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Synopsis:
Brothers Stan (Stan Laurel) and Ollie (Oliver Hardy) are relieved to hear from their mother that their black sheep sailor twins Alf and Bert (also Laurel and Hardy) have died at sea. Yet Alf and Bert are actually alive and well — and when they happen to dock in the same town as their more respectable twin brothers, mistaken identity mayhem ensues.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Alan Hale Films
• Comedy
• Laurel and Hardy Films
• Mistaken or Hidden Identities
• Sailors
• Twins

Review:
While Our Relations is widely considered to be one of Laurel and Hardy’s best feature length films, it never quite reaches the comedic hilarity of their more “certified” classics, such as Sons of the Desert (1933), Way Out West (1937), and Block-Heads (1938). One problem is the fact that Stan and Ollie aren’t sufficiently differentiated (visually speaking) from Alfie and Bert — an issue which becomes especially problematic during the denouement of the film, when each set of twins is mistaken for the other, and even audience members may have a hard time figuring out who’s who. With that said, the clever script (which pays homage to Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors) moves along at a quick pace, and includes plenty of enjoyable gags — including Alfie and Bert being swindled by a suave deck mate (James Finlayson) into giving him their earnings, and cement-bound Stan and Ollie teetering precariously along the edge of a pier (though this sequence is milked a tad too thoroughly…). Laurel and Hardy fans won’t be disappointed.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Several clever sequences — including the duo’s infamous “feet in cement” routine on the pier
  
• Laurel and Hardy doing their “Shakespeare — Longfellow!” recitation after speaking in tandem
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended, and certainly a must for any Laurel and Hardy fans. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A recently institutionalized woman (Zohra Lampert) moves with her husband (Barton Heyman) and their friend (Kevin O’Connor) to an abandoned farm in the country, where they encounter a mysterious red-headed hippie (Mariclare Costello) living on the property. They invite Emily (Costello) to stay with them, but Jessica (Lampert) becomes unnerved when she discovers that Emily bears an uncanny resemblance to a long-dead previous owner…

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Horror Films
• Mental Illness
• “No One Believes Me!”

Review:
The intriguing title of this atmospheric horror film leads one to believe that gaslighting may be its primary theme, but this isn’t necessarily the case — instead, the film keeps us in continual suspense about who or what is responsible for Jessica’s renewed sense of fear and paranoia. Is she going mad again, or are the bloody corpses she sees cropping up on her property actually real? And why do certain town members — many of whom are inexplicably gruff and cold — have mysterious scars on their necks? Zohra Lampert is well-cast as the perennially nervous, child-like Jessica, who wants desperately to be “well” again but can’t help fearing for her sanity; equally effective — though we only gradually understand why — is Costello, giving an appropriately understated and mysterious performance. While it’s not must-see for all film fanatics, fans of horror suspense films will likely be curious to check this sleeper out. Click here to see a website devoted to the film.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Zohra Lampert’s sensitive — albeit occasionally overly twitchy — performance as Jessica
  
• Mariclare Costello as Emily
  
• An atmospheric, effectively creepy ambiance
  

Must See?
No, but it will likely be of interest for fans of the genre. Listed as a Sleeper and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Spinning Image Review
• NY Times Original Review (spoiler alert)
• Moria Review

Synopsis:
When two Scottish orphans (Jon Whiteley and Vincent Winter) are sent to Nova Scotia to live with their grandparents (Jean Anderson and Duncan Macrae), they learn that their father’s death in the Boer War has caused Macrae to hate and distrust all Dutch settlers in the area — including a kind local doctor (Theodore Bikel) who is romantically involved with their aunt Kirsty (Adrienne Corri). Meanwhile, the boys long for a pet dog to keep them company, but settle instead for a “lost” baby (Anthony Michael Heathcoat) they find in a meadow.

Genres:

• Childhood
• Feuds
• Kidnapping
• Orphans

Review:
This enjoyable sleeper about two orphaned brothers adjusting to a new life in Canada features a strong sense of time and place, and believable characters who we quickly grow to care for. Both Whiteley and Winter are appealing and natural in the title roles, with Winter (the younger brother) especially charismatic; their childish yet dead-serious banter together — all spoken in a strong Scottish brogue — is priceless (“Are we going to keep it forever?” “I don’t know… We’ll keep it for a year or two anyways, until it’s got a mind of its own — and then, if it wants to hit the trail, there won’t be no stopping it.”). While the boys’ gun-toting grandfather seems at first like simply an angry, self-righteous man with an iron will, several key scenes – including his interactions with the local schoolmaster (Jack Stewart), who’s ultimately even sterner than himself — reveal him to possess an innate sense of fairness and goodness, and it’s clear that his character may develop for the better. The story moves along at a leisurely but natural pace, with the key plot development (the boys’ innocent kidnapping of a baby) not occurring until more than halfway through the film; the outcome of this event — while perhaps mildly predictable — offers a satisfying resolution on every count.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Vincent Winter as Davy MacKenzie
  
• Duncan Macrae and Jean Anderson as Davy and Harry’s
  
• Nice period detail
  
• Many memorable lines: “Don’t eat the babby, granddaddy!”

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
In this trio of comedic vignettes by director Vittorio de Sica, a black market cigarette seller in Naples (Sophia Loren) becomes pregnant by her harried husband (Marcello Mastroianni) each time the law comes to get her; a self-absorbed socialite (Loren) goes for a drive with a man (Mastroianni) she met at a party the night before; and a lusty call girl (Loren) with an insistent suitor (Mastroianni) tries to convince a naive seminary student (Gianni Ridolfi) to stick with his calling rather than fall for her.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Comedy
• Episodic Films
• Italian Films
• Marcello Mastroianni Films
• Pregnancy
• Prostitutes and Gigolos
• Sophia Loren Films
• Vittorio de Sica Films

Review:
This episodic Italian sex comedy is primarily known today for two reasons: 1) as winner of 1963’s best foreign film Oscar, and 2) for Sophia Loren’s justifiably famous strip tease in front of Marcello Mastroianni’s howling suitor. As in any episodic film, some parts are inevitably better than others — the middle story here (“Anna of Milan”, at only 20 minutes) is widely regarded as the weakest, given that the storyline (such as it is) takes place exclusively during one car trip, and little to no character development occurs. The longer stories bookending the film — “Adelina of Naples” and “Mara of Rome” — offer a bit more comedic substance, and come across as innocuously enjoyable sketches. While “Adelina” offers a glimpse of de Sica’s erstwhile interest in social humanism (hard-working Adelina and her perpetually out-of-work husband continually flout authority — with our approval), for the most part Yesterday… remains “de Sica lite”, buoyed by its undeniable star power (Loren and Mastroianni are both in peak form) and by a liberal dose of cinematic escapism.

Note While some have argued that Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow was just as much of a sexual tease for early-1960s audiences as its Doris Day counterparts in America, this isn’t quite true, given that sex-outside-of-marriage is paraded in all three vignettes as both normal and natural — except by characters (such as Ridolfi’s melodramatic grandmother, played by Tina Pica) who are clearly presented as shrewish and moralistically uptight.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Sophia Loren’s charismatic performances in all three vignettes — it’s easy to see why she was such an international superstar at the time
  
• Marcello Mastroianni as Loren’s three lovers
  
• Loren’s infamous strip-tease in front of Mastroianni’s howling john
  
• Armando Trovajoli’s musical score

Must See?
Yes, simply for its status as 1963’s best foreign film Oscar, and for Loren’s iconic strip-tease act.

Categories

• Oscar Winner or Nominee

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
After the untimely death of her husband (Fred Gwynne), an opera singer (Jill Clayburgh) takes her teenage son (Matthew Barry) with her to Italy, and soon finds herself immersed in a desperate battle to save him from heroin addiction.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Alcoholism and Drug Addiction
• Alida Valli Films
• Bernardo Bertolucci Films
• Expatriates
• Incest and Incestuous Overtones
• Jill Clayburgh Films
• Singers
• Single Mothers
• Widows and Widowers

Review:
Bernardo Bertolucci’s infamous Oedipal tale about a self-absorbed opera diva and the incestuous love she exhibits towards her deeply troubled teenage son was panned by critics upon its release, with Vincent Canby of the New York Times referring to it as “one of the most sublimely foolish movies ever made by a director of Mr. Bertolucci’s acknowledged talents”, and Roger Ebert unabashedly proclaiming that “Bertolucci has sprung his gourd this time.” Nowadays, Luna is considered an undiscovered masterpiece by a handful of devoted followers — who refer to it on IMDb as a “superb film”, a “flawed masterpiece”, a “bizarre, surreal melodrama”, and “ultimate beauty in its purest form” — but I’m in agreement with the critical elite: despite its fine production values and cinematography (it’s undeniably beautiful to look at), Luna remains a laughable mess of a film, one which consistently defies literal interpretation and possesses far too much unintentional camp value to be taken seriously. While viewers are clearly meant to interpret the tale as archetypically Freudian — complete with a convenient “missing father figure” denouement — only those with an abiding belief in the veracity of psychoanalysis (such as Bertolucci himself at the time) will find any genuine nuggets of psychological insight here.

After the first promising 15 minutes or so (during which Fred Gwynne’s level-headed character is, unfortunately, killed off), nothing about the overblown storyline comes across as remotely realistic: Barry’s heroin addiction is never authentically introduced or sustained; peripheral characters disappear with maddening whimsicality (what ever happened to Barry’s new Italian girlfriend, for instance?); and Clayburgh’s response to her son’s problem — while refreshingly removed from “afternoon special of the week” banality — is far too conveniently sublimated into titillatingly incestuous interactions. Clayburgh (fresh from her success in Paul Mazursky’s An Unmarried Woman) seems to be trying her best with the material she’s been given, but her character is ultimately such a mess of unappealing contradictions that it can’t be salvaged; Barry, meanwhile, never fully inhabits his character’s neurotic personality — instead, he simply shifts at a moment’s notice between petulant teen and (supposed) raging addict. While viewers may find some enjoyment in the film’s overall campiness — such as the infamous scene in which Barry erotically licks his mother’s dirt-encrusted face, or when Clayburgh tries to release some tension by doing aerobics with her lesbian pursuer — Luna is ultimately far too frustrating to recommend.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Vittorio Storaro’s lush cinematography
  

Must See?
No; while it has a small following, and was somewhat notorious upon its release, it’s certainly not must-see viewing any longer.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Spinning Image Review
• Roger Ebert’s Review

Synopsis:
A blacklisted driver (Joseph Bologna) is recruited by his former flame (Stockard Channing) to drive a nuclear-powered bus nonstop from New York to Denver; along the way, he must deal with a neurotic and narcoleptic co-driver (John Beck), a host of wacky passengers, and a bomb planted by the henchman (Stuart Margolin) of an iron-lung-bound oil magnate (Jose Ferrer).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Disaster Flicks
• Ensemble Films
• Jose Ferrer Films
• Road Trip
• Ruth Gordon Films
• Sally Kellerman Films
• Satires and Spoofs

Review:
Primarily known today as a precursor to the Zucker brothers’ much better known Airplane! (1980), The Big Bus is beloved by those who have fond memories of watching it on television growing up, and claim it’s just as funny as Airplane! — yet the sad truth is that it never delivers on its rich comedic potential. While all the right ingredients are certainly there — including an all-star cast, wacky characterizations, and plenty of disaster-prone scenarios — the jokes fall flat again and again; and while it may be mildly amusing for film fanatics to keep track of all the different films being spoofed (they range from Lucille Ball’s attempt to cook in a moving trailer in The Long, Long Trailer, to more generic big-budget disaster flicks such as Airport), the film as a whole never gels. Comedy is a fickle beast, and others may heartily disagree, but I find little here to recommend, and consider this film worth a look exclusively for its historical relevance — nothing more.

Note: My husband’s primary memory from watching The Big Bus as a boy is the scene in which a tire is replaced while the bus is still moving; he wondered then — and wonders now — where this spare tire could have come from, given that window seats are seen directly above the wheels. With that said, he remains distinctly impressed by the fact that the filmmakers actually built such a massive vehicular beast.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Richard Mulligan and Sally Kellerman as an about-to-be-divorced couple still madly in love with each other
  

Must See?
No. While it’s beloved by many — and perhaps could be considered a minor cult film — I can’t in good conscience recommend this as “must see” viewing.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Savant Review
• Moria Review
• Digitally Obsessed Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
When an overly empathetic orderly (Jerry Lewis) in a sanitarium discovers that his former high school crush (Susan Oliver) is a new patient, he does what he can to help pay for her costs — despite her obvious disdain for him.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Comedy
• Do-Gooders
• Doctors and Nurses
• Frank Tashlin Films
• Jerry Lewis Films
• Obsessive Love

Review:
Peary is clearly an enormous Jerry Lewis fan, given that he lists no less than 15 of Lewis’s many films in GFTFF. With that said, while The Disorderly Orderly does possess several amusing sequences and performances (see Redeeming Qualities and Moments below), it’s ultimately not must-see viewing for all film fanatics. The central premise of the story — that Lewis’s Jerome Littlefield is too empathetic for his own good — is a sweet one, and it’s genuinely difficult to fault his character for being too caring.

On the other hand, the central romantic subplot involving Jerome’s long-standing crush on a bitchy, undeserving blonde (Oliver):

wears thin really quickly, particularly given the existence of his caring, patient, pretty girlfriend (Karen Sharpe) on the side:

We can’t help wanting to shake some sense into Lewis! Ultimately, The Disorderly Orderly is worth a look by those who enjoy his unique brand of slapstick humor; others, however, needn’t bother.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Lewis’s reactions as hypochondriac Miss Fuzzibee (Alice Pearce) rants on and on about her various ailments:
  

  “I have the smallest, weakest kidneys in the hospital…”

  

• Lewis attempting to fix the “snowy reception” on the TV set of a demanding patient (Barbara Nichols)
  
  
• Kathleen Freeman as Nurse Higgins
  

Must See?
No, but it’s certainly a must for Jerry Lewis fans.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Talk Review