Stars: Susan Hayward, Dan Dailey, George Sanders
Plot: A dress designer bulldozes her way to the top of the garment/fashion industry; but finally has to choose between ambition and love.
Staring two of my favorites: Susan Hayward and George Sanders; "I can get it for you wholesale" has some good moments but can't overcome an extremely wordy script with minimal character development and a predictable plot.
There are *some* funny/witty lines expertly delivered by Sanders & Hayward - but that's larded between a lot of dull/mediocre stuff. As in "Force of Evil" Polonsky seems to believe that word-count equals quality and almost every second of run-time is filled with with talk. Yak, Yak, Yak. And like "Force of Evil" I had a hard time caring about the less-than-likable characters. On the plus side, the acting is quite good, there's a lot of George Sanders being George Sanders, and we get some interesting location shots of 1951 NYC.
**Spoilers Ahead**
The last two scenes in the movie are examples of Polansky's overwriting. Both are well acted and have some good lines - but Polanksy simply can't keep it short and effective. In the Sanders & Hayward scene he has both characters exchange the same thoughts over and over. In the last scene with Jaffe-Hayward-Daily, Sam Jaffe's character has the final words. He only had to say "Teddy, just because 7th avenue is a jungle, there's no need to live like a wild animal. That's what Harriet learned, that's why she's back. Remember Teddy, its not easy to walk back in, after you walked out." Cue embrace. Cut/print it.
Instead Jaffe goes on for another minute - saying nothing memorable or needed. Typical Polansky.
**End Spoilers**
Having seen almost all of Abe Polonsky's films I'm less than impressed with his talents. Its somewhat amusing to read of the author of 'Tell them Willie boy was here" and "Madigan" dissing Kazan -but that's politics in Hollywood. I think Wilder had him in mind when he stated that "Only two or three of the Hollywood Ten had talent, the rest were just unfriendly".
Monday, March 19, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Big Combo (1955)
Plot: A police detective (Wilde) is obsessed with bringing a suave, and seemingly invulnerable crime boss (Conte) to justice - the gangster's girlfriend may be the weak link.
Stars: Richard Conte, Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace, Brian Donlevy
Enjoyable but over-praised Film Noir. The plot is pretty standard but with an 84 minute run time that's not a problem. More problematic is the bland Cornel Wilde and the 2 wooden female performances. The action scenes are mixed. A couple are well done, others are almost unintentionally funny. Anyone want a pineapple in a box?
Pluses: A great jazz score and some beautiful B&W cinematography. Also, Earl Holliman and Lee Van Cleef are memorable as the Gay(?) henchmen. Conte is fabulous as the ruthless "Mr. Brown".
Summary: Another "cult film" that leaves me puzzled. I liked it, but its no better than 30 other film-noirs. Rating: ***
Stars: Richard Conte, Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace, Brian Donlevy
Enjoyable but over-praised Film Noir. The plot is pretty standard but with an 84 minute run time that's not a problem. More problematic is the bland Cornel Wilde and the 2 wooden female performances. The action scenes are mixed. A couple are well done, others are almost unintentionally funny. Anyone want a pineapple in a box?
Pluses: A great jazz score and some beautiful B&W cinematography. Also, Earl Holliman and Lee Van Cleef are memorable as the Gay(?) henchmen. Conte is fabulous as the ruthless "Mr. Brown".
Summary: Another "cult film" that leaves me puzzled. I liked it, but its no better than 30 other film-noirs. Rating: ***
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
Stars: Harry Belefonte, Robert Ryan, Gloria Grahame, Ed Bergley, Shelly Winters
Plot: A New York City Jazz Singer, a retired disgraced Cop, and a racist muscle-man plan to rob a small town bank in Upstate New York.
Effective little film noir, with some good acting (and some bad), great cinematography, and some good action scenes. Filmed on low "B movie" Budget, director Robert Wise gets all he can out of the location shots on Hudson New York and New York City. Belefonte is surprisingly good as the gambling Jazz Singer who has to become a bank robber to pay-off the Mob, while Bergley is quite sympathetic as the old eccentric who plans the heist. On the minus side, Winters and Grahame aren't given much to do. Ryan does a tired repeat of his usual evil bigot, and the phony southern accent doesn't help.
What keeps "Odds against tomorrow" from being a very good film-noir is the script by Abe Polansky. The movie sags in the middle, and the 3 main characters aren't particularly sympathetic or smart. The 'race issue' stuff is rather dated. Also, Polansky threw away the book's upbeat ending to create his own downbeat symbolic ending - which has all the subtlety of a jack-hammer.
**Avast Ye - Spoilers ahead**
Finally, the heist itself is well filmed except for the incredible idiocy of the police. First, they shoot Ed Bergley six times over 5 minutes, and while having the gang pinned down in the alley never think of sending someone around back to cut off their escape. Later, they let Ryan and Belefonte shoot and chase each other till they get to a Gasworks, where they continue to let the two shoot each other and also blow up the gas works. We don't see any dead Gaswork employees - but no thanks to "Mellon's Finest"!
Plot: A New York City Jazz Singer, a retired disgraced Cop, and a racist muscle-man plan to rob a small town bank in Upstate New York.
Effective little film noir, with some good acting (and some bad), great cinematography, and some good action scenes. Filmed on low "B movie" Budget, director Robert Wise gets all he can out of the location shots on Hudson New York and New York City. Belefonte is surprisingly good as the gambling Jazz Singer who has to become a bank robber to pay-off the Mob, while Bergley is quite sympathetic as the old eccentric who plans the heist. On the minus side, Winters and Grahame aren't given much to do. Ryan does a tired repeat of his usual evil bigot, and the phony southern accent doesn't help.
What keeps "Odds against tomorrow" from being a very good film-noir is the script by Abe Polansky. The movie sags in the middle, and the 3 main characters aren't particularly sympathetic or smart. The 'race issue' stuff is rather dated. Also, Polansky threw away the book's upbeat ending to create his own downbeat symbolic ending - which has all the subtlety of a jack-hammer.
**Avast Ye - Spoilers ahead**
Finally, the heist itself is well filmed except for the incredible idiocy of the police. First, they shoot Ed Bergley six times over 5 minutes, and while having the gang pinned down in the alley never think of sending someone around back to cut off their escape. Later, they let Ryan and Belefonte shoot and chase each other till they get to a Gasworks, where they continue to let the two shoot each other and also blow up the gas works. We don't see any dead Gaswork employees - but no thanks to "Mellon's Finest"!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The Great Man (1956)
Plot: A reporter preparing a eulogy for a beloved radio commentator, finds a despicable egomaniac beneath the public persona.
The "Great Man" is sorta of a 2nd rate Citizen Kane. A truth-seeking reporter (Jose Ferrer) finds that beloved, recently deceased, radio figure "Herb Fuller" - isn't the patriotic, likable, salt-of-the-earth guy we were lead to believe. Like Andy Griffith in "A Face in the Crowd", Fuller is supposedly modeled on Arthur Godrey, a popular 1950s Radio/TV personality who seems to have scared the crap out of liberal intellectuals. Reading between the film frames, it seems Liberals were afraid that some kind of smiley, "average joe" personality (aka Godfrey) could be used by "Big Business" to sell 1950s conservatism and capitalism to all the those 'yokels' in heartland. Hence, the push back.
Viewed simply as a movie, "The Great Man" has some good points. The supporting cast is excellent. Kennan Wynn shines as Fuller's slimy "what's in it for me" agent, Dean Jagger is good as the smooth amoral Radio Network President, and Julie London is extremely sexy as the extremely drunk, Widow Fuller. Further, the script is full of good, cynical lines reminiscent of "Sweet Smell of Success".
However, "The Great Man" never really takes off. Partly, its due to Jose Ferrer - who despite his great voice - is too wooden and lacking in charisma. But mostly its the predictable, and low budget story. People talk about "Herb Fuller" but we never see him & we know from the start he's a bad apple. As a result, the narrative lacks drive and suspense. Think 'Citizen Kane', without the great photography or any dialog by Charles Foster Kane.
Summary: "The Great Man" isn't great - but its a forgotten picture worth a watch - if only for the 50s atmosphere and the supporting actors. Rating **1/2
The "Great Man" is sorta of a 2nd rate Citizen Kane. A truth-seeking reporter (Jose Ferrer) finds that beloved, recently deceased, radio figure "Herb Fuller" - isn't the patriotic, likable, salt-of-the-earth guy we were lead to believe. Like Andy Griffith in "A Face in the Crowd", Fuller is supposedly modeled on Arthur Godrey, a popular 1950s Radio/TV personality who seems to have scared the crap out of liberal intellectuals. Reading between the film frames, it seems Liberals were afraid that some kind of smiley, "average joe" personality (aka Godfrey) could be used by "Big Business" to sell 1950s conservatism and capitalism to all the those 'yokels' in heartland. Hence, the push back.
Viewed simply as a movie, "The Great Man" has some good points. The supporting cast is excellent. Kennan Wynn shines as Fuller's slimy "what's in it for me" agent, Dean Jagger is good as the smooth amoral Radio Network President, and Julie London is extremely sexy as the extremely drunk, Widow Fuller. Further, the script is full of good, cynical lines reminiscent of "Sweet Smell of Success".
However, "The Great Man" never really takes off. Partly, its due to Jose Ferrer - who despite his great voice - is too wooden and lacking in charisma. But mostly its the predictable, and low budget story. People talk about "Herb Fuller" but we never see him & we know from the start he's a bad apple. As a result, the narrative lacks drive and suspense. Think 'Citizen Kane', without the great photography or any dialog by Charles Foster Kane.
Summary: "The Great Man" isn't great - but its a forgotten picture worth a watch - if only for the 50s atmosphere and the supporting actors. Rating **1/2
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Battle Circus (1953)
Plot: In a Korean War MASH Unit, a hard-bitten Army surgeon falls for a new nurse ready to save the world.
Stars: Humphrey Bogart, June Allyson
Battle Circus, is one of the few Hollywood movies to deal with the Korean War. Its an enjoyable, if forgettable, Hollywood war movie that has some good battle/action scenes and some very bad romance. Bogart does well as a generic leading man, but is slightly miscast. He's too old to be Army surgeon and younger actors such as Heston, Hudson, or Bill Holden would've been better. But the main problem is June Allyson. As you'd expect, she has no chemistry with Bogart and seems awkward and uncomfortable. Robert Kieth is excellent as Bogart's commanding officer. Rating **1/2
Stars: Humphrey Bogart, June Allyson
Battle Circus, is one of the few Hollywood movies to deal with the Korean War. Its an enjoyable, if forgettable, Hollywood war movie that has some good battle/action scenes and some very bad romance. Bogart does well as a generic leading man, but is slightly miscast. He's too old to be Army surgeon and younger actors such as Heston, Hudson, or Bill Holden would've been better. But the main problem is June Allyson. As you'd expect, she has no chemistry with Bogart and seems awkward and uncomfortable. Robert Kieth is excellent as Bogart's commanding officer. Rating **1/2
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Tokyo Joe (1949)
Plot: An American returns to Tokyo try to pick up threads of his pre-WW2 life there, but finds himself squeezed between criminals and the authorities.
Dull, mediocre Film Noir set in Tokyo (filmed on Columbia Studio's Backlot) that squanders the interesting premise of Bogie doing 'Casablanca' in Tokyo. Bogie is OK and Sessue Hayakawa is a superb villain, but otherwise its too slow Joe in Tokyo. Produced by Bogart's Santana production company, he later called the film "worthless". Rating **
Dull, mediocre Film Noir set in Tokyo (filmed on Columbia Studio's Backlot) that squanders the interesting premise of Bogie doing 'Casablanca' in Tokyo. Bogie is OK and Sessue Hayakawa is a superb villain, but otherwise its too slow Joe in Tokyo. Produced by Bogart's Santana production company, he later called the film "worthless". Rating **
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Beat the Devil (1953)
Director: John Houston
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Robert Morley, Gina Lollobrigida
Plot: On their way to East Africa a group of rogues meet a seemingly innocent British couple. They meet and things happen...
Quite funny and deservedly a cult classic. High-point: Jennifer Jones wearing a blond wig and showing an unexpected flair for comedy. Too bad the whole is less than the sum of all parts. The script is witty and acting very good, but film looks very low budget and several scenes lack energy and/or make no sense. Based on the Novel by British Communist Claud Cockburn. Houston knew Cockburn in Ireland and persuaded Bogart to pay Cockburn $10,000 for the film rights. Capote was hired to fix the script and did a marvelous job. Others that shine include Robert Morley and Ivor Barnard. Bogart simply plays it straight. Gina Lollobrigida is quite sexy.
Best Quote:
-Harry, we must beware of these men. They are desperate characters.
-What makes you say that ?
-Not one of them looked at my legs!
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Robert Morley, Gina Lollobrigida
Plot: On their way to East Africa a group of rogues meet a seemingly innocent British couple. They meet and things happen...
Quite funny and deservedly a cult classic. High-point: Jennifer Jones wearing a blond wig and showing an unexpected flair for comedy. Too bad the whole is less than the sum of all parts. The script is witty and acting very good, but film looks very low budget and several scenes lack energy and/or make no sense. Based on the Novel by British Communist Claud Cockburn. Houston knew Cockburn in Ireland and persuaded Bogart to pay Cockburn $10,000 for the film rights. Capote was hired to fix the script and did a marvelous job. Others that shine include Robert Morley and Ivor Barnard. Bogart simply plays it straight. Gina Lollobrigida is quite sexy.
Best Quote:
-Harry, we must beware of these men. They are desperate characters.
-What makes you say that ?
-Not one of them looked at my legs!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)