This is a famous classic, I get that, but a lot of it got on my nerves - maybe I was in a bad mood, but there was a little too much of Henry Fonda in a fake nose, and slice of small town life, and gossiping character actors, and women in bonnets.
It's clearly made with skill and love and there are some terrific moments - like introducing Ann Rutlege then cutting to Abe visiting her grave - and I enjoyed the legal story which takes up the bulk of the action. Donald Meek has more fire than I'm used to seeing him playing the prosecutor.
Still I can't help feeling this was over-rated: too much common sense, people being cute and saying "I reckon", sunsets and Lincoln being a man of destiny. I was like, alright already. The issue of black people is mostly skirted apart from some mention that slaves are making it hard to be a farmer in Kentucky.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Movie review - "The Killers" (1964) **1/2
For a long time the reputation of this movie lived in the shadow of the more famous 1946 version (which made Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner stars) but it has risen in recent years. I wasn't wild about it, though it has an amazing cast, led by Lee Marvin in outstandingly good form. Maybe modern day viewers are attracted to the idea of rehabilitating its reputation as well as the misogyny in the story (a lot of cult films are misogynistic).
The idea of the killers looking into the past of the man they have killed may have seemed fresh, but having raised a vaguely plausible reason for them to bother - they are keen to get their hands on a million dollars - this is basically dropped and it feels like the killers investigate out of interest, which doesn't make sense. While Lee Marvin's performance is excellent it's just weird that he's acting like a cop and also that Clu Gulager (as his very 60s hitman offsider - sunglasses, talking jive) goes along with it.
Its not really a complex story: a woman is responsible for all the bad things, here played by Angie Dickinson. She's mistress to Ronald Reagan, but leads on driver John Cassevetes, and eventually betrays the latter. Everyone gets what's comin' to 'em.
Dickinson is beautiful, Cassevetes does the doomed tormented victim thing, Norman Fell and Claude Akins flesh out the support cast. There are some effective moments, such as the finale, lots of slapping and the opening scene where Marvin and Gulager threaten a school principal then make their very public way to track down Cassevetes (NB I thought hired killers were a bit more subtle). But it's an ugly looking movie - with garish colour and that flat Universal TV appearance - and Ronald Regan isn't that good, despite the novelty of him playing an out and out baddie.
The idea of the killers looking into the past of the man they have killed may have seemed fresh, but having raised a vaguely plausible reason for them to bother - they are keen to get their hands on a million dollars - this is basically dropped and it feels like the killers investigate out of interest, which doesn't make sense. While Lee Marvin's performance is excellent it's just weird that he's acting like a cop and also that Clu Gulager (as his very 60s hitman offsider - sunglasses, talking jive) goes along with it.
Its not really a complex story: a woman is responsible for all the bad things, here played by Angie Dickinson. She's mistress to Ronald Reagan, but leads on driver John Cassevetes, and eventually betrays the latter. Everyone gets what's comin' to 'em.
Dickinson is beautiful, Cassevetes does the doomed tormented victim thing, Norman Fell and Claude Akins flesh out the support cast. There are some effective moments, such as the finale, lots of slapping and the opening scene where Marvin and Gulager threaten a school principal then make their very public way to track down Cassevetes (NB I thought hired killers were a bit more subtle). But it's an ugly looking movie - with garish colour and that flat Universal TV appearance - and Ronald Regan isn't that good, despite the novelty of him playing an out and out baddie.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Movie review - Bond#17 - "GoldenEye" (1995) ****
You've got to feel for Pierce Brosnan - when Daniel Craig came along as James Bond, such was the excitement over him that it's almost as if Pierce never existed, which is a shame because he did some fine work, and more importantly helped shepherd the "franchise" (for lack of a better word) back to success after a long spell on the bench.
Brosnan had of course been signed to play the role in The Living Daylights but lost out when NBC insisted he still make Remington Steele; he probably didn't think it at the time, but the gap turned out to be something of a blessing in disguise because the extra decade gave him some more lines and experience, made him a more realistic secret agent. He's a bit uptight in some scenes, lacks the humour of Moore or Connery (which wasn't a problem in Remington Steele, interestingly enough), and is not as good an actor as Dalton, but he's handsome and dashing, does the quips okay and is strong on action.
The movie has a whiff of 90s political correctness - Bond is called a sexist misogynist, Moneypenny accuses him of sexual harrasment, Bond admits sending some Cossacks back to Stalin after World War Two was not Britain's finest hour (this line has always annoyed me - why were the Cossacks dumb enough to think Britain would fight their wartime ally straight after peace?) - but I guess these things needed to be said at some stage.
The script is strong - although not based on a Fleming novel, it is very much in the spirit of them: there's a villain who is getting revenge on England for the wrongs done to his people rather like Hugo Drax in the novel of Moonraker; a Bond girl who is integral to the story (Izabella Scorupco, who has a nice Three Days of the Condor type subplot of her own); a decent plan, a funny ally (Robert Coltrane as a former Russian agent), some witty lines. It's a great idea to have the villain a former 00 agent (these had popped up sporadically in previous films, usually as corpses or mentioned as going to take over Bond's mission), although I was frustrated why they didn't have Felix Leiter instead of some random CIA guy Jack Wade. And the opening action stunt is silly and unbelievable - it pushes it too far.
Locations wise I felt too much of it was set in Russia, which tends to be overly brown, overcast and dull; there are also scenes in Monaco and Cuba, and the movie could have done with more of this colour. There were also a surprisingly large amount of two hander action scenes as if the budget for extras wasn't large.
Brosnan is surrounded by a superb support cast: Sean Bean is a solid head villain; Famke Janssen is a superb henchwoman, one of the best (as a killer who gets orgasmic at the sight of blood); Coltrane, Gottfried John and Alan Cumming are fun as Russians; Scorupco isn't an all time leading Bond girl, but is pretty, brave, likeable and sensible; Judi Dench makes an outstanding M, utterly believable and compelling.
Eric Serra's music score is fascinating, containing some dreadful electronic tunes and a wonderfully romantic theme, "We Share the Same Passions". The title song, by Bono/the Edge/ and Tine Turner, is awesome.
Brosnan had of course been signed to play the role in The Living Daylights but lost out when NBC insisted he still make Remington Steele; he probably didn't think it at the time, but the gap turned out to be something of a blessing in disguise because the extra decade gave him some more lines and experience, made him a more realistic secret agent. He's a bit uptight in some scenes, lacks the humour of Moore or Connery (which wasn't a problem in Remington Steele, interestingly enough), and is not as good an actor as Dalton, but he's handsome and dashing, does the quips okay and is strong on action.
The movie has a whiff of 90s political correctness - Bond is called a sexist misogynist, Moneypenny accuses him of sexual harrasment, Bond admits sending some Cossacks back to Stalin after World War Two was not Britain's finest hour (this line has always annoyed me - why were the Cossacks dumb enough to think Britain would fight their wartime ally straight after peace?) - but I guess these things needed to be said at some stage.
The script is strong - although not based on a Fleming novel, it is very much in the spirit of them: there's a villain who is getting revenge on England for the wrongs done to his people rather like Hugo Drax in the novel of Moonraker; a Bond girl who is integral to the story (Izabella Scorupco, who has a nice Three Days of the Condor type subplot of her own); a decent plan, a funny ally (Robert Coltrane as a former Russian agent), some witty lines. It's a great idea to have the villain a former 00 agent (these had popped up sporadically in previous films, usually as corpses or mentioned as going to take over Bond's mission), although I was frustrated why they didn't have Felix Leiter instead of some random CIA guy Jack Wade. And the opening action stunt is silly and unbelievable - it pushes it too far.
Locations wise I felt too much of it was set in Russia, which tends to be overly brown, overcast and dull; there are also scenes in Monaco and Cuba, and the movie could have done with more of this colour. There were also a surprisingly large amount of two hander action scenes as if the budget for extras wasn't large.
Brosnan is surrounded by a superb support cast: Sean Bean is a solid head villain; Famke Janssen is a superb henchwoman, one of the best (as a killer who gets orgasmic at the sight of blood); Coltrane, Gottfried John and Alan Cumming are fun as Russians; Scorupco isn't an all time leading Bond girl, but is pretty, brave, likeable and sensible; Judi Dench makes an outstanding M, utterly believable and compelling.
Eric Serra's music score is fascinating, containing some dreadful electronic tunes and a wonderfully romantic theme, "We Share the Same Passions". The title song, by Bono/the Edge/ and Tine Turner, is awesome.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Movie review - Bond#14 - "A View to a Kill" (1985) ***
A frustrating grab bag of a Bond film - not great, with some truly terrible moments, but good ones as well. It starts like gangbusters, with a lively ski chase sequence (a little soon after For Your Eyes Only perhaps, but very well done, with a then-fresh snowboarding angle... why don't they do ski chases any more?), and an outstanding Duran Duran theme song.
Then it gets more mixed. There's the unmemorable Robert Brown as M and Lois Maxwell in her last appearance as Mrs Moneypenny looking really old (her acting seems to have gotten worse), but some pleasing location footage at Ascot and French stables. It is fun to have Patrick Macnee act opposite Roger Moore although his part really should have been played by Desmond Llewellyn as Q (because the characters had more history - that banter would have been more fun).
Apparently Chris Walken's part was originally offered to David Bowie, who would have been fantastic but Walken is fine - he's not remotely French but at eat he tries something different for a Bond villain (a sort of method-y portrayal). The character, Zorin, seems inspired by Hugo Drax from the book Moonraker with a dash of Goldfinger thrown in.
Zorin's plan is very Goldfinger - trying to create a monopoly in an important product (in this case, microchips) by wiping out the leading American producer in said product (here, wiping out Silicon Valley by causing an earthquake), raising funds by contacting a crime syndicate for money and killing people who don't want to be involved in the plan (by dropping them out of an airship instead of killing them in a car), and connections with the Russians.
Also like Goldfinger, Zorin has a sexy assistant who sleeps with Bond and later changes sides - although May Day (Grace Jones) is far more ruthless than Pussy Galore ever was, meaning she has to die even after she turns good. It's a shame in a way because Grace Jones is one of the all time great Bond villain henchman - she's spectacular, scary and utterly convincing; the scene where she gets on top of Roger Moore is hilarious. And also because the girl Bond winds up with at the end, Tanya Roberts, is incredibly bland. She's pretty, but too whiny, constantly asking for Bond to help her, and she's not even needed in the story.
(Far better value is Fiona Fullerton as a sexy Russian spy who becomes briefly involved in the case; I wish they'd gone with her as the girl but maybe the filmmakers were worried about being too close to The Spy Who Loved Me... as if that would have mattered).
It's a very up and down movie; pros include a decent Eiffel Tower action sequence, a genuinely clever bit where Bond escapes by breathing air in a tire, some funny lines, Zorin's engaging collection of fellow villains (a couple of girls in addition to May Day such as Alison Doody's Jenny Flex and Patrick Bauchau as a sauve henchman decent stunts and spectacle at the Golden Gate Bridge, and an early appearance by Dolph Lundgren.
Cons include an extremely dull and pointless car chase through San Francisco, Zorin shooting his men at the end (I think the idea was to make him seem a real psycho but it falls flat), an overlong running time, the fact Zorin's plan was already seen in Superman, a complete lack of chemistry between Moore and Roberts, and the fact that Moore was becoming far too old for the part. He definitely stayed one too long.
Then it gets more mixed. There's the unmemorable Robert Brown as M and Lois Maxwell in her last appearance as Mrs Moneypenny looking really old (her acting seems to have gotten worse), but some pleasing location footage at Ascot and French stables. It is fun to have Patrick Macnee act opposite Roger Moore although his part really should have been played by Desmond Llewellyn as Q (because the characters had more history - that banter would have been more fun).
Apparently Chris Walken's part was originally offered to David Bowie, who would have been fantastic but Walken is fine - he's not remotely French but at eat he tries something different for a Bond villain (a sort of method-y portrayal). The character, Zorin, seems inspired by Hugo Drax from the book Moonraker with a dash of Goldfinger thrown in.
Zorin's plan is very Goldfinger - trying to create a monopoly in an important product (in this case, microchips) by wiping out the leading American producer in said product (here, wiping out Silicon Valley by causing an earthquake), raising funds by contacting a crime syndicate for money and killing people who don't want to be involved in the plan (by dropping them out of an airship instead of killing them in a car), and connections with the Russians.
Also like Goldfinger, Zorin has a sexy assistant who sleeps with Bond and later changes sides - although May Day (Grace Jones) is far more ruthless than Pussy Galore ever was, meaning she has to die even after she turns good. It's a shame in a way because Grace Jones is one of the all time great Bond villain henchman - she's spectacular, scary and utterly convincing; the scene where she gets on top of Roger Moore is hilarious. And also because the girl Bond winds up with at the end, Tanya Roberts, is incredibly bland. She's pretty, but too whiny, constantly asking for Bond to help her, and she's not even needed in the story.
(Far better value is Fiona Fullerton as a sexy Russian spy who becomes briefly involved in the case; I wish they'd gone with her as the girl but maybe the filmmakers were worried about being too close to The Spy Who Loved Me... as if that would have mattered).
It's a very up and down movie; pros include a decent Eiffel Tower action sequence, a genuinely clever bit where Bond escapes by breathing air in a tire, some funny lines, Zorin's engaging collection of fellow villains (a couple of girls in addition to May Day such as Alison Doody's Jenny Flex and Patrick Bauchau as a sauve henchman decent stunts and spectacle at the Golden Gate Bridge, and an early appearance by Dolph Lundgren.
Cons include an extremely dull and pointless car chase through San Francisco, Zorin shooting his men at the end (I think the idea was to make him seem a real psycho but it falls flat), an overlong running time, the fact Zorin's plan was already seen in Superman, a complete lack of chemistry between Moore and Roberts, and the fact that Moore was becoming far too old for the part. He definitely stayed one too long.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Movie review - Bond#15 - "The Living Daylights" (1987) ****1/2
Once again, the Bond series manages to reinvent itself at the right time... after Roger Moore and A View to a Kill seemed so old and tired, things bounce back to form magnificently with this highly enjoyable entry. I recognise this isn't a universally accepted point of view - the movie was not a big hit at the box office, it's not that well known compared to other entries - but I feel it's aged well, and returned things to a more even keel, one of the things that has enabled the series to last so long.
Timothy Dalton wasn't exactly Mr Action Man - the back projection is a bit too obvious when he's hanging off planes and cars - but his youth is a tonic after Roger Moore, and he has dark good looks, and a believably ruthless streak. He's also surprisingly - and touchingly - romantic. Bond doesn't sleep around in this one; he flirts with some girls but only really has eyes for Marym d'Abo, who is one of the most likeable Bond heroines, Kara. Kara is a top cellist completely out of her element in the adventure, and d'Abo brings a winning naivety to the part; she's so much better than Tanya Roberts. John Barry's romantic theme and some pleasing shots of Vienna add to the romance.
It's an excellent script, which skilfully incorporates the Fleming short story that gives the film it's title, and is well thought out and witty. There are some flaws - the one liners aren't super strong, I wasn't wild about Kara's incompetence causing the plane bottom to open up at the end, the finale in Afghanistan went on too long, an over use of the exploding key ring device - but these are easily outweighed by the strengths.
The support cast is of high quality: Jeroen Krabbe is an engaging rougish Russian general, Joe Don Baker is always good value as a military nut gun dealer, Art Malik is fun as an Afghan leader, John Rhys Davis is superb value as another Russian (it's a shame they didn't bring him back for other movies in the series), as is Andreas Wisniewski as a truly frightening, smart henchman (the best of the Red Grant rip offs; takes part in a really tough kitchen fight sequence with a British agent who isn't Bond - this is given a surprisingly long running time).
Of the regulars Desmond Llewellyn and Walter Gotell (his last appearances) are in good form, Robert Brown isn't memorable, or is the latest bloke to play Felix Leiter, and Caroline Bliss a disappointingly poor new Moneypenny. Sexy Aussie Virginia Hey pops up too as Rhy Davis' mistress.
Locations are varied and exotic: Gibraltar (I love it when Bond defends the crappy modern day British Empire, it's so cute) Tangiers, Vienna, Czechoslovakia, Afghanistan. Decent stunts and action - nothing particularly awesome, just solid, smart Bond movie making. Poor theme song (by A Ha, who prove yet again they are no Duran Duran) but a lovely romantic tune from John Barry, doing his last music score for the series.
Timothy Dalton wasn't exactly Mr Action Man - the back projection is a bit too obvious when he's hanging off planes and cars - but his youth is a tonic after Roger Moore, and he has dark good looks, and a believably ruthless streak. He's also surprisingly - and touchingly - romantic. Bond doesn't sleep around in this one; he flirts with some girls but only really has eyes for Marym d'Abo, who is one of the most likeable Bond heroines, Kara. Kara is a top cellist completely out of her element in the adventure, and d'Abo brings a winning naivety to the part; she's so much better than Tanya Roberts. John Barry's romantic theme and some pleasing shots of Vienna add to the romance.
It's an excellent script, which skilfully incorporates the Fleming short story that gives the film it's title, and is well thought out and witty. There are some flaws - the one liners aren't super strong, I wasn't wild about Kara's incompetence causing the plane bottom to open up at the end, the finale in Afghanistan went on too long, an over use of the exploding key ring device - but these are easily outweighed by the strengths.
The support cast is of high quality: Jeroen Krabbe is an engaging rougish Russian general, Joe Don Baker is always good value as a military nut gun dealer, Art Malik is fun as an Afghan leader, John Rhys Davis is superb value as another Russian (it's a shame they didn't bring him back for other movies in the series), as is Andreas Wisniewski as a truly frightening, smart henchman (the best of the Red Grant rip offs; takes part in a really tough kitchen fight sequence with a British agent who isn't Bond - this is given a surprisingly long running time).
Of the regulars Desmond Llewellyn and Walter Gotell (his last appearances) are in good form, Robert Brown isn't memorable, or is the latest bloke to play Felix Leiter, and Caroline Bliss a disappointingly poor new Moneypenny. Sexy Aussie Virginia Hey pops up too as Rhy Davis' mistress.
Locations are varied and exotic: Gibraltar (I love it when Bond defends the crappy modern day British Empire, it's so cute) Tangiers, Vienna, Czechoslovakia, Afghanistan. Decent stunts and action - nothing particularly awesome, just solid, smart Bond movie making. Poor theme song (by A Ha, who prove yet again they are no Duran Duran) but a lovely romantic tune from John Barry, doing his last music score for the series.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
John Landis, George MacDonald Fraser and the Lone Ranger
On October 12, 2013 I had the honour/delight of meeting John Landis while he was in Melbourne as a guest of the Melbourne Festival. It was at a book signing where he was putting his John Hancock on his book about movie monsters.
During our five minute chat, I managed to ask him a few questions, in particular about his collaboration with one of my favourite writers, George MacDonald Fraser, on a script about the Lone Ranger which Fraser refers to in his memoirs. (Fraser whined about political correctness in Hollywood causing the deletion of a scene where Indians were made drunk despite the fact it was based on history, but also said it was a shame the movie was never made as he and Landis got along like "ham and eggs".)
Landis brightened at the mention of this and said Fraser's script (the writer did two drafts) was one of the best he'd ever read, but didn't get made because of a long, complicated issue partly involving the rights.
The director also said:
- he really liked Fraser even though the author was very right wing and they were an odd couple but they collaborated well
- the script was very historically accurate - Tonto always spoke Indian when he was with Indians and only English when he was with whites
- there was a funny subplot about a touring Shakespearean actor where Tonto ended up speaking words of the Bard
- there was a romantic scene where people were looking for the Lone Ranger and he hid in a room and kissed a woman several times and she ended up not minding (inspired I feel by The 39 Steps).
Landis wasn't a big fan of the 1981 or 2013 movies and expressed regret the movie wasn't made. I think there's a fair few of those in his career though and he wasn't bitter about it.
A lovely short chat - I figured I'd put it on the net in case anyone is interested!
During our five minute chat, I managed to ask him a few questions, in particular about his collaboration with one of my favourite writers, George MacDonald Fraser, on a script about the Lone Ranger which Fraser refers to in his memoirs. (Fraser whined about political correctness in Hollywood causing the deletion of a scene where Indians were made drunk despite the fact it was based on history, but also said it was a shame the movie was never made as he and Landis got along like "ham and eggs".)
Landis brightened at the mention of this and said Fraser's script (the writer did two drafts) was one of the best he'd ever read, but didn't get made because of a long, complicated issue partly involving the rights.
The director also said:
- he really liked Fraser even though the author was very right wing and they were an odd couple but they collaborated well
- the script was very historically accurate - Tonto always spoke Indian when he was with Indians and only English when he was with whites
- there was a funny subplot about a touring Shakespearean actor where Tonto ended up speaking words of the Bard
- there was a romantic scene where people were looking for the Lone Ranger and he hid in a room and kissed a woman several times and she ended up not minding (inspired I feel by The 39 Steps).
Landis wasn't a big fan of the 1981 or 2013 movies and expressed regret the movie wasn't made. I think there's a fair few of those in his career though and he wasn't bitter about it.
A lovely short chat - I figured I'd put it on the net in case anyone is interested!
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Movie review - "The Maltese Falcon" (1941) ****
George Raft wouldn't have done too badly as Sam Spade in this classic private eye mystery but no way near as well as Humphrey Bogart who took the role and completely ran with it, launching himself as a star. And no wonder - its remarkable what an anti-hero Spade is: mean, cruel, sleeping with his partner's wife, sadistic (look at his face when he punches Peter Lorre), greedy, snarky. His saving grace is a sense of honour and the fact the villains are worse. Or, more accurately, fabulous: was there ever a better rogues gallery than Sydney Greenstreet, Lorre, Elisha Cook Jnr and Mary Astor (who I never used to be a fan of but my appreciation of her performance grows every time I see this film)?
There is an awful lot of exposition going on here - great slabs of dialogue which go on and on, and to be honest sometimes I had trouble following the plot. But I went with it because the acting and dialogue was so good - there's encounter after encounter between masters at their peak: Bogart and Astor, Bogart and Lorre, Bogart and Greenstreet. I felt it could have done with some more emotion - I never really got the sense that Bogart fell for Astor, despite that dynamic finish.
Lots of gay subtext - Lorre/Cairo is campy, Greenstreet/Gutman keeps pawing Bogart - plenty of nice touches (eg Bogart's hand shaking after an encounter with the others), a cute cameo from Walter Huston, some scary cops (Ward Bond and Barton MacLane), plenty of rich supporting roles.
There is an awful lot of exposition going on here - great slabs of dialogue which go on and on, and to be honest sometimes I had trouble following the plot. But I went with it because the acting and dialogue was so good - there's encounter after encounter between masters at their peak: Bogart and Astor, Bogart and Lorre, Bogart and Greenstreet. I felt it could have done with some more emotion - I never really got the sense that Bogart fell for Astor, despite that dynamic finish.
Lots of gay subtext - Lorre/Cairo is campy, Greenstreet/Gutman keeps pawing Bogart - plenty of nice touches (eg Bogart's hand shaking after an encounter with the others), a cute cameo from Walter Huston, some scary cops (Ward Bond and Barton MacLane), plenty of rich supporting roles.
Movie review - "Casablanca" (1942) ***** (warning: spoilers)
As one of the screenwriters put it, this is corny as hell but when corn works it works like nothing else and few movies work as well as Casablanca with its magical combination of war, romance, honour, comedy, Warner Bros handling, Hollywood's greatest line up of character actors, music, third world backlot recreation and stars.
I've seen this many times - the most recent in 2013, when I was struck by several new things. It's a surprising tribute to France - France, which, as exemplified by Claude Rains' Rene and Madeleine LeBeau's Yvonne, is corrupt, egotistical, lecherous, whorish... but which ultimately comes through in the end: Yvonne sings the Marseilles in what remains probably my favourite film scene of all time, and Rains helps Bogie/Rick get away at the finale, one of the greatest endings of all time.
It's very adult. Rick is clearly sleeping with Yvonne, and had a sexual relationship with Ilsa, Rene sleeps with women in exchange for visas, roulette wheels are rigged, people are shot without trial, the police are corrupt, America are isolationists, life is rough for refugees.
It also has one of the best casts you can think of. Everyone knows Bogart was a perfect Rick - tough, bitter, brave romantic (others could have played the role - Alan Ladd did okay on radio - but no one as effectively), and that Berman was stunningly beautiful (who else could make adultery seem so innocent), and Claude Rains astonishing, and Paul Henreid wasn't up any of them but had a handsome dull presence and was effective; the skill of Peter Lorre, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet and Dooley Wilson is also well known. But the depth of it continues to astound - Curt Bois as a pickpocket, Leonid Kinskey as a happy go lucky barman, Dan Seymour as the doorman, Joy Page as a young Bulgarian woman (her scene with Bogie made me tear up... I can't believe she didn't have more of a career) and Helmut Dantine as her husband; LeBeau as the touching Yvonne; John Qualen as a resistance contact; the cute old couple excited about going to America. Many of the cast were real life refugees giving this incredible verisimilitude.
I will nitpick for the sheer hell of it - it made me laugh that Rick puts the transit visas in the piano in full view of his entire cafe, the choreography of what happened in the cafe sometimes got plain darn confusing and Bergman's character is, to be frank, a ninny (she's required to be for plot purposes admittedly, so Rick can make the big sacrifice).
But it all works - the story, cast, setting, themes, atmosphere. And so much of it is magical: Page asking Bogart is she should sleep with Rains, the Marseilles, the surprise when Rains saves Bogart at the end, walking off into the sunset.
I've seen this many times - the most recent in 2013, when I was struck by several new things. It's a surprising tribute to France - France, which, as exemplified by Claude Rains' Rene and Madeleine LeBeau's Yvonne, is corrupt, egotistical, lecherous, whorish... but which ultimately comes through in the end: Yvonne sings the Marseilles in what remains probably my favourite film scene of all time, and Rains helps Bogie/Rick get away at the finale, one of the greatest endings of all time.
It's very adult. Rick is clearly sleeping with Yvonne, and had a sexual relationship with Ilsa, Rene sleeps with women in exchange for visas, roulette wheels are rigged, people are shot without trial, the police are corrupt, America are isolationists, life is rough for refugees.
It also has one of the best casts you can think of. Everyone knows Bogart was a perfect Rick - tough, bitter, brave romantic (others could have played the role - Alan Ladd did okay on radio - but no one as effectively), and that Berman was stunningly beautiful (who else could make adultery seem so innocent), and Claude Rains astonishing, and Paul Henreid wasn't up any of them but had a handsome dull presence and was effective; the skill of Peter Lorre, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet and Dooley Wilson is also well known. But the depth of it continues to astound - Curt Bois as a pickpocket, Leonid Kinskey as a happy go lucky barman, Dan Seymour as the doorman, Joy Page as a young Bulgarian woman (her scene with Bogie made me tear up... I can't believe she didn't have more of a career) and Helmut Dantine as her husband; LeBeau as the touching Yvonne; John Qualen as a resistance contact; the cute old couple excited about going to America. Many of the cast were real life refugees giving this incredible verisimilitude.
I will nitpick for the sheer hell of it - it made me laugh that Rick puts the transit visas in the piano in full view of his entire cafe, the choreography of what happened in the cafe sometimes got plain darn confusing and Bergman's character is, to be frank, a ninny (she's required to be for plot purposes admittedly, so Rick can make the big sacrifice).
But it all works - the story, cast, setting, themes, atmosphere. And so much of it is magical: Page asking Bogart is she should sleep with Rains, the Marseilles, the surprise when Rains saves Bogart at the end, walking off into the sunset.
TV review - "Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch Story" (2013) **1/2
The underwhelming ratings of this mini series came as a shock to many observers, especially considering the popularity of previous Packer tales, Howzat! and Paper Giants. Viewer fatigue with the Packers was blamed, but was it the only thing? I think three other factors were crucial - the lack of female interest, the fact it deals with events most people don't remember/recall, and perhaps most importantly it's not about an underdog triumphing for a good cause.
In Howzat the underdogs were the cricketers who finally got a fair day's pay via one day cricket, which people really like and was ultimately a good thing; in Paper Giants Ita Buttrose overcome obstacles to be editor and helped more honest conversation about racy topics, which people really like and was ultimately a good thing. (The Paper Giants sequel didn't do as well, IMHO, because while it was about a woman who triumphed, she did it by increasing the amount of schlocky invasive gossip out there, which ultimately wasn't a good thing. Also Kerry Packer was a passenger as opposed to a key character.)
Here the only real underdog is Rupert Murdoch - and no one except the Murdochs and Andrew Bolt would think him triumphing was ultimately a good thing. The events all took place a long time ago now - the sixties - and lack much nostalgic appeal, so they require more than the skim-through-history-as-montage method which features here.
Even with these drawbacks it still could have worked - the Packer and Murdoch families are the stuff of Shakespeare: megalomaniacal, sexually voracious, bullies, crawlers, pirates, brave, funny. And occasionally a glimpse of what this could have been sneaks through, particularly in the dynamics between Sir Frank and Clyde. But most of the time this is strictly broad strokes - the piece has been fatally compromised by the fact it was made by Channel Nine, the fact Rupert Murdoch is alive and that Southern Star got away with skimpy character development in their other history montage biopics. If this had aired on the ABC I think it would have rated better because audiences would have sensed a gutsier depiction of the tycoons (and it's more an ABC show)
There are some good performances, particularly from Lachy Hulme as Sir Frank Packer (although Pat Brammel, while normally a fine actor, lacks the ruthlessness and sense of being a prick that would have made his Rupert Murdoch more compelling) but the actors could have done with better parts. All the female roles are forgettable - there's "brave cancer sufferer" (Heather Mitchell), a whining "why are you never home type", and a pretty girl with long eye lashes (Maeve Dermondy, who's really got to watch playing this sort of role in period mini-series otherwise she's never going to do anything else). It's watchable, but it's a pity.
In Howzat the underdogs were the cricketers who finally got a fair day's pay via one day cricket, which people really like and was ultimately a good thing; in Paper Giants Ita Buttrose overcome obstacles to be editor and helped more honest conversation about racy topics, which people really like and was ultimately a good thing. (The Paper Giants sequel didn't do as well, IMHO, because while it was about a woman who triumphed, she did it by increasing the amount of schlocky invasive gossip out there, which ultimately wasn't a good thing. Also Kerry Packer was a passenger as opposed to a key character.)
Here the only real underdog is Rupert Murdoch - and no one except the Murdochs and Andrew Bolt would think him triumphing was ultimately a good thing. The events all took place a long time ago now - the sixties - and lack much nostalgic appeal, so they require more than the skim-through-history-as-montage method which features here.
Even with these drawbacks it still could have worked - the Packer and Murdoch families are the stuff of Shakespeare: megalomaniacal, sexually voracious, bullies, crawlers, pirates, brave, funny. And occasionally a glimpse of what this could have been sneaks through, particularly in the dynamics between Sir Frank and Clyde. But most of the time this is strictly broad strokes - the piece has been fatally compromised by the fact it was made by Channel Nine, the fact Rupert Murdoch is alive and that Southern Star got away with skimpy character development in their other history montage biopics. If this had aired on the ABC I think it would have rated better because audiences would have sensed a gutsier depiction of the tycoons (and it's more an ABC show)
There are some good performances, particularly from Lachy Hulme as Sir Frank Packer (although Pat Brammel, while normally a fine actor, lacks the ruthlessness and sense of being a prick that would have made his Rupert Murdoch more compelling) but the actors could have done with better parts. All the female roles are forgettable - there's "brave cancer sufferer" (Heather Mitchell), a whining "why are you never home type", and a pretty girl with long eye lashes (Maeve Dermondy, who's really got to watch playing this sort of role in period mini-series otherwise she's never going to do anything else). It's watchable, but it's a pity.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
TV review - "Entourage Season 1" (2004) ****
The later seasons got so bad and boring that it is a peasant surprise to revisit season one of this Sex and the City for guys. Looking back its striking how they got the different characterisations so right, and cast the leads so well: Jimmy Cagney-like Eric (feisty, short, loyal); head in the clouds Vince (talented, a bit lazy, reliant on friends to look after him and tell him the truth); likeable leech Turtle (simplistic, funny); and tormented Drama. It's the guys who give this heart but Drama who gives it depth because he makes it clear how fleeting fame and even work is in the industry - one or two wrong choices and it all goes away. Being a star is a tricky balancing act... and when the show forgot this in later seasons it really hurt.
Of course there is Jeremy Piven's Ari Gold - a lot sleazier in this season that he would later become (which was a lot more interesting character wise... that he was faithful to his wife) but still the same angry ruthless person, and his conflict with Eric is again something that would unfortunately be forgotten.
The women have no more depth than the men on Sex in the City but make good eye candy; the writing is sharp, the plot twists fun, it has a good over all arc (setting up Queen's Boulevard), and it remains enjoyable escapist TV.
Of course there is Jeremy Piven's Ari Gold - a lot sleazier in this season that he would later become (which was a lot more interesting character wise... that he was faithful to his wife) but still the same angry ruthless person, and his conflict with Eric is again something that would unfortunately be forgotten.
The women have no more depth than the men on Sex in the City but make good eye candy; the writing is sharp, the plot twists fun, it has a good over all arc (setting up Queen's Boulevard), and it remains enjoyable escapist TV.
Movie review - "The Blues Brothers" (1980) ***
Big lousy noisy cartoon musical which glories in its excess, pouring on the music numbers and car crashes with abandon. Actually in this CGI age its enjoyable to see some good old fashioned cars spinning around and crashing through malls and the music is of course superb. The one number I didn't feel worked was "Think" by Aretha Franklin - a terrific song but a bit of a downer number because she's trying to persuade her husband not to run off and join the band.
John Belushi outshines Dan Akyroyd but Aykroyd offers solid support and heck it was his passion that got the whole thing going. The cameos and short bits are a lot of fun: I liked the musos and also John Candy, Carrie Fisher, Steven Spielberg, Frank Oz, Henry Gibson, Charles Napier, and so on. It's silly but it has its own integrity which I think is one of the reasons why it's struck such a chord. That, and the fact that its so easy to dress up as Blues Brothers.
John Belushi outshines Dan Akyroyd but Aykroyd offers solid support and heck it was his passion that got the whole thing going. The cameos and short bits are a lot of fun: I liked the musos and also John Candy, Carrie Fisher, Steven Spielberg, Frank Oz, Henry Gibson, Charles Napier, and so on. It's silly but it has its own integrity which I think is one of the reasons why it's struck such a chord. That, and the fact that its so easy to dress up as Blues Brothers.
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
Movie review - Bond#11 - "Moonraker" (1979) ***
Having revitalised the Bond series with The Spy Who Loved Me, Albert Broccoli and team promptly remade that movie with Moonraker and were rewarded with their biggest grossing work to date... but I think thats because Spy Who Loved Me was so good (and loved)... Moonraker cashed in on its popularity (the same way Thunderball performed so well off the back of the much more loved Goldfinger).
I can understand why they did what they did but it's a shame so much good stuff was jettinsoned from the novel: the heroine name Gala Brand, the villain's plan of setting off a bomb in London, the villain's backstory of being a secret Nazi. Instead there's another megalomaniac who wants to destroy the world and start anew - only in outer space instead of underwater. He employs Jaws and a series of other incompetent assassins and has trouble killing Bond.
Michael Londsale isn't bad as said villain, Hugo Drax - a little laid back. Richard Kiel is charismatic as Jaws although the character is completely neutered here - the genuinely scary baddy of Spy is now more Will E. Coyote, falling out of planes without parachutes and off cable cars and much more without a scratch. But this suits the tone of the movie which is Bond at his most cartoonish.
And if you can accept that you'll enjoy the movie. I loved this when I was eight and that's the ideal age to watch this. There is plenty of production value and action and it unfolds in a simple eight year old style - watching it I kept thinking of old serials, or 50s science fiction movies. One minute we're falling out of a plane, then we're in France pretending to be California, then Venice, then Brazil - going from location to location with the thinnest of pretexts.
Yes, other Bonds have been like serials but the screenplays were better structured and there was some emotional undercurrent - for instance Spy had a great subplot where Bond and XXX were on opposite sides of the Cold War and he'd killed her boyfriend. Here Bond and Dr Goodhead both work for basically the same side and don't have any sort of personal confict. (This also means that Lois Chiles, who is as pretty and equally bad an actor as Barbara Bach, doesn't come across anywhere near as well because her character is much worse). The most emotional bit about this movie is that brief scene where Jaws realises he and his girlfriend won't fit in to his boss' plans for the perfect race of humans and changes sides (because this is such an archetypal theme which strikes such a universal chord I went with this).
But this has its own integrity. It's a silly movie which at least commits to being silly: a space station with a fleet of shuttles, a Noah's ark, a rocket launch platform in the Amazon, a platoon of space soldiers who NASA sends up to outer space at the first sign of a blip on the radar; sex in outerspace.When its stupidity stops being insulting it's almost endearing.
There's also some genuinely spectacular moments: the opening freefall action sequence (though this is marred by a silly Jaws end gag), an attempted murder of Bond on a centrifuge chamber, a fight on top of a cable car. Moore plods through with amiable lecherousness, having a good old time. I enjoyed seeing Geoffrey Keene repeat his turn as "Minister for Defence" in order to help Bernard Lee with his exposition (this was Lee's last appearance - he doesn't look well), Desmond Llewellyn has great fun as Q, and the women are pretty.
I can understand why they did what they did but it's a shame so much good stuff was jettinsoned from the novel: the heroine name Gala Brand, the villain's plan of setting off a bomb in London, the villain's backstory of being a secret Nazi. Instead there's another megalomaniac who wants to destroy the world and start anew - only in outer space instead of underwater. He employs Jaws and a series of other incompetent assassins and has trouble killing Bond.
Michael Londsale isn't bad as said villain, Hugo Drax - a little laid back. Richard Kiel is charismatic as Jaws although the character is completely neutered here - the genuinely scary baddy of Spy is now more Will E. Coyote, falling out of planes without parachutes and off cable cars and much more without a scratch. But this suits the tone of the movie which is Bond at his most cartoonish.
And if you can accept that you'll enjoy the movie. I loved this when I was eight and that's the ideal age to watch this. There is plenty of production value and action and it unfolds in a simple eight year old style - watching it I kept thinking of old serials, or 50s science fiction movies. One minute we're falling out of a plane, then we're in France pretending to be California, then Venice, then Brazil - going from location to location with the thinnest of pretexts.
Yes, other Bonds have been like serials but the screenplays were better structured and there was some emotional undercurrent - for instance Spy had a great subplot where Bond and XXX were on opposite sides of the Cold War and he'd killed her boyfriend. Here Bond and Dr Goodhead both work for basically the same side and don't have any sort of personal confict. (This also means that Lois Chiles, who is as pretty and equally bad an actor as Barbara Bach, doesn't come across anywhere near as well because her character is much worse). The most emotional bit about this movie is that brief scene where Jaws realises he and his girlfriend won't fit in to his boss' plans for the perfect race of humans and changes sides (because this is such an archetypal theme which strikes such a universal chord I went with this).
But this has its own integrity. It's a silly movie which at least commits to being silly: a space station with a fleet of shuttles, a Noah's ark, a rocket launch platform in the Amazon, a platoon of space soldiers who NASA sends up to outer space at the first sign of a blip on the radar; sex in outerspace.When its stupidity stops being insulting it's almost endearing.
There's also some genuinely spectacular moments: the opening freefall action sequence (though this is marred by a silly Jaws end gag), an attempted murder of Bond on a centrifuge chamber, a fight on top of a cable car. Moore plods through with amiable lecherousness, having a good old time. I enjoyed seeing Geoffrey Keene repeat his turn as "Minister for Defence" in order to help Bernard Lee with his exposition (this was Lee's last appearance - he doesn't look well), Desmond Llewellyn has great fun as Q, and the women are pretty.
Tuesday, October 08, 2013
Movie review - Bond#10 - "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977) *****
Part of the success of the Bond film series lies in its incredible ability to reinvent and stay relevant - every time they're in a bit of a slump or threatening to get tired the producers seem to come up with a way of reinvigorating things. In the mid 70s Albert Broccoli was up against it - producer Harry Salztmann was facing tax problems, the last movie hadn't done that well, the public hadn't taken to Roger Moore the way they way with Sean Connery, they couldn't get a script that worked...
And yet, it somehow all magically came together. In part because they deployed a well established story (copying the structure of You Only Live Twice... which had been copied from Dr No), and stuffing it full of familiar ingredients: exotic locations, a Blofeld like-villain (he even has a shark infested pool to dispose of pesty female employees and who likes to kill people rather than pay them), an Odd-job like henchman, a Pussy Galore type spirited Bond girl, a fight on a train, a ski chase, a car chase involving a car with a lot of gadgets, Bond and the girl busted in flagrante delicto at the end.
But the villain is given a fresh twist and superbly cast (Curt Jurgens as a man with webbed hands who wants the world to live underwater); ditto the henchman (Richard Kiel as the vampire like Jaws) and girl (Barbara Bach who is actually a pretty bad actor but you don't notice because (a) she's so beautiful and (b) her character is so strong - easily the smartest, most powerful and imposing Bond girl yet, even more than Pussy Galore).
The ski sequence is very well done with perhaps the greatest end gag in the history of the series; the fight on the train is exciting, the car with gadgets outshines the one in Goldfinger; the battle at the end involving the captured submariners and their odd-red-uniform-wearing gaolers is better than the one in You Only Live Twice.
There is some originality, too: Jaws' teeth, the battle of the sexes between Bond and Barbara Bach (okay this wasn't super original but it was a first for Bond), the underwater lair (cue some fantastic Ken Adams sets with their massive spaces); I loved how the two captured subs are told to blow each other up and the fight amongst the pyramids is genuinely creepy and well shot.
Amidst all the spectacle and sexual banter, the screenwriters still allow some humanity: the fact Bond has killed Anya's boyfriend gives it some real edge, as does Bond shutting down conversation about his dead wife. I like how they referred to Bond's career as a naval officer. They've written to Roger Moore's strengths - he has a wonderful way with a line, loves the romance and fun of it, and is professional about his job (rather being joyously sadistic). He's superb as Bond here, and has every right to be proud of the movie.
In addition to the leads there's also a top rate support cast, including the ever reliable Shane Rimmer given a decent part; Caroline Munro as a sexy, flirty assassin (winking at Bond before trying to kill him); Milton Reid as a Tor Johnson like hitman; Edward de Souza as Bond's old Cambridge classmate. Desmond Llewellyn gets to go on location for a bit which must have been nice for him; Lois Maxwell and Bernard Lee are back (although was he supposed to be on the sub at the beginning of the film?). This movie also saw the introduction of new series regulars like Walter Gotell (who was in From Russia with Love admittedly) and Geoffrey Keene. Oh and Hammer horror fans will get a kick out of seeing Valerie Leon as a receptionist.
I've got the soundtrack and wasn't a fan of it to listen to (all that disco) but it works in the film and the title tune is an all time classic.
And yet, it somehow all magically came together. In part because they deployed a well established story (copying the structure of You Only Live Twice... which had been copied from Dr No), and stuffing it full of familiar ingredients: exotic locations, a Blofeld like-villain (he even has a shark infested pool to dispose of pesty female employees and who likes to kill people rather than pay them), an Odd-job like henchman, a Pussy Galore type spirited Bond girl, a fight on a train, a ski chase, a car chase involving a car with a lot of gadgets, Bond and the girl busted in flagrante delicto at the end.
But the villain is given a fresh twist and superbly cast (Curt Jurgens as a man with webbed hands who wants the world to live underwater); ditto the henchman (Richard Kiel as the vampire like Jaws) and girl (Barbara Bach who is actually a pretty bad actor but you don't notice because (a) she's so beautiful and (b) her character is so strong - easily the smartest, most powerful and imposing Bond girl yet, even more than Pussy Galore).
The ski sequence is very well done with perhaps the greatest end gag in the history of the series; the fight on the train is exciting, the car with gadgets outshines the one in Goldfinger; the battle at the end involving the captured submariners and their odd-red-uniform-wearing gaolers is better than the one in You Only Live Twice.
There is some originality, too: Jaws' teeth, the battle of the sexes between Bond and Barbara Bach (okay this wasn't super original but it was a first for Bond), the underwater lair (cue some fantastic Ken Adams sets with their massive spaces); I loved how the two captured subs are told to blow each other up and the fight amongst the pyramids is genuinely creepy and well shot.
Amidst all the spectacle and sexual banter, the screenwriters still allow some humanity: the fact Bond has killed Anya's boyfriend gives it some real edge, as does Bond shutting down conversation about his dead wife. I like how they referred to Bond's career as a naval officer. They've written to Roger Moore's strengths - he has a wonderful way with a line, loves the romance and fun of it, and is professional about his job (rather being joyously sadistic). He's superb as Bond here, and has every right to be proud of the movie.
In addition to the leads there's also a top rate support cast, including the ever reliable Shane Rimmer given a decent part; Caroline Munro as a sexy, flirty assassin (winking at Bond before trying to kill him); Milton Reid as a Tor Johnson like hitman; Edward de Souza as Bond's old Cambridge classmate. Desmond Llewellyn gets to go on location for a bit which must have been nice for him; Lois Maxwell and Bernard Lee are back (although was he supposed to be on the sub at the beginning of the film?). This movie also saw the introduction of new series regulars like Walter Gotell (who was in From Russia with Love admittedly) and Geoffrey Keene. Oh and Hammer horror fans will get a kick out of seeing Valerie Leon as a receptionist.
I've got the soundtrack and wasn't a fan of it to listen to (all that disco) but it works in the film and the title tune is an all time classic.
Sunday, October 06, 2013
Movie review - "Dawn of the Dead" (1978) ***
The spirit of the 70s is strong in this classic zombie flick - even though the zombies are slow moving and dumb, easy to walk past and kill, the authorities are incapable of stopping them; its general panic stations, the only people who look keen to take them out are rednecks, journalists and SWAT team members want to run away.
The four leads aren't the best actors in the world but all have defined characters - the honorable black guy, the balding white dude who has a romance with the black guy and goes nuts, the silly helicopter pilot, the stunned girl (who remains disappointingly whimpy throughout the movie). All have one thing in common - they consistently make bad decisions.
The setting is clever (a shopping mall), the music rhythmically intense, the action sequences impress, the running time is too long. Enjoyable gore, silly zombie fighting tactics, and plenty of NRA propaganda underneath a thin veneer of redneck bashing.
The four leads aren't the best actors in the world but all have defined characters - the honorable black guy, the balding white dude who has a romance with the black guy and goes nuts, the silly helicopter pilot, the stunned girl (who remains disappointingly whimpy throughout the movie). All have one thing in common - they consistently make bad decisions.
The setting is clever (a shopping mall), the music rhythmically intense, the action sequences impress, the running time is too long. Enjoyable gore, silly zombie fighting tactics, and plenty of NRA propaganda underneath a thin veneer of redneck bashing.
Saturday, October 05, 2013
Movie review - Bond#9 - "The Man with the Golden Gun" (1974) **1/2
Everyone has their own least favourite Bond film but I don't think anyone would get too much flak if they named this one. Still, I was surprised that it wasn't as bad as I'd remembered... even if I'd remembered it as really, really bad.
The frustrating thing is like Diamonds Are Forever there is a good movie inside here, wanting to get out, and we get glimpses of it. The relationship between government assassin Bond and assassin-for-hire Scaramanga was a strong one - men with much in common - and strong basis for drama. The filmmakers helped things by casting Christopher Lee in the role of Scaramanga - good looking, charismatic, believably ruthless... and also a clear contemporary of Roger Moore's. Indeed the characterisation of Scaramanga is better in the film in the novel, where he was more a two bit gangster; here he has more humanity and ambition.
It was a shame though they lost the section in the novel where Bond went undercover as Scaramanga's helper - this could have seen some interesting scenes between the two along the lines of Bond and Robert Davi in Licence to Kill. However they went with the assassin knowing Bond's identity from the get-go (I think to set up the use of the Bond mannequin which is how he ultimately beats Scaramanga.. still, it's a shame since it could have given their relationship more progression).
Some other positive things about the movie: Herve Villechaize's Nick Nack is one of the best villain henchman's ever. (Scaramanga also has a third - some random black guy who hangs around the island and sexually harasses Britt Ekland.) Maud Adams is beautiful, and one of the best in the surprisingly long list of doomed-Bond-beauties; her death packs a surprising emotional wallop and Britt Ekland never seems like a good enough substitute (killing a love interest too late in a Bond film is always fraught with danger eg You Only Live Twice). We get extra Bernard Miles in this one (his eyes seem bloodshot in one scene) and some intriguing Moneypenny-Bond banter when she snaps at him at the beginning.
There is also much pleasing location work - Macau, Thailand, Hong Kong. Scaramanga's island lair is very beautiful (I didn't mind it being underpopulated), there are several good looking girls, an impressive car jump stunt (though hampered by a silly slide whistle sound effect that accompanies it), some interesting gimmick bits (a car that turns into a plane, a cigarette lighter that turns into a gun), and a couple of scenes I found genuinely compelling: visiting the gun manufacturer in Macau, the death of Maud Adams, Bond and Scaramanga at lunch and on the beach.
Now for the bad stuff: I think it was a mistake to bring in Marc Lawrence so soon after him being in Diamonds Are Forever; Guy Hamilton's handling feels lethargic and tired most of the time; the film is needlessly overlong; the stuff about the Solex feels tacked on and not thought out; the final shoot out between Bond and Scaramanga has some good moments but feels undercooked and too indebted to Lady from Shanghai (this needed to be a classic encounter along the lines of the train fight with Red Grant); Clifton James' unfunny redneck sheriff is agonisingly awful and should never have been brought back; I loathed the poorly integrated kung fu sequence and the two fighting expert girls (every Bond film has villains delay killing him but bundling him off to a kung fu school...?); the title song is crap (loud and stupid); and Britt Ekland's heroine, while very hot, is too ditzy and stupid... it's like a retread of Jill St John's Tiffany Case, having her walk around in a bikini and knock things over.
The case of Ekland is typical of the film. They could have done something really interesting with the character she plays - Mary Goodnight, James Bond's secretary... I mean, what would a person like that be like? What history does she have with him? But they muff it. It's also annoying they dropped the best bit about the novel: the opening sequence where a brainwashed Bond tries to kill M. (NB This was used in a later Bond film.) Still, watching it again after many years absence, I was surprised how often I got into it.
The frustrating thing is like Diamonds Are Forever there is a good movie inside here, wanting to get out, and we get glimpses of it. The relationship between government assassin Bond and assassin-for-hire Scaramanga was a strong one - men with much in common - and strong basis for drama. The filmmakers helped things by casting Christopher Lee in the role of Scaramanga - good looking, charismatic, believably ruthless... and also a clear contemporary of Roger Moore's. Indeed the characterisation of Scaramanga is better in the film in the novel, where he was more a two bit gangster; here he has more humanity and ambition.
It was a shame though they lost the section in the novel where Bond went undercover as Scaramanga's helper - this could have seen some interesting scenes between the two along the lines of Bond and Robert Davi in Licence to Kill. However they went with the assassin knowing Bond's identity from the get-go (I think to set up the use of the Bond mannequin which is how he ultimately beats Scaramanga.. still, it's a shame since it could have given their relationship more progression).
Some other positive things about the movie: Herve Villechaize's Nick Nack is one of the best villain henchman's ever. (Scaramanga also has a third - some random black guy who hangs around the island and sexually harasses Britt Ekland.) Maud Adams is beautiful, and one of the best in the surprisingly long list of doomed-Bond-beauties; her death packs a surprising emotional wallop and Britt Ekland never seems like a good enough substitute (killing a love interest too late in a Bond film is always fraught with danger eg You Only Live Twice). We get extra Bernard Miles in this one (his eyes seem bloodshot in one scene) and some intriguing Moneypenny-Bond banter when she snaps at him at the beginning.
There is also much pleasing location work - Macau, Thailand, Hong Kong. Scaramanga's island lair is very beautiful (I didn't mind it being underpopulated), there are several good looking girls, an impressive car jump stunt (though hampered by a silly slide whistle sound effect that accompanies it), some interesting gimmick bits (a car that turns into a plane, a cigarette lighter that turns into a gun), and a couple of scenes I found genuinely compelling: visiting the gun manufacturer in Macau, the death of Maud Adams, Bond and Scaramanga at lunch and on the beach.
Now for the bad stuff: I think it was a mistake to bring in Marc Lawrence so soon after him being in Diamonds Are Forever; Guy Hamilton's handling feels lethargic and tired most of the time; the film is needlessly overlong; the stuff about the Solex feels tacked on and not thought out; the final shoot out between Bond and Scaramanga has some good moments but feels undercooked and too indebted to Lady from Shanghai (this needed to be a classic encounter along the lines of the train fight with Red Grant); Clifton James' unfunny redneck sheriff is agonisingly awful and should never have been brought back; I loathed the poorly integrated kung fu sequence and the two fighting expert girls (every Bond film has villains delay killing him but bundling him off to a kung fu school...?); the title song is crap (loud and stupid); and Britt Ekland's heroine, while very hot, is too ditzy and stupid... it's like a retread of Jill St John's Tiffany Case, having her walk around in a bikini and knock things over.
The case of Ekland is typical of the film. They could have done something really interesting with the character she plays - Mary Goodnight, James Bond's secretary... I mean, what would a person like that be like? What history does she have with him? But they muff it. It's also annoying they dropped the best bit about the novel: the opening sequence where a brainwashed Bond tries to kill M. (NB This was used in a later Bond film.) Still, watching it again after many years absence, I was surprised how often I got into it.
Thursday, October 03, 2013
Movie review - Bond#7 - "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971) **
The film industry recession of the late 60s and relative disappointment of On Her Majesty's Secret Service shook the faith of United Artists, who offered Sean Connery the keys to the bank if he'd return to the role of James Bond. It worked, and the movie was a hit - which doesn't change the fact it's not that good, and Connery gives his weakest performance as Bond to date.
It had only been a few years but Connery looked a lot older and heavier with his least convincing toupee; he lacks sophistication and lumbers around like an aging football player gone slightly to seed. He also looks not very happy to be there.
It's a pity because I was looking for some emotional stuff from Bond in the wake of his wife's death in the previous film; they could have borrowed from the opening chapter of the book You Only Live Twice and have a boozing Bond, shattered and on the verge of collapse. But instead there's a mostly unmemorable pre-credit sequence where Bond tracks down Blofeld, then kills him in an unexciting fight scene.
I say "mostly unmemorable" because there are some good gimmicks and bits in it - someone saying "hit me" before being hit, and a woman being strangled in her bikini. And to be fair Diamonds Are Forever has a few good bits - funny lines, little gimmicky moments like the fake fingerprints. But as a narrative whole it's a failure.
The story isn't much - Bond follows a diamond smuggling trail from Amsterdam to Las Vegas, which involves him going undercover as a smuggler. Undercover stories almost always work but the script throws away opportunities wholesale - there's no real stakes (emotional or life and death) if Tiffany Case realises Bond was a liar, and Bond always has this massive support crew nearby to help him out.
No doubt worried about the low key drama that was unfolding, the screenwriters then throw in a third act plot about the diamonds being used by Blofeld to create a ray gun which feels uncooked and stupid, plus a twist with Blofeld pretending to be a reclusive billionaire, which is actually a great idea, but really badly done.
So much of this is stupid - instead of killing Bond, Blofeld arranges for him to be taken out to the desert alive to be left for dead (I recognise the baddies not killing Bond was a regular feature of the series but this movie pushes it to ridiculous proportions Blofeld kidnaps Tiffany Case for absolutely no good reason; Bofeld lets Bond come on board the oil rig and doesn't kill him at the end; Bond goes to Whyte's house on his own for no good reason when Felix Leiter is there as well.
I am admittedly biased here because I don't like my Bond films to be overly American and this is the most American Bond yet. The old stylish 60s look is gone, with too many ugly shirts and cars, the two girls Bond beds are American (and noisily so too), the character actors are over familiar American gangster types, Vegas in the day looks too tacky, there's the least memorable Felix Leiter yet. And I couldn't help feeling Blofeld didn't belong in America.
Jill St John is pretty and spunky, has a good character name, looks good in a bikini and wrapped in that white fur, but lacks spark, bravery and a sense of danger/death; also she is far too dim, especially her shenanigans at the end with the tape. It's a shame they couldn't have kept some of the man-hating, wounded-bird aspect to Tiffany's character from the novel - it would have given her somewhere to go dramatically and been more interesting than the mercenary, wise-cracking ditz here... but clearly by the way the filmmakers avoided Bond having any trauma in the fall out from his wife's death they didn't want to create a Bond film with any emotional depth. It's a real shame because the direct follow up to On Her Majesty's Secret Service should have had some depth.
Plenty O'Toole has spectacular cleavage, a funny stunt fall into a pool and a tragic end that doesn't make too much sense if you think about and she's too jokey for us to care much what happens to her. But at least she's better than Jimmy Dean's Willard Whyte, who is appalling - I can't believe the filmmakers miscast so badly; he's meant to be this recluse a la Howard Hughes, which could have been a marvellous creepy, intriguing character but and instead they have this jokey well adjusted Texan who always seems to be on the toilet. Not for one moment do you believe he is a reclusive billionaire; a hick moronic Texas oilman lately but not some mogul. To make things worse he takes part in the helicopter attack on the oil rig at the end - get stuffed! He is not Draco. In the pantheon of "Bond allies" in the series, Dean's Willard Whyte would rank right down the bottom.
The moon buggy chase and following car chase through Vegas is dull as is the final battle on an oil rig (oil rigs are never as exciting as I think they'll be - they look so great but they never seem to result in any decent action ssequences). I enjoyed the circus and funeral parlour scenes and there's a decent fight in an elevator between Bond and Peter Franks (an attempt to reprise the Red Grant fight on the train in From Russia with Love) - but it might have meant more had we gotten to know the character of Peter Franks first.
Charles Gray is an absolutely dreadful Blofeld; not only is he a whimp he seems bored most of the time, and monumentally uninterested in his own plan. Donald Pleasance's Blofeld at least had ambition and scope, Telly Savalas' was human and genuinely tough - Grey is just dull. There is absolutely no tension between him and Bond over Tracey's death from the previous film, which would have given this a massive lift; Blofeld is a moron, a pushover and an all-round unworthy opponent. It's a disgraceful treatment of one of the great Bond villains.
Okay some good things: I liked multiple Blofelds, Bambi and Thumper are entertaining henchwomen, Bruce Glover and Putter Smith are fun as the two gay killers. Shirley Bassey sings a first rate theme song and fans will enjoy Shane Rimmer popping up as one of Whyte's assistants. But I was surprised how awful this was. Dull, unexotic, lacking any sort of logic.
It had only been a few years but Connery looked a lot older and heavier with his least convincing toupee; he lacks sophistication and lumbers around like an aging football player gone slightly to seed. He also looks not very happy to be there.
It's a pity because I was looking for some emotional stuff from Bond in the wake of his wife's death in the previous film; they could have borrowed from the opening chapter of the book You Only Live Twice and have a boozing Bond, shattered and on the verge of collapse. But instead there's a mostly unmemorable pre-credit sequence where Bond tracks down Blofeld, then kills him in an unexciting fight scene.
I say "mostly unmemorable" because there are some good gimmicks and bits in it - someone saying "hit me" before being hit, and a woman being strangled in her bikini. And to be fair Diamonds Are Forever has a few good bits - funny lines, little gimmicky moments like the fake fingerprints. But as a narrative whole it's a failure.
The story isn't much - Bond follows a diamond smuggling trail from Amsterdam to Las Vegas, which involves him going undercover as a smuggler. Undercover stories almost always work but the script throws away opportunities wholesale - there's no real stakes (emotional or life and death) if Tiffany Case realises Bond was a liar, and Bond always has this massive support crew nearby to help him out.
No doubt worried about the low key drama that was unfolding, the screenwriters then throw in a third act plot about the diamonds being used by Blofeld to create a ray gun which feels uncooked and stupid, plus a twist with Blofeld pretending to be a reclusive billionaire, which is actually a great idea, but really badly done.
So much of this is stupid - instead of killing Bond, Blofeld arranges for him to be taken out to the desert alive to be left for dead (I recognise the baddies not killing Bond was a regular feature of the series but this movie pushes it to ridiculous proportions Blofeld kidnaps Tiffany Case for absolutely no good reason; Bofeld lets Bond come on board the oil rig and doesn't kill him at the end; Bond goes to Whyte's house on his own for no good reason when Felix Leiter is there as well.
I am admittedly biased here because I don't like my Bond films to be overly American and this is the most American Bond yet. The old stylish 60s look is gone, with too many ugly shirts and cars, the two girls Bond beds are American (and noisily so too), the character actors are over familiar American gangster types, Vegas in the day looks too tacky, there's the least memorable Felix Leiter yet. And I couldn't help feeling Blofeld didn't belong in America.
Jill St John is pretty and spunky, has a good character name, looks good in a bikini and wrapped in that white fur, but lacks spark, bravery and a sense of danger/death; also she is far too dim, especially her shenanigans at the end with the tape. It's a shame they couldn't have kept some of the man-hating, wounded-bird aspect to Tiffany's character from the novel - it would have given her somewhere to go dramatically and been more interesting than the mercenary, wise-cracking ditz here... but clearly by the way the filmmakers avoided Bond having any trauma in the fall out from his wife's death they didn't want to create a Bond film with any emotional depth. It's a real shame because the direct follow up to On Her Majesty's Secret Service should have had some depth.
Plenty O'Toole has spectacular cleavage, a funny stunt fall into a pool and a tragic end that doesn't make too much sense if you think about and she's too jokey for us to care much what happens to her. But at least she's better than Jimmy Dean's Willard Whyte, who is appalling - I can't believe the filmmakers miscast so badly; he's meant to be this recluse a la Howard Hughes, which could have been a marvellous creepy, intriguing character but and instead they have this jokey well adjusted Texan who always seems to be on the toilet. Not for one moment do you believe he is a reclusive billionaire; a hick moronic Texas oilman lately but not some mogul. To make things worse he takes part in the helicopter attack on the oil rig at the end - get stuffed! He is not Draco. In the pantheon of "Bond allies" in the series, Dean's Willard Whyte would rank right down the bottom.
The moon buggy chase and following car chase through Vegas is dull as is the final battle on an oil rig (oil rigs are never as exciting as I think they'll be - they look so great but they never seem to result in any decent action ssequences). I enjoyed the circus and funeral parlour scenes and there's a decent fight in an elevator between Bond and Peter Franks (an attempt to reprise the Red Grant fight on the train in From Russia with Love) - but it might have meant more had we gotten to know the character of Peter Franks first.
Charles Gray is an absolutely dreadful Blofeld; not only is he a whimp he seems bored most of the time, and monumentally uninterested in his own plan. Donald Pleasance's Blofeld at least had ambition and scope, Telly Savalas' was human and genuinely tough - Grey is just dull. There is absolutely no tension between him and Bond over Tracey's death from the previous film, which would have given this a massive lift; Blofeld is a moron, a pushover and an all-round unworthy opponent. It's a disgraceful treatment of one of the great Bond villains.
Okay some good things: I liked multiple Blofelds, Bambi and Thumper are entertaining henchwomen, Bruce Glover and Putter Smith are fun as the two gay killers. Shirley Bassey sings a first rate theme song and fans will enjoy Shane Rimmer popping up as one of Whyte's assistants. But I was surprised how awful this was. Dull, unexotic, lacking any sort of logic.
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