No Way Out (4 stars)

No Way Out, a bold 1950 drama directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, and starring Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell, and Sidney Poitier in his film debut, explores the ugly issue of racial hatred.  Way ahead of its time, No Way Out actually depicts the venemous, black-hating man as some sort of sick monster.  Wow!  In 1950, segregation was common and totally accepted, as was total dislike of black people, so the fact that this film was bold enough to show that as unacceptable and wrong is quite amazing.  Definitely, it had to be a message that was new and, perhaps, unwelcome to audiences of the time.  Yet, the film was made...that alone makes this a 4 star film for me.

Dr. Luther Brooks (Sidney Poitier), an intern in a county hospital, happens to be on duty the night two hoodlum shooting victims are brought in.  Ray Biddle (Richard Widmark) is cocky and arrogant and totally detests black people.  He absolutely cannot stand the thought of a black doctor's hands on him and quite loudly makes his disgust known.

After noticing that Ray's brother Johnny seems to have more than just a superficial shotgun wound, Dr. Brooks orders a spinal tap for the man.  Before the spinal tap is completed, however, Johnny dies, infuriating Ray even more.  He is convinced that Dr. Brooks murdered him, and nothing will deter him from that belief.  Dr. Brooks begins to wonder if he was wrong, if he had made an incorrect diagnosis, but the only way to determine that is to do an autopsy. And Ray Biddle, Johnny's next of kin, won't give permission for that, especially when he knows just how much Dr. Brooks needs an autopsy.

Dr. Brooks and his chief of staff discover that Johnny had an ex-wife, Edie (Linda Darnell), and they hope she can be convinced to persuade Ray to agree to the autopsy.  Ray, however, has other ideas...ideas that will lead to a violent racial explosion.

The acting in this movie is spectacular!  Richard Widmark is totally amazing as the obsessed bigot.  He just oozes evil and hatred.  Sidney Poitier was fabulous as well.  It's easy to see why he would go on to become a great star.  And Linda Darnell was brilliant as well.  Truly, all three leads were amazing, and their acting, coupled with the boldness of the film is why I am giving 4 stars.

No Way Out is not an easy film to watch.  With the "n" word being used dozens of times, as well as the obsessive racial hatred, this is definitely not a feel-good film.  But it's absolutely a worthwhile film, and I highly recommend it.

Happy viewing!!!

Brief Encounter (3 stars)

Brief Encounter, directed by David Lean and starring Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson, is a romantic drama from 1945.  The movie, which is told in flashback, is the story of Dr. Alec Harvey and Mrs. Laura Jessen, who, though both married to others, fall deeply in love and embark on an ill-fated love affair.

Quite by accident, Alec and Laura meet at a train station one Thursday afternoon while both are enroute home from their usual Thursday outing.  When Laura gets a piece of coal dust in her eye, the doctor steps in to help her remove it.  Just like that, a friendship is born, and the next several Thursdays find them meeting one another.  Before long, they are deepy in love with one another; however, such love cannot be?  Or can it?  Can these two people, who are both already married to another, have any sort of future together?  Those are the questions that will play out in this film.

By today's standards, Brief Encounter is very outdated...even laughable. In our "just have an affair, just get divorced" society, it seems odd that these people, supposedly in love, would agonize so much.  If viewed through the lens of the moral climate then, though, this film is quite beautiful and responsible.  The filming is very good(especially as I have a huge fascination with trains and train stations), and the classical Rachmaninoff score is lovely, but the film fell just a a bit short for me.  While I enjoyed it and really felt for the characters, I didn't really find it all that romantic...or passionate.  The film's trailer claimed it was "the most romantic film of all time," so perhaps my expectations were a bit too high.  At any rate, I didn't find it very romantic.  Perhaps, had it been more so, or if the chemistry between Howard and Johnson had been just a bit more, or perhaps if I had been more enamored of either lead, I would have given 4 stars. 

I think this film is certainly worth viewing, even if only to be transported back to a time when commitment and marriage meant something, when people took their vows seriously.  I believe the film is out on DVD and should be easy to track down; however, it's also available on Net Flix instant viewing which is how I watched it.

Happy viewing!!

The Story of Esther Costello (4 stars)

The Story of Esther Costello is a 1957 drama which TCM aired last week as part of its Joan Crawford day on "Summer Under the Stars."  Besides Crawford, the movie stars Rossano Brazzi and Heather Sears, in a BAFTA-winning performance.  The themes in this film are quite mature, with one scene in particular probably being very shocking to audiences of the time. 

Esther's story begins in Ireland in 1948.  While playing in a cellar, a group of children discover a box of grenades and some gunpowder.  Not knowing what the items are, the children begin fighting over them, and an explosion occurs.  The majority of the children are killed in the tragedy, as is Esther's mother, who had popped her head into the cellar at the moment of explosion.  Esther, however, who had been hiding from her mother, is not killed, but the trauma of the accident leaves her blind, deaf, and mute.

Fast forward five years...vacationing American, Margaret Landi (Joan Crawford), visits Esther's village and is introduced to the young girl.  Her heart touched by Esther's story, Margaret finds herself persuaded by Esther's priest to do much more than just donate money to the church.  Since Esther is an orphan, with only a drunken old aunt to look after her, the priest encourages Margaret to care for Esther, to provide an education for her.  Though at first reluctant, Margaret has fallen in love with Esther and, so, agrees to take Esther back to America with her.

Medical tests reveal that Esther's problem is partly psychological/partly nerve damage.  Since it's not likely that she will see, hear, or speak again, she must learn to live with her limitations.  After a few years in a school for the deaf and blind, with Margaret beside her every step of the way, Esther has made remarkable progress.  Feeling that Esther's inspiring story is a way of gaining public awareness of the need for funding, Esther and Margaret are encouraged to begin a speaking tour.

At this point, Margaret's estranged husband, the philandering Carlo Landi (Rossano Brazzi), comes back into her life.  But does he really love her?  Or does he see the fundraising as a means for financial gain for himself?  And what are his intentions toward Esther?

This film is definitely a very mature-themed drama, and I think it was handled beautifully.  The acting was very good.  Truly, I thought Joan Crawford and Heather Sears had such great chemistry that I truly wondered if Mommie Dearest was all just a hoax.  Was Joan really as horrible a mother as her daughter claimed?  Because I think she was fantastic here.  And Heather Sears was amazing as the blind, deaf, and mute young woman.  I'm happy that she won an award for her performance, because she certainly deserved it.

Anyhow, definitely keep your eyes open for The Story of Esther Costello.  Without question, it is worth watching.  Happy viewing!!!

Footsteps in the Fog (3 stars)

Footsteps in the Fog, from 1955, is a Victorian England period drama starring Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons.  I have had little exposure to Mr. Granger; with the exception of Green Fire, which I watched solely because I want to see all of Grace Kelly's films, I haven't seen any other of his works.  And I haven't seen a whole lot of Jean Simmons' work either, perhaps four or five films.  Even so, though, I enjoyed this film, and I thought both Granger and Simmons were quite good in their roles.

Stewart Granger portrays Steven Lowry, a man whose wife has just died.  Telling his friends that he must learn to be alone, Steve returns home after the funeral and proceeds to drink to his wife's portrait...smiling all the while.  Housemaid Lilly Watkins (Jean Simmons) tells him that she gets a queer feeling when she looks at the portrait, almost like the mistress is trying to tell her something.

A bit later, Lilly discovers dead mice in the cellar, an empty medicine bottle lying in the midst of them.  Having done an experiment with the contents of the medicine bottle, Lilly knows that Mrs. Lowry did not die of gastroenteritis, as had been supposed, but by poisoning.  With this knowledge, Lilly begins blackmailing Steve, at first into obtaining the deceased woman's jewelry, then into dismissing every servant except herself.

In love with Steve, Lilly wants full control over his household...and him. Steve, however, who is in love with another woman, wants nothing to do with Lilly.  Desperate to be rid of her and the hold she has over him, he will stop at nothing...including another murder.

Footsteps in the Fog is a very interesting, well-acted, mildly suspenseful film.  While not a favorite by any means, I enjoyed it very much and definitely recommend it. It is out on DVD, so it should be fairly easy to track down.  Happy viewing!!

Treasure of the Sierra Madre (5 stars)

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a 1948 drama starring Humphrey Bogart, with supporting roles by Walter Huston and Tim Holt.  The film, which received a Best Picture Academy Award nomination, was directed by John Huston, who also makes a cameo appearance early in the film.  Huston won two Academy Awards for his work here---best director and best screenplay.

Bogart and Holt are Dobbs and Curtin---broke, unemployed Americans living in Tampico, Mexico.  After hearing old prospector Howard (Walter Huston) tell stories of rich gold strikes in the Sierra Madre Mountains, the two men get gold fever.  Though Howard insists that gold can change a man's soul, Dobbs doesn't believe it.  He's certain that gold can be as good as it can bad.

Since jobs hadn't worked out in Tampico, Dobbs and Curtin decide to head into the mountains in search of their fortune.  Howard, the seasoned gold-mining veteran, accompanies them on their long, arduous trek.  When they finally find a strike, greed begins to take root and the men's personalities begin to change.  Can they trust one another anymore?  Or will one partner be just as glad if another partner is killed in a mine cave-in?  After all, one less man means one less partner with whom they need to share the riches.

I truly believe this is the most brilliant performance of Humphrey Bogart's amazing career.  (Yes, even better than his superb work in Casablanca, my 2nd favorite film of all-time!).  How he wasn't even nominated for an Academy Award for Treasure of the Sierra Madre, let alone not walk away with the win, is beyond my understanding. It was definitely an oversight on the part of the Academy.  Walter Huston was fabulous as well, very deservedly winning the Academy Award for best supporting actor.

This movie is a gem, and it really shows what greed can do to a person.  Definitely, a must-see film!!  (The acting is what takes it from 4 to 5 stars for me.)  Happy viewing!!