Month: July 2021

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Samson and Delilah (1949)

Not knowing anything but the bare details of the story of Samson, I’m not entirely sure I came away with much more after watching this film. A thoroughly lavish production, it follows Samson using his otherworldly strength in vengeance against the Philistines who stole away his bride. The cast is filled with an array of stars from Victor Mature’s Samson and Hedy Lamarr’s beautiful Delilah to supporting roles by George Sanders and Angela Lansbury. It’s visually stunning with plenty of action of Samson displaying his strength in battles and collapsing of temples. The story isn’t incredibly compelling beyond that action.

Oscar Wins: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color; Best Costume Design, Color

Oscar Nominations: Best Cinematography, Color; Best Effects, Special Effects; Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture

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Darling Lili (1970)

With a somewhat convoluted story, Julie Andrews tries to shed her pure Mary Poppins image by portraying a German spy during World War I who also engages in the occasional striptease. American pilot Rock Hudson flies in as her target and love interest. The tone of the extravagant production matches the story, jumping from comedy to romance to musical to spy flick, moving from one to the next with little sense of flow.  Musical

Oscar Nominations: Best Costume Design; Best Music, Original Song; Best Music, Original Song Score

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The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

Everyone hates film producer Kirk Douglas, but they also all want to make movies with him. Creatively told almost completely in flashbacks, Lana Turner, Dick Powell, and Barry Sullivan are gathered together by Walter Pidgeon to explain the very good reasons why they all hate Douglas. The story is an intriguing examination of how movies are made and the people who make them.

Oscar Wins: Best Actress in a Supporting Role; Best Writing, Screenplay; Best Cinematography, Black-and-White; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White; Best Costume Design, Black-and-White

Oscar Nomination: Best Actor in a Leading Role

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Papa’s Delicate Condition (1963)

Almost entirely a showcase for the charming Jackie Gleason, this film, based on a memoir by silent film star Corinne Griffith, tells the tale of an early 19th century family who is exasperated by the delicate condition of their patriarch, that is the irresponsible acts he performs while intoxicated. Those acts include indulging every whim of his adoring six-year-old daughter. Glynis Johns plays his long suffering wife though the whole affair remains fairly light and gay.

Oscar Win: Best Music, Original Song

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The Frisco Kid (1979)

Gene Wilder is a naïve, devout, newly graduated Polish rabbi sent to the United States to lead a Californian congregation.. His journey from Philadelphia to San Francisco includes a bevy of adventures, including meeting up and befriending bank robber Harrison Ford. It’s a bit overlong for the story at hand, but Wilder is as sweet and endearing as ever and his chemistry with Ford is surprising.

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Buffalo ’66 (1998)

An incredible cast and what could be an engaging story, Buffalo ’66 does little with its parts. Newly released from prison, Vincent Gallo’s Billy kidnaps Christina Ricci from her dance class on his way to his parents’ house. In her, he finds the love he craves from his parents, the whole adventure wrapped up intimately with the history of the Buffalo Bills. Billy is incredibly unlikable and there’s little reason for Ricci to fall for him sans pity. Visually, it looks like someone dug up a VHS tape of home movies from the 80s, which I suppose is a stylistic choice. The pretentiousness of the framing and scene choices often feel like someone trying too hard to hold onto their indie street cred.

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The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)

As a light, but exceptionally long, rendering of the well-known story of the Frank family and their companions hiding from the Nazis, this film is adequate. It gives a good view of the crampedness of the quarters they shared and some of the harrowing events that occurred while they were there. But it is told in a relatively breezy way. Aside from going through the motions to keep from being found, there’s not as much of a sense of both the danger and tedium that had to exist for such a long period of time together. Millie Perkins is not particularly believable as a young teenager, a bit too cute and precious. On the other hand, Joseph Schildkraut as Otto Frank and Shelley Winters as Petronella Van Dam bring real emotion to their roles, the former as a father trying to keep everyone safe and the latter trying to hold on to life as she once knew it.   Best Picture Nomination

Oscar Wins: Best Actress in a Supporting Role; Best Cinematography, Black-and-White; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Best Director; Best Costume Design, Black-and-White; Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture

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The Great Santini (1979)

Seeing the DVD cover for this film, I wrongfully assumed it was a war, or at least military focused movie. Instead it is the story of an asshole father who would rather flying planes than treat his family, especially his oldest son, with any kindness. There is also a shoehorned in story of the son’s black friend being harassed by racist rednecks, as if the main story didn’t have enough weight to hold a film by itself. Despite my dislike for the story itself, the cast particularly Robert Duvall and Michael O’Keefe as the father and son respectively work wonders with the material. Even though Julie Anne Haddock was little utilized as the younger daughter, I also have a soft spot for the season 1 Facts of Life cast.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Actor in a Supporting Role

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No Man’s Land (2001)

During the Bosnian War, men from both sides of the fight find themselves trapped together in a trench between battle lines. The UN is impotent to help, as mere observers to the war going around among them. There are a number of light moments in this satire, but it would be a disservice not to offer the spoiler that the ending is as bleak as it can be. War is futile.

Oscar Win: Best Foreign Language Film

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Bewitched (1945)

There are two women living inside the body of Joan Ellis, played by Phyllis Thaxter. Joan would rather kill the body than allow the aggressive Karen to kill the man she loves. It’s all incredibly silly and scientifically questionable, but it does have Edmund Gwenn as the doctor trying to save Joan from herselves. There is some nice tension and interesting flourishes, such as having a different actress portraying Karen’s voice, that make the film much better than it probably should be.

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