A Half Dozen From Almodovar

Last month, the Castro showed six films by Spanish director Pedro Almodovar. The films were touring the country in advance of his upcoming release, The Skin I Live In which is opening October 14 in the US. The poster outside the Castro listed eight Almodovar films but the Castro screened a double bill three nights in a row. I can't recall the two films which didn't screen.

Bad Education; Spanish with subtitles; (2004) - Official Website
Law of Desire starring Carmen Maura & Antonio Banderas; Spanish with subtitles; (1987)
Talk To Her; Spanish with subtitles; (2002) Official Website
All About My Mother starring Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes & Penélope Cruz; Spanish with subtitles; (1999)
The Flower of My Secret starring Marisa Paredes; Spanish with subtitles; (1995)
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown starring Carmen Maura & Antonio Banderas; Spanish with subtitles; (1988)

All films were directed by Almodovar.

I didn't plan on seeing all six but after Bad Education and Law of Desire, I was hooked and kept coming back each night; I wasn't disappointed. About 10 years ago, the Roxie had an Almodovar series. I wanted Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down, Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom and few more which I can't recall. I think I saw Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown but if so, I couldn't recall it. Anyway, I was mild about Pedro going into the series. After three days, I was converted to an Almodovar acolyte. I'd wish he would tone down the trannies and drag queens but even with those flourishes, there is much to admire in Almodovar's films.

§§§

My favorite film of the series was Talk To Her which is about a male nurse who is hired to provide private care to a comatose patient. It turns out the nurse, Benigno (Javier Cámara) had been stalking the patient prior to her accident. Benigno is a milquetoast type but is obviously devoted to his patient; his personal attention to her borders on sensuous. Ultimately, the patient becomes pregnant and Benigno is imprisoned.

Prior to his incarceration, Benigno had made friends with Marco, a journalist who held vigil over his comatose girlfriend (a female toreador) only to find she was planning on breaking it off with him prior to her injuries in the bullring. Most of the film unfolds in flashback as Marco investigates Benigno and his circumstances.

I previously said Almodovar relies on drag queen "flourishes" to buoy his films (mainly comedies). Talk To Her is close to drama although Almodovar indulges himself with interpretive dances choreographed by Pina Bausch and a silent film segment where a shrinking man disappears inside a woman's vagina. By that point, it is clear that Benigno has issues. Not gay but decidedly effeminate, Benigno seems more afraid of women than anything else. His opportunity to care for and caress the comatose object of his desire is more than he could hope for if she had remained healthy. His desire for her comes off as creepy and pathetic although oddly benign (hence his character's name). This delicate balanced performance by Javier Camara combined with the surreal & whimsical components create an amazing film which resulted in me being simultaneously repulsed and sympathetic towards Benigno. The secondary story about Marco and his bullfighter was less interesting for me but served as a counterpoint to Nurse Benigno with the woman in the traditionally male job.

Talk To Her has a quiet and understated feel which contrasts from Almodovar's more raucous comedies. The difference was well appreciated by me.

§§§

Bad Education had the look and feel of a queer Brian De Palma film from the 1970s. Set in 1980, Enrique, a film director, is visited by Ignacio, his classmate and first love from boarding school. Ignacio drops off a screenplay called The Visit for Enrique to read. Bad Education switches to a film-within-a-film as Enrique reads The Visit. The Visit is about a drag queen named Zahara (real name Ignacio) who plans to roll a drunk for his wallet when "she" discovers the man is "her boyhood" lover Enrique. Zahara next visits her old school and confronts Father Manolo who sexually abused Ignacio. Zahara threatens to publish a story (called The Visit) about a priest who is infatuated with a boy named Enrique. The priest finds Enrique and Ignacio together and threatens to expel Enrique. Ignacio gives himself to the priest in exchange for not expelling Enrique; the priest agrees but later reneges on his promise.

All this reminds Enrique of his own youth so he agrees to film the screenplay. Ignacio (calling himself Ángel) insists on playing the role of Zahara but feels uncomfortable because the Ignacio/Ángel before him is completely different than the boy he loved. After some investigating, Enrique discovers that Ignacio has been dead for several years and the person impersonating Ignacio is likely his younger brother Juan. These plot twists are part and parcel of typical Almodovar film.

The second half of the film tells the story of Juan, the real Father Manolo (now using the alias Berenguer) and the circumstances of Ignacio's death. Telling more of the plot only serves to show how Almodovar is toying with his audience. The story within a film within a film is not much different from the film. It's obvious that Almodovar is having a great time. At one point, Berenguer and Juan go to a movie theater showing a film noir series and the older man states their lives are like something out of a movie.

I viewed the film as a comedy and melodrama but is there something serious under the surface? There is a lot of role playing and hidden identities. He also shows us, in relatively tragic terms, the consequences of desire and sex. Not exactly existential questions but highly enjoyable in the hands of a master like Almodovar. If Bad Education reminded me of De Palma, then by extension, Bad Education reminded me of Hitchcock but it's Hitchcock without the censors and with a queer twist. Strangely, I began to forget about the gender of the lovers which is probably what Almodovar wanted.

Bad Education was like a roller coaster ride at the carnival - a lot of laughing, many unexpected twists & turns and afterwards, a desire to ride it again. If Almodovar didn't show the emotional maturity he showed in Talk To Her, he certainly displayed a mastery in his vocation which I admired and thoroughly enjoyed.

§§§

All About My Mother was another intricately plotted comedy interlaced with moments of extreme tragedy. Manuela (Cecilia Roth) returns to Barcelona after her teenage son is killed in a car accident. While in Barcelona, Manuela comes into contact with a witty & outgoing transexual prostitute (Antonia San Juan), a nun (Penélope Cruz) who is impregnated and infected by HIV from Manuela's ex-husband (who also is a trannie whore) and Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes), an actress greatly admired by Manuela's late son and was indirectly & unknowingly the cause of his fatal accident.

For my taste, Almodovar pushes the limit of contrived coincidences and trannies in All About My Mother. I enjoyed the film but at times, it was just a little too much. Nonetheless, the pain from the various tragedies keep the film from going to far off the reservation. A few of the character could have been trimmed out but then it wouldn't have been an Almodovar film.

§§§

The other three films (Law of Desire, The Flower of My Secret & Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) were, chronologically, Almodovar's earliest films from the series. If the six films are any indication, Almodovar has reached a new level as a director since 1995. Almodovar seem to have a deft touch at comedy since his earliest works but in his later films, he has been able to mix drama and conflict into this films to a greater degree.

Law of Desire, The Flower of My Secret & Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown were comedies with varying degrees of drama. Bad Education, Talk To Her and All About My Mother were dramas with liberal servings of comedy.

I enjoyed Law of Desire, The Flower of My Secret & Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown but compared to the other three films in the series, they fell short. That's a bit unfair since they made me laugh and didn't obviously aspire to be too much more than comedies. The Flower of My Secret is clearly a turning point if these six films are indicative of Almodovar's career. He scales back some of the absurdity and allows his actors to give more subtle performances. It's also clear that Almodovar has an affinity for actresses as most of his plum roles are written for women (or trannies). Cecilia Roth, Carmen Maura, Marisa Paredes & Penélope Cruz were featured in this series and Almodovar had a long & fruitful run featuring Victoria Abril in his films.

This series left me wanting to see more films from Almodovar. The Skin I Live In will definitely be on "To See" list when it open next month.

Two Kidnappings, Human Trafficking, Mad Max Wannabes, Murderous Fathers, Evil Nazis and Damn Dirty Apes

I've seen so many films this summer which I haven't chronicled.

I saw seven, general or limited release films in August.

Rapt starring Yvan Attal; directed by Lucas Belvaux; French with subtitles; (2009) - Official Website
The Whistleblower starring Rachel Weisz; with Vanessa Redgrave, David Strathairn & Monica Bellucci; directed by Larysa Kondracki; English and some Ukrainian, Russian & Bosnian dialogue with subtitles; (2010) - Official Website
Point Blank starring Gilles Lellouche; directed by Fred Cavayé; French with subtitles; (2010) - Official Website
Captain America: The First Avenger starring Chris Evans & Hugo Weaving; with Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones & Stanley Tucci; (2011) - Official Website
Bellflower starring Evan Glodell & Jessie Wiseman; directed by Evan Glodell; (2011) - Official Website
Motherland starring Françoise Yip; directed by Doris Yeung; (2009) - Official Website
Rise of the Planet of the Apes starring James Franco & Andy Serkis; with Freida Pinto & John Lithgow; (2011) - Official Website

I went all over the Bay Area seeing these films.

Rapt - Camera 3 Cinemas; San Jose
The Whistleblower - Landmark Bridge; San Francisco
Point Blank - Landmark Embarcadero; San Francisco
Captain America - Landmark Shattuck; Berkeley
Bellflower - Landmark California; Berkeley
Motherland - 4 Star; San Francisco
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Presidio; San Francisco

The screenings at the California and Presidio are the first time I've been to those theaters.

§§§

Motherland needs little summarizing. It was a plodding film with wooden performances. The film was replete with San Francisco connections. Former San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival Assistant Programmer Taro Goto had a producer's credit. Screenwriter and director Doris Yeung lived in the Bay Area before and the story was based on her mother's murder. Real events and the film portray Yeung's father as responsible for the murder of his ex-wife. By the end of the film, the lackluster performances and unimaginative plot left me apathetic. Françoise Yip as Doris Yeung's alter ego seemed unfocused in her role. Occasionally, Kenneth Tsang (with 152 acting credits on IMDB) as her father showed some beneath the surface malevolence but otherwise his role was thinly developed. I'm sorry that Ms. Yeung's mother was murdered but this movie wasn't very good. I notice this is Ms. Yeung's first directorial credit. I wonder what a more experienced director could have done with the material.

§§§

A step above Motherland was Captain America: The First Avenger. A retelling of the classic Marvel comic, Captain America suffers from lack of imagination as well. Recapping the plot since I was unfamiliar with or had forgotten the origins of Captain America, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is a 98 lb. weakling who is constantly trying to enlist in the armed forces during WWII. Classified 4F, Rogers resorts to using aliases to enlist. At the World's Fair in New York (historically inaccurate), Rogers meets Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), a German scientist who has defected to the US. While in Germany, he was researching methods to create the perfect soldier. Dr. Erskine has nearly perfected the biochemical solution which is effectively and an instant super-steroid but is more concerned about the psychological effects. Erskine handpicks Rogers because as a weakling, Rogers will have compassion once he is transformed.

Inexplicably, after the transformation, Rogers is rejected by Colonel Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) for combat duty and instead assigned to play the role of Captain American at USO shows to sell war bonds. A USO tour through Italy, puts Rogers in proximity to Bucky's (his best friend) unit. However, the unit has been captured so Captain America enlists the help of engineer Howard Stark (likely Iron Man's Tony Stark's father or grandfather) and beautiful but dangerous Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) to equip him and put him behind enemy lines so he can save Bucky and his unit. Once there, Captain America encounters one of Dr. Erskine's previous patients, Red Skull, who operates the Nazi's semi-autonomous terrorism unit.

After that, the film was paint by numbers. I liked the rainbow coalition of soldiers in Bucky's unit (another historical inaccuracy). Stanley Tucci, one of my favorite actors, turned in the nicest performance even while speaking with a German accent. Steve Rogers' humility was largely lost once he became Captain America which I would have like to have seen explored at greater length. Captain America was boxed in because the film had to end with a setup for next year's The Avengers so certain aspects of Rogers may have been thrown overboard.

In comparison to Iron Man, Captain America came off as uninspired and listless. It was nice to see the WWII era depicted with steampunk flourishes; Red Skull flies an airplane that looks a lot like the Stealth Bomber. Otherwise, the film barely interested me for its 2+ hours.

§§§

At the other end of the spectrum was Rise of the Planet of the Apes. This could easily has been a cheesy film but for what it lacked in content and imagination it made up for with enthusiasm and gusto. The premise is that Alzheimer's medical researcher is testing cures on chimps. Franco has a personal reason for his research - his father (John Lithgow) is suffering from Alzhemier's disease. The research is promising until a chimp freaks out and puts an end to the project. At that point, Franco's Dr. Rodman slips down an unethical slope. He takes home one of the baby chimps and raises it like a son. This chimp, Caesar (Andy Serkis via CGI), has extraordinary mental capacity which was passed on from his mother who was pregnant while given the Alzheimer's medication. Caesar is taught sign language and eventually understands English although he can't speak. This is the first psuedo serious moment of the film. Caesar is self-aware. He understands he is not human (even though he is more capable than Lithgow's character). He also understands that he frightens humans and is looked upon as a dangerous monster. Finally, an encounter with a leashed dog leads him to question whether or not he is closer to family pet or family member.

Caesar eventually attacks a neighbor while protecting Lithgow. He is placed in a primate shelter which leads to the second psuedo serious moment. While in the shelter, Caesar realizes he is quite different from the other chimps, gorillas and orangutans there. Like a prison film, Caesar is attacked by the alpha male but by using his superior intelligence, Caesar is able to form a bond with the resident gorilla; thus establishing the chimp leader/gorilla soldier societal model used in previous Planet of the Apes films. It's also in prision/primate shelter where Caesar loses his "humanity" and turns rejects Rodman. Instead, Caesar envisions himself as the leader of the apes and wants to gain independence for his "people."

That sets up the finale where Caesar leads a prison break and goes on to free the primates at the zoo and the test chimps at the labs where Rodman works. The primates and human police have their showdown on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Of course, if you think about this for too long, it is all very silly. However, for two hours, Rise of the Planet of the Apes entertained me and even made me think. The most compelling character in the film is Caesar which probably says something about the plot and James Franco. I was actively rooting for the apes in the film because all the humans were so flawed...Rodman included. I felt more empathy for Caesar than any of the humans. Combined with the special effects and filling in the backstory of Planet of the Apes, Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the energetic summer film Captain America wished it could have been.

§§§

The Whistleblower is based on the true story of human trafficking during the Bosnia conflict. Not only were the main clients of the forced prostitutes United Nation workers and contractors but UN personnel were involved in the trafficking directly or indirectly by tipping off the traffickers. The eponymous character is former Nebraska cop Kathryn Bolkovac played by a nearly unrecognizable Rachel Weisz. David Strathairn & Vanessa Redgrave have small supporting roles as UN officials who try to help Bolkovac expose the UN's involvement. Monica Bellucci is featured prominently in the credits but only shows up in two scenes.

The heavy lifting is performed by Roxana Condurache as Raya, one of the exploited women and some of the actors portraying their abusers and captors. I can't recall the characters names so I can't call the actors out. A woman walked out of the theater during one particular violent torture scene.

Weisz gives a subdued performance which probably matches the real-life Bolkovac's demeanor. The film doesn't seem any more powerful than a newspaper article. For example, at the beginning of the film, Bolkovac was trying to get a transfer from the Nebraska State Patrol job she had to a location where her ex-husband and daughter were moving (I can't recall the state). The fact that a woman didn't get custody of her daughter is unusual but is never explained. Initially determined to move closer to her daughter, Bolkovac oddly takes a job in Eastern Europe. Presumably, the high pay would be enough to relocate closer to her daughter without the need for an immediate job. As Bolkovac investigates the trafficking syndicate, her daughter is completely dropped from the script. In the epilogue, it is mentioned that Bolkovac has moved to the Netherlands to be with her boyfriend (whom she met while working at the UN). No mention is made of her daughter.

The backstory of Bolkovac's failing to gain custody of her daughter as well as the source of her dogged determination in investigating the crimes in Bosnia are left a mystery. The result is that the film sheds no light (fictitious or real) on Bolkovac's character. She is simply goes about her business despite familial pressures, UN retaliation, indifference from Bosnian authorities and physical attacks on her staff and the prostitutes. The film lacked the setup needed to understand the lead character. However, the film propels itself based on the strength and drama of the abuse and to a lesser extent, the UN coverup. The Whistleblower is a great story made into a mediocre film.

§§§

Rapt is one of my favorite films of 2011. It's the story of Stanislas Graff (Yvan Attal), the CEO of a large French conglomerate. He is a rockstar CEO who hobnobs with prime ministers and is well known through his press coverage. One day, he is kidnapped for ransom. However, the real troubles are only just beginning for Monsieur Graff. First off, M. Graff is not as wealthy as one would think. He has a gambling problem. Not only that but he keeps expensive mistresses. This is all reported, to his wife's embarrassment, by the police and media as they investigate his abduction. Also bad luck for Graff is that his captors are not very financially savvy. They have conflated his personal wealth with his company's holdings. Unfortunately for Graff, his company's Board of Directors are unwilling to use corporate assets to pay the ransom; they do have a fiduciary responsibility after all.

Graff is kept captive in brutal and terrifying fashion as the kidnappers try, repeatedly and unsuccessfully, to collect their ransom demands. He is eventually released after promising to pay future ransom demands. Graff's problems are only beginning. His company has done fine without him and the Board finds his gambling and womanizing to be an embarrassing distraction. His wife is resentful of the secrets he has kept from her and the humiliation of reading about them in the tabloids. Finally, Graff is having troubles adjusting to his regained freedom as well as his newly descended station amongst his co-workers and family. In fact, it is only his dog who seems to give him any comfort. Just when Graff hits rock bottom, he receives a note in the mail with the word "Calypso" which is the code word his kidnappers have told him is the signal for him to gather his cash to pay the ransom.

Yvan Attal is magnificent as Graff. What a wonderful role it must have been as he goes from being on top of the world to being a disheveled captive to being a nervous and angry man coping with his new life. Anne Consigny as Graff's wife does well in her role but Rapt is a vehicle for Attal to shine brightest.

§§§

Point Blank is also a French film about a kidnapping but in this case the victim is a pregnant woman and instead of ransom, the kidnappers want a male nurse to sneak a drug courier out of the hospital. Not nearly as thought provoking as Rapt, Point Blank is like an adrenaline rush as Gilles Lellouche as the nurse and Roschdy Zem as the drug dealer form a team to escape killers, free Lellouche's pregnant wife and expose corrupt cops.

In the US remake (if one is made), Point Blank will be ruined by cartoonish car chases and explosions. The French version strikes the right balance between action and character development. However, what is does best is show some dirty cops who are meanest but realistic bastards I've encountered on film in a long time. One female cop tries to push the pregnant woman out a second story window. Point Blank never goes off the reservation so it is just realistic enough to appreciate the grittiness and corruption along with the heart pounding action scenes.

§§§

Bellflower is a difficult film to categorize. The basic premise is that two guys (aka losers) in LA are building their dream car which is inspired by the film Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, the 1981 film with Mel Gibson. You may recall that film as the one where Mad Max encounters a bunch guys who look like they belong at the Folsom St. Leather Fair. I recall Lord Humungus (I wonder what is large) who is quoted in the prologue of Bellflower. His henchman was guy in assless chaps with a foxtail covering his crack who exhibited "brotherly love" when a young colleague was killed. Putting aside the homoerotic overtones of Mad Max 2, Bellflower focuses on automotive excesses of the former.

Woodrow (Evan Glodell) and Aiden (Tyler Dawson) don't seem to have any means of supporting themselves but they somehow come up with the scratch to buy accessories for their car, Medusa. Not surprisingly, they aren't too popular with the ladies but even a blind chipmunk gets a nut once in awhile. Woodrow meets Milly (Jessie Wiseman) at a bar. Not a stone cold fox but still out of Woodrow's league (in my opinion), Woodrow falls for Milly and surprisingly, vice versa. Their romance burns white hot.

Then the logic drops out of Bellflower. There are not one but two scratch-your-head plot twists in Bellflower that left me disappointed. The ending of the film is open to interpretation. I didn't choose to read much into it in terms of social commentary. It might say something about modern day masculinity and maturity among twentysomething males. Or it might just be hallucinations. Regardless, the journey was more enjoyable than the destination.

Bellflower isn't a great film but it showed some creativity, interesting cinematography and the performances by Jessie Wiseman and Rebekah Brandes as Milly's best friend were memorable. I enjoyed the film enough to recommend it. It is currently playing at the Roxie.

People Who Never Get Old For The Wrong Reasons, New New People, Same Old Same Old, The Searchers, The Bowery Boys and King Kong

The passing of former San Francisco Film Society Executive Director Graham Leggat has put me in a contemplative mood. Only eight years older than me, I cringe when I see someone close in age pass away. Less than a month before, I read about a gathering at Tosca Cafe to honor Leggat. I read the article and thought it was a celebration of his accomplishments at SFFS tinged with the knowledge that his cancer was incurable. In hindsight, it appears as though Leggat presided over his own wake...it sounds like something out of a movie.

According to the SFFS press release, "In lieu of flowers, donations in Leggat's memory may be made to the San Francisco Film Society."

§§§

Leggat's most immediate legacy at SFFS is the partnership with New People Cinema. SFFS will exhibit films at New People Cinema (aka Viz Cinema). The first five films to be exhibited are the latest from Jean-Luc Godard, an Argentinian film about a woman competing in jigsaw puzzle competitions, Aurora - a Romainian film which screened at this year's International, The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan and Shaolin which is scheduled to open three weeks earlier at the 4 Star. I can't fault the line-up except I wish it would retain some of the Japanese films which is New People's line of business. Doesn't it seem strange to exhibit international films at a building dedicated to J-Pop culture? I hope they can carve out a few days per month for Japanese films. This weekend, there is a J-Pop Summit at New People. Part of the festivities include Japanese film screenings. I wonder if they'll be able to do that next year.

Actually, as long as I'm complaining, the configuration of the Viz Cinema is not conducive to large crowds. The box office and theater are in the basement and queuing up may cause problems. At the SFIFF, they had people queue up on sidewalk outside the building with the box office/will call table in the street level atrium. I doubt that will be the everyday practice.

The SFFS programming kicks off on Friday, September 2 at New People with Godard's Film Socialisme.

§§§

In this week's newsletter from the Balboa Theater, Gary Meyer writes "As I continue discussions with interested parties for taking over the Balboa I am heartened by the passion and loyalty many people have expressed for the theater. There are wonderful dreamers who think it would be fun but have no idea what is involved in running this kind of business. I love their enthusiasm but soon they become overwhelmed by all the aspects of staying afloat. I hope that the theater can stay open and I have extended my operation through September."

Previously, Meyer stated "The good news is that I think I have found an enthusiastic group of experienced theater lovers to carry on with our current staff remaining." I didn't read that sentence carefully. "Experienced theater lovers" doesn't necessarily mean the group has experience running a theater. It could mean they have experience loving theaters presumably movie theaters. Meyer's latest report sounds downbeat. It's not enough to have enthusiasm according to Meyer. Running a theater is a grind that can wear you out. I won't disagree as I've never worked at a movie theater. It is heartening that Meyer is extending his stay by a month and that he won't turn over operation to someone(s) who he believes will fail. It would be depressing to have someone come in and run the Balboa into ground or close up shop six months or a year from now.

§§§

In similar news, I've been following off and on, the plight of the New Parkway Theater in Oakland. The Parkway shut down as part of the implosion of Catherine and Kyle Fischer's Speakeasy fiasco. I don't recall all the details. I believe the Cerrito Speakeasy theater soaked up all the money which left the Parkway Speakeasy impoverished; kind of a "rob Peter to pay Paul" situation.

Anyway, a group of investors led by J. Moses Ceaser, who is on the staff at Third I, has tried to reopen the Parkway. He has encountered many setbacks which you can read in their newsletters. In essence, Ceasar has chronicled his negotiations in the newsletter. That seems like an unorthodox and detrimental negotiating tactic but it makes for interesting reading. I used to check the website once a month to read three or four newsletters. As his various lease negotiations have stalled, Ceasar has published the newsletters less frequently. It's been 12 weeks and counting since his last newsletter.

The point is not to criticize Ceasar's public negotiations but to point out that re-opening a movie theater (or transferring ownership) appears to be a complex transaction as exampled by Meyer and Ceasar. I also infer that once a movie theater ceases operation, it is extremely difficult to restart which explains why Meyer is so picky about who he turns the reins over to.

§§§

Now that I've opined on someone I didn't know very well and a business I know close to nothing about, I'll share my pearls of wisdom on The Searchers.

The Searchers was part of the Max Steiner series at the Castro. Generally considered John Wayne and John Ford's best film (collaboratively and individually), The Searchers is indeed impressive.

Foremost, Wayne's Ethan Edwards has a dubious character. Not roguish and certainly not heroic, it is implied that Edwards had an intimate relationship with his brother's wife, that he was a mercenary and made quite clear he has a hatred and prejudice against Indians (now politely referred to Native Americans). The hatred is rooted in the death of his mother who was killed by Indians years earlier.

Edwards arrives at his brother's ranch in Texas after a long absence. He is warmly greeted by his brother, his wife and their three children. Shortly thereafter, a posse of Texas Rangers arrive to report some cattle stolen from a neighboring ranch. Ethan resentfully joins the posse which turns out to be a ruse by Comanches. While the Rangers are chasing the cattle, Comanche raiders attack the Edwards ranch leaving Ethan's brother, sister-in-law and nephew dead. His two nieces have been kidnapped by the Comanches. Ethan, the Rangers, Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), Ethan's adopted nephew and Ethan's elder niece's fiancé set out to retrieve the girls.

The rest of the film relates to the multi-year search for the two girls. The elder girl is found raped and murdered. One by one, the search party is reduced in numbers until only Ethan and Martin are left. Ethan's motivations are intense but unstated. I wondered if his younger niece is actually his secret daughter. Regardless, Ethan's promises to kill the girl once he discovers she has become a Comanche warrior's wife. The thought of his niece having relations with a Comanche is more than Ethan can bear...better dead than red. It's not just the sex part though. Ethan hates Indians and having lived amongst the Comanches for more than half her life, Debbie (Natalie Wood as a teenager and her sister Lana as a young girl) is more Indian than white; at least that is what Ethan is worried about.

Martin's motivation is less clear. He is being aggressively courted by a rancher's daughter (Vera Miles). He could easily drop out and get married. Ethan's latent hostility towards him would seem to be enough but Martin is extremely loyal to the Edwards family and fond of Debbie. Martin is also half-Cherokee and it instills an inferiority complex on his which he must disprove particularly as it relates to his uncle.

The grandeur of the The Searchers is that it plumbs the depths of Edward's soul and Ford makes optimum use of the Monument Valley landscape. I can't recall Wayne portraying such a conflicted character in any other film. Edwards is full of hatred and vengeance and it propels him for years as he searches for his nieces - the search to find his nieces destroys Edwards piece by piece. I'm certain the ending of The Searchers was dictated by the need to conform to the Production Code but I've gotten used to ignoring the ending of movies from the Code Era.

§§§

I wanted to mention quickly that Angels with Dirty Faces was interesting. James Cagney played a gangster and Pat O'Brien played a priest so Angels could have been predictable. What set it apart was the presence of The Bowery Boys (credited as the Dead End Kids). I recall Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, et al. from a series of B pictures from the 1950s. They looked like middle-aged men. In Angels with Dirty Faces, they actually look young enough to be juvenile delinquents. Gorcey was 21 and Hall 19 when Angels with Dirty Faces was released. Although they got a few laughs, the Kids had some serious moments.

Angels with Dirty Faces is also remembered for the closing scene. Cagney has been sentenced to death. Before he is led off to the gas chamber (or maybe the electric chair), O'Brien asks him to pretend to be a coward before his death so as to be a deterrent for the Dead Kids; the ultimate Scared Straight. Cagney turns him down flat but from off screen, you hear him begging and pleading for his life. It's left ambiguous to whether he was really scared or whether he decided to the do the right thing before he died.

§§§

The remaining film from the series was the original King Kong. There's not much to add to words written about this classic. My observations were: the stop motion animation for King Kong is still impressive but the head model of King Kong looks silly, I had forgotten about the T-Rex and Pterodactyl fight scenes, Fay Wray is sexier than I remember and the scenes with the natives are comically racist now.

My Baby, She Wrote Me a Letter

The title refers to one of my favorite songs: The Letter. I prefer the original Box Tops version over the Joe Cocker cover although Cocker's is longer and has a more muscular hook.

For me, the highlight of the recent Max Steiner series at the Castro was The Letter. Last weekend, I read in the San Francisco Chronicle that the 1940 Bette Davis version was a remake of a superior 1929 version...at least according to Mick LaSalle. The 1929 talkie starred Jeanne Eagels who was a heroin addict in real life and died in 1929. I'm sure that being hooked on smack influenced the performance which LaSalle praises. After seeing the 1940 remake, I'm very intested in seeing the Eagels' version.

LaSalle's first sentence implies a disdain of the 1940 version by labeling the film a melodrama. Melodrama is a loaded phrase which I have used to pejoratively describe films or certain aspects of films. I cannot deny that The Letter is melodramatic. However, sometimes the melodrama is so skillfully manipulative that you can't help but appreciate it. This happened quite often in the Golden Age of Hollywood and Bette Davis (as well as Joan Crawford) was frequently the woman doing the manipulating.

The Letter is all that but at some it point it transcended melodrama and achieved something greater. From my 2011 perspective, The Letter also encapsulated all the latent racism towards Asians in a mélange of camp and outright hostility. Never subtle, The Letter is brassy and audacious; kind of like Bette Davis. Released in November 1940, less than 13 months before Pearl Harbor, The Letter is breathtaking in its rampant bigotry which was likely a sentiment shared by many as hostilities grew between Japan and the US.

I was not so much offended by the content as I always watch old films with a complete tolerance for any offensive material. Rather, I was highly impressed by director William Wyler's casual depiction of racism and the way he weaved it into the plot. Having not read the source material, it is quite possible that W. Somerset Maugham wrote the racism in his play. Regardless, the content and the skill by which Wyler presented it was a revelation and highly enjoyable since I was detached from it. It was like looking for Easter eggs.

The plot of The Letter is exceedingly simple. Leslie Crosbie (Bette Davis) shoots Geoff Hammond. She chases him out the front door and shoots him repeatedly until her revolver is empty. Crosbie claims attempted rape and self-defense. Although a formality, Leslie is put on trial for murder. Her acquittal seems assured until a letter from Crosbie to the deceased turns up. The letter indicates that on the night of his demise, Hammond was invited to the Crosbie residence because Mr. Crosbie (Herbert Marshall) is away. Not only that, the letter also indicates that Leslie and Hammond were having an extramarital affair. This directly contradicts Leslie's explanations to her husband and attorney, Howard Joyce (James Stephenson).

Against his better judgment, Joyce agrees to purchase the letter from Hammond's widow. With this crucial piece of evidence suppressed, Leslie is acquitted. Later, after Mr. Crosbie is confronted with the content of letter and the cost of purchasing it, Leslie admits the entire sordid affair as well as being a murderer.

I've left out that The Letter takes place in Singapore. The Crosbies, Geoff Hammond and Howard Joyce are Caucasian. Hammond's widow is Eurasian. Joyce's unctuous assistant, who serves as the broker of the letter, is Asian.

First, let me praise Davis' performance. Only 32 when the film was released, Davis portrays an older woman who wears eyeglasses and does needlepoint when her vanity allows. It gives Leslie and Davis a decidedly dowdy appearance. There is a scene in the women's prison where Davis' performance and the cinematography of Tony Gaudio come together magnificently. Leslie goes from denying the letter to admitting to the letter/affair to convincing Joyce to buy the letter which could get him disbarred.

Davis' performance is only one arrow in director Wyler's quiver. Throughout the film, Asians are depicted as deceitful and inferior. My favorite scene is when Joyce gets into his large sedan and drives away. His assistant, Ong Chi Seng (Victor Sen Yung), also arrives in the parking lot to drive away but he momentarily disappears. When he reemerges, he is driving a small, sputtering jalopy which had been eclipsed by the larger (presumably Caucasian owned) automobiles.

However, the film hints that Singapore (and by extension all of Asia) is one giant miasma of dubious and unethical behavior...dubious and unethical behavior by Western standards but common amongst the yellow hordes. The tropical heat got to Leslie & Joyce causing them to cuckold her husband and tamper with evidence, respectively. What could they do? Hammond was under the spell of his half-Celestial wife and Joyce was being subtly manipulated by his Chinese assistant into buying the letter; all the while bathed in horizontal shadows.

The most amazing character is Hammond's widow played by Danish-American Gale Sondergaard. She looks like a cross between a dragon lady and Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard. She stares inscrutably, says little (in fact she doesn't speak a word of English throughout the film) and dresses like a character from a Chinese opera. She is more Asian than any full blooded Asian in the film. Another key scene in the film is when Leslie meets the widow to exchange cash for the letter. Davis wears a ridiculous lace shroud looking like either a saint or a leper. Sondergaard wears something more appropriate for a Chinese New Year's Day parade. The scene is ridiculous and funny and compelling and tense, et al.

Paraphrasing Jules from Pulp Fiction, in the end, the locals go Middle Kingdon on Leslie's ass which I doubt was in Maugham's play. Along the way, The Letter had Bette Davis tearing it up in full Jezebel mode while matching up against a bunch of cunning and diabolical Asians. For me, The Letter was delicious retrograde entertainment.

What Do They Have in Common?

I recently saw the following six films at the Castro Theater. Before the series, I couldn't have identified the common denominator between the films. The answer is Max Steiner who composed the original score for those films as well as Gone With the Wind and The Big Sleep. The Steiner films were part of the Castro ongoing "Legendary Composer" series.

Mildred Pierce starring Joan Crawford, Zachary Scott, Ann Blyth & Eve Arden; directed by Michael Curtiz; (1945)
The Letter starring Bette Davis & James Stephenson; directed by William Wyler; (1940)
White Heat starring James Cagney, Edmond O'Brien & Virginia Mayo; directed by Raoul Walsh; (1949)
Angels with Dirty Faces starring James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Pat O'Brien, Ann Sheridan & the Bowery Boys; directed by Michael Curtiz; (1938)
King Kong starring Fay Wray & Bruce Cabot; (1933)
The Searchers starring John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Ward Bond, Vera Miles and Natalie Wood; directed by John Ford; (1956)

I can't remember the last time a classic film series entertained me more. I had seen King Kong and The Searchers on television before. Parts of Angels with Dirty Faces also looked familiar. Any familiarity I had with the films did not dampen my enthusiastic response.

§§§

Mildred Pierce was one of the most celebrated films of its era. It garnered six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Crawford for Best Actress and Arden & Blythe for Best Supporting Actress. Crawford won the Best Actress award which was deeply satisfying to her. Unceremoniously dropped by MGM in 1943, Crawford signed on with Warner Brothers where she competed with Bette Davis for parts. Davis was the first choice for Mildred Pierce but turned down the role. With the supporting roles cast, director Michael Curtiz forced Crawford to shoot screen tests for the role which was certainly not the way Hollywood stars were treated back in the day. Of course, Crawford's career was thought to be washed up so she was treated like a has-been bitch, but Crawford proved they were only half right. Mildred Pierce relaunched Crawford's career and put her back on top at the box office.

I've seen Mildred Pierce characterized as film noir. That's a bit of a stretch for me; tearjerker and melodrama are two labels I'd attach to Mildred Pierce. Mildred Pierce is the story of a conniving woman who lies, sleeps and betrays her way into getting what she wants. Amazingly, Crawford doesn't play that woman; Ann Blythe does. Crawford plays Mildred, the mother of Veda (Blythe). Pierce's character flaws are more selfless. Mildred is desperate for her daughter's affection and approval. Mildred being a successful restaurateur is too declasse for Veda to tolerate so Mildred marries a playboy (Zachary Scott) from a prominent family which has lost their wealth. Scott proceeds to empty Mildred's bank account and bed her daughter.

Crawford loses some of her appeal by playing the sacrificing mother. That's more than made up for by Ann Blythe. She looks like she could appear in an Andy Hardy film but her performance out bitches the Queen Bee at the best. By the time Crawford got to her bitchy stage, she looked like a middle aged, drag queen desperately trying to hang on. As Veda, Blythe looks like a sweet and well-scrubbed teenager but she's rotten to the core and we all know it by the end. Mildred Pierce should have made Ann Blythe a star.

Eve Arden provides some laughs in a smaller role as Mildred's wise-cracking assistant at the restaurant. The three main supporting actors play characters which give men a bad name. Bruce Bennett as Pierce's ex-husband is the least contemptible. Morose and taciturn, Mr. Pierce did his wife a favor by divorcing her although his strengths shine through by the end of the film. Jack Carson plays the lecherous and opportunistic financier who has long longed for Mildred and whom Mildred attempts to frame for murder. Finally, Zachary Scott is delightfully slimy as the amoral, gold digging 2nd husband of Mildred who can't help or attempt to change his distasteful nature.

I can't imagine how the story of Mildred Pierce could be adapted for modern day circumstances. Even the recent HBO mini-series was set in the 1930s. Mildred Pierce is a product of its era; the same era of Joan Crawford. The ending of the film differs from the novel which is again a product of the Hays Code era. Despite the 65 year span between the release of film and today, I was able to put aside my modern sensibilities and enjoy Mildred Pierce unequivocally.

§§§

Let me start by saying that Jimmy Cagney looks too old for his part as a crime gang leader in White Heat. A few weeks shy of fifty years old when he filmed the part, Cagney looks ridiculous paired up with the delicious Virginia Mayo as his wife. That's about all the criticism I can level at White Heat.

In White Heat, Cagney plays Cody Jarrett, a cold blooded gang leader who rules his gang through fear. His gang pulls off a train robbery in LA and Jarrett has the ultimate alibi. He cops to a lesser crime committed in Chicago at the same time. One of Jarrett's underworld allies pulled the job so Jarrett could plea to a lesser charge to alibi him with the train robbery in which two or three people were killed.

The downside is Jarrett has to do a two year stretch prison for the crime he confessed to. Jarrett could do the time standing on his head and he has his trusted mother to keep an eye on the stolen loot. Still, Jarrett has problems he hasn't even considered yet. The Feds put an Treasury agent undercover in Jarrett's cell. Going by the alias Vic Pardo (Edmond O'Brien), T-man Hank Fallon is anxious to put away Jarrett for the murder of a fellow agent. Adding to Jarrett's troubles is his roundheeled wife (Mayo) who takes up with Jarrett ambitious lieutenant, Big Ed (Steve Cochran). The two of them conspire to bump off Jarrett and his mother but are only half successful. If that's not enough, Jarrett has debilitating headaches and insanity runs in his family.

When Jarrett hears about his mother's death, he goes berserk in the prison mess hall (all-time classic scene). This results in him being taken to the prison infirmary which is an easier location to escape from. Having developed a rapport with Pardo, Jarrett takes him along when he escapes. Jarrett also takes along the prisoner who tried to kill him by dropping an engine block on his head. In another memorable scene, Jarrett asks the man (who is locked in the trunk of their car) if he can breathe. He replies it's kind of stuffy in the trunk to which Jarrett replies by emptying his revolver into the trunk ("I'll give you a little air").

After bumping off Bid Ed (whom Mayo has betrayed), Jarrett plans a payroll heist at a oil refinery. By now, Pardo is Jarrett's most trusted associate. When he discovers that Pardo is an undercover cop, it drives Jarrett over the edge which leads to the explosive climax.

The plot is standard caper fare but the performances by Cagney and Mayo are outstanding. Cagney has some decidedly oedipal feelings which seem to impair his relationship with his wife. Of course, Mayo's crass and vulgar Verna is a woman that should be handled at arms length. The two combined form one of the more dysfunctional cinematic couples from the period.

White Heat has this big, oversized performance from Cagney which gives the film an epic feel even though it is ultimately about a two-bit, psychotic, Mama's boy gangster. Lather on a tanker truck disguised as a Trojan horse and some other heist elements and White Heat reminded me of French New Wave film or an inspiration for Martin Scorsese.

§§§

The Letter & The Searchers deserve some space so I'll postpone my thoughts on them until next time.

The Help

I stopped by the Balboa earlier this week to see The Help.

The Help starring Emma Stone & Viola Davis; (2011) - Official Website

The best piece of trivia which I've heard in a long time is that director Tate Taylor kept a calendar tracking the actresses' menstrual cycles. The implication being that if put you a dozen actresses together, you get a real bitchapalooza. There were long stretches where no men appeared on screen during The Help; husbands and fathers weren't integral to the plot. In fact, they were conspicuous by their absence.

The plot has Skeeter (Stone), a recent Ole Miss graduate, returning to her home town of Jackson, Mississippi. I didn't catch it until the end but her mother's (Allison Janney) illness is the primary reason for her return. Skeeter gets a job at the local newspaper writing a "helpful household hints" column to gain the experience she is told she is lacking. Her would-be publisher (Mary Steenburgen) see potential in Skeeter but she needs experience which is lacking in a newly minted college graduate.

Set in 1963, The Help takes place during the height of the civil rights era. Many of the historic events of the period are incorporated into the plot; more as time markers than plot devices. Medgar Evers' assassination, MLK's March on Washington and JFK's assassination are all mentioned during the film. Given the hindsight of history, you would think these monumental events would inspire the characters. However, The Help is a comedy that deals with weighty matters such as racism and indirectly, feminism but it deals with these events in personal terms as conveyed by the female characters' evolving relationships.

Skeeter decides that to gain further experience she will interview the black maids who work in white households. The maids care for their employer's children, prepare their employer's meals and are privy to their employer's secrets but they are subjected to racist and degrading behavior. The line between employer and employee is never breached much less the very real divide separating black and white in 1963 Mississippi. The Help glosses over the virulent racism of the time and place but it is a comedy after all

The maids are understandably tight-lipped when Skeeter tries to interview some of them. Skeeter's childhood friend Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) is the catalyst which convinces the maids that their employers' dirty laundry needs to be aired. In Hilly Holbrook, we have a supreme bitch that could give Joan Crawford a run for her money. Not content with lording over the hired help, she has started a petition requiring household's employing "colored" servants to build a "separate but equal" bathroom. Here's the best part; she frames her petition as a public health initiative because "they have different diseases." By the end of the film, Hilly has gone so low as to frame a maid for a crime she didn't commit.

Hilly is deliciously bitchy but the character throws the film off balance. I guess she personifies the racism which is ever present but Howard's splashy performance combined with the seeming lack of impact the civil rights movement had on the characters puts The Help in some strange alternate universe. Some of the black maids get pretty uppity for 1963 Mississippi with little consequence shown on screen. The enormity of institutionalized racism gets reduced to a bitchy white woman making trouble for anyone that gets in her way.

At certain points of the film, I thought the film was also commenting on the limited opportunities afforded to women of any color in 1963. Skeeter's friends think she is strange because she has a college degree, a job at the newspaper and isn't married. Perhaps harpy Hilly is the way she is because she didn't have anything else to occupy her mind. If she had encountered people of different backgrounds at a job or through travels, she wouldn't put so much emphasis on what food was served at her bridge club meetings.

The final criticism I have for this film is the character is Skeeter. Supposedly an ugly duckling, I though Skeeter/Emma Stone was most attractive. Her appearance, intelligence and lack of racism was highly attractive but I guess in the dying days of Jim Crow, Southern femininity had different standards of excellence.

All these issues I have with the film do not offset what is a largely enjoyable film. The film veers into melodrama and manipulates the audience's emotion in obvious ways but I couldn't help but root for Skeeter and two of the maids, Aibileen (Davis) and Minnie (Octavia Spencer). I also sympathized with Jessica Chastain who plays an outsider who is shunned by the female white society in Jackson for strictly personal reasons by Hilly. That Hilly is a one-woman wrecking crew but she gets her comeuppance with a pie whose contents are best kept secret.

Combined with highly entertaining The Easy A, Emma Stone is establishing herself as the sexiest and funniest comedic actor out there today. I am a big Emma Stone fan.

I've already mentioned the talented Allison Janney and Mary Steenburgen in supporting roles. Sissy Spacek and Cicely Tyson also do well in their roles as Hilly's mother and Skeeter's former family maid, respectively. The only actor to make an impact is the diminutive Leslie Jordan as Skeeter's editor. I recall Jordan well from his appearances (opposite Betty White) on Boston Legal which was one of my favorite television series.

The Help is not exactly a primer for the civil rights movement because it is a light comedy dealing weighty issues. I was content to just laugh at outrageous behavior and hiss at the villain, so The Help was the right film for me.

Pressburger:Ballet :: Macdonald:YouTube

I saw the YouTube/National Geographic documentary Life in a Day at the Balboa last week.

Life in a Day; documentary; directed by Kevin Macdonald; (2011) - Official Website

Life in a Day basically asked people around the world to capture a moment of their day and post it to YouTube. The specific day was July 24, 2010. More than 80,000 videos and 4,500 hours of footage was posted. Macdonald and Editor Joe Walker edited the footage into a 90 minute film.

The experience reminded me of eating potato chips. It tasted good at the time, it left me feeling empty afterwards and a week later I can't remember anything specific. That's not entirely true. I remember the Korean bicyclist who was trying to bike in a every country in the world. I remember the Japanese widower with a young son in a cluttered house. I remember some toe-tapping music played to the beat of some African woman pounding grain with a hooked shape mallet. There was a some people in a German crowd who were stampeded or past out from the pressure of the human mass.

The mishmash of clips seemed to be a sort of video time capsule for July 24, 2010. Did July 24 deserve a time capsule? I don't know. Were these clips representative?. Certainly nothing I saw on the screen reminded me of what I was doing last summer.

Although interesting to watch; the entire experience left me shrugging my shoulders.

§§§

Kevin Macdonald is the grandson of Emeric Pressburger (who with his production partner Michael Powell was), one of the most successful film directors in England in the post-WWII era. I previously enjoyed the duo's Black Narcissus with Deborah Kerr.

The weekend before Life in a Day, the Balboa screened a six film series called From Britain With Love. Although not part of the official series, the Balboa screened The Red Shoes in conjunction.

The Red Shoes; directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger; based on a Hans Christian Andersen story; (1948)

The Red Shoes is set in the world of ballet. A young woman is torn between her love for her husband (a composer) and her need to dance the part that is a perfect role for her.

The Red Shoes was included in the program because its cinematographer was Jack Cardiff and on the From Britain With Love films was the documentary, Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff. The cinematography during the ballet performances was spectacular. In fact, it overshadowed the rest of the film. Austrian born Anton Walbrook as the hard-driving ballet company director was memorable. His accented English added something to his character. The main character, Vicki the prima ballerina, was portrayed by Moira Shearer, a Scottish dancer with red hair to match her shoes. I'm not an afficionado of ballet so I can't comment on Shearer's dance performance but her acting was serviceable.

All in all, The Red Shoes was a nice film. It was very British. I can't put my finger on it but it reminds me of a film you'd see on PBS which has a very specific connotation from my youth.