TCM
TiVo ALERT
For
February
8–February 14
DAVID’S
BEST BETS:
ALL
THE KING'S MEN (February 8, 10:00 pm): This 1949 film
is one of the 10 greatest movies of all time. Broderick Crawford is
breathtaking in the role of Willie Stark, a small-time Louisiana
political idealist who rises to governor by compromising his
principles. You would think Crawford's larger-than-life performance
as the populist and corrupt Starks would overshadow the rest of the
cast, but it doesn't. John Ireland as Jack Burden, a journalist who
discovers Starks and eventually does his dirty work, and Raymond
Greenleaf as Judge Monte Stanton, Burden's mentor, are outstanding in
this noir-like film that is as relevant today as it was 100 years
before the film, based on Robert Penn Warren's 1946 Pulitzer-winning
novel, made it to the silver screen. It is easily the best film ever
made on the subject of politics, and as I mentioned, one of the
greatest movies ever made. I've seen it a dozen times and could
gladly see it a dozen more.
AUTUMN
SONATA (February 13, 1:30 pm): Director Ingmar
Bergman and actress Ingrid Bergman (no relation) are the two greatest
talents from Sweden in cinematic history. There's a valid argument to
say they are two of the greatest talents in cinematic history. This
brilliant Ingmar-directed film stars Ingrid in her last theatrical
film as a famous, but aging, classic concert pianist who has a
distant and rocky relationship with her daughter, played by Liv
Ullmann, a mainstay of Ingmar-directed films. The mother visits the
daughter and the tension explodes in an incredibly gripping and
compelling film. It's dialogue heavy so be ready to read subtitles.
However, it is well worth it as the script is intelligent and
revealing, and if you miss a line or two, don't worry as the body
language of Ingrid and Ullman tells a lot of the story. This 1978
film is among Bergman's finest later-year movies.
ED’S
BEST BETS:
THE
LONG VOYAGE HOME (February, 8, 7:00 am): When we
consider John Ford’s oeuvre, this film tends to fall into the
underrated category. It’s a quietly moving story of merchant seamen
returning to England on the tramp steamer Glencairn from
the West Indies after stopping at Baltimore to pick up a supply of
munitions just as World War 2 breaks out. Adapted by screenwriter
Dudley Nichols from four short Eugene O’Neill plays, it boasts a
stellar ensemble cast, headed by Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter, Barry
Fitzgerald, Wilfred Lawson, Mildred Natwick, Ward Bond, and a
surprisingly effective John Wayne playing a Swede, no less. John
Qualen is memorable as Wayne’s fellow Swede and older protective
friend. Look for Barry’s younger brother, Arthur Shields. Gregg
Toland, who captures and sets the mood of the film, beautifully
photographs the film. It’s par for the course today to praise
Toland’s work, but I think this is one of his best efforts. It’s
also one of Ford’s best efforts and definite one to catch.
THE
GREAT MCGINTY (February 10, 8:00 pm): As I’ve said
before, TCM’s time slots for great movies such as this are why
TiVOs are so popular. Talented writer Preston Sturges made his
directorial debut with this hilarious satire on the political system,
following the fortunes of Brian Donlevy as he rises from Skid Row bum
to being elected governor of the state. Aiding him in his quest is
Akim Tamiroff as the political boss and Sturges regular William
Demerest. It’s one of the funniest films about our political system
and way around honesty ever made.
WE
DISAGREE ON ... THE STORY OF LOUIS PASTEUR (February
10, 6:30 am)
ED:
A+. Yes, Paul Muni
is a ham, but give him a good script and some theatrical make-up to
hide behind and he always gives an entertaining performance. This was
the first of Muni’s “Let Us Portray Famous Men” phase, and it’s
by far the best, probably because it was novel. Besides Muni, this
film succeeds in spite of the roadblocks Warner Brothers placed
before it. This was not quite the film they wanted Muni to star in;
who in their right mind, they reasoned, would want to see a film
about a doctor fighting disease? Where’s the entertainment value in
that? They gave in, but only reluctantly. There were to be no shots
of animal experimentation, lest the SPCA complain, and no shots of
suffering children, lest mothers complain. They also cut the budget,
meaning no new sets could be constructed. So producer Henry Blanke
merely redecorated existing sets. For example, a set previously used
by Busby Berkeley for The
Gold Diggers of 1935 became
the amphitheater for The Academy of Science. Add the gorgeous
lighting photography of Tony Gaudio to cover things up even further
and we have an intelligent – and entertaining film – that set the
standard for other science-themed films to come.
DAVID:
C+. When it comes to subject matter, it doesn't get
more bizarre than a film about French scientist Louis Pasteur and his
campaign to get doctors to wash their hands and sterilize their
medical instruments before operating. Well, yeah, it gets a little
more bizarre when doctors dismiss these precautionary measures and
you have Paul Muni star as Pasteur, who is also trying to find cures
for anthrax in livestock and rabies. It's not an awful film, but it's
based-on-a-true-story feel and that Pasteur is the subject of the
movie leaves me scratching my head. Muni's reputation for overacting,
particularly in his "historical" films, is somewhat
deserving, but I give him credit for bringing passion to those roles.
Even taking that into consideration, I found this movie to be boring
as it drags when focused on scientific research and testing, even
though it's only 87 minutes long.
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