Lizzie 1957
Posted by spheer2002 | Filed under Film, Films of the 1950's
Dont You Look at Me That Way!
the ‘three faces of Eve’ gene
Elizabeth (Eleanor Parker, ‘The Sound of Music”) Is Just your Average Girl, From your neighborhood, shes works a dull job, she has a boyfriend and lives with her aunt, and shes in her early twenties , The trouble with Young miss Bess is that’s she continues to have reoccurring headaches and slight cases of insomnia , often sleeping in her on set of clothes and waking up in other set .
Almost overnight he starts to receive threatening letters left in places she will only know where to look signed by a ”Lizzie” , a name she is apparently not familiar with in her day to day life .Her Mental condition starts to wither away rapidly and her Aunt (Joan Blondell,”Grease”,Nightmare Alley “)decides to take her to a Dr. Wright (Richard Boone) who after seeing her decides to put her under hypnosis . Unknown to all, Deep in her subconscious, Dr. Wright finds that Elizabeth carries three personalities around with her ,One is Elizabeth, the shy one that everyone knows,” Lizzie”, the wild ,tarty ,nymphonical , sociopath .And three ,Beth, the good asexual moral guardian that Elizabeth feels she should have been. Dr. Wright must find a way of exorcising the other two personality’s and help create a dominant personality to help rule ,
this ones ”VERY” camp, in a 1950’s sort of way (which we Love) and lets face it, between Joan Blondell and the three personalities of Parker ,someones gonna choke from trying to chew up all the furniture,
But on a serious note along with “three faces of Eve” strangely also released in 1957 and ‘Possessed” (1947) released a good ten years before one of the earliest films (aside from the Jekyll and Hyde franchise)that explores Multipal personality Disorders as a serious medical disorder.
Eleanor Parker , who is usually good at playing both side of the field, either self sacrificing wives (Above and Beyond 1952)or , people with twigs up their ass (”Scaramouche” , the baroness from ”The sound of Music” ) , or people who are bordering on a multiple Personality (See ”Woman in White” on this Blog), although considered to be in second place to Joanne Woowards portrayal in ‘Eve” its certainly worth a look ,its not a lesser film , it seems to fall in the shadow.
Tags: Madness, Multiple Personality, sickness
The Devils 1971
Posted by spheer2002 | Filed under Film, Films of the 1970's
If you Like films about Crazy nuns and people who are absolutly Nuts this is for you, camp as a line of tents…….The Devils (1971) is a film directed by Ken Russell starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, and based on the 1952 book The Devils of Loudun by Aldous Huxley and the 1960 play The Devils by John Whiting, also based on Huxley’s book. Derek Jarman was responsible for the film’s production design. It tells the story of Urbain Grandier, a 17th century French priest executed for witchcraft.
watch out for Vanessa Redgrave .she is hysterical !
Tags: Accusation, Aldous Huxley, Based off Novel, Based off Play, Derek Jarman, Ken Russell, Madness, Nuns, Trial, Witch Hunt
The Woman in White 1947
Posted by spheer2002 | Filed under Film, Films of the 1940's
Credited as the First Real Mystery Novel and the inspiration for the writing style of Bram Stoker’s ”Dracula” The Woman in White is an Elaborate adaptation of Wilkie Collins’ 1800s novel Directed by peter Godfrey (”The Two Mrs Carrolls”, Hotel Berlin”)
Down and out drawing instructor Walter Hartwright ( Gig Young who won an oscar for ”they shoot horses dont they” 1969)
Walking up the driveway to his new house of residence , runs into a Pale panic stricken woman with dark circles under her eyes dressed entirely in White(Eleanor Parker) she Begs for his protection upon hearing someone coming she dissapers, Hartwright soon encounters a Count Fosco (Sydney Greenstreet’ Casablanca/ Maltese Falcon), a guest at the house looking for a woman whom he says has escaped a mental institution and seeks to bring her care,Hartwright denies seeing her and enters the house , The next morning he meets one of the two girls he is in charge of teaching only to see she is the very vision of the trouble woman he had meet on the drive the night before , a woman named Laura Fairlie , he soon falls for her but unknown to him she is already engaged to be married to a morally bankrupt character named Sir Percival Glyde (John Emery). Marion Holcombe the other girl Hartwright teaches (a gorgeous Alexis Smith who is in the closet in real life and seems to be visually offended by Gigs Advances) comes together with Hartwright to help Laura escape from a destructive marriage,all this time while the mysterious woman in white who roams the gardens at night also seems to have a strong interest in the future of Laura Fairlie.
Hartwright must find what the dark connection is that ties Laura and Fosco and ‘The Woman In White” together.
Its got some weird Gothic appeal and some great suspense , as well as sporting a pre Nancy drew character in Marion.
Although its been adapted before and since to film and tv notably in 1982 with Costumes by Edith Head in her last work on screen and in 1997 as well as a musical version by Andrew Lloyd Webber
this is the definitive version..
filmed in 1946, but Shelved strangely until 1948 ,It sports a score by Max Steiner (Gone With the Wind) and remains an benchmark of Gothic Horror.Eleanor Parker plays a Duel role that seems to for-run her Multiple personality character in Lizzy 1957 ten years later,Sydney Greenstreet , Usually ‘partnered’ with Peter Lorre holds his own here playing his usual sinister ”beadie eyed” self and has one of the most humorous unintentional punchlines in cinema history ”I can’t possibly be Evil,,, Im.. too fat!” and a Mostly Silent but Important role played by Anges Moorehead (Samantha’s mum in Bewitched)
As a story its well put together with twists filmed in lucious black and white , it still holds your attention
Tags: Based off Novel, Gothic, Madness, Max Steiner, Mysterious Death, Mystery, Victorian Era
Under Capricorn 1949
Posted by spheer2002 | Filed under Film, Films of the 1940's
Under Capricorn is a bit of a space oddity , Directed By Alfred Hitchcock, set in Australia in the earl 1800’s and Beloved by the French Critcs,Hitchcock fnished the decade the same as he did with the last , with a arty experiment, “Jamaica Inn ‘ this Like Rope has a series of unedited shots and is More of a psycho-Drama , Think Rebecca Downunder
but unlike rebecca the only thing that holds it is Ingrid and the many secret devils she deals with through drink and forgetfullness , its shot in colour and looks great,
dosnt really show any signs of be “hitchcokian’ till the last part of the film, Hitchcock only went down the period drama three times, ‘Waltzes from Vienna ‘ wich he only did for the money lets face it, “Jamaica Inn” has its moments but not many and ‘Under Capricorn’
its not widely seen so give it a go…
Tags: Australia, Hitchcock, Ingrid Bergman, Madness, Psychological Thriller, Self Sacrifice
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
All This And Heaven Too 1940
Posted by spheer2002 | Filed under Film, Films of the 1940's
Warning…. will empty a tissue box really quickly
This fits into the Mary poppins /sound of Music gene of Nanny comes into home and brings happiness to family with two exceptions, No singing and ends in a grisly Murder/ Based of a true event
a governess in 19th Century France, who lands a position working for Theo, Duc De Praslin (Charles Boyer) and his family. The childern adore the new, governess, but Boyer’s psycho bitch wife, the Duchesse (Barbara O’Neil), is resentful of the intrusion into the family. The new addition to the family works her magic on everyone but the Duchesse. Theo and Henriette, predictably, begin to fall in love, which further complicates things, sending the crazy wife into even more rages of insanity. All of this builds momentum until a climactic crime of passion takes a life.
its been forgotten but is really a good story, It shouldnt be remade but it is was it could win a swag of oscar
Tags: Accusation, Forbidden Love, Love for Children, Madness, Max Steiner, Nanny, Self Sacrifice, Trial
