Last night I found a beautiful slice of Americana from John Ford. "The Sun Shines Bright"(1953) takes a look at life in a small town in Kentucky at the turn of the century. The Honorable "Judge Priest" (Charles Winninger) presides not only over his courtroom but serves as the town's conscience as well. Every man is equal in his eyes, regardless of race, creed or color. He stands with the downtrodden and the unjustly persecuted, which means he's tilting at the windmill of prejudice that remains strong in post-Reconstruction Kentucky. The script for this film was compiled from three short stories featuring the Judge Priest character, who was created by a writer named Irvin S. Cobb. I hadn't heard of him, but he wrote about the South and was incredibly prolific, and famous enough to host the Academy Awards in 1935.
An ensemble cast portrays the townsfolk, who interact amidst the three tales that are unfolding. The first involves a young woman named "Lucy Lee Lake" (Arleen Whelan), the adopted daughter of the local doctor. She's a White schoolteacher whose students are all Black. The town is modern enough (i.e. tolerant enough) to accept this, but when it's discovered that her birth mother was a prostitute, well....that's a step too far. Of course, there's no law against such a thing. She can't be run out of town, so instead she is quietly shunned. A handsome young man (John Russell) has been courting her. Now he faces scorn, too, and starts drinking. Judge Priest stands by the both of them, with his trusty aide Jeff (Stepin Fetchit) alongside for advice and comic relief.
Meanwhile, old "Uncle Plez" (Ernest Whitman) comes to visit, with his nephew (Elzie Emanuel) in tow. Plez needs help in dealing with the boy, who he says is shiftless and needs to learn a trade. "All he does is play that banjo all day long. I'd be awful gratified if you could set him straight, Judge". Judge Priest asks the boy to play for him. He's fantastic and the Judge is impressed. "Well now, son, seems to me you're a natural, but you're still gonna need to earn some money to help Uncle Plez. But whatever you do, don't take no manual labor! You gotta protect those hands! Music's your true calling, that's plain to see. So keep on playin', but for now I'll get you a job". He gives the nephew a contact to help him on his way. That Uncle Plez and the nephew are Black doesn't matter a whit. "Thanks, Judge", says Plez.
Later that night, though, the nephew returns, sweating, breathing hard and terrified. "Judge! Judge! You gotta protect me. Them men over in Tornado District, they're tryin' to kill me. All I did was try to see that man about the job, but they sez I hurt a lady. I didn't Judge. I didn't even see no lady. Please.....ya gotta help me"!
A lynch mob soon arrives. It's leader accuses the nephew of raping a white woman (though it's stated in deliberately vague terms). Judge Priest has already locked the boy in jail for his own protection, but the mob is threatening to storm it so they can hang him from the nearest tree. They're about twenty strong. Only Judge Priest and Jeff stand between them and the young Black boy. "I'm tellin' you men to go home. You've got the wrong person. I know that boy, he's as gentle as a lamb. No way in heaven he'd hurt anyone, much less a woman".
But the mob is insistent. "Move outta the way, Judge, or we'll have to take you down with him". Judge Priest then draws a line in the dirt. "The first one of you to cross that line is a dead man", he says as he draws his gun. Jeff mumbles something nonsensical in agreement. Judge Priest is no John Wayne, no Wyatt Earp stone cold lawman. He's just a pudgy, middle-aged Jurist, but his integrity carries a ton of weight. The men of the mob back away, one by one, and leave. Judge Priest has righted the ship of justice once again. Eventually the real culprit is found for the rape assault (an old redneck), and the banjo playing nephew goes free. "Thanks again, Judge", says Uncle Plez.
The final segment depicts the funeral procession and church service for Lucy Lee's birth mother. It's exceptionally well developed, a masterpiece of filmmaking, from the pacing to the camerawork to the tension. If you ever needed an Exhibit A for why John Ford was a genius director, this is it. I don't wanna tell you what transpires, and I've probably given you too much the plot already (sorry about the spoilers), but I can't say enough good things about this film. if you're familiar with Ford's work, you know that he always leavened his stories with humour, usually of the Irish kind, and there's plenty of it on tap here. This is no maudlin drama, despite the subject matter. Ford was a master of portraying what I'll call "fictional Americana", the larger-than-life version of our country and culture as it was written about 100+ years ago, by authors like Mark Twain and Irvin Cobb. It's heartwarming stuff, with a strong social message enclosed.
Nowdays, a film such as this might be denounced if it were to draw the attention of the Wokesters. But the truth is that this is the real Woke. It shows people caring about one another instead of making demands and calling each other out. Today's Woke is angry and vindictive. The original Woke was faith-based and forgiving. And I'm not talking about Black Lives Matter, or Black and White folks in general, and when I say "faith-based" I'm not referring to right-wing fundamentalists. I'm simply talking about love, respect and caring for one another versus raising our voices in opposition to every perceived insult, and causing division with one another. The real Woke happened long ago, and then again in the 1960s. Today's Woke? You can have it. Well, end of tirade. Hope I didn't offend anyone. But "The Sun Shines Bright" is a lovely film, a Christian film in the best sense of the word, and in my book it gets Two Huge Thumbs Up.
The Youtube print is excellent, don't miss it. /////
The previous night's movie was a riveting thriller entitled "Mr. Klein"(1976). Alain Delon stars as an amoral art dealer in Occupied France. He takes advantage of Jews trying to leave the country, paying them a fraction of the worth for their valuable paintings. The year is 1942. In Paris, the Nazis have yet to fully crack down, but that day is fast approaching. As the movie opens, Mr. Klein has just bought a painting from a Jewish man who is disgusted by his offer, but accepts it anyway through gritted teeth. As the man is leaving, he notices a newspaper lying in front of Klein's door : "The Jewish News". He hands it to Klein, who looks embarrassed and shocked. "This isn't mine", he says. "They must have me mixed up with some other Robert Klein".
The man he's just ripped off nods in agreement, as if to say "Oh yes. Sure they do".
Klein is well aware of what is beginning to happen to Jews in the Occupied territory. They're being arrested and sent to Germany. The roundup is not wholesale as yet, that's why many Jews who have the means are trying to leave while they still can.
Klein mulls over the problem of the newspaper and becomes paranoid. Though he isn't Jewish, he has a name that could go either way. He believes someone sent him the paper deliberately, perhaps another "Robert Klein" who is Jewish and is trying to switch identities with him. He goes to the police to report it, but that only makes him more suspect. They think he's trying to deflect attention away from himself.
His lawyer suggests he submit to an anatomical examination, which are being given on behalf of the Nazis by the Paris veterinary service. For those whose lineage has been deemed "questionable", the option is available to line up and have one's body assessed, like a dog at a prize show. Lips are pulled back to observe teeth; the jaw is examined for shape. Measurements are taken of eye spacing and the length between nose and upper lip. Hips and hair are studied. The subject is ordered to walk, first as normal then on tip-toes. All of this is done to "determine" genetic heritage, i.e. whether the person is a Jew or not. It's a gamble to undergo this exam because you're at the whim of the veterinarian. Klein turns it down. "I don't have to prove anything", he says. But his lawyer thinks differently. "You should at least obtain the birth certificates of your parents, and your grandparents too, if possible".
Then they discover the other Robert Klein, who lives in a run-down apartment. He's not home when they get there, however, and his landlady says she hasn't seen him. "I don't even know what he looks like. He pays his rent by mail and is never here". The police have been following our Klein, and this trip to the apartment only makes his situation worse. Now they think he's using the apartment as a hide out, and trying to invent a doppleganger.
Klein continues to obsess over his namesake, going so far as to force his way into the apartment to search for evidence. He finds a photo negative inside a book and has it printed, then tracks down a woman in the picture; Klein's girlfriend? No one will give her correct name, and when he does locate her, she insists he's got the wrong person.
Synopses of this film mention it's Kafkaesque quality, and that is present, perhaps on purpose.The bureaucracy of Vichy France is circular and ant-like. Questions only bring more questions. No one says much but their eyes say it all : J'accuse! The plot at times becomes mysterious to the point of being obtuse, and I thought director Joseph Losey was gonna drop the ball at one point, and simply cut bait and give us one of those half-baked ambiguous endings that we often see in art films. But God Bless him, he didn't do that. This is a Holocaust movie after all, even if not a conventional one, and it would be a grievous mistake, not to mention an insult, to make it vague in the name of being arty. But Losey knows that and brings truth home with a vengeance. If you just hang in there, he ties it all together.
When it was over I was speechless. The word reverberating in my head was "TRA - MENN - DUSS"!
Mr. Klein even has a chance to escape at one point, and be free of his predicament, but his need to find the other man is too powerful. I can't tell you what happens, but the ending will leave you floored. It's one of the greatest Holocaust films ever rmade, on par with Schindler's (though in style it's entirely different).
It's visually striking as well, especially through Losey's exceptional use of color. In that sense, it is an art film, as if he is commenting on the stolen art by making every frame resemble a painting. Losey by the way is an interesting director. His work was kind of a hodge-podge of different types of films. The only one we've seen that I can recall is "The Boy with Green Hair". He was quite talented, as you can tell by "Mr. Klein", but his time in Hollywood was cut short by the Blacklist. Losey was suspected as a commie and when he was called to testify before HUAC, he left the country instead, and spent the remainder of his career working in Europe.
But for "Mr. Klein" he will always be remembered. Also interesting is that Alain Delon produced the film and gives a first-rate performance. He was a big international star in the 60s and early 70s, then fell into disfavor himself when it came out that he's a far right-winger who is friends with Jean-Marie Le Pen. Again, though, it's not fair to categorize people without hearing their side of the story, and it's worth Googling to read some of Delon's opinions, after you see the movie, which gets my highest rating.
Two Gigantic Thumbs Up for "Mr. Klein". I watched it on a dvd from the library. It's also been recently released on Criterion. Absolutely not to be missed, watch it on two consecutive nights with "The Sun Shines Bright" for a unique cinematic experience. //////
And that's all I know, for tonight at least. Have a great evening. Tons of love as always!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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