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josephdralston
Reviews
The Third Man (1949)
Cinematography alone makes this a must see
First of all it's nice to see Orson Wells as something other than a bloated whale. He has a very small part in the movie but is fantastic as the morally bereft Harry Lime. Joseph Cotton has always been a favorite of mine and his naive optimism as the hack writer Holly Martins is perfect. The movie looks like a world class photography exhibit. There are so many brilliant moments with the cinematography that it's sometimes hard to notice anything else. The story is, of course, superb and I think this film lives up to it's "A Classic among Classics" stature. The final scene is shot with such artistic perfection that I had to keep rewinding the movie to see it over and over again. The score is amazing. A mandolin plays its strings throughout the movie and becomes the "fourth" man of the film. I want the soundtrack for my collection.
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)
Best Story Line In All of Noir
Great movie. This is probably one of the most "complex" story lines in all of Noir. The moral ambiguity makes it impossible to determine how you want the characters lives to turn out. The viewer is pulled in so many directions and because of the moral complexity I found myself pulling for the corrupt characters despite their flaws. Stanwyck was amazing. This was my first noir with Van Heflin and I thought he was just spot on with his performance. A very young Kirk Douglas chews up the scenery with an over the top performance that none the less works perfectly for his character. Lizabeth Scott as Heflin's secondary love interest was also excellent. I am amazed that this film, in the noir genre, has not gotten more attention. It's really a work of art and stands up as relevant and moving 65 years after it's release. Awesome movie!
White Heat (1949)
Cagney is amazing!!
Cagney is nothing short of amazing as Cody Jarett a sociopath with a Oedipus complex gone mad. It amazed me how sympathetic the viewer feels towards this maniac character. Cagney brings a vulnerability to this "tough" guy that is full of depth and shows incredible range. The final scenes take place in a chemical plant and the set and the photography during this part of the movie are amazing. It almost has a Sci-Fi feel to it. There is this really funny scene where the police cars using a sonar detecting device chase the criminals around the city. They have these silly looking silver circles rotating around and around on top of the squad cars. I suppose it may have looked high tech back in the day but it looks like a bad b Sci Fi movie trick now.
Cloak and Dagger (1946)
Yuck! Gary Pooper is awful as an international spy!
If you cut this movie in half it would be tolerable. Gary Pooper is awkward and painful to watch. The middle section of the movie when Cooper and Palmer are hiding out in France has a slight "Casablanca" feel. It's the only part of the movie that didn't make me want to smack someone. Palmer is the poor man's Bergman and I won't even mention that Pooper guy in the same sentence with Bogart. Yuck what a waste of time. Fritz Lang directed this tripe? This is the same guy who gave us M and Metropolis? It was made by United States Pictures and the best I can figure is that it was a propaganda attempt. Cooper was just awful but the story and writing didn't help any of the other actors either. The writing is so bad it's embarrassing. If this was Coopers only movie I would link him with Dan Duryea as the bottom of the barrel in black and white pictures. I watched this because I thought it was a noir picture. It is not. I would call it film no. As in no don't watch it.
Lady of Burlesque (1943)
G-String fun for the whole family!
Quirky and fun but pretty much lacking in any real depth-story or otherwise. Stanwyck is a hot-tie and Michael O'Shea plays a lovable Vaudvillian comedian that is fun to watch. It has the "noises off" gaiety of seeing the backstage of a Burlesque music hall and there are lots of funny frantic scenes with crazy costumes, quick changes and the rivalry between the "stars" of the show. The murder scenario is pure camp with the victims being strangled to death by their own g-strings. It is revealed that a wizened old Opera star who is now a member of the crew at the theater is killing off the burlesque ladies because....he hates burlesque..?? LOL!! One of my favorite lines is given by one of the chorus girls who refuses to stay with the show after the murders start happening because she refuses to be "knocked off with her own bead work". Great fun!