Rocket Attack U.S.A. Directed by Barry Mahon 1961/USA Exploit Films
First viewing/YouTube
[box] Tannah: Last month I became the mistress of the secretary of defense. When the pig gets drunk, he talks.
John Manston: What a setup![/box]
How you make a movie about impending atomic devastation this boring is beyond me.
An American spy tries to find out what information has been developed from the Sputnik satellite. It turns out the Soviets now have an intercontinental ballistic missile at their disposal and its launch date is imminent.
To be honest, this movie lost me from the first frame and the above plot summary is all I can really remember of it. The film has no redeeming qualities. Give it a miss.
Divorce Italian Style (Divorzio all’italiana) Directed by Pietro Germi Written by Ennio De Concini, Pietro Germi, and Alfredo Giannetti 1961/Italy Lux Film/Vides Cinematografica/Galatea Film
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] Divorce: a resumption of diplomatic relations and rectification of boundaries. Ambrose Bierce [/box]
I have an unrequited love affair with Marcello Mastroianni and consider this to be the peak of his acting career. I just love this movie!
Fernando Cefalú (Mastroianni) is the first son in an impoverished aristocratic family. Things have gotten so bad that Fernando’s father has had to resort to housing his brother and family. This puts temptation in Fernando’s way in the shape of his shapely 16-year-old first cousin Angela. She reciprocates his affection in an infatuated teenager sort of way,
Fernando is burdened by the existence of his relentlessly cheerful and clinging wife, Rosalia (Daniela Rocca). The domestic and attentive Rosalia might be the perfect wife if it were not for her little mustache and her constant pestering for demonstrations of love. Fernando finds her unbearable and the audience can see why.
Then Fernando gets an idea. Divorce is out at this time in Italy but crimes of honor are lightly punished in Sicily. What he needs to do is find a chump foolish enough to fall for Rosalia and catch them en flagrante. This is both easier and more difficult than it might seem.
This is a very funny film thanks largely to the spot-on performances by Mastroianni and Rocca. Mastroianni manages to create a totally insufferable egocentric Latin lover and at the same time get you to hope he will succeed in his project. He must have had fun sending up the press’s portrayal of himself. There are also many pokes at the Italian character and customs to savor. Highly recommended.
Divorce, Italian-Style won the Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen. It was nominated in the categories of Best Actor and Best Director.
Mothra (Mosura) Directed by Ishiro Honda Written by Shinichi Sekizawa from a novel by Shinichiro Nakamura et al 1961/Japan Toho Company
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Shobijin, Shobijin: Mothra, she’ll rescue us, and return us to our island![/box]
Here’s our first giant mutant hero. A destructive hero to be sure, but his heart is in the right place.
A fishing ship runs aground on Infant Island, the supposedly uninhabited location of Rolisican atomic tests. None of the sailors is suffering from radiation poisoning. They attribute this to some juice prescribed by the local people.
A joint Japanese-Rolisican expedition sets out to explore the island. The team includes two snoopy Japanese investigative reporters and the evil Rolisican who demands to be in charge of the entire mission. It turns out this man is a notorious collector of ancient artifacts. When the group discovers two one-foot high beauties living on the island, the villain promptly kidnaps them and puts them on display on the main land. Their “act” mostly consists of a song in their own language begging “Mosura” to rescue them.
The girls’ plea does not go unanswered for long. An egg undergoes its metamorphosis from caterpillar to pupa to moth in short order. Mosura is single-minded in his quest. No amount of persuasion will persuade the bad guy to release his captives. He merely smuggles them out of Japan to Rolisican. The moth changes course, but not before destroying the Tokyo Tower.
This is a fun film. Even the obligatory comic relief is somehow endearing. You need to accept it for what it is – a vehicle for the teen idol identical twin singing group who play the tiny beauties.
The DVD contained both the Japanese and American versions and a commentary.
Flower Drum Song Directed by Henry Koster Written by Joseph Fields from a musical play by Fields and Oscar Hammerstein III and a novel by C.Y. Lee 1961/USA Universal International Pictures/Fields Productions/Hunter-Fields
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Madame ‘Auntie’ Liang: Chop Suey. Chop Suey. / Living here is very much like Chop Suey. / Hula-hoops and nucelar war, Doctor Salk and Zsa Zsa Gabor, / Bobby Darin, Sandra Dee and Dewey, Chop Suey.[/box]
This stood up well to fond memories from my musical-besotted youth.
Mei Li (Myoshi Umeki) and her father arrive in San Francisco, having stowed away on a cargo ship. They have jumped the immigration queue so that Mei Li will be young enough to still qualify as the photo bride of her intended, Sammy Fong (Jack Soo). Sammy, a nightclub owner, is in a long-term relationship with dancer-singer Linda Low (Nancy Kwan), is a bit of a rake, and is utterly unsuited to Mei Li.
Mei Li and her father end up boarding with Wang Chi-Yang (Benson Fong) who has been looking for a wife for his son Wang Ta (James Shigeta). Wang Ta, on the other hand, is infatuated with Linda. A dressmaker, Helen, is in love with him. Upon their first meeting, so is Mei Li. It is all very complicated.
The rest of the story traces the myriad of misunderstandings and mishaps that lead to the correct pairing of the various young characters. At the same time, it humorously deals with the immigrant experience and the generation gap. With Juanita Hall as “Auntie”, a citizenship scholar and fan of the New World.
I think I actually saw this in the theater in my childhood when it came out. I know we had the soundtrack at home. Anyway, that’s enough to almost guarantee I would still love it and I did. It’s impossible to add any objective criticism.
This was the first Hollywood production with an all-Asian cast, if you count Nancy Kwan and Juanita Hall who were both mixed race. The DVD includes a nice commentary with the still delightful Nancy Kwan and a film historian.
Flower Drum Song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Color.
King of Kings
Directed by Nicholas Ray
Written by Philip Yordan
1961/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Samuel Bronston Productions
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] Narrator: And when the tomb was found empty, some days passed, and Christ was seen at Emmaus, and in Jerusalem, and those who saw Him knew He was the Lord God. And then a final time He came among His disciples by the shore of Galilee…[/box]
Apparently my bias against long Biblical epics extends to those directed by Nicholas Ray.
The story of Jesus of Nazareth is well-known and does not need repeating. This film plays up the portions dealing with the oppression of the Jews by the Romans and the rebellion headed by Barrabas, leading to more than usual amounts of violence by the standards of these things.
Jeffrey Hunter makes a bland Jesus and Robert Ryan is a strange choice for the role of John the Baptist. My Biblical studies are decades in the past but I couldn’t recall some of the incidents portrayed being included in the Good Book. Ray is a master of color and the widescreen but the movie lacks the passion that could have made the movie work.
Interesting how my randomized list just happened to stop on this one for Easter Sunday!
Chronicle of a Summer (Chronique d’un été) Directed by Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch
1961/France
Argos Films First viewing/FilmStruck
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
This film gave the term cinema verite to the lexicon while at the same time foreshadowing such exercises as David Holzman’s Diary.
The filmmakers set out to make a film about a particular time and place – Paris in the summer of 1960 – and gathered a “cast” of non-actors to help them do so. The main concern is how people live their lives. This is approached by asking people whether they are happy. As the film begins one of the main subjects, Marcelline, takes to the streets with a colleague to stop random strangers with just this question. She finds very few that will even give her the time of day.
Then we start focusing on the subjects who have agreed to participate in the project. They answer at length, sometimes with gut-wrenching honesty. At the same time, the film explores the immigrant experience and feelings about the upheaval in the Congo and the war in Algeria. The film concludes with a reflection on whether the camera has made the reactions filmed “false”.
There’s a lot to think about here. The filmmakers picked their subjects with a lot of care – it’s not clear whether the people were all previously acquainted – and their stories and emotional and intellectual lives are all fascinating. The film is beautifully done and I highly recommend it.
The Curse of the Werewolf Directed by Terrence Fisher Written by Anthony Hinds from a novel by Guy Endore 1961/UK Hammer Films
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] “You know,” he said, “every time a vampire says he doesn’t believe in lycanthropes, a werewolf bursts into flames.” ― Elizabeth Bear, New Amsterdam[/box]
Hammer’s take on the 1940 Universal classic is less a remake than a vivid reimagining.
The story has been moved from England to perhaps 18th or 19th Century Spain. It is a time of all-powerful cruel aristrocrats and sniviling yet corrupted peons. The moviebegins with a long prelude in which a Marques torments and finally imprisons a beggar. He is befriended by the jailer’s mute daughter. Years later when she rejects the Marques’s advances she herself is thrown into prison where she is in turned raped by her supposed friend.
The mute girl escapes and is taken in by a kindly landowner and his housekeeper. She gives birth on Christmas Day, considered a very bad omen and an insult to Christ at the time. The mother dies and the landowner raises the boy he names Leon as his own son. He is a beautiful child but as he grows he is plagued by nightmares and livestock start being savagely attacked in his vicinity…
Somehow, Leon survives to adulthood and grows up to be Oliver Reed. When he reaches his majority he goes to seek his fortune and finds work with another landowner. Leon and the landowner’s wealthy daughter fall in love. But the Christmas curse does not stay dormant for long …
I can’t think of a more perfect part for Oliver Reed than as a werewolf. He chews the scenery in the most delightful way and at this age is mighty easy on the eyes as well. It’s an interesting and intricate story which I actually preferred to the Lon Chaney version. This is a bloody version of the tale and all the gore is lovingly photographed in Technicolor and enhanced by beautiful atmospheric sets and costumes. Recommended for horror fans.
Trailer – color was much better on Amazon Instant print
La Notte Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni Written by Michelangelo Antonioni, Ennio Flaiano, and Tonino Guerra 1961/Italy/France Nepi Film/Sofitedip/Silver Films
Repeat viewing/FilmStruck
One of 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die
[box] Giovanni: I no longer have inspirations, only recollections.[/box]
There is some gold within this sad film about ennui.
The story follows a day in the life of Giovanni (Marcello Mastroiani) and Lidia (Jeanne Moreau), a restless married couple. Â Each is restless in his own way. Â As the film begins, the couple visits a friend who is in the hospital in great pain. Â The prospect of death has brought him some clarity and the three engage in some honest conversation. Â But Lidia can’t take the strain and goes off wandering aimlessly. Â Eventually, the two reunite.
Lidia doesn’t feel like another evening at home. Â Neither does she want to go to a lavish party at the home of the Gherardinis. Â So they go out to a nightclub and watch a mildly pornographic striptease act. Â This wears down Lidia to the point that she is ready for the party. Â At the party, the couple soon separate. Â Temptation awaits each of them. Giovanni’s takes the form of Monica Vitti.
As in the other Antonioni films I have seen, the characters all seem to be searching for some meaning. Â For all we know there is none to be found. Â One has to be in the right mood to watch this stuff. Â Yesterday, I enjoyed the poetry of the visuals but really wasn’t ready for the very bleak story. Â My favorite part of this is actually the brief section where Monica Vitti plays the game with her makeup compact.
The Devil’s Hand Directed by William J. Hole Jr. Written by Jo Heims Rex Carlton Productions
First viewing/YouTube
[box] Rick Turner: You’ve waited all your life for the perfect mate; what’s twenty minutes more?
Donna Trent: You should get over that inferiority complex.[/box]
It’s hard to imagine a more bland movie about voodoo.
Rick Turner (Robert Alda) is in a long-term relationship with Donna Trent but has yet to be persuaded to take a trip down the aisle. Lately, his resolve has been further shaken by persistent dreams about a beautiful blonde, Bianca. He is mysteriously drawn to a shop where he finds dolls with the images of both women. The owner tells him that he ordered the Bianca doll but denies that he ordered the Donna doll. Eventually voodoo with her doll puts Donna out of commission. Rick becomes a devotee of both voodoo and Bianca. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
I must admit that I relied heavily on the IMDb plot summary for my own. I remembered almost nothing about the film less than 24 hours later. There are zero scares in this middle American cult. Well worth a miss.
A Taste of Honey Directed by Tony Richardson Written by Shelagh Delaney and Tony Richardson from a play by Delaney 1960/UK Woodfall Film Productions
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Geoffrey: You need somebody to love you while you’re looking for somebody to love.[/box]
There is some very fine acting in this kitchen sink drama featuring an Angry Young Woman.
Teenager Jo (Rita Tushingham) is a bit of an odd-ball – not surprisingly considering her upbringing. As the film begins she is living with her self-centered single mother Helen (Dora Bryan). Helen has had one affair after another and is currently seeing a younger man, Peter, who has marriage on his mind. Jo and Helen squabble constantly.
Jo meets a kind sailor and embarks on her first romance. Before he goes off to sea again, they consummate the relationship.
Peter can’t stand having the smart-mouthed Jo around. She gets a job selling shoes and rents a ramshackle apartment that is clearly too big for her. She befriends an equally odd-ball customer named Geoff (Murray Melvin) and he moves in with her. Before long, Jo finds she is pregnant. Her anxiety level is only raised by the fact that the baby will be black. But Geoff, who is gay, is more than willing to act as a surrogate father. This leads to a war of wills between Geoff and Dora.
This film deservedly raised Tushingham to prominence and the performances of Bryan and Melvin rise to her level. Bryan actually manages to make a basically unlikeable character oddly touching. The story is interesting and the treatment of the race and gay questions is fresh and non-judgemental. I was puzzled by the unresolved ending. I would have liked something a bit tidier. Still recommended.
I’ve been a classic movie fan for many years. My original mission was to see as many movies as I could get my hands on for every year from 1929 to 1970. I have completed that mission.
I then carried on with my chronological journey and and stopped midway through 1978. You can find my reviews of 1934-1978 films and “Top 10” lists for the 1929-1936 and 1944-77 films I saw here. For the past several months I have circled back to view the pre-Code films that were never reviewed here.
I’m a retired Foreign Service Officer living in Indio, California. When I’m not watching movies, I’m probably traveling, watching birds, knitting, or reading.
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