Last night, I watched one of my favorite films of all time: Sidney Lumet's Twelve Angry Men (1957). The movie was panned by the public when it came out, because it is completely character-driven. There is no real action, no beautiful heroine. We don't even know the names of any of the characters until the very last seconds of the film. However, I consider it a classic.
Some of the movies need no introduction or commentrary by me, but here they are:
Tell It to the Marines (1926): A pedestrian and predictable story about young hell-raiser George 'Skeet' Burns (Willaim Haines) who joins the Marine Corps. Tough Sergeant O'Hara (Lon Chaney) attempts to whip him into shape, but Skeet seems determined NOT to be a good Marine. The conflict between the two is sharpened when the both fall in love with the same woman, pretty Navy nurse Norma Dale (Eleanor Boardman). Unsurprisingly, O'Hara and Burns go into battle together and finally develop respect and friendship.
The movie is remarkable for two reasons. First, the Marines and Navy actively cooperated in its production, which was unusual for the day, and several of the scenes were filmed on board the battleship USS California. Most importantly, Chaney turns in a great performance as Sergeant O'Hara. He wears the uniform of a Marine sergeant like he BELONGS in it. As I recall, he was made an honorary Marine for his work in the role.
King Kong (1933)
Ruggles of Redgap (1935): A foppish English nobleman (Roland Young) loses his valet, Ruggles (Charles Laughton), in a game of poker with two Americans (Charlie Ruggles and Mary Boland) vacationing in Paris in 1908. The couple take Ruggles back to their hometown of Redgap, WA, where Ruggles inadvertently becomes the hit of the social set. Along the way, he begins to learn about the American Dream and determines to give up his life of domestic servitude and stand on his own two feet.
While this is a comedy (and a very amusing one at that!), the scene where Laughton recites the Gettysburg Address to a saloon full of awe-struck Americans is the high point of the film. Laughton actually became an American citizen at about the time the movie was made.
My Man Godfrey (1936): One of the many screwball comedies filmed during the 1930s, this one stars William Powell as Godfrey Park, a former playboy turned hobo who winds up as butler to the rich and riotous Bullock family. Park must contend with the two sisters: Irene (Carol Lombard), who falls in love with him; and Cornelia (Gail Patrick) who resents him. Even as he helps the family, he begins to put his own life back together.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Night Train to Munich (1940): Czech scientist Axel Bomasch escapes from Prague just ahead of the invading nazi army. Unfortunately, his daughter Anna (Margaret Lockwood) isn't so lucky. The Germans desperately want to get their hands on Bomasch, so they stage an escape from a concentration camp for Anna, accompanied by a fellow 'prisoner' - actually a Gestapo agent - Karl Marsden (Paul Henreid). Though the Germans succeed in kidnapping Bomasch and spiriting him back to Germany, daring and dashing British secret agent Rex Harrison goes to the rescue.
Filmed right at the beginning of World War II when the horrors of Auschwitz and Belsen were unknown, Night Train is campy but entertaining. The Germans are unquestionably the bad guys, but even they are portrayed with some humor. More comedy relief is provided by a pair of British businessmen (Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne, both of who appeared as the same characters in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes) caught in Germany by the invasion of Poland:
Radford (reading Mein Kampf): I understand it's a best-seller over here. Give it to all the bridal couples and that sort of thing.
Wayne: I don't think it's that kind of a book, old boy.
Sahara (1943): A US tank crew commanded by Humphrey Bogart gets cut off from their unit in the Tunisian desert. While trying to make their way back to Allied lines, they pick up a motley collection of other Allied soldiers as well as an Italian POW and a German pilot. When they discover that a German unit is attempting to outflank the Allied lines but needs water to continue its mission, the brave soldiers under Bogart's inspiring leadership fight a desperate action to keep the only well in the area out of German hands.
The movie is obviously a product of wartime propaganda: almost every Allied nation except the Soviet Union seems to be represented among the soldiers. The Italian POW (J. Carrol Naish) is portrayed as a very reluctant tool of Italy's German masters, who are uniformly represented as treacherous and malignant. Considering that the movie was filmed when Jim Crow was a very real part of American society, and black actors got very few roles aside from entertainers, servants, or primitives, the performance of Rex Ingram as Sergerant Major Tambul is quite interesting. Ingram portrays the Sudanese (and Muslim!) Tambul with tremendous dignity, courage and humanity; a far cry from the odious Steppin Fetchit of some of the early Charlie Chan films.
Twelve O'Clock High (1949): Less a war movie than a character study (the only actual combat scene lasts perhaps five minutes), this is the story of how tough-as-nails General Frank Savage (Gregory Peck) takes over a hard luck bomber outfit and tries to turn it around. More is at stake than just the 918th Bomb Group, however: it's early in World War II, and the concept of precision daylight bombing may well be discarded if the 918th falls apart. Peck's men initially resent and resist his tough methods but then begin to understand that their success - and even survival - depend on becoming proficient airmen.
Historical note: The character of Medal of Honor-winning Lieutenant Jesse Bishop (Robert Patten) is based on the real USAAF bomber pilot Lieutenant John C. Morgan:
MORGAN, JOHN C. (Air Mission)
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 326th Bomber Squadron, 92d Bomber Group. Place and date: Over Europe, 28 July 1943. Entered service at: London, England. Born: 24 August 1914, Vernon, Tex. G.O. No.: 85, 17 December 1943. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty, while participating on a bombing mission over enemy-occupied continental Europe, 28 July 1943. Prior to reaching the German coast on the way to the target, the B17 airplane in which 2d Lt. Morgan was serving as copilot was attacked by a large force of enemy fighters, during which the oxygen system to the tail, waist, and radio gun positions was knocked out. A frontal attack placed a cannon shell through the windshield, totally shattering it, and the pilot's skull was split open by a .303 caliber shell, leaving him in a crazed condition. The pilot fell over the steering wheel, tightly clamping his arms around it. 2d Lt. Morgan at once grasped the controls from his side and, by sheer strength, pulled the airplane back into formation despite the frantic struggles of the semiconscious pilot. The interphone had been destroyed, rendering it impossible to call for help. At this time the top turret gunner fell to the floor and down through the hatch with his arm shot off at the shoulder and a gaping wound in his side. The waist, tail, and radio gunners had lost consciousness from lack of oxygen and, hearing no fire from their guns, the copilot believed they had bailed out. The wounded pilot still offered desperate resistance in his crazed attempts to fly the airplane. There remained the prospect of flying to and over the target and back to a friendly base wholly unassisted. In the face of this desperate situation, 2d Lt. Officer Morgan made his decision to continue the flight and protect any members of the crew who might still be in the ship and for 2 hours he flew in formation with one hand at the controls and the other holding off the struggling pilot before the navigator entered the steering compartment and relieved the situation. The miraculous and heroic performance of 2d Lt. Morgan on this occasion resulted in the successful completion of a vital bombing mission and the safe return of his airplane and crew.
The Quiet Man (1952)
Shane (1953): This movie really needs no introduction; it is probably the best western ever filmed (though I think 1993's Tombstone is a close second). The fight scene between Shane (Alan Ladd) and Joe Starrett (Van Heflin) is one of the best I've ever seen thanks to outstanding cinematography by George Stevens and director of photography Loyal Griggs.
Marty (1955): Ernest Borgnine portrays lonely bachelor Marty Piletti in this simple but really heart-warming film. He desperately wants to find a wife and start a family, but can't seem to find the right woman. His search is made more difficult by his weight (this is something I can understand!), and he's becoming discouraged. One night, he goes to a dance club and is offered money by a stranger who wants Marty to take a 'dog' (Betsy Blair) off his hands. Predictably, she and Marty hit it off. Trouble arises when Marty's friends and even his mother urge him to stop seeing such an unattractive woman (note: Betsy Blair may not have been Virginia Mayo, but she wasn't a 'dog'). Marty initially stands her up, but then realizes that he was happy with her and rushes to a phone booth to call her. His cousin tries to stop him, but Marty's learned his lesson. I wish I could remember the final line of the movie verbatim, because it made me want to stand up and cheer, but it goes something like:
"All I know is that I had a good time with her. And I want to go out with her again! And if we keep having enough good times, I'm gonna get down on my knees and I'm gonna beg that girl to marry me!"
Paths of Glory (1957): As with Twelve O'Clock High, Paths of Glory is less a war movie than a drama. Kirk Douglas portrays Colonel Dax, commander of a tired and badly shot-up regiment in the French Army during World War I. His division commander, General Mireau (beautifully portrayed by George Macready), is ordered by the high command to have Dax's regiment attack an impregnable German position. He initially resists, but is quickly swayed by promises of promotion. The attacks fails with a heavy loss of life, but not before Mireau, furious and humiliated, orders his own artillery to fire on Dax's men to drive them toward the enemy. After the attack is over, Mireau orders several of the survivors to be tried by court martial for cowardice. Dax, a lawyer in peacetime, represents his men before the court, with the evil Mireau and an equally sinister high command officer, General Broulard (Adolphe Menjou), hovering over the proceedings.
Paths of Glory was anti-war before it really became chic to be anti-war. In the tradition of All Quiet on the Western Front, it portrays the soldiers as victims, both of the war and of their own incompetent and glory-hungry officers.
Twelve Angry Men (1957): Twelve men on a jury deliberate on the fate of a young Puerto Rican boy accused of murdering his father. Though the case seems open-and-shut, one juror (Henry Fonda) has some doubts. As he attempts to convince the other eleven men to reexamine the evidence, some of the best and worst sides of the human character are seen: bigotry and sympathy; laziness and devotion to duty; love and hatred. The all star cast includes Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Jack Warden, Joseph Sweeny, George Voskovec, Ed Begley, and Robert Webber.
Operation Petticoat (1959): Just after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the submarine USS Sea Tiger is bombed and damaged at the US naval base in the Phillipines. The captain (Cary Grant) and his crew are able to repair the sub with the help of Lt. Nick Holden (Tony Curtis), a scoundrel and master scrounger who only joined the Navy to get a uniform to enable him to marry into wealthy society. As the crew attempt to make their way to Australia, they pick up a group of Army nurses, with predictable results. Grant's deadpan portrayal of by-the-book Commander Matt Sherman attempting to deal with the most unusual circumstances in naval history is hilarious. One of my favorite scenes has Sherman and young Ensign Stovall (Dick Sargent) standing on the bridge of the Sea Tiger as Holden returns unexpectedly with the nurses:
Sherman (peering through his binoculars in disbelief): WOMEN!
Stovall: WOW! That's what I call scavenging! (wilts and begins to stammer as Sherman gives him an icy look) Wha- what I mean, sir, is ---
Sherman: Mr. Stovall, Mr. Holden's influence on you is beginning to worry me. From now on, I suggest you 'wow!' a little less and 'tsk-tsk-tsk' a little more.
Dr Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964): Proof that one can find humor almost anywhere, this Stanley Kubrick film satirizes the events following crazed USAF general Jack D. Ripper's (Sterling Hayden) orders to his B-52 force to attack the Soviet Union. Peter Sellers does triple duty as RAF exchange officer Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, Presiden Merkin Muffley, and Dr. Strangelove, a former nazi scientist (!) now working for the Pentagon. Slim Pickens is a standout as Major Kong, the cowboy B-52 commander who famously rides a hydrogen bomb down on his target while waving his Stetson and shouting 'YEEE-HAAAHHH!' George C. Scott shows his comedic talents as Air Force Chief of Staff General Buck Turgidson.
Zulu (1964): Loosely based upon a true story, Zulu recreates the heroic 1879 defense of the outpost at Rourke's Drift in South Africa by a company of British soldiers against overwhelming numbers of Zulu warriors. There are few movies to rival Zulu in portraying the importance of guts, determination, discipline, and leadership to a military unit fighting against hopeless odds. Eleven of the British defenders were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions at Rourke's Drift.
The Great Race (1965): Slapstick about an auto race from New York to Paris in the early 1900s, dedicated by director Blake Edward (The Pink Panther) to "Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy". Tony Curtis plays The Great Leslie, your average handsome, dashing and daring hero (in several scenes, Leslie's teeth actually sparkle, and he always dresses in immaculate white outfits) who convinces an American car company to sponsor a great race to showcase the burgeoning American automobile industry. He is opposed by Professor Hannibal Fate, wonderfully portrayed by Jack Lemmon, who is you average dastardly, conniving, scheming villain (who always dresses in black). The antics of Fate as he tries to foil Leslie's plans are pure Coyote and Roadrunner. Though she is quite beautiful, Natalie Wood has the weakest and frankly irritating role as cigar-smoking suffragette Maggie DuBois.
Fail Safe (1965): Based very closely on the novel by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler, this superb Cold War film dramatizes an accidental American bomber attack on Moscow and the desperate attempts by the president (Henry Fonda) and the commander of SAC (Frank Overton) to recall the bombers and convince the Soviets that the attack is an accident. While there isn't anything less than an outstanding performance in the entire cast, I think that the palm goes to Edward Binns as Col. Jack Grady, commander of the bomber group. Through most of the film, almost his entire face is obscured by his flight helmet and oxygen mask, yet he manages to convey a wide range of emotion with only his eyes. This is most notable when his own wife comes on the radio and begs him to believe that the attack is a mistake and he should return to base. Grady is clearly stricken, but, true to his orders to ignore radio commands once past the fail safe point, he attempts to complete his mission. The irony is that, in the first scenes, he complains that the increasingly automated Air Force busily replacing men with machines needed 'the human touch', yet no machine could have followed its programming any more truly than Col. Grady followed what he believed were his orders. The film also stars Daniel O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau, Fritz Weaver, Larry Hagman, and a very young Dom DeLuise.
To Sir, With Love (1967): I'm sure that many American teachers wish their students were as well-behaved as Sidney Poitier's 'bad' kids! I suppose I should sneer at the social messages implicit in the film, but watching Poitier try to reach out to his dead-ender students is just such a pleasure.
In the Heat of the Night (1967): The cast and crew of the revolting TV series should be horsewhipped for bastardizing this fine crime drama set against the racial tensions of the South in the late 1960s!
Patton (1970): Another film that needs no introduction. I believe that it was intended to be an anti-war film, but ironically many Americans in our post-Vietnam world love it for its portrayal of an American soldier who refused to play politics, but rather fought hard and won. George C. Scott won and refused an Academy Award for the title role. I used to think that this was due to the poltics of the day. Actually, it seems that Scott felt he'd been cheated out of an Oscar years earlier (for his role in 1961's The Hustler), and refused to have anything to do with the award for the rest of his life.
The Sting (1973): This movie has to have the most clever plot of any film I've ever seen. While Paul Newman and Robert Redford take top billing and turn in excellent performances, I think that the best acting in the film was done by Robert Shaw. His portrayal of gangster Doyle Lonagan is villainous but not campy, providing an excellent balance to the more light-hearted roles played by Newman and Redford. Charles Durning is also wonderfully evil as Det. Lieut. Snyder.
Jaws (1975): Why, no: I DON'T like swimming in the ocean. Why do you ask?
Star Wars (1976): The first and best of the franchise. No sophisticated story, no especially stand-out acting, but just a great way to spend a couple of hours. When the movie first came out (years before the VCR became a common item in American houses), people across the country competed to see who'd seen the movie the most times. I think I saw it well over a half-dozen times, myself. You won't see any of the other movies on this list, though Empire wasn't bad. The less said about Jedi, Phantom Menace, and the horrid Attack of the Clowns, the better...
'Breaker' Morant (1980): This Australian film provides an excellent commentary on the paradox of war, and was unquestionably a metaphor for the Vietnam War (it isn't well known, but Australia sent a small contingent of troops to fight alongside our men in Vietnam). Based on a true story, the film dramatizes the court martial of Harry 'Breaker' Morant (Edward Woodward), Peter Handcock (Brian Brown) and George Witton (Lewis Fitz-Gerald), accused of murdering prisoners of war and a neutral priest in South Africa during the Boer War. Morant and his fellow officers claim that they were only following orders. They are ably defended by fellow Australian Major J.F. Thomas (Jack Thompson), but their fate is pre-determined by the British high command, embarrassed that its soldiers have been caught behaving so brutally.
Tombstone (1993): In my book, the second-best western movie ever filmed, eclipsed only by the magnificent Shane. Gritty, tough, fast-paced... what's not to like? I also note that Dana Delaney is absolutely stunning as Josephine Marcus, proof that a woman can be beautiful and sexy without taking off her clothes or having a couple of pounds of silicone implanted in her body (Hollywood, please take note!).
WHEW! THAT took a while!
You'll notice that there really aren't many films after the 1970s. Frankly, I'm a movie snob, and I don't think much of what Hollywood has been cranking out over the past twenty-five years. This isn't to say that there haven't been some good, entertaining movies. Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ghostbusters, The Hunt for Red October and Saving Private Ryan are just a few of the films I've seen and enjoyed. However, they don't rise to the level of 'classic' in my book. Sadly, Hollyweird has learned to rely WAAAAYYYY too much on snappy special effects, gory violence, and sex to try to sell movies. I'm a little more discriminating in my tastes: I want a good story and good acting. Nudity in a film basically offends me. Hey, I like to look at naked women as much as the next guy, but a movie doesn't NEED that to get me to watch. Unfortunately, too many movies have to have it to sell tickets. This indicates to me that the director and screenwriter don't know what they're doing. I'm not inclined to pay to subsidize incompetence.
A prime example is the 1997 film Starship Troopers. I walked out of the theatre all but foaming at the mouth with rage, because Paul Verhoeven bastardized one of my favorite sci-fi novels of all time. Instead of Robert Heinlein's thoughtful and insightful treatment of the military and society, we got a gore-fest interspersed with shots of beefcake and cheesecake. GRRRRR!!!!!! It was just... stupid. STUPID!!! GRRRR!!!!!
Anyway, happy viewing.
I stumbled upon this site as I was in the process of doing some online research. Twelve Angry Men is also on my list of favorite movies; it is powerful and well acted and riveting viewing!
Posted by: panasianbiz | August 09, 2006 at 11:52 AM