slips into a coma. 

Eventually, with a better and more caring doctor, Jake emerges out of his catatonic state. Unfortunately, so does his fantasy life. Jake, so beaten down by Bette's unintentionally cruel manner, has created a fantasy life where he, Bette and imagined children live on a farm. Jake also starts living it up by inviting his neighbors to let them babysit and having weekly cultural dinners. Bette does her best to go along with Jake's fantasies and new life. However, it reaches a boiling point where she cannot tolerate what she thinks is total insanity. Will the Tremont family reconcile?

I remember watching Dad, as I said, in a theater. While my memories of the audience are somewhat vague, I do recall that people did respond to the story. For that, I should give credit to screenwriter/director Gary David Goldberg (who adapted William Wharton's novel). Dad is unashamed of playing with the viewer's heartstrings. 

The best example of this emotional manipulation is when John, in a rage about having his request to not use the word "cancer" used, takes Jake out of the hospital. With the late James Horner's music swelling in the foreground, we see John carrying the shivering, shaking, terrified Jake in his arms, the rest of his family following behind. If memory serves right, I think this was filmed in slow-motion.

Another good element of Dad is how the film has subtle moments that are easy enough for the casual viewer to find. Early on, we hear Jake tell John that once the word "cancer" is said, it's pretty much over. That sets us up for when we learn of Jake's diagnosis. However, a better moment is when Jake comes in wearing an old black cap. He tells John that Bette always told him not to wear it inside. He thinks it is because Bette thinks it makes him look "too tough, like Johnny Cash". At the end of Dad, we see Bette wear that cap inside the house. Nothing is said. No one mentions it. However, the message is clear.

Dad, if one thinks on it, is actually Dads. The central story is that of John dealing with Jake. A lot of time is spent showing how Jake and John interact and become friends and supportive of each other. However, Dad can also be about John and Billy. Their own fraught relationship also makes up part of the film. We see their own evolution. Goldberg did well in not have the John/Billy relationship be purely antagonistic. Instead, we see that Billy is at most ambivalent about his own father. He does not hate him. Rather, I would say that John is a shadow to Billy. He does not push John away but does not rush to embrace him. It is their mutual love of Jake that ties them together. It also is the glue that lets them mend their own relationship. 

Dad has some overall solid performances from the cast. Jack Lemmon did what he was asked to do: make Jake Tremont almost childlike in the early section of the film. His character is extremely docile with Bette. We see this again in small moments and gestures. Bette, for example, literally cuts his pancakes. Jake walks behind Bette. While he is cheerful and friendly to the grocery butcher, we see Bette ready to do battle to get the best price on the porkchops. When she has her medical emergency, Lemmon's Jake is tottering and panicking, as if unsure of what to do.

As the film goes on, we see through Lemmon's performance how Jake slowly comes out of his shell. Since the audience sees Jake as a likeable old man, we do end up wanting him to succeed. I do think that Dad infantilized Jake to an almost cartoonish level. It seems so odd that a Lockheed engineer and racecar enthusiast could now struggle to function on his own. And that was before his cancer diagnosis and growing senility. When Jake starts babbling about his imaginary life, the psychiatrist tells John that Jake is "a successful schizophrenic". That is one of the oddest statements that I have heard to describe a nice old man who created a fantasy life that is now bleeding into reality.

I do think that there were a few moments when Lemmon hammed it up. There is a moment when Jake, terrified of something, hides under his bed. John' struggle to get him out seemed to be a bit exaggerated. Overall, though, I think Dad is strong late-era Jack Lemmon.  

Just as Jack Lemmon delivered the performance that he was hired to do, I think the same about Olympia Dukakis as the domineering Bette. Dukakis does not play Bette like a villain. She does love Jake. She also is pretty curt and cutting with everyone, so she is not deliberately cruel. I would not go so far as to say that Bette is well-intentioned. She does find the Tremont men's fashion show hilarious as does her daughter Cathy. However, she is also clearly irritated and barely tolerant of both Jake's growing eccentricity and the family's coddling of it. Things come to a boil during the Japanese-themed dinner.

All Bette wants to do is eat, though one suspects that finds the dishes not to her liking. Jake has asked everyone to wear Japanese clothing, speak as much Japanese as possible and spout of information on various Japanese topics. Bette asks for the rice. Mario, almost delighting in teasing his mother-in-law, insists that she ask in Japanese. She will have none of it and grabs the rice bowl angrily, letting some rice spill over.

To be honest, I side with Bette on this one. It is clear that she is not enjoying any of this. I do not think that her family, outside of Mario, is deliberately pushing her buttons. However, one wonders why there could not be a compromise between how everyone treated Jake and Bette.

Ted Danson, I don't think, matched Lemmon or Dukakis. It was not a terrible performance by any stretch. His John was meant as the "more rational" member who has to become the caretaker. He did well, so I cannot fault him for that. The same goes for Ethan Hawke. He was a bit softer than I remember as Billy. Even when he is angry, he is not raging but quite soft and still. That, like with Danson, is not a bad thing.

The weakest part is Kevin Spacey as Mario. One wonders how he could be "Mario". Kathy Baker was underused as Annie. In a nice twist, Jack Lemmon's real-life son Chris plays Jake in his early years. This was a bit confusing in the beginning. We see the farm and bucolic life. Initially, we think this was Jake's early years. However, it turns out that this is really Jake's fantasy world that has become real to him. 

I do not blame Dad for being emotionally manipulative. I do blame it for being a bit longer than I think that it should be. Like the title character, Dad wants to please and make everyone happy. I cannot say that Dad made me happy. It did, however, please me enough to think well of it. Dad knows what it is and does not pretend to be or do otherwise. 

DECISION: C+