The Country Girl (4 stars)

Crooner Bing Crosby had a birthday yesterday (May 2nd).  At least he did according to some sources; other sources list his birthday as May 3, 1903.  Either way, though, Bing's 108th birthday is this week, which makes him the man of the hour so to speak.  To celebrate him, I thought I would do a review of The Country Girl, a 1954 drama starring Bing, Grace Kelly, and William Holden, which I recently enjoyed as part of a Bill Holden Movie Marathon.

Bing is Frank Elgin, an insecure, irresponsible, weak-willed actor with a penchant for drink.  Because of Frank's inability to function, his wife, Georgie (Grace Kelly), has been the strong one, and she has carried him for years.

Director Bernie Dodd (William Holden), is looking for an established actor/singer for the lead in his current play, and since he has long been an admirer of Elgin, Frank is his first choice for the role.  However, because of Frank's reputation as a drinker, Bernie has a hard time selling that casting to the producer.  Against his will, the producer agrees, and Frank is given the lead role---a fact which further shatters his already-low confidence.

As production of the play begins, Bernie is furious at the control Georgie Elgin seems to have over her husband.   Assuming that Georgie's strength is the reason for Frank's weakness, Bernie despises her and insists that she back off and that she not accompany them on tour.  But there are things that Bernie doesn't know.  There are reasons, of which Bernie is unaware, for the way Frank acts...reasons that could cause Frank to fall apart if Georgie is not with him.  As the movie plays out, Bernie (and the viewer) will discover why Frank cannot stand on his own two feet.

Bing received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his work in The Country Girl.  Although he didn't win (Marlon Brando did), I think his performance was far superior here to the performance he gave in Going My Way, for which he did win the Best Actor Oscar.  Grace Kelly, however, did win an Oscar for her role in The Country Girl...she won the Best Actress category, pulling an upset over Judy Garland in A Star Is Born.  For the bulk of the movie, Grace is a somewhat dowdy-looking housewife rather than her usual, glamourous self.  Perhaps that deviation from her norm is what swayed the Academy to give her the award in 1954.  I thought her work was wonderful, definitely Oscar-worthy, but I will admit that I haven't seen the Judy Garland version of A Star Is Born.  (I love the Fredric March/Janet Gaynor version, so I have been loathe to see the remake.)

Anyhow, The Country Girl is a very solid 4 star movie, with great performances by all three leads.  It's out on DVD and should be quite easy to track down.

Happy viewing!!

Attention Gregory Peck Fans!!!

Just want to give a heads-up to all the Gregory Peck fans out there.  Later this week, the United States Postal Sevice will release another of its "Hollywood Legends" postage stamps.  This newest stamp, which will be a "forever stamp," features Mr. Peck in his Academy Award-winning role of Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird).

I know that I will be purchasing several sheets of these beautiful stamps, and for the next several months, it is the ONLY stamp I will be using...just like the gorgeous Gary Cooper stamp was the only stamp I used from September 2009 until this past month when I used the last one I had.

Deception (4 stars)

Deception, an Irving Rapper drama from 1946, reunites Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains, who had starred together four years earlier in Now, Voyager (my all-time favorite movie).  Though Bette Davis gets top billing and did do her normal wonderful job here, I think Claude Rains really steals the show.  He is totally brilliant in his role.

Bette is Christine Radcliffe, a concert pianist, who has become the mistress of her instructor, renowned composer Alexander Hollenius (Rains).  Alex enables Christine to live a very extravagant lifestyle...fancy apartment, lavish decor, beautiful clothes, etc.

One evening, Christine attends a concert, where European cellist Karel Novak (Paul Henreid) is performing for the first time in the United States.  While in Europe before the war, Christine and Karel had been deeply in love; however, the war separated them, and Christine eventually came to believe Karel had been killed.  After the concert is over, Christine goes backstage and is reunited with her long-lost love, who declares to her that only his hope of finding her again kept him alive.  Seeing no wedding ring on Christine's finger, Karel is relieved, and he suggests that they finally fulfill their plan of getting married.

However, while Christine is not married, she is attached...to a very jealous Alex Hollenius.  But Christine doesn't want Karel to know the truth about her relationship with Alex.  She doesn't want him to know she's been kept by Alex.  She doesn't want Karel to think she is anything but a struggling music teacher who has remained true to him even though she thought him dead.   So, one lie after another pours from her mouth, and, amazingly, Karel really has no idea of the true nature of Christine's relationship with Alex.  And Alex has no intention of letting Christine go...even after she and Karel are married.

Do Christine and Karel find happiness?  Does Christine stop lying?  Does Karel learn the truth?  Does Alex let Christine go?  These are the questions that play out through the balance of the movie.  It's very interesting, and, again, I must say that Claude Rains was magnificent in this role.  I didn't think the chemistry between Bette Davis and Paul Henreid was as strong as it was in Now, Voyager.  But since Now, Voyager is my all-time favorite movie, I suppose it's hard for me to be totally objective.  Anyhow, Deception is a very solid 4-star film for me, and I highly recommend it.

Happy viewing!!

The Counterfeit Traitor (4 stars)

The Counterfeit Traitor was one of the movies I watched for my William Holden Birthday Movie Marathon.  I had seen it once before, about two or three years ago, but I felt it was time for a re-watch.  Also starring Lilli Palmer, The Counterfeit Traitor, which is based on a true story, is a very intense WWII espionage flick from 1962.

Erick Erickson (Holden) is an oil trader living and working in neutral Sweden.  Though American-born, Erickson has long been a Swedish citizen, and he is completely non-political...whatever is good for business is good for him.  However, he finds himself pressured (blackmailed in a way) by the British Intelligence to spy on the Germans, reporting back to them about the German oil refineries.  Between a rock and a hard place, Erick has no choice but to get involved in the dangerous world of espionage and is soon given a contact, a beautiful German woman named Marianne Mollendorf (Lilli Palmer).

Though he originally took on the role due to pressure from the British Intelligence, after witnessing atrocities committed by the Nazis, Erick comes to believe in his cause wholeheartedly.  Even though his wife leaves him and his friends abandon him because of his (apparent) pro-Nazi views, he won't back off.  And even when it might mean his own life, he refuses to leave Germany.

There are many powerful, bone-chilling moments in this film, and William Holden is positively brilliant in his role.  I think it's one of the best performances of his career. The movie is a bit long (just short of two and a half hours); however, it never drags...it's pretty much non-stop action. I definitely highly recommend it.

Happy viewing!!

Storm Warning (4 stars)

Storm Warning, a hard-hitting 1951 drama that explores some very intense issues, including the ugly blight of the Ku Klux Klan, is definitely not a feel-good movie.  Directed by Stuart Heisler, it stars Ginger Rogers, Ronald Reagan, Doris Day, and Steve Cochran.  Our family chose to watch this last night in honor of Doris Day's 87th birthday; however, it's really Ginger's movie.  She gets top billing, and she more than steals the show.  She's totally fabulous, and since my husband adores Ginger and was in need of a fix, we chose to watch Storm Warning.  But even though it was totally Ginger's movie, Ronald Reagan, Doris Day, and Steve Cochran were all terrific in their roles.  Really, if anyone thinks Doris was all musicals and comedies, this is one of several movies they need to watch in order to be enlightened.

The story begins when Marsha Mitchell (Ginger), while on a business trip, stops off in the small Southern town of Rockpoint in order to visit her sister Lucy (Doris).  Lucy has recently gotten married to Hank Rice (Steve Cochran), whom Marsha has never met before.  So, late one evening, she steps off the bus and into a horrifying new world.

Marsha barely gets out of the bus depot before all the businesses nearby turn off their lights and shut down.  The few people she runs into are unfriendly and unhelpful; in fact, the cab driver won't even give her a lift.  So, after quickly checking her large suitcase at the bus station, Marsha begins the long walk to Lucy's place of employment.  Within minutes, though, she hears shouts and then watches a lynch mob attacking a man, even shooting him in the back and killing him.  As Marsha hides in the shadows of a building, she gets a clear view of the mob; although most remained in their white-hooded Ku Klux Klan robes, two of the men...one of them being the man who fired the deadly shots...have removed their hoods, and Marsha is able to see their faces clearly.

Sickened by what she has witnessed, Marsha is extremely distraught when she finally connects with her sister.  But she is even more distraught when she is introduced to her new brother-in-law and discovers that  he was part of the lynch mob and that he was the one who fired the deadly shots.  Despising Hank, yet not wanting to hurt Lucy, Marsha doesn't want to get involved and decides she will just hightail it out of town the next morning.

County Prosecutor Burt Rainey (Reagan) is positive that the man's death was the work of the Klan; however, as has been the case with many activities that have taken place in Rockpoint, no one ever sees anything, no one is ever willing to testify against the Klan.  And without a witness to back him up, Rainey never has a case.  This time, though, he is determined to indict the Klan, and after learning that Marsha had checked her suitcase at the bus station only minutes before the murder, he brings her to his office for questioning.

Although Marsha doesn't reveal the identity of the two men she clearly saw, she does tell Prosecutor Rainey that the mob were all wearing hoods.  That is exactly what Burt needed to hear in order to pin the crime on the Klan; however, in order to get an indictment, he needs Marsha to testify to that, and he subpoenas her.  Now Marsha can't leave town as planned. On the other hand, the Klan head, who has learned that Marsha witnessed the crime, tells her that if she testifies that it was the Klan, then her brother-in-law will be fingered as the guilty party and hanged.  How can she do that to her sister?

Burt Rainey is having a similar dilemma.  Over and over, his colleagues counsel him to drop the case, saying it is political suicide to try to indict the Klan, that he will never win another election in Rockpoint again.  How can he prosecute the very people whose votes he needs to stay in office?

So, how do Burt and Marsha resolve their moral dilemmas?  What will they do?  Will they do what they think is right even when it is to their detriment to do so?  Well the remainder of the movie chronicles the choices they both make, so in order to find out, you will have to watch for yourself.

Storm Warning is a very good message movie, and I highly recommend it.  It's out on DVD and should be readily available and quite easy to track down.

Happy viewing!!