Broken Arrow (1950)
“There can be no peace if there is no good will to try it.”
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Rush to Judgment (1967)
“I figure there’s somethin’ else been goin’ on besides what should be.”
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Four Feathers, The (1939)
“There’s no place in England for a coward.”
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… and then soundly rejected by all those closest to him when he makes the brave choice to break with tradition — as he explains here to Duprez:
Unfortunately, this perspective is glossed over completely once he receives three white feathers of shame and Duprez rejects his logic as well (he eventually adds another feather for her):
So much for wanting to stay local and non-interventionist. I know it’s petty to view a movie like this from strictly a 21st century anti-colonialist perspective, but this lost (potential) narrative thread is frustrating. At any rate, audiences at the time must have been simply thrilled to see so much action taking place in “exotic” places, with plenty of action and fighting — and Faversham’s dedication to saving his three friends is truly impressive.
Meanwhile, Richardson turns in a fine performance as a rival for Duprez’s affections who becomes blinded due to heat stroke.
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49th Parallel (1941)
“It’s not the Canadian people we’re against; it’s your filthy government.”
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Jet Pilot (1957)
“General Black, I’m a jet man — not a gigolo!”
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It’s a fairly ridiculous male fantasy featuring a busty female lead who is Russian but speaks English without any accent at all, and is sexy in all the “right” ways — including loving juicy steaks, beautiful lingerie, and fast planes.
Bosley Crowther was merciless in his review for The New York Times, referring to it as a “dud” that’s “silly and sorry,” and noting that “if it lacks for dramatic vitality, which it most certainly does, you can blame that on a weak script, poor direction and indifferent performances by all.” The one redeeming quality is beautiful cinematography by Winston Hoch, with Leigh looking simply dreamy in all shots.
Peary likely includes this title in his book for its one-time historical notoriety, but it no longer holds that status, and certainly isn’t must-see viewing. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Tin Star, The (1957)
“You’d better take off that tin star and stay alive.”
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Meanwhile, he “becomes attached to” a widow and her son — a “ready-made new family” — and once “again has something to live for.”
Interestingly, The Tin Star has a “pacifist theme, unusual for a western,” and “Mann succeeds in getting us to want a peaceful resolution, without hero-vs.-bad-guy confrontation scenes.” Meanwhile, “Fonda gives a very controlled, sensible performance” — not “nearly as neurotic as Jimmy Stewart in his Mann films.”
I’m in overall agreement with Peary’s review of this well-made western, nicely filmed by cinematographer Loyal Griggs and featuring a relatively uncomplicated tale of mentoring and redemption in the Old West. Film fanatics will surely enjoy seeing Betsy Palmer (of Friday the 13th notoriety) as a sympathetic young single mother:
… Neville brand as (naturally) a baddie:
… and John McIntire giving a quiet but powerful performance as the beloved town doctor.
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Dawn Patrol, The (1938)
“You know what this place is? It’s a slaughterhouse – and I’m a butcher.”
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Desperate Journey (1942)
“We must all do our work before we can go back to doing what we love.”
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Hustler, The (1961)
“Eddie, you’re a born loser.”
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Response to Peary’s Review: In Alternate Oscars, Peary gives Newman the Best Actor award he was expecting (and deserved). He writes that “as the brash, smart-ass hustler — a combination of a cocky gunslinger and a boxer willing to sell out friends in order to get a title shot — Newman has surprising authority on the screen, using not only a strong voice and that devil’s grin to hold our attention but also a confident pool player’s dramatic and imposing body language.” Thankfully, while “his character is a bundle of energy and anger,” Newman “wisely doesn’t try to overpower the role by acting hyper or using too many mannerisms.” Equally impressive is Laurie, who Peary nominates as one of the Best Actresses of the Year; her troubled, needy, yet distant character seems exactly like someone Eddie might fall for, and her trajectory is tragic indeed. Meanwhile, Scott (in just his third movie role) dominates whenever he’s on screen, perfectly embodying “a rich bastard who likes ‘action'” and “thinks Eddie is a loser… but knows he has talent”; and Gleason is perfectly cast as the “fat man” with impeccable pool skills. Also of note are Eugene Shuftan’s b&w cinematography, Kenyon Hopkins’ jazzy score, Dede Allen’s editing, Harry Horner’s production design, and a smart screenplay. While it’s hard to watch at times, this dark classic remains must-see viewing. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
Must See? Categories
(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
Man of the West (1958)
“There’s a point where you either grow up and become a human being, or you rot like that bunch.”
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He adds that the “shootouts are inevitable and exciting,” and points out that “Cooper is not happy to fight [John] Dehner because he is the man Cooper would have been if he hadn’t deserted Cobb years before.”
He writes that “as in most Mann films, there are two men with similar backgrounds, one who chose to put away his guns as the West became civilized and one who chose to keep being an outlaw, which, in Mann’s films, made his demise inevitable.” Peary goes on to write that “this picture is also similar to other Mann films because the rugged outdoor landscapes provide the characters with the appropriate environment for uncivilized behavior.”
He points out that “the film’s most notorious, most publicized scene has [Jack] Lord forcing [Julie] London to strip to her underwear” — and, as “an enlightened hero, Cooper realizes London’s humiliation… and gets revenge on Lord later by making him strip while she watches.”
Peary concludes his GFTFF review by noting that this remains “a solid, smart western” with “impressive CinemaScope photography” by Ernest Haller, but he argues that “Cooper shouldn’t be a ‘hick’ in the opening scene.” Peary elaborates on his thoughts about this film in his first Cult Movies book, where he describes it as a “beautifully filmed, bloody, unsparing western, replete with interesting, complex characters and exciting situations,” and notes that “if it has a major flaw it comes at the beginning,” given that Cooper plays these scenes “as if he were Longfellow Deeds once again.” He adds, “Having [Cooper] come across as being so gullible and innocent that Sam [O’Connell)] and Billie [London] would attempt to wheedle him out of [his] money… is completely deceptive on Mann’s part.”
“If this naive-chump bit were an act by Link to cover up his identity” (which is how I ended up interpreting it) “it would make sense, but it’s for real” (how does Peary know?), and “when we discover that Link used to be a hardened criminal, these early scenes come across as ridiculous.” While “Mann might have been trying to get us to believe Link a weakling so we would be pleasantly surprised later in the film when we see him do heroic deeds,” he asserts that the “change here is too drastic.” I would ultimately agree; regardless of Mann’s motivation, the character shift for Cooper isn’t seamless — though it’s easy enough to forget about the earlier scenes once we enter the “tense melodrama” of “the cabin scenes,” which Mann likened to “those in Key Largo (1948).” Unfortunately, less easy to forgive is Cobb’s overly theatrical performance as the psychotic head honcho of the Tobin gang. Not helping matters any is the fact that 57-year-old Cooper was 10 years older than 47-year-old Cobb in real life, despite playing his adopted son.
However, there’s enough to recommend in this dark western by master-director Mann to make it worthy as once-must viewing. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
Must See? Categories
(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
