How about a movie set in a seminary, in which most of the characters are Jesuit priests? The context was intriguing, not to mention something different from the Noirs and war films we've been watching, but what really drew me in was the name of the director : Douglas Sirk. You probably know him, but in case you don't, he specialized in melodramas that had a touch of mysticism about them, almost as if they were filmed through a gauze of wonder, or rapture. The characters in his films were always searching for meaning in the various plots in which they found themselves, and Sirk's velvety touch with the camera added to the spiritual effect. I thought I'd seen all of his major works, but tonight I discovered one I'd missed. It was called "The First Legion"(1951). The Jesuits are presented as an order apart from the greater Church. They are ultra-disciplined and even see themselves as militant. When the rigidity of Jesuit life proves too much for one Novice (Wesley Addy), he threatens to walk away, to go back to his old life as an aspiring pianist.
The head priest, known as the Father Rector (Leo G. Carroll), asks him to reconsider, but his mind is made up. Before he is set to leave, he goes upstairs to the room of his elderly mentor, Father Jose, who is bedridden with paralysis. Shortly thereafter, as Addy is saying goodbye to the rest of the Brothers, suddenly there appears on the staircase the figure of Father Jose. Though frail, he is walking down the steps, imploring Wesley Addy not to leave.
It's got to be a miracle. At least that's what the Father Rector believes. The local doctor who serves the seminary has no explanation for Father Jose's recovery, and Jose himself explains that he prayed to Blessed Joseph, the founder of their order, just before he stood up and walked. So, there can be no other answer - it's a miracle, and the papers in town trumpet it as such.
One skeptic, besides the doctor who doesn't believe in faith, is Father Arnoux (played by the great Charles Boyer). Arnoux is wary of declaring a miracle because the Jesuits, in their strict discipline, have always avoided such grand religious pronouncements without absolute proof, lest they be challenged for accuracy. Think of Father Karras in "The Exorcist", who tries to talk Mrs. McNeil out of an exorcism for her daughter Regan. He does this because, though he's a priest, he's also got one foot in the modern world, meaning that he believes in science. For an exorcism to happen, there needs to be evidence of possession, and likewise, science is evidence-based.
In "First Legion", now that the miracle has been declared, the worst case scenario has happened. It's exactly as Father Arnaux feared : every invalid in the region has descended upon the seminary, waiting at the gates in hope of their own miracle healings. This is dealt with in conversations between the true believers among the priests on one side, and Father Arnaux on the other. For his part, the doctor tries to stay out of it, though his disdain for religion and it's miracles is known to all involved.
In the movie's main subplot, there is a young woman, confined to a wheelchair, who lives in town nearby. She has a severed spine from a horse-riding accident and has been told by the doctor that she'll never walk again. But she too wants a miracle, and is determined to petition for one. Specifically, she wants access to the seminary, where she believes healing will occur.
That's all I will reveal about the story, except to say that a very large monkey wrench will be thrown into the works at some point. You'll know it when you see it. Besides Charles Boyer, and Leo G. Carroll, you also get William Demarest (cranky "Uncle Charlie" from My Three Sons) in a fine supporting role as the town's Catholic Monsignor, a friendly rival to the Jesuits who ribs them for their austerity.
The script is excellent and was based on a play, but the dramatization here is pure Douglas Sirk, with few exclamation points in the dialogue where quiet ponderings will suffice, instead. It's shot in black and white, and the print I saw was serviceable but not razor sharp nor in full grey scale. But don't let that stop you from watching "The First Legion", which was filmed at the Riverside Mission, a majestic setting for a wonderful story. I'd like to see a Criterion restoration, but I still give it Two Big Thumbs Up as is. Highly recommended! /////
And now, if you can handle another war movie, we've got last night's "Identity Unknown"(1945), starring Richard Arlen as a WW2 vet suffering from amnesia. As the movie opens, he's aboard a hospital ship, where the head psychiatrist is trying to help him remember his name. All the doctors know is that he was found unconscious in a bombed-out barn in France, along with three other soldiers who were burned beyond recognition. There'd been a raid by the Luftwaffe; all of the men had their dog tags blown off in the attack and thus the Army doesn't know who was who. As the sole survivor, Arlen holds the key to the mystery.
When their efforts prove unsuccessful, the doctors discharge Arlen after agreeing to let him try an experiment. He asks for - and is given - the names and addresses of the four soldiers whose names are on the dog tags. Surely he must be one of them. Knowing that three of the soldiers are dead, he receives permission to visit the residences of all four, expecting that at some point he will be recognized by a father, mother, brother or sister as part of the family.
This is a movie that I hate to criticise, because it's heart is in the right place with a message about healing the deep wounds of war. The trouble is, that for much of the first 45 minutes of it's 71 minute run, it comes off as gimmicky because of it's "process of elimination" plot structure. We know that, in taking the train cross-country to visit each of the four soldier's homes, that Arlen is going to find three of them deceased (which we're already aware of), and thereby discovering that he's the only one remaining. It's a variation on the Ten Little Indians format, or in this case the "Let's Make A Deal" arrangement, where you have to anticipate behind which "door" the answer will be found. The Arlen character eventually comes to be seen as a Heavenly Messenger who is healing the families of the deceased soldiers, and for that message the movie is commendable, even if it feels more like a TV drama than a fully fleshed out film. There is a romance that bookends the story, co-played by an actress named Cheryl Walker, who I feel the need to mention because of her 1940s sincerity. I looked her up on IMDB and found that she was Rose Queen of Pasadena in 1938.
Two Regular Thumbs, then, for "Identity Unknown", and Two Gigantic Thumbs, highest rating, for it's message of honoring - and never forgetting - fallen soldiers. //////
See you in the morning. I'm reading the Paul McCartney bio and listening to early Beatles.
Tons and tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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