Odd Man Out (1947)

“In my profession there is neither good nor bad. There is innocence and guilt. That's all.”

            Today is the last day of Noirvember! I have had a lot of fun participating in watching great Film Noirs. I chose to watch Film Noirs that I had never heard of before and it has been interesting to watch them. Some of the films have been grittier than the more popular/well know ones and I liked seeing that. To end Noirvember I have chosen Odd Man Out from 1947.

            Johnny McQueen (James Mason) is part of an organization in Northern Ireland dedicated to creating chaos to try to bring about peace from political unrest. He has escaped six months previous and has been holed up in the house of a young woman named Kathleen. The organization Johnny works for wants him and a few other men to rob a mill to get money to finance their next attack. Some of the men do not think Johnny is up to the task. Since his escape he has become interested in negotiating rather than attacking. He tells one of the men that he is still up to the task.

            The robbery, of course, goes wrong and they are pursued by an armed clerk. Johnny gets into an altercation with the clerk and is shot in the shoulder. He shoots the clerk. Johnny manages to jump into the fast moving car but the driver makes too sharp a turn and Johnny is thrown from the car. He manages to get up and walk away and hide in a basement somewhere.

            Now the entire town and all its police force are looking for the seriously injured Johnny. Johnny manages to deliriously walk around the town and get around a few places until he has to be moved over and over again.

            I was not a huge fan of Odd Man Out. The story was different for a Noir since it dealt with a man who was guilty of killing someone. Typically, Noirs deal with a man who has been falsely accused of a crime and has to prove his innocence. We root for the character to get away and have a happy ending with a girl. I actually found myself rooting for Johnny to get away and not be caught since he was hurt and because he was hallucinating and also because the other characters were a bit annoying (if that makes any sense). There was just something about either the story or its length that turned me off a bit. Odd Man Out visually and stylistically was a great film. Carol Reed directed this film and two years later would go on to direct the famous Orson Welles Noir The Third Man. Both films make fantastic use of light and dark and shadows to create atmosphere and add tension and desperation. Odd Man Out, despite me not really liking the story that much, is a very good Film Noir visually and one I recommend seeing if you like Noirs.

 

North By Northwest (1959)

“Now you listen to me, I'm an advertising man, not a red herring. I've got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don't intend to disappoint them all by getting myself "slightly" killed.”

            As far as Hitchcock’s films go after the 1940s to me North by Northwest is his best. Many reviews and books will say that the film has all of the director’s favorite themes of suspense, drama, passion, love, wit, and mistaken identity and that it is the film to end all Hitchcock films.

            Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) is a middle-aged man who works in an advertising firm. While out with some friends he needs to call his mother to remind her of their plans for that night. At the same time he gets up to go to the telephone a waiter is calling out for a man named George Kaplan. Two sinister looking men waiting in the wings see Roger get up at the same time, they believe he is Kaplan and they grab him.

            The two men take Roger to the home of their boss Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) who claims his is a delegate who works at the United Nations. Vandamm asks him about some intelligence. Roger has no idea what is going he repeatedly tells them they have the wrong man that his name is not George Kaplan but Roger O. Thornhill. Vandamm does not listen at all they think he is just a very good spy with great cover. The three men get Roger drunk and try to send him over a cliff but Roger comes to in time and eventually gets arrested for drunk driving. No one believes his story not even his own mother or his lawyer.

            The next day Roger goes to confront Vandamm as the UN delegate he comes face to face with the real delegate. Before he and the delegate can talk a knife is thrown into the man’s back killing him. Roger pulls out the knife; everyone around him thinks he is the murderer.

            Now Roger is sent on a wild goose chase across the country to try to find the real Kaplan (which we and Roger come to find that there is no Kaplan he was a set up to bring out Vandamm and his men) and to clear his name. Along the way he meets a beautiful blonde named Eve Kendall who has the dual role of being Vandamm’s mistress and a government agent.

            Like all of Hitchcock’s wrong man stories Roger is eventually cleared and the real murderer/criminal is brought to justice.

            North By Northwest can be looked at a the beginning of the modern spy stories we are used to seeing in the movies and on TV. Apparently Ian Flemming author of the James Bond series got the idea for his famous spy from this film. In turn many spy action films and shows have gotten their inspiration from James Bond. You can see where Bond comes from when you look at Cary Grant; you can see where the smooth  and charming villain comes when you see James Mason; you can see where the spy’s gorgeous woman and weakness comes from when Eva Marie Saint first appears on screen.

            Cary Grant is stunning as the main character. The man was the epitome of class and sophistication and I think all his class and sophistication culminates in this film. I love how he played Roger’s fear with a calm and coolness and never made the character lose his head. You can see his fear under the surface but it never comes out in full force. It seems that from the moment he meets Eve Roger turns into the smooth man looking for some comfort. The chemistry between Grant and Saint is incredible (although I will say their first make out scene is so uncomfortable to watch, it is so awkward). There is no subtle sexual dialogue between them we know exactly what Grant means when he says that he wants to be alone somewhere in private where he can do things with her.

            The one thing I have noticed about Hitchcock’s blondes, aside from Grace Kelly, is that they were not really gorgeous. Joan Fontaine, Ingrid Bergman, Tippi Hedren, Kim Novak- they were pretty but not exactly gorgeous. Eva Marie Saint was pretty but what made her really sexy was the confidence she exuded. In her first scene where she and Cary Grant first meet I am always left wondering how any man could have kept their hands on the table and their minds from wandering. Saint’s play of sexual confidence is enough to make a man melt. I found myself never really trusting the character even after we find out that she is really good. I was waiting for her turn but of course she never did in the end we had to sympathize with her otherwise she would have had to die.

            James Mason was perfect as the charming villain. Of course we are made to hate him because he has the hero by the throat by getting him into the mess, I did not like him either but at the same time I felt like I could not hate him he was just so good.

            North By Northwest has the most memorable scene from one of Hitchcock’s film where Roger has to run for his life from a dust crop airplane in the middle of nowhere. That scene is so suspenseful and tense because Roger has nowhere to go and nowhere to hide in the wide open field. That has to be the scariest thing to see someone needing to hide but there is nowhere to go. Sure he hides a bit in a nearby cornfield but that does not provide a very good cover.

            Bernard Herrmann created one his best scores. There is a reason Hitchcock worked with the composer so much the man created such intense scores that really enhanced every scene.

            The dialogue is amazing. Today it is not shocking at all but for back in 1959 I can imagine the audiences’ cheeks turning red and them being shocked. From the moment Roger and Eve meet their dialogue is so risqué. When they meet she says “I’m a big girl” to which he responds “Yes, I see and in all the right places too.”

            North By Northwest is one of the best films Hitchcock made. Several reviewers have said the plot is ridiculous and crazy but aren’t all spy dramas? The impossibility of the story is what makes it so enjoyable and what adds to the suspense. Hitchcock created the greatest and most enduring spy thriller that has been an inspiration for spy films and shows for decades. North By Northwest is truly one of the Master of Suspense’s ultimate films. 

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)



“The measure of love is what one is willing to give up for it.”

            Pandora and the Flying Dutchman is a very moving love story. The Flying Dutchman legend tells of a seventeenth century Dutch seaman who after he killed his wife has cursed himself to wander the seas until doomsday or until a woman is willing to die for him. A woman named Pandora Reynolds has men falling all over themselves for her. One man who cannot gain her real love goes so far as to kill himself. Another man drives his racing car over the side of a cliff to prove he truly loves her. One night Pandora spots a boat out at sea and curiously swims up to the boat by herself. On board the captain named Hendrik Van der Zee. He is painting a picture of a woman who looks identical to Pandora but the two of them have never met before. As time goes on Pandora truly falls in love Hendrik he is always on her mind. Hendrik falls loves Pandora as well. They talk about how they feel for each other one night on the beach. Hendrik asks Pandora if she would be willing to die for him and she said that the thought had crossed her mind. He gets mad at himself for asking such a question because he really loves her and would never want her to die for him. After that he tries to push her away so nothing bad will happen to her. But in the end Pandora’s love for the old sea captain conquers all and she makes the ultimate sacrifice for love.

            Ava Gardner was the best choice to play Pandora. In real life she was the ultimate temptress who men would no anything just to get her to notice them. This was Gardner’s first Technicolor film and my goodness was she gorgeous. On screen she exudes that sexy siren. I can see why so many men were (and probably still are) so captivated by her. I am comfortable with myself to say that she was sexy I had my eyes glued to her the whole time. Her acting is alright at times it just felt like Gardner was saying the lines not putting any emotion behind them at all… but then again that is how most of the film felt. Today when writers write a story of a woman who is a temptress the actress picked is so unbelievable at times but with Ava Gardner you believed she could tempt the pants off of any man she was just so beautiful.

            James Mason was excellent. I was not thrilled with him in the slightest in East Side, West Side also with Ava Gardner but he was perfect as the Dutchman. He gave the only emotion out of all the actors in the film. When I read he was in this film I was not looking forward to watching this too much but once I saw that he was calm and not being a lady’s man I really enjoyed him. The scene where he reads the Dutchman’s old diary and enacts the story he was reading was brilliant, I did not want it to end. Mason had that old soul look as if he really could have been from Europe around the seventeenth century.

            Director Albert Lewin was interested in mythology and the story of the Flying Dutchman as well as Surrealism. One of Lewin’s friends was the Surrealist artist Man Ray. Lewin had Ray paint the portrait of Pandora that Hendrik had painted. Many shots in the film have a very Surrealist quality about them: one scene has Ava Gardner lying on the sand, her profile and lips are shown in the foreground and another character standing in the background. A very Surrealist scene has a group of musicians playing right on top of statues and ruins on the beach as well as people dancing on them. It is difficult to explain if you have not seen the film or know Surrealist art. Surrealist art depending on which artist’s work you are looking at can be really weird. This film takes on a other worldly feeling and that is basically one of the qualities of Surrealist art. If you look up Man Ray you will kind of understand what I am talking about. He was very into beauty and woman. One of his most famous muses was the photographer Lee Miller.

            Pandora and the Flying Dutchman is a very good film. The story and the modern retelling was done very well Albert Lewin did a wonderful job on the script and direction. I would not recommend it to everyone it is more of a film to watch if you really like Ava Gardner or are interested in Surrealism.

           

East Side, West Side (1949)



“If I were your wife, I'd cut your heart out!”

            East Side, West Side feels like a film that could be made today: fill a poorly written script with a poorly written story with a whole bunch of well known and talented cast of actors and no one will care what the plot or story is about. The only way this stands out from really feeling like a film that could be made today is the cast of classic actors and actresses that today’s stars cannot compare to. Even with a crappy story the acting is still fantastic (well I had issues with James Mason as the lead but I’ll get to that in a bit.)

            Brandon Bourne (James Mason) is a cheating husband. He cheated on his wife Jessie (Barbara Stanwyck) some time ago with a beautifully seductive woman named Isabel Lorrison (do I even have to tell you who plays this part?). Jessie has forgiven her husband who has promised not to be the playboy he once was- he did chose to stay with her after all instead of running away with Isabel. One night after work Brandon decides to go out for a drink. He goes to this club where he meets a girl Rosa Senta (Cyd Charisse) who happens to know his wife from the dress shop she works at. Then who comes walking in but Jezebel herself Isabel Lorrison. She walks in with a new wealthy man. As Brandon leaves Isabel’s new man punches him in the face outside of the club and Rosa helps him. Unfortunately the press was waiting outside and got a picture of the young woman helping out the injured married man. 

            The next day the picture is splashed all over the front pages of the paper. Brandon explains that the girl helped him out and took him to her apartment until he got up and left (which is true he really did). Jessie believes him but she goes to talk to Rosa anyway.

            Rosa’s friend (or boyfriend not really sure) Mark Dwyer (Van Heflin) comes back from writing about the war in Italy. Jessie holds a party for his homecoming. After this night Mark and Jessie start to see each other, each has strong feelings for the other. Mark feels bad that Brandon is cheating on Jessie.

            Brandon is once again (somewhat) seeing Isabel. He makes the mistake of writing down her address and leaving work one day with Isabel. Jessie finds Isabel’s address and pays a visit to the woman. Isabel is determined to get Brandon away from Jessie. After some words Jessie leaves with Mark who has been sitting outside in his car.

            A while later Isabel is found dead by Brandon in her apartment. Both Bournes are the prime suspects in the murder.

            Put it this way: Isabel was not well liked by many.

            The whole reason I bought this film was for Ava Gardner. If there was ever a film that closely resembled her real life at the time it was this one. Isabel is a character that right when you see her you know she is up to absolutely no good. She’s seductive and knows how wrangle any man she wants. Isabel gets Brandon to take her home and she sits so seductively on the couch that I do not know how men when they went to see this in theaters did not jump onto the screen! In the same scene you can see that she gets under Brandon’s skin. Gardner played that scene so well you can see on her face that she knows she is getting under the man’s skin just by looking at her teasing face. I am currently reading a biography on Ava Gardner (called “Love is Nothing” by Lee Server which is so good) and when she went out men needed to be hidden by their girlfriends/wives for fear they would go home with her (in a sense) . Isabel is a man eater and so was Gardner. Before and during the filming of this film Gardner was having an affair with Robert Taylor who was at the time married to Barbara Stanwyck. Well that did not go over so well and Stanwyck did not even want to meet Gardner. The scene where Jessie and Isabel meet feels intense; probably because the atmosphere on set when the two ladies came face to face to do the scene was super intense. The acting in the scene was done so well by both actresses; Isabel is getting frustrated at Jessie not letting Brandon go so he could be with her and Jessie just remains as calm as possible.

            This was my first time seeing Barbara Stanwyck in a film. Although the film was not great and the character of Jessie someone seen over and over again I really liked Stanwyck she was very good and most importantly did not over act. I like her husky voice it was beautiful. Now I cannot wait to see her in other films.

            This was also my first time seeing Cyd Charisse not dancing in a film. It seems like MGM did not know what to do with her and just threw her into the role of Rosa Senta. She did a good job as well with her character but her acting is nothing to go on about (I love her I have a couple of films with her but they are the ones where she is mostly dancing.) I will say Charisse was totally adorable.

            I had issues with James Mason being the leading man. There was something about him I did not like at all. To me he was not believable as the cheating husband going around with a beautiful younger girl. Maybe this is so because I do not think he is good looking enough to attract the attention and fighting over from Ava Gardner (especially) and Barbara Stanwyck.

            East Side, West Side is an alright film, definitely not one of the best ever made. Ava Gardner in her brief but powerful scenes stole the whole film. After Isabel dies there was not too much to look forward to. See it for the good performances from Ava Gardner and Barbara Stanwyck but other than that there is nothing that interesting about it.