FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
A cellist (Zdenek Bezusek) and his girlfriend (Vera Kresadlova) visit Bezusek’s friend Bambas (Karel Blazek) in his country house, where life follows a leisurely and family-driven pace.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Eastern European Films
• Musicians

Review:
Czech New Wave filmmaker Ivan Passer’s directorial debut was this hour+-long glimpse into an overnight stay at a country house, filled with music:

… laughter:

… eating and drinking:

… animals:

… children:

… wandering the grounds:

and sexual longing.

There truly doesn’t seem to be much point to any of it, which may be exactly the point; however, I’ll admit to feeling restless and waiting for a narrative hook of some kind (which never came). Given that I’m not a fan of at least two of Passer’s later American-made films — Born to Win (1971) and Law and Disorder (1974) — I’m not all that surprised I found this earlier work to be a disappointment, though it’s lauded by many.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Fine cinematography
  

Must See?
No, though of course fans of Eastern European cinema will definitely want to check it out.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• Village Voice Review (Andrew Sarris)

Synopsis:
When a white supremacist agitator (William Shatner) shows up in a southern town about to integrate its schools, he enlists help from a newspaperman (Frank Maxwell) and a local bigot (Robert Emhardt) to stir up hatred while romancing Maxwell’s teenage daughter (Beverly Lunsford) and putting the moves on the disturbed wife (Jeanne Cooper) of a neighbor (Leo Gordon). Will Shatner succeed in his goals of preventing integration and sowing violence?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Deep South
• Racism and Race Relations
• Roger Corman Films

Review:
Made on a shoestring budget (of course), this Roger Corman-produced, Charles Beaumont-scripted independent film is a marvel of brave innovation: rather than centering a white savior showing up in a racist town to save Blacks, we’re shown a white anti-hero who easily stokes existing bigotry into increasingly violent outcomes.

I’ll admit I kept waiting for a “big reveal” — Shatner’s true motivations must surely be good — that never came; what we see here is what we get, in unvarnished docu-realism:

While the storyline ultimately ends with an “easy out”, it’s made crystal clear that nothing has changed in this town. A near-lynching of an innocent black teenager (Charles Barnes):

… only doesn’t happen given another man’s non-race-related personal grudges against Shatner. Film fanatics should most definitely check out this unusual flick, which remains one of the most potent films about racism from its era.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• William Shatner as Adam Cramer
  
• Taylor Byars’ stark b&w cinematography
  

Must See?
Yes, as a brave and unique (if flawed) independent film. Listed (appropriately so) as a Sleeper in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Good Show

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Time Out Capsule Review
• DVD Savant Review
• TCM Article
• Not Coming to a Theater Near You Review

Synopsis:
A big-game hunter (Clark Gable) in Africa has an affair with a sassy playgirl (Ava Gardner) who arrives at his camp, but falls hard for the prim wife (Grace Kelly) of a scientist (Donald Sinden) hoping to study local gorillas; which of the two beauties will Gable end up with?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Africa
• Ava Gardner Films
• Clark Gable Films
• Grace Kelly Films
• Hunting
• Infidelity
• John Ford Films
• Love Triangle

Review:
John Ford directed this remake of Red Dust (1932), starring the same leading man (naturally, 20 years wouldn’t make a difference in Gable’s sexiness factor) and incorporating much footage shot on location in Africa.

Gable and Gardner have tremendous chemistry together:

… though Gable’s attraction to beautiful Kelly (whose husband is a complete milquetoast) makes sense as well:

There’s not too much to the storyline other than this sticky love triangle — and those who’ve seen the original know how things will turn out; however, it’s easy to understand why audiences in the ’50s would enjoy seeing these gorgeous stars together, and also appreciate the location footage (which today comes across as both exoticizing and — in terms of the perceived harm caused to several wild animals — somewhat disturbing). The film primarily remains noteworthy for Gardner’s Oscar-nominated performance, which is consistently a delight — and of course, Ford’s direction is solid throughout.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Ava Gardner as “Honeybear” Kelly
  
• Robert Surtees’ and Freddie Young’s cinematography
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a look if you’re a fan of any of the three stars.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Articles
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Talk Review (scroll down)
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
A nurse (Jane Fonda) on her honeymoon with a Korean War veteran (Jim Hutton) sees their relationship challenges mirrored in Hutton’s friend (Anthony Franciosa), whose six-year marriage to his wife (Lois Nettleton) is on the brinks as well.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• George Roy Hill Films
• Jane Fonda Films
• Jim Hutton Films
• Marital Problems
• Newlyweds
• Play Adaptations
• Romantic Comedy
• Tennessee Williams Films
• Veterans

Review:
George Roy Hill’s feature-length directorial debut was this adaptation of a play by Tennessee Williams, which Hill also directed on Broadway. Unfortunately, the play itself — intended by Williams to be a “serious comedy” in an attempt to lighten up his approach for once — is a clunker. As Bosley Crowther described it in his review for The New York Times, “Whatever there is in the way of humor in watching young married people quarrel and display attitudes in their relations that range between juvenile and immature is made abundantly available [in this film].” Poor Jane Fonda was just a few years into her career, having made the non-GFTFF-listed Tall Story (1960), Walk on the Wild Side (1962), and The Chapman Report (1962); this fourth cinematic feature posits her as a naively altruistic nurse with far too much compassion for her pill of a new husband.

Indeed, there’s no excusing Hutton’s obnoxious treatment of Fonda from their first married moments together, driving in a used hearse he purchased without consulting her:

… and we struggle to understand what she saw in him in the first place. While we’re meant to have compassion for Hutton as a damaged vet afraid of his ability to “perform”, all we feel is deep regret for Fonda’s bad choice. Meanwhile, their marital difficulties are echoed in a parallel story of Franciosa finally standing up to his overbearing father-in-law (John McGiver) and quitting his job:

… but we struggle to sympathize much with him, either, given how poorly he treats his wife (supposedly once “homely”, though she’s actually quite beautiful) and his young son, whose beloved doll he cruelly throws into the fire:

[Nice try, Tennessee; I know you were going for something a little less Southern Gothic, but this scene alone … ]

There are attempts at romantic “comedy” by having Nettleson see Fonda in Franciosa’s house and misinterpret her as his mistress:

… but this doesn’t really lighten things up. Meanwhile, setting the film on Christmas Eve while a group of increasingly drunk carolers make their rounds through the neighborhood also doesn’t help to lift spirits.

By the time Williams tries to wrap things up by having the women better understand their poor emasculated husbands, we still can’t help feeling sorry for them (the women), knowing they’re in for some rocky years ahead.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Paul Vogel’s cinematography
  

Must See?
Nope; you can safely skip this one.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Time Out Capsule Review
• Bright Lights Film Journal Review

Synopsis:
When a bored housewife (Shirley MacLaine) in New York City is bit by a stray cat, her lawyer-husband (Kenneth Mars) insists she have her hand looked at by a doctor; meanwhile, Sophie (MacLaine) reflects back on a former affair and socializes with various friends — including her husband’s soon-to-be ex-partner (Gerald S. O’Loughlin) and a former-activist friend (Sada Thompson) who is visited frequently by her ex-boyfriend (Jack Somack).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Housewives
• Marital Problems
• Shirley MacLaine Films

Review:
Playwright Frank D. Gilroy’s directorial debut was this adaptation of a novel by Paula Fox about an upper-middle-class childless wife seeking meaning and connection of some kind. Despite MacLaine’s decent performance, it’s excruciatingly challenging to care much about her character’s overall malaise; in an interview, Fox herself complained that the film “lacked a certain kind of inner gravity”. Sophie’s life is at least beautifully shot, as we see her lounging around in her apartment:

… wandering the city in the wee hours of the morning with O’Loughlin:

… and having lunch in the cavernous apartment of her very-odd friends.

Eventually she and Mars end up at their summer house, where they encounter an unpleasant surprise:

… but again, it’s hard to feel too sorry for this privileged if clearly troubled couple. If the point is that money can’t buy happiness, point taken — but it’s been made elsewhere many times, to more lasting effect.

Note: It was interesting reading DVD Savant’s review of this film, in which he refers to it as “a real downer, an intelligent but unrewarding slice of despair” that is “a theater owner’s worst nightmare, a picture that inspires mass walkouts.” He notes that it “must be the antithesis of a Date Flick,” as he “can’t imagine a marginal relationship surviving the experience of a trip to this picture.”

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Urs Furrer’s cinematography
  
  

Must See?
Nope. Listed as a Sleeper and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
When a vindictive young girl (Karen Balkin) attending a boarding school run by friends Karen (Audrey Hepburn) and Martha (Shirley MacLaine) tells a lie to her grandmother (Fay Bainter) that Karen and Martha are lovers, the entire community erupts in scandal.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Audrey Hepburn Films
• Boarding Schools
• Fay Bainter Films
• James Garner Films
• Lesbianism
• Love Triangle
• Miriam Hopkins Films
• Morality Police
• Play Adaptations
• Shirley MacLaine Films
• William Wyler Films

Review:
William Wyler directed two versions of Lillian Hellman’s 1934 play about two women whose lives are ruined by a child’s lie: a 1936 version co-starring Miriam Hopkins and Merle Oberon entitled These Three (in which all themes of lesbianism were removed), and this more faithful adaptation (keeping the original play’s name), with Hopkins returning as her original character’s meddling Aunt Lily:

… and James Garner cast as Karen’s loyal fiance, Dr. Joe Cardin (originally performed by Joel McCrea).

Unfortunately, this updated version was made at a time when homosexuality was still largely considered as “awful” as the characters all proclaim it to be. As MacLaine stated in an interview she gave for the documentary The Celluloid Closet (1995):

“None of us were really aware [of the ramifications of the play’s central topic]. We might have been forerunners, but we weren’t really, because we didn’t do the picture right. We were in the mindset of not understanding what we were basically doing.”

Indeed, one waits… and waits… to hear any of the characters questioning the fact that an implied lesbian relationship would merit such shock and scandal — but this never emerges; instead, we’re asked to simply believe that an entire school would be shut down within a few days given rumors about its owners’ sexual preferences. While this may be realistic, it’s jarring to see it accepted without question: the only consideration is whether Balkin’s rumor — substantiated by her bullied classmate (Veronica Cartwright) — is true, not whether it merits a response of any kind. Speaking of Balkin, she’s much less “enjoyable” as a Bad Seed than Bonita Granville was in the original:

Bainter, on the other hand — giving her final screen performance — is nuanced and note-perfect in a villainous role that she manages to imbue with humanity:

… and Franz Planer’s cinematography is gorgeous throughout.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Audrey Hepburn as Karen
  
• Shirley MacLaine as Martha
  
• Fay Bainter as Amelia Tilford
  
• Franz Planer’s cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look simply for its importance in the history of LGBTQ-themed cinema.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
While travelling to New York so he can interview for an important job the next day, a sales executive (Jack Lemmon) and his wife (Sandy Dennis) find their trip from Ohio ruined by various delays, and soon are sleeping overnight in Central Park.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Black Comedy
• Jack Lemmon Films
• Living Nightmare
• Neil Simon Films
• New York City
• Sandy Dennis Films

Review:
Neil Simon wrote the original screenplay for this darkly absurdist comedy set in New York City, where anything that can go wrong will. Anybody who’s experienced travel challenges will surely relate to the travails of this naive midwestern couple, who quickly descend into a living nightmare that is nonetheless all too plausible.

Most of the supporting characters they meet aren’t monstrous caricatures or criminals, but simply travel and hospitality employees trying to do the right thing; however, they’re each met with rude indignation from Lemmon, who shows his self-righteous nature from the very beginning. He harasses a stewardess (Ann Prentiss) for not being willing to make him coffee once they’ve started their landing pattern:

… chews out a baggage handler who can’t find their luggage:

… mistreats a customer service agent at the airport:

… and insists on exact change from a taxi driver who doesn’t have any.

After the couple land in Boston and finally make their way by train to NYC, they learn their room has been given to someone else — but rather than accept a reasonable offer to wait safely at the hotel until a different room is available, Lemmon subjects himself and his wife to increasingly risky maneuvers across the city.

The events they endure are meant to be farcical, of course, and it’s easy enough to get caught up in the Kafka-esque narrative — but we also keep wishing entitled Lemmon would calm down already, take a breath, and recognize how foolhardy he sounds when he proclaims, “I can’t let everyone push me around forever; it’s gotta stop sometime!” Meanwhile, Dennis is a perfect foil for neurotic Lemmon:

… showing exactly how to stay calm, get resourceful, and roll with the punches as needed; it’s too bad the final sequence doesn’t afford her some much-deserved comfort.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Sandy Dennis as Gwen Kellerman
  
• Jack Lemmon as George Kellerman
  
• Excellent use of authentic NYC locales
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
An unschooled prostitute (Barbra Streisand) and an uptight aspiring novelist (George Segal) fight and fall in love in New York City.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Allen Garfield Films
• Barbra Streisand Films
• George Segal Films
• Herbert Ross Films
• Play Adaptation
• Prostitutes and Gigolos
• Romantic Comedy
• Writers

Review:
After making her cinematic breakthrough in Herbert Ross’s Funny Girl (1968), Barbra Streisand re-teamed with Ross for her non-singing debut in this adaptation of Bill Manhoff’s 1964 play, originally starring an interracial couple (Alan Alda and Diana Sands). To his credit, screenwriter Buck Henry manages to keep us invested in this most fractious couple, who at first seem like an impossible match:

… but eventually, of course, find their way into each others’ arms. Surprisingly enough, we’re able to believe in their attraction, given that both are aspiring artists with deep insecurities, hoping for a little bit of what the other has to offer: Streisand’s Doris wants to sound (and feel) better educated, while Segal wants to let loose and love a little.

Both lead actors acquit themselves nicely, with Streisand demonstrating impeccable comedic timing, and Segal — who starred in Carl Reiner’s Where’s Poppa? (1970) that same year — once again effectively portraying a befuddled fellow who (at least at first) can’t seem to catch a break.

Note: Watch for 17-year-old Marilyn Chambers in her film debut as the girlfriend of Segal’s understanding friend Barney (Robert Klein):

… and Allen Garfield in a bit role as a clothing store owner trying to woo Streisand into bed:

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Barbra Streisand as Doris
  
• George Segal as Felix
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one time look.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
Bumbling secret agent Max Smart (Don Adams) and his beautiful new partner (Andrea Howard) are sent to stop a mad fashion designer (Vittorio Gassman) from blowing up the world’s clothing with “nude bombs”.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Satires and Spoofs
• Spies

Review:
This big-screen adaptation of the cult T.V. series “Get Smart” is a clunker on every count. While Stuart Galbraith IV of DVD Talk notes it’s “fascinating in the same way YouTube dashcam videos of Russian car accidents can sometimes be,” I would argue that only applies to diehard fans of the original show, who may appreciate (?) getting to analyze each element that’s been changed. Meanwhile, the rest of us are forced to sit through an endless array of painfully unfunny gags, such as Smart firing a gun into his own groin:

… Smart chasing bad guys through Universal Studios:

… Smart “out-skiing” a red-clad sexy agent (Sylvia Kristel):

… Smart driving his desk through city streets during a high-speed chase:

… and (unfortunately) much more. The final shoot-out sequence attempts to be clever by incorporating a cloning machine:

… but it’s too little, too late. Consider yourself forewarned.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
Not much.

Must See?
Nope; stay far away from this one unless you happen to be morbidly curious.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review
• DVD Talk Review

Synopsis:
In a sly bid to secure plumbing for their castle, the prime minister (Ron Moody) of tiny Ruritania — ruled by Grand Duchess Gloriana XIII (Margaret Rutherford) — requests and receives financial support from the United States to enter into the international space race; but when the USSR offers the nation a used rocket, and a local scientist (David Kosoff) collaborates with a would-be astronaut (Bernard Cribbins) hoping to impress his girlfriend (June Ritchie) by landing on the moon, the space race suddenly heats up in unexpected ways.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Cold War
• Comedy
• Margaret Rutherford Films
• Richard Lester Films
• Space Exploration
• Spies

Review:
Richard Lester’s breakthrough directorial effort was this sequel to The Mouse That Roared (1959), which starred Peter Sellers in three different roles. Sellers didn’t return for this sequel, and the movie suffers from an overall sense of simply trying to bank on the original film’s concept and success; to its credit, however, the storyline — scripted by Michael Pertwee from Leonard Wibberley’s novel — effectively satirizes the (justified) paranoia felt by all players during the Cold War. Moody — best known for his role as Fagin in Oliver! (1969) — desperately wants indoor plumbing installed so he can enjoy his baths (and, of course, promote tourist trade on the side):

… but he knows that requesting direct support for this would go nowhere. Therefore, he devises a plan to flatter the U.S. into thinking they are making a key ally while knowing Ruritania can’t possibly craft an actual working rocket:

“The Americans will not give us one penny if we had the remotest chance of sending a rocket anywhere, but they are always talking about international coöperation in space, and this offers them the opportunity without risk.”

The U.S. understands this as well, of course. As a confident delegate (John Phillips) argues:

“Without risk, the U.S. can encourage international space research. This will hit the uncommitted nations right between the eyes. They’ll love us, and it’ll only cost one million lousy dollars.”

And so on. Naturally, nothing goes as planned — especially with Kosoff’s brilliance and Cribbins’ persistence both underestimated.

Meanwhile, the Grand Duchess (Rutherford) is simply out-of-it and confused, adding to the overall chaos of the diplomatic situation:

… and a bumbling spy (Terry-Thomas) sent to suss things out doesn’t get very far:

Unfortunately, Cribbins is an annoying protagonist, and the special effects are laughably primitive throughout — but this film does deserve some props for its timely skewering of international relations at a particular time in history.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Effectively comedic direction by Lester
  

Must See?
No, unless you’re curious. Listed as a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review
• TCM Article
• NY Times Original Review
• TV Guide Review (spoiler alert)