Monthly Archives: March 2020

Support Your Local Sheriff (1969)

Posted on March 23, 2020 | Leave a comment

Support Your Local Sheriff
Directed by Burt Kennedy
Written by William Bowers
1969/US
IMDb link
First viewing/Netflix rental

 

Joe Danby: [about his father] He’s got a heart as big as the whole outdoors, but he don’t have one brain in his poor old head.

The charisma of James Garner and the superb cast of supporting actors made me think I might be in for good Lockdown viewing.  I was right.

In the Old West, a town springs up around a gold discovery by Prudy Perkins (Joan Hackett).  Prudy’s father Ollie (Harry Morgan) becomes mayor.  The town has not had a sheriff for years.  The result is rampant lawlessness.  In addition, Pa Danby (Walter Brennan) and his brood of boys control the only road into or out of town and extort an exorbitant toll.

Then Jason McCullough (Garner) rides in to town.  He says he’s from Back East and is en route to Australia.  The town fathers don’t have to twist his arm too hard to get him to accept the sheriff’s star.  He soon deputizes local stable cleaner Jake (Jack Elam) and settles into board with Ollie and Prudy.  Prudy is smitten at first sight and there is a romcom sub-theme throughout.

The Sheriff doesn’t waste much time before arresting Joe Danby (Bruce Dern) for killing a man.  A combination of the Sheriff’s smarts and Joe’s dimwittedness keeps him confined in a cell without bars.  Eventually, Pa Danby comes to get his boy out of Dodge.

I was so thrilled to see Walter Brennan again.  He just takes everything he is in up a notch! Everybody else does what they do best.  The cast makes the movie fun and several of the jokes make it genuinely funny.  A feel-good film for the Lockdown.

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Yesterday, I also watched The Gay Divorcee (1934) which I have previously reviewed on this blog.  I’ve seen the film several times over the years and it never fails to enchant.

 

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Posted in 1934, 1969, Lockdown Edition

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Posted on March 21, 2020 | 10 comments

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Directed by George Roy Hill
Written by William Goldman
1969/US
IMDb link
Repeat viewing/Amazon Instant
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

[box] Butch Cassidy: I couldn’t do that. Could you do that? Why can they do it? Who are those guys?[/box]

Launching “Flickers in Time: The Lockdown Edition” with this beloved classic.  It’s a blend of Old West and a thoroughly modern cinematic sensibility that really shouldn’t work as perfectly as it does.

Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) are the leaders of the Hole in the Wall gang of bank and train robbers.  Butch is the more laid-back one and Sundance has the hotter temper.  They love to banter with each other.  We witness several robberies.  These are generally amusing and successful.  In their last train robbery, they manag to earn the eternal wrath of the railroad owner, who forms a posse that relentlessly pursues the pair.

In the meantime, we are introduced to schoolmarm Etta Place (Katharine Ross).  She is having an affair with Sundance yet also seems to form a perfect couple with Butch. Eventually, the heat gets too close for comfort and all three decide to try their fortunes in Bolivia.

This film is firmly tied to a moment in which the bad guys became the good guys so long as they were against the Establishment, love was free and Burt Bacharach topped the pop charts. Yet it holds up extremely well.  Qualifies as a recommended lockdown view for its wry optimism, fantastic cinematography, charismatic and beautiful actors, witty dialogue, and, yes, its bouncy score.  A true classic.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid won Academy Awards in the categories of Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Material Not Previously Published or Produced; Best Cinematography; Best Music, Original Song (“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”); and Best Music, Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical).  It was nominated in the categories of Best Picture; Best Director; and Best Sound.

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1969, Lockdown Edition

The Valley of Gwangi (1969)

Posted on March 16, 2020 | Leave a comment

The Valley of Gwangi
Directed by Jim O’Connolly
Written by William Bast and Julian More
1969/USA
IMDb link
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] Tia Zorina: Fool! One day he will learn to obey the law of Gwangi, or like his brother he will perish![/box]

The main reason to see this one is for Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion animation.  He’s done better work in other movies.

TJ Breckingridge (Gila Golan) owns a traveling Wild West Show and performs as a trick rider.  Tuck Kirby, TJ’s ex-fiance (James Franciscus) arrives with an offer to purchase TJ’s star pony for Wild Bill’s Wild West Show.  This would allow TJ to pay off some massive debts.  But she has another idea, she has learned of a prehistoric miniature horse that lives nearby.  Tuck and TJ manage to capture it.  This infuriates the local gypsy who puts a curse on the enterprise.

Later, a posse of men gain entrance to a forbidden valley where they are attacked by a number of dinosaurs, including the Gwanji.  Naturally, the men decide to force Gwanji to perform in the circus and achieve the mass destruction such decisions inevitably lead to.

This one has some pretty good production values but lacks the cast, energy or originality to make it anything worth seeking out, except perhaps by Harryhausen completists.

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Posted in 1969

Salesman (1969)

Posted on March 15, 2020 | Leave a comment

Salesman
Directed by Albert and David Maysles and Charlott Zwerin
1969/USA
IMDb link
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

 

[box] The film is sort of the the beginning of a love affair between the filmmakers and the subjects. Some filmmakers make targets of the subjects they film; that’s not our way. – Albert Maysles[/box]

I’ve always loved a good documentary and this is one of the very best.

There is no narration nor interviews.  The filmmakers follow a group of traveling salesmen as they peddle expensive Bibles to low-income Catholics.  We see the tricks of the trade as well as the men relaxing on their off hours and attending sales meetings.  Gradually, the focus centers on Paul, who is on a real losing streak.

Somehow the the Maysles team settled on an ideal subject for their “non-fiction” film.  Being a door-to-door salesman of anything would be my idea of Hell on Earth.  Selling the Bible takes a mixture of nerve, charisma, cunning, and downright fabrication.  Catholic guilt is exploited liberally.  You are almost guaranteed subjects with the gift of the gab and these four guys are real characters.  As the focus shifts to Paul and gets nearer and nearer to the real person, the pathos raises to Death of a Salesman levels, at least for me.

The Criterion disc includes a number of extras, including an outstanding commentary by the filmmakers.  They seem like people I would love to know and you can see why their subjects get so comfortable with the camera.

 

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Posted in 1969

1969

Posted on March 14, 2020 | 15 comments

The movies continued to break barriers in 1969 when Midnight Cowboy became the first, and only, X-rated film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, only a few years after the MPAA rating system was created.  1969 was the last year the MPAA used the M rating.

Boris Karloff died at age 81.  Judy Garland died of a prescription drug overdose at age 47. Actress Sharon Tate, wife of Roman Polanski, was brutally murdered by the Manson Family.  Shirley Temple was named Ambassador to the United Nations.

Two long-running television series debuted – “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and “Sesame Street”.

Woodstock, a three-day rock music festival, attracted 400,000 young people for an outdoor concert marked by drug use, nudity, food shortages and profanity, as well as superb performances by the rock stars of the era.   The free concert was also remarkable for peaceful coexistence under trying circumstances.

On December 6, the Rolling Stones set out to replicate Woodstock on the West Coast by giving a free concert at the Altamont Speedway near San Francisco.  They decided the Hells Angels motorcycle gang would be an ideal choice to provide security.  In truth the audience needed protection from the Angels and the inevitable ensued, culminating in a murder before Mick Jagger’s horrified eyes.

The number one Billboard single of the year was “Sugar, Sugar” by the Archies (???!!!).  House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.  Howard Sackler’s The Great White Hope won for Drama. “The Middle Americans” were Time Magazine’s Persons of the Year.

U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon.

Richard M. Nixon was inaugurated President of the United States.  The Beatles made their final live appearance as a group, on the rooftop of Apple Studios in London.

At Chappaquiddick, having been drinking and partying with young women aides of his brother Robert Kennedy, Senator Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy, at this time a married man and a father, slipped away with 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne.  She was found trapped in his car submerged in just eight feet of water after he took a wrong turn off the Chappaquiddick bridge.  The Senator survived the incident.  He later plead guilty to leaving the scene of an incident causing serious injury for which he received a suspended sentence.

Investigative journalist Seymour Hirsch revealed the details of the Mai Lai massacre to a stunned American public.

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I’m again aiming at around 50 movies for 1969.  The list I’m working from is here.  If I’m missing something essential let me know.

Oscar winners

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Posted in Movie Reviews

1968 Re-Cap and Top Favorites List

Posted on March 13, 2020 | 4 comments

I have now watched 49 films that were released in 1968.  A complete list can be found here.  I felt that my experiment with reducing the number of movies worked out well. There were only 12 movies that I ranked 9/10 or above.  I’m listing them all in alphabetical order since I wouldn’t want to rank them.

Black Cat (Kuroneko) – Directed by Kaneto Shindo.

Faces – Directed by John Cassavetes

Funny Girl – Directed by William Wyler

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter – Directed by Robert Ellis Miller

 

If … – Directed by Lindsay Anderson

The Lion in Winter – Directed by Anthony Harvey

Memories of Underdevelopment (Memorias de subdesarrollo) – Directed by Tomas Gutierrez Alea

Monterey Pop – Directed by D.A. Pennebecker

Night of the Living Dead – Directed by George A. Romero

Once Upon a Time in the West  (C’era una vola al West) – Directed by Sergio Leone

Rosemary’s Baby – Directed by Roman Polanski

Shame (Skammen) – Directed by Ingmar Bergman

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Posted in Top Ten Lists

Hour of the Wolf (1968)

Posted on March 13, 2020 | 2 comments

Hour of the Wolf (Vargtimmen)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Written by Ingmar Bergman
1968/Sweden
IMDb link
First viewing/Criterion Channel
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
One of 1000 movies on They Shoot Zombies Don’t They

[box] Johan Borg: The old ones called it “the hour of the wolf”. It is the hour when most people die, when most children are born. Now is when nightmares come to us. And if we are awake -…

Alma Borg: We’re afraid.[/box]

Bergman goes surreal in this venture into the horror genre.  Everything about it is excellent but it misses out on a compelling story line.

The story is told in flashback by Alma Borg (Liv Ullmann).  She and her artist husband (Johan) plan to spend the summer on an island where Johan will be able to work on his paintings.  Alma is expecting a baby.  Johan is restless and uninspired.  Alma meets an old lady who tells her she should read Johan’s diary.

Johan’s mental state deteriorates as the days progress.  At last, Johan reveals his nightmarish fantasies to his wife.  With Ingrid Thulin as Johan’s ex-lover.

The acting, cinematography, direction etc. are all excellent.  I felt there was something lacking in the writing.  Perhaps Bergman got too caught up in this new genre to create relatable characters as well.

American trailer

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And with this review, I complete 1968!

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1968

The Immortal Story (1968)

Posted on March 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

The Immortal Story (Histoire immortelle)
Directed by Orson Welles
Written by Orson Welles and Louise de Vilmorin from a novel by Karen Blixen
1968/France
IMDb link
First viewing/Criterion Channel

[box] Elishama Levinsky: It is very hard on people who want things so badly that they can’t do without them. If they can’t get these things, it is very hard. And when they do get them, surely it is very hard.[/box]

Orson Welles’ first color film is good not great.

Welles plays Clay, a wealthy merchant who has been intrigued by a seaman’s legend for years.  He is now obsessed with making the story come to life.  According to the story, a rich man old man hires a sailor to impregnate his young wife.  Clay’s clerk is assigned to hire the woman to play the wife.  He just happens to pick Virginie (Jeanne Moreau), an aging beauty who has good reason to despise Clay.  Clay hires a virgin sailor to play the male lead.  You will have to watch to see what happens next.

I thought this was only OK.  It’s ponderous like Confidential Report (1955) without being particularly enlightening.  The film looks good though and with this cast you know the acting is solid.

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Posted in 1968

Les biches (1968)

Posted on March 9, 2020 | Leave a comment

Les biches (“Bad Girls”)
Directed by Claude Chabrol
Written by Paul Gegauff and Claude Chabrol
1968/France
IMDb link
First viewing/Criterion Channel

 

Why: She lends me things. Does that surprise you?
Paul Thomas: Nothing surprises me in this house. Nothing.

1968 was a ground-breaking year.  Here Claude Chabrol gives us a jet-black comedy/drama featuring a bisexual love triangle.

Frederique (Stephane Audran) is a striking, wealthy young woman who is used to getting her way.  She picks up a beautiful, inexperienced artist she names “Why” on the street.  Before long they are lovers and Why is living Frederique’s house along with two fey male homosexual roommates.  One evening, handsome architect Paul Thomas (Jean-Louis Trintignant) comes to a card party.  He makes eyes at Why and takes her back to his place.

Soon Frederique comes under his spell.  This is not looking like it will end well.

I enjoy Chabrol’s mordant wit and misanthropy.  This was surprisingly bold for its time.  The actors all acquitted themselves admirably.  I can recommend the film for someone looking for something a little different.

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Posted in 1968

Memories of Underdevelopment (1968)

Posted on March 7, 2020 | 2 comments

Memories of Underdevelopment (Memorias del subdesarrollo)
Directed by Tomas Gutierrez Alea
Written by Tomas Guiterrez Alea and Edmundo Desnoes from a novel by Desnoes
1968/Cuba
IMDb link
First viewing/Netflix rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

 

 “A revolution is not a bed of roses. A revolution is a struggle between the future and the past.” ― Fidel Castro

I went in expecting a propaganda piece and was pleasantly surprised to get an art movie that mostly leaves the viewer to draw his own conclusions.

The film takes place in Havana, Cuba in the months leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Sergio (Sergio Corrieri- be still my beating heart) is a member of the landed gentry who makes his living from rents.  He also is a deep thinker and travels in artistic, intellectual circles.  As the film begins, Sergio’s wife has packed her bags for Miami.  His parents follow her and the diaspora includes many of his friends.  For some reason, clearly not exactly idealogical, Sergio elects to stay behind.

Sergio picks up a teenager from the street, takes her back to his place and seduces her.  They part on good terms but she cries rape and Sergio learns that class no longer protects him.   By the end of the film, it is clear that the Cuban Government will take all Sergio’s property eventually but Castro’s minions are quite polite about it.

The plot plays a small part in the overall effect of this film.  It is really a character study and a think piece.  We are privy to Sergio’s thoughts through the ample use of first-person voice-over narration in which he reflects on the past and comes to terms with the present. The direction is stylish.  Other treats are the cinematography and score.  Recommended.

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1968