FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
As Ferdinand (Albert Prejean) travels towards his wedding, he discovers that his horse has eaten the straw hat of a married woman (Olga Tschechowa) canoodling in the bushes with her lover, Lieutenant Tavernier (Geymond Vital). Tavernier demands that Ferdinand find a replacement for the hat, threatening to destroy his apartment unless he complies; meanwhile, the beleaguered Ferdinand has a wedding to get through.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Comedy
• French Films
• Play Adaptations
• Rene Clair Films
• Silent Films
• Weddings

Review:
In this clever French farce, director Rene Clair successfully transfers a stage play to the silent screen, conveying the story almost entirely through visuals. In one of the first scenes of the movie, for example, Ferdinand discovers that Mme. de Beauperthuis is married (but not to Lt. Tavernier) by looking closely at their ring fingers; his facial reaction at this moment is enough to tell us precisely what he’s thinking.

While the story, at nearly two hours, goes on for a tad too long — some editing would have helped — it remains enjoyable throughout; it’s hard not to laugh out loud as one situation after the other makes poor Ferdinand’s plight even stickier. Adding to the humor are a series of long-running character gags, which rarely fail to amuse: Ferdinand’s near-deaf uncle (Paul Ollivier) remaining consistently clueless about surrounding events; an uptight woman trying to get her inattentive husband to fix his neck tie:

… a puzzled servant catching Tschechowa swooning in the arms of a different man each time he opens the door. It’s easy to imagine audiences of the day laughing hysterically at this frothy situation comedy.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Albert Prejean as Ferdinand
  
• Olga Tschechowa as Mme. de Beauperthuis
  
• Effective transformation of a stage play into a silent film

Must See?
Yes, as an early classic of French cinema. Listed as a film with historical importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Foreign Gem
• Important Director

Links:

• IMDb entry
• All Movie Guide Review
• FilmsdeFrance.com Review

Synopsis:
Journalists investigate an aging German industrialist (Gustav Rudolf Sellner) who may have been responsible for the massacre of a Greek village during World War II.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Flashback Films
• German Films
• Guilt
• Journalists
• Maximilian Schell Films
• World War II

Review:
In his second directorial effort, Maximilian Schell tackled the enormous, daunting topic of post-war German guilt. The story itself isn’t entirely successful: it wanders off into too many disparate, didactic directions, and Schell relies too heavily on stylized flashbacks. Yet there are many quietly powerful moments — as when Sellner suddenly begins to reflect on the potential folly of his wartime acts, and tells a bedtime story to his grandson:

“Where must I go to find happiness?” the boy said.
“Happiness?” Death said. “Come with me.”

While Sellner’s grandson goes happily to sleep at the end of the story, it’s evident that Sellner himself — regardless of his sense of guilt — will never be quite the same. Ultimately, The Pedestrian comes to the sticky conclusion, voiced by a journalist towards the end of the film, that while “there may not be collective guilt, there should be collective shame.”

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Gustav Rudolf Sellner as Heinz Giese
  
• Giese explaining to his grandson that “some mistakes are final”
  

Must See?
No, but film fanatics will probably be curious to check it out.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
When corrupt police lieutenant Nyman is murdered in his hospital bed, Detective Beck (Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt) and his colleagues investigate the mystery. Soon they discover that a bitter ex-cop (Ingvar Hirdwall) whose diabetic wife died under Nyman’s custody may be taking revenge.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Corruption
• Murder Mystery
• Police
• Revenge
• Scandinavian Films

Review:
In a 1962 treatise entitled Vision in Swedish Film, director Bo Widerberg notoriously spoke out against Ingmar Bergman’s dominance in Sweden’s cinematic landscape, noting the need for Swedish films which dealt with “earthier” concerns than those traditionally addressed by Bergman. This mystery thriller by Widerberg is, ironically, a bit of both — a decidedly action-filled film, but one grounded in a more serious exploration of corruption. For the most part, it’s an enjoyable, satisfying movie, one which takes us through Stockholm’s streets, and shows us — in its final climactic scenes — the city’s gorgeous rooftops.

Unfortunately, however, the screenplay is marred by a serious lack of focus: while Detective Beck is squarely posited as the central protagonist, by the end of the film we’re inexplicably following a different set of (younger) policemen altogether. At this point, although the action is undeniably exciting, we’re no longer invested in the ultimate outcome — especially given that the mystery of the killer was solved much earlier.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Many excitingly filmed action sequences — particularly the lengthy finale
  
  

Must See?
Yes, simply for its historical importance as a popular Swedish film of the ’70s.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A Spanish photographer named Gustavo (Antonio Resines) spends the summer in New York, where he struggles to learn English, tries to sell his work to a big-name magazine, and woos a beautiful Spanish expatriate (Beatriz Perez Porro).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Immigrants and Immigration
• New York City
• Photographers
• Spanish Films

Review:
Writer/director Fernando Colomo clearly based much of this semi-autobiographical film on his own experiences as a visitor in the United States. He perfectly captures the frustration of not being able to understand or speak the language around you, and of expats’ tendency to latch on to those few who do. Yet the story itself fails to compel, mostly because Gustavo’s stubborn insistence on trying to sell his photos of New York buildings (which, by the way, we never see) doesn’t make any sense; when told very gently yet directly that the kind of work he’s created has already been done, he doesn’t seem to take the hint. Similarly, he continues to pursue a young woman (Porro) who’s never expressed any interest in him. Worst of all, however, is the film’s ending, which is enormously unsatisfying. Overall, this one is a disappointment.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• An honest depiction of the language difficulties faced by immigrants and expatriates in America

Must See?
No.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
When a private investigator (Gene Hackman) is hired to bring a runaway (Melanie Griffith) back home to her mother (Janet Ward) in L.A., he unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a multiple murder mystery.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Arthur Penn Films
• Detectives and Private Eyes
• Gene Hackman Films
• James Woods Films
• Murder Mystery
• Runaways
• Susan Clark Films

Review:
Arthur Penn’s Night Moves is smart ’70s noir — a psychological thriller with multiple twists and turns. Gene Hackman is perfectly cast as Detective Moseby, and is surrounded by fine supporting actors — including Susan Clark as his philandering wife; Jennifer Warren as the mysterious, earthy blonde who uses Moseby in unexpected ways; young Melanie Griffith as a runaway teen; and James Woods (ever smarmy) in an early bit part. Alan Sharp’s screenplay makes good use of settings in both Florida and L.A., and never gets stale — we’re continually kept guessing as to what will come next. Definitely worth checking out.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Gene Hackman as Moseby (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actors of the Year in his Alternate Oscars)
  
• Susan Clark as Moseby’s wife
  
• Jennifer Warren as the mysterious, over-tanned Paula
  
• Melanie Griffith as the sexpot runaway
  
• Good use of distinctive settings in both L.A. and Florida
  

Must See?
Yes. This edgy detective thriller is one-of-a-kind. Listed as a Cult Movie and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Important Director
• Noteworthy Performance(s)

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Roger Ebert’s Review
• DVD Savant Review
• TCM Article
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
After meeting at a family wedding, a woman (Marie-Christine Barrault) and her distant cousin (Victor Lanoux) become friends and then lovers, while their philandering spouses (Guy Marchand and Marie-France Pisier) get increasingly jealous.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• French Films
• Infidelity
• Romantic Comedy

Review:
This lilting French comedy — essentially a tale of romantic revenge — is listed as a cult movie in the back of Peary’s book, and was remade in 1989 as Cousins, starring Isabella Rossellini and Ted Danson. It’s easy to understand why American audiences were so taken with it, given that it represents a decidedly “European” approach to love and marriage — one which allows for an unconventional, free-spirited attitude towards extra-marital affairs. From the beginning of the film, we’re made to sympathize with the long-suffering Barrault and Lanoux, who accept their spouses’ philandering with an air of insouciant sadness; once they discover their attraction for one another other, we can’t help but cheer them on, because their spouses deserve to worry and wonder. A frothy souffle, but worth a look.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• A light-hearted look at infidelity and sexual mores in the 1970s
  
• Marchand breaking things off with his six extra-marital lovers
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended for one-time viewing.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Roger Ebert’s Review

Synopsis:
As his final request, a death-row prisoner named Joe (John Agar) asks for a girl to be sent to his cell. When a suicidal prostitute named Dora (Cleo Moore) shows up, Joe is at first disappointed — but soon the two misfits realize they have more in common than they thought, and a last-minute romance ensues.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Character Arc
• Hugo Haas Films
• John Agar Films
• Prisoners
• Prostitutes and Gigolos

Review:
In this character-driven romance, director Hugo Haas tells a simple, occasionally derivative, but ultimately touching story of two lonely souls finding love at the brink of death. Moore (who starred in no less than seven of Haas’s films) gives one of her best performances as Dora, a woman so weary of life she barely reacts to the worst insults; Agar is much less impressive, but serves as a suitable foil for Moore — the true protagonist of the film. Haas’s dialogue occasionally descends into outright camp, as in the following melodramatic exchange later in the film:

Joe: “Shut up, you crazy dame! What are you trying to do?”
Dora: “I’m trying to help you — help you, you fool!”

but more often is simple and quiet, befitting the film’s low budget and lack of special effects. While no masterpiece, Hold Back Tomorrow fits squarely within the realm of Haas’s unusual B-level oeuvre.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Cleo Moore as Dora
  
• An effective tale of romance between two misfits
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended for fans of Hugo Haas’s work.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TV Guide Review

Synopsis:
Five astronauts (Sonny Tufts, Victor Jory, Marie Windsor, William Phipps, and Douglas Fowley) on a trip to the moon discover a colony of man-hating “cat women” with psychic powers.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Aliens
• Marie Windsor Films
• Mind Control and Hypnosis
• Science Fiction
• Space Exploration

Review:
Cat Women of the Moon is often cited as one of the definitive “bad movies” of the 1950s — and for good reason. First, its classification as “sci-fi” is highly suspect, since, as noted in the AlanSmithee.com review [nb as of 12/08: now sadly defunct], “Science has about as much to do with [the film] as leopards have to do with double-entry accounting.” The dialogue is either laughable (“We have no use for men!”) or offensive (“You’re too smart for me, baby — I like ’em stupid!”), and the acting — even by B-favorite Marie Windsor — is over-the-top.

Plus, in true “bad movie” fashion, the title is misleading: the only association these female aliens have with cats is their skin-tight black suits.

As in the later camp classic Queen of Outer Space (1958), Cat Women is ripe for feminist analysis, with male-hating female aliens eventually either shown the folly of their ways (one falls in love) or destroyed.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Hopelessly campy performances by everyone involved
  

Must See?
Yes, for its status as a campy cult classic.

Categories

• Cult Movie

Links:

• IMDb entry
• BadMovies.org Review
• Moria Review

Synopsis:
An aspiring virginal filmmaker (Tim Choate) lusts after a beautiful young co-ed (Krista Errickson) who wants nothing to do with him.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• College
• Romantic Comedy

Review:
Charlie Loventhal’s semi-autobiographical debut film received promising reviews from the New York Times upon its release — but it’s truly difficult to understand why. This archetypal tale of a young virgin hoping to gain some experience has been told countless times, and there’s nothing particularly new or original here; in fact, within the first fifteen minutes, we can already tell which pretty-but-not-popular girl the protagonist will end up with, and which pretty-but-selfish girl he’ll woo without luck — only to eventually realize she wasn’t worth the effort to begin with (who knew?). Charlie’s romantic travails (yes, he even has the same name as the director) are counterbalanced by a running subplot concerning his obnoxious film professor (played by Wallace Shawn, annoyingly typecast), and his classmates’ slavish slathering over the pretentious “art” films Shawn has produced. Naturally, our lovable protagonist is the sole budding filmmaker in the bunch who believes that films are meant to be — gasp! — entertaining; it’s too bad that the drivel he churns out really isn’t.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Wendie Jo Sperber as a sexually aggressive co-ed determined to bed Charlie

Must See?
No. While this film is inexplicably listed in the back of Peary’s book as a Personal Recommendation and a Sleeper, it’s definitely not worth seeking out.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
A single New Yorker (Saul Rubinek) hoping to meet Ms. Right falls in love at first sight with his “ideal woman” (Marcia Strassman) — then must convince her to marry him.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Dating
• Flashback Films
• Looking for Ms./Mr. Right
• Romantic Comedy

Review:
After his successful role in Ticket to Heaven (1981), Saul Rubinek starred in this comedic film about the trials and tribulations of the dating scene. Unfortunately, Soup for One doesn’t offer much that’s new or original; while it’s clearly influenced by films like Annie Hall (complete with its New York setting and neurotic Jewish protagonist), it lacks both the insight and the close-hitting humor of Woody Allen’s brilliant early work. By the cliched final scenes, we’ve given up hoping for anything resembling real life or real emotions. Perhaps most egregiously, however, we’re once again presented with a beautiful female romantic lead (Strassman — a Margot Kidder lookalike) who has no reason on earth to be interested in the nebbishy male who is stalking her, yet somehow — through movie magic, one supposes — gives him a chance simply because he won’t give up.

This is sending the WRONG message to obnoxiously persistent men everywhere.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• A few mildly amusing moments — as when Strassman drops her glass slipper (er, diaphragm) while running away from Rubinek

Must See?
No. While it offers a few chuckles, this romantic comedy is ultimately a disappointment.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• TV Guide Review