Category Archives: 1953

I Confess
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by George Tabori and William Archibald from a play by Paul Anthelme
1953/USA
Warner Bros.
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Fr. Michael William Logan: I never thought of the priesthood as offering a hiding place.[/box]

This lesser known Hitchcock film really grew on me.

I’ll try not to spoil it.  The setting is Quebec.  Michael Logan (Montgomery Clift) is a parish priest.  Late one night, the church’s German refugee handyman Otto Keller returns in a very agitated state.  He insists that Logan hear his confession.  In it he tells the priest that he murdered lawyer Villette in the course of a bungled burglary attempt.  He was wearing a stolen cassock at the time.

The next morning Keller reports as usual to tend Villette’s garden and “discovers” the corpse.  Father Logan  goes to the scene and is seen to speak with a woman there.  She is Ruth Granfort (Anne Baxter) and appears almost happy about Villette’s death.  Father Logan was spotted the previous night near Villlette’s hoiuse.  Inspector Larrue (Karl Malden) is assigned to the case and follows the clues with dogged persistence.  I will end here.  With Brian Aherne as Ruth’s husband.

The murder takes place right after the credits and we know the culprit within the first 5 or 10 minutes.  The core of the movie is Father Logan’s dilemma between preserving the sanctity of the confessional or his personal reputation and freedom.  Montgomery Clift is expert at playing this kind of torn character and is excellent in this movie.  Anne Baxter overacts a bit but is bearable.  Hitchcock keeps the suspense tightly wound and the whole thing looks great.  I liked this more on my second viewing than my first.

Trailer

Peter Pan
Directed by Clyde Geronomi, Wilfred Jackson, et al
Written by Ted Sears, Erdman Penner et al from a play by J.M. Barrie
1953/USA
Walt Disney Studio
Repeat viewing/Netflix Rental

[box] Peter Pan: Second star to the right and straight on till morning. [/box]

This classic Disney cartoon falls flat in comparison to my beloved Mary Martin TV musical.

Everyone probably knows the story.  Peter Pan is a boy with magical powers largely fueled by pixie dust contributed by his friend Tinkerbell, a fairy.  He regularly visits the children of the Darling family, Wendy, John and Michael.  Wendy regales her brothers about his adventures in the interim.  Wendy managed to steal Peter’s shadow and he arrives to retrieve it.  Wendy’s father has threatened to take her out of the nursery and make her grow up.  So Peter teaches the children to fly and they go off to his home in Neverland.

There the children get involved in all Peter’s battles with the evil pirate Captain Hook.  They also visit an Indian village and a mermaid lagoon.  Peter lives with a number of Lost Boys who want Wendy as their Mother, though this aspect is not stressed much in the cartoon.  Al of Peter’s advenures are complicated by Tinkerbell’s jealousy of Wendy.  With Hans Conreid as the voice of Mr. Darling and Captain Hook.

One of the things that keeps this in the second tier of classic Disney cartoons, in my opinion, is the lack of memorable songs.  I am spoiled by having watched the Mary Martin musical on TV every year during my youth.  That version has great songs.

If you have never read J.M. Barrie’s book I would highly recommend it.  I listened to the audiobook narrated by Tim Curry and it was wonderful. Only an adult could really get all the wry hiumor properly.

Trailer

Project Moon Base
Directed by Richard Talmadge
Written by Robert A. Heinlein and Jack Seaman
1953/USA
Galaxy Pictures, Inc.
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] Gen. ‘Pappy’ Greene: [Turns and walks towards her, facing her to step back as he talks] ONE: Colonels don’t say, “No”, to Generals! TWO: You’re not a superwoman, you’re a spoiled brat! THREE: Anymore guff out of you and I’ll turn you over my knee and spank you. [/box]

1953 was a good year for bad movies.  This one hit my funny bone.

The year is 1970 and the Cold War is in full force.  As the film begins, evildoers are planning to destroy the U.S. space station.  They have trained (not extremely well as it turns out) doubles for all the U.S. aerospace scientists.  They get the chance when they learn of a mission to orbit the moon and substitute their man for the civilian Dr. Wernher who is take photographs of the dark side of the moon during the voyage.

Major Bill Moore of the U.S. Space Force has been chosen to pilot the craft.  At the last minute, however, the President demands that Colonel Briteis captain the mission.  There is bad blood between Moore and Briteis but he finally agrees to serve as co-pilot.  And a good thing too as he must subdue the false Dr. Wernher and then summon help after the craft has been forced to land on the moon.

Well, this thing is an entertaining mess.  First we have some of the most ludicrous costumes ever including, but not limited to, the skull caps and hot pants which our astronauts wear in space.  The special effects are dreadful.  My favorite part was the obsolete sexual politics, however.  The good Colonel’s name is pronounced as BRIGHT-EYES by all the men and they spend most of their time ribbing her.  And she apparently deserves most of it for incompetence.  And yet we get the reveal of a female U.S. President by the end.

I’m coming closer to my definition of what makes a bad movie “good”.  Whether from its badness or its plot, it needs to keep my interest to the end.  This certainly did that and provided a few chuckles to boot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FONTnIPCw0

Trailer

MST3K Clip

Julius Caesar
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Written by Joseph L Mankiewicz (uncredited) from the play by William Shakespeare
1953/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Marc Antony: [to Caesar’s dead body] O pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth / That I am meek and gentle with these butchers.[/box]

Julius Caesar is not my favorite of the Bard’s plays.  The film is worth seeing, however, if only for Marlon Brando’s delivery of Marc Antony’s funeral oration.

Julius Caesar (Louis Calhern), fresh from his triumphs as commander of Rome’s army, has rejected the imperial crown three times.  However, the jealous Cassius (John Gielgud) convinces Brutus (James Mason) that he is about to become emperor and put an end to Rome’s democracy.  A plot to assassinate Caesar ensues.  Several of the conspirator’s stab Caesar but Brutus delivers the fatal blow.

Marc Antony (Brando), a prominent nobel and long and loyal supporter of Caesar, asks to be allowed to deliver a eulogy.  He promises that he will speak only of Caesar’s virtues and not condemn the assassins.  He keeps his promise in such a way as to cause a riot against the conspirators.

The remainder of the play covers the civil war between forces led by Marc Antony and those of Brutus et al.

Back when I was in high school, freshmen were required to study this play.  I never understood why as to me it is one of Shakespeare’s dullest overall.  The funeral orations of Brutus and Marc Antony are stirring, however, and here they are delivered by two great actors.  Brando does quite well with the Elizabethan text.

Julius Caesar won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White.  It was nominated in the categories of Best Picture; Best Actor (Brando); Best Cinematography, Black-and-White; and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.

Trailer

Marc Antony’s funeral oration