FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
In late 18th century France, a group of citizens from Marseille march to the Tuileries Palace to revolt against King Louis XVI (Pierre Renoir) and Marie Antoinette (Lise Delamare).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• French Films
• French Revolution
• Historical Drama
• Jean Renoir Films
• Revolutionaries
• Royalty and Nobility

Review:
Made just after La Grande Illusion (1937) and just before La Bete Humaine (1938), this historical drama was one of director Jean Renoir’s personal favorites. His goal was to present the story of the French Revolution from the perspective of ordinary people on the ground:

… while also (secondarily) humanizing the King and Queen.

According to TCM, this film is:

… at once a pageant (the lavish costumes for the aristocrats and monarchs was provided by Renoir’s friend, Coco Chanel), a socio-political debate, a call to arms, and a celebration of social justice that echoed the spirit of the short-lived Popular Front government. Renoir called it “a film by the people for the people,” and initially it was to be financed by subscriptions from ordinary citizens (a more traditional financing model was found when the subscriptions came up short).

Film fanatics should be forewarned that this movie presumes a baseline understanding of French history, given that most “significant” events take place off camera. Instead, Renoir focuses his camera on banter, survival, love interests:

… on-the-ground fighting:

… and a growing sense of collective will to bring about political change.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Fine cinematography and historical recreations
  
  
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a look. Listed as a film with Historical Importance.

Links:

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

Synopsis:
When a team of French miners get stuck down in a shaft, a nearby German miner (Ernst Busch) convinces his comrades to form a rescue committee to help retrieve the surviving men; meanwhile, a retired French grandfather (Alex Bernard) sneaks into the mines to rescue his grandson (Pierre Louis), and a young woman (Elisabeth Wendt) turns back from a trip to Paris to ensure her brother and boyfriend are okay.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Disaster Flicks
• German Films
• G.W. Pabst Films
• Mining Towns

Review:
G.W. Pabst’s 14th film — and the last of his titles listed in Peary’s GFTFF — was this French-German co-production (a.k.a. Comradeship) based on the Courrières mine disaster of 1906, in which more than a thousand miners died. Pabst and his writers updated the action to take place just after World War I, thus highlighting the understandably lingering animosity between the two nations — as epitomized when a trapped French miner tragically reacts with post-traumatic aggression upon seeing a gas-masked German rescuer appearing in front of him.

As noted in Criterion’s essay:

… national tensions are mirrored by the mines on either side of the border. The French have more jobs but can’t sell much of their coal; the Germans make futile daily trips to the border to ask for jobs. On the other hand, the two mines are actually one big one, artificially sectioned off by a wall in the middle.

The catastrophic accident in the French mine spurs the German workers — despite feeling marginalized and belittled by their French counterparts — to put on their rescue gear and help out, thus leading to a temporary sense of solidarity among the miners regardless of nationality or language. As such, it’s a surprisingly “feel good” film for such a bleak topic.

Most impressive of all are the highly effective (and realistic) cinematography and sets, recreating both the dangerously labyrinthine mines and the worried townspeople above ground; we truly get the sense we’re there in this place and time, following the gripping action.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Erno Metzner and Karl Vollbrecht’s sets
  
• Fritz Arno Wagner and Robert Baberske’s cinematography
  

Must See?
Yes, for its historical relevance. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Eye For Film Review
• TCM Article
• Criterion Essay
• TV Guide Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
In 17th century Flanders, the mayor (Andre Alerme) of the town of Boom panics when he hears about an impending Spanish invasion, and decides to fake his own death; meanwhile, his determined wife (Francoise Rosay) uses the situation to her own advantage, staging a festive carnival for the merry “marauders” and tasking a Spanish chapelain (Louis Jouvet) with marrying her daughter (Micheline Cheirel) to the painter (Bernard Lancret) she really loves rather than the butcher (Alfred Adam) her husband has made an arrangement with.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Battle of the Sexes
• Comedy
• French Films
• Historical Drama
• Strong Females

Review:
Belgian-born writer-director Jacques Feyder was quite prolific during the early days of cinema, working in both France and Hollywood (and for a brief period in England and Germany), but he’s not well-known today. The only Feyder film American audiences may be familiar with is this historical romantic comedy set during an earlier era of European occupation, when “the horrors of war… remained in the memories of the people of the Low Countries,” and there was fear that:

“Our houses will be pillaged and reduced to ashes. Blood will run in the streets, our women will be violated, suckling babes will be hurled from the windows before your very eyes… And you, city fathers, will be mutilated. Believe me: the slightest resistance will bring death to us all.”

What ends up happening in reality is nothing at all like the imagined fears of the men, thus turning this into a charming “if women could rule the world for a day” scenario, as Rosay (Feyder’s real-life wife) makes numerous important decisions with impunity.

It’s all well-played and beautifully staged in terms of period detail — and while it’s not must-see viewing for all film fanatics, it’s well worth a one-time look.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Francoise Rosay as Cornelia de Witte
  
• Fine period detail and sets
  
• Harry Stradling’s cinematography
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• BBC Review
• TV Guide Review

Synopsis:
A bored gas pump attendant (Jack Nicholson) joins the Hells Angels and falls for the “Momma” (Sabrina Scharf) of the gang’s leader, Buddy (Adam Roarke).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Gangs
• Jack Nicholson Films
• Motorcyclists

Review:
This exploitation flick — made with input from Sonny Barger, founding member of the Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels — was just one of many sub-genre films attempting to cash in on the success of Roger Corman’s Wild Angels (1966). Unfortunately (surprise, surprise), it’s a disappointing mess: all we see is yet more evidence of how viciously unappealing this gang is (was?) as a counter-cultural alternative to squaresville. As DVD Savant describes the gang in his review, “They intimidate people, scare girls, break up bars and use every opportunity to get into brawls.”

They casually kill a couple of people, too. Fun. The single redeeming feature of their lifestyle is, not surprisingly, their rides out on the open road:

… but these simply serve as interstitial respite. As noted in TV Guide’s review, “Even Nicholson’s presence can’t lift this trash to a one-star listing.”

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Leslie (Laszlo) Kovacs’s cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re curious. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TV Guide Review (spoiler alert)
• Spinning Image Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
Anna Magnani stars in two short films directed by Roberto Rossellini: in “The Human Voice,” she talks with her soon-to-be ex-lover the day before he’s due to marry someone else; and in “The Miracle”, her simple-minded goatherd is seduced by a man (Federico Fellini) she believes to be St. Joseph, and is soon mocked by her town for being an unwed and delusional pregnant woman.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Anna Magnani Films
• Federico Fellini Films
• Italian Films
• Jean Cocteau Films
• Obsessive Love
• Pregnancy
• Roberto Rossellini Films

Review:
After starring in Roberto Rossellini’s neo-realist classic Open City (1945), Anna Magnani re-teamed with Rossellini for this interesting pair of short films, originally packaged together as L’Amore (though Peary lists it simply as The Miracle in the back of his GFTFF). The first film — based on a 1930 monoplay by Cocteau — consists of nothing more than distressed Magnani on the telephone with her lover — and the fact that we remain as engaged as we do speaks volumes about her gifts as a compelling actress (though its repeated revival in recent years also indicates the enduring nature of its theme and unusual format).

The second film — with its focus on (perceived) immaculate conception and pregnancy outside of marriage — was, not surprisingly, highly controversial upon release.

It was repackaged for American distribution in 1950 — along with Renoir’s A Day in the Country (1936) and Pagnol’s Jofroi (1933) — as The Ways of Love, and ended up serving as the basis for a Supreme Court case about free speech. According to a 2008 book entitled The Miracle Case: Film Censorship and the Supreme Court, by Laura Wittern-Keller and Raymond J. Haberski, Jr.:

Many Catholics saw The Miracle as a mockery of the virgin birth… Archbishop Francis Cardinal Spellman denounced it from the pulpit as “subversive to the very word of God” and an insult to Italian womanhood, pickets from the Catholic War Veterans surrounded the theater each night, and Catholics bombarded the state censors with a letter writing campaign, hoping to get The Miracle’s exhibition license revoked.

Thankfully, “A surprisingly unanimous Court ruled in The Miracle case that movies did indeed fall under the free speech and free press protections of the First Amendment.” Film fanatics can now view both short films in their original Italian configuration, and enjoy them simply for Magnani’s powerhouse performances.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Anna Magnani as “The Woman on the Telephone” and “Nannina”
  
• Fine cinematography
  

Must See?
No, though it’s certainly worth a look both for Magnani’s performances and for its historical relevance. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
A time-traveling 18th century poet (Jean Cocteau) emerges in the 20th century and interacts with key figures from his previous film Orpheus (1950) — including the poet Cegeste (Edouard Dermithe) and the Princess of Death (Maria Casales).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Artists
• Fantasy
• French Films
• Jean Cocteau Films
• Jean-Pierre Léaud Films
• Time Travel
• Yul Brynner Films

Review:
Jean Cocteau’s swan song was this installment in his “Orphic trilogy,” following The Blood of a Poet (1930) and Orpheus (1950). Unfortunately, it’s simply a rambling, self-absorbed affair, showcasing Cocteau’s obsession with being artistically “disobedient” and having a lasting cultural impact. In addition to bringing back characters from Orpheus (gee, they must be enduring characters if they suddenly appear again here!):

… Cocteau seems to want to show off how many cinematic friends and influences he has, featuring additional cameos by Jean-Pierre Léaud:

… Pablo Picasso:

… and Yul Brynner:

Sadly, there’s little point to any of it; one hopes Cocteau at least enjoyed the process.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Some clever cinematographic moves
  
  

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re a diehard Cocteau fan.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
An overly possessive mother (Yvonne de Bray) reacts with alarm when she learns that her grown son (Jean Marais) has spent the night with his new girlfriend (Josette Day) — but matters get even more complicated when it turns out de Bray’s husband (Marcel Andre) has been having a sugar-daddy affair with Day, and de Bray’s sister (Gabrielle Dorziat) decides to intervene on behalf of everyone.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Family Problems
• Father and Child
• French Films
• Jean Cocteau Films
• Love Triangle
• Play Adaptation

Review:
Jean Cocteau’s fourth film as a director — after The Blood of a Poet (1930), Beauty and the Beast (1946), and the non-GFTFF-listed The Eagle With Two Heads (1948) — was this adaptation of his own 1938 play, featuring much of the same cast that performed in its 1946 Paris revival. While Cocteau chose not to “open up” his play (it takes place in just two indoor locations), he did strategically employ close-ups and other cinematic techniques to provide a more intimate look at his characters’ interactions and emotions:

As always with Cocteau’s work, there are numerous disturbing themes and topics at play — from de Bray’s unhealthy distress at learning her son won’t be coming home to her (she has to be reminded, “Michel is no longer a child, he’s a man.”), to the revelation that Marais has fallen in love with his father’s mistress (who is herself unaware of this relationship until a key moment in the storyline).

Meanwhile, the meddling of “Aunt Leo” (Dorziat) hints at yet more weird dynamics in this self-proclaimed “caravan” of a household, especially given she was once romantically interested in Andre herself.

Most impressive among the cast is Marais (Cocteau’s real-life lover and partner), whose performance as “The Beast” is likely his best-known portrayal on-screen. It’s interesting to see him teaming up once again with Day (“Beauty”) in a more realistic pairing:

However, while Cocteau fans will certainly want to check this one out, it’s not must-see viewing for all film fanatics.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Jean Marais as Michel
  
• Michael Kelber’s cinematography
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look. Listed as a film with Historical Relevance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Jonathan Rosenbaum’s Review
• NY Times Review (of restoration)
• L.A. Times Review (of restoration)
• Senses of Cinema Review

Synopsis:
Three members of the Angels motorcycle gang — Long John (Scott Glenn), Juicer (Don Carrara), and Monk (James Iglehart) — are invited by the head of the Dragons (Charles Dierkop) to meet up at a ghost town where some hippies — including beautiful Astrid (Gilda Texter) and well-meaning Henry (Gary Busey) — live; but when tragedy ensues that night, the Angels and Dragons become caught in an increasingly violent feud.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Counterculture
• Gangs
• Gary Busey Films
• Jonathan Demme Films
• Motorcyclists
• Scott Glenn Films

Review:
Before beginning his directing career, Jonathan Demme co-wrote and produced this biker exploitation flick for Roger Corman’s New World Pictures. Demme apparently thought he and director/co-writer Joe Viola were making something akin to Rashomon (1950), which it’s difficult to see. Rather, this simply resembles a brutal western, with most of the film taking place in a ghost town and motorcycles replacing horses:

A scene in which the Dragons torture the Angels by tying them to ropes behind their motorcycles and dragging them along in the dirt:

… even brings to mind a scene from a specific western, Anthony Mann’s The Man From Laramie (1955). With that said, there’s not much to recommend about this flick; it was made to bring in audiences, and it shows. I’m fairly certain Peary lists it in his GFTFF simply given Demme’s involvement. However, film fanatics may be mildly curious to see a couple of big-name stars in early roles, including Glenn as “Long John”:

… and Busey as the hippie Henry.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• A semi-decent script for an exploitation flick
  

Must See?
No. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TV Guide Capsule Review
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
A man (Cameron Mitchell) visiting his pregnant girlfriend (Diane Ladd) in a seaside town runs into a former high school friend (Bruce Dern) who leads a rebel biker gang, and the couple soon find their lives in danger.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Bruce Dern Films
• Cameron Mitchell Films
• Diane Ladd Films
• Gangsters
• Harry Dean Stanton Films
• Jack Nicholson Films
• Motorcyclists

Review:
Following directly on the heels of The Wild Angels (1967) — also co-starring Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern — this biker exploitation flick was made in 1967 but not released until 1970, when the success of Easy Rider (1969) brought the biker sub-genre to mainstream consciousness. Writer-director Martin B. Cohen — collaborating with screenwriters Michael Kars and Abe Polsky (best known for scripting The Baby [1973]) — manages to present a truly terrible movie, one which rambles in both tone and focus and is a slog to sit through. The drama between Ladd and Mitchell, in terms of whether Ladd will keep her baby (she wants to) and allow Mitchell to marry her:

… is merely a convenient subplot to put likable characters in harm’s way. Meanwhile, Mitchell’s former friendship with Dern is loose at best, serving no purpose other than to humanize Dern (slightly) by the end. The bulk of the film focuses on showing the bikers wreaking havoc, first in a bar:

… and later down on a beach, where they are going to race each other for the “privilege” of raping Ladd (do they not notice her advanced pregnancy, or not care?):

After being badly beaten, Mitchell goes into town to try to get help, only to find that local law enforcement is “laughably” ineffective:

At least he finds one individual (Robert Dix) willing to step up when his beautiful daughter accidentally wanders into the bikers’ trap.

I guess viewers enjoyed seeing motorcycles roaring along pristine natural landscapes:

… but this entire mess mostly comes across like an improvised quickie meant to pass screentime, nothing more. Watch (if you’d like) for Harry Dean Stanton in a supporting role as well.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Laszlo Kovacs’s (co)-cinematography
  

Must See?
Nope; skip this one unless you absolutely must see every early film Nicholson ever appeared in.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TV Guide Review

Synopsis:
A group of outlaw bikers — Firewater (John ‘Bud’ Cardos), Acid (Greydon Clark), Muscle (William Bonner), Willie (Robert Dix), Romeo (Bobby Clark), Gina (Regina Carrol), and their leader, Anchor (Russ Tamblyn) — terrorize and kill a young couple, then move on to a diner where they take its owner (Kent Taylor) and waitress (Jacqulin Cole), as well as three customers — an ex-cop (Scott Brady) and his wife (Evelyn Frank) and a Vietnam vet (Gary Kent) — hostage in the desert, eventually running into a trio of geology students (Yvonne Stewart, Cheryl Anne, and Bambi Alen) as well. Who will survive in the arid wilderness?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Deserts
• Motorcyclists
• Russ Tamblyn Films
• Veterans

Review:
Peary lists two films by notorious schlockmeister Al Adamson in his GFTFF: Nurse Sherri (1978) and this earlier biker outlaw flick, which followed fast on the heels of Easy Rider (1969) and clearly took some visual inspiration from it:

That’s Russ Tamblyn there behind the shades, and it’s appropriate to feel sorry for his terrible choice in starring in this flick. (Perhaps his embarrassment is why he spends so much time in a floppy hat covering much of his face.)

Cole earns my personal vote for giving the most vacuous female throwaway performance I can recall in recent years:

“I want to go to a big city and meet somebody important and get married.”

Meanwhile, Anchor’s “mama” (Carrol) is so obsessively in love with him — and so willing to denigrate herself for him in any way possible — that we can’t help at least feeling at least a little thrilled by the creative way she finally takes matters into her own hands:

Note: This film has the “distinction” of being (perhaps) the first movie to show someone dying by having their head held down a toilet; nice.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Effective use of desert locations
  

Must See?
Nope. Listed as Trash in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TV Guide Capsule Review
• Spinning Image Review