The Blind Side

“The Blind Side,” released in 2009, does a good job in establishing its non-football story before delving into the inevitable big-game sequence that occurs in all sports movies. Sandra Bullock, who won an academy award for best actress for her performance, plays a wealthy designer and housewife with children who attend an exclusive Christian school. One day, a giant and underprivileged African-American teenager named Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) arrives at the school. His presence and apparent inability to handle the curriculum immediately raises concern among the faculty and staff, but nobody realizes that “Big Mike” has nothing and practically lives on the street.

Quinton Aaron and Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side."

Quinton Aaron and Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side.”

Bullock plays Leigh Anne Tuohy, and she lives with her husband Sean in a mansion in an exclusive neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee. Their precocious and tiny little boy, S. J. (Jae Head), makes friends with Michael, and that catches the attention of Leigh Anne. Although the audience knows a lot more about Michael, the movie makes a great deal out of Leigh Anne’s initial ignorance of Michael’s plight. The puzzled Leigh Anne offers Michael the family couch when she notices him wandering around at night, but then his strangely reticent behavior compels her to find a way to develop a psychological bond with him.
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Oher, who later went on to play offensive tackle for the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL), immediately catches the attention of the football coach at the Christian high school. But teaching Oher the game of American football proves challenging. For one, even though he possesses great size, he’s withdrawn and protective, which are not good traits for the game. Bullock and Aaron play off each other well, and the bonds of their mother-son type relationship develop slowly and wonderfully as the movie goes on.

Although mainly about acceptance and love, the movie also explores the college system’s misunderstanding of family loyalty. When Michael chooses Ole Miss over the University of Tennessee, Louisiana State University and the University of Arkansas, the National Collegiate Athletic Association launches an investigation that charges the Tuohy’s of taking Michael into their family only to prod him into going to Ole Miss. Anyone following the story would find this ridiculous, of course. The movie employs actual famous college football coaches (Lou Holtz, Nick Saban, etc.) when showing the recruiting scenes at the Tuohy home. After hearing what they promise athletes, it must be hard for some families to contend with pressures of this circus. In that regard, the movie makes a good point about the importance of a strong and loving family.

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2014 San Francisco Silent Film Festival

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF) opens Thursday, May 29 at 7 PM with a screening of “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” the star-making film of Rudolph Valentino. The exciting 4 days of the festival, held at the Castro theater in San Francisco, include showings of some wonderful silent films from around the world, including “The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks,” a Soviet film from 1924. Every year, the festival presents an amazing roster of films from around the world. The films screening at the festival, which runs from Thursday, May 29 to Sunday, June 1, include 17 features from 8 countries — USA (6), China (1), Denmark (1), Soviet Union (2), Great Britain (3), Germany (2), Japan (1) and Sweden (1).

A scene from "Harbor Drift," a 1929 German film showing at the 2014 San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

A scene from “Harbor Drift,” a 1929 German film showing at the 2014 San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

I first attended the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in 2007 when I went to see Ernst Lubitsch’s “The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927).” Since then, I’ve attended every SFSFF event, including their showing in 2012 of Abel Gance’s “Napoleon (1927)” at the beautiful Paramount Theater in Oakland, California. I met film experts Robert Osborne, Leonard Maltin, and Buster Keaton’s granddaughter introduced herself to me just before she went on stage to reminisce about her grandfather. The festival’s excellent musical performers this year include The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, the Matti Bye Ensemble, Stephen Horne and Donald Sosin.
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Cinema historian and currator Craig Baldwin will be on hand to present the showing of the 1935 Soviet film “Cosmic Voyage” on Friday, May 30, 2014 at 10 PM. The festival adds an event this year with a performance and talk by Matti Bye, Kristian Holmgren, and Leo Svensson of the Matti Bye Ensemble at the Salle Piano in San Francisco on Tuesday, May 27 at 7 PM. They’ll talk about what goes into creating music for motion pictures.

Anyone interested in seeing great international silent films should run to the festival this year! SFSFF promises a rewarding time.

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Can-Can

I put the DVD for “Can-Can,” the 1960 Twentieth Century Fox film, in my machine and the screen went black while some orchestral music played. It took me a while to realize that the film starts with an Overture that lasts for some time before the credits roll. Luckily, the lights eventually come on in this bright, colorful, bubbly production that features terrific songs written by Cole Porter. Can-Can stars Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan and Juliet Prowse. You can’t go wrong with that cast, even if the film stretches it a bit at its 2 hours and 21 minute running time.

The DVD cover for "Can-Can."

The DVD cover for “Can-Can.”

After the Overture, the film takes us to Paris in 1896, where François Durnais (Sinatra) and Paul Barriere (Chevalier) sing an ode to the neighborhood of Monmartre. Then, the film takes us to the Bal du Paradis nightclub, owned by Simone Pistache (MacLaine). Although Paris forbids the can-can dance, Simone rebelliously allows her chorus girls to perform it. This leads to trouble with the police, which results in raids on the club. Simone begins a triangle love affair with François and zealous judge Philipe Forrestier (Jourdan), who wants to kick the can-can out of Paris.

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Thanks to several sparking dance numbers, and MacLaine’s charming screen presence, the film is a delight. In one particularly interesting fight-dance number at the Bal du Paradis, MacLaine is dragged and thrown across the stage as she battles a group of violent thugs. MacLaine and Prowse also do a smashing turn in the Adam and Eve dance number, with MacLaine playing Eve and Prowse playing the serpent. Both are excellent dancers. Choreographer Hermes Pan, famous for his work on the Astaire-Rogers musicals staged the wonderful dances, which I found even more entertaining than the Cole Porter songs.

Although Prowse offers a French accent, neither Sinatra or MacLaine attempt one. Sinatra comes across as he usually does in musicals, breezy and quick-thinking. MacLaine’s ultra feminine performance as the feisty but girlish Simone seems right for a film with 2 strong French-speaking leads (Jourdan and Chevalier). What happens at the conclusion of the film cannot be predicted with absolute certainty,which makes it well-worth watching despite its length. The film also includes an Intermission and another Overture at the end.

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On Our Merry Way

“On Our Merry Way,” a 1948 film directed mostly by King Vidor, could have been called “Making a Movie With Friends.” Producer Burgess Meredith and his wife, Paulette Goddard, star in this vignette movie that also features their friends Henry Fonda, James Stewart, Fred MacMurray, Dorothy Lamour, Victor Moore, and William Demarest. The film presents three vignettes held together by the premise of having a roving newspaper reporter asking various characters the same question: “What great influence has a little child had on your life?”

Burgess Meredith tries to fool Paulette Goddard in "On Our Merry Way."

Burgess Meredith tries to fool Paulette Goddard in “On Our Merry Way.”

The movie opens with Goddard and Meredith, at the time a married couple in real life, in bed together as the morning alarm sounds. Meredith plays Oliver Pease, a classified advertisement salesman at The Daily Banner Newspaper. However, he’s told his wife Martha (Goddard) that he’s a roving reporter — the kind that asks several people the “question of the day.” After some light banter between Martha and Oliver, she gives him a piece of paper with her question of the day: What great influence has a little child, etc. Naturally, Oliver must now come up with a plan fast to make The Daily Banner cover Martha’s question. We know Oliver is capable of deceit because he talks to the camera and admits his severe gambling problem, he’s broke, and movers will arrive later to repossess the furniture.

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The second delightful vignette involves Dorothy Lamour, who plays an actress much like herself. She tells the story of her rise to fame, which involves a petulant child star, and then goes on a movie set in a sarong to sing a lovely parody of her normal movie character. The least successful vignette involves two conmen played by Fred MacMurray and William Demarest. They run across a nasty little boy who says he’s been abandoned by his rich uncle. The boy plays constant tricks on them, but they accept it in hope of getting a reward from the uncle for finding the boy. The boy seems too mean and the conmen seem too stupid to make this story work.

The filmmakers cut a wonderful story from the film that stars Charles Laughton as a preacher who doubts his ability and quits his congregation. Laughton delivers a touching performance as the preacher, but the vignette doesn’t carry the same whimsey as the previous episodes. The producers cut the scene, although some prints shipped internationally screened with the Laughton scene intact. Thankfully, Laughton’s superb performance in the film can be seen on Youtube.

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Now Voyager

Anybody wanting to see the strength and power of Bette Davis as an actress should see “Now Voyager,” a 1942 soap opera about an inhibited and neurotic Boston woman, Charlotte Vail, who overcomes her problems. The movie also stars Claude Rains as Dr. Jaquith and Paul Henreid as Jerry Durrance, a married man that Charlotte falls in love with on an ocean cruise. Davis brilliantly portrays the overwhelmed version of Charlotte at the beginning and shines magnificently as the beautiful and self-confident Charlotte. The movie makes a strong point that true beauty comes from within.

Paul Henreid and Bette Davis in "Now Voyager."

Paul Henreid and Bette Davis in “Now Voyager.”

Charlotte’s mother, Mrs. Henry Vale, played brilliantly by Gladys Cooper, remains a strong force in the film from the beginning, as she refuses to show any love to her unwanted daughter. Poor Charlotte spends her days in an upstairs room in the Vale mansion, occasionally rebelling in small ways against her strident mother, but generally sulking about her lack of freedom and respect. When Dr. Jaquith shows up with plans to cure Charlotte, he’s immediately out of step with Mrs. Vale’s strange sense of obligation and propriety. Dr. Jaquith immediately perceives the problem: He must remove Charlotte from the suffocating clutches of Mrs. Vale.

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Charlotte does so well at the institution that Dr. Jacquith lets her take an ocean cruise, where she meets Jerry (Henreid). Charlotte takes the place of her stylish cousin June (Bonita Granville), so she even has a new name to go along with her ugly duckling turned-into-a-swan transformation (she’s seriously luminous now). Jerry’s secret to romancing Charlotte: Treat the now interesting and engaging beauty with kindness and respect. I didn’t like the now famous acting “business” Henreid brings to the role of Jerry when he often lights two cigarettes in his mouth and gives one to Charlotte. I wish actors could think of better business than using cigarette tricks.

Eventually, the transformed Charlotte returns home, a little broken-hearted at her suspended romance with Jerry, but eager to have a new, terrific relationship with her mother. However, Mrs. Vale remains unmoved by Charlotte’s new freedom until her daughter gets a marriage proposal from a man belonging to a prominent Boston family. Charlotte’s growth continues up to the end of movie as it becomes apparent that she may only be contemplating marriage to appease her mother. A subplot about Jerry’s daughter helps wrap up the film without fully rectifying Charlotte’s bittersweet love affair with Jerry, but it fully emphasizes Charlotte’s transformation into a caring, giving person.

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Le Cercle Rouge

“Le Cercle Rouge,” a 1970 French film directed by Jean Pierre Melville, makes a compelling argument for the theme that crime forges its own alliances. The film fits into the genre of a heist film with a good dose of police procedural thrown in. It stars Alain Delon as a fugitive named Corey who escapes from a veteran police commissioner, Mattei (Bourvil), by jumping off a train. Mattei’s incompetence makes trouble for him with his superiors, but he’s fairly sure he can catch Corey with the cooperation of informants. Mattei’s style of being deliberate but not tough is emphasized by his homelife, where he lives alone with three cats. He hardly seems to provide reasonable conflict to Corey and his gang, until a jewelry heist helps to expose the thieves. Only a few fences can handle their merchandise, and Mattei knows them all.

(From left) Yves Montand, Alain Delon and Gian Maria Volonte play partners in crime in "Le Cercle Rouge."

(From left) Yves Montand, Alain Delon and Gian Maria Volonte play partners in crime in “Le Cercle Rouge.”

As soon as Corey escapes from the train, a prison releases another convict, Vogel (Gian Maria Volonte), who immediately commits another crime. Vogel steals several thousand francs from a powerful criminal chieftain, mostly for revenge. It seems the crime boss stole his girlfriend and now lives with her. Vogel buys a car and goes on the run from the henchmen of the crime boss. In the opening scene of this movie, written by Melville himself, rolling text relates a quote supposedly said or written by Siddhartha Gautama, (The Buddha): “Men on divergent paths will eventually come together in the red circle.” The Buddha never said this, but it fits the movie’s underlying theme well. The police inspector general, (Paul Arniot), adds another supposed truism: Something bad or immoral can surface in every person.
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Corey and Vogel plan the heist, and they initiate a heroin-addicted ex-cop and expert marksman, Jansen (Yves Montand), into their scheme. Other than scenes of Jansen casing the jewelry shop and taking rifle target practice, the movie provides no clues as to how the heist will go down. We don’t get a model of the jewelry store and an explanation of how each of the three men will enter the shop to pull off the heist. Melville films the burglary in almost total silence, taking a cue from Jules Dassin’s 1955 film “Rififi.”

Criminals go to so much trouble in these heist films to steal the loot, but they never seem to get away with it. Usually, it’s because the heist involved too many criminals with various levels of competence and professionalism. This heist, with only three thieves involved, seems quite promising. Corey, Vogel and Jansen trust each other and all are the strong, non-communicative types. At 2 hours and 20 minutes, Melville takes plenty of time to test out his themes and provide a memorable film.

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The Pajama Game

“The Pajama Game,” the 1957 musical directed by George Abbott and Stanley Donen, provides good entertainment throughout with sparkling dance numbers choreographed by Bob Fosse and wonderful performances by Doris Day, John Raitt and Carol Haney. The interesting score includes such numbers as “Hey There,” “Steam Heat,” and “Hernando’s Hideaway.” Even the story about labor troubles at a pajama factory provides a surprising amount of conflict in the midst of a joyous production. Although some of the actors from the original Broadway show appearing in this movie are unfamiliar, they elevate the production to higher standards through their experience and teamwork.

John Raitt falls in love with Doris Day in "The Pajama Game."

John Raitt falls in love with Doris Day in “The Pajama Game.”

Raitt stars as Sid Sarokin, a former fabric cutter whose gets a job as the superintendent of the Sleeptite Pajama Factory. Sid runs into trouble when he shoves a worker who failed to give him the screwdriver he needed to fix a sewing machine. The worker sends for the factory’s Grievance Committee, headed by the especially lovely Katherine “Babe” Williams (Doris Day). Sid becomes smitten by her immediately, and Babe feels the same way. However, she envisions trouble because the couple is on opposite sides of the labor divide. Sid repeatedly asks her out on a date and gets rebuffed, but she really does like him. The couple finally comes together at the raucous company picnic, an energetic dancing affair where couples sneak into the woods to kiss.
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As an actress, Doris Day can deliver both conflict and emotion realistically. As a union representative, Babe must dig her heels in and fight relentlessly. But her sweetness seems genuinely endearing, particularly when she reprises the “Hey There” song sung earlier in the film by John Raitt. She seems the most giddy and particularly attractive when she sings the “There Once Was a Man” number with Raitt. That’s a witty song, but unlike other romantic roles played by Day, this movie gives most of the comedy to another couple. The laughs are provided by Carol Haney, who plays factory clerk Gladys Hotchkiss, and Eddie Foy Jr., who plays plant supervisor Vernon “Hinesie” Hines.

The showstopper, “Steam Heat,” is performed at a union rally. It’s inventive and transfixing, and they have 3 great dancers to perform it, including Haney and Fosse. Haney also joyously performs the “Hernando’s Hideaway” number, a fun tango that uses the light from kitchen matches for much of its illumination. Foy Jr’s Hinesie character also sings a couple of numbers, but I would have preferred a toned-down version of him, especially when he starts throwing knives around the pajama factory. Overall, the performances elevate this musical and score, by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, is witty, touching and hummable.

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The Mirror

“The Mirror (Zerkalo),” a 1975 Russian film from Andrei Tarkovsky, uses music, poetry and images to create something more like a feeling than a narrative adventure, but its big themes and relentless time shifting carry an aftereffect that lingers on. Tarkovsky uses both color and black and white film, and adds newsreel footage of soldiers on parade during wartime. On top of the history and struggles, the director includes a reading of a letter by Pushkin claiming that both geography and religion puts a great distance between Russia and her neighbors.

The family barn burns down in "The Mirror."

The family barn burns down in “The Mirror.”

The film opens with a scene of a boy, Ignat, watching a film of another boy receiving therapy for a stuttering problem. Then, a woman, Maroussia (Margarita Terekhova), talks to a doctor in the countryside. The doctor makes note of her lack of a wedding ring and seems to come on to her. She’s not unwilling, but he nevertheless continues on down the road. The poetry reading in the voiceover paints this countryside as idyllic and special, and we see views of the narrator, Alexei, and his sister as wide-eyed and curious children. It’s before World War 2 and everything is simpler, secure and less turbulent.
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It’s unclear where the father is, but Maroussia and her two children watch quietly as the family barn burns down. After a brief scene of the narrator talking to his mother on the telephone in a post-war time, the film goes back to the prewar time to witness Maroussia rushing to her job at a printing company. She’s noticed a single error in the book she’s proofread and wants to stop the presses. The pressmen, anxious at the possibility of losing a press run, refuse to stop. Then, when even Maroussia admits that the error will hardly be noticed, she receives a strong rebuke from a co-worker, Liza (Alla Demidova). Perhaps Tarkovsky is relating an incident that actually occurred to his mother or grandmother. This finishes Maroussia’s story, and we’re thrust in Alexei’s memories of the Second World War.

The montage is a famous and frequent feature of Soviet films, but Tarkovsky avoids it here. He keeps the pacing slow, like a contemplated life or an epic poem with many stanzas. Tarkovsky shows the adolescent Alexei receiving military training from a tough instructor. The instructor orders an “about face,” but Alexei turns 360 degrees. The instructor attempts to correct him, but Alexei insists an about face means a 360 degree turn. Here, Tarkovsky seems to make the point that all our experiences are interconnected and return to the same place. Memories, indeed, comprise the full life.

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Frozen

The Walt Disney Animation Studios came out with winner in 2013’s “Frozen,” which features an unhappy princess named Elso with special powers. She lives in a world of self-imposed isolation because she possesses the power to freeze everything instantly. Her loving parents, the King and Queen of the fortress kingdom of Arendelle, lock her away to keep her from freezing everything in sight. This confuses her sister, Princess Anna, who doesn’t know about her powers but wonders why Elsa wants to shut everyone and everything out. Anna tries for years to connect with her sister, who lives behind closed doors in a giant room in the palace.

Princess Elsa has the power to freeze in "Frozen."

Princess Elsa has the power to freeze in “Frozen.”

Directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck adapted the story from a Hans Christian Anderson piece called “The Snow Queen,” but make quite a few changes to the plot. The movie has lots of trolls, a wisecracking snowman named Olaf, a lovable reindeer and an angry snow monster. It doesn’t stray into much dark territory, and can be described as a mild romantic adventure with a key theme: That only love can thaw a frozen heart. The princesses, the snowman, and the trolls also sing a few good songs, and the story throws in some odd funny characters, such as a heavily-accented Norseman who runs a mountain sauna and an effete and vengeful ambassador from a neighboring kingdom.
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The film features excellent color saturation, which looks superb on my wide-screen plasma television. The contrast provided by the many scenes of white snow helps pop the colors. Elsa’s power consists of making everything frosty quickly, so there are lots of scenes showing creeping animated frost. When Anna goes off to find her sister in the mountains, the whites, browns and shadows are only accented by the orange of Olaf’s carrot nose. Relief from these colors comes in an entertaining way when Olaf sings a very funny song about the summer, which features him fantasizing about basking on a sunny beach. A running gag in the movie concerns Olaf’s misunderstanding of heat.

Frozen is definitely a young people’s movie, with simple ideas about family, love and responsibility. The snow monster, a few henchmen from another land and a devious prince help augment the main conflict between Anna and Elsa. It all moves at a quick pace with some good songs. As in all good animation films, one can discover more of its fine detail with repeated viewings. Like Walt Disney, I like magical kingdoms and this one works for me.

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The Affairs of Anatol

Cecil B. DeMille’s 1921 movie, “The Affairs of Anatol,” tells the story of a man who cannot seem to remain faithful to his wife. With complete rationalization, Anatol (Wallace Reid) goes about cavorting with 3 women while his suffering wife Vivian (Gloria Swanson) comforts herself with Anatol’s best friend. None of Anatol’s actions can possible lead the audience to sympathize with him, but he nevertheless reaches a mild redemption by the film’s end. Unfortunately for Vivian, she may suspect further wandering adventures from Anatol in the future.

The movie poster for "The Affairs of Anatol."

The movie poster for “The Affairs of Anatol.”

Anatol and Vivian, a well-off couple with servants, are sweet to each other as they prepare for their day. Something seems to be off, though, and later Anatol runs into an old flame, Emilie (Wanda Hawley), at a nightclub. She’s convorting with the very rich but despicable Gordon Bronson (Theodore Roberts), and Anatol doesn’t like it. He convinces Vivian to let him set Emilie up in an apartment so she can dump Bronson for good. Vivian rolls her eyes up and lets Anatol go ahead with his scheme. While Anatol keeps Emilie, Vivian runs around with Anatol’s best friend Max (Elliott Dexter). Their relationship seems harmless enough, but Anatol’s neglect of Vivian threatens to bring her and Max closer together.
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Anatol’s suspicions about Vivian and Max doesn’t really drive his behavior. He’s a wandering husband who doesn’t seem redeemable even after he learns that Emilie has gone back to the wisecracking and cigar chomping Gordon Bronson. Ready to repent for his indiscretions with Emilie, Anatol takes off for the countryside with Vivian to forget everything and patch things up with her. Soon, however, Anatol spots a lovely farm woman, Annie (Agnes Ayres), in the process of committing suicide by jumping off a bridge. She’s just spent the money belonging to the local church and faces prosecution and scandal unless she can pay it back. Anatol, by falling for her, unknowingly provides her the opportunity to get the money. Vivian sees Anatol kiss Annie and abruptly leaves for home. Anatol must make the long trek back home in shame.

The third Anatol affair involves an entertainer named Satan Synne (Bebe Daniels), who turns out to be surprisingly good despite her name. Satan desperately needs money for some medical problems and figures to use Anatol to get it. Eventually, this affair doesn’t turn out well for Anatol either, and he slinks back to Vivian. By now, Anatol strongly suspects Vivian’s having an affair with Max, and he engages a Hindu hypnotist to put her into a trance and blurt out the truth. The ending promises a brighter future for the relationship of Anatol and Vivian, but who would trust a man who continually exhibits such sordid behavior. I don’t think DeMille is implying that all is well and good at the end.

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