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Synopsis:
A South Pacific native (Jon Hall) working as a sailor on a tall ship is unjustly jailed for hitting a white man; when he tries to escape, additional years are added to his sentence. Meanwhile, his beautiful wife (Dorothy Lamour) waits at home for his return, while his island’s by-the-book governor (Raymond Massey) refuses to intervene. A massive hurricane finally brings the entire situation to a dramatic conclusion.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Disaster Flicks
• Dorothy Lamour Films
• Falsely Accused
• John Carradine Films
• John Ford Films
• Mary Astor Films
• Prisoners
• Race Relations
• Raymond Massey Films
• South Sea Islands
• Thomas Mitchell Films

Review:
Directed by John Ford, and based on a novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, The Hurricane bears an uncanny resemblance to Ford’s film of the previous year, The Prisoner of Shark Island: both deal with an unjustly accused man attempting to escape from prison, and John Carradine even reappears as a sadistic warden.

Yet The Hurricane remains the less compelling of the two films in terms of sheer narrative and characterization, with a primary problem one of lead casting: although blonde Jon Hall is hunky eye candy and not a terrible actor, it’s simply impossible to imagine him as an island native.

Indeed, when he’s ordered to “get up when a white man tells ya to!”, one almost wants to laugh, since Hall is undeniably a white man himself!

Equally problematic is the film’s overall portrayal of the South Pacific islanders as happy, naughty, naive children lacking any ability to reason rationally.

In the first scene of the movie, for instance, even a sympathetic white character (Thomas Mitchell) is heard making the disparaging comment that “a sense of honor in the South Seas is about as useful — and often as silly — as a silk hat in a hurricane.” And Terangi — though he eventually becomes somewhat of a folk legend — is ultimately shown to be unthinking in his ceaseless, animal-like attempts to escape, without concern for the consequences.

The performances as a whole in The Hurricane are unexceptional. Though Mitchell was nominated for an Academy Award as best supporting actor, his work here playing a drunken doctor isn’t especially impressive.

Mary Astor is wasted in a thankless role as Massey’s loyal wife, while Massey himself comes across as one-dimensionally stubborn. Dorothy Lamour — never a great actress, but undeniably beautiful — gives perhaps the most appealing performance, managing to pass as a native without too much trouble.

But the primary selling point of The Hurricane (which received excellent reviews upon its release) was and is its final climactic sequences, directed by an uncredited Stuart Heisler. Heisler’s ability to simulate a ferocious island hurricane is nothing short of phenomenal, and represents a true masterpiece of early special effects in cinema. Indeed, the entire narrative arc leading up to these final scenes seems superfluous in hindsight. The titular hurricane itself makes this must-see viewing for serious film fanatics.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• The phenomenal hurricane sequences
  
  

Must See?
Yes — but only for the final 20 minutes, which are a masterpiece of early special effects wizardry. Peary lists this movie in the back of his book as a film with historical importance and a personal recommendation.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• TCM Article
• Classic Film Guide Review
• Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review

Synopsis:
A renowned surgeon (Pierre Brasseur) hoping to graft a new face onto his injured daughter Christiane (Edith Scob) enlists the help of his loyal assistant (Alida Valli) in kidnapping unsuspecting young women with similar features.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Alida Valli Films
• Disfigured Faces
• Father and Child
• French Films
• Georges Franju Films
• Horror
• Kidnapping
• Mad Doctors and Scientists
• Plastic Surgery

Review:
Georges Franju’s Les Yeux Sans Visage remains one of the most haunting and memorable horror films ever made. As in Val Lewton’s early RKO films, Franju relies on atmosphere rather than gore and violence to tell the creepy tale of a young woman trapped in a web of paternal love. Scob is effectively ethereal in the title role; the imagery of Christiane moving through the halls of her prison-like house are guaranteed to hold fast in your memory — as is the infamous surgery scene, when Brasseur methodically slices off a girl’s face. Surprisingly enough, the film contains some levity as well, thanks both to Maurice Jarre’s carnival-like score, and a critical subplot about a naive shoplifter (Beatrice Altariba) who becomes an important catalyst in solving the mystery of the disappearing girls. The final scenes of this must-see horror film are both satisfying and devastating.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Edith Scob as Christiane
  
  
• Alida Valli as Dr. Genessier’s loyal assistant
  
• Stunning b&w cinematography by Eugen Schufftan
  
• Dr. Genessier surgically removing a girl’s face
  
• The final powerful sequences
  
• Maurice Jarre’s haunting, carnivalesque score

Must See?
Definitely. This horror classic — which merits repeat viewings — will remain in your mind long after you’ve watched it.

Categories

• Foreign Gem
• Genuine Classic

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• Classic Horror Review
• DVD Savant Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
In 1980, a young man named J-21 (John Garrick) is unable to marry his girlfriend, LN-18 (Maureen O’Sullivan), because another man (Kenneth Thomson) has been voted a better candidate. In order to distinguish himself as worthy of LN-18’s hand, J-21 travels on a historic flight to Mars with his friend RT-42 (Frank Albertson) and a man from 1930 who has been brought back to life (El Brendel).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Aliens
• Astronauts
• Comedy
• Love Triangle
• Maureen O’Sullivan Films
• Musicals
• Race Against Time
• Science Fiction
• Time Travel

Review:
This early sci-fi oddity tries to cram as much as possible into its overlong 109 minutes — including a love triangle, music and dance sequences, aliens, a space voyage, time travel, a race against time, a courtroom drama, and lame comedy (courtesy of the insufferable pseudo-Swedish comedian, El Brendel). The most effective elements of Just Imagine are its futuristic sets (which are reminiscent of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis), and the glimpse it provides of a hypothetical future society in which both food and drink come in the form of pills, letters and numbers have replaced names, individuals jet around in private planes:

… and eligibility for marriage is determined by a court.

Much less effective are the tedious musical interludes, which seem like they belong in a different film entirely. At a certain point, Brendel sings a song during which he frantically puts on a series of different hats while mimicking various characters — it’s mildly creative, but so out of place!

With that said, the Busby Berkeley-inspired dance sequences on Mars (not to mention the Martians’ outlandish costumes) are just surreal enough to be campily hypnotic.

And you’ve got to give director David Butler credit for taking on such an enormously overinflated script — though one can’t help wishing it had been trimmed back to a slightly more manageable (and enjoyable) size.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• The lavish art deco sets and over-the-top Busby Berkeley-esque dance sequences on Mars
  
• An intriguing vision of what 1980 might have looked like, from a 1930s perspective
  
• A bizarre, if not entirely successful, pastiche of nearly every possible movie genre — including comedy, science fiction, romance, and musical

Must See?
Yes, simply for its status as a truly surreal cinematic hybrid.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• SciFilm Review
• Pre-Code Review
• Movie Diva Review
• Moria Review

Synopsis:
After her abusive boyfriend (Robert Webber) leaves her stranded in a small town without money, stage-show actress Lila Green (Joanne Woodward) stays with some acquaintances: a woman (Claire Trevor) she used to babysit for, and the woman’s grown son (Richard Beymer), who — despite having a pretty girlfriend (Carol Lynley) his own age — is deeply attracted to Lila.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Actors and Actresses
• Carol Lynley Films
• Claire Trevor Films
• Joanne Woodward Films
• May-December Romance
• Play Adaptations
• Strippers

Review:
Franklin Schaffner’s adaptation of William Inge’s play (originally titled A Loss of Roses) suffers first and foremost from one of the worst re-titlings ever. Though Lila does become a stripper in the final ten minutes of the movie — hence the provocative image on the video cover — this isn’t what the movie’s about. Rather, it’s the story of a woman who once hoped for a legitimate career as an actress but knows this will never happen, and who has accepted that she will have to eke by on small-town performance gigs — but draws the line at stripping. Even more importantly, however, it’s the story of a woman who has learned not to expect much from men, yet given her innate sensitivity, is bound to get her heart broken yet again when callow Kenny (Beymer) insists he’ll “treat her right”.

The Stripper is ultimately not one of Inge’s best stories (Beymer’s character in particular is especially underdeveloped) but the performances make it enjoyable to watch nonetheless. Woodward is excellent in the lead role; as noted by Peary in his review of Rachel, Rachel (1968), Woodward “has specialized in playing women who are warmhearted, maternal, vulnerable, victimized, and confused about the harshness of the world” — a description which fits Lila to a T. Also noteworthy is Claire Trevor as Kenny’s mom — a well-meaning woman who wants to be kind to Lila, but can’t help feeling concerned about Kenny’s growing attraction to her. It would have been easy for her character to come across as a shrew, but, thanks to both Inge’s writing and Trevor’s performance, she never does.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Joanne Woodward as Lila
  
• Claire Trevor as Kenny’s concerned mom
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended for fans of Woodward or Inge.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
A group of bugs and insects — including a grasshopper named Hoppity, a bee named Mr. Bumble, and Mr. Bumble’s daughter Honey — find their homes threatened when humans start littering and walking through their grassy neighborhood. Meanwhile, duplicitous C. Bagley Beetle enlists the help of his two henchmen — Smack the Mosquito and Swat the Fly — in convincing Honey to be his wife.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Animated Features
• Musicals
• Talking Animals

Review:
Mr. Hoppity Goes to Town — the second and last feature animated film made by Fleischer Studios — is primarily known today as the first animated feature based on an original story. Made 60 or so years before A Bug’s Life and Antz, Hoppity is an early attempt to show life from a bug’s perspective; my favorite scene has Hoppity taking Honey out for a night on the town, down through a pothole to a bugs’ nightclub. Unfortunately, however, while Hoppity remains an enjoyable tale for kids (the morals are clear and straightforward), it’s ultimately not a classic: Hoppity is an insipid hero, and the songs are instantly forgettable. Nonetheless, this is a film which should be seen once by all film fanatics, simply for its place in animation history.

Note: Mr. Hoppity‘s animators were the victims of incredibly unlucky timing: just three days after the film was released, Pearl Harbor was invaded and Hoppity became a box office failure.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• One of the few early animated features to compete with Disney
  
• Some nifty “neon” animation when Hoppity is accidentally electrified and starts dancing

Must See?
Yes, simply for its historical importance; but it will ultimately be of most interest to kids.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry

Synopsis:
When his wealthy cousin Ambrose (John Sutton) dies while abroad, Philip Ashley (Richard Burton) suspects Ambrose’s new wife, Rachel (Olivia de Havilland), of murder. When Rachel comes to visit, however, Philip finds himself swayed by her charms, and is no longer sure what to think.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Historical Drama
• Inheritance
• Mistaken or Hidden Identities
• Olivia de Havilland Films
• Revenge
• Richard Burton Films
• Romance
• Widows

Review:
Richard Burton made his screen debut in this excellent adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s gothic romance. Burton is appropriately moody as the young protagonist who experiences both love and hatred for his beautiful cousin, while De Haviland once again shows her talent for playing a sweet yet potentially duplicitous woman (see also The Dark Mirror). In addition to fine performances and atmospheric sets, the screenplay is nicely paced, keeping us constantly guessing about Rachel’s motivations until the final climactic moments.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Richard Burton as the brooding, love-struck Philip
  
• Olivia de Havilland as Rachel
  
• Atmospheric sets and cinematography
  
• Nunnally Johnson’s script — full of many intriguing mysteries and plot twists

Must See?
No, but it’s highly recommended for fans of gothic romances.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
When the Germans invade France in 1940, a vacationing elderly Englishman (Monty Woolley) is asked to bring two children (Roddy McDowall and Peggy Ann Garner) with him back to London. Along the way, however, Woolley finds himself escorting more and more needy kids.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Anne Baxter Films
• Character Arc
• Escape
• Monty Woolley Films
• Nazis
• Orphans
• Roddy McDowall Films
• World War II

Review:
This warm-hearted adaptation of Nevil Shute’s novel — about an unlikely hero (Woolley) who finds himself shepherding a passel of kids through war-torn Europe — is more a fable than a realistic story; indeed, because it was clearly shot on Hollywood sound stages, one never feels as though the characters are in any true danger. Woolley’s performance is the undisputed highlight of the film: he keeps things at a consistently humorous level. No matter how dire the circumstances he and his kids face (including death by Nazis), we know he will always stand up for his rights. I especially like his interactions with McDowell and Garner, both of whom show ample evidence of their natural ability as child actors.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Monty Woolley as the elderly curmudgeon who experiences a change of heart; Peary nominates him for an Alternate Oscar as best actor of the year
  
• Good, natural performances by child actors McDowall and Garner
  

Must See?
Yes, to see Woolley in his Oscar-nominated role.

Categories

• Noteworthy Performance(s)
• Oscar Winner or Nominee

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review