Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

745. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Directed by John Hughes
USA, 1986
IMDB | allmovie

Reviewed by Ally
First viewing

Synopsis:

Illinois high-schooler Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) convinces his parents that he’s under the weather, getting off school for the day. He goes to Chicago with his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and neurotic best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck), the trio somehow getting away with a series of increasingly absurd capers. Meanwhile, convinced Ferris is playing truant, Dean of Students Edward Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) takes great joy in trying to catch him out.

Essential Scene:

Cameron and Sloane lose Ferris in the crowd at a parade. Cameron begins to rant, thinking Ferris may have gone back to school just to annoy him. Just then, they hear Ferris’s voice over a PA system.

Ferris: Ladies and gentlemen, you’re such a wonderful crowd. We’d like to play a little tune for you. It’s one of my personal favourites, and I’d like to dedicate it to a young man who doesn’t think he’s seen anything good today. Cameron Frye, this one’s for you.

Cameron and Sloane turn to a parade float. A group of women in traditional German dress disperse to reveal Ferris at the centre, holding a microphone and miming to Wayne Newton’s “Danke Schön.” His friends try to talk him down, but are ordered back to the crowd by police.

After “Danke Schön,” Ferris performs “Twist and Shout.” A marching band dance in unison before the float, adding brass accompaniment to the Beatles recording. Soon the entire crowd is dancing, as well as nearby construction workers and window cleaners.

Thoughts:

Ferris Bueller took a while to grow on me. This is pure conjecture, but it has the feel of a film shot in scene order, somewhat like A Hard Day’s Night. The opening scenes feel stilted, and Ferris’s habit of directly addressing the camera takes a little while to accept. It also took me a while to get over Ferris’s smugness. Yes, school is boring — a feeling which is expertly captured in the film — but he’s a bit of a prick for putting his best friend through such a guilt trip to “borrow” his Dad’s car.

However, the infectious joy of the parade scene made me surrender to the film, and from then on I loved it. It’s a wonderfully absurd farce, reminiscent of classic screwball comedies. Had it been made in the 1930s, it would have been Cary Grant and Irene Dunne bunking off school, pursued perhaps by Eric Blore or Edward Everett Horton. Hmm… I’d much rather watch that, come to think of it. Still, I cannot deny that Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is great fun.

Die Hard

790. Die Hard
Directed by John McTiernan
USA, 1988
IMDB | allmovie

Reviewed by Rachel
First viewing

Synopsis:

New York City cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) has a strained relationship with his wife, Holly Gennero (Bonnie Bedelia). She had taken a high-flying job at Nakatomi Corporation, moving her children to LA in the process and leaving John behind after he refused to leave the NYPD.

John travels to LA on Christmas Eve to visit Holly at Nakatomi Plaza. While the office Christmas party is in full swing, the building is taken over by terrorists. With the lifts, phones and exits blocked and out of order, and the hapless police down below making things worse, it’s up to John to bring down terrorist Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his cohorts.

Top Quotes:

I’m changing my routine a little. I found it a little hard to pick a scene without either typing up loads of directions or spoiling something, so here are some essential quotes instead. Hey, men of action have to say some funny lines while killing people!

Hans Gruber: Uh, no, I’m afraid not. But, you have me at a loss. You know my name but who are you? Just another American who saw too many movies as a child? Another orphan of a bankrupt culture who thinks he’s John Wayne? Rambo? Marshal Dillon?

John McClane: Was always kinda partial to Roy Rogers actually. I really like those sequined shirts.

Hans Gruber: Do you really think you have a chance against us, Mr. Cowboy?

John McClane: Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker.

—

Hans Gruber: This time John Wayne does not walk off into the sunset with Grace Kelly.

John McClane: That was Gary Cooper, asshole.

—

John McClane: Geronimo, motherfucker!

—

Supervisor: Attention, whoever you are, this channel is reserved for emergency calls only.

John McClane: No fucking shit, lady. Does it sound like I’m ordering a pizza?

[Jeez, this guy sounds like a foul-mouthed motherfucker. ~ Ally]

Thoughts:

Die Hard is a stellar example of its genre; an action film with a modern hero — he’s got emotion, folks, but he sure can fire a gun — bad (mostly foreign) baddies and dangerous stunt work. For viewers with a love of this style, I doubt it gets much better than this. Unfortunately, Die Hard is not something I watched with much enthusiasm.

In the late ’80s, actor/director Alexis Kanner sued the creators of Die Hard, claiming that they had stolen the plot of his 1981 hostage drama Kings and Desperate Men. He lost, and the case was a little far fetched, but having seen the two films, I can see why I found Die Hard a little formulaic.

Die Hard’s John McClane and Hans Gruber are strong characters, and Alan Rickman is an especially strong actor. The meeting between McClane and Gruber is one of the film‘s highlights, but their showdowns are brief and the characters do not get a chance to really shine.

Kings and Desperate Men goes the other way. The terrorist and the hostage (Alexis Kanner and Patrick McGoohan respectively) spend the majority of the film locked in a room together. The two men fight a psychological battle, revealing their strengths and weaknesses as they both try to gain control of the situation. Man against man, rather than one man against the rather unrealistic number of thirteen.

I’m aware that Die Hard wouldn’t be Die Hard without guns, ripped vests and stunts, but a little bit of character development and suspense wouldn’t have have gone amiss.

Bad Day at Black Rock

287. Bad Day at Black Rock
Directed by John Sturges
USA, 1955
IMDB | allmovie

Reviewed by Ally
First viewing

Synopsis:

John J. Macreedy (Spencer Tracy), a war veteran who lost his left hand in combat, arrives in the isolated desert town of Black Rock. The train hasn’t stopped there for four years, and the locals are immediately suspicious of him. Macreedy is looking for a man named Komoko, about whom the locals are particularly tight-lipped, especially the town’s self-appointed leader Reno Smith (Robert Ryan). Despite intimidation and eventual violence from the residents of Black Rock, Macreedy gradually uncovers the sinister truth about Komoko’s disappearance.

Essential Scene:

Macreedy sits at the counter of the local diner, about to eat his lunch. Coley Trimble (Ernest Borgnine), one of the local heels, stands in the doorway and challenges him. Meanwhile, Reno Smith plays pinball in the corner, quietly observing.

Trimble: Well, you still around? I thought you didn’t like this place.

Macreedy: You mean going to or coming from?

Trimble: Staying put.

Macreedy: No comment.

Trimble: No comment, he says. No comment and all the time he’s got my stool.

Macreedy pauses, then moves to another stool, allowing Trimble to sit down. Soon, Trimble decides the stool isn’t comfortable and suggests Macreedy to give up another for him. Macreedy responds, “Suppose you tell me where to sit,” putting paid to Trimble’s little game. After a pregnant pause, Trimble leans in and pours half a bottle of ketchup into Macreedy’s lunch.

Trimble: I hope that ain’t too much.

Macreedy: [to Smith] Your friend’s a very argumentative fellow.

Smith: Sort of unpredictable too. Got a temper like a rattlesnake.

Trimble: That’s me all over. I’m half horse, half alligator. You mess with me and I’ll kick a lung outta you. Whaddya think of that?

Macreedy: [poking at his lunch with a spoon] No comment.

Trimble: Talking to you is like pulling teeth. You wear me out. [shouting] You’re a yellow-bellied Jap lover, am I right or wrong?!

Macreedy: You’re not only wrong, you’re wrong at the top of your voice.

Macreedy calmly accuses Trimble of trying to start trouble, of trying to provoke him into violence so the gang could kill him and plead self-defence. Trimble offers to fight Macreedy with one hand tied behind his back. Macreedy stands up and starts to leave, but Trimble grabs him by his bad arm and spins him round to face him. “If I tied both hands?”

Macreedy swiftly gives Trimble a judo chop to the shoulder. Trimble staggers around the diner, collapsing against the wall in agony. He gasps for air. The other locals look on, mouths agape. Trimble lunges for Macreedy, but gets several more chops and a knee to the face for his troubles. He doesn’t admit defeat until he’s crashed through a screen door and finally been thrown to the floor. He’s no match for a one-armed man. Oh hell yeah!

Thoughts:

Bad Day at Black Rock begins as a wonderfully enigmatic thriller. As he steps off the train, all we know about John J. Macreedy is what we can see; that he has one arm constantly tucked in his pocket, presumably because of a wounded or missing hand. We don’t know why he came to Black Rock, nor why the locals treat him with such suspicion and hostility. Gradually we’re offered more pieces of the puzzle, until we can see enough to guess the rest of the chilling picture. Whilst maintaining the thrilling tension (it’s a relatively short film, just 81 minutes), it becomes a picture of post-war malaise, and the way in which some people use war as validation for their own prejudices.

The cast is impressive. Robert Ryan, who came to prominence in the similarly-themed Crossfire, once again proves his ability to play racist thugs, supported by the equally menacing Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine. But really it’s Spencer Tracy’s film. He’s a unique, magnetic screen presence and, while it’s not my first encounter with him, I look forward to seeing much more of his work.

Being in a wheelchair myself, the way in which disablity is portrayed in film is obviously of interest to me. Too often, disabled characters are either figures of pity or patronizing inspiration. Not so with Bad Day at Black Rock. Macreedy’s war wound, while being a defining feature of the character, is not milked for sympathy. And his “triumph against adversity” is, while genuinely triumphant, more logical than inspirational. He’s a war vet; of course he can kick your ass, one-handed or not!

 

Saving Private Ryan

926. Saving Private Ryan
Directed by Steven Spielberg
USA, 1998
IMDB | allmovie

Reviewed by Rachel
First viewing

Synopsis:

Three brothers from the Ryan family have died in action in a very short space of time, and their mother is due to receive three death notification telegrams in one day.

When General George C. Marshall (Harve Presnell) learns of this family tragedy he is determined to send the fourth brother home; but the whereabouts of Private James Ryan are unknown. Marshall orders Capt. John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) to gather a unit and locate Private Ryan (Matt Damon). The unit have their doubts — is it worth it to put all their lives at risk to find one man?

Essential Scene:

It’s June 6th, 1944, and American troops are preparing to land on Omaha Beach. The sea is rough, and soldiers in the landing craft vomit from seasickness and fear while others pray for their lives. The following twenty (or so) minutes of film is the most celebrated element of Saving Private Ryan, and it deserves to be. Out of this, I choose the following for my chosen moment.

Capt. John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) has survived leaving the landing craft and he trudges through the waves onto the beach. Bodies and limbs surround him and the sea is red with blood.

The noise is deafening; bullets ricochet off metal, bombs explode, and soldiers yell to each other or scream in agony. Suddenly everything slows down and the sound mutes. We see things from Miller‘s perspective. What we see is the sheer horror of war.

A boy soldier, no older than 18, cowers behind the metal blocks and weeps as he tries to avoid the flying bullets.

An explosion sends flames shooting across at least three soldiers, turning them to ashes in an instant.

A dazed soldier absent-mindedly searches for and finds his missing arm.

Another explosion sets a group of soldiers alight.

Miller grabs his helmet from the bloody sea and places it on his head, and in his current state he cannot hear a soldier who is standing in front of him and yelling. The sound returns with a bang and the soldier is heard:

Soldier: I said, “What the hell do we do now, sir?!”

Thoughts:

I must stop putting labels on films I haven’t seen. I expected Saving Private Ryan to be a bit heavy on sentimentality and, although some people may disagree, I don’t believe it was.

There is sadness, but these images are true to life and would be sad with or without Spielberg. An elderly veteran looking at the graves of his fellow soldiers. A young soldier calling out for his mother while dying on the battlefield.  They’re emotional because they’re genuine. I’m normally the first person to point out Hollywood schmaltz, and barring the tried and tested shot of an American flag fluttering in the breeze, I do think Spielberg got the levels about right this time.

Initially the plot seemed a little unlikely to me until I did a little research into the film’s inspirations. The Niland Brothers were involved in a similar situation during the war, with the (presumed) last surviving son being sent home to complete his service. With many families being affected by multiple losses, the US government implemented the sole-survivor policy in 1948.

I found the film to be very impressive overall. The cinematography was stunning, and the actors managed to bring some personality to characters that aren’t meant to be particularly well-rounded.

Kramer vs. Kramer

651. Kramer vs. Kramer
Directed by Robert Benton
USA, 1979
IMDB | allmovie

Reviewed by Rachel
First viewing

Synopsis:

When his unhappy wife Joanna (Meryl Streep) leaves, high-flying advertising executive Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) is left to raise his young son Billy alone. Ted struggles with his responsibilities at home and at work, while he and Billy take out the stress of the situation on each other.

After a few months, they develop a good routine and a very close bond. This bond is put in jeopardy when Joanna takes Ted to court over custody of their son.

Essential Scene:

Ted and Billy have just had an argument, ending with Billy kicking and screaming as Ted dumps him in his bedroom. After a while, Ted checks on Billy, and Billy wakes up.

Billy: Daddy?

Ted: Sssh.

Billy: Daddy?

Ted: Yeah?

Billy: I’m sorry.

Ted: I’m sorry too. [Kisses Billy on the forehead] I want you to go to sleep, because it’s really late.

Billy: [Turns on lamp] Daddy?

Ted: Now what is it?

Billy: Are you going away?

Ted: No. I’m staying right here with you. You can’t get rid of me that easy.

Billy: That’s why Mommy left, isn’t it? Because I was bad?

Ted: Is that what you think? [Billy nods, a tear rolling down his cheek] No. No, that’s not it Billy. Your Mom loves you very much and the reason she left has nothing to do with you. I don’t know if this is gonna make any sense, but I’ll try to explain it to you, okay? I think the reason why Mommy left was because for a long time now I’ve kept trying to make her be a certain kind of person. A certain kind of wife that I thought she was supposed to be. And she just wasn’t like that. She was…she just wasn’t like that. And now that I think about it, I think she tried for so long to make me happy. And when she couldn’t, she tried to talk to me about it, see. But I wasn’t listening. I was too busy, too wrapped up just thinking about myself. And I thought that anytime I was happy, she was happy. But I think underneath she was very sad. Mommy stayed here longer than she wanted too, I think, because she loves you so much. And the reason why Mommy couldn’t stay anymore was because she couldn’t stand me, Billy. She didn’t leave because of you. She left because of me.

Thoughts:

A family drama like this could easily have turned into a schmaltz-fest littered with over-emotional argument scenes. Thankfully, Kramer vs. Kramer is much better than that. Nothing is sugarcoated or melodramatic. Though the subject matter makes it a bit of a depressing watch, the performances from Hoffman, Streep and seven-year-old Justin Henry are excellent and very realistic, which is precisely why it lingers a while after viewing.

As both sides are represented fairly, the mother and father appear both guilty and innocent at the same time. Such is the nature of some divorces. Joanna was neglected by her husband, felt depressed and trapped, but was she right to leave her child? Ted learns to be a good father, but why couldn’t he have been a good father and husband all along?

Real life is like this; we all make mistakes while behaving against our better judgment and we grow as a result. As the film develops, so do the characters; they grow before our eyes.

I wasn’t completely sure about the ending, but I won’t spoil it…

Broadcast News

766. Broadcast News
Directed by James L. Brooks
USA, 1987
IMDB | allmovie

Reviewed by Ally
Third viewing

Synopsis:

Jane Craig (Holly Hunter) is a television news producer who is fiercely dedicated to journalistic integrity. Her best friend is Aaron Altman (Albert Brooks), a talented but uncharismatic reporter who secretly yearns for her. Tom Grunick (William Hurt) is the station’s new recruit, a popular screen personality with a self-confessed limited understanding of the news he reads. While the station is forced to make staff cuts and modernize its output for the sake of ratings, Jane is torn between the two potential lovers — one to whom she is attracted despite him embodying all the journalistic trends she hates; the other a decent reporter and a close friend with whom she lacks spark.

Essential Scene:

Jane visits Aaron after his disastrous attempt to anchor the news. She confesses that she might be in love with Tom. After an initial outburst, he attempts to explain his disappointment more calmly. He steps outside to collect his thoughts, then returns.

Aaron: Okay, let’s take the part that has nothing to do with me. Let me just be your most trusted friend now, the one that gets to say all the awful stuff, okay?

Jane: I guess… Yes.

Aaron: You can’t end up with Tom, because it totally goes against everything that you’re about.

Jane: Yeah — being a basket case.

Aaron: I know you care about him, I’ve never seen you like this with anybody, so don’t get me wrong when I tell you that Tom, while being a very nice guy, is the Devil.

Jane stands up and begins pacing around the room.

Jane: This isn’t friendship. You’re crazy, you know that?

Aaron: What do you think the Devil’s gonna look like if he’s around?

Jane: [exasperated] God.

Aaron: Come on, no one’s gonna be taken in by a guy with a long, red, pointy tail! Come on, what’s he gonna sound like? [growls monstrously] No — I’m semi-serious here.

Jane: You’re serious that–

Aaron: He will be attractive. He’ll be nice and helpful. He’ll get a job where he influences a great, God-fearing nation. He’ll never do an evil thing, he’ll never deliberately hurt a living thing. He’ll just, bit by little bit, lower our standards where they’re important. Just a tiny little bit. Just coax along, flash over substance, just a tiny little bit. And he’ll talk about all of us really being salesmen.

Jane goes to the front door, as if to leave.

Aaron: And he’ll get all the great women.

Jane: [shouting from the hallway] Hey Aaron, I think you’re the Devil!

Aaron: You know I’m not!

Jane: [returning] How?

Aaron: Because I think we have the kind of friendship where if I were the Devil, you’d be the only one I would tell!

Jane: Well you were awfully quick to run after Tom’s help when–

Aaron: All right, fine! Yes! And if things had gone well for me tonight, then I probably wouldn’t be saying any of this. I grant you everything! But give me this: He personifies everything that you’ve been fighting against. And I’m in love with you. How do you like that? I buried the lead.

Aaron slumps on the sofa.

Aaron: I’ve gotta not say that out loud, it takes too much out of me.

Jane: Stop.

Aaron: I never fought for anyone before. Does anybody win one of these things?

Thoughts:

Unfair as such comparisons may be, it’s tempting to describe Broadcast News as “Network meets Hannah and Her Sisters.” It works both as a satire of the increasing tendency of television news to promote entertainment over education, and as a bittersweet romantic comedy-drama.

The three lead actors portray their characters beautifully, giving them life beyond the journalistic trends they represent for satirical purposes. Albert Brooks is especially touching as Aaron, a earnest reporter whose career is stunted by his lack of charisma. (Well, that and his tendency to sweat profusely under pressure.) Some of his scenes perfectly capture the torment of unrequited love.

Aaron: I’m going to stop right now. Except that I would give anything if you were two people, so that I could call up the one who’s my friend and tell her about the one that I like so much.

Or maybe I’m just a sad old bastard.

The ending feels refreshingly true to life. (SPOILER ALERT…) While Tom and Aaron are both presented as potential matches for Jane, the prologue shows that, while none of the characters end up alone, they don’t end up with each other. C’est la vie…

And if I’m made too much of the rom, let me reassure you about the com —

Tom: What do you do when real life exceeds your dreams?

Aaron: Keep it to yourself.

—

Broadcast News is available on region A locked blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.

The Harder They Come

576. The Harder They Come
Directed by Perry Henzell
Jamaica, 1973
IMDB | allmovie

Reviewed by Ally
First viewing

Synopsis:

Ivanhoe “Ivan” Martin (Jimmy Cliff) moves to Kingston and struggles to find work. He proves to be a talented reggae singer, but can only release a record by signing away the rights to music mogul Hilton (Bob Charlton), who pays him a meagre $20. His friend Jose (Carl Bradshaw) introduces him to the marijuana trade and Ivan eventually becomes a violent outlaw.

Essential Scene:

Ivan auditions for Hilton, performing “The Harder They Come” in the studio:

Well you tell me of a pie up in the sky
Waiting for me when I die
But between the day you’re born and when you die
They never seem to hear even your cry

So as sure as the sun will shine
I’m gonna get my share, what’s mine
And then the harder they come, the harder they fall
One and all
The harder they come, the harder they fall
One and all

Thoughts:

Like Superfly, The Harder They Come is renowned at least as much for its soundtrack album as the actual film. It helped to popularize reggae with classic songs such as “You Can Get It If You Really Want”, “Many Rivers To Cross” and the film’s title track — all widely covered but never bettered.

The film itself is a gritty portrayal of Ivan, a musician whose ambition and ego leads him into a life of crime. His newfound notoriety as a killer has the side-effect of boosting demand for his record, which ends up being played almost constantly on the radio.

Ivan is eventually cornered by police marksmen. The climactic scene is intercut with a clip from earlier in the film, in which Ivan watches a Clint Eastwood film and an audience member comments, “the hero can’t dead till the last reel.” But this is the last real and, in true anti-hero style, Ivan dies in a hail of bullets.

And I keep on fighting for the things I want
Though I know that when you’re dead, you can’t
But I’d rather be a free man in my grave
Than living as a puppet or a slave

~ Jimmy Cliff, “The Harder They Come” (album version)

Oh yes, one more thing: Unless you are well-acquainted with Jamaican Patois, I would recommend watching with subtitles!

Serpico

570. Serpico
Directed by Sidney Lumet
USA, 1973
IMDB | allmovie

Reviewed by Ally
Second viewing

Synopsis:

Tom Keough: Frank, let’s face it. Who can trust a cop who don’t take money?

NYPD officer Frank Serpico (Al Pacino) is an honest cop whose integrity alienates him from his corrupt colleagues. The film charts his police career, starting as a uniformed patrolman in the early 1960s. He moves onto plainclothes work and embraces the burgeoning counterculture. His long hair, beard and hippy clothing make him inconspicuous on the beat but suspicious to his fellow officers, as does his refusal to take bribe money. He finds a kindred spirit in officer Bob Blair (Tony Roberts), who attempts to use his supposed influence to encourage an investigation into police corruption. After years of indifference from his superiors, Serpico is eventually allowed to go undercover to help end corruption.

Essential Scene:

It’s Serpico’s first day of work. He and his new partner, veteran patrolman Peluce (Albert Henderson), stop at a deli for lunch. Peluce introduces Serpico to Charlie, the man behind the counter.

Charlie: How about some creamed chicken?

Peluce: Sounds good to me.

Serpico: No, I think I’ll have… How about a roast beef on roll?

Charlie seems surprised to be contradicted. After a pause, he agrees to Serpico’s order.

At the table, Serpico inspects his lunch.

Serpico: Peluce, it’s all fat here. I saw real lean beef over there.

Peluce: Take it easy. Sit down, sit down.

Serpico: What’s the matter?

Peluce: Don’t be so fussy, it’s free.

Serpico: Well, I’m not fussy, I don’t know how I’m gonna eat this…

Peluce: Charlie’s an okay guy. We give him a break on double-parking on deliveries.

Serpico: Couldn’t I pay for it, get what I want?

Peluce: Frank, generally, just sort of take what Charlie gives you.

Serpico seems disillusioned by this minor example of police corruption. He has only scratched the surface.

Thoughts:

Serpico is based on the true story of Frank Serpico, the first NYPD officer to report and testify about the widespread corruption within the department. Whilst researching for his role, Al Pacino met Frank Serpico and asked him why he spoke out. Serpico replied:

Well, Al, I don’t know. I guess I would have to say it would be because … if I didn’t, who would I be when I listened to a piece of music?

Serpico’s habit of making enemies leads him to be transferred to a new department several times, and his love life is somewhat unstable too. As such, the film is a showcase for Al Pacino, pretty much the only constant screen presence. I consider it one of his best performances, and certainly one of his most likable characters. Serpico’s dedication to a just cause is inspirational, and his joie de vivre and sense of humour adds some much-needed levity to what could otherwise be a relentlessly gritty film.

Casablanca

Ally’s review originally published August 30th 2010.
Updated to include Rachel’s review on January 18th 2011.

—

152. Casablanca
Directed by Michael Curtiz
USA, 1942
IMDB | allmovie

Reviewed by Ally
Umpteenth viewing

Description:

Cynical American expatriate Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) runs a nightclub in Casablanca. His clientele includes officials of the Nazi regime and stranded refugees trying to reach America, but he professes to be politically neutral and “sticks his neck out for nobody.” When Rick’s old flame Isla Lund (Ingrid Bergman) arrives in Casablanca with her husband, fugitive freedom fighter Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), they are each faced with difficult decisions. And maybe Rick isn’t so neutral…

Essential Scene:

Ilsa and Victor enter Rick’s Café Américain for the first time, expecting to meet the man who will sell them exit visas. All eyes are drawn to them. The club pianist, Rick’s loyal friend Sam (Dooley Wilson), recognizes Ilsa. He shakes his head forlornly, sensing trouble ahead.

Later, Sam brings his piano to Ilsa’s table at her request. They discuss old times, Sam apprehensively evading Ilsa’s questions about Rick. It’s still unclear exactly what has gone on between them. Ilsa requests a song that Sam is clearly reluctant to play.

Ilsa: Play it once, Sam. For old times’ sake.

Sam: I don’t know what you mean, Miss Isla.

Ilsa: Play it, Sam. Play “As Time Goes By.”

Sam: Oh I can’t remember it, Miss Ilsa. I’m a little rusty on it.

Ilsa: I’ll hum it for you. (She hums the tune.)

(Sam begins to play it.)

Ilsa: Sing it, Sam.

Sam: (singing)

You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by

And when two lovers woo
They still say I love you
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by

Rick rushes out of his office upon hearing the song. “Sam, I thought I told you never to play…” He stops dead when he sees Ilsa. We begin to sense what they meant to each other.

Thoughts:

It’s hard work reviewing Casablanca. It’s so ingrained in popular culture, so closely examined, that there surely can’t be anything left to say about it. Bogart is great. Bergman is unspeakably beautiful. I’m always happy to see (and hear) Peter Lorre, however briefly. Dooley Wilson’s rendition of “As Time Goes By” gives me shivers whenever I hear it. So does the iconic “if that plane leaves and you’re not on it” speech. The exit visa MacGuffin doesn’t really make sense, but nobody seems to mind.

Forget it, Ally. It’s Casablanca.

—

Reviewed by Rachel
First viewing

Essential Scene:

The Nazi soldiers sit in a corner of the bar, very loudly singing the German anthem, “Die Wacht Am Rhein.”

Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) defiantly walks over to the orchestra and tells them to play the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise.” They hesitate until Rick (Humphrey Bogart) nods his approval. The band strikes up and Laszlo starts to sing. Before long, the entire bar is upstanding and singing too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Major Strasser (Conrad Veidt) tries his best to keep his soldiers singing the loudest but the Nazis soon give up, and sit down quietly. Tears and smiles alternately form as the anthem continues, and eventually finishes to cheers and cries of “Vive la France!”

Thoughts:

Ilsa: I wasn’t sure you were the same. Let’s see, the last time we met…

Rick: Was La Belle Aurore.

Ilsa: How nice, you remembered. But of course, that was the day the Germans marched into Paris.

Rick: Not an easy day to forget.

Ilsa: No.

Rick: I remember every detail. The Germans wore grey, you wore blue.

My name is Rachel and this is my first viewing of Casablanca. Now, for those of you who haven’t already disowned me, here are my thoughts…

Call me unsentimental [“Hello, Unsentimental.” ~ Ally] but the romance wasn’t the thing that impressed me most about Casablanca. It was beautiful, of course, well written and well acted. But ultimately, what most intrigued me was how the film dealt with wartime.

Rick’s Café was representative of Europe, and countries under the watchful eye of the Nazis. It housed foreigners who were lucky enough to be able to escape to America, and the others who were desperate to go. It showcased the rebels such as Laszlo, the corrupt officials such as Renault, and the spirit of the people — the general crowd, kept alive by Sam’s music. The Nazi soldiers, strikingly obvious in their uniforms, walked in and out of the bar, their presence as stifling as the spotlight in the tower outside that kept an eye on all comings and goings.

The atmosphere in the smoky bar is brilliantly paralleled by flashback scenes showing Rick and Ilsa in Paris during the invasion. After viewing the City of Love covered in tanks and German-spouting loudspeakers, the paranoia grows in the bar scenes. We have seen exactly what the inhabitants of Rick’s “joint” are hiding from, and seeing the Nazi soldiers enter the room is a painful reminder.

Ironically, many aspects of the film are now seen to be historically inaccurate, despite it being filmed and released during the war. I don’t think it matters, though. Casablanca represents the struggle, rather than depiction of fact.

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Fascinating fact: Conrad Veidt, who played Major Strasser, was in life a staunch anti-Nazi.

Sunset Boulevard

229. Sunset Boulevard
Directed by Billy Wilder
USA, 1950
IMDB | allmovie

Reviewed by Ally
Umpteenth viewing

Synopsis:

While trying to avoid repo men, impoverished screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) stumbles upon a secluded mansion. There he meets Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), a silent movie star whose fame has long since faded. She lives with her loyal German butler Max (Erich von Stroheim), himself a forgotten director.

Norma hires Joe to rewrite her script for Salome, insisting he live with her in the mansion until the job is completed. Gradually Joe becomes a kept man, taking advantage of Norma’s desperate need to perpetuate her fantasy.

Essential Scene:

Norma visits Cecil B. DeMille at Paramount Studios, having received a call from the studio which she assumes was on his behalf.

Cecil B. DeMille: Norma, I must apologise for not calling you.

Norma Desmond: You’d better, I’m very angry.

Cecil B. DeMille: Well, you can see I’m terribly busy.

Norma Desmond: That’s no excuse. You read the script, of course?

Cecil B. DeMille: Yes, I did.

Norma Desmond: Then you could have picked up the telephone yourself instead of leaving it to one of your assistants.

Cecil B. DeMille: Hmm? What assistant?

Norma Desmond: Now don’t play innocent, somebody named Gordon Cole.

Cecil B. DeMille: Gordon Cole?

Norma Desmond: And if you hadn’t been pretty darn interested in that script, he wouldn’t have tried to get me on the telephone ten times!

Concerned, DeMille leaves Norma in the director’s chair while he goes to call Gordon Cole himself. While she waits, an electrician nicknamed Hog-eye recognises Norma and turns his spotlight on her. Soon, the cast and crew of DeMille’s film is swarming around Norma, delighted to see her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, DeMille speaks to Gordon Cole and discovers the reason for the telephone calls; the studio wants to rent Norma’s vintage automobile because it’s “perfect for the new Crosby picture.” DeMille returns to find the crowd surrounding Norma.

Cecil B. DeMille: Hog-eye, turn that light back where it belongs.

As the spotlight is turned away, the crowd disperses.

Thoughts:

If you live in France, for instance, and you have written one good book, or painted one good picture, or directed one outstanding film fifty years ago and nothing else since, you are still recognized and honored accordingly. People take their hats off to you and call you “maître.” They do not forget. In Hollywood — in Hollywood, you’re as good as your last picture. If you didn’t have one in production within the last three months, you’re forgotten, no matter what you have achieved ere this.

~ Erich von Stroheim

Sunset Boulevard is the tragic tale of a forgotten actress who retreats into her own delusions of stardom, and a vicious satire of the Hollywood system that made her that way. It’s narrated from beyond the grave by Joe Gillis, a cynical hack who begins and ends the film floating face down in a pool. Delightful!

Norma Desmond was a bright star in silent cinema’s heyday. The advent of sound ended her career, but years in the limelight left her with a completely warped worldview (à la Michael Jackson, complete with pet monkey). No one has the heart to puncture her fantasy. “You don’t yell at a sleepwalker — he may fall and break his neck.”

There are eerie similarities between the characters of Norma and Max and the actors who play them. Gloria Swanson was a silent star whose popularity waned after the advent of sound. Erich von Stroheim was a celebrated director of the silent era — his films Foolish Wives (1922) and Greed (1924) are both on The List — who later became known for playing German villains in war films. Perhaps most mind-bogglingly, the film clip Norma watches of herself was actually from an unreleased film starring Swanson and directed by von Stroheim.

I always enjoy revisiting Sunset Boulevard. Its nightmarish mood and cynical William Holden wisecracks attracted me from the off. But as I learn more about film history, the context and satire resonates with me too.

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Fascinating fact: David Lynch’s character in Twin Peaks is named Gordon Cole, in reference to the man who tries to rent Norma Desmond’s car.

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Reviewed by Rachel
Roughly third viewing

Essential Scene:

Joe Gillis has missed car payments and the finance company are after him to take the vehicle away. After a close encounter with them, he turns into the driveway of an Italianate villa (which he assumes to be empty) and parks in the garage. Within minutes he is in the company of Norma Desmond, a faded silent film star who lives with her butler and her recently deceased pet monkey. Assuming Gillis is the funeral director, she calls him inside. But his true identity soon becomes obvious, and Norma demands that he leave.

Gillis: Wait a minute, haven’t I seen you before? I know your face.

Norma: Get out, or should I call my servant?

Gillis: You’re Norma Desmond. You used to be in silent pictures; you used to be big.

Norma: I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.

Gillis: Uh huh. I knew there was something wrong with them.

Norma: They’re dead! They’re finished! There was a time in this business when they had the eyes of the whole wide world. But that wasn’t good enough for them, oh no. They had to have the ears of the world too. So they opened their big mouths and out came talk, talk, talk!

Gillis: That’s where the popcorn business comes in. Buy yourself a bag and plug up your ears.

Norma: Look at them in the front offices, the masterminds! They took the idols and smashed them! The Fairbankses, the Gilberts, the Valentinos! And who’ve we got now? Some nobody.

Gillis: Don’t blame me, I’m not an executive, just a writer.

Norma: You are? Writing words, words, more words. You’ve made a rope of words and strangled this business. But there’s a microphone right there to catch the last gurgles, and Technicolor to photograph the red, swollen tongue.

Thoughts:

In his wonderful book on early cinema, The Parade’s Gone By (1968), film historian Kevin Brownlow describes the fate of silent films at the time of the book’s publication:

The silent era is regarded as prehistoric, even by those who work in motion pictures. Crude, fumbling, naïve, the films exist only to be chuckled at — quaint reminders of a simple-minded past, like Victorian samplers.

Hollywood is a ruthless place. Someone can be at the top of their profession one decade and in the gutter the next. But perhaps no generation of talent have felt this as deeply as those who were at the height of their career during the silent era.

The arrival of sound was the biggest evolution the film industry has ever seen, and while some managed to continue a career in some shape or form, it left countless others on the scrapheap. Often their hard work was destroyed when studios threw away the prints they thought were no longer of any value. When silent film was finally recognised as an art form, many stars of the era had not lived to enjoy their well-deserved recognition.

I see Sunset Boulevard as their big “up yours” to Hollywood. Not all of them were bitter, and it’s very probable that none of them were as melodramatic as Norma Desmond, but she still had a valid point to make about their unique experience — as seen in my essential scene.

The plot may be a little wobbly, and Gloria Swanson’s acting purposely hammy, but Sunset Boulevard is a film that sent shockwaves through Tinseltown and continues to have an impact. Wilder didn’t soften his blows. He exposed industry for the magical yet venomous business it is (and pissed off a lot of people while doing so) — and the silent era’s Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Cecil B. DeMille, Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson and H.B. Warner all get a chance to be part of the story that tells of the Hollywood that brought them all happiness and pain in equal measure.