Reviews

This Film should stir the passions of those that have an affinity with War Movies, with it's telling of the struggle for life and, freedom in one of Germany's P.O.W. Camps in the Second World War. It's not factually correct, some items in Paul Brickhill's book which the film was adapted from were ignored or glossed over, and other events in the Movie which had little to do with actual happenings in the Compound were added by Hollywood, and it's mandatory penchant to entertain. Who cares!! The Great Escape is a great Movie, superbly directed by John Sturges who also skillfully gleaned the best out of the many Stars he had around him at the time and on the payroll. Certainly he was responsible in helping Steve McQueen perform one of his best screen roles as Captain Virgil Hilts, the gung-ho Airman delighting in upsetting his captors who took their work far too seriously, continually asking the mischievous one to spend time in their Cooler. Sturges manages also to capture the many nationalistic traits of the men in the Prison, showing us the stiff upper lip of the British chaps, the laconic Aussie, played brilliantly by James Coburn, the smooth talking American scrounger played by James Garner,the fierce independence of one of the tunnel diggers Danny Velinski, played by Charles Bronson and, of course the Camp Kommandant, Von Luger, ( Hannes Messemer ) expressing typical German efficiency but, perhaps wishing like his prisoners he'd rather be somewhere else. Elmer Bernstein's music also played it's part in making the Movie the success it is, with different mood and tone attached to pivotal scenes such as the opening sequences, the building of the tunnels and eventual escape, and the final stages of the show when we see the lucky ones on their home run. The Great Escape......is a great experience.

Most of the superlatives have been said about this Movie, adjectives such as magnificent, brilliant and searing all attach themselves to most reviews of the Film and, deservedly so. The Godfather is the definative story of the Mafia and it's bid for legitimacy and respect from Political allies and Law Enforcement groups eager to sympathize in order to capitalize. While the show is informing us, or rather reminding us of time honoured liaisons between the law makers and the law breakers in mid 20th Century America, with scenes of Movie Producers waking up and finding parts of a horses' anatomy sharing satin sheets, employees of the Don getting garrotted in public bars and front seats of company vehicles, the hazards of stopping your car at toll booths, and Police Captains choking over bits of lead during their meal, we learn also of the significence of that well worn cliche..........'Give him an offer he can't refuse.' Yeah..... bloodthirsty stuff indeed, but apparently stuff we all enjoy watching, particularly when it's directed by guys like Francis Coppola and embellished with stars like Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton and Robert Duvall. The Godfather is a milestone Movie, superbly adapted from Mario Puzo's book that dares to explore the depth of Mafia guilt and Political conscience.

When it was released in 1957, The Pajama Game joined a long procession of song and dance Movies that grabbed us all who watched them with their energy, vitality and infectious romance. Doris Day bounces and radiates her way across the screen as only she can and has done many times previously in musicals, singing, dancing and looking great, teaming up this time with some of the cast from the Broadway Production, Eddie Foy Jnr., Carol Haney, Rita Shaw and John Raitt. As you would expect from this array of talent something special would arrive, and it didn't take long for us to taste it. In the opening minutes we are treated to one of Choreographer Bob Fosse's routines with Eddie Foy Jnr. and Rita Shaw singing and stepping to 'I'll never get jealous again ' and as the show moves on more memorable sequences appear like Carol Haney dancing to ' Steam Heat,' Doris Day singing ' Seven and a Half cents ' and everyone it seems giving a rousing rendition of ' Hernando's Hideaway.' The Pajama Game is alive with Fiftie's colour, vigour and good old fashioned song and dance, put together by ideas and talent that perhaps in those days we had the chance to take it all for granted. Sadly.....these days, with the absence of musicals we don't have that opportunity.

This is some Movie! Directed by Frank Darabont, The Shawshank Redemption shows more than any other film made about Prison life, the hopelessness, frustration, loneliness and degredation Prison inmates experience. Darabont does a great job in capturing the atmosphere of the Gaol, cleverly moving his cameras in close to magnify an emotion or expression as Andy Dufresne, ( Tim Robbins ) ' Red, ' played brilliantly by Morgan Freeman, and many others including James Whitmore as the ' institutionalized ' Brooks Hatlen, wrestle daily with their torments and their tormentors. Robbins did some good work with his character,the snotty banker brought back down to earth in the form of a prison yard and, as always Freeman gave another polished performance as the prison's regular ' Sears and Roebuck ' while giving us also a moving narrative throughout the Movie. I particularly liked Director Darabont's wish to show us as much of the Prison as he can with wide shots adding another dimension to his work, and enjoyed also his ability to hold us all in suspense until the final scenes of the film when we see Dufresne finally gain his freedom with more than a little help from two lovely ladies, Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe and, of course.....his rock hammer. As always in Prison Movies full of good guys wrongly convicted or otherwise, there always seems to be a sadistic Warden or Captain of the Guards in the vicinity, eager to show just who is the boss, the end of a baton, or the door to solitary. Behind the Boss's door however was the biggest crook in the place.....Warden Norton. Bob Gunton does well portraying the twisted chief of Shawshank, it was a meaty role and, as it deserves gives great credence to a pivotal character. The Shawshank Redemption is a tremendous Movie, following a long line of films made about men behind bars....... this is the best one.

"Let me sing a funny song, with crazy words that roll along, and if my song can make you happy, I'm happy.....I'm happy....." Al Jolson sang those words of the song, ' Let me sing and I'm happy,' in the opening of The Jolson Story, words that epitomized the passion and energy in his music. The Jolson Story does a magnificent job in giving us a taste of Jolson's magic that spellbound America in the twenties and early thirties, most of his songs are in the show, April Showers, Swanee, Mammy, California Here I Come and , the incomparable, The Anniversary Song, sang as only Jolson can. And, due to some enterprising technology at the time we also hear more of his voice in the Movie that perhaps his fans did in those days with Film Studio microphones capturing and accentuating a deep resonance that is solely Jolson's. The Film doesn't attempt to factually explore his life, although we do get a chance to see some truths of the relationship with his real life wife, Ruby Keeler, who in the Movie was known as Julie Benson, played by Evelyn Keys. Interesting to note was the fact that Columbia Pictures, who released the Movie failed to give Warner Bros.the Film company responsible for giving Jolson the role in The Jazz Singer, any recognition whatsoever, presenting further evidence of the Producer's and Jolson's desire to give us some entertainment, as opposed to a lesson in history. And, entertained we are, as Larry Parks, with his unbelievable miming to Jolson's songs......apart from a cameo from Jolson singing Swanee....takes us from Vaudeville days in the twenties with all Jolson's great songs and routines, to his semi retirement in the thirties. The Jolson Story is a wonderful experience, full of songs we still sing today more than fifty years after they were released, and sung by the man most of us remember as the greatest entertainer of them all......Al Jolson.

Dances With Wolves is a tremendous Movie! It's stunning visuals by Cinematographer Dean Semler, and stirring music by John Barry capture each mood of the film as we follow John Dunbar's ( Kevin Costner ) travels from an Army Field Hospital in the Civil War, to his friendship with the Sioux Indians on the plains. Kevin Costner's direction of the Movie is superb too, with his obvious feel for not only the characters and story-line but for the landscape also. Costner shows great imagination, particularly when the story leaves the horrors of the War in the East and moves onto the endless sea of waving grassland in the West, catching the loneliness of the windswept frontier and the sadness also of the Plains Indian, ever hoping the White Man would not come their way. The film spends much of it's time exploring the Indian perspective, in particular their language, as Dunbar slowly learns their ways and culture while falling in love with Stands With A Fist, played by Mary McDonnell. There are some sad scenes in the Movie, Dunbar losing Cisco his horse after being fired on by his own Calvary and seeing also his friend the lone wolf get shot by the same Calvarymen, but the most poignant part of the film came, ( as expected ) in the end when the Indians were fleeing the Soldiers and Dunbar, with Stands With A Fist now his bride, left to go their own way. Dances With Wolves is an outstanding Western, beautifully photographed and along with many other accolades the film has attracted, supports a balanced view of the struggle for culture and civilization.

Whatever the problems were in making this Movie, certainly they didn't interfere with the out-come, One Eyed Jacks is a great Western. During it's production there seemed to be some running over budget, and others( notably Marlon Brando ) running out of patience, with percieved ideas about where the Movie was heading, particularly in the film's early stages. But the end result is the one we are interested in, and we're not let down by all who took part in it, in particular Brando, who along with many other chores gives us a fine portrayal of Johnny Rio, the betrayed and vengeful bank robber. Karl Malden as always presents us with an equally fine performance as Dad Longworth, who as Rio's friend betrays him then spends the next five years looking over his shoulder. Along with some spectacular cinematography by Charles Lang, the film has it's fair share of action also, as we see Rio's short fuse explode losing his cool with Bob Amory, played by the ever reliable Ben Johnson, and Lon Dedrick, played brilliantly by Slim Pickens. I particularly like the scene when Rio breaks out of his cell after bluffing Dedrick with an empty Derringer. The interaction between them is fantastic, and they didn't hold anything back either with Dedrick getting a smart kick up the backside after he was jammed in the back by Rio forcing him on his knees. The film bogs down a little in the middle stages when the relationship between Rio and Louisa, played by Pina Pellicer, begins to blossom. There seems to be too many shots of Brando giving us dialogue that could have been condensed into something a touch sharper and perhaps a little shorter also. Notwithstanding that however, One Eyed Jacks is a great Western, decorated with the presence of stars Brando and Malden, and one also where we could be forgiven for asking.......just who was the Director?...........Who cares.

You don't have to use up too much of your imagination to get into and to appreciate this Epic, Howard Hawks does a manificent job in bringing to us a story that depicts the strengths ( and weaknesses ) of early pioneers in the American West. In Red River, Hawks clearly makes us aware of the hardships and loneliness settlers experienced doing their thing, particularly on cattle drives. John Wayne, as always in his element astride a horse, does a great job portraying the single minded cattle Baron Tom Dunson. He looked comfortable in the role with all his regulars like Harry Carey Snr. and Jnr,.Hank Worden and Walter Brennan around him and, along with Hawks is responsible for the Movie being as good as it is. You could almost taste the dust and sweat as Dunson bullies his way along the cattle drive, ignoring advice, doing what a man has to do and saying often, ' I'll read over them in the mornin ', then, being left in the dust himself after his men and his adopted son Matthew Garth...... played by Mongomery Clift.... decide they've had enough. We always knew they'd meet up with each other again, and when they did....what a showdown! Dunson catches up with them in Abeline, gets off his horse when he sees Garth and bullies his way again, this time through a herd of cattle to get to him. That walk Wayne makes amongst the cows is a classic. For a big guy he's got a lot of balance, never losing his stride as he forces his way through the herd, turns, draws and fires at Cherry Valance....played by another resident bad guy of the era, John Ireland....gets hit with a bullet from Valance, crosses the railway track then proceeds to beat up on the only man game enough to stand up to him, and in the process gets a bit of a pasting himself. Fantastic stuff!! Both Clift and Brennan, who played Dunson's old friend Groot Nadine give fine supporting roles, particularly Brennan with his excellent narrative throughout the Movie. Made in 1948, Red River is a great Western and perhaps had much to do in setting standards for others to follow.

Out of all the Movies made about Wyatt Earp and The O.K. Corrall, to me, Tombstone is the finest. Kurt Russell playing the stoic Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer as the tormented gunslinging Doc Holliday, really did a job in this version of THAT gunfight as they swaggered through the film both looking invincible ( as indeed they were ) and I must say looking highly credible also. Tombstone reminds me of the fifties when most good Westerns were made, full of action, romance, a dash of humour here and there, and full too of heroes showing us how to get their man, ( or men.) And, like Westerns in the fifties, Tombstone ignores some of the truths about what happened before and after the gunfight just off Fremont Street and concentrates more on what we all pay our money to see.....men doing what men had to do. The facts? Who cares. Tombstone has the right balance of history and fiction to make it work and keep us interested in the Movie, as it gives us glimpses of the truth, then decorates it with heavy doses of Hollywood and it's determination to entertain. Val Kilmer almost steals the show as Earp's loyal side kick, but Russell held on to his character well and I think it's fair to say they came out about even. My favourite part is when the Dentist gives us a rousing rendition of musical mugs in the Saloon while responding to a testy cowboy from across the table. A table also where Earp, always in control sat with his trusty shotgun pinned underneath it and aimed at the cowboy's underbelly. That scene was about as far away from the facts as night is to day, but is was riveting stuff and the thought of it ever actually happening never really crosses our minds. Tombstone is a slick Movie, well directed by George P. Cosmatos who along with most involved in the film was hell bent on giving us a story, rather than a history lesson.

This is a good Movie. Filmed in black and white and well directed by Henry King, The Gunfighter gives more than a glimpse of the difficulties ageing gunslingers face when they try to return to mainstream society. As always Gregory peck gives a stirring performance as the frustrated Jimmy Ringo warding off up and coming young men with ideas of making a name for themselves, and in the process attempting to reunite with his family. The much under-rated Millard Mitchell, playing Sherrif Mark Stent, gives Peck some fine support as his former partner and now the local town custodian and, as the movie progresses we get to enjoy Millard's character, a likable guy trying to do his best for his friend and his family. So much so, we are suprised at the end of the film when we see a dark side of his make up emerge when he smashes his boot into the face of Hunt Bromley, played by the resident bad guy of the era, Skip Homeier. The only small criticism of the Movie is, there could have been a little more action revolving around Peck's character, rather then seeing him spend most of his time in the bar and back room of the Town Hotel while waiting to see his wife and son. We do see bits of what we are supposed to see from a man of his reputation, but I would have liked to see just how good Jimmy Ringo really was. Made in the fifties, in a time it seems when all good Westerns were made, I found The Gunfighter to be an enjoyable, thoughtful Movie, not quite in the Classic mould such as The Searchers and Shane, but one I look forward to seeing again.

Not only is the landscape big in this movie, the Stars and the Director are big also. Hollywood didn't let us down in one of it's early successes in bringing an array of major Stars together, all of them put aside their egos and percieved star billings and did justice to a great story. Gregory Peck's role of Jim McKay, the newly retired pragmatic Sea Captain was made for him. We see Peck as most of us have witnessed and enjoyed over the years, quietly doing his own thing, resisting the baddies and getting his point across his way. Charlton Heston's role as the loyal but beleaguered Foreman, Steve Leech, must have had him thinking before accepting the part knowing there were a few around him who had meatier characters to play, but as always gave a reliable performance free of wooden expression we occasionly see in his roles. Jean Simmons as the demure Julie Maragon and Carol Baker as the tempestuous Patricia Terrill were characters suited to them both, especially Baker parading her talents to the three men in her life, McKay, Leech and her Father, Major Henry Terrill, played perfectly by Charles Bickford. The best performances came, I believe from Chuck Connors as the angry Buck Hannassey and Burl Ives playing his Father Rufus Hannassey. The scheming wayward Son was played cleverly by Connors as he snivelled his way through out the Movie until he finally meets his match via his Father. Burl Ives, like the Academy Awards suggests was brilliant! My favourite scene is when he came unannounced to the Major's home while the Terrill family were celebrating Patricia's home coming and impending marriage to Jim McKay. The interaction between them all is magic. The frustrated uninvited guest invites the Major to pick up the gun he has thrown across the room at him, the Major doesn't respond....there's too much to lose here... the defiant Daughter is hoping her Father would respond, the Foreman, ever eager to shield his Boss is restrained, sympathetic looks come from Miss Maragon and the Sea Captain is maybe starting to work out just who are the bad guys. Good stuff!! The Big Country is a great movie, is well directed and has a cast of Stars that compliment their characters and the story. I rank it a step away from The Searchers and that all time classic, Shane.

Although not a classic Western, Winchester 73 is still up there as a movie that's been well directed and has a cast that fits perfectly into a strong story line. Anthony Mann does a great job in bringing the best out of the good guys, Lin McAdam ( James Stewart ) and High Spade ( Millard Mitchell ) and the worst of the bad guys, Dutch Henry Brown ( Stephen McNally) and Waco Johnnie Dean ( Dan Duryea ). McNally plays his character superbly, as the angry brother who always seems to be in control and never out of trouble, and Duryea as he always appears to do in any movie he makes, does the bad guy thing better than most. The two good guy roles are perfect for Stewart and Mitchell as their characters politely go their way from one near disaster to another in the search for the brother and THAT rifle. Their manners were so good it was suprising to see McAdam finally lose his cool when he slammed Waco Johnnie Dean into the bar when he caught up with him in the Saloon and almost throttled him. I mean...excuse me...is this the real Jimmy Stewart?? That scene however was only a warm up for the final shots of the movie when at last the tormented hero gets his man after a shoot out in the desert. This movie was made in the fifties in an era that seemed to be eternally full of Westerns good and bad.....Winchester 73 is one of the good ones.

As soon as you hear Victor Young's music and see a lone figure riding across the plain, you realise something special is about to happen. Shane is a magnificent movie passionately directed by George Stevens who showed us perhaps more then any other, just how life was in those pioneering days. In Shane he parades the daily struggles by all who lived in the west, farmers, ranchers, townsfolk and of course ageing gunfighters, all doing their thing on a landscape guarded by it seems equally frustrated clouds rolling in from the Tetons. From the opening scenes where Stevens cleverly turns up the sound to emphasise the story line or a character, to those memorable last few moments when Shane rides out into the night, we are treated to 120 minutes of cinema at it's best. My favourite scene is when Shane, Joe, Marian and little Joe arrive home in their yard late at night and are confronted by Ryker, his crew and the dark stranger Wilson. The interaction between them all in the gloom is fascinating. Ryker pleads his case, Joe as expected refuses to listen,Marian anxiously looks on, little Joe is trying to understand it all and Shane and Wilson silently introduce themselves by eyeballing each other.With the discussions over Ryker and his men leave and Wilson backs his horse out of the yard. Fantastic stuff!! Yes....and what about that final showdown in Grafton's saloon, not much discussion there...just riveting scenes that have been copied ( or tried ) over the years by many. Shane is a wonderful story, put together on film by a once in a lifetime gathering of movie makers that all have contributed in producing one of the greats.