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Category: Original Reviews

Responses to Peary’s “must see” movie reviews, as well as my own “must see” movie reviews up to and after 1986 (when Peary’s book was published).

Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)

Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)

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“I’m gonna have to remove Chance Wayne from your life finally, and for the last time!”

Synopsis:
An aspiring actor (Paul Newman) working as a gigolo for a drug-addicted star (Geraldine Page) arrives back in his home town with plans to blackmail Page into giving him his big break in Hollywood; meanwhile, he reconnects with his old girlfriend (Shirley Knight), whose overbearing father (Ed Begley) and brother (Rip Torn) are determined not to let Newman anywhere near her.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Actors and Actresses
  • Aspiring Stars
  • Blackmail
  • Deep South
  • Ed Begley Sr. Films
  • Geraldine Page Films
  • Has-Beens
  • Mildred Dunnock Films
  • Paul Newman Films
  • Play Adaptation
  • Political Corruption
  • Prostitutes and Gigolos
  • Richard Brooks Films
  • Rip Torn Films
  • Shirley Knight Films
  • Tennessee Williams Films

Review:
Four years after bringing Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) to the big screen, Richard Brooks directed and wrote the screenplay for this adaptation of another Williams play, co-starring Paul Newman and Geraldine Page. Newman and Page reprised the central roles they played on Broadway — and from the opening sequence of Newman driving inebriated, volatile Page in the back of his convertible, we’re intrigued by the dynamic between this unusual duo:

Newman is at his hunkiest (is that even possible to distinguish?):

… and Page is note-perfect as an insecure, narcissistic diva, still gorgeous and alluring, but clearly about to pass her prime.

The rest of the storyline — primarily centered on venal Begley’s outsized political and personal influence in his town — is a tough pill to swallow but, sadly, all too believable. It’s gut-wrenching watching him bully and mistreat everyone around him, including his daughter (Knight):

… his sister (Mildred Dunnock), his staffers, and — most infamously — his mistress (Sherwood):

… not to mention seeing the ripple effect this has on his son (Torn), who it seems will follow in his footsteps:

As Bosley Crowther wrote in his amusing assessment for the New York Times:

“[Underneath] all the glitter and added motion provided on the screen… we are still up against the same dank characters that slithered and squirmed and grunted and howled across the stage… [They] are still horrendous characters, each in his (or her) separate way, oozing meanness like blackstrap molasses and trailing misery like a prisoner’s clanking chains…”

Mostly, however, we’re eager to see how things will play out between Newman and Page: each is cockily confident they will get what they want from the other, and weirdly enough, we can’t help rooting for both of them in turn. As CineSavant writes in his review for Trailers From Hell, “Not all Tennessee Williams film adaptations are successful, but Richard Brooks’ blend of romance, show biz venality and political thuggery is just too entertaining to dismiss.”

Note: Thankfully, censors demanded that the utterly bleak ending of Williams’ play be altered somewhat, leaving us with an unexpected sense of hope by the end.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Geraldine Page as Alexandra Del Lago
  • Paul Newman as Chance Wayne
  • Fine supporting performances

  • Milton Krasner’s cinematography

  • Plenty of memorable dialogue:

    “Who taught you to rub desperate ladies the right way?”

Must See?
Yes, for Page’s Oscar-nominated performance.

Categories

  • Noteworthy Performance(s)
  • Oscar Winner or Nominee

Links:

Summer and Smoke (1961)

Summer and Smoke (1961)

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“If I know Johnny, he’s back here for bad.”

Synopsis:
The daughter (Geraldine Page) of a small-town minister (Malcolm Atterbury nurtures a life-long crush on the son (Laurence Harvey) of the local doctor (John McIntire), and is distressed to see Johnny (Harvey) fooling around with the daughter (Rita Moreno) of a gambling hall owner (Thomas Gomez). Meanwhile, Johnny encourages the daughter (Pamela Tiffin) of a “loose woman” (Lee Patrick) to be sent off to an edifying boarding school, and Alma (Page) must prevent her kleptomaniac mother (Una Merkel) from committing even more crimes.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Deep South
  • Geraldine Page Films
  • Historical Drama
  • John McIntire Films
  • Laurence Harvey Films
  • Love Triangle
  • Play Adaptation
  • Rita Moreno Films
  • Tennessee Williams Films

Review:
Geraldine Page reprised her award-winning role in Tennessee Williams’ off-Broadway play for this cinematic adaptation by British director Peter Glenville, and received an Academy Award nomination for her efforts.

Unfortunately, the storyline is a lesser one in Williams’ oeuvre, and we never feel all that engaged or invested in the characters’ lives. As described in TV Guide’s review, “Like so many of the works of Williams, it deals with tension, with repression, with awakening, and, ultimately, with disintegration” — but we see these playing out to much better effect in other Williams productions. Meanwhile, a potentially intriguing subplot involving Page’s kleptomaniac mother (Merkel, who also received an Academy Award nomination) goes nowhere:

… and Rita Moreno is relegated to a stereotypical role as a Latina spitfire desperate to escape her circumstances through romance with Harvey:

You can skip this one.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Geraldine Page as Alma
  • Charles Lang’s cinematography


Must See?
No, unless you’re a diehard Tennessee Williams or Geraldine Page fan.

Links:

Days of Glory (1944)

Days of Glory (1944)

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“My congratulations for the death of two fascists. Now you will set the table, please.”

Synopsis:
When the leader (Gregory Peck) of a group of Soviet partisans during WWII falls in love with a famous ballerina (Tamara Toumanova) who has accidentally stumbled onto their group, his comrades worry he may get distracted from his cause; but Vladimir (Peck), Nina (Toumanova), and the other members of their team — including Semyon (Lowell Gilmore), Yelena (Maria Palmer), Fedor (Hugo Haas), and young siblings Olga (Dena Penn) and Mitya (Glen Vernon) — demonstrate nothing but loyalty and determination in their goals.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Gregory Peck Films
  • Hugo Haas Films
  • Jacques Tourneur Films
  • Revolutionaries
  • World War II

Review:
Along with Mission to Moscow (1943) and The North Star (1943), this Jacques Tourneur-directed film was made specifically to enhance American support for an alliance with the Soviet Union in our collective fight against fascism. It’s notable for featuring young, handsome Gregory Peck in his cinematic debut:

… and also Czech-born, soon-to-be-writer-director Hugo Haas in his first Hollywood appearance:

However, it’s otherwise simply pure propaganda, with plenty of pulpy romance, honorable sacrifice, and hoary dialogue:

“I try to remember when I didn’t know you; I can’t.”

Only film fanatics with an interest in the super-brief era of Soviet-allied Hollywood cinema need to bother checking this one out.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Tony Gaudio’s cinematography

Must See?
No, unless you’re curious.

Links:

Last Voyage, The (1960)

Last Voyage, The (1960)

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“I have never lost a ship and I’m not losing this one!”

Synopsis:
While travelling on an ocean liner to Tokyo, a man (Robert Stack), his wife (Dorothy Malone), and their child (Tammy Marihugh) find their lives in danger as the ship begins to fail, and the captain (George Sanders) refuses to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. Thankfully, a pragmatic engineer (Edmond O’Brien) attempts to take charge, while a sailor (Woody Strode) supports Stack in rescuing his wife from being pinned under twisted iron.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • At Sea
  • Disaster Flicks
  • Dorothy Malone Films
  • Edmond O’Brien Films
  • George Sanders Films
  • Robert Stack Films
  • Woody Strode Films

Review:
This chock-a-block disaster flick — inspired by both the sinking of the SS Andrea Doria in 1956, and of course the Titanic — was filmed onboard the soon-to-be-scrapped SS Ile de France, and apparently provided a seriously dangerous experience for much of the cast and crew. The storyline is notable for getting to the disaster itself almost immediately, with very little time spent on character development; the only family we follow (Stack, Malone, and Marihugh) takes center stage alongside the ongoing drama of the captain and his increasingly distressed crew.

Stack and Malone — having previously co-starred in Douglas Sirk’s Written on the Wind (1956) and The Tarnished Angels (1957) — make a natural couple, though their plight is one of pure survival; Malone, especially, is put through the wringer, spending the majority of the film trapped, disheveled, hysterical, contemplating suicide, and/or nearly drowning:

As her heroic savior, Strode was apparently cast in a “colorblind” fashion, but his race inevitably heightens narrative tensions as we wonder if or when racist concerns and stereotypes will emerge:

Meanwhile, O’Brien is justifiably outraged throughout much of the film:

… due to Sanders playing yet another variation on A Man You Simply Loathe. His Captain Adams is infuriating to watch — not just because his laissez-faire attitude is wantonly killing people, but because he truly doesn’t care, surrounds himself with yes-men, and won’t listen to reason from those around him who understand the gravity of the situation much better than he does (flashback to 2020, anyone?):

Married couple Andrew and Virginia Stone (who wrote, produced, directed, and edited the film) unfortunately chose to incorporate an unnecessary, distracting voiceover throughout the movie, provided by George Furness:

She has an appointment with the scrap-yard – but it’s an appointment she will never keep – for this is the last voyage…

However, there’s enough action and disaster here to satisfy those who enjoy this type of non-stop, heart-pounding thriller.


Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Truly impressive “special effects” and action sequences

Must See?
No, though fans of disaster flicks will of course want to check it out.

Links:

Madame Bovary (1934)

Madame Bovary (1934)

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“I can’t bear to look at him — I hate him!”

Synopsis:
A woman (Valentine Tessier) married to a dull country doctor (Pierre Renoir) has an affair with a womanizer (Fernand Fabre), then with a law student (Daniel Lecourtois), all while borrowing excessive amounts of money from a lender (Le Vigan) who eventually demands to be paid.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • French Films
  • Historical Drama
  • Infidelity
  • Jean Renoir Films

Review:
Peary lists 20 out of 30 sound-era films by French auteur Jean Renoir in his GFTFF, including this relatively early entry in his oeuvre — the second cinematic adaptation of Gustave Flaubert’s once-scandalous novel Madame Bovary (later filmed by Vincente Minnelli in 1949 with Jennifer Jones). Tessier (in her early 40s) seems a bit old to be playing young Emma, but nicely portrays her consternation at finding herself in a marriage which offers her no satisfaction whatsoever.

Since I’m not a fan of Flaubert’s novel (or Emma Bovary herself), I can’t speak to personal appreciation or enjoyment of the storyline — but Renoir’s strong directorial hand is in continuous evidence, making it at the very least visually interesting.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Fine direction by Renoir

  • Atmospheric cinematography

Must See?
No, unless you’re curious.

Links:

Pretty in Pink (1986)

Pretty in Pink (1986)

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“You don’t understand that it has nothing at all to do with you.”

Synopsis:
When a teenager (Molly Ringwald) living with her unemployed dad (Harry Dean Stanton) falls for a rich boy (Andrew McCarthy), she seeks support from her quirky boss (Annie Potts) and her lifelong friend “Duckie” (Jon Cryer), who is hurt that Andie (Ringwald) isn’t interested in a romantic relationship with him instead.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Class Relations
  • Cross-Class Romance
  • Father and Child
  • High School
  • Love Triangle
  • Teenagers

Review:
John Hughes’ third and final collaboration with Molly Ringwald — after Sixteen Candles (1984) and The Breakfast Club (1985) — was this film (directed by Howard Deutch) in which Ringwald once again plays a savvy teenager making her way through the complexities of adolescence and romance.

At its core, this is a story about class relations — characters literally live “across the tracks” from one another — as epitomized by the unbearably snobbish, white-suited Steff (James Spader):

… and his bullying girlfriend Kate (Emily Longstreth, standing here next to Gina Gershon):

Meanwhile, McCarthy represents someone trying to navigate both sides of the coin:

… though truthfully, he simply comes across like a bland wet blanket. Much more colorful — if intentionally annoying — is Jon Cryer as Andie’s lovesick friend:

… while Annie Potts steals every scene she’s in as Andie’s slightly-older boss and friend; the sequence in which she reminisces about her prom is my favorite in the entire movie:

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Tak Fujimoto’s vibrant cinematography
  • Molly Ringwald as Andie
  • Annie Potts as Iona
  • Jon Cryer as Duckie

Must See?
No, though of course John Hughes fans will consider it a must.

Links:

Jim Thorpe — All American (1951)

Jim Thorpe — All American (1951)

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“Tonight we pay recognition to a man who had more than a brief moment — a man who, during the past half-century, has carved a permanent place for himself in all our hearts.”

Synopsis:
Award-winning Native American athlete Jim Thorpe (Burt Lancaster) marries his college sweetheart (Phyllis Thaxter) and enjoys a successful career under the tutelage of “Pop” Warner (Charles Bickford) — including setting numerous records at the 1912 Olympics — but experiences a rapid decline after the death of his beloved son.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Biopics
  • Burt Lancaster Films
  • Charles Bickford Films
  • Football
  • Michael Curtiz Films
  • Native Americans
  • Olympics
  • Sports

Review:
Michael Curtiz directed this engaging biopic about Native American athlete and Olympic gold medalist Jim Thorpe, whose career trajectory and personal life were filled with both triumphs and tragedies. As the film opens, we see restless young Thorpe (Billy Gray) being convinced by his kind father (Nestor Paiva) to return to school:

“You don’t see nothing but a boy’s world. That’s all you’ll ever see here on the reservation… You can try to make something of yourself — be something! [You can be] whatever you want to be, boy; it’s all in the books, and the books are in the schools.”

Next we see grown Thorpe studying at the notorious Carlisle Indian Industrial School, where he quickly demonstrates his mettle as an extraordinary runner and track-and-field star (Lancaster is truly impressive performing his own athletic stunts here).

Soon Thorpe meets and falls for a young woman (Thaxter):

… who is also being wooed by a star football player (Steve Cochran):

… thus leading Thorpe to attempt (and succeed in!) that sport as well. Meanwhile, Thorpe wows the entire world by setting new records at the Olympics:

… only to face a major setback when his awards are rescinded based on a ridiculous technicality. He rallies at the birth of his son, but when unimaginable tragedy hits once again, Thorpe never really recovers.

The screenplay simplifies Thorpe’s complicated personal life — he was married three times and had eight children, though only one of each are shown here — but we don’t mind this narrative elision given how powerfully we understand the depths to which he sinks.

Perhaps most impressive is the attempt made to present Native Americans’ perspectives on navigating through their newly colonized land — though we must also suffer through obnoxiously stereotypical “Indian music” pounding on the soundtrack:

Regardless, this film offers a rare glimpse into the lives of Native Americans at the turn of the 20th century, and serves as a valuable semi-historical document about an enormously gifted athlete.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Burt Lancaster as Jim Thorpe
  • Fine direction and cinematography

Must See?
Yes, once, for its historical significance.

Categories

  • Historically Relevant

Links:

Knute Rockne All American (1940)

Knute Rockne All American (1940)

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“You’d be a success at anything you tried, Knute.”

Synopsis:
After his own success as a college football player, Knut Rockne (Pat O’Brien) becomes a beloved coach at Notre Dame, where he mentors numerous players — including George Gipp (Ronald Reagan).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Biopics
  • Donald Crisp Films
  • Football
  • John Qualen Films
  • Pat O’Brien Films
  • Ronald Reagan Films

Review:
DVD Savant describes this idolizing biopic of Norwegian-American football coach Knute Rockne as “Warners’ valentine to American values”:

… and that just about sums it up perfectly. We see young Rockne (Billy Sheffield) — raised by his supportive dad (John Qualen) and mom (Dorothy Tree) — taking naturally to football:

… Rockne working hard (at the post office) to afford to attend college a little later than most:

… and Rockne getting along swimmingly with his roommate, Gus Dorais (Owen Davis Jr.) — alongside whom he “brought the forward pass to professional football”:

Eventually Rockne must decide — with help from Father John Callahan (Donald Crisp) and Father Julius Nieuwland (Albert Bassermann) — between a career as a chemistry instructor or a coach:

… and, of course, we know which path he will choose. He famously mentors baseball player-turned-football player George Gipp, who mouths the AFI’s 89th Greatest Movie Quote of all time on his deathbed:

“Some day, when things are tough, maybe you can ask the boys to go in there and win just one for the Gipper.”

Speaking of this film embodying “American values”, Gipp states the following line to Rockne’s devoted wife (Gale Page):

“There’ll never be but one Rockne — here at Notre Dame or anywhere else. He’s given us something they don’t teach in schools: something clean and strong inside, not just courage but a right way of living that none of us’ll ever forget.”

Other notable moments covered from Rockne’s life include coaching the “Four Horsemen” of Notre Dame:


… and Rockne’s tragic death in a plane crash at the age of 43, which led to improved aviation building standards. Football fans will surely be curious to check out this flick about the man who earned “the highest all-time winning percentage (.881) for a major college football coach”, and really did seem to be beloved by all — but it’s not must-see viewing for all film fanatics.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Tony Gaudio’s cinematography

Must See?
No, unless you’re curious. Selected for preservation in the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1997.

Links:

Storm Over Asia / Heir of Genghis Khan, The (1928)

Storm Over Asia / Heir of Genghis Khan, The (1928)

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“There are ceremonies and rites among all races.”

Synopsis:
When a Mongol fur trader (Valery Inkizhinov) is offered an unfair price for his wares, he attacks the white traders and flees for the mountains, where he joins Soviet partisans fighting against British occupying troops. Bair (Inkizhinov) is captured and nearly killed, but allowed to live when documents are discovered indicating he is an heir to Genghis Khan.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Russian Films
  • Silent Films

Review:
V.I. Pudovkin’s third film in his so-called “revolutionary trilogy” — following Mother (1926) and The End of St. Petersburg (1927) — was this highly fictionalized tale of Mongols rising up against imperialist Brits (who in actuality never colonized the land!). To explain why Pudovkin would make a film set in Mongolia, a bit of history — courtesy of Wikipedia — seems in order:

In 1919, after the October Revolution in Russia, Chinese troops led by warlord Xu Shuzheng occupied Mongolia. Warfare erupted on the northern border. As a result of the Russian Civil War, the White Russian Lieutenant General Baron Ungern led his troops into Mongolia in October 1920, defeating the Chinese forces in Niislel Khüree (now Ulaanbaatar) in early February 1921 with Mongol support.

To eliminate the threat posed by Ungern, Bolshevik Russia decided to support the establishment of a communist Mongolian government and army. This Mongolian army took the Mongolian part of Kyakhta from Chinese forces on March 18, 1921, and on July 6 Russian and Mongolian troops arrived in Khüree. Mongolia declared its independence again on July 11, 1921. As a result, Mongolia was closely aligned with the Soviet Union over the next seven decades.

Well, there you go; I certainly didn’t know any of this before watching Storm Over Asia. On its own merits (historical untruths aside), it offers a fascinating pseudo-ethnographic look at Mongolian rituals as juxtaposed directly against equally “odd” European rituals:


Indeed, Pudovkin’s use of montage is as masterful as ever, so those with an interest in watching his craft will want to check this one out — but it’s not must-see viewing for all film fanatics.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Anatoly Golovnia’s cinematography

  • Expert use of montage
  • Fascinating footage of early 20th century Mongolian culture

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look for its cinematic interest as the first movie shot in Mongolia (but not for its historical accuracy!). Listed as a film with Historical Relevance in the back of Peary’s book.

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

Links:

End of St. Petersburg, The (1927)

End of St. Petersburg, The (1927)

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“It’s all the bald one’s fault, your honor.”

Synopsis:
When a young peasant (Ivan Chuvelyov) goes to St. Petersburg seeking work, he learns that his former neighbor (Aleksandr Chistyakov) — much to the consternation of Chistyakov’s worried wife (Vera Baranovskaya) — is involved in a strike, and Chuvelyov foolishly goes to the authorities with this information. Soon Chuvelyov is inscripted into World War I, and returns to help the revolutionaries take over the Winter Palace.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Labor Movements
  • Revolutionaries
  • Russian Films
  • Silent Films

Review:
Russian director V.I. Pudovkin’s follow up to Mother (1926) was this second of three films about revolution, with key actors (Baranovskaya and Chistyakov) from Mother reappearing:

… and the storyline once again showcasing someone who naively betrays a comrade, then has a change of heart and joins the movement.

As noted in Cinesavant’s review, there is plenty of “furious fast cutting”; indeed, Pudovkhin’s masterful use of montage to build tension and perspective was legendary. The following abbreviated set of stills shows, for instance, how he builds up to the climactic firing on the Winter Palace:













Close-ups of “heroic” faces are interspersed with group shots, weaponry, statues, and buildings — occasionally repeated or provided in a closer-up view — to show how collective and coordinated the effort was. It’s impressive editing work for sure, and those interested in early Soviet cinema will certainly want to check it out — but it’s not must-see viewing for all film fanatics.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Fine cinematography
  • Masterful use of montage

Must See?
No, unless you’re particularly interested in Agitprop cinema. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Links: