How the West Was Won (1962)

Second viewing; first viewing in widescreen and with original audio. Previously viewed probably in or a little after September 06 (part 1) and 07 (part 2), 1984.

An American family decides to move westward in the 19th century and then its members go through the several stages of the development of the American West. A more complete summary may be read here.

The episodic narrative tries to present a summarized answer to the film's title. It strives for a balance between realism and melodrama, and avoids the invented elements which became the staple of the Western genre. There is a nice connection between the episodes. There are at least two very exciting sequences: the confrontation with the river pirates near the beginning and the train robbery near the end.

Rating:  60 (up from 54)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

 Second viewing; my previous viewing was in or after September 15 (part 1) and 16 (part 2), 1983, of  a broadcast that was in pan-and-scan and dubbed in Portuguese, as I remember it.

Aliens visit Earth millions of years ago and influence the intellectual evolution of hominids through a rectangular object. In 2001, a similar object is discovered buried in the Moon. An expedition to Jupiter is undertaken in connection with the lunar monolith, the details of which are initially kept a secret from the crew. During the voyage, the onboard computer goes haywire.

I've commented on the plot premises of this movie in my commentary on the novel. It's in Portuguese, but, shortly put, those premises are bunkum. Extraterrestrial visits, neurotic computers, wormhole traveling, resurrections. Pfft! That being said, it takes very little effort to put those problems aside or assume they are simply a means to telling a story that may be enjoyable. Of course, the technological depictions in the movie are quite impressive, though overly optimistic, considering the technological state we are at. As for the "meaning" of the movie: I see it as a sort of thematic sibling, or perhaps sequel, to Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959). The premise of both films is how extraterrestrial entities attempt to dominate the world, mainly out of a benign intention of saving humanity from itself, and employ the resurrected dead as their instrument. In 2001, which we might dub Plan 10, the resurrection of one single human is deemed to be sufficient, and the means are rather more convoluted than in Plan 9.

Some people might be interested in a different view by the very erudite Christopher Mulrooney (1956-2015).

Rating: 52 (up from 44)

North by Northwest (1959)

 Second viewing (probably, first one with original audio and widescreen); estimated date of previous viewing: in or  a little after December 19, 1984.

An advertising executive gets unwittingly mixed up in an espionage affair.

The implausible plot in this is just an excuse for some imaginative and photogenic sequences. The most noteworthy aspect of the movie is the strategic insertion of takes which create a sensation of strangeness either through their unusual angles or through their depiction of unusual landscapes, or of humans in unusual configurations, or some combination of those factors. So, one might say that it is a formally impressive movie, but its impact derives not from its dynamism but from static elements in its composition. Although the plot details are, as I pointed out, unimportant, the script does add value to the film, mainly through its witty dialogue, which has an above average (for the time) amount of sexual innuendo. Being mostly a visually-oriented spectacle, I don't know whether it makes sense to ascribe it a theme, but, if thus pressured, I'd say its theme is the number two.

Christopher Mulrooney (1956-2015) has a different view about it:

"A great picture of conversion to the cause, (...)."

He's right, of course. It was purportedly intended as light entertainment, but when you look at it from Mulrooney's angle, the lightness is seen in a different light. It's the same lightness of enlisting propaganda. 'Join the army and know the world', that sort of thing. Cold war is still war, after all.

Rating:  73 (unchanged)

Straight Time (1978)

Second viewing; previously viewed between 1983 and 1986.

Max is released on parole, but resumes his life of crime.

It has at least one great sequence (hint: it features Max and his parole officer), some good ones and some not so good ones. So, while not consistently great, on the whole I think this is a gripping story about a flawed individual.

Rating: 72 (down from 81)

Martin Roumagnac (1946)

U.S. title: The Room Upstairs

In a provincial town, Blanche, a young widow, lives with her uncle who owns a bird shop. She is not from that region, and had lived in Paris before. She has an affair with a local, who is married, but her uncle expects her to marry a diplomat whose rich wife is ill and may die soon. One night, Blanche goes to a boxing match and meets a man who works in the construction business. He is attracted to her, and they start a relationship. 

This is a nicely put together passional drama, and well filmed too. One might say it's a tad predictable, but it's so well done that this is not much of a nuisance. The acting is good, and certainly enlivens the film. In its genre, I don't see how one could improve it. I'd never heard of it before it was shown on TV5 about a year ago, and so I suppose it is not well known. Perhaps it should be, but perhaps some people could find it too depressing.

Rating: 63

Les oliviers de la justice (1962)

 English title: The Olive Trees of Justice.

In the late 1950s, a man returns to his native Algeria to be beside his dying father. He remembers his childhood in his father's farm and experiences the current turmoils in Algeria.

This film's main attractiveness is its location shooting in the streets of Algeria and at its countryside. The storyline provides some reflexive views about identity and colonialism. The acting and mise-en-scène is not really very polished, and overall the film is a little dull in some parts. 

The title is a little mysterious, because, although there are olives in the farm, it's really a vineyard, not an olive plantation (at least that's what the film shows us). So, a more appropriate title would be The Grapes of Justice; perhaps the author thought it would be too much like The Grapes of Wrath, which, either way, seems to be the inspiration for the source novel's title. 

Another mystery, which perhaps the novel clarifies, is how the protagonist finally decided to stay in Algeria. That decision is revealed in the captions in the beginning of the film, and, though apparently confirmed in the very last sentence he utters (in thought only), is not preceded by any previous hint; I guess the implication is that he resisted that decision till the very end, and suddenly all the events in the movie overflowed into it. But how realistic that is, considering that his wife and children are still in France, is an open question. How sincere it is from the part of an author who, himself, did not make that decision (he lived in France until his death), is also dubious.

Rating: 43

Cancel My Reservation (1972)

 Second viewing; previously viewed on May 29, 2020.

I decided to view this film again because I didn't understand some of the dialogue on my first viewing. I reviewed it on that date, and maybe I was a little too harsh on it:

A TV show host living in New York takes a vacation in Arizona and is framed for the murder of a young Native American woman. His wife joins him and both join efforts to prove his innocence. The owner of a big ranch is involved in some shady businesses and might be the culprit.

This film has a mix of serious criminal drama and comic gags. Most of it does not work, but can be viewed with a small effort. Some of the one-liners are funny but most are just intrusive.

Rating: 39 (unchanged)

Unfaithfully Yours (1948)

 Second viewing; previously viewed on May 31, 1990.

An orchestra conductor begins suspecting his wife of infidelity, after his brother-in-law commissions an investigation on her.

Ingenious comedy with some hilarious sequences and a splendid leading performance.

Rating: 63 (unchanged)

Bean (1997)

 Second viewing; first viewing with original audio; previously viewed, on a Portuguese-dubbed copy, on May 07, 2008.

Here's my previous review:

Synopsis: A painting by an American is bought from an English museum by an American one. Due to some internal conflict, the English museum sends a clumsy security guard passing off as an art expert.

Appraisal: Decent comedy: imaginatively written, expertly directed, and of course with a remarkable comic performance in the lead role. (...)

Honestly, I find it odd that I had considered it "imaginatively written". It is actually very repetitive, and, to be honest, after a funny first half, the second half drags and the humor veers into corn.

Rating: 47 (down from 55)

The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)

Second viewing; previously viewed on April 14, 1996.

 An ex-junkie just out of rehab plans to quit his card-dealing job and start a new life as a drummer in a band. His chair-ridden wife is not too encouraging, and his former employer wants him back at his service. The drug pusher also keeps tempting him with a fix. The beautiful bar hostess offers him some help.

The characters in this film are such over-the-top caricatures they imbue the protagonist's drama with a comic-book dimension. Within those psychological constraints, the film is indeed electrifying at its peak moments.

Rating: 67 (down from 74)

The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Second viewing; previously viewed between 1983 and 1986.

A cruise ship is hit by an underwater earthquake and goes down. A religious minister with progressive ideas leads some of the passengers in a quest for survival. Some of the other characters are a policeman, his ex-whore wife, a teenage girl and her younger brother, an insecure young singer, a shy bachelor man, a Jewish couple on their way to Israel, and a member of the crew.

Clichéd but gripping early disaster movie. The original touch here is the making of a religious man into a positive, energetic, and even God-defying person.

Rating: 50 (up from 43)

The Drowning Pool (1975)

Second viewing; previously viewed between 1983 and 1986.

 A private eye is hired by a woman who wants to know who is writing anonymous letters to her husband denouncing her infidelity. A murder happens and the suspects range from members of the household to a hireling who happened to be also in the service of an oil mogul who wants to buy her mother-in-law's land.

Lavishly produced hardboiled thriller. While the individual sequences are well made, the whole comes across as cold and soulless. The beginning is especially problematic, coming across as very mechanical. Toward the end, the film gets more exciting, culminating in the highlights in the hydrotherapy clinic. For those who read the novel, it makes for a nice visual complement. Others may have some trouble getting engaged in the plot.

Rating: 50 (unchanged)

Superman (1978)

 Second viewing; first viewing of the director's cut; previously viewed in 1979 (I think).

An extraterrestrial is sent to Earth when his home planet is about to explode. He is endowed with super-strength and other superpowers. He gets a job as a reporter, while keeping his real identity hidden.

This is a parody (if I may use that word) of the Christ story. The necessary changes were made to make it more, say, palatable to modern audiences.

Rating: 58 (unchanged)

The Go-Between (1971)

Second viewing; previously viewed on December 29, 1988. 

A 12-year-old boy goes to spend his summer vacation in the country house of a rich family. While there, he serves as a messenger between the owners' young daughter and her lover, a lower-class farmer who lives nearby.

This starts out a little dull, but soon becomes an exciting game of manipulation and secrecy. Furthermore, it's marvelously directed and at times dazzlingly beautiful. However, there is an unfortunate wrapping up to all this which sacrifices plausibility for dramaticity. After young Marian had dragged an innocent boy into her rather depressing sexual affair, her mother seemed determined to make sure he wouldn't come out of the experience without a lasting trauma. Really, this author mustn't have had a high opinion of women. But the worst was yet to come, with a cringeworthy epilogue.

Rating: 67 (up from 64)