COLORIZATION
Colorization is the bastardization of black and white films into dreadful colors. It has been around for a while. Ted Turner famously tried to colorize Citizen Kane, but he encountered such a firestorm of outraged opposition that he dropped the idea. He seems to have also dropped the whole colorization thing. Others have not. But I’m pleased to report that the beast seems to have been dealt a hopefully fatal blow about 10 years ago. We can only hope!
What these folks don’t seem to understand is that directors and cinematographers who use black and white know what they’re working with. They use the medium to achieve things that color simply can’t do. And yet, the monster persists. It is apparently because lots of young people won’t watch something in black and white. Well, that’s their loss.
Critics Siskel and Ebert, the best of the best, called it “Hollywood’s New Vandalism.” Anjelica Houston successfully stopped the process in its tracks in France, using French copyright law. The U.S. has legislation that protects films in the National Film Registry from colorization.
Well, anyway, here are some wonderful black and white movies that would be cheapened and perhaps ruined by being colorized.
Let's begin with Schindler's List (1993), which deservedly won the Oscar for best picture. The starkness of the prison camp and the situations just cry out for black and white. The very end is shot in color and rightly so- it makes the contrast in times greater.
Orson Welles perhaps understood better than anyone else how to use the subtle shadings and shadows of black and white. His landmark film Citizen Kane (1941) is exhibit A. But an even better use of the medium, though a lesser film, is The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) which is shot almost entirely in the gloomy old Amberson mansion. The story of the decline of a once-mighty family is perfectly mirrored in the photography. If the ending seems to be tacked on, it is. The studio took Ambersons away from Welles and pasted on the hokey ending. It's still a great film.
Raging Bull (1980) is one of the great boxing movies. The brutality and violence of the ring (and the kitchen) are more exquisitely captured in black and white than any color imaginable. The sleazy, smoky nightclubs that become Jake LaMotta's environment seem much more oppressive and atmospheric in black and white.
Casablanca (1942) has dark filmic echoes of the war and the end of a culture, and is one of the most romantic films ever made. Notice that in the night scenes you can always see what is going on. Night scenes in most modern color movies are annoyingly unwatchable.
On The Waterfront (1954) with its gritty shots of the docks and union halls, is perfect for black and white. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966), in which an apparently happy marriage slowly unravels before our eyes, would be ruined by color. .
The Hustler (1961) with its seamy pool halls and seamier characters is just right for black and white. High Noon (1952) is an epic because the situation is black and white to Gary Cooper's character.
My favorite example of black and white cinematography is How Green Was My Valley (1941). This is a great film anyway, but the photography is unmatched. It's the story of Welsh miners and their lives and their village. Use your freeze button on any frame in this movie and you could hang it on your wall.
Director Alexander Payne (Sideways, About Schmidt) decided to film Nebraska (2013) in black and white. Excellent choice! The film had five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. The dreary, barren Midwestern landscape, the dingy small towns and the dysfunctional family members are perfect in black and white.
And remember while we’re on this topic that a black and white movie, The Artist, won the Best Picture Oscar for 2011. It’s also silent!
All of the films in this article are available on DVD in glorious black and white. All are for 12 and up.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Sunday, January 21, 2018
EASTWOOD MASTER DIRECTOR 3
This is the third and final article about movies directed by Clint Eastwood. He will be 88 in May and is still going strong!
I should point out that it hasn’t all been sunny skies for Mr Eastwood’s directorial efforts. I will mention J. Edgar (2011), Breezy (1973), and The Bridges Of Madison County (1995) as less than stellar efforts. But even those would be counted as successes by most directors.
Gran Torino (2008) is the last of the really good films to feature Clint as an actor. He is a bitter recently widowed Korean war veteran whose prize possession is a 1972 Fprd Gran Torino. His next-door neighbors are a large Hmong family, not exactly who he would pick to live close to. The son tries to steal the Gran Torino as a gang initiation. Eastwood foils the attempt and gradually becomes friendly with the boy and the family. They are terrorized by a gang, and Eastwood’s solution is a real twist.
Invictus (2009) is a terrific uplifting film. Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman, of course) now president of apartheid-free South Africa hopes to unite his splintered country by convincing the black majority to support the all white South African rugby team, the Springboks. Matt Damon convincingly plays the team captain. When the team visits the prison where Mr. Mandela served nearly 30 years of his life it is a sobering thing for them and us. Eastwood’s expertise is evident in making an unusual sport readily understandable, and as always in his pulling out the best from the actors.
American Sniper (2014) is based on the true story of Chris Kyle, who had over 150 confirmed kills as an expert rifleman. Bradley Cooper is very good as Kyle. His military life becomes his whole life and does not mesh well with his home life. Sienna Miller plays his beleagured wife who does the best she can under trying circumstances. The ending is a crusher and it is exactly what really happened to Chris Kyle.
Sully (2016) is the story of one of the greatest air rescues in history. Shortly after takeoff, Captain Chesley Sullenberger’s jetliner is struck by a flock of birds and loses both engines. The incomparable Tom Hanks plays Sully and Aaron Eckhart plays his co-pilot. Without power he determines he cannot make it to any airport and decides to land on the Hudson River. He accomplishes this with only minor injuries to a few of the 155 passenger, who are all rescued safely. The second half of the film details the Safety Board’s inquiry into whether Sully’s action was appropriate. Several tests are run to determine what would have happened if he had tried to make it to an airport. The film ends with a reunion with the passengers and their hero. Clint Eastwood gets absolutely every ounce out of this film!
And he’s not done yet! In February 15:17 To Paris hits the theaters and I’m willing to bet it will be a stemwinder.
All of the movies in this article except the last one are available on DVD. All are really for grown-ups.
This is the third and final article about movies directed by Clint Eastwood. He will be 88 in May and is still going strong!
I should point out that it hasn’t all been sunny skies for Mr Eastwood’s directorial efforts. I will mention J. Edgar (2011), Breezy (1973), and The Bridges Of Madison County (1995) as less than stellar efforts. But even those would be counted as successes by most directors.
Gran Torino (2008) is the last of the really good films to feature Clint as an actor. He is a bitter recently widowed Korean war veteran whose prize possession is a 1972 Fprd Gran Torino. His next-door neighbors are a large Hmong family, not exactly who he would pick to live close to. The son tries to steal the Gran Torino as a gang initiation. Eastwood foils the attempt and gradually becomes friendly with the boy and the family. They are terrorized by a gang, and Eastwood’s solution is a real twist.
Invictus (2009) is a terrific uplifting film. Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman, of course) now president of apartheid-free South Africa hopes to unite his splintered country by convincing the black majority to support the all white South African rugby team, the Springboks. Matt Damon convincingly plays the team captain. When the team visits the prison where Mr. Mandela served nearly 30 years of his life it is a sobering thing for them and us. Eastwood’s expertise is evident in making an unusual sport readily understandable, and as always in his pulling out the best from the actors.
American Sniper (2014) is based on the true story of Chris Kyle, who had over 150 confirmed kills as an expert rifleman. Bradley Cooper is very good as Kyle. His military life becomes his whole life and does not mesh well with his home life. Sienna Miller plays his beleagured wife who does the best she can under trying circumstances. The ending is a crusher and it is exactly what really happened to Chris Kyle.
Sully (2016) is the story of one of the greatest air rescues in history. Shortly after takeoff, Captain Chesley Sullenberger’s jetliner is struck by a flock of birds and loses both engines. The incomparable Tom Hanks plays Sully and Aaron Eckhart plays his co-pilot. Without power he determines he cannot make it to any airport and decides to land on the Hudson River. He accomplishes this with only minor injuries to a few of the 155 passenger, who are all rescued safely. The second half of the film details the Safety Board’s inquiry into whether Sully’s action was appropriate. Several tests are run to determine what would have happened if he had tried to make it to an airport. The film ends with a reunion with the passengers and their hero. Clint Eastwood gets absolutely every ounce out of this film!
And he’s not done yet! In February 15:17 To Paris hits the theaters and I’m willing to bet it will be a stemwinder.
All of the movies in this article except the last one are available on DVD. All are really for grown-ups.
Sunday, January 14, 2018
EASTWOOD MASTER DIRECTOR 2
This is the second of three installments dealing with the best films directed by Cllint Eastwood. This week features his middle period, in the early 2000's.
We begin with Eastwood’s film adaptation of Michael Connelly’s Blood Work (2002). Okay, it’s not as good as the book- no surprise. But it’s still pretty good. Eastwood plays Terry McCaleb, an FBI agent whose pursuit of a killer is halted by a heart attack. A heart transplant gives him a new life and new hope. Against his doctor’s advice he continues his pursuit. There are interesting plot twists you won’t find here.
Perhaps being a great actor himself helps Clint Eastwood get the best out of actors he directs. Both Sean Penn and Tim Robbins deservedly won Oscars for Mystic River (2003). And yet, it is Kevin Bacon’s quietly competent performance as the third friend, who happens to be a cop, that really holds this movie together. Something terrible happened when all three were kids, and something terrible keeps happening now. Not for the squeamish, this film features strong performances and a tough, unrelenting screenplay.
Clint Eastwood’s second directing Oscar came in 2004 for his helming Million Dollar Baby. Hillary Swank plays Maggie Fitzgerald, who seeks to raise the level of her mundane life via the boxing ring. Mr. Eastwood plays trainer Frankie Dunn. At first he discourages Maggie’s determination but relents when she just won’t give up. Morgan Freeman plays Eddie, an experienced trainer and “cut man”. This film also garnered Oscars for Freeman and Swank, and for Best Picture. The ending is hard to take but perhaps unavoidable.
Mr. Eastwood turned out two movies about Iwo Jima in 2006. Flags Of Our Fathers is told from the American side. The actors are uniformly good, but virtually unknown. Ryan Phillips, Jesse Bradford and Adam Beach are featured. Three survivors of the bloody battle for the island are on a tour to raise money for war bonds. They reflect back on their time on Iwo Jima and particularly about the famous raising of the American flag atop Mount Suribachi. The battle scenes are gritty but very well done.
The second feature about this famous island, also directed by Mr. Eastwood, is Letters From Iwo Jima. This time the focus is from the Japanese point of view, which makes a very interesting contrast. The actors in this one are even more unknown, being of Japanese extraction. The differences in the approach of the two forces is a revelation to us. We rarely think of the enemy as just as human as we, but this film goes to great lengths to prove that is true.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for adult audiences.
This is the second of three installments dealing with the best films directed by Cllint Eastwood. This week features his middle period, in the early 2000's.
We begin with Eastwood’s film adaptation of Michael Connelly’s Blood Work (2002). Okay, it’s not as good as the book- no surprise. But it’s still pretty good. Eastwood plays Terry McCaleb, an FBI agent whose pursuit of a killer is halted by a heart attack. A heart transplant gives him a new life and new hope. Against his doctor’s advice he continues his pursuit. There are interesting plot twists you won’t find here.
Perhaps being a great actor himself helps Clint Eastwood get the best out of actors he directs. Both Sean Penn and Tim Robbins deservedly won Oscars for Mystic River (2003). And yet, it is Kevin Bacon’s quietly competent performance as the third friend, who happens to be a cop, that really holds this movie together. Something terrible happened when all three were kids, and something terrible keeps happening now. Not for the squeamish, this film features strong performances and a tough, unrelenting screenplay.
Clint Eastwood’s second directing Oscar came in 2004 for his helming Million Dollar Baby. Hillary Swank plays Maggie Fitzgerald, who seeks to raise the level of her mundane life via the boxing ring. Mr. Eastwood plays trainer Frankie Dunn. At first he discourages Maggie’s determination but relents when she just won’t give up. Morgan Freeman plays Eddie, an experienced trainer and “cut man”. This film also garnered Oscars for Freeman and Swank, and for Best Picture. The ending is hard to take but perhaps unavoidable.
Mr. Eastwood turned out two movies about Iwo Jima in 2006. Flags Of Our Fathers is told from the American side. The actors are uniformly good, but virtually unknown. Ryan Phillips, Jesse Bradford and Adam Beach are featured. Three survivors of the bloody battle for the island are on a tour to raise money for war bonds. They reflect back on their time on Iwo Jima and particularly about the famous raising of the American flag atop Mount Suribachi. The battle scenes are gritty but very well done.
The second feature about this famous island, also directed by Mr. Eastwood, is Letters From Iwo Jima. This time the focus is from the Japanese point of view, which makes a very interesting contrast. The actors in this one are even more unknown, being of Japanese extraction. The differences in the approach of the two forces is a revelation to us. We rarely think of the enemy as just as human as we, but this film goes to great lengths to prove that is true.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for adult audiences.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
CLINT EASTWOOD, MASTER DIRECTOR
When most of us think of Clint Eastwood we think of the stone-faced, laconic Dirty Harry or the Man Without A Name spaghetti westerns. Would it surprise you that he has directed nearly 40 films, dating back to 1971? And that he has won two Oscars for best direction? He can, I think, be mentioned in the same breath with John Ford, Martin Scorcese and John Huston.
His remarkable directing career begins with the very creepy Play Misty For Me (1971). Eastwood headlines as disc jockey Dave Garver, being stalked by a spurned lover (Evelyn Draper, played by Jessica Walter). The two meet in Eastwood’s favorite bar. It turns out not to be a chance meeting at all. They become lovers but it is increasingly clear that Evelyn is a real nut job. Things get worse.
There follow two violent Westerns, very like the Sergio Leone oaters, but directed by Eastwood. High Plains Drifter (1973) with Eastwood as The Stranger is indeed strange and not for the squeamish. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) features Clint as a Missouri farmer whose family is killed by Union troops. He seeks revenge- lots of revenge!
A personal favorite of mine, which you may have never heard of, is Bronco Billy (1980). Eastwood is the owner and star of a Wild West Show newly burdened with rich-bitch Sondra Locke, and with assorted show biz problems. This is a charming story with an enjoyable cast, made all the better by Eastwood’s stoic presence.
Clint Eastwood proved the Western is alive and well, and won his first directing Oscar for Unforgiven (1992). This terrific movie also won Oscars for Best Film, Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman), and Best Film Editing. Eastwood was nominated for Best Actor but lost to Al Pacino for Scent Of A Woman. Eastwood plays Will Munny, a somewhat reformed gun slinger now raising two children on a failing farm. He is approached by a colleague about a reward being offered for the destruction of two cowboys who are terrorizing a nearby small town. Will decides the reward will save his farm and signs on for the battle. It’s not giving away much to say that all ends well after some tense moments. This is a Hollywood movie featuring an A-list actor! But- getting there is all the fun.
A Perfect World (1993) stars Kevin Costner as the nicest escaped convict (Butch Haynes) you’ll ever find, and Clint Eastwood as the lawman trying to catch him. The plot principally involves Haynes taking 8-year-old Phillip as a hostage and running with him to escape the pursuit of the law. Young Phillip has been raised in a strict religious home and never experienced Halloween or Christmas. He is thrilled to be introduced to these holidays by Butch. The youngster was ably played by T.J. Lowther, who continued to act but never at this level again.
Next time: Movies from director Clint Eastwood’s middle career.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All except Bronco Billy are for adult audiences.
When most of us think of Clint Eastwood we think of the stone-faced, laconic Dirty Harry or the Man Without A Name spaghetti westerns. Would it surprise you that he has directed nearly 40 films, dating back to 1971? And that he has won two Oscars for best direction? He can, I think, be mentioned in the same breath with John Ford, Martin Scorcese and John Huston.
His remarkable directing career begins with the very creepy Play Misty For Me (1971). Eastwood headlines as disc jockey Dave Garver, being stalked by a spurned lover (Evelyn Draper, played by Jessica Walter). The two meet in Eastwood’s favorite bar. It turns out not to be a chance meeting at all. They become lovers but it is increasingly clear that Evelyn is a real nut job. Things get worse.
There follow two violent Westerns, very like the Sergio Leone oaters, but directed by Eastwood. High Plains Drifter (1973) with Eastwood as The Stranger is indeed strange and not for the squeamish. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) features Clint as a Missouri farmer whose family is killed by Union troops. He seeks revenge- lots of revenge!
A personal favorite of mine, which you may have never heard of, is Bronco Billy (1980). Eastwood is the owner and star of a Wild West Show newly burdened with rich-bitch Sondra Locke, and with assorted show biz problems. This is a charming story with an enjoyable cast, made all the better by Eastwood’s stoic presence.
Clint Eastwood proved the Western is alive and well, and won his first directing Oscar for Unforgiven (1992). This terrific movie also won Oscars for Best Film, Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman), and Best Film Editing. Eastwood was nominated for Best Actor but lost to Al Pacino for Scent Of A Woman. Eastwood plays Will Munny, a somewhat reformed gun slinger now raising two children on a failing farm. He is approached by a colleague about a reward being offered for the destruction of two cowboys who are terrorizing a nearby small town. Will decides the reward will save his farm and signs on for the battle. It’s not giving away much to say that all ends well after some tense moments. This is a Hollywood movie featuring an A-list actor! But- getting there is all the fun.
A Perfect World (1993) stars Kevin Costner as the nicest escaped convict (Butch Haynes) you’ll ever find, and Clint Eastwood as the lawman trying to catch him. The plot principally involves Haynes taking 8-year-old Phillip as a hostage and running with him to escape the pursuit of the law. Young Phillip has been raised in a strict religious home and never experienced Halloween or Christmas. He is thrilled to be introduced to these holidays by Butch. The youngster was ably played by T.J. Lowther, who continued to act but never at this level again.
Next time: Movies from director Clint Eastwood’s middle career.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All except Bronco Billy are for adult audiences.
Sunday, December 17, 2017
THE CHINESE INVASION
A short eleven-year span (1982-93) produced five stellar movies about the experience of Chinese immigrants new to our shores. It also brought us Chinese-born director Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility, Brokeback Mountain), who seems to understand us better than we do.
Chan Is Missing (1982) is a wry charmer. The entire cast (all unknowns) and crew are of oriental descent. Two San Francisco cab drivers have their life savings stolen and spend the movie looking for the thief. The movie’s pint-sized budget seems to have been put in the right places.
In A Great Wall (1986) a Chinese-American family makes the long trip to mainland China to look for their roots. The culture shock to both the visitors and the visited is both funny and revealing. The family’s children are thoroughly American but adjust better than their parents. As FDR said so well, we’re all immigrants, and in a real sense this fine film is about all of us.
The culture shock runs the other way in Eat A Bowl Of Tea (1989), a merry low-key film about Chinese immigrants coming to America after the second World War and trying to adapt to new ways. Marriage in particular is very different in the new land, and the young folks adapt quickly while their parents need a wake-up call. (With our divorce rate, you have to wonder if the old folks don’t have a point!)
The Wedding Banquet (1993) is part of a desperate attempt by a gay Chinese-American to fool his very conservative parents from the old country into believing he is
not only straight, but married as well. The scam stretches tighter as the principals try to
plug more holes in the dike. Ang Lee’s screenplay and direction are sure-handed and entertaining and there are plenty of laughs and surprises for everyone.
Saving Face (2004) written and directed by Alice Wu, is also about Americanized children of Chinese descent and the conflicts they face. The main plot involves two girls in love with each other, afraid of the stigma of their society. They come to realize that their mothers are much more modernized and savvy than they thought.
The Joy Luck Club (1993) is a group of elderly American ladies who grew up in China and who gather to play cards and swap stories. Their children are completely Americanized and as each of the parents’ stories emerge, they come to realize how extraordinary their mothers are. Amy Tan co-wrote the screenplay based on her wonderful novel. This movie is the pick of the litter and one of the unsung treasures of the 90's.
All of the films in this column are available on video, and all are available on DVD. All are fine for children 12 and up.
A short eleven-year span (1982-93) produced five stellar movies about the experience of Chinese immigrants new to our shores. It also brought us Chinese-born director Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility, Brokeback Mountain), who seems to understand us better than we do.
Chan Is Missing (1982) is a wry charmer. The entire cast (all unknowns) and crew are of oriental descent. Two San Francisco cab drivers have their life savings stolen and spend the movie looking for the thief. The movie’s pint-sized budget seems to have been put in the right places.
In A Great Wall (1986) a Chinese-American family makes the long trip to mainland China to look for their roots. The culture shock to both the visitors and the visited is both funny and revealing. The family’s children are thoroughly American but adjust better than their parents. As FDR said so well, we’re all immigrants, and in a real sense this fine film is about all of us.
The culture shock runs the other way in Eat A Bowl Of Tea (1989), a merry low-key film about Chinese immigrants coming to America after the second World War and trying to adapt to new ways. Marriage in particular is very different in the new land, and the young folks adapt quickly while their parents need a wake-up call. (With our divorce rate, you have to wonder if the old folks don’t have a point!)
The Wedding Banquet (1993) is part of a desperate attempt by a gay Chinese-American to fool his very conservative parents from the old country into believing he is
not only straight, but married as well. The scam stretches tighter as the principals try to
plug more holes in the dike. Ang Lee’s screenplay and direction are sure-handed and entertaining and there are plenty of laughs and surprises for everyone.
Saving Face (2004) written and directed by Alice Wu, is also about Americanized children of Chinese descent and the conflicts they face. The main plot involves two girls in love with each other, afraid of the stigma of their society. They come to realize that their mothers are much more modernized and savvy than they thought.
The Joy Luck Club (1993) is a group of elderly American ladies who grew up in China and who gather to play cards and swap stories. Their children are completely Americanized and as each of the parents’ stories emerge, they come to realize how extraordinary their mothers are. Amy Tan co-wrote the screenplay based on her wonderful novel. This movie is the pick of the litter and one of the unsung treasures of the 90's.
All of the films in this column are available on video, and all are available on DVD. All are fine for children 12 and up.
Sunday, December 10, 2017
NEVER HEAD OF HEARD?
Watching movies in the 80's you would have bet the ranch that John Heard was going to become a leading man and a big star. He didn’t. Can it be that his appearance in a couple of silly movies finished off his shot at the big time? He started very strong.
In Cutter’s Way (1981) he is Alex Cutter. He and Jeff Bridges are fellow Vietnam vets who pursue a complicated conspiracy theory involving a murder suspect who is also a very powerful man. This was Heard’s break-out part and he is quite good. He got glowing reviews from most of the big reviewers. I can’t reveal much more of the plot without ruining the movie for you.
While The Trip To Bountiful (1985) clearly belongs to Geraldine Page as Carrie Watts, John Heard is excellent as her overly protective son. Carrie longs to return to her ancestral home near the little town of Bountiful, Texas. Her son and daughter-in-law (Carlin Glynn) don’t want her to go alone. They also won’t take her because they know the town doesn’t exist anymore, done in by the war and the Depression. Ms. Page won the Oscar for her performance as the spunky matron. She strikes out on her own by bus and reaches a town close to her old home. A kindly sheriff takes her to the spot, now ramshackle and deserted. But- she did make it!
Big (1988) is the fanciful story of a boy who wants to become “big” and with the help of an antique fortune-telling machine, does exactly that. Tom Hanks stars as Josh Baskin, the little boy now in a grown man’s body. He goes to work for a toy company and is quite successful there. He and Susan Lawrence (Elizabeth Perkins) become an item. John Heard plays Susan’s jealous boyfriend and co-worker at the toy company. There are all kinds funny and fun instances because Josh is still a little boy at heart but appears to others as a grown-up. This charming film became a hit Broadway musical in 1996 and ran for a couple of years.
Beaches (1988) is the story of two girls who become friends for life, despite ups and downs along the way. Bette Midler plays CC Bloom, a brassy star singer and Barbara Hershey plays Hillary Whitney, a conservative lawyer. John Heard is fine as John Pierce, who starts out as Hillary’s lover, then winds up with CC.
Heard’s bland good looks are perfect for the part of Macauley Culkin’s rather clueless Dad in the Home Alone (1990 & 1992) movies. As you probably know, the plot involves a little boy’s family somehow going off on vacation and forgetting to take him along. This unlikely scenario is repeated two years after the first one. I am not a big fan of these films which seem to minimize the dangers of a child left alone. The most interesting thing about them, in terms of this article, is that John Heard never got another big part. I’m wouldn’t think it was because of his appearance in these two movies, but for some reason he was more or less done at 42. He continued to get lots of work, but nothing of much significance.
In Awakenings (1990) he plays Dr. Kaufman, a decidedly minor part. In Rambling Rose (1991) Buddy is the main character as a child. Heard plays Buddy as an adult. He is John Riley in Gladiator (1992) and I really can’t tell you what he does. He has bit parts in In The Line Of Fire (1993) and The Pelican Brief (1993). After that, it really goes downhill. John Heard had parts in another 50 movies and TV shows for the next 20 plus years and none of them are very good. So, go figure...
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. I could only recommend Big for 10 and up. The rest are for grown-ups.
Watching movies in the 80's you would have bet the ranch that John Heard was going to become a leading man and a big star. He didn’t. Can it be that his appearance in a couple of silly movies finished off his shot at the big time? He started very strong.
In Cutter’s Way (1981) he is Alex Cutter. He and Jeff Bridges are fellow Vietnam vets who pursue a complicated conspiracy theory involving a murder suspect who is also a very powerful man. This was Heard’s break-out part and he is quite good. He got glowing reviews from most of the big reviewers. I can’t reveal much more of the plot without ruining the movie for you.
While The Trip To Bountiful (1985) clearly belongs to Geraldine Page as Carrie Watts, John Heard is excellent as her overly protective son. Carrie longs to return to her ancestral home near the little town of Bountiful, Texas. Her son and daughter-in-law (Carlin Glynn) don’t want her to go alone. They also won’t take her because they know the town doesn’t exist anymore, done in by the war and the Depression. Ms. Page won the Oscar for her performance as the spunky matron. She strikes out on her own by bus and reaches a town close to her old home. A kindly sheriff takes her to the spot, now ramshackle and deserted. But- she did make it!
Big (1988) is the fanciful story of a boy who wants to become “big” and with the help of an antique fortune-telling machine, does exactly that. Tom Hanks stars as Josh Baskin, the little boy now in a grown man’s body. He goes to work for a toy company and is quite successful there. He and Susan Lawrence (Elizabeth Perkins) become an item. John Heard plays Susan’s jealous boyfriend and co-worker at the toy company. There are all kinds funny and fun instances because Josh is still a little boy at heart but appears to others as a grown-up. This charming film became a hit Broadway musical in 1996 and ran for a couple of years.
Beaches (1988) is the story of two girls who become friends for life, despite ups and downs along the way. Bette Midler plays CC Bloom, a brassy star singer and Barbara Hershey plays Hillary Whitney, a conservative lawyer. John Heard is fine as John Pierce, who starts out as Hillary’s lover, then winds up with CC.
Heard’s bland good looks are perfect for the part of Macauley Culkin’s rather clueless Dad in the Home Alone (1990 & 1992) movies. As you probably know, the plot involves a little boy’s family somehow going off on vacation and forgetting to take him along. This unlikely scenario is repeated two years after the first one. I am not a big fan of these films which seem to minimize the dangers of a child left alone. The most interesting thing about them, in terms of this article, is that John Heard never got another big part. I’m wouldn’t think it was because of his appearance in these two movies, but for some reason he was more or less done at 42. He continued to get lots of work, but nothing of much significance.
In Awakenings (1990) he plays Dr. Kaufman, a decidedly minor part. In Rambling Rose (1991) Buddy is the main character as a child. Heard plays Buddy as an adult. He is John Riley in Gladiator (1992) and I really can’t tell you what he does. He has bit parts in In The Line Of Fire (1993) and The Pelican Brief (1993). After that, it really goes downhill. John Heard had parts in another 50 movies and TV shows for the next 20 plus years and none of them are very good. So, go figure...
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. I could only recommend Big for 10 and up. The rest are for grown-ups.
Sunday, December 3, 2017
APARTHEID
One of the biggest social tidal waves of our time was the end of apartheid in South Africa and the rise of a black majority government. It is a story worth telling and the movies have done a good job of telling it.
There are two versions of Alan Paton’s monumental Cry, The Beloved Country. Sidney Poitier lights up the 1951 version as a simple back-country preacher intertwined by fate with a white bigot. The 1995 version features an equally-impressive James Earl Jones, along with Richard Harris. Both put a human face on a terrible tragedy, both political and personal. A slight nod to the earlier version here.
Mandela (1996) is a convincing documentary about Nelson Mandela, the first president of the new South Africa, a man who spent nearly 30 years in prison. His crime was being a black man that wouldn’t quit trying to change a horrible system. This film portrays a true triumph of the human spirit.
In Bopha (1993) Danny Glover is a township policeman and Alfre Woodard is his wife. Their son is a militant in rebellion against the system and his parents. The conflicted couple perfectly exemplifies the plight of moderate blacks under apartheid.
Denzel Washington is excellent (as always) as activist Steve Biko in Cry, Freedom (1987). Kevin Kline is a sympathetic newspaperman in this tragic but hopeful biopic about one of the martyrs of the anti-apartheid movement.
In A Dry White Season (1989), schoolteacher Donald Sutherland slowly comes to realize the ramifications of apartheid. His naivete perhaps mirrors that of the rest of the world; eventually he becomes as horrified as we are. Marlon Brando has a nice turn as an outspoken lawyer.
Invictus (2009) is a terrific uplifting film directed by Clint Eastwood. Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman, of course) now president of apartheid-free South Africa hopes to unite his splintered country by convincing the black majority to support the all white South African rugby team, the Springboks. Matt Damon convincingly plays the team captain. When the team visits the prison where Mr. Mandela served nearly 30 years of his life it is a sobering thing for them and us. And, I picked up the rugby rules pretty quickly so don’t let the unusual sport stop you.
These are also worth a look: The Wilby Conspiracy (1975), which is a South African variation on The Defiant Ones; Sarafina! (1992), which is (of all things) a violent musical (!); and A World Apart (1988) with an impressive Jodhi May as a young girl personally impacted by her mother’s political radicalism.
All of the films in this article are available on video. All except the first Cry the Beloved Country are available on DVD. All are for grown-up tastes.
One of the biggest social tidal waves of our time was the end of apartheid in South Africa and the rise of a black majority government. It is a story worth telling and the movies have done a good job of telling it.
There are two versions of Alan Paton’s monumental Cry, The Beloved Country. Sidney Poitier lights up the 1951 version as a simple back-country preacher intertwined by fate with a white bigot. The 1995 version features an equally-impressive James Earl Jones, along with Richard Harris. Both put a human face on a terrible tragedy, both political and personal. A slight nod to the earlier version here.
Mandela (1996) is a convincing documentary about Nelson Mandela, the first president of the new South Africa, a man who spent nearly 30 years in prison. His crime was being a black man that wouldn’t quit trying to change a horrible system. This film portrays a true triumph of the human spirit.
In Bopha (1993) Danny Glover is a township policeman and Alfre Woodard is his wife. Their son is a militant in rebellion against the system and his parents. The conflicted couple perfectly exemplifies the plight of moderate blacks under apartheid.
Denzel Washington is excellent (as always) as activist Steve Biko in Cry, Freedom (1987). Kevin Kline is a sympathetic newspaperman in this tragic but hopeful biopic about one of the martyrs of the anti-apartheid movement.
In A Dry White Season (1989), schoolteacher Donald Sutherland slowly comes to realize the ramifications of apartheid. His naivete perhaps mirrors that of the rest of the world; eventually he becomes as horrified as we are. Marlon Brando has a nice turn as an outspoken lawyer.
Invictus (2009) is a terrific uplifting film directed by Clint Eastwood. Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman, of course) now president of apartheid-free South Africa hopes to unite his splintered country by convincing the black majority to support the all white South African rugby team, the Springboks. Matt Damon convincingly plays the team captain. When the team visits the prison where Mr. Mandela served nearly 30 years of his life it is a sobering thing for them and us. And, I picked up the rugby rules pretty quickly so don’t let the unusual sport stop you.
These are also worth a look: The Wilby Conspiracy (1975), which is a South African variation on The Defiant Ones; Sarafina! (1992), which is (of all things) a violent musical (!); and A World Apart (1988) with an impressive Jodhi May as a young girl personally impacted by her mother’s political radicalism.
All of the films in this article are available on video. All except the first Cry the Beloved Country are available on DVD. All are for grown-up tastes.
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