Saving Mr. Banks

I am a huge fan of the movie "Mary Poppins". It's my favorite Disney movie, and when my nieces were all young, I started them out on it. They'd come over to my house, and the first thing they'd want to do it watch "Mary Poppins". We'd sing the songs together and dance around the living room, and laugh to see if we could float up on the ceiling. It's a true classic, and a memory with my nieces that I treasure.

The other night, as part of it's Summer Outdoor Movie Series, the County showed "Saving Mr. Banks" at a local park. It's the story of how Walt Disney convinced P.L. Travers to sell him the movie rights to "Mary Poppins", which was no small task. As played by Emma Thompson, she was a most unlikable woman, and very suspicious of Disney's attempts to turn her characters into a movie. Disney, as played by Tom Hanks, spends the better part of 20 years, and develops countless ulcers, trying to win her approval and make the picture he envisions. She is absolutely opposed to the idea of a musical, and to animation, and to everything she thinks Disney represents. While all this is happening, she is recalling her own tragic personal history. Slowly, over time, Disney and his staff win her over, and the picture gets made. 

It's not necessarily a fun movie, or a fun story. There are moments of humor, and tragedy, but mostly it's the story of how a huckster and showman gets a mean and cranky woman to briefly let her emotional guard down, so that together they can create a classic. 

This may make you think that I didn't enjoy the movie, but on the contrary, I absolutely did. I admit, it's a little slow in parts, and it can be a little confusing as it shifts from 1964 to the early 1900's and back again. But the performances are superb, and the recreation of Los Angeles, and  the Disney Studios as they were at the time, is beautiful and breathtaking. And in the end, Mr. Banks is saved, and the classic is created, for countless families like mine to enjoy for years and years to come.

RIP James Garner

Sad news this morning that one of my all-time faves, James Garner, has passed away. My family was big fans, and we faithfully watched "The Rockford Files" every week, along with old episodes of "Maverick". And I can't even begin to count how many times we watched "Murphy's Romance". In our household, he was a very close second to John Wayne, and that's really saying something. Especially so since in real-life, Garner was a devoted Liberal (and let's just say that my family's politics more closely followed The Duke's).

In those days, you could go to a local shop to rent a VHS player and old movies on video, and invariably, we always brought home something with either The Duke or James Garner. Besides "Murphy", there were the Disney Cowboy movies, "The Castaway Cowboy", "Support Your Local Sheriff", and "Support Your Local Gunfighter", and the Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movies. Remember those old Kodak commercials with Mariette Hartley? In the 70's and 80's, James Garner was everywhere you looked in the entertainment world. 

His typical character was always handsome, a bit of a con artist, a little irreverent, and usually tried to avoid a fight. But you always rooted for him, because inevitably he'd have to step up and get involved, and when he did, it usually worked out in the end. 

Freaks

Halloween should be spent doing something fun and just a bit spooky - I spent it with a bowl of popcorn, and watching the movie "Freaks", a rather notorious movie from the early 1930's.  Directed by Tod Browning, it was his follow up to his first picture "Dracula". "Dracula" was brilliant and made him the young artist of the moment, giving him enough street cred to direct this pet project.

"Freaks" is the story of what was then called a Circus Sideshow.  At the time, sideshows were meant to showcase "Freaks", real people in various stages of physical deformities.  They weren't part of the main event, but they were kept out of the way of polite society, and one only went to see them if you were in the mood for a little fright and disgust.  In our story, the freaks are led by a Dwarf named Hans.  Hans is engaged to marry fellow dwarf Frieda. Hans is a good man, but he finds himself drawn to the overt charisma and sexuality of the normal-sized headliner, Cleopatra. Cleopatra thinks Hans is a freak, but doesn't discourage his advances, wooing him with the anticipation of inheriting his fortune.  Hans eventually leaves Frieda for Cleopatra, and marries her.  But as they celebrate their wedding supper, and Cleopatra is initiated into the Freak Family (as they think of themselves), Hans discovers what she really thinks of him.  Over several weeks Cleopatra attempts to poison Hans so that she can run off with her lover, Hercules the Strongman. Her attempted murder is witnessed by the fellow freaks.  As she attempts to get away , she and Hercules are eventually chased down by the freaks and in an ode to horror, become subject to freakish justice.

This was quite a notorious picture for its day.  In an attempt to humanize people with physical deformities, it ended up frightening "decent people" everywhere.  MGM held it out of release and edited it to smithereens (most of the scary scenes were edited out and destroyed), so that Browning's original vision was whittled down to nothing but the sideshow he was hoping to overcome.  It ended up being a flop, and in effect, ruined his career. He only made a few more pictures after that.  If you look at the picture in today's politically correct lens, you can see the point Browning was trying to get across - people are people, and everyone is deformed in some way.  And looking at it that way, the movie really isn't all that scary. But if you were a moviegoer in the 1930's, when people with physical challenges were shuttled off and kept out of view, it would have been terrifying.

I Hate Space

Gravity - three words - O-M-G! Can't say enough about this one.  There just aren't enough adjectives.  I predict that come Awards season it will blow every other picture out of the water, and give Sandra Bullock her second Oscar. 

Couple of points: If one is adrift in space, and if one is given the choice to just give up and stay behind with George Clooney, it's a pretty easy decision.  DUH! It's George Clooney people! And yes, I hate space, and by the time this picture is over, so will you. GO SEE IT!

Hugo

A few years ago, Martin Scorcese, the director known mostly for his films depicting the brutality of mob violence, decided to make a picture showcasing his love for film history. Based on the book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret", it's about an orphan who lives in and takes care of the clocks for the Train Station. Hugo's father, a master watchmaker has died, and his abusive Uncle has gone missing. And knowing the fate of most orphans in Paris, Hugo is anxious for no one to know of his existence.  So he keeps the clocks going and finds the occasional mechanical piece to use to fix his automaton (a sort of pre-cursor to robots).  Eventually Hugo runs afoul of Georges Melies, who runs the local toy shop, and who has taken a dislike to Hugo. But who also shares a connection with him that will unlock both their hearts.

The film is absolutely stunning to look at. Costumes, art direction, visual effects, and music all are top-notch, and the recreation of early Melies short films are brilliant. The performances are sweet and heart-felt.  And the magic of movies is alive and well.

The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

One of my favorite pictures from the 1950's is "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit".  I first saw it years ago in college for my "Film in American Culture" class, and I've pretty much adored it ever since.  Some of the things we were asked to consider in that class were the time period the film was made in, and what it was trying to say about American culture at the time.  And I think this picture says a lot.

Starring Gregory Peck and Jennifer Jones, it's the story of a 1950's male, a World War II vet, who's trying to provide for his family and navigate a changing world. His life is mostly pleasant, but boring, and very different from his experiences in the War.  It's a more cynical world, a TV world, and a world where it's harder to make the choices that will keep families together.  He takes a job on Madison Avenue, setting in motion a series of choices he must make as to what it will take to keep his family together and his conscience clear.

The performances are brilliant, particularly Gregory Peck and Fredric March, who plays his boss, a man who has lost his family due to his inability to control his ambitions. There's also terrific work from Jennifer Jones, Keenan Wynn, Marisa Pavan, Arthur O'Connell, and Henry Daniell is his usual sneering self.

"The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" is a perfect example of what was happening at the time. Made in brilliant technicolor and filmed in Cinemascope, it was meant to be shown on a wide screen so as to compete with TV and get more viewers off the couch and in to the theaters.  The movie comments on this in several scenes of the family members being distracted a TV screen, and the pseudo-violence of TV Westerns, as compared to the actual violence of war. It's also one of the first movies to take on work-life balance, and shows how over-devotion to work can impact family dynamics.  And finally it takes on the topics of honesty and integrity, and how the lack of them can lead to bitterness and cynicism.  It's one of those rare examples of a film that can entertain while it's trying to get you to think.

The Rainmaker

Apologies to the Katharine Hepburn movie of the same name, but this "Rainmaker" is one of my favorite movies from the '90's, and ranks very high on my list of favorite legal thrillers.  I consider it the best translation of a John Grisham book to a movie.

It's the story of a young recent Law School graduate, Rudy Baylor, and his effort to take on a large insurance company in court.  Seems said insurance company is signing up insurees, but when it comes time to pay up on their claims, the claims, even though valid, are consistently denied.  So our bright young man takes them to court, on behalf of his lower-middle-class client.

The cast is a who's who of 80's movie stars and movie legends - Jon Voight, Danny Devito, Danny Glover, Mary Kay Place, Virginia Madsen, and Mickey Rourke to name a few.  Not to mention one of my personal favorites, Oscar-winner Teresa Wright ("Mrs. Miniver"), in her last movie appearance.  And the acting in all cases is all-around brilliant.

One of the things I really like about this movie, is that it really seems to "get" the spirit of the Mississippi Delta that I remember.  Granted, it takes place in Memphis, but from the strains of soul and gospel organ music, to the old homes and wraparound porches and eccentric characters, it just takes me back to what it felt like to live in the Delta.

Something else I find interesting is that it's directed by none other than Francis Ford Coppola, he of "The Godfather" and "Apocolypse Now" fame.  One of the great directors of the '70's, he had fallen on hard financial times, and this picture was one that he took while trying to pay off his debts. But while "The Rainmaker" may not rank up with some of his previous films, I think he totally nails this one.  And it's supposedly John Grisham's personal favorite of his books translated to film.  Which I guess puts me in good company.