FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
In 18th century colonized Peru, an Italian actress (Anna Magnani) travelling through town with her troupe is wooed by a local bullfighter (Riccardo Rioli), the Viceroy (Duncan Lamont), and her own boyfriend (Paul Campbell), who has run off to join the army.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Actors and Actresses
• Cross-Class Romance
• Historical Drama
• Jean Renoir Films
• Love Triangle
• Royalty and Nobility

Review:
The first of Jean Renoir’s so-called “trilogy of spectacle” was this colorful comedic fable described by Jonathan Rosenbaum as “a film in English set in a Spanish colony of Peru … inspired by Antonio Vivaldi’s music and shot in an Italian studio by a French director.” It’s primarily a star vehicle for Magnani, whose presence adds spark and interest to each scene she’s in:

However, it’s also an opportunity for Renoir to once again skewer the aristocracy:

… while having fun with color, set pieces, life-versus-art, and romantic entanglements; as noted by Andrew Sarris in his essay for Criterion, it “can best be appreciated as an illustrious filmmaker’s elegant tribute to the theater.” It’s not must-see for all film fanatics, though Renoir or Magnani fans will certainly want to check it out.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Anna Magnani as Camilla
  
• Colorful cinematography, costumes, and sets
  
  
• A fine Vivaldi-filled score

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

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Criterion Essay (Andrew Sarris)
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
A movie producer (Walter Pidgeon) calls together a director (Barry Sullivan), an actress (Lana Turner), and a screenwriter (Dick Powell) to see if he can convince them to work one more time with notorious Hollywood “bad guy” Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas), who caused harm to each of them in the past.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Actors and Actresses
• Dick Powell Films
• Flashback Films
• Gloria Grahame Films
• Hollywood
• Kirk Douglas Films
• Lana Turner Films
• Movie Directors
• Paul Stewart Films
• Vincente Minnelli Films
• Walter Pidgeon Films
• Writers

Response to Peary’s Review:
Vincente Minnelli directed this melodramatic look at the challenges of working within the Hollywood studio system, as personified by the first part of the film’s title (“bad” — i.e., ruthless — Douglas playing a thinly veiled version of David O. Selznick):

… and certainly populated by plenty of the second part (“beautiful” people):

Unfortunately, the entire construct of embittered but now-successful Sullivan, Turner, and Powell being pulled together to work again with Douglas doesn’t quite ring true as anything other than a narrative crutch:

… and the pacing of the various flashback plotlines feels off, especially the sudden appearance of Powell and his Southern-belle wife (Gloria Grahame):

Meanwhile, Turner’s performance is — well, typical of her work more broadly:

… though camp enthusiasts will likely appreciate her stand-out moment of hysteria during a car ride in the rain:

Peary nominates Douglas for an Alternate Oscar as one of the Best Actors of the Year:

… and he certainly embodies this type of success-at-any-cost individual perfectly. Film fanatics will likely be curious to check this film out once, given its five Academy Award wins, but I don’t think it’s must-see viewing.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Robert Surtees’ cinematography
  
  
  
• Gloria Grahame as Rosemary (I’m glad she won an Oscar for her work, as short as it is here)
  

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a one time look. Listed as a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book. Selected by the U.S. Library of Congress in 2002 for preservation in the National Film Registry as “culturally significant”.

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant Review
• TCM Articles
• Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
A falsely accused veteran (Robert Mitchum) meets a beautiful lounge singer (Jane Russell) and a pushy salesman (William Bendix) while travelling to Macao, where he encounters a shady gambling hall owner (Brad Dexter) and his moll (Gloria Grahame), and is soon caught up in an international smuggling intrigue.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Gloria Grahame Films
• Jane Russell Films
• Josef von Sternberg Films
• Robert Mitchum Films
• Thieves and Criminals
• Undercover Cops
• William Bendix Films

Review:
Josef von Sternberg’s final American film before heading to Japan to make his last movie, Anatahan (1953), was this Howard Hughes-produced romantic adventure with no less than seven screenwriters (plus Mitchum himself) and three additional directors (including Nicholas Ray, who was married to but divorcing from Grahame at the time). With these credentials, one would expect it to be a complete mess, but it’s actually surprisingly diverting as long as one simply gives in to the atmospheric sets, the (sometimes confusing) intrigue, and the beautiful super-stars. Mitchum and Russell are an authentically steamy couple:

… and Grahame is a realistic romantic foe, though it’s too bad the scope of her supporting role here was such a notch down after co-starring in In a Lonely Place (1950):

I certainly don’t agree with DVD Savant’s assessment that the film “klunks along… but doesn’t really deliver,” or that “the heavy hand of Howard Hughes manages a completely anonymous look” with “the presence of von Sternberg… nigh undetectable.” Interestingly, most stories about the film’s troubled production center directly on von Sternberg, who was a consternation for all involved — especially Mitchum, who refused to put up with von Sternberg’s demands and rightfully reminded him at one point that if anyone would be fired, it wouldn’t be the star.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Gloria Grahame as Margie
  
• Jane Russell singing “One For the Road”
  
• Atmospheric cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No, though it’s a fun yarn and I’m glad I saw it once.

Links:

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

Synopsis:
A novelist (Dana Andrews) engaged to the daughter (Joan Fontaine) of a publisher opposed to capital punishment (Sidney Blackmer) agrees to be part of a scheme proving that even innocent men can be convicted of crimes they didn’t commit — but things quickly go awry in unexpected ways.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Corruption
• Courtroom Drama
• Dana Andrews Films
• Falsely Accused
• Fritz Lang Films
• Joan Fontaine Films
• Writers

Review:
This final Hollywood film by Fritz Lang is, sadly, a disappointment. Familiar Langian themes — i.e., respectable, career-obsessed men whose involvement with “loose” women precipitates their downfall and causes them to lose the true love of their lives — are present, but play out in a pedantic and uninvolving fashion. Andrews is literally walking through his role (apparently alcoholism was causing him troubles), and his character’s choice to put his life at risk for the sake of proving a point seems stupid beyond belief. The three strippers (Barbara Nichols, Robin Raymond, and Joyce Taylor) at the heart of the seedy underground are one-dimensional cliches:

Meanwhile, Fontaine and Andrews’ romance is paper-thin:

… and Fontaine is so clearly still adored by a former suitor (Arthur Franz) that we know things aren’t quite done between them.

The first plot twist (involving Blackmer) is predictable, while the second twist doesn’t ring true for a second. Feel free to skip this one.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Some atmospheric cinematography
  

Must See?
No, unless you’re a diehard Lang completist.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TV Guide Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
A sociopathic college student (Robert Wagner) murders his pregnant girlfriend (Joanne Woodward), then romances her sister Ellen (Virginia Leith), in an attempt to maintain access to her wealthy father (George Macready) — but a savvy classmate (Jeffrey Hunter) helps Ellen uncover the true danger she’s in.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• George Macready Films
• Jeffrey Hunter Films
• Joanne Woodward Films
• Mary Astor Films
• Plot to Murder
• Pregnancy
• Psychopaths
• Robert Wagner Films
• Social Climbers

Review:
This adaptation of Ira Levin’s award winning debut novel was controversial at the time for openly using the word “pregnant”. In Eddie Muller’s intro to the movie for TCM, he describes it as a kind of “homicidal Douglas Sirk”, with Technicolor cinematography, location shooting in Tucson, and a sexy homme fatale.

It’s notable for offering Joanne Woodward her second film role, though she’s killed off midway through, and apparently Woodward hated this movie (I can’t say I blame her, given that she comes across as not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed).

Virginia Leith is fine and beautiful (if undistinguished) as her brunette sister:

… in what appears to be her only GFTFF-listed film, though she had a role in Stanley Kubrick’s debut feature — Fear and Desire (1953) — and is apparently beloved for her beheaded role in The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962). Meanwhile, Wagner is appropriately smarmy and charming as a man foolish enough to date his murder victim’s sister (talk about tools not being very sharp! — or perhaps simply hubris inevitably causing one’s downfall).

Watch for Mary Astor in a bit role as Wagner’s lower-class mother.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Lucien Ballard’s atmospheric cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look. Listed as a Sleeper in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
When a life-destroying virus is stolen from a biological warfare lab, a former private investigator and intelligence agent (George Maharis) is recruited to help track down the lunatic (Richard Basehart) who threatens the existence of the world.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Anne Francis Films
• Dana Andrews Films
• John Sturges Films
• Richard Basehart Films
• Science Fiction
• Scientists
• World Domination

Review:
Described on Wikipedia as a “crime science fiction suspense film”, this adaptation of Alistair MacLean’s 1962 novel is an ultimately disappointing entry in this subgenre. After living through a year+ of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was deeply interested in watching a film about how a lethal virus might be let loose on the planet — yet the first half-hour consists primarily of elaborate set-up and talk. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times got it right in the opening lines of his review:

“For all the talented people who worked on or in The Satan Bug… this highfalutin drama about stolen death germs and hot pursuit has much the triteness and monotony of an average serial television show. That is because its information is mainly conveyed in talk rather than in the kind of action that makes for excitement and suspense.”

Attempts are made to inject suspense and tension — as when Maharis (handsome but bland) suits up to enter a lab he may not return from alive:

… and the numerous times when a vial of astronomically lethal liquid is seconds away from shattering and spreading:

— but it’s somehow not as compelling as it could (and very much should) be. With that said, director John Sturges and DP Robert Surtees make excellent use of location shooting opportunities across Southern California:

… including an encounter in Palm Springs and the climax in Dodger Stadium.

Watch for Dana Andrews in a minor role as the father of Maharis’s lover (Anne Francis):

… and Richard Bull (of “Little House on the Prairie” fame) as one among several besuited men attempting to handle the situation:

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Robert Surtees’ cinematography
  
  
• Effective location shooting in Southern California
  
  
• De Patie-Freleng’s creative opening credits
  
• Jerry Goldsmith’s score

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re curious.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Talk Review
• Moria Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
When a wealthy vintner (Mario Pisu) suffers a near-fatal heart attack, his scheming son-in-law (Duilio Del Prete) hires his former girlfriend (Ursula Andress) to come and work as a sexy nurse, hoping she will stimulate Pisu to his death.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Black Comedy
• Doctors and Nurses
• Inheritance
• Jack Palance Films
• Plot to Murder
• Ursula Andress Films
• Widows and Widowers

Review:
This Italian sex comedy is likely included in Peary’s book as a representative film of this genre — and/or because of the starring presence of sexy Andress:

… who is “forced” to seduce a teenage boy (Stefano Sabelli) when he accidentally learns about his family’s murderous plans:

There is a refreshing plot twist at one point which helps to perk things up, but overall this is a tedious, hopelessly awful flick. While it delivers on the tenets of its genre — providing plenty of female nudity and slapstick “comedy” — it will really only be of interest to those who appreciate this type of fare. Watch for Jack Palance in a tiny supporting role as a menacing American businessman:

… and Thunderball (1965) Bond girl Luciana Paluzzi as Sabelli’s mother:

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Ennio Guarnieri’s cinematography
  

Must See?
No; you can most definitely skip this one.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
A meek executive (Ian Carmichael) seeking assistance from the head of the School of Lifemanship (Alastair Sim) shares his story of falling in love with a beautiful young woman (Janette Scott) who is seduced away from him by a slick competitor (Terry-Thomas) with a sportscar. Will Henry (Carmichael) learn enough “ploys” to be able to earn back both his self-respect and the object of his affections?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Alastair Sim Films
• Character Arc
• Comedy
• Love Triangle
• Mentors
• Rivalry

Review:
This adaptation (by director Robert Hamer) of Stephen Potter’s “Gamesmanship” books remains a delightful British comedy featuring plum roles for top talent of the day (Sim, Thomas, Carmichael, and Scott). While it’s initially painful watching Carmichael being taken advantage of left and right — particularly when he (very stupidly) buys a lemon of a car without even giving it a test drive — the storyline nicely loops back to show Carmichael using his newfound skills to fight back against each and every one of his multiple nemeses.

Dennis Price and Peter Jones nail their supporting roles as shady car salesmen ultimately taken in by their own rhetoric, and Terry-Thomas is so consistently insufferable that we take great delight at his increasing frustration later in the film.

Meanwhile, Scott is delightful as the men’s object of romantic interest:

… and Sim steals the show in his crucial role as Carmichael’s personal mentor.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Ian Carmichael as Henry Palfrey
  
• Terry-Thomas as Raymond
  
• Janette Scott as April
  
• Alastair Sim as Mr. Potter
  
• Dennis Price and Peter Jones as two supremely shady car salesmen
  
• Many humorous sequences
  
  
  

Must See?
Yes, as a fun cult favorite. Listed as a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Cult Movie
• Good Show

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Spinning Image Review
• Film Talk Movie Review

Synopsis:
In the desolate west, a miner (Warren Oates) and his dim-witted working companion (Will Hutchins) are hired by a strong-willed woman (Millie Perkins) to lead her to town across the desert; but it soon becomes apparent that she’s sending signals to a sharpshooter (Jack Nicholson) along their path.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Deserts
• Jack Nicholson Films
• Millie Perkins Films
• Monte Hellman Films
• Revenge
• Strong Females
• Warren Oates Films
• Westerns

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “puzzling but excellent existential western” — “directed by Monte Hellman in the Utah desert in 1965, in conjunction with Ride in the Whirlwind” — presents an “unusual, interesting West” that “is ugly, barren, and godforsaken.” He notes that “Oates gives a solid performance as a [former] bounty hunter” and Hutchins “is surprisingly effective as his simple-minded companion,” while Jack Nicholson — “who produced this film and wrote Whirlwind” — plays an “evil Jack Palance-like gunslinger” who “keeps threatening Hutchins,” though “we have faith that the intelligent Oates could outwit Nicholson in a fight.”

Peary discusses the film in greater detail in his first Cult Movies book, where he points out that despite Hellman presenting a “realistic” West, “the situations he places his characters in are existential in nature.” He writes that, “In The Shooting, neither Grashade [Oates] nor… Coley [Hutchins] understands why the Perkins character refuses to give her name or why she hires them“:

… and he points out that “just like the driver and the mechanic in Hellman’s modern-day ‘road’ film Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), the men in these two films end up taking part in journeys that go nowhere.”

Watching Ride in the Whirlwind and The Shooting back-to-back, it’s interesting to imagine Perkins’ character(s) somehow spanning both. Her unnamed “Woman” has a lot more speaking time than put-upon Abigail in Whirlwind — perhaps not surprising, given The Shooting was scripted by a woman (Carole Eastman); and while The Woman comes across as harsh, demanding, annoying, and even cruel (she shoots her own horse), one can easily see how things would get to that point while living in this type of unforgiving environment, with no other women seemingly around. As Peary writes, the mysterious “end may ask more questions than it answers” — but it does give some sudden and fascinating insights into what this otherwise inscrutable film may have been all about.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Warren Oates as Willett Gashade
  
• Will Hutchins as Coley
  
• Millie Perkins as The Woman
  
• Gregory Sandor’s cinematography
  
  
• Carole Eastman’s authentic-sounding dialogue

Must See?
Yes, as a unique cult favorite.

Categories

• Cult Movie

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TV Guide Review
• DVD Savant Review
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
An unemployed writer (Jason Robards, Jr.) caring for his 12-year-old nephew (Barry Gordon) refuses to settle down and get a job, even when two social workers (William Daniels and Barbara Harris) come to warn him he’s under supervision. Will an affair with Harris — or cajoling by his responsible brother Arnold (Martin Balsam) — finally convince Murray (Robards, Jr.) to accept a job as a writer for an unfunny children’s performer (Gene Saks)?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Barbara Harris Films
• Jason Robards Films
• Martin Balsam Films
• Nonconformists
• Play Adaptation
• Raising Kids

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that the “cult following has nearly disappeared for Herb Gardner’s adaptation of his Broadway play,” which “was one of the first films that dealt with the theme of nonconformity, rather than merely having a nonconformist lead character.” Peary argues that “its sellout conclusion” “doesn’t sit well” and this “dated film is predictable, too chatty, and no longer funny… But it’s still a pleasure to watch the acting by Robards, Harris, and Gordon, an excellent child actor” who GFTFF fans will likely recognize from his starring role in Out of It (1969). I agree with Peary that this film hasn’t aged all that well, though I disagree that the ending is a sellout; instead, I’m relieved that Robards, Jr. cares enough for someone other than himself to finally look beyond his narcissistic desire for freedom and rebellion at all costs (that’s the responsible adult/parent in me speaking). Harris is delightful in her screen debut, and the supporting cast is all excellent — including Saks as “Chuckles the Chipmunk”, Daniels as Harris’s no-nonsense colleague, and Oscar-nominated Balsam in a rather thankless role as Robards, Jr.’s always-supportive brother.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Jason Robards, Jr. as Murray
  
• Barbara Harris as Sandra
  
• Barry Gordon as “Nick”
  
• Gene Saks as Leo (a.k.a. “Chuckles the Chipmunk”)
  
• Martin Balsam as Arnold
  
• William Daniels as Albert
  
• Fine cinematography by Arthur Ornitz
  

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Spinning Image Review
• NY Times Original Review
• TCM Article