I Watch A Pair Of REALLY Old Shorts

They are from Europe in 1907, as a matter of fact. The first is The Policemen's Little Run and the second is The Red Spectre: 

Once again it was a time and motivation thing where I did not feel like watching something feature length. Instead I saw two 1907 shorts from French director Ferdinand Zecca...this one is a 5 ½ minute bit where a dog steals a leg of lamb from a butcher's shop and what seems like the entire city's police force is after the pooch. Basically Little Run is seeing a bunch of dudes run funny; apparently something like this is common for shorts of this age, made in the infancy of this medium.

At least this got some chuckles, the biggest being the crude yet satisfactory effect used to simulate the dog and coppers going up/down the side of a building. The way the United States has descended into utter chaos the past several days, a few amusing moments was enough to brighten my spirits a little... even if this had a plot involving law enforcement. Those not in the United States... I won't even touch the topics that have inflamed so many into a white-hot intensity... just note that it is THE topic everyone is discussing now due to all the havoc that has occurred and the outrage over several controversial deaths that have happened throughout 2020.

This is the second of two 1907 shorts from France. Unlike the other one, this was co-directed by French director Ferdinand Zecca and Spanish director Segundo de Chomon. A mutual found a version of this on YouTube that had rather vivid color and a surf soundtrack from modern band The Ubangis.

This has a plot of sorts... a demon in some sort of grotto who wears a skeleton outfit (I'll just refer to him as La Parka) does various magic tricks, brought to life via various camera tricks that still look fine over a century later. The illusions also have the effect of capturing various women; however, one always eludes his grasp no matter what La Parka does.

Tonight, I discovered that there have been natural comparisons made between de Chomon & Georges Melies... there is a road not to go down with me as I have barely scratched either of their filmographies and I know from some reading that both are incredibly influential. The Red Spectre made for an entertaining 9 minutes.

Scarlet Street

Scarlet Street (1945)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: Fritz Lang

Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea, Margaret Lindsay, Jess Barker

From: Universal

This was the back half of the two film noirs starring Edward G. Robinson/Joan Bennett/Dan Duryea and directed by Fritz Lang that I saw in a row because TCM played them back to back last night. I don't know if I can pick which one of the two is better... both this and The Woman in the Window (not to be confused with the movie Joe Wright has coming out... sometime later in 2020 unless things get REAL bad) have some demerits along with plenty of strengths.

For certain, this is the more downbeat and pitch black noir. Robinson plays a painter who is henpecked by his shrew of a wife. Not a shocking decision then that he'd get all excited for Bennett when they meet one night. He lies to her and does some illegal things to try and impress her. Unfortunately for him he is being scammed by both her and Duryea. He is unable to sail away from his problems. This includes his career as a painter. He does the best that he can do and he eventually finds success but even that leaves a bittersweet taste in his mouth.

As with Window, the cast and crew all delivered in an interesting story that covers some of the genre tropes and has a lead character who manages to be likable even as he engages in some “less than ethical” acts and he has a brutal downfall. The ending of this is a 180 to what occurred in Window; personally, I was able to get through what is a harsh noir in part due to the name of the lead character. Once I realized he was CHRISTOPHER CROSS, I laughed heartily as a reference to a Yacht Rock superstar could have never been predicted by me beforehand. To show you that 2020 is really the worst year, even Cross was affected with COVID-19. I hope he's doing fine now as it triggered a disease which caused him to have his legs be paralyzed... yikes.

In the future I should check out the original version of the story, which is from both a play and a novel. It was made by Renoir in 1931 as La Chienne; Scarlett changed quite a bit from this rendition... not only is the title translated as THE BITCH but it revolves around pimps and prostitution.

The Woman In The Window

The Woman in the Window (1944)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Fritz Lang

Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea, Raymond Massey, Edmund Breon

From: International Pictures

Yesterday I saw two film noir pictures starring Edward G. Robinson/Joan Bennett/Dan Dureya and directed by Fritz Lang; it was a double feature on Turner Classic Movies last night. The other review will be up sometime tonight; both are worth seeing if you are a genre fan.

Robinson plays a typical staid college professor; his wife & kids go on vacation and he spends his time hanging out with his pals, who are also rather stodgy cigar-smoking dudes that are part of a club. Not that they are boring people, but not exactly “cool.” Right away he sees a painting of a lovely lady hanging in the window of a store, and soon meets said lady. As it's Bennett and is not unattractive, he becomes smitten... along with turning into a poor old sap. He even realizes early on he shouldn't be having drinks then visiting the apartment of a random woman he doesn't know, but he does it anyway and is roped into a bad event he just can't escape, no matter his attempts to use his smarts to get out of this jam. The fact that one of his buddies is the district attorney and he can hear the inside scoop on his own situation without the lawyer knowing he is the suspect... what a pickle of a situation.

Of course the cast as a whole does a nice job and the Lang direction is on-point. G. usually has an “Oh, s***” expression on his face as he constantly fears being exposed for his misdeeds; despite his actions, he is always sympathetic in a story that has its twists & turns, including an ending some won't like. But I was most impressed by Dureya's small yet critical role where he oozed a mix of sleaze, menace, cool charm and intelligence. As for the ending, Lang wanted things a certain way and this was the only way to do it and have the movie be approved by the censors. That did not ruin the experience for me-at the very least, the final 10 seconds was a great gag. Furthermore, a great technical achievement was pulled off practically for the sake of a shot that was done with no cut. Without spoiling anything, tricks were done to pull it off successfully in seconds.

This and Scarlet Street made me realize I should not only see more Robinson, but also more Lang. Metropolis and M are legendary but I know he had his share of bangers once he emigrated to America.

Network

Network (1976)

Runtime: 122 minutes

Directed by: Sidney Lumet

Starring: Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, Ned Beatty

From: Both MGM and UA, before they merged a few years later

This must have seemed absurd in 1976... in 2020, the satire is more terrifying than anything else.

I was not mad as hell last night but I felt this was the right time for me to view then review a motion picture that is far more than just a quote that entered the pop culture lexicon. In other reviews I've carped about the state of television in general and how I feel it's garbage... way too many commercials, lowest common denominator programming, reality TV as a whole, etc. News on television is particularly bad... to me all of the cable news networks are entertainment more than actual serious reporting and coverage. It's not just the much-reviled Fox News that is worthy of condemnation, I say. The fact that so many view these channels as their main source of discovering what's going on in the world-it is one of the many prescient points brought up in this movie due to Paddy Chayefsky's outstanding script.

No surprise to me that the script was one of Network's four Oscar wins. Not only did it make the scenario believable of how a respected news anchor would become a giant hit after he suffers a mental breakdown and goes on epic soliloquies-him not getting help because of the high ratings is easy to understand, but circumstances and unscrupulous individuals resulted in the scenario-it allows the characters to be three dimensional, sometimes via extended scenes where it is two of them just talking to each other... it reveals their beliefs, values, prejudices, etc. There is razor-sharp dialogue throughout that kept me captivated; the narrator that randomly appears a few times is a device that worked here. All that plus the direction and editing that was on point made me believe that a television network which was a distant 4th at the time (back when there were only a few channels on TV) would flush all principles down the toilet for the sole purpose of rating points.

But naturally it was the current state of TV which helped me accept such a scenario by today's standards. Besides the news as entertainment, this also predicted: 

* Over the top personalities getting attention in the media even if they are not mentally well. If it wasn't an act or because of drugs, look at what happened w/ Charlie Sheen in the brief yet unforgettable “Tiger Blood” era.

* How homogenized television is, along with the chasing of trends... if one trope becomes popular on a show, there are many subsequent efforts or proposed programs that simply copy it irregardless of everything else.

* Saudi Arabia's impact on the Western world.

* People wanting to see atrocities on the boob tube.

* How obsessed the public is with the medium.

* There is more but I don't want to give everything away.

It is an excellent movie which has great talent on screen (Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, and Beatrice Straight all won Oscars; for the latter it was a hell of a feat as it was basically for one scene... which was incredible; that is not to discount the other main players, such as William Holden, Robert Duvall, Ned Beatty, etc.) and is especially relevant in the Trump era; before controversy occurs, I am referring to how like in the 70's era when Chayefsky concocted the story, it is an angry and hostile time in America. Too many of Network's plot points are not beyond the realm of possibility in real life. This is one of many “serious 70's” cinema examples and may be one of the best.

The Italian Job (The Original)

The Italian Job (1969)

Runtime: 99 minutes

Directed by: Peter Collison

Starring: Michael Caine, Noel Coward, Benny Hill, Raf Vallone, Margaret Blye

From: Paramount

As sometimes occurs, I will choose to visit or revisit a film due to the ability to tell a story concerning it. In this case, I saw this theatrically in 2009 under odd circumstances. The early summer of that year, a 12 screen cineplex opened in the downtown region of Orlando; the people who ran it independently were incompetent fools... this resulted in second-run features and older movies being played there before it was taken over by others and eventually it became a part of Cobb Theatres, where it is now run professionally and it is a nice place which has a food menu and the theatrical experience is nice.

To demonstrate the fiasco that place was-which caused somewhat of an uproar at the time-I went and saw this without knowing if it was the Michael Caine original or the Marky Mark remake... I asked at the building which one it was and did not get a straight answer. What I saw online gave the public conflicting information. It took the opening minute to realize this is what I would be seeing. What came out in 2003 has never been viewed by my eyes... yet.

As for the film itself, it is fine although it is not beloved by me as it is with apparently many others. It wasn't always as funny as it thought it was (Benny Hill as an eccentric computer expert who loves women of the BBW variety... no thank you), at times it was more annoying than anything else and perhaps I would prefer the 2003 movie as I understand that is more serious than '69. At least this is still fine overall. Michael Caine as the star was for certain an asset.; so was Quincy Jones' score. But of course it was a great heist and getaway, even if implausible at times. I don't know if an original Mini Cooper can really go down multiple sets of stairs... thankfully it makes for a tremendous visual so it's something to be ignored as those small vehicles go all over the city, enter buildings, drive on sidewalks, go in sewers, etc. The cliffhanger ending was also an appropriate denouement.

Perhaps this will never blow wind up my skirt; at least the heist was a joyous experience on the big screen back 11 summers ago.

Freddy vs. Jason

Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

Runtime: 97 minutes

Directed by: Ronnie Yu

Starring: Robert Englund, Ken Kerzinger, random characters that are usually fodder and are played by the likes of Monica Keena, Jason Ritter, and Kelly Rowland

From: New Line Cinema

I understand why many horror fans have a mixed at best reception to this film. It was first proposed way back in the late 80's and an entire documentary could probably be done on the protracted development process, all the different scripts/ideas, the starts and stops, etc. The nuttiest ideas include Jason on trial, the two characters in hell, time travel... nuttiness. It can be said that Freddy doesn't kill enough people, that it's more a Nightmare on Elm Street joint w/ special guest star Jason Voorhees, it would have been better if this was done years before as it meant there'd be no CG that has aged poorly in 2020... all that said, this was fine.

Personally, I was fine with the basic story of Freddy using Jason as a conduit to make people remember him and regain his powers; currently it is eerie to hear the characters discuss Fred as if he was an infectious disease, and even “the Q word” was used. Some plot points and moments were “borrowed” from previous entries and griping about that is valid. Even then, at least this was slick entertainment with some laughs, gory moments, a stylish flair due to director Ronnie Yu, and a final showdown which thankfully delivered. It does show how times have changed these past 17 years... thank goodness it's as rare as hen's teeth now for one of the heroes in a movie to use homophobic slurs against the bad guys. If only Kane Hodder would have been Jason... him not in the role after he was one of the main proponents for the movie to be made-that is poppycock.

Anyhow, some characters I did remember: the guy who looks like YouTube film reviewer Film Brain, Bootleg Jason Mewes... but the 2003 version of McLovin I had no memory of. Personally, this is better than a decent number of Voorhees or Krueger sequels; of course your mileage may vary.

Another Update

This past week hasn't been great for me, for reasons I'll eventually explain on another day. For now, let me discuss the classic 1951 Looney Tunes cartoon Rabbit Fire:

The past few days I have been preoccupied with other matters (much more important ones) so I went with a cartoon review even though I rarely do those and there are ones I've seen the past few years which haven't been logged on here. It was a delight to see this via streaming; as a kid I saw plenty of Looney Tunes thanks to television and my mother renting VHS tapes back in the 80's. In a future review my mom contributing to my movie tastes will be discussed. Her being my mom is now better appreciated than it has been for awhile.

For now, I will mention that this was 7 ½ minutes of greatness as much of it was Bugs and Daffy arguing over “Wabbit Season” vs. “Duck Season” and Bugs constantly outsmarting his vain foe. The final minute or two, there's a turn and that made this different from the norm with the shorts involving Bugs and Daffy... and there is plenty of clever dialogue to go along with the expected quality animation/music. Heck, this even became an element in multiple memes with the ending bit where there are “Rabbit Season” & “Duck Season” posters being repeatedly torn down rapid-fire. I am happy this was as fun as it was when I was real young.