The Lost Weekend

In today’s society, people give the privilege of drinking many purposes.  You can learn to taste the subtle differences in fine wine or crafted beers, it can lighten the atmosphere of a party, provide liquid courage, lubricate celebration or just let you feel numb at a loss.  Sadly, there are many times when this privilege manifests inside people into a dark obsession.  The Lost Weekend is a story where the bottle has become ruler over a man’s life and serves only to destroy.

Wick (Phillip Terry) has planned to take a long weekend with his brother Don (Ray Milland) out of the city.  Lately, Don’s drinking has gotten out of control.  He has no job, financially depends on his brother and spends all his money on alcohol.  When Don tricks his girlfriend Helen (Jane Wyman) and Wick to leave him alone for the afternoon and then doesn’t show up in time to make the last train, Wick gives up on him and leaves Don alone for the weekend.  Helen tries to check in and keep an eye on Don, but his weekend binge takes him to darker places than the neighborhood bar, including a sanitarium, stealing booze and thoughts of suicide.

Don uses alcohol as a crutch, a way to deal with his failure as a writer, but he doesn’t realise it is the cause of his failure.  The intimidation of a blank sheet of paper pushes him to drink, hoping to become inspired and see the vision of his work.  But when one doesn’t do the trick, he reaches for another and again until he can’t see straight.  It’s a sad cycle, known to challenge many creative minds that the film illustrates perfectly.

Ray Milland pulls off an amazing Oscar winning performance.  It’s one simple task to act like a drunk, but to give a face to all the horrors of alcoholism is quite a feat.  We see him trashing his own apartment, scrambling like an animal searching for the bottle he’s hidden.  We pity him as he desperately beg his bartender for a drink.  At the brink of insanity, we see his hallucinations and his reaction makes the images exponentially frightening.  It takes an amazing actor to bring all those aspects of alcoholism to life in a realistic, scary and sympathetic way.

Except for in reading Stephen King’s The Shining, I don’t think I’ve ever been so frightened by a psychological profile of alcoholism.  Milland’s perfect performance is only one aspect that brings this frightening illness to life.  Under Billy Wilder’s Oscar winning direction, we’re shown some of the darkest places a man and his mind can go.  The camera work can transport us through an empty glass and at times there’s ominous music that reminds me of old episodes of The Twilight Zone.  At times, it feels like Don is living in a nightmare world, even when things are simply coincidence, but that’s how the mind works when under the influence.  Though it may not be a story everyone wants to see, The Lost Weekend is the best film of 1945.  Please drink responsibly.

“Of course you couldn’t write the beginning cause you didn’t know the ending.”

Spellbound

Alfred Hitchcock called this film, “just another manhunt wrapped up in pseudo-psychoanalysis.”  While that sums it up pretty well, adding in fun details like a murder-mystery, a love story to cloud judgement and a Salvador Dali inspired dream sequence sets Spellbound apart from Hitchcock’s other manhunt or psychoanalysis inspired films.

At Green Meadows mental institute, Dr. Edwards has just arrived to replace Dr. Murchinson (Leo G. Carroll).  Dr. Constance Petersen (Ingrid Bergman) falls in love with the charming new arrival, but realizes inconsistencies in his present self and what she has read about him professionally.  She is the first to realize that this man, only known as JB (Gregory Peck), is an impostor suffering from paranoia and amnesia.  Constance takes it upon herself to treat him and attempt to outrun the authorities looking to charge him with the murder of the real Dr. Edwards.

Along the way, Constance and JB seek refuge in the house of her old mentor, Dr. Alexander Brulov (Michael Chekhov).  By this point in the story, Alex is the only person with a level head on his shoulders able to see the situation without getting personally involved.  He’s a quick thinking man, welcoming his old pupil with a fathering attitude, but sees through her lies and keeps the situation under control.  What I loved most about Alex is his ability to see the bitter truth and tell Constance that her judgement is clouded by her affections for JB.  “We both know that the mind of a woman in love is operating on the lowest level of the intellect,” he tells her.  Viewers who have been swept up in the love story have been brought back to Earth by Alex, who holds some important elements in understanding JB’s condition.  It’s this ability to be kind, charismatic and clear up the lovey-dovey nonsense that will only hinder their progress, that earned Michael Chekhov a supporting actor nomination.

One of the most unforgettable parts of the film is the dream sequence.  At Alex’s request, JB describes a dream he just awoke from, in an attempt to analyze it and see if they can uncover any clues to his true identity.  The images inspired from Dali’s work are stirring, surreal and very creepy.  There are curtains of eyes being cut with giant scissors, a card game won with blank cards and a man with no face dropping an odd shaped wheel.  Alex attempts to put these strange pieces of information together, but it isn’t until the end we find their true meaning.

Spellbound is one of the many Hitchcock movies every film fan should see.  It was one of the first films to deal with psychoanalysis, a theme Hitchcock would later work with often and the Dali dream sequence was ground breaking in film art direction.  With a stars like Bergman and Peck fueling a stirring plot with surprises until the very end, Spellbound is a film any classic film lover needs to see.

“Women make the best psychoanalysts until they fall in love. After that they make the best patients.”

The Bells of St. Mary’s

There’s always been a soft spot in my heart for nuns and Catholic schools.  All those stereotypes about nuns being the strictest teachers armed with rulers was just a myth in my experience.  And though my Catholic school of the early ‘90s had no air conditioning at the time, which my mother fretted over, I never felt the environment stifling.  We worked, played and expressed ideas more freely than I felt I could later in public schools.  Though our priest was no Bing Crosby, I couldn’t help but flash back on my own happy times in a Catholic school and appreciate all the good fortune my old parish has had.

In the film directed by the legendary Leo McCarey, Father O’Malley (Crosby reprising his role from Going My Way) has just arrived at St. Mary’s, a run-down inner city school nearly condemned.  He and the principal, Sister Mary Benedict (Ingrid Bergman), don’t always see eye-to-eye and begin a little rivalry.  O’Malley realizes how badly the school is falling apart and thinks that the best thing to do is send the students to St. Victor’s school where they have more modern facilities.  But Sister Benedict loves being with the children and has worked so hard at keeping St. Mary’s open.  She has her eye on the new building being constructed next door and prays that the owner, Horace P. Bogardus (Henry Travers), will simply donate the building to St. Mary’s.

Along the way, we also meet a troubled 8th grade girl, Patsy (Joan Carroll).  Her mother seeks confidence in Father O’Malley, sharing the sad story about how Patsy has never met her father and is starting to look down upon her mother.  Patsy is trying to grow up too fast, just before she is admitted into St. Mary’s she’s wearing quite a lot of makeup and was out trying to find a job.  O’Malley is understanding, takes special interest in their situation and helps stay Patsy in school.

The film also brings up the idea that boys educated by nuns may become less masculine.  After Tommy and Eddie have a little schoolyard fight, Father O’Malley nearly encourages Tommy, who won the fight, and tells disapproving Sister Benedict “I like to see a man who can take care of himself.”  Realizing that Eddie lost the fight by listening to her, Sister Benedict teaches him to box.  A nun teaching a young boy to box seems odd at first, but it becomes one of the best scenes in the film and later, we understand Sister Benedict’s good intentions.

Since we’re closing in on the holidays, I’d love to discuss the 1st grade Christmas play scene.  Sister Benedict lets the children hold the reigns on the production and they boil it down the the simplest details: “I’m Joseph and this is Mary and we need a place to stay.”  In their ending manger scene, the boy playing Joseph calls the Wise Men “neighbors” and they sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.  There’s no recitation of big words or religious concepts that these children don’t really comprehend yet, just the simple story as they understand it.  O’Malley describes it best: “Their simplicity is beautiful.”

I really loved The Bells of St. Mary’s, but I realize that I’m especially drawn and moved by these kinds of films by my own personal experiences.  If you have a fondness for nuns, want to remember your own Catholic school days or just love Bing Crosby or Ingrid Bergman this is a must see.  Crosby does find ways to sneak a few songs into the film, but I don’t know anyone who would mind hearing more of his beautiful voice.

“I can see you don’t know what it means to be up to your neck in nuns.”

Anchors Aweigh

Usually, I don’t use the phrase “It’s cute” as as praise in my reviews, but Anchors Aweigh is different.  There’s a charming mix of fantasy, romance, song and dance in this story about two sailors, their quest for dames and the obstacles that help them find love.  With all the good laughs, fun song and dance scenes and sincere motives that move the plot, cute isn’t belittling, but a real compliment.

Decorated sailors Joe Brady (Gene Kelly) and Clarence Doolittle (Frank Sinatra) are given a four day leave in Hollywood.  Joe, with his reputation as a wolf, plans to have a good time with a sultry sounding lady, Lola.  Clarence is more timid and inexperienced and asks Joe to help him find a girl.  Meanwhile, Donald (Dean Stockwell), a little boy wanting to run away to join the Navy, has just been found by the police, but they can’t get him to tell them where he lives.  Joe and Clarence are brought into the station, hoping that the boy will talk to his idolized sailors.  Donald is thrilled to meet them, warming up especially to Joe and lets them take him home.  They get stuck watching Donald until his Aunt Susie gets home, to which Clarence doesn’t mind but Joe is missing his big date with Lola.  Turns out, Aunt Susie (Kathryn Grayson) is a beautiful young woman, struggling to become a singer and Clarence wants Joe’s help in wooing her.  Instead, they promise Susan an impossible audition with José Iturbi, a famous conductor and pianist working in Hollywood.

To most classic film fans, a movie with Gene Kelly dancing and Frank Sinatra singing is pure gold.  Though this was their first of the three films they would be together in, the two collaborate so well and are a real treat to watch.  In the scene where they improvise a song about Susie, their sailor-buddy antics peak enough to scare off a prospective suitor for Susan and keep the audience in stitches.

One of the best and most famous song and dance scenes, many people have already seen without even knowing it.  When Joe is telling Donald and his classmates a fictional story about how he got his medal, the film goes into a fantasy world where Kelly sings and dances with cartoon animals, including Jerry the mouse from Tom and Jerry.  It’s a very well done scene showcasing Kelly’s moves and mixing live action with animation seamlessly.  The scene was ripped off by Family Guy, inserting Stewie over Jerry.  Just mimic the original choreography and you’ve got three less minutes of creative thinking to do.  I doubt many viewers realize how many classic dance scenes Family Guy shamelessly parodies.

Overall,  Anchors Aweigh is a really fun musical comedy with great actors, thought out characters and an interesting plot to the end.  This would make for a great classic movie night with the kids.  The sailor’s plight to find women and keep up appearances keep adults snickering while the singing, dancing and antics with Donald will keep kids connected.

“-These men have other things to do.
–No they haven’t, they’re on leave.”

Mildred Pierce

Throughout WWII women had stepped up, taken factory jobs and realized the joy and accomplishment of working and providing.  In 1945, men were returning from war and pushing Rosie the Riveter out of her job and back into the home, where she was to get to work on creating the Baby Boomer generation.  Not all women went willingly.  Some realized their potential and went on to provide for themselves, no man needed even when raising a child.  Mildred Pierce is one of these stories brought to life with a noir murder mystery twist.

Mothers will do anything to win their daughter’s love and Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford) is no exception.  The movie opens with the murder of her husband, Monte Beragon.  As Mildred is being interrogated by the police, it goes into flashback where the real story is.   After her first husband, Bert (Bruce Bennett), leaves Mildred she has to find a job to support her and her two daughters.  She spoils the girls, especially the older one, Veda (Ann Blyth), who demands the best of everything.  Mildred finds a job as a waitress, but hides it from Vera, knowing she would look down on such work.  When Vera does find out, and disapproves, Mildred opens her own restaurant and becomes quite a success.  As she’s more able to buy her child’s love, she falls into a messy love triangle, between her ex-husband, future husband and business partner.

The ladies truly run this show.  Joan Crawford won the Oscar for Best Actress as Mildred.  She plays this self made woman with such gusto; it’s a performance to be rivaled to this day.  From grief, love, strife and determination, Crawford strikes into every emotion, brings a modern model for women to life and is the force moving the film.

Ann Blyth and Eve Arden were both nominated for supporting actress.  Blyth portrays Veda, surprising everyone with the treachery and loathing she is capable of without losing a speck of her beauty.  Arden has a small role as Ida, who helps Mildred run her restaurant and provides support.  Though she doesn’t have much screen time, she delivers some great one-liners, mostly about men.  She seems to be the most free of the three women, probably because she doesn’t have men to deal with.

The movie is filmed meticulously.  The lighting is always perfect and character move in and out of the shadows with a purpose.  Throughout the film, shadows and silhouettes are used as well as mirrors.  These techniques go a long way, in a film that is ruled by its actresses.  New dimensions are created that makes you have to think more, rather than stare and drool.  It’s visual candy for your eye and mind.

Watch Mildred Pierce with some spoiled brat kids to scare them into straightening out.  Or better yet, give them a quick history lesson on feminism in the forties.  Otherwise, the importance of a woman running a business may be lost on them.

“Personally, Veda’s convinced me that alligators have the right idea. They eat their young.”