Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

 Second viewing, and probably first one with original audio; previously viewed between 1983 and 1986.

After a senator's death, a naïve young man is appointed as a substitute. Unbeknownst to him, there is a corruption scheme in the works, involving a wealthy businessman and an experienced senator from his state.

Although  ultimately just a sort of pamphlet for the ideals of Americanism, this film is sufficiently eventful and tense to be consistently entertaining. Of course, being what it is, it never asks the obvious question: how is a system which depends on exceptional men and exceptional circumstances supposed to thrive in the long run? It's not of course, but the U.S.A. has thrived and thrives still, which must mean one of two things: corruption isn't such a deadly disease, or there's more to the American system than is shown in the film.

Rating: 65 (unchanged)

The Mechanic (1972)

 Second viewing, and first one with original audio and correct aspect ratio. Previously viewed between 1983 and 1986.

A professional killer becomes a mark himself after he takes the young son of one of his victims as an apprentice and assistant.

It's fascinating to read the criticism this film has been subjected to by the original writer and by the critics at the time of its release. According to its Wikipedia page, the original screenplay was a homosexual drama. I can only surmise that such a film would have been interesting, but honestly what a relief that the producers decided to change it, because the film as it was made is very good. Also according to Wikipedia, critics have repeated some of the criticism made by the original writer while adding other equally meritless objections. Apparently the fact that this is a thriller bothered them. Of course homosexuality is still present in the movie, even if only in a latent form, because of the situations the characters find themselves in and also for having a very masculine-looking older actor paired with a very feminine-looking younger one. Anyway, the movie is very entertaining, and a special mention should go to the excellent musical score.

Rating: 74 (unchanged)

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

 Second viewing, and first with original audio; previously viewed on or a little after March 28, 1984.

Three men returning from service in World War II and their troubles adapting to civilian life. Homer lost both hands and is afraid to propose to his girlfriend; Al works in a bank; Fred has no particular skills and can only get a lowly job; Peggy, Al's daughter, falls in love with Fred, who is already married.

This is a highly regarded movie, but some elements of its narrative are not very believable. Fred does not come across as an unemployable guy, and Al's alcoholism seems an artifical contrivance with no dramatic purpose. Peggy is not a very convincing character either. Formally, this is an absolute masterpiece. The script may have the flaws I pointed out but formally it is a very interesting proposition. And I suppose there are few films as well filmed. The Mr. Mollett sequence is doubtlessly the most interesting in the entire movie; he is the only character who tells the historical truth about the U.S. involvement in World War II and is severely punished for it, in a spectacularly realistic scene where a glass case is smashed. All in all, this film is a fun watch, a drama with a very well-concealed self-parodic twist.

Rating: 66 (unchanged)

The Ladykillers (1955)

Second viewing, and first one with original audio; previously viewed between the late seventies (I think) and 1986.

A gang planning to rob an armored vehicle takes a room at an elderly lady's house, pretending to be musicians.

This is a very clever idea made into a slightly uneven screenplay. The sequence with the apple cart is probably the best one. The funny bits outnumber the less inspired ones, and overall the film could be considered as great entertainment.

Rating: 72 (down from 79)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Second viewing (first one with original audio); previously viewed on or a little after December 29, 1984.

During a tornado, a farm girl appears to be transported to a magic world where she meets some strange characters and is faced with the problem of how to return home.

Musical fantasy which has a poor underlying text but makes up for it with lush visuals, nice musical numbers, and overall formal sophistication. It gets somewhat excruciating towards the end though, mainly thanks to the annoying whining of the protagonist.

Rating: 53 (up from 50)

To Have and Have Not (1944)

 Second viewing (first with original audio); previously viewed on July 3, 1988.

On an island in the Caribbean, a boat pilot who takes tourists on fishing trips gets involved with anti-Nazi rebels.

I'll admit that this was more entertaining on second viewing than it had been on first. I'll also admit it's somewhat absurd that Martinicans should give a damn about the politics of the European rulers of their Central American island; that it is ruled by the French to this very day is a somewhat dismal fact, I think. To make matters worse, this film has the most caricatural Nazi villain of all times; sometimes it seems that Hollywood doesn't really think what the Nazis did was bad enough; they have to make people believe that aside from their actions and ideology, every Nazi or Nazi-supporting functionary had to be a sadistic brute. Putting politics aside, one can quite enjoy the film, and I don't remember being bored at any moment while watching it. Of course, there is no denying that the characters are just a collection of clichés, but the sheer dynamism of the movie and the cleverness of the dialogue makes one more tolerant of its flaws. Incidentally, I was completely shocked when I read the synopsis of the source novel and compared it to the movie. Apparently, they have turned one of the bleakest and most downbeat plots ever written into a tense yet fairly lightweight romantic comedy. The gruesomest it gets is the reference to an off-screen torture session consisting of... enforcing alcohol abstinence!

Rating: 56 (up from 50)

The War Lord (1965)

Second viewing; first viewing with original audio and in widescreen; previously viewed on February 24, 1994.

It's the 11th century. A Norman knight is given a village to rule. He takes a local woman for a wife who was engaged to a local man, who then goes for help to the Frisians, who have long had designs on the village, and whose Prince's son is being held captive in the Norman castle.

Although possibly not a great film, there are several awesome things in this historical (or should we say half-historical, half-mythical?) drama. The pagan props (masks, sculptures, etc.) are really cool. The performances are uniformly good. The battle and siege sequences are very well made. The drama is thought-provoking (e.g., is using one's power to take a wife really rape when the woman does not object, and was actually escaping a marriage which was socially enforced?). It does not make for a consistently exciting viewing, though, perhaps because the situations are somewhat repetitive and the development is somewhat predictable.

Rating: 54 (up from 48)

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)