233. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Running Time: 122 minutes
Directed By: Elia Kazan
Written By: Tennessee Williams, Oscar Saul, from play by Tennessee Williams
Main Cast: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden
Click here to view the trailer

"STELL-AHHHH!"

Started watching this late Monday night, but didn't get the chance to finish it off until late Tuesday night and by the time I DID finish it, I was too exhausted to write the review - a review where I knew I'd have a lot to say.

As the film opens, Blanche DuBois (Leigh) is arriving in New Orleans, via a streetcar named "Desire", to her sister Stella's house, where she plans to stay until she gets back on her feet. We learn through conversations that Blanche WAS a school teacher, but something happened that forced her to resign (we find that "something" out later). We also learn that Blanche and her family once owned a plantation house, Belle Reve, but has been lost due to over piling debts. Stella (Hunter) is of course happy to see Blance and likewise Blanche to see Stella, but it's apparent right off the bat that Blanche has changed, that she is much more emotionally and mentally frail than she once was. We learn much more about Blanche through conversations - that she was once married, but that her husband, a young boy, shot himself after a quarrel with Blanche. We learn darker secrets about Blanche as the film continues, but I'll let you find those out for yourself. Not long after her arrival, we meet Stanley Kowalski (Brando), Stella's husband. Stanley is a fiery Pole who takes a dislike to Blanche from the get-go. Stanley is concerned with an inheritance that he's sure Blanche has stashed away and wants to claim Stella's piece of the pie. After a while, Blanche takes to Stanley's best friend, Mitch (Malden), a gentle, decent guy (the opposite of Stanley) who, after a while, begins to see visions of marriage when he looks at Blanche. I'll stop there and let you experience the rest of the movie and the secrets it holds for yourself.

SPOILER ALERT!!

I had see "A Streetcar Named Desire" three times prior to watching it last night. The first time was just a basic curiosity to see a so-called classic, the movie where Marlon Brando screams "Stell-AHHH!". The second and third times were both during failed attempts to watch all of the movies on the IMDB Top 250 list (which, by the way, I'll probably end up doing by watching all of the movies in THE BOOK) and all three times I HATED it. I'm talking, I hated it so much that if I'd been giving ratings out back then, I'd have probably affixed it a '1'. I think my main problem those three times, was that I found Vivien Leigh's Blanche to be too annoying to actually care about. I used to HATE Leigh in this and on the other hand, I used to really love Brando. When I used to watch ASND, I actually (somehow) sympathized with Stanley, because hey, I wouldn't want my wife's sister staying with me either, especially a sister with such issues. I'm sure I had other issues with the film too, probably the fact that back then I didn't watch a whole lot of black & white cinema and when I did, unless it was particularly engrossing, I usually would decide that I hated it.

However...

Mitch sheds some light on the situation in a pretty INTENSE scene, to say the least.

With the watching of 626 of the 1001 "must see" movies before you die, many of them "older" movies, comes a certain appreciation for the classics. Sure, I don't all of a sudden like ALL the classics, but as I've noted many times before, this book will change your tastes and in the case of ASND, it has. Never before, during the watching of a film, have I been forced to think so intently about the greatness of a certain picture and let me tell you it's not easy to suddenly have your opinion do a complete 180. It's like hating peanut butter all your life and then one day popping open a jar of Skippy only to realize that it's so melt in your mouth delicious that you COULD just eat it right out of the jar. It's hard to finally face your own, former opinion and have to so radically change it. So what changed this time, what suddenly captivated me? Let's discuss.

For starters, just look at some of the issues that are being tackled, at a time when tackling issues wasn't Hollywood's strong suit. You've got a woman with a clear mental disorder, driven over the edge after many of life's disappointments. There's also talk of suicide, rape, statutory rape (the reason that Blanche was forced to resign from teaching, was because she got caught "messing around" with a 17-year-old student), prostitution and domestic violence. I mean, I don't know about you, but when I used to think of old movies, squeaky clean families would come to mind. Father's who went to work in the morning, dressed in suit & tie, milk men who would deliver glass bottles to your doorstep and wave delightfully toward the housewife, who stayed home with baby and made sure the kids got off to school with sack lunches, full of nutritious snacks. Kind of a "Leave it to Beaver" image. However, when you really start to dig (and really, who's digging, we're talking about "A Streetcar Named Desire" - a very popular flick), you realize that once in a while, Hollywood would actually get a little gritty and there's not much grittier than ASND. After this latest viewing, no more was ASND a dull movie, virtually plot-less, with an annoying lead actress. No, not at all. Now it was a poignant piece of writing, with marvelous dialogue, the highest caliber acting on display and a deep story that you can debate about and research and that will leave you feeling a little uneasy...in a good way.

Oh and for God's sake, do I even have to mention the acting? No more did Vivien Leigh come off as an annoyance. This time around I was really able to appreciate her abilities and the way she must have really had to reach deep into her repertoire to pull off Blanche. And Brando - what can you say about Brando that hasn't already been said? And if we're handing out report cards, who gets the better grade, Leigh or Brando? I really don't know. I do know that they both put on performances that have been marveled over for the past sixty years and I can only hope that in another sixty, people are still watching in amazement as two masters hone their craft. Brando has a way about him here that makes you love him as an actor, but not want to see him onscreen, because you know his character is only going to bring a sense of unease to the scene, an unease you can almost feel in your throat. And God bless Kim Hunter for not only trying, but succeeding in holding her own on a stage with Marlon and Vivien. Oh yes, Karl Malden is great too! Oh and speaking of Malden, am I the only one who thinks that HE should've been the one to "take liberties" with Blanche? Kind of like a Noodles/Deborah thing from "Once Upon a Time in America", where he wants something so bad and when he realizes he's not going to get it, he takes it. I couldn't exactly recall, but while I was watching, I thought that was going to happen - right about the time he pulls off the lamp shade to reveal Blanche's face and get a closer look at her.

RATING: 8/10  I've blathered on long enough, but let me just say that not since "Requiem for a Dream" has my opinion of a movie so radically changed. ASND is actually probably a '10', but I need some time to get used to the idea of such a radical change of opinion.

MOVIES WATCHED: 627
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 374

March 6, 2013  6:14pm

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Ray Week #1 - COMING SOON

Well the ego is deflating nicely after yesterdays "Pretty Clever Films" mention, I'm here to report.

In other news, there will be two - count 'em TWO - "Ray Week's" this season and Nicholas Ray will get the first chance to impress me. Coming soon...

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Pretty Clever? Pretty Cool!

Just wanted to pop in real quick and thank Brandy Dean and all of the people over at Pretty Clever Films for recognizing me today, March 4, 2013, as their "Blog of the Day" entry. It's hard to put into words just how wonderful it is to be recognized when you have a blog or a website that you put a lot of hard work into. I do put a lot of work into "1001 Movies I (Apparently) Must See Before I Die", but I certainly wouldn't call it hard work. I have a blast watching movies and when you can do that and get recognition for it, it's pretty freakin' awesome.

So you should all head over to Pretty Clever Films and register, because in just the few minutes that I perused the site, it looks like a film lover's utopia! I haven't registered yet, but you can bet your buns I will and I can't wait to indulge in all of the features of Pretty Clever Films.

Thank you again!

http://prettycleverfilms.com/film-sites/pcf-blog-of-the-day-1001-movies-i-apparently-must-see-before-i-die/#.UTU9RzfYIpU

March 4, 2013  7:55pm

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253. The Bigamist (1953)

Running Time: 80 minutes
Directed By: Ida Lupino
Written By: Larry Marcus, Lou Schor, Collier Young
Main Cast: Edmond O'Brien, Joan Fontaine, Ida Lupino, Edmund Gwenn

WANTED BY TWO WOMEN

Another quick movie tonight, as I try to reach my goal of being halfway done with the season by the end of March. Not sure if I'll make that goal or not, but plan to give it a hell of a try anyway. Tonight's feature was "The Bigamist" - directed by and starring Ida Lupino, from 1953.

The film opens with Harry (O'Brien) and Eve Graham (Fontaine) sitting in the office of an adoption agent, filling out paperwork and applying for a child. When the adoption agent, Mr. Jordan (Gwenn), an aging man who takes his profession seriously, asks the Grahams to each sign a piece of paper, consenting the agency to comb over every aspect of their personal life, Harry raises a subtle eyebrow. Mr. Jordan notices and not wanting to place a child in an unfit family, begins the long process of researching the Grahams. With Harry being a refrigerator salesman, he travels frequently for work, leaving Eve in San Francisco while he heads to Los Angeles to meet with clients and close deals. Mr. Jordan, wanting to research every detail of Harry's (and Eve's) life, follows Harry to L.A., to his office and waits for him at his desk, until Harry gets back in. As Mr. Jordan waits, he's fascinated to find a letter opener on Harry's desk, engraved with the name Harrison Graham. Looking up the name in the phone book, Mr. Jordan comes up with an address and when it doesn't look like Harry is going to make it back to the office, Mr. Jordan follows the lead. He arrives at the house and is even more shocked when Harry answers the door. You see, it seems that Harry has been leading a double life. Not only is he married to Eve in San Francisco, two prospective parents who are interested in starting a family; but he's also married to Phyllis in L.A...and he's already a father, with a son! The rest of the film is flashback, as we hear the story of how Harry met Phyllis and got mixed up with two wives.

It's currently 11:30 at night and I have to be at work at 7:00 in the morning, so pardon me if I keep this a little on the short side. "The Bigamist" was a perfectly fine film, not particularly outstanding, however not particularly terrible either. The main opinion that I do have is that with just a little more tweaking, this film really could've been a piece of gold. As it is, this seems to be one of THE BOOK'S oddball choices. If you look it up on IMDB, it only garners a '6.7' average and iCheckMovies.com lists it as only being on one other list, besides the "1001" list. However, what you have here is a very interesting piece of noir. Much like "The Lost Weekend", you have a film-noir film that really doesn't follow your standard film-noir protocol. Sure it submits to the usage of shadows and flashback storytelling, but it leaves out the standard detective/insurance investigator role and there's no murder to be found. Therefore, I'd say that it doesn't fall into your standard noir mold, which, in my opinion, makes it pretty original. I think if you tweak the score a little bit and throw in a few more suspense scenes (you know, a few more close calls, with Harry nearly getting caught a few more times), I think that alone would've juiced this movie up enough to make it a surefire hit for the next TOP 20 list. As it is, I can't say I'll remember "The Bigamist" come list making time at the end of the season.

I will say that, on one hand I REALLY liked the chemistry between O'Brien and Lupino. In fact, a big credit to Edmond O'Brien, who seemed to know exactly how to play this double-crosser. He knew how to be cold and needy with Eve, yet he created so much passion on the screen with Phyllis. The scene where Harry and Phyllis go out for Harry's birthday is such a romantic, passionate scene and you almost believe that these two are really head over heels for one another. On the other hand, and I really feel like a heel for saying this, I really don't think Lupino was pretty enough to play the mistress (because, lets face it, she was a mistress). I mean, no sensible man steps out on his wife in the first place, but if you're actually going to go through with it, what sensible man leaves Joan Fontaine for barely average looking Ida Lupino? Ah well, an average looking mistress for a slightly better than average film.

RATING: 6.5/10  I'll keep this one in the forefront of my mind and chew it over before I spit it out. Not bad at all, but missing a few things to really make it shine. Oh and if you're looking to buy this, try to find a version other than the Alpha Video released version, which is probably the most horrible quality DVD I've ever had the displeasure of watching.

MOVIES WATCHED: 626
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 375

March 3, 2013  11:44pm

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242. The Quiet Man (1952)

Running Time: 129 minutes
Directed By: John Ford
Written By: Frank S. Nugent, Maurice Walsh, from the story Green Rushes by Maurice Walsh
Main Cast: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Victor McLaglen, Ward Bond
Click here to view the trailer

NOT QUIET ENOUGH

Remember when I wrote my "Double Indemnity" review and I talked about movies that you just know you're going to love before you even begin watching them? Well, that works the other way too, as I've also had many experiences with movies that I knew I WASN'T going to love before I even started them. "The Quiet Man" was one of those movies.

The film was directed by John Ford, in the 1950s and starred John Wayne, so without even going any further we can tell by just that bit of information that it was nominated for a whole heap of Academy Awards (but it only won two). John Wayne is Sean Thornton, an Irish-American, ex-boxer who returns home to the green pastures of Ireland after living in Pittsburgh most of his life. When he rides into the little town of Innisfree, via horse and carriage, he tells the coach driver that he plans to buy a small cottage, fix it up and live there; a small cottage that was owned by his mother and father many years ago and one that he's dreamed of living in all of his life. So Sean meets with the current owner and for the sum of 1000 pounds, she sells Sean the land and the cottage and he moves in, much to the dismay of Squire Will Danagher (McLaglen), who was also interested in the property.Sean moves in, starts fixing the place up, little by little and tries his best to be neighborly with Danagher, who lives right next door. Well, actually, Sean's true neighborly intentions lie with the Squire's sister, Mary Kate Danagher (O'Hara), whom Sean is gaga about. After a while, Sean gets up the nerve to ask Mary Kate out, but traditional Irish customs specify that Sean ask Will for permission to court Mary Kate and of course, Will says no. So the townspeople, who all like Sean well enough, help him hatch out a scheme that will get Will to say yes and it works and Sean marries Mary Kate. However, there's still the matter of Mary Kate's inheritance, which Will refuses to let go of. Oh and there's also the matter of Sean being a former ex-boxer, who retired when he accidentally killed a man in the ring, which becomes important near the end of the movie.

SPOILER ALERT!!

Oy vey! Where do I begin. Well, let's put it this way - I didn't like it! Why didn't I like it, you ask? Well lets start at the very beginning (a very good place to start). For starters, I'm not particularly fond of John Wayne movies as it is. I'm sorry, I know he's supposed to be an American institution and was supposedly a real life superhero (I mean he even had a nickname: "The Duke" - that's  name no one would self apply where I come from, but that's a different matter for a different day) but I just do not get the appeal. As far as I'm concerned it takes a mighty fine script to even make the guy look halfway decent and even then his acting ability is basically nil. Granted, I have only seen a handful of John Wayne movies - this, "The Searchers", "Stagecoach", "Rio Bravo", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and "Red River" - but none of those have succeeded in selling me on the guy and I think by now I've seen enough to form a pretty strong opinion and that is one of dislike.

Okay, so the star of the movie aside, there's still the matter of the incredibly - and I do mean INCREDIBLY - boring picture! Now, I hate to be the guy who writes a movie off as boring and leaves it at that and USUALLY I try to avoid using the word "boring" when airing my grievances about a certain film, but I'm sorry; if ever there was a movie to call boring, "The Quiet Man" is that movie. Let's take a look at the sequence of events here: guy returns to Ireland, guy buys land, guy meets girl, guy marries girl, guy quarrels with girls brother, guy quarrels with wife, guy fights girls brother, everybody lives happily ever after. Get the hell out of here with that crap, man! Really? That's it? I'm supposed to be left emotionally drained by one of the most sleep inducing romances in cinematic history? We are never given a reason to care about these characters. What, just because it's the almighty John Wayne (God rest his soul, I'm not one to speak ill of the dead) I'm supposed to automatically care that he's returned to Ireland and oh how romantic, he's been struck smitten by a redheaded angel!? Nah. Sorry, no. No one gets automatic cool points with me, especially not "The Duke". Just because you were one of the biggest names to ever step onto the silver screen, doesn't mean you get my automatic attention. Each movie is it's own vehicle and in this one, I'll reiterate, we are never given reasons to care for these characters. Also, what's with characters in old movies falling head over heels in love after just one look or one kiss? No wonder the 50s were such a boom period for births.

So that about wraps it up. I hate to be THAT guy, but I can't help to just write off "The Quiet Man" as boring. Of course, I didn't even mention that "big climax", where Sean finally decided to fight for his woman (not sure where his big change of heart came from), in a fighting scene that is laced with too much comedy to be taken seriously. No, this film just simply wasn't for me. It's that kind of movie that you'd expect to find your grandparents watching on a Saturday afternoon, your grandma knitting booties and your grandpa half dozed off in the chair...can you blame him?!

RATING: 2/10  Big 'ol thumbs down from this guy and easily THE WORST movie of the season, just beating out "Red Psalm" by a notch. I'll happily mark this one as "watched" and move on with my life.

MOVIES WATCHED: 625
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 376

March 3, 2013  5:37pm

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532. Meg ker a nep/Red Psalm (1972)

Running Time: 81 minutes
Directed By: Miklos Jancso
Written By: Yvette Biro, Gyula Hernadi
Main Cast: Lajos Balazsovits, Andras Balint, Gyongyi Buros, Erzsi Cserhalmi, Mari Csomos

IT CAME FROM (SOMEWHERE ON THE INTERNET OTHER THAN) YOUTUBE

So another thank you to "Ste" for providing me with six links to movies that I couldn't previously find. It was a HUGE help and who knows if I'd have ever found them without the help. So before they disappear I'm trying to get them watched and intend to watch them all this season and last night I took in "Red Psalm" - only me second Miklos Jancso film.

I'm not going to spend a lot of time recounting the plot, because honestly there isn't much to recount. The film takes place in the 19th century and deals with laborers striking when a landowner refuses to give them certain rights. They gather, sing songs, give speeches, chant and try to resist when soldiers on horseback arrive to try and halt their protests. The film only uses 26 shots and the cinematography is some of the best I've seen and I was really able to appreciate Jancso's camerawork and camera movements. Like I said, the story itself is pretty cut and dry and the singing gets to be pretty tedious after about thirty or so minutes.

I don't really want to bash this film and for a couple of reasons: 1) I really don't think I was able to fully understand and appreciate it. I'm not a socialism major, nor am I appealed by the story of peasants rebelling against landowners. Therefore, this film was a stretch for me and mostly, I was ignorant to it's themes and ideas. 2) As I mentioned above, that freakin' camerawork is AMAZING and I would really like to be able to say that I loved this film, because I'd love to love a film that's as beautiful as this. However, I didn't love this film, nor did I like it. I found it very difficult to get through and even dozed off at one point (I rewound the video, don't worry). I think I'll stop there, because I don't want to go on a rant and bash "Red Psalm", but I will say that it's almost a "must see" just for it's images. You'll be hard pressed to find a more visually orgasmic movie.

RATING: 3/10  And all three points are for the camerawork, which includes the beauty and that they pulled it off with only twenty-six shots. I LOVED that sweeping camera, moving back and forth, searching for beauty.

MOVIES WATCHED: 624
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 377

March 2, 2013  2:58pm

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385. Sanma no aji/An Autumn Afternoon (1962)

Running Time: 112 minutes
Directed By: Yasujiro Ozu
Written By: Kogo Noda, Yasujiro Ozu
Main Cast: Chishu Ryu, Shima Iwashita, Keiji Sada, Mariko Okada, Teruo Yoshida
Click here to view the trailer

OZU HAT TRICK: PART THREE OF THREE

My short time with Yasujiro Ozu comes to a close with the watching of "An Autumn Afternoon", Ozu's final film. Let's get right to it, shall we.

The film stars Chishu Ryu (the actor who played the father in "Tokyo Story") as Mr. Hirayama, an aging widower and businessman with three children. Two of the three children live with him, Kazuo (boy) and Michiko (girl). Hirayama's friend and colleague, Mr. Kawai, urges him to marry off Michiko, reminding him that if he doesn't do it soon (she's twenty-four years old) it will be too late. Over and over again Hirayama brushes off the warnings of his friend, assuring him that Michiko will be fine. Meanwhile, Hirayama's third son, Koichi (Sada) and his wife are having financial problems and must ask Mr. Hirayama for a loan, so that they can buy a new refrigerator. Hirayama agrees almost instantly and Koichi actually asks for more than they need so that he can buy a set of golf clubs he's been eyeing. Later, the couple fight over the proper way to use the loan that Mr. Hirayama granted them and argument ensue when Koichi's wife forbids him to buy the clubs. Meanwhile, Hirayama goes about his life, meeting with friends and colleagues, both current and former. As the film goes on, we realize that Mr. Hirayama has a drinking problem (a running theme in Ozu's films), as he comes home every night tipsy, each night more tipsy than the previous. After meeting with a former teacher, whom they call "The Gourd", who is now at the end of his life, widowed and living with his daughter (who never got married because she stayed to take care of him), Hirayama realizes that Kawai is right and that he needs to find a husband for Michiko.

SPOILER ALERT!!

Sure, based on that synopsis, "An Autumn Afternoon" doesn't sound too appealing. I mean, I'll even admit that I was really grasping at straws to include details because, honestly, not a lot happens in the picture. The film relies more on subtleties, like the reactions between characters (once again Ozu explores the theme of interactions between generations) and dialogue. To my surprise, the dialogue is actually quite snappy and certain things are said which actually caught me off guard. For example, one conversation between Hirayama, Kawai and another friend, Mr. Horie, about Horie's new, young wife and whether or not Horie is taking viagra-like pills to keep up with her, was quite shocking to hear, especially for Ozu, who seemed to be making pretty traditional films. I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about this film, but I will tell you that I DID like it. I like subtle films sometimes (a lot of the time actually). My complaints are few and would include my dislike for the score, which I felt was too upbeat for such a sad story. Only at the VERY end did the score actually reflect the moods and emotions of the characters and by then it was too late to make a difference.

Speaking of the ending, I did like it. My recent discontent with certain film endings has made me hesitant when "FIN" is on the horizon, but this one worked. I truly felt sorry for Mr. Hirayama, pressured into marrying off his only daughter, constantly reminded of what could happen to her if she stays with him. His tears at the end touched me. I also felt sorry for Michiko, who must've felt as though her father was trying to push her away, maybe not realizing that he only wanted the best for her. If ever there was a time to hope for a fictitious characters happy future, Mr. Hirayama and Michiko are prime candidates.

I just want to touch a bit on Yasujiro Ozu and am proud to say I enjoyed his works. I was too rough on "Floating Weeds" and too easy on "Tokyo Story", but "An Autumn Afternoon" was the cream of the crop and easily the best of the three. It was an "An Autumn Afternoon" that will get me to check out more Ozu films someday and despite the subtle nature of the story and unexciting script, I thought this was a success for Ozu, who dies only a year later.

RATING: 7/10  Can't go TOO high, just because, but still a hell of a film and I hope I can find a home for it on my TOP 20, at least in "Ten Worth Mentioning" land.

MOVIES WATCHED: 623
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 378

March 1, 2013  11:14pm

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