mrjarndyce Reviews

The Age of Innocence (1993)

Superb, all around

[11 June 2002]

I fear that some unhappy comments made about this film arise from disappointment in that it wasn't a 'typical' Scorcese movie. No sympathy, though - any fan of the man has to be aware of the range he commands.

That said, this is a wonderful movie. It is astoundingly faithful to the subtleties of the novel; it is magnificent to see; and it manages to make very alive the people of another world. Day-Lewis is at his best. Note the scene with Pfeiffer when both are laughing at a Christopher Columbus spin. His barely restrained glee in the woman's presence is perfect. But the woman! Pfeiffer has been cursed with great beauty. Too bad, that it obfuscates for many a brilliant, brilliant actor. She is ideal as the countess, cultured, intelligent, passionate and highly moral. Best of all, Scorcese orchestrates the entire thing with the sure hand of a director who knows his craft absolutely.

The Fountainhead (1949)

Revisited

[10 June 2002]

Had to see this again, after reading other reviews here.

Oh, but I wish I hadn't. I'm now left with a stronger sense than ever that Mr. Cooper was stiffly moving through a choreography alien to him; the only remaining joy is Neal's performance. On repeated viewing, the script is less easy to stomach. It has all the nuance, all the subtlety, all the art of a pro-German propaganda flick made in the late '30's. The philosophy spouted by the cast is the usual, facile, pseudo-intellectualism of the Rand tribe - a school founded on a premise which got wrong the concept of selflessness from the very outset (that is, that 'selflessness' is never utterly literal; even in biblical terms, it is used to define a state of self strong enough to give much without abandoning its essence). Thus the actors - and some fine ones, too - are reduced to trying to shape performances out of street corner didactics.

I do believe this movie is a milestone of sorts; how did Hollywood permit such blatant (and puerile) agitprop to slip through its gilded doors? Ah, well. See it, by all means. Just keep the sound off.

Elizabeth (1998)

She Deserved MUCH better

[11 May 2002]

Blanchett resembles what we know of Elizabeth Tudor's looks. The costumes are very good, too. Everything else in this production fails as a movie and doubly fails as one purporting to tell a real story. Blanchett's character in no way reflects what we know of Elizabeth's own, and we know a lot. Scene after scene is filled with fantastic and untrue scenarios: e.g., the assassination attempt; the ridiculous arrival of the French suitor and the more preposterous notion that the Duc d'Anjou (I assume this was meant to be him; as he never came to England, one can't be sure) would have a cross-dressing orgy as a guest of the queen he sought political marriage with, in a court riddled, as he would well know, with English spies; and the downright laughable end, wherein the queen consciously adopts a white mask to set herself up as a Protestant icon of virginity. Fifteen years before she entertained the most serious marriage proposal of her life. The real disgrace here is that Elizabeth's life and reign were rife with authentic, highly dramatic incidents which would have made for gripping story-telling. Shame on all concerned for presenting the public with such a travesty.

Used Cars (1980)

A small gem

[11 May 2002]

This film has to stand as a premier example of how a relatively little movie can be more wonderfully right than many a huge production. It is tacky. It is vulgar. There are T&A jokes to spare. There is no really decent character; in fact, the love story within it blossoms at the end when the heroine gives in to the shady dealings of the business. And the entire movie is a glorious, slapstick farce. Personally, I'll always treasure it because I'll always remember how hard I laughed when the 'commercial' slipped into the SuperBowl goes...a little wrong.

The Fountainhead (1949)

What Might Have Been

[11 May 2002]

This might have been, in fact, a great movie. Vidor directs with a sure and excellently paced hand; the visual elements are striking; and young Pat Neal is a raw marvel on screen. This is not a great movie because someone made the spectacular mistake of letting Rand write the screenplay. Thus, her objectivist philosophy is ludicrously masked as dialogue. Please note: I care little about her views themselves. I can admire a fine script and disagree with its message. But this is downright cartoonish. Dull businessmen say things like, 'Say, Roark, there's no point to trying something new!', or, 'Look here, old man, just go along with what the people like!' I don't exaggerate - it really is that overblown, and poor Gary Cooper looks awfully embarrassed when he has to defend his integrity in equally dreadful lines. A shame, all around. And not much in the way of promoting Rand's dream, to be sure. Who can subscribe to a movement with so inept a spokesperson?