Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Magnificent Obsession
- Commentary: When I looked for links about this movie to attach to the title of this post, I found two competing write-ups by two movie reviewers I respect and couldn't decide between them, so, I did a kind of blind movie case flip (front=Emanuel Levy's review; back=DVD Savant's Glenn Erickson's review). Now that I've thoroughly perused both reviews, I have to say, I'm glad Glenn Erickson's "won", because he writes, as well, about the history of the movie and Douglas Sirk's movie art, really fascinating stuff. Here is the Emanuel Levy review, which is little more than a perfunctory rundown of the story.
Okay. So, I just received this movie, as well as two Barbara Stanwyck Christmas movies in the post. I've seen none of them. That's what I'll be doing tonight and, probably tomorrow. Not sure which movie I'll watch first. I'll decide that while I'm waiting for the sun to go down.
Later, readers.
Update 5/15/2022: Unlike the two Christmas movies I received with this, I've seen this movie at least twice since I received it. I'm turning into a fan of 1950's lush melodramas [Should I be concerned?!?], particularly if they star Rock Hudson, it seems. I obtained three such movies at the same time and have to say, yikes! Apparently, they (primarily Douglas Sirk) knew what they were doing with melodrama in the 1950's. I was born at the beginning of that decade, so I was too young (and too isolated, frankly, living on an island where going to see a movie was a chore and television, well, forget ever seeing a film on the one local channel we received) to be exposed to any of these movies. When I became interested in movies it was the late 1960's and early 1970's and quite a different kind of movie was being produced, as well as since.
Anyway, what fun to discover these movies! They are all engaging as hell. They are so good at plucking the woman-strings, even now, they almost make me ashamed to have any lingerings of high-50's-female-sentiment. I really thought I'd missed out on all that! Anyway, this one is a stunner, featuring world travel, blindness, playboy-to-physician changes of character, you name the dramatic set-up, it's in this movie. And, much to my surprise, I love it! It's not, I might add, what I would ever have wanted for my life, but I can truly understand what was so beguiling about the life-style on which this movie is framed. And Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson! Plus a dash of pseudo-philosophical bullshit, I mean, how lucky could those 1950's women get?!? And then Agnes Moorehead shows up in two out of these three tear jerkers (although, I have to admit, it takes a lot more than any of these movies to make me cry; I may have been born in the 50's, but I'm not of the 50's)? And a playfully, preternaturally wise Girl Child! Wow! Bring it on, baby!
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Jane Wyman Helen Phillips Rock Hudson Bob Merrick Barbara Rush Joyce Phillips Agnes Moorehead Nancy Ashford Otto Kruger Randolph Gregg Palmer Tom Masterson Paul Cavanagh Dr. Giraud Sara Shane Valerie Richard H. Cutting Dr. Dodge Judy Nugent Judy Helen Kleeb Mrs. Eden Rudolph Anders Dr. Fuss
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1954
Directed by Douglas Sirk.
Labels: Criterion3, douglas-sirk, dramaE, rock-hudson
Thursday, November 18, 2021
All That Heaven Allows
- Commentary: Once again, Rock Hudson rises to the challenge of helping Douglas Sirk subtly undermine late 1950's American lives and values. [Are they only American, and only mid-20th century, values? See the the following movie write-up, Ali: Fear East the Soul for an interesting perspective on this question.]
Once again, I haven't yet seen this movie, so I don't have a lot to write about. For an interesting perspective, though, check out the Wikipedia article linked above to Sirk's name. Further, take note that Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, a German remake of this film, was released almost exactly 20 years later.
In addition, it's interesting to note that according to the Wikipedia article linked above about Sirk, movie critics have changed their reactions to his work over time, and, apparently, continue to do so. Regarding Far From Heaven, a 2002 period film written and directed by Todd Haynes, Haynes is unabashed in his recognition of the influence of Sirk's work on him and this particular movie of his.
Update Sometime in early 2022: I have not only seen this movie, I've seen it more than once and will probably watch it again and again. For all its melodrama, it is a film to get lost in for me because it echoes an era I just missed but that, nonetheless, had a huge impact on how my generation made its way in life. This is not a movie I would have enjoyed as a young woman, but, now, I not only appreciate what it was saying and the era in which it was made, I love the lushness of the production and its subtle undermining of all it appears to promote.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Jane Wyman Cary Scott Rock Hudson Ron Kirby Agnes Moorehead Sara Warren Conrad Nagel Harvey Virginia Grey Alida Anderson Gloria Talbot Kay Scott David Janssen Freddie Norton William Reynolds Ned Scott Charles Drake Mick Anderson Jacqueline deWit Mona Plash Hayden Rorke Dr. Dan Hennessy Leigh Snowden Jo-Ann Grisby
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1955
Directed by Douglas Sirk.
Labels: 20th-century-chick-flicks1, Criterion3, douglas-sirk, dramaE, melodramaA, rock-hudson, romance5
Written on the Wind
- Commentary: I haven't yet watched this movie, although the write-up on the back almost makes me feel as though I have. Pretty much, it sounds like a follow-up to Giant, or, perhaps, vice versa. Both movies were released in 1956 (I don't know which one was released first), which means they were being produced at the same time. Both star Rock Hudson (my goodness he was a busy actor), although in completely different roles. Both take place on oil "plantations" (so to speak). Both involve the reprobate behavior of a key male character and some twitchy moves by children.
If you read the Wikipedia articles about both movies, though, it's clear they had nothing to do with one another. Each has different source material. Character arcs are, well, similar, but not the same, and not attributed to the same types of characters, nor are those characters played by the same types of actors. I think the character of the times produced both of these movies at the same time ... but with clearly individual and peculiar emphases that do not cross-over with the other film. I'm guessing on this next musing, but it also sounds like this movie is going to be much more tragic than Giant, which I anticipate with relish.
At any rate, I'm exceedingly excited to watch this one. Seeing it may trigger yet another watching of Giant, just for the fun of comparison.
Wow! Look at how much I've written and I haven't even yet watched this movie! Stay tuned.
By the way, I'm guessing at all the stuff I've written above, having not seen the movie yet, so there's a good possibility that my label assignments will change after I watch the movie.
Update 5/17/2022: Okay, I've seen this movie, now. At least twice. Possibly a third time. Primarily to watch, yet again, Dorothy Malone's riot of a performance as MaryLee Hadley! The character, herself, packs a harloty punch and Dorothy Malone knows just how to twist it up and let it loose. One of the aspects of her part that I admire is that it includes more than a few scenes where she is simply thinking, remembering, and Malone is spectacular at this.
Although, of course, the movie focuses on the men, one dubious, another stalwart, and I think the message has something to do with the virtues of growing up poor versus growing up rich, this story clearly belongs to the women. Lauren Bacall, herself, is no slouch in the "I'm thinking" department. Between the two women and their internal assessments of the situations that arise due to the career machinations of the men, really, this is a women's picture par excellence. The men just sort of go about their somewhat dull, sometimes nasty, business, and nurture these lusts for the women from the side. The women play the judge and the jury and their verdict is what decides the trajectory of this picture. Fun, fun, fun! I cannot recommend this movie enough!
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Rock Hudson Mitch Wayne Lauren Bacall Lucy Moore Hadley Robert Stack Kyle Hadley Dorothy Malone Marylee Hadley Robert Keith Jasper Hadley Grant Williams Biff Miley Robert J. Wilke Dan Willis Edward Platt Dr. Paul Cochrane Harry Shannon Hoak Wayne John Larch Roy Carter Roy Glenn Sam Maidie Norman Bertha
One of Roger Ebert's Great Movies.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1956
Directed by Douglas Sirk.
Labels: Criterion3, douglas-sirk, melodramaA, popcorn-and-soda7, rock-hudson, romance5, southern-gothic, tragedy2
Tuesday, March 06, 2018
Giant
- Commentary: It's not that I have a thing for James Dean. It's only been within the last year that I've owned any of his three movies, and then, not intentionally but as part of collections I've purchased. After watching East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause, (the former twice), I read a bit about James Dean, his truncated life and career, and decided to check this movie out of the library, having only a vague memory of having once watched it, likely when Mom was alive. Once I'd returned it, the three, together, began to haunt me and I decided to purchase this one. Do I think James Dean had the makings of a great actor? I'm not sure. His characterizations differed so little among the three roles that I think he was still in the stage of playing the same character over and over, which may have been a result of type-casting. After watching Giant it occurred to me that he might have evolved into the Julia Roberts of male actors; someone who was believable as himself and savvy at picking roles that required little in the way of character variance but were blockbusters (in part because of his name), nonetheless. Truthfully, his generation and the ones immediately previous and subsequent produced many of these actors, Rock Hudson (one of his costars in this movie) and John Wayne among them. It's probably unfair of me to peg these generations, in particular, for producing this type of actor because I think every generation has its Julia Roberts and James Dean actors. I have to add, Amazon Prime has some television episodes of performances by James Dean that I intend to check out, so, be forewarned, my opinion of his acting abilities and his prospects, had he lived, is likely evolving.
Giant, however, has other delectables. It is a "sprawling family saga" of the type my mother would have loved and probably did, as I can't imagine that she and I didn't watch this movie at some time on TCM. I just have no memory of it. It also has many of those classic character actor performances that often outshine the performances of the leads. Three that come to mind are Carroll Baker's Luz Benedict, Mercedes McCambridge's Luz Benedict, Sr. (so to speak) and Jane Wither's Vashti Hake Snythe (what a name!). As well, Dennis Hopper as Jordan Benedict III contributes one of the more promising performances of his decidedly spotty career. Watching him in this movie reminded me of noticing Jack Nicholson in On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, kind of an anti-climactic shock, reminding one that, yes, these actors had to earn their chops just like everyone else. The landscaping, as well, is fabulous and the story is certainly engaging.
So, now, I own the James Dean movie trilogy. I feel as though that's an accomplishment. And, yes, I'll watch all three again. And again.
Update 3/10/18: Okay, I watched the two television plays Amazon features in which James Dean appears: Harvest and A Long Time Before Dawn. The first piece offers Dean a role requiring fairly subdued acting and he performs admirably. The second casts Dean as a "hoodlum" who has just finished a stint in prison, killed a beloved shop owner while attempting to return to his wife and, once he returns home to his father, who is harboring his wife, dreams, allows his volatility to get the best of him in the wake of his murder of the shop owner, and is killed. As I watched it I wondered if this role was one that typecast him for the three feature length films he was in. I could see the buds of all three of those roles in his portrayal of the ex-convict in A Long Time Before Dawn. I noticed that between 1951 and his death, Dean played loads of television, not an insignificant number of small roles in other feature films, all uncredited, and was busy on stage, as well, both on and off Broadway. He was definitely career minded and was very busily paying his dues. I am satisfied with the three films and two television plays I've seen. I don't think I'll be seeking out any more of his work, though. I'm not really a fan, own two out of the three features films I have of his by accident and, well, although it might be interesting to see how much of a range he displayed before dying, to be blunt, I'm not interested. I should note, though, as I watched the two television plays, I was reminded of the curious career of the character Smith Jerrod in Sex and the City and wondered if James Dean stumbled upon a Samantha Jones who helped boost and burnish his career.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Elizabeth Taylor Leslie Lynnton Benedict Rock Hudson Jordan Benedict Jr. James Dean Jett Rink Jane Withers Vashti Hake Snythe Robert Nichols Mort Snythe Chill Wills Jordan's Uncle Mercedes McCambridge Luz Benedict Carroll Baker Luz Benedict II Dennis Hopper Jordan Benedict III Fran Bennett Judy Benedict Dace Earl Holliman Bob Dace Elsa Cárdenas Juana Villalobos Benedict Paul Fix Dr. Horace Lynnton Judith Evelyn Mrs. Nancy Lynnton Rod Taylor Sir David Karfrey Sal Mineo Ángel Obregón II
Release Date: 1956
Directed by George Stevens.
Labels: adventure1, carroll-baker, drama4, historical2, rock-hudson
