“The simplest tasks are by no means the easiest.”
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“Oh, money, visible god — what we wouldn’t do for you.”
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— quickly shifts to criminal activity, as the shop’s irritated owner (Didier Baussy) knowingly pawns the money off onto Patey, who is subsequently arrested when he innocently tries to spend his earnings. When Baussy convinces his employee (Vincent Risterucci) to lie against Patey in court, Patey’s downward spiral continues, leading him to a life of petty crime, violence, and imprisonment:
which are ultimately viewed as catalysts for the death of his daughter and the dissolution of his marriage. In the film’s tragic denouement, Patey impacts the lives of yet another innocent family — thus perpetuating the cycle of devastation sparked by the film’s opening “boyish prank”. It’s bleak stuff, to be sure, and Bresson’s signature application of stylized detachment makes it particularly difficult to watch the story with anything other than morbid curiosity. Indeed, the entire screenplay — which borders strategically on contrivance — seems more like a formalized exploration of moral ambiguity than a living narrative, and I’ll admit I’m not sure where my sentiments on it lie. With that said, as the capstone of Bresson’s unique oeuvre, most film fanatics will at least be curious to check it out. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
Must See? (Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
“You don’t seem to realize where a woman’s scorn can lead.”
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“He’s never done anything in his whole life for anybody but himself.”
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“Frontiers are an invention of men; nature doesn’t give a hoot.”
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A number of memorable, powerful sequences are sprinkled throughout the film — including, as noted by Peary, the scene in which a soldier “dresses up like a female for a variety show, [and] all the men silently stare at him, thinking about the women the war has taken from them”:
and the moment when “Russian prisoners receive textbooks and cookbooks instead of the expected food from their insensitive empress”.
The final “act” of the film — once Gabin and Dalio have escaped and found refuge in the home of a German farm woman (Dito Parlo) — takes on a decidedly different tone from what’s come before; Renoir seems determined to show an idealized alternative to war, in which a French soldier and a German woman can fall in love “despite not knowing each other’s languages”. I have mixed feelings about this sudden shift in narrative and mood, but it’s lovely to see Parlo (so memorable in Jean Vigo’s L’Atalante) in another significant role.
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(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
“The fact remains that six deaths by accident, out of any ten names, is too high of a proportion for chance.”
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Audiences at the time were invited to guess who was who, and were rewarded when each actor unmasked himself during the closing credits. To that end, Bud Westmore’s make-up is truly impressive: while we can tell that the characters played by each of these actors are clearly in disguise, it’s remarkably difficult to discern their real faces underneath. Kirk Douglas — acknowledged almost immediately as the film’s psychopathic villain — plays the largest camouflaged role, hiding behind various effective personae as he commits a series of cold-blooded murders.
The fact that we know the killer’s identity from the beginning means that the story really belongs to George C. Scott:
playing a retired British intelligence officer determined to follow through on the suspicions raised by his recently deceased friend, the oddly named Adrian Messenger (John Merivale) — who does indeed attempt to leave a final message for the man by his side (Jacques Roux) as he’s dying. As fate would have it, Scott knows Roux, and the two collaborate together on the mystery. Meanwhile, in the weakest element of the plot, Roux falls for and romances Messenger’s widowed cousin, Dana Wynter (beautiful but poorly used here).
Huston’s firm directorial hand is evident throughout; unfortunately, however, the story he’s working with is merely serviceable entertainment — worthy viewing once, but not must-see for all film fanatics. Note: Interestingly enough, character actor Jan Merlin was actually the man behind the make-up during several of the presumed “cameo” roles by the famous actors; apparently only Douglas and Mitchum actually did any real acting in disguise, while the others merely showed up for their “unmasking” scene at $75,000 each. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“You gotta wanna win so bad you can taste it.”
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“Since the beginning of time there’s only been one sin and that’s failure. People don’t care how you win, so long as you win.”
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“No Chance… No Help… No Escape!”
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fending off flesh-sucking alien-frisbees while simultaneously sussing out whether they can trust either Landau (wackily insane):
or Palance (grimly determined):
to help them escape with their lives. Upon its release, the New York Times referred to the film as “wretched”, and it’s really not much better than that — but it does possess some effectively creepy atmosphere, and has earned a small cult following over the years. It’s sure to appeal to those who enjoy this type of fare — like Peary, for instance, who lists it as a Sleeper in the back of his book. The rest of us can stay away. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“Why do you make overtures to me when I need intermissions so badly?”
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Review: Barring this — and the use of cliched jokes about Native Americans — the remainder of the film is essentially an innocuous tale of mistaken identities and unrequited love, with Ethel Shutta particularly appealing as Cantor’s feisty love interest; she more than holds her own in concert with him. Also notable are Gus Kahn’s lyrics, which are quite fun (note in particular the clever stanzas in “A Girl Friend of a Boy Friend of Mine”). Strangely enough, Cantor’s rendition of the famed title song (“Making Whoopee”) is lackluster and too-slow; he’s much livelier when singing a spoof later on, “Making Waffles” (pronounced, curiously enough, like “Making Raffles”). Note: Famed cinematographers Lee Garmes and Gregg Toland both served as DPs on the project, but what’s most noticeable about the film’s “look” is the effective use of two-tone Technicolor. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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