September Films Update 2

Ten more films I watched earlier this year

****

1. Snowbeast

Former Olympic Skiing Champion Ger Seberg and his journalist wife Ellen return to Seberg’s hometown, a ski resort in Colorado. Seberg is looking for a job, having not competed since his win. Carrie Rill, the matriarch owner of the resort complex is focused on the Snow Queen Festival. Tony Rill, her grandson and the manager, is also distracted; some visitors have gone missing on the mountain. When some are brought in the Sheriff is concerned that they claim a Yeti/Bigfoot type beast attacked them. The Sheriff thinks it’s more likely a bear*, but Ellen did a report on Bigfoot sightings and thinks there could be more to it.

Eventually everyone has had a conversation with everyone else and things slow down enough for Tony to offer Ger a job – the first task being to join the hunt of the bigfoot or bear. Ger is reluctant; Ellen has said bigfoots are mostly peaceful, then he sees some of the mutilated bodies. They don’t find it, and Carrie insists on continuing with the Snow Queen festivities, only for the Snow Queen’s mother to be killed, sending the town into a panic. Gar, Ellen, Tony and the Sheriff head into the woods for a final confrontation.

Moderately fun snow themed monster horror, that wants to take full advantage of the resort setting and the snow. Carrie Rill wanting to avoid panic so visitors come and spend money is a familiar figure. Ger Seberg, the Skiing Champion who now doesn’t want to ski let alone compete after that height is moderately interesting but him then needing to use his skills to hunt a monster doesn’t really work.

Watch This: Bloody snow monster film
Don’t Watch This: Long awkward scenes of everyone filling you in with their backstory interspersed with a hidden monster killing people in the woods

* Many bigfoot etc researchers believe similarly

2. For Whom The Bell Tolls (1943)

It’s the Spanish Civil War and the Republicans are finally preparing an advance. American language teacher turned International Brigade member Robert Jordan (Gary Cooper) is sent behind enemy lines to blow up a vital bridge when the time comes. He is guided across the mountains to a group of guerillas operating in the region. The leader Pablo is unwilling to put the band at risk. Jordan falls in love with Maria (Ingrid Bergman); eventually Pablo is replaced as leader by his wife Pilar who pledges them to destroy the bridge.

Trying to get horses so they can escape after the attack, a neighbouring band of guerillas is wiped out. In a fit of rage Pablo destroys some of the explosives equipment. With a change of heart he returns and agrees to join the attack. They improvise a different method of blowing it up. However it seems the Nationalists are prepared for the attack, so Jordan sends a message. Perhaps blowing up the bridge will be pointless; nevertheless they proceed.

Based on a Hemingway novel this was extremely well received at the time, when World War Two was raging. And although it shows some age, it still has some real bite to the dilemmas and the fights.

Watch This: Classic war film, introducing some elements widely used by later films
Don’t Watch This: Slightly clunky film, very depressing

3. Mary Queen Of Scots (1971)

With the death of her Husband, Francis II, King of France, Mary (Vanessa Redgrave) returns to her kingdom of Scotland. She is the closest relative to Elizabeth I (Glenda Jackson) of England who plots to try and prevent her taking the throne of England. In Scotland Mary’s illegitimate half-brother James Stewart, Earl of Moray*, suggests she not worry about ruling, concentrating on having a fun time at court. However this is a problem as Scotland is much poorer than France, and also has turned Protestant while Mary remains a Catholic.

Mary and her supporters want her to marry to secure the succession. Elizabeth sends her lover Robert Dudley (Patrick McGoohan), knowing that he won’t be acceptable; she adds Lord Darnley, Henry Stuart (Timothy Dalton). Stuart is a Catholic, in fact a cousin of Mary, in line to the throne of Scotland (and also England); he’s young and dashing. Mary impulsively marries him and exiles Moray. Elizabeth, pleased at all this, thinks Mary will be caught up in strife in Scotland, too distracted to threaten her.

Darnley complains that he is just consort, not involved in ruling. After an argument Mary sends him from her bed, spending time with her ladies and also musician courtier David Riccio (Ian Holm); adding insult to injury Riccio was formerly the lover of Darnley. Spurred on by ambitious nobles Darnley and a group of them break into Mary’s chambers and murder Riccio. Regretting this Mary convinces Darnley it will lead to more bloodshed. They flee the court for the castle of James Hepburn, Lord Bothwell (Nigel Davenport). There Mary forces Darnley, Bothwell and a recalled Moray into an alliance. Mary gives birth to a son, James, now heir to Scotland and after her and Elizabeth, to England.

The peace doesn’t last. Darnley still wants to be king in truth as well as name. Falling for Bothwell, Mary and he plot against him, trying to blow up his house. This fails, but he’s strangled in the escape. Mary marries Bothwell, but now Moray turns against them. The murder of Darnley is one step too far for the Scottish Lords, who seize James, making Moray regent and intending James to be raised Protestant. Bothwell flees to Denmark to try and get aid; Mary escapes into England.

There Elizabeth imprisons her. As the years go by she grows in on herself until she is compromised by a plot. Elizabeth and Mary meet secretly, though Mary will not beg or give up anything, following which she is executed. The meeting is fictional (no such meeting occurred in real life); Mary’s romance with Bothwell and involvement with the plot against Darnley based on the evidence presented against her, rather than her own explanation of events. Apparently the film was made thanks to the popularity of Antonia Fraser’s book, though the producers claimed not to have read it. Probably true.

Watch This: Fun historical drama with a plethora of excellent British actors of the period
Don’t Watch This: Dubious history, whose attempts at sensationalism do not greatly lift the film

* Far too many of the historical people in this story are named James

4. The Manster

Larry Stanford is an American reporter who has been in Tokyo; his time there is coming to an end and he looks forward to returning to his wife Linda. His last assignment is interviewing reclusive scientist Robert Suzuki in his remote volcano top laboratory. Suzuki has rather unusual theories about human evolution; they can be triggered by atmospheric changes. His last attempt changed a man into a murderous beast, so he had to secretly destroy them. Realising Larry is a good test subject he drugs and uses his updated formula against the advice of Suzuki’s assistant Tara.

Larry’s personality changes, he goes out drinking with Suzuki and starts an affair with Tara. His boss Ian tries to intervene; when he doesn’t return to the US his wife comes out to Tokyo but he rejects her, saying their marriage is over. Larry goes to a Buddhist temple to ask for help but the priest doesn’t understand English and Larry kills him, taking a prayer bracelet. Ian tries to introduce him to a psychiatrist but this doesn’t work. When Larry looks at where he was injected he finds an eye that looks at him and his hand turns to a claw.

Larry goes on a rampage, killing the psychiatrist and leaving the bracelet behind. Ian finds it and informs the police. Larry escapes, killing the police and heads for Suzuki’s laboratory. The eye has grown into a second, monstrous head. Suzuki tells Tara he has perfected a new formula, this one will split Larry and the creature apart. Tara thinks he has gone too far and hands him a knife, implying Suzuki should commit suicide to expiate his crimes. Suzuki doesn’t, instead waiting for Larry to arrive and the final confrontation.

This rather silly monster film takes itself very seriously – and just manages to make its Japanese setting interesting despite being centred around the Western ex-pat community. There are one or two genuinely unsettling moments, but mostly it is too unintentionally camp to really frighten.

Watch This: Fun, entertaining monster film
Don’t Watch This: Sub Jekyll-and-Hyde duality science with silly effects

5. The Longest Day (1962)

It’s June 1944 and the German Army in France is expecting an attack by the Allied forces. The Germans disagree about the likely landing points, and almost all of them don’t think it’s imminent as the weather has been bad. In England General Eisenhower Supreme Commander, is given the weather report – poor but improving – and the choices, which essentially come down to now or next month. He chooses to go the next day (June 6). The film then goes through a variety of characters – American, British, French, German – who the film will follow.

That night airborne troops parachute in to try and seize important bridges and crossroads, occasionally managing to link up with French Resistance and SOE agents who are operating to sabotage the Germans. The paratroopers are scattered more widely than expected*, and one of the senior officers** breaks his leg on landing and has to be wheeled about in a barrow.

Indeed as an attempt to show the D-Day landings – 200,000 men trying to kill each other to seize or hold a piece of coastline to allow millions more to try and kill each other – this turns to the incident, some curious, but mostly those of the leaders who make decisions. There’s a few moments where confusion, fear, being lost, or pinned down dominate. Yet someone understands, someone is decisive and then things turn. As a film, it is full of interest. As history it may fail, yet what a magnificent failure it is.

Watch This: Account of the D-Day landings showing the breadth and complexity of operations while never losing sight of the human part of the conflict
Don’t Watch This: Read some history about it

* There’s a variety of reasons for that, but let’s just note that this was a complicated operation taking place at night, and many of the transport plane crews were not experienced at this.

** Benjamin Vandervoort played by John Wayne

6. The Ship That Died Of Shame

During World War II Royal Navy motor gun boat 1087 seems lucky, getting the crew through the worst. However the commander Bill Randall (George Baker) faces tragedy when his new wife is killed. After the war he’s somewhat at a loose end until he encounters his former first officer George Hoskins (Richard Attenborough). He and the coxswain Birdie (Bill Owen) buy the disarmed 1087, and use it to smuggle booze and other things, nothing that does anyone any harm.

Then they find themselves at odds with another smuggling gang, and to avoid trouble George arranges to work with them. They find themselves smuggling mysterious things and learn it’s weapons and counterfeit currency. 1087 stops being so reliable and breaks down. Things come to a head when they have to take a man out, and it turns out it’s a child killer on the run and 1087 won’t work at all.

This can be read as a simple adventure, some old war time pals turning to the bad. Yet there’s a bit more going on. This is a story of how when turned to the war Bill’s determination and George’s initiative, as well as Birdie’s skills and perseverance, are disciplined and positive. Afterwards, without good opportunities, they’re turned to the bad, slowly corrupted. Leading them inevitably to disaster.

Watch This: Some good seaborne scenes, strong moral adventure
Don’t Watch This: Tragedy and nobility of war corrupted by peace and inactivity is a lot of nonsense

7. Cabaret

Brian Roberts (Michael York), an Englishman, arrives in Berlin in 1931 looking to give English lessons to make a living while waiting for developments in his academic career. He moves into a boarding house where his neighbour, Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli), offers her larger room for his lessons. Sally Bowles, an American, performs in the cabaret at The Kit Kat Club, where the songs and performances often reflect the events of the film (it also has telephones on the tables allowing you to call other patrons).

Sally tries to seduce Brian after he admits he’s tried unsuccessfully with three women. They become friends, though she appears a lot more into the Jazz Age Bohemian Berlin than him. After her father cancels a meeting he consoles her, and they do actually become lovers. The two become friends with wealthy Maximilian von Heune; after spending some time at his mansion, Sally and Brian argue, first she, then he throwing that they had sex with Max at each other. They make up.

Two of Brian’s students are failing to have a romantic relationship; Sally’s advice to the man to be more forceful helps though as it turns out revealing his Jewish roots to her and her Jewish family is what makes it succeed. Sally become pregnant; although the father is unknown Brian offers to marry her which she accepts. However having doubts about being an academic’s wife she instead has an abortion. In a fit of anger Brian goes out and picks a fight with some Nazis.

That’s the other thing the film is about; the cabaret, the free and easy life is being squeezed by the rise of the Nazi party. All this is being threatened. Max says that they can be controlled but of course we know they can’t. Brian eventually leaves to pursue his doctorate in Cambridge; Sally returns to The Kit Kat Club for a final, show-stopping performance, in front of an audience that is now full of Nazis.

Watch This: Thrilling musical drama
Don’t Watch This: Simultaneously frivolous and tragic

8. Sherlock Holmes: The Sign Of Four

Mary Morstan (Jenny Seagrove) visits Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett) and John Watson (Edward Hardwicke), with a rather tangled collection of mysteries. Ten years ago, in 1878, her father Captain Arthur Morstan returned from India where he had been serving, and telegraphed Mary to meet him at his hotel. When she arrived there he had gone out the previous evening and not returned; he was never seen again. She tried to find him, contacting Major Sholto, his friend, who denied knowing he had returned to England.

She has since then worked as a governess. There was another development in 1882, after replying to an anonymous newspaper advertisement asking to find the daughter of Captain Morstan, someone sent her a pearl. One more has been sent every year until this year when it included a note that said she had been wronged and asking for a meeting. Holmes takes the case, along with one more clue; a map of a fortress in Captain Morstan’s desk which had the names of Jonathan Small, Dost Akbar, Abdullah Khan, and Mahomet Singh.

1882, as some research reveals, was the date Major Sholto died. Holmes and Watson accompany Miss Morstan to the rendezvous where they eventually meet Thaddeus Sholto (Ronald Lacey), one of Major Sholto’s sons. He continues the story of Captain Morstan, who had in fact met Major Sholto the night he returned to England. Thaddeus and his brother Bartholomew (also Ronald Lacey) had seen him; it seems the two fathers were to divide a treasure. Arguing about it, Morstan had a heart attack, hit his head on the table and died. Major Sholto hid both body and treasure.

This came out in 1882 when Major Sholto’s health was failing and he got a letter from India. He confessed to Captain Morstan’s death and concealment to his sons, insisting they give a portion of the treasure to Miss Morstan. Then he sees a face at the window, says “Keep Him Out” and dies without saying where the treasure is hidden. On Major Sholto’s body is a note of “The Sign Of Four”; outside a single footprint. They do find a chaplet, which is where Thaddeus has been taking the pearls to send. Now he believes that Bartholomew has found the treasure and invites Miss Morstan, Holmes and Watson to go to the country house to confront him about it.

Arriving at the extensive country house, Bartholomew is not evident. Thaddeus explains that he’s searched for the treasure by measuring every room. When they find Bartholomew in a hidden room, he’s dead (poison dart) and the treasure is missing. The police arrest Thaddeus. Holmes though believes it’s not him; instead he suspects both Jonathan Small (John Thaw), who has one leg, and an accomplice who is literally small.

This already convoluted mystery with an extensive backstory has more flashbacks to India to come. Everyone is very relaxed about the provenance of this treasure, after all people coming back from India with half a million quid is just one of those things, certainly not the sort of crime that Sherlock Holmes is interested in. Poison darts, Sanskrit sigils, hidden rooms, one legged men and miniature assassins, that’s more like it. Add in a steam launch chase on the Thames and we have something of an adventure – the first feature length episode of the Granada TV Holmes series, where they definitely pull the stops out. To somewhat eccentric ends.

Watch This: Fun, lively Sherlock Holmes adaption
Don’t Watch This: Very convoluted, gets a bit racist and relies on the exotic orient

9. Coyotes

A comic book artist has been ignoring his family. A storm in the hills above Los Angeles where they live has knocked out the power; also a tree fell on their car, so they find themselves trapped. The wild fires higher up in the hills have driven out the coyotes, who have turned vicious (they kill a woman and her dog in the opening sequence).

There’s a few good jokes; the eccentric neighbours quite fun. None of the revelations are especially interesting. A couple of good setpieces, dubious looking CGI coyotes and some good blood and violent effects.

Watch This: Trapped family animal attack comedy horror with some good jokes and gore
Don’t Watch This: Silly, contrived, poorly CGI’d animals getting killed

10. The Aristocats

In Paris at the start of the 20^th century retired opera singer Madame Bonfamille has a cat named Duchess and she has three kittens Berlioz, Marie, and Toulouse. They’re extremely pampered, though Duchess also tries to teach them things (like play the piano). Madame calls her lawyer, telling him she wants to leave her vast fortune and house to the cats when she dies, with Edgar, her butler, to look after them. Edgar overhears this, calculates cat ages badly and thinks he will die before they do so won’t inherit. He drugs the cats, then takes them out of the city on his motorbike.

He's ambushed by two hounds, Napoleon and Lafayette, with the cats ending up dumped in the middle of the countryside. They come across another cat, Thomas O’Malley who guides them back to Paris, via some adventures, where a final confrontation with Edgar will take place. This is a cartoon for children, so plenty of slapstick, some songs, a few good concepts (the jazz playing alley cats etc).

Watch This: Cartoon cats have adventure, evil butler gets just desserts
Don’t Watch This: Just some kid’s cartoon cat nonsense