TCM TiVo ALERT
For
August 15–August 22
DAVID’S BEST BETS:
GRAND HOTEL (August 17, 8:00 pm): This 1932 film, with one
of cinema's greatest casts, seamlessly weaves multiple stories about those
staying at the Grand Hotel in Berlin. Not only are the actors outstanding, but
the casting is brilliant with each playing a role that seems written
specifically for him/her. The leads are Greta Garbo as an aging Russian
ballerina - this is the film in which she famously says, "I want to be
alone" - and John Barrymore as a charming yet poor baron who lives off his
name, playing cards and as a jewel thief. How strong is this cast? Lionel
Barrymore gets only fifth billing in a fantastic role as a dying man living out
his final days in luxury at the magnificent hotel. Also of note are Wallace
Beery as a successful industrialist with a mean streak and Joan Crawford as his
secretary.
EXECUTIVE SUITE (August 21, 11:15 am): A fascinating
look inside the cutthroat world of the business boardroom as allegiances are
formed through a variety of ways, including blackmail and seduction, as top
executives at a major furniture company fight it out to see who will run the
company after the president drops dead on the sidewalk. The dialogue is
riveting and the storyline is compelling. A large part of the film takes place
inside an office, particularly a boardroom, which normally detract from a film.
But it's quite the engaging movie. Like Grand Hotel, this film's
strength is its cast - William Holden, Barbara Stanwyck, Frederic March and
Walter Pidgeon are at the top of the bill.
ED’S BEST BETS:
RIDE LONESOME (August 19, 5:00 pm): This was director
Budd Boetticher’s sixth film with star Randolph Scott, and it was probably the
finest in the history of their collaboration. Scott is a bounty hunter training
two nefarious villains (James Best and Lee Van Cleef). The latter killed
Scott’s wife a while ago, so his mission is also fueled by revenge. In his
quest he runs across baddies Pernell Roberts and James Coburn (in his film
debut), and must deal with them also. What begins as another Western soon
becomes a wonderful character study as all five interact in an attempt to
outwit, connive, and bargain with the others. Well written, well directed and
well acted, this is the sort of Western that will appeal even to non-fans of
the genre.
THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE (August 22, 9:45 pm): This is the film
that – quite justly – propelled Maggie Smith from fine supporting actress to
Stardom as she portrays a headstrong and charismatic teacher at an Edinburgh,
Scotland girls’ school during the ‘30s. Both the material and Miss Smith’s
characterization were very much unlike the portrayals and the material in
previous “school” pictures. A great supporting cast backs Smith, and her scenes
with Celia Johnson and Pamela Franklin are astounding. (Why Franklin did not
receive a Supporting Actress nomination is beyond me.) This isn’t your usual
school/teacher film and Miss Jean Brodie is unlike any teacher you’ve seen
before on the screen.
WE DISAGREE ON ... BRUTE
FORCE (August 16, 3:00 pm)
ED: B. Brute Force is
one of my favorite movies, directed by one of my favorite directors, Jules
Dassin. It is a great study of prison life centering on a sadistic captain of
the guards (Hume Cronyn in a performance for the ages) versus the inmate who
can’t be broken (Burt Lancaster). Add to this the grimness of life on the
inside, where death and disfigurement lurk around every corner, and the
yearning of each inmate to be free once more, and we have one hell of a film.
One thing about Brute Force that many overlook or take for
granted is the brilliant black and white cinematography by William Daniels,
which intensifies our viewing experience. Added to this is the extraordinary
score by Miklos Rozsa – a score that hammers home the despair and hopelessness
felt by each inmate. So why did I grade it as a “B”? Two reasons: One, the
moral we get at the end from Dr. Walters (Art Smith) about how nobody can
escape from a penitentiary. It is not only totally unnecessary, given all we’ve
seen, but drags on too long for my taste and drags down what should be a great
ending. The other misgiving is the needlessly lengthy flashbacks depicting the
women in the life of the inmates. It comes across to me as obvious padding and
could use a good trimming. Otherwise, this is an “A” movie.
DAVID: A. To start, it's hard to argue
with the first two-thirds of Ed's review. After all, he calls it "one of
my favorite movies, directed by one of my favorite directors," and
"it is a great study of prison life." Ed's also eloquently writes
about the central focus between Hume Cronyn, the prison's chief of security in
his greatest cinematic performance, and Burt Lancaster as Joe Collins, the
tough inmate who cannot be broken. Lancaster, as usual, is brilliant,
compelling and authentic in Brute Force, only his second
film. The ending is filled with action and great dialogue. There's little
to add to Ed's excellent review except to correct his "reasons" for
giving the film a B. First, the moral from Dr. Walters (Art Smith) about nobody
being able to escape from prison is important to the film. Prisoners who
eventually get released still carry the scars of their time being incarcerated.
Even Walters, the alcoholic doctor, can't escape because of what working there
has done to him and his emotional instability. As for the flashbacks of the
women in the lives of four of the inmates, I'm perplexed by Ed writing they are
"lengthy" because they are only about three or four minutes each. They
are very important to the movie, giving viewers great insight into how the
inmates ended up in prison. Finally, the movie is only 98 minutes long yet Ed
writes there's "obvious padding and could use a good trimming." Would
he prefer a film that's 80 minutes in length? I can assure him and our readers
that cutting this film would hurt its overall powerful impact.
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