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Month: October 2010

Mixed Blood (1984)

Mixed Blood (1984)

“You must always do what your mother tells you, you hear? Always.”

Synopsis:
The leader (Marilia Pera) of a Brazilian drug gang is disturbed when her dim-witted son (Richard Ulacia) falls for the girlfriend (Linda Kerridge) of her supplier (Ulrich Berr); meanwhile, tensions with a rival Latino gang continue to escalate.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Drug Dealers
  • Gangs
  • Grown Children
  • New York City
  • Paul Morrissey Films
  • Rivalry

Response to Peary’s Review:
In his review of this darkly satirical gangland drama by writer/director Paul Morrissey — which he refers to as “unusual, to say the least” — Peary analyzes it as a “weird variation on The Godfather,” and conducts a point-by-point comparison of the two films. He notes, for instance, that “again we have a territorial war between crime ‘families’; again the warriors sleep on mattresses on the floor”, etc. It’s an interesting set of associations — but the obvious difference between the two films is that The Godfather endures as an iconic classic of cinema, while Mixed Blood will likely only be of interest to fans of Morrissey’s eclectic oeuvre — or those curious to see Marilia Pera (so effective as a prostitute in 1981’s Pixote) in a truly unique lead performance. Playing a “middle-aged, eccentric gypsy… who sings Carmen Miranda songs”, her presence is never anything other than intriguing; listen to her strange line delivery, for instance, as she talks about how many funerals she’s had to endure over the years.

As Peary notes, while the “extreme violence” of the film can be off-putting, the “exaggerated gore and bizarre situations” help to mediate this somewhat. Indeed, Mixed Blood is an odd mixture of time-capsule realism — one scene actually takes place in a store dedicated exclusively to Menudo memorabilia! — and satire (note the drug-dealing scene, which shows purchases being made at a the equivalent of a lemonade stand). Peary argues that while the film “doesn’t always work”, it’s “exciting and funny, in unusual ways” — a sentiment I can’t quite agree with, though I’ll agree it’s worth a one-time look for Pera alone.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Marilia Pera as Rita La Puenta
  • Effectively seedy location shooting throughout “Alphabet City”
  • An interesting time-capsule glimpse of 1980s New York

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a look simply for Pera’s performance.

Links:

Court Jester, The (1955)

Court Jester, The (1955)

“I’d like to get in, get on with it, get it over with, and get out. Get it?”

Synopsis:
A lowly performer (Danny Kaye) helps a revolutionary maiden (Glynis Johns) restore the rightful heir — a baby with a purple pimpernel birth mark — to the throne of England by going undercover as a court jester.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Angela Lansbury Films
  • Basil Rathbone Films
  • Comedy
  • Danny Kaye Films
  • Glynis Johns Films
  • John Carradine Films
  • Mind Control and Hypnosis
  • Mistaken Identities
  • Musicals
  • Royalty and Nobility

Review:
Along with his title roles in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) and Hans Christian Andersen (1952), Danny Kaye is probably best known for his performance in this spoof of Robin Hood-era swashbucklers. As in most of his other films, Kaye is cast here as a mild-mannered nebbish who is suddenly thrust into a world of excitement and danger, and must call upon inner resources to help save the day (all while tentatively romancing a beautiful leading lady — in this case, Glynis Johns). I find the film on the whole not all that amusing or particularly inventive, but there are some enjoyable sequences — most memorably, of course, Kaye’s confusion over a “vessel with a pestle” and a “chalice from the palace”, one of which is poisonous and the other of which contains “brew that is true”. This lively scene is indicative of the film’s overall infectious sense of wordplay — as in the following exchange (Kaye’s tongue is limber indeed!):

The Duchess dove at the Duke just when the Duke dove at the Doge. Now the Duke ducked, the Doge dodged, and the Duchess didn’t. So the Duke got the Duchess, the Duchess got the Doge, and the Doge got the Duke!

Watch for Angela Lansbury, Basil Rathbone, Mildred Natwick, and John Carradine (among others) in nicely turned supporting roles.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Danny Kaye as Hubert Hawkins
  • Glynis Johns as Maid Jean
  • The justifiably famous “pestle in the vessel” sequence
  • The amusing final swashbuckling encounter between Kaye and Rathbone

Must See?
Yes. While The Secret Life of Walter Mitty remains my favorite Kaye film, The Court Jester is beloved by many, and should be seen at least once by all film fanatics.

Categories

  • Historically Relevant

Links:

It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

“There’s money in this for all of us. Right?”

Synopsis:
As he lies dying from a car crash, an ex-con (Jimmy Durante) tells a motley group of witnesses — Mickey Rooney, Buddy Hackett, Sid Caesar, Edie Adams, Jonathan Winters, Milton Berle, Dorothy Provine, and Ethel Merman — about a stash of money he has hidden under a “giant W”. Soon they are in a fierce competition — secretly overseen by a police detective (Spencer Tracy) — to be the first to find it.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Car Chase
  • Comedy
  • Detectives and Private Eyes
  • Ensemble Cast
  • Greed
  • Hidden Treasure
  • Mickey Rooney Films
  • Peter Falk Films
  • Spencer Tracy Films
  • Stanley Kramer Films
  • Zasu Pitts Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary is mostly enthusiastic in his GFTFF review of this all-star cult comedy — produced and directed by Stanley Kramer as a “salute to slapstick” — which was one of just five feature films shot in a single-lens version of Cinerama. He argues that the “all star cast” — most of whom are “known for their verbal skills” — “prove equal to the task”; that “there are some spectacular stunts and some imaginative plot twists”; and that while the film may “be too long”, this nonetheless “allows all the stars ample time to be in the spotlight”. He notes that while “much humor… falls flat”, there is “also a great deal of hilarity in [the] film, both visual and verbal”, with Kramer effectively demonstrating “that old, familiar slapstick bits are still funny”. Finally, he argues that Kramer miraculously “manages to maintain a frantic pace throughout” the film’s lengthy (nearly three hours — and it was originally much longer!) running time.

In his later, more detailed analysis of the film written for Cult Movies 3, however, Peary is suddenly much more critical. He claims that … Mad World “makes a mockery of humanity” given that the individuals seeking the hidden money are either “stupid, loud, vulgar, mean, corrupt, shameless, and[/or] greedy”. He points out that we never really feel much “affection” for any of the characters — other than Spencer Tracy, for a little while:

— and that “we miss a sympathetic character to root for, someone who has a noble purpose for acquiring the money”. In this review, he argues that despite its purported aim to serve as an homage to silent slapstick films, the film is “filled with superfluous dialogue” used “to camouflage… uninspired sight gags”, which in turn lack “intricate pacing” or any “build to a big-laugh payoff”. He posits that “the wrong types of comedians were cast” (he’s especially disparaging of Rooney and Hackett, who he claims “should have been replaced by… two much zanier performers”), and, in sum, refers to … Mad World as a “disappointing, wrongly conceived film” — though one which is “by no means a total disaster”.

After reading both reviews – and scratching my head plenty over how one reviewer could offer such widely divergent takes on the same film — I found myself agreeing primarily with Peary’s Cult Movies 3 review. While I find the premise and plot twists remarkably clever — and enjoyed “watching for cameos from the likes of Jerry Lewis” and others — overall there’s little here to actively engage anyone but cult followers of the film. And while it’s true, as Peary notes, that the lengthy running time allows most of the stars ample time to shine, none of them are at their comedic best. Sid Caesar, just for instance — so brilliant in his sketch comedy series (see Ten From Your Show of Shows, 1973) — is merely serviceable here playing a married man trying to blast his way out of a locked hardware store; and despite Peary’s claims that Ethel Merman was a “good sport to play such a character”, her outrageously obnoxious mother-in-law is someone you desperately hope to see obliterated within a few moments of her arrival on-screen.

Meanwhile, all the stunts and sight gags go on for about three times as long as they need to — and I’ll agree with Peary that they’re mostly uninspired. The most amusing sequences — indeed, the only ones that had me giggling out loud — involve Dick Shawn as Merman’s grown son, who’s first seen dancing groovily with his robotic girlfriend (Barrie Chase), then sobbing protectively as he races to “rescue” his mother.

While I appreciate this film on multiple levels (including its historical value as a Cinerama production), it’s ultimately not one I’ll be returning to again any time soon. Click here for a fun set of comparative photos with actual locations of all major sequences revealed.

Note: Interestingly, Peary points out that this “was one of the first films since Griffith’s 1916 Intolerance to cut back and forth between several story lines”; it’s strange to think that so many years went by before this practice began to become as commonplace as it is today.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • A clever premise
  • Fun cameos by a plethora of comedic greats
  • Fine location shooting throughout Southern California

Must See?
Yes, simply as a cult favorite with historical importance.

Categories

  • Cult Movie
  • Historically Relevant

Links:

Rosa Luxemburg (1986)

Rosa Luxemburg (1986)

“We live in times of violent change, ready to collapse.”

Synopsis:
Socialist activist Rosa Luxemburg (Barbara Sukowa) campaigns for peace in the midst of impending war in Europe.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Biopics
  • German Films
  • Historical Drama
  • Revolutionaries
  • Strong Females

Review:
Those not already deeply interested in the political history of pre-WWI Europe may find it challenging to engage with this sincere but pedantic biopic of Rosa Luxemburg, a radical Polish Socialist who was assassinated by the ruling German party in 1919. Without concern for her childhood or past, the storyline plunges us immediately into the thick of Luxemburg’s post-doctorate political career, as we see her campaigning tirelessly with colleagues on behalf of The Cause. Given that the script is heavily based on Luxemburg’s writings and speeches, we get to hear a LOT of her thoughts on the need for worldwide revolution by the proletariat; while a bit of time is given over to speculations about her romantic life (in a nicely handled scene, for instance, we witness her gradual recognition that her lover and compatriot — Daniel Olbrychski — has betrayed her), in essence this film is all about Luxemburg the Socialist, who literally devoted her life to her beliefs. Sukowa effectively humanizes Luxemburg — watch her breaking into giddy smiles while giving passionate political speeches, for instance:

— turning her into a character we may not relate to but can certainly believe in. Yet neither Sukowa’s award-winning performance, nor the film’s overall quality production values, are enough to elevate it to must-see status — other than for those genuinely interested in this particular bit of world history.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Barbara Sukowa as “Bloody Rosa”
  • Fine period sets
  • Franz Rath’s cinematography

Must See?
No; this one isn’t must-see viewing for all film fanatics.

Links:

Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The (1947)

Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The (1947)

“Walter, you’re getting more absent-minded each day. It’s all that daydreaming you do!

Synopsis:
A henpecked proofreader (Danny Kaye) with a wild imagination finds himself embroiled in a real-life drama when he encounters a mysterious blonde (Virginia Mayo) in a taxi cab.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Boris Karloff Films
  • Comedy
  • Danny Kaye Films
  • Fay Bainter Films
  • Thieves and Criminals
  • Virginia Mayo Films

Review:
Danny Kaye is at the top of his game in this delightful comedy — loosely based upon James Thurber’s beloved short story — about a nebbishy pulp magazine proofreader who escapes his henpecked existence through a rich and varied fantasy life. The sequences in which he imagines himself a daring sea captain, a renowned surgeon, a WWII flying ace, a fey fashion designer, a Western gunslinger, and a riverboat gambler are each genuinely amusing, as are the patter songs incorporated throughout. The surrounding storyline — involving a “little black book” detailing the locations of stolen Dutch artwork, which various Bad Men want to get their hands on — eventually goes on for a little too long, and devolves into slapstick by the end; but Kaye and his supporting cast make this one well worth a look. Watch for Boris Karloff in an all-too-brief appearance as one of the parties interested in obtaining the “black book” — his opening line (“I know of a way to kill a man and leave no trace.”) remains a zinger.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Danny Kaye as Walter Mitty
  • Virginia Mayo as Rosalind van Hoorn
  • Ann Rutherford as Walter’s fiancee, Gertrude Griswold
  • Many genuinely amusing sequences


Must See?
Yes, as a comedy classic.

Categories

  • Genuine Classic
  • Noteworthy Performance(s)

Links:

Song is Born, A (1948)

Song is Born, A (1948)

“It’s getting hotter and hotter, so stay in the icebox like a good little salad.”

Synopsis:
A shy musicologist (Danny Kaye) falls in love with a gangster’s moll (Virginia Mayo) in hiding to protect her boyfriend (Steve Cochran).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Danny Kaye Films
  • Fugitives
  • Gangsters
  • Howard Hawks Films
  • Musicals
  • Professors
  • Virginia Mayo Films

Review:
It’s somewhat surprising to learn that this tepid musical remake of Howard Hawks’ Ball of Fire (1941) was actually helmed by Hawks himself — that is, until one reads TCM’s article on the film, where it’s noted that Hawks — who “always said he hated” the film, and considered its production “an altogether horrible experience” — “never watched the rushes or even saw the final product”; apparently he agreed to do the work for Samuel Goldwyn “purely because of the $250,000 paycheck it delivered”. Knowing that Kaye had recently separated from his wife (lyricist Sylvia Fine) and was undergoing daily counseling may explain why (in Hawks’ own words) Kaye is “about as funny as a crutch” in the film:

Indeed, since he’s only given a handful of opportunities to exhibit his trademark wit, he seems horribly miscast. Fortunately, Virginia Mayo (while arguably no match for Barbara Stanwyck in the original) brings some much needed energy and brio to the proceedings; whenever she’s on-screen, the story is at least bearable. Jazz fans will probably find value in seeing some legendary musicians gathered together here, but the rest of this clunker is eminently skippable.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Virginia Mayo as Honey Swanson
  • Some enjoyable musical sequences by jazz greats (including Benny Goodman in “cameo” as one of Kaye’s uptight musicologist buddies)

Must See?
No; this one is only must see viewing for Howard Hawks completists, or diehard Danny Kaye fans.

Links:

The Inspector General (1949)

The Inspector General (1949)

“He has full power from the emperor himself. And wherever he finds bribery and corruption, there the gallows and the firing squad go to work!”

Synopsis:
An illiterate peasant (Danny Kaye) working for a traveling medicine show man (Walter Slezak) is mistaken as the feared Inspector General by a corrupt mayor (Gene Lockhart) and his fellow town officials.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Alan Hale Films
  • Comedy
  • Corruption
  • Danny Kaye Films
  • Elsa Lanchester Films
  • Historical Drama
  • Mistaken Identities
  • Musicals
  • Play Adaptation

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary provides some interesting social context in the opening lines of his review of this “badly dated” Danny Kaye farce: he reports that Kaye (“part owner of the Seattle Mariners”) was “roundly booed” at a “game [he] attended in Yankee Stadium” a few years earlier, and notes, “How his star has fallen…”. Indeed, reading Bosley Crowther’s original review for the New York Times — in which he writes that “at this late date, there’s no necessity to describe Mr. Kaye’s comic type–a charming combination of the meek, the meticulous and the mad–or his wonderful grace and dexterity in manipulating his face and form” — supports this assertion. At any rate, Peary laments that the premise of The Inspector General (very loosely based on a play by Nikolai Gogol) “becomes as tiresome as all [of] Kaye’s songs”, but argues that Kaye — who “does some good physical comedy” — “comes off better than the silly script and better than in some of his other roles”. This may be true, but it’s not enough to recommend the film to anyone other than Danny Kaye fans. All-purpose film fanatics should stick with The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) and The Court Jester (1956) as their two obligatory Kaye flicks.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Several amusing songs
  • Walter Slezak — effectively menacing as Yakov the “Medicine Man”
  • Elsa Lanchester in a too-brief performance as the mayor’s wife (who falls hard for the Inspector General)

Must See?
No; this one is only must-see for Danny Kaye fans.

Links:

Love and Money (1982)

Love and Money (1982)

“What you must accept is that my people are no longer for sale.”

Synopsis:
A bored banker (Ray Sharkey) falls in lust with the wife (Ornella Muti) of an industrialist (Klaus Kinski) who has hired him to influence his childhood friend (Armand Assante) — now a leftist dictator of a South American country.

Genres:

  • Infidelity
  • South and Central America

Review:
Writer/director James Toback’s follow-up to his critically lauded debut film, Fingers (1978), was this incredibly tedious clunker. Filled with self-absorbed characters, trite dialogue (“Why are you asking me this: to hurt me, or to excite yourself?”), and a ludicrously derivative storyline (set partially in L.A., partially in an unnamed South American country), it appears to exist namely as a vehicle for showing off sexy Ornella Muti’s bronzed bod. Simply squirm-worthy.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Not much of anything

Must See?
No; don’t bother seeking out this pablum. Really.

Links:

Gloria (1980)

Gloria (1980)

“Don’t be stupid. You got no home — you got me.”

Synopsis:
When a mob accountant (Buck Henry) and his family are targeted for assassination, only his son (John Adames) survives, thanks to a feisty ex-gunmoll (Gena Rowlands) who reluctantly takes him under her wing.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Cat-and-Mouse
  • Gangsters
  • Gena Rowlands Films
  • John Cassavetes Films
  • Lawrence Tierney Films
  • Strong Females

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this “unusual, tough action film” represents a “change of pace for director John Cassavetes and his actress wife, Gena Rowlands”, given that it “replaces introspective dialogue with flying bullets”. It’s primarily notable for the truly “dynamic performance” given by Rowlands, who justifiably earned an Oscar nomination; her character — a “retired former gun moll” who “proves smarter, more resourceful than the killers who chase her and, when necessary, as brutal as they are” — is indeed “unique to cinema”. As the film begins, Cassavetes sets up an almost unbearably tense scenario (reminiscent of the Godfather films), as Buck Henry’s wife (Julie Carmen) is followed back to her apartment, and we soon realize that she and her young family are going to be murdered in cold blood by vengeful mobsters. When Carmen’s flinty, child-hating neighbor (Rowlands as “Gloria Swenson”) is tasked with hiding Carmen’s young son (Adames) — and thus saving him from being killed — we’re literally on the edge of our seats, wondering what will become of this unlikely duo.

Indeed, for the first hour or so, it’s quite compelling to watch Rowlands and Adames make their way across the “gritty”, “sordid New York and New Jersey locations”, as “Gloria stands her ground and guns down some mobsters in a car” (a truly shocking sequence), and she and Phil (Adames) establish their tenuous relationship with one another (I love how Rowlands literally swats Adames off the bed in irritation when he starts asking her too many questions). But as whiny Adames is given more and more screentime (and dialogue), things quickly go downhill; as Peary notes, Adames’ “little boy [who] is supposed to constantly act like a big man will really test your nerves”. (It’s interesting to contemplate whether a different, more skilled child actor — i.e., a Jodie Foster — could have actually pulled off this very challenging role; I’m not certain.)

At any rate, I disagree with Peary that “Buck Henry, in the small part of the boy’s father, is also miscast” — his nebbishy character actually seems perfectly suited as an accountant who stupidly puts his own and his family’s lives at risk. And while Peary calls this film “underrated”, I can’t say I agree — though I’ll concede it’s must-see viewing simply for Rowlands’ iconic performance.

Note: Adames co-earned a Razzie — along with Laurence Olivier! — that year for his performance in this film, and never acted again.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Gena Rowlands as Gloria — nominated for an Alternate Oscar by Peary
  • The truly nerve-wracking opening assassination sequence
  • Creative direction by Cassavetes
  • Nice use of authentic locales

Must See?
Yes — simply for Rowlands’ Oscar-nominated performance.

Categories

  • Noteworthy Performance(s)
  • Oscar Winner or Nominee

Links:

Knock on Wood (1954)

Knock on Wood (1954)

“I don’t know what’s wrong, Marty; the words keep coming out — I can’t seem to control them anymore.

Synopsis:
When a ventriloquist (Danny Kaye) subconsciously sabotages his most recent relationship via his dummy, he seeks treatment from a beautiful psychotherapist (Mai Zetterling) and falls in love with her; meanwhile, he’s pursued by members of competing spy rings seeking weapon blueprints hidden in his two newest dummies.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Comedy
  • Danny Kaye Films
  • Psychotherapy
  • Puppets and Ventriloquism
  • Spies

Review:
In his review of Danny Kaye’s The Inspector General (1949), Peary acknowledges that “most Kaye vehicles [have] dated badly” — and this innocuous Cold War comedic thriller is no exception. Likely inspired by the “Ventriloquist’s Dummy” segment in Dead of Night (1946) (and/or Erich von Stroheim’s earlier The Great Gabbo, 1926), Knock on Wood capitalizes on the inherently creepy notion of a ventriloquist’s dummy “turning” on him; unfortunately, the opening sequence — in which Kaye’s dummy spews vitriolic statements about Kaye’s fiancee waiting in the wings — is so unpleasant and decidedly unfunny that is gets the film off to a rocky non-comedic start.

From there, we’re subjected to two equally dull storylines, as Kaye romances his beautiful new psychotherapist (who has psychological hangups of her own, naturally):

… and rival spy rings go after high-profile blueprints located in the heads of Kaye’s new dummies. Fortunately, there are a few sequences in the second half of the film in which Kaye finally gets to strut his comedic chops, but they’re not nearly enough to recommend the film as a whole.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • A few amusing sequences


Must See?
No; this one is strictly for Danny Kaye fans

Links: