Rear Window

The term “classic movie” is often very broadly applied. When we call a film a classic are we talking about its quality? Or are we using it to establish a movie’s historical impact or significance? May be we just use it to refer to the age of a film as in anything from the 70’s and beyond is a classic. Merriam/Webster’s online dictionary defines it as “serving as a standard of excellence: of recognized value”. If we are going to use that as our definition then I think my latest stop on my sojourn through the AFI Top 100 would definitely qualify.

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 movie Rear Window has long been one of my all-time favorites and why not? First of all, you have Jimmy Stewart who was and even 25 years after his death remains a national treasure. Secondly there is Grace Kelly who is absolutely stunning in this movie. Then when you add a solid premise that’s been infused with Hitchcock’s talent for suspense and off kilter sensibilities you have what I think are the ingredients for an almost perfect movie.

Stewart plays L.B. Jeffries (Jeff), a news photographer stuck at home due to a broken leg he sustained on assignment. He is a man of action who relishes the adventure and exotic locations that his occupation allows him to experience. Early on we hear him talking on the phone with his editor, lamenting his boredom from being laid up and home-bound. But it isn’t long before we realize that Jeff isn’t as bored as he ought to be given his present circumstances.  You see, during his convalescence Jeff has started to entertain himself by watching the lives of his neighbors through his back window. The fact that the city is in the middle of an extended heat wave means people have been keeping their windows open and their shades up making them in essence a primitive form of reality TV for Jeff.

I’m not going to go into much more detail regarding the plot. It is well known. Jeff sees some strange behavior from one neighbor which he interprets as murderous. He then tries to gather evidence to prove this to his friend who is a police detective (Wendell Corey). He involves his insurance company nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) and his girlfriend Lisa Fremont (Kelly). All of this culminates in a confrontation that delivers chills and a satisfactory conclusion.

I first saw this movie in 1984 not long after it was first brought out on home video. There are themes that I don’t think I caught onto then. The big one is voyeurism. By the time we meet Jeff he had already been laid up for several weeks. He’s already had and lost the argument with himself that what he is viewing out of his window is none of his business and is fully drawn into the daily dramas that are played out for him in the apartment windows across the courtyard. His nurse Stella halfheartedly chastises him but it is clear she has started to get interested in what’s happening out there too. Because of how the movie is shot, we as viewers join in with Jeff seeing things, if not from his direct perspective, then as if we are looking over his shoulder. As a result we find ourselves caught up as well. Whether it’s the titillating (Miss Torso), the heartbreaking (Miss Lonely Heart) or the amusing (Married Couple on the Fire Escape) Hitchcock draws us into their world and gets us wanting to watch. Even Lisa, who resists the longest and even appears to be disgusted or possibly threatened by Jeff’s new hobby, gets sucked in. Hitchcock seems to be implying that we all have a bit of voyeur in us and given the chance will watch even though deep down we know we probably shouldn’t.

The thing is, today we don’t need a broken leg and a heat wave to do what Jeff is doing. All we need to do is turn on our television sets or fire up our laptops. What Hitchcock pointed out about human nature in 1954, the media in the 21^st century has cashed in on big time. Whether it’s looking at the latest series of  “fails” on YouTube or tuning in to see what lunacy the “Housewives” are engaging in today we have become a nation that has embraced its voyeuristic tendencies. There are always those who try to act like they are taking the high road and claim they don’t watch reality TV but remember, this all started on PBS in 1973 with An American Family. It has become such an ingrained part of our culture that we hardly even notice it anymore and we don’t recognize it for what it is.

I’m not trying to preach here in any way shape or form. It’s just that watching this movie again got me thinking about the L.B. Jeffries in all of us. What is it that makes “reality” so fascinating? Maybe the fact that we have outlets that allow us to indulge in this without actually invading anyone’s privacy is a good thing. I don’t have the answers but something tells me that if Alfred Hitchcock were alive today none of this would be the least bit surprising to him.

It Happened One Night

What’s your favorite road movie? Is it Midnight Run? Planes, Trains and Automobiles perhaps? Possibly The Sure Thing? Whatever it is, you have the number 46 movie on the AFI 100 list, It Happened One Night to thank because it practically invented the genre and its influence can be seen in all of these films. Directed in 1934 by Frank Capra and starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert,  this film holds the distinction of being one of only 3 movies (along with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Silence of the Lambs) to hit the Academy Award’s Grand Slam (Best Picture, Director, Actor and Actress).

Colbert plays spoiled rich girl Ellie who is on the lam from her father and trying to reach New York to be reunited with King Westley. They had just eloped when her father (who for reasons we are never quite made sure of, disapproves of the match) basically kidnapped her and whisked her off to his yacht in Miami. She jumps overboard to escape and makes her way to the bus station where she crosses paths with Gable’s Peter Warne, a down on his luck, worldly-wise newspaperman. Of course when they first meet she sees him as a cad and he refers to her as a brat. It doesn’t take long though for them to realize that they both can do something for the other. He can help her get back to King and she can provide him with the big news story he needs. Having formed this somewhat tenuous partnership they begin their journey north encountering all sorts of obstacles, close shaves and shady characters along the way.

Just as in the many films that would follow in its footsteps, this odd couple discovers that they actually make a pretty good team and their animosity begins to thaw as they start to see each other in a different light. Being that this is a male/female team, romance begins to develop as well. But again, there are many hurdles to climb  and mix-ups to untangle. The theme of love triumphing over all is clearly displayed in this movie but the way it actually happens is far different from how the characters in the picture thought that it would.

Capra does a good job of storytelling through the majority of this movie but I thought that once it left the road in the final act it got bogged down. Also, as mentioned before, the motivations behind why her father is so opposed to her marriage and why King is such a bad choice for Ellie are never really explained. It’s pretty clear we are not supposed to like him either but I was never really sure why. There are some genuinely funny moments but I didn’t find myself rolling on the floor.

I have no complaints about the performances but in all honesty I felt like neither of the leads completely owned their roles. I could see easily see Cary Grant and Myrna Loy playing these parts without losing a thing in the translation.

What is interesting to see in this movie is its depiction of the mores and conventions of society at that time. The way it handles the couple’s sleeping arrangements and the ongoing joke about the “Walls of Jericho” are quite the contrast to what we see on the screen today. But I was also surprised by how straight forwardly this kind of topic was dealt with considering when the movie was made. For instance, in The Sure Thing (basically an 80’s remake of this movie) while the protagonists don’t sleep together in the movie nobody has any qualms about a young unmarried couple sharing a room even with one bed. In It Happened One Night the couple goes to great pains to appear to be married and then to make sure that propriety is preserved.  But it still didn’t shy away from clearly implying what could have possibly happened one night.(SPOILER ALERT!)  Also it is very clear what happens in the last scene when we see the walls come tumbling down.

While this is not a movie I feel the need to run out and add to my DVD collection it was well worth seeing again. Its place in movie history and influence cannot be denied. Keeping with the road trip theme it might not be a breathtaking vista point, but it beats seeing the World’s Largest Ball of Twine.

Singin' in the Rain

My wife and I have had a running debate of sorts for a number of years. I have always contended that Fred Astaire is the greatest movie dancer of all time while my wife holds the opinion that the title belongs to Gene Kelly. I have always held that the reason she prefers Kelly is because he is a more handsome man to look at gallivanting across the screen. After watching 1952’s Singin’ in the Rain this past weekend, I am reminded that she has some far more substantial reasoning behind her view.

Coming in at #5 on the AFI list, Singin’in the Rain is its highest ranked musical. It is generally considered to be the greatest of all the MGM musicals (of which there are many) and I would have to say that I find no reason to argue with that assessment. It is a movie that is filled with fantastic performances and contains some of the most iconic moments in movie history.

Set late in the silent film era Kelly plays screen legend Don Lockwood who for publicity reasons is romantically linked with his frequent co-star Lina Lamont an irrepressible diva played by JeanHagen. Don is often accompanied by his best pal Cosmo Brown, a studio musician brought to life by Donald O’Conner, and finds himself falling for plucky newcomer Kathy Selden who is played by then plucky newcomer Debbie Reynolds. Don and Lina’s careers are threatened by the arrival of talkies due to the fact that Miss Lamont’s voice is akin to a cat having its tail stepped on. (For a more recent take on this same theme check out 2011 Best Picture Oscar winner The Artist which no doubt took much of it inspiration from this film)  A solution is devised whereby Kathy’s voice will be dubbed for Lina’s and this will then be used as a launching pad for Kathy’s career.  Complications and misunderstandings arise of course but in reality all of this is just an excuse to give Kelly and company a vehicle to provide some of the greatest musical numbers in movie history. Here is a sampling.

Don’t the actors look like they are having a great time in this scene? After doing a little research I found that the truth of the matter is Gene Kelly was such a tyrannical perfectionist that Donald O’Conner was smoking 4 packs of cigarettes a day in order to cope during filming and Debbie Reynolds commented later that the two hardest things she ever experienced in life were giving birth and making this movie.

Talk about a performer putting his all into a scene. Amazing.

I am not an opera fan but I will stop and listen to Luciano Pavarotti sing. I don’t know the first thing about art but I’m pretty sure I would be transfixed if I could look at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Even if you don’t really care much for musicals or song and dance numbers you have to recognize the greatness of what Gene Kelly does in the above scene. Everything from the set to the choreography to the expressions on his face captures the emotion and message that the scene was intended to send. Great fuel for my wife’s fire.

In the midst of all this though, this time around I actually found myself drawn once again to the villain and Jean Hagen’s portrayal of Lina Lamont. Hagen is asked to play an arrogant, dim-witted, obnoxious, schemer with a rusty screen door for a voice. She does so in such a way that instead of  making the audience  cringe when she is on screen she actually makes her scenes a highlight. She is a lot of fun to watch. Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress which she lost to Gloria Grahame in the Bold and the Beautiful. I have never seen that film but I have to believe she was robbed. She is terrific in this movie and Singin’ in the Rain would not be as good without her.

I know there will come a time on this little trip I am taking that I will come to a stop where I won’t really enjoy the view. I know there will be times when I will ask myself, “What were they thinking?” This is not that stop and this is not that time. I have probably seen this movie at least 10 times before and you know what? I would gladly see again.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Three films have won all five of the major Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay.) Those movies are It Happened One Night, Silence of the Lambs and the subject of today's post, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Directed by Milos Forman and starring Jack Nicholson, in what would become a career defining role, it has become a modern day classic and permanent resident of many greatest all-time movies lists (#33 on AFI's Top 100).

Once again, this is a movie that I had never watched straight through beginning to end. I have to admit, while I knew about the film's terrific reputation, I've never been a huge Jack Nicholson fan. There have been movies that I liked him in but I have also thought that he tends to do a fair amount of mugging for the camera.  Alas, I have to say, I thought he was spot on in this role. While his character, R.P. McMurphy, seems like your typical Nicholson role  (an irreverent, smart mouthed trouble maker) he is able to take it to greater depths here. His Oscar was welled deserved.

This is in fact an actor's movie. All of the actors who play McMurphy's fellow psych ward patients are great. It was also fun to  see a couple of familiar faces (Danny De Vito and Christopher Lloyd) before they were familiar faces. The best performance from this group though was put in by Brad Dourif in his debut role as Bobby Bibbit. Watching his response during his confrontation with Nurse Ratched during the movie's climatic scene is heartbreaking and he doesn't miss a single note in conveying Billy's devastation.

Speaking of Nurse Ratched, this was the character that I found myself thinking about the most. Played by Louise Fletcher, the very name of this character has become synonymous with petty, anal retentive authority figures drunk on their own power and self importance. I have come across a lot of these types. They come in the form of school administrators (or even yard duty aides), office managers, security guards, youth sports coaches or even fast food shift supervisors. They are individuals who take the small bit of authority they have been entrusted with and build it in their own minds to heights never imagined by anyone else around them. They value rules over reason and processes over people. Like Nurse Ratched, they often become masters of manipulation in order to get their own way.

When McMurphy enters Ratched's world he starts out as a mere disruption that she will be able to quell. Only later does she come to see him as an actual threat to her carefully ordered fiefdom. Even when her defense of that realm has tragic results her only real response is to this is relief that victory was assured and order has been resumed.

This is a movie that I am glad I watched. I also believe that further viewings will reveal even more layers. I have to say, I'm only 3% through this trip but so far I have been enjoying the "view".

All About Eve

Last night I watched All About Eve. For the second time in my little project , I watched a classic which I had never seen before ( I’m not sounding like much of movie buff am I?).  This is the sort of movie that you don’t see much anymore in the mainstream. By that I mean it’s a grown up film that relies on sharp dialogue and layered characters to build its tension rather than violence or  sex. Don’t get me wrong, both of those elements can be very useful in telling a story but let’s be honest, often times they are a crutch that is employed to try to make a dull story stand up on its own two feet.

In the movie Eve Harrington (Ann Baxter) is a seemingly star struck, naive young woman who works her way into the life of Broadway star Margo Channing ( Bette Davis). Like the proverbial camel’s nose, she begins to wield more and more influence as she manipulates Margo’s best friend Karen (Celeste Holm), Margo’s fiancé and play director Bill (Gary Merrill) and Karen’s playwright husband Lloyd (Hugh Marlowe) in order to achieve her ambitions. All of this is observed by theater critic Addison DeWitt (George Sanders) who sees all this as an opportunity to further his own agenda.

The movie is worth watching just to see Bette Davis’ performance. Her ability to present a strong and seemingly egotistical character suddenly forced to come to terms with her weaknesses and insecurities is exceptional. She allows the audience to sympathize with her without falling into melodrama and without losing the diva at the heart of her character.

The other stand out performance (at least for me) is that of George Sanders. While he is certainly never likable he is a lot of fun to watch and Sanders carried it off with surly abandon.

Neither of these performances would have been possible without the film’s outstanding script. It contains Davis’ most famous line; “Fasten your seatbelts, its going to be a bumpy night” but that is simply one example from a movie that is full of great dialogue.

Again, as I approached this movie I read some reviews and did a little background. What I read was overwhelmingly positive. Again, I was not disappointed.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

If there is one film genre that I am lacking in both viewing history and knowledge (especially considering the fact that I am an American male) it is the Western. It isn't that I have anything against Westerns. It's not like John Wayne took a blood oath against my family or anything like that. I just haven't watched a lot of Westerns. So what better way to begin my sojourn through America's top 100 movies than by watching one of the most beloved Westerns of all time.

As hard as it is to believe, this was my first viewing of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Of course I have seen clips of some of the iconic scenes (the bicycle, the jump...) and I knew about the Bolivian shootout, but I really did not know much about the plot line so I was really looking forward to watching it.

Thankfully, I was not disappointed. In a number of reviews that I read, the movie was described as "pure entertainment". I would have to say say that I concur. All the Western standards are present; gunfights, train robberies, poker games, posses and dance hall girls. In addition, is has a screenplay that is as funny as it is action packed.

I think what I really enjoyed was the straightforward way that director George Roy Hill let the story play itself out. He didn't fill up the screen with crazy shots or have the actors mugging for the camera to get his point across. Instead he let the beautiful photography, the screenplay and the performances of the actors speak for themselves.

One example of his restraint is the dynamic between Butch, Sundance, and Etta. In a lot of movies the guys would have ended up in a fistfight on a moving train before realizing that nothing, not even the love of a good woman, should ever come between their friendship. In this movie the relationship between them  simply is what it is. During the New York photo montage, the shot of Butch watching Sundance and Etta dance tells us everything we need to know.

There are times I watch a movie to learn about something, Sometimes  I watch so that I can be moved. Most of the time though, I just want to be entertained. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid fits that bill perfectly.

And So It Begins

When I was growing up we did not go to the movies. The reasons why are too tedious to go into here, suffice to say, along with dancing, drinking and smoking, it just wasn't something that we did. This did not prevent me however from developing a fascination with movies at a fairly young age. I would read reviews of movies in the paper. I watched  Siskel and Ebert when they were still on PBS. I can remember watching The Sting win the Best Picture Oscar when I was 8 year's old. (I didn't know anything about the movie but I knew that it won Best Picture.)

Growing up in the three network era of television my movie viewing options were definitely limited. I can remember the annual airing of The Wizard of Oz. Another annual viewing tradition with my family was It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World. But for the most part my movie experience was limited to news print and commercials for the latest Hollywood offering being shown at the local cineplex. In fact, my most vivid movie memory growing up is being the only kid in my 5th grade class not allowed to see Star Wars in its initial theatrical release. (I'm still bitter.)

With the advent of the VCR and movie rentals came far greater opportunities to satisfy my cinematic hunger.  Not only did I finally get to experience "a long time ago in a galaxy far far away" and sample more contemporary offerings, I was also introduced to the works of masters like Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Capra. A whole new world was opened.

What I love about the movies is being told a great story. Whether its truth or fiction, drama or comedy, as long as it is a great story being told in a compelling way, I'm hooked. I'm fascinated by the different styles of story-telling that you find in films. It can be straight forward or sentimental. It can be down to earth or full of over-the-top special effects. There are movies in each of these categories that I love.

This blog is meant to be a way to both express and enhance my love of film. My plan is to watch each of the movies listed on the American Film Institute's updated 100 Years 100 Movies list and write about them. These are not going to be reviews so much as personal responses to the films. I have already seen a majority of these movies at least once and some many times. Some I have loved and others...not so much. What I hope to do is take a fresh look at the films I have already seen and find something new in them. With those I haven't seen I am looking forward to seeing what I have missed out on.

I'm not placing any timeline on this project, but having this blog should at least influence my Netflix and DVR choices. I will also use this spot for other types of posts, but they will probably be movie related as well. If anyone happens to stumble by, I encourage interaction and look forward to hearing your reactions and opinions.