King Arthur and More Fantasy!

An Arthurian and Fanciful Trio!

By Kristin Battestella

Yes, I'm still waiting for a definitive Camelot film. Fortunately, be it Arthurian high notes or medieval fantasy and more magical swashbucklers, there's fanciful fun for one and all with this trio of enchanting, classic tales.

Camelot – Richard Harris (The Field), Vanessa Redgrave (Mary Queen of Scots), and Franco Nero (Django) star in this 1967 adaptation of the Lerner and Lowe stage musical complete with rousing overtures, smokey battle soliloquies, a de-aging backwards Merlin, and charming fairytale adventure. Sure, the cardboard looking trees and plastic snow are dated, but the award winning design, sixties hairstyles, and hippie-esque costumes somehow remain fittingly ye olde. Horses, castles, and medieval interiors add flair amid dancing spectaculars and a small but bemusing cast. They are having a good time, and why not? The sing song talking, full blown chorales, and uneven vocals make everything seem a lot more fun than the actual 5^th century England really was, but that over the top lightheartedness and self aware humor matches the fanciful. The “C'est Moi” introduction ridiculously captures Lancelot's full of himself righteousness, and nostalgic adults can catch the innuendo of “The Lusty Month of May” while young audiences enjoy the innocent fun – an aria for the concept of a round table! Three hours can occupy kids for sure, but the singing exposition and disjointed storytelling can irritate older viewers without a childhood affinity for this tale both serious and Robin Hood: Men in Tights in its overlong indulgence, unbalanced direction, and weak ending. This sweeping storybook stage style doesn't always play well onscreen and the musical entrapment is ultimately unnecessary, leaving the dramatic moments as the best here. Though the jovial is more important than interweaving a complete Arthurian recounting, the once sunny and snow white symbolism turns visually darker as the politics escalate inevitably. Despite the musical imperfections, young and old can enjoy the highlights here with sword in the stone fondness, knights of the round table drama, and meddling Mordred conflicts.

Crossed Swords – This two hour 1978 swashbuckler based on Mark Twain 16^th century switcharoo boasts an all-star cast including Charlton Heston, Raquel Welsh, Oliver Reed, George C. Scott, Ernest Borgnine, Sybil Danning, and Rex Harrison. Stirring Maurice Jarr scoring accents the chases, sword fights, fun faire peasantry, and quaint village while the colorful court and sweet ladies frocks add period fancy. Despite historical names like Edward, Henry VIII, and Norfolk, the coming and going cameos anchor the youth-centric lookalike fantasy, over the top whimsical, and sardonic flavor befitting of the novel's social lessons. Brief split screen effects blend seamlessly, carrying the uneven design, which looks elaborate in some scenes and cheap in others. Mark Lester's acting isn't perfect, either – he's stuck still playing a child's role and comes off as a simpleton whether he is the prince or the pauper. Shouldn't one or the other be shrewd or charismatic? Ironically, that lacking in grace fits both the street urchin with no upbringing and the coddled royal. Had Lester done this ten years prior following Oliver! his performance would have been perfect. Yes, liberties are taken here and the pace between its subjects drags. However, it is surprising this did poorly when today every intellectual property is unabashedly twisted into a big money American teen absurdity. Producer Ilya Salkind is clearly capitalizing on his Musketeer success with this literary adventure for kids complete with the same adult stars. Modern parents may find the overlong time tough to take seriously despite mature moments and a wild finish – but this isn't meant to be a sophisticated drama. This is The Parent Trap for boys wrapped up in a medieval ball of fun. I mean, the jester is in red and green harlequin with bells, go with it. 

 

Excalibur – Although I still need a Lord of the Rings caliber Arthur, this 1981 epic swelling with the Lady of the Lake, the Sword in the Stone, and the Holy Grail came out of a failed Tolkien adaptation. Go figure. Fiery orange and hellish battles accent the divine forests, waterfalls, and Irish locations. However the dark and looking low budget design is of its time with confusing action and corny jousting. Glowing reflections on the shiny armor, red lighting, and a green sheen upon the swords feel lightsaber influenced, but the medieval costumes, mystical fog, and colorful interiors lift the mature yet fanciful. While extended nudity and Arthur's birth may add that extra twenty on the two hour and twenty minute length, the often skipped Uther and Igrayne trickery is frankly addressed – even if it is director John Boorman's (Deliverance) daughter Katrine playing Igrayne. Awkward! Rousing and familiar classical music anchors the magical moments, but the otherwise limp scoring contributes to a clunky middle. This isn't as timeless or fantastic as it should be despite a generally complete script combining Mallory and other Arthurian sources for a linear birth, life, and death retelling. Lots of now big names are here, too – including Gabriel Byrne, Patrick Stewart, and Liam Neeson – however Nigel Terry's (Caravaggio) clipped delivery and over the top stage style is an odd choice for Arthur. Mumbling dialogue and fancy names make subtitles a must, but Nicol Williamson (The Seven-Per-Cent Solution) is a fun sage as Merlin while Helen Mirren as Morgana is an alluring villainess. Ironically, her antagonism is better than the core love triangle and a meh Nicholas Clay (Lady Chatterley's Lover) as Lancelot. This is firmly a fantasy not going for historical accuracy, yet the gritty and adult tone paints a not so pretty picture of mysticism versus religion, self versus duty, and messianic reflections upon mistakes befitting of the legend. It takes several watches and one has to be in the right mood for the duration, but the not always magical and mature drama captures the moral of the tale.

Witchy and Demonic Favorites!

Witchy and Demonic Viewings!

By Kristin Battestella

From witches and other onscreen demonic ladies to stylish satanic cults and the bizarrely supernatural, here’s a list of fiery gals, helping magic, hurting spirits, and the strange…

Burn Witch Burn – A creepy, blank screen opening narration sends this 1962 British thriller a-simmering beneath the campus innocence, great cars, ivy covered cottages, and seemingly fine period drama – but that’s before the  sudden spider souvenirs hidden in the bedroom drawer! Not so nice and magical wife Janet Blair (My Sister Eileen) has all sorts of Craft curios amid the great set dressings, cigarettes, period style, and black cats. It’s a lighter take then most witchy pictures, but the secret practices are no less creepy thanks to sinister suspense music and scary discoveries. The well framed, black and white prospective photography, mirror uses, and shadow schemes parallel the fractured, marital debates, too. Peter Wyngarde (Jason King) is a disbeliever relying on logic, education, and intelligence versus the implausibility of positive charms and evil hexes. Screenwriters George Baxt (Circus of Horrors), Charles Beaumont, and Richard Matheson (The Twilight Zone) add scandalous student/teacher allegations to this breaking Cleaver surface and send the fears and desperation boiling over as spells go awry. The car chases and titular fires mount, but the original Night of the Eagle name matches perfectly as well. Thunder, wind, eerie tape recordings, even the old-fashioned abrupt ringing of a telephone puts one on edge here, and the pace come to a pinnacle to finish this excellent, deadly thriller.

Curse of the Demon – Early Stonehenge footage and creepy, well done demonically orchestrated deaths and special effects start off this 1957 black and white British cult fest originally titled Night of the Demon in eerie and disturbing fashion. Director Jacques Tourneur (Cat People) uses interesting camera tricks, distorted perspectives, smoke, lighting, shadows, ominous dark hallways, and visual depth to create suspenseful settings and on screen movement. The what you don’t see implications, however, freaky predictions, runes, messages with a mind of their own, dangerous winds, perfectly timed thunder, and creepy clown makeup also add dimension and fear. Dana Andrews (Best Years of Our Lives, Laura) may look a little worse for the wear, but he brings handsome, old school class and an everyman feeling for the audience thanks to his skepticism. Though she’s kind of too cute to be taken seriously if she’s making threats, Peggy Cummings (Gun Crazy) is certainly likeable and the viewer fears for her safety.  Cool cars and convertibles, mid century style and mannerisms add to that old time sophistication, and I don’t even mind this early horror appearance of a library research montage – what else were they supposed to do? The investigation, action, and questioning of one’s beliefs progresses perfectly, and the built in ticking clock sends the picture out on a high note.  

Deadly Blessing – Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm Street) directs a wonderful ensemble – including Maren Jensen (Battlestar Galactica), Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct), Susan Buckner (Grease), Lisa Hartman (Knots Landing), Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes), and Ernest Borgnine (McHale’s Navy) – in this 1981 rural cult thriller. Granted, the voices are soft, the country slow will be too slow for today’s fast-paced audiences, and the decidedly not Amish Hittite sect is too stereotypical. With point of view Peeping Tom angles, peering camera depths, blinding lights, red photography, and dark, scary shadows, however, the viewer trusts something sinister is afoot. Fears happen thanks to the extreme religious implications, farm country isolation, creepy barns, and the backwoods lack of technology; the music accents the scares and suspense amid some lovely, innocent character moments, too. Some dramatic and supernatural elements, however, remain unexplored and ultimately unfulfilled due to a flat script – parts of each theme are very well done, but not all the pieces fit together perfectly. Borgnine is stern and scary but his spooky looming and Stone’s very effective wiggins feel uneven amid the attempted mix of scream queens and girl power. Likewise, the weird ending is both slasher and mystical scary and out of place or potentially polarizing. Fortunately, the mystery and creepy atmosphere keep this enjoyable for fans of the cast and Craven, although this is not for arachnophobes or anyone who has issues with snakes – that bath tub scene really freaked me out!

Virgin Witch – This once X-rated and censored 1972 British saucy has a fiery, feisty opening complete with swanky music and boobs right there in the credits! The lack of subtitles makes some dialogue tough, but thanks to the ridiculously short skirts – or less – on sisters Ann (Death Wheelers) and Vicki Michelle (‘Allo, ‘Allo!), I don’t think it matters. More retro styles, sweet cars, London locales, and creepy country manors add to the pretty along with red lighting, neat camera tricks, iris openings, and shutter clicks during the onscreen photography sessions. If art was imitating life, however, it’s no surprise the stars don’t recall this film favorably. Everybody’s trying to get into these girls’ panties – who knew the cutthroat modeling world was really so demonic and nasty? Rapacious virgin sacrifices and artistic license orgies aside, it’s nice to see the clarifications on white witchcraft and no devil worship. The lesbian shade, by contrast, is too stereotypical and even offensive – Patricia Haines (Blood Beast from Outer Space) is up to no good, using business and religion to recruit young girls for her own unnatural desires! Fortunately, these intentions are just sexy, sensuous, and dangerous enough to keep up the fun, as there is more suggestion of kinky action than actual witch-ness anyway. Some scenes even feel like a porno with the obligatory sex cut out: models hitchhiking, the job interview, photography in the woods while someone else watches, the silent gardener doth approach… This steamy is all well and good if that’s what you want, but the sauce is at the expense of the shady. What does this coven really want and why? Though not a very original or ambitious picture – several opportunities are left untaken – the juicy scares and nudity do what they are supposed to do for an entertaining, sexy, and bemusing 90 minutes. 

And a WTF?

Incubus – This pre-Star Trek 1966 hidden William Shatner/Esperanto, um, gem written and directed by Leslie Stevens (The Outer Limits) actually looks wonderfully well restored. The well shot, black and white, almost exclusively outdoor silhouettes and lighting accent the dangerous fountain of youth and deadly succubus plots. The pace and intensity gain steam once Milos Milos (The Russians Are Coming) arrives with the titular vengeance, and the demonic myths are fairly accurate as well. Although Allyson Ames (Simon King of the Witches) and Eloise Hardt (Games) are indeed enchanting and creepy with saucy implications to match, the ridiculously wooden acting and stiff, trying too hard to be avante garde delivery makes this extremely difficult to watch. The hazy, bad dream atmosphere and existential eclipse on top of the Esperanto faux foreign picture vibe all combine for a seriously stoned viewing. What’s with the monk sucking an egg and carrying a reptile? It’s too weird to hear mixed English, Spanish, Italian, or French and Latin sounding dialogue – there are words you know, words you don’t know, words you recognize that mean something else, and then a whole lot of gibberish and a bad, lost in translation script. Only the eponymous cult happenings should have been in the created language, and after all the behind the scenes trouble, deaths, and hexes surrounding this picture, why not just film in English and then offer an Esperanto dub option? Is this movie the reason why Shatner…talks…the way…he…does? I don’t want to recommend this because this is in many ways a very flawed film, yet it has to be seen to be believed.  

Yet More 70s and 80s Horror!

More Horror from Decades Yore!

By Kristin Battestella

Low budget, bad, so bad they are good, or downright scary and entertaining – here’s a quick selection of good, bad, ugly, and macabre from those glorious seventies and eighties of yesteryear. 


 

Dracula (1979) – Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) takes the Bram Stoker mantle for this update co-starring Laurence Olivier (hello) and Donald Pleasence (Halloween). The streamlined action gets right to it with the turbulent bound for London Demeter, and there are further changes from the 1924 play adaptation – including a Lucy Steward and Mina Van Helsing switcharoo. The howls, thunder, sound effects, and mood music by John Williams (Star Wars) match all the horror visuals, gore and ghouls, transfusions, transformations, chases, fog, and lightshow graphics perfectly.  Not the usual Victorian as expected, the costumes and early cars are an Edwardian treat, and it’s quite nifty to see the traditionally Transylvania happenings take place in Britain instead. Unfortunately, the drab, dark, and surprising not colorful picture might make viewers today dismiss this as old and cheap. I understand the antique black and white-esque designs director John Badham (Saturday Night Fever) was attempting – and the patina does look nice.  However, one expects a certain amount of grandeur with these otherwise wonderful art and set dressings.  Some scenes are too flat and plain when they should have visual depth and be treats for the eye. Thankfully, the action, scares, and a decrepit Carfax Abbey work. The camerawork is creepy, with hypnotic zooms and suspense editing, too. Also of the stage revival, Langella, ironically, has the least accent of anybody. The other Brit cast seems to have a put on classic RP, but his delivery isn’t the clichéd Velcome one may expect. The suave Langella commands your attention nonetheless, and unlike today’s all action or teen dream vamps, the romance and predator balance here is just right. His charisma and the adaptation twists keep us tuned in to whatever new sensuous but oh so wrong treats will unfold next. By contrast, the ill Olivier is somewhat off. It’s amusing to see such a classy actor do horror, yes, but he’s more Velcome put on than Dracula.  He reminds me of the Dracula: Dead and Loving It spoof! I wish there was a new blu-ray release with both this devoid and a colors galore version, and the changes here might displease traditional Stoker fans. Nevertheless, there’s still enough gothic, stylized, and fast-paced drama to make this one worth a gander.

Dolls (1987) – The demented little music and titular creepy, absently staring disembodied heads are immediately effective in this 1987 eerie from director Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator). The British style is also bemusing, with bad English punk chicks and yuppie Dynasty then-sophisticates creating a lovely little ensemble accented by askew filming angles and individual agendas.  I know it all seems corny and passé, but the suspiciously broken down car on stormy night outside a spooky manor with a creepy kid, peculiar old people, and a wicked toy or two premise and gothic atmosphere more than make up for any datedness. Great candlelight, maze like interiors, and antique décor forgives any bad effects and doll animations – which are actually quite good considering the era. The seemingly obvious killer dolls may be cliché, granted, however, the unseen camera perspectives and slow reveal on who or what is doing all the slice and dice violence keeps the suspense and scary just this side of campy. I can see how some of today’s drinking game horror audiences could find this wonderfully humorous, and some scenes are indeed funny and charming, yet the witty and freaky morals are balanced wonderfully. Some viewers may also feel this is merely a supersized Tales from the Crypt episode. After all, there have been similar anthology tellings – Tales from the Hood immediately comes to mind, but more recently Dead Silence and of course, Chucky. Fortunately, at only 77 minutes, the spooky pace and fearful timing are just right here.  

Prince of Darkness – Director John Carpenter reunites with Donald Pleasence (Halloween) and Victor Wong (Big Trouble in Little China) for this 1987 companion piece to The Thing and In the Mouth of Madness, and his pulsing score adds to the freaky atmosphere. Although some of the eighties hair, big mustache hipness, and thirty something college feeling has not stood the test of time, other old technologies and the abandoned church designs are nostalgia cool. The foreboding religious implications and science secrets are also a fine premise, but there’s not a lot of dialogue to start and perhaps too much time is taken to clarify all the metaphysical and theoretical backtalk. Unfortunately, the younger cast delivering the supposedly heavy or likeability is as stiff as their Aqua Net – the forced romancey or hip scenes drag down the picture. I can’t believe that’s Jameson Parker from Simon & Simon!  Rocker Alice Cooper, thankfully, is duly disturbing, and Carpenter has left a few Hammer references and hints to his other films amid the creepy crawlies, evil slime, and sinister symbolism.  There are a few good scare moments and a great ending to set off the underlying ominous, yet this one feels as if it should be better than it is thanks to the slow pace filled with too many characters and poor intercutting.  Even if this one isn’t quite up to what one expects from Carpenter, it’s still a fun watch for enthusiasts on a late night.  

Watchers – An adorable, super smart, pc using dog you can’t help but love and so wish you could have stars alongside Michael Ironside (Total Recall) and the late Corey Haim in this 1988 teen horror chase based partly on the Dean Kootz novel and produced by Roger Corman (The Pit and the Pendulum). Thanks to a secret government science experiment gone awry, an evil monster is on the loose, too, and the vintage news reports and huge old equipment are also fun to see. Although, wow, Haim’s hair is bad, the early make out session is stupid, and the dark farm scares are a little slow to start; the steady variety of kills, frantic mash ups, and point of view editing heighten the scary build. Our monster isn’t revealed with a big CGI panoramic swoop or needlessly cool graphics, and screams, sound effects, and growls add to the rural location fears. It’s nice to see an ungraded or color tweaked picture and the photography adds to the old scares. However, the dated fashions and presentation make this one seem more juvenile than it probably is – a pink wearing, mulleted Jason Priestly (Beverly Hills 90210) calling a computer class teacher a dweeb from atop his BMX, yeah. Likewise, it’s funny to see Haim talking to a dog, because we’ve see him break the fourth wall in classics like Dream a Little Dream and License to Drive sans four legged pals. Though Barbara Williams (Thief of Hearts) is woefully unbelievable and Ironside may seem hokey, he delivers his expected badass.  The writer’s strike and behind the scenes troubles are apparent in the iffy dialogue, but there’s enough twists and entertainment here and in the 1990 direct to video sequel starring Marc Singer and Tracy Scoggins for slightly older tweens or family horror nights.

Now Here’s a Skipper!

The Devil’s Rain – William Shatner, Ernest Borgnine, Tom Skerrit, Ida Lupino, and John Travolta star in this somewhat infamous 1975 horror clunker. Things begin well and good with creepy music, eerie paintings, and lots of moans and groans over the main credits. There are scary storms, fearful ladies, and the Satanist dilemma gets on its way quickly enough. Unfortunately, bad makeup begets seriously corny gore effects; the picture is often too dark, and the sound is poor. One might like to call this a horror western due to the setting, but the dusty middle of nowhere just looks old and cheap boonies seventies instead. Unnecessary camera shots of movement from one place to another and slow, confusing scenes where nothing happens don’t help, either. Snails pacing is not foreboding, and the iffy mystery at hand amounts to a lot of double talk and threats but no real explanation. Poor editing between the storylines, visions, and shock photography are literally little more than a flash in the pan in attempt to shake up what seems like a convoluted, overlong episode of a bad horror anthology.  The creepy rituals and black masses are perhaps too realistic, granted. However, segments that should be scary aren’t because the audience is too busy figuring out what the heck is going on.  Can I get an exposition, people! The Puritan flashback might have been more interesting as the whole movie, but otherwise, one should only tune in for the cast amusements. This is just too nonsensical for anything else.  

From Here to Eternity

From Here to Eternity as Awesome as Awesome Gets, Period.

By Kristin Battestella

Everyone has seen that snip of the waves crashing over Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster in their steamy beach bound lip lock from this 1953 Hawaiian military epic. The shot’s famous, the film’s a bonafide classic, and yet there is so much more to From Here to Eternity.

After injuring a friend in the ring, bugler Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) won’t box for his new CO, Captain Holmes (Philip Ober) in the upcoming tournament.  Sergeant Warden (Lancaster) tries to get the stubborn Prewitt to see reason and even puts him on extra detail rather than see Prewitt punished by Holmes.  Unfortunately, Warden has his own hang ups- namely that affair with Holmes’ wife Karen (Kerr) - who pressures Warden to seek a commission.  Prewitt and his friend Maggio (Frank Sinatra) try to take the army life easy by visiting the New Congress Club for drinks and girls, and Prewitt makes plans with Lorene (Donna Reed).  Maggio, however, runs into trouble with the stockade sergeant, Fatso Judson (Ernest Borgnine). Jealously, vengeance, pride, and romance eventually collide as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor commences.

I feel like I’m going to ramble.  What can I say about From Here to Eternity that hasn’t already been said?  Then again, this isn’t nearly enough analysisizing over Best Director winner Fred Zinnermann’s (High Noon, A Man for All Seasons) adaptation of  James Jones’ then scandalous novel and Daniel Taradash’s (Don’t Bother to Knock) Best Adapted Screenplay, either.  Multiple viewings are indeed necessary to fully appreciate and properly study all the great dialogue, complex characters, Oscar winning cinematography, and star-studded performances. Maybe the melodrama will seem tame to some today, but From Here to Eternity still offers plenty of Pearl Harbor heavy.  I simply love this movie and have to tune in whenever it is on television. A viewer thinks he knows it line by line and can just leave it on the tele in the background. But no, the torment, romance, toughness, and intensity call you to the screen.  Is it over the top by today’s standards? Perhaps- but the fifties flair and form works for the archetype characters. For better or worse, these are these characters’ shining moments. From Here to Eternity’s journey is in seeing which player will burn out, fade away, win, or survive- and we’re not even talking about World War II yet!  Strategically placed couples and intimate photography match the suggestive relationships while balancing nicely with wider shots and the foreboding historical background. The focus here is on the little people and the Oscar winning editing mirrors the personal taboos of the time perfectly.  The camera sweeps down with Lancaster as he kneels to kiss Kerr and brings a long focus as Clift takes slow drags on a smoldering cigarette after going to the upstairs parlor with Lorene.  Audiences know what’s happening, and I actually find it pleasing that we can take the hint. Today’s films would be dominated by the raunchy base lifestyle and TnA brothel action. There’s an element of class amid the scandal here.  Life sucks, America’s not the best of the best can’t always deal- and yet From Here to Eternity shows it all in style.

If From Here to Eternity has a fault, it is that both its Best Actor nominees cancelled each other out in favor of William Holden in Stalag 17.  Holden is good, very good; perhaps it is indeed his best. Sixty years later, however, our boys look decidedly robbed. Future Oscar winner Burt Lancaster (Elmer Gantry) is just wonderful as the stiff all business sergeant who keeps the men in line while his jerky captain seeks glory. Lancaster looks good as Warden- acrobat fit, natural in uniform, and shirtless for his fans. He looks tough and cold hearted yet has a soft spot for his company- not to mention a brimming passion for his CO’s wife. Warden knows how to handle the hard, worn, and broken of the army, and we like him for it.  Somehow, we like him even more when he loosens up his prison alluding name and button up attitude to go after the wrong woman. He’s the last man we’d expect to get caught up with another man’s wife- the seemingly used and denied pencil pusher who cleans up his captain’s messes because he wants the company to remain a well oiled machine. Yet Warden’s a hunk of sergeant so overdue some leeway loving and getting drunk- which Lancaster and Clift really did, by the way!  What’s proper? What’s respectable? Since we know Pearl Harbor looms, these people don’t have time to worry about morality, do they? From Here to Eternity gives us wonderfully flawed and multi dimensional characters.

Rather than an acting rivalry, Warden and Private Prewitt have an unusual rapport, even a friendship as far as enlisted men and NCOs can have. In this, Montgomery Clift (Red River, A Place in the Sun) is equally awesome to Lancaster and just as beautiful.  Clift embodies Prewitt like no one’s business- complete with a slender uniform and a chip on his shoulder.  Any man who wants to know how to act should watch Clift here. Prew is a military man through and through- he just refuses to simply do and die and not reason why. He loves his bugle but won’t to back down to pressure to join the boxing team- even if it means continued hazing and difficulty on the base.  Principles onscreen and off are such a lost art! Clift exudes the straight back uniform style, the contrasting slouched and ruined hunch of an AWOL tropical shirt, and all the range of emotion and torment in between.  So what if the boxing scenes are hokey.  The idea of not wanting to box after blinding a friend may seem cliché to contemporary audiences, but Clift sells the pain perfectly, as if it is an integral part of who Prewitt is. The punishments he receives may just seem merely asinine, yes- today’s films would frontload this kind of plot point with unwatchable brutality before despicable character focus. Nonetheless, Clift plays the anger as fundamental, with no separation between himself and Prewitt.  Sure, he had his off screen troubles, but the viewer never thinks Clift is angry or playing himself, no.  Prewitt’s turmoil is simply so seamless- the music, the boxing, the love and loss. This is a completely three dimensional character thanks to Clift.

Perhaps I gloat over Clift, but I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I don’t like Deborah Kerr.  Fortunately, The Innocents, The King and I, and From Here to Eternity create a trio of her best.  Kerr doesn’t look the expected English pretty in tight sweaters and short shorts, and all those wet dialogue references up the innuendo.  Karen has been around the block- and a base or two- for all the wrong reasons, and yet we don’t blame her.  She’s a fast woman carrying plenty of pent up issues, but she struts her stuff and knows how to shake those hips. We see her coming and yet the audience can sympathize with this wasted and wronged captain’s wife. This affair can’t end well- the would be scandal, Pearl Harbor is imminent, Warden doesn’t want to be an officer and Karen won’t marry an enlisted man.  It isn’t good and yet these people need some happiness, dreams, and all the misery that comes along with love. Although she went home with the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, I’m still not so sure Donna Reed was the right choice for the prostitute Lorene.  She’s great and has the acting chops to turn our It’s a Wonderful Life and Donna Reed Show expectations, yes. However, you can’t quite forget this “It’s Donna Reed! As a prostitute!” feeling. Fortunately, Reed does match Clift’s charm, and together they develop a tender but broken kind of chemistry and bitterness.  Do they love each other? Without a doubt. Will the military action behind the scenes and on the battle lines eat them alive? Definitely. 

 

Surprising, the one who exceeds expectations in From Here to Eternity is revitalized crooner Frank Sinatra (The Manchurian Candidate and my personal favorite Robin and the 7 Hoods) as the loyal friend who cracks under the ruthlessness of the late Ernest Borgnine’s Fatso. The ill-fated best friend is the very definition of a supporting character, and Maggio is simply classic for that final scene alone.  He lifts, inspires, and sets Prewitt’s actions into motion for the final third of the film. Today’s speculation about Mafia involvement in his casting and debate about his Oscar win unfortunately seem to overshadow his actual performance, but Sinatra is worth another look here. Perhaps also a stereotypically styled villain, Borgnine (Marty, McHale’s Navy) is nevertheless an imposing, multi dimensional figure both in stature and in performance. He’s gritty, wicked, and we immediately hate that people like him get ahead while honest soldiers like Maggio are chewed up and spit out.  But oiy, it must have been tough for him with all that wop talk! Philip Ober (North by Northwest) is despicably love to hate worthy as Dynamite Holmes, too.

Despite winning awards for its black and white cinematography, I can’t help but wonder what From Here to Eternity would look like in full fifties color and splendor.  The onscreen forties styles and accessories, those swanky parlors, lovely palm trees, and handsome starch uniforms in all their glory! Not that I condone colorization by any means, and besides, this film is not about dazzling visuals and little else like the 2001 Michael Bay stinking spectacle Pearl Harbor.  The battle finale here is sweet though; and the real military locations and authentic drilling, equipment, and protocols give us the wartime vibe needed.  Bittersweet bugle tributes, fun piano music, period swing and aloha sounds also do wonders- along with “Re-enlistment Blues.”  Even the cigarettes in From Here to Eternity shine. The way our players hold them and their shot glasses or brush their hair- most young stars and ‘celebrities’ today simply cannot ‘act’ like this.  They can’t embody the tense mood, atmosphere, pressure, and grace tying From Here to Eternity in a pretty bow.

Simply put (a thousand words too late!) this film is a must see. Maybe you don’t like Best Picture hardware laden classics or any of the cast. Perhaps you don’t like wartime films or have no interested in seeing a film of acting, direction, and cinematic perfection.  Too bad. You can’t be a fan of dramatic cinema and movies themselves without having seen From Here to Eternity. So why wait?