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Month: March 2007

Muppets Take Manhattan, The (1984)

Muppets Take Manhattan, The (1984)

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“I’m staying! You hear that, New York? THE FROG IS STAYING!”

Synopsis:
Kermit and his Muppet friends head to Broadway, where they struggle to get their musical — “Manhattan Melodies” — produced.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Amnesia
  • Let’s-Put-On-a-Show
  • Musicals
  • New York City
  • Puppets and Ventriloquism

Review:
The Muppets’ third big-screen adventure (directed by Frank Oz) will primarily appeal either to those who fondly remember watching it as a child, or, naturally, to hardcore Muppet fans. While it contains a few humorous moments, there are an equal number of embarrassments — including the insufferable “Muppet Babies” doo-wop number.

Juliana Donald as Kermit’s sympathetic new friend is instantly forgettable:

though it’s mildly amusing to watch Miss Piggy (with an ’80s perm!) fuming at her with jealous rage. Most entertaining are the scenes in which an amnesia-ridden Kermit — the indisputable star of the show — hangs out with his well-meaning, yet hopelessly square, new frog buddies: Bill, Gil, and Jill.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Amnesiac Kermit — a.k.a. “Phil” — interacting with his new colleagues
  • Linda Lavin (as a doctor) testing Kermit’s “reflexes” after his accident
  • A truly campy moment as Miss Piggy roller skates through Central Park while trying to catch a purse snatcher

Must See?
No. This one is for Muppet fans only; it’s not clear why Peary listed it in the back of his book, other than perhaps its Oscar-nominated score by Jeff Moss.

Links:

High and the Mighty, The (1954)

High and the Mighty, The (1954)

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“Tell me what’s wrong with this airplane!”

Synopsis:
When an airplane en route from Honolulu to San Francisco starts losing fuel, its passengers and pilots (Robert Stack and John Wayne) prepare for an ocean landing.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Airplanes and Pilots
  • Claire Trevor Films
  • David Brian Films
  • Disaster Flicks
  • Ensemble Cast
  • Jan Sterling Films
  • John Qualen Films
  • John Wayne Films
  • Robert Newton Films
  • Robert Stack Films
  • William Wellman Films

Review:
It’s impossible to watch William Wellman’s The High and the Mighty without thinking about the countless times its basic premise has been spoofed — most notably in the Zucker brothers’ comedy classic Airplane! (1980). Indeed, as a “straight” melodrama, The High and the Mighty falls flat, with hopelessly cliched characters, truly laughable dialogue (“How can I ever be afraid when you hold me like this?”), and not nearly enough genuine drama or excitement for a disaster flick. Unavailable for many years, this film developed nearly a cult following (see posts on IMDb), with fans clamoring for its release on DVD; but its appeal will ultimately be limited to either devotees of John Wayne (who, surprisingly, doesn’t dominate the proceedings), or those anxious to see the film which inspired Airplane!.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Countless spoofable moments and characters — including pilot Robert Stack, who would later “reprise” his role in Airplane! (1980)

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look as perhaps the definitive “airplane disaster” flick.

Links:

Point of Order (1964)

Point of Order (1964)

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“Apparently, Senator, you believe that anyone who disagrees with your point of view is a Communist.”

Synopsis:
Senator Joe McCarthy shows his true colors while standing on trial against the U.S. Army.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Courtroom Drama
  • Documentary
  • Downward Spiral
  • Emile de Antonio Films
  • Political Corruption

Response to Peary’s Review:
Emile De Antonio took more than 180 hours of television footage from the 1954 Army-McCarthy hearings and crafted this fascinating glimpse at the crash and burn of America’s most infamous “Commie witch hunter”. As Peary notes, de Antonio offers us the “perversely satisfying” opportunity to “watch [Senator Joe] McCarthy sweat and squirm” while “being railroaded by military and political big shots” — all, notably, without the “voice of God” narration so common in documentaries at the time. Though there are some dry patches in the film (especially while various participants in the trial read all the way through certain documents), this is more than made up for by countless too-good-to-be-true moments of drama and hilarity. Especially compelling is Boston lawyer Joseph Welch, who sits “in a slouch with hand on chin and wearing a bow tie”; indeed, Welch displayed such genuine presence during the hearings that he was drafted by Otto Preminger to star as the judge in his courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder (1959). De Antonio rightfully recognized that the true drama of the case lay not in its ostensible subject (whether McCarthy and his counsel, Roy Cohn, granted special favors to Pvt. G. David Schine), but in McCarthy’s spectacularly pigheaded behavior — the beginning of his final fall from grace. Point of Order remains a potent time capsule of this infamous event, and demonstrates de Antonio’s genius for crafting pre-existing footage into incisive political barbs. See also de Antonio’s Millhouse: A White House Comedy (1967) and In the Year of the Pig (1968).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Welch making his famous statement to McCarthy: “Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”
  • A fascinating time-capsule glimpse at one of the most famous court trials in American history

Must See?
Yes. This remains a pivotal film in documentary history.

Categories

  • Historically Relevant

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