Posts Tagged ‘1949’
Monday, July 12th, 2010
Review:
Three sailors on shore leave have only twenty-four hours in New York; time they plan to use to see all the sights and get a date for the night. Naturally, that doesn’t prove quite as easy as planned. The plot of the film - based on the stage show - is little more than an excuse for Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra et al to sing and dance and have fun. The film is corny, campy, cheesy and silly, but it’s also good, innocent, light-hearted entertainment. You’ll be hard-pressed not to simply enjoy their antics, which is all the film asks for and is exactly what it delivers.
Random Observations:
On the Town at the IMDb
The next four weeks will be a celebration of American Cinema of the 1950s here at Fabricated Truth. For that purpose, we will take a closer look at two very different icons who shaped that decade, alternating between their films: Gene Kelly and Alfred Hitchcock. I hope you’ll enjoy the ride - and maybe we’ll learn something about cinema history along the way.
And yes, I am aware that this film was made in 1949.
I’m still having a little trouble getting used to seeing Frank Sinatra in this incredibly cheesy films, what with his mob connections and tough guy persona and all.
The first film where Gene Kelly is credited as a director, together with Stanley Donen.
Tags: 1949, Adolph Green, Alice Pearce, American Film, Ann Miller, based on stage musical, Betty Comden, Betty Garrett, Comedy, english, Florence Bates, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, George Meader, Jerome Robbins, Jules Munshin, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, musical, On the Town, romance, Stanley Donen, Vera Ellen
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Saturday, April 24th, 2010
Review:
After World War II, Vienna is occupied by Russian, American, British and French forces, with growing resentment by the Austrians. In that climate, Joseph Cotten comes to the city to take an old friend up on a job-offer, only to find out that said friend was killed in a car accident. Not satisfied with the police’s portrayal of his friend as a racketeer, he decides to investigate for himself, thereby uncovering some truths he had rather would have remained hidden. The Third Man is an absolute classic, a portrait of Vienna and the times, while also a suspenseful thriller. Great performances throughout make for a truly memorable film.
Random Observations:
The Third Man at the IMDb
The screenplay by Graham Greene was based on a novella he wrote earlier, but which was not published until after the film’s release. Does that make this film an adaptation?
The old landlady is played by Hedwig Bleibtreu, the great-grandaunt of popular German actor Moritz Bleibtreu. How is that for movie trivia?
Personally, I’m not a big fan of Anton Karas’ zither music used throughout the film, but one can’t deny that it is authentic and innovative.
Orson Welles played a small, but significant part, in this film. Since people like to credit Welles with just about every bit of cinematic genius possible, let me just remind them that he was nothing more than an actor here. He didn’t direct and he also he didn’t write his own dialogue (except for one improvised scene, which is good, but also factually wrong). Welles’ work is amazing, but this film was made great by Carol Reed and Graham Greene. (Oh, and Welles as an actor is pretty good, too.)
The scenes shot in the Vienna sewers might be amongst the most memorable in film history.
The title refers to a third man who witnessed the accident and who nobody but a porter thought to mention.
Tags: 1949, Alida Valli, Bernard Lee, book adaptation, British Film, Carol Reed, english, Erich Ponto, Ernst Deutsch, film noir, Graham Greene, Hedwig Bleibtreu, Joseph Cotten, minute movie review, Moritz Bleibtreu, movie review, Movies, Orson Welles, Paul Hörbiger, Siegfried Breuer, The Third Man, Thriller, Trevor Howard, Valli, Wilfrid Hyde-White
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Friday, April 23rd, 2010
Review:
Gangster James Cagney pulls a magnificent train heist. When the authorities begin to close in, he takes the rap for another, lesser crime, committed at the same time. In prison, an undercover cop tries to find out enough to get him convicted of the real crime. Meanwhile, Cagney, already a lose screw, unravels completely. The film is an entertaining take on the always similar gangster movie story. Cagney is brilliant in the lead role as the crook who adores his mother above all else, and the ending is truly memorable.
Random Observations:
White Heat at the IMDb
This film marked the return for James Cagney to the gangster film genre. But while in his last such film, The Roaring Twenties, he barely looked 30, ten years later, he had become an old man, clearly showing that he was fifty at the time.
Margaret Wycherly as Cagney’s equally criminal mother is a delight to watch.
Tags: 1949, action movie, American Film, Ben Roberts, crime movie, Drama, Edmond O'Brien, english, film noir, Fred Clark, Ivan Goff, James Cagney, John Archer, Margaret Wycherly, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Raoul Walsh, Steve Cochran, The Roaring Twenties, Virginia Kellogg, Virginia Mayo, Wally Cassell, White Heat
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Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
Review:
John Wayne (at 41) played a 60-year old Cavalry Captain about to retire immediately after General Custer’s now infamous defeat. The American West seems threatened by the Natives and the Cavalry desperately tries to keep it safe for the civilians in this story which is incredibly boring and mainly consists of people riding around. Add to that a completely inappropriate comedic bar fight, a highly unrealistic climatic scene and annoyingly patriotic overtones delivered in the voice-over narration and you might end up with a bad film. But actually, the film is quite good, saved by the beautiful scenery shot in colour, that serves as perfect background for the musings about a man who has none nothing but the military retiring. Add some aspects of the integration of the Confederacy back into the Union and you actually get a pretty good film - if you can look past the hours spent just riding around.
Random Observations:
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon at the IMDb
Second part of John Ford’s Cavalry trilogy, following Fort Apache.
The film also has a romantic subplot, which doesn’t really add anything to the story, but gives Wayne another chance to shine as the wise and good old guy who the other soldiers look up to.
Tags: 1949, American Film, Arthur Shields, Ben Johnson, Chief John Big Tree, Chief Sky Eagle, english, Fort Apache, Frank S. Nugent, Fred Graham, George O'Brien, Harry Carey Jr., James Warner Bellah, Joanne Dru, John Agar, John Ford, John Wayne, Laurence Stallings, Michael Dugan, Mildred Natwick, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Noble Johnson, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Tom Tyler, Victor McLaglen, Western
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
Review:
Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly are vaudeville performers moonlighting as baseball players - or is it the other way around? In any case, in this film about the early days of professional baseball they are very much needed by their team and the team’s new owner - a woman of all people! One can guess that this musical is not very dramatic, but it is certainly very entertaining, with Sinatra and Kelly charming, singing and dancing their way through it. Unapologetically patriotic, the film’s focus on baseball and other typical American things nevertheless feels superfluous, since it’s just more fun to just watch them dancing.
Random Observations:
Take Me Out to the Ball Game at the IMDb
Nice bit of meta commentary and comedy with the last song.
First in a row of six Gene Kelly musicals I’m going to watch and review. Yes, I am a fan of cheesy, corny, kitschy musicals and I do not apologize for it.
Tags: 1949, American Film, Betty Garrett, Busby Berkeley, Comedy, Edward Arnold, english, Esther Williams, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, George Wells, Harry Tugend, Jules Munshin, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, musical, Richard Lane, romance, sports movie, Stanley Donen, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Tom Dugan
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Sunday, June 21st, 2009
Review:
Billed as a film noir, “The Big Steal” features many of the key features of the genre: a wise-cracking toughguy hero with a moral code, a smart woman who keeps entering the story from all sides and, naturally, a crime. In this case, somebody stole $300,000 from the army payroll and the accused has to find the thief in order to clear his name. But in reality, this film is more of a fun crime story than a film noir, a truly entertaining film that only suffers from a rushed and somewhat confusing ending. Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer with their great chemistry in the lead roles make this film worthwile nonetheless.
Random Observations:
The Big Steal at the IMDb
A word of warning: the British DVD release, that I saw, is the bastardized, i.e. colourised, version of the film. To the best of my knowledge, the US release (only as part of several collections of film noir, though) as well as the French one are in the classic black & white.
The film takes place in Mexico and it was refreshing to see the Mexican characters as real people and not as silly stereotypes. This even goes so far that one can argue that the Mexican inspector general might be the smartest person in the entire film - and not just comic relief, as per Hollywood movie standards of the time.
The film was directed by Don Siegel, whose most famous work is Dirty Harry.
Tags: 1949, adventure movie, American Film, Daniel Mainwaring, Don Alvarado, Drama, english, film noir, Gerald Drayson Adams, Jane Greer, John Qualen, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Pascual García Peña, Patric Knowles, Ramon Novarro, Richard Wormser, Robert Mitchum, The Big Steal, Thriller, William Bendix
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Sunday, May 17th, 2009
Review:
In 1949, an American visits England and takes a trip to an abandoned American airfield. There, he remembers the days in 1942/1943 when a new commander had taken over the bomber group to prove that daylight precision bombing was a good idea in the fight against Nazi Germany. The film is one of the first movies about World War II that didn’t focus on the glory of fighting, but instead of the toll war takes on the body and the mind. Described as the most realistic movie ever made about bomber crews, it illustrates the strain these soldiers were placed under. Add actual combat footage into the mix and you have a fascinatingly painful account of one aspect of war.
Random Observations:
Twelve O’Clock High at imdb.com
While none of the people and events in the film are real, they are all compositions of actual people and events, making the film incredibly realistic.
Apart from the theme of how much a man can take before he breaks, the film also deals with the issue of leadership and in that aspect is used even today by military academys.
Tags: 1949, American Film, Beirne Lay Jr., book adaptation, Dean Jagger, Drama, english, Gary Merrill, Gregory Peck, Henry King, Hugh Marlowe, John Kellogg, Lee MacGregor, Millard Mitchell, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Paul Stewart, Robert Arthur, Robert Patten, Roger Anderson, Sam Edwards, Sy Bartlett, Twelve O'Clock High, war movie
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
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