Daily Archives: April 4, 2014

Forbidden Planet (1956)

Posted on April 4, 2014 | 2 comments

Forbidden Planet
Directed by Fred M. Wilcox
Written by Cyril Hume based on a story by Irving Block and Allen Adler
1956/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
#320 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
IMDB users say 7.7/10; I say 8/10

[box] Dr. Edward Morbius: Guilty! Guilty! My evil self is at that door, and I have no power to stop it![/box]

The granddaddy of big-budget sci-fi movies is still enjoyable after all these years.

Commander Adams (Leslie Nielson) and the crew of his spaceship are on a mission to the planet Altair to search for survivors of a scientific mission lost there 20 years before. As they approach, lone survivor Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) warns them off, assuring them everything is alright.  They ignore his advise and discover him living with nubile daughter Altaira (Anne Francis) and faithful robot Robby in a marvelous compound devoid of other life.

Morbius explains that the other members of his expedition were torn limb from limb by a mysterious force to which he and his daughter are immune.  He also shows the men a laboratory of vast sophistication in which he has discovered  the secrets of the Krell, highly evolved creatures who died out 20,000 years ago.  Before their extinction, the Krell were able to create matter with thought alone, an ability which Morbius has been able to engineer into Robby.

The Commander and Altaira fall in love but the evil secret of the Forbidden Planet threatens the lives of his crew and their future together.

The state-of-the-art special effects and art direction look a tad obvious and 50’s retro from this vantage point but they still impress by the sheer scope of their vision. The 50’s era sexual politics is too naive to be offensive and a scary monster and a unique Freudian premise do not disappoint.

Forbidden Planet was nominated for an Academy Award for its Special Effects.

Trailer

 

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Posted in Movie Reviews

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

Posted on April 4, 2014 | 4 comments

The Grapes of Wrath 
Directed by John Ford
Written by Nunnally Johnson based on the novel by John Steinbeck
1940/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
#145 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

[box] [last lines] Ma Joad: Rich fellas come up an’ they die, an’ their kids ain’t no good an’ they die out. But we keep a’comin’. We’re the people that live. They can’t wipe us out; they can’t lick us. We’ll go on forever, Pa, ’cause we’re the people.[/box]

I always forget just how great this movie is.  It is a true masterpiece.

Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) returns home from the penitentiary only to find that his family has been evicted from the land they have sharecropped for years by the land company.  With ex-preacher Jim Casey (John Carridine), he tracks them down just as they are ready to set out to the promised land of California in search of work.  But the outsiders are not welcomed and the family threatens to break apart.  Meanwhile, Tom angered at the exploitation he sees and inspired by a sacrifice made by Casey, grows increasingly restless.  With Jane Darwell as Ma, Charley Grapewin as Grandpa. John Qualen as Muley, and Ward Bond as a kindly policeman.

 

The subject matter is so sad that I postponed viewing the film.  I shouldn’t have.  Within five minutes, I was overcome by the spare beauty of the images.  This represented some kind of peak in the distinguished careers of Ford and Fonda.  The acting, even that of Carradine who usually overdoes it, is absolutely convincing.

Jane Darwell won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work in The Grapes of Wrath and John Ford was named the Best Director of the year.  The picture was also nominated by the Academy in the categories of Best Picture, Best Actor (Fonda), Best Writing (Screenplay), Best Sound Recording and Best Film Editing.

Trailer

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1940

Under Texas Skies (1940)

Posted on April 4, 2014 | 1 comment

Under Texas Skies
Directed by George Sherman
Written by Anthony Coldeway and Betty Burbridge based on characters created by William Colt McDonald
1940/USA
Republic Pictures
First viewing/Streaming on Amazon Prime Instant Video

[box] Tagline: A RAIDER-BUSTIN’ Buckeroo in a ROARIN’ ROUND-UP OF BLAZIN’ Action![/box]

I have not been religious in watching all the “B” Westerns available to me but this one was highly rated (7.8/10 on IMDb) and I had the time so I gave it a try.  It was quite OK but nothing special.

The Civil War causes the government to pull troops out of the frontier, leaving the ranchers without protection. Sheriff Brooke is looking for men to take their place and varmint Tom Blackton manages to get himself and part of his gang deputized.  The other members of the gang proceed to terrorize the county.  When Tuscon Smith finds them out, Blackton frames him for the murder of the sheriff.  Stony Brooke (Robert Livingston) arrives in town and starts to hunt down his old friend Tuscon who has escaped from jail.  Soon enough, he discovers the true culprit and, with the aid of feckless Lullaby Jones and Tuscon, hunts him down.

This is sort of a prequel to the Three Musketeers series in that the boys are not yet a team at the start.  It also marked the return of Robert Livingston, who had been replaced by John Wayne for several films, as Stony.  The story has all the elements that would appeal to its target audience.  Unfortunately, this includes some fairly lame comic relief by Lullaby who continues to specialize in ventriloquism.

Although no attention is called to it, these guys appear to be time travelers.  In the last episode I watched they were driving pickup trucks.

 

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Posted in 1940, Movie Reviews