FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
When a Black U.S. soldier (Harry Baird) stationed in France has a romance with a White French woman (Nicole Berger) while on a three-day pass, he wonders: how will those around them — including his superior (Hal Brav) — respond to their inter-racial relationship?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• African-Americans
• Cross-Cultural Romance
• Melvin Van Peebles Films
• Racism and Race Relations

Review:
American-born Melvin Van Peebles’ feature debut was this adaptation of his own French-language novel La Permission, shot over six weeks in France and brought to the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1967. It tells a straightforward yet emotionally complex tale of racism and cross-racial romance at a time when the United States was about to pass Loving v. Virginia, a landmark civil rights decision ruling laws banning inter-racial marriages as unconstitutional. Baird’s “Turner” simply wants to have a good time during his leave, and is happy to meet sweet Berger:

… who explains to him that she’s perceived as “fragile” at work and is thus able to take days off as needed. She’s game for spending the weekend with him, and the couple gradually come to care more deeply for one another.

Van Peebles doesn’t shy away from addressing impacts of their race — as during brief fantasy sequences in their hotel room when they imagine what each other is offering them:

… by Baird’s anger at being referred to as “Señor Negrito” by a Spanish singer in a cafe:

… and the response of Baird’s fellow soldiers when he’s “caught” with Berger at the beach.

(There goes his promotion. As Baird explains to Berger, a “good Negro” according to his captain is “a Negro you can trust… to be obedient, cheerful and frightened… too frightened to go out with a white girl.”) This film paved the way for Van Peebles to come to Hollywood and make Watermelon Man (1970), which would end up his only studio picture before he turned to making the independent Blaxploitation classic Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971), both of which I’ll review shortly on this site.

Note: Sadly, Berger died in a car crash after making this film, thus ending her short career.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Michael Kelber’s cinematography
  
• Good use of location shooting in and around Paris
  
  

Must See?
Yes, for its historical relevance within ’60s cinema, and as Van Peebles’ debut film.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• All Movie Review
• Criterion Essay

Synopsis:
In 16th ventury Verona, Romeo Montague (Leonard Whiting) and Juliet (Olivia Hussey) — daughter of Lady (Natasha Parry) and Lord Capulet (Paul Hardwick) — fall in love, and must navigate the rocky shores of their cross-clan romance.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Franco Zeffirelli Films
• Historical Drama
• Michael York Films
• Play Adaptation
• Shakespeare
• Star-Crossed Lovers
• Teenagers

Review:
Franco Zeffirelli directed this Oscar-nominated adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy about two doomed young lovers from rivalling families. The casting of unknown actors Whiting (16 years old) and Hussey (15 years old) was a genius move — especially in contrast with the much-ridiculed age-mismatch in George Cukor’s 1936 version co-starring Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard (both very much beyond their teenage years). Hussey and Whiting come across as authentically lovestruck, and it’s easy to root for them in their sudden teenage passion.

[More controversial was Zeffirelli’s decision to shoot a gratuitous nude scene with the newly married young couple on the morning after their marriage, over which the actors have just recently sued Paramount Studios for $500 million.]

This action-packed film was lauded by many critics for bringing vibrancy, color, and life to the play — and it does indeed feature beautiful cinematography, sets, and costumes:

… though I’ll admit to being majorly distracted by the odd “beehive” hat worn by Lady Capulet in early scenes. What is up with that thing? What is it made of? Was it uncomfortable to wear? Why would someone wear it?

Of the supporting cast, most memorable (and believable) is Pat Heywood as Juliet’s Nurse; and Milo O’Shea — playing a radically different character in Barbarella (1968) that same year — is appropriately helpful yet abashed in the infamous role he plays in the storyline.

Meanwhile, Michael York — with dark, dyed hair — plays a dramatic Tybalt in one of his earliest screen appearances, after debuting in Joseph Losey’s Accident (1967).

This adaptation — with just a couple of scenes removed — remains a valuable cinematic rendering for teens who’ve studied the play in school; indeed, that was how and when I first saw it. While it’s not must-see viewing, it’s worth a look.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Olivia Hussey as Juliet
  
• Leonard Whiting as Romeo
  
• Pat Heywood as the Nurse
  
• Milo O’Shea as the Friar
  
• Fine period sets and location shooting
  
• Pasqualino DeSantis’s cinematography
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended for its historical relevance. Listed as a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• FilmSite Review
• Trailers From Hell Review

Synopsis:
A commercial film maker (Peter Fonda) about to divorce his wife (Susan Strasberg) visits a friend with LSD (Bruce Dern) and undergoes a supervised trip which gets progressively wilder.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Bruce Dern Films
• Dennis Hopper Films
• Living Nightmare
• Peter Fonda Films
• Roger Corman Films
• Susan Strasberg Films

Review:
Roger Corman followed up on his biker exploitation flick The Wild Angels (1966) with this similarly audience-pandering look — scripted by Jack Nicholson — at the subculture of experimental drug use. The resulting film delivers exactly what its title promises: a feature-length LSD trip taken by the lead character (Fonda):

… under the supervision of Dern’s stern but caring friend.

Other than impressively rapid-fire editing and creative in-camera techniques (earning the film a cover story in American Cinematographer), the trivia surrounding the making of this movie is perhaps its most interesting element, so I’ll list just a few items of note here (all taken from TCM’s articles):

– Nearly all the major players in this production experimented with LSD themselves prior to making it (other than straight-laced Dern).

– Location shooting spots included an L.A. club, a house in Laurel Canyon, Big Sur, Yuma, Arizona, and Big Dune, Nevada.

– The film’s budget was $300,000, but by January of 1968 it had already earned $4 million in rentals, and gross box-office sales reached ~$10 million over time.

– The most memorable effects are likely those “created by ‘liquid projectors,’ in which liquid dyes are compressed between two watch-crystal dishes, and light is shined through the crystals as they are manipulated (and the color blotches morph on-screen).”

The film’s most amusing (and believable) sequence takes place in a laundromat, when Barboura Morris’s chicken-eating housewife observes Fonda obsessing over spin cycles.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Wild sets and costumes
  
• A seemingly authentic look at drug/hippie culture in the mid-’60s
• Arch R. Dalzell’s cinematography
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look for its curiosity value alone.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
When a middle-aged British businessman (Cary Grant) arrives in Tokyo two days before the Olympics are due to start, he pushes his way into a roommate situation with a young secretary (Samantha Eggar) who eventually finds herself also sharing her flat with an Olympian competitor (Jim Hutton) — but how will Eggar’s fiance (John Standing) feel about her living in such tight quarters with two men?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Cary Grant Films
• Jim Hutton Films
• Love Triangle
• Olympics
• Romantic Comedy
• Samantha Eggar Films

Review:
Cary Grant’s final film before his definitive retirement was in this fluffy rom-com remake of The More the Merrier (1943), using the Tokyo Olympics as a setting wherein housing is nearly impossible to find. What one can’t help noticing right away is that unlike Charles Coburn in the original, Grant was far from beyond his prime:

… thus making his proclamation of romantic neutrality (he has a wife and kids back home who he talks to on the phone — though we never see them) less convincing all around. Indeed, pretty much everything about the storyline here feels contrived — and it’s nowhere near as humorous as the original.

With that said, DVD Savant’s generous assessment of the film is worth consideration:

“Walk, Don’t Run seems to convey Grant’s satisfied attitude after a long and rewarding career. The film is like his last day in High School, walking the halls with no books to carry and no classes to attend, just feeling like everything’s going to be okay.”

Viewed from that perspective, I suppose one can spend this movie simply internally thanking Grant for his lengthy career, and for offering us so many opportunities to laugh alongside him — just not this time.

Note: Watch for George Takei in a small role as a desk clerk.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Harry Stradling, Sr.’s cinematography
  
• Occasional effective use of location shooting in Tokyo (i.e., during the culminating walking race)
  

Must See?
Nope; you can skip this one.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TV Guide Review
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
Shortly after marrying singer Audrey Williams (Susan Oliver), country musician Hank Williams (George Hamilton) rises in fame and fortune — but his alcoholism poses a threat to his marriage, career, and health.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Alcoholism and Drug Addiction
• Biopics
• George Hamilton Films
• Musicians
• Red Buttons Films
• Rex Ingram Films

Review:
George Hamilton was cast as the lead in this biopic about famed country-western singer Hank Williams after befriending Williams’ widow, who was also interested in advocating on behalf of her son (Hank Williams, Jr.) dubbing the singing. The resulting film — a surprise hit for MGM — is a highly dramatized but reasonably powerful overview of this young star’s too-short life (he died at just 29 years old), which seems to have been dominated by tensions between his own wish to live a simple existence:

… and his wife’s desire for money and fame. We don’t see when or how Hank’s alcoholism first began, but it quickly overshadows all other considerations — and we can clearly see the writing on the wall of his downfall.

Arthur O’Connell plays Fred Rose, co-creator of Nashville’s first music publishing company, Acuff-Rose Music, which helped bring Williams to fame:

… and Red Buttons stars as a (fictional) loyal friend of Hank’s to the end.

I didn’t leave this film feeling like I learned very much about Williams, other than being reminded that he was behind such hits as “Hey, Good Lookin'”, “Cold, Cold Heart” and — of course — the title song; but it should be noted that a more recent attempt at telling his life story apparently wasn’t all that successful, either.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• George Hamilton as Hank Williams
  

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a one-time look. Listed as a Sleeper in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TV Guide Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
In the 1930s, aspiring teenage singer Daisy Clover (Natalie Wood) — living with her kooky mom (Ruth Gordon) on the beach — is brought by a movie mogul (Christopher Plummer) to Hollywood, where she becomes a star and falls for a handsome but sexually elusive actor (Robert Redford).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Aspiring Stars
• Christopher Plummer Films
• Hollywood
• Natalie Wood Films
• Robert Redford Films
• Roddy McDowall Films
• Ruth Gordon Films

Review:
In his review of this adaptation of Gavin Lambert’s 1963 novel, New York Times critic Howard Thomspon states immediately, “There have been better pictures about Hollywood, but few as triumphantly, all-round bad as Inside Daisy Clover.” Ouch! However, the missed potential in this flick — especially given how much talent was involved — does sting a bit. Other than one powerful scene near the end (taking place in a sound booth), Wood’s performance is inconsistent at best, and somewhat cringeworthy at worst — though one gets the sense she simply wasn’t given good direction on who her character is (and the godawful wig she’s made to wear doesn’t help at all).

The opening sequences showing Daisy’s existence on “Angel Beach” with her delusional mother — Gordon’s career was jump-started from this film — make good use of this authentic setting (actually Santa Monica), but are over-the-top in their portrayal of QUIRKINESS.

Once Daisy arrives in Hollywood, the contrast between her ramshackle beach upbringing and the austerity of the studios couldn’t be more stark. Indeed, her time with Swan Studios eventually takes on the air of a horror show, with Plummer’s wife (Katharine Bard) hovering protectively nearby (secrets and a breakdown await):

… Daisy’s musical numbers surreally garish:

… and Plummer (fresh from his career-altering role in The Sound of Music) becoming increasingly menacing as the storyline progresses.

It’s not clear what part Daisy’s (much) older sister Gloria (Betty Harford) really plays in the proceedings; all we know is that she’s “taken a powder” from their family but somehow has significant clout in Hollywood.

Also popping up on the periphery is Roddy McDowall’s Walter Baines, a quiet assistant to Plummer who we learn pretty much nothing about (but his real-life status as a former child actor says a lot).

It’s too bad Redford wasn’t comfortable openly playing his character as gay or bisexual; this would likely have added much more interest and sincerity to their complex relationship.

While it has some diehard fans who stick up for it ferociously, Inside Daisy Clover really is an odd duck and a missed opportunity.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Christopher Plummer as Ray Swan
  
• Good use of location shooting
  
  
• Charles Lang’s cinematography
  
  

Must See?
Nope; you can skip this one. Listed as a Cult Movie and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Trailers From Hell Review
• TV Guide Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
After a pilot (James Stewart) and his alcoholic navigator (Richard Attenborough) conduct an emergency landing in the Sahara Desert, they and the surviving men on board — including a German engineer (Hardy Kruger), a British captain (Peter Finch) and his sergeant (Ronald Fraser), a French doctor (Christian Marquand), a mentally deteriorating foreman (Ernest Borgnine), an oil company accountant (Dan Duryea), and three oil drillers (Ian Bannen, George Kennedy, and Alex Montoya) — work to craft a flyable plane out of their wreck.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Airplanes and Pilots
• Dan Duryea Films
• Ernest Borgnine Films
• George Kennedy Films
• James Stewart Films
• Peter Finch Films
• Richard Attenborough Films
• Robert Aldrich Films
• Survival

Review:
Robert Aldrich directed this gritty survival flick — based on a novel of the same name — about a group of diverse men attempting to make their way through a seemingly hopeless situation. From the beginning scene of instability in the air:

… to their crash landing in a dusty desert (resulting in two fatalities and one serious injury), we see a wide variety of emotional responses to the catastrophe, including humor, pragmatism, resignation, delusion, defiance, and despair. After setting up a relatively stable base:

… and determining how long they have until their highly rationed water runs out, the group comes up with a variety of contested ways to attempt rescue. Should they flag down a passing plane? (Yes, of course, but it doesn’t work.)

Should they walk across the desert and attempt to find others? (Finch is determined to try this.)

And how should they manage a group of nomads that suddenly appear over the horizon?

The craziest yet most deliberated idea comes from Hardy, a serious German who seems to approach every moment of his existence with rationality; throughout the film, we see him continuously calculating and making plans for building a new plane.

Eventually the rest of the men realize they might as well give this a try; even if it doesn’t work, at least they will keep up their morale doing something. Many scenes show the men working through the dark coolness of the night, following Hardy’s orders no matter how far-fetched — and lo and behold, a plane does emerge; but will it fly?

Ian Bannen was nominated as Best Supporting Actor for his small role here as a cocky Cockney, and he’s good but not necessarily more memorable than other members of the ensemble cast.

To say too much more would give away spoilers; this is an adventure flick that should be seen and enjoyed as the numerous tensions unfold.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Fine performances by the ensemble cast
  
  
• Joseph Biroc’s cinematography
  

Must See?
Yes, as a good show by a master director. Listed as a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Good Show
• Important Director

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Trailers From Hell Review

Synopsis:
In Depression-era Mississippi, a gangly teen (Mary Badham) relates the story of her older sister (Natalie Wood), who fell tragically in love with a new lodger (Robert Redford) in the boarding house owned by their self-serving mother (Kate Reid).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Charles Bronson Films
• Deep South
• Depression Era
• Flashback Films
• Natalie Wood Films
• Robert Redford Films
• Sydney Pollack Films
• Tennessee Williams Films

Review:
Inspired by a one-act play by Tennessee Williams, this Technicolor soaper — directed by Sydney Pollack, with screenplay input from Francis Ford Coppola — is referred to by several reviewers as a distillation of Williams’ classic themes all rolled into one less-than-satisfying tale. While Wood gives a heartfelt performance:

… and Reid is effectively witchy as her brutally mercenary mother:

… bland Redford and awkward Badham (clearly recreating some version of her most famous role as Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird) fare less well, and both Charles Bronson and Robert Blake get short shrift as would-be lovers of Wood.

In its favor, the film is beautifully photographed by James Wong Howe.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Natalie Wood as Alva
  
• Kate Reid as Hazel
  
• James Wong Howe’s cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No, unless you’re a Wood fan.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Time Out Capsule Review (spoiler alert!)
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
A deranged butterfly collector (Terence Stamp) kidnaps an art student (Samantha Eggar) he’s had a crush on for years, and keeps her locked up in his basement; will Miranda (Eggar) find a way to escape?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Cat and Mouse
• Kidnapping
• Obsessive Love
• Samantha Eggar Films
• Sociopaths
• Terence Stamp Films
• William Wyler Films

Review:
William Wyler’s fourth-to-last film — made before How to Steal a Million (1966), Funny Girl (1968), and The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970) — was this adaptation of John Fowles’ 1963 novel of the same name. It’s essentially a two-character thriller — a tense tale of cat-and-mouse between an insane misfit and the savvy young woman he mistakenly believes will fall in love with him if given enough time.

What’s fascinating about the storyline is how many different tactics spunky Eggar tries; in the earliest scenes we see her searching deeply into Stamp’s face as she attempts to find the one thing that will allow her to either escape or shift his mind.

Stamp is seriously menacing as a sociopath who views “collecting” Miranda the same way he does his beloved butterflies, never understanding that humans simply can’t be “caught” in the same way.

While it’s a tad overlong and becomes increasingly bleak by the end, this film is well-acted by the two leads and keeps tensions high; it’s worth a one-time look.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Samantha Eggar as Miranda
  
• Terence Stamp as Freddie
  
• Fine cinematography
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a look. Listed as a Cult Movie and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Moria Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
A working class British soldier (Tom Courtenay) during World War I is defended by a compassionate lawyer (Dirk Bogarde) when he’s accused of desertion.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Courtroom Drama
• Dirk Bogarde Films
• Joseph Losey Films
• Play Adaptation
• Soldiers
• Tom Courtenay Films
• World War I

Review:
In between helming The Servant (1963) and Modesty Blaise (1966), Joseph Losey directed this adaptation of a 1955 novel by John Lansdale Hodson, which was turned into a play called Hamp. It’s a decidedly bleak tale all-around, with Courtenay posited as a sympathetic if slightly simple-minded young man who volunteered to serve in the Great War, then suffered from PTSD after losing all of his original company members and started wandering back home (i.e., deserting).

As Courtenay expains to Bogarde (assigned to defend him), “Well, I wasn’t really thinking about it, sir, one way or the other. I just couldn’t stand it anymore.” When asked to share more about the recurrent idea of deserting, he states:

“Well, the time this really started going in my head, I got blown into a shell hole. Two of the lads pulled me out with their rifles… I’d seen it happen to a bloke a couple of days before; he slipped off the duck boards into the hole [and drowned in the mud]… I thought it was my lot, see. I was going to drown in it, like he did, sucked into it, fighting it, drowning in it. Oh, after that I couldn’t stand it anymore.”

A central facet of the storyline is that Courtenay’s Private Hamp can’t “say it any different” to Bogarde or others; all he knows is that he needed to get away from “any place [he] could hear guns” though he “didn’t have a plan”, and he admits that his actual walk towards home was “like a dream” and he “didn’t know what was really happening.” Narrative tension is built from wondering how or if Bogarde will be able to help him — and if not, how his company mates will support him. Losey, cinematographer Denys N. Coop, production designer Richard Macdonald, and art director Peter Mullins do an admirable job helping audiences sense the muddy, bleak claustrophobia of the trenches, all through sets:

… and both Bogarde and Courtenay are excellent in their respective leading roles. This isn’t an easy film to watch by any means, but it’s worth a one-time look.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Dirk Bogarde as Captain Hargreaves
  
• Tom Courtenay as Private Hamp
  
• Atmospheric cinematography
  

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look if you can stomach it.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article