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The Arnelo Affair (1947)
Tightly-paced and engrossing story helped by the cast's conviction, cohesion, and strong screen presence
"Murder means taking away another person's right to live. There's no greater crime than that," replies Ted Parkson (George Murphy) to his young son Ricky's (Dean Stockwell) question about if "murder is like killing" as they eat at the breakfast table. The question is prompted by the headline in all capital letters on the front page of the newspaper Ted is reading: "Claire Lorrison Murdered". 'The Arnelo Affair' (Arch Oboler, 1947) is a film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) which had also produced crime films from the mid-1930s to mid-1940s which promoted the notion that "crime doesn't pay". Although there are subdued phrases uttered in the dialogue from characters such as Ted and Sam Leonard (Warner Anderson) that highlight this notion, 'The Arnelo Affair' is a true film noir that shows several shades of flaws, decency, and reason in the stories, behaviours, and dialogue of its characters.
As Ted utters his response to Ricky regarding "taking away another person's right to live", the camera cuts to a medium shot of Ted's wife Anne Parkson (Frances Gifford). Anne and Ted married soon after she turned sixteen and have been married for twelve years. Anne is passionate about interior design which began from working in an interior decorating shop just prior to meeting Ted. Currently in their marriage, she is going through the motions and is not being heard nor listened to by Ted, who is pre-occupied with his career as a lawyer. Anne has been robbed of excitement for quite some time and is introduced by Ted to one of his clients Tony Arnelo (John Hodiak) who has been robbed of stability much of his life and is trying to make up for lost time. Anne and Tony have an instant attraction to each other, and it takes Tony, of all people, to tell Ted that his crime is that he's neglected the emotional needs of Anne: "You've been married to her a long time, but you don't know her at all." In various shades, we see hints of what it means to the different characters to be alive whether it's to be grateful to have a pulse or to embrace the spirit of living by seizing the moment.
Several of the IMDb user reviewers are ruthlessly unfair to Frances Gifford's performance whose character's morose demeanour, to me, fares better here than that of Joan Leslie's Sheila Page in 'Repeat Performance' (Alfred Werker, 1947) or Andrea King's Brooke Gifford Ryder in 'Shadow of a Woman' (Joseph Santley, 1946) which are similar in tone and style. Gifford's style of performance, which is her interpretation of a woman who is depressed and later attempts suicide, may not liven up the overall tone for the viewer watching the film but it's conveyed with conviction when considering her character's personal circumstances.
Gifford's morose Anne is teased by friend and fashion shop owner Vivian Delwyn (Eve Arden). She says, "I adore eating with invalids" when attempting to sustain a conversation with Anne over a meal. The performances of Eve Arden are timeless, and her characters are often refreshing and progressive in their abilities to help the central male character comprehend and sympathize with the monotony of life that wives are expected to endure in post-war 1940s American society. The monologue she gives to Ted about this is nearly identical in tone to the one she gave Zachary Scott's character Bob Hunter in 'The Unfaithful' (Vincent Sherman, 1947), a film noir from Warner Bros.
The cast, overall, is strong for its cohesion and believability. John Hodiak conveys an exemplary homme fatale through the soft, melted caramel textures and hypnotic tonality to his voice. This enables him to take seemingly ordinary lines such as "it takes someone like me to appreciate someone like you" and give them shades of sounding special to the person receiving them but also egotistical coming from the person giving them. In addition to this, I disagree with the multiple IMDb reviews commenting on the dialogue being too "wordy" in this film. The actors express their lines at a nice pace and with conviction which really helps to keep the dialogue engrossing, and film editor Harry Komer helps to keep the scenes at their appropriate shortness and lengths. Special mentions for their performances also go to Dean Stockwell, who has never disappointed me in any of his acting performances, as well as Ruby Dandridge (mother to actors Dorothy Dandridge and Vivian Dandridge).
Overall, I highly recommend this film and feel very strongly that it's much better than its current 5.7 IMDb rating in addition to several negative reviews that seem to have missed enjoying several elements that I thoroughly enjoyed. From the haunting score by composer George Bassman, to its location shots of Chicago, to its tightly-knitted pacing, and to the strength of its cast which makes the dialogue come alive, 'The Arnelo Affair' is a refreshing film from MGM and not to be missed.
The Big Punch (1948)
The film comes full circle when you pay attention to Karen's character development
'The Big Punch' (Sherry Shourds, 1948) concerns three principal characters: Chris Thorgenson (Wayne Morris), a self-assured college football player who's studying and training to become a minister; Karen Long (Lois Maxwell), a former World War II nurse who's going through the motions as a small-town bank clerk; and Johnny Grant (Gordon MacRae - looking very much like actor Matt LeBlanc in the 1990s), a boxer who's feeling trapped in his career and looking for independence.
Most of the plot and action of the film concerns Chris and Johnny. However, much of the story of the film belongs to Karen in her quest to help herself in order to help others, which was much of the purpose she found in her former career as a nurse. The war has caused her trauma and whenever she enters hospitals she now only sees 'army cots', as she describes it. In expressing this to Chris, she says, "What happens to you when you begin to tolerate your own misery?" which contrasts quite strongly against Chris' previous question referencing a Tolstoy story where he asks, "What would you do if you knew that tomorrow you must die?" Chris' theme focuses strongly on seizing the moment and Karen gradually becomes inspired by his influence to find purpose. She takes his lead by helping to train Johnny at his new job at the bank, as well as "robbing" Midge Parker (Mary Stuart) and Milo Brown (Marc Logan) of their opportunity to blackmail Johnny into helping them rob the bank. Karen even helps to make small-town Police Chief Ed Hardy (Eddie Dunn) understand how he can "show off" the city police to catch the real killer of Police Lt. Ryan (Monte Blue). There are definite themes of 'paying it forward' throughout the film and Karen is a strong example of this.
In addition to themes of 'seizing the moment' and 'paying it forward', religion is a central theme of the film through Chris' passion to become a minister. The screenplay largely avoids being self-righteous in tone in that it examines the hypocrisy of some members of the church. Chris receives criticism from those members who feel his experience as a college football player is "undignified". Expressing his frustration, Chris exclaims, "There's nothing in the Good Book that says a minister can't teach sportsmanship and fair play by going out and practicing those things himself."
As well as these themes, there are some film noir tones to the film, particularly peppered in some of the aforementioned soul-searching dialogue between Chris and Karen. There are also plot points that are typical of the film noir and crime genres including that of boxing promoter Con Festig (Anthony Warde) betting on Johnny's opponent and, thus, getting Johnny to throw the match to win money. As previously mentioned, a police officer is killed by Festig and a frameup is created to make it appear that Johnny did it. There's also the aforementioned blackmail attempt. There are times when the tone of the film becomes a bit cheesy, such as the sequence at the church supper involving Chris' interactions with the elderly ladies filling his plate with food as Chris returns for seconds and thirds. The following scene shows Karen and a queasy Chris leaving the church supper as slow, comedic-sounding horns start blaring out of nowhere courtesy of composer William Lava. Lava was the composer of many Warner Bros. Films, as well as the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. So, it's no coincidence if you're thinking the scene feels cartoonish. Thankfully, this moment doesn't last long, and the story picks up again as we continue to learn more about Karen in the following scene.
Films of this running time (eighty minutes) or less, require the viewer to pay attention to every word of dialogue to completely understand every action within the plot, unlike films with longer running times where you're permitted to mentally drift off occasionally. This is one of the reasons why this film is better appreciated with a second viewing. Although the first viewing of the film might make the ending seem tidied up too quickly, a second viewing of the film really emphasizes that it's Karen's story all along.
Repeat Performance (1947)
Nicely-paced film with a shadowy and seasonal ambience
I've been wanting to see 'Repeat Performance' (Alfred L. Werker, 1947) for quite some time, as not only am I a huge fan of film noir (I've seen nearly 400 film noir titles as of 2022) but I also love watching films that are seasonal and put you in the mood for a particular holiday. Along with 'The Man I Love' (Raoul Walsh, 1946), another great film noir whose plot transpires largely around New Year's Eve, 'Repeat Performance' also takes place around this holiday time.
In addition to its seasonal ambience, a strong point of the film is that the actors have really good chemistry onscreen. This might be somewhat helped by none of them being major superstars of the era. Sometimes, the presence of a major superstar can result in being a distraction that can take the viewer out of the film, thus, losing its immersive quality or, worse, ham it up for the camera or chew the scenery to the point where these superstars overshadow their more nuanced co-stars. The actors, here, work very cohesively together which helps the viewer focus more on the plot and storylines of the characters. Three of the principal actors are Louis Hayward, Joan Leslie, and Richard Basehart.
Hayward is fairly one-dimensional as Barney Page (or two-dimensional when you consider how quickly his character goes from lovingly embracing his wife, Sheila, to becoming angrily suspicious of her actions). Aside from the few peppered moments where Barney makes an attempt at being a loving husband, he is truly a despicable character beyond his drinking problem and, thus, does not exhibit any true redeeming qualities in the film. He's misogynistic and even says, "Darling, you're only a woman. You're not expected to have either judgement or intelligence". He's also repeatedly insulting, condescending, and cheats on Sheila, doing all of this in the presence of their friends and acquaintances. He's even physically abusive, giving her a sharp slap across the face on Christmas Eve.
The frustration of seeing this can make Sheila a very distant character to the viewer and one who I feel could be very difficult to relate to for most viewers. I think this is more in the fault of the screenplay than Joan Leslie's performance as, to my awareness, it doesn't appear that a woman's perspective had been consulted much for this screenplay, if at all, as it had been done so nicely in a film noir such as 'They Won't Believe Me' (Irving Pichel, 1947) with Joan Harrison as producer. Nearly every word uttered from Sheila's mouth is a compassionate stance for someone who is mentally, verbally, and physically abusive to her. She is very interested in saving Barney and acts more as his mother than his wife throughout the film. One must think that she has some sort of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy when you consider the insults and gaslighting she condones and tolerates from him. Though not a bad performance, Leslie's portrayal of Sheila does come across as if Leslie is trying to remember every line as she's saying it. I've seen this happen with similar examples in other films where actors are so focused on perfecting an accent, or in James Bond films where actors are so focused on not getting hurt in an action scene, that their acting is less focused and suffers for those reasons. Leslie's performance is very sober, sombre, and almost phantom-like throughout most of the film, as if she is a ghost of the future amongst the people of the past which is all happening in the present. It works in that sense, but the tone of her acting style, here, can become a bit relentless at times.
Many performances in films of the Classic Hollywood era, namely the 1930s and 1940s, were textbook and template acting styles that strongly focused on remembering your lines, hitting your cues, and standardized diction and reactionary gestures. Richard Basehart's nuanced performance of William Williams really outshines every other actor in this film; it feels more modern, but not to the extent that it appears uncontrolled or obvious like some of the method acting performances in films of the 1950s. Basehart reminds me of how much of a discovery the acting of John Garfield had been to audiences in the late 1930s and how his acting would evolve into the 1940s. To some extent, the viewer sees the film through William's eyes as Sheila's devotion to Barney also becomes baffling to William even after she tries to explain it to him. He says, "Why do you hang on to that fella, Sheila? Why don't you forget him?" Sheila goes on to explain her appreciation for Barney for helping build her career by getting a lead in his play. It's odd that one of the people in the film with the most sense is the one who ends up in an insane asylum. In the scene where Sheila visits William in the insane asylum, however, she acknowledges, "Maybe we're on the wrong side of the table". Perhaps William thinks he, himself, is truly crazy for surrounding himself with a circle of characters in the film who are either annoying (Eloise Shaw played by Natalie Shafer), greedy (Paula Costello played by Virginia Field), nosey (Bess Michales played by Benay Venuta), frustratingly naïve (Sheila), or downright abusive (Hayward). The only character besides William with a reasonable amount of sense or level-headedness throughout most of the film is John Friday played by Tom Conway. These characters would be enough to drive anyone crazy so when William says he'd like to live this year over again, as well, he is likely thinking "far, far away from these people."
On a final note, I'd like to give kudos to Louis Sackin, the editor of the film, who provides a beautifully-paced first fifty minutes of introducing the viewer to all the main characters amidst a backdrop of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The film doesn't 'visually' show what had originally happened to the characters in 1946, as it's told verbally mostly by Sheila in bits and pieces throughout the film. As viewers, we are left to visualize what Sheila is telling us while 1946 transpires for the characters for the second time, and this multitasking helps to prevent the pace of the film from dragging. I think the viewer's participation of mentally visualizing this also contributes to the "fantasy" element to this film being labelled a "fantasy noir", along with the "noir" element encompassing Sheila's casual discussion with William that she killed her husband and her persistence of staying with him amidst his treatment of her.
The recently restored version of 'Repeat Performance' aired on January 2, 2022, on TCM's Noir Alley hosted by Eddie Muller, and is due to be released on Blu-ray/DVD Dual-Format edition by the film distributor Flicker Alley on January 24, 2022. Be sure to watch the newly restored version instead of the poorer quality versions on You Tube because the stunning cinematography, lighting, and costume design sincerely requires it to fully appreciate and immerse oneself in the beauty of the film. Overall, 'Repeat Performance' is a good film that is helped by its lesser-known cast of actors, the smooth pace of its plot, and beautiful cinematography that provides a shadowy, intimate, and seasonal ambience. Happy New Year!
Liebestraum (1991)
Better with a second viewing but still hampered by sluggish pace and repetitive scenes in second half of the running time
Liebestraum (Mike Figgis, 1991) is certainly one of those types of films that stays with you for hours after watching it. It is most certainly better with a second viewing after all the intricacies of the plot have been clarified, as well-illustrated by the IMDb reviewer PopeyeBarrnumb, as getting enjoyment of this film relies on acquiring an appreciation of its ambience.
The first hour of the film's running time maintains the viewer's engagement because the editing is smooth, and its pace is seamless. Nick (Kevin Anderson) does not have his driver's license due to trauma (or fear) regarding his father being killed in a car accident, and we later learn his father's cause of death to be different. We see Nick's reliance on others for transportation in his arrival to Elderstown via train, and around town via cabs and a truck, as well as a cop car. This also forces Nick to take advantage of the environment in close proximity to his downtown hotel which gives an intimacy to the film's ambience. Many of the scenes are within the hotel, the Ralston Building across the street from the hotel, and Schmidt's Bar & Café that he frequents which is slightly reminiscent in tone of the 1942 painting 'Nighthawks' by Edward Hopper. The diverse usage of these spaces, along with the Ralston Memorial Hospital and the party at Paul (Bill Pullman) and Jane's (Pamela Gidley) house, engages our interest, and all the characters are clearly introduced in these scenes.
Where the film starts to meander is at the one-hour mark, as the spark of the screenplay fades primarily with the absence of Paul as he is called away on a business trip and returns much later for only thirty seconds of screen time. This eliminates any opportunities for interesting conflicts between him, Nick, and Jane, as well as a balance of temperament which would've given the screenplay some much needed liveliness. The second half of the film also includes an overabundance of scenes of Nick and Jane re-entering the Ralston Building to walk around and take pictures, along with the constant number of scenes of Nick and Jane making out or having sex, as well as scenes involving Nick waking up from dreams. At this point, the film loses its immersive quality through the repetition of these scenes and, thus, the viewer's engagement.
Another major problem is that the majority of the characters, particularly Nick and Jane, are stone-faced throughout the entire film. Trauma appears to be a central theme of the film, which includes Jane's experience with Paul's infidelity and Jane's and Nick's family issues, and the director (Mike Figgis) may be attempting to have the actors convey their characters' trauma through stone-faced demeanours. Whichever the case, this translates onscreen as a relentlessly catatonic acting style that does not make for characters that maintain the viewer's interest or are even believable at times. The problem isn't even about a film with characters that are one-dimensional; there are no dimensions to the characters whatsoever. Whenever Nick approaches another character in the film, whether it be someone he knows or someone he's meeting for the first time, he stares at them as if he's on tranquilizers. I have seen Kevin Anderson give good performances in other films and the lack of support in coaching the actors to liven up their performances lies with the director. Another film with this type of problem where the director is so selfishly focused on making the film beautiful, to the point where it almost becomes a vanity piece with poor communication between the director and actors, is 'Mister Buddwing' (Delbert Mann, 1966). This film has beautiful cinematography and ambience and is directed by the wonderfully talented Delbert Mann but is badly hampered by a disappointing acting performance by James Garner who is a capable actor as evidenced by many of his other films. 'Liebestraum' suffers from the same issue where it appears evident to the viewer that the actors appear lost.
In addition to this, I do agree with other IMDb reviews that the second half of the film could've also given more for Lillian (Kim Novak) to do. Perhaps one of the multiple scenes where Nick goes to the Ralston Building could've been omitted for Lillian to have a flashback sequence. Kim Novak was 58-years-old at the time of this film and still a beautiful woman who could've easily passed for a younger woman in some sort of flashback sequence. Although I appreciate that she appeared in this film and her performance is fine, it is a shame that, to date, it is currently the last film of her career. She is beautiful in every film she has done, and it's unfortunate that there aren't more scenes where her character could show more dimension.
Overall, the story is unique and interesting, the cinematography and soundtrack quite beautiful, and the actors are capable. However, with more liveliness to the screenplay, and screen time afforded to supporting characters in the second half of the running time, the film could've sustained its engaging, immersive quality that's present in the first half of the running time. A film with dark tones and themes of death and trauma can still convey the effectiveness of these elements without having acting performances that translate their characters onscreen as being perpetually dead of emotion. I'm well aware this film isn't a comedy, but it doesn't need to be relentlessly and overbearingly catatonic to be dark. I still recommend seeing this film but consider seeing it twice after the full plot is understood in order to maximize the enjoyment of the elements that showcase its uniqueness and beauty.
Jeanne Eagels (1957)
Great actor chemistry with some really nice cinematography by Robert H. Planck
I think what especially deserves acknowledgement and is really underrated about 'Jeanne Eagels' (George Sidney, 1957) is the luscious black and white camerawork of four-time Oscar-nominated Robert H. Planck (1902-1971). This was his second-last film after working nearly thirty years as a photographer and director of photography for films. Interestingly, he also began his career in Hollywood in 1929 which is the same year that the real-life Jeanne Eagels (1890-1929) would sadly die of a heroine overdose. It can be argued that Planck's experience working in Hollywood in 1929 and his lived experience of growing up in the earlier part of the twentieth century allowed him to illustrate the visual textures of a nostalgic atmosphere in this film in a very sensory way.
What is especially gorgeous is the scene where Sal Satori (Jeff Chandler) is wrestling in bed, trying to sleep, and hears Jeanne Eagels (Kim Novak) arriving at their Brighton Beach house after a night of Jeanne meeting with the press. Instead of entering the house, Jeanne immediately runs across the beach to take a dip in the ocean. The dark silhouette of Jeanne taking off her dress in the ocean breeze contrasted against the bright moonlight is a breathtaking cinematic image. This scene also includes shots of Jeanne and Sal laughing playfully and innocently amidst the glittering and glistening crests of the ocean waves. Visually, the scene is otherworldly as if in a dream that might only occur in the mind of one, like Planck, who could illustrate a different time because of the consciousness of one's memories of living through it. The camera cuts to a long and wide shot of the horizon, panning away from the shoreline with Jeanne's and Sal's dark silhouettes walking toward the beach house with the water sparkling on their wet skin and hair. It's no surprise that the majority of the most beautiful cinematography occurs in the scenes with Novak and Chandler, as their acting chemistry appears very strong and sensual throughout most of the film.
In addition to the lighting, there is one scene where Sal is washing the grease off his face in Jeanne's Washington Hotel bathroom while she is speaking to Al Brooks (Larry Gates) in another room. She's telling Al that Elsie Desmond (Virginia Grey) wants Jeanne to star in her play, which is a lie that Jeanne is telling Al in hopes that she gets the lead role. A scene with less imagination would allow us, as the viewer, to only hear the voices of Jeanne and Al as Sal washes his face. However, the viewer gets to see the action between Jeanne and Al take place in a mirror on the opened bathroom door while Sal washes his face and listens along with us. It's a nice camera choice to keep the viewer engaged with the actions and reactions of all characters present in the scene.
Another scene that has some interesting camerawork is when Jeanne arrives back at Sal's Coney Island carnival to tell him that she plans to marry John Donahue (Charles Drake). They stand in front of a large rollercoaster foundation, which dwarfs the two, and is comprised of a typically complicated structure of hundreds of crisscrossing wooden posts. The rollercoaster and its crisscrossing wooden foundation juxtapose nicely with the ups and downs and entanglement, respectively, of Jeanne and Sal's romance.
I'd also like to acknowledge the elegant wardrobe tailoring of the cast, particularly of Jeff Chandler. I especially loved the elegant tuxedo ensemble with the sheen of the satin and silky fabrics of the lapels, handkerchief, buttons, bowtie, cuffs, and vest that he wears during the Kansas City Beauty Contest scene where Sal and Jeanne encounter each other for the first time. Jeff Chandler has a scrumptious physique and fills his wardrobe nicely!
Although I do agree with some user reviews that Kim Novak was better in starring roles that require acting subtilties of "being" rather than "larger-than-life" starring roles that require specialized acting techniques, her performance in this film is still enjoyable to watch. My personal favourite Kim Novak films include 'Strangers When We Meet' (Richard Quine, 1960), 'Picnic' (Joshua Logan, 1955), 'Pushover' (Richard Quine, 1954), and 'Middle of the Night' (Delbert Mann, 1959), in that order, which are films that really provide a chance for her to showcase a natural style of acting and suits her very well. Fans of the film 'Jeanne Eagels' will also likely enjoy 'Pal Joey' (1957) and 'The Eddy Duchin Story' (1956) which also star Novak, are also directed by George Sidney, and also focus on themes and lives of those in the performing arts and entertainment industries. Also included in 'Jeanne Eagels' are some fine supporting roles from Agnes Moorehead and Virginia Grey. If you can focus on the visual beauty of Planck's cinematography and actor chemistry between Novak and Chandler, without getting too wrapped up with the facts of the life of the real Jeanne Eagels, then I'm confident you'll be able to enjoy this film.
They Only Kill Their Masters (1972)
Some big issues with the screenplay but enough elements to make it an enjoyable film
'They Only Kill Their Masters' (James Goldstone, 1972) is a film that would fit nicely as a clip or segment in Vito Russo's excellent documentary 'The Celluloid Closet' (Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, 1995), the latter of which explores an expansive collection of films from the Classic Hollywood era up to the 1990s that either directly or indirectly include harmful gay stereotypes and/or homophobic language and plot clichés. The problem with 'They Only Kill Their Masters' isn't just the homophobic terms as well as phrases such as "normal heterosexual" uttered by heterosexual characters that are littered throughout a particular scene where Abel Marsh (James Garner) and Kate Bingham (Katharine Ross) are having a meal at Abel's house. It's also the screenplay that not only doesn't do Garner or Ross any favours as actors but also provides only a razon-thin amount of screen time to Mrs. Watkins (June Allyson).
The screenplay allots Mrs. Watkins a two-minute monologue, which is interrupted more than once, of a one hour and thirty-seven minute film. It allows her enough time to confess her crime but with no real opportunity to express how she may have been treated as a person, whether this would include her lived experience as a woman or a non-heterosexual. As she kneels over her husband Dr. Warren G. Watkins' (Hal Holbrook) body after he's been accidentally shot and killed by Captain Daniel Streeter (Harry Guardino), she states of him, "We loved each other" to which Abel replies, "Who? Who loved who? He came home to protect her. He must've loved you very much, Mrs. Watkins. Always cleaning up after her." Here, Abel berates her for not being grateful that she had a man in her life and the dialogue in this scene appears to make Mrs. Watkins feel guilty not strictly for her crime but also for her existence.
The moment should obviously not trivialize the fact that she killed Jenny Campbell, but Mrs. Watkins' extremely brief screen time can be construed as a missed opportunity to explore a more multi-dimensional character. This opportunity could've been similar to the emphasis of anti-heroes which were common in a lot of 1970s films happening at the time, primarily dramas, crime films, and neo-noirs during and after the Vietnam War. These character types shared a similar sentiment with those of films noir of the 1940s and 1950s that were especially popular after the end of World War II. The absence of shades of character and focus on "bad city folk" versus "normal heterosexuals" and the innocent and likable small townsfolk, places this film more strongly with crime films of the 1930s where characters were more clearly defined as good versus evil.
In Mrs. Watkins' two-minute monologue, she goes on to say about Jenny: "She was a b****. She wouldn't let anything be. She wouldn't let it be us, just us. It WAS just us. The two of us." The monologue goes on to emphasize how Jenny's pregnancy "destroyed" their relationship. Her monologue, which is written with words that the writer appears to consciously or subconsciously illustrate as jealousy-toned, emphasizes a disdain for the heterosexual family unit and further emphasizes Mrs. Watkins abnormality for not wanting it. Before we are about to hear anything more as Mrs. Watkins says, "I had no choice..." she is handcuffed and pulled away by Captain Streeter. Because of the unfortunate lack of Mrs. Watkins' screen time, her emphasis as pure villain is further expressed by Abel's question, "Where's your Chevrolet?" to which she defiantly snarls, "You're so smart. You find it" before she is placed in the police car. Abel calmly responds, "Yes, ma'am", affording his character the opportunity to be the reasonable, rational one.
In the final scene, where Kate arrives at the police station to say goodbye to Abel, she continues the sexism of the dialogue where Dr. Watkins is now seen as a hero. She says, "I never thought he'd done any of it. He saved lives" to which Abel responds, "That's what he was trying to do. Save his wife's life. Followed her around, tidying up." One positive about the screenplay is that it does not leave Abel's character entirely unscathed. There is a previous scene where Abel accuses Kate of killing Jenny because Kate knew the dog's name was Murphy; in her apartment, he grabs her by the throat and slams her down onto her bed to demand her confession. She explains she knew the dog's name because Dr. Watkins told her, and then Abel storms out of her apartment to try to find Dr. Watkins without apologizing to Kate for what he just did to her. Getting back to the final scene at the police station, he confesses to Kate that it wasn't the police that initially believed that she was guilty, but it was himself that originally thought it, albeit "not for very long" he says. Kate then says in her exit, and in what's probably the best line of the film, "Well, you got yourself a dog, anyway. A man and his dog", which can suggest Abel's blatant disrespect in treating Kate like a dog in that moment in her apartment and he still got to keep Murphy. Kate leaves the police station, as well as the town of Eden Landing, in a taxi as Abel calls a sheriff vehicle to follow Kate's taxi to see where it goes.
On the plus side about 'They Only Kill Their Masters', the combination of seeing a prominently-featured MGM backlot in a decade different than when we're used to seeing one, along with seeing Hollywood actors primarily from the Production Code era interact with actors primarily from the MPAA film ratings system era, makes this a fairly unique film to experience. It's a treat to see the famed MGM backlot 2 in a 1970s colour film, albeit a little washed-out, which had been so frequently seen in previous decades in black and white. The film is also peppered with some great outdoor locales including a one-way tunnel that leads to Jenny's Malibu beach house. Another treat is to see so many scenes featuring stars primarily of the 1930s to early 1960s including the aforementioned June Allyson, as well as Tom Ewell, Peter Lawford, Edmond O'Brien, Arthur O'Connell, and Ann Rutherford. Overall, it's not a surprise that James Garner had wrote in his memoirs that he'd "rather not talk about" this film. However, 'They Only Kill Their Masters' offers enough enjoyment despite a screenplay that would've benefitted from either more time to write it, or a different screenwriter altogether, to flesh out its characters a bit more to make them more interesting and/or relatable.
My Blood Runs Cold (1965)
Enjoyable film with a lot to offer
There are a lot of things to enjoy about this film. When I first saw the low 5.6 rating, I figured that this must be in part due to several people who are comparing this film with Troy Donahue's romance drama films such as 'A Summer Place', 'Parrish', and 'Susan Slade'. Some of the reviews that focus less on this film help to prove my point about this.
Ben Gunther (Troy Donahue) has the seductive characteristics of a homme fatale who puts forth an over-the-top story that initially causes skepticism from Julie Merriday (Joey Heatherton), but this gradually takes a backseat to the hypnotic attraction she has for him. Some of the intimate scenes between Donahue, who slightly resembles Chris Hemsworth in some camera angles, and Heatherton are some of the sexiest I've seen in a film in a long time. Heatherton appears very comfortable in this genre that unfolds a mystery and I really enjoyed her natural style of acting. In the scenes where Ben (Donahue) is alone experiencing emotional and physical anguish, I couldn't help but think about art imitating life as this would have been near the end of Donahue's career with Warner Brothers, and appears to be a bit of a foreshadowing of him drinking more heavily, becoming bankrupt, and losing his home. Despite the eventual and unfortunate circumstances surrounding Donahue's real life, his chemistry with Heatherton is excellent here and you truly believe the attraction that the two have for each other in their scenes. This is particularly the case in the scene inside the boat where they kiss, and Heatherton slides her hands through Donahue's messy blond locks. Very hot!
The entire cast, in fact, has great character chemistry and what we learn about how the characters feel about each other, whether confidentially or through open confrontation, offers some nicely paced dramatic scenes. Actors Barry Sullivan (born 1912) and Jeanette Nolan (born 1911) are within a year apart from each other in real life and it was nice to see their roles as brother (Julian Merriday) and sister (Aunt Sarah). Oftentimes, in films throughout the 1940s to the 1960s, you had actresses in their 40s and older playing mothers of actors who were the same age as them in real life, so it was refreshing and believable to see these actors as sibling characters. I agree with all the other reviewers commenting on Jeanette Nolan giving a standout performance (interesting tidbit from the IMDb credits for Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' is that she is one of three uncredited actors of the voice of Norma Bates). There's a scene with her and Julian (Sullivan) where she comments on the rocky relationship between him and his ex-wife Marian, who is said to have left him due to his temperament, and is pushing his dysfunctional and alienating relationship with Julie in the same direction where he may lose her as well. The scene is one that provides context of the history of their family dynamic and nicely balances the narrative so that the supporting characters are also given multi-dimensional importance within the film.
For fans of Troy Donahue who've seen 'Susan Slade', you will likely recognize and enjoy the beautiful scenery and coastlines of the Monterrey Peninsula in California that were also seen in that film. For fans of the cinematography and location shooting found in film noir and neo noir, there is a very enjoyable chase sequence at a salt mine in nearby Marina, California, as well as some wonderful long shots and pans of the Santa Cruz Harbor (acting as the Merriday Marina that the Merriday family dedicates to the people of Dolphin Bay). The well-cast two blond leads along with their relaxed attire, Donahue's snug-fitted white pants (which almost appears to be a trademark if you've seen his other films), and the bright sunlight in many scenes give the film a relaxed viewing experience while also keeping you engaged with the narrative. The black and white format really allows the higher key lighting to show off the summery sunlight more so than if you had multiple saturated colours competing with one another in a colour film. To me, it all works well in black and white to emphasize an organic and picturesque coastal California lifestyle.
Overall, enjoy the film. Don't compare it to Troy Donahue's performances in the brightly coloured romantic dramas of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Enjoy those when you're in the mood for them. But when you're watching this film, don't try to take it too literally and cerebrally - just enjoy the experience.
Buffalo Bill and the Indians or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976)
The film grew on me
I am a huge Robert Altman fan and, I have to admit, I really hated this film the first time I saw it. Most of his films have fairly slow paces which can sometimes be enjoyable and can other times be challenging; however, my initial reaction to the pace of this film was incredibly tedious, boring, and *really* tried my patience to the point where it was not an enjoyable experience in any way.
So, I watched the whole thing, went to bed, then watched it the next night after reading a bit of historical context into Buffalo Bill. It helped a *great* deal with the multi-tasking of following some the historical context of what was said in the film while simultaneously enjoying the individual subtleties of the cast's improvisation.
The eclectic cast is really wonderful even at their most subtle as in most Altman's films. I particularly enjoyed Will Sampson, Geraldine Chaplin (my favourite role of her's here), Burt Lancaster, and, of course, Paul Newman...even Harvey Keitel was great. If anything, one should take in the cast of this film and I encourage anyone to do a Google search of some kind just to get a bit of historical context of Buffalo Bill before watching, as I did, if you don't know too much. Certainly, by no means, is this film up to par with other Altman masterpieces like 3 Women, but worth two viewings if you are interested in seeing most of his films.