5 Against the House (1955)

This is an intriguing crime drama about a group of college students pulling off a heist of a Reno, Nevada casino. After a holiday trip to the casino, one of the students gets the idea of pulling off the perfect crime, and gets his classmates involved -- some of them against their will. One of them, a traumatized Korean war vet (Brian Keith) gets carried away and takes charge of the heist himself, with devastating consequences.

Directed by Phil Karlson, it builds some effective suspense about how the characters will be impacted by the scheme, but the heist itself is a relatively minor element compared with other films of this genre. The script is by a team of writers including Stirling Silliphant and Frank Tashlin. Guy Madison, Kerwin Mathewsm, and Kim Novak co-star.

Saskatchewan (1954)

An adventure-packed "North"-Western about a Canadian Mountie who takes up the protection of the lone survivor of an Indian attack, and defies commands in order to strategically lead his troops to the border to avoid another attack. Splendid Technicolor location photography (actually filmed in Alberta), with great contrasts between the bright red coats of the Mounties against the breathtaking mountain scenery in the background. Directed by Raoul Walsh.

Convicted (1938)

Rita Hayworth, age 19, in CONVICTED (1938)

"Quota Quickie" produced in Victoria B.C. for the British market, with American stars Charles Quigley and Marc Lawrence.

Hayworth plays a nightclub singer whose brother is framed for a murder, and must hunt down the real killer. Otherwise routine crime drama (based on the Cornell Woolrich story "Face Work") enhanced by the presence of Hayworth in an early role right before coming to the attention of Hollywood.

Playboy of Paris (1930)

Not a great or even particularly good film, by any means, but I could watch Maurice Chevalier in anything and this gives him a fun role as a cafe waiter who comes in to a fortune but has to continue working his job in the cafe. The plot is wafer thin but I enjoyed the fun spirit and energy of it all. I'm also intrigued by this director, Ludwig Berger (whose other films include the Korda THIEF OF BAGDAD and the 1937 Dutch version of PYGMALION), and was interested to see another example of his work.

Roadhouse Nights (1930)

I watched this strange little number from 1930 recently. It showed up on my radar after reading "Red Harvest", as this film is described as a loose (very loose, I'd say) adaptation of Hammett's book. It's so loose, in fact, that the book isn't even listed as a source in the film's credits, the script attributed solely to Ben Hecht.

I strongly suspect that little of Hecht's original script ended up on the screen, because it's an utterly bizarre mixed bag. The film tells the story of a reporter (Charlie Ruggles, in a dramatic role) who is sent to a small town outside of Chicago to investigate the disappearance of a fellow reporter, who went MIA while investigating a mob of rum-runners operating out of the town. We know that the reporter was bumped off by the mob leader when he got a little too close to uncovering the operation.

The plot finds time for music numbers by Helen Morgan, as the gangster's moll who also turns out to have been an old sweetheart of Ruggles, and some energetic comedy singing and dancing from the team of Clayton, Jackson & Durante (with Jimmy making his film debut in a role that also calls for some dramatic support).

It all runs out of steam by the end, with the absurdity of the situations working against the dramatic tension, but it's all oddly fascinating in its strangeness. The performances and direction have a stilted and lugubrious quality that give the impression of a bad dream.

Detective Story (1951)

Based on a play by Sidney Kingsley, this William Wyler film shows its theatrical roots but is imbued with a strong degree of realism. Set almost entirely inside a New York City police station and centered around the revolving group of characters who come and go throughout the day, it offers a first-rate showcase for its powerhouse ensemble cast headed by Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker, William Bendix, Cathy O'Donnell, and standout performances by newcomers Lee Grant and Joseph Wiseman.

This was right around the time that Douglas was essaying some really dark, intense roles (notably ACE IN THE HOLE), and his Jim McCleod here is one of the best of those. McCleod is angry and vengeful, uncompromising in his tough-as-nails attitude toward crime. He is anchored only by his love for his wife as his growing bitterness threatens to destroy him both personally and professionally.

The set design of the police station perfectly captures the claustrophobic atmosphere and the resulting high tensions of all who work within it. Special mention should also be made of the fine cinematography by Lee Garmes and John F. Seitz. Screenplay by Robert Wyler and Philip Yordan from Kingsley's 1949 play of the same name.

Night Owls (1930)

I watched this Laurel and Hardy short on TV this morning. I've seen it probably close to a dozen times over the years, and it's never been one of my favorites. I've always found it a little too slow and plodding, even clumsily-staged compared to their best work. I had chalked this up partly due to the lack of fluidity in the early talkies, but even then, Laurel and Hardy had achieved a more relaxed, smooth pace in even earlier films like The Perfect Day and The Hoosegow (1929), so I wasn't sure I could explain my reaction to Night Owls based purely on the challenges of adapting their comedy to early sound film.

For whatever reason, when I watched Night Owls again this morning, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and found my estimation of it much higher than before. The version shown on the "Laurel and Hardy Show" features new musical under-scoring of the familiar LeRoy Shield tunes, arranged by Ronnie Hazlehurst, so perhaps that added to my enjoyment and smoothed over the flow of the action. But beyond that, the antics of the Boys' repeated attempted break-ins struck me as much funnier this time around. What had struck me as one of their weaker shorts in the past now had me in stitches.

Maybe it was just the laughs I needed this morning.

Sven Nykvist on working with Ingmar Bergman

American Cinematographer ran an article by Sven Nykvist, "Photographing the Films of Ingmar Bergman", in which the cinematographer talks about his work with the great director. The article provides a fascinating insight into their working relationship and Bergman's working methods.

Nykvist describes his approach to working with Bergman:

"I am grateful to Bergman’s scripts that his photographic goal always changes with each one. There is no possibility for his cameraman to just alter his ordinary routine lighting technique or to shoot production after production in the same manner. All easy-come effects must be sacrificed for the simplicity which does not disturb. Although public acclaim in cinematography often can be achieved by instantaneous effects, it is in the long run only the true light which is interesting and which I strive for more and more in my work."

Full article here:
https://ascmag.com/articles/photographing-the-films-of-ingmar-bergman

Godard Instagram Interview with subtitles

The Instagram interview with Jean-Luc Godard that I mentioned in an earlier post is now available with English subtitles.

I've been re-watching some of his films lately, including A Married Woman and Pierrot Le Fou, so it was a good time to watch this:

The Squeaker (1937)

I watched the 1937 British crime drama The Squeaker (aka Murder on Diamond Row) last night. This was a stylish Korda production starring Edmund Lowe as an alcoholic detective who has to bring down a prominent citizen at the center of a smuggling ring. Two terrific supporting performances by the great Alastair Sim and Robert Newton.

It's based on a story by Edgar Wallace and directed by William K. Howard. Also featuring Sebastian Shaw, Ann Todd, and Tamara Desni.

Allen Daviau R.I.P.

Allen Daviau, the cinematographer of such films as E.T., The Color Purple, and Empire of the Sun, has passed away. Here is his obituary in the Hollywood Reporter:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/allen-daviau-dead-spielberg-cinematographer-five-time-oscar-nominee-was-77-1290572

He was also cinematographer on Spielberg's short film Amblin', which contains some of my favorite cinematography, particularly in the opening title sequence with the shots of the sun rising over the shots of the southwest.

Daviau was interviewed in the 1992 documentary Visions of Light, which I saw when I was a budding film enthusiast and gave me a great deal appreciation for the art of cinematography.

Roger Corman on Battleship Potemkin

This is an excellent video I watched this morning, while look at some videos about Sergei Eisenstein on YouTube. In it, Roger Corman provides an analysis of the Odessa Steps sequence from Battleship Potemkin. It's one of the most concise and appreciative analyses I have heard of this iconic scene, a scene that has been shown and discussed endlessly over the years.

As Roger Ebert said in his review of Potemkin:

"If today it seems more like a technically brilliant but simplistic 'cartoon' (Pauline Kael's description in a favorable review), that may be because it has worn out its element of surprise--that, like the 23rd Psalm or Beethoven's Fifth, it has become so familiar we cannot perceive it for what it is." (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-battleship-potemkin-1925)

Peter Greenaway interview

This is an interesting interview that I came across tonight, with filmmaker Peter Greenaway discussing history, art, cinema, Eisenstein and Stalin.

I had just recently watched Greenaway's film about Eisenstein's time in Mexico.

Seymour Stern on "Way Down East"

This is an excellent series of videos from a lecture given by Seymour Stern, given at Harpur College in 1970, on Ira Gallen's TVDays YouTube channel. Stern (1908-1978) was Griffith's biographer, having had firsthand experience knowing and working with the director (he appeared as an extra in Griffith's America). Stern devoted most of his life to researching Griffith. This lecture is dedicated to discussing Griffith's Way Down East.

Metropolis Medley by Gottfried Huppertz

This is an early soundtrack recording of themes from Gottfried Huppertz's score for Metropolis, recorded the same year as the film was released (1927) and conducted by Huppertz himself:

Simple pleasures

Late last night, before heading off to bed, I happened to watch a couple of Charlie Chaplin shorts on YouTube, The Bank and His Musical Career. These are what I'd call "simple pleasure" movies -- the kinds of enjoyable, reliable movies you can come back to again and again and again over the years and they never fail to make you laugh and bring you joy.

It was fun watching His Musical Career again after recently looking at Laurel and Hardy's The Music Box. I'd forgotten how much the latter owes to the Chaplin film beyond just the basic premise of two moving men carrying the piano up a flight of steps. There's a great sight gag of the moving cart being pulled by a donkey, who is lifted off the ground by the top-heavy weight of the piano. And there's a hilarious moment when the heavy piano is dropped down on to Mack Swain's back. Maybe my favorite bit is when Chaplin is carrying the piano on his back, and he is so bent over and stiff that he can't straighten back up again. And of course there's the gag involving drinking a can of varnish by mistake!

I could go on...but these are the great little moments that makes films like this such reliable and inexhaustible pleasures.

Now sit back and enjoy them for yourselves!

On Adaptations and Swiss Family Robinson

I'm currently reading Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss. I love re-visiting the classics, and have fond memories reading this story as a kid (albeit in an abridged version). I also greatly enjoyed the 1960 Disney film adaptation, starring John Mills. Re-reading the novel now, I am struck by how much the script for the Disney film adapts the story in to a much more traditional narrative. There is a great amount of detail in the book describing the plants and wildlife found on the island, along with meticulous descriptions of how the family adapts to their new surroundings.

The book presents a much more methodical document of the survival process, even if it does take a great deal of liberties with the realistic availability of supplies and resources on the island, as well as the father's knowledge of them and how to utilize them. In contrast, the screenplay adapts the family's adventures in to a much more concise story, punctuated with memorable set-pieces of the kind that tend to run together amid the many details in the book.

Purely as drama, the Disney film is far more satisfying for me. There is also a 1940 version, narrated by Orson Welles, which I have yet to see.

Mack Sennett Studio Tour

This is a fascinating video essay giving a virtual "tour" of the old Mack Sennett Studio, including "then and now" view of the surrounding area today:

Camera Moves in Osaka Elegy (1936)

I watched Mizoguchi's Osaka Elegy (1936) last night, and was absolutely entranced by the sublime camera moves. It was, without doubt, one of the most beautifully-photographed films I have seen.

Here is a clip from the film that provides an example of how gracefully Mizoguchi moves his camera:

Bruce Baillie R.I.P.

The New York Times is reporting that experimental filmmaker Bruce Baillie passed away on April 11:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/movies/bruce-baillie-essential-avant-garde-filmmaker-dies-at-88.html

This seems a good time to share one of my favorite short films, All My Life, made by Baillie in 1966. A beautiful, poetic film set to a recording by Ella Fitzgerald.

His obituary in Artforum has this to say about All My Life:

"The impetus behind his three-minute, Ella Fitzgerald–soundtracked short All My Life (1966), which slowly pans on a wooden picket fence framed by blue skies and red roses, was 'the quality of the light for three summer days' on the Northern California coastline. After days of admiring the light, he and a friend had started driving back to San Francisco, when suddenly he decided 'No, I cannot turn my back on this!' and took out his tripod." (source: https://www.artforum.com/news/bruce-baillie-1931-2020-82729)