bjzajac Reviews

High Noon (1952)

Mark Twain and High Noon

[17 August 2003]

The name of the town in "High Noon" is Hadleyville and is a direct reference to Mark Twain's famous story, "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyville". Often, good directors will refer to or hint at themes or subjects in the other arts when working on a film. In the world of novels and stories, Dickens' character, Ebeneezer Scrooge, contains in his very name the main message of "The Christmas Carol". Dickens was well read in the Bible.

Crimson Tide (1995)

Horses

[5 May 2003]

Another goof: in the film, "Crimson Tide", Gene Hackman continually mispronounces the word "Lippizaner". He adds an "n" which doesn't belong in the word and by doing so makes the small intellectual confrontation with Denzel Washington look uninformed. If you can't say the word correctly, then a disagreement about where the horses come from looks suspect. The word is pronounced - "Lippizaner".

The Fountainhead (1949)

Outstanding Acting, Writing, and Directing.

[10/10 · 30 December 2001]

Once you begin to view this film, you will sit through the entire movie and enjoy every moment of it. You won't allow yourself to turn off the television or the vcr. The acting is splendid, the screen writing is pointed and acerbic, and the directing by King Vidor is excellent. If the clothing and locales were modernized, the impact of this film would be even greater. Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, and Raymond Massey give excellent performances and work extremely well as an ensemble. The supporting cast is also first-rate. The photography is nonpareil, and the film's message stressing the importance of the individual and the danger of mob-thinking is everlasting and is even more telling in these modern times of religious fanaticism which crushes the individual's right to think and to exist as a person. Treat yourself to a splendid film, and see how The Fountainhead continues to stay fresh and important 50 years after it was first made.

Back to Bataan (1945)

Gripping WWII movie

[10/10 · 9 June 2001]

Skip "Pearl Harbor" and rent this movie instead. This is a no-holds barred view of the Imperial Japanese and their brutality toward the Filipinos in the opening stages of World War II. John Wayne, Anthony Quinn (who recently died), Beulah Bondi, et al are splendid in their roles. The hanging episode at the school is particularly moving and horrifying. That outrage encapsulates what happened to thousands of brave Filipinos who suffered under the heel of the Japanese. See this film.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Army

[10/10 · 4 June 2001]

According to some movie sources, the directors were unable to get equipment for the movie from the Pentagon because officials there felt uncomfortable with the film's peace message. Accordingly, the military hardware seen in the movie came from the National Guard.

Attack (1956)

Tough, hard-hitting WWII battle film

[10/10 · 3 March 2001]

This is one of the toughest and most realistic films about WWII combat in Europe made in the 1950s. The bayonet sharpness of this movie stems from that many of the actors in the film are or were themselves WWII veterans. Lee Marvin was a US Marine on Saipan and was wounded in combat, and Eddie Albert was in the Navy and was at the unimaginably bloody battle of Tarawa (Betio). These men knew what war was about and what it cost to wage it. See this film. You will witness a classic drama about bravery in war and the ugliness and finality of combat.