“Before this terrible thing happened to me, I made a very beautiful statue… And my child, you are that figure, come to life!”
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“Each subject must be taken from life… How can I convince my audience they’re alive if I don’t believe it myself?”
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… can-can girls kick their legs out —
… and it’s certainly easy to imagine audiences at the time being thrilled by these scenes; nowadays, however — watching it on DVD rather than in the theater — the 3-D effects aren’t all that impressive. Instead, it’s Vincent Price (in his first horror role) who is the true draw of the movie — he’s so earnestly campy that we can’t help feeling awful for him when his beloved statues (his friends) are cruelly “killed”; and we certainly understand his desire for bitter revenge. Unfortunately, Phyllis Kirk as the female lead is bland, and can’t hold a candle to spunky Glenda Farrell in the original version of the film — which (unlike Peary) I find the superior of the two. With that said, this remake remains a “must see” film in its own right. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“Now listen, Jock… Man, I don’t know what went on in that room last night; it was dark. All I know is that you and Roger beat up on Georgie!”
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Review: Fortunately, the remainder of the performances are good enough to distract us from Storch’s misfire. Gazzara is stunning in the lead role (his first on-screen), expertly showing us the worst aspects of humanity through Jocko’s behavior. Also excellent is Pat Hingle as Jocko’s closest friend; watch his face during the scene when he suddenly realizes just how unscrupulous Jocko really is. George Peppard acquits himself admirably in his feature debut, and is perfectly cast as the young cadet who — like everyone else — is scared of Jocko at first, but eventually realizes he has nothing to lose (and everything to gain) by standing up to him. Other bit roles are nicely played as well — including Larry Gates as the expelled cadet’s father, Julie Wilson as a local beauty, James Olson as a hunky football star, and Peter Mark Richman as the leader of the kangaroo court which is convened at the end of the movie. It’s during this final powerful scene when we suddenly realize it was worth it to suffer through Gazzara’s carefully calculated trail of venom, as we finally witness justice being served. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“Some women don’t want to get married — are you one of them?”
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Review: Interwoven with this central story are classic Ozu-style vignettes of family life and intergenerational conflict, all of which speak volumes about the shifting roles of men, women, and children in post-war Japan: Noriko’s spoiled nephews (Zen Murase and Isao Shirosawa) are consistently rude to their elders, who in turn are both bemused and frustrated by the boys’ behavior; Noriko’s parents (Ichiro Sagai and Chieko Higashiyama) are contemplating moving away and “leaving the house to the young people”; Noriko and her friend Aya (Chikage Awashima) giggle knowingly over their options as independent working women. As always, Ozu’s distinctive directorial style — low camera angles, long shots, luminous b&w photography — makes for an evocative, leisurely viewing experience, one which is deceptively simple on the surface, yet packs an emotional punch. While firmly grounded in Japanese cultural mores, Ozu’s films are remarkably accessible to western audiences, who will easily be able to relate to the universal themes of family and independence — and the difficulty in maintaining a delicate balance between the two. Note: Hara plays a character named Noriko in three of Ozu’s films: this, Late Spring (1949), and Tokyo Story (1953). Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“A voice said, ‘This is God: I’ll be with you for the next few days.'”
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Review: In a clever twist, we never actually hear “God’s” voice on the radio: while this decision was likely influenced by a reluctance to commit sacrilege, it works well as a narrative device, helping us to focus instead on people’s reactions. Also interesting is the fact that The Voice is heard by all people in all countries — in “churches, temples, synagogues, and mosques” — and that the name Jesus is never mentioned; this allows the film’s decidedly Christian elements (the lead characters are named Joe and Mary; Mary is pregnant) to remain refreshingly vague; one could even read The Voice as a harbinger of world unity. With that said, the film does possess some more laughable elements — including Davis’s pregnancy (she’s supposed to be days away from delivering, but only looks about 5 months pregnant, and not very realistically); some of the more cliched interactions between Joe, Mary, and Johnny; Mary’s unexplained fear of giving birth (despite the fact that she’s done so successfully before); and the overly preachy scenes towards the end. Nonetheless, I was surprised at how quickly I got caught up in this gently charming fable, which never tries to be more than it is, and certainly has its heart in the right place. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“He was mine, Kathy — I needed him. Don’t you know what you did? You murdered my baby!”
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Review: Instead, we follow the travails of the rather insipid White — who, unlike Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby (1968), fails to involve us on more than a surface level in her maternal crisis (though this could be at least partly a function of the script). Equally egregious is an unconvincing plot device in which Cathy is conveniently “prevented” from telling her aspiring-politician husband (a bland Paul Burke) about her checkered past, due to fear of public scandal. This choice makes no sense, given that a dark secret between husband and wife doesn’t need to go beyond the bedroom doors. To their credit, however, Cohen and Robson handle the thriller elements of the story quite well: in a satisfying narrative decision, it’s left unclear throughout the first half of the film whether or not Cathy is imagining Kenneth’s stalking; and, once it’s established that she’s not, things kick into high gear. The final 1/2 hour is particularly tense, as Cathy’s baby is shown to be in genuine danger — from Cathy herself. Overall, however, this provocatively-themed film — which could have been so much better — remains a disappointment. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“Madame can’t go home to her husband with a torn hat… Go and get another one, just like this!”
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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:
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“I have something on my mind; I may have made a mistake.”
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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:
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“My life is consecrated to a great experiment: I tell you I will prove your kinship with the ape!”
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Response to Peary’s Review: Note: Many have pointed out this film’s visual similarities to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), and the association is apt. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“We must get this butcher. His motive is clear: revenge.”
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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:
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