Sunday, June 21, 2015

"Inferno" (1953)

A very fine and forgotten genre busting film. An adventure thriller, a quasi-western, and a Technicolor noir all rolled into one. Robert Ryan is a self-made millionaire who got there the hard way (and probably by bending the rules a little too). Before the credits finish rolling we learn that he's been left to die out in the desert mountains with a broken leg by his beautiful wife (Rhonda Fleming) and her lover, Ryan's business partner (William Lundigan). "It's not exactly murder if we just leave him there." What they don't count on is that Ryan is determined to survive this ordeal if it kills him. The whole film is a cross-cutting between the scheming couple, wringing their hands and dealing with the authorities who are starting to get suspicious, and Ryan keeping his wits and "MacGyvering" his way out of every scrap the unrelenting heat and landscape throw at him. What's fun is you get his voice-over commentary thoughts throughout, mostly about how he's gonna get revenge on those two who done him wrong. You don't really need it, but it gives Ryan double the acting challenge. The stunning Fleming and her mane of red hair are inferno enough, but add to it a gripping finale set amongst a blazing fire and the title more than pays off the whole filmic endeavor. Originally filmed for 3D, this must have been something, but it still plays well without a lot of hokey "Wax Museum" stuff thrown at the camera. Think of it as "Double Indemnity" in the Mojave. Solid entertainment.


Sunday, June 14, 2015

"Cinderella Liberty" (1973)

The New Hollywood cinema of the late 1960's and '70's brought profound change to the high gloss perfectionism of the golden studio era that preceded it. The storytelling became grittier, more frank, closer to the honest messiness of real life. Language, sex, race, violence, were all depicted with a new openness. To wit, this small character study was the second adaptation of a Darryl Ponicson novel, the first being the highly successful "The Last Detail" with Jack Nicholson the year before. James Caan is an amiable sailor on shore leave in Seattle. He gets stuck in the town because the Navy has lost his papers, he's free to go as he pleases as long as he's back everyday by midnight (hence the title nickname given this kind of leave). He shacks up with a pool hustling hooker (Marsha Mason) who turns tricks in her fleabag hotel room. Her nine year old half black son sleeps on the couch in the other room while mom takes care of business. How's that for sordid realness? Caan and Mason have fine chemistry as they try to figure out what each of the want out of this tempestuous relationship. If the ending gets a little too pat and heartwarming, all's fine since you've come to care for these little people trying to eek out a life in the big bad world. Some fine atmospheric photography but Vilmos Zsigmond and contemporary score by John Williams add additional interest. There's even a love song penned by Paul Williams sung over a happy montage, what more do you need?