Le Silence de la Mer

During the German Occupation of France in a quiet village, a German officer (Howard Vernon) boards with an elderly man (Jean-Marie Robain) and his niece (Nicole Stephane) whose only form of resistance is utter silence in the face of their unwanted houseguest who responds with unrelenting courtesy, tales from back home and of love for his assumed country, and horror in response to Nazi atrocities. From Vercors inspirational Resistance short story, Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Silence de la Mer is unique and almost daring/high concept (which must have seemed extremely tedious on paper) with great cinematography and moments of tension and insight. Vernon's performance is delicate and wonderful.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Late Spring/Early Summer

Before the poignant and sorrowful Tokyo Story, Ozu's first two entries a series of family centered dramas dubbed the Noriko trilogy (in reference to the same named though separate characters portrayed by Setsuko Hara) take a strikingly similar set-up viewed from a different angle:

Late Spring tells of father's sometimes duplicitous efforts to marry off his doting near 30 year old daughter (Hara) against her wishes, and is told in the beloved director's usual contemplative, subtle manner while featuring fine performances and an incredible, low key ending. Many subtle reference depicting the westernization of Japanese culture are fascinating

In Early Summer, Hara again finds her family playing matchmaker, but instead goes out a stubborn, independent limb by favoring a recently reacquainted childhood sweetheart who does not match up to the family's standards of marriage. Filmed in beautiful greyscale, the film is sweet natured, observant, and extremely measured

Late Spring: *** 1/2 out of ****

Early Summer: *** out of ****

The Third Man

An American writer (Joseph Cotten), author of pulpy, dime store novels, travels to postwar Vienna upon learning of the death of his friend Harry Lime. There he becomes involved in the investigation of his mysterious death, meets his friends and a girlfriend (Alida Valli), and learns the disturbing truth behind his disappearance and the illicit black market doings of his childhood pal. Carol Reed's The Third Man is a darkly atmospheric, cynical, and brilliantly directed film ingeniously written by Graham Greene. Featuring fine performances from Cotten, Valli, Trevor Howard, and a diabolical Orson Welles, whom you can't help but question how deep his involvement was with this production, with its off-centered camera and high-angled shots which so perfectly capture a desperate city as well the dark and shadowy essences of Noir. This is about as unforgettable as a film can get, and scenes like Welles' famous entrance, the Ferris wheel & cuckoo clock speech segment, the chase through the sewers, and Valli's haunting closing walk down the elm tree lined lane are just a few of its highlights.

Holiday Affair

When a toy store clerk (Robert Mitchum) at a large department store decides to give a pass to a fetching comparison shopper (Janet Leigh) and not report her to his boss, he is swiftly relieved of his duties. Now unemployed and soon to be homeless, he insinuates himself into the lives of the woman and her young son, much to the chagrin of his fiance (Wendell Corey). "Holiday Affair" is a bizarre and almost frighteningly misguided yuletide knockoff of "Miracle on 34th Street", but instead of a harmless old man spreading Christmas cheer in the home of a young mother, we have a derelict Robert Mitchum trying to defile Janet Leigh! Mitchum was assigned to the film (quite humorously I might add) in an attempt by the studios to repair his tarnished image following his notorious arrest and jailing for marijuana possession. His no nonsense presence add gravitas somewhat, but his character is so creepy, and what's even more disturbing is the way the film views him in a positive manner. Add to that an agonizing and insufferable child actor and a syrupy screenplay and this becomes a holiday affair to forget.

Adam's Rib

When a woman tries and fails at killing her cheating husband, it provides the perfect opportunity for a defense attorney to push her feminist agenda, until the case also lands on the desk of her district attorney husband. Now, tensions mount in their once happy home as the wife amps the case up to a circus-like atmosphere and is seemingly seduced by the dainty ex-flame who lives across the hall. "Adam's Rib" is an excellent Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn vehicle from iconic director George Cukor and the husband and wife writing team of Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon. While Tracy and Hepburn are in top form, it is supporting players Judy Holliday as the flaky defendant and David Wayne as the obnoxious and effeminate neighbor who steal the show. "Adam's Rib" is a wholly entertaining battle of the sexes farce, peaking in a ludicrous carnival strongwoman courtroom scene, that features the beloved couple in one of their most cherished pairings.

Kind Hearts and Coronets

"Kind hearts are more than coronets, and simple faith than Norman blood."

-Alfred Lord Tennyson, "Lady Clara Vere de Vere"

While a duke awaits the noose on death row, he tells us his life's story beginning with his aristocratic mother leaving the life to elope with an Italian singer, whose courtship led to his birth. When his father died, his mother's family refused to take her back in and when she later perished, they even refused her dying wish to be buried in the family plot. Now, bent on revenge and set on attaining status to impress his girlfriend, the would be duke sets out to murder the eight members of the D'Ascoyne family that stand between him and his title. "Kind Hearts and Coronets" is an extremely droll black comedy from the Britain's Ealing Studio that is most memorable due to the fact of legendary actor Alec Guinness playing the role of all eight murder victims! Guinness brings his adept and polished comic sensibilities to the roles with wondrous results and Dennis Price seems to channel the same kind of dark and elegant charm in his portrayal of the duke. The Ealing Studio was known for their comedies, the best of which were made by Guinness, and "Kind Hearts and Coronets" may be the funniest and best realized of them all.

White Heat

Cody Jarrett and his gang have just robbed a locomotive, leaving four dead in their wake, and are now holed up in a cabin in the mountains, with one of their own suffering from very serious burns. Now while dealing with dissension in the ranks and the looming threat of the police, the psychotic mama's boy is devising a plan which will help him beat the rap for the current job, as well as looking towards the future for his next heist. Raoul Walsh's "White Heat" was one of the late Warner Brothers gangster pictures and featured James Cagney, one of their signature stars from that era. As Jarrett, Cagney delivers one of the fiercest, funniest, and most magnetic performances of his career, alternately offering laughs and shock to the crowd both with his wisecracks and fits of sudden rage and violence. Margaret Wycherly is similarly sinister as a Ma Barker type, doing whatever is necessary to aid her dear son. Regarding the film itself, I was surprised by how tedious it became during scenes Cagney wasn't in, most notably technical, procedural ones involving the police and the manhunt (I did enjoy passages where unfaithful Virginia Mayo and Steve Cochran stew while waiting for Cagney's return). Still, this is highly energetic and enjoyable work from Cagney, and the closing scene where he goes out quite literally in a blaze of glory, is one of the most iconic ever filmed.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

A lifelong army man in the southwest is a week away from his retirement when General Custer is killed in battle and the nation is in fear of an Indian uprising. Determined to retire peacefully, he is forced to escort a mother and daughter to a nearby settlement to catch a stagecoach back east on his last patrol, all the while warding off Indian attacks. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is the second film in John Ford and John Wayne's Cavalry Trilogy, following Fort Apache which starred Henry Fonda playing a Custer like military man and ended with him leading his troops into a precarious battle. Although the bulk of this second film takes place during the unit's patrol where not much is going on, it contains one of the finest performances The Duke ever committed to film, commanding the screen as he always did while showing his jovial side as well playing a character years beyond his age. John Ford and his Oscar winning cinematographer Winton C. Hoch wonderfully capture Ford's beloved Monument Valley in all its beauty and color. There are also two wonderful scenes toward the end, one involving Victor McLaglen's drunken Irish behemoth giving his farewell and Wayne's response to receiving a retirement gift from his men. Although there are some lulls in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, there are many great elements that subside the negative ones and help make this a fine picture.

A Letter to Three Wives

Joseph L. Mankiewicz was a director who was concerned with the bigger picture. His films often functioned as social commentary on top of entertainment, and his A Letter to Three Wives, which he won Oscars for adapting and directing, is a prime example of his style. Featuring a highly original plot, it introduces to three women and a female narrator. The trio are friends from different social strata-Upper class, Middle to Upper, and Poverty Level and each are semi obsessed with the narrator, whom they claim to be a friend as well. As the three women board a yacht for a getaway, they receive a letter from the narrator who informs them that she has run off with one of their husbands. Each woman then has a flashback which gives them reason to believe that their spouse may be the man in question. The flashbacks also serve as social commentary as each serves as a criticism of the upper class. Kirk Douglas and Paul Douglas (no relation) stand out as two of the spouses. I did find the film intriguing but maybe a little dated and hard to get into at points. Still it is an interesting entry from an important director from the golden days of Hollywood.
***