FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
When her wealthy lover (Dana Andrews) refuses to leave his manipulative wife (Ruth Warrick) out of concern for his two daughters (Peggy Ann Garner and Connie Marshall), a magazine artist named Daisy Kenyon (Joan Crawford) agrees to marry a widowed veteran (Henry Fonda) — but is Andrews really gone from Daisy’s life?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Dana Andrews Films
• Divorce
• Henry Fonda Films
• Joan Crawford Films
• Love Triangle
• Otto Preminger Films

Review:
Otto Preminger directed this adaptation of Elizabeth Janeway‘s novel about a working woman in New York City who is torn between continuing her affair with an overbearing lawyer (Andrews) or settling for a tamer life with her smitten new suitor (Fonda). Naturally, it’s Crawford’s show the entire way, and her diehard fans likely won’t be disappointed:

— but the film on the whole is not quite satisfying, with both characters and plot underdeveloped. Fonda’s character is meant to be an enigmatic (how in the world did he come into Daisy’s life, anyway?), psychologically damaged milquetoast, with the ultimate result that he’s little less than a foil for Andrews’ unappealing womanizer.

A critical subplot about Warrick’s abusive treatment of Marshall (who looks appropriately traumatized):

… is the most intriguing element of the screenplay, but is glossed over. Apparently the film now holds a minor cult following, with DVD Savant writing that it is “dramatically and emotionally satisfying” and “easily one of Preminger’s best efforts” — but I can’t really agree.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Atmospheric cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No; this one is only must-see for Crawford or Preminger completists.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Entertainment Weekly Capsule Review
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
A young woman (Candice Bergen) from a small town heads to Chicago, where she falls for a guy (James Caan) who inexplicably mistakes her for a prostitute, and recommends her “services” to a former college buddy (Peter Boyle).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Candice Bergen Films
• Coming of Age
• Flashback Films
• Herbert Ross Films
• James Caan Films
• Peter Boyle Films
• Prostitutes and Gigolos

Review:
Herbert Ross directed this somewhat bewildering flashback tale (scripted by Peter Hyams) about a naive young woman in the Big Cold City who is so offended at being mistaken for a prostitute that she… becomes one.

The film’s “plot twist” is given away immediately, leaving all narrative tension (such as it is) to Bergen’s big reveal about how or why Caan could have done such a thing (spoiler alert — we never really learn). When the true meaning of a character’s initials is one of the film’s biggest mysteries (hint: Bergen’s character is named after a famous supporting actress), you know you’re in trouble. Thelma Ritter, please rescue us!

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Some effective cinematography
  
  

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
Two aspiring singers (Mamie Van Doren and Lori Nelson) are arrested for vagrancy on their way to Hollywood, and sentenced by a judge (Lurene Tuttle) to work on a cotton farm owned by her greedy husband (John Russell), who hopes to exploit as many young “delinquents” as possible.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Juvenile Delinquents
• Mamie Van Doren Films

Review:
All film fanatics should be familiar with Mamie Van Doren, known as one of Hollywood’s three busty-blonde “M’s” (along with Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield). However, Peary lists no less than eight of Van Doren’s titles in his GFTFF, which is far too many — and this Z-grade exploitation flick should definitely not be among them. Mamie shimmies as seductively as ever in her super-tight clothing:

… but she’s ultimately a bit player in a ridiculous tale about a villainous cotton farm owner who exploits young white delinquents (!) due to an apparent widespread lack of manpower (the racist implications in this aspect of the plot are beyond belief). Meanwhile, he’s actively deceiving his cougar-wife (Tuttle), whose passion for this caddish heel gives a terrible name to female judges, and lends the film its ultimate message: never trust hormonal middle-aged women in positions of power. According to IMDb, the film “was originally condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency” — perhaps due in part to a subplot involving a blonde delinquent nicknamed “Baby” (Yvonne Lime) — “but that only served to enhance the curiosity factor, resulting in it being a big moneymaker for the studio.”

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Surreal scenes of young white “delinquents” singing and dancing while “toiling” in cotton fields
  

Must See?
No, unless you’re a Van Doren completist.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant Review
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
Former and current American Communist Party members speak about their involvement in this controversial political movement.

Genres:

• Documentaries
• Revolutionaries

Review:
This Oscar-nominated documentary offers a humanizing glimpse into the lives and convictions of diverse American Communists, both before and after HUAC — “created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having Communist ties” — reached its zenith in the 1950s. As one interviewee explains, “I saw the Communist Party as a way of getting rid of an insane, erratic, irrational politic-economic system and bring into existence a rational, humane, humanistic society — socialism.” In addition to learning why American Communists felt so passionately about their cause, we hear their responses to Nikita Khrushchev’s condemnation of Stalin in a 1956 speech, which rattled most die-hard Communists to their core and was clearly responsible for the rapid decline in party membership. With socialism once again on the rise in America — and our collective memory notoriously short — this film remains an especially useful archival resource to consider.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Informative archival footage and interviews
  
  
  
  
  
  

Must See?
No, though it’s definitely worth a look for historical purposes. Your best bet for finding a copy is at your local public or university library.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
A woman (Ursula Andress) searching for her missing husband travels deep into the New Guinean jungles, accompanied by her brother (Antonio Marsina) and an anthropologist (Stacy Keach). Once there, she encounters a sexy explorer (Claudio Cassinelli), many predatory animals, and a tribe of cannibalistic natives.

Genres:

• Cannibalism
• Jungles
• Native Peoples
• Search
• Stacy Keach Films
• Ursula Andress Films

Review:
Within the sub-genre of “cannibal horror flicks” — which “has a well-deserved reputation as the genre that was prepared to go to the most graphically nasty extremes of any exploitation genre” — this Italian adventure flick holds some limited fame, given that it had a generous budget, starred a couple of big-name actors (Andress and Keach), and wasn’t banned by any country. Does that make it worth viewing? Most decidedly not — unless your idea of fun is watching one-dimensional protagonists slogging their way through dense jungles, camera shots zooming in on menacing wildlife, native tribesmen (and women) enacting bestial rituals, and Andress heaving her glistening bosom while making heated proclamations:

“Why can’t you realize — I want to find my husband, that’s all!”
“My husband is missing — and I’m prepared to do ANYTHING to find him!”

Be forewarned that there’s a particularly nasty, infamous scene in which an enormous python devours a monkey in real-time. In an interview on the DVD, the director (Sergio Martino) claims it was all accidental and they just happened to film the moment, given that they “couldn’t do anything at that point to help” — but a freeze-frame analysis shows that the monkey was shoved into the snake’s mouth. Classy.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Effective use of authentic jungle settings
  
  

Must See?
No — unless you’re a film fanatic determined to familiarize yourself with every sub-genre out there. Listed as a Camp Classic in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review
• SciFilm Review

Synopsis:
A writer (Jean Shepherd) reminisces about his most memorable Christmas, when — as a young boy (Peter Billingsley) in 1940s Indiana — he was desperate to get a Red Ryder Ranger Model Air Rifle for Christmas, and tried every tactic possible to get his parents (Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin) to fulfill his wish.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Bullies
• Childhood
• Christmas
• Comedy
• Flashback Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that it’s “hard to believe the same Bob Clark who gave us Porky’s produced, directed, and co-wrote this charming little film”, based “on radio humorist Jean Shepherd‘s witty nostalgia novel, In God We Trust, All Other Pay Cash.” He notes that the “film is full of delightful, recognizable episodes”, which he spends the bulk of his review outlining: “Billingsley’s best friend gets his tongue stuck to a pole after being ‘double-dog dared’ to put it there; Billingsley decodes his secret message from radio’s Little Orphan Annie only to have it be a commercial for Ovaltine; Billingsley lets slip the ‘F’ word in front of [his] father and has his mouth washed out with soap…; Dillon coaxes his little brother (Ian Petrella) into downing dinner by getting him to imitate a pig’s disgusting habits; Billingsley and his pals repeatedly flee the red-haired school bully until one day Billingsley is so depressed for getting a C+ on his paper about his desire for a BB gun (the teacher wrote he’d get his eye shot out) that he gives the boy a whipping; McGavin wins a hideous lamp that has a plastic female leg for a base — he loves it, Dillon is aghast; and Billingsley and his brother are terrified by a kid-hating department-store Santa and his mean helpers — a scene that really hits home.” He further writes that “you’ll be touched by the warmth the members of Billingsley’s family feel for one another, and amused by their various idiosyncracies”, and he praises the “truly believable” characters and “consistently funny” script.

Peary’s review is spot on: despite being written just three years after the film’s release, he accurately predicts its cult-potential, noting “there’s no reason this unique film should play only in December” — though of course, that’s exactly when most people watch it, again and again and again, as it plays in marathon mode on television throughout Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Its cult status is somewhat legendary, with numerous websites devoted to it — including an online merchandise store. Clearly, this film hits a nerve for many — perhaps because of how many potent childhood milestones and concerns it covers: menacing bullies, dangerous dares, strict but loving parents, and a lack of agency over gaining one’s most coveted wish. Billingsley is perfectly cast in the lead role: he’s nerdy but no pushover, and, as the oldest child, capable of showing maturity most of the time (unlike his younger brother). This film is a treat, and I can’t imagine any film fanatic not enjoying it at least once (if not many more times).

Note: In 2012, A Christmas Story was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Peter Billingsley as Ralphie
  
• Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin as Ralphie’s stern but loving parents
  
• Many humorous, memorable sequences
  
  
  

Must See?
Yes, as an enjoyable cult favorite.

Categories

• Cult Movie

Links:

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

Synopsis:
A millionaire (Edward Arnold) upset that his wife (Mary Nash) has purchased yet another expensive fur coat drops it from his building, where it lands on the head of a woman (Jean Arthur) riding to work on a double-decker bus. Arthur quickly finds herself the center of attention by a clothes designer (Franklin Pangborn) and hotelier (Luis Alberni) who assume she is Arnold’s mistress, and are eager to use her as a marketing pawn. Meanwhile, Arnold’s son (Ray Milland) — attempting to earn his own money by working at an automat — meets Arthur and the two fall in love, not realizing each other’s true social status.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Comedy
• Cross-Class Romance
• Edward Arnold Films
• Jean Arthur Films
• Millionaires
• Mistaken or Hidden Identities
• Mitchell Leisen Films
• Preston Sturges Films
• Ray Milland Films

Review:
Preston Sturges scripted this madcap screwball comedy predicated entirely on mistaken identities, with characters making countless assumptions while literally shoving a penniless young woman into wealth and comfort she never asked for (what a dream for Depression-era audiences!). Arthur is as appealing as always (I especially enjoy the scene where she carefully covers her ceramic piggy bank’s eyes with a tissue before smashing it), and she’s surrounded by a game cast who take full advantage of the absurd comedic potential — most notably Pangborn and Alberni as men whose livelihood revolves around catering to the uber-wealthy. Unfortunately, director Mitchell Leisen keeps the pace a little too frenetic, mostly showing non-stop chaos — including plenty of (too much?) physical comedy (characters trip and fall constantly), repeated malapropisms by Alberni (see quote above) and a lot of shouting, especially in the final third.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Jean Arthur as Mary Smith
  
  
• Franklin Pangborn as Van Buren
  
  
• Memorable sets
  
  
• Sturges’ witty, madcap script

Must See?
No, though it’s recommended for fans of Sturges and/or Arthur.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A young boy (Claude Jarman, Jr.) living with his grieving mother (Jane Wyman) and overworked father (Gregory Peck) in backwoods Florida longs for a wild pet, and is finally allowed to adopt a fawn he names Flag — but when Flag gets older, his natural tendency to graze on crops puts the family’s livelihood at stake.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Clarence Brown Films
• Coming of Age
• Father and Child
• Gregory Peck Films
• Jane Wyman Films
• Pets
• Survival

Review:
MGM’s Technicolor adaptation of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ best-selling, Pulitzer-Prize winning 1938 novel could have looked much different: back in 1940, it was being helmed by Victor Fleming and starred Spencer Tracy, but “after only three weeks, the cast and crew returned to Hollywood” and the project was shelved until after WWII, when director Clarence Brown took over and a new cast of humans and animals was slated. The result is a surprisingly non-cloying studio picture featuring excellent use of on-location shooting in Florida’s Ocala National Forest and a stand-out performance by unknown Claude Jarman, Jr. — found “in his Nashville, Tennessee elementary school” — as young Jody. Equally noteworthy is Oscar-nominated Wyman, playing a woman whose previous children (six in the original novel) all died, and who epitomizes the harsh reality of survival in 1870s backwoods Florida. She struggles to find much to celebrate in her challenging existence, and her rare smiles are notable — yet she achieves the near-impossible in making viewers sympathize with her stance even as we (naturally) feel most invested in Jody’s coming-of-age dilemma.

Note: This interesting bit of trivia from IMDb is worth sharing:

During the ten months of filming, 32 trained animals were used, including five fawns. The fawns needed to be replaced as they aged in order to conform to the description of the title animal. The fawn found by Jody, as he pulls back the foliage, was three days old and had been rescued from a forest fire. Other animals used in filming included 126 deer, 9 black bears, 37 dogs, 53 wild birds, 17 buzzards, 1 owl, 83 chickens, 36 pigs, 8 rattlesnakes, 18 squirrels, 4 horses & 17 raccoons. The quantity of “critters” total is 441.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Claude Jarman, Jr. as Jody
  
• Jane Wyman as Ma
  
• A lovely depiction of a close father-and-son relationship
  
• Fine Technicolor cinematography
  
  
  
• Excellent use of location shooting in Florida
  

Must See?
Yes, once, as a fine children’s classic.

Categories

• Good Show
• Oscar Winner or Nominee

Links:

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

Synopsis:
A public health doctor (Richard Widmark) tries to convince a police captain (Paul Douglas) that a dead man (Lewis Charles) riddled with pneumonic plague represents a dire threat to society — at least until his unknown killers (Jack Palance, Zero Mostel, and Guy Thomajan) are caught.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Elia Kazan Films
• Jack Palance Films
• Murder Mystery
• Paul Douglas Films
• Race-Against-Time
• Richard Widmark Films
• Search

Review:
Jack Palance burst menacingly onto the big-screen in this gritty precursor to Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion (2011), directed by Elia Kazan with assistance from DP Joseph MacDonald. Richard Widmark counteracts his iconic performance as a vile racist in the same year’s No Way Out (1950) by serving here as the man literally responsible for saving humanity — if only he can get law enforcement to believe the gravity of the situation. (Shades of the recent Ebola crisis definitely emerge.)* The storyline is tense from the get-go, as we see Palance’s cold-blooded determination to kill for money, and understand how seemingly impossible Widmark’s request to locate the unknown victim’s killer(s) really is. As the clock ticks, Widmark forgoes both sleep and time with his understanding wife (Barbara Bel Geddes) and son (Tommy Rettig) to follow through on any lead at all, even as his life is repeatedly put at risk. Richard Murphy and Daniel Fuchs’ adaptation of Edna and Edward Anhalt’s story takes us through a variety of settings in New Orleans, with authentic-looking extras peppering the screen. The performances are all excellent, and even minor roles are carefully directed by Kazan — as in a critical early scene when a medical examiner (George Ehmig) recognizes the danger he’s seeing in Charles’ corpse and coolly but firmly takes action. This one is well worth seeking out.

Update (February 3, 2021): And… of course… COVID-19.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Fine performances by the entire cast
  
  
  
  
• Excellent noir cinematography by DP Joseph MacDonald
  
  
• Good use of authentic locales and extras
  
  

Must See?
Yes. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Genuine Classic

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
An aspiring production designer (William Atherton) moves to Hollywood and falls in love with a would-be starlet (Karen Black) caring for her ex-vaudevillian father (Burgess Meredith) — but Black is more interested in cultivating a “business partnership” with a kind, adoring accountant (Donald Sutherland), and having fun with a cowpoke extra (Richard Dysart) and his Mexican buddy (Pepe Serna).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Aspiring Stars
• Burgess Meredith Films
• Donald Sutherland Films
• Historical Drama
• Hollywood
• John Schlesinger Films
• Karen Black Films
• Paul Stewart Films

Review:
John Schlesinger’s adaptation of Nathaniel West’s 1939 novel — based on a screenplay by formerly-blacklisted Waldo Salt — remains a satirically surreal, visually heady glimpse into late-1930s Hollywood, when production lots hosted hordes of costumed extras, starlets and ex-vaudevillians scrambled for their big break on-screen, and curly-headed dancing moppets had a one-in-a-million chance of becoming a star. The ostensible protagonist of West’s novel is Tod Hackett (Atherton):

… a Yale art school graduate whose entrance into Hollywood is considerably greased by his Ivy League connections. But the character we follow most closely is Black’s Faye Greener:

… an oddly sympathetic peroxide-blonde who strings numerous men along, but with full transparency about her priorities. Her concern for — and exasperation with — her ailing father (Meredith is perfectly cast as a former-clown-turned-salesman)

… help to balance her childish affect and single-minded determination to shift her status from “extra” to “star”. (In the still below, she’s reaching out to herself on-screen during her overly brief appearance in a costume drama.)

Inevitably, as with any cinematic adaptation of a literary work, nuance is lost in translation — but Schlesinger’s vision (assisted by DP Conrad Hall) shines forth, offering a vividly recreated landscape of Hollywood as seen from numerous vantages, including on bustling sets:

… in studio offices:

… in courtyard apartments:

… along the dusty hills of Southern California:

… up by the “Hollywoodland” sign:

… at exclusive stag-film screenings:

… and at Graumann’s Chinese Theater on an even-more-chaotic-than-usual opening night.

Day of the Locust is less concerned with telling the arc of Etherton’s new career than showing us how all-consuming this universe was (and still is) for those who covet — or are even curious about — its offerings. Meanwhile, Sutherland’s hulking giant offers a deliberate counterpart to Hollywood’s headiness: his deeply neurotic, socially awkward accountant lives in Southern California for his health, and simply wants to help those-in-need; his character’s decline — intentionally evocative of Frankenstein‘s monster — is especially tragic given his status as a sacrificial innocent.

Watch for many memorable supporting characters, including androgynous Jackie Haley as the fatally obnoxious “Adore”:

… Billy Barty as Abe Kusich:

… Geraldine Page as “Big Sister”:

… Natalie Schafer (of “Gilligan’s Island” fame) as a cultured madam:

… and William Castle in cameo as a director.

Note: Click here for a Project Gutenberg copy of West’s book, which is well worth a read.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Karen Black as Faye Greener
  
• Donald Sutherland as Homer Simpson
  
• Conrad Hall’s cinematography
  
• A vivid recreation of 1930s Hollywood
  
  
• Authentic sets and costumes
  
• The surreal finale
  

Must See?
Yes, once, for its surreal insider’s look at the bowels of Hollywood. It would make a good double-bill with Robert Altman’s The Player (1991).

Categories

• Historical Relevance

Links:

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