Murder by the Clock

by Tony Nash

(WordPress Follower Appreciation #3: Debbi-IFatM)

(All Opinions are of the author alone)

(Mild Spoilers)

Original Poster

The Big Clock (1948) ***** PG-13

Ray Milland: George Stroud

Charles Laughton: Earl Janoth

Maureen O’Sullivan: Georgette Stroud

George Macready: Steve Hagen

Elsa Lanchester: Louise Patterson

Harold Vermilyea: Don Klausmeyer

Dan Tobin: Ray Cordette

Rita Johnson: Pauline York

Harry Morgan: Bill Womack (as Henry Morgan)

Richard Webb: Nate Sperling

Elaine Riley: Lily Gold

Written by: Johnathan Latimer, based on the novel by Kenneth Fearing

Directed by: John Farrow

Synopsis: George Stroud is struggling to save his marriage when his wife accuses him of fooling around and being a yes man for his megalomaniac newspaper boss Earl Janoth. When Janoth’s mistress reveals she’s been fooling around on him, he kills her in a rage. Wrongly believing Stroud is the other man, Janoth has evidence planted to incriminate him, and goes so far as having Stroud look for “the killer”. When Stroud discovers the truth, a race ensues to prove his innocence.

Stroud on the Case (from The Arts Desk)

The Post WWII Years are considered the beginning of pure Film Noir, the mix of light and shadows, and peoples uncertainty of who could be trusted as trust and loyalty were shattered by war time actions becoming the forefront of the genre. The Big Clock was a unique piece in the Post War era as it mixed the unease of the time with the classic procedural detective stories of the 1930’s and early 1940’s, making for a concoction that’s both thrilling and immersive. A talented writer’s gotten stuck in a lingering funk as he’s torn between continuing a well paying but overwhelming job, and saving his loving but strife’ d marriage. His life takes a whirlwind shock turn when his boss murders his two-timing mistress and, believing the writer is the other man, frames him for the crime. To make matters even stranger, the tyrant killer sets it up so the writer will discover he’s been framed by giving him the job of “finding the killer”. The entire film becomes of a mix of detective style investigative drama and mystery suspense as the boss and his henchman look to prevent the reporter from finding out he was framed and exposes his boss for the crazed tyrant he is.

Stroud in Hot Water After a Bender (from Blu Ray Authority)

Ray Milland offers up a solid and nuanced performance as George Stroud. While a good guy for the most part, Stroud lacks the ability to decide between what is right and what is necessary for his personal ethics and life. He’s a talented writer wasting his time in a “yellow journalism” paper that also acts as a gossip column While his newspaper reporter’s job offers a nice salary to keep a roof over his and his wife’s head, the ridiculous hours and assignments he’s often given, leave him little opportunity and time to be the devoted and loving husband he desires to be. His wife, while supportive and sympathetic, constantly harangues him for thinking more of his job than of her, even though his job is what keeps them in house, food, and clothing. That Stroud can’t seem to reconcile both worlds makes things a lot tougher, and the strain of being unable to prove his devotion to the woman he loves, almost leads him astray. When he innocently flirts with a woman who ends up being the newspaper boss’s mistress, and who is later murdered by the magnate, Stroud inadvertently gets mistaken for the “other man”, and must use his wits and ability as a reporter to prevent his boss from successfully making him look guilty of murder and infidelity.

Janoth Is Calmed by Hagen (from OZU TEAPOT Tumblr)

Charles Laughton, one of Hollywood’s most prolific and versatile character actors, gets his magnum opus of slimy villainy as Earl Janoth. Janoth is a Hearst style newspaper magnate in that he’s ruthless, cunning, and will make his employees do whatever it takes to get a story out. He makes a huge mistake however when he falls for an equally devious woman who manages to put one over on him and makes him look like a fool. Enraged, Janoth coldly murders her and, thinking his ace reporter is the other man and saw what had happened, uses his power and influence to make the man the patsy in the woman’s death. Letting the reporter believe he has to solve the murder because of how close to home it hits the paper, Janoth sets up a wave of planted evidence, false leads and witnesses, and a false suspect to be found, all in hopes the police will be led to the reporter. Unbeknownst to Janoth, the reporter has figured out his scheme, and soon plans are unraveling as Janoth tries to stay two steps ahead.

An Eccentric Artist Helps Stroud (from Comic Book and Movie Reviews)

Hagen, Janoth’s Right Hand (from Cinemagia)

Stroud and His Wife (from Cinefanatic)

Janoth’s Silent Henchman (from Pinterest)

A slew of Golden Age actors and actresses join Milland and Laughton in the whirlwind mystery Thriller. Maureen O’Sullivan, known to many as the mother of actress Mia Farrow, came out of retirement at director/husband John Farrow’s (Mia’s Dad) request to play Stroud’s loving and supportive, but frazzled wife Georgette (what a pun there huh?). Sullivan mainly plays the typical loyal wife who has her reserves, but Sullivan always played whatever part she got with believability. George Macready, who could play both good guys and bad guys, does a fantastic job as Janoth’s secretary and partner in crime Steve Hagen. Hagen, who at times feels he’ll forever be in Janoth’s shadow, ends up being the weak link in Janoth’s scheme when jealousy and betrayal circle into bigger problems. Elsa Lanchester, one of the quintessential British character actresses, whose fame was cemented as The Bride in 1936’s Bride of Frankenstein and later in 1964 as Katie Nanna in Disney’s Mary Poppins, gets to ham it up well as the bohemian artist Louise Patterson. A painting of Patterson’s proves vital in helping Stroud prove his innocence, and she tags along in the investigation to not only help Stroud, but get his aid in locating her long runnoft husband. MASH fans will be pleasantly surprised to learn that Harry Morgan, credited as Henry Morgan, plays a fairly big part in the film as Janoth’s brutish enforcer Mr. Womack. Morgan doesn’t speak at all in the film, but his facial features give away a ruthless tough who’ll do what he’s told, and do it well.

Stroud Stays a Step Ahead (from RoweReviews)

The film for a time was in a limbo before actually starting production. Author and poet Kenneth Fearing wrote the main villain of the book, Earl Janoth, as a blatant caricature ripoff to Time Magazine publisher Henry Luce, who had given Fearing loads of grief when Fearing’s financial troubles forced him to take a job with the magazine. Paramount Pictures bought the rights to the book before it even hit stores, but had to wait to greenlight it until critic reviews came out, and were fearful of the project going down in flames should Henry Luce decide to sue Fearing for slander and defamation of character. To everyone’s sigh of relief amazement, Luce didn’t make the connection between Janoth and himself, and Paramount greenlight the film.

A Night View of the Outside of the Janoth Publication (from RoweReviews)

In spite of fears of the author being sued, the creative issues between director Farrow and Paramount Producers, and usual on set antics of the cast, The Big Clock is still one of the best Post WWII era Noirs, and showcases the uncertainty of that trying period.

(A great Noir Thriller that movie fans should check out at least once, and another high recommendation from this author. Anyone new to Noir will find this film a good starting point to begin, and long term fans of the genre will find it the perfect film to frequently revisit. The plot and action have the hallmarks of an Agatha Christie story, but the cinematography definitely makes it a proper Noir. The Blu Ray from Arrow Video’s Arrow Academy Line offers up a solid transfer in the both the video and audio of the film, making it look exactly as it did in 1948. I dedicate this one to the lovely and wonderful Debbi, who runs the blog I Found It at the Movies. Her Blog does a varied amount of content, but her main interest seems to be Noir and Gangster movies, and I figured this film would be the perfect compliment to show my appreciation for her following my blog.)

all images courtesy of Google.com/Google Images and their respective owners

for more information

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Clock_(film)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040160/

buying options

https://arrowfilms.com/product-detail/the-big-clock-blu-ray/FCD1880

Filed under: Film & TV: Potpourri, Film: Analysis/Overview, TV: Analysis/Overview

Serpico’s Romano Double

by Tony Nash

(WordPress Followers Appreciation #2: Diary of a Movie Maniac)

(all opinions are of the author alone)

(Mild Spoilers)

(Review is of the original Italian language version)

Original Italian Poster

Tomas Milian: Maresciallo Nico Giraldi

Jack Palance: Norman Shelley/Richard J. Russo

Maria Rosaria Omaggio: Signorina Cattani

Guido Mannari: Achille “Baronetto” Bertinari

John P. Dulaney: Ispettore Ballarin

Marcello Martana: Maresciallo Trentini

Roberto Messina: Commissario Tozzi

Raf Luca: Brigadiere Gargiulo

Jack La Cayanne: Colombo

Written by: Mario Amendola & Bruno Corbucci

Directed by: Bruno Corbucci

Synopsis: Nico Giraldi, head investigator of the Anti-Mugging Squad, is determined to bring down the elusive gang leader Baron, whose broad daylight robberies have spiked ten fold. When Baron and his boys steal a briefcase full of smuggled money from an incognito American gangster, Giraldi now must save Baron’s life when he and crew are marked for death the man.

Giraldi berating a subornment for letting his bike be stolen (from Rarbg)

Bruno Corbucci, the younger brother of Sergio Corbucci, made a clear break from the elder’s shadow with the first in a series of tongue-in-cheek action cop films starring the great Tomas Milian that fast became one of the most popular franchise in the 70’s. The film came about after Milian expressed admiration of Al Pacino’s look and performance as real life undercover cop Frank Serpico a few years earlier. Milian had in fact wanted to do a sequel playing Serpico, but copyrights prevented this from happening, so Corbucci drafted a treatment with Milian playing a reformed hoodlum now working as a cop who models his appearance after the film about Serpico. The Poliziotteschi film genre was still at its peak by the time the first Giraldi film was written and being shot, but Corbucci, Milian, and writer Mario Amendola decided to make the film a little more lighthearted than its edgy predecessors and contemporaries, mixing the exciting action everyone expects of the genre along with witty dialogue from the protagonist. This allowed the film to stay true to its origins, but at the same time spice it up enough that it wouldn’t be viewed as another generic entry.

Giraldi and his partner Ballarin (from Grindhouse Cinema Database)

Star Milian makes excellent use of Roman slang in this film, one of the earliest in his uncredited contributions to the films he made. While he was proficient in the usage of Roman street lingo, Milian’s Cuban accent didn’t fit, so he asked comic and film dubber Ferruccio Amendola to be his permanent Roman voice. Amendola and Milian already had a contract for this, but as Milian added more Roman slang for his characters with the directors and screenwriters permission, Amendola’s voice fit what Milian had envisioned.

Giraldi chases after a suspect (from Alchetron)

Milian delivers a unique performance in the role of Nico Giraldi. Normally very animated whenever he plays a character in a film, Milian keeps a straight face this go around, even when clearly delivering some amusing dialogue. Giraldi is an ex small time hoodlum who uses his street smarts in his new profession as a plainclothes motorcycle detective handling street crime. Giraldi feels the only way to stop the rampant stream of daylight robberies via crooks on motorbikes is to take down the head man, known only as Baron. His superiors aren’t crazy about many of the methods he uses, particularly cuffing suspects via looping their one arm between their legs so they can’t run, but because of his dedication to cleaning up the city and being knowing the mind set of criminals from having been one once, they allow him to operate how he feels best. It isn’t long before Giraldi discovers he has to save Baron’s life before he can arrest him when the hoodlum and two of his crew nab a briefcase full of illegally imported money from a corrupt American living in Italy, and the man orders his goons to hunt down and kill the thieves. What follows for Giraldi is an interesting and different journey through the world of fencing and smuggling, hoping to get to his long time quarry before an even deadlier criminal can get his hands on him.

The elusive Mr. Shelley (from Severed Cinema)

Jack Palance, an American character actor who had a 40 plus year career, enjoying success in both the States and Europe, appears sporadically, but effectively when on screen, in the role of Norman Shelley, sometimes called Richard J. Russo. Little is known of what Shelley does for a living, save that he’s seen with some big business types, so he must be into something lucrative. In reality, he uses whatever he does as a cover for many an illegal activity, including laundering money and smuggling. Like a Mafia boss, Shelley doesn’t take betrayal and deceit lightly and does whatever it takes to ensure loyalty. When one of his consignments is lifted from him by the gang led by Baron, Shelley, to keep his real dealings secret, orders his cohorts to track down and silence everyone involved in the theft. His cover is soon to be blown however, when Inspector Giraldi’s Anti-Mugging unit suspects something big when the hoods involved with Baron start turning up dead.

Giraldi visits his Aunt (from 10KBulletts)

The beauty of Milan is on display in the film, and unlike most other Poliziotteschi, the film shows the everyday areas of the city, not the seedy ends. The criminal element is still shown, but not in a way that would make those who’ve never been to Italy leery about carrying around anything valuable for street punks to steal.

The Baron is in over his head (from Severed Cinema)

The mix of action and humor works very well in this film, and allows viewers to root for the cops to win via a lighthearted escapade that still pumps out the thrills all cop films are known for.

(Fans of Italian Crime cinema and fans of Tomas Milian will get a kick out of the film and find it very enjoyable from start to finish, and I highly recommend it. Those wishing to get started with the genre will find this film a good place to start as it has all the themes the Poliziotteschi offers, minus the heavy edges fans will want to slowly get into. The Blu Ray from Cineploit Records offers a solid transfer of both the audio and visuals of the film, almost pristine. An hour long interview with character actor John P. Dulaney who plays the small supporting role of Ballarin is the main extra on the disc, and very worth a look in its own right as an insight into the studio system in Italy from the point of view of an actor who worked there. This write up is dedicated to Eric Binford – Diary of a Movie Maniac, who does quite a bit of crime, action, and Noir on his blog. I will admit I had intended to include Squadra in my Italian Crime series, but seeing how it had a much more lighthearted and less edgy feel, than others of the genre, I felt this would be something right up Eric’s alley and allow me to give the film a good expose.)

All images courtesy of Google.com/Google Images and their respective owners

for more information

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075260/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cop_in_Blue_Jeans

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squadra_antiscippo

Buying Options

SQUADRA ANTISCIPPO aka DIE BULLEN AUF DEN HEISSEN FEUERSTÜHLEN – Bruno Corbucci Italy 1976 Cover B

SQUADRA ANTISCIPPO aka DIE BULLEN AUF DEN HEISSEN FEUERSTÜHLEN – Bruno Corbucci Italy 1976 Cover C

SQUADRA ANTISCIPPO aka DIE BULLEN AUF DEN HEISSEN FEUERSTÜHLEN – Bruno Corbucci Italy 1976 Cover D

SQUADRA ANTISCIPPO aka DIE BULLEN AUF DEN HEISSEN FEUERSTÜHLEN – Bruno Corbucci Italy 1976 Cover E

https://ssl.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassung&fid=23315&vid=461750

https://ssl.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassung_vorab&fid=23315&vid=104987

https://ssl.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassung_vorab&fid=23315&vid=104989

Filed under: Film & TV: Potpourri, Film: Special Topics, TV: Analysis/Overview

An Alternate Take on the Musical Fairy Tale

by Tony Nash

(WordPress Followers Appreciation #1 Yolanda)

(All opinions are of the author alone)

(Spoilers)

French Poster

Peau d’Ane (Donkey Skin) (1970) ***** PG-13

Catherine Deneuve: The Princess/The Blue Queen I (the Mother)

Jean Marias: The Blue King

Jacques Perrin: Prince Charming/The Red Prince

Delphine Seyrig: The Lilac Fairy

Jean Servais: The Narrator (Voice)

Micheline Presle: The Red Queen/The Blue Queen II

Fernand Ledoux: The Red King

Henri Cremieux: The Blue King’s Physician

Sacha Pitoeff: The Minister

Written & Directed by Jacques Demy, based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault

Synopsis: A beautiful princess, with the aid of her fairy godmother, flees via disguise from her father the king, whom has been wrongly advised to marry to marry. The fairy godmother then secretly guides a prince to save the princess and restore harmony to the land.

The Princess incognito (from Blu Ray.com)

Jacques Demy, a Nouvelle Vague Français era filmmaker who rejected the movement in favor of his love of Classic Hollywood, briefy tried his hand at fairy tales in the early to mid 1970’s. His first outing in this trial was Peau d’Ane, a lesser known fairy tale from his home country. For about 40 to 50 years at the time, many fairy tales that were made into films were often sanitized as the key audience for them were children, but Demy broke this mold by taking on the darker elements these classic tales had lurking beneath, and confounded both viewers and critics alike by making his adaption with the lightheartedness and whimsy accepted for the kinds of films sold to children. Demy’s heroine is a beautiful princess caught in a difficult situation when, after her equally beautiful mother dies of an unnamed illness, her distraught father the king is falsely led to believe his promise to marry someone as beautiful as his wife can only be kept if he marries his own child. Loving her father dearly, but also knowing what she’ll be asked of is wrong, the princess flees her kingdom, helped by the Lilac Fairy, under the guise of a scullery worker called Donkey Skin (because of the donkey hide used to conceal herself). What follows is carefully executed plan by both Demy and his intelligent Fairy Godmother to weave a classic story, and take it in a new direction.

Drawing from an early story collection (from Castel Volante)

Charles Perrault, the classic age French writer who penned the classics Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, and Puss in Boots also wrote Peau d’Ane. While fairy tales are indeed spun for the young and the young at heart, Perrault, much like his successor Hans Christian Andresen, delved into pretty frightening, dark, and taboo material that today surprises many people. While it’s still debated whether Perrault hid these details through creative wording or that such material was seen as necessary to aiding children in their adult years, he, like his contemporaries and successors, gave the world many memorable and beloved tales that not only sent many or magical and whimsical journeys, but also gave others thought provoking items to consider.

The Princess Making Herself Pretty (from Letterboxd)

The Princess Hiding Out as Donkey Skin (from Slant Magazine)

Catherine Deneuve, an icon of French Cinema, gives one of her most unique performances as The Princess, her Mother the First Queen, and Donkey Skin. Deneuve distinguishes her Princess from the ones commonly showcased in fairy tales and legends by having her be intelligent, resourceful, and selfless. Her willingness to live a life incognito, working hard like the peasants of the land to avoid a wedding that would do more harm than good for herself, her father, and the kingdom makes her a heroine that has earned audience sympathy and support. She’s not arrogant like other princesses, has no issues dressing in commoner garb, and accepts orders from the various homes she asks for work in like any other servant. In a way this is a sort of martyrdom, as she’s convinced her father can’t be dissuaded from the act of incest. When she meets her true love the Red Prince after having gotten a job in his father’s stables, he begins to fall in love with the person she is, seeing all her remarkable qualities, thus paving the way for a happy return.

The King top a Giant Cat (from Midnight Only)

Jean Marias, a French cinema leading man who began his career with the legendary auteur Jean Cocteau, returns to his fantasy roots with the role of the Blue King. A good man who treats his subjects well and keeps harmony and peace within his kingdom, the Blue King so far fits the profile of the kind of ruler every monarch based country should have. When his beloved Queen dies suddenly, he becomes depressed and lost in his grief. Promising his beloved he would only marry a woman who matched her beauty, the King gets some very bizarre and not at all helpful advice from his astrologer doctor that the only way to keep his promise is to marry his own daughter. So lost in his sadness he somehow agrees to this, and his kingdom ends up in a kind of turmoil as the Princess’ self exile to avoid such blasphemy causes much sadness. With the aid of a neighboring monarchy and the Lilac Fairy, the King slowly begins to realize his error, and slowly all begins to become right again.

Top: The Red Prince (from the IMDb) Bottom: The Lilac Fairy (from French Culture.org)

Jacques Perrin and Delphine Seyrig offer nice supporting roles as Prince Charming and the Lilac Fairy respectively. A Fairy Tale isn’t complete without Prince Charming, and Perrin gives audiences a nice mixture of a classic Fairy Tale princes and modern thinking prince. A recurring dream has the Prince taking his trusty stead out daily in search of the beauty who he believes is destined to be his bride, and while he comes up short each time, delights in sharing his dreams with the local animals in the forest, whom help when they can in the Prince’s searching. He at first is bewildered by his attraction to the new stable maid Donkey Skin, but after spending time speaking with her, comes to admire her, and soon is made aware of her real identity and helps her restore the balance and harmony to the land. Miss Seyrig’s Fairy Godmother is an absolutely brilliant character by Demy, offering up both the motherly qualities of the classic fairy protector, and the resourcefulness of New Age Women. Seyrig enchants with both whimsy and beauty as she works behind the scenes to ensure all the characters happiness, while also teaching the Blue King some very valuable and humbling lessons.

The Court of the Red Royal Family (from Ecstatic-Blogger)

Jacques Demy once again proves to audiences that just because certain stories are from long ago, doesn’t mean that freshness can’t be brought to them, and gives them one part classic nostalgia from their youth, and one part current vibe to fit the era he makes his films in. Near flawlessly mixing the classic with the contemporary, Demy reminds his viewers why he is the master of the modern fantasy, the modern musical, and the modern Fairy Tale.

( I highly recommend this film to anyone looking for nostalgia with a hint of reinvention, anyone who loves French Cinema, lovers of Catherine Deneuve (like myself), and anyone just looking for something unique. The Criterion Collection Blu Ray, via their Essential Jacques Demy Box Set, offers their usual amazing work in the audio and visual department, Demy’s use of color looking as vibrant and crisp as ever. This write up is done in honor of one of my more recent Followers, Yolanda – Aspergers syndrome – Poetry – Alternative female – Mental illness, specifically the Alternative end of her blog. From what I’ve seen so far of her posts so far, she seems to go for anything recognizable to folks, but in a new and different approach. I think and hope that she’ll appreciate this different flavor to a take on the classic genres of film.)

All images courtesy og Google.com/Google Images and their respective owners

for more information

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066207/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Skin_(film)

https://www.criterion.com/films/28605-donkey-skin

Buying Options

https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/1055-the-essential-jacques-demy

Filed under: Film & TV: Potpourri, Film: Analysis/Overview, Film: Special Topics

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021/GET THE HELL OUT 2020!!!!!

Happy New Year to all my Followers, those I’m Following, all Curious Visitors,

and a very welcome “get the #@$% out 2020 and stay out” (boy that feels good)

from RunSignUp

As a treat, next week I plan to kick off my return to posting with a special month of selecting some of my Followers, and picking a film from my collection that fits the content their blog, do my standard write up of the film, and include why I felt the film compliments the selected person’s blog. I think this is a nice way of saying thank you to the people who take the time to check out my content and are keeping up with it. I’ll be keeping the chosen one’s a surprise until I post each write up.

Here’s to a much better 2021.

Image from Google.com/Google Images and their respective owners

Filed under: Annoucements