FRANCO ZEFFERELI

Franco Zefferelli lived to the great old age of 96. He was one of a group of Italian directors to be nominated in the U.S. for a direction Oscar. This group also included Luigi Visconti, Federico Fellini, Michaelangelo Antonioni and Bernardo Bertolucci. Franco’s nomination came for the ground-breaking Romeo And Juliet (1968). He lost to Carol Reed for Oliver. A really tough call but no big argument here.
Anyway, Franco’s Romeo and Juliet was different from earlier ventures, in that he used really young actors, just as the original play called for. Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting are teen-agers, just as the original characters were. Both of these actors now fit into the “whatever happened to” category, but the movie is just so romantic and wonderful, who cares?
Franco Zefferelli made a career of bringing Shakespeare to the screen, and most of his efforts are wildly successful. His Taming Of The Shrew (1967) featured two of the true icons of movies, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Neither of which was famous for being easy to direct, but Franco brings it off in fine style. Those flashing eyes of Elizabeth as the feisty Kate and with Burton as the domineering Petrucio are hard to resist. The story is not really up to modern political correctness, but hey, this is 17th century stuff, and it’s stood up pretty well! 
Zefferelli’s version of Othello is spelled the Italian way, Otello (1986). That’s maybe because his version is actually a film of the Verdi opera. The cast members are, of course, opera singers. The incomparable Placido Domingo has the title role and sings up a storm as the slightly clueless leader. Iago is appropriately venal, Cassius crudely oportunistic, and Desdemona completely wronged (and murdered). I’m not much of an opera fan, but this one is really good!
There are at least a dozen film adaptations of Hamlet. Franco Zefferelli’s 1990 version is near the top, with a stellar cast. Mel Gibson plays the conflicted hero and reminds us here of how good he could be. Helena Bonham Carter shines as the doomed Ophelia, Glenn Close is Queen Gertrude, Alan Bates King Claudius, and Ian Holm the wretched Polonius. I needed subtitles to follow the dialog, but they are available in most versions.
And there are many versions of Jane Eyre, the timeless Charlotte Bronte classic about a plain orphan girl trying to get along in a hostile world. Zefferelli’s 1996 version is really good, with Anna Paquin as childhood Jane and Charlotte Gainsbourg as adult Jane. William Hurt is just fine as the puzzling Mr. Rochester. The story is somewhat compressed in this one, but the main themes are there. 
Tea With Mussolini (1999) is the frankly autobiographical story of an illegitimate boy taken under the wing of female British expatriates before, during and after World War II. My goodness, what a cast: Cher, Joan Plowright, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Lily Tomlin. The young Franco is played by a series of Italian actors I never heard of. A very interesting treatment of a very difficult time. 
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults.

                                                                 ELVIS 


So I’m buttonholed by a fan in the grocery store. “I want to know why you’ve never done an article on Elvis Presley movies?” “Um”, I replied, “because they’re  awful?” “Maybe so,” he continues, “ but we’re huge Elvis fans and we need some guidance through his 30-plus movies. C’mon man, do your job!” So ok, I’ll do my best. 
Elvis’ filmography is contained in 10 short years- 1957-1967. And in that time span the studios frantically rushed to cash in on his popularity. The results are some truly awful movies and a few that aren’t so bad. 
I’ll begin with King Creole (1958). It is based on a Harold Robbins story, A Stone For Danny Fisher and in addition to Elvis, has Walter Matthau and Carolyn Jones. It is directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) and was a commercial and critical success. Elvis later said his role as Danny Fisher was his favorite. Danny drops out of high school and works to support his family. They move to New Oreans and Danny winds up singing at the King Creole club. After several fight scenes and several songs, it all ends  pretty well. 
Flaming Star (1960) stars Elvis as the son of a Kiowa mother and a Texas rancher father. He happily works at the ranch until the Kiowa indians start raiding settlers in the area. He is caught between two worlds and the film is about his determination to find his way between. At Elvis’ insistence, two of the four songs were cut from the film as he wanted to be taken more seriously as an actor. Though not a great commercial success by Elvis standards, the film was well received by most critics and audiences. 
Viva Las Vegas (1964) has Elvis as a Formula 1 race car driver intent on winning the Las Vegas Gran Prix but needing money to buy a new engine for his car. The beautiful and famous Ann-Margaret is on board as the love interest and there are ten song and dance numbers to rev up the film. 
Jailhouse Rock (1957) was Elvis’ first film and one of his best. This film, together with his legendary appearance on the Ed Sullivan show (from the waist up!), sealed his place as the number one rock and roll star of his time. Okay, maybe all time! The movie stars Elvis and nobody else you ever heard of. It begins with him doing time for manslaughter and developing his singing and dancing. The famous scene in the prison was one of his best. The songs were recorded later and dubbed into the film. Elvis lip-synched them! 
Well, Elvis fans, it’s pretty much downhill from here. There are 27 more Elvis films and none of them are very good. All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. And all are fine for all ages. 

                                                          2018 SLEEPERS
                                                         Part 6


Ok, this is the last bunch of sleepers from 2018. And there are some really good ones!
The Guilty is a Danish thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The entire movie is shot in a 911-type call center and focuses on the policeman who receives the call and tries to act on it in time. And it suddenly dawns on him that at least one caller is not a stranger. I was never sure what would happen- the formula for a good thriller! 
Puzzle is one of those good little movies I love. Kelly MacDonald is just wonderful as the bored housewife who discovers a real talent, and tries to keep it a secret. She has a the ability to assemble jigsaw puzzles correctly and quickly. Lo and behold, there’s a contest for that sort of thing. (This is America, after all). Answering an ad, she pairs up with a man with a completely different background. They are really good  together and enter a national contest. She finally confesses her secret talent to her family and they are stunned by this changed woman. 
Private Life is about a middle-aged couple trying desperately to have a child. As they seem to try everything, we hope something will work. It seems that most things don’t. Paul Giametti and Kathryn Hahn are the hopeful parents-to-be. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? You won’t find out here.
Widows is the female version of all those heist movies, such as the Ocean’s group. Viola Davis leads an unlikely group of women whose husbands have either been killed or sent to prison. Their missing husbands owe the mob a truckload of money and the bad guys expect the women to pay it back. They stumble upon a heist plan hatched by one of the husbands and decide to go for it. Do they make it? Is this a Hollywood film? But there are some delicious twists and turns getting there. A fun movie!
From the Japanese anime tradition  comes the fanciful, engaging Mary And The Witches’ Flower. Not quite up to the splendid films of Hayao Miyazaki (Kiki’s Delivery Service,eg), it is still an enchanting journey with exquisite animation. Mary accidently becomes a witch and finds her red hair to be a plus instead of a detriment. Her adventures at the witches’ academy and beyond are just plain fun!
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. Only the last one is suitable for children.