All I Desire
Directed by Douglas Sirk
Written by James Gunn and Robert Blees from a novel by Carol Brink
1953/US
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel

Naomi Murdoch: We’re a big disappointment to each other, aren’t we? You’ve got a mother with no principles; I’ve got a daughter with no guts.

Stanwyck is always worth seeing but I found the story lacking. Sirk is really Hayes-Code bound on this one.

The year is 1910. Naomi Murdoch (Stanwyck) left her husband Henry (Richard Carlson) and three children to be an actress on Broadway. Her daughter Lily (Lori Nelson) is starring in the high school play and sends Naomi an invitation which she accepts.

Naomi arrives and is not exactly welcome with open arms. Lily wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Young son Ted (Billy Gray) wants to get to know her. Henry and daughter Joyce are still bitter over their abandonment. Sara Harper (Maureen O’Sullivan), the local high school drama teacher, has been seeing Henry but her love is unrequited.

The rest of the film involves Naomi’s efforts to get closer to her children, an unwanted advance from one of her former lovers, and an ending that did not seem prepared for to me. If you are looking for the subversive tone and style of later Sirk melodramas you won’t get it here.

The Evil Eye (La ragazza che sapeva troppo)
Directed by Mario Bava
Written by Sergio Corbucci, Ennio De Concini, Eliana De Sabata, Mario Bava, et al
1963/Italy
Galatea Film/Coronet s.r.l.
First viewing/FilmStruck

[box] Nora Davis: [into the phone] Oh mother, murders don’t just happen like that here.[/box]

The beautiful telling of an OK murder mystery story.

American tourist Nora Davis is looking forward to a fun holiday in Italy.  But the trip seems doomed from the start.  Her first stop is to visit a relative in Rome.  What she doesn’t know is that the old lady is practically on death’s door.  It is then that Nora meets charming young doctor Marcello Bassi (John Saxon).  She is left alone with the patient and it turns into a dark and stormy night.  The invalid promptly dies.  The phone line is dead so Nora goes out into the night headed for the hospital where Bassi works, which is close to the Spanish steps.

While walking down the steps, Nora is assaulted for her purse and pushed to the ground where she hits her head.  When she briefly regains consciousness, she observes the murder of a young woman by stabbing.  By the time she is rescued by a policeman, all evidence of the crime has disappeared and Nora is not believed – not least because she is an avid murder mystery reader with a vivid imagination.  But Nora will not give up and eventually Dr. Bassi joins her on the hunt for the killer.  With Valentina Cortese as a kindly, but suspicious, Roman who takes Nora in.

The poster stresses the “supernatural” elements of the film but this is basically a murder mystery with a few jump cut thrills thrown in.  It is partially told through the mind-reading technique where Nora gives a voice over of her thoughts.  I kept expecting it to turn into a spoof but it did not.  Director Bava, who was also the film’s DP, made it beautifully atmospheric.

The Robe
Directed by Henry Koster
Written by Philip Dunne, Gina Kaus and Albert Kraus (uncredited) from a novel by Lloyd C. Douglas
1953/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental

 Jesus Christ: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

The restored version of this, the first Cinemascope film, looks stunning.  Other than the visuals though, every thing about its erzatz Christianity left me cold.

Marcellus (Richard Burton) is a tribune in ancient Rome.  He gets on the wrong side of Caligula, the heir to the throne, when he gets in a bidding war with him for a couple of hot twin slaves.  Following his defeat, he purchases the defiant Greek slave Demetrius (Victor Mature), who had been slated for gladiatorial combat. On the same occasion, he becomes reacquainted with childhood sweetheart Diana (Jean Simmons), who is the ward of the Emperor Tiberius.

Tiberius orders Marcelllus to serve in the hell-hole of Palestine as punishment for fighting with his son.  Demetrius becomes fascinated with the preacher Jesus Christ early on. Marcellus redeems himself and is eventually ordered back to Rome, but not before one final duty.  Marcellus is assigned to the crucifixion of Christ and becomes the soldier that wins Christ’s robe in a gambling game.

There is a terrible storm after Christ dies and Marcellus orders Demetrius to cover him with the robe.  Mere skin contact drives Marcellus insane.  When he gets back to Rome, the Emperor decides that the way to restore his sanity is to destroy the robe.  So he sends Marcellus back to Palestine with that order along with instructions to wipe out as many of Christ’s followers as he can lay his hands on.

To find the robe he disguises himself as a wine merchant and ends up in the village of Cana.  There, he eventually meets up with the apostle Peter (Michael Rennie) and Demetrius, who is now a devout Christian.  Marcellus converts and all the predictable consequences ensue.

I suspected I would dislike this film, as with all sword and sandal films, going in but I wanted to see it because it was a Best Picture nominee.  I was not wrong.  The acting is wooden and the script is hackneyed.  However, I was very pleased with the visual aspects of the production.  Many of the scenes look like Renaissance paintings.  The music is suitably grand as well.

The Robe won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color and Best Costume Design, Color.  It was nominated in the categories of Best Picture; Best Actor (Burton); and Best Cinematography, Color.

Trailer

Wife (Tsuma)
Directed by Mikio Naruse
Written by Toshirô Ide from a novel by Fumiko Hayashi
1953/Japan
Toho Company
First viewing/Hulu

[box] By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you’ll become happy; if you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher. – Socrates [/box]

It is a unique movie about infidelity that has me rooting 100% for the husband.

Toichi and Mieko Takamine have been married for ten years and have no children.  Any spark they ever had with each other is long gone.  Mieko, the wife, has given up entirely. She puts together disgusting meals, has no table manners, and is stingy in every way. The couple don’t talk to each other much.  Then Sagara, a widow at work, asks Toichi to join her for a visit to an art exhibition.  Before long they are seeing each other frequently. Finally, they admit their love to each other just before Sagara has to move to Osaka.

After awhile, Toichi has to go to Osaka on business and looks Sagara up.  They spend a whole weekend together.  Then Sagara comes up to Tokyo.  The Takamine’s border had previously seen Toichi and Sagara together and now tips off Mieko.  The rest of the movie follows Mieko’s desperate attempts to break up the relationship.

I thought this was only OK, though it gets much better in the last half hour.  It was surprised by the non-Hollywood ending.  I was rooting for something even more surprising,however.

Mogambo
Directed by John Ford
Written by John Lee Mahin from a play by Wilson Collison
1953/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Eloise Kelly: Look, Buster, don’t you get overstimulated with me![/box]

I wasn’t expecting much and wasn’t crazy about the love-triangle plot.  Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this movie.

Victor Marswell (Clark Gable) is a Great White Hunter who makes a living guiding safaris and capturing animals for zoos around the world.  One day, Eloise Kelly (Ava Gardner) shows up to join a maharaja friend on a safari.  The two immediately start trading barbs. The maharaja has already left for India and the boat that would take Eloise back to civilization will require lengthy repairs.  Victor then decides Kelly is alright and they begin an affair.

Later, a young couple, the Nordleys, show up to be guided on a safari to gorilla country. He is an anthropologist and his wife Linda (Grace Kelly) is a very upper-crust beauty, the polar opposite of the earthy Kelly.  So Victor starts an affair with her under her husband’s nose.  She and Kelly start feuding.  All is solved by the end courtesy of the Hayes Code.

I’ve never thought much of Ava Gardner as an actress but she is excellent in this movie.  I think she should have had a chance to do more cynical parts like this and maybe some comedy.  I don’t know why I didn’t realize that this was directed by John Ford.  He couldn’t do much with the script but he makes Africa look really beautiful.  It’s all soapy stuff but somehow I was very entertained throughout.

This is a re-make of Red Dust (1932) with Gable in the same part, Jean Harlow, and Mary Astor.  I still have not had a chance to see that one.

Ava Gardner was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar and Grace Kelly got a nod for Best Supporting Actress.

Trailer

The Wild One
Directed by Laslo Benedek
Written by John Paxton based on a story by Frank Rooney
1953/USA
Stanley Kramer Productions
Repeat viewing/Netflix Rental

Mildred: Hey Johnny, what are you rebelling against?
Johnny: Whadda you got?

This would greatly resemble your average B biker movie were it not for the magnetism of Marlon Brando.

Johnny (Brando) is a leader of a motorcycle club known as The Black Rebels.  One day they crash a motorcycle race and steal the second place trophy for Johnny.  They then move on to a small town where they proceed to generally act up and scare the local citizenry.  Johnny is attracted to Kathie who works at the bar/cafe but backs off when he finds out that her father is the local sheriff.  Johnny hates cops.

Then a rival gang, The Beetles, shows up led by Chino (Lee Marvin).  He challenges Johnny and they have a fist fight.  Later, Johnny has to rescue Kathy from some gang members who have surrounded her and are scaring her to death.  Things get out of control and some of the locals decide to take matters into their own hands.  Johnny wants to pull out of the town but the gang isn’t cooperating.  Then a fatal accident gets him in even deeper.

Imagine the Dead End Kids speaking in beatnik lingo (Daddy-o, etc.).  You will picture this motorcycle gang to a T.  That is all except Brando.  He is stuck with the same dialogue but just can’t help being a complete human character.  Anything with Brando from this period is worth seeing but I would seek out several other films before this one.

Trailer

The Long, Long Trailer
Directed by Vicente Minnelli
Written by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich from a novel by Clinton Twiss
1953/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Netflix rental

Mechanic: Think of it as a train behind you. Forty feet of train.

There are a couple of things that seem naturally funny so long as it is not you who are doing them.  One is restoring an old house.  The other is driving or living in a huge RV.

Nicky Collini (Desi Arnaz) and Tacy Bolton (Lucille Ball) are engaged to be married.  Nicky’s job will require them to move to Colorado and he will travel a lot from there.  The domestic Tacy decides that buying a trailer would be ideal because then she can make Nicky a home wherever he goes.  She has a trailer all picked out that will cost only a hundred dollars more than their annual budget.  Nicky is skeptical and wants to save for the down payment on a house.  Tacy is persistent and talks him into going to a motor home show.

Of course, the trailer she had picked out is impossibly small. She promptly falls in love with a 40-foot behemoth.  The couple start acquiring a mountain of debt, including a new, heavier car and modifications for the trailer hitch.  In the funniest scene in the movie, the man from the shop teaches Nicky how to haul the trailer.

The rest of the movie follows the Collinis on their honeymoon drive from the East Coast to Colorado.  It is one mishap after another.  Their adventures are both amusing and believable.  With Marjorie Main as the couple’s first neighbor and Keenan Wynne as a policeman.

I have thought of Desi Arnaz as basically a straight man but here he gets a lot of the gags and physical humor.  He does pretty well at it but the movie could possibly have used more from Lucy.  The film is an entertaining romp which I enjoyed.

Trailer

Man on a Tightrope
Directed by Elia Kazan
Written by Robert E. Sherwood; story by Neil Paterson
1953/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing/Amazon Instant

Rudolph: [to Cernik] The curse of my life is that I’m a handsome man.

Here’s one of the scarcer Elia Kazan films.  This story of oppression and flight from Communist Czechoslovakia fell out of fashion post-McCarthy era.  It’s actually mostly well done.

The Chernik family owned and operated a traveling circus for generations.  Now the circus belongs to the People but Karol Chernik (Fredrik Marsh) still manages the business and acts as a clown.  He is married to much-younger bad girl Zarna (Gloria Grahame) and has a beloved daughter from his former marriage, Tereza (Terry Moore).  Chernik is in trouble with the State for such things as not changing his act with an unfunny propaganda bit and for harboring an aged performer who fancies herself a French duchess.

Chernik is also worried that he is harboring a spy.  He suspects this may be Joe (Cameron Mitchell), a crew member that Terry is sweet on.

One day, he is visited by the operator of a rival circus.  The two managers have long been enemies but they are both circus people and understand each other.  The man tells Chernik that the authorities suspect he has escape plans.  Chernik decides to put his plan into action immediately (this development was pretty abrupt I thought),  Once things get rolling, his true friends and enemies reveal themselves in short order.  The audacious plan involves simply marching over the border with elephants in tow.  With Adolphe Menjou as a secret service man.

This may be a unique chance to see March play the clown!  Not surprisingly, he’s good at it.  The performances and filmmaking are strong.  The script is riddled with holes and takes every opportunity to throw in a little mild propaganda.  I enjoyed it, though, more than I had expected to.

Trailer

Kiss Me Kate
Directed by George Sidney
Written by Dorothy Kingsley after the Broadway musical by Sam and Bella Spewak and the play The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
1953/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/My DVD collection

[box] There’s an oil man known as Tex/ Who is keen to give me checks/ And his checks, I fear, means that Tex is here to stay

But I’m always true to you, Darlin’, in my fashion/ Yes, I’m always true to you, Darlin’, in my way — “Always True to You”, lyrics by Cole Porter[/box]

This is a pleasant musical with some good dancing thanks to Ann Miller, Bob Fosse, et al.

Cole Porter has written a new musical based on The Taming of the Shrew and has hired Fred Graham (Howard Keel) to direct and portray Petruchio.  Both are eager to cast Fred’s ex-wife Lilli (Katherine Grayson) as Katherine.  The divorced couple did not part on good terms.  She is planning to marry a cattle baron.  Nevertheless, she agrees to do the part when Fred talks about offering it to Lois Lane (Ann Miller) instead.  Lois, who is making a big play for Fred, is eventually cast as Bianca.

Lois’s secret boyfriend is the ne’er-do-well who is playing Lucentio.  He has racked up a big gambling debt and signed Fred’s name to the marker.  A couple of thugs (James Whitmore and Keenan Wynne) come to collect on opening night.  Fred and Lilli look about ready to mend fences when she discovers a note written to Lois tucked into a bouquet mistakenly delivered to her.  She takes out her anger very physically on stage and he spanks her for real.  Still, it doesn’t take a genius to know where this is going.

I am amazed that it took me this long to get around to this.  It was basically worth waiting for.  The songs are good and the singing and dancing is excellent.  There is a certain lack of pizazz to the story, though.  I enjoyed it.

Kiss Me Kate was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.

Trailer

Carol Haney and Bob Fosse dancing