Tonight's movie was a Noir with an interesting premise and a different kind of hero. Pat O'Brien stars as an art curator who suspects that the museum he works for is housing forged paintings. Entitled "Crack-Up"(1946), it begins with O'Brien beating his fists against the building's glass front doors. He's delirious, and finally throws his body against the glass to break through. It's late at night, but the board of directors is having a meeting. They rush out to the lobby to investigate the noise and discover O'Brien on the floor, babbling that he's just been in a train crash. Not a bad start, eh?
The board members think he's drunk and perhaps losing his marbles, and they call the cops. We are shown in flashback that, in addition to his duties as a steward at the museum, O'Brien is also a lecturer and art critic who detests Modernism. Being that their patrons donate enormous sums of money in the name of Modern Art, the board uses his predilections as a convenient excuse to can him, citing also his claim of the train crash, which apparently didn't happen. The police run it down and find no evidence. O'Brien is painted as a nut, and his job with the museum is over.
But he also has a past. He was a witness at the Nuremberg Trials, testifying about the Nazis' stolen artworks, so his expertise is not in question. By chance he runs into an old flame (Claire Trevor), who agrees to help him prove the train crash, which will show that his firing was unjust. But's she's hooked up with the Always Debonair (and Veddy Brrrittish) Herbert Marshall, who seems to be a little too inquisitive about Pat O'Brien's predicament. Is he also an investigator of some kind? The plot is too complex to describe in detail, but the direction is evenly paced, so while the story is slow in places, it's never confusing.
As far as O'Briens go, normally you'd expect to see Edmond in a film noir. He was one of the kings of the genre. Pat O'Brien, on the other hand, usually played cops and priests, Irish-American good guys in post-Depression dramas. But he was a solid actor and burly enough to be believable in the rough and tumble of a noir plot, especially this one with it's cultural leanings. There is a lot of to and fro about the legitimacy of a certain Gainsborough painting, and a Durer. Especially interesting is when O'Brien and Trevor gain the use of an X-Ray machine (via a colleague), to "see through" a canvas in order to ascertain if it's been painted over, which would indicate it was a work by the original artist rather than a copy.
As mentioned, the suspense level in this film is slightly lackluster, but the story moves forward and involves a subject not often dealt with in crime movies, namely..........Art.
That alone make it a Worthwhile Watch, and hey.........don't forget about the train crash. Did it actually happen, or what? To sum up, a very good script slightly marginalized by low key direction, but all in all a recommended film indeed. /////
Last night I watched yet another tale of the RAF, this time a movie made for English TV in 2010. It was called "First Light", and though the more recent production date marked a change in my preference for older war films, especially where docudramas are concerned, I went with the Youtube recommendation and was not disappointed, though not without some caveats. "First Light" was written by a gentleman named Geoffrey Wellum, who in his youth became a Spitfire pilot at the age of 19 and flew combat missions during the Battle of Britain. Mr. Wellum is featured in the movie as a narrator, now in his 90s and still robust, shown driving to his local pub in real time, as he reminisces about his flying experience during the war.
I've been doing a lot of reading, and general research, into the lives of pilots and air crews during World War Two, from the RAF mostly, because my research began with reading about World War One, during which the British suffered horrific losses, and so I wanted to know more about their war experiences, having already studied those of the soldiers of the United States.
Because "First Light" was made in the modern era, in 2010, it suffers from the gauzy, BBC filtered nostalgic haze, in which every actor looks like a model (male and female), and the rear view period depiction lacks the authenticity we have already become used to in actual military docudramas like "Coastal Command". While that is not in itself a hindrance, and the film is very moving in it's entirety, it is more the story of a young pilot's gradual breakdown from the stress of combat. There isn't much flying, and the lingering scenes on the ground, at the airbase, seem sketched, like a series of vignettes. The film adds up emotionally when it's over, and you are glad you watched, but as it's unfolding, the story is less than the sum of it's parts. It's no doubt not what Mr. Wellum intended, as his real life experience was certainly beyond comprehension.
Still, having said all of that, I do recommend "First Light", not as a great movie but as one that will hit you in the heart later on, after it is over.
Elizabeth, I am very happy to see that your films are getting screened, and that the festivals are happening again. You must be feeling great, just to have things somewhat back to normal, career-wise. It won't be long until you are out there shooting your next one, so keep your artistic focus at the forefront, and remember what you've already accomplished.........which is a lot.
Keep your goals and dreams intact and keep going. This pandemic has been a delay, but that's all. ///
And that's all I know for tonight. I got "Today's Number" right (it was 9), so I am happy. See you in the morning, tons of love. Stay safe and stay well. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
No comments:
Post a Comment