Category Archives: Movie Reviews

Rocketship X-M
Directed by Kurt Neumann
Written by Kurt Neumann and Orville H. Hampton
1950/USA
Lippert Pictures
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Floyd: I’ve been wondering, how did a girl like you get mixed up in a thing like this in the first place?

Dr. Lisa Van Horn: I suppose you think that women should only cook and sew and bear children.

Floyd: Isn’t that enough?[/box]

The story makes absolutely no sense.  That’s one of the selling points of this fun but very bad movie.

The U.S. government is about to launch a top-secret manned mission to the moon in preparation for its ultimate goal of establishing an atomic space station there to “ensure world peace.” So of course reporters from all the major newspapers are invited to witness this historic event – and told they can reveal none of the details to their readers.

After some scientific mumbo jumbo explaining how the technology works, five astronauts board the rocket.  They are ex-fighter pilot Col. Floyd Graham (Lloyd Bridges); ex-gunner Bill Corrigan (Noah Beery Jr.); navigator Harry Chamberlin (Hugh O’Brien), physicist Dr. Karl Eckstrom and his beautiful assistant physicist Dr. Lisa Van Horn.  The physicists are apparently along mainly so they can make frantic calculations with pencil and paper any time the going gets tough.

Somehow the rocket ship has a mind of its own.  The astronauts are knocked out and when they wake find themselves hurtling toward Mars.  Luckily, they took along twice the amount of fuel needed for a moon journey.  Because the atmospheric conditions on the red planet are so favorable, the astronauts are able to explore in the same street clothes they have worn since lift off.  I won’t spoil the ending but it is abrupt!

There is nothing I like more that to sit around with someone similarly inclined (in this case my brother) and laugh at ludicrously bad movies.  This one contained all the bad special effects and nonsensical plot points necessary for such an endeavor.  And extra bonus was all the 50’s era misogyny directed at the female scientist.  Probably even the detour to Mars resulted from a slip of her pencil …  She comes to value “being a woman” and Lloyd Bridges’ advances when it is almost too late.

Trailer

Variety Lights (Luci del varietá)
Directed by Federico Fellini and Alberto Lattauda
Written by Federico Fellini, Alberto Lattaudo, and Tullio Pinelli
1950/Italy
Capitolium
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Checco Dal Monte: [to Lily] I’m an artist. So are you. You’ve got spunk, spunk! You’ll see. You and I together, always! I will be the performer. I don’t need anyone. I will form the company. I promise you.[/box]

OK, the Fellini years have started!  I’m a fan.  This one is the “1/2” in 8 1/2 as he co-directed with Lattauda but all his signature touches are here.  Comedy predominates.

Checco del Monte is the empresario of a third-rate variety show that plays small towns in Italy.  Even the small towns don’t think much of the acts and as the movie begins creditors are about to foreclose on the sets leaving the performers without wages.

The company travels together by train.  A beautiful young girl approaches Checco with a portfolio of photos and a story of winning beauty pagents and dance-offs.  She is Liliana and is completely star-struck.  Checco tries to woo her but she is having none of that.

When the troupe gets to their next town.  Liliana bails them out by paying a cart to haul their stuff.  She is still hanging around when the theater owner complains that Checco has not furnished all the dancers he promised.  Liliana figures she has a part in the show when she is counted among the dancers Checco did furnish.  All the cast members look down on her as a talentless amateur.  But when Liliana is accidentally caught on stage in her underwear the crowd goes wild and the show is held over for multiple performances while she morphs into its star.

Now Checco thinks Liliana will be his ticket to greater things.  He dumps his mistress of many years Melina Amour (Giulietta Masina) and takes Liliana to Rome to introduce her to his “contacts”.  These are pretty much non-existent and Checco spends a lot of his time discouraging the many men who vie for her attentions.  The girl has her eyes on the prize at all times, however, and soon has outgrown any need of help from her hapless “manager”.

This is a pleasant comedy.  The best parts, though,  are all the crazy supporting characters and their different acts.  Fellini already has a gift for picking out bizarre and totally perfect faces to fill his scenes.  I had a lot of fun watching this.

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Clip – opening minutes – no subtitles but none really needed

The Furies
Directed by Anthony Mann
Written by Charles Schnee from a novel by Nevin Busch
1950/USA
Hall Wallis Productions
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Vance Jeffords: I don’t think I like being in love. It puts a bit in my mouth.[/box]

Barbara Stanwyck in a role that might have been written for her and Walter Huston’s swan song make this a movie well worth seeing.

T.C. Jeffords (Huston) is the larger-than-life owner of The Furies ranch.  He lives life to the max scattering a flurry of IOUs known affectionately as “TCs” in his wake.  Daughter Vance (Stanwyck) is an independent-minded daddy’s girl who wins her father’s heart mainly by sticking up for herself.  Jefford’s son was more of a mama’s boy and Vance runs the ranch in her father’s absence.

T.C. is in constant need of bank loans.  One of the conditions for his latest mortgage is that a number of Mexican-American squatters be evicted from his land.  T.C. is willing but Vance insists that childhood friend Juan Herrera (Gilbert Roland) and his family be allowed to stay.  The Herreras regard the land as their own ancestral property.  T.C. gives his promise.  He also promises Vance $50,000 on the condition that she marry someone he approves of.

Into this situation rides Rip Darrow (Wendell Corey).  T.C. took prime acreage included in the ranch when he killed Darrow’s father.  Vance is taken with the strong, silent gambler and invites him to court her.  Finally he agrees to call on her at the Furies.  When he does, he willingly accepts T.C.’s offer of the $50,000 in exchange for not marrying Vance.

T.C. travels to San Francisco and brings Flo Burnett back with him.  Flo immediately begins to subtly take over.  She convinces T.C. to evict the Herreras, hire a ranch manager, and send Vance off on a grand tour of Europe.  The infuriated Vance strikes back and she and T.C. become mortal enemies.  Much drama ensues.  With Albert Dekker as a banker and Thomas Gomez and Wallace Ford as T.C. loyalists.

This handsomely shot film is reminiscent of Greek tragedy in its outsized emotions.  Both Huston and Stanwyck are superb as are the supporting players.  It’s more melodrama than Western but I enjoyed it for what it was.

This was Walter Huston’s final film. I’m sad to see him leave this journey.  Vincent Milner was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White.

Trailer

The Flowers of St. Francis (“Francesco, giullare di Dio”)
Directed by Roberto Rossellini
Written by Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini, Antonio Lisandrini, et al
1950/Italy
Cineriz/Rizzoli Film
First viewing/Hulu Plus

[box] For it is in giving that we receive. — Francis of Assisi [/box]

I still don’t know quite where I stand on this one.  It is beautiful to look at but decidedly odd.

The spirtual life and teachings of St. Francis are told by Rossellini through a series of short vignettes.  We begin with Francis and a group of his followers joyously travelling through the pouring rain in search of shelter.

They finally reach their destined location and build a rudimentary chapel and shelter. Although all is tiny and ramshackle they pronounce it beautiful.  The men glory in their natural surroundings, thank God for everything that comes to them, and follow Francis as their spiritual father.

Along with Francis, who retains his dignity at all times, we focus on a simple old man who joins the order and parrots whatever Francis does.  We also spend a lot of time with one of the monks who has to be restrained from giving away his clothing to any passing beggar. This man is asked to stay home and cook, which he does in company with the simpleton to various degrees of success.  When he is finally allowed to go out to preach, he stumbles upon a tyrant who has laid a village under siege and is almost hung for his pains. Finally, Francis sends all the brothers out in different directions to spread the gospel and the community is dissolved.

I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t exactly this.  You can feel Fellini’s influence over much of it.  Francis radiates holiness but his disciples come off as really goofy.  They are pure in their simplicity, however.  The story is filmed in a stunningly elevating neorealistic style.  One thing that can be said for this is that it is not saccharine in its Christianity.  Worth seeing at least once.

All the roles were played by actual monks.  I love this piece of IMDb trivia:  “The filmmakers wanted to donate something to the monks who acted in the film since they refused payment. According to Rossellini’s daughter, he expected them to ask that the donation be something charitable – setting up a soup kitchen or the like. Instead, the monks surprised everyone by asking for fireworks. Rossellini saw to it that the town had an enormous, elaborate fireworks display that was the talk of the region for years.”

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Stars in My Crown
Directed by Jacques Tourneur
Written by Margaret Fitts from a novel written and adapted for the screen by Joe David Brown
1950/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] I don’t believe in anti-heroes. Duke Wayne played a mean guy but never an anti-hero. — Joel McCrea[/box]

This is a nice family film about a preacher in a small Southern town.  Kind of against type for director Tourneur but solid.

The story is narrated by a grownup John Kenyon looking back on his childhood.  Josiah Grey (Joel McCrea) is the town’s beloved preacher.  His family consists of his wife Harriet (Ellen Drew) and her orphan nephew John (Dean Stockwell), whom they have adopted. John enjoys a fairly idyllic childhood consisting of school, church, and backwoods adventures with Uncle Famous Phil (Juano Hernandez), an elderly black man who seems to have entertained generations of white children.

As the story begins, a vein of ore has been found to extend under Uncle Phil’s property.  He is under serious pressure from Lon Backett (Ed Begley) to sell.  Uncle Phil refuses to give up his home.

The rest of the story consists of incidents from John’s childhood including a romance between the schoolteacher and the local atheist doctor, a typhoid epidemic and an attack of the local KKK on Uncle Phil’s house.  Josiah handles these situations with leadership and wisdom.  With Alan Hale and Lewis Stone as townfolk.

My love for Joel McCrea is well known and I was disposed to like this picture.  The story could be really corny  but is so heart-felt and well-done that I had a tear in my eye and was humming the hymn that gave the film its title by the end.  Nothing amazing but worth seeing if you like this kind of thing.

Trailer

Harvey
Directed by Henry Koster
Written by Mary Chase and Oscar Brodney from Chase’s play
1950/USA
Universal International
Repeat viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] Elwood P. Dowd: Well, I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I’m happy to state I finally won out over it.[/box]

I hadn’t seen this in quite awhile and had forgotten just how funny and charming it actually is.  This is one of my very favorite James Stewart performances and the supporting cast matches him every step of the way.

Elwood P. Dowd (Stewart) is a gentle soul whose only aim is to please.  He receives a lot of support from alcohol and his friend Harvey, a six-foot three-inch invisible rabbit (really a legendary creature called a pookah). Elwood has a standard way of introducing himself. He presents his card and then introduces Harvey.

Elwood is a great trial to his sister Vita Louise (Josephine Hull) and her ungainly aging daughter Myrtle Mae.  This is especially true since Vita is trying to introduce Myrtle Mae to local society and get her married off. Eventually, they have had enough and attempt to get Elwood committed to a sanitarium.

This is easier said than done.  Elwood happily goes along with whatever he is told to do. However, when Vita confesses to the doctor that she has seen Harvey too, he is convinced that they have committed the wrong patient.  While the orderly (Jesse White) is forcibly wrestling Vita into submission and putting her in a bath, Elwood gets away. Numerous people try to track him down only to come under his spell in the process. With Cecil Kellaway as the sanitarium owner.

This movie is hilarious.  I can’t think of a single flaw.  It is whimsical without being frantic or stupid.  I have tried not to spoil any of the gags.  How I envy anyone seeing it for the first time!

Josephine Hull won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.  James Stewart was nominated for Best Actor.

Trailer