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Synopsis:
In Paris, a nebbishy Polish man (Roman Polanski) rents the apartment of a woman who has recently committed suicide. Soon he becomes convinced that his neighbors are trying to turn him into the dead woman.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Black Comedy
• Downward Spiral
• Living Nightmare
• Melvyn Douglas Films
• Mental Illness
• Psychological Horror
• Roman Polanski Films
• Shelley Winters Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this “disturbing psychological horror film” (directed by and starring Roman Polanski) is much more interesting during its first half, as we watch “Polanski’s paranoia regarding [his] neighbors” intensifying, and witness his profound sense of persecution as an ethnic “outsider” in France. Unfortunately, the second half of the film turns into an “unsettling and ridiculous” exploration of Polanski’s descent into madness; as Peary notes, the “transition is too quick” once Polanski suddenly starts dressing like a woman, and we lose interest because — now that Polanski’s character is clearly mentally unstable — we start to question the veracity of the entire story. Indeed, fans on IMDb have engaged in countless debates over what’s “real” or not in the story — and though this kind of narrative ambiguity sometimes works in a film’s favor, here I found it more frustrating than enjoyable. As always, Polanski’s production values are excellent, and he elicits wonderfully quirky performances from his cast of supporting actors; it’s too bad their voices are horribly dubbed.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Isabelle Adjani as Stella, a friend of the deceased tenant
  
• Shelley Winters in a bit role as The Concierge
  
• Sven Nykvist’s cinematography
  

Must See?
Yes, simply for its cult status.

Categories

• Cult Movie

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Time Out Capsule Review
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
Two taxi drivers — middle-aged Jo (Wood Moy) and young Steve (Marc Hayashi) — search San Francisco’s Chinatown for a fellow cabbie who has disappeared with their money.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Amateur Sleuths
• Asian-Americans
• Generation Gap
• Mysterious Disappearance
• Search

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, Chan is Missing — the “first film made by and starring Asian Americans” — is an “impressive, offbeat social satire” which “give[s] its people the voice they have been denied in American films.” The lead actors — Moy and Hayashi — are an amusing cross-generational duo, effectively representing two “types” of Chinese Americans while remaining unique individuals. (Why didn’t their careers go further?) While Jo and Steve’s search for Chan is a bit hard to follow at times, the broader point being made by writer/director Wayne Wang — that Chan is perceived as a different person by everyone who knew him — is a poignant one; it’s not often that the identity politics of minorities in America are so explicitly valorized in a feature film.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Wood Moy as Jo
  
• Marc Hayashi as Steve
  
• Jo and Steve reacting with bewilderment while listening to a linguist explain the cross-cultural intricacies of Chan’s court case
  
• A fascinating, documentary-like look at San Francisco’s Chinatown
  

Must See?
Yes. This enjoyable, historically important movie — which was selected to be part of the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress — should be seen by all film fanatics.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Roger Ebert’s Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A young war orphan (Dean Stockwell) living with a kind older man (Pat O’Brien) wakes up one morning to discover that his hair has turned green. Though ostracized by his friends and neighbors, he remains convinced that his hair serves a larger purpose.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Barbara Hale Films
• Dean Stockwell Films
• Fantasy
• Flashback Films
• Joseph Losey Films
• Misfits
• “No One Believes Me!”
• Orphans
• Pat O’Brien Films
• Robert Ryan Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary and many other critics (see links below) find this fable-like fantasy by Joseph Losey “too simplistic and moralistic”, but I’ll admit to a special fondness for it. Dean Stockwell is sympathetic in the lead role as a young boy struggling to adjust to the loss of his parents; he’s a remarkably natural child actor, and his performance is never cloying. His initial interactions with “Gramp” (sweetly played by O’Brien) are heartwarming; I love the moment when Peter (Stockwell) intentionally breaks a vase, and, after a brief pause, O’Brien responds, “I know what you mean”. Because Peter’s hair doesn’t turn green until about halfway through the film, by this point we’ve grown to care about him, and understand the depth of his frustration and loneliness. Though ostensibly serving a larger purpose, Peter’s green hair ultimately signals his own coming-of-age: he must learn to trust his instincts and do what he feels is right rather than give in to the pressures of society. Thankfully, nothing is easily resolved by the end of the film; what’s important is that Peter has gotten to tell his story the way he sees it.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Dean Stockwell as Peter
  
• Pat O’Brien as “Gramp”
  
• A creative story about post-war trauma
  

Must See?
Yes. All film fanatics should be curious to see this most unusual little film.

Categories

• Good Show

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• TCM Article
• Moria Review
• Spinning Image Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A naive missionary (Elsa Lanchester) tries to reform an inveterate beach bum (Charles Laughton), and soon finds herself smitten.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Character Arc
• Charles Laughton Films
• Elsa Lanchester Films
• Missionaries and Revivalists
• Morality Police
• Robert Newton Films
• Romantic Comedy
• South Sea Islands

Response to Peary’s Review:
Based on a W. Somerset Maugham short story, this “gently paced” tale of a “slovenly, perpetually drunk woman-chasing beach bum” and a “sheltered, naive missionary” features delightful performances by real-life couple Laughton and Lanchester. The story strains credibility and comfort during the first half, as we watch the less-than-handsome Laughton inexplicably attracting adoring native women like flies, and are forced to watch generically brown-skinned islanders patronized like children. It’s not until about halfway through the film — when Lanchester and Laughton unintentionally spend the night together on a deserted island — that things start to get more interesting; in a particularly delightful sequence, we see Lanchester relaxing as she slowly realizes that her “virtue” is not at risk around Laughton. Indeed, Lanchester’s performance is particularly noteworthy here: she remains consistently sympathetic despite her high-handed morality, and literally glows whenever she’s on the screen; she’s never been more beautiful.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Charles Laughton (who Peary nominates for an Alternate Oscar as best actor of the year) as slovenly “Ginger”
  
• Beautiful Elsa Lanchester as the determined missionary
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended simply for the lead performances — which, as Peary notes, “retain tremendous charm”.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
When his fiancee Tollea (Maria Montez) is kidnapped, Ramu (Jon Hall) and his friend Kado (Sabu) follow her to an enchanted island ruled by Tollea’s evil twin, Naja (also Montez).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Fantasy
• Kidnapping
• Lon Chaney, Jr. Films
• Robert Siodmak Films
• Sabu Films
• South Sea Islands
• Twins

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary begins his review of Cobra Woman by labeling it a “Kitsch Klassic”, noting that “the dialogue is enjoyably trite, the decor is ornate, the stars are sexy, the volcano is bubbly, [and] the picture is colorful.” While Dominican actress Maria Montez remains largely unfamiliar to modern audiences, she is, as noted by Peary, “as significant to film history as Carmen Miranda”, and her dual roles here are likely “her definitive performance”. Indeed, it is Montez’s portrayal of both the meek Tollea and the vicious Naja which give this film its delightful air of campiness: Montez takes herself so seriously — and dresses in such outlandishly colorful costumes — that it’s easy to ignore the ridiculous story (which in itself is relatively unimportant). Surprisingly, this camp classic was helmed by noir director Robert Siodmak, who would return to the theme of good-and-evil twins in The Dark Mirror (1946) starring Olivia De Havilland.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• The outlandish technicolor costumes and over-the-top headdresses
  
• Countless campy moments, such as when Naja dances while selecting victims for the island’s angry volcano god
  

Must See?
Yes, simply for its status as a campy cult classic.

Categories

• Cult Movie

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• SciFilm Review