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Synopsis:
In medieval Sweden, a father (Max von Sydow) and mother (Birgitta Valberg) seek revenge on the goatherds (Axel Düberg and Tor Iseda) who raped and killed their virginal daughter (Birgitta Pettersson) while their pregnant servant (Gunnel Lindblom) watched in horror.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Historical Drama
• Ingmar Bergman Films
• Max von Sydow Films
• Rape
• Revenge
• Scandinavian Films

Review:
This adaptation of a 13th century Swedish ballad entitled “Per Tyrsson’s daughters in Vänge” — directed by Ingmar Bergman and scripted by Ulla Isaksson — won an Academy Award as Best Foreign Film of the Year. Isaksson was tasked with ensuring this story came across as more historically accurate than Bergman’s The Seventh Seal (1957), and the result is that we feel we’ve been deposited into an entirely different world (albeit one crafted for the screen).

The storyline is a dark tale of violence, revenge, and religion, with a rape scene so graphic (for the time) that it was subject to censorship in the U.S. (For better or for worse, this film was purportedly the inspiration for Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left.) As the movie opens, we’re introduced to a fearful pregnant girl (Lindblom) praying to Odin:

Lindblom’s “impure”, dark-haired Ingeri is posited as a clear contrast to the innocence of the spoiled young blonde mistress of the house, Karin (Pettersson), whose hyper-religious mother (Valberg) can’t resist giving into the whims of her daughter.

Bergman presents us with an idyllically pastoral vision of life before tragedy strikes, as Pettersson is sent out on a beautiful day for a horseback trip to the local church to bring candles, accompanied by Lindblom.

Her naive interactions and picnic with wily Düberg, mute Iseda, and their traumatized younger brother (Ove Porath) showcase her truly child-like innocence:

… before her fatal violation.

SPOILERS

The next phase of the story shifts to the three brothers visiting von Sydow and Valberg’s house, not knowing that the fancy clothing they stole off of Pettersson’s corpse and are trying to pawn for money instantly gives away their crime.

Von Sydow and Valberg’s shift to vengeance is swift and merciless — but it’s impossible to fault them, given what we’ve seen happening to their family.

The film’s closing sequence — in which a “miraculous” spring emerges from where Pettersson’s body lies (per the original ballad) — brings us full circle to some kind of earthly yet spiritual closure. While this brutal film is not for the faint of heart, it’s beautifully shot and will likely linger in your memory.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Highly atmospheric cinematography
  

Must See?
Yes, as an early masterpiece by Bergman. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Foreign Gem
• Important Director
• Oscar Winner or Nominee

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Criterion Essay
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
During the French Indochine War, a racist American mercenary (Gene Barry) reconnects with his half-Chinese wife (Angie Dickinson) whose son he has rejected for looking “too Chinese”. Meanwhile, “Lucky Legs” (Dickinson) agrees to accompany Barry and a small group of international soldiers to a Communist munitions stockpile known as “China Gate”, where one of Dickinson’s would-be lovers (Lee Van Cleef) eagerly awaits her.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Angie Dickinson Films
• Cold War
• Cross-Cultural Romance
• Lee Van Cleef Films
• Marital Problems
• Race Relations and Racism
• Soldiers

Review:
Sam Fuller’s ninth feature-length film — made between House of Bamboo (1955) and Run of the Arrow (1957) — was this staunchly anti-Communist adventure flick taking place just before America’s formal engagement in the Vietnam War. Interestingly, its primary focus is on race relations, with Dickinson’s “booze smuggler” (she’s a thinly veiled prostitute) demonstrating spectacularly awful choice in men through her marriage and procreation with bigoted Barry.

Barry’s rejection of his own son based purely on his appearance is at least a refreshingly forthright depiction of white supremacy at its most insidious; but watching Dickinson try again and again to make things work with her estranged husband — simply for the opportunity to send her son to America, though we get the sense she still loves Barry for some reason — leaves us feeling decidedly icky. Adding some much-needed pathos to the storyline is Nat “King” Cole as a Black American mercenary named Goldie who is openly disgusted by Barry’s treatment of his son, and who is (thankfully) able to show this emotion without fear of racial reprisal.

The bulk of the drama focuses on the group’s intrepid journey across a jungle of wilderness, using Dickinson as a decoy and featuring plenty of gritty violence along the way. Joseph Biroc’s atmospheric cinematography is top-notch throughout, effectively portraying the shadowy dangers this group undergoes:

While this film isn’t must-see viewing, it will be of interest to Fuller fans, and is worth a one-time look.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Joseph Biroc’s cinematography
  

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant Review
• NY Times Original Review (scroll down to second review)
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
In Napoleonic-era Russia, the illegitimate son (Henry Fonda) of a dying count marries a beautiful woman (Anita Ekberg) who simply wants his inheritance. Meanwhile, Prince Andrei (Mel Ferrer) falls in love with the sister (Audrey Hepburn) of Fonda’s friend Nikolai (Jeremy Brett) — but when both Andrei and Nikolai go off to fight, Hepburn is seduced by Ekberg’s scheming brother (Vittorio Gassman), thus putting her romance with Andrei in jeopardy.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Anita Ekberg Films
• Audrey Hepburn Films
• Henry Fonda Films
• Historical Drama
• King Vidor Films
• Love Triangle
• Mel Ferrer Films

Review:
King Vidor directed this sprawling, 3-1/2 hour adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel, with many characters and scenes necessarily reduced but the story’s essential narrative threads kept intact. Hepburn is well-cast (and luminously beautiful) as Natasha Rostova:

… and it’s satisfying seeing her romanced on-screen by her real-life husband Ferrer.

Gassman — soon to star as a boxer in Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958) — is appropriately smarmy and charming as the man who manages to cruelly seduce Natasha away from her true love:

… and Ekberg is likewise well-cast (in her breakthrough role) as a woman so sexy that Fonda throws all better sense out the window to marry her.

Unfortunately, it’s universally agreed that middle-aged Fonda was not a good choice to play the central young protagonist Nikolai. Whenever he refers to Natasha as “Na-TASH-a” you hear Fonda’s folksy American roots — and his delivery of the line “Damn you, Napoleon; damn you to hell!” is appropriately lambasted.

The biggest “stars” of this film, however, are Jack Cardiff’s consistently stunning cinematography and the fine historical sets and costumes, which are a pleasure to behold.

Meanwhile, in a story entitled War and Peace, you can expect to see plenty of battles and troops, which are indeed on ample display here, all effectively framed in VistaVision.

However, while Hepburn fans will surely want to see her in this central 1950s starring vehicle — made in between Sabrina (1954) and Funny Face (1957) — it’s not must-see for all film fanatics.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Jack Cardiff’s cinematography
  
  
• Rich sets and costumes
  
  

Must See?
No, but it’s certainly worth a one-time look.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• TCM Article
• Trailers From Hell Review (scroll down to third review)

Synopsis:
When an American sergeant (James Best) is wounded while exploring a sniper-infested village in Germany near the end of World War II, he’s nursed to health by a German woman (Susan Cummings) who he marries — but is Cummings genuinely in love with Best, or just exploiting his access to food? Meanwhile, Cummings’ impressionable younger brother (Harold Daye) becomes more deeply involved in a group of neo-Nazi “werewolves” whose deceptive leader (Tom Pittman) works alongside Best.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Cross-Cultural Romance
• Nazis
• Sam Fuller Films
• World War II

Review:
Former G.I. Samuel Fuller wrote, directed, and produced this punchy look at life in post-war Germany, as former Nazis and everyday Germans tried to find a place for themselves in a landscape run by the American Military Government. Made on an incredibly low budget, the film’s sparse sets nonetheless effectively set the tone for a politically confused nation with starving citizens unsure where to turn or what to do next.

Verboten! is notable for preceding Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) in its frank depiction of the atrocities of concentration camps, with ample use made of actual footage — and if Fuller is typically blunt in his handling of dramatic scenes, it’s in service of a story worth telling.

This one is a must-see for Fuller fans, and recommended for others.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Expressive low-budget sets
  
  
• Joseph Biroc’s atmospheric cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look as a unique film by a unique director.

Links:

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

Synopsis:
A boy (Dennis Holmes) and his teenage brother (Fabian) leave their farming parents (Arthur O’Connell and Betty Field) to go on a hunting trip with a womanizing older friend (Stuart Whitman) who flirts with a pretty teen (Carol Lynley). Will Spud (Holmes) be able to keep the hound dog he finds on their journey — and will Whitman keep away from a married woman (Margo Moore) long enough to recognize Lynley is a better match for him?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Betty Field Films
• Carol Lynley Films
• Coming of Age
• Don Siegel Films
• Musicals

Review:
Following the success of Old Yeller (1957) (based on a children’s novel by Fred Gipson), Jerry Wald at 20th Century Fox secured the film rights for an earlier novel by Gipson, and Don Siegel was hired to direct. The result is this inconsequential coming-of-age tale which turned into a starring vehicle for teen heartthrob Fabian:

… whose character has a crush on pop singer Dodie Stevens (similarly cast for her timely appeal).

While this is purportedly a tale of a boy desperately wanting a dog:

… much more narrative focus is placed on Lynley’s hope that Whitman will take her seriously as a romantic partner.

It’s all innocuous enough but not very engaging — and the songs (other than the earworm refrain to the title song) aren’t all that memorable.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Good use of outdoor locales
  

Must See?
No; you don’t need to seek out this hard-to-find title. It’s likely included here given Peary’s love of ’50s rock ‘n roll.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
In 15th century England, hunchbacked Richard the Duke of Gloucester (Laurence Olivier) seeks support from his cousin the Duke of Buckingham (Ralph Richardson) in gradually bringing down all those ahead of him in line to the throne — including King Edward (Cedric Hardwicke) himself, their brother George (John Gielgud), and Edward’s young children; but Richard soon becomes increasingly paranoid that his newly won success is in jeopardy.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Claire Bloom Films
• John Gielgud Films
• Laurence Olivier Films
• Play Adaptations
• Ralph Richardson Films
• Royalty and Nobility
• Ruthless Leaders
• Shakespeare
• Siblings

Review:
Peary doesn’t review this BAFTA-winning adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, but he does name Laurence Olivier Best Actor of the Year in his Alternate Oscars, where he describes Olivier’s work as “riveting” and calls it “one of the finest performances of the decade.” He points out that “Olivier the director wisely had Olivier the actor deliver Richard’s soliloquies to us, in a direct manner to suggest it gives him pleasure to reveal his diabolical nature, confess heinous past crimes, and plot aloud his future atrocities to an audience who can do nothing about it.”

He notes that Olivier’s Richard “is as straightforward with us as he is duplicitous with those in the English court,” and writes, “As he strides into a long shot so we can get a good look at his gnarled form or moves to within an inch of the camera, he reveals a sly wit, a frightening ferocity and egocentricity, and a snide superiority and vengeful anger toward the nondeformed world he wants to ‘bustle in’.”

He adds, “What is jolting as he speaks to us is that he isn’t the typical madman lusting for power, but a clear-headed, ambitious schemer extraordinaire.”

For those unfamiliar with the play (like me), it will take a bit of research to understand how all the specific characters fit into place — but the overall sense that no one will be spared from Richard’s evil is crystal clear. Peary writes that “Olivier’s Richard expresses the same amusement and amazement as we do that his bold plot works so smoothly, that he can eliminate his opposition one by one without anyone being the wiser, and that, in a creepy scene, he can seduce the virtuous Lady Anne [Claire Bloom] and have her kiss him lewdly although she wants him dead and is not physically attracted to him.”

The supporting performances throughout are excellent; while Olivier wanted Orson Welles to play Buckingham, I think Richardson fits the bill nicely as his right-hand schemer:

… and the VistaVision cinematography and historic sets are gorgeous. This film isn’t an easy watch, but it’s worth the effort.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Laurence Olivier as Richard III
  
• Otto Heller’s cinematography
  
• Roger Furse’s production design and Carmen Dillon’s art direction
  

Must See?
Yes, for Olivier’s performance and as an overall powerful Shakespearean adaptation. Listed as a film with Historical Relevance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book, and nominated as one of the Best Pictures of the Year in Alternate Oscars.

Categories

• Historically Relevant
• Noteworthy Performance(s)

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
During the Civil War, a cavalry brigade led by Col. Marlowe (John Wayne) is sent behind Confederate lines to destroy a railroad, accompanied by a surgeon (William Holden) who Marlowe has issues with. When the unit stops at a plantation owned by Miss Hunter (Constance Towers), she and her slave Lukey (Althea Gibson) are caught spying and taken along as prisoners during the rest of the raid.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Cavalry
• Civil War
• Deep South
• Doctors and Nurses
• John Ford Films
• John Wayne Films
• Westerns
• William Holden Films

Review:
Loosely based on Grierson’s Raid during the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War, this wartime-western by director John Ford gave John Wayne and William Holden their sole opportunity to co-star in a feature — and is notable for a brief (albeit interrupted) fist fight between the two when they try to “duke it out” (sorry, couldn’t resist that one).

It’s also noteworthy for featuring color-line-breaking tennis star Althea Gibson as Towers’ slave Lukey:

… and for affording Towers — probably best known by film fanatics for her starring roles in Sam Fuller’s Shock Corridor (1963) and The Naked Kiss (1964) — her breakthrough leading role. Ford’s direction and cinematography (with support from DP William Clothier) is as top-notch as always:

… but the storyline isn’t particularly memorable (other than showing us how very, very young — or old — so many Confederate soldiers were).

Note: Watch for Anna Lee in a bit part as a Confederate mom desperate for her young son to stay behind when the only “men” left in town are sent to fight.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Fine direction and cinematography
  
  
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a look.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
After becoming paralyzed due to a fall, former WWI ace flier Frank “Spig” Wead (John Wayne) — who is separated from his wife (Maureen O’Hara) and two young girls — receives help from a longtime friend (Dan Dailey) in learning to walk again, and starts a new life for himself as a Hollywood writer before returning to service in WWII.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Biopics
• Dan Dailey Films
• Disabilities
• John Ford Films
• John Wayne Films
• Marital Problems
• Maureen O’Hara Films
• Military
• Ward Bond Films
• Writers

Review:
John Ford’s affectionate homage to his screenwriter friend Frank “Spig” Wead — perhaps best knowing for writing the play upon which Howard Hawks’s Ceiling Zero (1936) was based, and for scripting Ford’s They Were Expendable (1945) — is a classic inspirational biopic which plays loose with the facts to portray a man obsessively dedicated to his craft, living through a troubled marriage, and rallying to recover after a seemingly devastating accident. The film’s best-known scene shows the ever-chipper Dailey encouraging Wayne to “move that toe!” and get circulation back into his paralyzed body:

… which, by gum, he manages to do. Ward Bond has fun impersonating a Ford-like director who gives Wayne his chance at success in Hollywood:

… and O’Hara is ever-feisty as his disillusioned wife (who somehow thinks it’s okay to leave her young girls alone at home to fend for themselves while she’s off at a bridge club; what a different era that was).

This one is only must-see for John Ford completists or diehard fans of the lead stars.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Fine cinematography
  

Must See?
No; you can skip this one.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant (scroll down)
• NY Times Original Review
• TCM Article
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A group of inept thieves — including a boxer (Vittorio Gassman), a ladies’ man (Renato Salvatori), a safecracker (Totò), a Sicilian (Tiberio Murga) who keeps his chaste sister (Claudia Cardinale) locked away, and a photographer (Marcello Mastroianni) caring for his young son — attempt to carry out a heist but find their plans continually foiled.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Claudia Cardinale Films
• Ex-Cons
• Heists
• Italian Films
• Marcello Mastroianni Films
• Satires and Spoofs

Review:
This comedic caper flick by Italian director Mario Monicello — a spoof of Jules Dassin’s Rififi (1955) — shows exactly how many things can go wrong (and will) when a group of bumbling crooks attempt to pull off a heist they’re so clearly incapable of.

Running throughout the featherweight screenplay are two would-be romances. Salvatori is interested in Cardinale:

… while Gassman woos a beautiful young woman (Carla Gravina) working as a maid for the elderly women who live next door to the joint they want to break into.

Meanwhile, Mastroianni takes loving care of his squalling toddler, whose mom is in prison for smuggling cigarettes.

Do the bungling thieves get away with their heist? (Your first guess is probably the correct one.) I’m sure audiences at the time enjoyed this type of escapist fare, but it’s not must-see viewing for modern film fanatics — unless you happen to have a specific interest in Italian cinema.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Gianni de Venanzo’s atmospheric cinematography
  
• Good use of neorealist sets
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth checking out if you’re curious. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Q Network Review
• Onion A.V. Club Review