TCM
TiVo ALERT
For
July
23–July 31
DAVID’S
BEST BETS:
BELLE
DE JOUR (July 23, 12:30 am): Catherine Deneuve as a
prostitute already sounds like it's going to be a good film even if
the script is mediocre. It turns out the storyline of this 1967 film
is excellent, the acting is fantastic and it's all expertly directed
by the great Luis Bunuel. Deneuve is a bored and prim French
housewife, with a very kinky side even though she's a prude when it
comes to her husband. She ends up making some of those fantasies come
true when she becomes an afternoon hooker at a brothel. The film
blends reality and fantasy leaving the viewer wondering what is real
and what isn't. While this can be frustrating in other movies, it
somehow enhances this film. It's one of Deneuve's finest performances
and is a landmark in mainstream erotic films even though it never
shows any explicit sex scenes.
WILD
STRAWBERRIES (July 28, 10:00 pm): You can't go wrong
with any of the six Ingmar Bergman films TCM is airing on July 28,
starting at 8:00 pm. They all come with my highest recommendation.
However, if you have to choose one – and really, is there any
reason to watch only one? – go with 1957's Wild
Strawberries. Bergman isn't light viewing, but the insight into
humanity his films provide are worth it. This film is about a
78-year-old professor (Victor Sjostrom) who is traveling across
Sweden to receive an honor from the university of which he earned his
doctorate. Accompanied by his daughter-in-law (Ingrid Thulin), he
picks up young hitchhikers and through nightmares, flashbacks and
reflections as well as observing his fellow travelers, he learns
about his life. It's so brilliant and moving that the viewer also
learns about himself/herself if that person allows it. It's easily
one of the 10 greatest films ever made.
ED’S
BEST BETS:
THE
MUMMY (July 26, 12:15 am): Boris Karloff gives one of
his strongest and best-remembered performances as Imhotep, an
Egyptian mummy revived after thousands of years. Zita Johann co-stars
as his reincarnated love. Billed as “Karloff the Uncanny” in
publicity for this film, Boris lives up to the moniker – and
then some. Watch for the great scene when archaeologist Bramwell
Fletcher reads the magic scroll that brings Karloff back to life and
laughs himself insane when Karloff revives and walks away with
the scroll. The makeup was years ahead of its time, adding to the
eerie atmosphere. It’s one Karloff performance not to be missed.
TO
BE OR NOT TO BE (July 31, 2:15 am): No, it’s not
the 1942 Ernst Lubitsch original, but the 1983 Mel Brooks remake. And
it almost equals the original. Brooks merges the separate roles of
Joseph Tura (played by Jack Benny in the original) and bit part
player and Hitler imitator Bronski (Tom Dugan) into one Frederic
Bronski, but is very careful not to go too far astray, and the
changes he does make are excellent. But the real gem in this
production is Mel’s wife, Anne Bancroft. As Anna Bronski, she
brings to the role the love for her husband and the frustration with
his antics. Brooks, like Lubitsch before him, has an excellent
supporting cast and makes good use of each. Jose Ferrer makes for a
wonderful traitorous Professor Siletski, and Charles Durning almost
walks away with the picture as the hilariously inept Gestapo Colonel
Erhardt. Usually I wince whenever a remake is mentioned, but this one
is funny and well-paced. By the way, look for the tribute to Jack
Benny.
WE
DISAGREE ON ... LUST FOR LIFE (July 24, 8:00 pm)
ED:
A+. When
considering a biopic about a person as passionate as Van Gogh, one
needs an actor who can be passionate without chewing up the available
scenery. And in Kirk Douglas we have that perfect actor. He
brilliantly conveys the emotional state of Van Gogh without resorting
to stage theatrics or trying to outshine his co-stars. In fact, there
are times throughout the film when Anthony Quinn, who won a
well-deserved Oscar as Paul Gauguin, outshines Douglas in their
scenes together. (More kudos to Douglas for placing the importance of
his subject before his ego.) As with any quality production, it is
absolutely essential to have a good director and an excellent
supporting cast. And Lust
for Life has both.
Vincente Minnelli has the good sense to stand back and let the story
unfold while getting superb performances from a stellar supporting
cast, including the underrated James Donald, Henry Daniell, Lionel
Jeffries, Niall McGinnis, Laurence Naismith, and the
always-dependable Everett Sloane. But in the end it’s up to the
star to carry the project, and Douglas does just that with a textured
performance for the ages. This is a film I can watch time and time
again without feeling bored.
DAVID:
C-. You won't get an argument from me that Kirk
Douglas is one of cinema's all-time greatest actors and that over the
years, Anthony Quinn showed himself to be a fantastic talent who
delivered great performances in the right circumstances. While Quinn
won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his eight-minute
performance in this 122-minute film and Douglas was his excellent
self, this movie about Vincent Van Gogh, an interesting and intense
figure in the history of art, does very little for me. I don't enjoy
the story, how it's told, the pacing of the film or most anything
else even though I recognize the strength of the acting. It's that
strength in this overly melodramatic film that saves it from me
giving it a grade lower than a C-. Not that it has much to do with
this film, but while Van Gogh's life was fascinating, his art is
highly overrated.
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