chezmax

[Zip.ca] [IMDB] [Wikipedia]

Another musical, which I admit, isn't my favourite genre of film, but this had an appropriate level of silliness that made it
decent.

Set in Paris, the titular American is Jerry (Gene Kelly), a veteran and aspiring painter who moved there for the inspiration he hoped it would give him. He has some friends there, and the focal plot and struggle of the movie is the love triangle that develops between him, Milo, a rich woman who acts as Jerry's patron, and Lise, a young (but engaged!) frenchwoman who captures his heart.

Beyond that, there's not much else, but lots of music and dancing. I enjoy the tap dancing that Gene Kelly gets up to. Whatever happened to tap? It's so... charming!

I found the climactic dance/ballet at the end of the film to be a little drawn out, and the conclusion a little wanting. But the characters themselves are charming, and the film is fun. However, I certainly don't find it Best Picture worthy, given its faults; perhaps 1951 was a weak year, or musicals were a lot more popular.

[Zip.ca] [IMDB] [Wikipedia]

Another war movie, this film follows some British soldiers who are prisoners of war, as they build a bridge for the Japanese in Thailand as part of the Thailand/Burma Railway.

First, near the beginning of the movie, the prisoners are whistling the Colonel Bogey March, which was stuck in my head for days. Gah. [Youtube if you want to share my earworm.]

Colonel Saito, the Japanese commander of the camp, announced to the British POWs that they will be building a bridge, and everyone, including the officers will do manual labour. The British commander, Colonel Nicholson, refuses, citing the Geneva Conventions prohibiting officers from doing manual labour. Saito doesn't take very kindly to this, and locks up the officers. Meanwhile, the enlisted men are doing quite a piss poor job of building the bridge, both from their desire to not help the enemy, and that the Japanese engineers aren't entirely up to snuff.

Eventually, Saito realizes that the plan is not working, and that the bridge won't be done by the deadline, and he will have to commit seppuku. After coming up with some silly reason to save face, he releases the officers. Nicholson, thinking it best for his soldiers if they can take pride in their work, has his best engineers redesign the bridge, and directs the soldiers to do it properly. Conditions improve for everyone.

Meanwhile, an American, Commander Shears, escapes from the camp, and eventually arrives in Ceylon, where he is convinced by the British army there to help them blow up the bridge under construction...

I quite enjoyed the acting, characterization and cinematography. Alec Guinness as Colonel Nicholson is quite well done, I felt. Also, this movie didn't overly play up the horrors of war (not a lot of killing or sickness), which after a whole slew of depressing movies, was a nice change. It was quite long, 2h40, but I must have enjoyed it cause it didn't feel nearly that long.

It was filmed on location in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), which lends quite a bit of authenticity to the film. There are some quite beautiful scenes filmed within the jungle. The film went on to win 7 Oscars.

[Zip.ca] [IMDB] [Wikipedia]


This film was epic. It goes on for for more than three and a half hours. It has fantastically elaborate sets and scenes. And it's ridiculously wide screen, to fit more on at all times.

The story itself is also pretty epic. And it appears that it's only about half of the book it's based on.

The movie is roughly is the life of Judah Ben-Hur, who is a wealthy merchant in Jerusalem, and is a contemporary of Jesus. His childhood friend, Messala, has returned from Rome as a military tribune. They are at first happy to see each other, but they soon discover they have political differences: Judas believes in the freedom of the Jews, and Messala believes in the might of the Roman Empire.

A little later on, while watching the new Roman governor arrive in Jerusalem from their rooftop, a loose tile falls, and nearly kills the governor. Messala, despite knowing of his innocence, banishes Judah to be a galley slave, and has his sister and mother thrown into prison.

After several years in the galleys, the ship Judah is in goes down in a fight, but Judah was able to save the commander, an important Roman Consul, Quintus Arrius. However, the battle is won, and in gratitude, has Judah freed, and adopts him as his son.

More time passes, and Judah longs to return to Jerusalem, to find what has become of his family. He is lead to believe that they have died in prison, when reality they had contracted leprosy, and were expelled from the city.

He enters a chariot race against Messala, hoping to get some form of revenge. The race is violent, gripping, and seems to go on and on. In reality, this scene took three months to create, and is sort of the crowning achievement of the film... and I shan't give away the ending.

Despite mostly taking place in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus, Jesus is just a bit part in the film. It opens just before the nativity, and closes just after the crucifixion.

The characterization is strong: Judah distress over his family, and his longing for revenge conflict with his faith. The heartbreaking desire of his mother and sister for Judah to believe they are dead rather than lepers. Messala's ambition conflicting with his childhood loyalties... They all make for complex characters. The cinematography is great (perhaps even over the top: apparently a huge gamble on the part of an MGM on the brink of bankruptcy), and although quite long, it doesn't drag (although, I was glad for the intermission. We watched it over two nights, since my attention span isn't 3 hours long...).

I think as far as epic films go, I preferred Gone With The Wind, but this was also quite good.

[Zip.ca] [IMDB] [Wikipedia]


The movie opens on an awards banquet, where Eve Harrington is accepting a prestigious award for her theatrical work. As we watch the ceremony, the movie fades into a flashback...

Eve is a woman who is down on her luck, and has a fanatical devotion to Margo Channing, a famous Broadway performer. After seeing her waiting outside the theatre every night for 6 weeks, Margo's friend Karen takes pity on Eve, and brings her in to be introduced to Margo. Amazingly, Eve and Margo hit it off, and Margo employs Eve as her assistant. Eve is kind, attentive, and wonderful, and we soon discover Eve is a more talented actress than anyone could have ever guessed...

Unfortunately, without giving away the entire movie, that's about all the plot I can mention.

The central cast in this film is fantastic. Eve is played charmingly and perfectly by Anne Baxter, and Margo, the aging actress who is starting to feel that her career is over is played fantastically by Bette Davis. George Sanders, playing Addison DeWitt, a well-regarded film critic, is wonderfully portrayed as a conceited but highly intelligent fellow that no one quite likes... The supporting cast playing Margo's flame Bill, the playwright Lloyd, and his wife, Karen are also great (and in fact, many of these were nominated for Academy Awards for their acting). Their relationships, egos, ambitions all come across as realistic (although Margo, as the famous actress does come across as very dramatic).

Despite the plot being almost entirely based on these 6 people and their relationships and ambitions, the film is excellent, and after a slightly slow start to establish location and characters, I was rivetted.

In sum, this was a fantastic film, and for a change from recent films, did not depress me, but the exploration of ambition is eye opening and indeed, this film was worthy of it's awards, in my opinion.

[Zip.ca] [IMDB] [Wikipedia]

This film, based on the same-titled best-selling novel from the previous year, is the story of an alcoholic writer, Don, who goes on a drinking binge on a long weekend, and it shows the effects on him, and those who care about him.

The film is pretty dark, and watching the protagonist's descent into drunkenness, desperation, and self-aborption is even harrowing at times, and the compassion shown by his girlfriend is touching. The blunt honesty of the film is powerful.

The acting by Ray Milland, who plays Don, is fantastic. He manages to portray an otherwise quite intelligent man caught in the grips of severe alcoholism. He plays the intelligent, waxing poetic about the alcohol as he's drinking it; to the desperate, stealing money to fund his habit; to the pathetic, nearly unable to function from the pain of withdrawal. He received a (well-deserved) oscar for his acting.

I found this film somewhat eye-opening for it's frank treatment of alcoholism, and it certainly gave me a new understanding of it as a disease beyond the control of its victims.

[Zip.ca] [IMDB] [Wikipedia]

Another day, another depressing war film...

So, this is the first full length silent film I've ever watched, and I was pleasantly surprised (despite the mood of the film itself). There seemed to be an artistic flair missing from later movies, more akin to theatre, due to the need to convey information and emotion without the benefit of voice. The dialogue, such as it is, is sparse, and presented as text on the screen.

Despite the lack of dialogue, the character development is strong, and the production is rather good. The soundtrack, provided by a Wurlitzer theatre organ also adds a lot of the emotion.

This film takes place during the First World War, and follows Jack, and David, from the same small town, as they enlist in the Air Service, and become pilots. They start out as rivals fueled by their love for the same woman, but as they end up at the same post in France and eventually become good friends. It also follows Mary (played by Clara Bow), the "girl next door", who is in love with Jack, but who he utterly fails to notice.

Without giving away the plot, the film continues on with themes of friendship, spurned love, war, heroism, mistaken identity, tragedy, and reconciliation, all with little dialogue. I can say it took me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.

Personally, I was utterly amused about the scene where Jack has a bit too much to drink and becomes infatuated with imaginary bubbles. ;)

[Zip.ca] [IMDB] [Wikipedia]

This film was intense.

The film takes place in Germany in World War I, where a group of young men are convinced by their professor to join the army for honour, glory, and protecting the fatherland. And then it shows, fairly graphically (esp. for 1930!) the horrors of war as they are sent and endure the trench warfare of the Western Front.

This movie based on the novel of the same name, which I have not read, but it stands on it's own as a powerful film and is even somewhat difficult to watch in parts. The sounds of exploding mortars and the whistling of bombs is nearly maddening just to watch for a few minutes, never mind to experience for months on end.

I liked that the soldiers were portrayed as German, as otherwise the film would give a very 'oh, woe are our soldiers, and Germany is so evil' vibe, but instead it comes across as just how horrible it was for everyone. Although, the actors who portray them are very American, and have that indefinable charm that American actors had in the first half of the century.

Honestly, the movie is quite depressing, and does not end on a high note. I would probably not watch it again because it's a somewhat difficult watch, but I'm glad to have seen it. It's intense, powerful, moving, and does a good job of portraying the horrors of war. I, personally, did not know that much about World War I (overshadowed mostly by World War II), but this film would have been made when The Great War was still fresh in everyone's mind. Recommended, but don't watch if you're already in a bad mood ;)

1947: Gentleman's Agreement

[Zip.ca] [IMDB] [Wikipedia]

A widowed reporter, newly moved to New York City with his mother and his son, is given an assignment to write an article on anti-semitism. After agonizing on how he can write anything interesting or new on the subject, he decides to go undercover as a Jew, and hopefully experience anti-semitism first hand. Since he's newly moved to NYC, no one knows of his background, and the ruse is pretty easy to keep up.

Of course, he begins to experience various forms of anti-semitism, but most trying for him is the subtle ways in which the girl he meets (who he shares the secret with), despite seemingly being quite literal and anti-anti-semitic on the surface, subtle acquiesces to bigotry in other ways, including her desire not to challenge the eponymous gentleman's agreement about not renting or selling real-estate to Jews where her house is, in Darien, Connecticut.

This film was quite eye-opening for me. While of course things are made dramatic for film, and it deals solely with upper-class anti-semitism, I had no idea this existed at all. Gentleman's agreements, "restricted" hotels, epithets I had never heard and only had been vaguely aware of, etc. Apparently the film was quite controversial at the time, and the producer, director, and some of the actors being called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee (what an Orwellian name...), and due to their refusal to testify*, the actors ended up on the Hollywood Blacklist.

The movie was quite enjoyable, and all though overly dramatic and narrow in it's treatment of anti-semitism, the anger he feels is palpable, and the tension he has with his fiancé over her tacit bigotry is very well rendered. I'm glad I saw this film.

*: Or refused to answer a question about whether they are or were a part of the Communist Party, according to one source I read. Wow, times were different then.

1929: The Broadway Melody

[Zip.ca] [IMDB] [Wikipedia]

This is the second film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, and the first sound film to do so. (1928's Wings, which I have not watched yet, was first, and silent.) The historical context of this film is interesting. The first feature length sound film ('talkies') was released in 1927, and the film world was in the midst of the chaos of the switch. Silent movies were originally considered more artistic (getting across concepts without the benefit of speech or synchronized sound is certainly a different art-form more akin to stage acting than the realism we tend to expect in films these days), and sound films were thought to be a passing fad. And well into the thirties, talkies were often released in a silent-film version as well for all the theatres that had not yet converted.

So, being one of the first 'talkies' during this chaos, this film falls kind of flat to modern eyes and ears. As the name alludes to, this is a musical, and this helps makes the ridiculousness and emotional overacting feel a little less out of place.

The storyline follows two sisters (Hank and Queenie), who have come to New York to try to make it on Broadway, having been a moderately successful vaudeville sister act¹ in their home town. With the help of Hank's boyfriend Eddie (a song and dance composer) they get a job with a Mr. Zanfield (an allusion to Ziegfeld, I'm sure). Eddie begins to fall in love with Queenie (the younger sister, who has filled out nicely since he last saw her, apparently). Queenie tries to fend off Eddie's advances, not wanting to hurt her sister, and so dates a man that neither Hank or Eddie approves of. Love-triangle and musical hijinx ensue.

The film was still enjoyable, despite it's ridiculous and (now) tired premise. I did find it interesting in the historical context, not only the above silent/sound film transition, but the 20s slang, women who universally had the bob hair-cut, and the occasional skyline shot.

¹: Before this movie, I had never heard this term used seriously before.

1941: How Green Was My Valley

[Zip.ca] [IMDB] [Wikipedia]

Unfortunately, it's been a couple weeks since I've watched this, so I've begun to forget the details. This film, also based on a book, chronicles the life of a Welsh coalmining family, as their way of life begins to fall apart through unionization, strikes, and their culture declining, around the turn of the 20th century.

The story is told through the eyes of the youngest son, Huw, and is about him and his family who all live in a small village in a valley in Wales, whose primary economy is based on the nearby coalmine. His older brothers and his father all work in the coalmine, but tensions begin to build as their wages are cut and thoughts of unionization begin to take hold, dividing the family. Eventually the workers strike, which begins the slow downturn of the village.

However, the movie isn't really about the labour issues, it is more about the family and their personal trials and tribulations, and the emotions and intensity with which they face them. Starting with the sons and the father first disagreeing about the unionization, then with the sons, one by one, getting laid off and moving away, his sister abandoning her forbidden romance with the town's priest and marrying into the coal-mine's owner family, and Huw attending school¹, the first in his family to do so.

The movie is emotionally poignant, and you really do feel for this family. The characters are quite believable, with a particularly enjoyable performance in the mother, a strong matronly figure with a sharp wit, and the town feels believable².

Pretty good movie, but certainly not the best of the bunch.



¹: Some particularly amusing moments occur during his school preparation where he and the priest are doing some basic math, asking about how long it would take to fill a tub with a certain amount of water entering, and with a hole which a certain amount of water leaves. His mother, being ever practical, is in complete disbelief about the utility of a tub with a hole in it and considers the question preposterous.

²: Which is quite amazing, since it was filmed in California, due to the sudden unavailability of Wales (due to the war).