SALESMEN
Even in this day of the internet and smart phones, the traveling salesman and saleswoman who personally calls on customers is still the backbone of American commerce. Are there good movies about them? I thought you’d never ask!
The mother of all salesman flicks is Death of a Salesman, from Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer-prize play which is a microcosm of American commerce and family life. And we have three excellent versions. The first, in 1951, features the late Frederic March as Willy Loman, Mildred Dunnock as his long-suffering wife, and Cameron Mitchell and Kevin McCarthy as the sons. The 1985 version stars Dustin Hoffman and John Malkovich. Both of these are good; the earlier one is a shade better. Also quite good is a 2002 Broadway play with Lee J. Cobb. Beware the 2008 version- it’s in a weird format that won’t run on most DVD players.
Diamond Men (2001) has the underrated Robert Forster as the old veteran diamond salesman and Donnie Wahlberg as the raw rookie on the circuit. The veteran’s health and age are pushing him out, and he is offered a short respite to train the young guy. It’s a real culture clash, which is entertaining, and there are several nice twists and turns before an ending you will like.
The cast of Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) reads like a who’s who of actors. Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, Jack Lemon, Al Pacino, Ed Harris, and Alan Arkin are fine in David Mamet’s play about desperate real estate salesmen, who are really more like con men. A terrific character study, both of the salesmen and of America.
Few actors can compare to Danny Devito as a sleazeball and he is at his smarmiest in Barry Levinson’s Tin Men (1987) about two siding salesmen, who become
even more hostile when their cars collide in Baltimore. A very young Richard Dreyfuss is good as Danny’s nemesis. Sometimes an uneven blend of comedy and pathos, Tin Men is entertaining if unresolved.
Last but hardly least, Salesman (1969) is a Maysles brothers documentary that follows real Bible salesmen on their daily rounds, their get-togethers and their sales meetings. An incredible job of cinema verite work, the film is so real and sometimes heart-breaking that parts of it are hard to take. But if you want to know what it’s like to be a salesman in America, you can’t do any better than this.
All of the movies in this column are available on DVD. All are grown-up films.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Sunday, September 22, 2019
CHINA
2019's outstanding The Farewell examines the age-old conflict between modern Chinese-Americans and the traditional way. Billi (actress Awkwafina) is a 30-year-old writer who is pretty well Americanized. She returns to China on the news that her beloved grandmother is dying of cancer. When she arrives she discovers that no one has told the old lady about her condition or her prognosis, and Billi must not tell either. Also, she must not look sad! Touching and funny, this is an outstanding film. The ending is a zapper!
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) is available on DVD. And though its high-flying martial arts sequences might be a little better on the big screen, it is still a terrific rental. This marvelous film marks the complete coming of age of the Chinese cinema and perhaps has raised the bar on fight scenes to unreachable levels. Crouching Tiger features two great love stories, mystery, suspense, and the most incredible flying circus martial arts panorama of all time. It won an Oscar as Best Foreign Film and was even nominated as Best Movie.
But there’s a lot more to Chinese films than kung fu. Raise The Red Lantern (1991) is a timeless set piece on the place of women in society, though the story of the beautiful concubine is centuries old. The acting and the costumes are first rate.
Ju Dou (1989) is one of several films in this column banned in China. In it, a young girl’s arranged marriage to a much older factory owner is the center of a story of intrigue, infidelity and the sometimes stultifying effects of tradition.
Farewell, My Concubine (1993) uses Chinese traditional opera as its centerpiece and as a metaphor for the chaos wrought by the Cultural Revolution. Another non-favorite in China, it includes a forbidden love triangle, great scenery and acting, and a look at a facet of another culture completely unknown to most Americans.
The Story Of Qiu Ju (1992) is a terrific movie with a story that travels well to almost anywhere. A simple village woman’s husband is beaten up by the powerful
village chief. She will not rest until there is both an explanation and an apology. Her struggles with the bureaucracy and her refusal to give up are both amusing and heartening. The undertow here is a sly look at how bureaucrats don’t really help anyone but themselves, which is just as true in China as elsewhere.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD, including the first one, and all are adult fare.
2019's outstanding The Farewell examines the age-old conflict between modern Chinese-Americans and the traditional way. Billi (actress Awkwafina) is a 30-year-old writer who is pretty well Americanized. She returns to China on the news that her beloved grandmother is dying of cancer. When she arrives she discovers that no one has told the old lady about her condition or her prognosis, and Billi must not tell either. Also, she must not look sad! Touching and funny, this is an outstanding film. The ending is a zapper!
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) is available on DVD. And though its high-flying martial arts sequences might be a little better on the big screen, it is still a terrific rental. This marvelous film marks the complete coming of age of the Chinese cinema and perhaps has raised the bar on fight scenes to unreachable levels. Crouching Tiger features two great love stories, mystery, suspense, and the most incredible flying circus martial arts panorama of all time. It won an Oscar as Best Foreign Film and was even nominated as Best Movie.
But there’s a lot more to Chinese films than kung fu. Raise The Red Lantern (1991) is a timeless set piece on the place of women in society, though the story of the beautiful concubine is centuries old. The acting and the costumes are first rate.
Ju Dou (1989) is one of several films in this column banned in China. In it, a young girl’s arranged marriage to a much older factory owner is the center of a story of intrigue, infidelity and the sometimes stultifying effects of tradition.
Farewell, My Concubine (1993) uses Chinese traditional opera as its centerpiece and as a metaphor for the chaos wrought by the Cultural Revolution. Another non-favorite in China, it includes a forbidden love triangle, great scenery and acting, and a look at a facet of another culture completely unknown to most Americans.
The Story Of Qiu Ju (1992) is a terrific movie with a story that travels well to almost anywhere. A simple village woman’s husband is beaten up by the powerful
village chief. She will not rest until there is both an explanation and an apology. Her struggles with the bureaucracy and her refusal to give up are both amusing and heartening. The undertow here is a sly look at how bureaucrats don’t really help anyone but themselves, which is just as true in China as elsewhere.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD, including the first one, and all are adult fare.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
ANN MILLER
Betty Grable’s were more famous, but Ann Miller’s legs were better. Ms. Miller left this world at 81, and I picture her tap dancing her way through the pearly gates to the great delight of everyone. She could tap 500 times a minute, and smile through every one of them.
As she said herself, she was always the second girl, the slightly kooky friend of the female star. When Cyd Charisse broke a leg before filming began on Easter Parade (1948), MGM turned to Ms. Miller who responded brilliantly. Granted, Fred Astaire and Judy Garland are the stars in this spectacular musical, but Ms. Miller is just as good and lights up the screen with her dancing. If you get a chance to see this, notice the gorgeous Technicolor. They truly don’t make them like that any more.
In Stage Door (1937) Ann Miller holds her own with some true legends: Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball and Eve Arden. This is a fine film about young women trying to make it big in show business while they work at dreary low-paying jobs and share a beat up boarding house.
To me Ann Miller’s shining hour is in On The Town (1949). She has a couple of great tap numbers, the costumes and scenery are fabulous, and with Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen this is a fun film about three sailors with only a 24-hour leave in New York City.
In Room Service (1938) Ms. Miller had the courage (or lack of sense) to appear on the same screen as the Marx Brothers, who clown and ad lib their way through a luxury cruise. Ms. Miller is a good-natured lady along for the ride. There’s a scene with about a hundred people in a stateroom- how did they do that?
Ann Miller appears in Kiss Me Kate (1953) not, of course, as Kate but as her girlfriend. Kate is Katherine Grayson, her husband is Howard Keel, and this is a wonderful musical take on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. There is great dancing and the Cole Porter score is marvelous.
Some other Ann Miller outings worth a look include Too Many Girls (1946), Lovely To Look At (1952), and Hit The Deck (1955), all from the golden age of musicals. Ms. Miller’s last appearance on the silver screen is in David Lynch’s utterly confusing Mulholland Drive (2001).
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are fine for all ages except the last one.
Betty Grable’s were more famous, but Ann Miller’s legs were better. Ms. Miller left this world at 81, and I picture her tap dancing her way through the pearly gates to the great delight of everyone. She could tap 500 times a minute, and smile through every one of them.
As she said herself, she was always the second girl, the slightly kooky friend of the female star. When Cyd Charisse broke a leg before filming began on Easter Parade (1948), MGM turned to Ms. Miller who responded brilliantly. Granted, Fred Astaire and Judy Garland are the stars in this spectacular musical, but Ms. Miller is just as good and lights up the screen with her dancing. If you get a chance to see this, notice the gorgeous Technicolor. They truly don’t make them like that any more.
In Stage Door (1937) Ann Miller holds her own with some true legends: Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball and Eve Arden. This is a fine film about young women trying to make it big in show business while they work at dreary low-paying jobs and share a beat up boarding house.
To me Ann Miller’s shining hour is in On The Town (1949). She has a couple of great tap numbers, the costumes and scenery are fabulous, and with Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen this is a fun film about three sailors with only a 24-hour leave in New York City.
In Room Service (1938) Ms. Miller had the courage (or lack of sense) to appear on the same screen as the Marx Brothers, who clown and ad lib their way through a luxury cruise. Ms. Miller is a good-natured lady along for the ride. There’s a scene with about a hundred people in a stateroom- how did they do that?
Ann Miller appears in Kiss Me Kate (1953) not, of course, as Kate but as her girlfriend. Kate is Katherine Grayson, her husband is Howard Keel, and this is a wonderful musical take on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. There is great dancing and the Cole Porter score is marvelous.
Some other Ann Miller outings worth a look include Too Many Girls (1946), Lovely To Look At (1952), and Hit The Deck (1955), all from the golden age of musicals. Ms. Miller’s last appearance on the silver screen is in David Lynch’s utterly confusing Mulholland Drive (2001).
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are fine for all ages except the last one.
Sunday, September 8, 2019
RIP TORN
Rip Torn died recently. He was 88. I always assumed he picked that quirky name to sound tough. Many famous actors have changed their name to something easier to remember- Tina Fey, Vin Diesel, Whoopi Goldberg, etc. But no, that is Rip Torn’s real name! Well, Torn is his family name and men in the family had been called Rip for several generations. He had a glowery countenance, perfect for playing bad guys. I cannot remember a movie where he smiled.
He logged nearly 200 credits in movies and TV. Mr. Movie is here for you, to rip(!) out the gold from the dross in Torn’s dossier.
Let’s begin with his one Academy Award nomination. It came in 1983 when he portrayed Marsh Turner in Cross Creek, the excellent film based on Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ classic autobiographical story. Mary Steenburgen plays the author, who leaves her husband and New York after buying a Florida orange grove sight unseen. Her interaction with the locals becomes the basis for her very successful novel, The Yearling. Rip Torn’s character is forced to shoot his daughter’s pet deer after it eats all of the family’s vegetables. By the way, Torn lost to Jack Nicholson for Terms Of Endearment.
Pork Chop Hill (1959) is one of the very best Korean war movies, and Rip Torn appears as Lieutenant Walter Russell. The Americans and South Koreans take Pork Chop Hill from the enemy, but suffer grievous losses. The Chinese are massing to retake the hill, but the allies are still urged to hold out despite the overwhelming force against them. Gregory Peck has the major role in the film, but the cast includes an astonishing list of actors who went on to become stars: Martin Landau, Woody Strode, Harry Guardino, Robert Blake, George Peppard, Gavin MacLeod, and Harry Dean Stanton. It’s fun to see all these guys when they weren’t yet famous.
Marie Antoinette (2006) is the fairly accurate biopic of the Austrian beauty who lost her head in the French Revolution. She is sent to France to marry the future Louis XVI and produce heirs. She doesn’t for many years and the French blame her, though her husband seems impotent or uninterested or both. Much later he finally gets the idea and a daughter is born. Rip Torn plays his father, Louis XV, who dies of smallpox. Kirsten Dunst has a great time playing the flighty Marie.
In both of the first two Men In Black (1997) and (2002) Rip Torn is the boss of the two leads, Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, who go around outing and blowing away aliens who look like ordinary people. Rip is appropriately dictatorial and frequently angry.
Rip Torn can also be seen as Big Daddy in the TV movie of Cat
on A Hot Tin Roof (1984).
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.
Rip Torn died recently. He was 88. I always assumed he picked that quirky name to sound tough. Many famous actors have changed their name to something easier to remember- Tina Fey, Vin Diesel, Whoopi Goldberg, etc. But no, that is Rip Torn’s real name! Well, Torn is his family name and men in the family had been called Rip for several generations. He had a glowery countenance, perfect for playing bad guys. I cannot remember a movie where he smiled.
He logged nearly 200 credits in movies and TV. Mr. Movie is here for you, to rip(!) out the gold from the dross in Torn’s dossier.
Let’s begin with his one Academy Award nomination. It came in 1983 when he portrayed Marsh Turner in Cross Creek, the excellent film based on Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ classic autobiographical story. Mary Steenburgen plays the author, who leaves her husband and New York after buying a Florida orange grove sight unseen. Her interaction with the locals becomes the basis for her very successful novel, The Yearling. Rip Torn’s character is forced to shoot his daughter’s pet deer after it eats all of the family’s vegetables. By the way, Torn lost to Jack Nicholson for Terms Of Endearment.
Pork Chop Hill (1959) is one of the very best Korean war movies, and Rip Torn appears as Lieutenant Walter Russell. The Americans and South Koreans take Pork Chop Hill from the enemy, but suffer grievous losses. The Chinese are massing to retake the hill, but the allies are still urged to hold out despite the overwhelming force against them. Gregory Peck has the major role in the film, but the cast includes an astonishing list of actors who went on to become stars: Martin Landau, Woody Strode, Harry Guardino, Robert Blake, George Peppard, Gavin MacLeod, and Harry Dean Stanton. It’s fun to see all these guys when they weren’t yet famous.
Marie Antoinette (2006) is the fairly accurate biopic of the Austrian beauty who lost her head in the French Revolution. She is sent to France to marry the future Louis XVI and produce heirs. She doesn’t for many years and the French blame her, though her husband seems impotent or uninterested or both. Much later he finally gets the idea and a daughter is born. Rip Torn plays his father, Louis XV, who dies of smallpox. Kirsten Dunst has a great time playing the flighty Marie.
In both of the first two Men In Black (1997) and (2002) Rip Torn is the boss of the two leads, Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, who go around outing and blowing away aliens who look like ordinary people. Rip is appropriately dictatorial and frequently angry.
Rip Torn can also be seen as Big Daddy in the TV movie of Cat
on A Hot Tin Roof (1984).
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.
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