A Hole in the Head (1959)

Frank might have "High Hopes" but he's got a very low bank account. Make that non-existent.

Intro.

I took a break from holiday movies the night before last.  As I near my 100 film goal, I decided I wanted to review one last Sinatra film, and this one was fresh on my DVR and also one I hadn't seen.  The premise sounded good, but after watching, I still have some mixed feelings. 

Overview

An owner of a run-down Miami hotel, Tony Manetta (Frank Sinatra) tells his story straight: "If anyone thinks I'm a well-heeled bigshot out on a spree, they've got a hole in the head.  Truth is, I'm broke."  Not only is he broke, but he is trying to support his twelve year old son Ally (Eddie Hodges) and raise enough dough to dodge their eviction.  Tony's respectable, business-owner Mario (Edward G. Robinson) and Mario's wife Sophie (Thelma Ritter) come down from Brooklyn, worried about Ally's well-being, as Tony is notorious for living recklessly and often going broke.  At first they want to take Ally back to live with them, but then they hatch a plan to get Tony married to some nice, respectable girl (Sophie's friend Mrs. Rogers (Eleanore Parker) happens to fit the part) so Mario can get him set up with a shop and a nice, respectable home.  But Tony can't quite shake his get-rich-quick schemes or his penchant for "wild" women and good times.  What comes across though is how strong his bond is with Ally, who loves him unconditionally.  It's that bond which takes center stage in the film and ultimately saves Tony.

Highlights

Okay, Eddie Hodges has to be one of the cutest kids ever.  He is so much fun to watch and a complete scene stealer.  I loved his reaction when he sees Mrs. Rogers for the first time and is shocked at how lovely she is.  And his interaction with Frank Sinatra is really something to admire; they work very well together, which is great because their relationship is really the heart of the film.  Tony might not be in the running for best father of the year, but it isn't for his lack of trying.  I think Sophie says it best when she tells Ally that "He's a child of 41 and you're a grown man of 11."  He decides to have Ally go and live with Mario and Sophie in the end and hates himself for it and hates that he can't be the kind of father Ally deserves.  The ending, not to give too much away, is really bittersweet.

I also loved Edward G. Robinson in this non-gangster role!  What a treat to see him as the respectable older brother.  And Thelma Ritter makes a great match for him.  But especially good is Eleanore Parker, who is undeniably sweet and charming and helps Tony sort things out in the end.  And then there's Frank, who does a great job.  I think the reason I felt so conflicted about this movie is because I both loved and hated Tony a little, but in the end just kind of felt sorry for him.  I wanted to be on his side the whole time, but when he went to the dog track, I just knew something bad would happen.  He just didn't know when to quit.  I think it gets summed up best in the song that Frank sings during the opening credits.  The song is "All My Tomorrows" and the line I loved was "And all the dreams I can beg, steal or borrow on some bright tomorrow belong to you."  Basically this movie will not follow a traditional pattern of a romantic comedy or family drama - it falls somewhere in-between and seems at times a bit superficial.  I wish I could have had more time with these characters and gotten to know them better.

Review and Recommendation

While I found this movie entertaining, I wouldn't say it was extraordinary.  It was a pretty standard film; like I said, about middle of the road.  The cast is all very good and the little boy is adorable, but there is still that vein of despair mixed in with the humor.  I haven't really made up my mind about recommending it, but if anyone out there has seen it and would like to comment, please do!      

Ride Lonesome (1959)

Wait, are you sure I haven't seen this film before?

Intro.

November was going to be my month dedicated to Westerns, though with my time constraints lately, it's quickly into a grab-bag sort of month.  However, I've loved Westerns for many years, and there's something that still attracts me to the myth of the American frontier.  I should clarify though, that I watch mostly older Westerns from the pre-spaghetti Western era.  That may change as I try to find Westerns I have not previously seen to review on this site, so keep checking as I explore more wide open spaces, cowboys, cattle barons, train robberies and all that the West will allow you to dream.

Overview

Ride Lonesome opens with our hero, bounty hunter Ben Brigade (Randolph Scott) riding alone in the rocky desert of the West.  He tracks down criminal Billy John (James Best) and manages to outbluff Billy's help and then arrests him.  They get to a way station for the stage only to find that the guy who runs it is off trying to catch his runaway horses.  His wife is left at the station, and she's pretty handy with a shotgun.  So are the two guys waiting at the station with her - Sam Boone (Pernell Roberts) and Whit (James Coburn).  They've also been tracking Billy John because the state has offered amnesty to anyone who brings him in, and the two guys want a clean start in life.  They decide to throw in with Brigade without saying why, but motives don't really matter when the stage station is attacked by Indians.  The group have no choice but to push on to Santa Cruz, including Mrs. Carrie Lane (Karen Steele).  But Brigade takes them the long way, knowing that taking longer will give Billy John's brother a chance to catch up with them.  As we learn, that showdown with brother Frank is what Brigade's really after, and his plan for revenge (and the reason behind it) is shocking.

Highlights
I tried to describe this movie the other day and realized that both what I liked and what I didn't like was one in the same - Ride Lonesome feels like every Western you've seen left out in the sun too long.  It's boiled down to the essential core.  I mean, you can't find a story that is used so often in Westerns - that of a man wronged and seeking revenge.  What also struck me was the plight of Sam and Whit, who want a chance to start their lives over.  That's the legend of the West as a place to start over, to build something on new land.  So although the film feels predictable and very similar to so many other stories, what it does best is cut right to the core.  No frills, and you won't find a single unnecessary word of dialogue.

The introduction to the film on TCM mentioned how well the camera captured the small characters against the massive wilderness from distance shots.  I agree it's beautiful camerawork, but that idea of man vs. nature on a size scale can be traced way back in Western history.  John Ford is famous for doing just that in most of his Westerns.  So I'm not sure if they meant it was original or if it was following in the tradition, but either way it is very well orchestrated.

Finally, the characters were pretty standard as far as Westerns go, but Randolph Scott was very good in his role.  I haven't seen him in many films, but I know he was famous for his Westerns and I'm glad this was the one I watched.  He really carries the film.  I have to say, I really loved that Carrie not only wielded a shotgun, but didn't shy away from using it.  And yes, Pernell Roberts is in this, just before his days as the eldest Cartwright son on Bonanza.  He's great too and actually delivers some of the best lines in the film, including one about how it took him and Whit a whole week till they found out what that word 'amnesty' meant.  He also echoes the Ringo Kid from Stagecoach (1939) when he says "there are some things a man just can't ride around."
 
I could probably sit here all day and draw parallels between Ride Lonesome and any number of other Westerns like Stagecoach.  What's interesting though is that this is one of the earliest in the string of anti-Westerns.  Although it embodies much of the classic Hollywood Western (think John Ford), it starts turning towards the anti-hero and takes an unflinching look at morality.  It isn't about justice; it's about vengeance.     

Review and Recommendation
Ride Lonesome is very much your typical, all-around Western.  It features great scenery and a good performance by Randolph Scott, but it's also very typical.  I'd say if you've never seen a Western or knew anything about the genre, this film would be great to add to your short list of films to see.

The Mummy (1959)

Note to self: next time I invade an Egyptian tomb, I won't read aloud anything I find in there.

Intro.

In keeping with my October fright fest, I've been watching as many old monster movies, zombie flicks and Hitchcock thrillers as I can find.  Today I watched the British remake of The Mummy, which was a Universal picture from 1932 starring Boris Karloff.  The remake was done after Hammer studios in England struck a deal with Universal to remake all the classic horror films - this time in Technicolor.  I regretfully have not seen the 1932 version, but the 1959 version proved to be chilling enough!

Overview

1895 in some unknown area, a team of archeologists uncover the lost tomb of an Egyptian high priestess, Princess Ananka.  The leader of the group, Stephen Banning (Felix Aylmar), explores the crypt alone while his partner Joseph (Raymond Huntley) goes back to tell the others of the find.  Stephen finds an old scroll (the Scroll of Life, he calls it) and decides to read it aloud in the crypt.  Not a good idea, as the words bring to life another mummy (Christopher Lee) from behind the wall panel.  Outside Joeseph and Stephen's son John (Peter Cushing) hear screaming and only find Stephen out of his mind with fear.  He's sent back home to a nursing home, where he's declared beyond help, and the team closes the tomb and returns home with Ananka's coffin and burial relics.  They don't have the scroll though, as a local man, Mehemet Bey (George Pastell), has taken it and decides to try and re-open the tomb, unleash the mummy and seek vengeance on those who have desecrated the Egyptian grave.  Three years later and Stephen is still in the hospital, convinced that something is coming to kill him.  He has a violent outburst at the time when a mysterious package containing "Egyptian relics" is lost in transport in the swamp near the hospital.  It's the mummy alright, and he rises from the muddy swamp at Mehemet's command.  The mummy breaks into Stephen's barred and locked room and kills him.  As you can imagine, the mummy then goes after Joseph, whom he also kills.  The mummy finally goes after John, but is stopped mid-way through the attack by the sight of John's wife Isobel (Yvonne Furneaux).  Isobel bears a striking resemblance to Ananka, and the mummy leaves.  Inspector Mulrooney (Eddie Byrne) begins his investiagation into the murders, and gets the entire legend of Ananka from John.  Apparently when Ananka died, her high priest Kharis (with whom she shared a forbidden love) tried to bring her back to life with the scroll, but was apprehended before he could finish the ritual.  In punishment, he got his tongue cut out, was wrapped in bandages and sealed into the wall of the tomb, to keep eternal vigilance over his Princess.  That explains what finally happens - the mummy returns to kill John, but when Isobel intervenes, the mummy captures her and carries her off toward the swamp.  What will kill the mummy in the end?  Will Isobel and/or John survive?

Highlights
I really enjoyed seeing this film in Technicolor.  Everything feels right for the classic 1950's monster movie, right down the smog rising up from the eerie swamp.  It's shot well and with attention to detail, particularly in the flashback scene of the story of Ananka's death.  I haven't studied Egyptology much, but I can tell that they tried to give some amount of reverence to the rituals of mummification.  What really impressed me was how the mummy came to be a mummy - if you look at the film deep down, it could even be called a love story.  Khardis loved Ananka so much he risked everything to try and bring her back from the dead so that they could finally realize their love.  Even as a mummy he not only seeks vengeance (see below), but recognizes Isobel to look just like Ananka.  It's beauty that tames and kills all beasts, as all the great monster movies show us.

There are some interesting points to be made regarding what this film reflects about our culture.  In the film, Mehemet tells John that his people have dared to assume ignorance and blasphemied his religion.  Although John tries to defend the archeologists and the study of cultures, there is a good point in Mehemet's rage - it is one thing to gather artifacts and study them, but it is another to disregard the beliefs of a culture and desecrate the graves of the dead.  I think what it really comes down to is respect.  Not only that, but it speaks a little to the British empire.  In 1932 Britain still controlled Egypt.  But in 1959, most of Britain's colonies had declared independence.  There was also the British loss of control at the Suez canal in 1956.  So it makes sense to have an Egyptian legend come to life and strike fear into the hearts of the British.  But in the face of all this, it is encouraging to see that while the mummy is terrifying, he is, in a way, justified.  He doesn't go off killing just anyone - only those who desecrated his love's tomb.  He is in effect exacting vengeance not only for the destruction of the tomb, but also for the lack of understanding shown by the British.  He's a monster, but perhaps only a misunderstood one.     

 

Review and Recommendation    
Overall good acting and nice detail in the cinematography, I think this version of The Mummy is very well done.  It's very entertaining and not too serious - a great film for any fans of the horror, thriller or monster-movie genres.

P.S. Fun fact from TCM - Christopher Lee was the first actor to play all three classic monsters: Frankenstein (1957), Dracula (1958), and The Mummy.