TCM
TiVo ALERT
For
June
15–June 22
DAVID’S
BEST BETS:
KEY
LARGO (June 21, 6:00 pm): This is, hands down, one of
the 10 greatest films, and the best film noir in cinematic history.
It stars three of my favorite actors: Humphrey Bogart, Edward G.
Robinson and Lionel Barrymore. Bogart is a former military man who
checks into the Hotel Largo in Key Largo, Florida, in the middle of
hurricane season. The real storm hits when we see gangster Johnny
Rocco (Eddie G.) walk down the hotel steps. Bogart had top billing,
but it's Robinson who you can't stop watching. The action in this
film is intense, the acting is incredibly strong (with Claire Trevor
winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress as Rocco's neglected
gangster moll), legendary director John Huston could not have done a
better job, and the use of the storm to parallel what's happening to
the film's characters is ideal. Needless to say, this is one of those
films you can watch over and over again and enjoy it more with each
viewing.
BLOW-UP (June
21, 12:00 am): A sophisticated movie about a "Swinging London"
photographer (David Hemmings), who believes he took pictures of a
murder. The plot of this 1966 film is intriguing, fascinating and
original. It was very popular in the United States as a
counter-culture film, and probably because there's plenty of nudity
and drug use. It's a visually stunning film with great suspense that
leaves us unsure of what did he actually see. The film also includes
a memorable cameo by the Yardbirds (with Jeff Beck on guitar and
Jimmy Page on bass) at a club visited by the photographer. Some say
the success of this movie led to the end of Hollywood's Hays Code. I
don't know about that as the Code was on its way out.
But Blow-Up certainly pushes conventional boundaries
in a smart and sexy way.
ED’S
BEST BETS:
NEVER
TAKE SWEETS FROM A STRANGER (June 16, 2:15 am): This
was a truly ahead-of-its time film that, because of its taboo subject
matter was mostly shunned upon its original release. This is a
thought-provoking film whose subject is handled intelligently and
sensitively by Hammer, the studio that gave us Gothic horrors. The
theme of the film is pedophilia, which was not only a taboo subject
back then, but also an unknown one to many. Because pedophilia is
more often heard about and discussed today, the film isn’t quite as
frightening as it was back in 1960, but still we must applaud Hammer
for taking on the subject. It’s also a lesson in sexual politics
due to the fact that the victims were working class and the
perpetrator a member of the town’s most powerful family. I’ve
seen this on videocassette long ago, but this is the first time I
have ever seen it on television, so kudos to TCM also for showing
this neglected film.
A
NOUS LA LIBERTE (June 18, 9:45 pm): Director Rene
Clair was noted for his razor-sharp satirical observations of life.
And this is one of his best: Two prisoners, Emile and Louis, attempt
a prison break. Louis makes it, while Emile doesn’t. In no time
Louis has fashioned himself into a rich industrialist. The secret to
his success is that he runs his business along the same principles as
the prison from which he escaped. His workers are regimented;
uniformed with numbers on their backs, they robotically work the same
sort of assembly line Louis did in prison, watched over by guards.
When Emile is finally released, he s steered into a low-level job at
Louis’ plant. He and Louis come face to face, and meeting and
reminiscing with Emile makes Louis realize that he has merely
exchanged one prison for another, though at much better money. This
is Clair’s masterpiece. The Cahiers crowd attacked
him for being “artifice-bound and not serious enough.” We have
only to compare Clair’s work to such as Godard to see who the real
artist is.
WE
DISAGREE ON ... LIFE WITH FATHER (June 15, 1:30 pm)
ED:
A+. I always love
watching William Powell at work, and nowhere is he better than
playing the befuddled had of the household in this gentle, wonderful
comedy. Powell labors through the film under a misapprehension: that
he is in control of his household. He isn’t; it’s actually his
beloved wife, Vinnie (Irene Dunne in a great performance), who is
actually running things, but smart enough to let him think that he’s
in charge. Powell and Dunne match up perfectly in this charming
comedy about life in turn-of-the-century New York City and the sort
of film we no longer make, though we are certainly not richer of it.
DAVID:
C+. I absolutely adore William Powell. No matter the
role, he was charming, witty and entertaining. That's why I'm so
disappointed with Life With Father. While Powell gave his
typical wonderful performance, there's nothing he or the talented
Irene Dunne can do to breathe life into this film. Their performances
are fine, but the plot, based on the actual life of a stockbroker, is
a real snoozer. The main storyline is finding a way to get Powell's
character, Clarence Day Sr., baptized. Among the subplots is Day
believes he controls his house when he doesn't, and the wooing of a
teenage Elizabeth Taylor by Day's oldest son. It's a comedy with few
laughs. It's too sweet and sentimental for me.
So you'd give it a B+?
ReplyDelete