sferber Reviews

Daughter of Shanghai (1937)

ONE FUN HOUR AT THE MOVIES

[30 January 2004]

These are indeed heady times for fans of the actress Anna May Wong. Not only are there two (2!) biographies of the woman in recent release, but a documentary of Anna May's life is purportedly in the works, a restored print of Wong's late silent classic "Piccadilly" has just been released, AND, for those lucky of us to live in NYC, an Anna May Wong retrospective has just unreeled in this town's Museum of Modern Art. Although hugely popular in the 1920s and '30s, up until recently Hollywood's first Asian actress of any kind of renown has languished in relative obscurity, known only to fans of old-timey movies...perhaps. When I told some coworkers that I was going to see some Anna May, I half expected them to make some remark about Japanese comics (anime). I have been a fan of Ms. Wong's for many years now, although that fandom has been largely based on just a handful of films, most especially the 1932 von Sternberg classic "Shanghai Express." Her part in this picture is not large, but she makes such a mysterious and exotic impression that that brief performance was enough to make a convert of me. With the exception of the 1949 film noir "Impact" and one or two others, though, it has been extremely hard for fans of this once-famous actress to see her other work. It was therefore with great anticipation that I attended the MoMA's double bill of two of Anna May's rare '30s work: "Dangerous to Know" and "Daughter of Shanghai." The first is a compact little B picture, in which Anna May is the kept mistress of crime boss Akim Tamiroff. It was a lot of fun, and very interesting, but the latter is the one that I really enjoyed. Anna May is without question the star of "DOS," and the picture, although admittedly in the B category, is as fun as can be. In this one, Ms. Wong plays the daughter of a Chinese shop owner in San Francisco. When her dad is killed by alien smugglers who are pressuring him into taking on a load of their human cargo, Anna May goes undercover to track down the bad guys. Her quest takes her to Central America, where she winds up taking a job as a dancer in one of the seediest dives you've ever seen on film. The owner of this joint is Charles Bickford, who is believed to be one of the heads of the smuggling operation. "DOS" features some surprisingly gritty action scenes, and some real cliffhanger moments. Ms. Wong is aided in her quest to smash the alien smugglers by a G-man played by Philip Ahn. I'd never seen Mr. Ahn play a "good guy" before; he was so often cast as a sneaky weasel type. Anyway, he's very effective in the role of Anna May's partner. J. Carrol Naish and Anthony Quinn (in a very early role) are both hissably fun as two of the nasty smugglers. It is really quite remarkable how much story and action are packed into this film's short, 63-minute running time. And for fans of Anna May Wong, the picture is heavenly. What a delight it is to see this charming actress take the lead role in a smashing action picture, and go undercover in that Central American sleazepit. The audience at the MoMA burst into spontaneous applause at the conclusion of this nifty B picture, and that applause was certainly merited. This is one fun hour at the movies!

White Witch Doctor (1953)

REDEEMED BY THE PRESENCES OF TWO PROS...

[16 September 2003]

"White Witch Doctor," which premiered on July 1, 1953, is the type of movie that I can enjoy greatly while watching it, all the while knowing that I am not watching anything great or extraordinary. And the main reason for that enjoyment, in this case, is the presence of Miss Susan Hayward in the title role. Has there ever been an actress who combined such drop-dead good looks with extraordinary acting ability? Not for me, anyway! Hayward's sheer presence in a movie makes it hard for me to be objective in a critique; I can enjoy anything she appears in, just by looking at that marvelous face. Anyway, you know where I'm coming from. In this picture, Hayward plays a nurse who ventures into the Congo in 1907 to help out at a remote mission. Her guide is Robert Mitchum (her costar in 1952's "The Lusty Men"), who takes her into this Bakuba territory with an ulterior motive: the finding of the gold deposits that supposedly reside there. Along the way, the two encounter just about every safari-movie cliche in the book: the mad gorilla (actually, a man in a gorilla suit), a charging lion, totem fetishes warning journeyers to "STAY OUT," angry witch doctors, a rope bridge, wildly dancing natives and the like. (Sorry, no quicksand.) At one point, Hayward awakens in her tent to find a tarantula crawling on her (a "gift" from a jealous witch doctor), almost a full decade before James Bond, in "Dr. No," faced the same dilemma. I wish I could say that Susan's nurse character faces the predicament with Gems' cool, but in a situation like that, how many people could? Neither Hayward nor Mitchum travelled to Africa to make this picture (this is NOT "The African Queen"!), but there is a lot of location photography of a very beautiful order. The studio sets and actual locales are very well integrated, so the picture never really looks phony. Mitchum here plays a very likeable character, with little of the sluggish moroseness so characteristic of many of his other roles. And Hayward, "the Brooklyn Bombshell," is simply wonderful as Ellen Burton, the American nurse on her first trip into the wilds of Africa. She manages to impress the viewer and the natives alike with her medical abilities and her courage, despite an understandable scream or two when faced with the odd spider, snake, or spear-wielding native. Hayward, 35 when she made this picture, is given many close-ups that reveal what a remarkable beauty she was. In that tarantula scene, for example, director Henry Hathaway shows her lying asleep in bed, her long titian tresses framing her face in close-up, and she really does look stunning in beautiful color. Though the picture doesn't enable either of the two leads an opportunity for any great thespian displays, both manage to make the best of things, pros that they are. The picture really is a rather pedestrian affair, albeit one with great photography and yet another moody Bernard Herrmann score, but it is totally redeemed for me by the presences of the two leads...especially Hayward's. "White Witch Doctor" would make a wonderful double feature with Hayward's other African picture, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," or perhaps with a picture that came out the following year, "The Naked Jungle," featuring another redheaded beauty, Eleanor Parker, stuck in the jungles of South America. I'm not sure that "White Witch Doctor" is in the same league as those other two, but it still makes for a marvelous entertainment, and is eminently suitable for the kiddies, as well. I thoroughly enjoyed it...but, like I said, you know where I'm coming from!

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)

QUATERMAIN BOTCHED AGAIN!

[29 July 2003]

There are so many problems with "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" that one hardly knows where to begin. Should one mention the fact that the action in the movie, with its rapid editing and close-up shots, is impossible to follow? Or that the plot has so many holes that one stops counting after a while...and stops caring, to boot? Or howzabout all the many implausibilities in the film? I mean, is it possible for a 50-foot-tall submarine to navigate through the shallow channels of Venice, or for a female vampire to turn herself into not one, but 500 (!) flying bats? I could go on and on with how ridiculous the entire affair struck me, and what a great disappointment the film was, but what I really want to stress here is how the filmmakers involved have botched yet another attempt to portray Allan Quatermain on the big screen. Now, perhaps I should say right here that I am a HUGE fan of the writer H. Rider Haggard, have read all 14 of the novels that deal with this great hunter character, and have never been satisfied with any film depiction of Quatermain on film. Even the great 1950 film "King Solomon's Mines," with Stewart Granger essaying the part, failed to get it right. And don't even get me started on those Richard Chamberlain abominations of the late '80s. I had been looking forward to "League" for some time, as I'd thought that the usually great Sean Connery at least looked the part. But once again, my hopes have been dashed. Yes, Connery does indeed look the part, but readers familiar with Haggard's character will have to shake their heads in dismay at the liberties taken. Yes, this is true of all the other famous literary characters (Jekyll/Hyde, Captain Nemo, Mina Harker, Dorian Gray, and an invisible dude) in the film, but for me, Haggardian that I am, the slight to Quatermain is the greatest. The filmmakers don't even trust that the audience will be able to say the name "Quatermain," and have thus changed the name to "Quartermain" (although he IS listed as "Quatermain" in the end credits!). The really sad thing is that the 14 Quatermain books, as written by Haggard, offer such ripe opportunity for blockbuster spectacle, if done well and faithfully. Novels such as "Marie," "Allan and the Holy Flower," "The Ivory Child" and "Heu-Heu, or the Monster" would be tremendous screen spectacles, if accurately written and lovingly put on screen by a team that really cared about and respected these books. The character of Quatermain is too good to be wasted on tripe such as "TLOEG." I would say that this is Connery's worst film in recent history, if it weren't for the egregiously awful "The Avengers" of some years back. "League" isn't quite in THAT atrocious league, but it comes awfully close. The idea of a bunch of Victorian-era literary heroes banding together to fight crime is a good one; too bad the script here couldn't have risen to the occasion.

Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee (1969)

CERTAINLY NOT THE GREATEST DOCUMENTARY, THAT'S FOR SURE!

[25 April 2003]

I just happened to see this film last night at NYC's great movie revival house, Film Forum, where a brand-new 35mm print has been unreeling for the past few weeks. Although I DID learn a great deal about this legendary sports figure from watching the film, I must say that I walked out of the theatre feeling extremely disappointed. Before explaining why, let me first say that the film is divided into two sections. The first was filmed in 1964 and '65 and is in black and white. It deals with the buildup and followup to Ali's (then Cassius Clay's) title bouts with Sonny Liston; the first in Florida, the second in Maine. We see all the hullabaloo surrounding the bouts, we see the weigh-ins and the trash talking that Clay used to be famous for; we see Clay goofin' around with the Fab 4, we are shown a drama class talking about Clay in a Harlem school, and on and on. It all builds suspensefully toward the big fights. But when it comes to the main events...nada! This is a documentary about one of the world's most legendary living boxers...and contains not a single moment of actual boxing! Not one!

Part two of the film takes place 10 years later, after Ali had been stripped of his title for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War. This second part of the film is in beautiful color, and takes place in Zaire, right before Ali's comeback fight with George Foreman; the legendary "Rumble in the Jungle." Again, we see all the hoopla and buildup; we see the fighters meeting the Zairean president, Seko; we see the people of Zaire dancing and singing and discussing their favorites. Then it's fight time, and again--despite the fact that we see actual footage of the guys going into and leaving the ring--not a single frame of actual boxing! Only a few stills of the fight. I can't tell you how disappointed I was at this. I suppose that the rights to the actual boxing footage are tied up in legal disputes or would have required the filmmakers to shell out big bucks for their use, but the result is an incomplete portrait of this great athlete, at best. In addition to this glaring lack of actual boxing footage, we learn nothing of Clay's early life, what led him to become a boxer, and so on. Yes, it is interesting, in a time-capsulelike way, to look at the old film clips from the '60s, and to see Zaire as it was 30 years ago, but this doesn't help the viewer to understand Ali the man or Ali the athlete. We hear the expressions "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" and "Ali, bumba yay" over and over throughout the film, and still don't know why he was such a great fighter. This is certainly NOT the documentary that I was hoping for, and I can't imagine anyone walking out of this film feeling 100% satisfied.

House of Strangers (1949)

A TRIUMVIRATE OF SUPERB ACTING

[11 February 2003]

"House of Strangers" features three of my all-time favorite actors--Edward G. Robinson, Susan Hayward and Richard Conte--all at the very top of their form, as well as moody, almost noirish direction by the great Joseph L. Mankiewicz, in moody black and white. Those ingredients alone should indicate that a fine work is in store for the viewer, and such, happily, is the case here. The tale is told mainly in flashback, in which we learn how the four sons of Lower East Side banker Edward G. became enemies after their Pop got into some legal trouble. Susan Hayward, never more beautiful, plays a high-class dame who becomes involved with lawyer Conte, despite Conte's engagement to a proper Italian girl from "the old country." The relationship between Hayward and Conte is very adult for the restrictive late '40s. By the film's end, we really come to care about these two and hope that they can survive as a couple. As usual, Edward G. gives a bravura performance, this time as the domineering patriarch of his Italian clan. I believe his performance received a well-deserved award at Cannes that year. Conte and Hayward, both of whose careers are ripe for reevaluation and rediscovery, match him every step of the way. Luther Adler is fine also, in his role as Conte's elder brother, who feels he never got the respect he deserved. Deborah Paget, in one of her earliest parts, looks fine in a decorative role. For me, though, the main lure of this picture is the triumvirate of superb acting by the three leads. What a pleasure it is to watch these three great talents do justice to the well-written script here. I just love this movie, and suspect that a real treat is in store for the first-time viewer. Check it out, by all means!

Gambit (1966)

TWISTY FUN

[24 January 2003]

Although perhaps not in the same top-flight league as "Rififi" and "Topkapi," "Gambit" is nevertheless an extremely entertaining heist movie that features consistently fine performances, an amusing and twisty script, and good production values. In this one, Caine hires MacLaine, who is working as a dancehall girl in Hong Kong, to assist him in the purloining of a priceless piece of sculpture, owned by Herbert Lom. This is not your typical heist film, however, and there is a twist right around the first half-hour mark that really had me chuckling out loud...and I'm not an easy person to make laugh out loud at movies, either. MacLaine plays one of her patented loveable kooks in this film, and is ever so appealing. Caine, in his first American production, plays it alternately cool and exasperated. Lom is surprisingly good as Shabhandar, one of the world's wealthiest men; his performance is both urbane and beautifully modulated. Good in smaller parts are two faces that classic "Star Trek" fans will recognize: John Abbott (an Organian) as the French art connoisseur, and Roger "Harry Mudd" Carmel as a hotel clerk. The heist itself is fairly suspenseful and, I suppose, high-tech for its day. Both Caine and MacLaine display surprising derring-do and quick thinking, and toward the finale of the film, the viewer is treated to at least three unexpected twists of plot. "Gambit," thus, offers good suspense, real wit, some romance, colorful locales, and fine acting. It is a real winner. If you're a fan of the heist movie, this one will not disappoint. It's good, light, well-done fun, and infinitely more entertaining than recent, "serious" caper films such as "The Score" and "Heist." Check it out!

Walking the Edge (1985)

THANK GOODNESS FOR NANCY'S ZYGOMATIC BONES!!!

[16 January 2003]

You've got to feel a little sorry for Nancy Kwan's character at the beginning of "Walking the Edge." She's just found out that her husband has been pushing drugs to school kids, and then watches as that husband and her young son are snuffed out by a quartet of L.A. thugs. She escapes from this carnage, only to suffer a mental breakdown and subsequent institutionalization. And that's just the first five minutes of what turns out to be a fairly standard revenge story, but one graced by fine acting from Robert Forster and the inimitable Ms. Kwan. Forster plays an average-Joe guy, the type he excels at; he's a part-time cabby and also a runner for a numbers racket. Like the Nancy Kwan character, life has pushed him around a bit too much lately: His old lady has been cheating on him, he can't muster the gumption to lean on bad debtors, and he doubts whether he will ever become a Big League pitcher, his dream. But when he gets involved with Nancy's revenge scheme, his life takes a sudden turn... I'd like to say that this movie was well-done fun, but the fact of the matter is, although I enjoyed it up to a point, I am still objective enough to know the smell of cheese when I sniff it. Yes, the acting is adequate, as is the editing, and the directing (by Ms. Kwan's husband), but still, something was missing for me. Perhaps it's the fact that the script contains an unbelievable amount of cursing and profanity. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a prude when it comes to language. But when every other sentence is "F that" and "Mother this," it gets a bit redundant. The next time I see this movie (if there is a next time), I think I'll try counting just how many obscenities there are. My rough guess would be around 350. In addition, the vengeance that Kwan and Forster take on the thugs at the end of the film is waaay to simply accomplished. Granted, these bad guys are a bunch of real goofballs, but Forster and Kwan have a much too easy time of it. Just about every character in this film is either a thug, a drug addict, a hooker...certainly no City of Angels, that's for sure! The film also features gory shots of shot-up victims, a drill-torture scene, multiple knifings, fisticuffs, and loud punk rock. This is a far cry from Fred and Ginger doing "The Continental," but for some people, hey, "That's Entertainment"! I'm trying to be objective here, but the fact of the matter is, the mere presence of Nancy Kwan in any movie is enough to guarantee me a fun time. Nancy, 44 years old in this movie--and more than twice her age in her yummy "Suzie Wong" debut--looks absolutely stunning. What a physiognomy! What zygomatic bones! The high point of this film, for me (and this should tell you something about the film in a nutshell), is when Nancy, injured after having had a hubcap "Frisbee'd" into her ribs, takes off her blouse and stands around in her bra. Does anyone out there know how to say "Be still, my quivering gonads" in Chinese?

Die Another Day (2002)

A NICE ANNIVERSARY PARTY

[12 December 2002]

YEAH, WE'VE GOT SPOILERS HERE: No, this isn't the best Bond movie of the last 40 years (hard to believe it's been 40 years, isn't it?)--that would be one of the first five, take your pick--or one of the worst--that would be "Man With the Golden Gun" or "Moonraker." What "Die Another Day" IS is an extremely entertaining exercise in Bondian shenanigans that gets more and more implausible as one mulls it over afterwards. It is as action packed as any fan could want, the villains pretty nasty, the Bond girls attractive (especially the yummy Rosamund Pike), the gadgets pretty way out (OK, VERY way out) and the fights interesting, if nothing classic. But special honors should be handed out to the exciting, swashbuckling sword fight that 007 engages in midway through the film; this is the high point of the film, for me, and the most exciting, tensest sequence in the movie. Certainly more entertaining than a game of baccarat! I would agree with other viewers that the sequence with Bond surfing on the giant wave looks as phony as phony can be, and I'm a viewer who is usually easily taken in by special FX. I for one happened to adore all the homages to past Bond movies. As a viewer who has been making the pilgrimmage to see the new 007 for 40 years now, I found it touching to be reminded of the glory days of yore. But why James Bond, a man with impeccable taste in food, wine, women, clothing and all the finer things in general, would ever want to sniff the 40-year-old shoe of Rosa Klebb is somewhat of a mystery to me!!! Pretty weird, that! And speaking of mysteries, there were some other things that I am not too clear about. For example, the diamond-forging angle in the story. Does anyone really understand what that was about? At first, I thought that the chief villain wanted these diamonds to use in his space satellite, as in "Diamonds Are Forever." But then at the end, we see a whole load of this loot lying in the back of a helicopter. Huh? I was also a little confused about the whole assumed identity thing of the main villain. Here is a North Korean baddy who, through DNA transfer, becomes a new man. But was there ever really a guy named Gustave Graves to begin with? Whatever happened to him? Was he killed, and his identity assumed? Does anybody know? I guess I'll have to see this movie again--I always see the new Bondy twice, but that's just me--to clear up these fine points. I would agree with the bulk of the viewers that the Madonna theme song is just awful: tuneless, forgettable and ugly. Although Ms. Ciccone does fairly well in her bit part in the movie itself, her theme song is easily the worst in the Bond catalog. You thought that a-ha song was bad? Wait'll you hear this techno trash! The late Maurice Binder would have appreciated the visuals behind this theme song, but as for the tune itself... What's the word? Feh! I would disagree with other viewers about the excess of humor in the movie. Despite the quips, which are always a part of a Bond film, the tone of this movie is fairly serious, and Brosnan plays it arrow straight. Sure, there are double entendres and such, but we are spared the painful cartoon antics that wrecked "Moonraker" (I am thinking of Jaws flapping his arms like a bird as his parachute fails, and the double take of the pigeon in Venice) and the embarrassing, ill-conceived moments of "Octopussy" (Bond's Tarzan yodel, the absolute nadir of the series, and Bond recognizing his own theme song when it is played in the Indian bazaar!). Despite the wild goings-on, and the invisible car, and the solar death ray, and the ice palace, the movie doesn't embarrass the viewer as some of the earlier Bonds did. For that, we fans are grateful. Still, it WOULD be nice if, in the next installment (the DO say at the end of the credits that "James Bond Will Return"), they pared things back a bit, and gave us a gritty, sexy spy thriller--the kind that Ian Fleming wrote in the '50s and '60s, and as exemplified on film by "From Russia With Love." I still feel that nobody does it better, but with a little more attention to story, things could be even better still! All in all, though, "Day Another Day" makes for a nice anniversary party, one that I was very pleased to attend.

Horror Express (1972)

AN EXCELLENT MINOR ENTRY

[24 October 2002]

I got to take a look at this film last night at New York's Walter Reade Theatre in Lincoln Center (part of their current "Scary Movies" fest), and was reminded of what a fun experience it is. The film concerns an alien life force that has taken possession of a fossilized man-ape, and then "thaws out" while en route to Moscow on the Trans-Siberian Express. Hammer superstars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are on board for the wild ride, and theirs are always a welcome presence. This movie really is pretty well done, with an interesting story, good acting, decent production values, some so-so special effects, and some good shocks and surprises. I was a little disappointed at first when {HERE COME THE SPOILERS} the fossilized man-ape critter got killed so early on, but then the alien life force started to jump around, from the man-ape to the Russian police inspector to the mad monk, and that kept things interesting. (I'm still a little unclear as to just WHY the monk, who was so direly warning of the danger of the beast in the film's beginning, decided to go over "to the dark side" so suddenly, after watching one of its murders. Perhaps someone can explain that part to me...) Telly Savalas is just a weeee bit over the top as the Cossack inspector, but it's all in good fun. The scene in which Peter Cushing trepans the baggageman's skull to examine his smoothed-out brain (did I mention that the alien life force can suck the thoughts and memories out of its victims' eyeballs, leaving those orbs whitened and bloodied?) was a nice touch. Just the right amount of grisly fun, without being too much of a grossout. Besides the cool trepanning, we are also treated to multiple murders, two (2!) hot-looking redheads, and--shades of "Night of the Living Dead"--reanimated, bloody-eyed zombies running amok at the end. All topped off by a nice train crash and multiple explosions! Lee and Cushing are their usual suave selves. The movie is an excellent minor affair that makes one wonder why filmmakers can't carry off such feats today with all the tools at their disposal. The film has atmosphere and creepy charm, and that's something that I suppose all the $$$ can't buy. Horror talents such as Cushing and Lee only come along rarely; who do we have today to take their place? No one. It occurs to me that there are NO great horror actors today to speak of, for the first time, practically, since moving pictures began! Am I right? Who can you think of that is on a par today with Lon Chaney, Lionel Atwill, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Evelyn Ankers, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Hazel Court, Vincent Price, Ingrid Pitt, Barbara Steele and so on? We've got NOTHING to compare! Perhaps that's one of the reasons why even a relatively minor entry such as "Horror Express" seems so good. The two leads are as charismatic as can be, and carry their horror history into whatever picture they decide to grace. Can you imagine this picture being made today with Brad Pitt and Mark Damon? Ugh!

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

THE BEST

[13 August 2002]

It's hard to avoid superlatives when writing about your favorite film of all time, so bear with me here if I tend to go overboard. The fact remains, however, that "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" contains what is arguably Humphrey Bogart's finest screen performance in a 25+-year career; one of John Huston's best directorial efforts; AND my favorite performance of all time--Walter Huston as the wise-with-experience prospector, Howard. For this terrific portrayal, Walter Huston won what is perhaps the most well-deserved Supporting Actor Oscar in the history of those dubious awards.

By now, everyone is familiar with the story of the three gold prospectors who go into the wilds of Mexico, only to be undone by gila monsters, banditos, and human and Mother Nature. This is perhaps the best (there's that word again) movie ever made on the subject of human greed...including the incredible 1925 von Streihem classic, "Greed" itself. The movie has so many quotable quotes--the "stinking badges" line is just one of dozens--and wonderful, classic moments, including a brutal fight in a cantina; the fight on the train with the banditos; Howard's jig when gold is finally discovered; the Bogart/Alfonso Bedoya conversation before the shootout; Bruce Bennett's arrival in the camp; and on and on and on. My personal favorite moment occurs when Howard looks straight into the camera as a pretty Mexican girl lights his cigar. The expression on his face is absolutely priceless. There is one extended sequence that takes place in a village where the banditos have come to sell their stolen burros. The entire scene is performed in Spanish, which I don't speak at all, but such is the power of the directing and the storytelling that no subtitles are required to understand precisely what is going on. This picture is a true American classic, and a wonderful retelling of a terrific Traven novel (which I also highly recommend). It seems to me that I may have given Humphrey Bogart (my favorite actor) insufficient praise in this minireview. The truth is, the actor's portrayal of a man transforming from a decent and generous human being into a venal and dangerous sociopath is little short of miraculous. This is a much more interesting performance than the one Bogart won his only Oscar for, three years later--as Charlie Allnut in "The African Queen." Go figure. To conclude, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" is that rarity: a perfect motion picture. If you're about to see it for the first time, I envy you; if you're about to see it for the 30th time with undiminished pleasure, then you're like me. 10/10

You Only Live Twice (1967)

THE BIGGEST BOND BLOWOUT OF THEM ALL

[8 August 2002]

Near the beginning of this 5th Bond outing, M tells 007 that "this is the big one," and boy, do those words ever ring true. While Bond purists might object that this movie has nothing to do with its source novel, and that the story is more sci-fi/adventure than the sexy spy thrillers that Ian Fleming made popular, the fact remains that this Bond masterpiece is both the most visually spectacular entry in the 40-year history of the franchise, as well as the culmination of the four Sean Connery episodes that precede it. Sure, there are some things to carp about in this story, and many inconsistencies. Bond takes a martini that is "stirred, not shaken" (!), he conveniently has a safecracking device in his pocket just when he needs it, he magically has a ninja outfit under his fisherman's shirt and so on. But the movie is presented with such panache, and there is so much local Japanese color and scenery, and the sets are so spectacular, that these little slips pale into insignificance. The battle at the end of this film, with ninjas pouring into the S.P.E.C.T.R.E. volcano lair, is one of the most exciting sequences in the history of Bondom; perhaps in the history of the action film. The Bond girls this time are both beautiful AND interesting, and Karin Dor makes for a sexy Bond enemy/lover. (In Bond movies, female enemies make for strange bedfellows!) We finally get to see Blofeld in this outing, and Pleasence does not disappoint (although, granted, he is NOT the Blofeld that Fleming describes). I have seen this movie at least 50 times since it first opened in June '67 (I saw it three times in its opening week!), and still thrill to its superb drive, color and action. The movie also features perhaps the loveliest of the Bond theme songs, sung by Nancy Sinatra, and all in all is a smashing entertainment package. 10/10

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

THE BEST DINOSAUR MOVIE EVER MADE

[8 August 2002]

"The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" is, quite simply, the best dinosaur-on-the-loose movie ever made. I would say "best monster-on-the-loose movie ever made" if it weren't for that King Kong guy (need we even say which version?). I loved "The Beast" when I was a little kid, and today--some 40 years later--the movie still knocks me out. Forty years ago I loved the fact that, unlike a lot of similar movies that followed in its wake, you don't have to wait a long time for the Beast to make its appearance. It shows up in the first 10 minutes of the film and makes regular appearances thereafter. The look of the creature is very realistic; one of Ray Harryhausen's greatest creations. There are so many terrific set pieces in this film that one doesn't know where to begin, but the attack on the lighthouse, beautifully done in silhouette; the initial sighting of the Beast from the bathysphere; the Beast's attack on lower Manhattan; and the grand finale at the Coney Island roller coaster are certainly all standouts. Music, acting and photography are all first rate, and the script is intelligent and moves along briskly and with purpose. But the main attraction of the movie is the Beasty himself, and every moment that he is on screen is riveting. This picture is a true classic; the inspiration for Godzilla and all the other thawed-out creatures that followed. I have seen this one over 50 times and never seem to get tired o f it. I have seen it several times on the big screen, at one of NYC's many revival theatres, and it is always greeted with cheers whenever the Beast theme begins during the opening whirlpool credits. The movie is well loved and remembered for good reason: It's the best in its class! By the way, it took me many, many years to figure out, but the Professor's last word in the diving bell is "cantileveric." 10/10