Anna Christie (1930): The German Version

A young woman (Greta Garbo) comes to New York to see the father (Hans Junkermann) that abandoned her 15 years ago to a farm family. Unknown to her father, she was raped on the farm and later turned to prostitution to support herself. When she meets a burly if crude sailor (Theo Shall), she finds herself falling in love but will he be able to accept her past? Based on the play by Eugene O'Neill and directed by Jacques Feyder (CARNIVAL IN FLANDERS). In the early years of sound films, studios frequently produced foreign language versions of their films. Usually with the same sets but different actors. Garbo had made her sound debut in the English language version (released the same year) and she's the only cast member to appear in both versions. I've always preferred Garbo's performance in the German version to the English language version. Her performance in English version seems too stilted and she seems uncomfortable with the language (that would quickly improve) and she's more relaxed and natural in the German version. With Salka Viertel and Herman Bing.

The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes (1970)

When a beautiful woman (Genevieve Page) is rescued from drowning in a river, she has no memory. What she has grasped in her hand is the address of the renowned detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens). What follows is international intrigue and one of the most challenging cases of Holmes' career. Directed by Billy Wilder (SUNSET BOULEVARD). One of Wilder's most underrated movies and his last really good film. He only made four movies after this and none of them are really good. The original version ran three hours and 20 minutes plus intermission but the studio (United Artists) insisted on the film being cut and the release version runs two hours and 5 minutes. Alas, the cut footage no longer exists so we'll never get to see the film as Wilder intended. What's left is very good indeed and in his best film role, Stephens offers us a complex Holmes (with an ambiguous sexuality) and his drug use intact. Colin Blakely's Dr. Watson is used primarily for comedic effect. The relationship with the Belgian played by Page is as close to a romance as allowed in a Holmes movie and the last few scenes concerning her are very touching. There's a gorgeous score by Miklos Rozsa (BEN HUR). With Christopher Lee, Tamara Toumanova, Clive Revill, Stanley Holloway and Catherine Lacey.

The Daughter Of Rosie O'Grady (1950)

An ex-vaudevillian (James Barton) is anti show business and when his middle daughter (June Haver) shows aspirations for a show business career, he puts his foot down and forbids it. But that won't stop her and she gets a job with a producer (Gordon MacRae) who has romantic aspirations in her direction. Directed by David Butler (ROAD TO MOROCCO). A routine nostalgic Warners musical set in the early 1900s and if that's your cup of tea then this concoction should do it for you. It's reminiscent of those old fashioned nostalgic Technicolor musicals 20th Century Fox used to do with Betty Grable (THE DOLLY SISTERS) and Alice Faye (LILLIAN RUSSELL) in the 1940s but by the 1950s, they were wearing thin. The only musical number I actually enjoyed was a lively ragtime dance by Haver and Gene Nelson. As the obnoxious father, James Barton is incredibly annoying and one wonders why his daughters stick around and take his abuse. As the youngest daughter, Debbie Reynolds makes her film debut but she comes across as an ordinary ingenue. She moved to MGM after this film and they realized she was no ordinary starlet and she soon became one of MGM's most popular stars. With S.Z. Sakall, Jane Darwell, Marsha Jones and Sean McClory.

The Room Next Door (2024)

Two women were friends in their youth when they both worked on the same magazine but their lives took different paths. Ingrid ((Julianne Moore) became a writer while Martha (Tilda Swinton) became a war correspondent. Years later they meet again when Martha is dying of cancer. Based on the novel WHAT ARE YOU GOING THROUGH by Sigrid Nunez and directed by Pedro Almodovar (VOLVER) in his first film in the English language. Death! The subject everyone doesn't want to talk about, to confront and to deal with. Moore's writer has issues with the subject and avoids the topic but when her good friend is dying, she doesn't have a choice and must deal with it. If this sounds like a "chick flick" weepie, it isn't. BEACHES it's not. Almodovar brings a mixture of poignance and low keyed humor to the subject but puts a very real face on death. When the movie reaches its final moments, it's lovely and touching and Almodovar doesn't jerk any tears. Tissues are not required. Swinton gives another superb performance and Moore hasn't been this great in years. With John Turturro and Alessandro Nivola.  

The Scarlet And The Black (1983)

Set in Rome during WWII, an Irish priest (Gregory Peck) working in the Vatican devotes his time and energy to hiding refugees and Allied POWs from the occupying Nazis. The local gestapo head (Christopher Plummer) suspects the priest of heading the network that has hundreds of people helping him with his efforts. Based on the non fiction book THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL OF THE VATICAN by J.P. Gallagher and directed by Jerry London (SHOGUN). Based on an incredible true story, the film takes artistic liberties when dealing with the facts. Notably, the whitewashing of Pope Pius XII (John Gielgud) who was criticized for not taking a stronger anti Nazi stance. For what it is, it's no SCHINDLER'S LIST but a solid effort and never less than interesting even if its execution is pedestrian. The suitable score is by Ennio Morricone. With Raf Vallone, Barbara Bouchet, Gabriele Ferzetti, Michael Byrne, Walter Gotell, T.P McKenna, Edmund Purdom, Vernon Dobtcheff and Olga Karlatos.

A Flea In Her Ear (1968)

When a wife (Rosemary Harris) suspects her husband (Rex Harrison) of having an extramarital affair, she sets a trap for him. But her trap doesn't go as expected and complications arise when her husband's best friend (Louis Jourdan) shows up instead of her spouse. Based on the classic French farce by Georges Feydeau and directed by actor turned director Jacques Charon. Charon had directed a very successful version of the Feydeau farce in 1966 at the National Theatre in London with Albert Finney in the lead. So it seemed a natural for him to direct a film version and this is his first and only movie. I love farce and Feydeau is a master at it and A FLEA IN HER EAR with its slamming doors, rotating beds and mistaken identities (when done right) is farce at its best. Alas, something is missing from this film version. Some of it has to do with the pacing and when pacing is off in a farce, it's deadly. Some of the casting is off, too. Louis Jourdan, for example, may be French but he doesn't have the soul of a farceur and while Harrison isn't bad in a dual role, I kept on thinking how Peter Sellers would have nailed it expertly. Still, it was a joy to see the wonderful Rosemary Harris in a leading role in a film and she's very good. With Rachel Roberts, John Williams, Gregoire Aslan, Edward Hardwicke and Isla Blair.  

The Deadly Dream (1971)

A research scientist (Lloyd Bridges) experiences recurring dreams where he is pursued by a mysterious tribunal for something he's not aware that he's done. He begins to wonder if the dreams are reality and his "real" life his dreams. Directed by Alf Kjellin (MIDAS RUN). A potentially interesting premise that goes round and round in circles with no payoff. When it's over, you're at the same place as when you came in and while I'm rather fond of ambiguous endings, when the material is this weak, I want answers. Neither his dreams or his "real" life make much sense in terms of the narrative. I suspect there might have been more that would clarify the situation that most likely ended up on the cutting room floor. With Janet Leigh (who brings some ambiguity in the wife role), Richard Jaeckel, Don Stroud, Carl Betz, Leif Erickson and Phillip Pine.

Apartment 7A (2024)

A young dancer (Julia Garner) is struggling to make it on Broadway. Addicted to painkillers, she is taken under the wing of an elderly couple (Dianne Wiest, Kevin McNally) who help her get on her feet again. But she begins to have strange hallucinations and after a one night stand with a producer (Jim Sturgess), she finds herself pregnant. But is he really the father? Inspired by the novel ROSEMARY'S BABY by Ira Levin and directed by Natalie Erika James (RELIC). A misguided prequel to the Roman Polanski film, ROSEMARY'S BABY. In the 1968 movie, the character of Terry (played by Victoria Vetri and played here by Garner) was a recovering junkie taken in by an elderly couple, the Castevets. Here, she's an ambitious dancer focusing on her career. In the 1968 film, she's grateful to the Castevets but here she finds them meddlesome. With one exception, the film is devoid of suspense and atmosphere. Worst of all, the film inexplicably includes several surreal musical numbers as well as scenes from the show Garner is cast in. Garner's singing voice is weak and her dancing is generic and the show looks awful. The only performance that stands out is Dianne Wiest but unfortunately she's facing Ruth Gordon's indelible Oscar winning performance and she comes in a far second. The premise is good but it's just a botch job here. With Marli Siu and Rosy McEwen.

Joe Versus The Volcano (1990)

Stuck in a dead end job he hates, a stressed out guy (Tom Hanks) is diagnosed with a terminal disease and given 3 to 4 months to live. An eccentric millionaire (Lloyd Bridges) makes him an offer he can't refuse: a fleeting taste of the good life after which he must journey to an obscure Pacific island and jump into a volcano! Written and directed by John Patrick Shanley (MOONSTRUCK). Flat as a pancake though inexplicably, there are some diehard fans of the movie (I've met some of them). An attempt at making a contemporary screwball comedy, Shanley's surreal screenplay lifts the movie out of any recognizable reality. It lacks the magic that made Shanley's MOONSTRUCK such a delight and without that enchantment, its absurdity flounders. The talented cast tries including Meg Ryan playing three different parts. The film's failure pretty much put a stop to Shanley's directing career for the next 18 years until the excellent DOUBT (2008). The best thing about the movie are Stephen Goldblatt's (THE HELP) cinematography and the art direction by Tom Duffield (ED WOOD) and production design by Bo Welch (THE BIRDCAGE). With Robert Stack, Ossie Davis, Amanda Plummer, Nathan Lane, Carol Kane and Dan Hedaya.

The Verdict (1982)

A down on his luck alcoholic attorney (Paul Newman in an Oscar nominated performance) is reduced to being an "ambulance chaser". But when a medical malpractice law suit with the odds against him falls in his lap, he sees an opportunity for redemption. Based on the novel by Barry Reed (adapted for the screen by David Mamet) and directed by Sidney Lumet (MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS). Containing one of Newman's very best performances, this is a solid courtroom drama although not without its flaws. Lumet's direction is often (no surprise) unsubtle though to be fair, the screenplay IS by David Mamet! This spills into some of the performances, notably Milo O'Shea's over the top biased judge and Colin Stinton's smirking legal assistant. But Newman's performance is so exquisite that it overrides any bones I may have to pick. The excellent subdued score is by Johnny Mandel. With James Mason (also Oscar nominated), Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, Lindsay Crouse, Edward Binns, Julie Bovasso and Joe Seneca.

The Mountain Road (1960)

Set in 1944 China, an army Major (James Stewart) leads an eight man demolition team that is in charge of blowing up bridges, roads and villages in the path of advancing Japanese armies. His team is accompanied by the widow (Lisa Lu) of a Chinese general and a Colonel (Frank Silvera) in the Chinese army. Based on the novel by Theodore White and directed by Daniel Mann (COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA). A most unusual war film in that very little combat is shown, we never even see the Japanese. Instead the film focuses on the conflict in Stewart's character. He's never really sure why he's even there and he seems overwhelmed by the duties he's supposed to enforce  and he eventually gets consumed by the power at his command. The film isn't shy about showing the casual racism of the small army unit and the cultural differences between the Americans and the Chinese. It's these very differences that nips the budding romance between Stewart's Major and Lisa Lu's Chinese widow. The B&W cinematography of Burnett Guffey (BONNIE AND CLYDE) does an excellent job of making Arizona look like Chinese countryside. The score is by Jerome Moross. With Glenn Corbett, Harry Morgan, Mike Kellin and James Best.

Think Fast, Mr. Moto (1937)

When his import/export business is infiltrated by international diamond smugglers, an amateur Japanese sleuth (Peter Lorre) follows a trail of clues from San Francisco's Chinatown to the alleys of Shanghai. Based on the novel by John P. Marquand (STOPOVER TOKYO) and directed by Norman Foster (JOURNEY INTO FEAR). The first of eight Mr. Moto films made by 20th Century Fox and all starring Peter Lorre. It's good fun but many of the Moto movies that followed are better. This has a mystery that isn't all that interesting and the supporting characters are rather bland. But the film gave a chance to Lorre to play a hero which also gave him an opportunity as a leading man albeit as a character actor. There's even a hint of romance as Lorre's Mr. Moto goes on a date with a pretty switchboard operator (Lotus Long) though unfortunately she gets shot on the date. With Virginia Field, J. Carrol Naish, Thomas Beck and Sig Ruman.