Spencer Tracy Encounters Adversaries Aplenty in John Sturges' Blistering Black Rock

 

               A terrific, suspenseful crime drama of merit and force, 1955’s Bad Day at Black Rock grants ace director John Sturges and a stellar cast and crew the opportunity to generate standout work in unfolding the noir-tinged, exciting tale taking place just after WWII 1945, wherein during an eventful 24 hours one (and one-armed) John Macreedy enters Black Rock seeking out Komoko, the Japanese-American father of a heroic colleague, and encounters unwarranted wrath by the bullying majority of the townsfolk. The streamlined, involving screenplay by Millard Kaufman (adaptation by Don McGuire, based on the 1947 short story by Howard Breslin) is helmed with great style, economy and intelligence by Sturges, which allows the powerhouse cast of prime talent to thrive with colorful, indelible performances, whether playing morally sound citizens or the predominately unsavory denizens of Black Rock, resulting in one of the most impactful and persuasive 81 minutes found in the cinema.

                For Sturges, Black Rock provided the director a chance to dynamically display his well-honed skills for crafting an artful, riveting entertainment with efficiency and individuality, after starting his career at Columbia in 1946 and moving to a productive association with MGM at the outset of the 1950s, with intriguing fare such as Mystery Street and Jeopardy to his credit prior to Bad Day. From the opening shots (artfully set up via Newell P. Kimlin’s adept editing) depicting a training crossing a barren landscape to reach the title town courtesy of the mood-enhancing Cinemascope lensing of William C. Mellor, Sturges sets a tone of isolation and danger befitting all the intrigue to come, making audiences unsettled at the outset as they fear for safety of the serene, seemingly vulnerable hero once he steps off the train. The inspired Sturges builds the tension thereafter and maintains a swift pace (aided by Andre Previn’s gripping score) as the mystery concerning the town’s backlash against Macreedy is detailed, presenting a template of how to create a prime, thoroughly absorbing movie with precision in under 90 minutes, a rule of thumb many current directors would do well to consider instead of regularly making 2-3 hour epics that often go on aimlessly as the viewer’s patience is subjected to a stern test. Sturges would continue with success post-Bad Day, often in the Western and Adventure genres, adding classics such as Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape to his filmography before slowing down his output in the 1970s, with 1976’s The Eagle Has Landed marking Sturges’ final screen directorial assignment.

                In the lead part of Macreedy, Spencer Tracy proves himself the ideal choice to portray a calm, world-weary, ethical hero with an edge. At this stage, Tracy had become one of the most revered and successful of screen stars, with two Oscars to his credit for Captain’s Courageous and Boy’s Town and years as a top box-office draw in some of MGM’s other top output, both solo and opposite his ideal costar, Katharine Hepburn, specifically in enjoyable comedies such as Adam’s Rib and Pat and Mike. By the time of Bad Day, Tracy had honed his low-keyed, trustworthy persona and subtle acting style to a natural, perfect pitch, and he expertly conveys the casual friendliness and determination of Macreedy as he contemplates how to deal with a slew of fierce antagonists, confidently enacting one of the most fascinating and original roles in his illustrious roster of fine characterizations. Following Bad Day, Tracy would limit his screen output, but continue to shine with thoughtful, honest works in quality projects, gaining four more Best Actor nominations in the process (for a total of nine), including one for moving work opposite Hepburn in his final role, the 1967 smash Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?, wherein his key monologue towards the end of the movie shows the sublime Tracy in full control of his technique as one of the great screen actors of his generation.

After an Oscar-nominated career-establishing role as the racist killer in 1947’s Crossfire, followed by other sweaty, intent wrongdoers in noir classics such as Act of Violence and The Racket, Robert Ryan once again displays his prodigious skill at outlining a prime villain with a chilling, masterfully calm ominousness. As Reno Smith, who exhibits a firm control over Black Rock and the largely obedient citizens therein, Ryan convincingly dominates his scenes, instilling a magnetism, sense of danger and cold, calculating nature mixed with a seething paranoia in Reno that make it hard to watch anyone else whenever Ryan’s onscreen illustrating Reno’s careful weighing of his next deviant action with purposeful focus. Ryan works ideally with Tracy as the two expert thespians entertainingly engage in the battle of wits between Macreedy and Reno via tactical, ingenious playing that completely draws one into the scenario as the viewer anticipants who will ultimately emerge victorious from the stark situation. The often-underrated Ryan would contain to offer fine portraits onscreen as both heel and hero until his passing in 1973, with God’s Little Acre, Billy Budd, The Dirty Dozen and an exceptional final performance in The Iceman Cometh factoring into his admirable filmography.

                As the sole female character among in an imposing cast, Anne Francis makes her presence felt as Liz, the tough yet glamourous (this is MGM after all) young lady in charge of the gas station and bearing an unfortunate infatuation towards Reno. Francis does a nice job of showing Liz’s ambivalent nature towards the stranger in town, allowing an audience to ponder the conflicted character’s motivations and loyalties as the plot thickens. On an early career high during this period after a 1947 film debut, Francis would follow Bad Day by scoring in two other major 1955 hits, Battle Cry and The Blackboard Jungle, before finding her most iconic screen role, again as the lone (but much more altruistic) feminine player in Forbidden Planet as the lovely, inquisitive Altaira, then continue in films and television, wherein she gained further career highlights with memorable Twilight Zone episodes (specifically “The After Hours”) and a Golden Globe for her work as a spy on the Honey West series.

Ernest Borgnine, making a name for himself as one of filmdom’s most despicable villains after his breakthrough the previous year giving Frank Sinatra a sadistically hard time in From Here to Eternity, makes another huge impression as the brash, brawny Coley, the most outwardly aggressive of the town bullies. Coley’s intense focus on Macreedy and his glee in harassing the older man leads to the movie’s most famous and satisfying scene, wherein the handicapped Macreedy teaches Coley a few of the finer points of martial arts with some moves rarely seen in a Hollywood film before. Lee Marvin, who similar to Borgnine had a career-establishing bad guy role in 1953 as the cad literally throwing Gloria Grahame more than she can handle in The Big Heat, also appears to relish the chance to play a despicable type with his own unique flair, adopting a cool, detached demeanor as Hector, a cowboy with ice in his veins who seems capable of any atrocity known to man that Coley and Smith don’t get around to doing first. Although continuing to find plenty of rewarding tough bad guy roles in Westerns and dramas after their stellar Bad Day work, both Borgnine and Marvin would reach artistic peaks in other genres, with Borgnine gaining his Oscar role later in 1955 as the shy, earnest title character in Marty, and Marvin taking the Best Actor Academy Award a decade later in a dual role as the hero and (in a throwback to his earlier roles) as the steely-eyed, fierce villain in the otherwise amusing Cat Ballou.         

Among the more ethical townspeople not entirely adverse to Macreedy’s arrival, Walter Brennan and Dean Jagger offer strong work befitting the two former Oscar winners. As Doc Velie, the benevolent, sage local, Brennan adds a few bits of welcomed levity to the proceedings as Doc opines with Macreedy concerning the dire circumstances the visitor now faces. Conversely, Jagger maintains an aura of pitifulness as Tim Horn, the honest but ineffectual sheriff under Reno’s control who finds it difficult to take a stand against the hateful brood wanting to rid themselves of Macreedy. As Liz’s forlorn brother Pete, the boyish overseer of the hotel, John Ericson, one of MGM’s top young talents after an impactful debut in 1951’s Teresa, adds an interesting pensive earnestness to the often-nervous Pete’s demeanor, which makes it unclear which side the unsure juvenile will join when forced to action. Finally, character actor Russell Collins has one of his best roles as Mr. Hastings, the cagey train station agent and telegraph operator who first encounters Macreedy when he enters Black Rock and demonstrates the foreboding behavior the outsider will face thereafter from the majority of the residents.

Opening in January 1955, Bad Day at Black Rock gained solid box office returns and major praise from critics impressed by the enthralling story and expertly detailed characters orchestrated by Sturges with class and distinction. During awards season, the early release of Bad Day did not hinder its chances of notice among the higher profile awards contenders. Both the National Board of Review and The New York Times placed the film among the top ten for the year, while at the Cannes Film Festival Tracy notably tied for Best Actor with costar Borgnine (for Marty), in a year wherein Borgnine took nearly every Best Actor prize single-handedly. Sturges was cited as a quarterly winner by the Director’s Guild of America, while Kaufman and McGuire were among the nominees for Best Written Drama by the Writer’s Guild, while the film gained Best Picture and the United Nations Award nominations at the British Academy Awards. At the Oscars, Bad Day captured nominations for Sturges, Tracy and Kaufman for Screenplay. Over the years, the movie has found favor with film enthusiasts interested in the work of Sturges and his talented roster of stars, reaching a wide audience with showings on television and physical media releases, including a Warner Archive Blu Ray offering the best presentation of the classic and in 2018 attaining inclusion on the esteemed National Film Registry list. Among the tensest, most efficiently created and best acted dramas of the 1950s, Bad Day at Black Rock provides viewers with an engrossing venture to a remote hamlet offering a plethora of thrill-inducing moments as the action escalates to a fever pitch while audiences anxiously await the uncertain fate of Macreedy, a unique screen hero for the cinematic ages.

A Sad Adieu to Rob Reiner (1947-2025)

 

                The entertainment world lost a major figure in films and television with the death of Rob Reiner, who passed at age 78 on December 14th along with his wife since 1989, Michele Singer Reiner. Born in 1947, the beloved actor, director and producer followed his father Carl as a mainstay of television, starting in the 1960s with guest spots on such popular shows as That Girl, Batman and The Andy Griffith Show before becoming a major figure on t.v. in the 1970’s with his Emmy-winning work as Michael Stivic (a.k.a. “Meathead”) on the biggest hit of the decade, All in the Family, wherein the progressive minded Michael’s frequent run-ins with his bigoted, boneheaded father-in-law Archie provided audiences with plenty of high comedy, as well as water-cooler moments for viewers to discuss afterwards. After leaving the show in 1979, Reiner would move into his even more rewarding period as a chief Hollywood director of the 1980s onward.

                Starting in the 1980s, Reiner created one of the best runs for a filmmaker ever, with seven consecutive hits from 1984-1992, starting with the prime mockumentary This is Spinal Tap and ending via his biggest financial success, 1992’s engrossing courtroom drama A Few Good Men. As tribute to Reiner, the author went to a local Long Beach showing (at the Art Theater) of the fifth Reiner movie in this run, the 1989 critical and box office hit When Harry Met Sally and, with a large, enthusiastic and bemused audience, enjoyed watching the influential and smart romcom for the first time, somehow missing this now-classic comedy over the years. Reiner deftly handles the choice directorial assignment, bringing the ace Nora Ephron script to life with verve while showcasing Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal to maximum effect as they mix comedy with more touching elements in perceptive, stellar performances that utilize Ryan’s upbeat and Crystal sardonic personas with some more thoughtful playing as they foster ideal chemistry while illustrating the evolution in the title characters’ unorthodox relationship over more than a decade, as Harry and Sally mature from their initial (just) post-college meeting to become friends dealing with dating life and marriage in the 1980s. Reiner also gives Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher a chance to shine as Marie and Jess, best friends of the platonic couple, who get possibly the biggest laugh in the movie with an unexpected sight gag involving a taxi that Reiner expertly-times with artful precision. Also, as a good son Reiner allows his mother Estelle to nail the film’s most famous line, which has gone on to place among the best-remembered quotes in cinema history (#33 on the 2005 AFI list). Although the film has a heteronormative vibe that certainly aided in its initial and ongoing success with the masses, the incisive manner in which it touches on the highs and lows of relationships and the impact they can have on one’s ego and life is made identifiable on a more universal scale thanks to the sage handling of the material by Reiner and a exceptional cast and crew, helping the film maintain a freshness and singular comic style that endures over 35 years since its release.

                One of the most interesting aspects of Reiner’s phenomenal run as director is how adeptly he mastered a variety of film genres, as in addition to the satirical Spinal Tap and the more serious Good Men he handled various other types of stories with equal aplomb. With 1985’s The Sure Thing, he helmed one of the more satisfying romances of the younger generation ilk, showing his skill in working with actors, thereby aiding John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga and Nicollette Sheridan in early-career boosts. Following this, working with Stephen King material for the first time, Reiner showcased a young cast of players to great effect in the intriguing murder mystery Stand by Me, before 1987’s romantic fantasy-comedy The Princess Bride, which did well enough upon release but became a favorite to several generations though physical media and frequent television airings. This prolific and rewarding period would continue with When Harry before a complete turnaround with his second King-related adaptation, the lively and scary Misery, with a terrific James Caan matching wits with the Oscar-winning Kathy Bates, before Good Men topped off this peak era for Reiner. After the disappointment of 1994’s North, Reiner would rebound with The American President, then continue as a noteworthy director with titles such as Ghosts of Mississippi, The Bucket List and LBJ, while also returning to acting on television, and in movies with roles in Sleepless in Seattle, Bullets Over Broadway and The First Wives Club among others. Rest in Peace to a major talent onscreen and off, Rob Reiner.

Top 100 Favorite Movies

             It's taken years, but I finally managed to complete posts for each title on my unofficial list of 100 favorite movies. These are my favorites, not what I'd consider the best films of all time. The list leans heavily towards Hollywood classics from the 1930s-1960s, but there are a few foreign and post-1970 outliers. There is definitely a repetitive feel to many of the posts as, in order to get through these and due to my less-than-spectacular writing skills, I used an essay-type format for most of the titles, consisting of an overview of the film, usually followed by focus on the director's work, then a breakdown of the performers, ending with a wrap-up paragraph discussing the initial public and critical reaction to the movie, along with its awards and legacy. Here is the rundown in order of preference (although if I had to stop at, say, 50 titles and couldn't take all 100 to that desert island, I might have to move some movies around), with links to the actual posts (a few films are mentioned in more than one post):

1) The Wizard of Oz (1939)

2) Psycho (1960)

3) All About Eve (1950)

4) The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

5) The Heiress (1949) and here

6) Singin' in the Rain (1952)

7) The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

8) The Lady Eve (1941)

9) A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

10) Gone with the Wind (1939)

11) Nights of Cabiria (1957)

12) Laura (1944)

13) Written on the Wind (1956)

14) The Night of the Hunter (1955)

15) The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

16) Love Me Tonight (1932)

17) Dumbo (1941)

18) Double Indemnity (1944)

19) A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

20) The Tarnished Angels (1957)

21) Leave Her to Heaven (1945) 

22) From Here to Eternity (1953)

23) Lolita (1962)

24) Tootsie (1982)

25) The Rocking Horse Winner (1949)

26) Nashville (1975)

27) You Can Count on Me (2000)

28) Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

29) Vertigo (1958)

30) Midnight (1939)

31) Duck Soup (1933)

32) Tiger Bay (1959)

33) Sunset Boulevard (1950)

34) Strangers on a Train (1951)

35) The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)

36) The Member of the Wedding (1952)

37) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

38) Casablanca (1942)

39) National Velvet (1944)

40)  8 1/2 (1963)

41) Duel in the Sun (1946)

42) Peter Pan (1953)

43) Imitation of Life (1959)

44) The Long, Hot Summer (1958)

45) Rebecca (1940)

46) The Awful Truth (1937)

47) The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

48) The Apartment (1960)

49) North By Northwest (1959)

50) The Navigator (1924)

51) Rear Window (1954)

52) It Happened One Night (1934)

53) Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

54) Friendly Persuasion (1956)

55) L'Avventura (1960)

56) Oliver! (1968) and here

57) Hud (1963)

58) Roman Holiday (1953)

59) Young Frankenstein (1974)

60) The African Queen (1951)

61) The Innocents (1961)

62) The Yearling (1946)

63) Bye Bye Birdie (1963)

64) Nightmare Alley (1947)

65) Black Narcissus (1947)

66) The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

67) Stalag 17 (1953)

68) The Band Wagon (1953)

69) A Summer Place (1959)

70) Charade (1963)

71) The Maltese Falcon (1941)

72) Splendor in the Grass (1961)

73) Dead of Night (1945) and here

74) Lord Love a Duck (1966)

75) Airplane! (1980)

76) The Hustler (1961)

77) Ace in the Hole (1951)

78) The Ten Commandments (1956)

79) Central Station (1998)

80) These Three (1936)

81) Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

82) Dodsworth (1936)

83) Peyton Place (1957)

84) The Rainmaker (1956)

85) Funny Girl (1968)

86) City Lights (1931)

87) The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

88) Mulholland Drive (2001)

89) Children of Paradise (1945)

90) Intruder in the Dust (1949)

91) Some Like It Hot (1959)

92) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

93) House of Wax (1953) and here

94) Forbidden Planet (1956)

95) Pillow Talk (1959)

96) The Time Machine (1960)

97) The Nutty Professor (1963)

98) Tom Jones (1963)

99) A Hard Day's Night (1964)

100) 12 Angry Men (1957)

Other (mainly classic) movies I've written about on the blog (by year):

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931 & 1941)

I'm No Angel (1933)

Of Human Bondage (1934)

The Thin Man (1934)

Camille (1936)

Jesse James (1939)

The Old Maid (1939)

The Women (1939)

The Letter (1940)

Remember the Night (1940)

Kings Row (1942)

Mrs. Miniver (1942)

Stormy Weather (1943)

Cobra Woman (1944)

Mr. Skeffington (1944)

The Uninvited (1944)

Fallen Angel (1945)

Mildred Pierce (1945)

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

Mother Wore Tights (1947)

Act of Violence (1948)

Beyond the Forest (1949)

Holiday Affair (1949)

White Heat (1949)

Annie Get Your Gun (1950)

Caged (1950)

Storm Warning (1950)

The Bullfighter and the Lady (1951)

Detective Story (1951)

Outcast of the Islands (1951)

A Place in the Sun (1951)

Kansas City Confidential (1952)

Son of Paleface (1952)

Stars and Stripes Forever (1952)

Kiss Me Kate (1953)

Lili (1953)

Robot Monster (1953)

The Long, Long Trailer (1954)

Woman's World (1954)

Guys and Dolls (1955)

Picnic (1955)

The Tender Trap (1955) and here

To Catch a Thief (1955)

The Bad Seed (1956)

Bigger Than Life (1956)

The Man on the Gray Flannel Suit (1956)

That Certain Feeling (1956)

Trapeze (1956)

War and Peace (1956)

Edge of the City (1957)

Island in the Sun (1957)

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

The Buccaneer (1958)

Gigi (1958)

King Creole (1958)

Some Came Running (1958)

Compulsion (1959)

Gidget (1959)

The Nun's Story (1959)

BUtterfield 8 (1960)

Elmer Gantry (1960)

West Side Story (1961)

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Lilies of the Field (1963)

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

Valley of the Dolls (1967)

Pretty Poison (1968)

Skidoo (1968)

Paper Moon (1973)

Jaws (1975)

Dressed to Kill (1980)

Mommie Dearest (1981)

For Your Consideration (2006)

Into the Wild (2007)

A Christmas Tale (2008)

The Wrestler (2008)

An Education (2009)

Jacques Demy Brightens the Screen with Umbrellas

 

                A lyrical, deeply moving and seminal work from 1960’s cinema, writer/director Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg from 1964 details the forlorn tale of two young lovers in three acts set from 1957-1963 with heartbreaking clarity. Taking on the musical genre in revolutionary fashion, Demy opts to unfold the story solely through the use of music and lyrics, forgoing spoken dialogue. Although this choice could render the movie as too artificial and/or gimmicky in nature, the simple but moving plot concocted by Demy, blended with a truly beautiful, inventive score by Michel Legrand set against lush on-location color cinematography by Jean Rabier proves completely captivating to willing viewers eager to become enmeshed in the film’s ultra-romantic, heartfelt and penetrating world. An impeccable cast, including the ethereally lovely Catherine Deneuve in her star-making role as Geneviève Émery, an equally alluring and touching Nino Castelnuovo as Guy Foucher, her true love and Anne Vernon as Geneviève’s worldly-wise mother, Madame Émery, bring rich characters to life with color and truth, helping the talented Demy to bring his challenging, creative endeavor to fruition with taste and conviction that leaves a lasting impression on audiences.

                Starting his film career at 29 during the onslaught of the French New Wave, Demy gained notice immediately as writer/director with his first feature, the romantic drama Lola, followed by the equally compelling Bay of Angels in 1963. Both showed Demy’s talent for vividly capturing the proper mise-en-scène for each carefully composed shot, as well as his skill in allowing the actors to work at their creative best, specifically Lola and Angels stars Anouk Aimée and Jeanne Moreau, respectively. Demy would utilize the skills he’d developed in these initial movies to reach an artistic triumph with his imaginative and focused helming of Umbrellas. Showcasing Deneuve and Castelnuovo as the ideal ultra-romantic couple, Demy powerfully illustrates Geneviève and Guy’s affair through the use of vibrant color visual designs and Legrand’s penetrating score, specifically using the haunting theme (“I Will Wait For You”) repeatedly to more impactful effect as fate plays a hand in the relationship, such as in a wrenching train station farewell and the movie’s unforgettable finale, which assures Umbrella will linger in memory for a viewer, with Demy making penetrating use of those lush musical strains and a melancholic atmosphere. After this peak, Demy would continue to turn out fanciful-yet-ambitious original works, following Umbrellas for the lighter-in-tone musical The Young Girls of Rochefort with Deneuve starring alongside her sister Françoise Dorléac, finishing the decade with the L.A. based Model Shop then returning to more fantastical fare and witnessing his biggest hit via Donkey Skin, with Deneuve in Cinderella mode. Demy proffered another notable achievement with 1982’s Une chambre en ville, before ending his filmography on yet another musical note with 1988’s Trois places pour le 26, shortly before his death in 1990 at 59.

                For Catherine Deneuve, Umbrellas would elevate her to major stardom as one of the leading players in French cinema, a position she upholds to this day. Debuting in films as a teen in 1957, Deneuve bided her time until Demy matched her up with one of her most iconic characters and, with her porcelain features and fragile, sensitive demeanor, Deneuve fills the roll of Geneviève with a subtleness and gentleness that makes a viewer emphasize with her and want to protect her from any cruel fate life throws her way. With Castelnuovo, she encapsulates an idealized version of young lovers that perfectly suits Demy’s ultra-romantic vision, making them one of the enduring couples found in 1960’s movies. After Umbrellas, Deneuve’s reputation as a gifted, instinctive screen performance would quickly grow with her stark work in 1965’s thriller Repulsion and daring, bewitching turn in Luis Buñuel’s erotically charged Belle de Jour, the same year she shown bright in a lighter vein reteaming with Demy for Rochefort. Occasionally Deneuve would work on an international scale in films such as Mayerling, The April Fools, Hustle and as a beautiful vampire in 1983’s intriguing The Hunger but primarily continue as the leading female star of French movies, with 1980’s The Last Metro and finally gaining an Oscar nomination for 1992’s epic-scale Indochine among her significant endeavors. Deneuve entered the 2000s with devastatingly effective, emotionally shattering work as Kathy in Lars von Trier’s profoundly dramatic musical Dancer in the Dark, then led an imposing cast of top female stars in 2002’s 8 Women. Further onscreen success showcasing Deneuve’s undiminished mastery of her craft include 2008’s satisfying A Christmas Tale and highly praised turns in 2013’s On My Way and 2023’s Bernadette.

Umbrellas would grant Italian-born Nino Castelnuovo the role to ensure his legacy in the annuals of film history. Starting his movie career in 1956, Castelnuovo garnered pre-Umbrellas attention primarily from an appearance in another major work of the period, Luchino Visconti’s Rocco and His Brothers from 1960, then out of left field appeared opposite Annette Funicello on the Disneyland television series. With his amiable, wide-eyed innocence, mixed with a more subdued quality as things become more dire, and one of the most exquisite visages ever seen on the screen, Castelnuovo is fortuitously cast as Guy, bringing exactly the right qualities of joy and sadness to the role, while interacting with Deneuve with sincerity and focus, allowing Guy to become a highly sympathetic figure a viewer wants to see content and happy with Geneviève. Castelnuovo seemed destined for a great career as a top leading man after his breakthrough in Umbrellas; however, despite his affinity for the camera as an actor and movie star looks to rival any of his contemporaries, Castelnuovo’s filmography would witness hit-and-miss results as he toiled in movies and television, with a small part in 1996’s Oscar-winning The English Patient among his most high profile appearances in the medium before his death in 2021 at age 84.

As Madame Émery, Geneviève’s knowing, practical mother who runs the umbrella shop responsible for the film’s title, Anne Verdon brings understanding and sophistication to the role that allows the audience to grasp her motivations as, even when the character is working against her daughter’s bond with Guy, Vernon clearly conveys the concern and compassion Madame Émery holds towards Geneviève as she strives to secure a rewarding future for her offspring. As Roland, the suitor who can give Geneviève a better life, Marc Michel is earnest and benevolent recreating his role from Demy’s Lola, the title character of whom Roland refers as his lost love in Umbrellas, in a prime example of how Demy would allow aspects from his different films to merge together in a storyline. Finally, in the other chief role of Madeliene, who quietly and loyally pines for Guy until fate steps in, Ellen Farner brings a touching vulnerability and pensiveness to her movie debut, the key entry in her brief filmography. 

Released in February of 1964 in France, Umbrellas of Cherbourg would find great favor with both cinemagoers and the critics, with a win of the elite Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival that year helping Demy’s masterwork reach a global audience. This wide exposure allowed Umbrellas to score a rare accomplishment at the Academy Awards, as the movie managed to rate nominations in two years, with placement among the Best Foreign Language Films nominees for 1964, then for the 1965 Oscars gaining four nominations, including ones for Demy for Best Original Screenplay and (with Legrand) for Best Song (“I Will Wait for You”) and Best Music Score- Substantially Original and Legrand solely mentioned as a nominee for Scoring of Music- Adaptation or Treatment. The appeal of Umbrellas has only blossomed with time, with no less than Martin Scorsese a strong advocate of the film’s merits, helping ensure this lovely classic has continued to reach a wealth of new fans through re-releases and restorations, leading up to current excellent physical media releases on Blu-ray and 4K from Criterion and placement at #122 on the most recent esteemed Sight and Sound poll from 2022 of Cinema’s greatest movies; also, although not a Christmas-themed film overall, the finale, indelible scene is set during the yuletide season, helping make this classic an apt choice for a holiday screening.. Umbrellas’ alternately serene and distressing tale of young love at a crossroads, with one of the screen’s most memorable and melodious scores playing out amid the ornately colorful, beautiful backdrop of Cherbourg setting an exemplary romantic tonal for the graceful work of a grand cast, provides beneficial viewing for anyone interested in exploring Demy’s work via one of his most moving and creative offerings.

Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine Commingle with Elan in Wilder’s Apartment

 

1960 proved a banner year in cinema, with big productions following a traditional style of moviemaking (i.e. Spartacus, From the Terrace, Swiss Family Robinson) vying for patronage with films indicating a shift of audience interest towards more mature subject matter, such as Elmer Gantry and Hitchcock’s shocking Psycho. Ideally combining aspects of both old and new cinematic styles, director/writer/producer Billy Wilder’s The Apartment manages to infuse its cynical tale featuring adultery, attempted suicide and naked ambition with elements of romance and high comedy, resulting in a deeply satisfying, moving and funny experience for viewers interested in an assessable-yet-unorthodox storyline. Wilder and his ace writing partner I.A.L. Diamond, hot off their triumph the previous year with the riotous smash hit Some Like it Hot, concocted an incisive original screenplay of wit, dramatic force and merit. Striking B&W camerawork by Joseph LaShelle, powerful score by Adolph Deutsch and an incredible cast of talented pros led by Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and an against-type Fred MacMurray allows Wilder to impressively maintain a sense of fluidity, humor and emotional depth while detailing a scenario unlike any other during the movie’s 125-minute run time.

As C.C. Baxter, the affable-yet-determined office worker looking to rise up the corporate ladder through hard work and a side hustle which entails colleagues with more status to use his title residence for their after-hours trysts, Jack Lemmon laid the blueprint for his soon-to-be superstar persona on screen as an extremely likeable everyman with whom viewers could identify with and believe, whether Lemmon was playing heroes in comedy or drama mode. Starting his film career as a leading man on a high note opposite Judy Holliday in 1954’s George Cukor-directed It Should Happen to You, Lemmon quickly rose in rank, winning his first Oscar for his impressive comedic skill in one of 1955’s biggest hits, Mister Roberts, then rising higher after his hilarious, inventive work in his initial Hot teaming with Wilder. Apartment would showcase how skillfully Lemmon could shift between pathos and comedy in a role, sometimes in the same scene. His leaning into more dramatic acting via his work as Baxter would allow Lemmon great success, with 1962’s Days of Wine and Roses finding the star pushing himself to heretofore untested dramatic depths, with several Oscar nominations and a second win for Save the Tiger bringing Lemmon recognition as one of the finest serious actors of his generation, in addition to his fame as a top comic on screen.  

Shirley MacLaine, whose screen career had been on a steady path upward since her impressive debut in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble with Harry in 1955, found one of her signature roles as the forlorn elevator operator Fran Kubelik, who catches Baxter’s eye, then gets to know him better under very unusual circumstances. Discovered in ‘out of nowhere’ fashion on Broadway in The Pajama Game after going on for star Carol Haney, MacLaine’s quirky, impish screen persona allowed her to grab attention in a variety of roles, including 1956’s Oscar-winning smash Around the World in Eighty Days and her riveting Oscar-nominated work as goodtime gal Ginny in Some Came Running, wherein she managed to balance comic and dramatic aspects with skill, flair and great individuality, making her a perfect fit for the multidimensional, somewhat beatnik Fran. MacLaine handles her comic lines with deft precision, while also emoting Fran’s despondency with shattering force, specifically during a Christmas Eve sequence. She has a great, friendly chemistry with Lemmon, making one root for this touching, offbeat couple. MacLaine would reteam with Lemmon and Wilder for another big hit, Irma la Douce, and carry on with one of the most diverse and successful careers in show business as both actor and writer, gaining an Oscar in the process and a rich filmography unrivaled by most of her peers.

Fred MacMurray, just around the time he was becoming one of America’s favorite father figures via Disney hits such as The Shaggy Dog and the television debut of My Three Sons later in 1960, would offer one of his most laudable portrayals in the change-of-pace role of Jeff Sheldrake, Baxter’s seemingly easy-going but arrogant, egocentric boss. Starting his career as a saxophone player before making a strong impact in 1930’s and 1940’s romantic comedies alongside the likes of Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert, Barbara Stanwyck and Katharine Hepburn among others, MacMurray would largely remain in light comedies for the next couple of decades, with Wilder allowing MacMurray his best chance to show a darker side in 1944’s Double Indemnity, one of the greatest noirs and 1954’s The Caine Mutiny also displaying MacMurray in less-than-noble mode. Wilder, wanting to utilize MacMurray again for an unsavory character, pulls no punches in illustrating all the unsympathetic aspects of the part, while his star does an ace job using his established genial film persona to underline what a dishonest, chauvinistic egoist Sheldrake is at heart. MacMurray would become increasingly iconic as an amiable figure in films and television during the rest of his career, with The Apartment remaining a great example of how dramatically stirring he could be when given the right opportunity.

Jack Kruschen scored a career breakthrough as Dr. Dreyfuss, Baxter’s neighbor who figures importantly in the plot mid-film. Kruschen brings a nice gravitas to the proceedings in these compelling scenes with the two stars, while also throwing out some sage, amusing observations with a calm resourcefulness that adds dimension to the role, illustrating the wisdom and morality the doctor possesses. The talented Edie Adams also figures importantly in the story as Miss Olsen, Sheldrake’s observant secretary and former lover, making a strong impact with scant screentime. Adams had established herself on stage (winning a Tony for Li’l Abner) and television, portraying a variety of characters and offering on-point impressions of Marilyn Monroe, among others, opposite husband and television pioneer Ernie Kovacs, before her impressive Apartment impact, wherein Adams first invests Miss Olsen with a comic sensibility (especially in a drunken encounter with Fran) then, in keeping with the dynamics of the film’s overall tone, shows the character’s switch to regret, bitterness and bravery as Miss Olsen is forced to re-assess her dealings with Sheldrake, both as employer and former flame.

Hope Holiday, after Broadway work and a film debut the previous year in Li’l Abner, gains perhaps her most notable role as Margie McDougall, the wry, lackadaisical Mrs. whom Baxter picks up at a bar, using her unique raspy voice and some off-kilter line readings to create a portrait of a zany original in only a couple of scenes. Ray Walston and David White (a few years before their greater fame on t.v. in My Favorite Martian and Bewitched), David Lewis and Willard Waterman all do distinct work as the four unscrupulous colleagues vying for individual time at Baxter’s busy pad. Joan Shawlee, a year after scoring as a brassy bandleader in Hot, stands out as a switchboard operator who trysts at the apartment to open the film, and Joyce Jameson impresses early in the film in a clear take-off on Marilyn Monroe (wearing a Monroe dress from Hot), with a breathy vocal delivery that does Marilyn proud.

Released in June 1960, The Apartment was received with abundant critical praise, although a few expecting a light comedy ala Hot were taken aback by the stark, dramatic adult themes involved in the film. Audiences fully embraced Wilder’s latest acerbic offering, leading to The Apartment ending up one of the top hits of the year, eventually gaining $9,300,000 in rentals (according to Variety). The memorable theme song also resonated, with an instrumental by Ferrante & Teicher hitting Billboard’s top ten. Come awards season, Apartment racked up plenty of hosannas, placing among the top ten films of the year on Time, The New York Times and the National Board of Review lists, with MacLaine winning Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival and the film, Lemmon and MacLaine taking top honors at the British Academy Awards, a feat mirrored at the Golden Globes. Wilder was cited as Best Director at the New York Film Critics (in a tie with Jack Cardiff for Sons and Lovers, the film which also tied with The Apartment for Best Motion Picture) and won outright at the Director’s Guild of America, while Wilder and Diamond won screenplays awards from New York and the Writers Guild of America.

 The Academy Awards granted the movie ten nominations (including nods to Lemmon, MacLaine and Kruschen) and five wins, three for Wilder (Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay), cementing its status as one of the most praised and profitable films of its era. Subsequent generations of filmgoers have continued to find great merit in The Apartment. A musical reworking of the material led to a 1968 Broadway hit, Promises, Promises, and the film has placed high on “All-Time” lists, entering the National Film Registry in 1994, then coming in at #93 on the AFI’s first list of Greatest Films, then moving up to #80 on the 10^th Anniversary list, and ranking as high as #14 on the esteemed Sight and Sound poll (during 2002). Over the six decades since its release, The Apartment, which also serves as an interesting choice for holiday viewing due to the story unfolding during the Christmastime to New Year’s Eve period, has lost none of its capacity to wow audiences with its adroit, persuasive blend of humor and conflict, well-earning its reputation as one of the prime entries in the screen endeavors of Wilder, his sterling cast and anyone else associated with this formidable classic.

Elizabeth Taylor Rides the Course to Stardom in National Velvet

 

                Blessed with peak MGM production values and direction by Clarence Brown that assures the central story unfolds with taste, skill and humor, National Velvet provides one of the most indelible and appealing family films to come out of Hollywood. Based on the 1935 novel by Enid Bagnold (beautifully adapted by Helen Deutsch) the movie focuses on the adventures of Velvet Brown, a young Sussex girl with a passion for horses that informs her purpose in life, to the extent she finds herself training her prized steed, “Pie,” for the Grand National. The fanciful-yet-heartwarming story unfolds with uncommon charm and potency, while a top cast inhabits each character with individuality and truth. Herbert Stothart’s lovely score, Robert J. Kern’s fine editing and Leonard Smith’s lush Technicolor cinematography are other contributing factors making Velvet a memorable, moving watch throughout its 123 minutes.

                For Clarence Brown, Velvet mark yet another banner MGM title in an imposing list of credits, after first starting his directorial career during the Silent Era. Although not as well known today as some of his esteemed contemporaries, Brown regularly created high-profile films featuring top stars (Garbo and Joan Crawford, both of whose films Brown frequently helmed, chief among them), such as Garbo’s sound debut in Anna Christie, A Free Soul, The Rains Came and, just before Velvet, 1943’s involving The Human Comedy, amassing six Best Director Academy Award nominations in the process. It’s clear watching Velvet the adept Brown is in full control of his craft, ensuring his fine players’ rich portrayals are properly showcased while moving the tale along from scene-to-scene with class and distinction. After his work on Velvet, Brown would score as solidly with his follow-up family (and animal) oriented film, The Yearling, then closing out the decade with one of his finest accomplishments, 1949’s Intruder in the Dust, a stark, thought-provoking adaptation of the William Faulkner novel exploring themes of racial tension in a small southern community, before retiring from helming MGM films after 1952’s Plymouth Adventure.

                At the tender age of 12, Elizabeth Taylor rose to the top ranks of Hollywood’s most gifted young stars with her enchanting work in Velvet. Starting in films at nine, Taylor had previously made a “Who is that!” impact in 1943’s Lassie Come Home and as the title character’s gentle, caring friend in Jane Eyre, during one of the best opening sequences found in a classic movie, wherein as orphan Helen Burns Taylor and the equally gifted child star Peggy Ann Garner (in the title role) create a convincing, touching relationship in scant screentime. The beautiful young star brings an ethereal conviction to Velvet, perhaps the role she desired more than any other in her career (when first told she was too short for the part, Taylor reportedly replied “I’ll grow, I’ll grow!!,” which she did). With sensitive, skillful playing, Taylor interacts beautifully with her costars, in the process fully involving the viewer with Velvet’s desires and exploits, climaxing in one of the most exciting racing sequences in film. Velvet would be the auspicious breakthrough of a legendary screen career, with Taylor reaching peak success as one of Filmdom’s most beautiful and accomplished players during the 1950s and 1960s, wherein she starred such major films as A Place in the Sun, Giant and Cleopatra, and won her two Best Actress Oscars (out of five nominations) for Butterfield 8 and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Taylor’s fortunes on the screen would become more hit-and-miss after her glory years, until she capped her career with an amusing cameo in The Flintstones, while she simultaneously dabbed in other ventures such as a highly successful perfume line, and heroically became one of the strongest voices and advocates in the fight against AIDS.

                Top-billed Mickey Rooney does some of his finest dramatic work as Michael Taylor, the wayward former jockey who enters the Brown household and helps Velvet with her of dreams of Pie running in the Grand National. One of the most imposing talents to ever hit a screen and already a veteran at 24 after debuting on the vaudeville stage before the age of two, Rooney does an admirable job in downplaying his theatricality that had served him so well in musicals and comedies, lending a depth and honesty to his playing, specifically in his best moment, wherein Mike recounts to Velvet why he doesn’t ride anymore. Rooney was nearing the end of his phenomenal run as one of MGM’s biggest stars, with three years atop the Quigley poll of the biggest box-office draws as his stint as Andy Hardy and ace teaming with Judy Garland in a series of hit musicals doing much to place Rooney at the apex of the Hollywood heap. Velvet represents possibly his last great MGM role, just after gaining his second Best Actor Oscar nod for earnest work in The Human Comedy. Post-Velvet, Rooney would witness abundant highs and lows onscreen and off, with two more Oscar nods (in the Supporting Actor category, as Rooney became a character actor with plenty of elan) and a 1979 triumph on Broadway opposite fellow MGM pro Ann Miller in Sugar Babies among his notable later-career accomplishments.

                Anne Revere makes a strong impact as Mrs. Brown, Velvet’s loving, calm, practical and supportive mother, who also assists Velvet in attaining her goals, while recalling her former glory as a swimmer in one of the film’s most moving passages. After a 1934 debut in films, the same year she gained a major Broadway success starring Lillian Hellman’s controversial hit The Children’s Hour, Revere would witness a stellar 1940s in movies, particularly at 20^th Century Fox, wherein she stood out in such high profile movies as The Song of Bernadette, Fallen Angel, Forever Amber and 1947’s Best Picture  Oscar winner Gentlemen’s Agreement, with Revere gaining three Academy Award nominations and a win by the close of the decade, before her esteemed career was shattered by blacklisting via the ignoble HUAC, causing a two-decade gap in her film work after a brief but telling appearance in 1951’s A Place in the Sun. Donald Crisp, one of the most reliable character actors in film with an imposing list of credits dating from the early years of cinema, including Intolerance, Broken Blossoms, Red Dust, Mutiny on the Bounty and his Oscar for How Green Was My Valley, adds a welcome comic touch to his work as Velvet’s stern but caring father, while Angela Lansbury, in the second film of her illustrious career after debuting with style and a maturity beyond her years with Oscar nominated work in Gaslight, also scores in a lighter mode as Velvet’s romantic, slightly pretentious sister.

Jackie ‘Butch’ Jenkins, who had made a major impression opposite Rooney the previous year in Comedy film debut, is equally amazing as Velvet small brother, Donald. Jenkins has a completely natural, highly individual style for a child performer, and is beguiling every time the precocious tyke is onscreen. In one sequence, Donald has an outburst that is so riveting one wonders how much of the scene is real or acted, concerning the emotive aspects involved therein, as Jenkins depicts Donald’s tormented state with a spontaneity and emotional resolve that leaves a viewer gaping in admirable wonder at the tyke’s innate, highly developed thespian gifts. As with many child stars before him, Jenkins’ career would be aborted with the advent of adolescence, but not before gaining a few more choice MGM assignments, including following up his superior Velvet work with 1945’s moving Our Vines Have Tender Grapes opposite Margret O’Brien and Edward G. Robinson, working with director Fred Zinnemann in the offbeat My Brother Talks to Horses, then ending his filmography in 1948 after reteaming with Rooney for Summer Holiday  and working with O’Brien again in his final film, Big City. Others making their presences felt include Juanita Quigley as Velvet’s other sister, Malvolia, Reginald Owen, as Pie’s disgruntled initial owner, and Norma Varden as the warm teacher seen at the movie’s outset.

                With a December 1944 New York premiere and an early 1945 release in Los Angeles, National Velvet became a major hit, providing Taylor with her foray into top stardom, wherein she would remain for the rest of her fruitful MGM years, and far beyond. Critical praise matched audiences’ enthusiasm for the movie, with the New York Times placing Velvet on the 1944 Top Ten list, while at the Oscars for 1945, Velvet scored with nominations for Best Director, Best Color Cinematography, Best Art Direction and wins for Kern’s editing and Best Supporting Actress for Revere. Enduring in the public’s affections over the years through re-releases, frequent televisions showings and via physical media, the film gained inclusion on the National Film Registry’s 2003 list of films chosen for preservation. A recent Blu-ray presentation from Warner Archives allows those who want to experience one of the loveliest films concerning the hopes and dreams of childhood, featuring Elizabeth Taylor and the rest of an outstanding cast at their most sublime, to see this classic in a pristine print, whether viewing National Velvet for the first time or for an equally satisfying rewatch.