The Quiet Man

Dir: John Ford

1952

**

You can't deny that Winton Hoch's beautifully epic cinematography doesn't make you wish you were in the lush Irish countryside when watching but as far from classic romantic-comedy drama goes, I really don't see the appeal. John Ford was a great director, he made some of cinema's finest films but I don't personally count The Quiet Man as one of them. It is far from romantic, not very dramatic and calling it a comedy because of the few jokes it tells is a bit of an exaggeration. Made in the 50s and depicting the 20s, the story does indeed match the way life was back then. Some of the cultural differences from today seem quite horrific but at the time they were the excepted norm, however, I can't laugh at something dislikeable. Sean Thornton (played by John Wayne), is an Irish-born American from Pittsburgh who, after giving up a boxing career after he accidentally killed a man in the ring, travels back to Ireland to reclaim his family's farm and his birthplace in Inisfree. He meets and falls in love with the fiery Mary Kate Danaher (played by Maureen O'Hara), who is the sister of the bullying, loud-mouthed landowner Squire "Red" Will Danaher (played by Victor McLaglen) who actually wanted to buy the Thornton family farm for himself. When Thornton asks Danaher for his sister's hand in marriage, there is an argument over consent and then her dowry and in the end the two men end up having a very lengthy punch up that lasts hours and has a few intervals including several pints of stout. However, for most of the film John Wayne throws Maureen O'Hara around, is rude to her and the chemistry between them is anything but romantic. If life was really like that in real life then this should be a serious drama, rather than a comedy romance unless of course it was a satire or spoof. The Quiet Man was something of a departure for Wayne and Ford, who were both known mostly for Westerns and other action-oriented films but I still feel that their work ethic that worked in the Wild West was used poorly in the Irish countryside. It's one of those films that everyone likes but I do not. I thought the flash-back boxing sequence was very good and it reminded me of Raging Bull made many decades later. The final punch up was mildly amusing too but the thing I find most interesting about the film is the last scene. At the film's conclusion, after the credits have rolled, we see Kate and Sean standing in their garden waving good-bye. Maureen O'Hara turns to John Wayne and whispers something in his ear, evoking a priceless reaction from Wayne. What was said was known only to O'Hara, Wayne and John Ford. In exchange for saying this unscripted bit of text, O'Hara insisted that the exact line never be disclosed by any involved parties. In her memoirs she says that she refused to say the line at first as she "couldn't possibly say that to Duke", but Ford insisted, claiming he needed a genuine shock reaction from Wayne. The line remains a mystery to this day and I'd love to know what it was. Once you know the story you can never see that scene the same way again.

Bend of the River

Dir: Anthony Mann

1952

***

Bend of the River represents the second collaboration between director Anthony Mann and actor James Stewart, it would be the second of eight films, five of which were westerns (Winchester '73, The Naked Spur, The Far Country and The Man From Laramie). After Winchester '73 Stewart had adopted an altogether different persona than audiences had seen before, he was still likable but he was violent, edgier and often more disillusioned (or at least disillusioned in a different way than he had been before - he wasn't seeing seven foot tall rabbits like he was in 1950's Harvey anyway). It was a new direction, an exciting one and both Mann and Stewart breathed new life into the classic genre. The plot is largely unpredictable, with the audience not really knowing who James Stewart or Arthur Kennedy's characters are or what their intentions may be. The film's finale is punchy, violent and full of twists and turns which make up for what I've always thought of as lazy tricks as far as character development goes. The supporting cast is great and it features early performances from favourite actors of mine Rock Hudson and Royal Dano. I always felt that Julie Adam's character was a little redundant and has no real significance, other than the fact it was seen as some sort of rule that every film had to have some kind of romance and romantic interest for the lead character. Rock Hudson is strong in his supporting role as professional gambler Trey Wilson, another character whose intentions are unclear. It's an adequately directed film based on a brilliant Borden Chase script. Chase is one of the greatest but most overlooked screen writers of the genre in my opinion, too often his films are remembered for the director of leading man, rather than the story and how original they were in the world of westerns. It has been said that the Borden Chase western story is presented in a physical progression across a larger-than-life landscape, an epic journey west which allows forces of good and evil to interact. The issue of the Chase western script is not whether man will settle the west and live in it, it is assumed he will or that he already has. The question is more universal and appropriate to modern life: Will the uncivilized forces within man create a wild west in perpetuity by winning out over his better instincts? Imitated, often by the best but seldom matched. I've always felt his stories deserved better but there is plenty of Bend in The River to enjoy.

Singin' in the Rain
Dir: Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen
1952
***
I absolutely love musicals but just not this kind. Gene Kelly is a real charmer and his persona really shines through what is really a ridiculous story with songs that have no relevance to what's going on at all. I fond the song 'Make em' laugh' to be one of the most annoying ever written and it always seems to be sung by the most unfunny of people. All that aside, the dream-like dance scenes were great and you can't be anything but impressed by the production, the dancing is superb and it's not a bad film at all, just not my cup of tea. The rating is based purely on my enjoyment, obviously, and I know why others love it and consider it a classic.

Flavor of Green Tea over Rice
Dir: Yasujirô Ozu
1952
*****
I imagine the subject matter and the youthful approach of questioning tradition and the older generation was quite taboo in it's day. Ozu was the master of subtlety though, this was a totally different film of its day and was quite revolutionary when you think about it. Yet it passed almost unnoticed. Unfairly overshadowed by his other classics, Flavor of Green Tea over Rice is a beautiful, honest and magnificently ordinary film by Ozu. For whatever you get out of it, you wont be able to forget the wry ending that reminds us that, whilst there might not be a way of avoiding some of life's cycles, conform to a point but do so with a sense of humour.

Jack and the Beanstalk
Dir: Jean Yarbrough
1952
*
Being a fan of the old classic American comedies I'd looked forward to my first Abbott & Costello as I'd heard nothing but good things. After reading up on them though, it looks as though Jack and the Beanstalk wasn't the best place for me to start. A relief and a disappointment, I do hope their other films are better than this, I'm sure they are because you can't get much worse than this. I understand though that this was part of a two picture deal along with Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd that was made for kids, so I'm not giving up yet!

Forbidden Games (Jeux interdits)
Dir: René Clément
1952
*****
Forbidden Games is as heartbreaking as it gets. It really does show the horrors of war seen through the eyes of children. I thought that it slumped a bit in the third quarter, there is an unnecessary element of humour where the simple 'peasant' family are concerned but the last scene is as sad as the first; haunting, beautiful and hard to forget. It's shocking, tender, sad, heartbreaking and heartwarming. To produce all of these emotions in just one film takes a true master of cinema and that is exactly what Lucien Hubert was, although sadly he will always be remembered as just a comedian. Highly recommended for all, in fact this is essential viewing.

The Importance of Being Earnest
Dir: Anthony Asquith
1952
*****
Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest is so beautifully written that each character has got to be performed perfectly or there isn't much point. Each paragraph, sentence, word and each pause between demands the best delivery and in Anthony Asquith's 1952 version that is exactly what the world got. It may even be the definitive version. It's rarely that I would say the film is better than the book, I love the book very much, but the film really does bring the words to life. This is down to Michael Redgrave, Edith Evans, Michael Denison, Dorothy Tutin, Margaret Rutherford and Joan Greenwood although I would argue that it's the ladies that steal the show. Always read the book first and then sit back and enjoy this brilliant film.

Angel Face
Dir: Otto Preminger
1952
*****
A chilling and exhilarating thriller from one of the forgotten masters of cinema, Otto Preminger. The script is first rate, there are no cliches here and everything seems as realistic as it would be. Jean Simmons is brilliant as the films 'Femme Fatale', we see the troubled soul but also the pure selfishness and manipulation. It's thrilling stuff and quite shocking too. Robert Mitchum is no stooge though, his character is as well performed as it is written. The beautiful noir style fits the moments of melodrama, intensity, horror and the rather well written court scenes perfectly. Angel Face is a classic that doesn't get enough recognition.

High Noon
Dir: Fred Zinnemann
1952
*****
As influential and highly praised High Noon is in the genre, it's never really been copied or imitated, in fact Westerns since have shied away from its overall feel and idea. That's because Westerns represent capitalism. It's mostly why they are full of villains, ownership and an every man for himself attitude. High Noon is a liberal allegory for blacklisting, McCarthy's red-baiting being at the forefront of the swipe. Many top names declined the leading role due to it's political undertones, many didn't get the chance because they were grey listed but it seemed fitting that active liberal Cooper got the part. The fact that John Wayne hated it so much makes me love it even more, it really is the Western for people who don't like Westerns. John Wayne was a fool. Makes you wonder if being un-American is to be American or if being American is un-American. Either way, John Wayne was an ass. Politics aside, the picture is beautiful, with a lighter than usual tint added for maximum effect. What a cast too, it's a who's who of Hollywood's most overlooked actors of the 1950s.