skjam | Entries tagged with drama

Gone With the Wind (1939) dir. Victor Fleming

Gerald O'Hara (Thomas Mitchell) is an Irish immigrant who got lucky in a card game many years ago, winning a substantial tract of farmland in Georgia. He married a woman of French extraction named Ellen (Barbara O'Neil) and by hard work and being a decent master to his slaves built Tara into a fine plantation, manor house and all. He has three daughters, Catherine Scarlett (Vivian Leigh), Suellen (Evelyn Keyes), and Carreen (Ann Rutherford). Scarlett, as most folk call her, is a willful but charming belle of sixteen in 1861. While proud of his Irish heritage, Mr. O'Hara has acclimated to the customs and beliefs of his Southern gentry neighbors.

Prominent slaves at Tara include housekeeper and caregiver Mammy (Hattie McDaniel), valet Pork (Oscar Polk), maid Prissy (Butterfly McQueen) and foreman Big Sam (Everett Brown). Jonas Wilkerson (Victor Jory) was, up to the moment we meet him, the white overseer of the slaves, but is a Yankee, and of low moral character, which gets him fired.

Scarlett is a shameless flirt, and enjoys the attention of all the local swains, but she has her heart set on Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), a fine young Southern gentleman and the son of John Wilkes (Howard Hickman), owner of the neighboring Twelve Oaks plantation. Ashley has a sister named India (Alicia Rhett), but Scarlett mostly ignores her. Scarlett is looking forward to the big barbecue and ball at Twelve Oaks so she can finally make it clear to Ashley that she loves him (and pin him down that he loves her.) She's fed up with all the menfolk's talk of "war", even though that seems inevitable.

At the barbecue, Scarlett is less thrilled by the arrival of some of the guests. These include Ashley's cousins Melanie (Olivia de Havilland) and Charles Hamilton (Rand Brooks). You see, there's a Wilkes custom of marrying one's cousin. And Scarlett is aware that most of the family is expecting Ashley to marry Melanie, who Scarlett considers a mealy-mouthed goody two-shoes. And there's a special guest from Charleston, a Mr. Rhett Butler (Clark Gable). Rhett's a black sheep, no longer welcome in Charleston, who made his money gambling and operating shady businesses. But John Wilkes has business with him, so despite his poor reputation, he's been invited. Rhett's interested in Scarlett, but not vice versa.

Scarlett isn't able to get Ashley alone at the barbecue (he's busy affirming his engagement to Melanie, and it's clear to the audience that neither of them is entering this relationship unwillingly), so when the ladies are supposed to be taking an afternoon nap, she sneaks downstairs to find him.

Meanwhile, the menfolk have been discussing the prospects of the upcoming war. Most of the Southerners are all for it. They figure it will be a short, victorious war of independence as Yankees can't fight for spit and the South has all the good officers. Ashley demurs, he's against war in principle as immoral, though if called to serve he will do so. Rhett, on the other hand, who has actually been to the North, warns that the Yankees' superior numbers and industrial capacity will make them difficult foes, and the South is not assured of an easy victory. This dose of facts makes the outsider very unpopular, and he walks out. Ashley goes after him to be a good host.

Scarlett waylays Ashley before he can catch up to Rhett, and after a bit of small talk drags him into the library to confess her love. Ashley tells her that he's marrying Melanie, but instead of saying that he loves his cousin, cites his "duty." It's clear that Ashley is attracted to Scarlett, but is smart enough to realize they're not compatible, and is far more comfortable in the important ways with Melanie. Scarlett isn't catching the unspoken overtones, and only sees that Ashley isn't saying that he doesn't love her. After Ashley leaves, she has a fit of temper, only to discover that Rhett was in the room all along, lying on a couch with a high back turned towards her. He indicates that he's interested in Scarlett, but she's angry and embarrassed and just not interested right now.

Before anything else can happen, it's announced that the War of Northern Aggression has begun, and all the men start getting ready to enlist. Realizing there's no time to get Ashley to change his mind, Scarlett fastens on to Charles Hamilton, who is smitten by this fiery young woman and agrees to marry her pronto, thus making Scarlett and Melanie sisters-in-law.

And there's still over three hours left of this movie!

Gone With the Wind was based on a bestselling novel of the same title, written by Margaret Mitchell. It was wildly successful, becoming the highest-grossing movie (adjusted for inflation) ever. It won multiple Oscars, including Best Picture and a Best Supporting Actress for Hattie McDaniel, the first acting Oscar given to a Black person.

And honestly, this is a very well-made and impressive movie. Music (the classic "Tara Theme"), special effects, costuming, set design, stuntwork (including by legendary Yakima Canutt), directing and acting are all top-notch. A very impressive amount of the novel got into the movie, justifying the nearly four-hour runtime. Which is why most of the DVD versions are on two discs.

Scarlett is an interestingly flawed protagonist. She's charming, clever when she thinks ahead (her picture is next to "conniving" in the dictionary) and a shrewd business owner. But she spends most of the runtime hankering after a man who is never going to return her love and failing to realize that Melanie is her one true friend. She's just as responsible for the failure of her eventual marriage to Rhett as he is.

And Rhett? Well, he's definitely the clearest-headed man in the movie, but he's earned his bad reputation and cannot for the life of him stop saying cynical or sarcastic things to Scarlett that damage her ability to trust him. He too can be very charming when he tries, but his normal bluntness burns bridges and at the end, he's just not willing to stay in this toxic relationship.

Mammy is also a complex character. She's essentially a second mother to Scarlett, and far more involved in her day-to-day life than Ellen. As such, Mammy often gives orders and sound advice to Miss Scarlett far beyond what their respective social stations would normally allow. Not that Scarlett, a headstrong teen, pays attention. Her bond to the O'Hara family is so strong that she continues working for them even after the war ends and she's technically free. And winning her approval is something that Rhett seriously cares about. Ms. McDonald is said to have disliked playing such a stereotyped role, but "I'd rather play a maid for seven hundred dollars than be a maid for seven dollars." And there were such women in real life.

As I've mentioned before on this blog, in the first half of the Twentieth Century, there was a concerted effort by writers and filmmakers to romanticize the Old South and present a revisionist history where the Lost Cause was noble and slavery wasn't all that bad, really. Ms. Mitchell's novel actually was a bit of a reaction to that, showing that the Old South wasn't all "magnolias and moonlight" as Rhett calls it out, but the movie smooths out some of the edges. There's no blatant mistreatment of slaves on screen or referenced, and the O'Hara slaves who have dialogue are nothing but loyal to their masters with no talk of wanting freedom. The "political meetings" that Ashley and Frank Kennedy (Carroll Nye) (Scarlett's second husband) attend are not clarified as them belonging to the Klu Klux Klan nor do we see those meetings or the raid during which Ashley is wounded and Frank killed.

On the other hand, when Scarlett decides to save money by leasing convict labor (the one kind of slavery allowed under the Fourteenth Amendment) rather than hire free black people, it's presented as a moral failing that extends on from her upbringing as a slave owner's heir.

Content note: Murder in self-defense. Marital rape off-screen. It's implied that the "renegade" wanted to rape Scarlett (in the book it's spelled out.) Many deaths from war wounds, a child dies, two miscarriages, other deaths. A horse dies on screen, and another one offscreen. Wounds are shown. Rhett's very good friend Belle Watling (Ona Munson) is pretty obviously a prostitute and extramarital sex is implied, though of course, not actually mentioned on screen. Racism towards and enslavement of black people, use of outdated terms. Women are shown in period underwear, and at one point there is a woman implied to be naked behind some furniture. Older teens will probably be okay, but younger viewers should have a responsible adult handy for discussions of heavy topics.

This is one of the all time classic movies, and well worth watching at least once. The long running time means that it's a serious commitment, so be sure to block out a full day to watch it including breaks during the musical interludes. Recommended to classic movie fans.

Current Location: Manderly
Current Music: Beethoven's 7th Symphony

The Life of Emile Zola (1937) dir. William Dieterle

We first meet Emile Zola (Paul Muni) when he is a penniless writer sharing a freezing garret with his friend, starving artist Paul Cezanne (Vladimir Sokoloff). They favor the "realist" schools of their respective crafts, which is not only unpopular with the buying public, but in Zola's case often gets him in trouble with the government censors. It's not that the censors want Zola not to write "the truth" as that he is big on uncomfortable truths that are either vulgar or show the French government in a bad light. Zola's mother and his fiancee Alexandrine (Gloria Holden) show up to rescue Emile from freezing with word he's managed to land a job at the Hachette publishing house.

It's honest work, but Emile is just scraping by. He manages to get a novel, The Confession of Claude written, but its rather explicit text upsets the censors. Even though it wasn't published by Hachette Publishing, the censors tell M. Hachette they hold him responsible for this filth because Zola is his employee. Zola refuses to restrain himself from further outrages, so Hachette discharges him.

Emile makes a few francs now and then by writing a lot of muckraking newspaper articles about the abysmal conditions the poor endure in Paris. During one of his relatively flush periods, he runs into a woman of the streets who has a particularly interesting life story. Zola fictionalizes her as "Nana" (Erin O'Brien-Moore) and this book, while of course one can't be seen reading it in public, becomes his first bestseller.

Now that the public knows Zola can write, they're ready for more of his "realism" and he has a string of successful books, to the point where the government censors just kind of give up. In the middle of this is the Franco-Prussian War, which goes very badly for the French. Zola is able to get juicy inside information on the incompetence of the General Staff of the French Army and writes a book about it. This earns him the ire of those same officers but there's little they can do as he's written the truth.

Cezanne comes to visit his old friend, and is appalled to see Zola fat and lazy, and obsessed with material objects, like a petit bourgeosis. The artist feels that Emile has abandoned his former dedication to truth above all else, and Zola admits he feels that he's done his part and should be allowed to enjoy life. Cezanne breaks contact (this is before, in real life, the painter inherited a small fortune from his father and developed the Impressionist style that made him famous.)

But trouble is brewing elsewhere. The French military turns out to have a spy in it that's been selling secrets to the Germans. The audience knows from the beginning that the traitor is Major Walzin-Esterhazy (Robert Barrat), but when the General Staff are looking at their roster, they notice that Captain Alfred Dreyfus (Joseph Schildkraut) is a Jew. Therefore, he must be the spy! Dreyfus is railroaded based on flimsy (and later forged) evidence, much to the dismay of his wife Lucie Dreyfus (Ga;e Sondergaard). Despite all the efforts of her and Alfred's friends, he's convicted and sent to Devil's Island.

When honest officer Colonel Piquart (Henry O'Neill) discovers evidence that Esterhazy is the true culprit, his superiors inform him that they cannot afford to admit a mistake--it would ruin the reputation of the General Staff and bring about distrust of the government. He's ordered to keep quiet and shipped off to a remote post.

However Madame Dreyfus has kept her ear to the ground and learns of what went down. She goes to Emile Zola for help, and though he is initially reluctant to get involved, the full monstrosity of what's been happening ignites his righteous fury. After conducting more research, Zola prints his famous editorial, J'accuse on the front page of a newspaper. There is a great sensation, and the General Staff sues Emile for libel. The judge is obviously in the pocket of the military, and will not allow evidence on the Dreyfus Affair to be entered into the record, even though it's key to the defense's case. Plus, of course, the military witnesses except Piquart are lying their asses off.

Will justice prevail?

This classic biographical movie won the Best Picture Oscar for the year of 1937. It's certainly got points of strong interest, and Paul Muni is stellar as Zola. Schildkraut and Sondergaard, normally typecast as villains, also have excellent performances. There are stirring themes of truth, justice and striving against a corrupt system.

On the other hand, this is a very talky movie and runs slow in some long scenes--there's a fair amount of people declaiming at each other rather than actual conversations.

And of course, Hollywood history changes some events around and simplifies them for easier understanding. The most infamous bit of this is that while we see the word "Jew" in the roster and it's clear that this is the trigger for Dreyfus being suspected, it's never said aloud, and there's no spoken mention of the anti-Semitism that was a huge part of the injustice being done, and was called out by Zola in his famous editorial and at the trial. Part of this, of course, was avoiding being too "political" at a time when the Nazi Party of Germany still had a lot of friends in the United States. How deliberate this was is up for debate.

Content note: Suicide, off screen. It's heavily implied "Nana" is a prostitute, and that Zola's novels contain a lot of naughty words. Anti-semitism, however downplayed. Given the slow, talky nature of the movie, it's unlikely any children who'd be upset are going to be watching for long.

While this is certainly an important movie in film history, it's a bit of a snoozer, so is most recommended to the serious film student and history buffs.

Current Music: "Deep White Noise"

The Ballad of Andy Crocker (1969) dir. George McCowan

Corporal Andy Crocker (Lee Majors) is a hero. At least that's what the medal he won for bravery and getting wounded in action in Vietnam says. But his draft obligation is finally over, and Andy is flying back to the States with his best friend from his platoon, David Owens (Marvin Gaye). He dreams of his home near Dallas, Texas, returning to the loving arms of his sweetheart Lisa (Joey Heatherton) and taking up his old business, a motorcycle shop and racing track.

But even as he gets praise from other travelers, we learn there may be trouble on the horizon. Lisa sent Andy a letter a few months back suggesting they should try dating other people. The semi-literate Andy (he dropped out after third grade, though he's actually good at business math) didn't get around to writing her back, figuring he'd make his case in person.

Landing in Los Angeles, and the next bus to Texas not being until morning, Andy decides to go out on the town. There's some indication that the civilians are fed up with the draft, and there's not much he's interested in until Andy meets hippie girl Karen (Jill Haworth) who invites him to a party. She's interested in the handsome stranger, and listens to his story. Unfortunately, when the men arrive with the "party supplies", they aren't happy with Andy being there. (They're afraid the clean-cut soldier boy will narc on them for doing drugs.)

The main male hippie makes it clear that Andy isn't wanted, and insults him. Corporal Crocker leaves, but takes the hippie's motorcycle with him. Andy starts riding east, apparently just leaving his rucksack wherever he'd stowed it, and shows up in Texas a couple of days later, not even having changed out of his uniform.

Andy's parents Earl (Pat Hingle) and Emily Crocker (Claudia Bryar) are thrilled to see him alive and home at last, their joy papering over the family quarrels that had been building up before their son was drafted.

Things start going downhill from there. Andy discovers that his business partner Mack (Jimmy Dean) has run their motorcycle shop into the ground; his other motorcycle racing buddy Joe Bob (Bobby Hatfield) had married for money (only to find out all the money was in his wife's name), and no one came to the track races anymore, so the track was sold for development. All the money Andy sent home from his Army pay just barely kept the doors open. However Mack does have a potential buyer that will turn the motorcycle shop into a used car dealership and the money from the sale would be a decent nest egg. Pity that Andy doesn't want to sell; he's convinced he can turn the place around.

And Lisa? Well, she's married now. Has been, ever since she sent that letter. Her mother (Agnes Moorehead) introduced her to an up-and-coming executive. We don't get the whole backstory but it's clear Lisa is still fond of Andy. But she has her reasons why she has to stick with her husband.

This 1969 TV movie was one of the first to address the issues facing returning veterans from the Vietnam War. The mood of the country had turned against the war. and there was a distinct lack of support for the returnees and their problems. The later cliche of the "crazed Vietnam vet" was not a thing yet, but it's clear that Andy has unresolved issues. Yes, things have gone sour for his homecoming, but he's offered several ways of at least scraping by. No, he has to have the life he was taken from by the war, and this sends him into a tailspin.

The stolen motorcycle, Lisa's mother putting out an arrest warrant for Andy, and Mack tricking him into signing away the shop combine to snap Andy's temper, and he punches out his former friend. Then there's a motorcycle chase with the cops. Andy manages to evade them, but runs out of gas and just discards the bike.

In Oakland, Andy connects with David, who has a night shift factory job, barely. David's willing to put up his buddy for a day or two, but his wife fears that Andy won't be able to get back on his feet and become a long term guest in their tiny apartment. Andy winds up huddling on the steps of the local Army recruiting office in the early morning, there not being anywhere else for him to go.

The "ballad" part of the title comes from the sung narration that plays every so often over montages, going from optimistic to despairing as the movie goes on. Bizarrely, it's not done by any of the three music stars that are in the movie. Some reviewers found it set their teeth on edge. I just found it mediocre.

This is a bleak movie, and is mostly interesting for being the first of its kind; there have been much better movies about Vietnam veterans returning home. Recommended to Lee Majors fans.

Current Music: "I'll Fly Away"--Jim Reeves

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) dir. Robert Benton

Today was supposed to be one of the five best days in Ted Kramer's (Dustin Hoffman) life. His hard work and long hours at the high-powered Manhattan advertising agency where he works have finally paid off with a major account and a fast track to promotion. When he gets home late...again, he's immediately on the phone for more work. He barely registers that his wife Joanna (Meryl Streep) is trying to tell him that she's leaving. She is desperately trying to get out the door as he tries to grasp the concept, leaving him to take care of their son Billy (Justin Henry) on his own.

It's immediately clear that Ted has been an absentee father who's left all the domestic affairs to his wife. He's inept at basic cooking (while boasting how the best chefs are men), grocery shopping (Billy's memorized the brands that Joanna uses) and doesn't even know what grade his son's in. He's struggling badly, with a little help from divorced neighbor Margaret (Jane Alexander), but refusing to hire a nanny presumably because he thinks that Joanna will come crawling back soon. (In the later custody hearing, she mentions that he would often express doubts about her being able to support herself.)

Over the next few months, Ted slowly repairs his relationship with Billy and learns how to be a better father. There are bumps along the way, such as a one-night stand with a co-worker (JoBeth Williams) and a playground accident that requires a trip to the emergency room, but things are looking up on that front. However, Ted's work is suffering because of his need to take care of his child, and his boss/friend Jim O'Connor (George Coe) can only extend him so much leeway.

Eighteen months after she left, Joanna pops back up in New York. She's gotten some therapy, a decent job, and is ready to take full custody of Billy. This leads to the court case of the title.

This Oscar-winning movie was based on a novel of the same name by Avery Corman. It was a rare (especially at the time) look at the trials and joys of single fatherhood. Dustin Hoffman really sells his role as a man who has been so wrapped up in his position of breadwinner for the family that he's lost sight of why he had a family to begin with, and learns to become a better person. Meryl Streep brings nuance to an unsympathetic role (and had a chance to rewrite some of the character's dialogue as Joanna is a much shallower and self-centered character in the book.)

The courtroom scenes are harrowing, with both parents raked over the coals. (There's some fudging as to the state of divorce law in the late 1970s for dramatic purposes.)

It's also a very New York City movie, with an entire scene dedicated to the view from Ted's new office window.

Content note: Divorce. Injury to a child. Extramarital sex and female nudity. A bit of rough language. This was rated PG back in the day, but would be a minimum PG-13 now.

This is a meaty movie with some difficult subject matter so should lead to some interesting discussions if you let it. Recommended to adult viewers who are emotionally ready.

The Hasty Heart (1949) dir. Vincent Sherman

Burma, 1945, what will turn out to be V-J Day, the last day of World War Two. Scots soldier Lachie (Richard Todd) takes a piece of mine shrapnel to the back. The military doctors manage to save his life, but he's lost one of his kidneys. Then they discover that his other kidney is defective; he has at most a few weeks to live before it collapses. Since it will be nine years before kidney transplants are a thing, this will spell his doom. Lieutenant Colonel Dunn (Anthony Nicholls) decides not to tell Lachie of his prognosis. Thus the Scotsman is baffled as the other soldiers are allowed to head back to Britain but even though he's mostly healed, he is kept at the rapidly emptying hospital.

One of the wards is run by "Sister" Parker (Patrica Neal), an attractive head nurse. Currently her charges are Yank (Ronald Reagan), Tommy (Howard Marion-Crawford), Kiwi (Ralph Michael), Digger (John Sherman) and Blossom (Orlando Martins), an African soldier who knows one word in English. Lt. Col. Dunn decides to transfer Lachie into that ward so that he can die surrounded by friends. The officer explains the death sentence to the nurse and patients, but swears them to secrecy.

Not all of them are thrilled with this assignment. Yank in particular has prejudice against the Scottish due to a difficult relationship with his immigrant grandfather. And when Lachie arrives, he lives down to the stereotype of the dour, prickly Scotsman, unfriendly and unpleasable. Can the men give him the comfort he needs if he refuses to take it?

This 1948 film is based on a 1945 Broadway play and was an Anglo-American coproduction to use funds that had been frozen in Britain, much the same way Treasure Island was for Disney. The setting may be Burma in the sweltering heat, but it was shot in an exceptionally cold London winter. (And was the first time Ronald Reagan had been further from the United States mainland than Catalina Island.)

The future president is top-billed, and his performance is quite good as Yank, an outspoken, opinionated American. But it's Lachie who's the central role. Mr. Todd is excellent as a man who's never had friends before and is deeply suspicious of anyone reaching out to him. Due to the circumstances of his birth, he's had a hard life and had to earn his own way since early childhood. Initially, his only joy is that his British Army paycheck has at last allowed him to buy a small plot of land in Scotland, a place where he can stand on his own and be his own master.

Lachie's gradually letting his walls down just a little bit and learning to trust makes it hit hard when he inevitably learns that his new friends have not been truthful.

Patricia Neal and the other supporting actors also do a good job. Mr. Martins has an especially difficult role as Blossom, since he's confined to two words, one of which is repeated multiple times, and must convey meaning with vocal tone and body language. (It is a bit dubious that he's never learned any other English and no effort has been made to provide him a translator. Roll with it.)

It may seem incredible to modern watchers that a doctor would fail to tell a patient their actual prognosis, but this actually was a standard medical practice at the time.

Content note: The above-mentioned deception by medical professionals and fellow patients alike may need explanation to younger viewers to properly contextualize it. Very brief combat scene where Lachie is wounded, and we see the doctors operating (no details or blood.) Casual smoking. There's a running gag where the other men attempt to peek up Lachie's kilt to see if he's wearing underwear. The long talky bits and adult concerns may make this movie boring for children, but teens on up should be okay.

Overall, this is a solid movie with good acting. Recommended primarily to drama fans.

Current Mood: drained

Chained for Life (1952) dir. Harry L. Fraser

Vivian and Dorothy Hamilton (Violet and Daisy Hilton) are conjoined twins (called "Siamese twins" in the movie as that was the slang of the time) who work as a singing duet in vaudeville. Variety show attendance is down overall so the Bijou's owner Mr. MacKenzie (Brian O'Hara) is reluctant to sign their expensive headliner act. The twins' agent Hinkley (Allen Jenkins) comes up with a publicity stunt. One of the sisters will announce her engagement to trick shooter Andre Pariseau (Mario Laval), and their "love story" will get newspaper inches and thus ticket sales. Vivian isn't interested, but Dorothy's willing.

It all ends in tears.

Andre is charming, and Dorothy genuinely falls in love with him. But Andre is actually involved with his lovely assistant Renee (Patricia Wright) and initially is only pretending as part of the publicity stunt so he can stay employed. About the time Dorothy indicates that she is genuinely in love with Andre, he learns that she and Vivian have separate bank accounts and becomes interested in the marriage to have access to her money.

Meanwhile, Dorothy and Vivian quarrel, as Vivian does not like Andre at all and suspects his wooing to be phony. Dorothy has a dream in which she is able to move around by herself (trick photography ahoy!) and decides she wants to try medical separation again. The doctors are unable to state that the twins would even have a chance of survival, at least with their current medical techniques, but point out that Dorothy has nothing preventing her from biologically being a wife and mother.

The marriage planning moves ahead, but hits a snag when none of the nearby states will issue a marriage license on the grounds that it would be de facto bigamy. (This part was taken from the Hilton sisters' real life.) However, the couple is put in touch with blind minister Reverend Dr. Burnham (Roy Regnier) who understands that love is love in the understanding of God and denying people the right to marry because they have unusual bodies is bigotry. He helps them get a marriage license. (He's the best character in the movie, and it's a shame the message is undercut by the story.)

There's an onstage marriage (much to the annoyance of the sisters, who weren't consulted on the ceremony.) And then comes the wedding night, as the groom goes into the bride...fade to black.

We don't see it, but apparently Andre was unable to bring himself to consummate even with the incentive of his new wife's money, and deserted her. An annulment is being arranged, but Andre is still on the same playbill with the sisters, because even bad publicity sells tickets.

Vivian happens to spot Andre backstage making out with Renee, so she is confirmed in her belief that he never actually loved her sister. When she manages to get hold of one of his trick-shooting pistols (with real bullets), Vivian shoots the cad dead.

Which brings us to the murder trial that is the framing sequence of the movie. The judge (Norval Mitchell) puts it to the viewer. If Vivian is found guilty of murder or even manslaughter, the law requires that she be punished. But no sentence, whether death or imprisonment, can avoid punishing the innocent Dorothy as well. What would YOU decide?

The main draw of this movie is the stunt casting of having the conjoined twins played by actual conjoined twins. The Hilton sisters had had bit appearances in previous movies The Unholy Three and Freaks but those had been a couple of decades before and this was their only lead role. They're okay singers, with several musical numbers, but marginal actors at best. The staging notably avoids having them move around much, only walking short distances in straight lines, and otherwise staying put to avoid the possible questions of how they maneuver. (And absolutely no details of how they manage all the issues that you're thinking about.)

To pad out the running time, there's several other vaudeville acts, from juggling to trick shooting. The best of these is the accordion player. Andre's act manages to make trick shooting look dull. Vaudeville was mostly dead by the time this movie came out, and there's a reason for that.

Content note: murder, Andre deliberately leads Dorothy on, offscreen sex is briefly implied but almost immediately revealed not to have happened.

Note that the 2018 movie with the same title has no relation to this movie other than being about differently-shaped humans.

This is by no means a good movie, but there are moments that could have been great in a better movie. This is one for watching with a friend and some popcorn on a slow afternoon.

Current Mood: sore
Current Music: "King's Gambit"--Audiomachine

Assassin of Youth (1938) dir. Elmer Clifton

Cub reporter Art Brighton (Arthur Gardner) is given his first big assignment. An elderly woman was mowed down by a drug-crazed teenager who'd lost control of his car. As it happens, the woman was quite wealthy, and her fortune is slated to go to her granddaughter Joan Barry (Luana Walters) if that young woman can stay "morally clean" until she's 21 in a few months. The editor suspects there's a marihuana ring operating in that small town near Chicago, and wants Art to uncover it and/or get the goods on Joan's behavior.

In aid of this investigation, Art goes undercover as a soda jerk at the ice cream parlor of Henry "Pop" Brady (Earl Dwire). This is where all the cool kids hang out during the day, giving him access to their movements.

Joan has her own problems. Since her father died, her family has been in straitened circumstances. Her slightly younger sister Marjorie 'Marge' Barry (Dorothy Short) is becoming rebellious and tired of being in Joan's shadow. And her cousin Linda (Fay McKenzie), the primary dope dealer in town, is next in line for Grandma's money if she can somehow get Joan disqualified. Linda and her secret husband Jack Howard (Michael Owen) scheme to get Joan hooked on the devil weed, or at least make it look like she has been.

Things are not helped by Henrietta Frisbee (Fern Emmett), a scooter-riding gossip who loves to spread the latest juicy tidbits, the more lurid the better.

This, like the more infamous Reefer Madness, is an "exploitation" film. It takes a controversial subject, purporting to warn the public about the dangers of illegal drugs, but also uses that as an opportunity for salacious images audiences couldn't get under the Hays Code. These movies avoided the Production Code and to some extent local censors by not going through the normal theater distribution channels, but booking showplaces individually. The advertising would emphasize the important moral message while also promising a look at the seedy side of life.

By modern standards. this is pretty mild stuff. The "wild teenage parties" are no worse than most American kids had in their own youth (and it's pointed out by "Pop" that the older folks did much the same in their time.) There's a point at which Joan is seen in what's supposed to be a naked silhouette, and later is supposed to be nude under a coat, but it's not because she was doing anything bad, as such. There's a teeny amount of violence and threatened violence.

There's a particularly clunky moment in which the editor shows Art a short film within the film about how "Marihuana is bad." I suspect this was the reel local morals committees were shown to convince them to allow the movie to be shown in their community.

While the cinematography is at best serviceable, and the script hokey, the acting is actually decent. Dwyer and Emmett are particularly good as comical old folks, and Mrs. Frisbee is a delight whenever she's on her scooter.

Content note: The afore-mentioned "nudity", references to extramarital sex and some attempts at getting some, a touch of attempted murder, drug abuse. (Linda sells both marijuana and an unidentified "something stronger.") Early teens on up should be fine.

Not a good movie, but an enjoyable one for the fan of oddball cinema who's okay with some preachiness. Perhaps best if coupled with a Nineties action film about evil drug dealers.

Current Mood: exhausted

Sansho the Bailiff (1954) dir. Kenji Mizoguchi (Japanese title: Sanshou Dayuu)

The setting is the late Heian Period (around the Eleventh Century) in Japan. The popular governor of a northern province, Taira Masauji (Masao Shimizu), has incurred the wrath of a powerful military general because he would not raise taxes on the already suffering peasants to fund the general's war aims. As a result, the governor is transferred to a remote southern province, basically exile. He's not even allowed to take his wife Tamaki (Kinuyo Tanaka) and children Zushio (Masahiko Tsugawa) and Anju (Keiko Enami) with him, and they will have to make their own way to him. Masauji gives his son sage advice on the virtue of mercy and a family heirloom, a statue of Kwannon, Boddhisatva of mercy.

A few years later, Anju is finally old enough for the family to walk the long journey. With one older servant, they make their way across the country. They come to a province near the ocean, but learn that the area is so overrun with bandits and slave traders that the government has forbidden the sheltering of travelers who might be criminals in disguise. The family camps out, but it's cold and wet, so when a priestess (Kikue Mori) offers to break the law and give them warm food and a dry place to sleep, they accept.

It is, of course, a trap. The priestess is in league with the slave traders. The old servant is killed, Tamaki taken to an island brothel to serve as a courtesan, and the children (not seen as particularly valuable due to their young age) eventually are sold to Sansho (Eitaro Shindo), bailiff of an estate belonging to the Minister of the Right. Sansho is a cruel master, who brands slaves who attempt to escape on the forehead. But he's liked by his superiors because he extracts maximum taxes from the area and sends bribes up the pipeline. The children take on new names, Matsu for Zushio and Shinobu for Anju, to disguise their highborn origins.

Ten years of backbreaking labor and other hardships later, Matsu has become a hard young man, putting aside the teachings of his father and even helping brand escapees. Shinobu tries to soften his attitude, but he needs to survive. Then Anju by chance learns that their mother is still alive and where she is. Fate offers a chance for her and Zushio to flee their slavery, but is their destiny still to be tears?

This period piece drama movie is based on a short story by Ogai Mori, who adapted an older legend. The Criterion Collection DVD version I watched comes with a booklet containing a translation of both the Mori version and an oral history version of the legend with a different emphasis.

The movie's version of the story backdates some modern humanistic ideas about mercy and the proper treatment of workers into Masauji's advice to Zushio. This perhaps makes him a more sympathetic character as his later actions are not merely a reaction to his and his sister's own treatment, but part of a larger life philosophy.

We also see the difficulties in reforming an unfair system. Sansho's son Taro (Akitake Kono) is initially kind to the children, and disgusted with the way his father treats the slaves and corrupt officials, but finds it easiest to just "walk away from Omelas" and become a Buddhist priest. This salves his conscience and makes him helpful much later, but does nothing for Zushio and Anju or their fellow workers.

After the escape, Zushio's true heritage becomes known, and he is made governor of Tango, the province where Sansho has his estate. Our protagonist wants to free the slaves, all the slaves, but is quickly and repeatedly reminded he doesn't actually have the authority to do that. He has to break the system completely and accept the consequences of this to achieve his goal. (As opposed to the short story where he basically waves his hand and poof, no more slavery with no bad consequences.)

The ending is bittersweet. Zushio has freed the slaves and is reunited with his mother, but they have both lost so much in the process and become broken.

Good acting from all involved, interesting cinematic framing.

Content note: murder and suicide. Slavery. Branding and general abuse of slaves. Children in peril. Tamaki is forced into prostitution (not on screen). Due to the themes and slower parts of the movie I'd recommend older teens up.

This movie is more on the "serious cinema" wavelength than my usual fare. You may want to have some of the more "popular" Japanese films under your belt before tackling this one.

Grand Hotel (1932) dir. Edmund Goulding

"People come, people go. Nothing ever happens." So speaks Dr. Otternschlag (Lewis Stone). long-time resident of the Grand Hotel in Berlin. But he spends much of his time in his cups to deal with the pain of the facial scarring he got in the Great War, and to be honest he misses a lot of what's going on around him.

There are five guests of particular note at this time. The Baron Felix von Geigern (John Barrymore) is in some ways a relic of an older, more genteel Germany. Now he has lost the family fortune, and owes quite a large sum on money to very bad people, so he has been forced to turn thief.

Madame Grusinkaya (Greta Garbo) is a Russian prima ballerina. Though she is very talented, she feels like she's losing her edge, and has fallen into depression. This has naturally affected her performance, worsening her mental state, and she's contemplating suicide. If she can't pull out of her tailspin, she may be dismissed from the troupe!

General Director Preysing (Wallace Beery) is an industrialist of some note, but his wealth and power come from the company he directs and he got his position by marrying the owner's daughter. He needs to forge a corporate merger here at the hotel, which relies on him getting a deal put through with a Manchester cotton firm. He's got several balls in the air, and trying to keep them all going is wearing on his temper.

Otto Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore) is a lowly bookkeeper for Preysing's concern. He could ordinarily never afford to stay at the Grand Hotel. But Otto is terminally ill, with perhaps a week or two to live. He's decided to cash in his modest life savings, and truly live for the last few days of his life, as he's never been able to or dared before.

Flaemmechen (Joan Crawford) also could never usually afford to stay in the Grand Hotel. She's a temporary agency stenographer that Preysing engages to do his secretarial work while he's in town, and he...generously...engages a room near his for her to use during this time period. Flaemmchen quickly becomes aware that Preysing would also like more personal services from her. She has to navigate keeping him happy while not wanting him to touch her at all, and having a thing for the handsome and debonair Baron.

Also, Senf, the head porter (Jean Hersholt), has a wife in the hospital struggling through a difficult pregnancy, but the hotel management will not give him the time off to be with her during the day.

Something very much is going to happen at the Grand Hotel!

This was the first "star-studded" movie that wasn't a musical revue, defying the industry wisdom of only having one or two main stars. It did take a bit of negotiating: Garbo was credited with last name only to show her preeminence, while Wallace Beery was the only actor allowed to use a German accent for his part. The script was adapted from the play and original novel by Vicki Baum Menschen im Hotel which she'd based on her own time as a chambermaid at Berlin hotels. It did well in theaters, getting a "Best Picture" Oscar.

First off, kudos to the set design team. The Art Deco circular front desk and main lobby look fabulous, and the various rooms look like the height of early 1930s hotel luxury. The budget is right there on the screen.

The cast is also fine, led by Garbo being gloriously over the top as an equally over the top dancing star.

The Baron honestly isn't at all good at the "thief" part of being a noble thief, but does well at being noble, showing his true character being kind to the ballerina, the dying man and the stenographer. Beery is considerably less sympathetic, but also has his humanizing moments where we see the vulnerability behind his cruel actions. Otto gets to shine as he finds his courage, at last being able to tell his boss off--Preysing may not recognize Kringelein, but the bookkeeper knows what a dub hand at business the rich man is.

Joan Crawford is sizzling by 1932 standards, and many of her hotter scenes were cut by censors.

At the end, the guests we've been following leave the Grand Hotel, not all of them of their own volition, but Senf learns that he is now a father, mother and son doing well. And there are new guests arriving, with their own stories. Dr. Otternschlag repeats his opening words, but with extra irony.

This isn't one of the immortal classics, but it's a very good movie, which spawned imitators and parodies. The one on the same DVD I watched was "Nothing Ever Happens", in which Warner Brothers manages to condense the plotline down to a twenty-minute musical comedy version. Hollywood was entering its "Golden Age" and you can see a lot of that here.

Politics is conspicuously not discussed, save for some grumbling about how the last war turned out. But modern audiences cannot help knowing what's going to happen in Berlin soon, and the likely fate of many of the characters.

Content note: Murder, suicide is discussed, Preysing comes very close to forcing Flaemmchen to have sex with him before he's distracted. Alcohol abuse.

Not, perhaps, a must-watch, but recommended to fans of the various stars, and people who enjoy the "hotel" subgenre.

Current Mood: quixotic
Current Music: "Beneath the Moonlight"--Aaron Kenny

Act of Love (1980) dir. Jud Taylor

It's the first Father's Day since the death of the Cybulkoski family patriarch. After church, the family has an outdoor lunch. Older son Leon (Ron Howard) announces that he and his brother Joseph (Mickey Rourke) will be painting their mother's house, "barn red" and finally clearing off the last few acres of the family land. Despite it being Sunday, Leon has to go off to his construction job. While he's away, Joseph goes on a motorcycle ride with no protection through that patch of rough terrain. There's an accident.

Leon is called back from his job to the hospital. Initially, it looks as though Joseph just broke a shoulder, but on closer inspection it appears that a bone in his neck has been crushed. Joseph cannot move or feel anything below his neck, and everything above the neck is in constant pain. He especially hates the tube that's been inserted in his mouth to help keep his airways clear. While the doctors are not quite ready to call the case hopeless, it's pretty obvious that Joe is a quadraplegic, and there's almost no chance that he'll ever recover.

Joseph, an active man who defines his life's worth by what he can do, is in despair. In addition, while it's not directly said at this point, the Cybulkoski family is cash-strapped and can ill afford the specialized care he will need for the long, lonely years to come. Joseph begs Leon to end his suffering, making him pledge his word of honor that he will do so if there's no hope.

Operating on little sleep and high emotions, Leon takes a sawed-off shotgun into the hospital and blows his brother's brains out.

This TV movie was based on a book by Paige Matthews, which itself was loosely based on an actual court case. The controversial subject of mercy killing and being headlined by popular actor Howard contributed to it performing well in the ratings.

The tense drama leading up to Leon's action is over fairly quickly, and the movie shifts into courtroom drama. Leon's employer pays for defense attorney Andrew Rose IRobert Foxworth) to take the case. The lawyer suggests going for a plea bargain or pleading insanity, but Leon is convinced he did nothing wrong and should not go to prison or an insane asylum. Mr. Rose must navigate how to plead "not guilty" when his client very much did pull the trigger. This involves looking at the particular culture the brothers were raised in (their father was an Eastern European immigrant with...strong views on manliness and what makes life worthwhile), the effects of sleep deprivation, and other factors that might mitigate Leon's crime.

Ron Howard does a pretty good job as Leon, but his All-American boyishness doesn't quite convey the character as a working poor man of Eastern European heritage. Most of the others do a decent TV movie level job of acting.

The movie moves along nicely, and I never felt like it bogged down. That said, it's shot in a pedestrian style, and I can see why it's a footnote in Ron Howard's career. The Mill Creek print I watched had poor color balance that made many of the characters overly red-faced.

This movie might be a good choice for sparking discussion on mercy killing, the rights of people with disabilities and the legal system's treatment of motivation. But I suspect there are better movies you could use for the same discussion.

Current Music: "I Fall to Pieces"--Patsy Cline

Joe (2013) dir. David Gordon Green

Joe Ransom (Nicolas Cage) is holding his life together...barely. He runs a small business that kills trees unsuitable for lumber for the local lumber company, employing a day worker crew that works hard for the cash money and appreciates that he doesn't cheat them. Maybe he smokes and drinks too much, but that helps him deal with the explosive temper that previously got him sent to prison. He doesn't keep in contact with his children, and is unaware he's about to be a grandfather. Not being the nosy type, Joe doesn't ask too many questions when a fifteen-year-old boy wanders onto the work site and asks for a job.

Gary (Tye Sheridan) drifted into town with his family a short while back. His father Wade (Gary Poulter) is an abusive alcoholic who keeps Gary, his mother and his mute sister together mostly out of having nowhere else to go.

Wade also joins the work crew, but quickly alienates the other laborers while doing none of the actual work. Joe fires Wade and Gary, but allows Gary to come back on his own, because the boy does a man's work for a man's pay. Joe and Gary bond, and Joe becomes increasingly displeased with the way Wade treats his son.

Local asshole Willie-Russell (Ronnie Gene Blevins) has a grudge against Joe, and then Gary, and takes several steps to make the situation worse, culminating in a lethal showdown.

This movie was shot near Austin, Texas and takes place in an impoverished rural area. Decaying buildings and garbage-strewn landscapes contrast with the better parts of the outdoors. This isn't a place for people to get ahead in life; survival is not guaranteed either.

Joe's relationship with the police is complicated. The sheriff is a childhood friend and tries to look out for Joe, but being hassled by cops is one of Joe's temper triggers, and his time in prison was from a tussle he'd had with them years before, so the deputies are not inclined to give him slack. Thus, when criminal things are happening, Joe prefers to either ignore them or handle it himself.

Gary is a remarkably good kid considering his circumstances, and just maybe he will do okay, but there's a lot of heartache to get to the end of the movie.

The movie takes its own sweet time getting to the explanations for things, and for quite a way in it's not clear where exactly the story is going.

Content note: gun and hand to hand violence, some lethal. We get to see Joe tending to his own gunshot wound. Wade beats and belittles Gary, and it's implied he abuses the rest of the family as well. Alsohol and tobacco abuse. Attempted rape. Nudity, on screen sex (no genitals). A dog dies. This is exceptionally rough stuff and even many high school students may not be ready for it.

Nicolas Cage does a good job of portraying a man who is desperately trying to be subdued, to live and let live, but is very close to snapping violently--and then does. It's not one of his memeable roles, but if you enjoy him in serious dramatic roles, this one is worth checking out.

Seven Samurai (1954) dir. Akira Kurosawa

It is in the Warring Stages period of Japanese history, but between major battles, so many samurai and soldiers are at loose ends, and bandits roam the countryside. An isolated farm village learns that the local bandit gang that already took their rice harvest is coming back in a few weeks when the barley harvest is brought in. The magistrate of the territory is less than proactive, only coming out after a bandit raid to tut at the damage and enforce the tax collection. The farmers gather to discuss their options: give the bandits what they want and starve to death, defy the bandits and be slaughtered, or commit suicide now and not give the bandits satisfaction. Farmer Rikichi (Yoshio Tsuchiya) has suffered too many losses to consider bowing to the evil ones. Old Man Gisaku (Kokoden Todo), who lived through similar events before, remembers that the one village in his previous province that did not burn was the one that hired samurai mercenaries.

Because the village is poor, Rikichi and some fellow farmers go off to the big town to find hungry samurai who are willing to work for just getting fed. This goes poorly at first. But then the men run into Kambei Shimada (Takashi Shimura) who demonstrates his willingness to think outside the box by allowing his head to be shaved like a monk in order to save a child's life. Even he turns them down at first, but is stung by a low fellow's taunting of the farmers to step up.

Kambei quickly assembles a team of seven "samurai", the minimum he thinks he'll need to handle forty bandits. Gorobei Katayama (Yoshio Inaba) is an observant fellow who is hard to trick. Heihachi Hayashida (Minoru Chiaki) isn't the best warrior, as seen by the fact that he's been reduced to woodchopping for meals, but is upbeat and likable. Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi) is a stoic master swordsman. Shichiroji (Daisuke Kato) is Kambei's old colleague who had been thought dead, but is more than willing to become his friend's second in command. Katsuhiro Okamoto (Isao Kimura) is an idealistic young man who has never known true combat but finds Kambei inspiring. And then there's "Kikuchiyo", a rough, ill-mannered man who tries to use a "borrowed" family ledger to prove he's the youngest child of a samurai family, but because he is illiterate, doesn't realize that he's pointing to a girl's name. The others don't accept him at first, but Kikuchiyo proves useful...eventually.

This hastily assembled team travels to the village, knowing that there's little time to create fortifications, give the peaceful villagers some basic combat training, and learn to mesh as a group.

This 1954 film is one of the all-time greats, immensely influential in plot structure, characterization, and cinematography. Even the oddly-aligned title sequence stands out. Its most immediate descendant is The Magnificent Seven, but plenty of other movies have taken their cues from Seven Samurai as well.

We've got a good spread of character types among the samurai and villagers, from cowards to fools to the weary wise. (The one area where we don't get much characterization is among the bandits, who don't have much in the way of conversation.)

The one hint of romance is between Katsuhiro and village girl Shino (Keiko Tsushima), whose father Manzo (Kamatari Fujiwara) was so paranoid about the possibility that he chopped off her hair and forced her to wear men's clothing in a futile attempt to hide her. It...doesn't turn out as you'd expect in an American film of the same vintage.

This is a long movie, about 3 and a half hours including an intermission. Much of this is long relatively quiet dramatic or comedic scenes; between that and the fact the movie is in black and white, some younger viewers may not be ready for it, at least not all in one sitting.

Content note: Lots of lethal violence, but very little blood. Offscreen rape. Offscreen consensual extramarital sex. Parental abuse and slut-shaming. Suicide is discussed but not shown. Some cultural differences between 16th Century Japan and 21st Century America may be distressing to the sensitive. Men wear skimpy loincloths. (There's also shots that focus on women's rear ends but they're fully covered by loose kimono so not as racy for modern viewers.)

Absolutely a must see for movie fans, especially if you are lucky enough to have it appear in an actual movie theater near you.

Current Mood: enthralled

Papillon (1973) dir. Franklin J. Schaffner

Henri Charrière (Steve McQueen), nicknamed "Papillon" after the butterfly tattoo on his chest, is convicted of a crime he did not commit and sentenced to imprisonment in the penal colony of French Guiana often referred to as "Devil's Island." On the ship taking the convicts there, he makes an alliance with counterfeiter Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman), a rather frail man who needs protection but has a stash of money. Dega is confident his wife and their crafty attorney will find a way to free him, so doesn't need to escape himself, but is willing to bankroll Papillon's attempts.

However, the Bagne de Cayenne (of which the Ile du Diable is just one part, has a reputation for being "inescapable" for good reason. The years ahead will be filled with torment and plans ranging from disastrous to partially successful as the two men's friendship deepens.

This movie is based on the autobiography of Henri Charrière of the same title, published in 1969. The book is almost certainly embellished by weaving the stories of other convicts in as though Papillon had done them, and the French government disputed whether Charrière had ever been on Devil's Island to begin with, as opposed to a mainland prison. (That might explain why this is an American movie rather than a French one.)

At two and a half hours, there's a lot of incidents in this movie, including several long scenes with no dialogue as first Papillon spends time in solitary confinement after his first escape attempt, and then time with a native tribe where no one speaks French during his second attempt. Papillon starts the film strong and confident, but ages badly in prison and is near breaking several times. (Shoutout to the makeup department.)

While money can buy some comforts in prison, it turns out not to be very helpful in escaping; everyone Papillon gives a payment to betrays him, while those who help for their own reasons are trustworthy. The pious Mother Superior (Barbara Morrison) is especially galling with her "if you are innocent, God will protect you" after she turns him in but keeps Papillon's pearls.

Mind, while Papillon isn't a murderer (so far as we are ever told), he is a crook, a safecracker who might have been sent to Devil's Island for robbery if he hadn't been framed for the other thing. He's not exactly shy about using knives, either.

Another notable role is Maturette (Robert Deman), an infirmary assistant who actually did commit murder, but is otherwise a fairly decent fellow. It's a portrayal of a gay man that's relatively sympathetic for the time it was made, but as you might expect from films of the time period, he isn't getting to the end alive.

Content note: Lethal violence, some bloody. A man is guillotined. Torture. Animals are killed, mostly for food. Male (from a distance, butts) and female (toplessness) nudity. Rough language, a scene where a character gets a tattoo might be too intense for some viewers.

Overall: an interesting and intense movie that shows off McQueen and Hoffman to advantage. Due to its nature, I cannot recommend this for below senior high viewers.

Beyond Obsession (1982) dir. Liliana Cavani aka "Beyond the Door"

Matthew Jackson (Tom Berenger), an American oil worker in Morocco, takes a trip to Marrakesh. At a boring sex show, he meets an Italian woman, Nina (Eleanora Giorgi). She takes him to a slightly more exciting brothel, gets Matthew high, and hooks him up with a pretty male belly dancer before ditching him. This intrigues Matthew, who is not exactly the brightest of men. He soon learns that Nina has a day job at a travel agency, but her primary occupation is suckering men into thinking she's attracted to them and getting them to shell out money for her while never delivering.

This turns out to be because she needs cash for her stepfather Enrico Sommi (Marcello Mastroianni), who is in prison for murdering Nina's mother. The bribes allow Signor Sommi to have various luxuries, including unsupervised excursions outside the prison.

Nina and her stepfather are sexually involved, which may be why Enrico murdered her mother, or she committed suicide, depending on who you ask. There's also some question about whether Mr. Mutti (Michel Piccoli), Nina's mother's first husband, is in fact her biological father or if Enrico's affair with Mom bore fruit before the formal divorce.

Matthew is a little freaked by all this but obsessed with Nina, and eventually gets Enrico to a point where he can be pardoned and Matthew takes Nina off to Italy to live. But that's not quite the end of the story.

This one's honestly a stinker. Matthew's a dope, Enrico's creepy, and Nina is a user.

The sex show at the beginning is so boring it's actually a bit funny. One of the audience members is a woman who's writing something, and every so often flicks her eyes up at the center bed. It's like she's got homework to finish but social obligation requires her to show up at her friend's "performance."

Content stuff: Nudity and onscreen sex (no genitals); psuedo-incest (or just maybe real incest); Enrico is sometimes physically abusive towards Nina. Suicide is threatened, attempted and (off-scree) accomplished. A gory corpse is seen. Hashish use, and it's implied Matthew had sex with the belly dancer.

Some dialogue in French and Italian does not get translated, but nothing you need to know for plot purposes.

Overall: Sleazy and snoozy, won't be rewatching even with a riff crew.

Three Outlaw Samurai (1964) directed by Hideo Gosha.

Times are tough in this rural district of Japan. There's been a succession of bad harvests, but no reduction in taxes, so the peasants are starving and broke. In desperation, several farmers have kidnapped the daughter of the local magistrate in an effort to extort him into presenting their case to the provincial lord. Three masterless samurai are also in the area, and about to be swept up into this crisis.

This was the first movie directed by Hideo Gosha, who'd previously worked in television, including directing the first season of the television series the movie is a prequel to. In that series, three ronin travel from place to place righting wrongs and protecting the weak. This film reveals how the trio gets together.

The first samurai we meet is Shiba, who finds a woman's hairpin on the path to an old mill, investigates, and learns about the kidnapping. Once it's clear that the farmers aren't going to rape Aya, the magistrate's daughter, or seriously harm her, he starts helping them out. He knows full well the magistrate isn't going to respond well to this tactic.

The next to join is Sakura, a scruffy spear carrier that was in jail for vagrancy. He's offered his freedom and a reward for fighting the farmers and their new samurai ally. On the way to the mill, Sakura is ambushed by one of the farmers, and kills the man. But once he hears the truth about what's going on, Sakura switches sides. Later, he starts developing feelings for Oine, widow of the man he killed, who doesn't know the truth. Awk-ward.

Kikyo is nominally on the magistrate's side for much of the movie, as he's been freeloading off that household's food supply. He is, however, careful to avoid any of the more heinous actions requested by the magistrate. When the magistrate demonstrates straight up that he is a man without honor, Kikyo defects.

Meanwhile, the magistrate is trying to keep the news of the peasant disgruntlement as quiet as possible, no matter what dirty tricks he has to pull to ensure that. The lord is visiting this district in a few days, and if the petition disturbs the lord in any way, the magistrate is sure to lose his position.

Since this is a samurai revenge drama,while we know the three central characters are going to make it out alive somehow, don't get too attached to anyone else.

The good: Our main trio are honorable men who try to do the right thing, even in a cynical world where doing the right thing is often fatal or a failure. They don't always live up to their own standards, but their consciences are very much alive. Overall, everyone's motivations and the resulting actions ring true.

There's some excellent action sequences. I especially liked the invasion of the old mill for good fight choreography in a cramped space filled with obstacles.

Less good: Some parts of the film felt like they were shot for television rather than a movie, not using the full frame well. I am given to understand that Mr. Gosha quickly became much better at this. Sakura and Oine's romance felt very rushed, as though it were put in solely for the sake of having a little romance.

Content notes: As expected from a samurai drama, there's plenty of black and white blood being spilled. There's also a couple of torture scenes. Kikyo has sex with a prostitute just off-screen.

Recommended to fans of samurai revenge drama. Sadly, it appears that the first few seasons of the TV show the movie is based on have been lost, so following up with that is not an option.