Moon is Blue, The (1953)
“I really thought you were a nice girl — I really did.”
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Erotikon (1920)
“If you think a pretty outfit will butter me up, you are mistaken. It might fool your husband but not me.”
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It’s all quite forgettable, really — but hardcore film fanatics with an interest in early cinema might be curious to see an example of an early attempt at a narrative form (romantic comedy) that would come to fruition in later years. Note: This film is one among 16 titles in Peary’s book which were released during the first two decades of the 20th century, between 1912 (Quo Vadis?) and 1920. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Vikings, The (1958)
“I want her to fight me tooth and nail — the first time I take her, and the last!”
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But viewers who enjoy this type of spectacle will likely be pleased, and Jack Cardiff’s gorgeous cinematography makes it easy on the eyes. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Thieves’ Highway (1949)
“Terrible, the way I lose my temper.”
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… his enthusiasm instantly deflates once he sees how his hard-working father has been literally hobbled by a ruthless crime boss.
The remainder of the story plays out as an elaborate revenge flick within a landscape of omni-present corruption and hustling; while various individuals ultimately reveal themselves to have higher ideals, the prevailing ethos is one of sticking it to every other person you meet as often as possible. The storyline is refreshingly grounded in “real life” concerns (i.e., food!); it’s safe to say you’ll never eat a crisp, delicious apple with the same carefree joy after witnessing what it takes for those apples to make it from a poor Polish family’s farm onto a rickety truck (only paid for in full once Conte steps in and insists):
across treacherous highways, and into a bustling marketplace where goons like Cobb and his minions will happily extort truck-drivers through any means possible. Even lowly “fortune tellers” (Cortesa is a thinly veiled prostitute) are caught up in the racket, though it’s clear she doesn’t want to be. Cortesa — believable and sympathetic in a femme fatale-ish role — is one among many accented characters in this film, showing the multi-national nature of working class individuals trying to survive in America; a shot of Conte making a phone call back home shows men of various ethnicities in the backdrop:
While the unduly optimistic ending of Thieves’ Highway defies its prior cynicism, enough genuine grief has occurred in the meantime that we can forgive this sudden shift in tone. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Search, The (1948)
“There’s nothing in my life if I don’t find my child.”
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Lord of the Flies (1963)
“The rules are the only thing we’ve got!”
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Review: The result is a fascinating portrait of organic, lethal anarchy. Left to their own devices, the boys inevitably turn on one another and devolve into madness, spurred on by the particularly paranoid Jack (Chapin). For better or for worse, Brook cast the film according to what he saw as character types in the boys, allowing them simply to enact their own selves within the skeleton of the script. (Meeting up decades later for Time Flies, Brook was curious how much the film had impacted the boys, and/or how much they still resembled their characters; while artistically sound, this was clearly a problematic choice to reveal to them after the fact.) With that said, the boys’ naturally powerful performances — as well as Hollyman’s stark cinematography, the isolated settings, and Raymond Leppard’s unique soundtrack — all contribute to the film’s success. This remains an appropriately terrifying tale about leadership (or lack thereof) run amok, one which readers and viewers should continue to revisit — especially in light of current and ongoing world events. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Romance on the High Seas (1948)
“Just remember that while it’s your lips that are being kissed, it’s my reputation that will be suffering.”
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To the Ends of the Earth (1948)
“Drugs eat away their will to resist, making conquest that much easier. An excellent military strategy, isn’t it?
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Foreign Affair, A (1948)
“Now that we’ve won the war, we musn’t lose the peace!”
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Once out of the car, Arthur herself is quickly accosted by two GIs on bicycles who use all their techniques on her (offering candy bars, etc.).
At the heart of the story, however, is Dietrich — as radiant as ever at 46, singing several sultry songs and boldly inhabiting a Nazi-sympathizing opportunist completely opposite her real-life stance as an anti-Fascist activist.
Lund fills the bill well as the central male love interest, and Charles Lang’s cinematography nicely captures the shadowy nature of an occupied city. This one remains worth a look. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Lady in the Lake (1947)
“We have a nasty little motto around here: every man has his price.”
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Perhaps due to logistical constraints, far too many scenes are static, simply showing Marlowe’s conversation partners talking into the camera, most of them over-emoting without subtlety. (Faring particularly poorly is Jayne Meadows as Mildred Haveland, a landlady whose nerves appear to be merely skin-deep.)
The storyline is standard private eye fare, with shady women, belligerent police, a tanned lothario (Dick Simmons):
… fistfights, and plenty of secret identities — but it’s hard to remember much about this flick once it’s done other than the highly experimental way in which it was filmed. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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