Mary Carlisle
Paulette Goddard
Vivian Vance and Lucille Ball
Judy Garland
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Miranda Wells Gene Tierney , a naïve farm girl, cannot seem to mix with her strict religious upbringing. She wants to see the world and all the different people in it. When an invitation to live with her rich cousin Nicholas Van Ryan in order to school his daughter at Dragonwyck arrives, Miranda jumps at the chance, convincing her father to let her go. When she arrives at Dragonwyck she observes the odd behavior of her dark and handsome cousin, his interactions with his tenant farmers, his wife, and his daughter. Something isn’t quite right, but the more she becomes aware of how different this family is from hers, with their dark secrets and selfish ways, the more she falls for Nicholas. When Nicholas’ wife mysteriously passes away, Nicholas wastes little time making Miranda his as well as making her wish she had never set eyes on Dragonwyck.
Originally to be directed by Lubitsch (wouldn’t that have been interesting?) who fell ill before production, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who wrote the adaption, was offered his first directorial piece. Chock full of little treats in the form of a young Jessica Tandy as Miranda's handicapped maid, Walter Huston playing the furthest thing from the devil as Miranda's pious father, Spring Byington playing the creepy housekeeper, and Major General Steele...er...uh Harry Morgan as the disgruntled tenant farmer. In the style of Rebecca and Jane Eyre, Dragonwyck too has some creepy twists and turns. Though I enjoyed the Dragonwyck- mostly because a young Vincent Price is so foreign to me, I finished the film with one questioned in mind: why did Mrs. Van Ryan eat so passionately? I want to assume it's because she was secretly being fed opium by Nicholas who was also a drug addict. I read that the PCA discouraged "showing Nicholas resorting to opium as an escape." Although Nicholas clearly states that he is a drug addict, he does not indicate to which drug he is addicted.
This is the second film I have seen with Gene Tierney (who, I learned, is Robert Osborn's favorite), I saw her in Toys in the Attic (1963) as well. She is absolutely lovely in the film and looking upon her filmography, I see that though she was in great demand, her personal life often put her career on hold. It's rumored that she met John F. Kennedy during the filming of Dragonwyck and that they had an affair which he eventually broke off due to his political aspirations.
Tonight: Happy Hallowe'en!!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Johnny Ramirez (Paul Muni) after five years of grueling work has finally become a lawyer only to be disbarred for being ill-prepared and more likely ethnic, when he tries a case against the wealthy, racist socialite Dale Elwell (Margaret Lindsay). Making the mistake of thinking the lack of money, not his race, is the reason for all his problems, Johnny leaves his mother and community and sets out to make some quick. Arriving in a border town in Mexico, Johnny does well for himself as a manager and part-time advisor to Charlie Roark (Eugene Pallette), a night club owner. Everything is going swell until Marie Roark takes it into her head that she must have Johnny all to herself. Despite his disinterest, she offs her husband under the guise of suicide and goes mad from her own crime. Her descent is hastened by the arrival of Dale Elwell whom Johnny is now seeking favors from. This is where the story loses its luster for me. Instead of teaching Dale a lesson by turning her away from the new nightclub that Johnny manages, he woos her and eventually falls in love with her. Sick with jealousy, Marie publicly accuses Johnny of murdering Charlie and there is a trial. Dale does not stand by Johnny but when a mistrial is declared after it’s evident that Marie is insane, Johnny rushes back to Dale and proposes; only to be told “We're from two different tribes, savage." In a moment of skewed justice, Dale runs away from an angry Johnny only to be killed by an oncoming car. Defeated, Johnny returns home and the film closes on a negative note as Johnny says he’s learned his lesson and will stick with his own people.
I don’t really want to spend any time on the obvious racial undertones that are clearly evident in this film; that’s just par for the course in some classic cinema and though I’m not comfortable with it, I do not have a solution for it. I didn’t particularly like this film. The best thing about it was Bette Davis who, much to Muni’s dislike, stole the show. Fresh off her success of Of Human Bondage (there are a few recognizable Mildred moments in this film) Davis’ onscreen shots kept the film from being a real snore. Muni and Lindsay’s relationship, despite certain obstacles, was boring with the only excitement being that Lindsay got her just desserts. Ramirez’s demeanor is also an issue. In the beginning of the film we learn that through hard work and school he managed to avoid a life of crime, but as he sets out to make money he becomes more and more sinister. I cannot empathize with his character because he comes off as an egotistical, lurking creep that lashes out when angry. So I have to question whether this was the intent of the director or if it was Muni’s interpretation of how the Ramirez should be played. Add to that the glossing over of important details such as an investigation of the murder, Davis’ descent into madness, and the development of the relationship between Ramirez and Elwell, the film was simply not up to snuff.
Tonight on TCM!
Targets (1968) An aging horror star and a psychotic veteran come face to face at the premiere of the star's most recent film. Cast: Boris Karloff, Tim O'Kelly, Nancy Hsueh, James Brown Dir: Peter Bogdanovich
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Mrs. Parkington is the history of a love story told through flashbacks. When scandal erupts within the Parkington family that could ruin their fortune and good name, Susie Parkington cannot help reflecting back on her marriage to the man that built the Parkington name and how he would handle the situation. Through a series of flashbacks we learn of the love and loss of Major and Mrs. Parkington from their meeting in a boarding house where Susie worked in a town called Leaping Frog, Nevada; through their private battle during a public humiliation and their estrangement following the death of their son. The underlying moral of the story beyond the hardships of love and loss is the realization of creating an empire and fortune worthy of passing down only to find that it has corrupted the potential inheritors.With thoughts of the Major in mind, Susie makes a decision contrary to the wishes of the family, but one that she feels the Major would make as well.
I always enjoy a good story about disfunctional families, the Parkingtons are no exception. Though the film over two hours and the storyline is not uncommon, I was absorbed in the wonderful performances of Garson, Pidgeon, and Agnes Moorehead who played the extravagant Baroness Aspasia Conti. It was interesting to see Mrs. Parkington evolve from a young naive girl to a knowledgeable, unaffected woman through each flashback; to see the relationship that was questionable at first grow into true love; to see how the Major and Mrs. Parkington resolved their problems and overcame loss. It makes me look forward to seeing Mrs. Miniver all the more!
Tonight on TCM!
Monday, October 26, 2009
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