Ryan's Daughter (1970)

Intro.

I'm a sucker for films shot entirely on location.  Films, after all, are all about transporting the viewers into another world, and what better way to do that than with rich, beautiful, true scenery.  Ryan's Daughter is an epic shot entirely on location in Ireland, so I was sold.  Add in a few Oscars, a love story with Robert Mitchum, and an intriguing plot set around the WWI Irish revolution, and you've got a must see film. 

Overview

A huge, sweeping epic, Ryan's Daughter begins in a small town in Northern Ireland, where the barkeeper's young daughter Rosy Ryan (Sarah Miles) falls in love with the middle-aged, widowed schoolteacher Charles Schaughnessy (Robert Mitchum).  Despite his hesitation and their age difference, they marry and settle into a quiet, peaceful life.  But Rosy wants more than that.  As if in answer to her prayers, a young British soldier nursing an injured leg and the pains of PTSD, Randolph Doryan (Christopher Jones), arrives at her father's pub.  He's been told that there's an informant in town - someone who is helping the Irish rebellion led by Tim O'Leary, but also helping the British.  That person has a tie with the pub, but no one is certain who it is.  The chemistry between Rosy and Randolph is instant and obvious, so it is no surprise that they begin a sizzling love affair.  The two story lines (the love affair and the revolution) are intricately tied together.  The town's mute, Michael, reveals the affair.  Then Tim O'Leary comes to the village, only to be captured by the British troops, led by Doryan.  The town concludes that Rosy was the informant and attack her in her home.  Even though Charles has already resolved to have a quiet divorce, he fights back against the mob to protect Rosy.  He can only do so much though, and the film ends with Rosy and Doryan each dealing (or not dealing) with what they've done.

Highlights

The true highlight of this film is the cinematography.  Not only is the beauty of the Irish countryside on full display, but the treatment of the shots and slow moving pace help develop a rich, gorgeous setting.  I felt like I was watching poetry.  The opening shots of the cliffs and Michael rowing in from the sea are just breathtakingly beautiful.  Later the shots of Charles and Rosy meeting on the beach and then Rosy and Doryan meeting in the forest are all just as well done.


A word on the rating - this film was rated MA on TCM.  There were all of 2 sex scenes and they were nothing compared to some of the scenes in the R-rated comedies today.  I'm usually against showing sex in films since it's usually unnecessary, but I think Ryan's Daughter handles it well.  It is necessary to see Rosy's first disappointment with Charles on their wedding night because it feeds into her desire for Doryan, who can, in her words, make her feel like a new person.    

This film is definitely one of the forgotten, yet still beautifully tragic epic films.  There are so many elements that work well.  It's funny, as I watched, I thought "this is like Dr. Zhivago without the snow" and after the film finished, TCM host Robert Osborne returned and commented that the director for Ryan's Daughter, David Lean, had also done Dr. Zhivago as well as The Bridge on the River Kwai.  It has the same feeling and scope of both those films.  The acting is great too - John Mills certainly earned his Oscar for his role as Michael, and I'd argue that Robert Mitchum and Trevor Howard were both just as good.

Review and Recommendation
Overall, I'd say Ryan's Daughter is the kind of film you watch just for the sheer beauty of it.  All the elements work together to make a seamless picture.  Although it runs pretty long (over three hours) and can be a bit slow at parts, the cinematography, fine acting and great score will keep you fascinated.   

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Intro.

Lately I've been thinking about today's films, specifically comedies, and what makes them appeal to different audiences.  I often don't understand modern comedies that are popular today, and that got me wondering how comedy films have changed over the years.  Screwball comedies like Bringing Up Baby were popular back in the 1930s, but haven't been made lately.  It was a different time and laughter, especially aimed at the trials and tribulations of the priviledged upper class, would have relieved a lot of the nation's stress.  Where Public Cowboy #1 helped give voice to the struggle of farmers in the 1930s, screwball comedies could help all Americans laugh. 

Overview

The film opens with zoologist David Huxley (Cary Grant), who is nearing the completion of a brontosaurus skeleton as well as his marriage to fellow museum worker Alice Swallow (Virginia Walker).  His museum is on a list of contenders to receive a $1 million gift from Mrs. Carlton Random.  As David tries to make a good impression on Mrs. Random's lawyer, Mr. Peabody, but he does just the opposite.  That's because he keeps crossing (and criss-crossing) paths with Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn), the pretty socialite who's not all that bright.  Just when he thinks he's rid of her, the next day David is excited to receive the final bone for his brontosaurus and to get ready for his wedding that afternoon.  However, Susan calls to ask for help because there's a leopard in her apartment.  Much to David's chagrin, there really is a leopard there.  Good-natured David helps Susan get the leopard, named Baby, to Susan's aunt's farm in Connecticut.  Things only get crazier as Susan plots to keep David with her as long as possible - a plan that is only helped when her aunt's dog George steals the brontosaurus bone, Baby escapes, and a local circus loses its leopard that has attacked its trainer.  In all the hilarious hunting, Susan and David continue to bicker and eventually wind up arrested.  I won't ruin how they get out, but their madcap escapades are great!

Highlights

Bringing Up Baby is a classic comedy and one of the best.  It's also Katharine Hepburn's first comedy, and she was unsure of her abilities at first.  Cary Grant coached her and encouraged her to just be herself.  The result is one of her best performances.  Both she and Grant handle themselves well and they have a natural chemistry.  As for the plot, it can't get much screwier!  At a time when class was still more divided in the U.S., I could see the appeal this film would have as it made fun of the antics of the privileged.   

There is a scene in the Connecticut house after David and Susan arrive where David has to take a shower.  While he does, Susan steals his clothes (to paraphrase Susan: "he can't leave because he's the only man I've ever loved!").  David is then forced to wear the only thing he can find, which happens to be a very flimsy woman's bathrobe trimmed in feathers.  As he proceeds to look for Susan, her aunt comes home and is disgusted by his appearance.  After asking him repeatedly why he is dressed like that and where his real clothes are, an exasperated David leaps into the air and announces "because I just went gay all of the sudden!"  They originally had to leave this out to get the film past the censors, but it was put in at the last minute and made film history.  It also furthered rumors that Cary Grant was gay, but that's another post for another time.

Finally, Bringing Up Baby has some great quotes - the writing is outstanding.  At the beginning, Susan mistakenly hits David's golf ball.  He is trying to explain to her that it was his ball.  He's talking about the brand marking: "There, you see, it's a circle."  Susan: "Now of course it is, do you think it would roll if it were square?"  When David sees Baby in Susan's apartment, he says "Susan, you have to get out of this apartment!" Susan replies, "I can't David, I have a lease!"  Some of the scenes in the film have become comedy staples too, including the accidental removal of part of Susan's dress.

Review and Recommendation

Bringing Up Baby is an excellent film that is full of good, clean entertainment.  It's sophisticated and silly all in one package, and features two of Hollywood's greatest talents at their very best.     

Woman of the Year (1942)

Intro.

It was Katharine Hepburn day on TCM and I cheered!  What a great salute to a sensational actress.  I had been wanting to see more films featuring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, so this presented the ideal opportunity.  As I read the description of Woman of the Year, I realized how similar it was to Designing Woman, which I had recently seen.  Watching the original or the movie that inspired another is always great, so I picked the perfect film.

Overview

Woman of the Year begins with top newspaper columnist Tess Harding (Katharine Hepburn) giving a radio interview about international affairs in which she says that sports have no purpose.  Sports writer Sam Craig (Spencer Tracy), who works for the same paper, takes offense and writes his next column as an attack on Tess's statements.  She in turn writes a ripping rebuttal, but before the war can continue, their editor calls them into his office to meet in person and make nice.  They do more than that as Craig falls in love at first sight with Tess.  From their, the mismatched pair continues a fun courtship including a baseball game where Sam has to explain every single move and play on the field to Tess, and then Tess throws a dinner party where Sam is the only English-speaking guest.  They wind up married, but right from the start we can see they're in for a lot of headaches (well, at least Sam is).  While Tess might be spending all of her time trying to improve the world, she spends no time trying to improve (or even have) a marriage.  It all comes to a head when she is named Woman of the Year on the same night that Sam moves out of their apartment.

Highlights
Hepburn and Tracy have undeniable chemistry.  This was their first movie together; in fact it was the first time they had met in person.  And from there, as they say, the legend was born.  A thirty year romance started off-screen, and the love comes across in some wonderful acting on-screen.  

This film is an unusual look at marriage, particularly because Tess is the one career-driven while Sam is the one neglected at home.  The film moves from comedy to drama after the marriage, and Sam's disappointment grows.  It's refreshing to see such real characters and impressive when Sam finally moves out.  I couldn't help but think it was a pretty daring move for an audience of 1942 and would still be considered pretty bold by today's standards. 

Not to give away too much, but the film concludes with both Sam and Tess realizing that marriage is a melding of their two lives, a constant compromise, a meeting in the middle.  That's why Sam has such a good ending line: "I don't want you to be Tess Harding or Mrs. Sam Craig; what about Tess Harding Craig?"

Review and Recommendation

Woman of the Year is one of the great films by one of Hollywood's best couples.  It is a humorous, yet still powerful look at marriage.  It will pack an emotional wallop.  An enduring, endearing film, I'd recommend it to everyone. 

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Intro.

You know those days when you think everything's going well and nothing could possibly go wrong, and then you come home and find a dead body in your aunts' windowseat?  Okay, so maybe we don't all have that happen, but it doesn't make it any less funny when it does happen to Mortimer Brewster.  Thus begins one of the all time best dark comedies of all time. 

Overview

Finally taking the plunge into marriage, dramatic critic Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) rushes home to tell his family - his two sweet, grandmotherly, unmarried aunts.  While in the midst of all their happiness, he discovers a dead body in their windowseat.  Not only do his aunts know about the dead man, but they confess to killing him as well as eleven others, all of which are buried in their basement.  Conveniently, they have another nephew who thinks he is Theodore Roosevelt (John Alexander), and is all too happy to dig "locks" in the Panama Canal in their basement and bury the "yellow fever victims."  Mortimer, out of love from his aunt, tries to figure out how to get Teddy committed to a psychiatric hospital (Happy Dale) so that if the deaths are discovered, they can safely be pinned on Teddy (he can't go to jail if he's committed).  Nothing seems to go Mortimer's way as one complication builds onto another - culminating in the arrival of his frightening brother Jonathan (Raymond Massey), who brings his accomplice, Dr. Einstein (the wonderful Peter Lorre), as well as the body of their latest murder victim.  It all comes down to his new bride, Elaine, (Priscilla Lane) finding the bodies in the basement that really brings everything to an hysterical end.

Highlights    

One of the things that make this film such a classic comedic gem is the timing.  Everything is just right, and the pace of the film picks up as Mortimer's madness grows.  Each time I watch Arsenic and Old Lace, I notice something else.  In this case, it was how appropriate the setting felt.  Between Mortimer's house and Elaine's father's house is an ancient graveyard, the story takes place on Halloween, and it also is set in Brooklyn - a strange land according to the opening credits.  It also takes place mostly in the aunts' house, which gave it a sort of Hitchcock feel, and made it creepier for its claustrophobic effect.  What struck me most was how Mortimer, an author of books like Mind Over Matrimony has done the exact opposite of his world view.  It's almost as if that marriage is the start of his own madness, which only gets worse when he discovers his entire family is crazy.

What I also noticed was how different comedies can be from one another.  Arsenic and Old Lace is an example of a dark comedy.  I mean, really we spend the whole time laughing about two women who poison old men and bury them in their basement.  That's pretty grim, and in tone it's a lot like Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.  We understand when Mortimer freaks out.  Who wouldn't freak out?  What's more, we can identify with the basic premise - how when you're in a crisis, nothing seems to go right, even to the point where you doubt your own sanity.

Review and Recommendation

Arsenic and Old Lace is one of those films rightfully called a classic.  It's a great example of writing, directing, acting and all around good movie making.  Cary Grant and Peter Lorre (and in fact, the whole case) give wonderful performances and you're guaranteed at least one laugh.  Definitely a must see!

Trivia: If you look closely when Mortimer is out in the cemetery by himself, he sits on one of the gravestones.  Just past him is another stone bearing the name Archibald Leach - Cary's Grant's real name.       

Black Hand (1950)

Intro.

Can you name any films Gene Kelly made where there was no singing, dancing or music of any kind?  It's a bit hard, isn't it?  But Gene Kelly was a phenomenal actor in straight dramas too - I loved him in the film version of Inherit the Wind.  So when I saw Black Hand on the TCM lineup, I decided to watch.  All I knew was that it dealt with crime in New York City during the early 1900s.

Overview
Gene Kelly leads the film as Johnny Colombo, a boy who returns to Italy with his mother when his father is killed by the Black Hand in New York City.  Eight years later he returns as a grown man with a vow to avenge his father's death.  He soon reunites with some old friends like Isabella Gomboli (Teresa Celli) and meets an honest cop named Naish (Louis Lorelli).  Together Johnny tries to build a resistance to the Black Hand, but is sorely outmatched.  Finally a great idea comes to Johnny and Naish when a notorious mafia leader in New York is on trial (and winning because he intimidated all the witnesses).  The trial ends only because he is extradited to Italy, where he is wanted by the police.  Naish travels to Naples in order to check outstanding Italian warrants against men he knows to be mafiosos in New York.  He sends the photos and incriminating paperwork back to Johnny, only to have it used as ransom for the life of Isabella's little brother.  The film takes a few more twists as Johnny has to face off with the men who killed his father.

Highlights

IMDb has this film listed as a Thriller, Crime film and Film Noir.  Black Hand delivers on all three.  Gene Kelly is wonderful in his role, and now I am interested in catching a few more of his dramas.  He steps into the film noir like a natural, easily helping the film move through some of the more complicated plot points.  He becomes the heart of the story, as does his relationship with Isabella.  The only problem I had with this film was the opening when Gene Kelly is returning from Italy.  He cannot carry an Italian accent, though he tries.  I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I was laughing when his first lines were in flowing Italian that was thick with the accent of an Irishman from Pittsburgh.  I would have loved to have heard what Gene's friend Frank Sinatra thought of this film, but I digress.  Once Johnny gets back into New York, the accent slips away and he seems more comfortable.

I think what struck me the most in this film was the fine line between stereotype and an actual look at racism against Italians.  I think one of the most striking parts of the film comes during the trial of the mafia leader who has scared away all but one witness.  That lone witness is terrified on the stand and refuses to testify.  Naish comes up to him and gives this speech: "Carlo, did you ever go uptown, out of the district, and try to rent a room somewhere.  You couldn't get it.  They got it in their heads we're not as good as other people.  All they ever hear of us in the newspapers is murder.  All they ever see of us is in the slums or in gangs of pick-shovel men digging the subway.  They think it's because we're not good enough for anything else.  Those newspapermen out there - what are they gonna write about in tomorrow's papers?  'Scared witness refuses to testify'?  Would you like that?  Or maybe 'Brave Italian defies Black Hand warning'?  That would be better, huh? Are we an inferior race like they say, Carlo?"  To which Carlo responds by looking at the lawyer: "Ask me again."  What a great scene and a terrific speech!     

I could go on about the nuances of the film and the history of Italian immigrants, but this post would be far too long.  I did appreciate the line Isabella had in the beginning when she suggests to Johnny that he form a league for protection like they did in New Orleans.  New Orleans had been in 1891 the scene of a mass lynching of 11 Italian Americans.  (Read more about it here).  Meanwhile, groups like the Order of the Sons of Italy were founded to help Italian immigrants find jobs, get settled, learn English and become citizens.  So it made me proud to see Johnny fight the Black Hand in an honest way.  That I think is what defines this film.              

Review and Recommendation
There are some articles online suggesting that this film inspired The Godfather Part II, and after seeing Black Hand, I have to agree it must have been a strong influence.  While not as powerful or well-done a film as The Godfather Part II, this film has its merits.  It's an intriguing thriller and a good solid noir.  If you can make it past Gene Kelly speaking Italian, I have a feeling you'll enjoy it.  


P.S. Also, funniest line in the film?  The bartender, after hearing Kelly sing, says "A man with a voice like that comes here to drink, not to sing."

Scared Stiff (1953)

Intro.

We all have those feel-good movies that we watched when we were younger, right?  When I was in middle school, I started watching the old Martin and Lewis comedies.  My mom recently gave me a box full of my old VHS tapes, among them all of my Martin and Lewis movies.  This past week was horrible, so one night when I was stressed to the max, I decided to settle down with my old friends, Dean and Jerry.  And sure enough, that old charm of those 50s comedies came back and melted my stress away.

Overview

Scared Stiff opens in a nightclub where we find Larry Todd (Dean Martin) as the star singer who is having a fling with one of the showgirls.  She, however, is the main squeeze of the biggest mob boss in town - Shorty.  Shorty orders Larry to come to his hotel room to "work things out" but Larry's best friend, bumbling busboy Myron (Jerry Lewis) decides to go first and scare Shorty into leaving Larry alone.  Larry goes after him and of course things go from bad to crazy as Larry thinks he has accidentally shot someone.  With the police after him, he and Myron escape with the help of a beautiful woman named Mary Carol (Lizabeth Scott), who has just inherited Lost Island, just south of Cuba.  Lost Island is supposedly haunted, populated by zombies, you name it.  Mary will not be stopped, even after voodoo threats and offers to buy her out.  Larry, who has become quite taken with Mary, promises to go with her to check out the island.  Myron of course comes too and after a lot of terrifying run ins with ghosts and a zombie, the threesome finally find the real secret of Lost Island - a secret that people are willing to kill for.

Background and Highlights
Martin and Lewis became the leading comedy act in the US in the early 1950s.  They teamed up in a nightclub in 1946 and stayed together until 1956.  They made a total of 16 films together and starred on the Colgate Comedy Hour.  In fact, they were so popular, they once completely stopped traffic in Times Square when they leaned out of their hotel room window and all of their fans gathered around.  The fans themselves filled Times Square and inspired a scene in the film The Caddy.  Theirs was perhaps the most successful of the crooner-comedian pairings and it made national news when they broke up and went their separate ways.  Some of their films are very silly, some good and innocent fun, and still there are a few that touch on that once close but then strained brotherly relationship.  Scared Stiff came in the middle of their film career, and is still in that innocent fun mode, where they had the formula to make America laugh.

There is a good balance in this film - Jerry is able to have some great comic routines like the argument with himself in a mirror and his amazing impersonation of Carmen Miranda (oh my gosh, Jerry trying to dance in those heels while keeping all that fruit balanced on his head makes the whole film worth watching).  And Dean has some fantastic musical numbers, including what may be my favorite in all of the Martin & Lewis films - "When Someone Wonderful Thinks You're Wonderful".  They are great together too, and Lizabeth Scott is a wonderful addition as a great leading lady.

What really struck me when I watched this time, was how funny Dean Martin could be.  I knew that when he later performed with Frank Sinatra on stage, he was responsible for writing their jokes, but I've heard it wasn't so clear who wrote what for Martin and Lewis.  Regardless, he delivers some of the best lines in this film.  A few favorites include: "Don't give me away, please!  Someday you may have a little boy and he'll grow up and commit an innocent murder too!" and "I'm just dropping a few eaves." 

Review
Scared Stiff isn't necessarily a classic - it's not in the ranks of The Philadelphia Story or Some Like It Hot.  It is a wonderful comedy though and a great example of what Martin and Lewis could accomplish at the height of their career.  It has something for everyone - Jerry's juvenile antics appeal to younger crowds while Dean's more subtle jokes (and crooning) appealed to older crowds.  It's also a good look at what entertained audiences in the early fifties.  As I wrote earlier, this was one of my favorite movies from when I was about thirteen and I love it even more now.  It still has that innocent, feel-good quality that so many of today's comedies are missing, and I recommend it.

Fun Facts
First, there is a great, great cameo at the end of the film, which I won't spoil, but it relates to a cameo that Dean and Jerry had in an earlier film.  Also worth mentioning is how Larry, upon seeing the underground railroad tracks and spooky lanterns says "reminds me of my hotel room in Steubenville."  Steubenville, Ohio is, of course, Dean Martin's hometown.