The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

A heartbreaking yet hopeful look at life in post-WWII America.

Intro.
There are war movies and then there are post-war movies - the ones about the men and women of the military coming home after the battle.  I've seen several like The Men and It's Always Fair Weather and even The Deer Hunter (though that's more of a war/post-war film).  Each one focuses on one question - what happens to our members of the Armed Forces when they come home?  It isn't all roses and parades, and there are so many stories we've yet to hear.  I think that's what really drew me to The Best Years of Our Lives.  Not only does it follow three men coming home from WWII, but it also won the Oscar for Best Picture.

Overview
The Best Years of Our Lives opens with three men returning from WWII and sharing a small military plane back to their hometown of Boone City.  There's older sergeant Al Stephenson (Frederic March), bombardier Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) and sailor Homer Parrish (Harold Russell) who has lost both his hands in the war and had them replaced with hooks.  They share a cab together and we get to see how each is received at home.  Homer comes back to a family who, although overjoyed to see him, are unsettled by his missing hands.  Next is Al, who comes back to his high class home and a loving wife Milly (Myrna Loy) and his two now-grown children, Rob (Michael Hall) and Peggy (Teresa Wright).  Finally comes Fred, who goes home to his parents in a very poor neighborhood.  He had married a girl he met just before he left; they had only been married 20 days before he deployed.  However, she's moved out and as it's almost evening, she's at work at a nightclub.  Fred spends the evening trying to find her; finally giving up he goes to a bar run by Homer's uncle.  Meanwhile, Al, Milly and Peggy go out on the town to celebrate his homecoming and also wind up at the same bar.  Homer spends a painfully awkward time at home with his family and their next-door neighbors, which include his girlfriend Wilma (Cathy O'Donnell).  When he just can't stand their staring and sorrow, he leaves and also goes to the bar.  The guys all meet up again, but have to call it short.  Milly drives her family and Fred home.  They stop at Fred's wife's apartment, but he can't get in as she is still not home.  So he goes home with the Stephensons.  Fred has nightmares during the night and Peggy comes to comfort him; the next morning she also doesn't mention it.  Her kindness means a lot to Fred and stands in contrast to his wife, whom he finds that day.  His marriage starts out happy, but his wife Marie (Virginia Mayo) is selfish and upset that he can't find a job.  Quite in contrast to their unhappy marriage is the support that Milly gives to Al, who gets a promotion at his old bank and heads up the small loans department, granting loans particularly to service men.  Homer doesn't want anyone feeling sorry for him, as he is more than capable of taking care of himself.  What's worse is that he keeps pushing Wilma away because he doesn't want her to pity him or to be horrified by him.  The movie is quite long and a lot happens as each of the men try to adjust to civilian life again, including finding a job and reconnecting with friends and family.  To complicate matters, Peggy falls in love with Fred.  What results is a wonderful movie about what happens when our military men and women come home and start living the best years of their lives.

Highlights
I think what makes war and post-war films so powerful is how they draw from real life.  The Best Years of Our Lives does an amazing job of that.  Not only do they feature three men from different backgrounds coming back to different situations, but they don't shy away from the harder parts of returning home.  Homer's disability plays an important part and reminds us of the physical sacrifices, while Fred's troubled dreams remind us of the psychological ones as well.  Al seems to adjust the best, but is nonetheless troubled by the reactions of his bank managers when he gives a service man a loan without sufficient collateral.  Al defends himself in a wonderful speech at a big banquet: "There are some who say that the old bank is suffering from hardening of the arteries and of the heart. I refuse to listen to such radical talk. I say that our bank is alive, it's generous, it's human, and we're going to have such a line of customers seeking and GETTING small loans that people will think we're gambling with the depositors' money. And we will be. We will be gambling on the future of this country."  He also has a lot of trouble accepting how his children have grown and become independent (Peggy in that she is supporting herself; Rob in his new free thinking ways).  Unlike Al, who has a job to come back to, Fred has a lot of trouble finding a job.  Most jobs have been filled by men who couldn't enlist and by women.  He finally lands one as a soda jerk and he and Marie go broke (she still spends as if he's earning his Army pay of $400 a month instead of $32.50 a week).  Their marriage starts to crumble and doesn't get any better when he discovers that she hasn't been faithful (and still isn't).  What really got me was the guy in the drugstore who sits next to Homer while Fred's behind the counter.  The guy looks at Homer and starts to go off about how they fought the wrong people and wrong war.  Fred loses his patience as the guy gets heated about the topic of Communism.  When the guy says that Homer lost his hands for nothing, Fred comes over the counter and decks him.  It's hard to imagine anyone talking like that to veterans of WWII, but it did happen.  What's worse is to think about what was said to veterans from Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf Wars.  I went with a group of people from the American Legion to the airport a few years ago around Christmas to welcome home a bunch of local soldiers returning from Afghanistan.  One of the men I went with was an older veteran himself and in a very quiet voice he told me about how when he came home from Vietnam, there was nothing like this - no fanfare, no support.  I can't even imagine.

A word about the acting and other film stuff: The acting is great in this movie.  Everyone is well cast and does a great job - I loved Myrna Loy as Milly and her relationship with Frederic March as Al.  I also really loved watching Dana Andrews, who just blew me away with his character.  I need to see more of his films!!  Finally, I loved Homer.  Casting real life veteran Harold Russell was a brave and wonderful choice that adds a lot to the film.  Again, the strain of truth throughout the film is what makes it so powerful and deeply touching.  It's even in the details.  There's one scene where Al mixes an alka-seltzer drink in two cups and then drinks from the empty one - they left it in because it's honest and real.  To top it off, you really can't get any more nostalgic than to see what the guys see in their cab - all the sights of main street America, from kids laughing on the corner to a sale at Woolworth's.  The movie captures the heart of America in the 1940s and a definite must see.  


Review and Recommendation
Watching this film next to a later film about veterans, say another Best Picture Winner like The Deer Hunter (1978), it's easy to say that The Best Years of Our Lives is too optimistic.  But I'd argue it isn't.  While it has a happy ending and hope for these people of our Greatest Generation, these men face a lot of difficulty and still have a lot of work ahead of them.  It was a different time and a different world.  A fascinating look at not only the lives of these veterans, but also a slice of life from post-WWII, I really enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it to everyone.

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Was it the sun, the war or the addictive theme song that drove them all mad?
Intro.
I'm breaking one of my blog rules today, but for good reason.  I've seen The Bridge on the River Kwai many times already; there was a time when, as a teenager, I would watch it every day.  I'm not sure what it was about the movie that had such drawing power for me.  Maybe it was something about the utter futility of war that resonated with some of the usual teenage angst.  But that's a story for a whole other blog.  This weekend, after I realized that September had been turning into William Holden month, I decided to watch it again.  As I curled up to watch, I thought about how funny it seems that some actors become identified with one specific role.  Yul Brenner is a good example - for years he played The King in The King and I, and had a lot of trouble being cast outside of that role.  William Shatner is the same way; I just watched his new sitcom and yup, the thought was first "Captain Kirk" not William Shatner.  In much the same respect, watching from my generation's viewpoint, Alec Guiness was not known to myself or any of my friends as anyone but Obi-Won Kenobi.  That must have been awful for him, especially since he was first in such amazing films as The Bridge on the River Kwai, and gave what could be argued as the performance of a lifetime.

Overview (with a possible spoiler - sorry!)
The Bridge on the River Kwai begins with a company of British soldiers surrendering to the Japanese during WWII, somewhere in the thick Burmese jungle.  The men are marched into a prisoner-of-war camp, where the last two surviving members of the original camp are digging graves.  One of these men is Commander Shears, US Navy (William Holden), cynical and certain that everyone in the camp will eventually die.  Commanding the British troops is Lt. Col. Nicholson (Alec Guiness), and with him is medical officer Maj. Clipton (James Donald), who knows more about compassion than about the rules of war.  The Japanese commander is Col. Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), who advises the men to "be happy in their work." He is much like Nicholson in that both men will stick to their principles and refuse to lose face.  This stubborness leads to a difficult battle of wills when Saito orders that officers will do manual labor in his camp.  Nicholson refuses on the grounds that it is against the Geneva convention.  For that, he and all of his officers are shut up in small metal huts (called "the ovens") on the compound, right in the blazing heat.  Meanwhile, Shears, his fellow gravedigger, and one of the young men from the British soldiers decide to escape.  Only Shears makes it away from the guards alive, but he is hurt, lost and in the middle of nowhere.  He barely makes it into a village alive, where he recovers and then makes his way to a hospital on the coast.  Back at the camp, though, things do not bode well.  Clipton acts as a go-between for Saito and Nicholson, only to find that the men are close to identical and neither one believes in compromise.  In the end Nicholson prevails, and sets out not only to build a bridge in the allotted time-frame, but to build a better bridge that will stand the test of time.  As they push towards the short deadline, Nicholson begins to employ some of the measures threatened by Saito, but under Nicholson's direction, they pass as reasonable means.  So back to Shears in the hospital.  It turns out that an Allied team is being assembled to go and blow up the bridge.  Shears winds up volunteering (more like blackmailed into going).  It's rather difficult traveling, with the leader, Major Warden (Jack Hawkins), getting shot in the foot and then Japanese patrols showing up and such.  If you hadn't guessed it from the film's beginning, yes the bridge blows up.  But who does it and what is destroyed in the process is what ends the film with an even bigger emotional blow.

Highlights

You really can't get any finer acting.  Alec Guiness won an Oscar for Best Actor, and it was richly deserved.  Likewise Holden and Hayakawa give strong performances too.  However my favorite character, and one that really holds the heart of the film, is James Donald's Maj. Clipton.  We see a great deal as he does, as he is the only one to have conferences with both Saito and Nicholson during the standoff.  After seeing them both, stubborn and unwavering, he says "are they both mad?  Or am I going mad?  Or is it the sun?"  He reminds me a bit of Horatio in Hamlet in that he is very close to all of the proceedings, but most importantly he is alone, on a hillside, watching the horror of the bridge's explosion.  He is the only one left who can put words to it all - "Madness."

The film's construction was remarkable too, especially the bridge itself.  Filmed on location in Ceylon, some of the scenes with Shears and the Allied party are beautiful.  It's so well written too; I loved how they paid attention to both what was said and what was left unsaid.  In particular, Nicholson's speech at the end of the film about what a man leaves behind him when his life is through is both touching and yet still reserved, in keeping with his character.  That speech alone and how Guiness delivered it earned those Oscars.  On a side note about the Oscars, the film won for best Screenplay.  The writers were Pierre Boulle, who wrote the original book, Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson.  Foreman and Wilson had been blacklisted, so at the time of the film's release, only Boulle was listed as the writer, despite the fact that he didn't know much English.

Speaking of the book, I'd like to bring up what is often a debate between film scholars and literature scholars - book versus movie.  Usually I'm on the side of the book, with some exceptions (I liked The Godfather film better than the book).  In this case, I think it would be a tie.  What really struck me about the novel was just how similar Nicholson and Saito were.  They echo each other.  In the scenes where Clipton first talks to Saito and then immediately afterward talks to Nicholson, I thought I was reading the same pages over again - that's how close these two men were.  That parallelism comes across better on the page than on screen, though they do a very good job in the film.  I also started to think about what war films were truly about - the lower layer, if you will.  Specifically POW escape movies - is it something to do with bucking the system?  An escape from not only a physical prison, but an emotional one too?  The idea of an individual making it out to safety, the lone man against the world? (Think of Steve McQueen on that motorcycle in The Great Escape.)  I don't know enough about war genre studies, but I still think it's an interesting idea to keep in mind while watching.

Review and Recommendation
The Bridge on the River Kwai may be my favorite war film.  It's a classic by every standard.  I know a common downside people seem to cite is that it feels a bit long, but all of the details in writing and acting make it worthwhile.  All this time after I first saw the film and then picked up the book, I still recommend both the film and book very highly.

P.S. I forgot to mention that the theme song, "Colonel Bogey March" really is addictive.  I'm whistling it now just writing about it.  

Kings Go Forth (1958)

Intro.

Despite being a huge Frank Sinatra fan, I haven't seen all of his films yet.  Sure, I've seen quite a few, including the awful ones like The Kissing Bandit and The Pride and the Passion.  But I've missed some of his most well-respected or well-known, like Kings Go Forth.  Not only is it a good war story, but a good romance and a good reflection of human character.

Overview

Lt. Sam Loggins (Frank Sinatra) is the leader of a group of men who have marched through Italy and into France during World War II.  As they fight for a small valley occupied by the Germans, he gets a group of recruits including the suave, smooth-talking standout Britt (Tony Curtis).   Then on a pass in Nice, Sam meets beautiful Monique (Natalie Wood) who is American but has lived her whole life in France.  He falls hopelessly in love with her, but she does not fall for him.  She instead tells him that her father, two years deceased, was a Negro, which is why her family moved to France when she was born.  Sam takes it a bit hard, coming from a prejudiced background as was pretty common in the forties (American troops weren't even desegregated until 1948).  However, he decides to come back to Monique, but as happy as she is to see him, she soon takes interest in Britt, whom they run into while at a nightclub.  It's clear that Britt and Monique are infatuated with each other and each time the three meet, Sam becomes the third wheel.  He bows out one night to allow them to be together, only to realize that they are out all night.  Confronting Britt the next morning, he discovers that, with Monique's mother's insistence, the two are now engaged.  Sam remains friends with them both - that is until he discovers that Britt purposefully did not submit the marriage paperwork to the Army.  Furious, he makes Britt admit that he had no intention of marrying a half-black woman and a distraught Monique runs out of the house.  Sam follows her, but is too late because she gets hit by a car.  But the story doesn't end there!  Sam and Britt go out on a dangerous mission.  The only problem is, Sam has told Britt he will kill him for what he did to Monique.  The resulting battle is a harrowing night for both men that will change both of them forever.

Highlights

Not all of the cinematography was outstanding in this film, but there were a few shots that just took my breath away.  If you watch, keep an eye out for some unique angles along the streets of the French Riviera and again during some of the battle scenes.  And Natalie Wood looks amazing (of course).

Frank Sinatra and Tony Curtis are well cast in this film and each one delivers a great performance.  Frank's acting is pitch-perfect too.  When he confronts Curtis and learns that he's engaged, we aren't sure if Frank is going to smile or punch Curtis.  In fact, Tony Curtis and I both jumped when Frank stuck out his hand and growled "Congratulations."  I also really enjoyed watching Leora Dana as Monique's mother - she has a great presence and really gives her story a lot of heart.  Frank Sinatra also narrates the film.  At first I was confused, as his narrator tone was a lot softer, more reflective and sentimental than his brash speaking voice.  It makes sense though, because he is looking back on all of this as he tells the story - we can imagine he is telling it after the war is over and after he has changed.  I think that's a pretty important storytelling technique and well done.  It's hard to show two sides of a character and explain how one changed into another.          

Finally, there's the heart of the matter - whether or not such a thing as race and background can change the basis of love.  That's what we, along with Sam, discover: Love is more enduring than prejudice and the human spirit is resilient even in tragedy.

Review
Okay, I loved this movie.  It reminded me at times of From Here to Eternity in its depth and sometimes melodramatic tone.  There's also a great scene where Frank is seated at an outdoor cafe table watching Britt and Monique dance and I swear, I thought he was going to start humming "What Makes the Sunset."  But enough fan girl movie allusions - this film stands on its own two feet.  It has many layers and some great talents.  Definitely a movie worth seeing.


*"What Makes the Sunset" is from Anchors Aweigh.  Frank sings it when his girl (Kathryn Grayson) starts to dance with and fall for Frank's best pal, Gene Kelly.  Sound familiar?

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)

Intro.

Like I said, May is definitely Mitchum month.  I actually saw Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison in a movie store awhile back and decided I had to see it, and to my pleasant surprise it popped up on my instant play suggestions for Netflix.  I had loved Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr together in the film The Grass is Greener, so I was excited to see this film, their first one together.

Overview

The premise is pretty straight-forward.  Robert Mitchum is the title character, Cpl. Allison, USMC.  He has been separated from his submarine and left in a lifeboat.  He lands on the beach of a deserted tropical island in the South Pacific and soon discovers the only inhabitant of the island is a nun, Sister Angela (Deborah Kerr).  She has missed the rescue ship back to Fiji and her companion, a Father, has recently died.  She and Mr. Allison take survey of the island, getting food and keeping watch - that is until the Japanese land.  They both hide in a cave in the hills, but the going is rough as they endure bombings and terrible food.  The two begin to care for one another as friends and Allison, who has never had family or loved ones, finds himself falling in love with Sister Angela.  When he discovers that she has not taken her final vows, he asks her to marry him.  She turns him down, and he gets drunk and begins to carry on about how unfair it is that they are stuck together but can't do anything. Sister Angela runs away, only to get lost and soaked in a downpour.  Allison finds her the next day, feverish and sick.  He has to steal blankets from the Japanese, but he gets her back to good health.  That isn't the end though, as the Americans land to take the island.  Allison gets caught in the fight and the result determines the fate of his relationship with Sister Angela.

Highlights

The shooting locations on Tobago are beautiful in this film.  The entire set up is very well done, and the coordination of the Japanese and American attacks are great. It does feel like a reworking of The African Queen, but there is enough difference to make you realize it is a different film with a different purpose.  I especially like how the film concluded - it doesn't cave to romantic notions and each character retains his/her integrity.

I think one of the hardest things actors have to do is break out of any sort of type-casting.  While Mitchum isn't stretched too far (he's usually the strong, tough guy) I was really surprised at his character's dimensionality - he's not the bitter, intelligent private eye, nor is he the super creepy and deeply sinister bad guy - he's the Joe next door, uneducated and unattached who nevertheless finds himself connected to a nun.  It reminded me of his role in River of No Return, where he is the strong, silent outdoors-man hiding a dark (and sometimes dangerous) nature. 

Finally, what really carries this film is the relationship between Sister Angela and Cpl. Allison.  They realize that they are alone in this crisis together - that they may face death together and even though each one is capable of survival alone, neither wants to leave the other.  They fight, they make up, they survive together.  At perhaps the most touching part of the film, Sister Angela offers to turn herself over to the Japanese in order for Cpl. Allison to have a much better chance of his own survival.  He flat out refuses, saying that if she were to do that, he'd go out of his mind and probably start flinging coconuts at the Japanese to get her back.  It's a great friendship that lasted off screen as well - according to one story, Mitchum had been nervous to work with Deborah Kerr at first, thinking that she might be as prudish as some of her characters.  On set one day, she started to swear at director John Huston, and Mitchum, in the water, began laughing so hard he nearly drowned.  After that, Mitchum and Kerr would remain life-long friends, making another three films together.   

Review

Although it does feel similar to many other island survival films, the relationship between a Marine and a nun makes this film stand out.  While not a classic like The African Queen, this film is just as enjoyable, and watching two such great screen icons together for the first time is unforgettable.  I'd definitely recommend watching.

Sarah and the Squirrel (1982)

Intro.

Turner Classic Movies defines a "classic" film as one that is at least 30 years old.  I have held to this standard for the films I've reviewed so far, but this one has to be an exception.  A little while ago, one of my friends told me that she had grown up watching a film called Sarah and the Squirrel and loved it - Sarah was a young girl living in the woods where she befriended a cute little squirrel.  It wasn't until years later that my friend re-watched her childhood classic only to discover that Sarah was actually in the woods hiding from German soldiers who had taken her family to a concentration camp.  Myself and a few of our other friends did not believe her, but we found the film and decided we had to see it for ourselves.

Overview

The film opens in live action, with Mia Farrow acting as a narrator.  She says that the story of Sarah is true, and that the film is dedicated to children the world over who are affected by war.  It's a grim opening to be sure, and soon leads us to images (both animated and real) of a town being bombed.  Sarah's mother, father and grandmother take her to the woods where they dig an underground bunker and cover it with a pile of logs and leaves.  The family hides in the bunker until the grandmother gets sick.  When Sarah's father goes to get medicine for her (or at least, that's what we think happens to him as he disappears), Sarah goes out to collect berries.  She comes back only to see her mother and grandmother being forced into a truck by soldiers.  They tell her to find her father and stay hidden, which she tries to do.  Time passes and Sarah befriends some of the forest creatures, including a cute (although somewhat gigantic) squirrel.  She witnesses a failed attempt by resistance fighters to destroy a key railroad bridge, so she then goes to great lengths to destroy the bridge herself.  Her reasoning - no bridge, no supplies, no guns, no war!  While Sarah miraculously succeeds at destroying the bridge, she is still left alone in the woods and forced to run away from soldiers with a scent-hound.  There is no real ending, just Sarah alone with her woodland creature friends.

Points to Consider

I mean no offense to my friend's good childhood memories, but I didn't like this film very much, and I agree that the PG-13 rating should be followed (or at least a PG one!).  While most of the film is sort of slow and mellow with some great classical music (Vivaldi!), you can't overlook the real-life clips of bombings and tanks and the horrors of seeing people within the labor camps (at one point Sarah witnesses her school-teacher on the brink of death).  It begs the question - at what age do we start teaching children about war and the Holocaust?  I did a little research last night, and found that most lesson plans focused on middle-school aged children, though a few websites had K-6 lesson plans as well.  I'm not sure when this film would be shown, as it is at once both very juvenile and very adult.  It has some definite problems trying to figure out what its intended audience should be.

Mia Farrow opens the film by saying that it is not only Sarah's story, but a testament to all children in all wars.  That, I believe, is what the film does well.  If anything, viewers can understand just how sad, lonely and frightened Sarah is.  Her dream sequence especially shows us that she only wants life to go back to normal, where everything feels almost like a fairy tale.  Instead, the friendly animals are scared away by birds (that look like bombers) which land and turn into hideous black demon-like creatures who set the peaceful woods on fire.  It turns out those creatures are actually soldiers who grab Sarah and end her entire world.  I thought it was really interesting how the film is about the Nazis in Poland, but there are no real identifying characteristics.  The soldiers lack any Nazi insignia, in fact the soldiers we see all look pretty standard and hard to identify.  Likewise, there are several different accents used by the townspeople (which is most likely due to a problem with production, as it was a low-budget picture), and when Sarah dreams, she envisions a wilderness filled with animals from around the world.*  I don't remember if they are ever referred to as Germans, though I may not remember.  I only remember Sarah calling them soldiers.

Finally, there is a definite child-like logic that Sarah has - if she can collapse the bridge, just one bridge, she will stop the war.  For to her, the war is only what she sees in her village.  And however improbable or impossible that objective is, Sarah must accomplish it, not only for herself, but for all those children she represents.  That was my favorite part of the film, even in spite of its obvious plot-failures.  There is something to be said about her determination against a seemingly impossible task.  It's a fitting climax for the film, though it leaves the ending sort of lacking.  We never find out what happens to Sarah.  Perhaps it's better that way, as a happy reunion with her father would have been too unrealistic while her being captured and sent to a camp is too realistic.  

Review

Due to the clear confusion of what the intended audience should be as well as the other problems with low-budget films, Sarah and the Squirrel was not impressive.  It was, however, an interesting perspective on how we  teach children about the Holocaust as well as an entertaining look at the kind of movies we watched as kids.  All in all, I do have to give credit to the producers as this is a good story to tell and an important (although poorly executed) mission to show the effects of war on children.


*This sentence may be my mistake though, as I just checked and, believe it or not, there are Polish Bison and Moose!  See for yourself here.

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Intro.

You know how some films you aren't really interested in until you hear them referenced in another film?  That's how it was for me with Doctor Zhivago - I hadn't really heard a lot about it or had a desire to see it until I watched the modern romantic comedy Must Love Dogs (2005).  In that film, John Cusack's character is obsessed with Doctor Zhivago.  He says that he wants a love like that - a sweeping, epic love that is so powerful that "even after you're dead, it still hurts."  I couldn't resist a line like that, so when Doctor Zhivago aired on TCM recently, I took the opportunity to watch one of the great epics of Hollywood as well as #7 on the AFI's list of America's Greatest Love Stories.

Overview

While it's a bit difficult to summarize a movie that runs for three and a half hours, I'll try my best.  Basically the film focuses on the lives of Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) and Lara (Julie Christie).  From the beginning it seems that these two people were destined to meet - orphaned Yuri goes to live with his parents' friends and their daughter Tonya.  He grows up, becomes a famous young poet and then a doctor.  Lara grows up in a dressmaker's shop with her mother, and winds up falling prey to her mother's lecherous boyfriend Komarovsky, who rapes her.  They first cross paths when Lara's mother attempts suicide and Zhivago comes to her aide.  Then after she is raped, Lara comes to a big high-class society party and shoots Komarovsky just as Yuri and Tonya announce their engagement.  Well, Yuri and Tonya marry, and Lara marries her boyfriend, the idealist Pasha.  When WWI breaks out, Pasha enlists, and when he goes missing, Lara volunteers as a nurse to look for him.  She winds up serving in a country hospital with Zhivago, and they find a growing fondness for each other.  They call it off for the sake of their families, but it's clear neither can stop thinking about the other.  Yuri goes home to the middle of a revolution, and his well-off family is being targeted by the Bolsheviks.  They are forced to move to their country estate in order to avoid further persecution.   As it turns out, Lara lives in the town nearby their new cottage.  Zhivago frequents the town often, first to spend time writing at the library and then to just meet up with Lara.  What was a mutual fondness has blown up into a full love affair and we can see that while Tonya is Yuri's closest and oldest friend, Lara is his true love.  It's sad and painful to watch the hardships faced by all of the characters, and only gets worse when on his way back home from breaking it off with Lara (Tonya is pregnant), Yuri is shanghaied and forced into service with the Red Army during the Russian Civil War.  Kept away for more than a year, Yuri is desperate to see his family.  He finally makes it back to town, only to find his family has fled to Paris.  He finds comfort in the arms of Lara, who seems to be the only person left in the area.  They finally have their time together, but it isn't meant to last - Lara's husband Pasha has been killed for his part in the war, and the troops are coming for Lara and her little girl.  Komarovsky offers them a way out, and Lara and her daughter go.  Zhivago, full of hatred for Komarovsky, ducks out at the last minute and reunites with his family in Moscow, but spends even his last breath trying to find Lara again.

Highlights

Framing:  The film's story is actually a long flashback told by Alec Guinness (who is awesome!!), who is Yuri's estranged brother, Yevgraf.  The film starts with him questioning a young girl about her background and we learn that he is looking for his niece, the child of Yuri and Lara.  She says she isn't the girl, but he seems positive and begins to tell her all about Yuri and Lara.  The film beautifully closes with her leaving the room and walking off, slinging a balalaika over her shoulder.  We know from the story that Yuri's mother played the balalaika like a master, and her instrument was Yuri's most prized possession.  It's a simple yet beautiful way to tie the story together and confirm for most viewers that she is indeed Lara and Yuri's child.

Cinematography: Doctor Zhivago is absolutely gorgeous.  The scenes are so well presented and carefully detailed.  I loved all the shots of Zhivago looking through windows at other worlds (oh so much symbolism, I'll have to leave it for another time!).  There are also some really well-coordinated shots that either allude to deeper meanings or foreshadow future events (like the blood on the snow from the massacre).  I read on IMDb about how most of the film was shot in Spain, where a ten-acre replica of Moscow was built in the countryside.  Perhaps the most breathtaking scene is when all that snow finally melts and we see Zhivago's cottage surrounded by thousands of daffodils (actually 4,000, all of which had to be shipped in from the Netherlands).  Now that's epic film-making!  No wonder it won an Oscar for best cinematography.

Love Story: So all of this leads to one question - is it truly one of the greatest love stories of all time?  I would say yes and no.  I have to say I was a bit troubled by the fact that both Zhivago and Lara were married.  And not just married, but Zhivago seemed happily married.  I do have to give him credit though - he broke it off with Lara when Tonya was pregnant with their second child.  But as their story unfolded, I could better empathize with them and in the end secretly hoped they would end up together.  It's a chemistry you don't often see, even if that whole "getting the girl out of harm's way but not being able to go with her" sounds a bit like another great love story I've written about....  Of course, that heart-wrenching ending where Zhivago thinks he sees Lara for the last time is so poignant that you can't help but feel the pain of his loss.  If you don't empathize with the characters for the whole film, you can at least admire their great courage in the face of such a devastating time.

Review & Recommendation

Doctor Zhivago is such a beautiful story, I'd definitely recommend this to everyone, although some of the scenes and topics are not appropriate for young ones.  I'd also say you may want to brush up on your Russian history before watching to avoid too much confusion (I found myself trying very hard to remember my high school history class!).  However, deep down, the film is really a simple love story - two people who love each other in spite of all the hatred and chaos in the world around them.  You know from the beginning they can never live happily ever after, but somehow that loss only makes it that much more powerful.  It's a definite must see for classic film fans and hopeless romantics alike.  And finally I can't resist saying it: "We'll always have Varykino."    

Check out all of the cool stuff about Doctor Zhivago on IMDb's FAQ page.  And when you watch, keep an eye out for young Yuri Zhivago - he's played by Omar Sharif's real life (and completely adorable!) son.      

Casablanca (1942)

Intro.
Casablanca.  The name alone conjures the now-iconic images from the film: Bogart slumped at a table drinking and muttering about all the gin joints in all the world, the look on Ingrid Bergman's face as she asks Sam to play "As Time Goes By", the ending that leaves us breathless - the plane, the fog, the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  This film above all others defines what it means to be a classic. 

The first time I saw this film, I have to say, I wasn't all that impressed.  I couldn't follow the German/French resistance storyline and Claude Rains just got on my nerves.  But now that I've seen it about four times, I have to say that it's grown to be one of my favorite films.  However, like some of the people I've talked to, I have to be in the right mood to watch it, mainly because it is a bit slow in some parts.  I wasn't feeling very festive this past Valentine's Day, but TCM aired the film and for some reason I couldn't turn it off.  That's when I knew I had to bend my blog rules and write about it.

Overview

Rick (Bogart) runs a bar and nightclub in the town of Casablanca.  It's 1942 and while Morocco is unoccupied, the German Gestapo is a real presence.  With WWII raging in Europe, many refugees are coming to Casablanca in order to make the trip to America.  Travel papers are hard to come by, so most of them come to Rick's to find contacts.  Such is the case of Victor Laszlo and his wife Ilsa.  Rick, it so happens, has gotten two passes to America - tickets to freedom.  And Ilsa happens to be the woman he loved a long time ago in Paris (hence "we'll always have Paris") who left him without explanation and completely broke him.  Ilsa and Rick must ask themselves if their love is still alive and worth fighting for, despite the danger that lies for Victor, who is a key leader in the Resistance.   

Highlights

I think part of what makes this film work is the mood - as I wrote earlier, you have to be ready to watch it.  Despite its usual label of a "love story" I would argue that it is instead a film about love and heartbreak.  I'm never ready to watch it when I'm happy or want a fun movie to cheer me up.  I want to see it on those days when I'm curled up in blankets on the couch with the rain beating down on the windowsill.  It's a melancholy type of film.  We see the love that Rick and Ilsa had and we are made painfully aware that it is gone.  Ilsa tries to convince Rick she still loves him, but does she really?  I change my mind each time I watch.  Which leads to the next point - great acting.  Ingrid Bergman is beautiful, smart and such a natural.  Claude Rains is funny and a bit over the top as Captain Renault (although after viewing it a few times, I've noticed more of his backstory, which made him more endearing).

I was going to keep this post short since it's such a famous movie, but I can't stop without mentioning Bogart.  Humphrey Bogart makes this film.  It was his "breakout" role in the sense that it established him as a romantic leading man, not just a gangster or tough guy or wisecracking detective.  He had just done The Maltese Falcon the previous year, and established himself as an icon in film noir.  This film, however, makes him even more of a star.  And most of that is how well he plays the role of Rick.  This tough, neutral-standing saloon keeper lets down his rocky facade and shows how vulnerable he is.  It's moving, it's completely human and it's darn good movie-making.  Rick becomes the classic American hero - he is willing to sacrifice his own happiness for the "greater good."  He's got a criminal past, he runs a saloon with illegal gambling, has lousy friends yet somehow we love him. 
 

Review

This part I will keep short - if you haven't seen this film, watch it.  If you've seen it once and not been too impressed, wait awhile and watch it again, preferably on a rainy night when you're in the mood to think about things like lost loves and old memories.

As always, check out IMDb, and if you get a chance, try to see the documentary "Bacall on Bogart."  It's a great look at the life and career of Bogie, and will shed some light into this film as well. 

The Pride and the Passion (1957)

Intro.
As February was going to be focused on leading men we adore, I thought the perfect film would be one starring both Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra.  I mean, two of my favorite guys in one film - how could I go wrong?  Well, it turns out there was a reason I had never heard of The Pride and the Passion until I went hunting for Sinatra films I hadn't seen yet. 

Overview
Cary Grant plays a British officer named Anthony, who is sent to Spain during the Napoleonic Wars to salvage a huge cannon that the French army has discarded.  What he finds is a group of Spanish resistance fighters who have not only found the cannon, but have fixed it and are trying to take it cross country to the town of Avila, which is protected by a fortress now occupied by the French.  Anthony is only interested in getting the gun back to England, but he needs the Spanish group to help him move it (that sucker is heavy!).  So he and the Spanish leader Miguel (Frank Sinatra) make a deal - Anthony will help them take the fortress with the gun (because he knows all about artillery) and they in turn will help him haul the gun to a ship bound for England.  The rest of the story is pretty solid - lots of pushing, lots of hiding from the French, lots of Anthony hooking up with Miguel's girlfriend, Juana (Sophia Loren).  The love triangle affects the whole film and we are finally drawn from Anthony's dilemma to Juana's as she has to choose between the two men (what a choice to have!!).  The ending is pretty spectacular as hundreds upon hundreds of Spaniards rush the fortress in order to save the town of Avila from the French.  I won't ruin it, but let's just say that Juana finally learns that she can't have it all.

Highlights (and some Low Points too)
First of all, there is an undeniable chemistry between Cary Grant and Sophia Loren.  I thought at first I was imagining it, since it was on the set of this movie that Cary supposedly proposed to Sophia.  Those shots where we see Anthony watching Juana, you can't help but wonder how much of that look is love and how much is just darn good acting.  It makes the film much more interesting to watch at that point, particularly for the, how shall I say it, "well censored" love scene between the two.  Oh I love when films subtly hint at sex and just as the couple embraces, the camera cuts to something like trees and then later comes back to the couple after the fact.  Such is the case here. 

This is not one of Frank Sinatra's best roles, though it is still much better than The Kissing Bandit.  His accent comes and goes (which is actually kind of endearing) and that haircut just doesn't look right on him.  But it is pretty neat to see him hold his own with Sophia and Cary.  Sophia Loren didn't seem as polished, but it could be because this was her first English film (although another film, Boy on a Dolphin was released sooner).  And Cary is good, but not his usual scene-stealing self (except when he's charming Sophia, of course!).   

Most importantly, the ending is really well done.  For a film that didn't hold my attention much, I was glued to the screen once they reach the fort and Juana must choose to either stay behind with Anthony and the cannon (where she'd be safe) or to go with Miguel and risk her life for her country.  I also enjoyed the scene before it where they ask for the help of the church in Avila - there is a beautiful mass that is held and the music and color fills up the screen.  That scene, particularly the statue of "The Pieta," is echoed in the film's ending in a delicate way.  It made me wonder if the film I had started to watch was really the same as the one that I was finishing.        

Review
While there are some good moments to this film (aside from those mentioned above, there is a great part where Anthony must explain to a puzzled Miguel why the cannon will "weigh" more going downhill and tries to use the laws of physics to show the math behind it), it feels long and heavy, as if you're pushing the cannon along with that mob of people.  It's a cool piece of Hollywood history because of Sophia Loren's earliest US work and her off-screen relationship with Cary Grant.  I didn't like the film, but I liked the history and really, any chance to watch Sinatra (even in awful roles) is still a chance I'll take.  

Want to read more?  Check out IMDb.  Also, if you are interested in a Cary Grant love triangle film, try The Philadelphia Story or The Grass is Greener.  Both films are fantastic - look for write-ups on those in the weeks to come!

The Guns of Navarone (1961)

Intro.
February is the month of love.  Even though I hate Valentine's Day, I decided that the theme for posts this month would be Leading Men We Love.  It's been a bit tough lately because of the blizzard that hit the whole state of Maryland, but between Netflix online and TCM, I've been able to put together a few films.  I wasn't planning on watching The Guns of Navarone, but as it starred the always wonderful Gregory Peck, I decided to add it to my list. 

Overview
The Allies are trying to save a group of 2,000 British prisoners from the island of Kiros.  The only thing stopping them is the pair of gigantic anti-ship guns situated in the rocky cliffside of the island of Navarone.  The fortress around the guns makes an air attack impossible, and the Allied ships don't have a chance against those guns.  So the only solution is to send British officer Keith Mallory (Gregory Peck) with a team of the best fighters and explosives experts to Navarone, where they will climb a sheer cliff, meet up with a few Greek Resistance fighters and then make their way into the fortress and destroy the guns with explosives.  No part of the mission goes smoothly - the ship they take on the way to the island sinks in a storm; they have to climb the cliff in the rain at night; the head British officer, Roy Franklin (played by Anthony Quayle) breaks his leg; they get captured by the Germans; and finally when they reach the fortress, they discover someone has destroyed all of the explosive devices.  Through it all, Mallory must lead his men with conviction, even with the most difficult decisions and obstacles.  The Allies win of course, and the ending is one of the most triumphant of all WWII films.

Highlights
The acting in this film is incredible.  Anthony Quinn, as Col. Stavros, is outstanding as the friend/enemy of Mallory.  You both love and fear him.  Gregory Peck is at the top of his game as well and gives a commanding performance.  He shows us how difficult his job is without saying so.  Also worthy of note is the charming David Niven, whose witty remarks offer the necessary relief both for the men and the audience.  Nivens plays the role of the chemistry professor turned anti-officer very well, and his role in figuring out who the traitor is reminded me of his work in murder mysteries (like The Pink Panther and Death on the Nile).  His is the much needed foil for Gregory Peck's ramrod-like command, and together the two men truly lead the film.

Points of Note
Robert Osborn introduced this film as part of TCM's 31 days of Oscar.  The Guns of Navarone won the Oscar for Best Special Effects, and was nominated for several more honors.  The ending truly deserves the honor, as do all of the actors.  David Niven reportedly had an accident on set which resulted in a split lip which got infected and sent him to the hospital for four weeks.  And Gregory Peck, with his solid acting, had this film named as the highest-grossing picture in his career up to that point.  Memorable on all fronts, perhaps the best is the way the film pays tribute to the real-life battles on the Dodecanese islands in Greece.  While some of the story is elaborated or completely different from the true story, many elements remain (read more here).

Review
Often called the greatest war film of all time, The Guns of Navarone is definitely one of the most memorable.  The fine cast and great effects has established it as an undeniable classic.  There is enough action, intrigue and full character development to interest any viewer, and the unusual setting of Greece for a WWII film makes it even better.  While it is not among my favorite WWII films (like The Great Escape), I still found the entire film very enjoyable and well worth watching.  I recommend it to fans of Gregory Peck and fans of war films, particularly those set in WWII.      

The Great Escape (1963)

Intro.
Lately I've felt like I've seen so many films, but only in pieces.  I'll catch the first twenty minutes here and maybe the ending there, or a piece or two in the middle a few weeks later.  The Great Escape was one of those films for a long time.  Of course I had seen Steve McQueen in "the cooler" with his baseball - it's iconic.  So awhile ago I sat down and saw the entire thing and loved it.  Then this past weekend when the whole state of Maryland got a nice two feet of snow, I curled up with a few movies and happily found this one on Turner Classic Movies (in High-Def!!!).  So I thought I should probably write about it.

Overview
Based on a true story, The Great Escape tells the tale of 76 men who successfully escaped a German POW camp during WWII.  This camp had specifically been designed for prisoners who had escaped from other camps.  The hard work and organization that went into their escape is fascinating and drives the entire film.  It is very much a character driven film as well, as we get to know and care about each of the main prisoners.  Steve McQueen plays Hilts, the "cooler king", whose main job is to keep the Germans busy with his escape attempts so as to divert attention from the big escape.  James Gardner plays Hendley, the "scrounger", who must come up with a set of travel papers so that the forgers can copy them, as well as other provisions.  The two main leaders are Richard Attenborough (playing Roger Bartlett) and Gordon Jackson (playing MacDonald).  The entire group digs three tunnels (Tom, Dick and Harry), forges travel papers, makes civilian suits and bags, and one night sneaks out into the woods where they part ways and try their best to make it out of Germany.

Highlights
The acting in this film is outstanding.  I can't go on enough about all of the actors involved.  In addition to the ones I mentioned, there's also Charles Bronson, James Coburn, and James Donald (who, in a side note, also BRILLIANTLY played my favorite movie doctor, Clipton, in the Bridge Over the River Kwai in 1957).  All of the details, all of the planning is so well organized and orchestrated.  The directors wanted it that way - they even hired a survivor of the original camp to come and be a technical advisor on set.  That's why the details really make this movie.  Watching this film reminds you of the determination of the spirit to be free. It's breathtaking and terribly sad at the end; worse still when you read about the real story and learn just how much of this was true.

Should be Mentioned...
Steve McQueen's character does feel a bit out of place, but according to history sources, there were some Americans in the camp.  His timing at the end is a bit off, as Steve almost makes Switzerland on a motorcycle while simultaneously James Gardner tries to make it there in a plane and crashes 20 miles short.  But in light of the history and how well made the film is, you can overlook some of the Hollywood-ness.  I can almost hear comedian Eddie Izzard's voice now: "Steve McQueen plays the American who is dropped into British films to make them sell."  Well, that may be true, but the film still earns its place as a classic.  As it compares to another classic, The Bridge Over the River Kwai, it's fascinating how differently the POWs deal with their imprisonment.  Both groups are distinctly British and go about their plans with great foresight and attention to detail.  (And on a side note, Hilts gets time in solitary called "the cooler" while Alec Guiness gets time in solitary called "the oven.")  Then both films end tragically, reminding us (in the words of Clipton) that war is madness.

Review
I love this movie more each time I see it.  Every time another character captivates me and I have to follow and root for him clear through to the end.  It's amazing, humbling, and undeniably devastating to know that real men lived this life and died trying to escape.  If you haven't seen this movie yet, or if you are like I was and only saw a few bits, do yourself a favor and watch it.  All of it.  Straight through.  And you may need a tissue.

Want to learn more?  I read a lot about the film and the story behind it at HistoryinFilm.com.  Also, if you want to see Eddie Izzard's routine about the movie, click here (he starts around 1:45, but please note that he does use a few obscenities).