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Synopsis:
A latently homosexual army major (Marlon Brando) enjoys ogling a handsome young private (Robert Forster) who is secretly spying on Brando’s wife (Elizabeth Taylor) at night. Meanwhile, Taylor carries on an affair with Brando’s best friend (Brian Keith), whose mentally ill wife (Julie Harris) is cared for by a devoted Filipino named Anacleto (Zorro David).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Brian Keith Films
• Deep South
• Elizabeth Taylor Films
• John Huston Films
• Julie Harris Films
• Marital Problems
• Marlon Brando Films
• Sexual Repression

Review:
Critical opinions seem firmly divided on this unusual directorial outing by John Huston, based upon a 1941 novel by Carson McCullers about sexual repression on an army base in North Carolina. While some view it as simply a gothic mish-mosh in which outlandishly perverse characters converge in a hotbed of unrealistically melodramatic tensions, others recognize it as a uniquely compassionate perspective on the vagaries of sexual repression and expression, as seen through the collective visions of McCullers and Huston. My opinion ultimately lies somewhere in between both extremes: I value the film’s deeply penetrating gaze on humanity, as depicted through a group of individuals trying to find their place in a world which clearly doesn’t approve of their needs and desires; at the same time, there’s no denying the overtly melodramatic thrust of the entire situation.

Underlying the entire film are two primary strengths: first is its unique look, as specifically envisioned by Huston, who (working with DP Aldo Tonti) had the color strategically desaturated from the film stock in an attempt to emulate the story’s titular perspective. While the film was only allowed to run in theaters for a week with this color scheme (before saturation was added back in to make it more palatable to mass audiences), the restored version is now available, and is quite a visual treat. Second, it features a truly heartbreaking and noteworthy performance by Brando, embodying a tragically repressed army major who has clearly maintained a facade of “normalcy” and rigor for far too long. Brando’s every expression reveals the depth of his character’s confusion, anger, and desire, and he’s consistently fascinating to watch.

Meanwhile, the supporting actors all do fine work in their respective roles. Both Taylor and Harris are well-cast as Brando and Keith’s unhappily married wives, who find solace through radically different venues; Keith once again demonstrates his capability as the ultimate “everyman” with a surprising depth of heart; and unknown actor Zorro Davis makes an indelible mark as the flamboyantly “artistic” Filipino manservant Anacleto. In his screen debut, Forster isn’t called upon to do much more than brood, sniff lingerie, and ride naked on horseback, but he suits the role. Together, the ensemble presents a powerful if at times mind-boggling drama about (sexual) identity and one’s place in a world which would much rather not accommodate square pegs in round holes.

Note: There was once a rather active message board for this film on IMDb, where one poster offered this interesting perspective on the various characters and their sexual identities:

Penderton (Brando) = closeted gay
Anacleto (David) = frustrated gay
Williams (Forster) = closeted hetero
Langdon (Keith) = frustrated hetero

Alison (Harris) = inactive hetero female
Leonora (Taylor) = active hetero female

This breakdown, while perhaps overly simplistic, does give one additional food for thought.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Marlon Brando as Major Weldon
  
• Brian Keith as Lt. Col. Morris
  
• Zorro David as Anacleto
  
• Gorgeous cinematography
  

Must See?
Yes, as a unique cinematic experience by a master director.

Categories

• Important Director

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Spinning Image Review
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review (scroll down to fourth review)
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
Bed-ridden poet Elizabeth Barrett (Norma Shearer) and her sister Henrietta (Margaret O’Sullivan) fight against the wishes of their tyrannically possessive father (Charles Laughton) in pursuing romance with their suitors — poet Robert Browning (Fredric March) and a soldier (Ralph Forbes).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Charles Laughton Films
• Father and Child
• Fredric March Films
• Historical Drama
• Maureen O’Sullivan Films
• Norma Shearer Films
• Play Adaptations
• Romance
• Writers

Review:
The Barretts of Wimpole Street — based upon a 1930 play about the romance between poets Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning — is probably best remembered these days as one of the 12 films nominated for Best Picture of the Year in 1934. It also provided Norma Shearer with one of her six Best Actress nominations, and she herself remains the primary reason to check it out: despite playing a put-upon “cripple” facing seemingly insurmountable odds in her quest for health and romance (a situation absolutely ripe for potentially cloying melodrama), Shearer’s performance is never less than fully nuanced and authentically sympathetic. The film itself (directed by Sidney Franklin, who also helmed a nearly identical remake in the 1950s with Jennifer Jones) is overly stagy but provides a surprisingly creepy depiction of parental favoritism and warped paternal despotism. Despite being just a few years older than Shearer in real life, Laughton convincingly plays her emotionally incestuous father — a man determined to keep his beloved daughter permanently by his side, and deny her any chance at romantic happiness; however, Laughton is so naturally adept at playing a creepy baddy that one can’t help wishing for an even more nuanced interpretation on his part. Meanwhile, March is suitably bold (if undistinguished) as Browning; he apparently regretted not doing even more with this role.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Norma Shearer as Elizabeth Barrett (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actresses of the Year in his Alternate Oscars)
  
• A creepy look at an emotionally incestuous father-daughter relationship
  
• William Daniels’ atmospheric cinematography
  

Must See?
Yes, simply for Shearer’s lovely performance. Listed as a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Noteworthy Performance(s)
• Oscar Winner or Nominee

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A hard-working editor (Melvyn Douglas) marries a ski instructor (Greta Garbo) he meets at a resort in Idaho, but their marriage is immediately compromised when she refuses to follow him back to New York. As Douglas makes repeated excuses for failing to visit her, Karin (Garbo) decides to surprise him with a visit — but when she spots him with a close female friend (Constance Bennett), she quickly changes her plan of action, presenting herself to Douglas as her worldly, vampish twin sister, Katherine, instead.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Constance Bennett Films
• George Cukor Films
• Greta Garbo Films
• Melvyn Douglas Films
• Mistaken Identities
• Roland Young Films
• Romantic Comedy
• Ruth Gordon Films
• Twins
• Winning Him/Her Back

Review:
Two-Faced Woman is perhaps best known as the film that ended Greta Garbo’s career — or, more accurately, the final movie she made before retiring permanently from the screen. Directed by George Cukor, it’s a piffle of a romantic comedy, without much substance, yet not particularly offensive; indeed, Garbo appears to be having quite a bit of fun playing such radically different screen personae — one a down-to-earth, sporty, independent woman:

… the other an unrepentantly vampish ladies’ man. There are countless details of the screenplay to quibble with (Ruth Gordon’s role as Douglas’s secretary is sadly underdeveloped, for instance):

… but there’s also surprising depth to be found when conducting a closer analysis of the film as a story of feminine “split personalities” — as elucidated in this insightful Bright Lights Film Review essay, which also discusses Cukor’s earlier Sylvia Scarlett (1935). Ultimately, this one’s not at all a must-see title, but certainly worth a look by Garbo fans.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Greta Garbo as Katrin/Katherine
  
  
• The fun “Chica Choca” dance sequence
  

Must See?
No, though film fanatics will likely be curious to at least check out Garbo’s final film.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Combustible Celluloid Review
• Chicago Reader Capsule Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
An overly ambitious businessman (Spencer Tracy) stops at nothing to further the success of his son Edward, despite losing the love and faith of his wife (Deborah Kerr) and close friend (Ian Hunter) in the process.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Character Studies
• Deborah Kerr Films
• Father and Child
• Flashback Films
• George Cukor Films
• Ian Hunter Films
• Play Adaptation
• Spencer Tracy Films

Review:
Based on a play by Noel Langley and Robert Morley (who performed the lead role on stage), George Cukor’s Edward, My Son remains a thematically powerful yet fatally flawed cinematic adaptation. The primary problem, as others have noted, is that Spencer is quite simply miscast — and not just because he lacks a requisite British accent. Imagining Morley himself in the role allows one to better understand what’s missing from Spencer’s otherwise typically fine, naturalistic performance — he simply can’t handle a line like “I’d twirl my mustache, if I had one” the same way someone like Morley would. Tracy does try to invest his sociopathically ambitious character with enough arrogant self-concern to convince us that he’d literally do anything for his son, but one still can’t help feeling a lack of appropriate menace in his demeanor. As DVD Savant points out in his review, Tracy “pretty much neutralizes this play adaptation by refusing to interpret a complex role”; while the story “wants to say something about the curse of power and ambition… Tracy’s performance doesn’t give us a clue”. The supporting actors — particularly Kerr as Tracy’s long-suffering wife, and Leueen MacGrath as his secretary-turned-lover — give fine performances, and the script itself is often keenly insightful; but the movie as a whole isn’t quite successful enough to recommend as must-see viewing.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Deborah Kerr as Evelyn
  
• Leueen MacGrath as Eileen Perrin
  
• An often incisive and powerful script
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look if you can find a copy.

Links:

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

Synopsis:
A prosecutor (Edward G. Robinson) hoping to convince an imprisoned gangster’s moll (Ginger Rogers) to testify against a crime boss (Lorne Greene) brings her to a hotel room for safe-keeping, where a policeman (Brian Keith) and a prison matron (Katherine Anderson) watch over her. While Rogers tries to decide whether or not to testify, she and Keith begin to experience romantic feelings towards one another.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Brian Keith Films
• Edward G. Robinson Films
• Ex-Cons
• Gangsters
• Ginger Rogers Films
• Phil Karlson Films
• Play Adaptation

Review:
Cult director Phil Karlson helmed several gritty, must-see masterpieces during the 1950s — including a caper flick (1952’s Kansas City Confidential), a docudrama (1955’s The Phenix City Story), and a western (1958’s Gunman’s Walk); other less-successful titles in his oeuvre (click here and here, for instance) remain of minor interest as well. Karlson’s Tight Spot (adapted from Leonard Kantor’s play, Dead Pigeon) is perhaps best known for offering Ginger Rogers one of her few late-career leading roles — and though it’s nice to see her back on screen, the result is a mixed blessing: she’s suitably brassy, effectively embodying her character’s working-class origins (“How can I even think about it when I’m famished all over the place?”), but she ultimately overplays the part, occasionally veering into caricature. Meanwhile, her highly questionable “pixie” hairdo:

… deserves a discussion all its own.

In an unexpectedly complex role, Keith emerges as perhaps the most nuanced actor in the film:

Meanwhile, Robinson does fine supporting work in a low-key yet critical role:

.. and Katherine Anderson is memorable in a bit part as the kind matron watching over Rogers.

Burnett Guffey’s cinematography is suitably noir-ish at critical moments in the screenplay — but one ultimately wishes for even more of the same; indeed, while the storyline remains intrinsically taut (given both the constant danger Rogers is in, and a critical later plot twist), Rogers’ performance imparts the entire affair with an oddly misplaced sense of light-heartedness. With that said, fans of Karlson’s oeuvre will certainly want to check this one out once.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Brian Keith as Vince Striker
  
• Effectively noir-ish cinematography
  

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

Links:

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

Synopsis:
Just prior to World War I, two struggling songwriters (John Payne and Jack Oakie) meet a pair of singing sisters (Alice Faye and Betty Grable) who help them sell their songs. Soon Payne is in love with Faye, but his overly aggressive ambitions get in the way of their romance — until the arrival of World War I causes them both to rethink their priorities.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Alice Faye Films
• Betty Grable Films
• Elisha Cook, Jr. Films
• John Payne Films
• Musicals

Review:
Contralto-voiced Alice Faye was once one of Hollywood’s top box office draws, appearing in numerous popular musicals (including a biopic of Lillian Russell) before co-starring in Otto Preminger’s flawed noir, Fallen Angel (1943), which essentially marked the end of her career. However, the only film in her oeuvre which has maintained any kind of must-see appeal for modern audiences is The Gang’s All Here (1943) — and that’s due to Carmen Miranda’s presence, not Faye’s. Tin Pan Alley — the only other Faye flick listed in GFTFF — is, sad to say, a true snoozer of a wartime flick, featuring the slimmest and most predictable of plots, and bolstered by a host of reasonably catchy yet imminently forgettable songs. This one will ultimately only be of interest for fans of Faye’s uniquely honeyed voice:

… and/or those truly in love with early-20th-century popular music.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Elisha Cook, Jr. in a bit part as a composer
  

Must See?
No; this one is strictly for fans of this musical era.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
A freespirited artist (Murray Head) remains romantically involved with a lonely divorcee (Glenda Jackson) and a Jewish physician (Peter Finch), both mutual friends of an open-minded married couple (Frank Windsor and Vivian Pickles) with multiple children.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Glenda Jackson Films
• John Schlesinger Films
• Love Triangle
• Peter Finch Films
• Sexuality

Review:
Sunday Bloody Sunday (scripted by film critic Penelope Gilliatt) was director John Schlesinger’s follow-up to his critically acclaimed success with Midnight Cowboy (1969), as well as earlier notable titles, including Billy Liar (1963), Darling (1965), and Far From the Madding Crowd (1967). SBS is often cited as his most personal film, given its inclusion of a gay, Jewish male protagonist (Schlesinger himself was gay and Jewish); indeed, it’s Schlesinger and Gilliatt’s sensitive, open-minded treatment of sexuality in general that most distinguishes this unusual love triangle tale, in which both “ends” of the triangle (Finch and Jackson) freely share its “point” (Head) with others, yet struggle with the implications of such a knowing compromise. For Finch — who seems personally at ease with his sexuality, yet hides it from his tradition-bound family — this means being unable to count on Head as a travel partner to a much-dreamed-of trip to Italy; for Jackson, it means (among other things) giving up on the dubious prospect of having children of her own (portrayed as a decidedly hectic lifestyle choice through the anti-bourgeois household run by Windsor and Pickles, whose very young children smoke pot and take on more responsibilities than one might feel comfortable with).

Schlesinger situates Finch and Jackson’s sticky romantic scenario within the cultural milieu of early-1970s Britain; to that end, there’s a sense of disconnectedness to some of the contextualizing and/or supporting scenes — I’m still not sure what the significance is, for instance, of a dramatic incident involving a dog and an accident. However, it’s the central performers and their romantic dilemmas which really ground the film, as we watch to see how Finch and Jackson will handle their growing realization that the America-bound Head may soon become an even less permanent part of their lives. Indeed, there’s an undeniable sense of sadness and ambiguity to both Finch and Jackson’s plights, giving one pause to reflect on what, exactly, one “should” be looking for in life and in romance. Are Finch and Jackson compromising their chances for a more fulfilling and “stable” relationship with someone else? Or are they smart to accept the limited happiness they have with Head? These are decidedly sticky questions with no easy answers, and Sunday Bloody Sunday respectfully acknowledges that reality.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Authentic performances by the three romantic leads: Finch, Jackson (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actresses of the Year in his Alternate Oscars), and Head
  
  
  
• Fine supporting performances
  

Must See?
Yes, for its historical relevance as an early film to treat “open” sexual arrangements with candor and respect.

Categories

• Historically Relevant
• Important Director

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Roger Ebert’s Review
• NY Times Original Review
• Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review

Synopsis:
An engineer (Richard Dix) leads a years-long effort to build a transatlantic tunnel between the U.S. and England, but finds that his personal life suffers, as his wife (Madge Evans) turns to his best friend (Leslie Banks) for emotional support.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Marital Problems
• Science Fiction
• Scientists

Review:
Inspired by a 1913 German novel, this early sci-fi engineering flick tackles a fascinating topic, yet fails to full take advantage of its subject matter, instead relying far too heavily on melodramatic conventions to move its storyline along. While presumably concerned with relating the host of troubles faced by visionary scientists and engineers like ‘Mack’ McAllan (Dix) — including ongoing concerns with raising enough money, and managing public opinion over the enormous safety issues involved in such a risky venture — the bulk of the narrative ultimately rests upon McAllan’s rocky marital relationship with saintly Evans, who (minor spoiler here) goes blind while volunteering in the tunnel, yet unrealistically refuses to tell McAllan what’s happened, instead simply breaking off their marriage and turning to Banks for support instead.

Meanwhile, the sexy daughter (Helen Vinson) of a primary financier (C. Aubrey Smith) is naturally waiting in the wings for a chance to nab McAllan for herself, and Vinson’s would-be suitor (Basil Sidney) plays a conveniently situated villain in the entire affair. Yet another dramatic tension arises later in the film, as McAllan’s grown son (Jimmy Hanley) enters into the tunnels to work, and McAllan must reconcile his very-real concern with the fact that he routinely asks hundreds of other workers to place their lives in similar risk. While these plot elements all serve to add some personal dramatic tension to the storyline, I was surprised to find myself wishing for even more of a “hard” scientific emphasis; details of the dangers inherent in the tunnel-building itself are glossed over far too superficially.

Throughout the film, much is made about the fact that building a transatlantic tunnel remains a critical element in the pursuit of world peace — which doesn’t make much sense at all, until one contextualizes the movie within a global pre-WWII tableau; yet it still comes across like a weak argument at best. Nonetheless, this film may be of interest to those curious to see its creatively conceived “futuristic” sets (including wide-spread use of television) and its early vision of the type of engineering moxie necessary to carry out such a grand, as-of-yet unrealized plan.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Interesting “futuristic” sets
  
  

Must See?
No, though classic sci-fi and/or transportation buffs will be curious to check it out. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• All Movie Guide Review
• NY Times Original Review (spoiler alert)
• TCM Article
• SciFilm Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
An arrogant university graduate (Peter Lorre) brutally murders a pawnbroker (Mrs. Patrick Campbell) in order to help his sister (Tala Birell) and mother (Elisabeth Risdon) escape a life of poverty — but soon a suspicious police inspector (Edward Arnold) begins a subtle campaign to convince Lorre to confess.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Cat-and-Mouse
• Edward Arnold Films
• Guilt
• Josef von Sternberg Films
• Peter Lorre Films

Review:
Shortly upon his arrival in Hollywood (after escaping the rise of Nazi power in Europe), Peter Lorre began a successful campaign to convince Columbia Pictures to allow him to star in an adaptation of what is arguably Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s best-known novel, Crime and Punishment (1866). Josef von Sternberg was brought on board to direct, but apparently considered it merely a contractual obligation and held it in low esteem, given its decidedly loose connection with the original text. The resulting film is a radically truncated yet thematically coherent variation on the novel, with atmospheric cinematography and direction, and an earnest if occasionally overly theatrical performance by young Lorre.

A romantic subplot involving a prostitute-with-a-heart-of-gold (Marian Marsh) who’s helped by Lorre, then wants to help him in return, comes across as a bit manufactured:

… but the interplay between Lorre and Arnold remains tense and authentic throughout.

This one’s worth a look, even if it’s not quite must-see viewing.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Atmospheric cinematography (by Lucien Ballard) and direction (by von Sterberg)
  
  
  

Must See?
No, though it’s recommended as an accessible, atmospheric introduction to Dostoyevky’s classic novel. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• All Movie Guide Review