Toni (1935)

Toni (1935)

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“Forget her? Why not try grafting a plano leaf on to an olive tree?”

Synopsis:
An Italian immigrant (Charles Blavette) in love with a Spanish washerwoman (Celia Montalvan) ends up marrying his landlady (Jenny Helia) instead when Josefa (Montalvan) is seduced by the local quarry foreman (Max Dalban). But Toni (Blavette) remains dissatisfied in his marriage, and is determined to rescue Josefa from her unhappy fate.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • French Films
  • Jean Renoir Films
  • Love Triangle

Review:
Considered by many to be an early forerunner of Italian neo-realism, Jean Renoir’s Toni (co-directed by Luchino Visconti) holds a special place in cinematic history. In addition to the use of many non-actors, most scenes are shot either outdoors in the southern French countryside (in a quarry, under trees on hills, along vineyard paths), or in authentic local buildings, and the effect is palpable: one immediately gets the sense of being immersed in this particular niche of early 20th century French immigrant society. The story — based on a real-life event — involves murder and sacrifice, but never comes across as overly melodramatic; rather, it’s easy to believe that these particular characters would act in just the way they do. While not quite the masterpiece that some of Renoir’s earlier and later films would prove to be, Toni is of note for those interested in the evolution of European cinema.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Effective use of realistic locales

Must See?
No, though it’s certainly worth a look for its historical importance.

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Love at First Bite (1979)

Love at First Bite (1979)

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“I’m going out for a bite to drink.”

Synopsis:
When Count Dracula (George Hamilton) and his loyal servant (Arte Johnson) are kicked out of their Transylvanian castle, they head to New York City, where Dracula hopes to woo a famous model (Susan Saint James) into becoming his eternal bride. Little does he know, however, that Cindy (Saint James) is dating a psychiatrist (Richard Benjamin) whose grandfather was the vampire-hunter Van Helsing, and who is determined to complete the job his famed ancestor never finished.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Cat-and-Mouse
  • George Hamilton Films
  • Love Triangle
  • New York City
  • Richard Benjamin Films
  • Satires and Spoofs
  • Vampires

Response to Peary’s Review:
An enormous hit when it was released, this “wacked out spoof of [the] Dracula myth” remains a reasonably enjoyable comedic venture despite its uneven script. It’s primarily remembered today for providing “suave and slick” George Hamilton with his breakthrough role as a comedic actor (who knew that Hamilton’s impersonation of Count Vladimir Dracula as a lonely, smitten vampire would be so successful?). While I’m not a fan of Arte Johnson’s annoying impersonation of “the insect-eating Renfield” (Dracula’s servant), fine performances are given by Saint James as the object of Dracula’s desire (she’s a unique combination of cynical, “oddball” New Yorker and vulnerable romantic), and Benjamin as Dracula’s modern-day nemesis, whose repeated (failed) attempts to kill Hamilton are quite amusing. Ultimately, it’s the lead actors — who are “better than Bob Kaufman’s script” — who make this comedy worth checking out; even when the jokes fall flat (and they do — again and again), we’re kept in eager suspense about the outcome of this most unusual love triangle, one with very real consequences at stake.

Note: In his feminizing make-up, Hamilton looks uncannily at times like… Sandra Bullock (!).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • George Hamilton as Count Dracula
  • Richard Benjamin as Dr. Rosenberg (nee Van Helsing)
  • Susan Saint James as Cindy Sondheim

Must See?
Yes, simply for George Hamilton’s comedic “breakthrough” performance.

Categories

  • Noteworthy Performance(s)

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Amazing Transplant, The (1970)

Amazing Transplant, The (1970)

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“I’m afraid our Arthur wasn’t quite the sweet boy we thought he was.”

Synopsis:
When a “nice young man” (Joao Fernendes) is accused of murdering his former girlfriend (Sandy Evan), his detective uncle (Larry Hunter) contacts everyone in his nephew’s address book — and soon learns that Arthur (Fernendes) has recently turned into a deranged rapist.

Genres:

  • Criminal Investigation
  • Detectives and Private Eyes
  • Rape

Review:
As perhaps the best-known film made by female sleaze director Doris Wishman (under the pseudonym of “Louis Silverman”), The Amazing Transplant will likely be of interest to fans of trash cinema, but its general appeal is limited. Wishman is notorious for her tendency to aim her camera anywhere (feet, furniture, statues) but at the characters’ faces when they’re speaking — which is actually a good thing, given that they’re all distractingly dubbed. The actors are uniformly awful (most are simply porn stars in the making), but special kudos must go to Uncle Bill (Hunter) for his hilariously bad extended reaction shots while listening to each rape victim tell her sordid tale.

The film’s plot (a criminal investigation) is basically an excuse for Wishman to show multiple flashback scenes of women being raped; while all resist at first, the majority eventually “give in” and appear to be enjoying themselves, thus disturbingly feeding any rape fetishist’s wildest fantasies. The “surprise twist” at the end of the film is anything but, with most reviews giving away the fact that this X-rated film owes thematic allegiance to such horror-film predecessors as Mad Love (1935) and The Hands of Orloc (1960).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Not much

Must See?
No, though truly dedicated film fanatics may be morbidly curious to check out Wishman’s directorial “style”. Listed as Trash in the back of Peary’s book (and even he acknowledges that such films aren’t necessary viewing for ALL film fanatics).

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Groove Tube, The (1974)

Groove Tube, The (1974)

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“Coat your hands with a generous amount of Kramp Easy-Lube shortening…”

Synopsis:
A series of satirical skits spoof early 1970s television shows and commercials.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Satires and Spoofs
  • Television

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary is overly generous in his assessment of this “sketch comedy having to do with television” as not “particularly inspired”: indeed, it’s resolutely unfunny for most of its hour-plus running time. Only a few skits are even mildly amusing (I’ve noted my favorites below); the rest are merely raunchy or lame. The least enjoyable spoof of all — an extended TV show segment about drug dealers — is, unfortunately, also the longest, and seems to go on f-o-r-e-v-e-r. While The Groove Tube (which received an X rating) was likely considered risque at the time of its release, its historical notoriety has long since gone with the wind.

Note: The Groove Tube is also of minor cinematic importance for featuring Chevy Chase in his first silver screen appearance.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • The truly disgusting cooking show spoof
  • The amusingly deadpan Sexual Olympics skit

Must See?
No. While it has a selective cult following, The Groove Tube isn’t must-see viewing for all film fanatics.

Links:

Screaming Mimi (1958)

Screaming Mimi (1958)

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“I know there’s gotta be a story when two sexy blondes are knifed the same way — and both have the same taste in statues!”

Synopsis:
After nearly being killed by a psychopath, a voluptuous blonde (Anita Ekberg) is sent to a sanitarium, where her psychiatrist (Harry Townes) falls obsessively in love with her and helps her get a job working as an exotic dancer at a nightclub run by Joann “Gypsy” Masters (Gypsy Rose Lee). When Ekberg is nearly killed once again by an unknown assailant, a journalist (Philip Carey) who’s fallen for Ekberg does what he can to solve the mystery — and save her life.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Anita Ekberg Films
  • Journalists
  • Mental Illness
  • Mind Control and Hypnosis
  • Nightclubs
  • Obsessive Love
  • Serial Killers

Review:
This atmospheric serial killer flick (directed by Gerd Oswald) remains a minor cult flick due primarily to the lead presence of voluptuous Anita Ekberg, two years before her infamous appearance in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita; while no great actress, Ekberg projects an undeniably magnetic presence on-screen.


The opening scene — in which Ekberg is nearly killed by a knife-wielding psychopath while taking an outdoor shower:

— holds cinematic interest as well, given that it predates the infamous “shower sequence” in Hitchcock’s Psycho by two years. And fans of the legendary Gypsy Rose Lee will be grateful to catch a rare glimpse of the diva on film (though her performance of “Put the Blame on Mame” is tepid at best).

The storyline itself — a psycho-horror tale involving mind control and mysterious sculptures known as “Screaming Mimi”s — is overly convoluted, but Burnett Guffey’s superbly noir-ish black-and-white cinematography helps to elevate the film a notch above its pulpy, B-grade script.

Note: Any devoted film fanatic will immediately notice that much of Screaming Mimi‘s soundtrack is lifted directly from On the Waterfront — a seriously annoying distraction.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Anita Ekberg’s sultry nightclub dances

  • Burnett Guffey’s atmospheric b&w cinematography
  • The Red Norvo Trio (performing at Gypsy Lee’s nightclub)

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

Categories

  • Cult Movie

Links:

Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy, A (1982)

Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy, A (1982)

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“Only a drunken, infantile idiot shoots himself over love — not an internist.”

Synopsis:
An amateur inventor (Woody Allen) and his wife (Mary Steenburgen) invite two couples — a womanizing doctor (Tony Roberts) and his free-thinking nurse (Julie Hagerty), and a renowned philosopher (Jose Ferrer) and his beautiful fiancee (Mia Farrow) — to spend the weekend with them at their country estate, where cross-couple lust causes sexual mayhem.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Infidelity
  • Jose Ferrer Films
  • Mary Steenburgen Films
  • Mia Farrow Films
  • Romantic Comedy
  • Sexuality
  • Woody Allen Films

Review:
Considered by many to be one of Woody Allen’s lesser films, A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy (inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night, 1955) is actually an innocuously enjoyable trifle, guaranteed to please Allen’s diehard fans — particularly those disappointed by his recent spate of non-stop misses. Allen’s ensemble cast is nicely chosen, with wide-eyed Julie Hagerty particularly delightful as a sexually “modern” woman:

and Jose Ferrer (what inspired casting!) offering a refreshing dose of arrogant refinement to the proceedings.

Despite its title and topic, Midsummer… is actually rather innocent of sexual content — while sex is discussed ad infinitum, the most we ever see on-screen are gropings and kisses. Allen’s occasional use of supernatural touches (including a flying bicycle and a “spirit machine”):

… may turn some off, but these elements ultimately just add to the charm of this feel-good tale about love and lust, which ends on a surprisingly happy note for all involved.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Julie Hagerty as Nurse Dulcy
  • Jose Ferrer as Leopold Sturgis
  • Gordon Willis’s luminous cinematography

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended, and certainly must-see for Woody Allen completists.

Links:

Sting, The (1973)

Sting, The (1973)

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“I don’t know what to do with this guy, Henry: he’s an Irishman who doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, and doesn’t chase dames.”

Synopsis:
A small-time grifter (Robert Redford) asks for help from a more experienced con-man (Paul Newman) in seeking revenge when his partner (Robert Earl Jones) is murdered by a cold-blooded Irish mobster (Robert Shaw).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Con-Artists
  • Depression Era
  • George Roy Hill Films
  • Heists
  • Paul Newman Films
  • Revenge
  • Robert Redford Films
  • Robert Shaw Films<

Review:
George Roy Hill’s beloved con artist-revenge flick has held up remarkably well, and remains a clever, challenging delight even for those recently weaned on David Mamet’s intricately plotted House of Games (1987), The Spanish Prisoner (1997), and Heist (2000). While first-time viewers will likely be overwhelmed by the sheer number of plot twists and turns to keep track of (I confess to initial confusion myself), a second viewing helps to clear things up, and Hill’s creative team does such an impressive job recreating Depression-era Chicago that it’s easy on the eyes to sit through more than once. The lead actors are perfectly cast, with Robert Shaw particularly noteworthy in a performance far, far removed from his title role in The Luck of Ginger Coffey nearly ten years earlier, and Newman having fun with his role as a “seasoned” con-man. Only Dimitra Arliss — playing a worn-out waitress who has a one-night-stand with Redford — seems miscast; she looks old enough to be his mother.

P.S. The Sting earned an impressive seven Oscars in 1973, including awards for best picture, best director, best original screenplay, best musical score, best costume design, best set direction, and best editing. In his Alternate Oscars, however, Peary — while referring to it as “a great date movie and cheery commercial film”, and agreeing that it has a “slick and tricky script” — argues that it didn’t really deserve to win Best Picture of the year.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Robert Redford as Johnny Hooker
  • Paul Newman as Gondorff
  • Robert Shaw as Lonnegan
  • Robert Earl Jones as Luther Coleman
  • Colorful depression-era sets and costumes
  • David S. Ward’s wonderfully dense and intricate “long-con” screenplay

Must See?
Yes, for its status as a multiple Oscar-winning film. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

  • Historically Relevant
  • Oscar Winner or Nominee

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

Links:

Shanghai Express (1932)

Shanghai Express (1932)

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“When I needed your faith, you withheld it; and now, when I don’t need it, and don’t deserve it, you give it to me.”

Synopsis:
A notorious prostitute named Shanghai Lily (Marlene Dietrich) runs into her former flame (Clive Brook) while traveling on a train from Peking to Shanghai. When a revolutionary (Warner Oland) and his men commandeer the train and hold Owen hostage, Dietrich realizes she can intervene to save his life — but will this be enough to win back his love?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • China
  • Clive Brook Films
  • Hostages
  • Josef Von Sternberg Films
  • Marlene Dietrich Films
  • Prostitutes and Gigolos
  • Revolutionaries
  • Strong Females

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary refers to this von Sternberg-Dietrich collaboration (their fourth together) as an “absurd but delectable bit of pulp perversity” full of “sin, sadism and sex” — yet despite its risque themes, the story itself remains oddly forgettable. The primary problem is that we never quite believe someone like Shanghai Lily would fall for someone like Clive Brook (!), whose romantic allure leaves much to be desired; their romantic dilemma (unlike, say, that of star-crossed lovers Rick and Ilsa in Casablanca) never strikes one as particularly convincing or compelling. Peary astutely notes that “like other Dietrich women” (such as Lola Lola in The Blue Angel), Lily “doesn’t even attempt to defend her actions — if [Owen] doesn’t have faith in her, that’s his problem” — yet neither Dietrich’s character, nor that of beautiful Anna May Wong as her sultry companion, are fleshed out enough for us to become invested in their intriguing dilemma as “fallen” women in a male-dominated world. What lingers longest in one’s memory about Shanghai Express (note the clever double-entendre title) is Lee Garmes’ Oscar-winning “superb cinematography”, which includes several breathtaking “close-ups of Dietrich, particularly when she’s smoking against the door in the train.”

P.S. Peary nominates Dietrich’s performance for an Alternate Oscar as best actress of the year.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Lee Garmes’ Oscar-winning cinematography

Must See?
Yes, simply as one of von Sternberg’s most beloved films (though I’m not a fan).

Categories

  • Important Director
  • Oscar Winner or Nominee

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

Links:

Our Relations (1936)

Our Relations (1936)

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“Everybody has a black sheep in their closet.”

Synopsis:
Brothers Stan (Stan Laurel) and Ollie (Oliver Hardy) are relieved to hear from their mother that their black sheep sailor twins Alf and Bert (also Laurel and Hardy) have died at sea. Yet Alf and Bert are actually alive and well — and when they happen to dock in the same town as their more respectable twin brothers, mistaken identity mayhem ensues.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Alan Hale Films
  • Comedy
  • Laurel and Hardy Films
  • Mistaken or Hidden Identities
  • Sailors
  • Twins

Review:
While Our Relations is widely considered to be one of Laurel and Hardy’s best feature length films, it never quite reaches the comedic hilarity of their more “certified” classics, such as Sons of the Desert (1933), Way Out West (1937), and Block-Heads (1938). One problem is the fact that Stan and Ollie aren’t sufficiently differentiated (visually speaking) from Alfie and Bert — an issue which becomes especially problematic during the denouement of the film, when each set of twins is mistaken for the other, and even audience members may have a hard time figuring out who’s who. With that said, the clever script (which pays homage to Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors) moves along at a quick pace, and includes plenty of enjoyable gags — including Alfie and Bert being swindled by a suave deck mate (James Finlayson) into giving him their earnings, and cement-bound Stan and Ollie teetering precariously along the edge of a pier (though this sequence is milked a tad too thoroughly…). Laurel and Hardy fans won’t be disappointed.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Several clever sequences — including the duo’s infamous “feet in cement” routine on the pier
  • Laurel and Hardy doing their “Shakespeare — Longfellow!” recitation after speaking in tandem

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended, and certainly a must for any Laurel and Hardy fans. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971)

Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971)

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“Nightmares or dreams? Madness or sanity? I don’t know which is which!”

Synopsis:
A recently institutionalized woman (Zohra Lampert) moves with her husband (Barton Heyman) and their friend (Kevin O’Connor) to an abandoned farm in the country, where they encounter a mysterious red-headed hippie (Mariclare Costello) living on the property. They invite Emily (Costello) to stay with them, but Jessica (Lampert) becomes unnerved when she discovers that Emily bears an uncanny resemblance to a long-dead previous owner…

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Horror Films
  • Mental Illness
  • “No One Believes Me!”

Review:
The intriguing title of this atmospheric horror film leads one to believe that gaslighting may be its primary theme, but this isn’t necessarily the case — instead, the film keeps us in continual suspense about who or what is responsible for Jessica’s renewed sense of fear and paranoia. Is she going mad again, or are the bloody corpses she sees cropping up on her property actually real? And why do certain town members — many of whom are inexplicably gruff and cold — have mysterious scars on their necks? Zohra Lampert is well-cast as the perennially nervous, child-like Jessica, who wants desperately to be “well” again but can’t help fearing for her sanity; equally effective — though we only gradually understand why — is Costello, giving an appropriately understated and mysterious performance. While it’s not must-see for all film fanatics, fans of horror suspense films will likely be curious to check this sleeper out. Click here to see a website devoted to the film.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Zohra Lampert’s sensitive — albeit occasionally overly twitchy — performance as Jessica
  • Mariclare Costello as Emily
  • An atmospheric, effectively creepy ambiance

Must See?
No, but it will likely be of interest for fans of the genre. Listed as a Sleeper and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

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