The Charge Of The Light Brigade (1936)

In 1854 India, a young British officer (Patric Knowles) and his brother's fiancee (Olivia De Havilland) are in love. Neither wants to hurt the brother's (Errol Flynn), also an officer in the Indian army, feelings but an insurrection lead by a local rajah (C. Henry Gordon) puts personal issues aside. The film uses the title of the famous poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson but not much else. Even the film makers state in an opening foreword that what follows is fiction. Historical inaccuracies aside, it's a fairly agreeable hokum and the famous charge itself is extremely well done (though apparently enough horses were killed that even the U.S. congress protested). Still, Tennyson's poetic sentiments aside, it's hard to find much to cheer about such "bravery" when the disastrous charge at Balaklava seems the result of military ineptitude. The trite score is by Max Steiner. Directed by Michel Curtiz. With David Niven, Donald Crisp, Spring Byington, Nigel Bruce, Henry Stephenson, J. Carrol Naish and Scotty Beckett.

Madame X (1966)

A shopgirl (Lana Turner) marries above her station when she weds the son (John Forsythe) of a prestigious Connecticut social register family. But due to her husband's increased absences due to business, she has an affair with a playboy (Ricardo Montalban). When he is accidentally killed during one of their rendezvous, the mother in law (Constance Bennett) uses it to blackmail the wife out of the family, forcing her to abandon her husband and young child. Eventually she sinks into a life of alcoholism, promiscuity and murder. The 1908 soap opera by Alexandre Bisson has been made into a film at least seven times that I'm aware of. It's just a juicy role that it seems to attract actresses. In addition to Turner, the role has been played by Ruth Chatterton, Gladys George and Tuesday Weld. This one gets the lush Ross Hunter treatment with Turner wearing Jean Louis and bedecked with jewels and furs. But the film is like a Douglas Sirk movie without Douglas Sirk at the helm and it could have used him, reputedly Hunter asked him but Sirk turned him down. Turner is handicapped in the first half of the movie, mostly because she's clearly too mature to pass as a 20 something and she poses rather than acts. But in the film's second act, stripped of a glamorous wardrobe and make up, she doesn't have anything to fall back on and she does a credible job with some of her most effective acting on screen. Directed by David Lowell Rich. With Burgess Meredith, Keir Dullea, Virginia Grey, John van Dreelen, Warren Stevens, Carl Benton Reid, Joe De Santis and Kaaren Verne.

Broadway (1929)

A hoofer (Glenn Tryon) in a nightclub finds his partner (Merna Kennedy) being wooed by a bootlegger (Robert Ellis). When the bootlegger kills a rival (Leslie Fenton), he compromises the girl by giving her a diamond bracelet and asking her to not to "remember" the incident. Based on the Broadway show by George Abbott and Philip Dunning, this is a very stagnant backstage musical. The director Paul Fejos brings almost nothing of interest to this static early example of Hollywood's transition from silent cinema to the talkies. Visually, the only interesting thing about it is the massive Art Deco nightclub set which is very impressive and which Fejos and cinematographer Hal Mohr (THE WILD ONE) display to effect by the extensive use of a long shots via a large crane. The acting save one is pretty amateurish. The stand out is Evelyn Brent (von Sternberg's UNDERWORLD) who gives a solid performance as a gangster's moll. The production numbers are pretty shabby (Tryon is not a musical performer) and one almost wishes Busby Berkeley would take over and give the numbers some splash and kick. The film's finale is in two strip Technicolor. It's a curio for the film archivists among us, nothing more. But I was slightly taken aback when one of the characters referred to Kennedy as a professional virgin, some 23 years before THE MOON IS BLUE controversy.

The Conspirators (1944)

After committing various acts of sabotage against the Nazis, a Dutch resistance fighter (Paul Henreid) escapes to Lisbon where he finds romance with a mysterious woman (Hedy Lamarr). But while working for the underground in neutral Portugal, he is framed for murder. By the Nazis? Or a traitor among the underground? The success of CASABLANCA wasn't lost on Warner Brothers, hence this pale concoction of WWII romance and intrigue with Lisbon subbing for Casablanca. In addition to Henreid, other CASABLANCA veterans include Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet. But it's a plodding affair with an unnecessarily complicated plot. Henreid was never very interesting as a leading man and he's certainly no substitute for Bogart and while Lamarr is as beautiful as Bergman, she doesn't have anything else to offer. Directed by Jean Negulesco (JOHNNY BELINDA) with a score by Max Steiner (who seems to think he's in Spain rather than Portugal). With Joseph Calleia, Vladimir Sokoloff, Eduardo Ciannelli, Steven Geray, Anthony Caruso and George Macready.

Waltz Of The Toreadors (1962)

In 1910 England, a General (Peter Sellers) faces a less than desirable retirement. Unhappily married to a shrewish hypochondriac (Margaret Leighton) and with two annoying daughters (Prunella Scales, Denise Coffey), he is surprised when his French mistress (Dany Robin, TOPAZ) of 17 years shows up and demands he leave his wife and marry her. Based on the acclaimed play by Jean Anouilh (MADWOMAN OF CHAILLOT), Wolf Mankowitz' BAFTA nominated screenplay changes the emphasis from the darker bittersweet aspect of the play toward a more farcical element. Surprisingly, the opposing dramatic and comedic components balance each other out nicely. Despite being some twenty years too young for the part, Sellers does a commendable job in portrayal of an aging romantic who never grew up and finds himself at a crossroads he finds difficult to cross. Leighton brings some sympathy to her harpy, a woman turned bitter only because her husband turned away from her and found other outlets for amorous inclinations. Directed by John Guillermin (TOWERING INFERNO). With Cyril Cusack and John Fraser.

The Jayhawkers (1959)

Set in pre Civil War Kansas, an escaped convict (Fess Parker, OLD YELLER) is offered a pardon by the governor (Herbert Rudley) if he will cooperate in luring a notorious renegade (Jeff Chandler), who first raids the town then offers to protect it for money and power, into the arms of the law. Directed by Melvin Frank (BUONA SERA MRS. CAMPBELL), this is a fairly engrossing western. Principally because of the relationship between Chandler and Parker. Chandler is the film's villain yet he has his own moral code of ethics. He also appreciates loyalty and is intensely likable. Which makes it hard for us, the audience, to hate him and hard for Parker's character to betray him to the law. The moral ambiguity of the situation, that of becoming a "friend" to someone with the intent to deceive them and does the end justify the means, is at the heart of the film. The rousing score is by Jerome Moross (THE BIG COUNTRY). With Nicole Maurey (DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST) as the widow who provides a moral anchor for Parker, Henry Silva, Frank DeKova, Jack Kruschen, Leo Gordon and Harry Dean Stanton.

The Haunting (1963)

A parapsychologist (Richard Johnson) takes a lease on Hill House which has a reputation for being haunted. The house's owner (Fay Compton) insists that her nephew (Russ Tamblyn) be in attendance as part of the agreement. Two women: a lesbian psychic (Claire Bloom) and a fragile woman (Julie Harris) who had a paranormal experience as a child are part of the study. It doesn't take long for the house to come alive. Based on the novel THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson and directed by Robert Wise (THE SAND PEBBLES). One of the great horror films of all time, director Wise shows all he learned from his mentor Val Lewton. Shot in crisp atmospheric black and white, Wise avoids showing us anything. But the sophisticated sound design and Davis Boulton's off kilter cinematography and especially Elliot Scott and John Jarvis' production design and set decoration give the film an unsettling distinctive style. The performances of Harris and Bloom rank with their best screen work and are among the greatest performances in a horror film. If the film has any flaws, it's the clumsy score by Humphrey Searle which adds nothing to the proceedings. With Lois Maxwell and Rosalie Crutchley.

Joyful Noise (2012)

When the musical director (Kris Kristofferson) of a small town church choir in Georgia dies of a heart attack, his wife (Dolly Parton) is passed over and the reins handed over to his assistant (Queen Latifah). This causes an animosity between the two women that is exacerbated by a budding romance between Parton's grandson (Jeremy Jordan) and Latifah's daughter (Keke Palmer). The idea of a gospel musical with Latifah and Parton as two feuding members is rife with and ripe for possibilities. None of which is taken advantage of and what we get is an uninspired SISTER ACT clone. Fortunately, Latifah and Parton are exceptionally likable personalities and first rate musical performers which makes the bumps and potholes (and there are lots of them) in the script seem smoother than they are. The musical numbers are all winners and they are frequent so that helps too. Parton's plastic surgeries are painfully obvious and, indeed, thee are several jokes about it in the script. Directed by the actor Todd Graff (THE ABYSS). With Jesse L. Martin, Joe Morton, Courtney B. Vance and Kirk Franklin.

The Trap (1959)

An attorney (Richard Widmark) for the mob returns to the small desert town of his birth to ask a favor of his estranged father (Carl Benton Reid), the local sheriff. A mobster (Lee J. Cobb) wanted by the FBI is arriving and wants to use the town's airstrip to take a plane out of the country. The father reluctantly agrees but his other son (Earl Holliman) wants the $15,000 reward instead. What follows, to put it mildly, is a disaster of epic proportions. It's always a treat to discover some unsung piece of film and this taut tightly put together thriller exceeded my expectations. Well, actually I didn't have any expectations but I just wasn't expecting anything this good. I don't want to oversing its praises. It's not an undiscovered gem, just a good solid piece of movie making. The director Norman Panama is normally associated with Danny Kaye comedies (though he did the underrated ABOVE AND BEYOND) but he really keeps the wheels turning here, leaving very little flab. With Tina Louise as Holliman's unsatisfied wife and Lorne Greene.

Grace Of My Heart (1996)

In 1958, a budding singer/songwriter (Illeana Doulgas) moves to New York but while no one is interested in her as a singer, a producer (John Turturro) hires her as a songwriter working out of the famous Brill building. The film follows her journey, professionally and personally, through the pop girl groups, English invasion, psychedelic era and eventually the singer/songwriter she set out to be. Directed by Allison Anders. Some films have hit written all over them but then, inexplicably, it never happens. This film never found its audience though almost everyone I know who's seen it seems to have an affection for it. The film draws from real performers, songwriters and music producers of the era. Douglas's heroine is an obvious stand in for Carole King, Turturro is clearly doing Phil Spector, Matt Dillon a stand in for Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys), Bridget Fonda's barely closeted lesbian is Lesley Gore (who wrote Fonda's song), Patsy Kensit and Chris Isaak are songwriters Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, Dave and Andrew Williams (Andy's nephews) are doing the Everly Brothers etc. The songs which were written by several songwriters (Burt Bacharach, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello, Los Lobos, Carole Bayer Sager among them) are a terrific pastiche of songs of their period but work on their own too. With Eric Stoltz, Bruce Davison, Lucinda Jenney and Jennifer Leigh Warren.

Sampo (aka The Day The Earth Froze) (1959)

In a small Finnish seaside village, the town awaits for a maiden (Eve Kivi) to fall in love because it is foretold when she marries then the village will received a magic mill that makes gold, flour and salt. But an evil witch (Anna Orochko) in a far away land wants the mill so she kidnaps the girl as ransom. Her fiance (Andris Oshin) and brother (Ivan Voronov) go to recover the girl. This Russian-Finnish co-production is apparently based on a well known Finnish folk tale. The version I saw is an American dubbed version retitled THE DAY THE EARTH FROZE and eliminates almost a half hour from the film and the transfer was bad so it's perhaps unfair to call it dreadful. But honestly, I can't imagine a pristine restored print would change my mind. It's just a lame, heavy handed fantasy that makes little sense even for a fairy tale. Okay, a mill that makes gold, sure, but flour ... and salt (and they live on the sea!)? Directed by Aleksandr Ptushko.

Who Killed Teddy Bear? (1965)

Due to a traumatic experience in his past, a young man (Sal Mineo) is sexually maladjusted and finds himself both attracted to yet repulsed by female sexuality. He becomes obsessed with the disc jockey (Juliet Prowse) at the disco where he works and begins a series of obscene phone calls to her. The detective (Jan Murray) assigned to the case has his own issues. His wife was raped, mutilated and murdered by a sexual psychopath and his obsession with the psyche of sexual perverts makes him almost a brother under the skin. This low budget B&W exploitation movie sounds more interesting than it is. It's really an opportunity to exploit the subject with plentiful shots of Juliet Prowse and Sal Mineo in their underwear and dashes of lesbianism, sexy 19 year olds with the minds of 10 year old children, murder and rape. Indeed, this may be the first American film to show a full on rape scene without cutting away. The film seems more intent on titillation than insightful psychological insights. It also shares the typical 60s mentality toward homosexuality, when Elaine Stritch's lipstick lesbian is murdered, it's barely mentioned in passing despite her being a major character. Shot on the cuff and on location, the film is a marvelous look at New York City circa 1965. Directed by Joseph Cates (father of Phoebe). With Daniel J. Travanti and Bruce Glover.