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Synopsis:
When a mentally challenged gardener (Peter Sellers) is forced to leave his lifelong home after his guardian’s passing, he is accidentally hit by a car owned by a wealthy woman (Shirley MacLaine) who takes him to her mansion to receive medical help and meet her dying husband (Melvyn Douglas). “Chance” (Sellers) — referred to by the couple as “Chauncey Gardener” — quickly impresses MacLaine and Douglas with his forthright simplicity, and an opportune meeting with the president (Jack Warden) gives him instant fame. What will Chance’s future hold in store for him and the nation?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Hal Ashby Films
• Intellectually Disabled
• Melvyn Douglas Films
• Millionaires
• Mistaken or Hidden Identities
• Peter Sellers Films
• Richard Basehart Films
• Shirley MacLaine Films

Review:
Hal Ashby’s adaptation of Jerzy Kosinski’s novel became Peter Sellers’ swan song — his next-to-last film before dying from a heart attack at the age of 54. Thankfully, it’s a fitting and honorable role for Sellers, allowing him to portray a much wiser, less hectic character than usual — someone able to pass his unique gifts along simply by being himself. There’s a surprising amount of humor gleaned from the central premise of Chance being an interpretive slate for whatever people choose to make of his utterings; only his former colleague (Ruth Attaway) knows how “feeble-minded” he really is, and just one other person — Douglas’s doctor (Richard Dysart) — suspects anything. Caleb Deschanel’s cinematography perfectly captures the grandeur of the Rands’ existence in a truly palatial mansion, large enough to house a hospital unit within it. Chance’s chance meeting with MacLaine can easily be seen as a divine — perhaps even Biblical — opportunity to allow Americans to connect in an out-of-the-box way; we may need our own “Chauncey Gardener” right around now to help heal our nation…

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Peter Sellers as Chance
  
• Shirley MacLaine as Eve Rand
  
• Melvyn Douglas as Ben Rand
  
• Caleb Deschanel’s cinematography
  

Must See?
Yes, for Sellers’ performance and as an all-around good show.

Categories

• Noteworthy Performance(s)
• Oscar Winner or Nominee

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• FilmSite Review
• Spinning Image Review
• DVD Savant Review
• TCM Article
• Moria Review

Synopsis:
An eccentric billionaire named Sir Guy Grand (Peter Sellers) adopts a homeless young man as his son (Ringo Starr), and then proceeds to spend large amounts of money bribing people into doing his whims — ultimately proving that money really can buy just about anything.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Black Comedy
• Christopher Lee Films
• Counterculture
• Father and Child
• Laurence Harvey Films
• Millionaires
• Nonconformists
• Peter Sellers Films
• Raquel Welch Films
• Richard Attenborough Films
• Ringo Starr Films
• Roman Polanski Films
• Yul Brynner Films

Review:
This loose adaptation of Terry Southern’s 1959 comic novel is unambiguous in its relentless skewering of capitalism and corruption — though it’s challenging to know exactly what to make of this perspective, especially since Sellers’ character isn’t sympathetic and we wish he would spend his money in more productive and charitable ways. DVD Savant is clearly not a fan of this flick, writing that “despite the fact that some find this show absolutely hilarious, it all just sits there, daring us to pick about for whatever scraps of inspiration can be found in the wreckage.” He adds that “There isn’t much shock value here, only a mild crudity that only makes the film seem less imaginative.” With that said, some bits stand out as amusing — including the inspired auction scene, and random cameos during final sequences on board the “Magic Christian” cruise ship. Ultimately, however, this one really isn’t for all tastes, and will be of most interest to those who appreciate all manner of zany cinema coming out of the late 1960s.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Some creatively surreal imagery and scenes
  
  
  
• Amusing cameos by a host of big names
  
  

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TV Guide Review
• DVD Savant Review
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
A square lawyer (Peter Sellers) with a nagging mom (Jo Van Fleet), a hippie brother (David Arkin), and doubts about marrying his earnest girlfriend (Joyce Van Patten) ends up eating hash-laced brownies, falling for a free-spirited young woman (Lauren Taylor-Young), and questioning his entire lifestyle.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Black Comedy
• Character Arc
• Counterculture
• Peter Sellers Films

Review:
Three years after donning a ridiculous wig-with-bangs to play sex-obsessed psychoanalyst Dr. Fritz Fassbender in What’s New, Pussycat? (1965), Peter Sellers had another chance to go long-haired in this time-capsule movie about “finding oneself” in the midst of the counterculture revolution.

Sellers’ character here (Harold) is hard to sympathize with: he treats his fiancee (Van Patten) terribly, he never stands up to his domineering mother (Van Fleet), and his shift to a hippie lifestyle rings completely false. This is all meant to be played for laughs — yet there’s clearly an undercurrent of supposed “Truth” behind Paul Mazursky’s screenplay as well, with guileless Taylor-Young coming across as the most authentic of the bunch. Meanwhile, the scenes with a Latino family seeking compensation for a fender-bender are simply offensive.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Good use of location shooting in Los Angeles
  

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

Links:

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

Synopsis:
A psychotically ill wedding dress designer (Stephen Forsyth) married to a shrew (Laura Betti) murders young brides while attempting to resolve childhood traumas. Meanwhile, an inspector (Jesus Puente) trails the case while a beautiful new model (Dagmar Lassandar) expresses romantic interest in Forsyth.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Henpecked Husbands
• Horror Films
• Mario Bava Films
• Mental Illness
• Serial Killers

Review:
Mario Bava directed this atmospheric psycho-thriller film which begins by revealing the identity of the killer (the protagonist/narrator himself):

and builds tension by exploring how he will eventually be found out. As with so many Bava films, atmosphere is far more important than plot, and one watches primarily for the visuals — but it’s hard to ignore the awkwardly earnest performances, the dubbing, and the sappy musical soundtrack. Things finally become more interesting once the tables are turned and we know Forsyth will soon be caught — which is ultimately for the best of everyone involved, including troubled Forsythe himself.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Atmospheric cinematography and sets
  
  
  

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Fantastic Movie Musings Review
• Combustible Celluloid Review
• Classic Horror Review

Synopsis:
When three elderly roommates — Joe (George Burns), Al (Art Carney), and Willie (Lee Strasberg) — decide that robbing a bank is a “win-win” proposition, they steal guns from the safe of Al’s nephew (Charles Hallahan) and carry out their crime, with unexpected ramifications.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Art Carney Films
• Black Comedy
• Elderly People
• George Burns Films
• Heists
• New York City

Review:
Writer-director Martin Brest’s second feature-length film — after debuting with Hot Tomorrows (1977) — was this unusual black comedy which never fails to go in unexpected directions. Little of the storyline is realistic enough to be believed, but that seems besides the point, given that we’re meant to empathize with the sorry lot of these men who find their lives unsatisfying enough to commit a major robbery with loaded firearms.

Unfortunately, we’re not given a reasonable-enough rationale for Burns’ radical (and actually NOT funny) idea, nor are we told quite enough about the other two men to understand their willingness to agree with him. (Strasberg is given one highly affecting moment of reflection back on a poor parenting choice:

… and we see Carney’s love for his nephew’s working-class family — but that’s it.) With that said, highly effective use is made of authentic New York City locales and extras, and Brest directs numerous scenes (i.e., those taking place in Vegas) with a refreshing naturalness.

This one is worth a look, though not must-see viewing.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Fine performances by the leads
  
• Excellent use of authentic New York City sets
  
  
  

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Spinning Image Review
• DVD Savant Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
At the start of World War I, two British brothers — straitlaced Roy (James Hall) and womanizing Monte (Ben Lyon) — join the RAF, while their German friend Karl (John Darrow) becomes a reluctant officer for his country. Meanwhile, Roy continues to worship his girlfriend Helen (Jean Harlow), who is not nearly as “innocent” as he believes.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Airplanes and Pilots
• Jean Harlow Films
• Love Triangle
• World War I

Review:
Eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes only directed two films in his notorious career as an aviator, movie producer, and philanthropist: The Outlaw (1943) with Jane Russell and this early rival to Wings (1927), about aerial fighters in World War I.

Hell’s Angels has a truly infamous production history, and TCM’s article provides plenty of behind-the-scenes information about the film:

A year and a half into the production of Hell’s Angels, Hughes had lost his wife (to divorce), two stunt pilots and a mechanic (killed filming the movie’s stunning aerial sequences), two directors (Marshall Neilan and Luther Reed; Howard Hawks and Edmund Goulding were also among those said to have worked on it), and more than $2 million. And he still had roughly 2 million feet of unedited silent footage in a market that virtually overnight was clamoring for talkies. Rather than scrap the whole thing, Hughes decided to add sound to the air footage and re-shoot the dialogue sequences.

Given this decidedly rocky trajectory, it’s impressive that the film coheres as well as it does — though it’s not exactly seamless. Opening scenes featuring Lyon bowing out of a duel with the husband (Lucien Prival) of a woman he’s been having an affair with — and Hall taking his place — are atmospherically filmed but don’t do much for the storyline other than present the brothers as a caddish coward (Lyon) and a foolish martyr (Hall).

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Harlow’s performance isn’t nearly as bad as accounts would lead you to believe; it’s easy to see how she turned into one of cinema’s most alluring sirens.

The best aspect of the film by far, however, are the stunning aerial “dog fights”, shot at great cost (both literally, and in terms of human lives lost). Also notable is a sequence in which German dirigible crew members are ordered to jump to their deaths in order to “lighten the load”; this is, as DVD Savant writes, a “disturbing and macabre scene.”

Note: This film’s production was a major narrative component in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator (2004), a biopic about Hughes starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Fine cinematography
  
  
• The completely eerie “dirigible death drop” scene
  
• Exciting aerial sequences
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a look given its notoriety. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• CineScene Review
• Spinning Image Review
• DVD Savant Review
• FilmSite Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
In colonial America, a farmer (Henry Fonda) brings his new wife (Claudette Colbert) from Albany, New York to a homestead in the Mohawk Valley, where they hope to build a life together — but their plans are quickly foiled by Indian raids led by a patch-eyed Tory (John Carradine), and they soon find themselves living with and working for a feisty widow (Edna May Oliver).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• American Revolutionary War
• Claudette Colbert Films
• Henry Fonda Films
• John Carradine Films
• John Ford Films
• Settlers
• Westerns

Review:
John Ford and Henry Fonda made three films together during 1939 and 1940: Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), and this historical drama — based on a novel by Walter D. Edmonds — which remains one of surprisingly few Hollywood films set during the era of the American Revolution. Ford’s keen eye for detail, pacing, and framing — along with superb Technicolor cinematography by Burt Glennon and committed performances by the cast — make this yet another fine entry in his oeuvre. We are shown in no uncertain terms how challenging it was to survive during this tenuous era of American history, as factions were fighting each other on all sides. To that end, the portrayal of Native Americans is unfortunately (though not surprisingly) myopic: with the exception of Chief John Big Tree as Blue Back (an imposing figure used to demonstrate Colbert’s paralyzing fear of “the other”, as well as the camaraderie built between settlers and “good” Christian Indians), Native Americans are uniformly shown as ruthlessly aggressive invaders (into what was very recently their own territory).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Strong performances by Fonda and Colbert
  
• Edna May Oliver as Mrs. McKlennar
  
• Many memorable moments
  
  
  
• Fine attention to historical detail
  
  
• Bert Glennon’s Technicolor cinematography
  
  

Must See?
Yes, as a fine western by a master director. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Genuine Classic
• Important Director

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• DVD Talk Review
• Spinning Image Review
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
Citizens in a Nazi-occupied Norwegian fishing village respond to their situation in a variety of ways: a middle-aged doctor (Walter Huston) and his wife (Ruth Gordon) hope to allow life to proceed as usual, while their daughter (Ann Sheridan) and her beau (Errol Flynn) are deeply involved in the local Resistance movement, and their son (John Beal) is considered a “quisling” for assisting Huston’s Nazi-sympathizing brother-in-law (Charles Dingle).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Ann Sheridan Films
• Errol Flynn Films
• Flashback Films
• Judith Anderson Films
• Lewis Milestone Films
• Nazis
• Resistance Fighters
• Ruth Gordon Films
• Walter Huston Films
• World War II

Review:
Lewis Milestone directed this Resistance film set in coastal Norway during the height of World War II — yet another reminder of how many communities were impacted by the insidious spread of Nazism across Europe.

Actually, this one hits particularly close to home for me, given that my parents were both very young children in Nazi-occupied Norway, and my grandfather could easily have been killed for harboring two Resistance fighters behind his farm. With that “insider knowledge” put on the table, there isn’t much to distinguish this from other European-based Resistance flicks of the era, given that the Hollywood casts speaks in English, and location shooting was done in Monterey, California:

— but the storyline remains an archetypically strong one, showing the various stances one could take, and how deeply impacted families were by loyalty in various directions.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Many powerfully filmed sequences
  
  
• Atmospheric cinematography
  
  

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
A teenager (Kristin Riter) becomes the prime suspect as her sexually active classmates are murdered one after the other by a “heavy-breather” (Jerry Belson).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• High School
• Horror Films
• Michael Ritchie Films
• Satires and Spoofs
• Serial Killers

Review:
This attempt at very, very directly spoofing teenage slasher films seems intended as a parallel follow-up to Airplane! (1980), which similarly took the tropes of its genre (disaster flicks) to the most extreme degree possible. Here, we’re given a horny babysitter (Angela Bressler):

and her boyfriend (Keith Singleton) who are killed on Jamie Lee Curtis’s birthday as they’re about to have sex; an unseen villain who not only breathes heavily but actually drools over the phone; flashing body count numbers appearing across the screen each time another victim is found; and many openly disturbed potential suspects, including the principal (Joe Talarowski), the aging school secretary (Mimi Weddell):

… the woodshop instructor (Joe Flood):

…the distracted school psychiatrist (Carl Jacobs), and the double-jointed janitor (The Stick).

The premise is amusing (of course), but unfortunately the jokes fall flat as often as they succeed.

Note: Interestingly, as pointed out in Spinning Image’s review, co-director Michael Ritchie (who opted for an “Alan Smithee” producer designation on this) actually helmed a number of reputable and interesting flicks, including The Candidate (1972), Smile (1975), and The Bad News Bears (1976).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• An occasionally amusing spoof of teenage horror flicks
  
  

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re curious to check it out. Listed as a Sleeper and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• BadMovies.org Review
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
Factory workers in pre-revolutionary Russia plan and execute a collective strike, with lethal consequences.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Labor Movements
• Russian Films
• Sergei Eisenstein Films
• Silent Films

Review:
Before making his best-known feature — Battleship Potemkin (1925) — 27-year-old Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein debuted with this powerfully crafted tale following similar narrative and structural lines. Through six titled sequences, we learn about a collective of workers who have banded together to protest against unfair conditions in their factory, juxtaposed with imagery of the “fat cat” bourgeoisie who sit back leisurely to drink and smoke while their fellow Russians are barely scraping by.

We are introduced to the factory and its labor leaders (“At the factory all is quiet”); see a worker taking his life after being falsely accused of theft (“Reason to strike”); view the immediate after-effects of the strike — including parents having joyful time to spend with their young children (“The factory dies down”); witness the lingering negative impacts of no income or food (“The strike draws out”); see arson and looting carried out (“Provocation and debacle”); and, finally, watch the proletariat being decimated by the police (“Extermination”).

This all rings eerily close to home, given recent uprisings and subsequent looting and arson stemming from societal unrest and dissent; viewers should be forewarned that Eisenstein pulls no punches in his depiction of class warfare.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Many powerfully filmed and edited sequences
  
  
  
• Eduard Tisse’s cinematography
  
  
  

Must See?
Yes, as a fine debut film by a master director. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Historically Relevant
• Important Director

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article