FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
An aviatrix (Katharine Hepburn) falls in love with a happily married man (Colin Clive), who hesitates to hurt his loving wife (Billie Burke) and adoring daughter (Helen Chandler).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Airplanes and Pilots
• Colin Clive Films
• Dorothy Arzner Films
• Infidelity
• Katharine Hepburn Films
• Strong Females

Review:
Despite its oddly masculine title, this early melodrama (based on a novel by Gilbert Frankau and directed by Dorothy Arzner) very much belongs to Lady Cynthia Darrington, the female protagonist played by Katharine Hepburn — who, in her second screen role, easily carries the film, exuding all the intelligence and strength required of her nonconformist character. It’s been noted by many that Owen (not the most charismatic or handsome of actors) seems like an unlikely romantic match for Hepburn, but I found it easy to believe that the sexually inexperienced Lady Cynthia might make such an unconventional choice:

Less convincing is Clive’s sudden shift in allegiance from wholehearted devotion to his wife (a typically fluttery Billie Burke) to adulterous impulses. Of special note is the way in which Arzner manages to infuse Christopher Strong with quietly subversive material, ranging from Lady Cynthia’s mannish outfits and independent lifestyle to the fey demeanor of Ralph Forbes (who plays Clive’s daughter’s married love interest).

Unfortunately, moral strictures of the time mandated that Lady Cynthia “pay” for her crime of loving a married man (while Strong — naturally — gets off scot-free), thus leading to the film’s infamous tragic ending. As a narrative, Christopher Strong leaves much to be desired — but as a vehicle for both Hepburn and Arzner, it’s worth a one-time look.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Katharine Hepburn as Lady Cynthia
  
• Hepburn emerging in her infamous “moth” outfit
  
• Atmospheric cinematography
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a look for its historical significance as Hepburn’s second major role, and one of Arzner’s best-known films.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review (spoilers alert)
• TCM Article
• Time Out Capsule Review (spoilers alert)

Synopsis:
A naive chicken farmer (Tom Aldredge) moves to New York City in hopes of opening a coffee shop. Against the advice of his lawyer-friend (Buck Henry), he signs a lease on property owned by a corrupt businessman (James Frawley), and immediately finds himself embroiled in a web of systemic corruption.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Character Arc
• Comedy
• Corruption
• New York City

Review:
This largely improvisational comedy (starring members of a Greenwich Village comedy troupe known as “The Premise”) plays like a patchy sit-com, with occasional flickers of humor thoroughly overshadowed by a sloppy script and stereotypical characters. Aldredge’s character is so dumb (at first) that he’s literally hard to watch (he deserves what happens to him), while Henry (better known as screenwriter for The Graduate) comes across as little more than a Jack Lemmon-wannabe, and director Theodore Flicker is simply atrocious in a cameo as Mr. Big, the city crime commissioner. Frawley and Joan Darling (as Henry’s artsy friend) emerge as the most amusing of the bunch, but they’re unable to sustain this tiresome flick.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• James Frawley in triple roles as a corrupt gangster, cop, and judge
  
  
• Joan Darling as Denver James
  

Must See?
No; it’s not clear why this dated comedy is listed in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• TV Guide Review

Synopsis:
A young, electively homeless woman (Sandrine Bonnaire) drifts across the French countryside, trying to survive the harsh winter.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Character Studies
• Flashback Films
• French Films
• Homeless
• Road Trip
• Survival

Review:
Belgian director Agnes Varda has long been interested in using cinema as a means of delving deeply into women’s psyches and personal choices. In her experimental New Wave debut — Cleo From 5 to 7 (1961) — she shadowed a young singer anxiously awaiting the results of a medical test; sixteen years later, she made One Sings, the Other Doesn’t, a sincere yet didactic homage to feminist solidarity. In Vagabond, she utilizes a more strategically neo-realist approach to storytelling, while maintaining critical elements of both these earlier films: like Cleo, Vagabond‘s Mona is a self-absorbed, not-entirely-likable “drifter” who wanders from place to place; and, like lifelong friends Pomme and Suzanne in One Sings, the Other Doesn’t, Mona must struggle to survive in a male-dominated world.

Of these three films, Vagabond is ultimately the most successful and satisfying, thanks primarily to Sandrine Bonnaire’s compelling, brave performance. As in her screen debut (playing teenage Suzanne in 1983’s A Nos Amours), Bonnaire invests her character here with an air of studied yet vulnerable insouciance; in some ways, Mona is simply a radical, tragic extension of Suzanne. To her credit, however, Varda doesn’t try to frame Mona as overly sympathetic — she’s bitchy and conniving when she needs to be, doing whatever it takes to make it from day to day with a minimum of effort; she lacks overt initiative, and often fails to take advantage of the kindnesses offered to her.

Although we never learn exactly why Mona is rebelling against even the most minimal strictures of society, it’s clear from the opening shot of her corpse that such an approach is doomed. Throughout the film, she’s bedraggled, smelly, and occasionally feral — yet always fascinating and/or frustrating to those around her: just as Varda herself somewhat romantically posits Mona as “emerging from the ocean”, each character in the film is given a chance to comment on how they view Mona’s situation, thus making this more of a multi-faceted “reaction” story than simply a study in character. Vagabond is an undeniably harsh experience to sit through, but remains memorable long after the camera has circled back once again onto Mona’s frozen, lifeless body in a ditch.

P.S. Vagabond also provides hints of Varda’s future interest in society’s “gleaners” — outsiders who scavenge off the leavings of others; perhaps more so than any other filmmaker, Varda’s sporadic corpus of work truly reflects her evolving viewpoints over the decades.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Sandrine Bonnaire as Mona
  
• Mona — in one of the movie’s rare concessions to levity — sharing a “nip of brandy” with an elderly woman (Marthe Jarnais)
  
• A bleak portrait of selective solitude
  

Must See?
Yes, for Bonnaire’s uncompromising performance. Listed as a film with Historical Importance, a Cult Movie, and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Noteworthy Performance(s)

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Roger Ebert’s Review

Synopsis:
W. Somerset Maugham introduces four cinematic adaptations of his short stories: in “The Facts of Life”, a young man (Jack Watling) disregards his father’s advice about gambling while on a trip to Montecarlo, and is duly pursued by a deceitful young woman (Mai Zetterling); in “The Alien Corn”, an aspiring pianist (Dirk Bogarde) is given two years by his wealthy father (Raymond Lovell) and mother (Irene Browne) to prove himself worthy of the career; in “The Kite”, a grown mama’s boy (George Cole) finds that his passion for kites is jeopardizing his new marriage; and in “The Colonel’s Lady”, a self-absorbed colonel (Cecil Parker) is startled to learn that his meek wife (Nora Swinburne) has published a best-selling book of romantic poetry.

Genres:

• Aspiring Stars
• Dirk Bogarde Films
• Episodic Films
• Marital Problems
• Musicians
• Writers

Review:
This surprisingly enjoyable quartet of films may very well represent the best of “short story cinema”. While directed by four different men (Ken Annakin, Arthur Crabtree, Harold French, and Ralph Smart), the half-hour segments possess a unifying sensibility which elevates the whole to more than simply the sum of its parts. Each story touches in some way upon relations between the sexes: callow youths are taught valuable life lessons by older women, and troubled spouses must evince humility and compromise in order to repair the damage done to their marriages. As with all episodic movies, it’s nearly impossible not to pick favorites (the final one here — “The Colonel’s Lady” — is widely acknowledged as the best of the bunch), but I found each one to be an enjoyable — albeit undeniably melancholy — morsel. With the possible exception of “The Facts of Life”, these are not necessarily light-hearted diversions; the most devastating tale is undoubtedly the second one, which — thanks in large part to Dirk Bogarde’s sensitive performance — is a true weeper.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• An enjoyable, light-hearted tale of deceit and luck (“The Facts of Life”)
  
• Dirk Bogarde as the aspiring pianist in “The Alien Corn”
  
• A remarkably touching story of middle-aged marriage and masculine insecurity (“The Colonel’s Lady”)
  
• Cecil Parker as Colonel Peregrine
  

Must See?
Yes; this is a “jolly good show”, and should be seen by all film fanatics. Listed as a film with historical importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Good Show
• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• TCM Article
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
The wife (Stephane Audran) of a small town mayor (Claude Pieplu) carries on a torrid affair with her husband’s married deputy (Michel Piccoli); soon they’re driven to spousal murder by their uncontrollable lust for one another.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Claude Chabrol Films
• French Films
• Infidelity
• Plot to Murder

Review:
While this Hitchcockian thriller by Claude Chabrol doesn’t tread much new ground in its treatment of adulterous lovers who are driven to murder, it remains a reasonably entertaining satire of the foolhardy passions which often simmer beneath the veneer of bourgeois respectability. The most enjoyable character in the film (despite his pigheaded, corrupt demeanor) is undoubtedly Claude Pieplu as the cuckolded husband who takes what he believes will be sweet revenge on his philandering wife; his reaction to learning about her affair is both classic and original. Less satisfying is the odd denouement, which hinges entirely on the emergent morality of Audran’s beautiful teenage daughter (Eliana De Santis) — unfortunately, she’s not a strong enough character (as written) to make this plot device convincing. Although Wedding in Blood has been lauded by many critics as one of Chabrol’s best outings, I can’t quite agree.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Claude Pieplu as Audran’s cuckolded yet cocky husband
  
• Audran and Piccoli’s ridiculously passionate love affair
  

Must See?
No, but it’s worth viewing once. Listed as a film with Historical Importance (although I’m not sure why) and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A tiny Scottish lad (Paul Young) grows into a “gentle giant” (Bill Travers) who learns to throw hammers, and is recruited to represent Britain in the Australian Olympics.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Alastair Sim Films
• Comedy
• Scotland
• Sports

Review:
This enjoyable Scottish fable — reminiscent of Bill Forsyth’s recent imports, particularly Local Hero (1983) — plays like a biopic, but is pure fiction all the way. It’s an innocuous fairy tale which can easily be described as “heartwarming” — after all, what’s not to love about this handsome “gentle giant” who, despite his other-worldly strength, longs for little more than the hills of Scotland, his own sweet lass (Norah Gerson), and a chance to proudly wear his father’s kilt in the Olympics? While the story gets bogged down in the final reel by an inane subplot about a female Danish athlete (Doris Goddard) who lusts after Geordie, until then it’s all sweet, breezy sailing.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• “Wee Geordie” starting his mail-order exercise regime
  
• Geordie walking out during the Olympics in his father’s Black Watch kilt
  
• Alastair Sim as a local laird who takes a fatherly interest in Geordie
  

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Brit Movie Review

Synopsis:
When her mother dies, a gypsy girl named Marie (Bernadette La Font) — who for years has been treated as the town slut — begins charging the boorish villagers for her sexual favors; soon she embarks upon an even more elaborate plan of revenge.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Black Comedy
• Character Arc
• Feminism and Women’s Issues
• French Films
• Gypsies
• Prostitutes and Gigolos
• Revenge
• Strong Females

Review:
This most unusual erotic black comedy — the directorial debut of Nelly Kaplan — tells the satisfying tale of a beautiful gypsy girl who manages to single-handedly transform herself from victim to victor, leaving plenty of sweet justice in her wake. While the grotesque opening scenes are hard to stomach (the unenlightened townsfolk treat Marie literally like chattel), her eventual triumph makes the rocky beginning worth sitting through. It’s rather broad satire, but the point is well-made that hypocrisy will eventually out, with everyone ultimately paying for his or her dirty desires. La Font is wonderful in the lead role; she’s ferocious in her late-earned dignity, and displays enormous satisfaction both in the transformation of her tin shack into a cozy space, and in the power she knows she’s accumulated over her piggish neighbors. It’s a delight to watch Marie pursue her plan with such calculated tenacity.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Bernadette La Font as Marie
  
• A satisfying tale of feminist growth and revenge
  
• The hilarious ending
  

Must See?
Yes, as a most unusual French film. Listed as a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Foreign Gem

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
When a former outlaw (Randolph Scott) saves the life of a Western Union engineer (Dean Jagger), he’s offered a job with the company. As they string wires across the United States, the workers must confront tribes of Indians, as well as a gang of outlaws led by Scott’s brother, Slade (Barton MacLane). Meanwhile, both Scott and an east coast dandy (Robert Young) are interested in Jagger’s beautiful sister (Virginia Gilmore).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Dean Jagger Films
• Fritz Lang Films
• Native Americans
• Randolph Scott Films
• Robert Young Films
• Westerns

Review:
Few would guess that this historical western about the spread of telegraph lines across the American frontier was directed by Fritz Lang, an iconic director known primarily for his noir dramas and atmospheric visuals. Lang apparently wanted to alter the screenplay of Western Union, but was not given permission to do so; the result is a narrative which never quite rises above mediocrity, and is too often played for laughs. While Scott’s central dilemma — whether to betray his brother or not — is compelling, it’s constantly interrupted by inane subplots, particularly the underdeveloped “love triangle” between Scott, Young, and Gilmore. As in Lang’s first western (The Return of Frank James), the storyline here is almost entirely fictional; Lang himself noted that “in reality, nothing happened during the entire building of the line except that they ran out of wood for the telegraph poles, and the only other thing that disturbed the laying of the line was the ticks on the buffaloes; the buffaloes got itchy and rubbed themselves against the poles, and the poles tumbled. And that was all that happened.” Personally, I wouldn’t have minded seeing the buffaloes…

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Beautiful Technicolor cinematography
  
• Slim Summerville responding indignantly to questions about his cooking abilities
  

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Combustible Celluloid DVD Review
• TCM Article
• Time Out Capsule Review