October 2018 Round-Up
TOTAL FILMS SEEN IN OCTOBER: 11
(see the film posters at the bottom of the post, arranged in watching order)
NEW-TO-ME: 10
REWATCHES: 1
SEEN ON THE BIG SCREEN: 1
MOST WATCHED ACTOR: John Garfield & Van Heflin (2 in total)
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Let's begin with my sad movie count for this October. My excuse is that the new job I started end of August is full-time and not very nice and it drains energy. I was just too tired to watch films. Maybe you think it's not so bad (11 films watched) but I really had hoped to see some improvement in my movie-watching habits.
I also took only one trip to the Filmoteca this month, to see the acclaimed Kubrick film The Killing (with Sterling Hayden and Coleen Gray), but this had more to do with the fact that there were hardly any films scheduled that I wanted to see. Otherwise I would certainly have made the effort to see more films on the big screen. Lolita was also playing as part of the Kubrick special but I was not very keen on seeing it (though I haven't seen it yet) and in the end was too tired to go. I did miss the viewing of Buster Keaton's Seven Chances with live music and that was a bit of a bummer. Fortunately The Killing is most enjoyable. I had already seen this before (my only rewatch for this month) but to see it at the theater in a good print was really great. The music, cinematography, the performances and the pacing make this an excellent heist movie. Elisha Cook Jr. and Marie Windsor are outstanding with Windsor having the best lines of the film. They must be the greatest noir couple in film history. Also superb ending. And I love Sterling Hayden!
What else did I watch?
I saw two films starring John Garfield, The Breaking Point (with Patricia Neal and Phyllis Thaxter) and Nobody Lives Forever (with Geraldine Fitzgerald and Walter Brennan). I also picked two films starring Van Heflin, Saturday's Heroes (with Marian Marsh) and Kid Glove Killer (with Marsha Hunt).
Of the two Garfield films The Breaking Point is recommendable and is by far the better of the two. Great performances from Garfield and Neal in roles they are meant to play, and Thaxter impresses as Garfield's wife. Poignant ending with the little boy waiting for his dad to come back. Nobody Lives Forever was entertaining enough for watching on a plane ride from Amsterdam to Barcelona. Garfield and Fitzgerald don't have the best of chemistry but both are charming and I like how radiant Fitzgerald looks here. The story premise of making a wealthy widow fall for a con man has been done before and the ensuing romance is just too predictable.
Of the two Heflin films Saturday's Heroes is only mildly enjoyable. Heflin is young and Marsh is lovely but that's about it. I already have no recollection of it as I write this some time later. I can recommend Kid Glove Killer, though. It's a B-film directed by Fred Zinnemann but definitely a B+. Heflin and Hunt have great chemistry together while solving the murder of the mayor with their early CSI methods. The dialogue is surprisingly sparkling and snappy, and I actually didn't really care that the story itself is not very exciting and lacks suspense.
Furthermore I saw three war films: Escape (with Norma Shearer and Robert Taylor), Uncertain Glory (with Errol Flynn and Paul Lukas) and Joan of Paris (with Michèle Morgan and Paul Henreid).
Escape and Joan of Paris are both enjoyable WWII thrillers.
Escape benefits from a great performance by Norma Shearer. She looks so beautiful, especially in her first scene in that white coat, and I love her style and her regal demeanour. Robert Taylor is okay but at times acts too agitated, and his tears and sweaty brow are a bit fake. I love happy endings, still the ending provided here is the better option and fortunately it's full of hope.
I became interested in Joan of Paris when I read an article about Michèle Morgan and Paul Henreid fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe and coming to the States. I really like Morgan, saw her in The Chase not so long ago. I should also check out her French films. Here she looks radiant and her character is sweet. Apart from Now, Voyager and Casablanca, I'm not really familiar with Henreid's work but he gives a solid performance and pairs nicely with Morgan. The film is atmospheric and at times suspenseful and there's some fine cinematography by Russell Metty. Also, look out for a young Alan Ladd.
Uncertain Glory is an enjoyable watch too and has the great appeal of Errol Flynn. I love Flynn! I was in the mood for WWII thrillers and this one is not at all what I had expected. I didn't know beforehand what the film was about and was pleasantly surprised how the story developed without being too predictable. I like the fact that the focus isn't on the action but on the unlikely friendship between two men who are on opposite sides of the law. I also like Paul Lukas, and Flynn has never looked more attractive than he does here, especially unshaven while sporting that mischievous grin.
Also saw a western (Fort Worth with Randolph Scott and Phyllis Thaxter), a light mystery film (Private Detective with Jane Wyman and Dick Foran), and an aviation film (Sky Giant with Chester Morris, Richard Dix and Joan Fontaine). All three were nothing special but I enjoyed them mostly.
Fort Worth I chose because of Phyllis Thaxter. It's a standard B-western, reminiscent of Dodge City, set in the city, deals with a newspaper, and a young boy is also killed in a stampede. Scott is no Flynn, though, but I like him with Thaxter. Private Detective is a predictable murder mystery and not very exciting but there's some snappy dialogue and it moves at a nice pace. I watched Sky Giant for Fontaine. Dix and Morris are vying for Joan's affection but the love triangle is a bit messy and underdeveloped. I liked the aerial shots, and the scene with Dix and Morris up in the air with the oxygen bottle made for a thrilling moment, as well as the crash at the end.
So that rounds it up nicely for this month! I only wish I had seen more films for this recap but hopefully I have more to round up in NOIRvember.
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
*The Killing (1956) with Sterling Hayden;
*The Killing (1956) with Elisha Cook Jr. and Sterling Hayden;
*The Killing (1956) with Sterling Hayden and Coleen Gray;
*The Breaking Point (1950) with John Garfield and Phyllis Thaxter;
*Kid Glove Killer (1942) with Van Heflin and Marsha Hunt;
*Saturday’s Heroes (1937) with Van Heflin and Marian Marsh;
*Escape (1940) with Norma Shearer, Robert Taylor and Alla Nazimova;
*Joan of Paris (1942) with Paul Henreid and Michèle Morgan;
*Uncertain Glory (1944) with Errol Flynn, Jean Sullivan and Paul Lukas;
*Uncertain Glory (1944) with Errol Flynn;
*Fort Worth (1951) with Phyllis Thaxter and Randolph Scott;
*Private Detective (1939) with Jane Wyman and Dick Foran;
*Sky Giant (1938) with Chester Morris, Richard Dix and Joan Fontaine;
*Sky Giant (1938) with Chester Morris, Richard Dix and Joan Fontaine.
