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July 30, 2017
Coffee Break
Cate Blanchett in The Monuments Men (George Clooney - 2014)
Posted by Peter Nellhaus at 09:50 AM
July 25, 2017
Seduction
La Seduzione
Fernando Di Leo - 1973
Raro Video BD Region A
Made in between his action-filled crime thrillers, Seduction is atypical of the films from Fernando Di Leo. No fast moving cars, violence is limited to a couple of slaps. There is a gun, but it's not seen until the final scene. A journalist based in Paris, Giuseppe, returns to the Sicilian city of Catania after fifteen years to close and sell his late father's house. While in Catania, Giuseppe re-kindles his romance with Caterina, now a widow with a teenage daughter, Graziella. The schoolgirl indicates that she would like Giuseppe to be more than paternal. The relationship between the three not unexpectedly unravels with a tragic resolution.
The film is based on the novel, Graziella, by Ercole Patti, a popular novelist born in Catania, who contributed to the screenplay, and has had many film adaptations of his novel. From what I have read about the source novel and Patti would indicate that the film only hints at some of Patti's themes. The opening scene with Giuseppe walking through his father's very large house indicates a history of family wealth, making me think about the homes as described by another Sicilian writer, Giuseppe Di Lampedusa and The Leopard. With his clothes and mentions of his travels, Giuseppe life of wealth and privilege are given. Caterina, in turn, is firmly middle-class in her dress and outlook. The film updates the novel's setting which would affect Patti's observations of class differences. In the then contemporary setting of the 1970s, Caternina tells Giuseppe that she is not like the "liberated" women of Paris. With her hair as a jet black helmet, Lisa Gastoni's Caterina appears reserved, almost forbidding.
Giuseppe's attraction to Graziella seems based more on her making herself available to the man who is on the verge of becoming her step-father. In spite of protestations that he loves Caterina, Giuseppe is revealed to be the least adult in handling relationships. A closer reading of the title suggests that the seduction is not simply sexual, but that of false beliefs.
The blu-ray comes with a supplement created in 2004, with Di Leo, cinematographer Franco Villa, and actress Jenny Tamburi, who plays Graziella, recalling the making of Seduction. I would have wished that Lisa Gastoni, still alive and active at age 82, had participated here. One of the more interesting stories is of the casting of Graziella, with the role originally scheduled for Ornella Muti. Probably most widely seen as Princess Aura in Flash Gordon, the eighteen year old Muti was considered too attractive by Gastoni. Tamburi, 21 at the time of filming, was a last minute replacement, more quietly attractive, and convincing as a girl much younger. Giuseppe was played by Maurice Ronet, best known for his work with Louis Malle and Claude Chabrol. Ronet and Tamburi had acted together three years previously in the Ugo Tognhzzi vehicle, Madame Royale.
Posted by Peter Nellhaus at 07:48 AM
July 23, 2017
Coffee Break
Arden Myrin in Wrong Cops (Quentin Dupieux - 2013)
Posted by Peter Nellhaus at 10:31 AM
July 18, 2017
Terror in a Texas Town
Joseph H. Lewis - 1958
Arrow Academy BD Regions AB
I don't think there's anyway to discuss Terror in a Texas Town and avoid the connections with the Blacklist of the 1950s. The screenplay is by Dalton Trumbo, credited to Ben Perry, who previously wrote, without credit, the screenplay for Gun Crazy (1950), also directed by Lewis. Both films have Nedrick Young in the cast. Young, also blacklisted at the time, acted in several films for Lewis, and also wrote a few screenplays, ironically winning the Oscar, under a pseudonym, for The Defiant Ones, also in 1958. Star Sterling Hayden named names before the House of Un-American Activities, felt guilty about it, and literally sailed away from Hollywood for about six years.
What makes Terror in a Texas Town ironic in retrospect is that Hayden plays a sailor that has decided to settle in landlocked Prairie City, Texas after almost twenty years out at sea. Even if one chooses to ignore any of the political aspects of the film, the film offers the surface pleasure of a showdown between the gunfighter dressed total in black, and the hero armed with a harpoon. Should anyone think I'm giving away a plot twist, the film's posters advertise this gimmick, and even begin the film with part of the confrontation of sea-faring George Hansen and professional gun Johnny Crale. Portly Sebastian Cabot is hotel owner plotting to buy or snatch as much land as possible, although it is never explained how he's the only one to know about the oil underneath. There's also the town populated by familiar faces like Frank Ferguson, Hank Patterson and Sheb Wooley, again faces, though not always known by name.
The blu-ray is a quite nice, probably looking even better than it did when it played theatrically in 1958, most likely as part of a double feature in second run or small town theaters. What is a bit baffling is the introduction by film historian Peter Stansfield, who argues that Joseph Lewis should not be accorded credentials as an auteur because he is intuitive rather than someone who can explain all the reasons why he'll film a two-shot of two characters in an extended conversation while not looking at each other. It's almost as if Stansfield is undermining why this ten day wonder of a film is getting the special Arrow treatment. Better is the short supplement of Lewis' visual style, where Stansfield finds a moment to point out how Terror may influenced Sergio Leone. But again I want to slap Stansfield for mentioning that the character played Hayden shares the same name, George Hansen, as Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider, wondering if the co-writer of the latter film, Terry Southern, had seen Terror, and yet failing to mention that when Sterling Hayden made a return to films, it was in Dr. Strangelove, a film with a screenplay by . . . Terry Southern.
Aside from dropping the ball where a coincidence (or is it?) is concerned, Stansfield complains that Lewis' overall career lacks the "coherence" of other directors honored with Edinburgh Film Festival retrospectives. As to Lewis being an intuitive filmmaker, my own take from those I've interviewed is that most classic Hollywood directors were intuitive and their careers were mostly assigned work. It's the film critic or historians job to identify the elements that make a filmmaker an auteur, and in the case of Joseph Lewis, it's a matter of taking a closer look at how Lewis handles the projects thrown his way.
To get a better understanding of Lewis' visual style, read the booklet notes by Glenn Kenny. Consistently informative and entertaining, with quotes from interviews as well as his own observations, Kenny does a much better job of explaining how Lewis likes to use long takes, with two or three characters within the same frame, each with their own agenda, unlike many contemporary filmmakers who would cut between the actors in conversation. Sure, having two or three actors within the same frame is a more economical way of working when you have a limited budget and short shooting schedule, but Kenny indicates that even with greater resources, Lewis would probably not film any differently. Lewis was known as "Wagon Wheel Joe", and that first wagon wheel shot comes in at 5:55, and we see similar shots of that wagon wheel jutting from the left of the screen nearing the climax. About fifty years ago, Andrew Sarris wrote of Lewis, "It would seem that his (Lewis) career warrants further investigation." Especially for those who have yet to discover My Name is Julia Ross, The Big Combo or Gun Crazy, this new blu-ray is a good place to start.
Posted by Peter Nellhaus at 06:59 AM
July 16, 2017
Coffee Break
Mario Adorf and Femi Benussi in The Italian Connection (Fernando Di Leo - 1972)
Posted by Peter Nellhaus at 10:50 AM
July 11, 2017
Japanese War Bride
King Vidor - 1952
Nostalgia Family DVD
While I was a student at New York University, I also had the opportunity to be a student volunteer at the Film Study Center of the Museum of Modern Art. One of the perks was having free museum membership which allowed me to see films at the museum. In the Fall of 1972, there was a retrospective devoted to King Vidor. I didn't see everything, with school and other films occasionally taking priority. And then there was the word that one film that could have been included was specifically not be shown. I never found out his reasons, but Donald Richie made the request that Japanese War Bride not be part of what would have been the most complete retrospective of King Vidor's films. For those who might not be familiar with him, Richie is the one credited for his books that introduced Japanese film to English speaking cineastes. And credit is deserving, although it took me years to discover several worthy filmmakers that he chose either to disparage or completely ignore. As far as Japanese War Bride goes, it never appeared at any New York City revival house, nor appeared on any late night television broadcast. I finally shelled out a few dollars to get a somewhat passable DVD, a couple degrees better than what's often available for films that have fallen into public domain.
The title is misleading in that the film is about the Japanese wife of a an American soldier who was fighting in Korea. Tae and Jim meet in the hospital where Tae is a nurse, and Jim is recovering from his unspecified wounds. The two marry, and move to Salinas, California, where Jim's family has a farm. The drama comes from the varying degrees of acceptance of Tae to the family and the community, with Jim's sister-in-law the cause of much of the trouble.
While Donald Richie would undoubtedly be more sensitive to how Japan and the Japanese would be presented, I still could not be certain what caused his objections. Jim is shown to have some cultural awareness by knowing to remove his shoes before entering the home of Tae's grandfather. The grandfather threatening to kill a couple of monkeys, claiming they are part of a religious ritual, deliberately plays on the assumed cultural ignorance of Jim and by extension, a western audience. Considering how badly Asians have been presented in Hollywood films, Japanese War Bride mostly works to demolish stereotypes. If anyone looks bad, it's the white people, especially the always foolish Woody, played by a character actor with the unfortunate name of George Wallace, and Fran, Jim's sister-in-law, played by eternal bad girl Marie Windsor.
In his book on Vidor, Raymond Durgnat explains that Vidor took up Japanese War Bride when another planned project, also with a rural setting fell through. Even setting aside the racial elements to the story, Japanese War Bride can be seen as comfortably fitting in with other Vidor films, beginning with Beyond the Forest (1949) and Lightning Strikes Twice (1951), and ending with Ruby Gentry (1952). All four films take place in rural or country settings, and revolve around women who act as a disrupting force within a small community.
I have no idea if Japanese War Bride even played in southern theaters. Laws barring interracial marriages were in place in some states prior to Loving vs. Virginia. The rules imposed by the Motion Picture Production code regarding miscegenation specified relations between black and white actors, although it was also the reasoning behind having white actors in yellow face. Don Taylor and Shirley Yamaguchi not only kiss twice, but are seen doing so very clearly in close up which probably caused a stir for some people at the time. On the other hand, the characters are very indirect when discussing World War II, the internment camps, and racial laws that were directed to Japanse-Americans.
Durgnat has described Japanese War Bride as impersonal compared to other films directed by Vidor. And this may not stand as one of King Vidor's better films, but I'm glad I saw it, if for one near perfect shot. Following a family argument for which she feels responsible, Tae takes a walk away from the farm to a relatively open field. Jim catches up with her. To the left of the screen is a single tree that is shaped like a giant bonsai tree. It's as if the all the ideas about different cultures were encapsulated in a single image.
Posted by Peter Nellhaus at 07:24 AM
July 09, 2017
Coffee Break
Ivo Garrani in Caliber 9 (Fernando Di Leo - 1972)
Posted by Peter Nellhaus at 10:31 AM
July 04, 2017
Shalako
Edward Dmytryk - 1968
KL Studio Classics BD Region A
Shalako is an odd western as is pointed out in the commentary by Alex Cox. Most famous for his film, Sid and Nancy, Cox has also written a book on Italian westerns, highly recommended, 10,000 Ways to Die. Shalako is definitely not an Italian western, but it was filmed in Almeria, Spain, the same location as many Italian and Spanish westerns, in this case standing in for New Mexico. The film was produced at the same time as Italian westerns were at their commercial zenith, and a handful of Hollywood filmmakers were looking at trying to infuse new life in the well-worn genre. While some of the violence is a bit more graphic, as Cox mentions several times, Shalako is not the film it could have been had it been filmed with a bit more imagination.
Based on a novel by Louis L'Amour, the inspiration is from the historically noted hunting parties taken by European royalty and celebrities, exploring the western frontier. A group of European royals and a former United States senator and his wife are led into Apache territory by their guide. Former Army colonel Shalako has run into them on the trail. As they have violated a treaty, the hunting party is advised to get out the next morning or risk an Indian attack. Not only is the hunting party attacked, but the guide and his men take food, ammunition and horses, abandoning this aristocratic bunch. Shalako returns to lead the group safely through the desert.
Sean Connery took a million dollar payday to play a cowboy hero. He reportedly showed up with a mustache which was ordered to be shaven, the producers having memories of the 1950 classic, The Gunfighter, not doing well commercially with the blame placed on Gregory Peck's choice to have facial hair as appropriate for the era. The largely European cast included Brigitte Bardot, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd and Honor Blackman. Boyd gets to sport a mustache, possibly to alert viewers that he's the film's villainous white man. Also on hand are John Ford regular Woody Strode, as an Apache warrior, and former Red Ryder star Donald Barry. Not only was Connery reunited with his Goldfinger costar, but another Bond alumni, Charles Gray, provided the voice for Jack Hawkins, unable to speak his own lines due to the removal of his larynx. Unfortunately for producer Euan Lloyd, this all-star cast was unable to bring in the expected box office gold. Lloyd did continue with two other adaptations of L'Amour novels, and had better box office success with another Bond star, Roger Moore, in The Wild Geese.
The film does start promisingly with a mountain lion trapped in a crevice, unable to climb to safety. Taunted by Stephen Boyd and his crew, we see the barrel of a rifle poking in from the left of the screen, shooting the mountain lion. The shooter is Brigitte Bardot, and with her, the hunting party, all seen wearing top hats. While the hunting party is united by class, there are tensions between the married couples, as well as Peter van Eyck's German aristo unsuccessfully pursuing Bardot's countess. The sense of class and entitlement is displayed by the treatment towards Stephen Boyd and his gang. There's no subtlety involved when everyone is reduced to the same level, and are led through the desert by a man whose real first name is Moses.
The blu-ray was derived from what appears to be a perfect print. This is a film that requires viewing on a big screen to follow some of the action, with the characters quite small, seen faintly in the distance. Some may enjoy Shalako on its own merits. Edward Dymytryk has expressed embarrassment over his work here, and it certainly lacks the visual panache of his black and white thrillers from the Forties and early Fifties. The treatment of the Indians tries to play it both ways, justifying their attacks on the hunting party due to Boyd's trespassing, but also letting the viewers know that the Apache's are hardly gentlemanly with white women. Alex Cox's commentary track is of interest, pointing out how one of the sets was also featured in a couple of other Italian westerns, his own experience in Almeria shooting Straight to Hell (1987), discussing the accuracy of the presentation of the Indians, and thoughts on how Shalako could have been a better film.
What remains unanswered is in a film that hinges on the characters' deprivation of food, water and bullets, how does Brigitte Bardot manage to maintain a seemingly endless supply of eye liner?
Posted by Peter Nellhaus at 10:22 AM
July 02, 2017
Coffee Break
Alexandra Lamy in Ricky (Francois Ozon - 2009)
Posted by Peter Nellhaus at 10:35 AM