Asylum (2005)

What a melodramatic farrago the film version of this novel turned out to be.  I am not sure who of the normally able cast was the most embarrassing, but I think top honours must go to Sir Gandalf -- I mean Ian McKellan.  Cold fish Hugh Bonneville and his repressed wife, Natasha Richardson, take a posting to a posh mental asylum where Sir Ian hopes to succeed administrator Joss Ackland.  You can tell its a posh place since there is a annual black-tie ball for the staff and the inmates.  It is here that Richardson develops her lust for pet patient Marton Csokas (a wife-murderer) with whom she has been cavorting while he has been on work detail in her garden.  Their relationship seems to be one of sexual obsession rather than of love on both sides and when he escapes the asylum, she leaves her husband and son to join him on the lam.  (What they are living on is anyone's guess.)  After the police find their love nest, she is arrested and reluctantly rejoins the family, while her vicious lover is still on the loose.  Having lost his job (to McKellan's delight), Bonneville takes a posting in North Wales, but Csokas pursues his obsession and is finally arrested, causing Richardson to become so distracted that a tragedy follows which results in her being incarcerated in the same asylum (where of course McKellan is keeping Csokas in solitary confinement).  Even further irrational behaviour follows, but I can say no more without competely giving the game away, just in case you still might want to see it.  One thing which really annoyed me about this film is that it is obviously meant to be a period piece set in the grey Britain of the 1950s, but Richardson with her push-up bra looks as if she has wandered in off the set of another movie.

The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934)

I seem to be mired in 1934 at the moment, which is not at all a bad place to be.  This film might be nothing to remember were it not for the magnificent Charles Laughton.  He plays the tyrannical father of Elizabeth Barrett (later Browning) whom he has treated as an invalid in the fond hope of keeping her with him at home forever (there may have been a Hays Code back then, but the incestuous glint in his eye is unmistakeable and she is well aware of it). In fact he wants none of his children to wed or to find happiness; he is the ultimate control freak.  Elizabeth is played by Norma Shearer in one of her best performances; being Mrs. Irving Thalberg always gave her a leg up to the best roles, but she is excellent here with richly-textured playing.  Her lover, the poet Robert Browning, is played by Fredric March who could be a bit wooden at times, but his romanticism is just about winning in this film.  But it is the monster Laughton who captures the viewer -- what he can achieve with just a slight shift of expression is remarkable, and when he discovers that Elizabeth has eloped, his fury is chilling.  In the 1957 remake the Laughton role was taken by John Gielgud which is a more than acceptable choice, but the balance of the players were just not up to the task.  If you want to see this old warhorse of a movie, the 1934 version is the one to seek; I can forgive all the staginess and histrionics for just a few seconds of Laughton's barnstorming.

One More River (1934)

Having forced myself to suppress the yawns while watching two big-budget movies over the weekend ("The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and "The Producers" -- more on that one below), I thought I'd write about another obscurity from my collection instead.  Directed by James Whale (always good value), this is based on a novel by John Galsworthy and given the casting and the stiff upper lips, one would never believe this film to be a Hollywood production. One forgets that Hollywood in the '30s was broadly populated by dozens of useful British actors and one could have easily cast another dozen or so stories without going further afield.  In this one our heroine Diana Wynyard leaves her abusive husband and finds innocent romance with a young man met on shipboard; but the husband sues for divorce and damages.  The courtroom scenes are involving and the outcome is not what one might have suspected were this a later movie.  True it's all a bit stodgy and dated, but I enjoyed my revisit.

I said above that I would comment briefly on "The Producers" (2005).  The truth is that I am probably too fond of the original non-musical version to give it a fair trial -- but adding songs only really puffs out the running time.  Since this is the film of the show of the film for which Mel Brooks wrote both the music and lyrics, there is no one else to blame.  That apart, I thought Matthew Broderick was very good (I have no particular axe to grind for Gene Wilder) with a surprisingly pleasant singing voice, but the rest of the cast only reminded me how much I prefer the original players.

Playmates (1941)

The only American Barrymore known to most of today's movie-goers is Drew, but it is to her grandfather, John Barrymore, that today's entry is dedicated.  Like her, he was the product of a theatrical dynasty, and he was -- in his day -- an unsurpassed star of stage and screen.  Simply put, I love his performances -- far more than brother Lionel's or sister Ethel's, memorable as many of theirs were.  This picture was his last film and in common with others of his late career, a dissolute life and alcoholism had taken their toll.  He may look wasted and on his last legs, but all of these performances still radiate the Barrymore magic.  In this movie, he is really in support of Kay Kyser and his band, a popular cornball radio personality of the day; he plays himself, as a washed-up dramatic "ham" (for want of a better word), who needs to earn some quick bucks to keep the tax inspector at bay -- so his agent spreads the story that he will be coaching Kyser in Shakespearian drama for a joint performance.  Even if Barrymore may have been doing no more than reading cue cards, the memory of a great actor radiates from every word.  This is also true of all his late 1930's roles -- they may be small, but my goodness, they are each memorable.  I do not buy the opinion that he was demeaning himself in accepting these parts; he plays them with relish and seems to be enjoying himself hugely, despite his fall from higher theatrical grace.  God bless him!

Rice Rhapsody (2004)

This film was announced by Sky some many months ago but only landed in their schedules in a late night slot a few days back.  It's a strangely mixed concoction as a joint Hong Kong/Singapore production (Jackie Chan is for some reason the executive producer), with a Taiwanese lead actress, and the dialogue in Mandarin, (somewhat broken) English, and French.  Set in Singapore it is the story of a single mother who runs a restaurant and her three grown sons, two of whom are already in gay relationships.  Hoping to "save" her youngest son from the same sorry fate (in her eyes) and to ensure that she will one day have grandchildren, she tries to tempt him by taking in a French exchange student.  Despite his tentative sexual adventures with the young lady, all it takes is his best friend's leaving Singapore for Taipei to make him aware of his true sexuality.  Mummy is very unhappy...until she finally learns to accept her sons for what they are.  As a side note, this is meant as a "foodie" movie since the mother is being courted by a rival restaurateur and the climax of the film involves a cookery contest; however unlike movies like "Babette's Feast" or "Eat Drink Man Woman", there is little here to attract the jaded palette.

A pair of golden oldies

As I have written before, I know of no better way of charging my batteries than to watch a couple of old favourites, far removed from the ways of modern film-making.  The first of these is "Hold Back the Dawn" from 1941, a glossy romancer starring that old smoothie Charles Boyer as an emigrant Romanian waiting at the border between Mexico and the USA for his quota entry to materialise, along with a jetsam and flotsam of other refugees from war-torn Europe. He meets slutty Paulette Goddard who advises him that the fastest way to gain entry is to marry an American.  So he approaches every likely tourist until he meets goofy and naive Olivia de Havilland (one of the few 30s stars still alive and kicking).  She immediately falls for his suave sophistication and becomes his unwitting stooge, since he has every intention of dumping her once he is safely across, but suspicious immigration officer, Walter Abel, is on his trail.  Needless to say, he eventually becomes fond of his new bride, but not before spiteful Goddard lets loose the cat among the pigeons,causing de Havilland to do a runner and nearly die in a car crash.  No prizes for working out that there is an ultimately happy ending, since that -- of course -- is one of the main reason for watching these ancient gems.

The second film yesterday was "It Happened Tomorrow" from 1944, one of four movies that French director, Rene Clair, made in America during his war sojourn.  This one stars Dick Powell in his second non-musical role as an ambitious reporter in turn-of-the-century New York, who is given the next evening's newspaper some 24 hours before it is printed three days running, and who thereby becomes privy to the news to come, winning horses, and unfortunately the report of his own death.  His leading lady is Linda Darnell whom I can usually take or leave, but she is charming and attractive here.  The balance of the cast are mainly B-list supporting actors, but it is always pleasant for me to see their friendly familiar faces.  How you may ask can Clair achieve the necessary happy ending if Powell is to be shot dead?  Well, I won't give the game away but all is satisfactorily and morally resolved (he may have used his knowledge to win a packet at the races, but the money is gone before the end credits.)

It doesn't take much to keep me happy!

Willard (2003)

I haven't changed my mind about remakes in general, but I was in fact quite keen to view this recent version of the 1971 movie of the same name, because I was curious what that very quirky actor Crispin Glover would bring to the role.  You may not know the name but you would probably recognize the face, going back to memorable and normally supporting parts in 1980s films.  The remake is virtually a repeat of the earlier movie with middle-aged loner Willard, stuck looking after his invalid mother and in a dead-end job, finding the only friends he can make are the rats that infest his basement.  In the previous movie his horrible boss was played by Ernest Borgnine; here it is R. Lee Ermey -- and it was satisfying to see each of them devoured by rats in both films (not that one actually sees the gory details in either).  If this makes it sound as if this film is definitely one for acquired tastes only, you might be right, although Glover brings such intensity and even black humour to his role that this in itself is worth the price of admission.  As a nod to the earlier movie, Bruce Davison (its lead) appears here in portraits of Willard's dead father.

Tony Takitani (2004)

I was rather looking forward to this Japanese film without really knowing much about it.  However it was so slight, sketchy and minimalist that I was reminded of some Taiwanese movies that drive me up the spout.  Based on a short story (published in the New Yorker a few years back), it is basically a tale of loneliness.  Our hero (although that is hardly the right word here) has been given his "American" name by his jazz-playing father who escaped Japan during the war and who returned under a cloud.  Tony has always more or less looked after himself -- and the transition from child to mature adult is staggeringly swift in terms of plot development.  He makes a good living as a technical illustrator but suddenly realises that something is missing from his life when he meets and woos a much younger girl.  Their marriage is happy, but  overshadowed by her compulsive shopping; when he suggests that she might curb this compulsion, she becomes so distracted that she dies in a car crash.  He then advertises for someone of the same size to come to work for him and to wear the racks and racks of unworn designer clothing.  The girl he settles upon (played by the same actress) is so overwhelmed by the richness of the garments that she dissolves in unstoppable tears.  Tony realises that his plan is untenable and sells off the clothing, in the same way that he later sells off the few mementos left to him by his father.  He is again alone, although he can't quite forget the tears of the ringer girl.

The Libertine (2004)

It is sheer coincidence that this film was on Sky late last night as I have been meaning to get around to the DVD for some time now.  Like much of the rest of the world, I am enchanted by Johnny Depp's versatility, and indeed were it not for him, this might be an unrewarding movie.  Set in the l7th Century, he plays the dissolute poet the Earl of Rochester who moves in and out of favour with King Charles II (a nearly unrecognizable John Malkovich).  In his monologue at the start, Depp says "You will not like me" and the rest of the film continues to show him as foul-mouthed and self-destructive.  Yet it is impossible not to like his performance which is brilliant, despite the horribly murky filmic style and the fact that you have never seen our Johnny look so horribly unhealthy and wasted -- and that is before his syphilitic turn towards the end when his nose is about to fall off!  Samantha Morton as an actress under his tutelage also gives a wonderful performance, but unless one is a Depp fan, I can understand many viewers hating this film for its look and its language.   It would be little compensation for them to be told that Johnny Vegas plays a mooning aristo -- now that is a strange piece of casting.

Bad News Bears (2005)

Here I go again  about unnecessary remakes.  This Billy Bob Thornton vehicle is a fairly straight recreation of the 1976 Walter Matthau movie, adapting the original script and even using the same music from "Carmen" to comedic effect.  So why is it so rotten?  Well for starters Thornton whom I do not dislike as such -- he was memorable in "The Man who Wasn't There" and "A Simple Plan -- is just too scruffy and unlikeable here to carry the day.  Matthau was nearly as foul-mouthed in the original, but there was always something about his curmudgeonly manner to win the audience.  The only minor changes here are to make the Tatum O'Neill role into Billy Bob's estranged daughter and to add a kid in a wheelchair and some cheerleaders from Hooters.  Apart from anything else there have been so many movies about loveable and not-so-lovable kids' losing teams in the intervening thirty years -- not just baseball, but think of all the Mighty Ducks rubbish as well -- that the world is not exactly panting for more.  All in all it seems a weird choice for director Richard Linklater who has made some influential and experimental films over the last ten years or so, such as "Waking Life" and "A Scanner Darkly".  His only other comedy has been "School of Rock", but at least that brought something new to the screen with infectious humour which this movie sadly lacks.  People will still be watching the Matthau movie long after this one is deservedly forgotten.

Venus (2006)

I was tempted to book this film at last year's London Film Festival because of the appealing teaming of Peter O'Toole (always a favourite) and Leslie Phillips as two aging actors, but I reckoned that it would quickly get a cinema release.  Well, quickly in this instance morphed into three months, but I finally attended a preview showing.  There is a lot of pressure afoot to award O'Toole an Oscar for his performance; he's been oft-nominated but never won, and it would certainly be a sentimental choice, but as good as he is here, he has been better, and I somehow don't see him overtaking actors in showier roles this year.

The role he takes could easily be based on his own career, an erstwhile beauty who rages at the dimming of the light signalled by his fragile body and disappearing libido.  Strangely attracted to Phillips' young niece played by newcomer Jodie Whittaker, he takes her under his wing with more than a small hope of romantic repercussions.  He nicknames her Venus after the Rokeby Venus in the National Gallery (oddly enough I had just been to the Velazquez Exhibition there before seeing this movie and that painting is the absolute highlight amongst a group of over-rated court portraits).  Being young, she treats him shabbily until it is just about too late, and I found their relationship a little short of acceptable.  However, O'Toole is in fact a sight to see and his playing, without too much vanity, a tour de force.  His scenes with Phillips are also a delight, and in a few brief scenes with Vanessa Redgrave who plays his ex-wife, we are reminded of just how fine an actor she too is.

Gambling Man (1995)

I seem to have an increasingly-encroaching heap of unwatched DVDs which came uninvited as newspaper or other giveaways, and occasionally I choose one at random to provide a change of pace.  This British TV production -- I assume it must have been a mini-series by its two and a half hours length -- is based on a book by Catherine Cookson -- a romance novelist whom I have never read; add to these factors the l9th Century setting and the regional accents, and I had little in the way of expectations.   While it started slowly, it soon became increasingly involving, once I accepted the extraordinarily melodramatic plot.  Robson Green who was previously only a "name" to me plays a working-class rent collector with a passion for gambling which gets his best friend put in jail and his being nearly beaten to death by the henchmen of villainous Bernard Hill; and despite his marriage to his spitfire girlfriend, he catches the eye of a rich spinster who has befriended him and encouraged his personal progress without realising that he has a wife (since despite the class barrier between them, she quite fancies him.)  The wife is soon disposed of in a catastrophe at sea to clear the way for his new relationship -- until she comes back from the dead!  This description can only provide a taste of the ins and outs of the convoluted story, but it was all well-done with good period detail, and if the ending was in fact somewhat downbeat, at least it held my attention.