FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
During the final days of World War I, a meek private named Charles Plumpick (Alan Bates) is sent to a French village to find and dismantle a bomb. Once there, he discovers that most of the citizens have fled, and that harmless insane asylum inmates are roaming the town. They crown Plumpick their “King of Hearts”, and he falls in love with the sweet inmate “Coquelicot” (Genevieve Bujold).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Alan Bates Films
• French Films
• Genevieve Bujold Films
• Mental Illness
• Race Against Time
• Romance
• World War I

Response to Peary’s Review:
I agree with Peary that this “phenomenally popular” cult film of the “late sixties and early seventies” now comes across as “terribly dated” and thematically “trite”. As Peary notes, countless other films have shown us that “those people on the outside of jails and asylums are the ones who should be institutionalized, [and] that war is bad” — these aren’t particularly unique insights. King of Hearts is primarily worth watching today for its status as a 1960s anti-war film which appealed to those “seduced by all films that defended nonconformity and opposed war.”

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Genevieve Bujold as “Coquelicot”
  
• Pierre Lhomme’s colorful cinematography
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a look for its status as an erstwhile cult favorite. Discussed at length in Peary’s Cult Movies (1981).

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
An idealistic young man (Michael Redgrave) from a Welsh mining town hopes to return with a university degree and improve conditions for the miners. His plans are disrupted, however, when he marries a socially ambitious woman (Margaret Lockwood) in love with his money-grubbing friend (Emlyn Williams).

• Carol Reed Films
• Henpecked Husbands
• Love Triangle
• Michael Redgrave Films
• Mining Town

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this “fine, interesting, depressing” adaptation of A.J. Cronin’s novel is “generally regarded as the first British film with social relevance.” Director Carol Reed does an excellent job showing “the contempt rich owners have for their underpaid employees and the distrust labor has for its union leaders”; unfortunately, however, this powerful narrative thread is done in by Redgrave’s romance with the insufferable Lockwood, who has zero redeeming qualities. It’s literally painful to watch the likable yet horribly naive Redgrave cuckolded by his wife — especially since his distraction from his noble goals has grave consequences for the entire mining town. Although I admire The Stars Look Down, it’s not a film I’m eager to revisit.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• A gritty, realistic look at life in a Welsh mining town
  
• One of the first British films to deal seriously with a socially meaningful issue
  

Must See?
Yes, simply for its historical importance.

Categories

• Historically Relevant
• Important Director

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Harvey O’Brien’s Review

Synopsis:
A former country music star (Robert Duvall) starts a new life with a young widow (Tess Harper) and her son (Allan Hubbard).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Character Studies
• Has-Beens
• Musicians
• Robert Duvall Films
• Romance

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary seems less than impressed with this Oscar-winning film, directed by Bruce Bereford and written by Pulitzer-prize winning playwright Horton Foote. In his review, he argues that “the attempt at realistic dialogue between common people who aren’t pretentious often comes across as pretentious”, but I disagree: Tender Mercies is a fable-like, episodic character study rather than an exercise in realism, and I find the sparse dialogue to be appropriate. Duvall is both sympathetic and believable as a man so burnt-out on fame and fortune that he gladly finds redemption in the form of a sweet, simple, religious woman; his interactions with Hubbard (a wonderfully natural child actor) are especially poignant. Even more impressive, however, is the way in which Foote’s screenplay never takes obvious turns: we fully expect Mac to start drinking again once he steps back into the world of country music, but our expectations are foiled. Although it ends on a melancholy note, Tender Mercies is a surprisingly feel-good film, one which is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Robert Duvall’s sympathetic performance as Mac
  
• Betty Buckley as Mac’s ex-wife
  
• Beautiful cinematography of Texas landscapes
  
• Horton Foote’s refreshingly uncliched screenplay
• Some genuinely touching country music songs

Must See?
Yes, simply for Duvall’s Oscar-winning performance.

Categories

• Noteworthy Performance(s)
• Oscar Winner or Nominee

Links:

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

Synopsis:
A principal (Joseph Forte) warns parents against the evil influence of “marihuana” by telling the story of an upstanding teen named Bill (Kenneth Craig) whose life went downhill after he was led into a life of wild partying by drug dealers Mae (Thelma White) and Jack (Carleton Young).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Alcoholism and Drug Addiction
• Downward Spiral
• Falsely Accused
• Morality Police

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this cult exploitation film (with more alternate titles than you can count on one hand) was clearly “made by people who obviously knew nothing about their subject”, and “reinforces every falsehood you’ve ever heard about marijuana: that you become immediately addicted, that it is violence-inducing, that it’s as bad as heroin, [and] that it ends in one’s ‘inevitable insanity’.” Reefer Madness possesses a handful of unintentionally hilarious moments — such as a young addict (Dave O’Brien) laughing maniacally, or characters reacting to weed as though it’s the latest form of speed — but I’ll admit I don’t enjoy it much on the whole: it’s too hard to keep track of the characters, and, despite its short length of only 67 minutes, the storyline tends to drag. Nonetheless, while Reefer Madness is undeniably a “terribly made, sensationalized, preposterous film”, it remains “the ultimate camp film”, and is required viewing for anyone seriously interested in the history of cinema.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• A hilariously uninformed representation of the effects of marijuana
  
• Countless campy moments
  
• Dr. Carroll testifying to Bill’s unexplainable outburst of laughter during a class reading of Romeo and Juliet
  
• Ralph (O’Brien) prompting Mae to play the piano “faster — faster!”
  

Must See?
Yes, both for its undisputed cult status, and as a representative example of post-Hays Code exploitation films. Discussed at length in Peary’s Cult Movies.

Categories

• Cult Movie
• Representative Film

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A sexually adventurous gay schoolteacher (Frank Ripploh) resists monogamy with his new partner (Bernd Broaderup).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Character Studies
• German Films
• Homosexuality
• Sexuality
• Teachers

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this humorous cult film by German writer/director Frank Ripploh (who essentially plays himself) is a “self-indulgent”, “crudely made, disjointed, but intriguing autobiographical account.” Ripploh isn’t afraid to portray himself as a bit of a jerk: he’s the kind of guy who, lacking toilet paper, wipes his bum on a guest towel, then nonchalantly puts it back on the rack. Later, when he openly cheats on his new partner (the good-looking yet frustratingly passive Broaderup), we’re disturbed, but not all that surprised — and, at the very least, we respect Ripploh’s honesty about his need for sexual adventure.

Taxi Zum Klo (which translates into “Taxi to the [Public] Toilet”) is especially effective at showing how Ripploh was able to keep his sex life completely separate from his career as a schoolteacher. In one particularly overt instance, Ripploh cross-cuts between innocent shots of his tutoring session with a young male student, and his transvestite friend commenting disparagingly while watching a cautionary school film about a pedophile. It may be a heavy-handed message, but it’s an important one — and it works within the context of the film’s unabashed presentation of explicit gay male sexuality (surely an eye-opener for many at the time).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• A no-holds-barred look at male gay life in 1980s Berlin
  

Must See?
Yes, both for its status as a cult film and as a cultural window into a unique subculture.

Categories

• Cult Movie

Links:

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

Synopsis:
A middle-aged composer (Dudley Moore) in a steady relationship with a singer (Julie Andrews) becomes obsessed with a beautiful young woman (Bo Derek) he spots through a car window.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Blake Edwards Films
• Composers
• Dudley Moore Films
• Julie Andrews Films
• Midlife Crisis
• Obsessive Love
• Romantic Comedy

Response to Peary’s Review:
Although “10” immediately evokes images of cornrowed sex goddess Bo Derek running across a beach, it’s not her story; instead, the film centers on a man (Moore) who has fame, money, and a beautiful lover, yet suffers from the incurable sense that the grass is always greener — sexually speaking — on the younger side. Unlike the obnoxiously dissatisfied schmuck played by Albert Brooks in Modern Romance (1981), Moore’s restless composer makes for an unusually sympathetic protagonist: he’s someone we care about even though we immediately recognize the folly of his desires.

Andrews is fine as Moore’s long-suffering girlfriend, and gets to sing a couple of nice Henry Mancini songs — but her too-perfect British accent quickly becomes distracting. More impressive, believe it or not, is Derek, who — once she finally becomes a three-dimensional character rather than simply the distant object of Moore’s lust — gives a natural and appealing performance. Though director Blake Edwards tries a bit too hard for laughs with his repeated attempts at slapstick humor (as when Moore tumbles down a hill and struggles to climb back up again), overall this remains a surprisingly honest look at middle-aged male sexuality.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Dudley Moore as the lust-struck composer
  
• Beautiful Bo Derek in her first significant screen role
  
• Moore’s constant voyeurism through his telescope
  

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look simply to see Derek in her infamous breakthrough role.

Links:

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