Category Archives: 1962

Dr. No
Directed by Terence Young
Written by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkeley Mather from the novel by Ian Fleming
1962/UK/Jamaica
Eon Productions
First viewing/My DVD collection

[box] [James Bond’s first scene, winning a game of chemin-de-fer] James Bond: I admire your courage, Miss…?

Sylvia Trench: Trench. Sylvia Trench. I admire your luck, Mr…?

James Bond: Bond. James Bond.[/box]

A ton of fun right out of the starting gate!

James Bond (Sean Connery) is a “00” agent for the British M16 with a license to kill.  He’s also quite a lady killer when he isn’t dodging the henchmen of Dr. No, the leader of SPECTRE.  Dr. No has plans to disrupt a U.S. space launch and he will kill as many of his foes as necessary to accomplish his mission.  Bond’s mission is to coordinate with the CIA’s Felix Leiter (Jack Lord) to stop him.

Dr. No’s headquarters are located in mysterious Crab Island off the coast of Jamaica. After successfully defeating many assassination attempts, Bond makes it to the island where he meets Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) collecting shells on the shore.  The two are easily captured by Dr. No.  Fortunately, like all Bond villains, when it comes to Mr. Bond himself, No would rather talk awhile before getting rid of his adversary.  With Bernard Lee as M, Anthony Dawson as a bad guy, and numerous beautiful women

This low-budget effort started the series with all the wit and action that characterized the Sean Connery Bond years.  I have never been able to truly get behind anyone else in the part.  The only things missing are Q and his awesome gadgets.  The DVD came with a very interesting commentary track featuring many of the participants, excepting Connery. Recommended.

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Kanchenjungha
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Written by Satyajit Ray
1962/India
NCA Productions
First viewing/YouTube

[on whether or not he is a humanist] Not really. I can’t think of being anything else but what is represented by my films. I am not conscious of being a humanist. It’s simply that I am interested in human beings. I would imagine that everyone who makes a film is to some extent interested in human beings… I’m slightly irritated (laughs) by this constant reference to humanism in my work – I feel that there are other elements also. It’s not just about human beings. It’s also a structure, a form, a rhythm, a face, a temple, a feeling for light and shade, composition, and a way of telling a story. — Satyajit Ray

I can’t imagine not liking a film by Satyajit Ray.  I liked his first color film but doubt that I will remember it long.

Wealthy Bengalis vacation in the hill town of Darjeeling in Kashmir.  It is a romantic location and the story concerns three potential romances. The central story concerns Monisha.   Her wealthy father is trying to arrange her marriage with a business man.  Her mother is worried and wants Monisha to decide for herself.  It is clear fairly early on that the self-absorbed and boring intended fiance is not the proper match for the beautiful, sensitive English major.  She strikes up a friendship with an unemployed man of about her age.

There is a side story about the attempts of an unfaithful actress to reconcile with her husband.  My favorite part, naturally, was a minor character who spends his time bird watching and his explanation of his love of birds.

This is quite OK.  If it had focused on just one story it probably would have had more impact.  The color on the YouTube video had lost much of its saturation.

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The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
Directed by Tony Richardson
Written by Alan Sillitoe based on his short story
1962/UK
Woodfall Film Productions
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Colin Smith: Look, I’m nobody’s favorite.[/box]

This was the era of Angry Young Men films in Britain.  So far, I have mostly found the alienated youth to be more infuriating than angry.  Tony Richardson and Tom Courtney make this protagonist totally understandable.

As the film begins teenager Colin Smith (Courtney) is being taken by van to a juvenile detention facility or “Borstal”.  Throughout the film we will get glimpses of his life before incarceration via episodic flashbacks.  The old-school governor of this institution (Michael Redgrave) believes that athletics can channel the boys’ anger into a constructive outlet and give the athletes a sense of pride.  Newer staff, with a bent toward psychology, think that life might be more complicated than that.  At any rate, the governor has finally gotten a local public (read private) school to agree to participate in a Sports Day with his boys. He is determined that they will take the Challenge Cup in cross-country running.

Witnessing Colin’s performance in a friendly soccer game convinces the governor that he has found his runner.  Soon Colin is the governor’s blue-eyed boy and has many special privileges.  In his short life, Colin as never been in such a position.  In fact, the whole thing seems surreal to him as do all his encounters with authority figures and glimpses of middle and upper class life.

Colin comes from a chaotic working class home ruled by a stubborn father and a venal mother.  The father dies a painful death, made more painful by his refusal to go to the hospital or take pain medicine.  The minute the body is cold the mother collects 500 pounds insurance money and throws it away on small luxury items and her new boyfriend.  Colin, already a petty thief, teams up with a friend to “borrow a car” from which they pick up girls.  Later, they take the till from an unattended bakery, landing Colin in his current predicament.  Will Colin take a chance to improve himself or stay true to his origins?

This film works so well because Richardson makes us share Colin’s frustration.  The staff of the Borstal, presenters on television, etc. are so disconnected from the problems of someone like Colin as to seem almost like folks from another planet.  It also helps that Courtney has the sensitivity to show us Colin’s humanity and struggle to find his way in a hard world.  He knows something is wrong somewhere but has no idea how to fix it.  The photography has a semi-documentary quality while remaining beautiful and the music supports the story well.  Very highly recommended,

This was Courtney’s first film.

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Gay Purr-ee
Directed by Abe Levitow
Written by Chuck and Dorothy Jones
1962/USA
United Productions of America/Warner Bros.
First viewing/Netflix Rental

[box] Meowrice: [singing] When teacher can’t teach you, and preacher can’t preach you, when agents can’t reach you… the money cat can! The money cat knows where the money tree grows![/box]

When I put together my list I was surprised never to have heard of this Disney animated feature.  Might be because it’s not Disney.

Mewsette (voiced by Judy Garland) lives on a farm with her ardent admirer Jaune-Tom (voiced by Robert Goulet) and wise-guy kitten Robespierre (voiced by Red Buttons).  She overhears a friend of the farm owner talking about the high life in Paris and soon starts putting on airs.  She stows away on the friend’s carriage.  Jaune-Tom and Robespierre go off in search of her.

The first cat Mewsette meets is the evil Meow-rice (voiced by Paul Frees).  He puts her into courtesan training with Mme. Rubens-Chatte (voiced by Hermoine Guingold) after which he plans to sell her as the “wife” to a rich, fat old American cat.  Meow-rice also promptly captures Jaune-Tom and Robespierre on their arrival and sells them as ships’ cats.  How will good triumph?  This was Goulet’s first film.

From the cast list and the Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg score you would think this would be great.  I’m in the minority here, perhaps, but I thought it was pretty terrible.  The dialogue and songs just didn’t appeal.  The animation recalls a mish-mash of French painters in the backgrounds.  Your mileage may vary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16KOBWct0CQ

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Requiem for a Heavyweight
Directed by Ralph Nelson
Written by Rod Sterling from his teleplay
1962/USA
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Repeat viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] Louis ‘Mountain’ Rivera: Mountain Rivera was no punk. Mountain Rivera was almost the Heavyweight Champion of the World![/box]

Why are all boxing movies so darned sad?

Mountain Rivera (Anthony Quinn) is coming to the end of his seventeen-year career.  He’s still strong enough to last seven rounds against Cassius Clay/Mohammed Ali (who has a cameo).  The trouble is that his long-time manager Maish (Jackie Gleason) had bet the farm that he would not last four and, worse, convinced a gangster to make the same bet. Also, the beating has left Mountain unfit to fight due to an eye that will probably be blinded with the next blow.

Mountain has never done anything else but fight.  He’s too big to fit into a movie usher’s uniform.  He meets Grace (Julie Harris), a social worker who has worked with disabled vets, and she gets him an interview for a camp counselor job.  They also look to be starting a tentative romance.

This does not suit Maish in the least.  He is desperate to get the money to get the gangster off his back and figures Mountain owes him.  The idea is to get Mountain to sign a contract to wrestle.  It will be a major blow to Mountain’s dignity.  With Mickey Rooney as a trainer.

This is a solid, if predictable, tale of corruption and cynicism in the boxing world.  All the acting is good, with Gleason being the standout.  Quinn plays his part with a delivery that we should see as punch-drunk but somehow seems slightly off.  It takes some getting used to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3h4EHZSj6k

Carnival of Souls
Directed by Herk Harvey
Written by John Clifford
1962/USA
Harcourt Productions
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Mary Henry: [yelling into the void] WHY CAN’T ANYBODY HEAR ME?[/box]

An educational and industrial film maker wanted to achieve the “look of a Bergman” and the “feel of a Cocteau” on a budget of $17,000 and shooting time of three weeks.  He didn’t do too badly.

As the film begins, a group of boys is drag racing with a group of girls.  Both cars occupy a bridge at the same time and the girls’ car goes over the side and into the water.  After awhile, Mary Henry surfaces looking completely dazed.

Previously, she had been hired as a church organist and goes off to take her job in Lawrence, Kansas.  On her way, she drives by an abandoned carnival site that haunts her for the rest of the film.  She finds a room in a house.  The only other boarder is a randy young alcoholic who simply will not leave her alone.  She keeps seeing terrifying visions of a man (played by the director) whom no one else can see.

As Mary goes about her daily business, it seems people are ignoring her completely.  I’ll stop here.

This movie looks beautiful but a horror film without a monster was not going to be a blockbuster in 1962.  Amateur acting betrays its small budget and a lot of what was happening does not make complete sense, even in the context of the fantasy.  It’s an interesting film, though, and worth seeing once.  There are several full versions available on YouTube – be sure to find one that has not been colorized.

The Miracle Worker
Directed by Arthur Penn
Written by William Gibson based on his play and the book by Helen Keller
1962/USA
Playfilm Productions
Repeat viewing/Netflix

[box] Annie Sullivan: I wanted to teach her what language is. I know without it to do nothing but obey is no gift. Obedience without understanding is a blindness too. Is that all I’ve wished on her?[/box]

Spectacular acting meets a powerful, inspirational story.

This is based on the true story of Helen Keller (Patty Duke), who, at nineteen months, was stricken by an illness that left her deaf and blind.  Her doting family responded by letting her do what ever she wanted to, eventually resulting in an out-of-control “wild child”.  The violence of Helen’s outbursts could no longer be tolerated.  After much hesitation, the family sent for a teacher and Annie Sullivan (Anne Bancroft) came into their lives.  Since Sullivan also had a visual impairment she could relate somewhat to Helen’s challenges.

Annie sensed an innate intelligence in her pupil and was determined that Helen would learn to behave, obey, and communicate.  The early days of Helen’s education were accompanied by Helen’s violent physical attempts to resist obedience but Annie was persistent.  The real miracle however came when Helen finally learned the relationship between objects and the words that label them.  With Victor Jory as Helen’s father and Inga Swenson as her mother.

This movie is exhausting but so worth it!  The acting is nothing short of mind-blowing.  You will believe every second that Helen can neither see nor hear.  The story is a real testament to the human spirit.  Highly recommended.

Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke won the Oscars for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.  The Miracle Worker was nominated in the categories of Best Director; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium; and Best Costume Design, Black-and-White.

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Knife in the Water (Nóz w wodzie)
Directed by Roman Polanski
Written by Jakub Goldberg, Roman Polanski, and Jerzy Skolimowski
1962/Poland
Zespol Filmowy “Kamera”
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box]Krystyna: You’re just like him… only half his age, and twice as dumb.[/box]

Polanski proves himself to be a very talented beginner.

From the outset Andrzej and Kristina seem to have a rocky relationship.  He is decades older than she is and, more importantly, is a complete jerk.  When a young hitchhiker tries to catch a ride by standing in the middle of the road, Andrzej brakes at the last possible second.  (The young hitchhiker is never named in the film and will be referred to here as the Young Man. His dialogue was post-dubbed by Polanski.)

Then to prove a some kind of point to Kristina, he gives the Young Man a lift.  The couple are going as far as the nearby marina, where they plan a day’s sailing on their boat.  Andrzej invites the Young Man to join them, apparently to torture both him and Kristina.

Andrzej then begins a sort of Alpha Male competition with the Young Man.  He belatedly finds out the Young Man can more than hold his own …

There is an underlying theme of class struggle going on here as it would be a rare couple in 1962 Poland who would privately own both a Mercedes and a boat.  On the other hand, the Young Man is almost as obnoxious as Andrzej.

It’s an interesting watch that amounts to less than what it promises.  The shooting, on the other hand, is brilliant – the kind where almost every frame makes a beautiful still.  Polanski does fall victim to self-conscious artiness at times here.  He would improve.

Knife in the Water was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign-Language Film.

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