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Monday, March 18, 2024

Casino De Paris (1957)

A well known playwright (Vittorio De Sica) spots a musical comedy performer (Caterina Valente) and becomes enchanted with her. He becomes determined she give up musicals and make her dramatic debut as an actress in his play. Directed by Andre Hunebelle (OSS 117: MISSION FOR A KILLER), this lightweight piece of French fluff is the kind of minor musical MGM would have tossed off in the early 1950s with Stanley Donen directing Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor but probably better. Shot in vivid color (Eastman) and wide screen (Franscope), it looks great but its screenplay is hackneyed, its songs are ordinary and its choreography generic. Caterina Valente and Gilbert Because (as De Sica's secretary) are good singers and decent dancers but they can't overcome the mediocrity of the material. It's a weak imitation of the American musical which Jacques Demy would transcend in the mid 1960s. I must confess that I'm crazy about musicals so in spite of its flaws, I was more tolerant toward it than the average moviegoer would be. With Gregoire Aslan, Grethe Weiser, Rudolf Vogel and Vera Valmont. 

The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter (1968)

A deaf mute (Alan Arkin in an Oscar nominated performance) works as a silver engraver in a small Southern town. When his only friend, a mentally challenged and physically large mute (Chuck McCann) is sent to a mental institution, the engraver moves to be closer to his friend. Based on the novel by Carson McCullers (MEMBER OF THE WEDDING) and directed by Robert Ellis Miller (ANY WEDNESDAY). Much has been left out of McCuller's 1940 novel in order to fit the narrative into the two hour time slot. But the film captures the spirit of McCullers' book, especially the aching loneliness of Arkin's deaf mute, a linchpin to the other characters in the movie but with no one there for him. Arkin's performance is simply superb and Sondra Locke (in her film debut) as the gawky teenager is wonderful but never again got a role which utilized her as well. The lovely underscore is by David Grusin. If you've read the novel, you might be unhappy with the changes but if you haven't, this should prove a moving experience. With Cicely Tyson, Stacy Keach, Percy Rodriguez, Biff McGuire and Laurinda Barrett.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Arthur 2: On The Rocks (1988)

An alcoholic millionaire (Dudley Moore) is happily married to his wife (Liza Minnelli). But the vengeful father (Stephen Elliott) of the girl (Cynthia Sikes) he jilted takes over the millionaire's family company and allows the family to keep their millions but only if the alcoholic is disinherited. A sequel to the 1981 hit comedy ARTHUR and directed by Bud Yorkin (DIVORCE AMERICAN STYLE). The original ARTHUR was a modestly amusing comedy bolstered by the performances of John Gielgud (who won an Oscar for his performance) and Liza Minnelli. Its one joke premise of a wealthy but amusing drunk who needs to grow up charmed audiences. But once is enough and the sequel tanked. The premise of ARTHUR 2 may be darker but somehow Dudley Moore's alcoholic playboy just isn't amusing the second time around. In fact, he's irritating. The film resurrects John Gielgud (who died in the 1981 movie) as a ghost but that doesn't help. A case of leaving well enough alone. Perhaps if the sequel had come out a year or two later but seven years later, its audience had moved on. With Kathy Bates, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Jack Gilford, Ted Ross and Paul Benedict.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Charlie Chan In Shanghai (1935)

At a banquet honoring the renowned detective Charlie Chan (Warner Oland), the host (David Torrence) is killed by a gunshot. Chan insists on investigating and find the murderer of his friend. Based on the Chan character created by Earl Derr Biggers and directed by James Tinling (UNDER THE PAMPAS MOON). The ninth film in the Charlie Chan franchise produced by Fox. It's a decent entry in the Chan universe although slow at times but it's well constructed and its one hour and 11 minutes running time is compact so there's no dead weight. Mystery fans should appreciate this solid effort. With Jon Hall, Irene Hervey, Keye Luke and Halliwell Hobbes.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Il Giorno Della Civetta (aka The Day Of The Owl) (1968)

Set in a small Sicilian village, a Carabinieri chief (Franco Nero) investigates the murder of a truck driver but the code of silence instigated by the Mafia has a hold on the town and no one is willing to talk. Based on the novel by Leonardo Sciascia and directed by Damiano Damiani (HOW TO KILL A JUDGE). This is an excellent crime drama (released in the U.S. under the title MAFIA). It's an intense movie that vividly portrays the iron clad hold the Mafia has on districts where their very presence intimidates the populace into a silent complicity. Franco Nero and Claudia Cardinale (as the wife of a murder victim) both won the David Di Donatello award (the Italian Oscar) for their work here and the film won best picture. The movie works as both a crime thriller and as a social statement on the grip of the Mafia and the implication of government collusion. The film opts for a realistic downbeat ending. With Lee J. Cobb, Nehemiah Persoff, Serge Reggiani and Tano Cimarosa.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Nightmare In Badham County (1976)

Two college girls (Deborah Raffin, Lynne Moody) from California are traveling through the deep South when they have car trouble. The town sheriff (Chuck Connors) doesn't like their attitude and arrests them for trespassing. After raping one of the girls, the sheriff with the assistance of the town's corrupt Judge (Ralph Bellamy) have the girls sent to a prison work farm. Directed by John Llewellyn Moxey (CITY OF THE DEAD). Originally made for television as an ABC movie of the week, the film was released theatrically overseas in Europe and Asia (it was a box office smash in China). I watched the theatrical version which includes nudity, foul language and lesbian sex not in the TV version and runs about 11 minutes longer. It's all under the pretense of showing the ghastly and corrupt conditions of prison farms but it's really an exploitation movie (think BLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA from 1973) that wants to titillate us with sadism and girl on girl sex while deploring the cruelty and exploitation of female prison workers. I felt a bit sleazy watching it. With Tina Louise, Lana Wood, Robert Reed, Della Reese and Fionnula Flanagan.

The Dark Past (1948)

A convict (William Holden) breaks out of prison and while on the run from the police, he and his moll (Nina Foch) along with some confederates break into the home of a psychiatrist (Lee J. Cobb) and hold them hostage while waiting for a boat that will take them to safety. Based on the play BLIND ALLEY (previously filmed in 1939) by James Warwick and directed by Rudolph Mate (WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE). An interesting psychological film noir that is overly simplistic. People spend years in therapy being analyzed in order to get to the root of their psychological problems but Cobb's psychiatrist solves Holden's psychosis in less than 12 hours! In a rare unsympathetic role, Holden is quite good and Cobb keeps his scenery chewing in check and gives a restrained performance. It lacks the glamour of Hitchcock's SPELLBOUND but the end result is the same, dime store Freudian assessment. Still, as a home invasion film, it's not bad at all. With Adele Jergens, Lois Maxwell, Stephen Dunne and Steven Geray.

Monday, March 11, 2024

Rio Grande (1950)

Set in the 1879 Texas frontier, a Lieutenant Colonel (John Wayne) in the U.S. Cavalry is shocked to see his estranged son (Claude Jarman Jr.) among the new recruits. He is shortly followed by his mother (Maureen O'Hara), the estranged wife of the Lt. Colonel who wants her son out of the Cavalry. Based on a magazine story MISSION WITH NO RECORD by James Warner Bellah and directed by John Ford (THE INFORMER). The third entry of John Ford's beloved Cavalry trilogy following FORT APACHE (1948) and SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (1949) and the least interesting of the bunch. Though there's the usual Cavalry vs. the Indians narrative, the focus of the film is the relationship between Wayne and O'Hara and their contention over the future of their son. I'm not a big admirer of Ford's cavalry trilogy but this movie lacks the tension of Wayne's Captain and Henry Fonda's Lt. Colonel which was at the core of FORT APACHE and the stunning Technicolor visuals of SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON. Unfortunately, Ford retains the overdone Irish ham of Victor McLaglen whose mugging is every bit as shameful here as it was in the first two movies. With Ben Johnson, J. Carrol Naish, Chill Wills and Harry Carey Jr.

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Tokyo Pop (1988)

A struggling rock singer (Carrie Hamilton) is getting nowhere career wise in New York City. So she decides to relocate to Japan where there is a demand for American girl singers. But her Japanese adventure isn't quite what she thought it would be. Co-written and directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, this is a delightful romantic musical. It's not the kind of musical where the characters break out into song. Instead, all the songs are performed as part of the Japanese rock scene. The experience of a fish out of water Caucasian girl trying to break into the Japanese music business and her romance with a Japanese rock singer (Yutaka Tadokoro) is sweet and the musical performances are fun. A real sleeper that's recently been restored and getting a second chance. With Tetsuro Tamba, Masumi Harukawa and Taiji Tonoyama.

Love Happy (1949)

A mute man (Harpo Marx) steals some food for an impoverished theatrical company. Among the food items stolen is a can of sardines which contains a diamond necklace worth a million dollars! An elegant international beauty (Ilona Massey) and her henchmen (Raymond Burr, Bruce Gordon) are also after the diamonds and kidnap the mute who doesn't know what the sardine tin contains. Directed by David Miller (LONELY ARE THE BRAVE), this was the 13th and final film starring the Marx Brothers. Alas, it's a weak vehicle. Frank Tashlin (THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT) may have co-written the screenplay but there's none of the animated madness that infuses his best films. The movie really belongs to Harpo and to a lesser degree, Chico. Groucho Marx is barely in the film. For me, a little Harpo goes a long way and as the movie neared its end, he had definitely worn out his welcome. Musically, the highlight isn't Harpo on the harp or Chico on the piano but a Sadie Thompson dance number featuring Vera Ellen. With a pre-stardom Marilyn Monroe (who gets introducing billing), Marion Hutton (Betty's sister), Melville Cooper, Eric Blore and Paul Valentine.