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Month: December 2023

Chimes at Midnight / Falstaff (1965)

Chimes at Midnight / Falstaff (1965)

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“I know thee not, old man.”

Synopsis:
As King Henry V (John Gielgud) approaches death, his son Hal (Keith Baxter) is called back home and must negotiate a new relationship with his long-time carousing companion, Sir John Falstaff (Orson Welles).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Father and Child
  • Friendship
  • Jeanne Moreau Films
  • John Gielgud Films
  • Margaret Rutherford Films
  • Orson Welles Films
  • Royalty and Nobility
  • Shakespeare

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary writes, “Orson Welles’s final masterpiece” — which “received almost no U.S. distribution after it got a devastating review in the New York Times by Bosley Crowther” — is based on a story by Welles “which he mounted as a play in Belfast in 1960,” “taken from Shakespeare’s Henry IV Parts I & II, with bits from Henry V, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Richard II” alongside “narration… taken from Raphael Holinshed‘s Chronicles.” He notes it is “told with warmth, wit, and surprising poignancy,” portraying a story that “is simple and on a human level, since Welles makes Falstaff… the hero.” With that said, he’s a most unusual hero, given that he’s “a fat, cowardly, bawdy, lying figure” — however, “he gives Hal genuine love while the rigid, humorless Henry pays little attention to him.”

Peary points out that “Welles often played characters whose ascent to power was characterized, like Hal’s, by their quick exchange of idealism for ruthlessness” — but “while characters like Kane or Harry Lime did their friends wrong, few ever actually betrayed friendships.” To that end, he notes that “Falstaff is surely the character who, with warts, weight, and all, was closest to the real Welles.” While Falstaff “isn’t the type of guy you’d bring to a society function,” he’d “make a great Santa Claus.”

Most importantly, he may fib “constantly, but is honest; he fits in with the town dunce and senile old men, yet he has a unique knowledge of what’s important in life (love, loyalty, friendship, a good chat, a good roll in bed with a wench, a good bowel movement)” — ultimately representing “goodness in a cruel world.”

Peary points out that while the “film’s low budget caused Welles problems,” he encourages viewers to “wait out the early scenes in which the dialogue is often out of synch” and enjoy the “superb” acting (“Welles was never better”) and “often stunning” visuals.

He adds that “Welles’s choreography of the battle sequence is spectacular — only in Eisenstein’s Alexander Nevsky does a battle have such impact.” (Indeed, the scene is so kinetically filmed and edited that it’s hard to do it justice with a still.)

The production history of this movie is, naturally, a thing unto itself (what else would you expect with Welles?); you can read more at Wikipedia or watch some of the DVD extras (Criterion has put out a newly remastered version).

Watch for Jeanne Moreau as the prostitute Doll Tearsheet (you can see Moreau’s real-life friendship with/affection for Welles shining through her characterization):

… and Margaret Rutherford as Mistress Quickly.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Orson Welles as Jack Falstaff
  • Keith Baxter as Hal
  • John Gielgud as Henry IV
  • Margaret Rutherford as Mistress Quickly
  • Highly atmospheric cinematography and sets

Must See?
Yes, as a powerful Shakespearian adaptation and for Welles’s performance.

Categories

  • Important Director
  • Noteworthy Performance(s)

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

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Slither (1973)

Slither (1973)

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“It’s working, man: you’re playing right into their hands.”

Synopsis:
After his murdered companion (Richard B. Shull) tells him about a stash of embezzled money, a just-released ex-con (James Caan) hits the road and encounters a variety of kooky individuals — including pill-popping Kitty (Sally Kellerman) and a couple (Peter Boyle and Louise Lasser) travelling around in their brand new Airstream R.V.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Comedy
  • Ex-Cons
  • James Caan Films
  • Peter Boyle Films
  • Road Trips
  • Sally Kellerman Films

Review:
It’s challenging to know quite what to make of this unconventional road-trip comedy — directed by Howard Zieff, and scripted by W.D. Richter — in which each scene seems designed for maximum “What will come next?” randomness. From the opening sequence in which Shull is fatally gunned down but manages to tell Caan about hidden dirty money:

… to Caan’s encounters with a peculiar hippie (Kellerman) who is ready for adventures of many kinds:

… to Caan’s interactions with a quirky RV-loving couple (Boyle and Lasser):

… and then meeting back up again with Kellerman (all while being followed by a bizarrely angular black van accompanied by menacing music on the soundtrack):

… we know there is not a lot of point in trying to predict where things will go. If you’re up for this type of comedic experience, by all means check it out; but it’s not must-see viewing unless you’re curious to see Lasser in one of her very few post-Woody Allen cinematic roles (she’s great).

And no — the title doesn’t seem to make any sense, and is never explained. The filmmakers have only themselves to blame that viewers will forever confuse this with a later movie about an alien plague.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Fine performances by the primary cast
  • Numerous surreally absurd moments
  • László Kovács’s cinematography

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look if you’re curious.

Links:

Hammett (1982)

Hammett (1982)

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“Go home and type, Hammett.”

Synopsis:
In 1920s San Francisco, former-detective-turned-writer (Frederic Forrest) is lured by his friend (Peter Boyle) into exploring a case involving a mysterious Chinese prostitute (Lydia Lei), receiving help from both his neighbor (Marilu Henner) and a cabbie (Elisha Cook, Jr.).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Detectives and Private Eyes
  • Elisha Cook, Jr. Films
  • Frederic Forrest Films
  • Peter Boyle Films
  • Prostitutes and Gigolos
  • Sylvia Sidney Films
  • Wim Wenders Films
  • Writers

Review:
Francis Ford Coppola executive-produced this neo-noir by German director Wim Wenders — fairly fresh off of his success with helming The American Friend (1977) — whose production history was legendarily challenging, with the entire first draft (co-starring a couple of different key actors) scrapped in favor of this version. As noted by Vincent Canby in his review for The New York Times:

Hammett, the first major American movie by Wim Wenders, the sometimes excellent German director… isn’t quite the mess one might expect, considering the length of time it’s been in production and the number of people who seem to have contributed to it. It’s not ever boring, but heaven only knows what it’s supposed to be about or why it was made.

Indeed, this is a good question. The film — based on a 1975 novel of the same name by Joe Gores — is beautifully produced, and one definitely feels the filmmakers’ devotion to recreating an overall ambience meant to be evocative of Hammett’s detective novels.

We’re clearly meant to understand that Hammett took inspiration from his earlier work for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency to fuel his own narratives:

… and there are obvious parallels in the story told here with The Maltese Falcon, including motifs like the falcon itself serving as the base of his writing-desk lamp:

… as well as the inclusion of a portly older Englishman (Roy Kinnear) playing a crucial role later in the story:

… and a significant cameo by Elisha Cook, Jr. (in his final role) playing a cabbie named Eli.

Meanwhile, there is nearly non-stop drinking and smoking (Hammett was an alcoholic):

… a hard-boiled, sexy dame (Henner):

… and plenty of back-stabbing intrigue (alongside blatant Orientalizing).


Most film fanatics will know — simply from watching Julia (1977), if for no other reason — that Hammett had a years-long affair with playwright Lillian Hellman and helped her with her work; and his later-life involvement in Leftist politics — chronicled in the 1999 TV drama Dash and Lilly (co-starring Sam Shepard and Judy Davis) — is likewise not touched upon here at all. This is strictly, as noted in the opening title card:

“… an entirely imaginary story about the writer Samuel Dashiell Hammett who… in the words of one of his most gifted contemporaries [Raymond Chandler]… helped get murder out of the Vicar’s rose garden and back to the people who are really good at it. The detective story has not been the same since.”

Watch for brief appearances by Sylvia Sidney:

… Royal Dano:

… and Sam Fuller.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Joseph Biroc’s highly atmospheric cinematography

  • John Barry’s jazzy score

Must See?
No, but it’s certainly worth a look. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

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