River of No Return (1954)

Intro. 

Do you ever have those days that are so long and so tiring that all you want is to curl up with a good book or lose yourself in a good movie?  That's the way I felt the other day.  I came home and collapsed and flipped through some saved movies until I came to River of No Return.  Ironically, I had just finished the book You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Kills You by Robert Randisi.  It's the latest entry in his Rat Pack fanfiction murder mystery series.  I hate to say it, but  I am completely hooked on these books.  This one had Marilyn Monroe being stalked and Dean Martin hires the hero, Eddie Gianelli, to protect her.  Anyway, in the book, Marilyn tells Eddie she feels as safe with him as she did with Robert Mitchum when they were shooting River of No Return in the Canadian Rockies.  Of course, my thought was "I'd feel safe with Robert Mitchum too!"  Which meant, when I needed a good film to watch after my exhausting day, I had to pick this one.

Overview
Matt Calder (Mitchum) plays a farmer reunited with his young son Mark (Tommy Rettig) in a new, gold-hungry mining town.  The two make it back to their riverside farm and try to get used to each other again when a raft with two people on board gets into trouble near their house.  Matt helps the couple reach land only to find that the man is a gambler, Harry Weston (Rory Calhoun) who has won a gold mine in a poker game.  His wife Kay (Marilyn Monroe), who immediately doesn't get along with stoic, conservative Matt,  bonds quickly with curious, good-natured and innocent Mark.  As Harry lacks any rafting skills, he cannot go any further down the river to the main town to file his new claim.  He instead holds up Matt and steals his only rifle and only horse, leaving the father and son defenseless against the Native Americans, who have already started burning houses nearby.  Kay stays behind to care for Matt, who has been knocked unconscious by Harry.  After Harry leaves, Matt awakens and takes Mark and Kay onto the raft, narrowly missing an attack from the Native Americans.  They watch helplessly as their home is burned and Matt vows to kill Harry.  From there the threesome travel through the roughest parts of the river called "River of No Return," nearly drowning, fighting chills and fever, eating what little they can find or catch and generally trying to get along with each other but failing.  We find out that Harry and Kay aren't married yet and that the reason Matt was away from Mark and his mother was that he was in jail for shooting a man in the back.  Mark overhears this, causing another problem in this already troubled group.  Matt and Kay continue to hold some contempt for each other, and no sooner does it start to ease then Matt tries to force himself on Kay.  He gets interrupted by an attack from a mountain lion, but the damage is done.  At long last the trio survive the worst rapids and make it safely to the town.  Matt allows Kay to see Harry first, to talk to him and try and stop the two men from a fight.  Harry pushes Kay aside and goes after Matt, only to be shot and killed.  I won't give it all away, but it's one of the best ending scenes I've seen...well, right up until the last two minutes.

Highlights

One of the things that this movie does well is how the characters are formed.  Just when you think Matt is an alright, square kind of guy he goes and tries to rape Kay.  What?  I know, I was yelling at him the whole time.  But it keeps his character interesting, and his anger is clearly still just below the surface.  The other thing that works is the dialogue.  I was just talking about this film earlier and said that it's frustrating because the characters talk about things that don't matter and don't talk about things that do matter.  We're left wondering about Matt's dead wife.  Does he blame himself for her death?  Does he think Kay looks like her and that's why he has trouble with her?  Those are questions that should be answered by the acting, not the telling, which I think both Mitchum and Monroe do very well.  And the ending - I won't give anything away, but how it all comes full circle is pretty wonderful.  Not to mention pretty daring for the time too.

A Few Complaints

I've read a few mixed reviews on this film, and I have to say I have a few mixed feelings too.  The aspects I liked also bothered me a bit too.  For example, I loved the dynamic ending, but I felt that after the killing of Harry the film should have ended with Kay in the saloon singing the title song.  Instead there is a minute or two after her song that are too simple, too neat and too Hollywood.  I think they put it in to appease some viewers who probably had an issue with the way the shooting happened.  Or perhaps it was just to go with conventions of the day.  It would be interesting to see it now  in a remake, although no one today could probably convey that same inner turmoil and complexity Mitchum did.  And no one can even come close to being Marilyn Monroe.

And finally, just to appease my fangirl nature, I have to say that I was at first disappointed that Robert Mitchum doesn't get to sing in this film.  Marilyn Monroe does as a saloon entertainer and also as a sort of mother for Mark.  I know it would have been out of character for Matt to join Kay in singing, but part of me wished he had, even if only for the closing credits.

Review
What's great about this movie is that these are not average, well-adjusted people.  They are broken, weary and just trying to survive the elements and each other.  They don't form this perfect, happy little family.  It's a rare Western drama that is subtle and deep just as much as it is sweeping and dramatic.  Although there are some problems with plot and sometimes even with the characters (not to mention those awful last two minutes), I feel that this is a fine movie and I recommend it.  It was perfect to unwind and enjoy such a great leading man and leading lady in a fairly good and well-rounded film.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Intro.

As March was supposed to be Musicals Month, I went in search of musicals tonight and stumbled across Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which I had always assumed was a comedy.  In fact it was cross-listed online as romantic comedy, classic comedy, and classic musical.  Watching the film, I thought back to a film class I once took where we talked about what defines a movie's genre - I mean really, what makes a musical a Musical?  Certainly the genre conjures memories of Singin' in the Rain, Oklahoma!, Cabaret, West Side Story and a long list of similar titles.  But what about films like the melodramatic Young at Heart or even something more lighthearted like Robin and the 7 Hoods or Road to Morocco?  Is it the story line?  The number of songs?  What?  I think we finally formed a blurry definition that a musical earns its genre title when it contains three songs performed by characters in the film as a part of the story.  Of course there will always be gray areas, like the super traditional Western Rio Grande (imagine telling the Duke he was in a Musical!), but all in all, I think it's a pretty good rule, and as such Gentlemen Prefer Blondes would be more in the sophisticated, buddy-film type of classic musical.      

Overview

Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw (Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell) are American entertainers with their own successful show.  Their beauty and their talent gets them plenty of attention, most notably of which is Gus Esmond, a shy ordinary guy with a lot of family money.  He is engaged to Lorelei despite his father's wishes.  Instead of them sailing to Europe to marry, he sends Dorothy as a chaperon with the promise that he will meet them in Paris.  While Lorelei is more concerned with money as the basis of a secure marriage, Dorothy is more in line with the idea that love alone is all that a good marriage needs.  On that point they differ, but they are clearly best friends, making the most of their voyage.  Unfortunately, the guy Dorothy meets and falls for, Ernie Malone (played by Elliott Reid), is actually a private detective hired by Gus's father to trail the ever-flirtatious Lorelei.  When he catches her with an older man (who happens to own a diamond mine), he takes pictures.  Dorothy catches him though, and the girls then have to figure out a way to steal the photos back.  Once they do, in gratitude for their work, the mine owner (Charles Coburn) gives Lorelei his wife's diamond tiara.  By the time the girls land in France, they find that not only have their letters of credit and hotel lodgings been canceled by a jealous Gus, but the police are after them for a "stolen" tiara.  The results are hilarious and well choreographed in more than one sense!

Highlights

Most musicals are well remembered because of their unforgettable songs.  In this case, I only have 6 little words for you: "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend."  In that number alone, Marilyn Monroe makes the entire picture, not to mention her legend.  However, Jane Russell is just as amazing and a great scene stealer earlier in the film with "Bye Bye Baby" and "Ain't There Anyone Here for Love?"  And the girls are also great together with their signature song, "Two Little Girls from Little Rock" and "When Love Goes Wrong" (the latter of which is my favorite from the show).

Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell are phenomenal in this film, and would be even without the music.  I think they make a great team and give an interesting picture of two very confident, independent women who stick together no matter what.  But as free and fun-loving as they are, you have to remember that it's a 1950's romantic comedy, so there's only one way it can really end (I won't say more, I promise!).  Even with the obvious sexual stereotypes, it's nice to see women have the upper hand, and no one handles it better than these two actresses.  And you can't help but laugh at the line: "If we can't empty his pockets between the two of us, we don't deserve the name 'woman'."

Review

Whatever you want to call it - a comedy, a musical, or a buddy film - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is definitely worth watching.  The humor, the music, and the great relationship between two such dynamite actresses all make for a great time!

Monkey Business (1952)

Intro.
Here is yet another film that is a must see simply because of the cast.  This film is a perfect way to round out Cary Grant month, as it pairs him with wonderful co-stars and a chance to show off his wonderful sense of humor.  This film, much like most of Hawks's comedies, is rather silly but still provides some depth to the story.  While it is a wild and entertaining romp about what can happen when adults are turned into children, it also touches upon the sadness of losing that innocence. As Cary Grant's character, Barnaby, muses: "I'm beginning to wonder if being young is all it's cracked up to be. We dream of youth. We remember it as a time of nightingales and Valentines. And what are the facts? Mal-adjustment, near idiocy and a series of low comedy disasters, that's what youth is."


Overview
Cary Grant plays Dr. Barnaby Fulton, a chemist who is hoping to discover a formula that will ease the aches and pains of age.  He has a laboratory of chimpanzees and one very funny boss who is more focused on profits (played by Charles Coburn).  Barnaby's wife Edwina (played by Ginger Rogers) supports him wholeheartedly and they have a wonderful marriage.  One day one of the chimps gets loose and concocts a formula, which she then dumps into the water cooler of the lab.  Barnaby tests his latest formula on himself and takes a drink of water to wash it down.  Almost instantly he begins acting like a 20 year old college boy - not only is he free of aches and pains and bad vision, he drives like a maniac and goes roller skating and swimming and such with his boss's beautiful secretary, Lois Laurel (Marilyn Monroe).  After a wild day, he sleeps it off, but as he attempts to try it again, Edwina instead takes the formula followed by a drink of the lab's water.  She begins to act like her 20 year old self, and as she convinces Barnaby to return to the hotel where they honeymooned, she then begins to re-enact all of the drama of their wedding night.  Poor Barnaby gets kicked out of their room and again a crazy night ensues.  Emotions settled the following morning, they make up and go back to the lab.  Edwina uses the lab water to make them some coffee while Barnaby resolves to destroy all his notes.  Meanwhile his boss has heard of the success and demands that Barnaby turn over the formula.  Both Edwina and Barnaby are taken back to their 8 year old selves and the chaos only increases!  At long last and many laughs later, the truth of the water is discovered and the chimp responsible is put to work to replicate it (which echoes the idea of monkeys writing Shakespeare).  

Highlights
The big draw today for this film is Marilyn Monroe's real break out role.  She is delightful as the dim-witted but beautiful Lois, and seems to have a good sense of comedic timing.  She's quite a supporting actress and holds her own with such established and talented co-stars.  You can tell that Hawks is really trying to figure her out, getting her ready for his next picture, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (also wonderful, by the way, as is How to Marry a Millionaire).

Not only is Marilyn wonderful, but so is Ginger Rogers!  It's easy to forget that Ginger appeared in films without Fred Astaire, but without his big shadow you can really see her shine.  She's just as funny as Cary Grant (even funnier at times) with impeccable timing.  It reminded me of her amazing comedic role in Stage Door (which, if you haven't seen, you should add to your list!!).  She's pure dynamite. 

I wondered in this film if any other two actors could carry a film about reverting to childhood so well.  Both Grant and Rogers make the effects of the formula apparent and believeable.  Together they make an endearing, fun-loving couple who discover that love only gets better with time and youth is not all it's cracked up to be.

Review and Recommendation
Instead of sounding like a broken record and saying that you should see this film because of the great cast, I'm only going to say that it is one of the best Hawks comedies I've seen.  And really, how can you resist Cary Grant playing with a chimpanzee named Ester?

Also, keep your eyes peeled for a great cameo by Harry Carey Jr!!  And as always, you can read more at IMDb.