Dog Star Man (1964)

Dog Star Man (1964)

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Synopsis:
A man (Stan Brakhage) walking up a snowy mountain with his dog sees visions of life and the cosmos.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Experimental Films
  • Silent Films

Review:
As noted by Wikipedia, “Over the course of five decades” experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage “created a large and diverse body of work, exploring a variety of formats, approaches and techniques that included handheld camerawork, painting directly onto celluloid, fast cutting, in-camera editing, scratching on film, collage film and the use of multiple exposures.” Dog Star Man — a compilation of five short films — is likely an excellent representation of his style (at least at one point in time) given that it’s non-linear, highly experimental, and stone silent. Indeed, there was no quote available to choose from, and coming up with a plot synopsis was challenging given that the “film” was crafted as a strategic compilation of images rather than a cohesive narrative. According to Criterion’s essay, “In Brakhage films we enter into momentary perceptual transactions in which we trade unhindered assimilation of images for intensified contact with pictorial or sensory features that might otherwise go unnoticed” — in other words, his films are experiences rather than stories per se. Be forewarned. Like Jack Smith’s Flaming Creatures (1963) and Michael Snow’s Wavelength (1967), this movie will surely test your patience but perhaps make you feel a little better informed about film-as-art during the 1960s. Selected into the National Film Registry in 1992 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Innovative cinematic techniques

Must See?
No, though of course any viewer interested in the history of experimental cinema will want to check it out (and it’s easily available for viewing on YouTube these days). Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book, which makes sense.

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

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Comanche Station (1960)

Comanche Station (1960)

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“Seems long ago, he lost his woman to the Indians — been huntin’ to find her ever since.”

Synopsis:
After freeing a white woman (Nancy Gates) from capture by Comanches, a man (Randolph Scott) runs into a bounty hunter (Claude Akins) and his two assistants (Skip Homeier and Richard Rust), who inform Gates that her husband has offered $5,000 for her return. Will Akins and his team try to grab the bounty for themselves — and if so, at what cost?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Budd Boetticher Films
  • Native Americans
  • Randolph Scott Films
  • Westerns

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “last of Budd Boetticher’s seven ‘B’ westerns starring Randolph Scott” is “typical of Boetticher westerns” in that “the villain (Akins) is the flip side of the hero (Scott) — a man with a similar background (they were in the army together) and opportunities who chose an amoral way of life; Scott’s Cody has a code of honor.”

He adds that while “they are two interesting characters who are destined to fight with one another,” “neither will change” and “their function is simply to serve as role models for young Rust, who would like to lead a decent life if given the inspiration.”

Peary writes that “throughout [the film] we wonder when Scott will make the same advances to Gates that his character does with Maureen O’Sullivan in the similar plotted The Tall T,” and “only near the end do we learn why neither… attempt a relationship.” Scott is impressive from the wordless opening scenes:

… and the ending (which instantly helps explain so much about Gates’s character) will likely bring a lump to your throat:

This “solid, entertaining western” — which is “best seen on a wide screen” — remains worth a look by all film fanatics.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Fine performances across the cast


  • Lovely Technicolor cinematography

  • Burt Kennedy’s script
  • Mischa Bakaleinikoff’s score

Must See?
Yes, as yet another good show by Boetticher, Scott, and Kennedy.

Categories

  • Good Show

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Man From the Alamo, the (1953)

Man From the Alamo, the (1953)

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“You’re not only a coward, Stroud — you’re a fool.”

Synopsis:
When a soldier (Glenn Ford) fighting at the Alamo is randomly selected to check on families back at home, he is spared from massacre but branded a coward. After leaving a surviving boy (Marc Cavell) with a kind young woman (Julie Adams) in a wagon train, Ford seeks revenge on the bandit (Victor Jory) responsible for killing his family — but can he help the entire wagon train stay safe, and earn back his honor?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Budd Boetticher Films
  • Glenn Ford Films
  • Julie Adams
  • Westerns

Review:
Before achieving breakthrough success with the so-called “Ranown” cycle of films he made with Randolph Scott — including Seven Men From Now (1956), The Tall T (1957), Decision at Sundown (1957), Buchanan Rides Alone (1958), Westbound (1958), Ride Lonesome (1959), and Comanche Station (1960) — Budd Boetticher directed this solid western for Universal Pictures about a brave man unfairly accused of cowardice. There are definite parallels between Ford’s character here and another film he made the same year — The Big Heat (1953) — given that both protagonists are embittered men seeking vengeance after losing their wives; however, in this case, while Ford’s John Stroud temporarily pretends to be corrupt (siding with Jory’s gang for instrumental purposes), he never seriously goes down a path of moral descent. (He’s clearly meant for a future with beautiful Adams.) Russell Metty’s cinematography is lovely, and Boetticher keeps the action moving nicely, especially towards the unique ending; it’s nice to see women given a chance to shine in a western showdown.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Glenn Ford as John Stroud
  • Russell Metty’s cinematography



  • An exciting climax

Must See?
No, but it’s strongly recommended as another fine outing by Boetticher.

Links:

Silver Lode (1954)

Silver Lode (1954)

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“Mob violence is the death of any town.”

Synopsis:
As he’s about to marry his sweetheart (Lizabeth Scott), a rancher (John Payne) is falsely accused by a newly arrived “marshal” (Dan Duryea) of murdering his brother, and relies on help from a friendly bargirl (Dolores Moran) in keeping his name clear.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Allan Dwan Films
  • Dan Duryea Films
  • Falsely Accused
  • John Payne Films
  • Lizabeth Scott Films
  • “No One Believes Me!”
  • Ranchers
  • Westerns

Review:
Allan Dwan directed this compact, fast-moving western thriller set in real-time — just like its more celebrated counterpart, High Noon (1952). The movie opens on a wedding-interruptus, and we’re never clear from then on — intentionally so — about the true motives and realities behind the main characters. We know we’re supposed to believe that the protagonist (Payne) is telling the truth — but is there more to his story? Adding interest to the storyline is the fact that a beautiful bargirl (Moran, always feisty) is resentful about Payne’s marriage to the local rich-girl (Scott) — will she try to help or hinder him in his efforts? — and that Payne can’t seem to stop causing deaths all around him as he attempts to clear his name. The final unexpected sequence is a true humdinger, calling into question what we thought was a fairly standard end-of-a-western resolution. This one remains worth a look, especially given John Alton’s fine cinematography.

Note: Much has been made about the fact that Duryea’s character is named “McCarty” and that nearly the entire town gives into hysterical beliefs about sudden accusations made towards a man they otherwise trusted and respected for the past two years; the timeliness and parallels with HUAC couldn’t be clearer.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • John Payne as Dan Ballard
  • Dolores Moran as Dolly
  • Dan Duryea as Fred McCarty
  • John Alton’s cinematography

Must See?
Yes, as a fine western by a hard-working director.

Categories

  • Good Show

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

Links:

It’s a Big Country (1951)

It’s a Big Country (1951)

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“Yes, it’s a big, wonderful country — proud of its past, strong in its present, confident in its future.”

Synopsis:
When a man (James Whitmore) asks a fellow train passenger (William Powell) to verify how amazing their country is, we see an episodic film about various individuals navigating the American Experience — including an elderly woman (Ethel Barrymore) upset about not being included in the census; various Black Americans serving their country; a Hungarian immigrant (S.Z. Sakall) concerned that his daughter (Janet Leigh) is dating a Greek grocer (Gene Kelly); a young Jewish man (Keefe Brasselle) visiting the mother (Marjorie Main) of a deceased Army buddy; A Texan (Gary Cooper) clarifying “tall tale” facts about his state; a preacher (Van Johnson) learning to make his sermons more relatable; and a father (Fredric March) upset that his son’s teacher (Nancy Reagan) insists he needs glasses.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Clarence Brown Films
  • Episodic Films
  • Ethel Barrymore Films
  • Fredric March Films
  • Gary Cooper Films
  • Gene Kelly Films
  • James Whitmore Films
  • Janet Leigh Films
  • John Sturges Films
  • Keenan Wynn Films
  • Van Johnson Films
  • William Powell Films
  • William Wellman Films

Review:
This well-intentioned anthology film was MGM Studios’ attempt to portray the “melting pot of America” through various touching and/or humorous anecdotes — but the entire thing comes across merely as hokey, dated, and/or offensive (as with the segment about African-Americans consisting exclusively of newsreel footage — presumably to be able to easily cut it out for screening in the South).

Poor William Powell’s beleaguered “Professor” — forced to listen to Whitmore’s clueless rah-rah banter before he turns the tables on him and “gets philosophical” — becomes a proxy for us as we sit and watch the various stories play out.

One mildly amusing stand-out in the bunch is Gary Cooper’s aw-shucks spiel about Texas (“Fact is, folks in other parts of this country got a lot of funny ideas about Texas… How come folks exaggerate so much? It just burns me up!”):

… but the others are all pretty groan-worthy, and, naturally, white-wash the American experience so that the worst sentiments we apparently dealt with back in the day were patronizing (and/or forgetting about) the elderly:

… mild antisemitism:

… prejudice between different white ethnicities:

… alienating white church-goers with boring sermons:

… and a notion that wearing glasses is for sissies (!).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • The mildly amusing Texas segment with Gary Cooper

Must See?
No; you can skip this one.

Links:

Spies / Spione (1928)

Spies / Spione (1928)

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“Nothing is to deter a man from the path of duty — not even a woman.”

Synopsis:
The head (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) of an underground espionage network hires his best agent (Gerda Maurus) to get secrets from an agent known as 326 (Willy Fritsch), and the pair quickly fall in love. Meanwhile, Haghi (Klein-Rogge) asks a beautiful blonde (Lien Deyers) to set a trap for a Japanese head of security (Lupu Pick) in order to obtain a crucial treaty, and the head of the German Secret Service (Craighall Sherry) attempts to determine Haghi’s secret whereabouts.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Fritz Lang Films
  • German Films
  • Silent Films
  • Spies

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “less heralded” German silent film by Fritz Lang — taking place in a “postwar world where everyone seems to be either a criminal or a spy” — is “nevertheless great fun,” and was likely an influence on Hitchcock in terms of “the film’s exciting train sequence and the finale in which [a villain] (who is dressed as a clown) is trapped on a stage.”


Peary notes that while the “film is a mite confusing and overplotted” (I agree), it “would have made the perfect serial” given “its diabolical supervillain, his assorted crimes, the pulp-fiction plotline (with sex and action), and the numerous episodes that end with cliffhangers.”

Peary lists this movie at 98 minutes in his GFTFF, but we’re now able to see a much lengthier version. According to TCM’s article, “Like Metropolis, surviving prints of Spies were severely edited and the original cut was unavailable for decades until, in 2004, the Murnau Institute restored the film with over 50 minutes of missing footage,” and “Lang’s cinematic spy fantasy is [now] available in its full glory once again.” While it’s not quite must-see silent viewing like Lang’s Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922), Siegfried’s Tod (1924), Kriemhild’s Revenge (1924), or Metropolis, film fanatics will likely be curious to check this one out once.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Gerda Maurus as Agent Sonya
  • Fine production design

  • Powerful imagery


Must See?
No, but it’s recommended for one-time viewing, and of course a must for Lang enthusiasts.

Links:

Private Hell 36 (1954)

Private Hell 36 (1954)

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“Wanting it and taking it are two different things.”

Synopsis:
When a corrupt police detective (Steve Cochran) in love with a nightclub singer (Ida Lupino) decides to steal some money found during an apprehension, his partner (Howard Duff) reluctantly agrees, but worries about the impact this will have on life with his wife (Dorothy Malone) and young daughter.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Corruption
  • Dean Jagger Films
  • Detectives and Private Eyes
  • Don Siegel Films
  • Dorothy Malone Films
  • Ida Lupino Films

Review:
Early in his career, Don Siegel directed this low-key noir, which was the final production of former-husband-and-wife team Collier Young and Ida Lupino (who went on to marry Duff and have an affair with Cochran — talk about drama behind the scenes!). Cochran is eminently watchable, showing yet again what a fiery presence he had on-screen:

… and both Duff and Lupino are believable in realistic supporting roles. While the storyline doesn’t go anywhere particularly interesting or novel, this remains a well-told tale of how easy it is for cops to be seduced by the lifestyle they’re tasked with monitoring.

Note: The film’s title (not a great one, IMO) refers to a trailer (#36) housing the ill-gotten money which drives the narrative.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Steve Cochran as Sgt. Bruner
  • Howard Duff as Sgt. Farnham
  • Ida Lupino as Lilli Marlowe
  • Burnett Guffey’s cinematography

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

Links:

Mother (1926)

Mother (1926)

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“You look after your son. It’s all his doing.”

Synopsis:
After her husband (Aleksandr Chistyakov) is killed in a brawl, a mother (Vera Baranovskaya) in 1905 Russia accidentally condemns her activist son (Nikolay Batalov) to prison, and has a change of heart about the need for a labor strike.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Labor Movement
  • Revolutionaries
  • Russian Films
  • Silent Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “classic film of the Russian cinema, directed by V.I. Pudovkin from Maxim Gorky’s novel,” is “rare among the Russian silent films in that it stresses character as much as technique” and “it uses montage and character placement for the purpose of expressing individual characters’ emotions.” He adds that the “picture has extraordinary visuals, all used for thematic purposes,” and “while the acting is good, it is Pudovkin’s montages that let us know what these characters are thinking.” In his review, Peary gives away all elements of the plot from beginning to end, so I won’t say more other than to add that this was the first of Pudovkin’s three “revolutionary films,” with the other two — The End of St. Petersburg (1927) and Storm Over Asia (1928) — listed in the back of his book; I’ll be reviewing those shortly.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Highly expressive cinematography and montage

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look and of course will be of interest to fans of early Soviet cinema.

Links:

Unholy Three, The (1930)

Unholy Three, The (1930)

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“I wasn’t brought up on green grass and apple pie and Christmas trees like you was.”

Synopsis:
Three sideshow performers — Echo the ventriloquist (Lon Chaney, Sr.), Hercules the strongman (Ivan Linow), and a midget (Harry Earles) — team up undercover with Echo’s girlfriend (Lila Lee) to run a bird shop as a front for robbing customers’ homes. When the shop’s innocent clerk (Elliott Nugent), who is in love with Rosie (Lee), is falsely accused of theft, Lee must determine where her loyalty lies.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Con Artists
  • Falsely Accused
  • Lon Chaney, Sr. Films
  • Mistaken or Hidden Identities
  • Thieves and Criminals

Review:
Lon Chaney, Sr.’s first talkie (and final film) was this remake of Tod Browning’s marvelously unique silent film of the same name, which starred Victor McLaglen in the role of Hercules. Unfortunately, the addition of sound doesn’t do much for the film at all — and without Browning’s quirky touch, it falls rather flat. Viewers who’ve never seen the original will likely be intrigued to see Chaney in drag:

… and Earles’ impersonation as a babbling baby:

… but they do nothing new or innovative in the remake. Meanwhile, the drama involving a clueless sap (Nugent) hopelessly in love with pretty but gruff Lee doesn’t ring true:

(How can he never hear any of the shenanigans going on right behind closed doors in the shop?) You can skip this one unless you’re curious to compare the versions, and/or to hear Chaney, Sr.’s voice on film.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Some memorable images

Must See?
No. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

J’accuse! (1919)

J’accuse! (1919)

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“The dead — and the living. I don’t know anymore! I accuse!”

Synopsis:
A poet (Romuald Joube) in love with the wife (Maryse Dauvray) of a brute (Severin-Mars) ends up befriending Francois (Severin-Mars) when they are sent to fight together in World War I and their mutual love for Edith (Dauvray) unexpectedly unites them. When Jean (Joube) returns home to visit his dying mother (Mancini), he learns that Edith has a young daughter fathered while she was kidnapped by German soldiers, and they try to determine how to prevent Francois from lashing out in anger.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • French Films
  • Love Triangle
  • Marital Problems
  • Silent Films
  • World War I

Review:
Writer-director Abel Gance’s J’accuse! — remade as a sound film in 1938 — is an interesting mixture of romantic melodrama and anti-war sentiment, filled with plenty of cinematic creativity and skill. Unfortunately, the storyline starts off creakily, as we see a poet (Joube) pining away for his lover (Dauvray):

… who is nastily treated by her abusive husband:

— but all is resolved (sort of) when the poet suddenly takes on a dangerous mission meant for Severin-Mars, and out of sheer gratitude, the pair realize they should simply bond over their mutual love for Dauvray.

The added complication of Dauvray fathering a child while kidnapped:

… gets us confused once again, as we’re not sure which is worse: Severin-Mars believing the child is a product of rape by a German, or Joube’s love-child. Regardless, all of this initial drama should probably be glossed over in favor of appreciating Gance’s cinematic genius, especially as he moves into supernatural territory with his depiction of Joube going mad from the terrors of war and believing slaughtered soldiers are coming back to life to judge those left behind.

His imagery is truly provocative, and worth a look by fans of silent cinema.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Fine cinematography and visual effects throughout



  • The hauntingly powerful “return of the dead” final sequences

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended if you’re a silent cinema lover.

Links: