To Have and to Have Not

It passes the venetian blinds test, as well as the corrupt system one, but this movie is just too darn hot (and hopeful) to be a noir. The morality level is teetering on flag waiving, sans an impromptu La Marseillaise sing along and even though Bogart's Harry doesn't get to the point of sticking his neck out for the cause, he will to help a beautiful girl. And boy, are they steamy together. The undercurrents and the no-one's-fooling-anyone secret smiles are all there on display. I'm almost too shy to watch, because this first blush of romance shouldn't have to be shared with me.

So instead of two people who's avarice brings about their downfall, this bypasses noir, as together, the heat melts their hard shells and they become putty in each others hands. I'm not going to re-write that! 

My favorite line is when he kisses her back and she says, "It's even better when you help." :D  Who can I give credit to for that? 

Hemingway? 

Faulkner? 

Furthman? 

Whoever you are, bravo!

The Maltese Falcon

Wordy, wordy, wordy! A feast of words, where every one of them is hearty and satisfying.  There are no fillers here. Because I'm watching this alone, I indulge in going back to the buffet time and time again. As each scene ends, I start it over with plate in hand. 

Who knew what first? What clue divulged new information? Where did the double cross or triple cross begin in the discussion? How does Sam Spade stay ahead of everyone, when he has so little to go on? Why is he so doggone smarter than I am? So many scenes have their own Freytag pyramid in them--a little exposition, rising action, inciting moment (and sometimes more than one!), climax and then the fall. This is a film to study, for it panders to no one and demands a viewer to be on his toes.

 

Besides structure, something else worth studying is the complexities and dualities of the characters and I give equal credit to the writing and to the acting. I cannot, for the life of me, know for sure where people stand and part of that is, at times, neither do they. Now that's satisfying.

State Fair (1945)

Last summer, I took my kids to the state fair to hear my brother's high school jazz band perform. Because we were there at the tail end of the fair's run, withered rows of produce and resigned livestock failed to capture any of our enthusiasm. Outside, it started to rain so we hurried past the dingy food carts of deep fried Coke and bacon wrapped bacon to wait it out under the awning of a ticket booth. Upon finding out the exorbitant prices for the rides, I put our options to the vote. Unanimously, we chose to go to a Chinese restaurant instead. Goodbye fair, we won't be back. Egg foo young wins out again.

It's fortunate that I hadn't shown them State Fair before our foray. Instead of everyone being mildly disappointed, I could have had a full revolt on my hands. For what State Fair does best is paint a very pretty picture of an impossibly perfect celebration. Reality can never measure up. That's sort of the point of a folk musical; to bring people back to a simpler time through a memory of myth. The good ole' days shouldn't be scrutinized to closely when musical escapism is afoot. In every aspect, this film fits the folk musical mold: family centric, ritualistic and cyclic (day, season, life).

Unfortunately, these elements created a dreadfully dull second half. I couldn't care less if the pig won the prize or if the homemade pickles got a ribbon. After a certain point the only thing keeping me involved was Dana Andrews. Sigh. This is him below. Get a load of the suit and dress--I didn't see anything like that on my outing. Also of note, this is the cutest scene in the film--the highlight for me.

This is the brother and he's a schmuck. I won't get into his story, which I disliked the whole of, but suffice it to say he is one. But, along side him is the wonderful Harry Morgan--another highlight.

I stopped the film for a few minutes so I could study this campsight. Can you imagine such a perfect set up? Cordoned of private space with an outdoor kitchen and a token tent for those that want to rough it. Each of their meals was on dinnerware, with linens. I didn't think the mom would ever get a chance to enjoy the fair, but the prop people took care of everything and she was able to have a fine time.



Some memorable songs, Jeanne Crain and, of course, Dana Andrews keep me from giving away the DVD. And, it's a sight better than the 1962 version.

Bicycle Thieves

In his father’s shadow, the little man mirrors step for step. The dance changes when he is commanded or rebuked and parallels at a distance. Each time the mood of the choreography changes, the boy considers, and then makes adjustments. 

Sometimes the directions are confusing. Should he enjoy his sandwich or mourn for the loss of future meals? What is the correct procedure for tracking a man down during a church service? Are his concerted efforts worthwhile, since his father is preoccupied and flawed? Ah yes, for he is also dedicated and resolute. 

Much can be learned from a partner like that.

New Moon

(ed. note: this is NOT a review of the film in the Twilight saga)

Six movies in and the plot gets pretty far-fetched for the Jeanette McDonald and Nelson Eddy team. 

Contrived grievances to keep them apart are irksome, but what can you do? I like Opera (with subtitles ), so the singing style doesn’t bother me... much. Jeanette’s clipped words and trilled “r”s get to me after a while and I find myself liking Nelson’s voice more. This is one of my favorite Nelson songs, "Stout Hearted Men"
It looks suspiciously like this clip from Babes in Arms which came out a year earlier. Check out the torches.
 

I wonder if the studio was called out for plagiarizing another film. Wait a minute. I need to check something…  Just as I suspected; they are both from MGM. Reusing props and choreography is their prerogative I guess--you can’t steal from yourself.

I enjoyed this enough and am familiar with their songs so I want to see all of their films eventually. Naughty Mariette is first solely because of this song.

New Moon has similarities to Captain Blood, so if you don’t want to be sung to, I’d highly recommend that one. 

Jour de fête (The Big Day)

I left the theatre with three distinct thoughts mulling about in my head. 

First, Jacques Tati is a physical comedy genius. He made the acrobatics with his bicycle look effortless, but the amount of work and precision that went into creating that illusion were immense. 

My second thought was that the foley experts must have had a blast! Every rooster crow, squishy shoe, bee buzz and bonk on the head were accentuated. There were sounds on top of sounds. I could just see the foley studio in a hubbub of one-upmanship. 

Third, was the love/hate theme of France and the United States. Tati’s character was impressed with  U.S. modernity, but resented it as well. It’s as if the U.S. was infiltrating their lives and culture (Can you say McDonalds?). A fitting line in the film could be, “Yes, we are grateful for all you have done, now please go home.”  

I’m very interested in seeing Mon Oncle soon.