Change Your Image
pholmer
Reviews
Androcles and the Lion (1952)
A Lion Named Tommy?
In reference to a previous comment, the Lion's name, Tommy, comes from the original text of Shaw's play at the end of Act II. Androcles also talks baby talk to the Lion while he is removing the thorn from his paw in the Prologue (or first scene) of the play. Also I think Victor Mature does a pretty good job as the Captain, although some might be put off by the clash of his accent and acting style with the rest of the mostly British cast. However, Mature's style is well suited to the no-nonsense, pragmatic officer trying desperately to save the patrician Lavinia from being sacrificed in the arena. He tells her to lie and recant her Christian beliefs if that is what it takes to save her life; then she can go home and believe whatever she wants. Mature's less polished acting style underscores his amoral pragmatism as well as his worldly desire for Lavinia. He is her temptation, her incentive the deny her faith. That she resists this demonstrates her dedication to her religion.
The Bold Ones: The Senator: A Continual Roar of Musketry: Part 2 (1970)
An Investigation of Kent State?
This series starred Hal Holbrook as a dedicated U.S. Senator (remember when we had those?) who is in charge of the investigation of a Kent State-like shooting. I don't remember all the details, but it did concern the shooting of campus anti-war protesters by nervous National Guardsmen. I especially remember it because I knew Randy Mantooth (Emergency!) who played the young commander of the soldiers who was himself a college student. I worked with Randy in the Santa Barbara Youth Summer Theatre for two or three years. I also knew Robert Pratt who played one of the main protesters from student days at the University of California, Riverside Theatre Dept. It was a good episode of a good show. It was the only time I ever saw two people I actually knew at the same time on TV.
The Bold Ones: The Senator: A Continual Roar of Musketry: Part 1 (1970)
An Investigation of Kent State?
This series starred Hal Holbrook as a dedicated U.S. Senator (remember when we had those?) who is in charge of the investigation of a Kent State-like shooting. I don't remember all the details, but it did concern the shooting of campus anti-war protesters by nervous National Guardsmen. I especially remember it because I knew Randy Mantooth (Emergency!) who played the young commander of the soldiers who was himself a college student. I worked with Randy in the Santa Barbara Youth Summer Theatre for two or three years. I also knew Robert Pratt who played one of the main protesters from student days at the University of California, Riverside Theatre Dept. It was a good episode of a good show. It was the only time I ever saw two people I actually knew at the same time on TV.
Skin Game (1971)
Serious subject, funny movie, equal partners
This is a very funny movie, dealing with a very serious subject, but it's premise is not as far-fetched as you might think. After all we have heard about man exploiting his fellow man, can we doubt that there were con men who found a way to make money off slave owners, buyers and sellers? Look at what happened after Hurricane Katrina? Anyway, my point is that this should not detract from enjoying this movie because the premise is certainly as plausible as most other westerns. One thing that stood out to me in this film was the relationship between the characters played by James Garner and Lou Gossett. Even though the setting is the 1850's, their relationship is clearly one of equals. While Gossett complains about his role as the commodity being sold in their con game, it is clear that these two are equal partners in deciding how and where they will ply their trade. They share the rewards of their loot equally and when one is endangered, the other risks his life and freedom to rescue his friend. When one discovers new responsibilities that requires a complete change in his life, the other unhesitatingly - well, with only short hesitation - joins in. Gossett and Garner are such a good pairing that I wonder why they didn't do more films together. (Although Gossett did appear on "The Rockford Files" as a guest star.)
The Lady's Not for Burning (1974)
I have a copy from 1987
I love this play!!! I love the language, the comedy, the characters & the story. This is my most favorite play and that's saying something for a theatre person. I fell into playing a part in it (Nicolas) when I was fifteen and have loved it ever since. I've been in it twice and directed it three times. I was commiserating with the other writers in this list about the play not being available on DVD or VHS. The next day while my wife and I were (finally) cleaning out our garage, I opened a box that had old videotapes in it and there was one labeled "The Lady's Not for Burning, Nov. 1987". I taped it off the air when it was broadcast during a KCET fund-raising campaign. Using my Mac and the EyeTV unit I have, I was able to digitize it and copy it to my hard drive. The next step will be to make my own DVD. It has some video dropouts and glitches, as would be expected from a videotape made almost 20 years ago, but the soundtrack is complete and the picture looks pretty good. It runs 100 minutes, somewhat less than the length stated in IMDb and I know from watching it that there are some lines and references missing. (Thomas' claim that he also killed "a pimp", for instance.) I feel very lucky to have been able to find this lost treasure.
Galileo (1975)
"Galileo" is about the scientist's responsibility to society
The movie of Bertolt Brecht's play "Galileo" was made in 1975, starring Topol, with John Gielgud and Clive Revill among others. The goal in making this movie (and all AFT films) was to take a theatrical experience and turn it into a cinematic experience without changing the content to do so. Criticisms that this film didn't do enough to expose the excesses of the Inquisition or that Topol's depiction of Galileo was too abrasive miss the point. This play is about the role and responsibility of the scientist in society. Written during the time that atomic bombs were being created, it criticizes scientists who fail to bring the truth to the people because they fear the retaliation of the authorities.
Galileo is portrayed as an opportunistic genius who is not above stealing someone else's invention and claiming it as his own if it will profit him. He is self-indulgent and corrupt, but he is still a scientist. When his theories of the nature of the universe conflict with the Church's, he recognizes that this may upset not only the way people view the sky, but their own own position in the constellation of their society. Galileo hopes to profit from this, to become a new high priest of science. But when threatened with torture by the Inquisition, a threat the Inquisitors know they dare not carry out because of Galileo's popularity, Galileo capitulates out of the fear of physical pain. His work is confiscated by the Church to be locked away from the people, his recantation is published and the incipient revolution he inspired dies away. Galileo is granted a small pension and forbidden to do any real scientific work.
Years later, Galileo is visited by a former assistant who tells him of the chilling effect his recantation had on scientific progress everywhere in Europe, that no one dares to express any dissident viewpoints. Galileo removes a copy of his scientific treatises from a hiding place and gives it to the assistant to smuggle out of the country. Galileo tells him he has spent many years secretly reconstructing his findings, waiting for someone to give them to. The assistant's tone instantly changes and he lauds Galileo for surviving the Inquisition so his work would not be lost. But Galileo refuses to accept these congratulations and condemns his recanting of the truths he had discovered. He says he knows now that he was never truly in danger and that his personal cowardice led to the continuation of oppressions of all kinds in society as well as the corruption of scientific discovery. He wonders what he and others scientists might have accomplished for the good of all if only he had stood up for the truth when he had the chance to do so. As the assistant leaves with the treatises, Galileo cautions him not to tell anyone where he got them. Galileo still fears reprisals from the powers that be and the loss of his minimal comforts. "...Your cheering at some new achievement would be echoed by a universal howl of horror," Galileo tells his former assistant. "I have betrayed my profession. Any man who does what I have done must not be tolerated in the ranks of science." This all supports playwright Brecht's leftist views, of course, but also accurately reflects the ambivalence of many of the A-bomb scientists about their creation.
"Galileo" was made by the American Film Theatre, the brainchild of producer Ely Landau. The AFT films were shown only in selected movie theaters to audiences who paid a subscription fee for a series of 6 plays on film a year. The AFT series ran from 1973 to 1976. These films were not simply filmed stage productions, nor were they "Hollywoodized" to increase viewers. They used the text of the plays as written by their authors. However, they also used cinematic techniques (close-ups, pans, dolly shots, etc.) to focus the audience's attention on important characters' expressions, reactions and interactions with other characters.
Other plays in this series include "The Man in the Glass Booth", for which Maximilian Schell received a Best Actor Academy Award Nomination, Jean Genet's "The Maids" with Susanna York and Glenda Jackson (I think) an
Demolition Man (1993)
A Futuristic Prophecy?
This film also contains a short bit of dialogue about "The Arnold Schwarzenegger Presidential Library". Sylvester Stallone's character wonders how he could have become President because he was born in another country. Sandra Bullock and/or Benjamin Bratt explain a constitutional amendment was passed to allow him to become President.
This film was released in 1993. Will life imitate art (or what passes for art)?
The Ox-Bow Incident (1942)
Compare this film to "Mystic River"
It is interesting to compare "The Ox-Bow Incident" to the recent film "Mystic River", directed by Clint Eastwood. In both cases, mistaken identity and a rush to judgment result in the death of an innocent man (or men in "OxBow"). But the contrast between the reaction of the murderers, when they learn of their deadly mistake, is stark and dramatic. One can wonder if in our modern world we are more or less "civilized" and willing to accept responsibilty for wrongdoing now than in the past. Or was "the Wild West" in some ways a more "civilized" society than ours today? No answer suggested here, just fodder for speculation and discussion.
The Music Man (2003)
C'mon, it's "The Music Man" not "Death of a Salesman"
When this many things go wrong with an inherently great show, you have blame the director and producer. Many times when comedies (musical and non-musical) have been made into movies, the producers or directors seem unable to trust the material to be funny, so they tone down outrageous characters and ruin the comic nature of the piece. It's almost as if they're worried that no one will laugh at the jokes, so they choose to leave the jokes out. This appears to have happened with this new version of "The Music Man". This is my main problem with production. Every actor needed to dial his or her character up about a dozen notches. Mayor and Mrs. Shinn, for example, are supposed to be "over the top" characters, not grim-faced portrayals of rural America circa 1912. And while Matthew Broderick might be tough to sell as Harold Hill, with the right direction he could have at least given it a shot. Now we'll never know. Instead, he comes off bland, indifferent and without an ounce of charisma. Sometimes you have to let the play drive the characterizations rather than trying to impose your own ideas on it. This new version is simply not funny. Comparing this version to the 1962 film is in many ways an exercise in futility since most people will prefer one or the other regardless of any objective criteria. However, to those who say that Kristen Chenoweth' singing is superior to Shirley Jones I just have to say listen to both. Miss Chenoweth has fine singing voice but Shirley Jones has a great one. As far as Matthew Broderick's voice is concerned, it may be better than Robert Preston's, especially since Preston never claimed to be a singer. But in "The Music Man" this is pretty much a moot point. Meredith Willson wrote most of Harold Hill's songs in the "speak-song" which is the hallmark of the play. A good singer in not required, but a good actor is essential to make these songs work. This brings me back to the directoral style of the new version which dooms Mr. Broderick before he says a word or sings a note. He might just have the talent to pull it off, but as I said, we'll never know from this film. Maybe he'll get the chance to do a stage production of "The Music Man" sometime and actually act the part. Then we'll know. There are good things about the film. The script was mostly unchanged, but some of the staging was changed to good effect. I especially liked the Pickalittle ladies gathering in the malt shop. The dancing was not the traditional Onna White style, but it was good and lively. If only that level of intensity would have been carried over into the acting.
Galileo (1975)
"Galileo" is about the scientist's responsibility to society
The movie of Bertolt Brecht's play "Galileo" was made in 1975, starring Topol, with John Gielgud and Clive Revill among others. The goal in making this movie (and all AFT films) was to take a theatrical experience and turn it into a cinematic experience without changing the content to do so. Criticisms that this film didn't do enough to expose the excesses of the Inquisition or that Topol's depiction of Galileo was too abrasive miss the point. This play is about the role and responsibility of the scientist in society. Written during the time that atomic bombs were being created, it criticizes scientists who fail to bring the truth to the people because they fear the retaliation of the authorities.
Galileo is portrayed as an opportunistic genius who is not above stealing someone else's invention and claiming it as his own if it will profit him. He is self-indulgent and corrupt, but he is still a scientist. When his theories of the nature of the universe conflict with the Church's, he recognizes that this may upset not only the way people view the sky, but their own own position in the constellation of their society. Galileo hopes to profit from this, to become a new high priest of science. But when threatened with torture by the Inquisition, a threat the Inquisitors know they dare not carry out because of Galileo's popularity, Galileo capitulates out of the fear of physical pain. His work is confiscated by the Church to be locked away from the people, his recantation is published and the incipient revolution he inspired dies away. Galileo is granted a small pension and forbidden to do any real scientific work.
Years later, Galileo is visited by a former assistant who tells him of the chilling effect his recantation had on scientific progress everywhere in Europe, that no one dares to express any dissident viewpoints. Galileo removes a copy of his scientific treatises from a hiding place and gives it to the assistant to smuggle out of the country. Galileo tells him he has spent many years secretly reconstructing his findings, waiting for someone to give them to. The assistant's tone instantly changes and he lauds Galileo for surviving the Inquisition so his work would not be lost. But Galileo refuses to accept these congratulations and condemns his recanting of the truths he had discovered. He says he knows now that he was never truly in danger and that his personal cowardice led to the continuation of oppressions of all kinds in society as well as the corruption of scientific discovery. He wonders what he and others scientists might have accomplished for the good of all if only he had stood up for the truth when he had the chance to do so. As the assistant leaves with the treatises, Galileo cautions him not to tell anyone where he got them. Galileo still fears reprisals from the powers that be and the loss of his minimal comforts. "...Your cheering at some new achievement would be echoed by a universal howl of horror," Galileo tells his former assistant. "I have betrayed my profession. Any man who does what I have done must not be tolerated in the ranks of science." This all supports playwright Brecht's leftist views, of course, but also accurately reflects the ambivalence of many of the A-bomb scientists about their creation.
"Galileo" was made by the American Film Theatre, the brainchild of producer Ely Landau. The AFT films were shown only in selected movie theaters to audiences who paid a subscription fee for a series of 6 plays on film a year. The AFT series ran from 1973 to 1976. These films were not simply filmed stage productions, nor were they "Hollywoodized" to increase viewers. They used the text of the plays as written by their authors. However, they also used cinematic techniques (close-ups, pans, dolly shots, etc.) to focus the audience's attention on important characters' expressions, reactions and interactions with other characters.
Other plays in this series include "The Man in the Glass Booth", for which Maximilian Schell received a Best Actor Academy Award Nomination, Jean Genet's "The Maids" with Susanna York and Glenda Jackson (I think) an