Robert Altman and an Inspired Cast Find Cinematic Harmony in Nashville

 

                 Standing tall among the great films of the 1970s, a most influential decade for a new breed of American filmmakers, each contributing their own unique style and vision with monumental works such as The Godfather, Jaws, Taxi Driver and Star Wars, Robert Altman’s daring, revolutionary Nashville from 1975 serves as possibly the legendary director’s most entertaining, creative and moving work. Centered around a cavalcade of characters intermingling in the title city around the time of the Bicentennial, Altman captures one of the greatest examples of a specific environment ever committed to film. Fearlessly helming elaborate set pieces on-location in and around Nashville, including an opening scene detailing a traffic pile-up on a highway that artfully introduces many of the rich roster of talented players in an ensemble cast seldom equaled before or since on the screen, Altman beautifully adapts the dynamic, funny and perceptive original screenplay by Joan Tewkesbury in seemingly improvisational style, allowing each of the plethora of actors to shine in distinct, spontaneous fashion, with those playing the fictional Country & Western stars at the heart of the story also adding individuality to their roles via involvement in writing their musical numbers. Satirically addressing themes such as Americana, politics, fame and relationships circa 1975, Nashville proves a fully satisfying, surprising and profound experience sure to linger with a viewer long after witnessing the unforgettable climax of the film.

                Starting his career on television in the 1950’s, Altman would direct a couple features in the 1960s (1967’s Countdown starring a pre-Godfather James Caan and Robert Duvall and, from 1969, That Cold Day in the Park with Sandy Dennis) before witnessing a major breakthrough with the surprising smash critical and box-office success of the untamed comedy M*A*S*H in 1970. Nashville caught Altman at a peak period of creativity, after further honing his craft, specifically in how he experimented working with actors to build storylines and portrayals into a cohesive whole, in M*A*S*H and his other early 1970’s endeavors of various quality and moods, including Brewster McCloud, featuring Altman’s most singular discovery Shelley Duvall in her film debut, the evocative McCabe and Mrs. Miller, a terrific modernized 1974 adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye, with Altman regular Elliot Gould giving perhaps his most free spirited and ingenious performance, and the stark crime drama Thieves Like Us, starring Duvall and Keith Carradine. With Nashville, Altman attempted his most ambitious project yet, and it’s awesome to watch how dexterously he manages to keep the interweaving storylines and personalities therein consistently fascinating and relatable, with a marvelous sense of wit and humanity showcased throughout each segment. Altman was giving moviegoers a new, more free-flowing narrative structure with Nashville, lending a sense of documentary-style reality to the proceedings, while letting his impeccable cast offer unorthodox-yet-truthful spins on an array of extraordinary roles, resulting in a grandiose, splendidly-crafted scenario that pulls audiences in for the 160-minute run time, and leaves them in a state of both elation and incertitude by the close of Altman’s epic portrait. Altman would continue his eclectic career post-Nashville following his own funky and singular vision, in the process enriching his cinematic oeuvre with further diverting offerings as 3 Women, The Player, Short Cuts and Gosford Park.

                Carefully selecting each actor for the approximately two dozen major Nashville characters resulted in a cornucopia of triumphant performances rarely witnessed in a single film. Ronee Blakley makes a vivid impression as the frail but prodigiously talented C&W superstar, Barbara Jean. Her soulful singing and heartfelt emoting of Barbara Jean’s tumultuous mindset draw a viewer to her plight and indicated a great career in films for the newcomer, which unfortunately never transpired, leaving Blakley’s adept, poignant Nashville work to endure as evidence of her remarkable musical and thespian gifts. Also making a maximum impact in her first major film after breaking through on television’s Laugh-In, Lily Tomlin demonstrates the skill and care evident in all her work, and proves herself a screen actor of dramatic force and merit. Portraying Linnea Reese (in a role based on input from Louise Fletcher, who left the film) a gospel singer and mother of two deaf children who finds her stable life complicated by advances from a sexy folk singer, Tom Frank (Keith Carradine, who is effortlessly magnetic), Tomlin lets an audience in on Linnea’s every conflicting thought, leading to the famous moment wherein she becomes aware of Tom’s intentions as he serenades her with “I’m Easy,” while half the other women in the crowd believe Tom is singing only to them. After this insightful portrait, Tomlin would go on to conquer Broadway with her one-woman show, while continuing to thrive on television and films, with The Late Show, a huge smash opposite Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton in 9 to 5, All of Me with Steve Martin, an Altman reunion with another amazing cast in Short Cuts and, more recently, great work in Grandma and a wonderful re-teaming with Fonda for the hit t.v. show Grace and Frankie among her accomplishments, along with a prestigious Kennedy Center Honor in 2014, to go with the Grammy, Emmys and Tony awards she’s amassed over a distinguished career.

        Karen Black, having a nice mid-1970’s run after her Oscar-nominated breakout in Five Easy Pieces, with iconic work in Trilogy of Terror on t.v. and roles in high-profile offerings such as The Great Gatsby, Airport 1975 and the bleak but fascinating The Day of the Locust, brings comic gusto to her playing of Connie White, a slick, commercial C&W leading light whose serves as an interesting counterpoint to the more pronounced talent of Barbara Jean. Black does a nice job with her key song and gets one of the biggest laughs commenting on Julie Christie’s wayward hairdo, as Christie glides by in an appealing cameo appearance with Gould, perhaps on her way to shooting her big 1975 L.A.-based opus, Shampoo. Henry Gibson shines in the primary male role of Haven Hamilton, a veteran Grand Ole Opry star loyal to his musical C&W roots in the face of changing tastes, while Geraldine Chaplin shows great comic flair as Opal, an intrepid-yet-vapid English journalist, wandering around and out of her element but, recorder in hand, intent on haplessly uncovering some of life’s deeper meanings in the Nashville environs.

The bountifully gifted Barbara Harris does a spectacular job as Winfried (or is it Albuquerque?), an eccentric housewife on the run from her husband as she attempts to break into the Nashville music scene, with an incredible payoff that Harris nails in unforgettable fashion. Duvall makes her highly individual visual presence felt as Martha, a gangly free-spirited groupie, while Gwen Welles is both funny and wistful as Sueleen, a tone-deaf but beautiful waitress desiring a music career, but forced to face reality regarding her chances in the industry after discovering she’s been hired for a gig based more obvious assets. Other familiar names blending in extremely well with the general comedy-drama ambience of the story include Allen Garfield as Barbara Jean’s tough, loyal husband, Barnett; Barbara Baxley, who has one of the best moments when her character nostalgically reflects on JFK; Ned Beatty as Linnea’s lawyer husband interested in promoting and using Sueleen; Keenan Wynn as Martha’s concerned uncle; Christina Raines as Tom’s beautiful colleague and lover; Timothy Brown as the chief African American star at the Opry, who still finds himself dealing with discrimination;  Scott Glenn as a Vietnam War veteran with a connection to Barbara Jean, and Jeff Goldblum in an early role as a lanky motorcycling riding local.

                Nashville gained solid box-office and overwhelming critical favor upon its release, starting with an early rave from difficult-to-please but powerful reviewer Pauline Kael and a Newsweek cover story. Kael’s contemporaries followed suit in heaping praise on Altman’s masterpiece, and the film would go on to reap a wealth of prizes during a very competitive awards season. Among its chief plaudits were Best Picture prizes from the New York Film Critics' Awards (wherein Altman and Tomlin also won for Director and Supporting Actress), the National Board of Review (in a tie with Barry Lyndon; Altman would tie Lyndon’s Stanley Kubrick for Best Director, with Blakley cited for Best Supporting Actress) and the National Society of Film Critics (with Altman winning Best Director and Henry Gibson and Tomlin cited for Supporting wins). Joan Tewkesbury would gain one of the most richly deserved screenplay awards ever from the Los Angeles Film Critics, The New York Times and Time magazine would include Nashville among their top ten films, with the Golden Globes granting the film eleven nominations, including a win for Keith Carradine’s self-composed hit, “I’m Easy.”

               Come Oscar time, Nashville would score nominations for Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress nominations for Blakley and Tomlin, and a sole win for Carradine’s “I’m Easy” fortunately allowing Nashville to become the Oscar-winning film it should be. The movie would indicate its staying power with placement at #59 on the American Film Institute’s 2007 list of the 100 greatest films, and with inclusion on the National Film Registry’s 1992 list of films for preservation. For a savory, gratifying cinematic feast sure to leave audiences in awed admiration, movie lovers will find ample rewards in moseying up to the astonishing sights and tuneful sounds of Nashville, perhaps the most enduring effort from a filmmaker of unsurpassable talent and finesse, Robert Altman.

Fernanda Montenegro Brings Pathos and Humor to Walter Salles’ Moving Central Station

 

One of the richest character-driven films of the 1990s, director Walter Salles’ emotionally resonant Central Station finds great heart and drollness in relating the tale of Dora, a retired schoolteacher who supplements her income by translating letters at the title locale in Rio de Janeiro, whose life is impacted after a young boy, Josué, is left stranded in the station with Dora his only contact. The strong bond that develops as Dora attempts to return Josué to his wayward father via a series of misadventures on their lengthy eventful road trip is conveyed profoundly and beautifully by Salles (from a funny, deeply touching screenplay by Joao Emanuel Carneiro and Marcos Bernstein, from an idea by Salles), aided by terrific oftentimes sun draped on-location cinematography that lends neorealism to the story and a pitch-perfect score by Antonio Pinto and Jaques Morelenbaum that underlines the appropriate tone for each sequence, helping to adeptly blends the dramatic and comedic elements of the script. The first-rate cast, led by a legend of Brazilian cinema, Fernanda Montenegro, in a rich, towering performance, also invaluably evoke the correct sense of time and place integral to the scenario of this superior 1998 Brazilian-France co-production.

Salles has a gift for introducing the characters and key plot points with a sense of immediacy and truth, allowing moments from the film to come across with astounding force and stay with a viewer for years after seeing the film. For example, Salles shoots each scene with resourceful clarity, trusting his cast to hit the appropriate tone, focusing on the characters using frequent closes-ups and simply staged shots to capture each performer’s individuality, while allowing audiences direct access to the interpersonal relations, specifically Dora and Josué’s, as the interactions progress in compelling manner. Salles also has an eye for composing frames of visual splendor, even in the normally squalid surroundings (both in and outside of Rio), capturing the seedy Rio cityscape with a strange golden glow amid the poverty, and later craftily utilizing shadows to create a lovely aura during some nighttime sequences. Born in Rio de Janeiro and heir to the Itaû Unibanco fortune, Salles started his directorial career with 1991’s A Grande Arte before his rise to worldwide acclaim with Central Station. Post Station, Salles has maintained a steady output as a top writer/producer/director in Brazilian cinema, recently reaching perhaps a career high as director of 2024’s I’m Still Here, which brought universal hosannas to Salles, star Fernanda Torres (daughter of Fernanda Montenegro, who also has a brief but moving key role in Here), and the film, as well as major box-office success, with the fine, fact-based drama gaining (among many other awards) Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress (Torres, who also won a Golden Globe) and an Oscar win for Best International Feature, which Salles accepted onstage as the happy and proud recipient of this breakthrough award for Brazilian cinema.

                As the jaded, worldly-wise Dora, Fernanda Montenegro masterfully imbues the complex role with great dramatic force and comic gusto, while keeping Dora true and in-the-moment at every turn. Dora’s down-to-earth, tough nature, intelligence and sharp wit are consistently on view thanks to Montenegro’s alert, precise work, and in Dora she forms a sympathetic, fully-relatable point of identification for viewers, even when the insensitive Dora appears to lack moral fiber at the movie’s outset, with her questionable actions involving what she does or doesn’t do with those transcribed letters. How Dora evolves during the story is made profound and emotionally gripping by Montenegro’s artful, honest playing. She also displays expert comic timing, carefully blending some hilarious retorts (“Show some respect, I could be your mother” is a vivid high point) and reactions with the more serious moments, wherein Montenegro’s direct-but-delicate playing hits with unforgettable force, often with just a look or gesture, leading up to a deeply poignant finale. Although the meaty role is rife with possibilities to play up (or overplay) both serious and comic aspects of Dora’s indomitable character, Montenegro admirably uses subtle, spontaneous methods to bring Dora to life as a fully formed, independent and unique figure who proves it’s never too late to improve one’s moral outlook, and change from an anti-heroine to someone more noble. Born in 1929, Montenegro first achieved success in Brazilian theater, radio and television after starting her career in the late 1940s, before making her feature film debut in 1965, then alternating between films, t.v and the stage thereafter, becoming one of the most famous and admired Brazilian stars, until Central Station brought her singular talents to the attention of a global audience. Post her astounding success with Station, Montenegro has continued to shine on stage and screen, gaining the prestigious National Order of Merit from Brazil in 1999 and winning an International Emmy for her work in 2013’s Sweet Mother, then recently have a beautiful, triumphant reunion with Salles via I’m Still Here serve as a fitting grace note to a remarkable career.

Discovered in Rio by Salles, the untried Vinícius de Oliveira as Josué is an ideal partner for Montenegro, believably illustrating the youth’s stubbornness, pride, sensitivity and fear as he finds himself alone and vulnerable in the crime-infested metropolis, and Josué’s need to latch onto Dora for survival. As their friendship develops and the boy learns to trust Dora, Oliveira shows real affection for and chemistry with Montenegro, making this oddball couple one of the era’s most endearing, with audiences hoping for a positive outcome for both of the roaming outcasts. Oliveria also does a fine job demonstrating Josué’s growing confidence under Dora’s protective watch, leading to a key moment wherein he forcefully causes an important change in their fortunes, which demonstrates the growth in the dynamic between Dora and Josué, as well as the young boy’s maturity as he learns to get on and work against adversity in a tough world. Following this important start in films, Oliveira would build a solid list of screen credits, including a reunion with Salles for 2008’s Linda de Passe, while also strengthening his acting prowess by adding theater work to his resume.

In the prime supporting role of Irene, Dora’s next-door neighbor and best friend, the esteemed Marília Soares Pêra, also a veteran of Brazilian stage and screen, brings great warmth and humanity to the film. Irene serves as Dora’s moral conscience early in the film, and Pêra exudes positive energy and decency amid her bleak surroundings, showing compassion towards Josué during their meeting, and forthrightly calling Dora to task for her oftentimes harsh, selfish nature. Pêra presents such a likable persona as Irene a viewer welcomes each of her subsequent appearances later in the film, wherein she has primarily comic exchanges with Dora via several phone calls. Among the rest of the cast, Othon Bastos does intriguing work as the kind, shy trunk driver who helps Dora and Josué on the journey, while Matheus Nachtergaele and Caio Junqueira offer fine portraits of Isaìas and Moisés Paiva, two brothers of contrasting personalities (one jovial, one more somber and concerned), who meet and interact importantly with Dora and Josué in the movie’s revelatory final act.

With its relatable elements concerning friendship, hope and charity and sensitive, impactful direction and performances, the insightful, emotionally absorbing and funny Central Station met with major critical and audience success upon the film’s release in 1998. At the box office, Station reaped over $20,000,000 worldwide on a meager budget of approximately $3,000,000, becoming the top film hit of the year in Brazil, and (at the time) the most financially successful Brazilian film ever in some other countries, including the United States. During awards season, the film and Montenegro received a wealth of well-warranted prizes, with (among other notices of merit) Montenegro scoring Best Actress awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics, The National Board of Review, and the Silver Bear for Best Actress from the Berlin Film Festival, wherein the heartrending Station also won the Golden Lion for Best Film. Further plaudits included Best Foreign Language awards from the National Board, Golden Satellite and the British Academy, wherein it was deemed the Best Non-English Language film. At the Golden Globes, Fernanda was nominated and the film won for Best Foreign Language Film, with both Montenegro and Station going on to receive nominations from the Academy Awards. Over time, the film has continued to be regarded as one of the best offerings from Brazilian cinema, with Station placing at #57 on a 2010 Empire magazine poll of the best World Cinema films #11 on a 2015 poll by the Brazilian Film Critics Association. Maintaining the power to entertain, amuse and deeply move regardless of number of viewings, Central Station will please any movie lover interested in experiencing one of cinema’s richest and most touching comedy/dramas.

Clarence Brown Lends Power and Truth to William Faulkner’s Intruder in the Dust

 

Among the most honest and persuasive of the late 1940’s-early 1950’s “message pictures” that sought to delve into the subject of racism and the need for greater tolerance in society in regards to race relations (see also Home of the Brave, Lost Boundaries and Pinky), 1949’s Intruder in the Dust, based on the 1948 William Faulkner novel, offers a riveting murder mystery set in the deep South. Blessed with undertaking screenwriter Ben Maddow’s fine adaptation of one of Faulkner’s most assessable works, veteran MGM director Clarence Brown (who also produced the film), after a rewarding 1940s at the studio that included helming such revered classics as The Human Comedy, National Velvet and The Yearling, capped the decade with perhaps his finest directional achievement, bringing the proper grit and, filming on location in Faulkner’s vicinity of Oxford, Mississippi, evoking a strong rural aura, while cinematography Robert Surtees, aided by Robert Kern’s judicious editing, impactfully establishes the perfect mise en scène with each carefully composed shot of the small town and its citizens with “you are there” style. An excellent ensemble, led by Juano Hernández in a forceful, skillfully intuitive performance, artfully blend in with their surroundings, bringing much flavor and humanity to the provocative, absorbing production and give Brown the chance to once again prove his gift for bringing out the best from a talented cast.

                With precision and insight, Brown expertly unfolds the tale relating to Lucas Beauchamp, a proud, dignified, independent black man accused of murdering a local white man, then hoping to evade a lynch mob desired by all but a few brave townsfolk who seek to uncover the facts behind the crime in the dead of night. As he did with The Yearling, with on-location filming Brown is able to shake off the MGM gloss apparent in most of the studio’s output, however misplaced it sometimes may be, to realistically depict the injustices aimed at Lucas, and the dire consequences it seems he will inevitably face, while Lucas’ lawyer’s young nephew Chick is drawn into the plot, along with his friend Aleck and a kind-but-tough elderly lady, Miss Eunice Habersham. In depicting this trio’s after dark quest to discover evidence that may assist Lucas, Brown maintains an unsettling, ominous tone, clearly showing the dangers that await the team if they run into the wrong party, specifically the dead man’s family members. The director also allows most of the action to occur in a straightforward fashion, trusting the audience to assess the themes of the film without having the main points illustrated in a heavy-handed manner; this mature approach helps Intruder remain a fresh viewing experience over 70 years after its initial release. After this fine accomplishment, Brown would direct four more films, including 1951’s whimsical Angels in the Outfield and his final film the following year, Plymouth Adventure, before enjoying a lengthy retirement until his death in 1987 at age 97.

Possessing both a regal bearing and a humane, relatable presence, Juano Hernández commands the screen with one of the most multi-faceted characterizations of an African American yet seen in film.  Creatively utilizing his searching, soulful eyes, Hernandez adds rich shadings to Lucas with nary a word in many scenes, drawing viewers to his serene, mystifying presence, while also communicating the fear he holds concerning his environs and towards those intent on destroying him. His deep, resonant voice also indicates the wisdom and self-awareness that Lucas holds as he ponders his fate and relations to the few honorable people trying to help him. Born in 1896, Hernández had toiled in vaudeville, radio, the Broadway stage, and a few movies (including three by renown director Oscar Micheaux) before his mainstream cinematic breakthrough in Intruder. The strong critical reaction to his work led to Hernández building a solid film resume over the next twenty years, with first-rate work in such features as Young Man with a Horn, The Breaking Point, Kiss Me Deadly, The Pawnbroker and his final film, They Call Me Mr. Tibbs!, released just before his death in 1970.

Reuniting with Brown after being discovered for The Yearling, Claude Jarman Jr. comes through again for his mentor, adding shading to his portrayal of the adolescent Chick Mallison, who learns to come of age through his dealings with Lucas. Jarman clearly illustrates the awkwardness the biased Chick first displays towards the proud Lucas when they meet on the latter’s property, then the teen’s more reflective, open mindset as he develops a deeper understanding of the older man’s complex nature and works to aid Lucas when he faces the wrath of the community. Jarman does a fine job playing Chick with a straightforwardness and unforced innocence that renders the young man’s path to maturity and greater empathy towards others satisfying and believable. Jarman would be granted another good part in one of John Ford’s best Westerns, Rio Grande then, as with many young stars before and since his brief reign, find parts harder to come by, with his last feature 1956’s The Great Locomotive Chase and a television appearance in 1979’s epic miniseries Centennial, before in later years proudly appearing on the Oscar stage with his juvenile award for The Yearling alongside a fleet of other Oscar winners, before his passing in January 2025 at 90.

Given the lengthiest amounts of dialogue, David Brian has possibly his best screen role as John Stevens, the initially presumptuous lawyer who at first believes the charges against Lucas, then has a gradual shift in his opinions as he ponders the increasing evidence presented. Although the lawyer, serving as a touchpoint for Chick and the audience, is given speechifying that sometimes borders on the pedantic, Brian does a nice job showing the fair-minded change of heart that marks the upstanding Lawyer’s ethically sound mindset. A former song-and-dance man, Brian shifted gears and started strong out of the gate in 1949 as a new, edgy Warner Bros. leading man; in addition to fine work in Intruder the year brought him attention as the object of affection for leading Warner stars Joan Crawford and Bette Davis in two prime melodramas, Flamingo Road and the equally must-see Beyond the Forest. Following this high-profile start in films, Brian carried on for the next two decades in a lot of Westerns and some other genres, with titles such as Million Dollar Mermaid, The High and the Mighty, How the West was Won and The Rare Breed highlighting his cinematic oeuvre.

Veteran character actress Elizabeth Patterson, as the morally upright, no-nonsense, observant Miss Habersham, offers a highly individual portrayal of a senior citizen who is intent on taking action to aid Lucas, when most of the town is resigned to accept the probability that he is doomed. With grace and economical reserve, Patterson makes such every expression detailing the fine lady’s altruistic, noble countenance is exactly right, whether the character is showing bravery, reflectiveness or fear when the pensive heroine is made to take on Lucas’ key adversary, the murder victim’s vengeful brother, at the entrance to the prison wherein Lucas is held in one of the film’s most trenchant and impactful segments. Starting on Broadway on 1913, then moving to films in 1926, Patterson’s aptitude for playing spry aunts and old maids with distinction and (when appropriate) comic zest made her a beloved figure to moviegoers of the 1930s and 1940s, in works such as the peerless Love Me Tonight, Remember the Night and I Married a Witch. In a dramatic vein, Intruder may represent Patterson’s zenith. There is a sense of immediacy to her work that shows she is always clearly in-the-moment and genuine as the practical-minded, alert Miss Habersham attends to the weighty matters at hand, causing an audience to root for her and her partners in a risky nighttime excursion, and hope no harm comes her way then, or in broad daylight later in the aforementioned jailhouse confrontation. Patterson would lessen her onscreen output after this peak, featuring in only a few 1950’s films, but gaining a much bigger audience appearing in several episodes throughout the course of I Love Lucy’s phenomenal run, before making her last movie, Tall Story, in 1960, then passing in 1966 at age 91.

Among the rest of a superior cast, another stalwart character performer, Porter Hall, is memorable as Nub Gowrie, the patriarch grieving his murdered son, Vinston. Starting in films in 1931, Hall carved a niche for himself as a direct everyman and, as with Patterson, could add edge and/or comic sensibility to a part, resulting in rich, authentic work in classics such as His Girl Friday, Sullivan’s Travels, Going My Way and providing some welcome lighter moments as Walter Neff’s unwanted witness in Double Indemnity. As Nub, Hall brings a somber dignity and surprising compassion to role, making an audience strongly identify with this despondent father. Will Geer has just the right calm, unassuming demeanor as the sage Sheriff Hampton, confident that justice will be served, but willing to listen to reason as the mystery comes to the fore, bringing a backwoods charm to the role that would serve as a huge asset to his most famous, Emmy-winning part in the 1970’s as Grandma Walton. Charles Kemper, who had a brief run in feature films (after starting his career in shorts) from 1945 until his early death at 49 in 1950, also does spot-on work as Crawford Gowrie, aptly conveying the loathsomeness of the hateful man who is set on ensuring Lucas’ ruin, while conversely Elzie Emanuel brings some levity to the story as Aleck, Chick’s loyal friend who puts his qualms aside to assist Chick and Miss Habersham in trying to unlock the secret surrounding Vinston’s murder. Finally, Brown adds an abundance of regional flavor by including many locals as extras in the mob scenes, helping to instill a vivid sense of time and place with these extras’ inclusion in the scenario.

                With the film’s October 1949 release, Intruder was properly recognized as an insightful, mature drama addressing prevalent, controversial issues, alongside other films of the same ilk, such as Home of the Brave, Lost Boundaries and Pinky. Although the stark subject matter limited the movies commercial appeal, critics were quick to notice this cinematic benchmark’s achievements. The National Board of Review placed Intruder third on its list of the year’s best pictures, while The New York Times also included the film on its Ten Best list. The thought-provoking movie merited the United Nations Award from the British Academy, Maddow was nominated for two awards by the Screen Writers Guild of America, and both Brian (for Supporting Actor) and Hernández (for Best New Actor) were up for Golden Globes. The uncompromising, striking view of the evils involved in enforcing prejudice, including sometimes daring dialogue that still packs a wallop, has allowed the movie to resonant firmly with viewers throughout the decades. Credit for Intruder in the Dust maintaining its power to move and provide plenty of intellectual stimulation for audiences to the present day must go to the exemplary efforts of Brown and a talented cast and crew for bringing one of William Faulkner’s most candid and accessible tales to the screen with exceptional flavor, discernment and sincerity.

Sidney Lumet Frames 12 Angry Men with Artful Precision

 

           One of the most incisive, stimulating dramas from the 1950s, United Artists’ forceful production of 12 Angry Men allows audiences a deep dive into the diverse aspects that can go on in a jury room as the peers therein attempt to make a “beyond a reasonable doubt” decision. Screenwriter Reginald Rose, adapting his 1954 Emmy-winning teleplay Twelve Angry Men based on Rose’s own experiences as a juror, provides a fascinating take on the motivations, egos and biases that can come into play among an array of contrasting personalities as they seek (or try to overlook) key facts in a murder case, while attempting to determine the validity of the evidence presented by presumed eyewitnesses. Director Sidney Lumet, in a remarkable cinematic directional debut, adroitly focuses on each jury member in order to paint a full portrait of the man’s assets and flaws, while perfectly capturing the mood involved in the dour jury room surroundings, aided by Boris Kaufman’s rich black and white lensing, Carl Lerner’s complex editing and a sparse, melancholic hinged score by Kenyon Hopkins that helps set the time-and-place. One of the most dynamic, gifted casts ever, led by Henry Fonda as Juror #8, the protagonist determined to give the accused a fair shake when the initial odds look dire, work in perfect tandem with Lumet, each coming through with definitive, highly individual performances that stand as benchmarks in their careers.

Born in 1924, Lumet started his landmark career as a child actor on Broadway, before WWII caused a break in this vocation. Post-war, Lumet honed his directional skills working off-Broadway, then thrived as one of the most prolific helmers of live television fare. This expansive background made him an ideal choice to oversee a film based almost entirely on one set. Using Rose’s concise, multi-faceted script, Lumet is able to emphasize the tense environment and array of emotions each juror encounters, allowing the theatrical nature of key moments to come across in vivid fashion, due to careful staging and precise use of close-ups that reveal a juror’s mindset, while also giving the actors and camerawork the freedom to bright forth the sometimes-florid drama with a sense of immediacy and truth. The ambience Lumet is able to maintain for the 96-minute run time is also a prime achievement, with a viewer first feeling the humid, sweat-inducing courtroom climate, then a sense of relief when rain comes midway through to offer the jurors a welcome reprieve as temperatures continue to rise. Lumet also wisely provides one lingering shot of the despondent young man on trial early on, before fading into the actual jury room. This sole image stays with a viewer throughout the proceedings as a humane point of identification, reminding one of the life at stake depending on the jury’s final decision.  After this outstanding endeavor, Lumet would continue as a major force in American film, often showcasing stories based in New York City and featuring powerful acting, offering such work as A Long Day’s Journey into Night, The Pawnbroker, Serpico, possibly peaking in the mid-1970s with Dog Day Afternoon and Network, continuing apace in the 1980s with Prince of the City, The Verdict and Running on Empty, then finishing his career with aplomb via 2007’s Before the Devil Knows Your Dead, before passing in 2011.

By 1957, Henry Fonda had firmly established his screen image of the ideal American over a two-decade career as a leading figure in films, with his iconic Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, perfectly-pitched comic work opposite Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve and his calm-yet-intense work as the most consciousness and decent citizen in 1943’s classic The Ox-Bow Incident just three of his soaring interpretations. Co-producing 12 Angry with writer Rose after gaining clout via his massive success on stage and in the 1955 film version as the title figure in Mr. Roberts, Fonda’s clear involvement with the 12 Angry material can be witnessed in his focused, dedicated portrayal of the honest, morally upright juror #8. As the intricacies of the plot develop, Fonda also does a great of suggesting, along with the character’s decency, the self-satisfaction and ego that may also be compelling #8 to challenge the opinion of his associates. In the wrong hands this role could grow tiresome and unbelievable, as the juror relentlessly questions nearly every observation of his peers, but Fonda so clearly conveys the search for honesty and justice driving the man that a viewer can only feel great admiration for the courage and principals he possesses. Following this triumph, Fonda would continue to score on stage and film, including changing gears to phenomenal effect as one of the cinema’s nastiest villains in 1969’s Once Upon a Time in the West, then eventually winning an Oscar in 1982 for a much more likeable delineation opposite Katharine Hepburn and daughter Jane in his final feature film On Golden Pond, shortly before his passing later that year.

Lee J. Cobb, as the easily riled juror #3, finds perhaps the most ideal role for the bombastic playing style that helped make him a top character star on stage and screen during this period, particularly via his breakthrough as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman on Broadway and his Oscar-nominated mob boss in On the Waterfront. 12 Angry provides Cobb ample opportunities for his high-powered emoting, especially when #3 frequently tangles with Fonda’s juror over contrasting opinions but also gives Cobb room to show a more ruminative side as he finds parallels between #3’s own life and the trial. Equally adept character player Ed Begley, a few years from his Oscar win for Sweet Bird of Youth, has one of the richest roles as juror #10, a garage owner firm in his belief there can only be one outcome in regard to the verdict. In a bravura scene, Begley does an expert job illustrating the inner hate impelling #10’s beliefs, while also suggesting the man isn’t initially aware how limiting and unfair his perspective is.

As juror #4, a calm, reflective stockbroker who appears only interested in reviewing the case without bias, E.G. Marshall’s stillness is remarkably effective. Marshall conveys the character’s various thoughts with subtle craft, detailing possible changes in the man’s stance on the crime without making it clear to a viewer exactly what his final vote will be, with Lumet knowing when to place Marshall front-and-center as juror #4 mulls over the twists and turns relating to the evidence. Jack Warden, after first making an impact in 1953’s From Here to Eternity, then gaining further exposure on television’s Mr. Peepers, witnessed a big 1957 uptick in his screen career, with good work in Edge of the City and The Bachelor Party also attaching notice. In 12 Angry, as juror #7, a successful, down-to-earth salesman who appears as interested in making a baseball game as in reaching the correct verdict, Warden invests the role with an uncomplicated, easy-going demeanor that helps add believability to the role.

Martin Balsam, as the foreman of the group (a.k.a. juror #1), also makes his name as an important character actor in a part that allows him to showcase how admirably he could bring depth, distinction and spontaneity to an everyman role, traits that served him well for the rest of his career, many other high-profile works. In his second film at the start of a lengthy tenure in movies, the handsomely bespeckled, amiable Robert Webber has an easy infinity with the camera as juror #12, the friendly ad executive who attempts to bring some levity to the proceedings, while also showing a more involved nature as temperatures flare up and serious choices need to be made by each juror. Similarly in his second film of an expansive acting career, John Fielder shows some of the traits that would make him a star character player as a go-to guy for parts requiring a timid disposition as juror #2, an unassuming, mild-mannered bank teller who manages to show some heart and defiance when pressured by some of his aggressive peers.  

One of two actors recreating his fine work in the teleplay, George Voskovec lends great dignity and, when warranted, passion and urgency to his most famous screen role as juror #11, an introspective European-born watchmaker trying to ensure his peers are fully invested in making a fair decision. Joseph Sweeney also makes a strong connection with the audience in adapting his television role to the big screen as juror #9, the eldest member of the group who proves himself benevolent, rational and insightful as the discussion of the case unfolds. Years before major stardom on television, Jack Klugman registers as the tough, no-nonsense juror #5, who has a vivid moment wherein he takes umbrage over labeling the defendant worthless due to his lower-class background #5 strongly identifies with. Finally, Edward Binns offers a humane, likeable portrait of juror #6, a house painter who compassionate team player, but one able to stand up to any disrespect or injustice he notices his colleagues displaying.

It would take 12 Angry time for public perception to place the work among film history’s great dramas, with lukewarm box office awaiting the movie’s April 1957 release. However, critics fully grasped its merits from the get-go, resulting in the film placing in the top ten on both The New York Times and Time magazine’s ten best lists and ranking second on the National Board of Review’s top ten, gaining Fonda a Best Actor British Academy Award and winning Rose a Writers Guild of America prize for Best Written Drama, attaining the Golden Bear for Best Picture at the Berlin Film Festival, and granting Lumet a finalist spot from the Director’s Guild of America and one of four Golden Globe nominations, along with ones for Best Drama, Actor (Fonda) and Supporting Actor (Cobb). At the Oscars, Lumet and the film would repeat for nods, with rose cited among the Best Adapted Screenplay nominees, with the cast overlooked, with the ensemble nature of the piece providing the only clue for how Fonda could be left off the short list after creating one of his most intelligent and artful performances. Recently 12 Angry has factored in the forefront on several lists, with it ranked at #2, just behind To Kill a Mockingbird, on the AFI’s 2008 list of Top Courtroom Dramas, the year after it made the AFI’s 10^th Anniversary list of the 100 greatest American films and inclusion on the National Film Registry’s inductees. The film’s increasing reputation as a landmark drama also led to a 1997 television update of the material led by Jack Lemmon and an Emmy-winning George C. Scott as jurors #8 and #3. Those wishing to delve deep into superior dramatic fare so impactful it causes viewers to reconsider how they might approach any assumptions they have in regard to (seemingly) reasonable beyond a doubt facts of a case will find themselves held in rapt reverence by the gripping, thought-provoking entertainment found in the company of 12 Angry Men.

Tony Richardson and Albert Finney Add Impish Flair to Fielding's Tom Jones

 

                 A surprisingly lively take on a classic novel, director Tony Richardson’s daring 1963 adaptation of Henry Fielding’s landmark 1749 novel The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling brings the often-ribald tale to the screen with flair and originally. Paring the lengthy tome down to a 128-minute running time via an ingenious screenplay by frequent Richardson collaborator John Osborne, with a playful score by John Addison and fast-paced editing by Antony Gibbs that also aid in swiftly covering the dashing young title hero’s wealth of exploits as he seeks fortune and romance, while encountering many antics and colorful personages in the process. Richardson impressively maintains an amusing-but-relatable tone throughout the boisterous film, carefully guiding his superb cast to create deft portraits than balance comic and sometimes more serious elements, depending on the situation. The racy, jubilant activities unfolding on the screen offered a more overt, modern perspective than normally found in films at the time, allowing Tom Jones to resonate with audiences seeking out more adult-themed material in an era wherein the Production Code was still trying to limit how mature subject matter was portrayed in movies.

                For the young maverick overseeing Tom Jones, the film would bring worldwide fame to Richardson, after he had firmly established himself as one of Britian’s leading lights, both in theater and movies.  Starting in television in the 1950’s, Richardson would quickly rise to the forefront of new directors specializing in the gritty genre of “kitchen sink dramas” after the huge success of the Osborne-penned Look Back in Anger, which debuted in London in 1956, then won further acclaim on Broadway and via a 1959 film version starring Richard Burton. Following this, Richardson would score with several other top British dramas, including The Entertainer featuring Laurence Olivier recreating his trenchant stage performance, 1961’s A Taste of Honey, which he also produced and wrote, and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. This imposing output served Richardson well, giving him the experience and confidence to do an abrupt about-face with the much zanier tone of Tom Jones. The director seems to know exactly when to play up the story’s more theatrical, amusing aspects by means such as speeding up the action or breaking the fourth wall, and adopting a more earnest approach, specifically in the delicate romance that blossoms between Jones and his true love, Sophie Western. Following this career peak, Richardson would continue on stage and film, including another wild comedic adaptation of a famed book with 1965’s Evelyn Waugh-based The Loved One (via a Terry Southern and Christopher Isherwood screenplay), 1975’s Mahogony starring Diana Ross, a return to Fielding territory with 1977’s less-impactful Joseph Andrews and, in his final big screen endeavor, guiding Jessica Lange to a Best Actress Oscar in Blue Sky, before his death in 1991.

                By 1963, star Albert Finney had also quickly risen up the ranks to find himself considered among the most talented artists in his field. Making a major impact on the British stage with his 1956 work as Henry V, followed by Coriolanus and, in both London and Broadway, a wealth of praise for Luther, Finney made a similar impression on screen as, after a 1960 debut in Richardson’s Entertainer, he helped (along with Burton in Anger) usher in the new breed of “Angry Young Men” in films with his powerful work in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, which brought him a British Academy Award and notice in the states with a Best Actor prize from the National Board of Review. After his initial success in very dramatic mode, Finney’s lighter, charismatic playing in Jones demonstrated the range of his versatility, and how well suit he was for romantic comedies as well as heavy dramas. Finney enacts Tom with boyish earnestness and sincerity, while bringing a positive energy to the role that makes it easy for one to root for this spirited, good-natured hero to gain his place in the world. The inspired Finney deftly handles the high comedy escapades, while also lending a touching warmth to his scenes with Tom’s lady love, Sophie. After Jones, Finney would continue on stage and screen, with highs such as his pairing with Audrey Hepburn for 1967’s moving and stylish Two for the Road, his Oscar-nominated work as a heavily made-up Hercule Poirot in 1974’s star-studded Murder on the Orient Express, a fruitful early to mid-1980s’ period via Annie, Shoot the Moon and two more Oscar nods for The Dresser and Under the Volcano, then later career glory via his beautiful work as the perplexed-but-supportive boss to Julia Robert’s Erin Brockovich in 2000, the same year he took part as the star-packed ensemble in another big critical and commercial hit, Traffic, an Emmy as Winston Churchill for 2002’s The Gathering Storm, then ending his screen career on yet another high note in 2012’s exciting James Bond opus Skyfall, before passing in 2019 at age 82.

The lovely and gifted Susannah York witnessed a major career uptick with her excellent work as Sophie Western. Graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art as a star pupil in 1958, York started in films in 1960, making an impression in Tunes of Glory, then really coming into her own with a beautiful performance in 1961’s coming-of-age drama The Greengage Summer, followed by a challenging role in Freud: The Secret Passion, which brought her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress- Drama. As Sophie, York is radiant and skillful, lending a sweet, graceful air to her playing and generates a gentle, chemistry with Finney that makes their romance ring true. Along Sophie largely represents the main straight figure of the piece amid all the hijinks and clowning, she holds the screen in a compelling manner, allowing a viewer to be as vested in her character as with the more flamboyant playing of her costars. After Tom Jones, York would build a fine filmography, including 1966’s Best Picture A Man for All Seasons, winning a British Academy Award and Golden Globe and Oscar nods for harrowing work as a Hollywood hopeful in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They, a Cannes Best Actress award for Robert Altman’s Images, Emmy-nominated work as Jane Eyre and reaching a huge audience again as the title figure’s mother in 1978’s Superman and its sequel, before her death in 2011, just after her 72^nd birthday.

                Responsible for many moments of hilarity is Hugh Griffith as Squire Western, Sophie’s rude, impulsive and outspoken father. After a 1940 screen debut in Carol Reed’s Night Train to Munich, the colorful character actor stood out in many British films, such as Kind Hearts and Cornets and Laughter in Paradise, while also flourishing on stage, including Tony-nominated work on Broadway for Look Homeward, Angel, before gaining international fame and a Supporting Actor Oscar for 1959’s blockbuster Ben Hur, follow by the epics Exodus and Mutiny on the Bounty prior to Tom Jones, and in Reed’s Oscar-winning Oliver! afterwards. As Western, Griffith is clearly having the time of his life bringing the Squire’s uncouth behavior to life in an unabashed, gleeful manner, with audiences eagerly anticipating him sending the movie into the comic stratosphere every time he blasts into a scene. Although the character’s actions are often rash and sometimes unsympathetic, the lust for life and impish humor Griffith adds to the role draws a viewer to him, with Griffith also conveying that, beneath the swagger, the Squire is a decent figure who ultimately wants the best for Sophie and Tom. 

As the Squire’s regal, confident and domineering sister, Miss Western, Edith Evans stands in perfect contrast to Griffith’s blustery playing, making them a comic duo of great style and animation, as Miss Western attempts to brook no dissention from her sibling, while he appears determined to offer her nothing but sass on a supreme level. Evans made a stage debut in 1912 and became one of the British Theater’s most revered thespians before, save for a few silent movie appearances, moving into films late-career with a striking list of credits, including gloriously recreating one of her most famous roles as Lady Bracknell in 1952’s The Importance of Being Earnest, followed by Look Back in Anger and excellent work opposite Audrey Hepburn as the serene, observant Rev. Mother in 1959’s The Nun’s Story before Tom Jones, and persuasive work thereafter, including two Academy Award nominations for again bringing a famous stage role to screen in 1964’s The Chalk Garden, then delving deep to give possibly her richest, most insightful dramatic portrayal as the lonely old woman clinging to reality in 1967’s The Whisperers, winning a slew of Best Actress prizes in the process but, alas, no Oscar. Evans would continue on stage and the screen up to her death at 88 in 1976, capping her illustrious career with a posthumous appearance in another uninhabited comedy set in a religious order far from The Nun’s Story, Nasty Habits.

Among the rest of a truly top-notch group of players, the bemused Joyce Redman makes one of the strongest impressions as the vivacious and quick-witted Mrs. Waters, with an unforgettable entrance before, in the most famous scene, sharing the lustiest and funniest meal in cinema history with Finney. Joan Greenwood and her distinct, seductive voice are a sublime match for Lady Bellaston, who takes a blatant interest in Tom and his charms. Early in the film Diane Cilento, with scant screen time, also scores heavily as the lusty Molly, a free spirit who passes time with Tom and takes life as it comes. In his first major film role David Warner adeptly delineates Tom’s chief adversary, Blifil, clearly relishing the opportunity to illustrate the calm-but oily villain’s every unchivalrous move, while Lynn Redgrave gets her first film career boost, with a much bigger soon to come as Georgy Girl. Other well-regarded players include Redgrave’s mother, Rachel Kempson, Peter Bull, David Tomlinson, gearing up for Mary Poppins, Wilfrid Lawson and Avis Bunnage.

                Upon release, Tom Jones’ breezy, irreverent tone found great favor with critics and audiences, with the film gaining a then-mammoth $16,000,000 in first-run U.S./Canadian rentals, according to Variety, placing it among the top comedy hits of the 1960’s. Critics were effusive in their praise, leading to a wealth of accolades, including Best Picture awards from The National Board of Review, The New York Film Critic’s Awards, The British Academy Awards (for Best British Film and Best Film From Any Source) and the Golden Globes, as well as placement on The New York Times Ten Best list. Richardson also gained prizes from the NBR and NYFC, as well as the Directors Guild of America award, while Finney won the NYFC and Venice Film Festival Best Actor prizes and a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer- Male. Come Oscar time, the film scored ten nominations, including ones for cast members Cilento, Finney, Evans, Griffith and Redman, while winning for Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay and Best Music Score- Substantially Original.

Although the movie was clearly influential and embraced at the time, helping to usher in the Swingin’ Sixties and British Invasion with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Julie Christie and Twiggy just around the corner (among many others), reappraisal of the movie’s quality over the years has not always been positive, with some deeming the film a lark not worthy of the major laurels it once receive, going so far as to place it among the “Worst Best Picture” winners. The author may be biased as, watching the film as a treen during a late-night showing he, expecting a dry, serious Best Picture drama, was delighted to discovered one of the funniest movies he’d yet seen; however, trying to maintain an objective view, the quality of the film and performances hold up, and one wonders if the standard, tired bias regarding comedy work being considered “lesser” than dramatic endeavors in deeming films worthy of awards is at play to a degree in demeriting the considerable assets of Richardson’s high-flying comedy. In any case, it’s hard to ignore the freshness and sense of joie de vivre found in the stylish, rousing adventures of the amorous but good-hearted title character as depicted by Richardson and an A-one cast and crew; those seeking an enjoyable adult romp with plenty of comic brio should find a satisfying cinematic feast with the richly entertaining Tom Jones.

Deborah Kerr Seeks a Higher Cinematic Calling in Black Narcissus

 

                One of the finest and most erotically-charged dramas to come from filmdom’s classic era, 1947’s Black Narcissus represents a literal peak in the work of British producer/director team Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, with its story of Anglican nuns becoming increasingly unsettled as they attempt to run a school and hospital high in the Himalayas at the site of a former harem. The exotic locale presents a wealth of challenges for the young Sister Clodagh placed in charge of the operation, with religious themes involving faith daringly mixed with more carnal subject matter. Powell and Pressburger, who also adapted the screenplay (based on a 1939 novel by Rumor Godden) do a remarkable job in maintaining a sensual, dreamy tone throughout the film, with Technicolor expert Jack Cardiff’s lush, evocative cinematography ranking among the finest ever put on film, and doing much to aid in setting the proper aura for the unconventional movie, along with Alfred Junge’s inventive set designs and Brian Easdale’s pulsating score. An inspired cast led by the impeccable Deborah Kerr lends truth and complexity to their choice roles, helping to quickly capture the viewer’s interest, and hold them in rapt attention through the movie’s spellbinding 100 minutes.

                By the time of Narcissus, Powell and Pressburger had established themselves as a creative filmmaking team of unusual vision. Prior to their fruitful alliance, which they labeled “The Archers,” Powell had honed his skills in 1930’s British Cinema before being hired by famed producer Alexander Korda and rising to eminence as one of the co-directors of 1940’s hypnotically watchable fantasy The Thief of Bagdad, while the Hungarian-born Pressburger had been a journalist before  entering films via the UFA studios, working in German and French films before relocating to the United Kingdon in 1935, eventually also teaming with Korda and meeting Powell via a Korda collaboration in 1939. The dynamic partners were in synch from the get-go, turning out such important WWII-era films as 49^th Parallel, One of Our Aircraft is Missing, A Canterbury Tale, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and A Matter of Life and Death.

After this impressive run, the fully formed team were clearly ready to design one of the most richly atmospheric offerings yet seen on the screen. With conviction and zeal, Powell and Pressburger foster and maintain an ambience of mystery surrounding Narcissus’ characters and their environment, arousing an audience’s senses as they follow the extravagant tale, wondering what fate each of these often-overwhelmed sisters will meet, leading to the movie’s famous bizarre, hair-raising climax. After the impactful Narcissus, the team would score an even bigger global Technicolor success with the florid The Red Shoes, followed by, among others, an intriguing effort with David O. Selznick, Gone to Earth, then another original, dance-oriented musical offering, The Tales of Hoffman, before the end of their legendary pairing in 1957, although reuniting for two further projects, after Powell individually produced and directed the then-vilified but now revered daring 1960 psychological horror classic Peeping Tom.

As the multidimensional Sister Clodagh, Deborah Kerr moved to the forefront of top British stars with her focused, subtle and distinguished portrayal. Starting out in ballet, the teenaged Kerr would make her debut in 1941’s Major Barbara, before gaining much attention via Colonel Blimp, then offering another top performance just before Narcissus in I See a Dark Stranger. As Sister Clodagh, Kerr instinctually illustrates both the novice nun’s steely resolve and her insecurities in taking on an authoritarian role possibility beyond her skillset, adroitly limning the complexities of the challenging role with intelligence and elan. Kerr also displays her uncanny knack for hinting at the sexuality just underneath the proper exterior of a character, which would subsequently add plenty of individuality to some of her best work and help Kerr form her own distinct image as one of the screen’s classiest-yet-quietly-passionate leading ladies. Following Narcissus, Kerr would immediately segway into U.S. movie stardom via a prime MGM contract, starting with 1947’s The Hucksters opposite Clark Gable, with promotional material making it clear that “Kerr” rhymes with “star.” Kerr proved the tagline correct by becoming one of the top names in Hollywood over the course of a very rich career that included six Best Actress Oscar nominations (but alas, no wins), and the chance to display her top-tier talent in series of classics, including Quo Vadis, iconically trysting on a beach with Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity, The King And I and The Innocents and having a triumph on Broadway in 1953 with Tea and Sympathy, a performance she recreated in the watered-down 1956 screen adaptation. After the 1960s Kerr mainly would opt for stage and television work over films, standing out in the fine 1982 t.v. version of Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution, then showing up to receive one of the most warranted honorary Academy Awards in 1994, before her passing at 86 in 2007.

             The magnetic David Farrar is confidently suave and sexy in a direct manner not often seen in films of the period as Mr. Dean, the local, handsome, primitive free spirit who aides the sisters and causes plenty of unrest among them. Farrar makes Dean’s primal attraction to Sister Clodagh believable and steamy, generating a provocative chemistry with Kerr that makes one wonder exactly how true to her vows the roused Sister will be able to stay before the final fade-out, with Farrar so potentially illustrating Mr. Dean’s animalistic presence as a continual factor in Clodagh’s new environment. Farrar begin his British film career in the 1930s, but had limited success until his efficacious work in Narcissus. Following the higher profile in movies his fine rendering of Mr. Dean would bring Farrar, he would go on to play in some notable pictures, both in Britian and beyond, including reunions with the Powell/Pressburger team for The Small Back Room and Gone to Earth, and work in Hollywood productions such as The Black Shield of Falworth, Solomon and Sheba and his final film, 1962’s The 300 Spartans, while his stimulating portrait of Mr. Dean remained his most significant and memorable role.

Bringing much excitement to the film as Sister Ruth, the uninhibited neurotic whose nature becomes progressively more passionate and discontent as events unfold, Kathleen Byron performs with an electric intensity that is bewitching. From the outset, Byron vividly conveys the dangerous undercurrent in Sister’s Ruth’s disposition, making an audience uneasy in regards to just how far the character will go in expressing herself, specifically as the conflict between her and Sister Clodagh grows in regards to authority and fostering Mr. Dean’s attentions, leading to one of the more thrilling final confrontations in movies. Byron worked in Powell and Pressburger films both prior to (A Matter of Life and Death) and post-Narcissus (The Small Back Room) and also found late-career success appearing in several prestigious pictures (The Elephant Man, Emma, Saving Private Ryan), but her lasting fame rests largely on her unnerving work as the troubled and formidable Sister Ruth (Bryon once commented on getting a taxi and having the driver simply state, “You’re that crazy nun.”). 

In support, esteemed character player Flora Robson adds a nice melancholic air to dreamy Sister Philippa, who becomes distracted from her role as chief gardener by the mysterious vibes brought about by the strange new climate. Robson had thrived as an important star in British theater and films starting in the 1920s, and would also score in American cinema, with a highlight coming a couple of years before Narcissus with her Oscar-nominated (if un-P.C. today) as a maid in Saratoga Trunk. As Dilip Rai, the affluent young general who wishes to learn from the nuns, the well-established Korda  Sabu is allowed a refreshening change-of-pace from the loinclothed roles that brought him fame, starting with his debut at thirteen in 1937’s Elephant Boy and continuing with The Drum, an early peak in The Thief of Bagdad, The Jungle Book and several marvelous escapist fare from Universal Pictures featuring Arabian Nights themes, Jon Hall and Maria Montez, specifically 1944’s wondrously diverting Cobra Woman; it’s interesting to see the exotic star in regal garb in a much more reserved, dignified type of role. As the beautiful native girl who captures his fancy, Jean Simmons is properly mischievous and observant, continuing her upward trend as a leading young star in British films, after breaking through as the young Estella the previous year in David Lean’s Great Expectations, them making major career headway following Narcissus with and Ophelia for the ages in Laurence Oliver’s 1948 screen version of Hamlet, which brough Simmons an Oscar nomination and Venice Film Festival Best Actress award. Finally, as Angu Ayan, the pessimistic, witchlike housekeeper, the animated May Hallatt brings color and humor to the scenario.

With a London premiere in the spring of 1947, the imaginative, engrossing Black Narcissus gained a wealth of praise for its stark depiction of adult themes, rich performances and florid dramatic sequences. The film would go on to success on an international scale, resulting in Deborah Kerr winning the first of three Best Actress awards from the New York Film Critics Circle (with I See a Dark Stranger- a.k.a. The Adventuress- also cited in her win) and justified honors from the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards for Cardiff’s illustrious cinematography, with Junge also winning an Oscar for his impeccable set design. Over the decades, along with Powell and Pressburger’s elevated status as masters of the cinematic form (several of the team’s films, including Narcissus, placed on the latest Sight and Sound poll among the greatest movies ever made), Black Narcissus has continued to grow in status as a rare example of how perceptively mature topics can be presented in classic movies with style and tact, while losing none of the power to compel audiences with an emotionally-charged, tantalizing viewing experience.