Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1941
Posted by spheer2002 | Filed under Films of the 1940's
Freudian Horses
Directed By Victor Fleming
Although this is Considered to be the lesser film of the early Juggernaut made in 1931, directed by Rouben Mamoulian that ultimately won its actor Fredric March (the Best Years of Our Lives) a tied best academy award with Wallace Beery for ”The Champ” (,a feat which has only happened twice in the history of the academy awards), The 1941 Version should not be completely Overlooked.
Set in Victorian England Circa 1889
The Film Opens with a White Gothic Cathedral and The Minister standing at the pulpit singing the praises of Queen Victoria’s Reign and the ‘Moral’ values it has to greatest pride in displaying, this is quickly Interrupted the the ravings of a Mentally disturbed man sitting in the congregation shouting back at the minister and being Dragged out of the Church.
Dr Henry Jekyll (Spencer Tracy- Guess Whos Coming to Dinner)struggles to convince his peers of his radical theory of helping those who are mentally disturbed but extracting more of , what could be described as their ‘Good” Personality with Science,
As a result for his radical beliefs of Good and evil being a product of human nature and not that of God, he is ostracized by his future Father in Law, separating him from his Fiance Beatrix (Lana Turner - The Postman Always Rings Twice) who is very much in love with him, after a night on the town he runs into a man attacking a woman on the street, a Common bar girl Named Ivy (Ingrid Bergman - Casablanca), He is Sexually attracted to her, but feeling the pressure of being unfaithful to his fiance and worrying about what people may think, he separates himself from her.
In despair about his separation from Beatrix and that the scientific body will not allow him to experiment on live cases of Disturbed Patients, Jekyll Takes the Bold Move of testing his formula on himself.
The Result of Course goes wrong or perhaps works too well, The consequences for his actions are only too clear.
Like Most Hollywood Remakes of their earlier films, Not Much has changed in Hollywood when you Think about it ,
A remake with an all Star Cast, The Hot Director with a great films under his belt .. in this case Victor Flemming with films such as The Wizard of Oz , and Gone with The Wind (or most of it anyway) A rich, slick, decadent MGM look , A And a Sumptuous Film Score Provided By Legend Franz Waxman (Sunset Bvd, Rebecca).. What could go wrong?
Apparently Plenty…
The Film was considered to be a major disappointment, even by today’s standards , this is of course due to the fact that Spencer Tracy is not in the least frightening as The Infamous Mr Hyde,
While Fredric March in the original was completely convincing as a Monster, in his transformation while he roamed the streets of London , Looking like the ‘missing link’ he was legitimately frighting and disgusting in compassion to his Alter ego, Poor Mr Tracy , who generally did a lot better in films was ok as Dr Jekyll, but while still aggressive and animalistic , looked more like Robert Smith of the Cure ,a crazy looking middle aged man who hadn’t showered for a week , but nothing more.. he wasn’t at all scary,
The Film does Bring froward some treasures though
In both films there are of course significant changes to the novel (eg there are no Female leads , and heavy suggestions of Homosexual undertones)
in the 31 version two female characters were added as love interests, one for each personality, the Good has a pretty young respectful fiance, and bad has a cockney crude, prostitute named Ivy,
Of course in 1941 due to film censorship the Character of Ivy was changed from a prostitute to a Barmaid, an essentially good girl, a little rough around the edges that makes bad decisions.
When casting, strangely Spencer Tracy prior to meeting her making the film Woman of the Year (1942) and beginning his famous affair with her Spencer Tracy wanted Katharine Hepburn to play both the Good and the Bad roles, and in the end of the film the revelation was that she was in fact the same woman, of course this never happened, When final casting was done it was decided that Ingrid Bergman would play the Good Girl and the Tarty Barmaid would be played by the blond sultry Lana Turner. But after a string of films playing wholesome saintly milkmaid roles Ingrid wanted a change an opted strangely to play out of type as the earthy Barmaid Ivy and Lana would play Beatrix , The Fiance of Dr Jekyll, although the film fared badly Most People remember Ingrid Bergman for her role saying it almost rivaled the emotional intensity that was shown by Miriam Hopkins in the 31 version playing the rough as guts Prostitute before the Rules of Censorship came through in Hollywood,
The Films greatest Redeeming Feature is the Presence of Ingrid Bergman and what she does with her character if for No Other reason watch it for that!
Also worth mentioning are the film Montages when Tracy Transforms , unlike the 31 version where Fredric Marchs’s transformation is archived through Clever UV lighting by painting marks on the actors face, Tracys Transformation is done completely out of sight, The Montages which are meant to distract us this are for a better word out of this world, almost rivaling the dream sequences in Alfred hitchcocks Spellbound and Vertigo, they have Strong Freudian subtext and are astonishing to view , the most extraordinary being when Sprencer Tracys is whipping two horses, one white, one black they are transformed into his two girlfriends, the white being his Fiance , the Black being his Lustful Desire Ivy, the close up of Ivy and the Pan to Tracys Expression has he Whips her is a harbinger of her fate towards the end of the film.
But in hind site Tracy’s performance may have been in closer examination , more concise with the original concept of the story, A man who drinks a formula , not to bring out a cave man, but his true repressed Aggression , his Violent Sexual nature, Freedom of Expression, and to be able to do anything you can in public without caring about the concerns or the approval of others , Something that like in the book Dr Jekyll deals with in his repressed Victorian society, A society more concerned with manners, class distinction and ultra conservatism .
In this way you could say Tracy is Not frighting to us now as we live in a 21st century society where we are mostly free to do what in private and in public without concerns of silly ”Victorian Garden party Rules” or ”1950s paranoia and stupidity ” .
We have purposely over the course of the 2oth Century have pushed the boundaries of freedom of expression , Sex and self censorship, Violence, Aggression ,in one way or another, The fact that Tracys Mr Hyde is Not scary then , as is now, is that Tracys Mr Hyde is Us.. a citizen of the 20th century
not an ape man that roams London terrorizing people but an uninhibited soul
If you consider the raving man inside the Church at the beginning of the film, and that his inhibitions are because of a head injury due to an accident we have the basic idea from the start,
It is said that people who have an injury to the front of their brain due to an accident may have a slight change of personality, due to the weakening of the front of the brain where we exercise control of our emotions , Something that humans develop after two years of life after instruction from parents and life experience, when this is damaged sometimes traits of our personality , that we usually keep hidden away managed to come through, This Is what Dr Jekyll Believed anyway, and wanted to prove.
Jekyll is the product of extream society repression, whn he takes the forular he does not just ease into a gradualy state of freedom, its given to him all at once, and as he is unavble to deal rationally with his new freedom , it therefor becomes an inflicter of ill, so maybe to judge Tracys Hyde as lesser is infact the easy way to exclude this film, when on closer inspection, he may have been more true to the origional concept that we may already know,
Tags: Barmaid, Based off Novel, Franz Waxman, Freudian, Gothic, Ingrid Bergman, Lana Turner, Love Triangle, Multiple Personality, Murder, Noir, Psychological Thriller, Remake, Robert Louis Stevenson, scientific experiment, Sexual Repression, Spencer Tracy, Victor Flemming, Victorian Era
A Summer Place 1959
Posted by spheer2002 | Filed under Films of the 1950's
“As for you Troy Donahue, I know what you wanna do!”
If you are Familiar with the ‘Notebook this is a must see this is the godfather of period thwarted teenage love ,but when they made this when it was actually based in its time, the dawning of the golden age of Camelot in American which ended abruptly with bye bye birdy and the assignation of JFK in 1963..
After 2o years of absence Ken Jorgenson (Richard Egan) comes back to Pine Island a Wealthy ,Exclusive Isolated community of the coast of Maine where he worked as a lifeguard as a teenager,Now A Millionaire he brings his family to the mansion belonging to the Hunters who’s servants quarters he used to sleep in . Now a Holiday House as the Hunters have lost their fortune Bart Hunter a chronic alcoholic ( Arthur Kennedy) is indignant at the prospect of having the former help Lord it over him, however when he arrives that is the very least of his troubles, and Old Flame between Ken and Barts Wife Sylvia (Dorothy McGuire) is rekindled and the Children of both Ken and Bart
Johnny (Troy Donahue) and Molly (Sandra Dee) fall madly in love, all Goes belly after Johnny and Molly spend the night washed overboard from a dingy alone on and island, when Molly’s Mother played Mercilessly by (Constance Ford) a morally bankrupt hypocrite , demands Molly have a Medical Examination by a doctor to see if her “Virginity” is in tact.After the examination Molly Runs away and Johnny threatens to kill Molly’s Mother because of whats shes made her daughter go through, its then revealed that Johnny’s Mother is Having an affair with Ken Molly’s dad.
The children are separated by the Lawyers the hatred for their family but Johnny and Molly Still Try to write to Each over despite that happens hoping upon hoping they will meet again someday.
This Film had Risque Dialogue and Subject matter for 1959 including infidelity, divorce and premarital sex , and you still feel for the who you consider to be the good people in this case the adulterous married lovers, and despise the morally superior and upper Middle Class for their greed and their selfishness .
The only things people will remember (if anything at all) about this film if the popular theme by Max Steiner (Gone with the Wind) and a little song from grease called ‘Look at me Im Sandra Dee” The Film may seem like a soap in all its 1959 CinemaScope glory , but it still has the desired affect,you do feel for Johnny and Molly and what terrible consequences brought the two together
and you hope against hope nothing will pull them asunder
Tags: Alcoholism, Based off Novel, Divorce, Forbidden Love, Infidelity, Lost Love, Love for Children, Love Triangle, Marriage, Max Steiner
The Lodger 1926
Posted by spheer2002 | Filed under Films of the 1920's
At Age 27 after three films (two of which are lost, the other, which was ”The Pleasure Garden”) Hitchcock Culminated his first seminal quintessential film ,it was raised in the schools or Berlin and Was hailed as the Greatest British Picture Ever Made at the time, Its A theme He would Return to many years later in Frenzy made outside the golden age of his successes in Hollywood.
It was Hitchcock first major Success and one of two films in the 20’s (the other was ”Blackmail”) that gave him an enormous reputation , It offers a possible explanation for”Jack the Ripper” and shows the beginning of many Hitchcock trademarks such as the Wrong Man on the run, fetishistic sexuality and murder, Death and Pleasure,
In the Dark Thick Fog, London is awash with fear and loathing over a serial sex murder known as “The Avenger” who targets Blond Woman in particular and leaves their warm corpse lying in the street ,He always strikes on a Tuesday, his Face is covered, and Leaves his calling card always tucked away in the victims pocket,
On a Tuesday night Daisy Bunting(June Tipp) a Model comes home to her little flat she shares with her family, her boyfriend(Malcolm Keen) the local chief of police is there boasting how he’s going to catch the”avenger killer while flipping a coin in the air, Suddenly the Gas meter switches off and while Daisys Father (Arthur Chesney) goes to insert another coin in , The house goes dark All of A sudden their is a knock on the Door and Mrs Bunting (Played beautifully by Marie Ault) Opens the Door to a pall faced Tall man with his face Covered (Ivor Novello) inquiring about the room for let upstairs,The Pale Antisocial Asexual Unnamed man begins his association with the family and starts More trouble than they can possibility imagine, especially when we seems to take Interest in Daisy who Just Happens to be Fair Haired.Suspicion Falls upon the odd Introvert and coincidence seems to follow fact as Tuesday Night Comes Around Again and another scream is heard in the Depths of the London Fog.
Fritz Langs film work work particularly “M” (a film about a child molester and Serial Murderer) made a profound impression on the Work of Hitchcock .It would be a strange coincidence that in his Last American Film Frtiz Lang Would Pay Homage to him in ”Beyond Reasonable Doubt”
This film has all the trademarks of the latter Hitchcock s films and is greatly enhanced by the great use of film montage of German Expressionist Films to which Hitchcock learned his trade and made a point of his style This Film has been Remade four times as recently as 2009 and the second even starred Novello himself however there’s is no comparison There are some who say Hitchcock was always a bit of a silent film director with his use of great lengthy scenes without dialogue, and if you watch this u can see why everything in the stories plot comes across clear as a bell its not a dodgy DW Griffith with too much montage to millions of Credit cards to Tell you whats happening, you can see exactly whats going on, you can tell when something horrible is going to happen to the sweet blond victim , and you are given that same ’suspend belief’ that’s in all the Great Hitchcock Films of his Golden Period .
Its a Silent film but as the voyer you can still see everything that goes on you are looking through a crack in the floor of a second story apartment at a ”Killer” Passing above your head waiting to strike,
Tags: Accusation, Hitchcock, Love Triangle, Murder, Mystery, Noir, Psychological Thriller, Serial Murderer
The Paradine Case 1947
Posted by spheer2002 | Filed under Film, Films of the 1940's
‘Disclaimer’ Any relation to ‘Body of Evidence’ is purely coincidental…
Highly successful London barrister Anthony Keane (Gregory Peck)takes on the case of Italian Maddalena Paradine (Alida Valli) who is accused of poisoning her blind military hero husband. Keane Starts by defending her but becomes increasingly bewitched by her, threatening both his marriage and his career. As as details in the case come to light ,Madame Paradines Veil begins to slip for all but her Champion , Her Lawyer
We have at least two love triangles in this film, and they not as obvious as you may think.
This is the Final Collaboration between Hitchcock and meddlesome Producer David O Selznick Who Brought him to America and Helped Create his first major American Film Rebecca , After The contract Expired with Paradine Hitchcock gained Creative Freedom of shorts and went on to experiment with new styles of editing such as in ‘Rope” and “under Capricorn”Hitchcock also pioneers the use of multiple cameras with live action almost a forerunner to what Television would do in Studios some Years later
Paradine was Considered in the “lesser Category” of the Cannon of Hitchcock However it does showcase his technique and the Entered of Louis Jordan is till one of the most startling is Cinema History. Gregory peck Plays Another Lawer, whos sexual frustration begins upon meeting the Beautiful Mrs Paradine Joan Tetzel Plays an Interesting role of the sudo lesbian Daughter of A Solicitor who dosnt wont the Market woman to hang as she ”hates breaking pretty things” louis Jordan Plays the Anti social Woman Hating Vallet of the Murded Mr Paradine Ann Todd aka Mrs David Lean as the Long Suffering ‘Good Wife’ Perhaps the Suspended Belief that Gregory Peck would Sacrifice everything for a Woman he had not even kissed seems a little slim, However as a Vehicle Created for the Mystique of Greta Garbo (who was offered the role first ) it may be been slightly more believable She Turned it Down after another film role Famously saying “No Mommies No Murderesses” ,Alida Velli Stills holds the attention of the Audience as the Mysterious Manipulative Passive Aggressive Madame Paradine , if you ever wondered what ‘Rececca’ may have been like in the flesh and why she seems to capture the hearts of Woman and Men give Mrs Paradine a look.
As well as a resemble to Mrs Paradine Gorgeous Music of Franz Waxman which dominated the film of Rebecca Suffocated the Paradine case in wonder and Mystery
Its is to be appreciated for the things which Hitchcock alone brings to the film even in the little scenes that make this a very engaging film to watch
Tags: Accusation, Bi, Femme Fatale, Franz Waxman, Hitchcock, Infidelity, Love Triangle, Movies Garbo Rejected, Mysterious Death, Trial
Making Love 1982
Posted by spheer2002 | Filed under Film, Films of the 1980's
Before Brokeback mountain There was another Great Juggernaut of GLBT film that broke new ground for Gay Men In Cinema this was
‘Making Love made in 1982
Successful young L.A. doctor Zach (Michael Ontkean ‘Clara’s Heart) and his equally successful television-producer wife (Kate Jackson ”Larceny”) find their ’seemingly’ Perfect Marriage ripped open when Zach suddenly deals his long repressed Gay tendencies .Enter Bart (The Gorgeous Harry Hamlin’Clash of the Titans’), a regular mans man, man-whore drop dead gorgeous novelist,, who walks into Zach’s workplace one day and opens up a new window , and Zach falls in Love almost at first site .He cancels his dinner dat with his wife and share a couple of beers and tongue kisses with Bart. But the problem of the future arises nad while Zach wants to stay in Bert but burns seems to have a more world weary and distant about a commitment,
This may seem slighty soap operaish but even these days when this is shown on tv (Foxtel) its alwasy on at 2 oclock in the morning this was not made for tv this was the first major film to deal positively with love sex and relationships among men, it even had a disclaimer shown before it when it was first shown in the style of the psychedelic drug films of the 60’s,
and unlike today It almost totally the carers of those involved
which seems really sad , the performances are sound and it isn’t a melodrama like a Douglas Sirk film.
Like ‘Boys in the Band’ This should be seen for its Historic Value as a Major motion picture to show Gay man is normal People who live and Love, not as Stereotypes ,or swishy handbag holders and camp sexless comic relief,(like that guy in Mean Girls), its not an exploitation films. It Chronicles a real Live triangle and a relationship continues after love.
Tags: Divorce, Gay, Groundbreaking, Love Triangle, Of Gay Interest, Self Discovery
Mildred Pierce 1945
Posted by spheer2002 | Filed under Film, Films of the 1940's
Mink Clad Murder
Mommie Knows Best…..
In time middle of the night in a beach house on the upper side of town shots ring out, The Dead Man crys out……..Mildred!……and falls to the floor its seems an open and shut case,,,,but what really happened?
Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford Strange Cargo)a housewife spoils her daughters Especially the eldest while husband Bert looks over the fence for some afternoon delight while his buddy Wally Fay(Jack Carson’A Star is Born) trys to get is paddle in(In Vain) . They soon divorce, leaving Mildred to raise the girls on her own. Elder postwar class driven daughter (Biatch)Veda (Anne BlythThe Great Carouso) goads her mother about their lack of money and in response Mildred proposes opening a small restaurant. one thing leads to another,and she becomes incredibly successful and even love seems to be around the corner, but money soons starts to by love in the manner of clothes, education, and payoffs all of which leads to the beginning of the film in classic noir style .Also in the cast a wonderfull sardonic Eve Arden (Grease) is the wise cracking sidekick to joan crawford to give humor to this black film.
Its only that sort of mother loving that Joan Crawford can deliver…….
What Price a Mothers Love ?
Tags: Alcoholism, Based off Novel, Divorce, Gun, james m cain, Joan Crawford, Love for Children, Love Triangle, Marriage, Max Steiner, Mother Daughter Relationship, Murder, Noir, Rise and Fall, Self Made Woman, Self Sacrifice
Notorious 1946
Posted by spheer2002 | Filed under Film, Films of the 1940's
The Keys to the Kingdom….
Notorious 1946 is a film Directed By Alfred Hitchcock
Following the conviction of her German father for treason against the U.S., socialite Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman “Casablanca”)becomes a party girl. After a boozie night out she is approached by a undercover government agent T.R. Devlin(Cary Grant”North by Northwest”) who asks her to spy on a group of her father’s Nazi friends operating out of Rio de Janeiro. A romance develops between Alicia and Devlin, but after finding out the lengths Alicia will need to go through and the previous relationship between herself and the man they are trying to track (Claude Rains’ Casablanca) , Devlin cools off , this drives Alicia to the Very heart of Evil being prepared by the breakaway Nazi group and Her life hangs in the balance without anyone to help her.. Its got the humor and the man woman society incapability , with a great heightened suspence especially when Ingrids Veil Starts to slip, watch out also for Leopoldine Konstantin who plays Claude Rains Vindictive dominating mother, perhaps even a vision of what ‘Mrs Bates’ Could have been like when Alive.
This Film is always famous for “That Crain shot” which is one of the most remarkable zooms without editing or special effects in Cinema History.
check it out dont get caught!
Tags: Cary Grant, Espionage, Hitchcock, Ingrid Bergman, Love Triangle, Mystery, South America, Spy
Flesh and the Devil 1927
Posted by spheer2002 | Filed under Uncategorized
Flesh and the Devil is a 1927 Highly Homoerotic directed by Clarence Brown melodrama about two childhood friends who grow up to be soldiers in Germany. After returning to civilian life, one of the friends, Leo, (Gilbert) becomes infatuated with Felicitas (Garbo) the wife of a powerful count. After Leo kills the count in a duel over the love and honor of Felicitas, he is punished by the military and sent away to Africa for three years. He asks his friend, Ulrich (Lars Hanson) to take care of Felicitas’ needs while he’s away, but Ulrich - unaware that his friend is in love with Felicitas, falls in love with her himself and marries her. Upon Leo’s return, he finds himself torn between temptation for Felicitas — which the young woman encourages — and his ”friendship” for Ulrich.
Tags: Femme Fatale, Friendship, Homoerotic, Love Triangle, Of Gay Interest, Silent Film
Legend of The Lost 1957
Posted by spheer2002 | Filed under Film, Films of the 1950's
Directed by Henry Hathaway
Paul Bonnard (Rossano Brazzi “South pacific”)arrives in Timbuktu in search of a guide to escort him into the Sahara desert. American Joe January (John ‘
Duke’ Wayne) a jolly drunkard takes the job despite misgivings about Bonnard’s plans. Dita,(Sophia Loren) a prostitute who has been deeply moved by what appears to be Bonnard’s spiritual nature, follows the two men into the desert. Eventually the trio arrives in the ruins of a lost city, where Bonnard hopes to find the treasure his father sought years earlier before disappearing. But what Bonnard finds alters him in unexpected ways, with tragic results
A remake with jolie could be interesting but Loren’s shoes are hard to fill
with the bulk of the film reaches the desert, ‘cabin fever sets in , you can tell the cinematographer was a little bit in love with Loren because there is no point in the film where she looks bad, she and the duke play well off each over,almost better than Cary Grant in Houseboat this ones a”lust in Dust” film
dont get sand in your undies!
Tags: Accusation, Alcoholism, Cowboy, Crisis of Faith, Desert, Femme Fatale, Love Triangle, Madness, Treasure
