"Fresh" Review

 

by John Zenoni

One of the strangest, not to mention creepiest, films I have seen in awhile is the critically-acclaimed and much raved about film, ‘Fresh.’ It's the story about a young woman, Noa (portrayed by Daisy Edgar-Jones), who is tired of the dating scene and meeting losers. She has a best friend that she confides in, Mollie (portrayed by Jonica T. Gibbs). One day she's in a grocery store minding her business when she comes across a young, handsome guy named Steve (portrayed by Sebastian Stan) and they hit it off. The next thing you know, they're dating and after what is really a very short time, Steve asks Noa to go out of town with him on a trip. Telling her friend about this trip, Mollie tells Noa that she's concerned about her going away with a guy so soon. Well, let’s just say that Mollie has good instincts. It's hard to review this film without giving the critical details of the story away but needless to say, Noa finds out that Steve has a very strange appetite.

While I don’t need to watch this film again, as once is enough because of the subject matter, I will say that the acting is great and it's an impressive directorial debut by Mimi Cave. It ends as I was hoping, so that's a good thing that I liked about the film as well. This is a definitely different film. And just be prepared is all I can say.

#cinemafiends

#fullycinematic

#fresh

#freshmovie

#freshhulu

"The Furies" Review

 

by Daniel White

I know it's not fashionable these days to compare actors. It has become almost unseemly to say one performer is "better" than another. After all, it's a matter of taste; what I find memorable, you might say is mediocre.

That being said, while watching Anthony Mann's The Furies (1950), a word came to my mind about Barbara Stanwyck -- a word I rarely use when attempting to describe an actor's attributes: magnificent. Barbara Stanwyck is magnificent in The Furies, and demonstrates why she was one of the greatest stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

The Furies is the perfect showcase for Stanwyck. In it, she plays Vance Jeffords, the strong-willed daughter of larger-than-life cattle baron TC Jeffords (Walter Huston). Both are determined, ambitious, and ruthless, and when they find themselves at war with each other, her devotion is replaced by an insatiable desire to destroy him.

Mann had already made a name for himself as a talented director of film-noir (Desperate, Raw Deal), but this was his first Western, and he has made an excellent movie. Sprawling and exciting, with giant, operatic themes, The Furies is a classic Western, equal to any of the films he would soon make with James Stewart.

Huston and Stanwyck are sublimely matched as father and daughter. It's near perfect casting, and one has no difficulty accepting them in their roles. I wish the same could be said for Wendell Corey as Rip Darrow, Vance's love interest and TC's adversary. Corey has never had the stature as an actor to go head-to-head with Stanwyck (I felt the same way when the two were paired in The File On Thelma Jordan), and is the only weak link in an otherwise amazing movie.

If Corey isn't man enough to challenge Stanwyck, Judith Anderson certainly is. She plays Flo Burnett, a wily widow who has set her cap for TC. As smart and cunning as Vance, the two have a showdown which involves a pair of scissors that is as shocking a scene in the movies as I have ever witnessed.

The other important player in this robust, engrossing flick is Gilbert Roland as Juan Herrera, Vance's childhood friend, whose family squats on the Jeffords' land. Roland and Stanwyck are a stimulating pair and their scenes together smolder.

Watching Barbara Stanwyck masterfully tackle the role of Vance Jeffords, I realized there is not a single one of her contemporaries who could have handled this character as well as she. The only one who might have come close is Joan Crawford. But with Crawford you always run the risk of camp, something Stanwyck never allows to happen.

With Thomas Gomez, Wallace Ford, Blanche Yurka, Albert Dekker, and Beulah Bondi, The Furies is available on YouTube. A superb film with an outstanding cast, it serves as a prime example of why many consider Barbara Stanwyck to be one of the most enduring stars from the Golden Age of Film.

"Alice" is an Intense, Edge-of-Your-Seat Thriller

 

by John Zenoni

If you want to see an intense, edge-of-your-seat movie then you need to watch the film, ‘Alice’, starring Keke Palmer (‘Akeelah and the Bee’, ‘The Proud Family’, ‘True Jackson’, ‘Hustlers’) in the title-role. The story is about Alice and her family, who are slaves on a farm in Georgia. When Alice has a run in with the ‘owner’ and is able to break away, she ends up running onto a highway and passes out, as she's almost hit by a semi driven by Frank (played by Common). Frank is going to leave her at a hospital but when he thinks about what might happen to her, he goes back and takes her home as she doesn't realize it's the year 1973. It's by being with him and reading some of his books - she was taught to read on the farm in order to entertain the ‘master’ - that she learns what year it is and about the Emancipation Proclamation. She realizes that she and her family have been free all this time, only to be held hostage and horribly abused on the farm on which she worked. Needless to say, Alice works with Frank to confront her former ‘owners’ and go back to set everyone else there free.

I have to say the acting and storyline in the first part of the film was so intense it had me glued to the screen. The weaker part of the film from an acting perspective, in my opinion, is when Alice is rescued and begins to learn about the current year and Frank gets her clothes, introduces her to current music, etc. It almost seemed like two films in one, if that makes sense. But then I was thankful to see Alice and Frank on a roll at the end and what happens to her ‘owners.’

An interesting (and terrifying) note about this film is that director Krystin Ver Linden wrote it based on a true story about a woman who was still enslaved in Mississippi until escaping from her ‘owners’ in the 1960’s. Unbelievable!

I thought everyone really held their own in this film from an acting perspective, and while it was hard to see the abuse and hatred on display in the film, it was great watching Alice seek revenge and sharing her important message about people and freedom and equality.

#cinemafiends

#fullycinematic

#alice

#alicefilm

"Girls in Prison" Review

 

by Daniel White

Diane Richard's is one hot mama and she opens 1956's Girls in Prison with a sizzling bebop number, "Tom's Beat " ("Take a solid beat, add a little heat"). Set in the dimly lit Starlit Cafe, La Richards growls and shimmies, while a young woman frantically attempts to cross the dance floor. Blocked by jitterbugging couples caught up, no doubt in the sexual frenzy of Tom's rhythmic beat, she is summarily escorted off the premises by the police. It's a fantastic, perfectly prepped scene, and while nothing that follows quite matches , Girls in Prison is still a fun, well-made B "Women in prison" flick. A genre that dates back to silent film, it flourished in the fifties after the success of Caged (1950).

Produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, with a story by Leo Rusoff, and released through American International Pictures, the movie originally played on a double bill with Hot Rod Girls. Ooh, drag racing dames and bad broads in the Big House, it doesn't get any better than this!

That was the hope anyway, and while Girls in Prison never fails to entertain, it only occasionally hits the high level of camp that one craves in a chicks-in-chains flick. Ann Carson (the smart-looking Joan Taylor), the beleaguered gal in the first scene, quickly goes from nightclub to cop car. The opening credits running, we watch as she is deposited at the ladies penitentiary. After being brusquely interviewed by the prison matron, (the fabulous Jane Darwell), Ann lands in a four-woman cell, and quickly learns the ropes as the "new fish." An accomplice in a bank robbery in which the loot was never recovered, Ann piques the interest of the other inmates. Hounded and harassed, she turns to her cellie, the seasoned Jenny (the statuesque Adele Jergens), for protection.

While the story unfolds predictably, the actresses are a gas and give spirited performances. Besides Taylor, Darwell and Jergens, there is Helen Gilbert as Melanee, a faux-Southern belle who has the hots for the uninitiated Ann ("I declare...doesn't she have the prettiest skin"). Though the producers were warned to avoid any scenes that were suggestive of lesbianism, it is very clear what Miss Melanee wants, and it ain't Ashley Wilkes!

Mae Marsh plays Grandma, the old lady con who has spent her life in stir, a stock character that no WIP film would be complete without. Marsh, a one-time star of silent cinema has one of her last speaking parts here, and it's a delight to see her in action.

If the opening scene has the most sizzle, things spark up again in the last twenty minutes with the snuffing of a snitch, an earthquake to rival the one in 1906, and a prison breakout. It's deliciously preposterous, and the campiness I was craving finally shows up.

Not quite the schlock masterpiece I hoped for, Girls in Prison is still a worthwhile B movie excursion, a titillating trip I was more than happy to take. Directed by Edward L. Cahn, and co-starring Richard Denning, Lance Fuller, Phyllis Coates, Raymond Hatton, and Lottie Salisbury, Girls in Prison is currently streaming on Tubi.

"The Eyes of Tammy Faye" Review

 

by John Zenoni

One of the Best Actress nominees this year is Jessica Chastain for her performance as Tammy Faye Bakker in, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”, and let me tell you, she definitely deserves this recognition. Wow! What a knockout performance she puts on in this film. She not only looks exactly like the real-life Tammy Faye but her mannerisms are spot on as well. The movie itself is ok - I mean almost everyone knows the outcome - and it's almost a farce in how it plays out. But Chastain is definitely the diamond in this showcase of the excessive lifestyle of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. Andrew Garfield plays Jim Bakker and does a commendable job but I just don't care for him as an actor. The film also features Vincent D’Onofrio as Jerry Falwell and he does a good job as usual.

However, this is one of those films that you watch for a performance alone and Chastain is the reason why in this one!

#cinemafiends

#fullycinematic

#tammyfayebakker

#theeyesoftammyfaye

#tammybakkerfilm

"Sundown" Review

 

by Daniel White

Leading up to to America's entry into the second world war was an interesting time in Hollywood. Many of the films made during this period reflect Tinseltown's ambivalent attitude towards the events unfolding overseas. There was a strong isolationist faction in the USA that vehemently opposed the country getting involved in another European struggle, a foreign war as they perceived it. Equally determined were a group of Yanks eager to assist Great Britain as she precariously stood alone fighting Nazi Germany.

Released two months before Pearl Harbor by United Artists, and produced by Walter Wanger, Sundown is veddy veddy pro-British, yet in an odd nod to appeasement, fascist Germany is never mentioned by name.

Bruce Cabot is Bill Crawford, district commissioner of an East African military outpost. Heralding from Ottawa (what better way to explain Cabot's obvious American accent than by making him a Canuck), he runs a rather lax outfit, which newly arrived Major Coombes (the always welcome George Sanders) hopes to tighten up. When guns and ammo are found in hostile native hands, it's up to our intrepid team of brave Brits and their straight-shooting allies to seek out the source of this materiel and destroy it. They are aided in their quest to secure Africa for the Mother Country by the very shapely Gene Tierney (Miss Tierney rocks a midriff-revealing top that momentarily makes all talk of war and "geo political plans" inconsequential).

There is an impassioned speech by Joseph Calleia as an Italian POW addressed to Cabot and Sanders (but in truth to the free world) that implores them to hold on to Africa, "you lose Africa, you lose the war, you lose the world." But again, no mention of the axis powers, only "they" and "them". At this late stage in the game, why was Hollywood still afraid of offending Hitler and his murderous thugs?

Of course, it was impossible to film on location in Africa in 1941, so the Mojave desert and parts of New Mexico are substituted, and actually look (to my easy-to-fool eye) authentic and beautiful. However, the print available on Tubi is so mediocre that it diminishes the impact of the movie considerably. Does anyone know if a pristine copy of Sundown exists? If so, I would be very interested in viewing it.

An enjoyable, if uninspired adventure tale, what makes Sundown of interest is the political message it is conveying (and sometimes not conveying). Decidedly pro-intervention, it has a rousing (if extremely manipulative) speech near the end by a dying Sanders that manages to drag in church, the army, and civilization. And if that were not enough, the next scene has Sander's father, Cedric Hardwicke, as a bishop delivering his eulogy in a bombed out London church. My, my, talk about getting hit over the head by a ten-foot British beam.

Of special interest to the cinema enthusiast is a very young Dorothy Dandridge as the child bride of an African soldier, loyal to the British crown. She is so lovely to look at and even gets to "act" when her patriotic husband is killed in the line of duty. Dorothy and Gene are so impossibly dewy-eyed, with Dandridge still a teenager and Tierney barely 21. Both ladies would end up having very difficult, emotionally charged lives. Two of Hollywood's Women of Many Woes.

With Reginald Gardiner, Carl Esmond, Harry Carey, and Marc Lawrence being his usual nasty self, Sundown as a movie is second-rate, but as war-time propaganda, it's top-notch.

"The Batman" Features One of the Better Takes on the Character

 

by John Zenoni

I finally got to see “The Batman” and needless to say, it was definitely a different take. Some things I really liked and some not so much. It's definitely one of the better takes on Batman, I will say, as I enjoyed the dark mood, like that of “Joker.” I thought Robert Pattinson did a good job but whereas I really thought he expanded as an actor in his role in “The Lighthouse”, I felt like I was watching his same moody, brooding performance from the “Twilight” films (and don’t even get me started on those, ha!).

As for the rest of the cast, I thought everyone did a great job, although I felt Zoe Kravitz’s character, Selina Kyle aka Catwoman, could have been developed a little bit better. I love her as an actor and was so glad to see her in it. I also didn't like that ‘cat hat’ she wore. Horrible mask in my opinion but that is minor.

I also loved the background and settings, as well as the action sequences. I also loved the use of Nirvana’s song in the film.

It definitely gave me a lot to think about. But most importantly, it was very entertaining and I needed that so much!

#cinemafiends

#fullycinematic

#thebatman

#thebatmanfilm

#dcthebatman

"City Girl" Review

 

by Daniel White

If he were remembered for nothing else but Nosferatu (1922), German director F. W. Murnau would be an immortal in the history of film. However, that chilling movie is just one of the several great flicks he made that survive today.

Fox Films' City Girl was his penultimate movie, released in February of 1930. Conceived as a silent picture, the studio wanted to convert it into a talkie, a move Murnau found objectionable. Preoccupied with Tabu, a film he was shooting in the South Seas, he walked away from the film, allowing the studio to make the changes it desired. Released with sound, the film flopped, but in one of the few instances where the artist prevailed over the suits in Hollywood (if inadvertently), that copy has been lost, and Murnau's silent version is the one that has survived.

Charles Farrell plays Lem, the son of a wheat farmer who arrives in Chicago to sell the family's crop. In a chance encounter at a busy diner, he meets a weary waitress (Mary Duncan) and they are quickly drawn to one another. Deciding to marry, Lem brings her back to his Minnesota farm.

It is a beautiful looking film, reminiscent of Murnau's 1927 classic, Sunrise. And it has a similar theme: soulless city life vs. the imagined peace of a rural existence. Kate, the lonely hash slinger, hopes to find the happiness that has eluded her in the crowded Chicago din she finds herself struggling to survive in. Her dreams of contentment are quickly smashed when she encounters Lem's tyrannical father (David Torrence), who resents her intrusion on the family he rules with cold authority ("I am the master here!"). To make matters worse, she's lusted after by the other farm hands who consider her a woman of easy virtue because she is a "city girl".

There is little question that Murnau would have mastered the art of "talking" films if he had lived, but he was right to resist the studio's attempt to alter City Girl by imposing sound upon it. The movie is perfect, just the way it is.

An influential artist who was revered by other filmmakers (John Ford and Howard Hawks were both keen admirers), Murnau died a little over a year after the release of City Girl. Traveling up the Pacific Coast Highway in a car with his chauffeur at the wheel, the car crashed. Thrown from the vehicle, he suffered a head injury and died the next day. Only 11 people were brave enough to show up for his funeral, Fritz Lang and Greta Garbo among them. Two fellow artists of integrity who were unafraid to pay their respects to one of the greatest figures in the history of cinema.

A giant of German film, and the creative genius behind four American classics (a copy of 1928's 4 Devils is thought to be in the possession of Mary Duncan's heirs), F. W. Murnau will never be forgotten as long as there are people who study, appreciate, and enjoy great cinema.

With a young Anne Shirley as Lem's little sister, City Girl is available on YouTube in an exquisite print with a lovely musical score to accompany it.

"The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey" Review

 

by John Zenoni

Oh my word! If you are in anyway a fan of Samuel L. Jackson, you have got to see his latest series coming out on Apple TV+, ‘The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey.’ It's a drama miniseries that is scheduled to start streaming on March 11. I was able to screen the first episode and his performance is absolutely amazing! If this man does not get recognition this year during awards season for just what I have seen so far, then I will revolt. And the last 10 minutes - just took my breath away and I about had a meltdown. I can tell that this isn't going to be an easy one to follow all the way through but I have to watch his journey now.

Jackson plays Grey, an elderly gentleman who is beginning to display signs of dementia. At this point in the series it has set up how he's living and what's happening to his mind. He's been scheduled to see a specialist and that will take him on a timeline of his life. I can't wait to see how it plays out. As far as the other actors, everyone else is good also, so the series has really put together a great ensemble. I hope that continues to be true with other characters that are introduced.

#cinemafiends

#fullycinematic

#TheLastDaysOfPtolemyGrey

#AppleTVPlusPtolemyGrey

#samuelljacksongrey

"The Lady is Willing" Review

 

by Daniel White

In researching the Hollywood career of director Mitchell Leisen, I discovered that Billy Wilder had referred to him as a "stupid fairy." How disappointing that a man I respect so much could utter such a homophobic slur. Just because you are responsible for creating a masterpiece like Sunset Boulevard does not give you carte blanche to make an ugly comment like that.

And what was the reason Wilder felt compelled to expose himself as a bigot? Because he didn't like the way Leisen directed two of his screenplays, Midnight and Hold Back The Dawn. Which is ironic, because both films are highly regarded and considered classics from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

The Lady is Willing (1942) may not be as highly regarded as those two gems but it is mighty entertaining. Marlene Dietrich plays Elizabeth Madden, a Broadway superstar who becomes the enthusiastic guardian of an abandoned baby. Eager to experience motherhood, yet clueless, she enlists the help of pediatrician Corey McBain (Fred MacMurray), which quickly leads to a marriage of convenience between the two.

A comic romance with screwball touches, the movie primarily serves as a showcase for La Dietrich, who handles the material like a pro. She started her career in Hollywood as a femme fatale, but here she demonstrates that she is an excellent farceur.

This is her only pairing with MacMurray, which is a shame, they work well together. The Continental Dietrich was always at her best when teamed with All-American actors (Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne), and Fred MacMurray is no exception. Something special happens on the screen when the sexy, sophisticated siren sparks with a straight-shooter like Fred.

Everything of quality in film starts with a solid screenplay, and The Lady is Willing has a clever one, by James Edward Grant (frequent writer of John Wayne movies!). Based on his original story and co-written by Albert McCleery, it's bubbly and light, never faltering even when the movie turns melodramatic. Decent script, exciting stars. What else does The Lady is Willing have? Oh yes, a talented, capable director who keeps everything humming along nicely- Mitchell Leisen.

Starting out as an art director and costume designer under Cecil B. DeMille, Leisen helmed most of his films for Paramount (he was a favorite of Carole Lombard's). After his movie career ended, he moved over to television, where he directed, among others, episodes of The Twilight Zone and The Girl From Uncle.

Mitchell Leisen must have been a very threatening guy to elicit the scorn of not one but two of Hollywood's most celebrated "autuers". After Leisen pruned his screenplay for Remember the Night, before directing it Preston Sturges disparagingly called him an "interior decorator" (code for you-know-what).

Screenplay, stars, and Mitchell Leisen, The Lady is Willing also has a supporting cast that is exquisite. Aline MacMahon, Stanley Ridges, Marietta Canty, and Arline Judge headline a group of players that help make The Lady is Willing winning entertainment.

Available on YouTube.

"Nightmare Alley" Review

 

by John Zenoni

The fact that Guillermo del Toro is a talented director, producer and screenwriter isn't in doubt. He has won accolades (and many awards) with his films such as “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Shape of Water” and popularity with others such as “Crimson’s Peak”, “Pacific Rim”, and “Hellboy.” However, the issue is I have never liked any of his films. I did like his production of the horror television series, “The Strain”, having read the books and being a huge fan of them. 

But I can say I definitely enjoyed his latest film, “Nightmare Alley”, and can see why it's also getting award recognition. It's a film with a great cast and outstanding performances and a powerful ending. The film opens with Bradley Cooper’s character, Stan Carlisle, moving what is obviously a body, burying it in the floor of a house and setting it on fire. He's then seen going off in the distance until he comes across a carnival where he finds work as a carny and picks up tricks that allow him to ‘read’ people and gains popularity as a medium. 

Cooper does a fantastic job in his role. The cast also includes Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, and David Strathairn, all of whom give great performances, especially Blanchett, Collette and Dafoe. The movie has a definite ‘old style’ feel to it and reminds you of a 40’s classic set in modern times. The settings, lighting and cinematography are fantastic and should definitely be considered come awards time. While not a fast-paced film, it's worth it when you get to the ending, which knocks you out. Definitely worth a see! 

#cinemafiends 

#fullycinematic 

#guillermodeltoro 

#nightmarealley

"Human Desire" Review

 

by Daniel White

Fritz Lang's Human Desire (1954) starts off with an exciting urgency: pulsating music plays as a POV shot of a train traveling speedily along its tracks appears before us. Next we see the two conductors, Glenn Ford and Edgar Buchanan, at the throttle, relaxed, running the locomotive, while silently communicating with one another.

Lang and screenwriter Alfred Hayes waste little time in setting up the story. Jeff Warren (Ford), a veteran, newly returned from the Korean War, has returned to his old job as an engineer for the Central National railroad. His first day back in town, he takes up his former residence with Alec Simmons (Buchanan), his co-worker and friend. A warm, welcoming home that includes Alec's wife and grown daughter, Ellen (the beautiful Kathleen Case), who has an obvious crush on Jeff.

In complete contrast with the love that is palpable in Warren's adopted family, the next scene is set in assistant yard master Carl Buckley's house. Buckley (Broderick Crawford), hard drinking and combative, is consumed with jealousy for his younger wife Vicki (the always watchable Gloria Grahame).

Contrasts, wrong decisions, fatal choices, like the diverging train tracks witnessed at the beginning, that's what Human Desire is all about. It isn't long before Buckley's rabid possessiveness of Vicki leads to a murder that soon draws Jeff into their lurid, noxious world.

I love Gloria Grahame and she's at her best when playing bad. As Vicki, she is victim as much as victimizer, a sexy, seductive dame, who has been abused. Broderick Crawford is okay as Buckley but doesn't achieve greatness in the role. He seems a bit unsure of himself; distracted. And his switch from beast to bumbling booze-hound feels a bit forced.

The underrated Glenn Ford gives the best performance of the three as the wary Jeff who is not as pliable as the scheming Vicki hopes he will be. Ford is such a good actor that he makes it look too easy, which is probably why he was never nominated for an Oscar. The Academy likes its actors to sweat for that golden statue. If they don't draw some blood for their craft and noisily emote, they can't be doing it right. Like fellow non-winner Cary Grant, Glenn Ford makes it look too damn effortless, therefore he can't really be "acting."

Produced by Columbia, and loosely based on the Emile Zola novel, La Bete Humaine, Human Desire starts off with a bang but is unable to sustain the brilliance of its first few minutes. However, it's still a very good movie, a compelling film noir about the choices a man makes and the consequences that result.

With an exciting musical score by Daniele Amfitheatrof, and some sexy wardrobe designs by Jean Louis for Gloria Grahame (including a belted trenchcoat with matching beret that she works like nobody's business!), Human Desire is available on YouTube.

"Drive My Car" is Way Too Long and Somber

 

by John Zenoni

So I'm trying to watch all of the films nominated for Best Picture before the ceremony takes place and I finally finished “Drive My Car”, the Japanese film directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. My first reaction, 2 hours and 45 minutes into it (it's a 3 hour film), was that I disliked it very much. To me, it's way too long, very somber, people talk to each other in languages no one can understand (Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean sign language, English); I questioned why the central character in the film (Yusuke Kafuku, played by Hidetoshi Nishijima) didn't confront his wife about an incident that took place early on (not to give away any key elements of the plot) and yes, there was a lot of driving. Although I will say I did love the red Saab. But then, at 2 hours and 46 minutes into the film, it hit me that I really loved the one and pivotal scene I was watching. All of that buildup could have taken place much earlier, in my opinion, but Kafuku and his driver, the young Misaki Watari (played by Toko Miura), come together over different things that have happened in each other’s lives and it's a beautiful moment.

One of the things Kafuku says, and I am paraphrasing, is, ‘Those who survive keep thinking about the dead constantly in one way or another. In one way or another that will continue. You and I must keep living like that. We must keep on living. It’ll be ok….we’ll be ok.’ I love when and how he tells her this. Also, to quote reviewer Alissa Wilkinson from an article in Vox magazine, ‘In the place where language falls away, we come to terms with what we’ve lost in the past, and we determine to go on living’ is a key theme of the film.

This is definitely a heavy one to watch. I won’t say that I loved it but after digesting it and having time to think about it, I will say it does offer a lot to think about.

#cinemafiends

#fullycinematic

#drivemycar

#drivemycarfilm

#oscarfilm2022

"Frisco Jenny" Review

 

by Daniel White

Happy Belated Birthday to Miss Ruth Chatterton (December 24, 1892 - November 24, 1961). Largely forgotten today, Ruth Chatterton was one of Hollywood's biggest female stars during it's Pre-Code era (in a 1930 poll she placed second, behind Norma Shearer). Probably best known for her role in Dodsworth (1936), she retired from filmmaking two years later, though she certainly didn't retire from life. Aviator, author, Chatterton also raised French poodles, and continued to act on the stage and television (her last role was as Gertrude to Maurice Evans' Hamlet on television in 1953).

In First National Pictures, Frisco Jenny (1932), directed by William Wellman, she plays the title character, Jenny Sandoval. Sounding a bit like Jimmy Cagney ("This is Jenny see, Jenny Sandoval" "I've been brought up with coppers!"), Jenny is a tough broad, a madam who manages a call girl service in San Francisco's Tenderloin district.

The film begins in 1906 (you know what THAT means), where a blonde Jenny with a ponytail works in her father's bar, keeping the books, keeping the peace, and keeping a watchful eye over the girls who ply their trade there. In love with the bar's piano player, Dan (Donald Cook), who her father disapproves of ("I'd rather see her married to a Hottentot!"), both are conveniently disposed of in the famous earthquake. Realistically rendered and every bit as effective (if on a smaller scale) than MGM'S more famous one in 1936, the special effects are top-notch.

I liked this movie and am surprised it isn't more well known. It's a Pre-Code gem that is fairly implicit in its treatment of pre-marital sex, prostitution, and unwed pregnancy. There is one scene with Jenny and the other madams of the city that is jaw-dropping. Sitting in Jenny's home, drinking coffee, discussing business, they are successful women paying deference to Jenny, their leader. There's even a Queer reference when one of the madams tells the others that two of her girls are living in Shanghai, and "they're inseparable."!

I like Ruth Chatterton too, who does a great job as the tough-as-nails with a heart of gold, Jenny. In her big hats with enough plumage to cover a Macy's Thanksgiving Day float, she reminded me of Mae West, but a Westian character who isn't a cartoon or a caricature. It's obvious why Depression-era audiences (especially women) would like Jenny. Resourceful, self-sufficient, resilient, yet sensitive and kind, she is the perfect heroine for the times.

Of course, even a prosperous woman like Jenny can't have it all. Involved in a murder she helps to cover up (in one of my favorite scenes, she hides the murder weapon, a gun, in a cake!), Jenny loses the son she had by the ivory tickler, but continues to thrive as an astute business woman. Eventually, Jenny finds herself on trial for her life, guilty of a crime she committed to protect the reputation of her son, who is now grown up. The story slides into pure sudsy soap opera as her son, now district attorney, prosecutes Jenny, unaware she is his mother!

It may be silly cornball hokum, but there's a feminist message here as well. All of Jenny's woes come from her associations with men. From a brutal, unsavory father (he slaps her to the ground when he realizes she has become intimate with Dan), to her partnership with unscrupulous lawyer Steve Dutton (the excellent Louis Calhern), Jenny is never allowed to extricate herself from the power men exert over her. It is only through death- both theirs and her own- that can Jenny be free.

Finally, I want to applaud the film for being relatively free of racism and Asian prejudice. Yes, the role of Amah, Jenny's loyal friend is played by a white woman (Helen Jerome Eddy), but she isn't caked in yellow makeup or forced to speak in demeaning chop chop pidgin English.

Also there is a beautiful scene that takes place after the quake with the wonderful Clarence Muse singing "My Gal Sal" to a group of white men and women around a piano. Equals, they are drawn together by the tragedy of the quake. Most of the time Hollywood in the Golden Age got this stuff wrong, but once in a great while it managed to do it correctly, and Frisco Jenny is one of those times.

With James Murray, Berton Churchill, and Robert Emmett O'Connor as her domineering father, Frisco Jenny is available on YouTube in a pristine print with English subtitles.

Star Wars' 18 Greatest Heroes, Ranked

Originally Posted 5/5/20

18. Poe Dameron

He doesn't have the best name but General Dameron is one of the best pilots in the galaxy. And he's the man who took Starkiller Base off the board.









17. Jannah

Like Finn, Jannah realized that her service as a stormtrooper positioned her on the wrong side of history and she eventually jumped ship and switched sides to the Galactic Resistance. And not long after she met the man formerly known as FN-2187 she took it upon herself to watch his back -- which is exactly what she was doing when the two of them disabled the Steadfast's navigation, thus crippling the Imperial fleet.









16. Rey

Now the galaxy's only remaining Jedi -- or Sith (remember, she did follow Palpatine's plan), Rey denounced her royal birthright and literally died (albeit, temporarily) fighting against the resurgent Empire's tyranny.









15. Obi-Wan Kenobi

Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi devoted two decades to safeguarding Luke Skywalker from the Empire. And the former Clone War general ultimately gave his life in order to allow Luke -- with the Death Star plans -- to escape from the infamous battle station.









14. Finn

FN-2187 is the first stormtrooper known to have defected from the Empire. After freeing an X-wing pilot from Imperial custody, the newly-christened Finn risked his life leading an infiltration team into Starkiller Base on a mission to both rescue his new friend Rey and to deactivate the facility's shields. The former trooper even faced off against a fully-trained fallen Jedi in an effort to protect Rey from him.

A couple of years later, Finn snuck aboard a Star Destroyer in order to free Chewbacca from custody. Finn followed those heroics up by successfully leading a landing party onto another Star Destroyer -- the Steadfast -- in order to disable the craft's navigation. 

Given the fact that Finn discovers that he's Force-sensitive, his fight against evil will likely continue for years to come. 









14. Admiral Raddus

Admiral Raddus' leadership from his ship, the Profundity, during the Battle of Scarif was key to the Alliance obtaining the Death Star's plans. His idea to use a Hammerhead Corvette to ram a disabled Star Destroyer into another -- and ultimately into Scarif's shield-gate is evidence of the late admiral's military genius.

13. Admiral Akbar

As one of the highest-ranking members of the Rebel Alliance, Admiral Akbar dedicated quite a bit of his life to fighting galactic tyranny. He led the Alliance fleet to victory during the Battle of Endor and died in battle against the First Order.









12. Saw Gerrera

Deemed to extreme for the Rebel Alliance, Saw Gerrera certainly had no love for the Empire. But besides being an effective and constant thorn in the side of the Imperial government, he also found time to be a decent parent. Saw raised Jyn Erso as his own after her mother was killed and her father was press-ganged into Imperial service. 









11. Princess Leia

As a member of the first family of Alderaan and the daughter of a powerful galactic senator, Princess Leia Organa was in a perfect position to gather intelligence for the Rebellion. And as the first high-level recipient of the stolen Death Star plans she did just that, sending the blueprints, along with her trusty droids, to Obi-Wan Kenobi in order to prevent the Empire from recovering them. 

A couple of years later, Leia infiltrated Jabba the Hutt's palace as part of a mission to rescue the captured Han Solo. She subsequently joined Han's strike team on an ultimately successful mission to disable the second Death Star's shield generator on Endor.









10. Wedge Antilles

Wedge Antilles has the galaxy's greatest wing-man. The Rogue Squadron commander was there with Luke in the trenches of the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin and facing AT-AT walkers during the Battle of Hoth. He also flew into the heart of the second Death Star with Lando during the Battle of Endor.









9. Jyn Erso

The daughter of an Imperial engineer and the ward of a terrorist leader, Jyn Erso had to confront her past and the Empire. Jyn went from a life of petty crime to a short-lived career as a rebel spy, sneaking into the heart of an Imperial facility in order to snatch the Death Star blueprints. Like the other Rogue One crew members, she made the ultimate sacrifice on the beaches of Scarif.









8. Baze Malbus

Baze Malbus may not have been a hotshot pilot or a jedi but he did have a heavy repeater cannon and a productive trigger finger. Watching Chirrut Imwe's back like a Wookie with a life-debt, Baze was the scourge of the Empire's deadliest troopers and was key to the Alliance achieving its objective at the Battle of Scarif.









7. Cassian Andor

X-wing pilots and generals tend to get most of the glory in the Rebel Alliance but a lot of the group's success depends on guys like Cassian Andor getting their hands dirty behind enemy lines. And Captain Andor capped off a life of selfless heroism by making the ultimate sacrifice: giving his life to get the Death Star blueprints into the hands of the Alliance leadership. 







6. Chirrut Imwe

If Chirrut Imwe hadn't been strong with the Force, he would've been Daredevil. Chirrut's sixth sense made him a more powerful warrior than the sighted opponents that he faced. And his faith in the Force was as unwavering as his commitment to his ideals.









5. R2-D2

A man's best friend is his dog. But since canines seemed to be unavailable in Luke Skywalker's part of the galaxy, a little blue-and-white astromech droid with an unlimited supply of  beeps and a complete lack of fear turned out to be the best ally that a young jedi could ever have. R2 smuggled the Death Star plans to Obi-Wan Kenobi; saved Luke, Han, Chewy and Leia from the trash compactor; repaired the Millenium Falcon's hyperdrive just before the Empire closed in; and snuck Luke's lighsaber onto Jabba's barge. How many dogs could accomplish a fraction of that? 









4. Chewbacca

People who are unfamiliar with the Star Wars saga sometimes mistake Chewbacca as a sidekick. Forgive them -- they don't know any better. And even Princess Leia slept on the Big Wookie at the medal ceremony following the Battle of Yavin. The truth is, the real reasons that Chewy gets overlooked are his inability to speak English ("Basic" in the Star Wars universe) and his steadfast loyalty to Han. The two of them were inseparable not because Chewy was subservient in any way but because he insisted on watching the Corellian smuggler's back. Remove Chewbacca from the equation and the Empire wins.









3. Lando Calrissian

Sure, Lando sold Han Solo and company out on Bespin but he and Han were former friends at the time. Besides, he undid the damage by freeing Chewbacca, Leia, R2-D2 and C-3PO and risking his neck by helping to rescue the old pirate from Jabba's Palace. The man who destroyed the second Death Star also personally saved Chewy, Rey, Finn and Poe from certain doom on Pasana. To top it all off Lando rallied the coalition that finally put an end to the First Order's reign of terror throughout the galaxy.

And while Admiral Akbar's most famous moment is his announcement to the Alliance fleet that the Empire had laid a trap for them over Endor but it was Lando who figured it out first.









2. Han Solo

Han Solo could've minded his own business during the Battle of Yavin. He'd already fulfilled his promise to fly Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi to Alliance headquarters. And he'd made it clear from the start that he was a hired hand and not an idealist. But instead of looking the other way, he (and Chewy) saved Luke's skin in the trenches of the Death Star so that he could make his miraculous shot. Han also led the team tasked with disabling the second Death Star's shield generator. All of that goes way above and beyond anything that could reasonably be expected from a simple spice smuggler.









1. Luke Skywalker

The son of Vader's experiences as the galaxy's lone -- and conflicted -- Jedi are legendary. From his time as a naive farm boy on Tatooine to saving the galaxy from the threat of the Death Star to wrestling with the instincts that accompanied his paternal genes while wielding his green lightsaber pre- and post-the Battle of Endor make for some damn good cinema.