FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
A rancher (Arthur Kennedy) whose beautiful fiancee (Gloria Henry) is raped and murdered by a thief (Lloyd Gough) vows revenge and goes undercover, helping a known outlaw (Mel Ferrer) escape from jail in order to learn the location of a “safe-ranch” known as “Chuck-a-Luck”, where a former saloon singer (Marlene Dietrich) temporarily houses wanted criminals for a percentage of their earnings.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Arthur Kennedy Films
• Fritz Lang Films
• Marlene Dietrich Films
• Mel Ferrer Films
• Outlaws
• Ranchers
• Revenge
• Strong Females
• Westerns

Response to Peary’s Review:
Pear writes that this “enjoyably silly western” — directed by Fritz Lang as his third and final western after The Return of Frank James (1941) and Western Union (1941) — has “an interesting premise and it’s fun to watch Dietrich holding court over the men, but the direction is a bit static and [the script] should be much more outrageous”. Indeed, it’s hard to know what to make of this clever but unevenly toned vengeance-tale: the opening idyllic exchange between Kennedy and Henry — followed immediately by Henry’s murder and rape (which is unambiguous, despite taking place off-screen) — make us believe this will be a clear-cut, serious revenge flick, but the “love triangle” between Ferrer, Kennedy, and 50-year-old Dietrich (she IS the star of this flick!):

detracts from the primacy of Kennedy’s quest. Other distractions include the terribly obvious painted back-drops often used in place of natural outdoor settings:

and the laughably over-the-top theme song (“HATE. MURDER. AND REVENGE!” intones bass singer Bill Lee). In the film’s favor, Kennedy demonstrates leading-man presence, and George Reeves makes a charismatic appearance in a small but pivotal supporting role as a perennially cheerful outlaw who insists he “never loses a face”.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Arthur Kennedy as Vern Haskell
  
• George Reeves as scar-faced Wilson
  
• Several memorably racy moments
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended for one time viewing given its cult status.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Savant Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
The angry, troubled teenage son (Michael Landon) of a hard-working widower (Malcolm Atterbury) visits a malicious psychiatrist (Whit Bissell) who uses hypnosis to regress him into a werewolf.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Horror Films
• Mind Control and Hypnosis
• Teenagers
• Werewolves

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary argues that this “satisfying low-budget horror film” — “aimed at the fifties drive-in crowd” — features a “sympathetic performance” by Michael Landon as a “well-meaning high school kid who gets into constant trouble because he can’t control his violent impulses”. He notes that “Landon, who wears a leather jacket, looks great in his wild werewolf get-up”, and points out that director Gene Fowler, Jr. — who helmed I Married a Monster From Outer Space (1958) the following year — “develops his usual outsider/paranoia themes.” I’m less a fan of this MST3K-spoofed flick than Peary: while it’s well-directed and Landon is convincing, Bissell’s motivations are silly (why exactly is it in humankind’s best interest to regress to a more primitive state?), and many scenes (i.e., the Halloween party) feel laughably dated.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Michael Landon as Tony Rivers
  
• Some creative camera work and atmospheric cinematography
  
  
  

Must See?
No; feel free to skip this one.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Spinning Image Review
• Moria Review

Synopsis:
While conducting nuclear research in the Arctic Circle, a scientist (Paul Christian) is nearly killed by a giant prehistoric monster but struggles to get his story believed by either the military (led by Kenneth Tobey) or a top scientist (Cecil Kellaway). Kellaway’s beautiful assistant (Paula Raymond) is convinced Christian’s story may be true, and helps him corroborate it by meeting with a sea captain (Donald Woods) who also saw the beast — but can the radioactive, 100-million-year-old Rhedosaurus, steadily heading south, be stopped before it destroys New York City?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Atomic Energy
• Cecil Kellaway Films
• Lee Van Cleef Films
• Mutant Monsters
• “No One Believes Me!”
• Ray Harryhausen Films
• Science Fiction
• Scientists

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary writes, the appearance of “cinema’s first monster unleashed by atomic explosions” — very loosely based on (or inspired by) a short story by Ray Bradbury — is a “minor horror movie”, but “boasts exciting special effects by Ray Harryhausen, who had absolute control for the first time in his career”. The opening sequences set in the Arctic Circle are eerily riveting, with blizzard conditions accentuating the sense of hidden menace — but Peary rightfully points out that “far too much of [the screenplay] is spent finding evidence to support Christian’s claim that the monster exists”. And while Christian and Raymond (a “rare smart woman in fifties SF”) might be a “pleasing couple”, their budding relationship is too inevitable and cliched for modern audiences to appreciate. However, this is all just filler before the final, high-octane portion of the film kicks into gear, as “the monster attacks a lighthouse” (the cinematographic effects are quite stunning during this sequence), “scientist Cecil Kellaway takes a diving bell to the ocean floor in search of the monster”, and “the beast romps through New York City”, with a “lively climax in an amusement park”.

Note: Be sure to read TCM’s article for interesting background info on how the widespread re-release of King Kong (1933) in 1952 sparked the creation of Beast…, which itself eventually led to the Godzilla franchise.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• The exciting opening sequence in the Arctic Circle
  
• Impressive early Harryhausen special effects
  
• The climactic finale
  

Must See?
Yes, for its historical relevance and exciting action sequences.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Spinning Image Review
• NY Times Original Review
• Moria Review
• DVD Savant Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
As he prepares to leave town rather than face a duel, an aging pianist (Louis Jourdan) reads a letter written by a young Viennese woman (Joan Fontaine) who fell instantly in love with him as a teenager and remained obsessed with him her entire life, despite eventually marrying a kind husband (Marcel Journet) who accepts the illegitimate child (Leo B. Pessin) she had after a romantic one-night-stand with Jourdan.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Flashback Films
• Joan Fontaine Films
• Louis Jourdan Films
• Max Ophuls Films
• Musicians
• Obsessive Love
• Star-Crossed Lovers
• Womanizers

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary asserts that this “exquisite film” — a “dream romance set in 19th-century Vienna” — was “Max Ophuls’s finest American film”, and that it’s a “unique, beautifully realized picture” with a “lovely flow to it”. He lists it as one of the Best Movies of the Year in his Alternate Oscars, where he also names Fontaine as Best Actress. In Alternate Oscars, he writes that while “at first glance [her character, Lisa] seems… weak and controlled by a man”, she’s not only “sweet, polite, humble, and selfless” but “projects… underlying strength, determination, and confidence”, and “has no need to feel debased”. Indeed, Lisa is a fascinating if infuriating female protagonist: while we admire her tenacity and willingness to follow her heart, it’s painful to see her literally giving away her life to someone who can’t recognize her devotion.

Jourdan, meanwhile, plays his role as a talented charmer perfectly, and is unexpectedly sympathetic: Fontaine “should” know better than to maintain lifelong devotion to a known womanizer, and she should have told him years earlier about his son!). Most memorable of all, however, is Ophuls’ fine direction (including many of his “trademarked camera pans”), with each scene perfectly realized, and many notable moments amidst “lush music, elegant settings, and romantic dialogue”.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Joan Fontaine as Lisa
  
• Louis Jourdan as Stefan Brand
  
• Many memorable scenes
  
  
• Franz Planer’s luminous cinematography
  
  

Must See?
Yes, once, as a tragic classic.

Categories

• Genuine Classic
• Important Director
• Noteworthy Performance(s)

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review
• FilmSite Review

Synopsis:
When their target (John Cassavetes) isn’t surprised about being killed, two hitmen (Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager) decide to investigate by talking with his former partner (Claude Akins), and learn that Cassavates — a race car driver — was fatally in love with a kept woman (Angie Dickinson) supported by a wealthy crook (Ronald Reagan) planning a major heist with his partner (Norman Fell).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Angie Dickinson Films
• Car Racing
• Don Siegel Films
• Femmes Fatales
• Flashback Films
• Heists
• Hitmen
• John Cassavates Films
• Lee Marvin Films
• Ronald Reagan Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this Don Siegel-directed “version of Hemingway’s short story” — previously made in 1946 by Robert Siodmak — was “meant to be the first made-for-television movie”, but “was released instead as a theatrical feature because its violence was deemed too strong”. Indeed, the opening scene in which Marvin and Gulager “rub out John Cassavetes, who works as an instructor for the blind” is almost shockingly sadistic, as they terrorize numerous blind individuals while cold-bloodedly carrying out their task. It’s been rightfully noted that Marvin and Gulager — who are “really bastards” — are prototypical Tarantino-esque hitmen; you’ll likely think of John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction (1994) while watching their banter.

Interestingly, the flashback format of the screenplay works better than expected: despite knowing from the outset that Cassavetes will be killed, we remain curious (like Marvin and Gulager) to know why he’s so non-resistant to being assassinated. Dickinson, meanwhile, makes a perfect femme fatale: she’s beautiful, thrill-seeking, loving, and deceptive like nobody’s business. As Peary notes, Ronald Reagan (in his final role before becoming governor of California) “is particularly stiff”, and didn’t really deserve the excellent reviews he received; as DVD Savant writes, he plays “a one-dimensional heavy with no redeeming qualities” and “is as rigid as a washboard”. He was much better in Kings Row (1942).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• The unnerving opening sequence
  
• Top-notch direction
  
  
• Fine performances
  

Must See?
Yes, as an enjoyable, well-directed thriller.

Categories

• Good Show

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant Review
• Q Network Review (scroll down to second review)
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A “paranoiac” (George C. Scott) convinced he’s Sherlock Holmes befriends a psychoanalyst named Dr. Watson (Joanne Newman), and the pair gradually fall in love.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Detectives and Private Eyes
• George C. Scott Films
• Joanne Newman Films
• Mental Illness
• Mistaken or Hidden Identities
• Nonconformists
• Play Adaptation
• Psychotherapy
• Romantic Comedy

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “uplifting comedy about a brilliant man” takes on “a special dimension” as Woodward’s Dr. Watson “follows Holmes on his adventurous trail through New York City in search of his possibly imaginary Moriarty”, and “begins to believe that he really is Holmes”. He notes that “it becomes irrelevant whether or not [Scott] is Holmes”, given that “we have instead the story of two lonely people who find their ideal companions, who see the grand qualities in each other that no one else is aware of”. He argues that while the film “runs out of steam toward the end” and “has its fill of silly and pretentious moments”, it “is really quite touching” — and he further notes that the “pairing of heavyweights Scott and Woodward is to be treasured”; indeed, it’s challenging to imagine this film being nearly as enjoyable or watchable without its big-name leads, who bring substance and conviction to their “non-conformist” characters. Fine use is made of authentic New York City settings, and Victor Kemper’s atmospheric cinematography perfectly suits the story.

An unexpectedly moving moment: A telephone operator (Theresa Merritt) jeopardizes her job to help an inconsolable young woman (Kitty Winn) locate her suicidal boyfriend.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• George C. Scott as “Holmes”
  
• Joanne Newman as “Dr. Watson”
  
• Several unexpectedly touching scenes
  
• Victor Kemper’s cinematography
  
  
• Good use of NYC locales
  

Must See?
Yes, as an enjoyable and finely acted cult favorite.

Categories

• Cult Movie

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Savant Review
• Q Network Review
• Spinning Image Review
• Time Out Capsule Review