Old Marley was as Dead as a Doornail

My next version of A Christmas Carol is titled Scrooge, and was released in 1951 in England. For its U.S. release later in 1951, it was titled A Christmas Carol. It was directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and stars Alastair Sim (who many charge with being the best Scrooge) and Mervyn Johns as Bob Cratchit. This is my mother-in-law's favorite version, and I have to say, I'm getting quite fond of it.

Since I summarized the story in my last post, I will go straight into my notes.

This version is much more accurate to the book than Mickey's. This is to be expected, of course, because Mickey's was only 25 minutes, and thus had to cut for time and content. In addition, some of the more scary bits are left out. Much of the dialogue seems to be taken straight from the book. The words are so familiar, I can almost recite them.

There are many scenes in this film that expound the story, and quickly explain visually or vocally more about the situations. For example, on Christmas Eve, Scrooge eats dinner at a meager, dark restaurant. He says, "Waiter! More bread." The waiter tells him, "Ha'penny extra, sir." After considering for the tiniest moment, Scrooge replies, "No more bread." I think this is such a quick and eloquent way to explain how miserly he is - that he won't even spend a half-penny on himself for food. After Marley comes and explains to Scrooge about the chains they forge in life and wear in death, there is a horrific scene outside of Scrooge's window. Dozens of ghosts with heavy chains throw money ineffectually at a crying beggar-woman with a child. She can't see any of them, and they cannot help her. They wail in their defeat. This is truly a harrowing scene, but really presses to both Scrooge and the viewer what he could harvest in the next life.

The great joy of this film, besides the great fear and awe that Sim portrays, is his joy at finding himself still alive and whole and on Christmas morning. It seems so natural, so on the edge of madness, that I wonder if Sim ad-libbed it all. At one point, he spies a chair, grins, laughs, and then says "I must stand on my head," and proceeds to do so, sending the housemaid out of the room screaming at the top of her lungs. The whole sequence is whimsical and wonderful.

Alastair Sim is incredible. He makes you see so clearly what Scrooge feels and thinks, and isn't afraid to get a little wild and crazy in the ending. May we also experience such joy someday.

Bah Humbug!

What a lovely little way to start what I hope will be the week of A Christmas Carol! I hope to watch seven different adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol this week. There are almost twenty different film versions of this story, not including all of the television shows framed after it. Although Mickey's Christmas Carol was a television special that first aired in 1983, it still makes my list - as a true classic version of the tale. Scrooge McDuck (voiced by Alan Young) and Mickey Mouse (voiced by Wayne Allwine) star in this rendition directed by Burny Mattinson, along with a host of other recognizable Disney characters, including the classic characters and some side characters from Robin Hood, The Great Mouse Detective, and The Wind in the Willows.

In case you have escaped all knowledge of this story, I will summarize it here quickly. A miserly old businessman, Ebenezer Scrooge (Scrooge McDuck), has lost all meaning of love and goodwill, and is only interested in money. He has no mercy, no charity, and (seemingly worst of all) no Christmas spirit. His clerk, Bob Cratchit (Mickey Mouse), works for him for very small wages and very little appreciation. One Christmas, after going home, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his old partner-in-business, Jacob Marley (Goofy). Marley warns Scrooge that, for all of his bad deeds and lack of goodwill, he will forge an heavy chain he will carry for the rest of eternity. When Scrooge, notably scared by the experience, asks Marley if there is anything he can do to stop it, Marley tells him that three Christmas Spirits will visit him that night, and that he must do as they say.

Scrooge is shaken, but refuses to believe after Marley's ghost has left. Marley was right, however, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future show Scrooge how he has shaped his own destiny. He will be unmourned at his death, and grave-robbers will steal from him. Scrooge's eyes are opened and he realizes his past and current wrong-doings. When he awakes on Christmas morning to find he hasn't missed everything, he is overjoyed. He gives a great deal of money to the charity workers who had approached him the day before, he visits his nephew Fred (Donald Duck) and makes merry with him, and he visits Cratchit's house, bringing toys and food for his family. Indeed, Scrooge becomes like a second father to Cratchit's poor crippled son, Tiny Tim, and never fails to keep Christmas again.

I remember this rendition scaring me as a child. I still had a little jolt of fear when I heard Goofy moan "Scrooooge!!" as the door-knocker. I guess I was kind of sheltered, but I actually like that, at one point in my life at least, I felt the fear and awe that Scrooge must have felt to have those Spirits visit him.

Mickey makes the sweetest Bob Cratchit - unassuming and dear.

While I may have the nostalgia for this that I missed for A Charlie Brown Christmas, I am very pleased and surprised that I still enjoyed it after all of these years. I recommend it for children big and small.

Maybe It Just Needs a Little Love

I should preface this by saying that I somehow didn't grow up watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. In fact, this is the first time I've ever seen it. It was written by Charles Schultz and directed by Bill Melendez. Also, I should note that this is a television special, is only 25 minutes long, and will be a short review, for that reason.

The plot is quite simple. Charlie Brown, frustrated by the rampant commercialism of the modern Christmas season, complains to Linus that he is unhappy every Christmas, despite liking the cards, presents, and decorations. Lucy, also hearing of his problem, decides that the way to fix his problem is to have him direct the Christmas play. Charlie Brown agrees, and starts to direct, but fails in organizing the group. He decides that what the play needs is a Christmas tree, and goes to a lot and buys the smallest, scrawniest, most real tree there. Everyone at the play berates him for the tree, and he explodes, asking if anyone actually knows the true meaning of Christmas. Linus takes center stage and quotes Luke 2:8-14 - the shepherds' encounter with the angels. This makes Charlie Brown feel at peace, and he goes home to decorate his tree. He tries, but the tree falls over from one bulb, and he goes away dejected. The rest of the crew has been following him, and, at Linus' suggestion, decorate the tiny tree and make it look absolutely beautiful. Charlie Brown comes back and is delighted by what he sees. The show closes with the cast singing "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing."

While I don't have the nostalgia for this TV special that would temper it to a classic, it still surprised me. The art was not very good, and the animation was choppy. The surprise came when this became my first Jesus-oriented Christmas movie (if you'll allow it) of the season. It is simple, and in its simplicity comes its meaning. I have to admit, I was quite bored the first half, but when Linus took center stage, suddenly the film began to have some sort of meaning. He drops his security blanket when he says, "Fear not, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy," and does not pick it up again until he is finished with the quote. It is interesting to see him feeling safe with something besides his blanket.

Give it to Charles Schultz to not beat around the bush when it comes to what he means to say: Christmas is too commercial, and we should be focusing on Jesus and love for our fellow man. I appreciate his forthrightness, and thus, this little story.

Sometimes Angels Rush In Where Fools Fear to Tread

I had never heard of my next movie before this Christmas season, but I wish I had: The Bishop's Wife (1947). Directed by Henry Koster (who also directed The Robe and Flower Drum Song, and several other German and American films), and starring Cary Grant (see my review on An Affair to Remember for gushing on his work), Loretta Young, and David Niven (who also played James Bond in the 1967 Casino Royale, and was in three different Pink Panther movies as Charles Lytton).

Obsessed with raising money to build a magnificent cathedral, Bishop Henry Brougham (Niven) had for too long catering only to that cause, and had become absent in his wife and daughter's lives. One night, he prays for guidance, and an angel named Dudley (Grant) appears to answer his prayer. Quickly melding into Henry's life, Dudley styles himself as Henry's new assistant, and tells no one else that he is an angel. Henry's wife, Julia (Young) and his daughter (Karolyn Grimes) take quickly to Dudley, and he to them. Henry successfully solicits funds from a wealthy widow, Mrs. Hamilton (Gladys Cooper), but she insists that the cathedral be a monument to her dead husband, and Henry, moved by his conscience, refuses.

Dudley, in the meantime, takes Julia around town - ice skating, lunch in a nice restaurant, and even buys her a new hat she had wanted. He does all of this in an attempt to renew her joy, and remind her of what her relationship with her husband had been. Henry quickly becomes jealous, and, in an attempt to regain his family from Dudley, accepts Mrs. Hamilton's terms. He confronts Dudley, telling him that he is now to leave, as Henry now has his cathedral money, and his prayer will have been answered. Dudley calmly informs him that his work is not done, but departs for the time being.

On Christmas Eve, Dudley pays a visit to Mrs. Hamilton and opens her heart. She decides that she will give all of her money to the poor and needy, and no longer build monuments for her husband. Henry also encounters Dudley, and offers to fight him for Julia. Henry says he doesn't care that he could be killed (as an angel would have far too much power for a mortal to fight), but that Julia is the most important thing in the world to him. Dudley reminds Henry that he had not prayed for a cathedral, but for guidance, and is pleased that he remembers the importance of their love over material things. Dudley leaves, taking away all memory of his existence with him. Henry and Julia are more affectionate than ever, although they're not sure why, and Henry preaches that night with a new fervor, a deeper understanding of what is important in life, and a great joy.

The movie begins beautifully - show-stoppingly so. You see children sing "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing," a nativity display, children's toys, a Salvation Army Santa, and joy filling children's faces. It would be so easy to be cynical about this first part, but it's so much better to find it dear.

I believe this is the first film that I have seen of Cary Grant's in which he is not the same character as always. While he does have a romantic lean to him, and he's still dreadfully charming; there is a whole new aspect to him. It's really quite wonderful. In this, he is more than the dashing leading man, almost as though he has a divinity about him.

I heartily recommend this movie. It carries with it a deep understanding of the season, and some very beautiful moments.

Technical Difficulties, Please Stand By

Due to overwhelming cookie-baking demands, there will not be a new review tonight. I will post a double review either tomorrow or Saturday.

Back to the oven!

Oh No! I'm Speaking in Rhyme!

Ah, finally, a really real Christmas movie, and no one can debate it: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). This is the live-action version directed by Ron Howard (famous for his work on films such as A Beautiful Mind, but will always be Winthrop Paroo from The Music Man to me), and starring Jim Carrey (best known for roles like Ace Ventura, but more appreciated by me for roles in such movies as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and also introducing Taylor Momsen (a little girl who hasn't done much else yet). It is narrated by Anthony Hopkins, who has a lovely speaking voice as well as wonderful acting skills. It is based on a children's book by Dr. Seuss.

In case you don't know the story (which I'm sure you do, but bear with me), the story begins in a snowflake, where there is an entire society of Whos - very tiny people with very cute noses. These are the same kind of Whos that appear in the book Horton Hears a Who. The Whos love Christmas - and when I say "love Christmas," I mean love Christmas. But the community has begun to focus too much on the gift-giving aspect of Christmas and Cindy Lou Who (Momsen), a young girl in Whoville, wonders if presents are all there is to Christmas. She has a chance encounter with the Grinch (Carrey), a green, mean, anti-Christmas machine, who was born with a heart "two sizes too small." He tries to be mean to her, but ends up saving her life when one of his pranks threatens her mortally. She wonders after he disappears if he is actually a good person after all.

We find out that the Grinch hates Christmas and the Whos because when he was a boy in Whoville, most of the other children made fun of him bitterly, especially on a day when he decided to shave his beard and ended up cutting his face several times. He had wanted to impress Martha May Whovier (played by Christine Baranski) by making her a Christmas present on his own. Humiliated and feeling quite unloved, the 8-year-old Grinch ran up the mountain and never came back down.

After renewing his hatred for the Whos after another humiliating incident, the adult Grinch decides to destroy Christmas by stealing all of the decorations and gifts in Whoville. He dresses up as Santa, and steals everything. He pulls it up the mountain and plans to drop it over the edge. Back in Whoville, the Whos awake to find that everything is gone, but come to the conclusion that Christmas isn't actually about presents, but about being with the people you love. The Grinch hears their rejoicing from atop the mountain and comes to the same conclusion. His heart grows three sizes and, after saving Cindy Lou yet again (since she has come up to wish him a Merry Christmas and inadvertently gotten herself into trouble), he sleds down to Whoville with all of the stolen goods. He gives them back, and joins in the Christmas festivities. He even wins the heart of Martha May.

A few thoughts.

After the opening credits, the movie starts out being very visually hectic and disorienting. It gets better over time, but I wish they had lent a bit more calm to the beginning so that it wouldn't be so off-putting.

When reflecting on the commercialism of Christmas, Cindy Lou sings a song called "Where Are You, Christmas?" The lyrics are "Where are you, Christmas?/Why can't I find you?/Why have you gone away?...My world is changing/I'm rearranging/Does this mean Christmas changes too?" At the time the movie came out, I found this particularly poignant, as I was graduating high school, and I truly felt that year that everything was changing, and worried I would lose the Christmas I knew. As I have discovered, things change, but that doesn't mean Christmas loses its meaning or loveliness. Still, the song is very meaningful for me, and awfully sweet.

Jim Carrey has a wonderful capability to make real life into a cartoon, as does the entire film. It is whimsical and bizarre, and stretches the limits of reality. For example, the Grinch tries to drown out the Christmas music by putting his head between the cymbals of a giant organ-grinder monkey. He also steals one of the Christmas trees by cutting a circle around it in the floor with a giant saw and pulling it out from underneath. The movie did an excellent job capturing the spirit and silliness of the book, without mocking it.

While over the top, this movie is ultimately sweet, and Carrey is inspired and hilarious. I suggest you check it out if you haven't already.

As Long As the Envelope's Closed, You're a Millionaire

Recommended to me by several websites listing the "best Christmas movies," today's movie, The Shop Around the Corner is not so much of a Christmas movie. Again. I promise to bring you a real Christmas movie tomorrow.

Despite it not being much of a Christmas movie, it is an awfully sweet movie. The movie is directed by Ernst Lubitsch, and starring James Stewart (who was in more than 100 films, including one of my favorites, The Philadelphia Story), Margaret Sullavan, and Frank Morgan (best known for his many roles in The Wizard of Oz - including The Wizard).

The movie tells the story of two correspondents, who become pen pals via a newspaper ad to discuss culture, literature, and ideas. We soon discover that Klara (Sullavan) and Alfred (Stewart), the two correspondents, work for the same company, which is run by Hugo Matuschek (Morgan), and the two don't like each other very much. They fall in love with each other through the letters, but antagonize each other more every day in person. After various side plots occur, it becomes Christmas Eve, and Klara and Alfred agree via their letters to meet in person. Klara confides in Alfred about this, and that she is very nervous about it, but hoped to be engaged by the end of the evening. After teasing her greatly, Alfred finally admits to her that he is her pen pal. Klara is relieved, happy, and they embrace, and are most certainly engaged by the end of the evening.

The actors are wonderful in this film. Stewart is dry and cold, and yet endearing, as usual. Sullavan's character comes out as a realistic person, which tends to be rare in female roles for most old films. Morgan is as lovable in this film as he is in The Wizard of Oz.

This movie gives you the warm-and-fuzzies of Christmas, even if it's not the most Christmas-focused film. I recommend it, but it's not on my list of best Christmas movies ever.

And We Love Having You. When Are You Leaving?

An early Merry Christmas to you!

In keeping with the season, I am going to attempt to watch and review one Christmas movie every day leading up to Christmas. I have received numerous suggestions, and if you have a favorite you'd like me to watch and talk about, please let me know in the comments.

I started with Holiday Inn, since it was randomly sent to me as a (surprise!) fourth DVD from Netflix in November. It had been on my queue, as I've been meaning to watch it for some time. I discovered while watching it that it is indeed not only a Christmas movie, but actually a holiday movie - for several different holidays in the year. So I hope you'll forgive that discrepancy.

Holiday Inn was released in theaters in 1942, and was directed by Mark Sandrich (who directed 74 films in 20 years, and died of a heart attack), starred Bing Crosby (of White Christmas fame), Fred Astaire (of several films, including Shall We Dance [which I have seen]), and Marjorie Reynolds (who has apparently done much work in TV and film, though none that I have seen). The music and story idea come from Irving Berlin, who won an Academy Award for his song "White Christmas," which originated in this film.

The film tells the tenuous story of a song-and-dance partnership between Jim Hardy (Crosby) and Ted Hanover (Astaire). The two have a history of stealing women from each other - Jim with his singing, and Ted with his dancing. After Jim's fiancée leaves him for Ted, Jim decides to leave show business and go live on a farm. Finding himself discontented by all of the work and all of the loneliness of farm life, Jim decides to start up a Holiday Inn at his farm - an inn/club that is only open on holidays. He seeks entertainers, and discovers Linda Mason (Reynolds), and immediately takes a liking to her. Just after he asks her to marry him, Ted shows up, and dances his way into Linda's heart as well. Though she decides to stay with Jim, she goes to Hollywood with Ted when given the opportunity to be in movies. Jim, depressed and miserable, closes the Inn for Thanksgiving, and is ready to give up on all, until his housekeeper, Mamie (played by Louise Beavers) tells him that he can still have Linda if he tells her how he feels. Indeed, by Christmas, Jim wins back Linda's heart, and Ted contents himself with the old dancing partner that had been engaged to Jim in the first place.

Like I said, it is a pretty paper-thin plot to carry the music by Berlin. Some of those tunes are wonderful - "White Christmas," for example, or "Be Careful, It's My Heart" (for Valentine's Day), but some are a bit of an embarrassment - "Abraham" (for Lincoln's birthday), or "I Can't Tell a Lie" (for Washington's birthday). Indeed the true embarrassment is the costuming for "Abraham," as all of the dancers and singers (including Crosby and Reynolds) appear in blackface. In the current day and age, it makes me cringe, but this appears to have been common practice in early films. Turner Classic Movies (a television cable channel that plays entirely uncut movies without commercials) plays this movie without censoring that scene. I can appreciate the respect for the movie as made, but I wish it hadn't been made that way.

Astaire has an amazing dance for the Fourth of July, in which he takes small firecrackers and throws them down on the stage in timing with his tap dancing and the music. It's very fanciful, and probably one of two of the best parts of the movie. It's brilliantly done, and took three days of rehearsal and two days to film, according to www.imdb.com.

The other best part of the film was during Jim's lonely Thanksgiving dinner for one, as he puts on a record of him singing, "I've Got Plenty to Be Thankful For," and makes wry, unenthusiastic comments at his singing self.

Other than that, this film is really not worth your while. Crosby can sing amazingly, and Astaire can surely dance up a storm, but the so-called plot ruins the whole concept.

God Would Not Allow Me to Condemn Unjustly

The strange and true story of Anne Boleyn has captured the imaginations of authors, artists, poets, and filmmakers for almost five hundred years. This particular rendition of her sudden rise to power and subsequent demise, Anne of a Thousand Days, was released in 1969, was directed by Charles Jarrott, and starred Richard Burton (who did several very famous films, including The Robe, which is the only one that I've seen) and Genevieve Bujold (who has performed in several foreign films).

The film opens with the end of Anne's story, where King Henry VIII (Burton) agonizes over whether or not to sign her death sentence, approving it. He is crazed, blanched with agony, uncertain who is right and who to blame. He thinks back on his experiences with Anne (Bujold). The film continues to tell their warped love story, as first Henry lusts for Anne, and then begins to believe that he is in love with her. She refuses him, as she is in love with another man, Henry Percy. He pursues her, commands her to come to court, and finally determines that he must divorce his wife, Queen Katherine of Aragon (brilliantly played by Irene Papas), in order to win Anne's favor. Both Katherine and the Pope refuse Henry's request for annulment. Henry is convinced by his adviser Thomas Cromwell to break with Rome, and become head of the church in England, for no one in England shall have more power than the King, according to law. After great consideration and moments of prayer, Henry refuses the authority of the Pope, sends away Katherine, marries Anne, and arrests everyone who disagrees with him on the subject.

Anne finds herself suddenly and deeply in love with Henry, and with the power that such an allegiance brings. She becomes pregnant quickly and births a healthy, perfectly formed baby Elizabeth - a great disappointment to Henry, who is obsessed with and desperately needs sons to keep his kingdom together after his death. He falls out of his infatuation with Anne, and becomes interested in another young, beautiful girl at court. The birth of a dead son from Anne puts the final nail in her coffin. At the suggestion of Cromwell, Henry is persuaded that Anne has committed adultery with numerous men - including her own brother - and condemns her to death for treason. Anne dies, but not before she spits at Henry, "Elizabeth shall be a greater queen than any king of yours. She shall rule a greater England than you could ever have built. Yes! My Elizabeth shall be Queen. And my blood will have been well spent."

There are many nuances to the story that I was unable to explain here. At two hours and twenty-five minutes of playing time, this movie captures them all. I know this story well; I have encountered it in history classes, in historical fiction novels by multiple authors, and in film. I am willing to state that this movie tells it best. It is true tragedy explained - you feel there is no one victim, but rather feel that everyone has a sorrow to bear, and a measure of misfortune all their own - even Henry, as in this movie it seems that he truly believes every thought that crosses his mind. He actually seems to believe that what he does is God's will.

Anne states it best when she says while in prison, "But when I no longer hated him, he began to hate me, except for that one day."

It should be noted that the film was nominated for several Academy Awards, and won the Oscar for Best Costume Design (Margaret Furse). Trust me, the movie and the designer both deserved it.

Though sad, this film is wonderful, vibrant, witty, and beautiful, and I recommend it highly.

If You Want Something, Go Get It

Yesterday, I watched The Pursuit of Happyness. For anyone who hasn't seen the ads, "happyness" is not a typo on my part. It is actually the title of the movie. I'll explain why later. The Pursuit of Happyness was released in 2006, was directed by Gabriele Muccino (an Italian director who has directed several Italian films I have never seen), and stars Will Smith (best known for his character on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air [TV], but also appeared in several other films), and introduces Jaden Smith (Will's real-life son).

The film tells the true story of Chris Gardner (Will Smith), a salesman down on his luck, who decides he wishes to be a stockbroker so he can provide better and in a more regular capacity for his son, Christopher (Jaden Smith). In an effort to become a stockbroker, he applies for an unpaid internship at Dean Witter, a brokerage firm. The internship involves six months of training, with no pay, with only one out of twenty interns becoming a full-time employee at the firm. Chris and his son are required to endure hardship after hardship, including losing his marriage, their car, their home, and all of their money. Chris works hard throughout these trials and tribulations, and his enduring love and provision for his son helps him persist through the most difficult of circumstances, and prevail in the end.

Speaking to my promise before, the misspelling of "happyness" in the title of the film comes from a mural outside of Christopher's daycare, in which the word is misspelled. Chris emphasizes to his son that that is not the correct spelling of "happiness," which made me feel better about the whole misspelling in the first place. The title itself, of course, comes from the Declaration of Independence, in which Thomas Jefferson wrote the ever-famous words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." Chris comments on these words in the film, saying, "It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking, how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something we can only pursue and maybe we can never actually have it. No matter what. How did he know that?"

That is how the entire movie feels. Leaving aside a few minor moments of joy when Christopher comes out with a joke (adorable!), or when Chris completes a Rubik's cube and impresses a potential employer, and the last five minutes or so, the entire movie is drastically, devastatingly sad. Instead of eagerly watching to see what happens, I found myself shying away - getting water, getting a snack, going to the bathroom - to prolong seeing the bad things happen. Missed opportunities, great loss, and deep fear make this movie hard to bear.

This is not to say that the actors do a terrible job, nor is it a terrible film. On the contrary, Will and his son (among other actors in the film) are incredible. There is a natural chemistry between Will and Jaden, and it is clear that they love each other very much - exactly what was necessary in a movie like this. You feel everything that Chris feels - that is how amazing Will Smith is in this role.

This movie makes you grateful for everything you have - down to the roof over your head and the relationships you have with family and friends. In that way, the film is humbling and appropriate for the season. But this is not a heartwarming, feel-good film. I cautiously recommend it, but, please, don't watch it alone, and don't watch it if you are already sad.

As you may have guessed...

The blog is on a brief hiatus while I'm looking for a new job and readjusting my schedule.

I hope to return soon with more movie reviews. I have several en route from Netflix that I'm excited about!

Thanks for your patience.

You Gentlemen Aren't REALLY Trying to Kill My Son, Are You?

I have always been very concerned about my grades in school – I always did my best, and never passed up an easy A when it was available. I tell you this because the last time I watched an Alfred Hitchcock film, I took an F for that project rather than finish watching the film. That film was The Birds. Yesterday I attempted to watch another (my second!) Hitchcock film: North by Northwest. I hoped that my enduring love for Cary Grant would help me get through the film. Please don’t get me wrong – Hitchcock is a brilliant director, but I have never done well with horror films of any kind.

Guess what? Hitchcock doesn't only do horror films! North by Northwest is listed on IMDB as an Action/Adventure/Mystery/Thriller. Add in a dash of romance, and I think that about covers it. The film was released in 1959, and stars Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint (On the Waterfront, and, for my more-recent-movie-watchers, Martha Kent in Superman Returns), and James Mason (A Star is Born, among many others). The film is, of course, directed by Alfred Hitchcock who needs no context.

The movie starts with Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) dictating several tasks and memos to his secretary. Thornhill is an advertising man, and says off-handedly to his secretary, "Ah, Maggie, in the world of advertising, there’s no such thing as a lie. There’s only the expedient exaggeration.” Being in the world of advertising myself, I found this quote particularly amusing. At any rate, when meeting some business associates for drinks, he gets kidnapped by two men, and dragged off to a house that he supposes belongs to Lester Townsend, a UN ambassador. The men take him inside where he meets another man, who accuses him of being George Kaplan (who we find out later is a nonexistent secret agent for the U.S. government), proceeds to forcibly get him drunk, and then attempts to run him off the road. These men are never completely explained, but one determines that they are spies, presumably for the Soviet Union.

As you can see from this initial description, Thornhill suffers from being at all the wrong places at ALL the wrong times.

Thornhill does not die in this incident, but attempts to find Townsend. Once Thornhill finds him, Townsend is killed just at the point of explaining what might be going on - stabbed fatally in the back by a throwing knife. Pursued on one end by the spies as George Kaplan, and on the other end by the cops as Roger Thornhill for the murder of Townsend, Thornhill is forced to run cross-country to get away from them all. On a train, he meets and is seduced by a lovely lady named Eve (Saint), who we eventually discover is a double agent - as an informer for the U.S. government. Their passionate affair almost exposes her to the spies, and Eve and Thornhill must playact a scene where she "kills" him using a fake gun. Eve is still found out by the spies, which leads to a fearful chase scene over the faces of Mt. Rushmore, in which the actors do an excellent job of looking like they're about to fall to their death. I'll leave the ending for you to discover.

A few notes:

Hitchcock is seen in the film briefly just after his director credit, just barely missing a bus. I could never miss that profile, since I did watch quite a few episodes of "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" – that scared me half to death.

The interesting thing about Cary Grant is that he never plays anyone but Cary Grant – same wit, same charm, same yummy mid-Atlantic accent. A wonderful character, but he doesn’t ever really show a breadth of acting, although he does a lovely job of acting piss drunk in this film.

I have not been able to discover why the film is called North by Northwest. They do travel on Northwest Airlines at one point during the film, but they travel west. If anyone knows, feel free to enlighten me in the comments section!

All in all, this is an interesting movie that I think I would have enjoyed more had I not been bracing myself for something horrifying to happen. I have obviously deprived myself of the entire Hitchcock repertoire for one bad experience. I'll have to delve into more. Perhaps it's even time to try watching The Birds again.

Nah.

Baby, Don't You Cry, Gonna Make a Pie

Instead of reviewing yet another wonderful Spencer Tracy movie, I've decided to come closer to the present and watch and review Waitress.  This is a beautiful 2007 film starring Keri Russell (who starred in August Rush the same year - another beautiful film) and Nathan Fillion (who I know best from playing Mal in Firefly), and directed, written, and acted in by Adrienne Shelly.  Shelly, sadly, was needlessly and tragically murdered before this movie got any critical acclaim.  I mourn her loss.

The movie's opening credits are filled with color and light.  It was so visually appealing, I could not look away.  The gentle, homey, bright images of making pie were so alluring, I have been convinced by this movie that I must learn to bake pie, and I wanted so desperately to eat one at the time.

The film begins with a very unhappily married waitress, Jenna (Russell), who works at a pie diner, where she also is the star baker.  She believes herself to be stuck with her husband, and hides away money, hoping to gather enough to go to a pie-baking contest in another town.  Jenna discovers near the beginning of the movie that she is pregnant ("I do stupid things when I drink," she says, "like sleep with my husband.").  When she goes to see her pre-natal care physician, Dr. Pomatter (Fillion), there is an immediate spark, and the two start a passionate and caring affair completely by accident.  Jenna is not pleased by the fact that she is pregnant, but discovers, once she gives birth, that her daughter gives her the strength of character she's been looking for to turn her life around for the better.

The writing is quick and unexpectedly funny at times.  As one of Jenna's co-workers, Shelly reflects matter-of-factly that "I do have pasty, pasty skin," after one of the others points it out.  Adorable.  The other waitress worries about her breasts sagging, and Jenna says, "I don't know how to tell you this, but your bosoms are FINE."

The writing is also poignant, such as when Jenna has a particularly rough day, and her doctor just holds her.  Jenna, at that point, has taken to writing letters to her baby in her head.  She says, "Dear Baby, I hope someday somebody wants to hold you for 20 minutes straight and that's all they do.  They don't pull away.  They don't look at your face.  They don't try to kiss you.  All they do is wrap you up in their arms and hold on tight, without an ounce of selfishness in it."  I've been lucky enough to have that feeling, and Shelly expresses it perfectly.  Even without words, the style is natural and flowing.  When Jenna takes a difficult phone call, her friend comes up from behind, and just hugs her gently and pats her hair - very familiar and familial.

Another fun feature of the movie is Jenna's pies.  The camera focuses on an empty pie shell, while Jenna speaks over with a description of the pie, and hands add ingredients as she speaks.  For example: "I Can't Have No Affair Because It's Wrong and I Don't Want Earl to Kill Me Pie: Vanilla custard with banana.  Hold the banana."

Overall, the movie is very sweet (PUN!), and makes you want to hold someone you love really close.  And eat pie.  Highly recommended, but especially if you're in a warm-and-fuzzy mood.

So...Be a Sport and Lie to Me, Okay?

Sixteen Candles is hands-down one of the worst movies I have ever made myself sit through.  It was made in 1984 and directed (and written) by John Hughes, who also directed The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off - great credentials.  The film stars Molly Ringwald as the hapless, half-popular sophomore.  Also in the film are Michael Schoeffling as the popular senior heartthrob and Anthony Michael Hall as the freshman Geek.

The movie starts on Samantha's (Ringwald) sixteenth birthday - which (completely realistically) everyone in her family forgets because her older sister is getting married the next day.  Not only does her family forget, but her day is filled with embarrassments too painful to recount (including the Geek deciding she's his true love and Jake [Schoeffling] finding a sex quiz she took about him).  We follow her through this excruciating farce of adolescence, and somehow end up also following the Geek's escapades as he tries to make himself into a stud, and Jake's experiences as he realizes (suddenly!) that Sam is the true love of HIS life.

Oh, please.

I have watched Hall in some of his more recent work - The Dead Zone (TV) - and know that he can act, and is totally believable.  If I were him, I would hate myself for this movie.  The geeks are stereotyped into being anti-social jerks who wear underwear on their heads for fun and lean in too close to poor Sam when she's asked out by them.  Any self-respecting geek I know would have cowered in a corner just praying for her to notice them, and that no one else would, not making themselves obvious in the least.  The geeks in this movie seem to embrace the tenuous stereotype of smart equaling bizarre to the extreme.

Also in this movie is a character called Long Duk Dong (played by Gedde Watanabe).  He is a Chinese foreign exchange student who is staying with Sam's grandparents.  He is also another stereotype in action - he has an overly thick accent, is ignorant of all American ways, and is accompanied by gongs every time he is on screen.  He even uses a spoon and fork as if they are chopsticks.  I would have believed that by the 80's we would have been past this kind of blatantly racist stereotyping, but then again, there's Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, so I guess we aren't.

The only genuine and beautiful, and I would venture to say even well-acted part in this movie is that of the father, played by Paul Dooley.  He has a heart-to-heart with Sam once it occurs to him (in the middle of the night - when one realizes anything important) that it was her birthday and they missed it.  At first, he's still a bit of a cad and is thinking that Sam is upset because of her sister's wedding and not because of her crush.  Finally, he gets the point and says sweetly, "That's why they call them 'crushes.'  If they were easy, they'd call 'em something else."  It was indeed a relief to have a comfortable, real-feeling scene in the middle of this mess.

I can see no reason why a person would wish to torment themselves with this film, unless for some misguided nostalgia.  As for me, I have gone running back into the arms of Spencer Tracy, but I'll leave that for another time.

So Long As We Learn, It Doesn't Matter Who Teaches Us, Does It?

To Sir, With Love has always been a film that I enjoyed.  I watched it when I was quite a bit younger, but always remembered Sir (if you'll excuse me) with love.  The film was made in 1967, and starred Sidney Poitier, with several other cheeky British teenagers as co-stars, including Lulu, who sang the theme song that I'm sure you've heard, even if you haven't seen the movie.  The movie was directed by James Clavell, who directed about 8 other movies that I haven't heard of.

The movie takes place at a school for "rejects" in London's East End.  Not being from London, I don't honestly know what the real East End is like, but I get the impression from the movie that it's a slum.  The kids there are rebels and outcasts, deemed expendable by society.  Even the teachers have decided that the kids are a lost cause, and have no control.  Mark Thackeray (Poitier), a young, black engineer who hasn't found a job in his field, comes into teaching merely to pay the bills.  He approaches the classroom first with patience and assessment, and is subjected to both silly and dangerous pranks, and also loud disrespect until he snaps once a feminine product (presumably used) is put into the classroom stove and lit on fire. 

Once he snaps, of course, things get better for him.  He decides that these kids (who are seniors in high school) are not actually kids any more and need to stop learning from books and start learning about life.  He throws away his books and tells them to ask him any question they want - talk about sex, life, marriage, cooking, careers, anything.  With a few more troubles in tow, such as one of the student's mothers dying, or the necessary spurning of a young girl's attraction, Thackeray manages to emerge from the term beloved by his students and colleagues.  He is accepted at an engineering job, but tears up the acceptance letter in the very last scene of the film.

A few thoughts.  

A montage of photographs serve to explain a field trip they go on to a museum.  It is an interesting way to do it, and while originally I would have thought it dull, they really captured the different personalities of the students, and made what could have been a boring scene interesting.  I wonder if they just had the actors go to a museum, let them interact naturally, and took pictures.

Poitier is amazing as an actor.  A nearly silent "Sit down," carries so much weight and authority.  In addition, there are several shots of him alone at home or in the classroom, conceivably just thinking.  Those shots convey simply how alone he is despite having colleagues and students.

You have to at least tolerate the song "To Sir, With Love," since it plays all the way through the film.  I wished that they had other bits of song to break up the film.  Even though I'm rather fond of that music, it still got a bit annoying.

While heartwarming and sweet, this movie seems typical today.  It is the simple mentor turns a bunch of bad kids around kind of movie.  If you're looking for something simple and friendly, look no further.  If you are looking for the kind of movie to make you think, move on.

But I still am quite fond of this film.

Let's All Be Manly!

My next film is another I've been meaning to get to. It stars two of the very greatest of the greats - Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. It is their funny and thought-provoking Adam's Rib. This film was directed by George Cukor, who also directed Hepburn's The Philadelphia Story (hilarious), Judy Garland's legendary A Star is Born, and the wonderful Audrey Hepburn's My Fair Lady. In her book Me: Stories of My Life, Katharine Hepburn says that Cukor was one of her very favorite directors to work with. Indeed, many of her films that I adore were directed by Cukor.

At any rate, this movie was released in November of 1949, and briefly follows the lives of two married lawyers, Adam (Tracy) and Amanda (Hepburn). In the beginning of the movie, the two have a friendly debate about what the role of women should be in the modern society. Amanda states, "We don't want advantages, we don't want prejudices." I think that this is precisely the crux of the feminist movement: pure equality - no advantages, no disadvantages because of our sex. I am so proud to hear my favorite actress declare my views on feminism so succinctly - in the 1940s no less.

Anyway, I'll get off of my soapbox.

As a direct outcome of this debate, the two take opposing sides in a case that pits husband - Warren (Tom Ewell) - against wife - Doris (Judy Holliday). Doris came in on Warren canoodling with another young lady, and took several unaimed shots at them both. What was clear was that she shot at them. What the trial was trying to determine was whether or not it was justified. It's a bit complicated, since we don't live in this mentality (for the most part) anymore, but if a man were to do the same thing, Amanda's position was that he would get a slap on the wrist from society, but her client was on trial for attempted murder. Adam, with Warren as client, was just trying to convict Doris of the crime.

This creates, as one might imagine, some trouble at home between Adam and Amanda. Their fights and makeups - hilarious and yet almost painfully realistic - make up the bulk of the film. The dialogue is smart, fast, and from the heart. Like with most movies with these two, it seems very natural and real.

I loved this movie so much that I don't have the space to include all of the notes I took on it. So here are a few tidbits quickly plucked out:

At the beginning, the two each drop pencils at the same time off of the table during jury selections, and flirt with each other silently under the table. This is adorable, and mirrored later with a similar tactic, only with Amanda sticking out her tongue at Adam instead of lifting her dress for what must have been a mildly scandalous view of the bottom of her slip.

There is a scene where Amanda, Adam, and their neighbor Kip are all fighting in the hall. All three scream, and yell, and gesture for a good three minutes. The dialogue is unintelligible, but it is so because it suggests what it's like in a real fight - no one is listening to anyone else. It's very well done.

Finally, when Amanda starts weeping over a fight she and Adam are having, he rails on her, saying, "A few female tears, stronger than any acid!" I have heard from men that this is true. Ah, but he turns the tables on dear Amanda when at the end, he sheds a few tears and wins back her compassion. The following dialogue ensues:

Adam (in reference to crying) - "Us boys can do it too, we just don't think to."

Amanda - "There's no difference between the sexes. Men, women - the same."

Adam - "They are, huh?"

Amanda - "Well, maybe there is a difference, but it's a little difference."

Adam (laughs) - "Well, you know, as the French say - "

Amanda - "What do they say?"

Adam - "Vive la difference!"

Amanda - "Which means?"

Adam - "Which means hooray for that little difference!" (closes the bedcurtains)

All in all, a lovely film, a joy and a laugh. I recommend it with a devilish little grin.

It Doesn't Matter a Damn What We Think

My next movie was one I've seen before, but it is worth re-viewing: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967).  This was Spencer Tracy's final movie, and a worthwhile note to go out on, if you ask me.  It also stars Katharine Hepburn (always a win in my book), Sidney Poitier (grand), and the relatively unknown Katharine Houghton (Hepburn's niece).  It was directed by Stanley Kramer who also directed the great and groundbreaking movie Inherit the Wind (which I hope to talk about at some point in this blog).

The movie is about a young couple - John (Poitier) and Joey (Houghton) - who are interracial: John is black, and Joey is white.  This movie is set in the time when it was made: the 1960s.  At the time, it was bizarre and unacceptable for people of different races to marry, although it was legal.  Matt (Tracy) and Christina (Hepburn) are Joey's parents, and have raised her not to think any differently of people of different races - that everyone is equal.  Unfortunately for them, they have done an unexpectedly good job, and they run across problems when deciding whether or not they are all right with this marriage.

One interesting point comes up when John says that Joey thinks that all of their children will become President of the United States.  Barack Obama was born in 1961 - he was practically born of this movie.  How grateful I am that such things have become possible in such a short amount of time.

Tracy and Hepburn were in a real-life relationship for something along the lines of 30 years, and you can see the love in their eyes in these roles, which makes Tracy's ending speech so clearly.  He says that if John and Joey feel "half of what we felt - that's everything."  He then exchanges a long look with Hepburn that says much more than any line of dialogue possible.

It would be wonderful if we could learn as a society from examples that came before.  When I mentioned this movie to my friend, Mike, and told him that I was grateful we were past most of this kind of prejudice, he mentioned that we're in the same place with gay marriage that we used to be with interracial marriage.  I hope that changes.  And soon.

Wonderful movie with a lot of wonderful things to say.  Highly recommended, if only to watch the great cast work their magic.

The Nearest Thing to Heaven

My next movie is one that I've been meaning to watch for a while now - An Affair to Remember (released in July, 1957). Ever since seeing Sleepless In Seattle the most recent time, and watching all of the women who watched Affair dissolve into tearful messes, I decided that I must watch this movie that they deemed so beautiful. I figured it would be good - you don't usually go wrong with the great Cary Grant or the wonderful Deborah Kerr, not to mention director Leo McCarey (who directed The Bells of Saint Mary - another lesser known, but wonderful movie) - but I didn't think that I would dissolve into a tearful mess.

Boy was I wrong.

If I had watched this movie in the proper fashion - at home, surrounded by a blanket, some chocolate, and my cat curled up next to me - I would have been bawling like a baby. As I had to stop and start it a few times, the dramatic tension lessened a bit.

Ten minutes into the film, I was hooked. Cary Grant has a way of speaking quickly and throwing in tiny jabs in the most light-hearted way and Deborah Kerr matches him jab-for-jab here. The conversation is witty and quick, but also seems very natural - something that is difficult to achieve. I transcribed my favorite piece of dialogue in the movie for you here.

Terry (Kerr) refuses Nickie's (Grant) advances, since she already has a man in her life. Since Nickie is used to women falling at his feet, this is odd for him, and he admits to being embarrassed.


DK: (with great concern) I do hope it won't affect your ego.

CG: Don't think anything of it. I'll just take my ego for a walk...Unless you'd care to..."

DK: Have dinner with you? I'd love to!"


The movie continues on, and a romance develops, as one could clearly see would happen. The first kiss is very sweet and classy. Terry stalls on the stairs that they're walking down together, hesitating. Nickie steps up and both of their heads disappear behind the upper floor, as they seem to share a most romantic kiss. They promise to disentangle from their lives, get jobs to support one another, and meet at the top of the Empire State Building in six months if all goes well.

If you've seen Sleepless in Seattle, you know all does not go well. Nickie waits and waits at the top of the Empire State Building and we watch him grow more and more dejected and miserable. In a beautiful bit of filmmaking, we are watching Nickie, but hear the sad, sad siren of an ambulance in the background - we know it's for her, as we heard her scream and the screech of tires earlier.

Then comes the part where they're figuring out what to do with their lives now that all has gone wrong. A pointless double-singing of a boring song called "Tomorrowland" by an out-of-tune children's choir that Terry directs kicks me out of my romantic reverie. I tried to see if there was a point to this endless "Tomorrowland" song, but there didn't seem to be. If you have some clue, please enlighten me! This seemed to be the only flaw in the movie for me.

The ending was quite beautiful, and I couldn't be more glad that it was a happy one. I thought for sure that Nickie was going to walk out without Terry even telling him about the accident that kept her from meeting him. But the thought and a sequence of coincidences stopped him and he stayed and she told him and it was sad and beautiful and happy all at once.

A completely satisfying movie. I only wish that all romances were this witty and heartwarming. Now excuse me while I dissolve into a tearful mess.

Carpe Diem!

Hello, and welcome, if you happen to chance on this blog.

First of all, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Katie, I'm 25, married, and I love watching movies. I have little-to-no internet notoriety, so if you think I am "that" Katie, I'm probably not. I wanted to write this blog because I do, as previously noted, love watching movies, and I often have opinions about them that I'd like to record, even if it's just for me to read.

I want to make it clear that this will not be a spoiler-free blog. I will primarily be talking about movies that are old. Whether old means the 1940s or the 1990s to you, I will probably be getting into the whole spectrum. If I do talk about movies that are currently in theaters, I will make sure to put some sort of "spoiler alert" tag on them. If you do not want spoilers on a certain movie, please do not read the entry about that movie. Including this one.

The first movie (appropriately) for my blog is Dead Poets Society. This movie was released in June of 1989, and starred Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, and Ethan Hawke, among many others. It was directed by Peter Wier, who also directed such illustrious films as The Truman Show and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. He also directed Green Card (a fabulously awful tear-jerker of a chick flick starring Gerard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell), but we won't hold that against him.

The film is set at an all-boys boarding school called Welton Academy for Boys. The boys in one particular English class are encouraged by their teacher, Mr. Keating (Robin Williams) to "Seize the day!" but also to find inspiration and their own voice by reading and writing poetry.

That in and of itself is a beautiful sentiment, and since I saw this film long ago, I am now convinced that the introduction-ripping scene had such an effect on me that I never could bear to analyze poetry and have there be a "right" answer. If that is true, then I changed my major in college from English to History because of this film.

The controversy in this movie comes from the scene where Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard - yum), one of the students, takes his own life because of complex circumstances which are all based upon his father not letting him live his own life, and trying to control him. I've heard it said that it was a plot device that Mr. Weir used to pull at our heartstrings, and attempt to make the movie a classic. I disagree. This scene is what sets the movie apart. Without it, it is merely another movie about teens with a mentor. The only conflict without this one is minor in the large scheme of things, and I believe the depth of the movie would be lost without it.

Inspired by this movie, and a personal need for change, I am starting this blog. It's time. I hope you, too, are inspired by this movie and bravely find your own voice as they did.