Grass is Greener, The (1960)
“It’s like a top secret that everyone knows — like the day before D-Day.”
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Review: Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Affair to Remember, An (1957)
“Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories.”
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The first line actually exists in the original film as well, but as spoken by Dunne (without the pun-worthy retort by her lover), it works — unlike here, where (despite valiant attempts by Kerr and Grant to “keep it real”) it’s simply groan-worthy. Indeed, much about An Affair to Remember reminds one of Douglas Sirk’s similarly overblown ’50s melodramas, but without the sassy heat; McCarey’s sentimental tendencies completely overwhelm this “affair”, as epitomized by the inclusion of two utterly gratuitous musical numbers involving a diverse group of moppets (er, children), both of which feel like they were taken straight out of McCarey’s Going My Way (1944) or The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945). With that said, there’s a reason why this film remains such an enduring favorite: Kerr (always a consummate actress) and Grant have decent chemistry together, and one can’t help getting caught up in their romance simply given how neatly it represents one of our most entrenched fantasy scenarios — giving up “everything” (in this case, a current “good enough” lover, as well as easy wealth) for the sake of true love. I’m recommending AATR as must-see one-time viewing simply given its cult status, but it will only be of enduring interest to those who don’t mind their romances served with a heavy dose of manipulation. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
Must See? (Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
Love Affair (1939)
“My father used to say that wishes are dreams we dream when we’re awake.”
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Show People (1928)
[Note: The following review is of a non-Peary title; click here to read more.]
“I didn’t know that they made them that green.”
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Review: Note: Show People is also of interest given the presence of William Haines, an openly gay man in early Hollywood who gave up his career when he refused L.B. Mayer’s request to engage in a “lavender” (sham) marriage to camouflage his homosexuality. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
“Well of course we talk. Don’t everybody?”
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Response to Peary’s Review: Peary accurately argues that the “musical numbers are all outstanding, with Kelly, [Donald] O’Connor [as Kelly’s friend], and Reynolds displaying amazing athletic dancing skills”. He points out that some “unforgettable highlights include the three dancing on furniture and singing ‘Good Morning’; O’Connor running up walls and flipping during ‘Make ‘Em Laugh'” (an astonishing number no matter how many times you’ve seen it!); “the ‘Broadway Rhythm’ number, especially when Kelly and Cyd Charisse perform a dreamlike ballet; and the [incomparable] title number, which has Kelly happily dancing through puddles”. Peary notes that “in the film’s great[est] moment, the camera moves directly over Kelly’s beaming face for a close-up just as he sings ‘There’s a smile on my face’.” In his Cult Movies book, he lists several other musical highlights; a personal favorite is “Don and Cosmo [O’Connor] bewildering their diction teacher with some tongue twisters and flying feet in the ‘Moses’ number” (I’d forgotten how fun that one is!). Meanwhile, Peary writes that “the scenes without music are [also] delightful”, and in Cult Movies he points out some specific ones: “Don’s [Kelly’s] hilarious movie stunts which somehow he survives; the knife-in-the-back squabbling between Don and Lina [Hagen]; Lina’s unsuccessful diction lessons, where she can’t learn to properly pronounce the letter a in the phrase ‘I can’t stand it’; the fascinating film at [a producer’s] party in which a weird man explains the ‘sound film’; the many humorous incidents with microphones; [and] the finale…”. I agree that each of these scenes or sequences are gems — masterfully written, directed, and acted; indeed, the entire fast-paced screenplay is “delightful movie fare”, as Peary writes. In his Alternate Oscars (where he votes the film Best Picture of the Year), Peary nominates Kelly as one of the Best Actors of the Year, and Reynolds as one of the Best Actresses (in Cult Movies he writes “how absolutely great, how bubbly, how vivacious she is!”). However, he rightfully acknowledges that Kelly “allows Jean Hagen ample opportunity to walk away with acting honors” — indeed, while her role is perhaps not quite large enough to be considered in the “Best Actress” category, you could argue that her consistently hilarious, memorable performance plays an enormous part in the film’s overall success. Peary writes that “from this picture, we see that Hagen was never allowed the chance to be the fine comedienne… she was obviously capable of being”, and credits “Kelly, the star, the codirector, [for] willingly shar[ing] his picture with his costars.” He argues that “it is not by mere chance that Reynolds, O’Connor, and Hagen have never been better” — and one can’t help agreeing. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
Gigi (1958)
“They’ve pounded into my head I’m backward for my age — but I know what all this means.”
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Response to Peary’s Review: Storyline aside, however, the film — often designated as the last great MGM musical — works on nearly all other levels. To elaborate on Peary’s points above, it also features excellent use of authentic outdoor locales in France, vibrant Technicolor cinematography, and songs that are integrated seamlessly into the narrative (I’m especially fond of how “Waltz at Maxim’s [She’s Not Thinking of Me]”, with Eva Gabor as Jourdan’s mistress, is handled). Meanwhile, most of the cast is top-notch, with Caron in particular demonstrating a tremendous leap in acting ability since her 19-year-old debut in Minnelli’s An American in Paris (1951). She manages to effectively portray Gigi both as an innocent adolescent and as an emergent courtesan; we can easily understand why Jourdan would fall for her. Jourdan (second choice after Dirk Bogarde, who would have been wonderful) capably embodies bored Gaston (his clever duet with Chevalier — “It’s a Bore” — allows us to understand his character within just a few minutes); but I’ll admit I find Chevalier — especially as he sings “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” (my least favorite number) — a tad creepy. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
American in Paris, An (1951)
“What gets me is, I don’t know anything about her.”
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Response to Peary’s Review: Peary further posits that “Minnelli’s elegant balletic style of dancing is too tame for [Kelly]” — though he concedes that Kelly is finally allowed to “let loose in the extravagant 20-minute musical finale” which features “several striking ballet interludes”; he notes that with its “imaginative use of color, costumes, and sets to create scenes in the styles of French artists … it is [indeed] one of the best production numbers in cinema history”. He argues that “the other, shorter song-and-dance numbers shouldn’t suffer so badly in comparison” — but I don’t quite agree with this sentiment; I’m fond of Kelly performing “I Got Rhythm” with a group of street kids, as well as his joy-filled tap dance routine to “Tra-la-la (This Time It’s Really Love)” in his friend Jerry’s apartment. The primary problem with An American in Paris is its insufficiently developed storyline. Kelly’s crush on Caron is so paper-thin (especially given, as noted above, that she’s not particularly stunning — and he doesn’t see her opening dance sequence, as we do) that we simply can’t understand his instant obsession; meanwhile, Levant’s character is little more than a standard comedic foil, and Guetary is essentially a one-dimensional sap. What we’re left to enjoy are the stunningly vibrant Technicolor sound stage sets, fun costumes (particularly during the black-and-white ball), the Gershwin brothers’ incomparable score, and world-class dance routines — but without a suitable narrative to back all this up, An American in Paris comes up sadly short. It’s certainly worth at least a one-time look, but hasn’t endured as one of the best MGM musicals. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
Sadie Thompson (1928)
[Note: The following review is of a non-Peary title; click here to read more.]
“Sadie Thompson, you are an evil woman!”
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Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959)
“I declare my soul, when I tell ’em this down at the pub, they won’t believe a word of it.”
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Review: But it’s the truly stunning special effects which really impress, as full-sized Darby interacts seamlessly with tiny King Brian, and the leprechaun kingdom is brought to magical life. A special “must-see” documentary on the DVD goes behind the scenes of the film’s production to reveal the genius of Peter Ellenshaw’s special effects, which ranged from labor-intensive use of forced perspective to strategic integration of gorgeous matte backgrounds (meticulously painted by Ellenshaw himself). The later presence of a menacing banshee and “death coach” floating in the air are a bit less spectacular, but still quite spooky (as attested by legions of viewers who recall being scared witless by them as children). Thankfully, the film’s impressive special effects are put to good use within a story that remains engaging and suspenseful until the very end; you will likely find yourself believing just a tiny bit in leprechauns yourself by the time the film is over. Note: I recommend watching this one with subtitles running, to catch all the nuances of the rich dialect spoken by the characters. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Waitress! (1981)
“Admit it — you’re a chauvinist! You hate the idea that my career is just as important as yours.”
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