My dad wasn't a fan of cats so this one is kind of funny.
When I was growing up, we kids would ask why we didn't get a cat and our mother often told us our Dad was allergic to cats.
He wasn't.
But this shut down our pesky questions about getting a cat, plus dogs are better!
Oh yeah, the movie. This was in a box set of 1940s RKO horror/thrillers so I'm not 100% sure that Dad was a fan of this movie but it is actually decent for what it is.
This was made in the period when the RKO studio changed management at the same time as they kicked out Orson Welles and ruined one of his films (The Magnificent Ambersons); going internally with the motto, "showmanship instead of genius". The producer Val Lewton was tasked with making a series of low budget thrillers and horror movies at this time at the studio. It's a happy coincidence that many of these films, including this one, often transcended their quick, cheap production values.
The performances are generally good with the French across Simone Simon being the standout with a memorable, eccentric take as the cursed Cat Woman. The film has some great photography which really makes the most of the limited sets and really sets the weird and creepy atmosphere for the movie. At 73 minutes, it's also very tightly paced. There is also some aspects of psychology that work reasonably well here. Hollywood discovered psychotherapy in the 1940s and often exploited it as a silly gimmick. The psychologist character is not very sympathetic here and the subject is definitely treated with skepticism (Ebert described it as "The Vincent Price school of psychology"). Even though the balance between human psychology and the supernatural tips in favor of the Cats, there is some interesting human nature gold to be mined within the film (sexual repression perhaps?).
The movie was very influential and worth watching for sure. I watched this on a DVD which looked OK; Criterion has a blu ray for this one which is probably much better.
Roger Ebert wrote a good essay for this movie in his Great Movies collection:
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-cat-people-1942
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Friday, April 17, 2020
Dad's Movies: Carnegie Hall (1947)
Up next: Carnegie Hall (1947)
This is another oddity, a filmed valentine to Carnegie Hall and the world of music (at least classical music) from director Edward G. Ulmer. I have to say I was surprised to see his name on this film as I mainly associate him with movies like The Black Cat and the noir classic Detour. But it turns out that Ulmer did a lot of different genre films that were all over the map: like The Man From Planet X (1951)!
Like "A Song is Born", the main attraction of this movie is all of the musical talent on display. The movie was made with legendary conductor Fritz Reiner and has many famous musicians. Musically this movie is more satisfying than "Song" as there is simply more music; the performances are allowed to go on longer. The plot involves an Irish immigrant mother who gets a job cleaning floors or something at the Hall and has a son. She is so moved by all of the music she is immersed in that she does everything she can to make sure her kid is a successful classical pianist. As luck would have it, once the son ventures out of the sheltered life of Carnegie Hall, he's immediately tempted to take a job playing for Vaughn Monroe's band which is completely unacceptable to his mother (she should have been more upset that he chose Monroe and not held out for Benny Goodman etc). The son and mother are brought back together when he performs at the hall as a famous jazz/classical composer/performer appearing with Harry James. Aww.
The non-musical elements of this film are better than "Song" but the story/characters are still pretty two dimensional and that's okay. It's just fun to see all of the great music being filmed well.
This is another oddity, a filmed valentine to Carnegie Hall and the world of music (at least classical music) from director Edward G. Ulmer. I have to say I was surprised to see his name on this film as I mainly associate him with movies like The Black Cat and the noir classic Detour. But it turns out that Ulmer did a lot of different genre films that were all over the map: like The Man From Planet X (1951)!
Like "A Song is Born", the main attraction of this movie is all of the musical talent on display. The movie was made with legendary conductor Fritz Reiner and has many famous musicians. Musically this movie is more satisfying than "Song" as there is simply more music; the performances are allowed to go on longer. The plot involves an Irish immigrant mother who gets a job cleaning floors or something at the Hall and has a son. She is so moved by all of the music she is immersed in that she does everything she can to make sure her kid is a successful classical pianist. As luck would have it, once the son ventures out of the sheltered life of Carnegie Hall, he's immediately tempted to take a job playing for Vaughn Monroe's band which is completely unacceptable to his mother (she should have been more upset that he chose Monroe and not held out for Benny Goodman etc). The son and mother are brought back together when he performs at the hall as a famous jazz/classical composer/performer appearing with Harry James. Aww.
The non-musical elements of this film are better than "Song" but the story/characters are still pretty two dimensional and that's okay. It's just fun to see all of the great music being filmed well.
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Dad's Movies: "The Longest Day" (1962)
Yes, friends, I did sit through this epic: The Longest Day (1962)
This is one of those somewhat (well maybe less so today) well known movies I had been meaning to get to for years. I would see it pop up here and there, either on a video rental shelf or a Netflix screen and think that yes, I should watch this sometime. Sometime... That time finally happened and I am glad I waited to catch it on Blu Ray. This film benefits a lot from a larger/clearer image and good sound. I can't imagine sitting through the whole thing on VHS/analog television. It's a 3 hour long, wide screen black and white movie that is part subtitled.
Let's talk about the subtitles. This has to be one of the earlier American movies that had extended sequences where there are foreign languages being spoken, certainly one of the first WW2 movies to show Germans actually speaking German. As entertaining as it can be for Nazis to be portrayed by charming English actors, this does give the movie a more realistic feel for sure (also in this case, French!).
The film does in some ways try to really document the whole D Day event. There is lots of detail given about the planning and execution of the attacks and the enemy is much more fleshed out than I'm used to seeing in generally one-sided American or British WW2 movies. The black and white cinematography helps here as well.
Where the movie fails in the Realism Department is the massive use of international star actors. Go look at the cast list for this movie; it's quite astounding and in some ways makes the movie worth watching to see so many stars (some of them European) in one sitting. Where else can you see both John Wayne and Gert Fröbe (aka Goldfinger)?! Some of the cast is fine but can be distracting to see so many famous faces. It frequently took me out of the story and counteracts the "just the facts" nature that the (three) directors were, I believe going for.
I think the root of the issue here is that the film is at odds with what it's trying to accomplish. If they really wanted a star-filled spectacle, then the overall production needed to reflect that. If it's supposed to be the definitive Hollywood account of D Day, then ditch most of the stunt casting and focus on the details of the events and a few key characters. I really have no idea why they aren't calling me for movie production advice!
So, if you appreciate the history angle and the novelty of seeing all of them thar stars, check this one out for sure-I found it best to watch over 2 nights.
This is one of those somewhat (well maybe less so today) well known movies I had been meaning to get to for years. I would see it pop up here and there, either on a video rental shelf or a Netflix screen and think that yes, I should watch this sometime. Sometime... That time finally happened and I am glad I waited to catch it on Blu Ray. This film benefits a lot from a larger/clearer image and good sound. I can't imagine sitting through the whole thing on VHS/analog television. It's a 3 hour long, wide screen black and white movie that is part subtitled.
Let's talk about the subtitles. This has to be one of the earlier American movies that had extended sequences where there are foreign languages being spoken, certainly one of the first WW2 movies to show Germans actually speaking German. As entertaining as it can be for Nazis to be portrayed by charming English actors, this does give the movie a more realistic feel for sure (also in this case, French!).
The film does in some ways try to really document the whole D Day event. There is lots of detail given about the planning and execution of the attacks and the enemy is much more fleshed out than I'm used to seeing in generally one-sided American or British WW2 movies. The black and white cinematography helps here as well.
Where the movie fails in the Realism Department is the massive use of international star actors. Go look at the cast list for this movie; it's quite astounding and in some ways makes the movie worth watching to see so many stars (some of them European) in one sitting. Where else can you see both John Wayne and Gert Fröbe (aka Goldfinger)?! Some of the cast is fine but can be distracting to see so many famous faces. It frequently took me out of the story and counteracts the "just the facts" nature that the (three) directors were, I believe going for.
I think the root of the issue here is that the film is at odds with what it's trying to accomplish. If they really wanted a star-filled spectacle, then the overall production needed to reflect that. If it's supposed to be the definitive Hollywood account of D Day, then ditch most of the stunt casting and focus on the details of the events and a few key characters. I really have no idea why they aren't calling me for movie production advice!
So, if you appreciate the history angle and the novelty of seeing all of them thar stars, check this one out for sure-I found it best to watch over 2 nights.
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Dad's Movies: "A Song Is Born" (1948)
Up today: A Song Is Born (1948)
This is an odd one; a musical remake of the classic 1941 Howard Hawks/Billy Wilder film Ball of Fire. The earlier film is one I haven't seen yet but I have to imagine that it's a lot better than this one, despite it also being directed by Hawks. The remake seems to exist to update the older version in color and add a lot of musical stars of the era. The non-musical scenes are pretty goofy, and not in a good way. I generally found myself waiting for the next appearance of one of the music world stars though it was funny to see Benny Goodman having to read dialogue as one of the "professors".
However, if you're a fan of jazz/pop music from the 1930s-40s, the movie is worth watching for all of the famous people who show up including Louis Armstrong (whom I'd watch in just about anything), Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter, and Tommy Dorsey.
I've come to the conclusion that Danny Kaye, while a big draw in his day, hasn't aged well for me. He can be charming in small doses but for me wears out his welcome in leading roles. He's one of the reasons I find the film White Christmas so inferior to its earlier version, Holiday Inn, but that's another story.
Virginia Mayo and the other non-musical cast are fine in their fairly stock characters. We really just want to hear more jam sessions with the musicians; there's way too little time spent with them.
This is an odd one; a musical remake of the classic 1941 Howard Hawks/Billy Wilder film Ball of Fire. The earlier film is one I haven't seen yet but I have to imagine that it's a lot better than this one, despite it also being directed by Hawks. The remake seems to exist to update the older version in color and add a lot of musical stars of the era. The non-musical scenes are pretty goofy, and not in a good way. I generally found myself waiting for the next appearance of one of the music world stars though it was funny to see Benny Goodman having to read dialogue as one of the "professors".
However, if you're a fan of jazz/pop music from the 1930s-40s, the movie is worth watching for all of the famous people who show up including Louis Armstrong (whom I'd watch in just about anything), Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter, and Tommy Dorsey.
I've come to the conclusion that Danny Kaye, while a big draw in his day, hasn't aged well for me. He can be charming in small doses but for me wears out his welcome in leading roles. He's one of the reasons I find the film White Christmas so inferior to its earlier version, Holiday Inn, but that's another story.
Virginia Mayo and the other non-musical cast are fine in their fairly stock characters. We really just want to hear more jam sessions with the musicians; there's way too little time spent with them.
Monday, April 6, 2020
Dad's Movies: "Run Silent, Run Deep" (1958)
I skipped ahead on the list when I saw this pop up on BD a while back.
So, Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) doesn't need much commentary from me. This is one of the influential submarine movies which seems to have influenced many TV shows (Star Trek, anyone?) and films. A wartime pressure cooker which pits two strong personalities against each other. Clark Gable's commander goes against orders to carry out a revenge mission and his second in command, Burt Lancaster, does not approve.
I think in movies like this, we know what we are getting with leads like these; whether you enjoy this is mostly dependent on whether you like these actors, especially Gable who played similar versions of the same character throughout his career. The other key is for larger than life leading actors to be put into appropriate characters. This film nails that criteria for sure.
Robert Wise directs and keeps the movie tight and the performances aren't out of control. This isn't Das Boot or anything but for the late 1950s, it has a good degree of realism. Very entertaining.
So, Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) doesn't need much commentary from me. This is one of the influential submarine movies which seems to have influenced many TV shows (Star Trek, anyone?) and films. A wartime pressure cooker which pits two strong personalities against each other. Clark Gable's commander goes against orders to carry out a revenge mission and his second in command, Burt Lancaster, does not approve.
I think in movies like this, we know what we are getting with leads like these; whether you enjoy this is mostly dependent on whether you like these actors, especially Gable who played similar versions of the same character throughout his career. The other key is for larger than life leading actors to be put into appropriate characters. This film nails that criteria for sure.
Robert Wise directs and keeps the movie tight and the performances aren't out of control. This isn't Das Boot or anything but for the late 1950s, it has a good degree of realism. Very entertaining.
Dad's Movies: "Captain From Castile" (1947)
I watched this one a few months back but thanks to our ongoing pandemic, I am getting around to writing a few words about these "fillums".
So we have another Tyrone Power movie: Captain From Castile (1947)
This is one of the better Power movies and much better than the average Golden Age Hollywood historical epic. I've probably said it before but I find the older historic/period pieces of 30s-40s Hollywood studios to not age as well as some of the other genres. This one holds up better due to its location shooting in Mexico and its willingness to at least somewhat portray the cruelty of the Spanish conquests in Central/South America. The Catholic Church gets a more whitewashed treatment here for obvious reasons: the Inquisition is portrayed as Evil but the Church is less directly connected with it; a few bad apples so to speak. It is usually a mistake to ascribe modern attitudes to 70+ year old movies but this one tries a little harder than most. There is almost a recognition in Power's character that what he and his fellow Spaniard Cortes is doing just might be wrong.
The cast is very good. Power mostly fits his character well and Jean Peters, whom I don't remember from other movies I've seen, is also good. Cesar Romero might be the best however as the killer Cortes. Cortes comes off as a smooth and simultaneously brutal operator.
One aspect that was attractive to my Dad: the musical score by Fox stalwart Alfred Newman. The score is typically over the top and dramatic but is one of his best ones I've heard and usually fits the movie.
I watched this on a DVD rip but am tempted to get the BD-this big budget Technicolor production would be great to see in HD.
So we have another Tyrone Power movie: Captain From Castile (1947)
This is one of the better Power movies and much better than the average Golden Age Hollywood historical epic. I've probably said it before but I find the older historic/period pieces of 30s-40s Hollywood studios to not age as well as some of the other genres. This one holds up better due to its location shooting in Mexico and its willingness to at least somewhat portray the cruelty of the Spanish conquests in Central/South America. The Catholic Church gets a more whitewashed treatment here for obvious reasons: the Inquisition is portrayed as Evil but the Church is less directly connected with it; a few bad apples so to speak. It is usually a mistake to ascribe modern attitudes to 70+ year old movies but this one tries a little harder than most. There is almost a recognition in Power's character that what he and his fellow Spaniard Cortes is doing just might be wrong.
The cast is very good. Power mostly fits his character well and Jean Peters, whom I don't remember from other movies I've seen, is also good. Cesar Romero might be the best however as the killer Cortes. Cortes comes off as a smooth and simultaneously brutal operator.
One aspect that was attractive to my Dad: the musical score by Fox stalwart Alfred Newman. The score is typically over the top and dramatic but is one of his best ones I've heard and usually fits the movie.
I watched this on a DVD rip but am tempted to get the BD-this big budget Technicolor production would be great to see in HD.
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