Gods Must Be Crazy, The (1980)

Gods Must Be Crazy, The (1980)

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“Xi had never seen anything like this in his life — it looked like water, but was harder than anything else in the world.”

Synopsis:
When a Coke bottle is dropped from a plane in the middle of the Kalahari desert, it disrupts the lives of a peaceful tribe of bushmen, so the man who found it (N!xau) volunteers to “drop it off the face of the earth”. Meanwhile, a bumbling biologist (Marius Weyers) attempts to woo a beautiful young teacher (Sandra Prinsloo), whose students have been kidnapped by a band of revolutionary terrorists; it’s up to N!xau to help save the day.

Genres:

  • Africa
  • Comedy
  • Deserts
  • Hostages
  • Native Peoples
  • Revolutionaries

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary praises this unexpected “cult favorite” from South Africa as a “surefire crowd-pleaser”, calling it a “rare picture that will appeal to to everyone in the family.” These days, The Gods Must Be Crazy — which was followed by a popular sequel in 1989 — comes across as enjoyable in parts but ultimately uneven; the sequences of slapstick violence between guerrilla rebels and the Burundian government are particularly interminable (and not at all amusing). In addition, knowing as we do now that the Bushmen (who Peary naively — though understandably — believes are simply “playing themselves”) were actually asked to strip their clothes and pretend to live like their “noble” ancestors detracts from the film’s innate charm; we have to work a bit harder to believe in the veracity of their pastoral existence.

With that said, there’s plenty to recommend in The Gods Must Be Crazy, which is certainly one of the best comedies to emerge from Africa. Director Jamie Uys does a particularly fine job highlighting the hypocrisy of “civilization” in contrast with tribal living; the pseudo-scientific anthropological voiceover — though overused in far too many films — works surprisingly well here. In addition, the lead performances by both bumbling Marius Weyers (who Peary likens to Jacques Tati) and N!xau (adorably “innocent”) are marvelous — whenever they’re on-screen, the story sparkles. My favorite scene is probably the one in which N!xau watches sexy Sandra Prinsloo undressing, and we hear his hilariously disparaging thoughts via voiceover (“She was as pale as something that had crawled out of a rotting log…”); this is the best cinematic example I’ve seen so far of how beauty — along with so many other values — is indeed culturally relative.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • N!xau as Xi
  • Marius Weyers as a hopelessly clumsy biologist
  • Weyers attempting to navigate his brakeless car across country roads
  • Beautiful cinematography of Kalahari landscapes
  • The often hilarious “faux-anthropologist” narration — as when N!xau sees the sexy, slender, half-dressed Prinsloo for the first time:

    That morning, he saw the ugliest person he’d ever come across. She was as pale as something that had crawled out of a rotting log; her hair was quite gruesome, long and stringy and white, as if she was very old; she was very big — he’d have to take the whole day to find enough food to feed her.

Must See?
Yes, for its status as a long-running cult favorite. Discussed at length in Peary’s Cult Movies 3 (1988).

Categories

  • Cult Movie

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Cimarron (1960)

Cimarron (1960)

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“Honey, there’s some things in this country a man has to do a woman just doesn’t understand — it’s different here!”

Synopsis:
After losing his chance to secure land during the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889, Yancey Cravat (Glenn Ford) and his new wife, Sabra (Maria Schell) decide to run a newspaper instead. While Yancey fights against injustice and struggles with his latent wanderlust, Sabra tries to provide the best life possible for her son, Cimarron (played at various ages by Ted Eccles, James Halferty, and Buzz Martin).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Anne Baxter Films
  • Anthony Mann Films
  • Glenn Ford Films
  • Maria Schell Films
  • Marital Problems
  • Mercedes McCambridge Films
  • Russ Tamblyn Films
  • Settlers
  • Westerns

Review:
Anthony Mann’s remake of Edna Ferber’s epic novel suffers from the same problem as its Oscar-winning predecessor — there’s simply too much story here to tell in a “mere” 2 1/2 hours. With that said, there are some notable improvements: Glenn Ford is a welcome (and far more realistic) alternative to hammy Richard Dix, and Maria Schell is equally fine as Ford’s adoring yet socially-conscious wife:

— a woman willing to make sacrifices for her pioneering husband, but only to a certain point. In addition, screenwriter Arnold Schulman does a nice job providing more of a realistic context for Yancey’s extended absences — indeed, both Yancey and Sabra are ultimately more three-dimensional characters this time around. Yet the story nonetheless suffers from an inability to keep us invested in the long-term outcome of their troubled marriage; Anne Baxter as rival love interest “Dixie Lee” fails to generate much interest:

… while Sabra’s compromised “triumph” at the end of the film is particularly unsatisfying. As in the original screen adaptation, the opening land rush sequence — filmed with even more gritty violence — remains the most exciting part of the movie.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Glenn Ford as Yancey Cravat
  • Maria Schell as Yancey’s long-suffering wife, Sabra
  • The exciting, unflinchingly brutal opening “land grab” scene

Must See?
No. This one’s only must see viewing for die-hard Anthony Mann fans.

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Cimarron (1931)

Cimarron (1931)

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“We’re going into new things, Sabe — a new empire. And I want to help build it for you!”

Synopsis:
Idealistic newspaper editor Yancey Cravat (Richard Dix) settles with his wife (Irene Dunne) in Oklahoma territory, where he fights against injustice and racism. But his wanderlust soon prompts him to seek new adventures, and he leaves his family behind for years at a time.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Historical Drama
  • Irene Dunne Films
  • Settlers
  • Westerns

Response to Peary’s Review:
This early screen adaptation of Edna Ferber’s novel — which Peary refers to as a “tiresome… soap-opera western epic” — remains notorious for its status as one of the first (and least deserving) Oscar winners for Best Picture. As Peary notes, it comes across today as “extremely dated”, and boasts “uniformly awful” acting — particularly by “matinee idol” Richard Dix, who “gives an unbearably hammy, deep-voiced” performance.

Although Peary gives faint praise to traces of “unexpected feminism” in the storyline (they’re faint indeed):

he inexplicably argues that this is “undermined by some racism” — an odd statement, given that Yancey’s fearlessly anti-racist stance is one of the film’s genuine redeeming factors. Another is the infamous opening “land rush” sequence, though it unfortunately establishes a standard of excitement which the remainder of the film can’t possibly live up to. The primary problem lies in the filmmakers’ daunting attempt to adapt an epic novel spanning 40 years: numerous life-changing events — including Yancey abandoning his family for years on end — are necessarily given short-shrift, and seriously compromise what could otherwise have been an insightful portrait of a pioneer marriage.

The rushed ending is particularly egregious, and makes little sense on any level.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • The impressive opening “land rush” scene
  • Yancey’s refreshingly anti-racist attitude:

    “If you knew anything at all … you’d realize that a Cherokee is too smart to put anything in the contribution box of a race that’s robbed him of his birthright.”

Must See?
Yes, but only for its historical status as an early Best Picture Oscar winner.

Categories

  • Oscar Winner or Nominee

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Working Girls (1986)

Working Girls (1986)

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[Note: The following review is of a non-Peary title; click here to read more.]

“Make sure the client is completely comfortable before you take any money.”

Synopsis:
A Yale graduate (Louise Smith) works part-time in a Manhattan brothel while pursuing her dreams of a career in photography.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Feminism and Women’s Issues
  • Prostitutes and Gigolos

Review:
This follow-up to director Lizzie Borden’s auspicious debut film (1983’s Born in Flames) is a noticeable omission from Peary’s book, given that it’s ultimately even more successful than its heavy-handed predecessor. Twenty years after its release, Working Girls — a fictionalized “day in the life” docudrama — remains the most revealing and honest look at female prostitution ever committed to film, offering viewers a refreshingly de-glamorized glimpse into the day-to-day operations of a modern brothel. Through an array of diverse prostitutes and johns, we learn why young women may choose this lucrative yet socially denigrated profession; how they bond together to laugh behind the backs of their often-ridiculous clients; how they maintain cleanliness and efficiency in their “office”; how they ensure that their clients aren’t cops (johns are ordered to “get completely comfortable” — i.e., strip off all their clothing — before handing over money); and how there’s no honor among thieves when it comes to ambitious “pimps” like Madam Lucy (deliciously portrayed by Ellen McElduff). While Borden and Sandra Kay’s script is undeniably didactic at times, and the performances are mostly amateurish (Smith and McElduff stand out as the exceptions), it’s difficult not to get caught up in the lives of Molly and her motley co-workers.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Louise Smith as Molly
  • Ellen McElduff as “Madam Lucy”
  • Molly’s hilarious session with “Fantasy Fred”
  • A refreshingly unglamorized inside-glimpse at the world’s oldest profession

Must See?
Yes, as a one-of-a-kind original.

Categories

  • Good Show

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Dirty Harry (1971)

Dirty Harry (1971)

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“Now you know why they call me Dirty Harry: every dirty job that comes along…”

Synopsis:
A rugged police detective (Clint Eastwood) in San Francisco tries to capture a deranged serial killer (Andrew Robinson), but finds his efforts thwarted by bureaucratic heavies, including the city’s mayor (John Vernon) and D.A. (Josef Sommer).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Cat-and-Mouse
  • Clint Eastwood Films
  • Detectives and Private Eyes
  • Don Siegel Films
  • Serial Killers
  • Vigilantes

Review:
Touted by many reviewers upon its release as simply a fascist’s fantasy (its original title was Dead Right), Dirty Harry has largely transcended its initial political pigeonholing to become a certified cult favorite, with several sequels in its wake (all listed in Peary’s book as “must see”). Eastwood basically reprises the persona he crafted in so many other films (most specifically Sheriff Walt Coogan in Coogan’s Bluff) as yet another laconic, no-nonsense “Male” who refuses to compromise his philosophy of “getting the job done” at any price; many of his sneering lines — “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?” — have gone down in cinematic history.

While it’s unfortunate, as many reviewers have pointed out, that Harry’s superiors are painted as such one-dimensional nincompoops, and that his nemesis, “Scorpio”, is basically a distillation of every right-winger’s nightmare (longish hair, indeterminate sexuality, an ironic peace symbol on his buckle), ultimately Dirty Harry should be seen and enjoyed as simply a well-crafted cat-and-mouse police procedural. To this end, director Don Siegel makes excellent use of diverse San Francisco locales, and infuses his action scenes with a nice blend of tension and humor. My favorite early vignette has Harry pulled off the street to help talk a suicidal man down from a rooftop; his ability to do so within the space of five minutes, then walk away without being shown much gratitude, goes a long way towards establishing Harry as the independent, under-valued “doer” he remains throughout the rest of the film. “Dirty Harry”, indeed: “every dirty job that comes along” does seem to be his for the taking.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Effective use of San Francisco locales
  • Harry “talking” a suicidal man off a roof
  • Countless now-classic lines and scenarios:

    “You’ve got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?”

Must See?
Yes, for its status as a cult favorite. Listed as a film with Historical Importance, a Cult Movie, and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

  • Cult Movie

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

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Woman’s Face, A (1941)

Woman’s Face, A (1941)

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“You felt reborn: after all your agony, life was beginning anew.”

Synopsis:
A scarred, bitter woman (Joan Crawford) falls in love with a sociopathic blackmailer (Conrad Veidt), whose plot to kill his young nephew (Richard Nichols) involves asking Crawford to pose as his governess. When a kind plastic surgeon (Melvyn Douglas) successfully heals Crawford’s face, however, she finds herself beginning to question her bleak outlook on life — and her commitment to Veidt’s nefarious plan.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Blackmail
  • Character Arc
  • Conrad Veidt Films
  • Courtroom Dramas
  • Disfigured Faces
  • Flashback Films
  • George Cukor Films
  • Ingrid Bergman Films
  • Joan Crawford Films
  • Melvyn Douglas Films
  • Plot to Murder

Review:
Made several years before her Oscar-winning turn in Mildred Pierce (1945), this remake of a 1938 Swedish film (starring Ingrid Bergman) provided Joan Crawford with one of her best cinematic roles. As the bitterly scarred Anna Holm, Crawford — thanks in large part to George Cukor’s steady direction — successfully avoids histrionics or melodrama, instead convincingly showing us the depth of Anna’s lifelong pain through subtle facial expressions. Even after her character’s successful surgery, for instance, Crawford continues to act as though half of her face is still hideously paralyzed; the effect is both realistic and haunting. Equally effective — albeit in a much campier fashion (!) — is Conrad Veidt as Anna’s partner in crime and love, a sociopath who is genuinely able to see beyond Anna’s face, yet who ultimately demands far too much from her grateful loyalty. The story itself — framed as a courtroom flashback — runs for perhaps a bit too long, but there are several tense, exciting moments along the way, and we’re kept in suspense the entire time about whether or not Anna really is guilty of murder.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Joan Crawford as Anna Holm
  • Conrad Veidt as Anna’s duplicitous lover, Torsten Barring
  • The well-edited scene in which Anna’s surgery results are revealed for the first time
  • Robert Planck’s cinematography

Must See?
Yes, as one of Crawford’s notable performances.

Categories

  • Noteworthy Performance(s)

Links:

Creeper, The (1948)

Creeper, The (1948)

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“There was blood — the old man’s blood — on her hands, under her nails.”

Synopsis:
Two scientists (Ralph Morgan and Onslow Stevens) return from the West Indies with a potent serum derived from cats. When Morgan is mysteriously murdered, his cat-phobic daughter (Janis Wilson) tries to determine the identity of the killer.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Gaslighting
  • Horror
  • Murder Mystery
  • Scientists

Review:
Clearly made to capitalize on the success of Val Lewton’s RKO horror films, The Creeper unfortunately fails to elicit anything close to the same level of enjoyment or psychological complexity as Lewton’s classic thrillers. The story — involving a mysterious serum, cats, phobias, and the West Indies — makes little to no sense, instead serving merely as a pseudo-scientific backdrop for what turns out to be a rather ordinary tale of rivalry and revenge. Janis Wilson (in her final screen appearance; a former child actress, she gave up acting after this) gives a campy, one-dimensional performance, all wide eyes and blank stare; equally incompetent (and instantly forgettable) is John Baragrey as her would-be lover, Dr. Reade.

Director Jean Yarbrough and cinematographer George Robinson do manage to effectively employ shadows in their atmospheric camerawork — but ultimately they can’t lift this silly film above its nonsensical and uninteresting script.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Effective use of shadowy cinematography

Must See?
No; skip this one. Listed as a Camp Classic in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

Murder by Contract (1958)

Murder by Contract (1958)

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“The only type of killing that’s safe is when a stranger kills a stranger — no motive, nothing to link the victim to the execution.”

Synopsis:
A ruthless contract killer (Vince Edwards) finds his resolve shaken when he learns his next victim (Caprice Toriel) is a woman.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Assassination
  • Character Studies
  • Hit Men

Review:
This little-seen B-thriller — reportedly one of Martin Scorsese’s personal favorites — tells the simple yet remarkably effective tale of an uber-rational hit man who becomes completely unhinged by the thought of killing a woman. Director Irving Lerner keeps the story moving at an economical clip, introducing us immediately to our determined protagonist, providing several vignettes of his calculated killing style, then transplanting us to Los Angeles, where comic relief suddenly appears in the form of the two atypical thugs (Phillip Pine and Herschel Bernardi) tasked with ensuring that Edwards carries out his job in a timely fashion. From this point on, we’re no longer sure what to expect, and are kept in genuine suspense throughout the remainder of the film. Although we never learn exactly why Edwards is so freaked out by the thought of killing a woman (he limits his explanation to a mere, “They’re unpredictable”), Murder by Contract remains ripe for a more probing analysis of gender relations. Lucien Ballard’s cinema verite camera work and Perry Botkin’s memorable, guitar-heavy score add to the overall enjoyment of this compact little thriller, which is well worth seeking out.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Vince Edwards as Claude
  • Phillip Pine and Herschel Bernardi as the “comic relief” duo tasked with ensuring that Claude completes his duties in Los Angeles
  • Many effectively shot and edited sequences
  • Lucien Ballard’s cinematography
  • Perry Botkin’s guitar-drenched soundtrack

Must See?
Yes, as an all-around good show which deserves wider release.

Categories

  • Good Show

Links:

Kansas City Confidential (1952)

Kansas City Confidential (1952)

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“I know a sure cure for a nosebleed: a cold knife in the middle of the back.”

Synopsis:
An ex-con (John Payne) becomes the unwitting patsy in a heist engineered by a masked man (Preston Foster), and carried out by three criminals (Jack Elam, Neville Brand, and Lee Van Cleef) who don’t know each others’ identities.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Coleen Gray Films
  • Ex-Cons
  • Framed
  • Heist
  • John Payne Films
  • Lee Van Cleef Films
  • Neville Brand Films
  • Phil Karlson Films
  • Preston Foster Films
  • Revenge
  • Thieves and Criminals

Review:
This compact, gritty thriller by director Phil Karlson takes viewers on a fast-paced journey from Kansas City to Mexico, as its protagonist (John Payne) doggedly tracks and pursues the cons who’ve framed him. Payne — a down-on-his-luck veteran who can’t seem to catch a break — actually doesn’t emerge as the film’s central character until after the initial heist sequence has taken place; from this point on, events unfold in a series of tense, often violent encounters, as both Payne and the criminals express bitter determination to secure their fair share of the loot. An added layer of complexity emerges once we learn the true identity of Foster’s “Masked Man”, and begin to understand the motivations behind his organization of the secretive heist. Unfortunately, lovely Coleen Gray is wasted in a supporting role as Foster’s beautiful daughter (who falls for Payne, thus complicating matters even further) — but the male performances throughout are uniformly excellent, and the punchy script offers them plenty of memorable exchanges (“You been givin’ me the fisheye all night…”).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • John Payne as Joe Rolfe
  • Preston Foster as The Boss
  • Jack Elam as cockeyed Pete Harris
  • Neville Brand and Lee Van Cleef as Boyd Kane and Tony Romano
  • A taut, exciting tale of corruption and revenge

Must See?
Yes, as a highly enjoyable noir caper flick.

Categories

  • Good Show

Links:

Lord Love a Duck (1966)

Lord Love a Duck (1966)

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“You just tell Mollymauk what you want, Mollymauk will get it for you — we have a deal, remember?”

Synopsis:
A gifted teenager (Roddy McDowall) with strange powers befriends a beautiful senior (Tuesday Weld) and helps her achieve her dreams of popularity and fame.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Aspiring Stars
  • Black Comedy
  • Flashback Films
  • Roddy McDowall Films
  • Ruth Gordon Films
  • Satires and Spoofs
  • Teenagers
  • Tuesday Weld Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary seems decidedly turned off by this “strange, strange cult comedy”, which he labels both “smutty” and “as vulgar as it is mean.” He acknowledges that “there are many imaginative, hilarious sequences”, yet argues that they ultimately “make the viewer uncomfortable”, and claims that writer/director George Axelrod inexplicably “exhibits pure hatred” rather than satire. While I agree with Peary that the film eventually “falls apart”, I find the rest of his assessment unduly harsh — indeed, up until its rather dreary final half hour, Lord Love a Duck is unique enough to keep any film fanatic on his or her toes. We’re never quite sure exactly who McDowall is (is he the devil?), where he comes from, what powers he possesses, or why he latches onto Barbara Ann with such selfless devotion, but we remain oddly fascinated.

Tuesday Weld (with her perennially child-like face) turns in one of her best performances here as Barbara Ann, a greedy yet oddly sympathetic high school beauty who’s surprised to find herself suddenly achieving her goals, one by one; the hilarious scene in which she practically seduces her estranged father (Max Showalter) into buying her 13 cashmere sweaters in various luscious colors — including “Grape Yum Yum,” “Periwinkle Pussycat”, and “Papaya Surprise” — is reason enough to recommend the film. The supporting performances are uniformly fine as well; my favorites include Harvey Korman (pre-Carol Burnett) as Barbara Ann’s easily distracted high school principal, and Ruth Gordon as Barbara Ann’s arrogant new mother-in-law (“In our family, we don’t divorce our men, we bury them!”). Unfortunately, the story begins to lose momentum once Barbara Ann marries a boring marriage counselor (Martin West) and instantly regrets doing so — McDowall’s failed attempts to “get rid of” West are out of character with his otherwise infallible powers. Equally disappointing is the denouement, in which McDowall “confesses” unconvincingly to the “true” motivations behind his actions. Nevertheless, there’s enough of interest in Lord Love a Duck to recommend it as must-see viewing for all film fanatics at least once.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Tuesday Weld as Barbara Ann
  • The discomfiting “sweater seduction scene”
  • Ruth Gordon as Bob’s controlling mother
  • Harvey Korman as Weldom Emmett

Must See?
Yes, for its status as a most unusual cult comedy.

Categories

  • Cult Movie

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