Westward the Women (1951)

Intro.

I've been putting off writing this review for awhile, not because it's difficult or that the film was bad, just that I'm not quite sure what to make of it.  I've written a lot about women in Westerns - both in my college film classes and on this site.  A few years ago I read an article called "Westward the Women: Feminising the Wilderness" by P. Evans.  In it, Evans discussed the role of women in traditional American Westerns: women were the "civilizers and tamers of male wildness and independence." So when I heard that the title film was on television, I decided to catch it.  

Overview

Westward the Women starts with a new settlement in California made up entirely of men.  Anxious to turn their now tamed land into homes, they recruit the settlement's leader, Roy (John McIntire) and a seasoned trail guide, Buck (Robert Taylor) to go to Chicago and recruit women to become their wives.  They sign on 150 women and begin the long, arduous journey back by covered wagon.  There's a wide variety of women too - two French women, an Italian mother and son, I think even a German woman (I swear I heard German somewhere).  The women bicker at times, but really have to pull together to overcome Indian attacks, attacks by the other men leading the group, extreme heat, dangerous roads, some deaths and one miraculous birth.  Once they finally make it to the settlement, the women refuse to go in unless they have some clean clothes, so the only two men who made it through all the way with them go to the town and get what they can.  A short while later, the women ride in, their heads held high.  A dance is held to get everyone acquainted and one by one the couples are married. 

Highlights

There are some unforgettable characters in the film, most notably the oldest of the women, Prudence.  She acts as a mother and caregiver, but not without a lot of sass.  But I have to say, the women as a group really become one entity.  It makes it all that much more chilling after the big attack when they call out all the names of the dead.  It's a chilling reminder that Buck was right - about a third of the women would die on the way. 

One part that I loved was how, before they set out West, the women get to go to a wall of photographs and pick out their future husbands.  It's really interesting because they got to choose!  Much of this movie reminded me a bit of the John Ford film Wagon Master (my favorite Western of all time).  In that film, there is a scene where the Mormon wagon train is invited to join an Apache tribe for an evening, and during that time there is a "squaw dance" - a tradition wherein the women have the right to choose their partners.  But I digress.  The main reason I noted the similarity is because of the outsider feeling - that this band of women are really the outsiders of normal, civilized society.  While the men wanted only "good women" recruited, they did not say "normal" or "well-respected" women.  True, they are virtuous to a fault, but they also want out of the traditions of city life in Chicago and this makes them unusual for women of their society.  There's quite an interesting collection of women just outside the norm on the train - a overly flirtatious French woman, a young woman who has gotten pregnant out of wedlock and is escaping from the shame she's faced, two women who are better shots than Buck, and even Prudence with her bull-headed, domineering presence that will leave any man afraid of her.

The three men left to lead the train after the other male guides take off (there's a rule not to talk to or bother the women, but that rule doesn't last long).  They're left with an old man (Roy), a man in his prime (Buck) with his doubts about the women, and a young boy who joined only because he wanted to go to California (Ito).  It reminds me of many other Westerns, this trio of men who seem inadequate for such a hard task - think Red River or Rio Bravo, for instance.  But what really stands out is how much Buck changes in his attitude during the film.  He comes to realize that not only are these women stronger, but as they are determined to prove themselves and push onward no matter what, they become the best and hardest working train he's ever led - of men or women.  These women have a tremendous sense of purpose and resiliency in the face of heartbreaking loss.  In the end, Rob  too settles into marriage, making Evans' point about women taming men's wildness.  But these women go beyond that - they can tame men, but they can also survive the brutal West without men.

Review and Recommendation
One of the best Westerns I've seen, this film walks a very fine line between very conservative gender types and very feminist types.  I had a friend in college who decided she hated Westerns because women were always portrayed in a horrible, weak manner (she had only seen one Western).  I wish I could tell her now to watch this film.  Even though the ending gives way to the social norms of the 50s, what happens in that cross country journey is amazing.  It would be interesting to see the film made today - I don't think it would have nearly the same impact.  I definitely recommend this film to any Western enthusiast, Western critic or really anyone who wants a good story.  Because when those women take up rifles and stand their ground with such temerity, all you can do is stand up and cheer.

Check out more info and some much better reviews at IMDb.com.

Designing Woman (1957)

Intro.

Romantic comedies have been around since the beginning of film's history.  The comedy inherent in relationships goes back even further.  It is interesting (to me at least) to watch romantic comedies from different eras as the silver screen reflects the values, imaginations and everyday lives of those bygone eras.  It's true that the same can be said of any genre, but lately I've been focusing on romantic comedies because the basic premise is always the same - two people meet, fall in love and spend the rest of their lives together.  How they get from beginning to end is another matter entirely. 

Overview

Designing Woman takes after many films from the fifties.  The plot is very similar to other stories - two people meet, fall in love, marry in a whirlwind, then return to their normal lives only to realize how incompatible they are.  In this case, it is Gregory Peck as sports writer Mike Hagan, and Lauren Bacall as fashion designer Marilla Brown.  The two meet on vacation, marry quickly and return to New York.  The comedy starts with them trying to live together - Marilla finds a torn up photo of Mike's ex-girlfriend while Mike discovers that Marilla out-earns him.  Their first fight erupts after they both invite friends to their now shared apartment.  The usual insanity persists when Mike's sportswriters and ex-fighters come over for poker while Marilla's theater crowd works on plans for a new musical.  Such differences cause problems that continues to complicate the relationship.  First Marilla discovers that the actress in the musical she's designing gowns for is Mike's ex, then Mike not only lies about it, but then has to go into hiding because his articles have exposed a particular mobster as the leader in a corruption ring in boxing.  It wraps up with a lot of madness, jealousy and finally an all out bout of honesty, and of course Mike and Marilla live happily ever after.

Highlights and Interesting Points

First of all, Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall are both wonderful in this film.  They have an easy chemistry and are both genuine talents in their own right.  Especially worthy of note is how well Lauren Bacall carries herself despite the fact that at home, her husband Humphrey Bogart was dying of cancer (he died in January and the film premiered in May of 1957).  Her strength of character and superb acting comes out in her performance.

As it is a traditional film of the 1950s, the gender-specific roles are very conservative.  This could be due to the politics of the day and a time in Hollywood where it was safer to stick to more conformist views.  However, there are some points of the film that break away from the norm.  For instance, Lauren Bacall is far from being June Cleaver - she still actively holds onto her thriving career and holds her own in equality with her husband.  Also, their respective groups of friends have men who aren't all what they seem, particularly Marilla's friend, a choreographer who, despite how he carries himself, is in fact straight and a happily married man and father of two.  But the film does come back to some standard (and somewhat sexist) views, like making Marilla stoop to petty jealousy and almost faint during a boxing match.  Her strength in the rest of the film redeems her, thanks mostly to Bacall's own fortitude.  What else helps is the humor - that deep down, the film doesn't take itself too seriously.  Both characters take turns with voice-overs that are steeping with irony and deadpan sarcasm.  Without such a device, the film could easily be made into a melodrama.   

What struck me about the picture was how, unlike most romantic comedies and musicals, it begins with marriage instead of ending with it.  At first I thought that was only something that came with the fifties and that society, but films like that have really been around for some time (think about Vivacious Lady from 1938).  In a way, it's kind of another wooing - a couple deprived of the usual complicated (and hilarious) courtship face problems after 'I Do' and have to get through it in order to achieve their happily ever after. 

Review and Recommendation
Designing Woman is a good, enjoyable fun - good talents, good chemistry and good jokes make it entertaining.  While a typical rom-com film of the 1950s, it goes a little further as both Bacall and Peck make it work.  Pay particular attention to the ending, where each character has their own epilogue, directly addressing the audience much like the old credits in 1930s B-films that show clips of each actor along with their name and part.  It's a nice break in the fourth wall and allows each character to have an equal voice.  Although the film is a bit predictable, it is good-natured fun.  If you get a chance to see it, break out the popcorn and have fun.

Fun Fact: My friend Catherine read that the film originally was to star Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly, but as Grace Kelly became engaged to the Prince of Monaco, she couldn't do the film and Jimmy Stewart didn't want to do it without her.  I wonder what would have happened if the two of them had filmed it - in many ways it would be like a follow up to Rear Window, where Grace Kelly worked in fashion and Jimmy Stewart worked as a photographer covering dangerous things like racing and other sports.

The Locket (1946)

Intro.

It had been a long while since I had been able to enjoy a nice relaxing evening with take out food and a bunch of great films.  I had plenty on my DVR, so I scrolled through to find one suited for my mood.  I stumbled upon this one, The Locket.  I'm not normally one for melodramas, but as this one starred Laraine Day and Robert Mitchum and added in a psychological twist, I thought it might be good.  As far as story-telling went, it was well worth watching. 

Overview
Basically, this is a story within a story within a story within a story.  The depths of the film are peeled away like onion skins.  First we meet John Willis (Gene Raymond) and his beautiful fiancee Nancy (Laraine Day) at their engagement party.  They seem to be the perfect, happy couple.  But a stranger arrives and asks to see John in private.  The stranger turns out to be Nancy's ex-husband, Dr. Harry Blair (Brian Aherne).  Blair warns John he's making a huge mistake - that Nancy has already ruined the lives of three men.  His story launches a flashback to when he had met Nancy and their lives together.  However, this flashback gets interrupted when Blair explains that he too had been warned about Nancy - about how she alone was responsible for a man being wrongly executed in Sing-Sing.  The man to warn him was named Norman Clyde (Robert Mitchum).  Norman's story launches another flashback about how he had met Nancy.  Apparently Nancy and Norman had been at an art dealer's party (Norman was a painter) and Nancy had stolen a diamond bracelet left by some guest in the bathroom.  She told Norman it was all just her gut reaction - she just wanted it and took it.  Her teary-eyed explanation takes us to the last flashback, which takes place when she was about ten years old and living with her mother, a housekeeper to an extremely rich family.  Nancy was falsely accused of stealing the family's daughter's diamond locket and severely punished for it.  It's more of an emotional beating that leaves grown up Nancy still shaking in Robert's arms as she tells him about it.  He convinces her to mail back the bracelet anonymously.  We think all is resolved until they go to another party and the host is murdered, his prize diamond stolen.  Did Nancy do it?  We don't really know.  But she lies to the police and lets the butler take the fall for the crime (that's 2 of the 3 men whose lives she ruined, if you're keeping score).  Norman desperately tries to save the butler, hence his visit to Blair, but it doesn't do any good.  I won't go on from there except to say that Blair also comes to learn the disturbing truth about Nancy while living with her in England.  Even as a psychiatrist, he cannot help her, and their subsequent divorce leads to her returning and finding John.  It all ends back where it started - with the wedding preparations for Nancy and John.  But Nancy gets the shock of her life when she meets with her mother-in-law, and the film comes to a close.  (No spoilers here!)     

Highlights

I really enjoyed all of the layers to this film.  It was a lot of fun to keep peeling back layer after layer, just as you would to get at the heart of any person's personality.  It had a film noir quality to it as it not only had the multiple flashbacks, but also the overall dark tone.  I realize now as I write this, that there is very little evidence that Nancy killed her host and stole his diamond - the entire case is really built on suspicion and the way Norman reacts to her story.  That part is really well done and intriguing.  Laraine Day is also wickedly delightful as this angel-faced, allegedly-homicidal kleptomaniac.  All the men who surround her are helpless, and only one - Blair - manages to escape in one piece.

Apart from its noir-ish elements, the film really is a melodrama and its attempts at the "psychological drama" aren't done well.  I feel bad to admit this, but the secret at the heart of Nancy's problems didn't really seem all that devastating to me.  The only justification I could see was that perhaps she already had some psychological problems and the incident with the locket was just the trigger she needed.  I almost wish we had some more time with her as she grew up - did the incident that cost her mother's job ruin their family?  Did her mother find work again?  Did she blame Nancy constantly for her unhappiness?  It's a bit of a jump and leaves a lot of questions unanswered.  I don't want to sound cold - anyone would've been severely shaken by that business with the locket, but very few people I know would have turned to theft and purgery and possibly murder.  The ending seemed much too easy, too simple, though the irony of it has a bit of a redeeming quality.  I won't dwell on it more, just in case you decide to watch!  

Review

If you can get past the flaws with motive and psychology, you will find some things to appreciate in The Locket.  For the most part, the story-telling is wonderful.  I really enjoyed all the depths and twists each story took as we went further back into Nancy's past.  The film itself even feels like a case study - as if we are in Dr. Blair's shoes evaluating a patient.  So overall, not one of the best films I've reviewed, but still enjoyable and a good example of plot techniques.

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Intro.

Can you believe The Blues Brothers is already thirty years old?  It was one of those films I had always heard about and seen parodies of as I grew up, but I didn't watch it until college.  And then recently, as it hit its big 30 year anniversary, I went to see it at the AFI Silver Theater and it was like seeing it again for the first time.     

Overview

The film opens with Jake "Joliet" Blues (John Belushi) getting out of prison.  His brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) picks him up in his new car - an retired police car.  Elwood makes Jake keep his promise to go and see the nun (Kathleen Freeman) who ran their orphanage.  She is still there and as terrifying as ever, but has some sad news - the county tax assessor told her that unless she can pay them $5000 in 11 days, the county will close the orphanage.  After an inspiring sermon from Pastor Cleophus (James Brown) the brothers realize that they are on a mission from God - get the old blues band back together and make enough money from their gigs to pay the back taxes.  It isn't easy though, as first they have to convince all the guys to join them (in spite of protests from Aretha Franklin), get their instruments out on a loan (from Ray Charles), and then find some venues (including a great Country bar where they have to perform the theme from "Rawhide").  Meanwhile they manage to get the police after them as well as the Illinois neo-Nazi party.  They manage to arrange a huge benefit concert, but have some trouble getting out.  It all culminates with one of the funniest chase-scenes in film history, and at the time held the record for the highest number of crashed cars in a movie.  

Highlights

There is definitely a fun, campy feel to this movie - it manages to be ridiculous without ever becoming cheesy.  You can see how it had grown from a simple Saturday Night Live skit.  I think a lot of that is due to just how seriously Jake and Elwood take themselves.  Jake only removes his sunglasses once, and that is just to convince Carrie Fisher's character to stop trying to kill him.  Buildings blow up, cars careen upside-down in parking malls, the entire police force of Chicago is after them, and these guys don't even break a sweat.  They're the perfect heroes of modern America - the bad guys trying to do good, even if "doing good" involves a few crimes.  Ends justify the means, right?

Part of the reason the film has that campy feel because it doesn't quite stick to one genre.  It's clearly a comedy and stays one throughout, but it also takes in elements of police (cops-and-robbers) films as well as musicals.  But it manages to pull off this genre-version of musical chairs quite well.  I think that's because for the music they only wanted to work with the best - all of the guys in the Blues Brothers band are actual musicians (and quite talented ones too!).  Plus there are all those great cameos - I mean, Aretha Franklin belting out into song in her diner?  Classic! 

Overall, this is one of the most legendary of all buddy films.  I mean, we don't even know for sure if the two guys are really brothers (they were raised in an orphanage, so we don't know for certain) but it doesn't matter.  Their relationship is at the heart of the film - you can't have Elwood without Jake or Jake without Elwood.  That was what I took away from this film - not just the fantastic music or ridiculous car crashes, but the brotherhood. 

Review
I love this movie.  It's not the kind of film I'd normally watch, but it is so well done and so enjoyable, I can't help but love it.  I have a feeling you will too, as long as you can just relax and go along for the ride.

Clue (1985)

Intro.

I know I've mentioned before that the usual designation of a "classic" film is that it must be thirty years old.  These are the films I try to stick to with my write-ups, but sometimes you need to bend the rules a bit.  At 25 years old, Clue has really earned a place in the realm of classic comedies.  As I was fortunate to see it in theaters last weekend, I feel as though I need to review it.

Overview

Based on the classic Parker Brothers board game, Clue takes place in a remote mansion, where six strangers arrive as guests.  They are greeted by a butler, Wadsworth (Tim Curry), then served by a maid (Colleen Camp) and a cook (Kellye Nakahara).  Each guest is given an alias - one of the characters from the board game - and all are seated in the dining room to await their host, Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving).  But when Mr. Boddy is killed, we learn that each guest was being blackmailed by him.  That means anyone could be guilty of murder.  Things go from bad to worse when they discover the cook has also been murdered.  The group splits up to search the house for any other people who may be there.  It seems no one is safe from the murderous rampage - the maid, a stranded motorist who comes in to use the phone, a police officer who came in out of the rain, even a singing telegram girl.  With only a short time before the police come to arrest the killer, the group of guests and the butler rush around to try and figure out who did what where and with what weapon (sound familiar?).  In the end we are treated not just to an ending, but three different endings - as if you're really playing the game.  Was it Ms. Scarlet in the Library with the Gun?  Colonel Mustard in the Study with the Rope?  Professor Plum in the Kitchen with the Wrench?  You'll have a lot of fun trying to figure it out in this mad-cap mystery!  

Highlights

It would have been very easy to go overboard with the comedy in this film, but what the actors did so well (especially Tim Curry) was keep it at just the right speed.  Everything is well timed and well executed.  It creates quite a wild ride that only grows faster and more frantic until you reach the ending at breakneck speed.  Each murder ups the anxiety of the guests and the humor of the film.  It does a great job of following the board game without really overdoing it.  The talented stars really create unique characters too - Martin Mull is Colonel Mustard, Christopher Lloyd is Professor Plum, Madeline Kahn is Ms. White, Eileen Brennan is Mrs. Peacock, Michael McKean is Mr. Green, and Lesley Ann Warren is Ms. Scarlet. 

The best part of the film is the ending.  Wadsworth gathers everyone for his grand revelation and says they have to "retrace" the steps of the evening, which they do at a fantastic run!  He sums it all up and makes his accusation and the murderer confesses.  Then a card comes up on screen like in the old silent films.  It says - "That's how it could have happened." (card changes) "But how about this?"  The second ending then plays out, resuming from the same point where Wadsworth first began his revelation.  At that conclusion, another card appears with "But here's what really happened" and we are treated to yet another answer. 

Review

Clue is a great comedy.  It works on many levels and has the added interest of bringing the much loved board game of whodunit to life.  I know some people who find it a bit too silly, but there are many more I've met who not only love it, but quote it often.  A favorite line among my friends is "Communism was just a red herring."  It's definitely a fun film to watch and enjoy, and I'd recommend it to anyone. 

I should also mention that Clue is very similar to one of my all time favorite comedies, Murder by Death (1976).  That film stars Alec Guiness, Peter Falk, Truman Capote, Peter Sellers, David Niven and many other amazing comedians.  Instead of a board game, it is a spoof of famous literary detectives - Sam Spade becomes Sam Diamond, Hercule Poirot becomes Milo Perrier, and so on.  All the guests arrive at a strange mansion at the request of a mysterious host, Lionel Twain (Capote).  It too is a crazy and hilarious murder mystery and one I'd also recommend - maybe even for a double feature!

The Godfather (1972)

Intro.

Never has a film had such a powerful opening line as The Godfather.  It opens on a black empty screen and then you hear a voice heavy with a Southern Italian accent and a strong conviction: "I believe in America."  As the speaker continues, we begin to see his face and eventually more light brings into focus the rest of the room.  His name is Bonasera, and he has come to the one man who can give him justice that the government has denied him - Don Vito Corleone.  Right from that first moment, you know this is going to be a powerful movie.

I was fortunate enough to see The Godfather in a theater this past weekend, and one of my friends made an interesting comment - it was a very good movie, he said, but it was really predictable.  As I thought about the time it was released, The Godfather could really be called the first modern gangster movie.  So many films and other media outlets have borrowed, stolen or parodied it.  It has become a part of our essential culture, whether we like it or not.  How many times have we heard "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse" or "he's sleeping with the fishes"?  It became the icon of the mafia and an example of outstanding film making.

Overview
At a length of about three hours, The Godfather has many, many plot points that I won't be able to cover in a summary.  Basically the film follows the lives of the Corleone family, one of the Five Families in the New York City mafia of the late 1940s.  The don, Vito (Marlon Brando) is the thoughtful, strong, traditional father.  Santino, called Sonny (James Caan), is the headstrong, womanizing, fiery-tempered eldest son; lawyer Tom Hagan (Robert Duvall) is the level-headed orphan taken in and raised as a son by the Corleones; Fredo (John Cazale) is the sheepish, clumsy, easy-going middle son; Michael (Al Pacino) is the favorite youngest son - a reserved outsider who never joined the family business.  The film opens with their sister Connie's (Talia Shire) wedding.  No Sicilian can resist a favor asked of him on his daughter's wedding day, so everyone comes to see Don Corleone.  It sets up the tone of the film as Michael explains to his girlfriend Kay how his family works through violence and intimidation.  "That's my family Kay," he says, "it's not me."  That will eventually start to change though, as a big drug supplier comes to the city looking for support from the Five Families.  When Vito refuses, an attempt is made on his life.  An all out war begins and escalates when Michael steps out of his civilian status in order to get justice for his father's shooting.  He hides out in Italy, but the violence even catches up with him there.  A few deaths and plot twists later, and Michael returns home to take over as the new Don.  A huge blood-bath finale brings to a close one of the most gripping films of all time.   

Film History & Highlights
Over the years, I've read a lot about The Godfather.  The film itself has become so steeped in myth there are all kinds of stories.  First, the horse's head in the bed.  The entire story begins with Vito's godson Johnny (Al Martino) coming to the wedding.  He's a famous crooner down on his luck, and asks his godfather to help him get a part in a new film in Hollywood.  He says the part is written for him - he can just be himself and it would get him back on top.  Vito sends Tom to talk to the famous director.  The director says he hates Johnny and refuses to give him the part because it will make him a star.  The next morning, the director awakens with blood all over his silk sheets and pulls back the blanket to discover the bloodied severed head of his prized stallion.  The screaming alone sends chills through the audience.  It's worse still when you read afterward that it was a real horse's head from a butcher shop in New Jersey.  But what I find most interesting is that the story is itself a myth based on the great comeback of Frank Sinatra.  In 1952, Sinatra faced a horrible low point in his career.  Feared that he was a has-been crooner, he heard about the part of Angelo Maggio in From Here to Eternity.  The role was perfect - he wouldn't even need to act.  But he couldn't get the role.  Now with his many friends who were in the mafia, there were all kinds of rumors, but according to an interview with Ava Gardner, the real secret was that Frank agreed to do the picture for free.  That's what did it - no decapitated horse.  Audiences watching The Godfather in 1972 would probably have remembered Sinatra's comeback Oscar win, and adding that kind of American legend to a film already rich with the myths of the Italian mafia's power only heightens the film's overall stunning effect.      

The Godfather is the perfect capstone for the already amazing career of Marlon Brando.  He is brilliant in his subtle performance of Vito.  He is real, he is a man of the people, he is above all, a sympathetic hero.  You almost forget that he can have someone killed with the nod of his head.  He's a family man and always spends time with his children and grandchildren.  The film also helped make the other actors into stars - who knew at the time that young Al Pacino would rise to such iconic status?  The Godfather was only his third film!  I am always especially impressed with James Caan, who captures the hot-headed temperament of Sonny perfectly.  The supporting cast is equally wonderful (I mean, who can not love Clemenza with his line "Leave the gun; take the cannoli"?).       

I do have to admit that the film is long and feels long in some parts.  Really, it is trying to encapsulate the long, complex story of Mario's Puzo's book, and some first-time viewers may not understand all that happens.  Trust me, watch a second or even third time and you will enjoy it more each time.  The beauty of Coppola's style is that the characters and their conversations are all so realistic.  They aren't stylized, they aren't gangsters - they are family members with a fierce loyalty to one another.  Family is what the film is really about - family loyalty and the dark side of the American dream.  There is much more I could say and if you'd like to discuss it further, feel free to leave comments.

Review and Recommendation

Sometimes as a descendant of Italian immigrants, I feel ashamed to enjoy this film.  The Godfather served to fuel the negative stereotypes that groups like the Sons of Italy have fought against for generations.  But I feel that some of the underlying themes of the film are what really draw me into it and make it something Italian-Americans can value.  Devotion and love of family are central to the film's core.  Even with Santino's poor morals when it comes to adultery and murder, he will not sit still one moment when it comes to the abuse of his sister by her husband.  Vito's last talk with Michael really say a lot about immigrants the world over - "I never wanted this for you," he explains.  "I wanted you to be the one holding all the strings someday."  He wanted Michael to go farther, to live an honest, important life.  I think this depth and humanity, above all else, is what makes this film a standout from all other traditional gangster films.  Undoubtedly, The Godfather is one of the most influential films of all time across genres.  If you want to see how all our mafia cliches really started, watch this film.  You will see magnificent acting, directing, cinematography - truly every aspect is great.  As I said, it runs long and a bit slow at times, but the many breathtaking, edge of your seat scenes and haunting end sequence will show you why this film is a true classic.

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Intro.

Lately I've been in the mood for musicals and luckily, TCM has been airing plenty for me!  I was about to watch On the Town, which I had recorded, but when I turned on my television, Meet Me in St. Louis was about to start.  As I had not seen it before, I decided to sit back and enjoy this delightful Judy Garland film.

Overview
Meet Me in St. Louis is a tribute to simple family life at the turn of the century.  It opens in 1903 in the small but growing town of St. Louis.  The World's Fair is seven months away, but that doesn't stop everyone from talking (and singing!) about it.  We hear the second eldest daughter, Esther (Judy Garland) sing it as sweeps into the house where her mother (Mary Astor) and the maid Katie (Marjorie Main) are cooking supper.  Soon eldest daughter Rose (Lucille Bremer) comes home and we learn that she is expecting a call from her boyfriend in Yale and also that Esther is stuck on the boy next door.  The rest of the family includes two young sisters, Agnes (Joan Carroll) and Tootie (Margaret O'Brien), their grandfather (Harry Davenport), teenaged brother Alonzo (Henry Daniels) and the father and head of the household (Leon Ames).  Sadly, Rose does not get a proposal from her Yale beau like she expects, but that doesn't keep her from enjoying a going away party for college-bound Alonzo.  Nor does it keep Esther from having any excuse not to meet boy-next-door John Truett.  Esther and John start a sweet romance that only improves with time (including a horrible misunderstanding caused by the troublesome Tootie!).  Just as everything looks rosy, Dad announces that the family is moving to New York city just after Christmas.  A few heartbreaking scenes later, he must come to terms with the fact that his family's hearts as well as his own will always be in St. Louis, with or without the beautiful Fair.

Highlights

I loved everything about this film - the set designs, the acting, the careful pacing and sentiment are all wonderful.  What makes it work so well is that it is just a simple story about one year in the life of one family.  Sometimes the simplest plots yield the deepest stories and that's what happens on screen with this gem.  The songs are unforgettable; the feeling warm and nostalgic.

Judy Garland is a true standout in this film.  It's also the first one she made with Vincent Minelli, whom she later married, and one of their finest collaborations.  Judy is not only a scene-stealer, but a careful balance of excited, infatuated girl and refined, graceful woman.  Her songs alone could carry the film - she has such wonderful ones (apart from the title song) as: "The Trolley Song", "The Boy Next Door" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (yes, it's from this movie!).  All of that and some great dancing too!

I realize now, after I've watched, that this film was made in 1944.  I wonder if it too was part of the Hollywood war effort - not necessarily in the same way as Thousands Cheer, but with the same feeling of simple American values.  It captured the best part of our innocent past - a part that could still inspire hope for those involved in World War II both at home and abroad.  It reminds viewers (even today) of the youthful optimism of our past, perhaps in an effort to encourage a return of that same spirit.  Think about how powerful that message is in Judy's final song.  It's as if she is speaking to those men and women in the war: "Have yourself a merry little Christmas / Make the Yule-tide gay / Next year all our troubles will be miles away / Here we are as in olden days / Happy golden days of yore [...] / Through the years we all will be together / if the Fates allow."  Not only is she singing about Christmas, but about what we as a nation were feeling.  Now that's what I call a movie.

Review and Recommendation
Truly one of the best films I've ever reviewed for this site.  This film is sweet, simple, beautiful.  A romanticized notion of America perhaps, but a heartfelt one nonetheless.  An interesting reflection not only of 1900's America, but also of 1940's America, Meet Me in St. Louis is a definite must for your list of must-see musicals!

Annie Get Your Gun (1950)

Intro.

Annie Get Your Gun is one of those musicals whose songs you've heard regardless of whether or not you've seen the movie.  "There's No Business Like Show Business" and "Anything You Can Do" have become standards that everyone knows.  The first of those songs captures the spirit of the film - including the off-screen stories.  Judy Garland was set to play Annie Oakley, but her personal hardships kept her from being able to work.  She was replaced not with Ethel Merman, who had originated the role on Broadway, but with Betty Hutton.  Meanwhile, Frank Morgan, who was going to be playing Buffalo Bill, died of a heart attack and was replaced with Louis Calhern.  But the show went on and a classic was born.

Overview    

The film opens with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show coming into a small town in Ohio.  Charming, handsome (somewhat arrogant) Frank Butler (Howard Keel) is the show's star - a sharpshooter who has never been bested at any shooting contest.  That is until a barefoot, dirty-faced girl in a canvas dress steps onto the stage before the show and accepts the challenge to shoot with him.  Annie Oakley (Betty Hutton) beats Frank at his own shooting contest and is immediately signed to join the troop.  As she and her siblings go with the Show across the country, Annie gets cleaned up and starts to act and look more like a lady.  She and Frank also start a romance, but as Annie starts to do more impressive tricks in the act, the obvious strain on Frank's ego gets to be too much and he joins the rival Wild West show run by Pawnee Smith.  Annie, angered by Frank's resentment, vows to win every medal in every shooting contest around the world, and sets off with the Wild West show on a tour of Europe.  Upon their return, Buffalo Bill decides to propose a merger with Pawnee Bill's show - it takes a lot of doing as their two stars have a battle of both egos and rifles in a grand finale.

Highs & Lows

The duets with Hutton and Keel are truly what make this movie shine, especially "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better."  What I noticed the most about this film was the enthusiasm - there is boundless energy not only in Annie, but in almost everyone with whom she interacts.  Her energy's contagious and even the audience will catch it. 


Even with all its upbeat optimism, I did have a few problems with this film.  The most obvious is the depiction of Native Americans.  In addition to only introducing the ones that are part of the Wild West show (they're also the ones always causing trouble in town), but Sitting Bull is not respectfully portrayed.  He adopts Annie Oakley, which is great, but the resulting ceremony and awful song that accompanies it are too much.  The cringe factor is pretty high.


While I appreciate strong female leads, Annie Oakley isn't really sure of herself for much of the film.  She spends the entire film fawning over Frank when she is clearly a better shot, not to mention a better person.  I guess the problem with their relationship is that their egos get in the way (and the battling of egos gets old).  Normally I could see this leading to a lot of great character (and plot) development.  While the plot does develop and stay interesting, the characters don't - there's no change at all.  I think what really did it was the over-the-top style of Annie Oakley and how the idea of a woman being happy only depended on her getting a man.  Her early song in the film, "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" is both humorous and a little sad.  It's funny in that you can't hold a gun on a man to get him to marry you and a bit off putting in that a man will be too intimidated by an independent woman who can handle a gun.  It's a fine line between between being too masculine and too feminine, with Annie walking dangerously on the precipice.  We have seen this storyline elsewhere too - just look at any of the other musical Westerns out there (Calamity Jane and The Harvey Girls come to mind, as does Public Cowboy #1).  What I found annoying was that there wasn't much resolution.  In films like Calamity Jane, we can see the strong female lead change.  It's not just the physical changes either - she starts to empathize with others and understands relationships more.  Although the ending of that film is more in line with 50's values (the "unfeminine" girl puts on a dress and gets married), Annie Oakley doesn't follow suit.  Instead of marriage, she gets a business partnership and equal standing with Frank.  A much better arrangement and what I've come to realize is an atonement for the lack of more character development in the film. 

Review and Recommendation

Annie Get Your Gun will always be a classic - it has its basis roughly in American frontier history, unforgettable showtunes and a certain kind of charm.  It's not my favorite musical or musical Western for reasons like lack of character development, but does have its own merits, particularly the message behind the ending.  And Betty Hutton really does put her heart into her character, which makes her easy to admire and the picture worth watching.