BEST FILMS OF 1947
by Mike Lorefice

Black Narcissus
Michael Powell

***1/2

Brute Force
Jules Dassin

***

Crossfire
Edward Dmytryk

After WWII Hollywood finally made a few pictures that dealt with real life social issues, this one being particularly timely because the displaced men had to figure out what to do now that they weren't bound by their hate for the enemy abroad. The hate crime in Richard Brooks first novel (written when he was still in the marines) was actually against a homosexual, but even the persecution of the Jewish had previously been "too much" for audience to handle, as this film was the first from Hollywood that attempted to specifically deal with racial bigotry. Director Edward Dmytryk, producer Adrian Scott, and costar Robert Ryan were soon brought before the House of Unamerican Activities, the first two blacklisted for refusing to talk and Ryan perhaps only spared because of his service background. The film itself is certainly overscripted, pretending to be a deep plot when it's in fact very thin, though that's excusable since at the time (like today) any legitimacy from Hollywood was a shock. It's more than a bit preachy, especially in the last half-hour where Robert Young gives a few sermons that were very obviously for the benefit of the audience. The fact that it's a film noir helped keep it from degenerating into Stanley Kramer mode though, and added some style and suspense. This is far from the most stylish or entertaining noir, but it's more than adequate with effective rather than show offy low key lighting and fairly original use of shadows by J. Roy Hunt to go with several very good toned down performances. In particular, Robert Ryan is typically excellent in not allowing himself to fit into the nice neat package Hollywood liked to present. He's able to come off as a misguided slightly out of control but still cunning character rather than an out and out psychopath (though they have to keep reminding us he's not nearly as smart as he thinks he is since he's the bad guy). Because they were trying to make a serious movie they didn't get much of a budget and most of it went to putting together the strong cast which also includes Robert Mitchum and Gloria Grahame; it's a tight little film that was shot in just 20 days. This speed allowed it to beat Gentleman's Agreement to the theatres, but since Gentleman's Agreement was cornier and didn't deal with the subject as directly or honestly, it was sold as an all important prestige film and predictably took the bogus awards. Both films are very flawed, but worthy efforts that opened the range of subjects up to include things that actually mattered. This one probably stands the test of time better because it's fairly effective as a thriller, though for that very reason it's dismissed by the narrow minded, genre films being meaningless and all. [10/10/05] ***

Dark Passage
Delmer Daves

***

Desperate
Anthony Mann

***

Full Movie Review

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Joseph L. Manciewicz

***

Kiss of Death
Henry Hathaway

Might have been a masterpiece if it all came together, but it's such a disparate mix of elements one wonders if that was ever even a possibility. It is never sure whether it wants to be a gangster film, film noir, true crime, or docudrama. Its most memorable scene is a horror classic where Richard Widmark pushes a helpless wheelchair bound old lady down a flight of staircases. The location shooting doesn't really help (it's really only used to impose the rigidness of unforgiving society on Victor Mature so it could have been done with sets), but that combined with the low key toned down performances of the cast allow Widmark to steal the show in his screen debut. Widmark is memorable as a sinister deranged giggling psychopath partially because he is a great actor, but mostly because he is so unlike anything and anyone else in the movie. This works perfectly with the rather curious distinction the film attempts to draw between criminals, which practically measures them by the cuteness of the kids they sired. The film seems like some kind of police propaganda out to prove the virtues of squealing, but it winds up being much more surprising and far less forced than one would think after the manipulative opening voiceover and some heavy handed speeches from the Assistant D.A. It sucks you in and then teases you with some very tense moments, which show the success of the realist vein because much of the reason they work so well is the absence of suspense music. In a sense the film moves at a leisurely pace; it's successful as a suspense because the situation is milked for all it's worth before a lack of payoff that never feels like a cheat because it effectively turns the story in a new direction. On the other hand, because there are so many twists to keep you from realizing what a simplistic story it is at heart, it seems to be a taut fast paced work. I found the film highly unpredictable for a late 40's work; a seemingly key character who never appears on screen is the key to keeping us from seeing exactly where the story is going early on. The screenplay by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer is highly manipulative, but they have a great feel for the timing. You can believe they know gangsters, but they seem to hate women and view kids as puppets. They go to great almost embarrassing pains to explain that Victor Mature is a good guy who had no option but to steal and would love nothing more than to live an honest life with his two children. But his friend suddenly turned girlfriend then wife Colleen Gray is given no motivation at all for anything she does and stuck being the ever so dutiful and understanding sap. She has the good role compared to the other women, who are simply there to be mistreated. The ending is ridiculous. Just when you are considering buying it as an example of macho bullshit at the utmost, in comes a voice over that turns the tragedy you were trying to reconcile yourself to into a happy ending that defies what your eyes just told you. [3/25/06] ***

The Lady From Shanghai
Orson Welles

***1/2

Miracle on 34th Street
George Seaton

***

One Wonderful Sunday
Akira Kurosawa

***

Out of the Past
Jacques Tourneur

****

The Paradine Case
Alfred Hitchcock

***

La Perla
Emilio Fernandez

Penniless but happy Mexican natives discover a brilliant pearl and are tormented by the rich and the poor, who can think of nothing but getting their grubby paws on it. Since it's an old film the wife is practical. She's way ahead of the man in seeing how detrimental this object that possesses them is, and soon wants to throw it back in the ocean even though that means things like they'll go back to having no access to medical care. The husband dreams of things we've long taken for granted like shoes for his family and an education for his son, so it's difficult to feel overly negative toward him; the pearl is their only chance to ever even have the essentials. The film is based on John Steinbeck's novel, and the famous author was the key to getting the film made, writing the novel with the film in mind after Fernandez said he was interested in directing it. What makes this tale of men fighting for greed and materialism a memorable film is the striking atmospheric cinematography of Gabriel Figueroa. He makes great use of the beautiful natural locales of La Paz, Mexico, and makes everything larger than life with his askew framing, most notably setting the camera below the characters ala Citizen Kane. In the end though, Steinbeck may be the star because he was able to keep the film out of Hollywood's hands. The story is not meant to be realistic, as everything is done on a grand scale, given mythical stature and importance. But Hollywood would have demanded it be shot in their cardboard monstrosities and played with the story until it said nothing substantial about human suffering, thus transferring it from mythic to the usual empty myth making. [10/11/05] ***

Railroaded!
Anthony Mann

Anthony Mann had progressed to the point he was ready to make one strong film after another, but still lacked the talent around him. Mann experiments with many of the aspects that would make his subsequent film noirs such as T-Men and Raw Deal so successful, particularly extreme underlighting, but with Guy Roe rather than John Alton behind the camera he doesn't achieve the high contrast effect. Many positives are minor touches, for instance Mann achieves far greater effect showing the shadow of a cop arriving to save the day than he would showing an ordinary man in uniform. This tight little low budget crime drama tries its best to dress up a poor standard script, but the results are hit and miss. John Ireland is menacing and inhumanly cold as Duke Martin, a betraying crook who will kill anyone to avoid the clink. Rosie (Sheila Ryan), the sister the man Duke framed has a catfight with Duke's partner in crime and supposed girlfriend (Jane Randolph) because she won't admit she's lying to the cops. It's a standout scene because Duke is hiding in the shadows with his gun pointed; we believe he'd shoot one of them if he could decide which would benefit him more. A woman painting herself before she goes to squeal is rubbed out in a suspenseful way, as we see Duke enter and approach in the mirror she's sitting in front of. The film seems exceptionally violent for its time because Duke kills and abuses women, but everything is in the dark. Similar to Cat People, the unseen allows you to imagine, and that's far more stimulating and disturbing. Duke is a very dim character, making moves that not only cloud his open and shut frame up, but also link him to the investigation. Thematically it's pretty weak as good and bad are very clear. Love and lust do muddle the noble and not so intentions, as the investigating Sgt. Mickey Ferguson (Hugh Beaumont) and Duke both get involved with Rosie, who conducts her own investigation because cops are violent thugs who just want to convict someone. There's a funny scene showing how police precautions come off as cynicism, paranoia, and fear to the innocent where they repeatedly impale the cake the innocent man's mother bakes him and she asks the officer, "who could eat a cake with a gun in it?" Unfortunately, Rosie's brother is forgotten halfway through the film when Ferguson decides he might really be innocent. Too many things, perfumed bullets for instance, are introduced but never developed, just kind of there for an effect that never quite materializes. ***

Ramrod
Andre De Toth

***

Record of a Tenament Gentleman
Yasujiro Ozu

***1/2

T-Men
Anthony Mann

Anthony Mann and cinematographer John Alton paired up for the first time, and began to make their reputations with this hardboiled film noir about two treasury agents, Dennis O'Keefe & Alfred Ryder, who deny their humanity to infiltrate a counterfeit ring. A psychologically violent work that plunges us head first into the under world and never relents, forcing the audience to always be in this dark world along with the undercover agents. In typical Mann fashion, the story lies in the characters dealing with their internal conflicts; their nature, instincts, and desires clash. It's not too hard for them to be bad. In fact, they are drawn to it and find they rather enjoy it. The longer the T-Men play their characters, the more innate the violence becomes to tough guy O'Keefe and the less desire newlywed Ryder has to be a family man. But one can't deny themselves all attachments, all relationships and goodness and simply stand there unmoved as their friend is gunned down, even when their role requires it. Mann doesn't get to do a full-blown psychodrama, that came with the real budgets and arguably Jimmy Stewart. T-Men is essentially a rather generic Poverty Row genre flic elevated to great heights by the Mann & Alton combo, as well as strong performances by O'Keefe and Raymond Burr. Alton steals the show with his innovatively framed deep focus chiaroscuro compositions. The economical style of Alton's photography tells us all we need to know in brief shots. Unfortunately, this is a quasi-documentary descendant of House on 92nd Street, and we are stuck with a treasury aggrandizing narration for ignoramuses that is at war with the rest of the film in virtually every way. The should be famous Turkish bath murder has been ripped off so many times we've lost track of its origins. Not as good as the less renowned Raw Deal, but still among the best film noirs. [12/27/06] ***1/2