EJWCOMMRE Reviews

The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011)

Not Worth Watching

[1/10 · 30 September 2013]

I've viewed only the Post War segment and have no interest in seeing any more.

Pompous,droning, few clips, substitutes too many shots of current actual locales of vintage neo-realistic film works. Jos. Cotton is misidentified with Everett Sloan in ...KANE clip. Even jumps to the 1960's -far afield from "post war" era in a Stanley Donen interview.

Concentrates on Elia Kazan for being a communist accuser and the criticism of his special Oscar award.Whether you blame the director for his testimony or not the fact remains he won as Best Director for ON THE WATERFRONT only 2 years AFTER he named names and decades before the honorary honor.

Beat the Devil (1953)

Absurd Comedy

[8/10 · 23 November 2010]

This film was a great revelation when I first saw it 40 years ago. I love Bogie in everything he starred in and here he is quite subtle, low key,unpredictable in his interplay with the great cast. Yes, it looks at if it was filmed "through a beer bottle" as Jack L. Warner once wrote but that's due to all exteriors and a few interiors shot on location(the rest in London)

The book on which it's based was a straight novel. John Huston and others including Truman Capote (during production) adapted it into a droll comedy.

The original advertising for this film was mis-leading as it was not a straight adventure movie. The film was booked into good theaters but for some reason it flopped(yet Bogie's 3 other 1954 films were hits-SABRINA,CAINE MUTINY, BAREFOOT CONTESSA)Films back then didn't open all at once nationwide nor was there today's constant media / word of mouth access so its reception is puzzling. But,sometimes movies din't do well because of competition, time of year,poor theater venues.and in 1954 the competition from TV.And most movies back then played only ONE week because there were more theaters but LESS screens(no multiplexes)

Bogie's Santana Production co-produced and he sold his company to Columbia Pictures just before he died so the public domain status is not due to his heirs.(Other companies have European rights) There are numerous cheap DVD versions in varying print condition but TCM had a showing last year and their print was OK.

Don't expect a noir movie or a jokey comedy but enjoy the ridiculous situations, humorous asides and surprising plot twists .

Walk East on Beacon! (1952)

Typical 1950's Semi-Doc Efforts

[6/10 · 3 August 2008]

This is definitely not a "hysterical anti-communist screed" but a plodding 1950's manhunt story with Westbrook Van Vorhees as the narrator.It would be simple to ignore the ineffective demagoguery of Joe McCarthy as based on fiction, but the U.S.S.R. did aggressively spy on the U.S. and other allies during and after W.W.2 and its party organization and members were totally controlled by Moscow. This whole picture was shot on location but it lacks the punch of such other realistic films as CALLING NORTHSIDE 777, BOOMERANG, IRON CURTAIN etc.

Murphy wasn't much of an actor and comes off as bland as he was when the host of MGM PARADE.