Olivia de Havilland
She was sort of the Meryl Streep of the 40's with five Oscar nominations and two
wins. She was the sister of actress Joan Fontaine (Rebecca) and they had the worst
sibling rivalry since Cain and Abel. Olivia de Havilland lived to be 104 and if her starring
days were way behind her, well, there were sure a bunch of them! I’m going to stick to
to the films that got her nominated, but there are lots more.
Gone With The Wind (1939) is on everybody’s list in spite of having happy
slaves. This movie won everything on Oscar night: Best Movie, 12 other nominations
and 8 wins. Olivia was nominated for supporting actress and lost to Hattie McDaniel,
who actually won from the same movie! This film was shown so much that it was
referred to as “the Oz bowl game.” It still holds up pretty well and Olivia is very good as
doomed cousin Melanie.
In Hold Back The Dawn (1941) Charles Boyer is a Romanian gigolo lurking in Mexico to catch a naive American woman to marry so he can immigrate. Olivia de Havilland fills the bill, a schoolteacher from America with a busload of young boys. But she marries Charles and then it gets complicated. She is badly hurt in a car wreck but he sticks with her until the, of course, happy ending. Olivia was nominated for this one but lost to her not-exactly-beloved sister, Joan Fontaine, for Suspicion.
The third time was the charm for Olivia, as she copped the Oscar for Best Actress for her part in To Each His Own (1946). After a one-night stand with a soldier, she has a child. She gives him up for adoption, then regrets it and after four years gets him back. But he wants his adoptive parents, not her, and back he goes. Then there is a very unlikely happy ending, but hooray for Hollywood!
The Snake Pit (1948) ripped the cover off the dreadful state of most mental hospitals. Olivia de Havilland plays Virginia Cunningham, who is crazy, but not that crazy. Undone by a hateful jealous nurse, she is consigned to the Snake Pit, where the worst patients are simply strait-jacketed and thrown together. But don’t worry, there is the obligatory happy ending! Olivia was nominated for Best Actress, and she was very good but lost to Jane Wyman for Johnny Belinda. A close call, but I agree.
Olivia de Havilland copped her second Best Actress award for The Heiress (1949). And she is quite wonderful as the rather plain but rather wealthy Catherine Sloper. She is wooed by handsome gold digger Montgomery Clift. They plan to elope and she packs her bags and waits for him by the door. And waits. But he never comes. This is a truly great scene and she does it splendidly.
Olivia de Havilland can also be seen to good effect in My Cousin Rachel (1952), Libel (1959) and Light In The Piazza (1962).
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. Though tame by today’s standards, they are adults only films.
Sunday, August 16, 2020
Sunday, August 9, 2020
JANE WYMAN
Jane Wyman died at the age of 90. She famously left, and divorced, Ronald Reagan, and many who were not fans of The Gipper’s politics proudly wore buttons proclaiming “Jane Wyman Was Right.” She actually had two careers. From 1981 to 1990 she appeared in over 200 episodes of the megahit Falcon Crest, starring as Angela Channing, regal mistress of the upscale winery.
Her film career started in 1932, but her memorable roles were in the 40s and 50s. She won the Oscar as the heartbreakingly vulnerable Johnny Belinda (1948). This is the sort of role the Academy loves- she plays a deaf mute, the victim of a savage sexual assault. Using only her gestures and face, she truly breaks your heart.
Ms. Wyman is even better, in my humble opinion, in Tennessee Williams’ Glass Menagerie (1950). I have probably seen a half dozen productions of this memorable play, and to me Jane Wyman is Laura Wingfield. Gertrude Lawrence is fine as her vague but hopeful mother and Kirk Douglas is good as the gentleman caller. But Ms. Wyman carries this film as the crippled, enchanting Laura.
Billy Wilder’s Lost Weekend (1945) won everything in sight that year and still packs a punch after 70 years! It was one of the first Hollywood movies to treat a serious issue (alcoholism here) in a grown-up manner. Ray Milland sparkles as the rapidly sinking hero, and Jane Wyman is quite good as his somewhat enabling spouse.
The Yearling (1946) is a fawn raised by the young son (Claude Jarman, Jr.) of Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman. The boy learns a bitter lesson about necessity.
Magnificent Obsession (1954) is Douglas Sirk’s soapy remake of the earlier 1935 version, and it made Rock Hudson a star. It is his fault that Jane Wyman is blinded, and he vows to become a physician so he can heal her. She is good, once again playing a woman with a severe disorder. The story is ridiculous, but after all this is Hollywood, so just go with it.
All That Heaven Allows (1955) is another Douglas Sirk potboiler with Jane Wyman as the society lady scorned by friends and family because of her love of gardener Rock Hudson. Beneath her, you know...
Jane Wyman can also be seen to advantage as Betty Rogers in The Story of Will Rogers (1952), and as an amateur sleuth in a lesser Alfred Hitchcock vehicle, Stage Fright (1950).
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All except Johnny Belinda are really suitable for any age, keeping in mind the boredom factor for littlies.
Jane Wyman died at the age of 90. She famously left, and divorced, Ronald Reagan, and many who were not fans of The Gipper’s politics proudly wore buttons proclaiming “Jane Wyman Was Right.” She actually had two careers. From 1981 to 1990 she appeared in over 200 episodes of the megahit Falcon Crest, starring as Angela Channing, regal mistress of the upscale winery.
Her film career started in 1932, but her memorable roles were in the 40s and 50s. She won the Oscar as the heartbreakingly vulnerable Johnny Belinda (1948). This is the sort of role the Academy loves- she plays a deaf mute, the victim of a savage sexual assault. Using only her gestures and face, she truly breaks your heart.
Ms. Wyman is even better, in my humble opinion, in Tennessee Williams’ Glass Menagerie (1950). I have probably seen a half dozen productions of this memorable play, and to me Jane Wyman is Laura Wingfield. Gertrude Lawrence is fine as her vague but hopeful mother and Kirk Douglas is good as the gentleman caller. But Ms. Wyman carries this film as the crippled, enchanting Laura.
Billy Wilder’s Lost Weekend (1945) won everything in sight that year and still packs a punch after 70 years! It was one of the first Hollywood movies to treat a serious issue (alcoholism here) in a grown-up manner. Ray Milland sparkles as the rapidly sinking hero, and Jane Wyman is quite good as his somewhat enabling spouse.
The Yearling (1946) is a fawn raised by the young son (Claude Jarman, Jr.) of Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman. The boy learns a bitter lesson about necessity.
Magnificent Obsession (1954) is Douglas Sirk’s soapy remake of the earlier 1935 version, and it made Rock Hudson a star. It is his fault that Jane Wyman is blinded, and he vows to become a physician so he can heal her. She is good, once again playing a woman with a severe disorder. The story is ridiculous, but after all this is Hollywood, so just go with it.
All That Heaven Allows (1955) is another Douglas Sirk potboiler with Jane Wyman as the society lady scorned by friends and family because of her love of gardener Rock Hudson. Beneath her, you know...
Jane Wyman can also be seen to advantage as Betty Rogers in The Story of Will Rogers (1952), and as an amateur sleuth in a lesser Alfred Hitchcock vehicle, Stage Fright (1950).
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All except Johnny Belinda are really suitable for any age, keeping in mind the boredom factor for littlies.
Sunday, August 2, 2020
JANE WYATT
Her best known role was as the wise and nominally pretty stay-at-home Mom in the 50's TV show, Father Knows Best, which is still kicking around on TV Land and its brethren. After this long-running success, Jane Wyatt’s work was mostly in TV. And yet, before Robert Young and the tube, she had an interesting career on the silver screen. Ms. Wyatt left this vale of tears at the grand old age of 96.
Lost Horizon (1937) is an absolute masterpiece and still very much worth seeing. Based on James Hilton’s captivating novel, it is the story of a place (discovered quite by accident) that is for all intents and purposes, perfect. Directed by the iconic Frank Capra, it features Ronald Colman as well as Ms. Wyatt in a fairy tale about the possibility of perfection.
Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) is more than 60 years old, but is still a classic. Gregory Peck pretends to be Jewish to find out what it’s really like. He does. We do. Ms. Wyatt adds a nice note of stability as his lady friend. Ok, it’s a little dated, but aren’t we all?
Boomerang! (1947) is a good courtroom drama with a crime-fighting, straight-arrow District Attorney (Dana Andrews) who is the only one to question the guilt of a convenient suspect nabbed right after the crime. Ms. Wyatt is the supportive love interest in a fine film directed by Elia Kazan and based on a true story. Not to be confused with a really awful film of the same name with Eddie Murphy, released in 1992.
Ms. Wyatt is just fine as Aggie Hunter in None But The Lonely Heart (1944) written and directed by Clifford Odets. Pretty close to soap opera territory, but still a nice turn for those involved. You can’t go wrong with Cary Grant and Ethel Barrymore along.
One of Ms. Wyatt’s last feature film ventures was in the still-charming Never Too Late (1965) with Paul Ford and Maureen O’Sullivan as surprised middle-aged parents in waiting, and Ms. Wyatt as Grace Kimbrough, friend of the astonished family.
Ms. Wyatt is good in the pivotal role of Estella in the 1934 version of Great Expectations. But, in all honesty, this one pales compared to the 1946 classic directed by David Lean (though it is better than the weird 1998 one with Ethan Hawke).
All of the movies in this article are fine for children of all ages (boredom factor noted). All are available on DVD.
Her best known role was as the wise and nominally pretty stay-at-home Mom in the 50's TV show, Father Knows Best, which is still kicking around on TV Land and its brethren. After this long-running success, Jane Wyatt’s work was mostly in TV. And yet, before Robert Young and the tube, she had an interesting career on the silver screen. Ms. Wyatt left this vale of tears at the grand old age of 96.
Lost Horizon (1937) is an absolute masterpiece and still very much worth seeing. Based on James Hilton’s captivating novel, it is the story of a place (discovered quite by accident) that is for all intents and purposes, perfect. Directed by the iconic Frank Capra, it features Ronald Colman as well as Ms. Wyatt in a fairy tale about the possibility of perfection.
Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) is more than 60 years old, but is still a classic. Gregory Peck pretends to be Jewish to find out what it’s really like. He does. We do. Ms. Wyatt adds a nice note of stability as his lady friend. Ok, it’s a little dated, but aren’t we all?
Boomerang! (1947) is a good courtroom drama with a crime-fighting, straight-arrow District Attorney (Dana Andrews) who is the only one to question the guilt of a convenient suspect nabbed right after the crime. Ms. Wyatt is the supportive love interest in a fine film directed by Elia Kazan and based on a true story. Not to be confused with a really awful film of the same name with Eddie Murphy, released in 1992.
Ms. Wyatt is just fine as Aggie Hunter in None But The Lonely Heart (1944) written and directed by Clifford Odets. Pretty close to soap opera territory, but still a nice turn for those involved. You can’t go wrong with Cary Grant and Ethel Barrymore along.
One of Ms. Wyatt’s last feature film ventures was in the still-charming Never Too Late (1965) with Paul Ford and Maureen O’Sullivan as surprised middle-aged parents in waiting, and Ms. Wyatt as Grace Kimbrough, friend of the astonished family.
Ms. Wyatt is good in the pivotal role of Estella in the 1934 version of Great Expectations. But, in all honesty, this one pales compared to the 1946 classic directed by David Lean (though it is better than the weird 1998 one with Ethan Hawke).
All of the movies in this article are fine for children of all ages (boredom factor noted). All are available on DVD.
Sunday, July 26, 2020
HOWARD KEEL
He was a great big handsome man with a great big glorious voice . When he was 66 years old, and hadn’t made a movie in 17 years, he was summoned to appear as Clayton Farlow in the mega-popular prime-time soap, Dallas. He stayed for 17 years, and this is the role for which many fans remember him.
But I remember Howard Keel, who died recently at 85, as the star of lots of wonderful MGM musicals. The 50's were the Golden Age of the movie musical, and he was in a bunch of the best ones.
As Frank Butler to Betty Hutton’s Calamity Jane, Howard Keel burst on the movie musical scene in Annie Get Your Gun (1950). The role needs a strong man with a strong voice and Mr. Keel filled the bill nicely. The song “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better” includes many skills, the main one being sharpshooting. What fun!
The 1951 version of Show Boat is the best of several, and Howard Keel is on board with Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner (no, she didn’t really sing), Marge and Gower Champion and of course, William Warfield. Mr. Warfield’s “Old Man River” almost steals the show, but there are plenty of Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein songs to go around.
Kiss Me Kate (1953) is Cole Porter’s musical version of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. Katherine Grayson is the strong-minded Kate and Howard Keel the equally determined husband. Grayson and Keel play actors married to each other whose on and off-stage lives intertwine. Also on board for wonderful dancing are Ann Miller and Bob Fosse.
Keel teamed with songbird and big star Doris Day in Calamity Jane (1953). She is Jane and he is Wild Bill Hickock. She owned a saloon and became the love of his life. If you Google Calamity Jane you’ll notice she wasn’t quite as pretty as Ms. Day! Only one good song- Secret Love- but that alone made Ms. Day wealthy.
Howard Keel’s favorite film was the rambunctious Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954). The songs are fairly forgettable and the plot is hopelessly sexist, but there is a dance scene at a picnic that is one of the best ever put on film.
Kismet (1955) is the Arabian nights tale whisked from the Broadway stage to the silver screen, and brought us “Stranger In Paradise” and “Baubles, Bangles and Beads”. Ann Blyth is the lovely foil for Howard Keel’s roguish leading man.
All of these MGM movies have Technicolor that has never been bettered to this day. All are available on DVD. All are fine for all ages. And all are fun!
He was a great big handsome man with a great big glorious voice . When he was 66 years old, and hadn’t made a movie in 17 years, he was summoned to appear as Clayton Farlow in the mega-popular prime-time soap, Dallas. He stayed for 17 years, and this is the role for which many fans remember him.
But I remember Howard Keel, who died recently at 85, as the star of lots of wonderful MGM musicals. The 50's were the Golden Age of the movie musical, and he was in a bunch of the best ones.
As Frank Butler to Betty Hutton’s Calamity Jane, Howard Keel burst on the movie musical scene in Annie Get Your Gun (1950). The role needs a strong man with a strong voice and Mr. Keel filled the bill nicely. The song “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better” includes many skills, the main one being sharpshooting. What fun!
The 1951 version of Show Boat is the best of several, and Howard Keel is on board with Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner (no, she didn’t really sing), Marge and Gower Champion and of course, William Warfield. Mr. Warfield’s “Old Man River” almost steals the show, but there are plenty of Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein songs to go around.
Kiss Me Kate (1953) is Cole Porter’s musical version of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. Katherine Grayson is the strong-minded Kate and Howard Keel the equally determined husband. Grayson and Keel play actors married to each other whose on and off-stage lives intertwine. Also on board for wonderful dancing are Ann Miller and Bob Fosse.
Keel teamed with songbird and big star Doris Day in Calamity Jane (1953). She is Jane and he is Wild Bill Hickock. She owned a saloon and became the love of his life. If you Google Calamity Jane you’ll notice she wasn’t quite as pretty as Ms. Day! Only one good song- Secret Love- but that alone made Ms. Day wealthy.
Howard Keel’s favorite film was the rambunctious Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954). The songs are fairly forgettable and the plot is hopelessly sexist, but there is a dance scene at a picnic that is one of the best ever put on film.
Kismet (1955) is the Arabian nights tale whisked from the Broadway stage to the silver screen, and brought us “Stranger In Paradise” and “Baubles, Bangles and Beads”. Ann Blyth is the lovely foil for Howard Keel’s roguish leading man.
All of these MGM movies have Technicolor that has never been bettered to this day. All are available on DVD. All are fine for all ages. And all are fun!
Sunday, July 19, 2020
JOEL SCHUMACHER
He’s hardly a household word, but maybe he should be. Director Joel
Schumacher, who died recently at 80, has a sterling resume’ of fine films. The
Academy did not apparently know of his existence, but you will if you read this.
St. Elmo’s Fire (1985) set a high bar for coming of age films about a group.
Emilio Estevez. Rob Lowe, Mare Winningham, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson and Ally
Sheedy were pretty much unknown before this film. Mr. Schumacher got the most out of them and the story, which he co-wrote. 35 years later, it still rings true.
Falling Down (1993) is a strange little film that attempts to be a cautionary tale for our times. Michael Douglas plays William Foster, a basically normal guy who gets pushed and pushed and pushed and finally pushes back. He does so more and more violently as time goes on and more people annoy him. Douglas, always good, is perhaps near his best in this one. Director Schumacher has you believing it.
Mr. Schumacher directed two John Grisham stories. The Client (1994) stars Susan Sarandon as a lawyer trying to save a young boy who has seen something he shouldn’t have and there are very bad people wanting him dead. Good suspense in this one. A Time To Kill (1996) is one of Grisham’s best and also one of Schumacher’s. A young African-American girl is abducted and savagely raped in rural Mississippi. Her father (Samuel L. Jackson) waits for the defendants to attend their trial and guns them down in the courthouse. He gets a young untried lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) to defend him. An incredible cast also featuring Chris Cooper, Patrick McGoohan, Kevin Spacey, Ashley Judd and Donald Southerland brings this one home.
Phone Booth (2002) is an accomplished thriller revolving around the last phone booth in the city. Colin Farrell appears as Stuart Shepard, a sleazy publicist. He enters the phone booth and answers its ring to be told he will be killed if he leaves the booth unless he confesses his misdoings to those he has wronged. The suspense ramps up really well considering the limited location and the ending is a double surprise.
Mr. Schumacher’s Phantom Of The Opera (2004) gets all it can out of a fairly ridiculous plot that has somehow hung on for years. The music is very good and the principals do what they can. Gerard Butler is the phantom and Emmy Rossum the haunted Christine. Mr. Butler’s singing is, well, on key.
All of the films in this column are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.
He’s hardly a household word, but maybe he should be. Director Joel
Schumacher, who died recently at 80, has a sterling resume’ of fine films. The
Academy did not apparently know of his existence, but you will if you read this.
St. Elmo’s Fire (1985) set a high bar for coming of age films about a group.
Emilio Estevez. Rob Lowe, Mare Winningham, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson and Ally
Sheedy were pretty much unknown before this film. Mr. Schumacher got the most out of them and the story, which he co-wrote. 35 years later, it still rings true.
Falling Down (1993) is a strange little film that attempts to be a cautionary tale for our times. Michael Douglas plays William Foster, a basically normal guy who gets pushed and pushed and pushed and finally pushes back. He does so more and more violently as time goes on and more people annoy him. Douglas, always good, is perhaps near his best in this one. Director Schumacher has you believing it.
Mr. Schumacher directed two John Grisham stories. The Client (1994) stars Susan Sarandon as a lawyer trying to save a young boy who has seen something he shouldn’t have and there are very bad people wanting him dead. Good suspense in this one. A Time To Kill (1996) is one of Grisham’s best and also one of Schumacher’s. A young African-American girl is abducted and savagely raped in rural Mississippi. Her father (Samuel L. Jackson) waits for the defendants to attend their trial and guns them down in the courthouse. He gets a young untried lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) to defend him. An incredible cast also featuring Chris Cooper, Patrick McGoohan, Kevin Spacey, Ashley Judd and Donald Southerland brings this one home.
Phone Booth (2002) is an accomplished thriller revolving around the last phone booth in the city. Colin Farrell appears as Stuart Shepard, a sleazy publicist. He enters the phone booth and answers its ring to be told he will be killed if he leaves the booth unless he confesses his misdoings to those he has wronged. The suspense ramps up really well considering the limited location and the ending is a double surprise.
Mr. Schumacher’s Phantom Of The Opera (2004) gets all it can out of a fairly ridiculous plot that has somehow hung on for years. The music is very good and the principals do what they can. Gerard Butler is the phantom and Emmy Rossum the haunted Christine. Mr. Butler’s singing is, well, on key.
All of the films in this column are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.
Sunday, July 12, 2020
FREDERIC MARCH
Movie fans who only remember the late Frederic March (1897-1975) from Inherit The Wind (1960), where he played a pompous bible-thumping William Jennings Bryan, might want to look further. Sternly handsome and with great range, Mr. March had a distinguished film and stage career which peaked in the 30's and 40's.
Frederic March’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932) is one of the best of a slew of attempts at the famous Robert Lewis Stevenson tale of double identity. Mr. March mines the nuances of the story extremely well and won his first Oscar for it. If it’s not quite up to the 1920 John Barrymore silent, it’s close.
Mr. March is at his romantic best as Robert Browning in The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934), a fine edition of the affecting love story between poets Browning and his eventual wife, Elizabeth Barrett (Norma Shearer). Charles Laughton as the imperious father is also excellent, but this is ultimately March’s movie.
Playing opposite Greta Garbo was always a challenge, but Mr. March was up to it in Anna Karenina (1935). He is the dashing, irresponsible Levin; Garbo the smitten, doomed Anna and Basil Rathbone the cold and hateful husband. This version is by far the best of the four made so far.
In Les Miserables (1935) Mr. March is the relentless, merciless Inspector Javert who chases Jean Valjean (Charles Laughton) across the years to enact the full vengeance of the law in revolution-torn France. This stirring version is superior to others and the principals are uniformly excellent. The 2012 version, based on the Broadway musical, has good music.
Frederic March is the has-been actor and Janet Gaynor the meteoric actress in the 1937 version of A Star Is Born. It is the compelling story of the hopeless marriage of two Hollywood actors rushing in opposite career directions. Mr. March was nominated for the Oscar but lost to Spencer Tracy for Captains Courageous. The Judy Garland-James Mason edition of this film, made in 1954, is almost as good. And the Bradley Cooper-Madonna version from 2018 though nominated for a truckload of Oscars only won for a couple of minor tech categories.
Mr. March won his final Oscar for William Wyler’s monumental The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946). It is the perfectly pitched story of the GIs returning from World War II to civilian life, and claimed seven Academy Awards including Best Picture. Frederic March is a businessman who finds that the home folks just don’t get it, and his somewhat irascible character is convincing and moving.
All of the movies in this column are available on DVD. All are suitable for kids 10 and up.
Movie fans who only remember the late Frederic March (1897-1975) from Inherit The Wind (1960), where he played a pompous bible-thumping William Jennings Bryan, might want to look further. Sternly handsome and with great range, Mr. March had a distinguished film and stage career which peaked in the 30's and 40's.
Frederic March’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932) is one of the best of a slew of attempts at the famous Robert Lewis Stevenson tale of double identity. Mr. March mines the nuances of the story extremely well and won his first Oscar for it. If it’s not quite up to the 1920 John Barrymore silent, it’s close.
Mr. March is at his romantic best as Robert Browning in The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934), a fine edition of the affecting love story between poets Browning and his eventual wife, Elizabeth Barrett (Norma Shearer). Charles Laughton as the imperious father is also excellent, but this is ultimately March’s movie.
Playing opposite Greta Garbo was always a challenge, but Mr. March was up to it in Anna Karenina (1935). He is the dashing, irresponsible Levin; Garbo the smitten, doomed Anna and Basil Rathbone the cold and hateful husband. This version is by far the best of the four made so far.
In Les Miserables (1935) Mr. March is the relentless, merciless Inspector Javert who chases Jean Valjean (Charles Laughton) across the years to enact the full vengeance of the law in revolution-torn France. This stirring version is superior to others and the principals are uniformly excellent. The 2012 version, based on the Broadway musical, has good music.
Frederic March is the has-been actor and Janet Gaynor the meteoric actress in the 1937 version of A Star Is Born. It is the compelling story of the hopeless marriage of two Hollywood actors rushing in opposite career directions. Mr. March was nominated for the Oscar but lost to Spencer Tracy for Captains Courageous. The Judy Garland-James Mason edition of this film, made in 1954, is almost as good. And the Bradley Cooper-Madonna version from 2018 though nominated for a truckload of Oscars only won for a couple of minor tech categories.
Mr. March won his final Oscar for William Wyler’s monumental The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946). It is the perfectly pitched story of the GIs returning from World War II to civilian life, and claimed seven Academy Awards including Best Picture. Frederic March is a businessman who finds that the home folks just don’t get it, and his somewhat irascible character is convincing and moving.
All of the movies in this column are available on DVD. All are suitable for kids 10 and up.
Sunday, July 5, 2020
IAN HOLM
Ian Holm ,who worked right up to his death at 88, was one of those character actors whose face you can’t come up with- until you see him in a movie and think “Oh, yeah- that guy.” A reader requested a column on him, and with over 136 acting credits there is plenty to choose from, so here goes:
Most recently you would find Ian Holm appearing in most of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies as Bilbo Baggins.
In Alien (1979) Holm is cast as Ash, a really bad guy who tries to scuttle the mission along with the human crew. Fortunately, though maybe not so much for him, he is decapitated and turns out to be an android!
In Robin And Marian (1976) Holm is the hated King John, who hunted the noble Robin Hood like a dog and who was forced to sign the Magna Carta. Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn shine as the title characters, middle-aged lovers, still charming.
In Chariots Of Fire (1981) one of the two British runners who are the movie’s heroes is Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross). In 1919 he breaks with tradition and hires a professional trainer. And that trainer is Sam Mussabini, played adeptly by Ian Holm. Later his protégé makes headlines by refusing to compete on the Jewish sabbath.
In Kenneth Branagh’s marvelous adaption of Shakespeare’s Henry V (1989) Mr. Holm is Captain Fluellen, the right hand man of the fighting king. I think this version is only a hair behind the 1944 Henry V with Olivier.
Franco Zeffirelli’s splendid adaptation of Hamlet (1990) has Ian Holm as the foolish and doomed Polonious. He is surrounded by a stellar cast including Mel Gibson as the title character, Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield and Helena Bonham Carter.
Playing the part of a rather quackish physician is no problem for Ian Holm, and he is such as Dr. Willis in The Madness Of King George (1994). His idea of curing the king’s craziness is to strap him into a tight vest whenever he misbehaves. Right...
Ian Holm is the dastardly Pascal in Big Night (1996). Brothers Primo (Tony Shaloub) and Secondo (Stanley Tucci) are trying to succeed with a new Italian restaurant. Pascal tell them he will have a famous opera star appear there at a certain time, on the Big Night. I will just say that Pascal is a competitor and doesn’t play fair.
Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Herafter (1997) involves a horrific school bus accident in which many children are killed. Many of the parents are recruited by attorney Mitchell Stevens to file a class action lawsuit. That lawyer is played by none other than Ian Holm, and this is one of his best roles. I’ll reveal no more!
Joe Gould was a semi-famous gadfly in New York in the1920's and after. He compiled an “oral history” of characters he encountered and many people were intrigued by this opus. One of them was Joseph Mitchell, who put together this story and this movie. Joe Gould’s Secret (2000) is the result and Mr. Holm plays the title character. What is the secret? My lips are sealed!
Ian Holm can also be seen as the somewhat evil Gideon Largeman in Garden State (2004), and as the quirky Professor Fitz in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator (2004).
All of these movies are available on DVD. All of them are adult films.
Ian Holm ,who worked right up to his death at 88, was one of those character actors whose face you can’t come up with- until you see him in a movie and think “Oh, yeah- that guy.” A reader requested a column on him, and with over 136 acting credits there is plenty to choose from, so here goes:
Most recently you would find Ian Holm appearing in most of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies as Bilbo Baggins.
In Alien (1979) Holm is cast as Ash, a really bad guy who tries to scuttle the mission along with the human crew. Fortunately, though maybe not so much for him, he is decapitated and turns out to be an android!
In Robin And Marian (1976) Holm is the hated King John, who hunted the noble Robin Hood like a dog and who was forced to sign the Magna Carta. Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn shine as the title characters, middle-aged lovers, still charming.
In Chariots Of Fire (1981) one of the two British runners who are the movie’s heroes is Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross). In 1919 he breaks with tradition and hires a professional trainer. And that trainer is Sam Mussabini, played adeptly by Ian Holm. Later his protégé makes headlines by refusing to compete on the Jewish sabbath.
In Kenneth Branagh’s marvelous adaption of Shakespeare’s Henry V (1989) Mr. Holm is Captain Fluellen, the right hand man of the fighting king. I think this version is only a hair behind the 1944 Henry V with Olivier.
Franco Zeffirelli’s splendid adaptation of Hamlet (1990) has Ian Holm as the foolish and doomed Polonious. He is surrounded by a stellar cast including Mel Gibson as the title character, Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield and Helena Bonham Carter.
Playing the part of a rather quackish physician is no problem for Ian Holm, and he is such as Dr. Willis in The Madness Of King George (1994). His idea of curing the king’s craziness is to strap him into a tight vest whenever he misbehaves. Right...
Ian Holm is the dastardly Pascal in Big Night (1996). Brothers Primo (Tony Shaloub) and Secondo (Stanley Tucci) are trying to succeed with a new Italian restaurant. Pascal tell them he will have a famous opera star appear there at a certain time, on the Big Night. I will just say that Pascal is a competitor and doesn’t play fair.
Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Herafter (1997) involves a horrific school bus accident in which many children are killed. Many of the parents are recruited by attorney Mitchell Stevens to file a class action lawsuit. That lawyer is played by none other than Ian Holm, and this is one of his best roles. I’ll reveal no more!
Joe Gould was a semi-famous gadfly in New York in the1920's and after. He compiled an “oral history” of characters he encountered and many people were intrigued by this opus. One of them was Joseph Mitchell, who put together this story and this movie. Joe Gould’s Secret (2000) is the result and Mr. Holm plays the title character. What is the secret? My lips are sealed!
Ian Holm can also be seen as the somewhat evil Gideon Largeman in Garden State (2004), and as the quirky Professor Fitz in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator (2004).
All of these movies are available on DVD. All of them are adult films.
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