Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987)

Sept. 8-10, 2011

74. Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987) [a.k.a. Anne of Avonlea]—REWATCH

Starring Megan Follows, Colleen Dewhurst, Wendy Hiller, Frank Converse, Jonathan Crombie
Directed by Kevin Sullivan

Plot: “Staying faithful to L.M. Montgomery's beloved books, this continuation of the award-winning miniseries picks up where the first installment left off, with redheaded heroine Anne Shirley (Megan Follows) beginning a new life as a teacher and an aspiring writer. She also encounters career hurdles and unfriendly townsfolk, but with her typical enthusiasm and good cheer.” (Summary from Netflix)

That first line of the summary above is actually wrong—this movie does not stay “faithful to L.M. Montgomery’s beloved books.” According to Wikipedia:

“When Kevin Sullivan was commissioned by CBC, PBS and The Disney Channel to create a sequel he started by combining many different elements of Montgomery’s three later books: Anne of Avonlea (1909), Anne of the Island (1915), and Anne of Windy Poplars (1936) into a cohesive screen story. Sullivan invented his own plotline relying on several of Montgomery’s episodic storylines spread across the three sequels, He also looked at numerous other nineteenth century female authors for inspiration in fleshing out the screen story.”

And IMDb:

“Though the American title is ‘Anne of Avonlea’, it is only partially based on that Lucy Maud Montgomery book (second in the series), and is in fact based on parts from books 2-4 in the series (out of 8). This was because Kevin Sullivan thought there wasn't ‘enough dramatic material for a film’ in the sequel ‘Anne of Avonlea’ alone.”

My point is that this sequel is not entirely faithful to the books…but it is still a wonderful movie. However, I basically grew up watching the two Anne films over-and-over. So I might be a bit biased by sentimental reasons.

This is almost embarrassing to admit, but before watching this the other day (probably the 164th time I've seen it) and doing a little Googling, I NEVER knew that this wasn't strictly based on the second novel! You see, I have read all of the Anne books except the first two. Back then I was young[er] and stupid[er] and thought since I had seen the movies that the books would be boring. Thus I never knew that the plot of this movie wasn't true to the book.

Clearly I need to read/reread the series very soon (it's been years since I first read them). Still a great movie, but I'm kind of a literary purist about some of these things. I wish that they would've followed the books more carefully and made future movies based on them (please, let's not even talk about the third movie—*shudder*—and that ghastly 'prequel' which I refuse to see). Part of me wishes for a remake of this series which follows the book more. But…I just have a hard time thinking that anyone else can play Anne, Marilla, Matthew, Rachel, Diana, etc. quite like this cast did.

Okay, so back to the film at hand. I think Megan Follows does an amazing job playing Anne. She gives so much life and spunk to the character.

{Click image for source} Is it just me or is Anne's hair not RED enough?

Love this picture

Jonathan Crombie I'm not totally fond of, though. He always just seemed a bit namby-pamby to play Gilbert (who in my opinion is one of the ultimate romantic heroes in fiction. So I’m kind of sad that I don’t love the actor who plays Gil). He’s not really awful, just not my favorite.

The rest of the cast is virtually perfect. Colleen Dewhurst as Marilla is wonderful, and Wendy Hiller is amusing in her scenery-chewing role (“drrrrenched”). I also really enjoyed the plot development of Katherine Brooke. Her character gets some fantastically quotable lines. For example: “What is to be the pill in all this jam, Miss Shirley?” and “Have you girls no propriety? This is not a Turkish bazaar!”

To summarize: this film has wonderful atmosphere, casting, costuming, characterization, romance, humor….and warmth to spare. It is really one of my favorite films and I never seem to tire of rewatching it. It may not be perfect but I enjoy it too much to really care. :)

My Foolish Heart (1949)

Sept. 4-5, 2011

72. My Foolish Heart (1949) 

Starring Dana Andrews, Susan Hayward, Kent Smith, Lois Wheeler, Jessie Royce Landis

Directed by Mark Robson

**REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**

Plot: “After a long absence, Mary Jane visits her schoolfriend Eloise, and Eloise's daughter Ramona. Eloise drinks too much and is unhappily married to Lew Wengler. Eloise falls asleep and remembers her time with her true love, Walt Dreiser, at the beginning of the Second World War. She recalls the events that lead up to her split with Mary Jane, and how Lew married Eloise rather than Mary Jane.” (from IMDb)

I really didn’t care for this one at all. Originally based on a story by J.D. Salinger which was published in The New Yorker, this film is a 98 minute soap opera tear-jerker.

I guess my main problem with this is that I couldn’t relate to the characters: I didn’t understand what Eloise saw in Walt. I thought it was irresponsible of the father to send his young daughter back alone to New York. I thought Walt was a jerk who really only wanted one thing from Eloise. Elle’s father and Walt were also rather chauvinistic in dealing with her expulsion. It bothered me that they treated the whole thing in this *wink*wink* manner. Didn’t they care about her future? She was just expelled! I also disliked Eloise for falling so cheaply and then marrying the wrong man on a rebound. Ugh! It was just frustrating, and honestly it all made me feel a little sick. I just found the characters’ motivations frustrating and unconvincing. Add to that the fact that the film is painfully predictable, and it’s not a winner in my book. 

I used to like Dana Andrews quite a bit, but I didn’t like his character at all in this. He really came across as insincere, haughty, and demeaning to Eloise (Susan Hayward). But maybe that was just me…?

Sorry for the grainy quality of these screencaps; the copy I viewed was rather poor.

Edith Head designed Hayward’s wardrobe.

I know this is supposed to be oh-so-romantic, but I really did not like the storyline at all. The two leads were supposed to be madly in love, but I did not feel much chemistry between them.

At first I felt like Susan Hayward was not that great in this, but I thought she got better—to the point of being quite excellent—as the film went on. She does a commendable job of showing the progression and emotion of her character. Especially near the the end of the film, I was really captivated by her ability to make me feel what Eloise was going through. Even though I thought her character made some stupid choices, it was still really sad.

Susan was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for this role.

If you enjoy this type of weepy flash-back-to-first-love film, you might enjoy this. As you already know, I didn’t. But I could’ve just been in the wrong mood to watch a super sad film like this. It was kind of depressing!

The Help (2011)

 
Aug. 20, 2011

71. The Help (2011)

Starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, and Jessica Chastain

Directed by Tate Taylor

Plot: “A look at what happens when a southern town's unspoken code of rules and behavior is shattered by three courageous women who strike up an unlikely friendship.” (from IMDb)

Yes, a new movie! The first film I’ve seen in theaters in quite awhile. I was going to wait and read the book before I saw this, but my sister was in town and wanted to go see it, so I did. This wasn't my favorite movie ever, but I definitely enjoyed watching it. I'm not sure what I think of it on a critical level.  You see, I saw on IMDb that a lot of people find this film to be racist. It didn't strike me as that way, but perhaps I just can't relate (?). I don’t think I will read the book, though. If you’ve seen this, what do you think? Is it a racist?

Of course, the '60s wardrobes, houses, cars, etc. are fabulously fun to see but I couldn't really enjoy them a whole lot because this kind of focused on the ugly part of the '60s, with racial prejudice and everything.

One of my favorite characters was Miss Celia (not pictured). I loved how giddy she was and that she really didn't care about skin color. I do think it was kind of mean of her to try to get back at Miss Hilly, though.

As for objectionable content, it is rated PG-13, mostly for language I assume (though there is also some violence, smoking, and—of course—racial prejudice). This bothers me because the swearing is so utterly unnecessary in the film that I have to wonder if they inserted it just for the ratings bump.

I love this picture—the glasses the typewriter, everything!

Viola Davis was just superb.

I really did like Emma Stone in this. I thought she did a great job; I just hope that this is the first in a series of better career choices (Easy A sounded awful).

Final verdict: Aside from the fact of some language issues and possible racism (still a little confused on that), I did enjoy this film! :)

Road House (1948)

Aug. 14, 2011

70. Road House (1948)

Starring Ida Lupino, Cornel Wilde, Celeste Holm, Richard Widmark
Directed by Jean Negulesco

Plot: “A nightclub owner frames a romantic rival for murder.” (from TCMDb)

I can’t remember where it was that I saw this clip (shout out if it was you and I’ll credit your blog),  but when I first saw it a month or so ago it made me want to check out this film. Luckily, I was able to get it through our state inter-library loan system, and I’m so glad I did! This film did not disappoint.

** THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS **

I didn't think I liked film noir, but this was really excellent. (Though I guess some would say that it's not technically noir because **BIG SPOILER** it has a happy ending.)

Speaking of the end, I kind of wonder what is supposed to have happened after the movie ends. Do they go to Canada? Are they acquitted?

Richard Widmark’s performance is one of the best parts of this film. It’s one I could watch over and over, I think, because he’s just so deliciously villainous in it. He manages to be both amusing and frightening at the same time.

Cornel Wilde’s role isn’t quite a showy as some of the other players in this, but he does a good job as the strong and steady man.

There's something about Ida’s character I didn't like. She's too sassy and sure of herself, and I don’t like how she plays up to Pete. Plus, it is rather hard to believe that their relationship is more than passing infatuation. It was difficult for me to really buy the chemistry between these two. It didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the film, though, because there’s so much more going on than just their relationship. Of course, Ida’s performance is top notch. I did have a hard time believing that her singing really drove that much business to the road house, though!

I love how she totally shuts down Cornel's character when he tries to dump her at the depot. One tough dame.

Celeste Holm is great in this as Susie. Even after the man she is kind of interested in falls in love with someone else, she is not vengeful or full of spite. She just does what is right and tries to help the them. She was also not afraid to face Widmark’s character. I did feel a little sorry for her, though, because I think she deserved to end up with Pete (though I know of course that the movie would not have worked out the same that way).

Ida’s face may not be traditionally beautiful, but it is very captivating. I want to see more of her movies (especially if they are all this good). She's just so unique. I don't really 'love' her yet, but I'm definitely intrigued by her. 

I can’t believe I didn’t get any screencaps with people smoking because there is an insane amount of it in this film. I know most old movies include some cigarette use, but this one seemed like it had an extra lot of it! Ida’s character in particular is rarely seen without a cigarette.

This film has a great dark, atmospheric feel.

Definitely see this. The performances, cinematography, plot, and dialogue are all really great.

Yeah, there are improbabilities and contrivances, but I didn’t really notice any of them during the film. I was too caught up in the plot to care about the details.

Oh, and if you have seen this, please recommend any other similar film noirs that you think I would like. I think I may be slowly changing my mind about this genre!

With a Song in My Heart (1952)

Aug. 13-14, 2011

69. With a Song in My Heart (1952)

Starring Susan Hayward, Rory Calhoun, David Wayne, Thelma Ritter, Robert Wagner, Helen Westcott, Una Merkel

Directed by Walter Lang

Plot **CONTAINS SPOILERS**: “Jane Froman (Susan Hayward), an aspiring songstress, lands a job in radio with help from pianist Don Ross (David Wayne), whom she later marries. Jane's popularity soars, and she leaves on a European tour... but her plane crashes in Lisbon, and she is partially crippled. Unable to walk without crutches, Jane nevertheless goes on to entertain the Allied troops in World War II.” (from IMDb)

This film definitely has some good things going for it (which I talk more about below) but I thought the story itself was a bit sad—the plane crash, how her marriage fell apart, etc. Nevertheless, it’s still an interesting true story that combines music, patriotism, and drama.

Jane Froman (Hayward) singing radio commercials near the beginning of her career.

David Wayne’s character is kind of annoying and fickle, but I think he’s supposed to be.

According to IMDb, Marilyn Monroe later wore this exact same costume (pictured above) in 1956’s Bus Stop.

Susan Hayward lip-synced to recordings of the real Jane Froman’s singing. That gives the movie an interesting touch because we are listening to the real singer. Speaking of Froman, I'm quite enthralled with her talent. She has such an amazing voice! You can listen to one of her songs—and learn more about her—by going to her website (it'll play automatically if you have your volume turned on). I can’t believe I’d never heard of her before!

Rory Calhoun.

The fateful plane journey.

This movie has a lot of songs in it, but I honestly didn’t notice that it was more than usual because they are so good! The soundtrack on this really could not be better. In fact, Alfred Newman won an Oscar for his musical scoring of the film.

I thought Hayward was great in this film. She really put her whole heart into the role. I’m eager to see more of her movies. For her performance in this film, she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar.

If for nothing else, I recommend watching this film for Thelma Ritter. This is one of her best roles, in my opinion. She’s terrific!

The Academy nominated Thelma for Best Supporting actress. The film also garnered Oscar nominations in the areas of costume design and sound recording. 

 

A very young Robert Wagner appears twice in the film—once as an audience member at one of Jane’s shows (above) and later as a shell-shocked soldier (below).

I definitely recommend watching the extras on this film if you see it on DVD. The movie ends with quite a few things left undecided: what happens to her relationship with Burn, whether she ended up losing her leg, etc. The special features explain the real life story of Jane Froman and how they went about adapting it to screen. It helps to fill in some of the gaps of the film.

To the Shores of Tripoli (1942)

Aug. 13, 2011

68. To the Shores of Tripoli (1942)

Starring John Payne, Maureen O'Hara, Randolph Scott, Nancy Kelly, Minor Watson

Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone

Plot: “Sergeant Dixie Smith has more raw recruits to turn into Marines, if he can. Among them is cocky casanova Chris Winters, son of an officer, who's just tried to ‘mash’ Mary Carter, a major's niece. Once on base, he finds Mary's a nurse and an off-limits officer. Does this stop him? Of course not. But his attitude problem soon puts him in a position where he must redeem himself, with December 7, 1941 fast approaching.” (from IMDb)

This is more a propaganda film than a war film. It deals with the misadventures of a headstrong Marine recruit (John Payne), and most of it takes place on the base. I’m not a big Randolph Scott fan, but surprisingly I don’t hate him in this (what a uniform will do for a man…just kidding!). Mainly I think that’s because it’s pretty easy to empathize with Scott’s character, as Chris Winters (Payne) really is a—pardon the pun—pain. In other words, he’s a jerk. That’s the key problem with the film: the main character is not likeable! I’m not sure what they were trying to do with this movie, perhaps just show how anyone can rise to the call of duty…er, something?

According to Wikipedia, “The Marines credit the movie as the biggest single recruitment aide in 1942.”

Love the tilt of Payne's hat. And look how ramrod straight Scott is standing. I guess that defines his character.

John Payne and Maureen O’Hara also appeared together in Miracle on 34th Street, Sentimental Journey, and Tripoli (not related to this film).

The Technicolor is gorgeous! It really highlights Maureen’s beauty. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Color Cinematography.

This reminds me of Cherry Ames. (Did anyone else ever read those books? I used to love them!)

I’m honestly not sure what Maureen’s character saw in Winters.

August 17 was Maureen’s 91st birthday. Happy birthday and many more to one of Classic Hollywood’s greatest living legends!

An unfortunate bit of racism. I guess this was supposed to be funny?

The ending was changed because of Pearl Harbor. This film was just over two hours but it felt even longer. Not one I’ll be rushing to see again anytime soon, though I’ve certainly seen worse!