Guess what I did tonight? I went back to the Armer Theater at CSUN, for the first time since May, when our last Andrzej Wajda film was screened and the Cinematheque program as hosted by Professor Tim came to an end. All of us "regulars" were pretty upset about that, as I detailed at the time, and I figured that I was more or less done attending. When the new schedule was announced, I didn't see much that interested me, and besides, along with everybody else I thought Professor Tim got a raw deal. I figured "screw the new Cinematheque, I'll just watch my Mizoguchi movies at home".
But tonight they were showing a classic Film Noir called "The Hitch Hiker" (1953), because it was directed by Ida Lupino, a well-known actress from the '40s who redefined herself as one of the first female directors in Hollywood. She went on to have a prolific career as a director, in movies and tv, and because the new Cinematheque retrospective is all about women in film, Lupino's effort was included in the schedule. I knew I had to go see it because I love this movie, I own it on dvd, and I'd never seen it on the big screen.
William Talman stars - and terrifies! - as The Hitch Hiker. It was a defining role for Talman, one of those actors who pops up in various Westerns and crime films of the era. He was also a regular on the tv series "Perry Mason", according to IMDB, and he has a memorable face. In this movie, he created a psycho for the ages, a truly bad guy with his thumb out on the side of the road. He has already done away with several motorists who made the mistake of picking him up, and now comes along another Noir Star, Edmund O'Brien, here in an Everyday Joe role, who is driving down the lonesome highway with his friend Frank Lovejoy. They have told their wives they were going fishing but really they were headed to Mexico to enjoy the....ahem....nightlife.
They stop for Talman because he is standing next to a car with his thumb out and holding a gas can. The car isn't his but they don't know that. All they see is that he seems to be out of gas, and as he is stuck in the middle of nowhere, they agree to give him a ride to the nearest gas station, wherever that may be.
It's a huge mistake on their part, because he is The Hitch Hiker for crying out loud. To be fair, they don't know this. We do, but we can't tell them.
I need to butt in for just a second because something just occurred to me. I think it's time that someone installed a phone system inside theaters where calls could be placed to characters on screen who are in danger. Whataya think? I think it could prevent a hell of a lot of grief........but then....yeah, you're probably right. We wouldn't have much of a movie in most cases. Okay, so forget my in-theater phone idea.
But in "The Hitch Hiker", you really really feel like you want to warn these guys against stopping for William Talman. Especially if you've seen the movie several times, as I have, and you know what they are about to endure. First, he puts the kibosh on their Mexico plans, taking them on a detour instead into the Alabama Hills. He does this because he hears on the car radio that the police are hot on his trail and he needs a hideout, but he also does it because the Alabama Hills are a great movie location for films about desperadoes, and it's probably written in stone in one of the boulders there that you have to use the Hills if you are making this kind of picture. So by forcing his front seat captives to drive there, Talman has killed two birds with one stone.
The location photography is fantastic, as are director Lupino's choice of camera shots. You feel like you are watching from the side of the road, or from a car in another lane. Meanwhile, The Hitch Hiker sits in the back seat of O'Brien's car, directing every action and forcing the two pals into submission.
He constantly listens to the news on the car radio, and when the heat seems to be subsiding, he decides to have the men drive to Mexico after all. From there, he will make his escape deep into the country and disappear.
I'll tell you no more from this point, but as a further recommendation I can tell you something I did not know until tonight, that in 1998 "The Hitch Hiker" was selected for the National Registry of Films, a kind of museum of films selected for preservation based on cultural, historical or aesthetic significance. Only 25 films per year are selected, old or new, so it's quite an honor. Thus my Two Thumbs up has added prestige this time around.
The Cinematheque screenings this semester are being hosted by Professor Frances, who seems to know her stuff and was very friendly this evening. It was she who mentioned the National Registry for "The Hitch Hiker". The turnout for the movie was pretty good, and I saw three of the Regulars who for years attended Professor Tim's retrospectives, as I had since 2009. Most of the Regulars have deserted the ship, as I had planned to do, but I couldn't miss the chance to see this movie in a theater.
I had fun, and I sat in my usual front row seat. I felt like I was representing, for the patrons of the old Cinematheque, and for the new version, and just because I love movies. I don't know how often I'll be back, but the atmosphere was nice and I see another couple of movies on the schedule that seem intriguing. ////
That's all I know for tonight. See you in the Alabama Hills. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
No comments:
Post a Comment