The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day

Visuals and Played Style Taint The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day

By Kristin Battestella

Initially, I began writing two separate reviews for 1999’s The World Is Not Enough and 2002’s Die Another Day. After viewing Brosnan’s final two Bond pictures in one night, however, I found my writing so darn negative, similar, and depressing that I combined my commentaries. Do I really want to talk about all the wrongs in these Bond pictures? It just hurts so much!

After losing an assassin in Spain, 007 James Bond (Brosnan) returns to London. Unfortunately, he unwittingly facilitates the death of oil guru Robert King (David Calder, Bramwell), an old friend of MI 6 boss M (Judi Dench). Fearing an assassination attempt or another kidnapping of King’s daughter Elektra (Sophie Marceau), Bond protects Elektra as she oversees her father’s vision of a cross continental oil pipeline. Bond tracks down former KGB agent Renard (Robert Carlyle) and uncovers ties to Russian mobster Valentin Zuchovsky (Robbie Coltrane). When Renard steals a nuclear bomb, American physicist Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards) helps Bond recover the stolen plutonium.

The Word Is Not Enough makes unique strides in its action packed and plot critical pre opening sequence. It’s the series’ longest opener at nearly fifteen minutes; and the slick assassinations, touches of MI 6 proper, and sweet boat chase make time fly here. However, I have to say I’m a little tired of snow sequences and skiing and parachute action. It’s been done so many times in these movies alone. It’s not cool anymore. It’s not nearly as action oriented-perhaps over actioned- as the subsequent Die Another Day or Craig’s updated pictures, but The World is Not Enough makes no new action attempts, either.

An international cross continental pipeline and Stockholm Syndrome, nuclear warheads and cute doctors, wow- The World Is Not Enough pulled out all the stops, didn’t it. House writers Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Bruce Feirstein’s plot starts off strong but meanders with double talk drivel and a mishmash of devices and locations. Onscreen titles tell us whether we’re in Kazakhstan or Turkey or Spain, but at some point, it doesn’t matter to me where the action’s at. Most of The World Is Not Enough is predictable and redundant. By time something interesting happens-like the kidnap of M- it’s just too unbelievable and too weak for the audience to care. It’s global! It’s nuclear! No its not, its pieces of every other Bond picture. The World Is Not Enough is very superficial. Real oil crisis, nuclear intrigue, and Stockholm Syndrome analysis never happen. Though not one of the franchise’s best, the title song is fine, as are the nineties psychedelic titles. It’s all so ho hum though, like The World Is Not Enough itself; not super bad, but not enough to stand out either. Really, I don’t even know who Garbage is.

Now, as much as we love Pierce Brosnan and love Pierce Brosnan as Bond, he seems to have peaked with his debut in Goldeneye and gone downhill since. Brosnan is on form here, and the bland nature of The World Is Not Enough is not his fault. The humor, innuendo, and quips are all there; but the story and script relegate Bond to a blind bodyguard. How did he not see through Elektra King from the start? Sure, he gets his fun, and villains always say that women are his weakness-but Bond isn’t usually so, well, duped. This, his shoulder injury and the youth of Christmas Jones make Brosnan’s Bond appear far older than he really is. Is he that dumb, out of practice, and far from his prime? Of course not, but the story and action in The World Is Not Enough would have us think so. Some love to hate Roger Moore’s tenure-but his films seem to alternate between horrendously bad and really, really good. Unfortunately, Brosnan’s four pictures slowly meander in story, become slaves to action, and don’t do him justice.

Like Brosnan, I really love Judi Dench (As Time Goes By, Shakespeare In Love) and I really love her hard ass M. Nevertheless, attempts to put M into the main plot of a picture don’t seem to work. Her abduction happens way to easy, and seeing such a posh and classy lady in a dingy cell isn’t dangerous, it’s laughable. Thankfully, the humor with Q and John Cleese’s R is better. A bit obvious yes with a Monty Python alum, but its fun to see someone who’s as dorky and somehow charming as Q. Tragically, this is Desmond Llewelyn’s final picture, but he’s a delight as always. While it’s understandable to have the gadgetry scene and it’s a stretch this time around for more M; but where the heck is Moneypenny? I’d like more of her and MI 6’s easy doctor, Molly Warmflash. Great name and intelligence from Serene Scott Thomas; she’s believable as a doctor and still smokin’. It would have been great fun to see her become a regular. It’s also nice to see M’s aides Robinson (Colin Salmon, Dinotopia) and Bill Tanner (Michael Kitchen, Foyle’s War) both return. I suppose we can have too many house players hogging a picture, but with an increased M and MI 6 headquarters, The World Is Not Enough misses another opportunity in expanding these players.

Sophie Marceau’s Elektra King is the series’ first true female villain, but it’s not as if we haven’t had bad girls and twisted henchwomen before. I don’t think any onscreen explanation is given for her French accent, but its okay. Her delivery is authentic and believable. It’s certainly better than all the dub jobs of old. There’s an explanation for it, but her big ass odd earrings annoy the heck out of me. Marceau (Braveheart) is beautiful and sexy and in some ways Bond’s female match, that’s all that matters. Unfortunately, The World Is Not Enough again strays from what could be so good. By time we get to the supposedly sexually angsted final confrontation between Elektra and Bond, it’s a little anticlimactic.

I like Robert Carlyle in his comedy work like The Fully Monty but his Renard is one of dumbest villains in the franchise. It’s not the bullet in the brain and no pain touches-though they are silly enough-but Carlyle’s style and accent just don’t seem badass enough here. When watching, I kept expecting him to peel off the bullet scar, say ‘Cheers’ and eat it. Also unbelievable is Denise Richards (Wild Things, Starship Troopers) and her Dr. Christmas Jones. Like bootylicious Tanya Roberts in A View to A Kill, Richards’ is too young and her delivery to marshmallow to be scientific. Her Tomb Raider short shorts and cropped top are also ridiculous. If she’s there to look at, then don’t try to deny it. Bond pictures are the one place where its okay-nay it’s preferred and expected to have completely superficial women. Besides, for however smart they try to make Christmas, she’s still the damsel in distress. Always crying for James, isn’t she? Much time is also spent on the second series appearance of Robbie Coltrane’s (Harry Potter) Valentin Zukovsky, but this is also a rehash and uncharming attempt by Feirstein to recapture the wit of Goldeneye. One time Bond director Michael Apted (Coal Miner’s Daughter) should have kept the focus on Bond and Elektra-creating a strong antagonistic relationship instead of these supposedly important people.

Fans of the cast will of course enjoy The World Is Not Enough, as will die hard Bondafiles regardless of this missed boat. I feel bad for younger folks who say they grew up with Brosnan as Bond. If you think this is the finer point of the franchise, then you are sorely mistaken. I suppose straight action fans might enjoy this outing and its nuclear intrigue, but unfortunately, middle of the road fans are somewhat left out by this middle of the pack Bond picture. After a night with The World Is Not Enough, I can see how audiences felt tired by this long-standing series and thought Bond needed time to cool and re-establish itself

The trouble is, the franchise went from bad to worse with Brosnan’s final picture, Die Another Day. In this 20^th James Bond picture, 007 is captured and tortured in North Korea after the apparent death of General Moon’s (Kenneth Tsang, Parental Guidance) son Colonel Tan Sun Moon (Will Yun Lee, Witchblade). Bond is traded for Moon’s captured assistant Zao (Rick Yune) and escapes the custody of M (Judi Dench) as he plots his revenge. In Cuba, he crosses paths with NSA agent Giacinta ‘Jinx’ Johnson (Halle Berry) and traces a series of diamonds to British playboy Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens). At a special gala in Iceland, the truth about Graves and Bond’s revenge is revealed.

Like its predecessor, Die Another Day meanders like a montage of every other Bond picture. I really liked the touches of 40^th Anniversary specialness in Q’s laboratory, but yes, the invisible Aston Martin is just too much. This isn’t the sixties films, where we can blame such travesties on it being an old picture. Give Bond the Batmobile complete with a Robin saying ‘Holy Invisible Aston Martin, James!’ why don’t you. The knife in the shoe, the jetpack-even the simple use of series staples like ‘Universal exports’ is all that’s needed to honor 40 years of films. Can’t you just do what makes the series good? I would trade one allusion to the hat toss over all the ice palace magic and chases. After the first five minutes, the ice chase wasn’t cool-The Living Daylights did it better. (Nobody does it better…)

Die Another Day starts off well enough, too, with a fine pre title sequence and the torture montage stylized within the titles. Very neat, we think we’re going somewhere Bond hasn’t really gone before-and then, we hear the theme song. Only modern pups who like hip hop electronic gibberish can rate this as one of the series’ top songs-the same crowd that doesn’t know of any other Bond before Brosnan. I thought the blu-ray disc was skipping! Madonna’s woeful title song is another sign of the series’ recent reliance on product placement and marketing to the MTV generation. It’s supposed to be so hip and edgy, but in the end it’s just bad. I much prefer ‘Beautiful Stranger’, Madonna’s song for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. How ironic. Die Another Day does look great on blu-ray, but the sound was so agitating- big explosions and music over such soft voices. Sure, this is often a technical issue with most systems, but it’s also more writing on the wall that stock writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade’s story is less important.

Die Another Day was moved to 2002 to hit the 40 years of Bond exactly, but its Korean locales and sentiments seemed to come at just the wrong time. Again, we’re given some serious political intrigue with such promise; it’s modern and realistic, but a little too much, too. How can we take the pros and cons of Korean unification seriously when its hidden behind invisible cars, ice castles, mirrored satellites, and a General’s son stomping his foot while pretending to be a white boy? Whew, I think I lost myself there for a moment. If this is the film, I’d rather have Moneypenny’s VR sex romp, too.

I don’t care for Toby Stephens in Sharpe’s Challenge and I certainly don’t care for him here. It doesn’t bode well for a Bond when we prefer the villain over him, but it’s worse for the picture if the villain is useless all together. Spoiled adventurer Graves is too obviously going to get his wings burned like Icarus. We get it already! Rick Yune’s (The Fast and Furious) Zao is a far better villain, with freaky eyes and diamonds embedded in his face. This guy looks scary-he’s the one we want to be put down by Bond. Graves is just a spoiled little rich boy with big toys to over compensate for his daddy complex. Should I make a joke about Toby Stephens only getting anywhere in film because his mother is Maggie Smith? Nah.

Of course it’s fake, but Brosnan works the shaggy hair, itching beard, and prison scrubs to perfection. If the movie sucks, again it’s not his fault. Brosnan has the suave believability as well as the spy charm, and we can like him as Bond while admitting most of his tenure was ho-hum. Brosnan keeps his Bond mannerisms on form regardless of how realistic (like the Korean torture) or unrealistic (like that frigging car) things get. We watch Die Another Day because we want to see Brosnan’s Bond make it out of this picture unscathed. It was director Lee Tamahori (Along Came a Spider, Next, XXX) that let us down. The balance between the hyperbole and Bond’s revenge is just too askew.

While I don’t dislike Oscar winner Halle Berry, I’m not swooning over her Jinx, either. Dramatically, Berry’s fine, and many Bond fans think Jinx is one of the coolest and badass Bond Girls ever. However, I find her roles in action films off somehow. Berry seems out of place as Storm in the X-Men series, and in Die Another Day, it seemed like her Jinx wasn’t even in the room when the doody hit the fan. The romance and innuendo are on, but the supposedly water rise show stopper is the film’s obvious ‘homage’ to Honey Ryder, and the backwards dive in the hot pink bikini is such bad CGI it’s not even funny. In the supposedly so serious laser battle, can you honestly tell me it doesn’t look like Berry’s scenes weren’t filmed on different days? She’s hot and sexy and all that, but Jinx is another attempt to smarten and mature a Bond Girl, and it just doesn’t work. I never though I’d prefer Madonna over Halle Berry, but her uncredited fencing instructor Verity works far better than Jinx. She looks good, makes sex jokes with Bond, and provides him villainous information that brings him one step closer in the cat and mouse at hand. Madonna serves her purpose and departs in five minutes. Not bad.

There are a few fine things in Die Another Day, don’t get me wrong. Judi Dench makes the most of her M here. She struggles to keep the political and international peace while secretly supporting James. As skeptical as M may seem, we know deep down her tough love is also on Bond’s side. Equally complex- if underutilized- is Rosamund Pike (Pride and Prejudice) as Miranda Frost. Again, the simple formula of using a double entrée name goes a long way. She hot, she’s uptight, there’s ice. It’s a shame that Tamahori and the media upstaged this fine Bond Girl for the mediocrity of Jinx. Though he’ll never be Desmond Llewelyn, John Cleese’s first official film as Q has the wit and class of his predecessor. Again, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. The quiet ‘I never joke about my work’ does wonders in tribute to all the fun and wizardry of Q’s long standing relationship with 007.

On that note, it’s also great fun to simply hear the various mixes of the James Bond Theme and hints of other music associated with the series. And humor! Some of the innuendo is corny and forced, yes, but it’s these little Bondisms that are lacking in Craig’s tenure. If you stick to what makes Bond, well, Bond, you can take a mish-mashed picture like Die Another Day-or even a not too bad picture like the subsequent reboot Casino Royale- and make it something truly great. Despite some pretty awful pictures over these forty plus years, we’re still talking about Bond movies for a reason. Stop copying Bourne and give us the good stuff!

Bond collectors surely own The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day on DVD, but the numerous editions and pricey blu-ray sets are not for the casual fan. Brosnan lovers and fans of the casts can find what they’re looking for cheap enough, but again; I drive my husband insane with my complaints regarding the uneven sets and staggered blu-ray releases. Can the pups who only like Brosnan as Bond buy a single set of his four films alone? No. Mainstream action audiences might enjoy the visuals, fast pacing, and plot loss of The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day, but Bond fans can certainly find better pictures in the Eon canon. Intelligent viewers, unfortunately, should stay far, far away. Holy Bad Bond Reviews, James!

The Searchers

The Searchers Is My Favorite Movie of All Time

By Kristin Battestella

As you can see, I have very high film expectations-and frankly, I’m surprised at myself for taking this long to review John Ford’s 1956 western classic The Searchers. Truly, it’s not a question of if I like this movie and why you should, too; this spoily review is about how much time you have, as this is going to be a long one.

The Searchers is perhaps the first film I ever saw at about four or five years old. Well, I’m sure I saw some television and the like, but it was a big deal in our house when the VCR came along. I couldn’t get enough of epics like Gone with the Wind, Samson and Delilah, Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments-and I watched them repeatedly. The Searchers, however, was different. I thought it was so heavy and long and dark. For a kid, a two-hour movie is at best antsy and at worst agonizing. And yet, this western kept my attention. I couldn’t look away, in fact, and struggled to keep my eyes open. It was all in vain, of course, for I fell asleep before the film was over. The next morning, I jumped off the couch screaming, “Did he find her? Did he?” I watched The Searchers again from beginning to end and have loved it ever since.

My parents might remember it differently, but I quickly became obsessed with all things Indian after seeing The Searchers. My hair was always in braids, I had pipes, drums, rubber tomahawks, and moccasins. Lipstick makes great face paint, and I went through numerous construction paper feather headdresses. Years later, I carried on this tradition by teaching my nieces how to build teepees in the backyard-much to my mother’s dismay. All this imagination and delight from one viewing of an old western!

The Story

Confederate veteran Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) returns to his brother Aaron’s (Walter Coy, Wagon Train) Texas homestead three years after the Civil War. Sister-in-law Martha (Dorothy Jordan, The Wings of Eagles) welcomes Ethan, as do the children Lucy (Pippa Scott, Jigsaw John), Ben (Robert Lyden, Man of A Thousand Faces), and little Debbie (Lana Wood). Adopted nephew and part Indian Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter) is however, not a welcome sight to Ethan. Texas Rangers Captain and local Reverend Samuel Johnston Clayton (Ward Bond) comes to recruit the men, since Indians have stolen the cattle of neighbor Lars Jorgensen (John Qualen, Casablanca). Ethan takes his brother’s place on the ride, but once the men realize the cattle theft was meant to draw them out, it’s too late; the Comanche have taken Lucy and Debbie captive. Despite objections from Mrs. Jorgensen (Olive Carey) and her daughter Laurie (Vera Miles), Ethan, Marty, and Lucy’s beau Brad (Harry Carey, Jr.) set out searching for the abducted girls.

It’s one of my longer summaries and yet it doesn’t begin to say anything about The Searchers. I’ve actually never read the Alan Le May source novel for fear it would change my darling perceptions of the film. Screenwriter Frank S. Nugent’s (The Quiet Man, Mister Roberts, Fort Apache, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon) adaptation, however, goes beyond the written word. So many looks, glances, and gestures say just as much as the heavy plot and complex story. After observing sister-in-law Martha lovingly laying out Ethan’s Confederate jacket, my mother said, “What is she to him?” The subtle innuendo between Ethan and Martha brews throughout the film. She deflects him from speaking about his potential illegal business, and The Reverend Captain Clayton merely sips his coffee when Ethan kisses Martha on the forehead before he leaves. When the homestead is raided, its Martha that Ethan calls for upon his return. Is Ethan pursuing Martha’s daughters out of devotion for her?

The Searchers continues the familial relationships as the partnership between Ethan and Martin progresses. Ethan insists he’s not any kin to Marty-nor is Debbie blood to Marty. Despite his vocal disdain for the part Cherokee, it was Ethan who ‘found’ Martin as a baby; he makes a deal for Martin to run his cattle and work with Jorgesen and later writes a will naming Marty as his heir. Why does Ethan have such a mix of hate and love for Martin? Towards the end of the film, he tells Marty the Indian Chief Scar killed his mother. Well, how does Ethan know-and why does he care anyway?

Ethan Edwards also possesses a bizarre knowledge of the Comanche Indians in The Searchers. He knows which Army agencies the local tribes frequent; he speaks their language and knows their customs. How can he be so knowledgeable yet hate Indians so? Look carefully for a tombstone early in the film detailing the death of Ethan’s mother by a Comanche raid. Is this why he only knows the bad side of a Comanche? All these questions I’ve raised, and The Searchers doesn’t always provide a satisfactory answer. In contrast to some of its heavier and complex motifs, John Ford also makes sure there’s a fair bit of western humor. Mose Harper (Hank Worden, Red River) serves up just the right amount of charm, absurdities, and crazy old man. Other exchanges between Wayne and Ward Bond are funny, ironic, and even inappropriate racially. The wedding and subsequent fight between Mary and Charlie McCorry (Ken Curtis, Gunsmoke) is stupid and silly. In such a serious movie, one might think these humorous moments out of place. However, the lighthearted breaks are welcome against the darker scenes in The Searchers. It’s just enough of a tongue in cheek nod to the stereotypical western: “We be texicans!”

The Cast

He’s one of the stalwart personifications of the American Hero. When John Wayne got the bad guys onscreen in so many World War II pictures like Sands of Iwo Jima and They Were Expendable, so did we. When John Wayne put his own money into the overstuffed and overzealous The Alamo, we still watched. Even when John Wayne supported US action in Vietnam in the woefully out of place The Green Berets, we still loved him. In The Searchers, however, John Wayne is not a hero. He’s ambitious, maniacal, bigoted, and driven on a quest with very ambiguous intentions. We have no doubt he’d rather Debbie be dead then live with Indians, yet we root for his search to end. John Wayne, normally so cool, level, and badass ‘cause he’s the good guy, puts all those same skills into Ethan Edwards. We know Ethan knows his stuff and one would never want to cross him. Wayne steps these attributes up and darkens his performance with spitting shouts, quick actions, and dare I say it, evil glares. Like his earlier haywire turn in my second favorite feature Red River, Wayne is a force to be reckoned with and we best not stand in his way.

Jeffrey Hunter, however, does stand in John Wayne’s way. For every “That’ll be the day!” from Ethan, we have Martin’s contesting, “Not likely!” Seemingly cast as the young pretty boy most pictures seem to require, Hunter (His Christopher Pike from the original Star Trek pilot is my favorite and I love Sergeant Rutledge) is the idealistic antagonist to Ethan. According to The Searchers’ gospel, part Indian Marty’s thoughts shouldn’t matter against big, white Ethan. Nevertheless, Martin’s quest to stay with Ethan in order to save Debbie from her Uncle’s pathos is essential for the viewer. Hunter is the perfect sidekick to Wayne. He stutters as the illiterate Marty and begins the film quite naive and innocent. Hunter’s goofs with Vera Miles’ (Psycho) Laurie are timed perfectly. Meant to be the cute and leveled headed girl in a mostly boys picture, Miles adds feminine depth and dimension in The Searchers. She’s frustrated with waiting for Marty, and despite her education, Laurie eventually shows similar true colors to Ethan’s sentiment that Debbie is better off dead. It’s not exactly a flattering role for Miles, but such statement making female performances aren’t easy to come by.

Though billed nearer the top of the cast, Natalie wood (Rebel without a Cause, Splendor in the Grass) actually has precious little screen time. Her younger sister Lana (Diamonds Are Forever) is adorable as the younger Debbie, and both are by default beloved by the audience. After all, we are in effect waiting to see Natalie Wood. Her entrance nearer the final half hour of the film is one of my favorite scenes. Even if you somehow have no clue who Natalie Wood is-as I did the first time I saw The Searchers-you know Debbie when you see her. Likewise, The John Ford Stock Company charms the viewer. Veteran character actor Ward Bond (Sergeant York, Rio Bravo) is a delight as the unconflicted Ranger Captain and Minister Samuel Clayton, and Harry Carey, Jr. (She Wore A Yellow Ribbon) gives a fine performance as the disturbed love unable to cope with his Lucy’s death. Several visual tributes to his famed father are embedded in The Searchers, and we believe his widow Olive Carey (Two Rode Together) is every bit as tough as her Mrs. Jorgensen. Of course, John Wayne would name one of his sons Ethan in tribute to his character, but elder son Patrick Wayne (Big Jake, Young Guns) rounds out the family ties here as a young and ignorant cavalry lieutenant.

The Scenery

I don’t suppose there’s much I can say about John Ford that a master of film making, history, or viewing doesn’t already know. From The Iron Horse, Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, and How Green Was My Valley to The Quiet Man, Mister Roberts, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; John Ford entertained the budding motion picture generation and constructed the essentials of filmmaking that we rely on today. His direction here is harsh and wise. In some ways, The Searchers is not meant to be a pretty and charming picture. Yet, in others ways, how can it not be? Ford’s mastery of cast, cameras, and characters clicks on all cylinders. But of course, the incredible locations and vistas of Monument Valley is a character unto itself. The wide scopes and small people amid big mountainscapes were deliberately edited by Ford to heighten the wild danger in The Searchers. Ethan Edwards and his friends are unwelcome newbies to a land that does not wish to be tamed. The Texas frontier can break even the strongest; and The Searchers makes just as much case that the West should have been left well enough alone as it praises and honors our forefathers and pioneering spirit.

How out of place does the white washed Victorian farmhouse look against the shadowed red mountains? Old-fashioned blue and white china can’t bring civility to an uncivilized land. Ford films several charming indoor sequences, but the country warmth of the indoors is dark and small compared to the big and ambiguous outdoors. Multiple viewings are required to analyze all of Ford’s visual tricks. The film opens and closes with doorway scenes. Inside is still and dark, but the door opens to a beautiful and reckless country waiting to be explored. Moreover, why is it that John Wayne’s Ethan is always on the outside looking in on those shots? Is his own big and ambiguous nature so similar to the wilds? Can he also never be tamed by the simple, easy life?

One distinctly unique style of The Searchers is the deliberately minimal use of close ups. I never thought to notice this in other pictures, but it makes absolute sense here. There are only about a dozen medium close-ups, and although those zooms get closer to a characters’ thoughts and feelings, the lack of a true close ups represents the distance still between critical people and the people amid nature. Even when Ford takes his camera as close as we’re going to get, your eye is still drawn to everything else in the frame. There’s the famous zoom where Wayne turns to look at a crazy woman in an Army fort. He’s wearing such dark clothes amid a dark and cold cabin, his brim is over his face, but we still see his hardened eyes and five o’clock shadow. It’s as if Ethan’s hardened heart can stop the camera cold-or perhaps the camera represents the viewer who’s afraid to go further and accept Ethan’s deadly intentions.

Not to be outdone visually, The Searchers also boasts a fine score by Oscar winner Max Steiner (Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, Since You Went Away). I can’t help myself, I love the opening drums before the bittersweet titular song by Stan Jones (Rio Grande). Such pretty melodies carry us through the sentimental moments of the picture, but natural western sounds give us some harsh reality, too. Gunshots, horses, rocky slips, and Indian chants put us in a frontier state of mind. Strangely, the old hymn ‘Shall Gather at the River?’ is used for both funerals and weddings onscreen, and of course, if we’re a little slow on something, there are plenty of orchestral crescendos and booms for all The Searchers’ big drama and action.

Though still sensitive and easily scratched when over handled, my blu-ray viewing of The Searchers froze and skipped not. And, Sweet Jesus The Searchers on blu-ray may just be the finest thing I have ever seen. The exceptional views of Monument Valley are magnified tenfold-every jagged rock and layer of sediment is defined. The blowing sand, a horse’s sweat and flexing muscles, the detailed gingham and calico dresses and vests of old, the buffalo! Every depth of vision you can possibly imagine can be seen on blu-ray. I half expect the snow to continue from the screen out onto my carpet or the blue skies to burst out and color my walls. I always thought The Searchers was a Technicolor fifties bright and colorful production, but after years of small screen viewing and grainy VHS; I just can’t get over how blu-ray rejuvenates The Searchers. Even my DVD copy (from which the screen captures here were taken) can’t compare. Like my previous praise of the original Planet of the Apes, blu-ray makes an older picture seem twenty years newer. I hereby declare that all classics should be released on blu-ray!

The Statements

Despite its wonderful cast and visuals, The Searchers is not a western where the good guys where white hats and the bad boys are all in black. It’s reflections on racism, Manifest Destiny, and the Confederacy are clear enough to any modern viewer. From the first mention of Ethan’s allegiance to the South to Laurie’s final declaration that a bullet in Debbie’s brain is best, we know this picture says a lot more than most westerns or most of its McCarthy era compatriots. Not only commenting on its story material, The Searchers also says a lot about its time. There are no black actors in sight-and I’m sure if I researched enough I could find out that surely there were real American Indians involved in the production. Nevertheless, you can’t see any of them onscreen. Painted white actors- Scar actor Henry Brandon was born in Germany!-portray the stereotypical feather headdress wearing Injuns, and the Mexicans offered all wear sombreros. Today The Searchers doesn’t look dated; it simply looks like a film of its time that’s bravely commentating on a hundred years prior. Unfortunately, our nation’s true colors seem to have changed little in that time.

Like other John Ford pictures, The US Cavalry makes an appearance here. Instead of being the hero, however, The Searchers offers a somewhat underhanded treatment of the Army. First the Cavalry and its Indian Agencies interfere with Ethan’s search and provide little help. Later, Lieutenant Greenhill is made out to be a dumb, spoiled boy who doesn’t know what he’s doing-and he and his bugler are the only significant Cavalrymen in the picture. Some viewers think a brief scene in which Captain Clayton has an undisclosed rear end injury is out of place; however, I think he was stuck in the butt with Greenhill’s sword. He’s warned earlier by Clayton to take care with his ‘knife’, and to me the butt wound represents the pain in the backside that Northern interference and reconstruction was to the still proud South.

Also seeming to rub the wrong way in The Searchers is the juxtaposition of religion and violence. The local reverend is also the ranger captain for goodness sake, and he has no problem shouting Hallelujah after he’s shot a few Indians. Clayton also comments in the opening moments of the film that Debbie still isn’t baptized-does this mean she’s more susceptible to those Injun ways? Before a battle with Scar, Mose erroneously prays, ‘That which we are about to receive, we thank thee, oh Lord.’ Shortly thereafter, Martin has mixed feelings about his first Indian kill, but he quickly gets over it and continues firing. This observance of white hypocrisy parallels the relationship between Ethan and Scar, for both fights to avenge killed family. Ethan constantly refers to evil Bucks, non-human Comanche, scalping-he even shoots the eyes out of a dead Indian so the man will ‘wonder forever between the winds’.

Why don’t we think good of Scar-a man who has lost two sons-when he takes in a young and lost Debbie and raises her as his own? Are we to be pleased when Ethan scalps Scar? It’s not a question of if the situations were reversed, for in many ways Ethan and his Indian enemies are not that different. We’re supposed to like the white guys even if we know their ways are wrong and hate the Indians for their misunderstood violence. Although The Searchers has a feel good ending, the getting there is uneasy, complex, and complicated. The irony is that Ethan hopes to find Debbie and return her to the Jorgensen’s homestead. It’s not even really her home, merely neighbors from when Debbie was five years old. We are given the impression that she’s better off with an unrelated white family than Indians who raised her as their own. It’s never even considered that she might be better off staying where she’s acclimated. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Once Ethan sees Debbie as a full-fledged squaw, his sentiments that living as a Comanche isn’t worth the living are fulfilled.

The Legacy

Perhaps its no longer in the younger, mainstream media’s mind, but film schools, scholars, contemporary filmmakers, and movie historians are intimately familiar with The Searchers. Ford’s vision and Wayne’s performance have been imitated, studied, and written upon long before me. First released in several DVD sets and collections beginning in 2001, my now out of print single disc edition only contains an original trailer and the Warner Brothers behind the scenes shorts. When the blu-ray release came out in May 2009, I quickly moved it to the top of my netflix queue. Though affordable, I think my husband is trying to talk me out of buying the set and passing along my DVD copy to my Dad. My husband is not a fan of westerns or classic films, you see, and he knows I will beg and plead and somehow find a way of conning him into watching The Searchers. The blu-ray feature “The Searchers: An Appreciation” showcases directors Curtis Hanson, Martin Scorsese, and John Milius discussing why they love this film. Along with the Two Disc Anniversary DVD and the Ultimate Collector’s Edition, the blu-ray set has introductions by Patrick Wayne, commentary by Peter Bogdanovich, original trailers and behind the scenes recollections for the uninitiated viewer.

The Searchers’ numerous releases on DVD and now blu-ray; its preserved status with the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry; and its countless placing on numerous Top lists, critics’ choices, and American Film Institute countdowns should give you some indication as to how important this picture is to American cinema. Ranked as the number 1 western and 12^th best film of all time by the AFI, you can’t consider yourself a fan of great movies unless you’ve seen this picture. Despite my praise, The Searchers is not a film one watches obsessively like others. It certainly takes more than one viewing to catch all its complexities, but The Searchers also needs time to germ and stew. There has to be time for you to forget, if possible, touching pieces or perhaps change yourself and thus your viewing perceptions. This film should be watched every few years or so and only in a proper viewing format-not cut up with commercials on television. The Searchers must be seen in its entirety every time for full effect-Ford’s epic vision demands it.

Sweet Jesus, I’ve spent 10 pages and over 3,500 words on The Searchers. If nothing else, that has to count for something!

MI-5: Season 3

MI-5 Season 3 Unhindered by Cast Changes

By Kristin Battestella

It happens to every show eventually. After only sixteen episodes, the British spy series MI-5 shakes up its cast with comings and goings across the board. Such changes can make or break a program, but the heavy drama and gritty realism survive Season 3 unscathed. 

 

After shooting MI-5 Chief Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) to escape persecution for a crime he did not commit, Section Leader Tom Quinn (Matthew Macfadyen) must prove his innocence. Adam Carter (Rupert Penry-Jones) is transferred from MI-6 to help clear Tom’s name-but the task is not easy for Junior Agents Zoe Reynolds (Keeley Hawes) and Danny Hunter (David Oyelowo). Zoe wants to marry her new beau, photographer Will North (Richard Harrington), but trust is always an issue off the grid. Intelligence Officer Ruth Evershed (Nicola Walker) is more accepting of Adam, but she struggles with dangerous missions that come too close to home. Things don’t get any easier when Adam’s wife Fiona (Olga Sosnovska) is also loaned to MI-5.

It is a little unusual to have all three of your lead players depart in one year, but the exits of Tom Quinn, Zoe Reynolds, and Danny Hunter are staggered throughout Season 3. After such heavy missions, bad relationships, and ethical dilemmas, the exit of Section Leader Tom Quinn is a little melodramatic. Despite the cliffhanger from last season and an opening resolution being prime opportunities for a dramatic departure, Tom merely leaves quietly in the second episode. It drags a touch, but it’s understandable nonetheless. Even in such a brief time, we’ve had a high riding dose with Tom, and the character has run its course. The episodes in between his and Zoe’s departures may seem like filler, but they’re also doing the critical job of establishing new folks. Sure it’s not as heavy, but we also don’t know these players as well. Keeley Hawes’ exit does seem too convenient, but it’s fitting and makes sense as well. David Oyelowo is the last to go and his exit in the finale is a whopper. All are fitting exits, and its nice to have an onscreen bow out rather than a reference later, but after such extreme circumstances, the departures are a bit of a wimper. In the spy business, people come and go. As much as I’ll miss the original leads, I’m curious about the new folks, too.

He’s a bit prettier than Matthew Macfadyen, bur Rupert Penry-Jones (The Four Feathers) swiftly takes the reins at Thames House. In America, a pretty blonde boy comes into a series when a young, hip vibe is needed, but Adam Carter isn’t all show. He’s suave and cool about his business, but is also dark and dangerous, reckless in his work. I thought his early references to a wife were part of a joke or cover, but filling the void left by Zoe is Olga Sosnovska (All My Children) as Fiona Carter. She looks a little older than Adam, and both seem to have ambiguous pasts at MI-6; but I like her. They are a pretty couple who seem to have things together far better than Tom or Zoe did. Both do what needs to be done-in fact, they sometimes have a tough time convincing the rest of MI-5 to go where they’d rather not.

Beyond the goings of critical players, MI-5 head Harry Pearce and tech agents Malcolm Wynn Jones (Hugh Simon) and Colin Wells (Rory MacGregor) keep things on the level. Peter Firth’s harsh boss is opening up more, and we’re seeing him battle with serious office politics more and more. At last, Season 3 also brings us the gentler side of Ruth. Her unlucky in love storylines juxtapose well with Danny’s first potential assassination mission. That sounds very strange to say, but oh bla dee, the professional and private lives on MI-5 still go round and round.

Yes, season 3 of MI-5 has the same heavy international intrigue and complex storylines that we’ve come to expect. Again issues that are too risqué across the pond come to the forefront here. Rogue agents, corrupt clashes with the CIA and Her Majesty’s Secret Service, true Islam versus terrorism- all these heady hijinks feel instant and real because the big picture from creator David Wolstencroft is always brought close to home. Vengeful family members and the potential for dead babies are great personal touches on MI-5. We are satisfied at the cast departures because our beloved agents have at last beat the system, but seeing the new folks in such peril keeps our feelings just as deep. I don’t like episodes that begin with the ending and then go back and show us how we got to such a dynamite conclusion, but there’s enough suspense and intrigue remaining for MI-5.

With such action and spy-oriented stories, MI-5 is going to have its fair share of revolving cast members. Fans might take less interest according to how their favorites come and go, but there’s enough foundation to keep the series fresh in Season 3. Rather than being disappointed, I’m ready for my next ten episodes. Looks for MI-5 at your favorite retailer or online rental service today.

Anne of A Thousand Days

Anne of A Thousand Days Still Lavish and Gripping

By Kristin Battestella

When one gets into a medieval mood there’s little to save one-except a healthy marathon of Tudor England and all its debauchery. Sometimes we turn to older, aged, long-standing pictures for more authenticity compared to today’s sexual presentations, so I was very pleased to discover Anne of A Thousand Days available on DVD. It’s been a while since my last viewing, and what’s more Tudoresque than an over the top Richard Burton?

King Henry VIII (Burton) cannot have the male heir he so desperately desires with his Queen, Katherine of Aragon (Irene Papas). After dismissing his pregnant mistress Mary Boleyn (Valerie Gearon), Henry sets his sights on Mary’s younger sister Anne (Genevieve Bujold). With the help of Cardinal Wolsey (Anthony Quayle), Henry courts Anne. Unfortunately, she refuses his bed until Henry decides to annul his marriage to Katherine. Despite Thomas More’s (William Squire) objections, Henry marries Anne Boleyn. When no living male heir comes from the union, the King quickly sets his sights on Jane Seymour (Lesley Paterson) and seeks to dispose of Anne.

Richard Burton (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, The Robe) is one of the finest Welsh actors produced. In respect to presence and notoriety, there’s really no denying it. I like Richard Burton well enough, but that having been said; he’s also often ridiculously over the top in his delivery and mannerisms. We can joke about his style and torrid marriages (yes, two) with Elizabeth Taylor, but in Anne of A Thousand Days, all that drama works. Burton’s raised voice, pacing, and big bellows bring the larger than life Henry into the twentieth century. His dramatic tears and clenched fists show us his yearning for Anne Boleyn, as well has his power to get his own way. With such serious and controversial subjects such as incest and adultery, Anne of A Thousands Days needs an actor to trump the built in scandalous material. Burton’s beard, costumes, and style transform him into King Henry, and he gives one of his finest performances.

Director Charles Jarrott (Mary Queen of Scots), unfortunately wastes Irene Papas (Jacob, The Odyssey) as Katherine of Aragon. Her quiet objections and respectful queen aren’t given proper due in Anne of A Thousands Days. Of course, this is after all, all about Anne Boleyn, isn’t it? French Canadian actress Genevieve Bujold looks a little young against Burton’s big and bearded Henry, but she holds her place and then some against all these Shakespearean trained heavyweights. Anne’s early disdain towards Henry comes across understandably, and her slow turn to love and lust for power progress properly through the film. I really only know of Bujold through Coma, her controversies on set, and her quick exit before Star Trek: Voyager even began. Nevertheless, her feisty style and heavy performance earned her a Golden Globe trophy and an Oscar nomination. Generally, in Tudor presentations, someone is always made out to be the bad guy. Here, however, Anne and Henry play out as tragic and faulty people. Bujold and Burton’s final confrontation at the end of the film almost single handedly makes Anne of A Thousand Days.

In some early pictures, it’s easy to spot who is the rookie or stock players-but not in Anne of A Thousand Days. From the Boleyn’s Michael Horden and Katharine Blake to William Squire as Thomas More-and even sneak peaks of Elizabeth Taylor-everyone looks to have the zeal and clout needed to keep his or her head in Henry’s court. Nominated for a Supporting Actor Oscar as well as the BAFTA and the Golden Globe, Anthony Quayle (Lawrence of Arabia) nearly takes Burton’s cake as the corrupted, but tragic Cardinal Wolsey. We like to thing better of so high a religious official, but we know he’s crooked and maneuvering things just like every other member of Henry’s court. Nevertheless, Quayle tugs at our heartstrings as Wosley slowly loses out against Anne Boleyn. It took me forever to recognize John Colicos as Thomas Cromwell. Battlestar Galatica’s Baltar is subtle but no less slick as Wolsey’s Protestant heir apparent-and he’s completely immersed all his sly into Cromwell.

Even though things were more swinging back in the day, it’s surprising to see such raunchy talk in such a well put together dramatic piece. Anne of A Thousand Days has Shakespearean soliloquies next to such tawdry talk about the power between a women’s legs and how to properly charm a virgin. It’s kind of kinky and bizarre to see such a heavy and serious cast deliver such charms as ’bitch’ and other naughties, but all of them speak with such natural Old Speaketh Like that after the first half hour, it almost feels acceptable. After all, you can’t deal with Kings and Queens, consummations and bastards without some sex talk of the day. Writers Richard Sokolove, John Hale, and Bridget Boland keep the script adapted from Maxwell Anderson’s (The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex) play serious, authentic, and professional.

Anne of A Thousand Days may be from 1969, but it looks mighty fine today. The costumes, the sets, the colors-every care was taken in art and set decoration. It doesn’t even look that small of a scale against our opulent, 21^st century productions, and Anne of A Thousand Days has some Oscar hardware to show for it. The castles look stone cold when need be, or wooden and warm and festive for the parties. All the ladies costumes look accurate and such a dream to wear. Of course, the men will always look a little silly to us modern folk with their skirted coats and bright hose. Nevertheless, the hats, feathers, jewels, and crowns work on the men as well as the women. Music also plays a critical part in Anne of A Thousand Days. The sixties hippie strings and classical score sound straight out of the sixteenth century. The flutes and the guitars are not some lofty and obviously placed outside add on, but the instruments play onscreen and provide authentic courtly sounds. It’s all a little heady and trippy, but somehow a fitting mix of antiquity and modern tunes.

Despite my high praise, Anne of A Thousand Days is not perfect. Folks who can’t abide the over the top and stage like styles of old will be quickly annoyed with the sassy women and forceful deliveries. One has to be very much in the mood for such a heavy picture. The uneven voices’ volumes go from very soft to complete screams. And at almost two and a half hours, some might give up on Anne of A Thousands Days before the real meat of the story begins. All these considered, this crazy monarch keeps us entertained, doesn’t he? Anne of A Thousands Days is another example of how each generation needs to somehow make the Tudor story its own. Where we may laud Camelot and all goodly legends of Kings and fine places, sometimes we need to show ourselves that we’re nowhere near as nutty as Henry VIII. Anne of A Thousands Days is a time capsule of us playing out our torrid histories. What’s wrong with that?

Blessedly Anne of A Thousands Days is available on a proper DVD with subtitles and a widescreen presentation. It’s essential to read the low voices, but the properly trained British accents here go a long way, too. I imagine all this is too old fashioned and over long for the classroom, but teachers and scholars no doubt already know and love Anne of A Thousand Days. We’ve had modern good with The Tudors and some bad with The Other Boleyn Girl, but Anne of A Thousand Days is still a delightful look at Henry and his many wives. True Tudor fans should learn it, live it, love it.

MI-5: Season 2

MI-5 Season 2 Heavy and Addictive

By Kristin Battestella

I can’t help myself; I keep watching more and more of the British spy series MI-5. The ten episodes of Season Two have been viewed, leaving me feeling intelligent, intense, and thirsty for more.

MI-5’s Section D leader Tom Quinn (Matthew Macfadyen) can’t seem to find the right balance between his secretive work and his love life. Likewise, Junior Offices Zoe Reynolds (Keeley Hawes) and Danny Hunter (David Oyelowo) struggle with their less than cut and try undercover assignments. Presidential visits, extreme terrorists, and military corruption are all in a day’s work for boss Harry Pearce (Peter Firth).

I thought the six-episode debut season of MI-5 was swift and dynamic, but 2003’s Season Two has upped the ante. Still small at ten shows, head writer David Wolstencroft keeps things tight, complex, and most definitely not cookie cutter. More international hijinks and intrigue come into play this season, and MI-5 is not afraid of subjects that would be taboo or tame across the pond. Critical episodes focusing on Muslim extremists, US and British relations, and the market for selling and stealing worldwide secrets keep the viewer on the edge. After all the grey at the office, MI-5 also tosses personal drama into the mix. Despite the action and complex plot, we never forget that spies are people, too.

After all the intensity of MI-5, I find it amusing that the show could also merely be about Tom Quinn’s lovelife. Three-count it three in ten episodes-relationships go sour for him. Sure, they all start off well and good, but after all the secretive phone calls and serious assignments, how can we possibly expect him to have a normal life? Macfadyen plays the serious spy and conflicted man to exception. His relationship with CIA liaison Christine Dale (Megan Dodds, Ever After) would seem like the perfect match, but we know mixing with foreign operatives can’t be good-and the cliffhanger finale reminds us just in case. As slick and badass as Tom runs his operations, Macfadyen makes sure we find him a little tragic, too.

Likewise, Keeley Hawes has grown beyond just being the pretty girl agent on MI-5. She keeps Zoe likeable-even though she makes mistakes and is afraid of losing herself amid all the undercover lives and cover stories. Even with these seemingly understandable flaws, Zoe rises to the occasion, leads up some missions, and does what needs to be done. Thankfully David Oyelowo‘s Danny has also been given more to do. We’re passed the hip token black guy introductions and now Danny is an equally unrested agent with a job that’s often too close to the edge. We even spend some ambiguous time with Peter Firth’s boss Harry Pearce. The chief at Thames House is strict when needed, but somehow loving of his underlings-and hey, he’s not perfect, either.

Naturally, we do have a few cast comings and goings this season. Nicola Walker (Chalk) as intelligence transfer Ruth Evershed and Shauna MacDonald (The Descent) as rookie operative Sam Buxton seem promising, but as yet they sprout information when needed or do favors like secretaries. Geeky agents Malcolm Wynn-Jones (Hugh Simon, Cold Feet) and Colin Wells (Rory MacGregor, Primeval) seem more defined as they sprout their gadgetry wisdom. We don’t doubt any of their work, but we’ve yet to go home with the supporting agents. I don’t know the reasons of their departures, but I miss season one standouts Jenny Agutter (Logan’s Run) and Hugh Laurie (House). We were just getting to know their secrets. I suppose cast movements add to the dangerous work of Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Anyone-high or low, good or bad-could be gone at any time.

Maybe there were touches of it previously, but this season I’ve really noticed MI-5’s handsome uses of split screens, archive news footage, camera tricks, and lighting techniques. It’s fast, busy, off colored, and askew; yet MI-5’s look is somehow still pleasing to the eye. Sometimes in movies, we are so inundated with herky jerky cameras and strobe lights that we can’t absorb it all. Here, however, the distorted view of newsreels, security cameras, and computer screens seems natural. The split screens represent the multiple views and angles of a mission, and the blue or red glows are the natural gadgetry lights. MI-5’s modern visuals give the viewer the look and feel of what it’s like for these agents. Some of the technology and mechanical talk may or may not be factual or realistic, but it’s dang cool. Maybe the cell phone can do it all!

Fans of pure action and sweet toys can enjoy MI-5 without a doubt, but intelligent audiences looking for thought provoking commentary will certainly find what they’re looking for as well. It’s rare to find a series that is so frank in its portrayal of our post-9/11 world yet so complicated in the black and white of its characters. We have a few curses and some naughty British slang, but there’s really nothing to deter teen viewers. If you’re smart enough to see the big picture MI-5 is talking about, then by all means, you should be watching. Some PBS stations have shown MI-5 at its uncut 53-minute length, so check your local listings. Look for the DVD sets online, in stores, or check your favorite rental and streaming options. I know I’m already saving up more time and money for more MI-5.

Shenandoah

Shenandoah Still Sad, Tragic

By Kristin Battestella

Despite my recent DVD proclivity for Sean Bean, my VHS collection offers a serious helping of classic stars like John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Paul Newman, Gregory Peck, and James Stewart. Everyone knows at least one Jimmy Stewart picture-and it isn’t necessarily It’s A Wonderful Life. My tween nieces may not remember the name of Harvey, but they can tell you about ‘that guy with the invisible rabbit’. Even my sister came over one day claiming she saw an unknown Jimmy Stewart movie on television. She recounted the entire plot before my dad and I could interrupt with, ‘it’s Winchester 73!’ Along with all Stewart’s other fine films, Shenandoah is a quiet, touching tale with fine performances and reflections.

Charlie Anderson (Stewart) works his Virginia farm and struggles to make it to church on time with his six sons, daughter, and daughter-in-law. When the Confederacy comes to enlist the boys, Anderson staunchly declares he will take no part in the war. Eldest son Jacob (Glenn Corbett) objects, but his brother James (Patrick Wayne) and his wife Ann (Katharine Ross) look forward to the birth of their daughter. Only when the youngest Anderson Boy (Philip Alford) is mistaken for a ‘Johnny Reb’ and captured by Yankees soldiers does the Anderson family take matters into their own hands. Papa Charlie, his remaining sons, and disguised daughter Jennie (Rosemary Forsyth) cross enemy lines in hopes of rescuing the boy from a disastrous war and lost Southern cause.

Shenandoah’s story may seem somewhat familiar. One can’t help but think of it along with the 1956 Oscar nominated Gary Cooper classic Friendly Persuasion. Where Friendly Persuasion serves up lovely Quakers Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire, and Anthony Perkins- Shenandoah is largely a sad solo vehicle for stalwart Stewart. Though not quite in tune with its 1965 contemporaries, writer James Lee Barrett (In The Heat of the Night, The Undefeated) and director Andrew V. McLaglen (Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel) serve up a much darker and tragic picture than Persuasion. We begin with a Widower and are served up more sadness as we go along. It’s bittersweet and sentimental, but Shenandoah is a beautiful picture. You may even get a tear or two. In Friendly Persuasion the carriage races to Sunday services are played for laughs-but not here. From the Andersons’ late arrival and hogging of two whole front pews to…well, I can’t in good conscious give away the ending! Let’s just say, that after a viewing of Shenandoah, you won’t ever confuse it with Friendly Persuasion again.

The aging Stewart and that touch of Friendly Persuasion unfortunately give Shenandoah an over the hill look and style. It’s tragic and reflecting on the passing of the fifties western heyday just as much as its gives Civil War-an indirectly Vietnam-commentary. The homestead sets, ladies’ hairstyles and dress, and the bright yellow facings on the Confederate garb look more like 1955 Cavalry pictures. There’s also only one brief and beautiful reference to slavery and freedom. Such a topic would make a statement in 1965 but was nearly untouched in earlier, usually racist westerns. We also don’t get much affection between our young married couples. They don’t even kiss-except for one brief exchange adhering to that good old fashioned ‘three second kiss rule’. Shenandoah is a little imperfect and obvious in some points, but I think its goodness was overlooked at a time when films were becoming much more heavy and scandalous. We’re only four years away from Sam Peckinpah’s X-rated western last hurrah The Wild Bunch. I imagine Charlie Anderson might object to the language, nudity, and blood in that one!

If you can possibly find one less-than-stellar Jimmy Stewart picture, I’ll give you ten exceptional ones. Perhaps he’s past his prime here, but Stewart brings a timeless old school refinery to Shenandoah. We absolutely believe Charlie Anderson is a man about his morals and his family; and despite his anti-war stance, you know he will do anything to keep his home together. Even if we didn’t agree with Anderson’s wholesome values, Stewart makes the stern father lovable and wise. He does the right thing by all his children, so it’s even sadder when Anderson can’t make the war go according to his plans.

From eldest son Glenn Corbett (Big Jake) to married son Patrick Wayne (The Searchers) and teenaged Philip Alford (To Kill A Mockingbird), Shenandoah makes sure the Civil War comes calling to each of the Anderson children. We delight in the wedding of lone daughter Rosemary Forsyth (Santa Barbara) and confederate soldier Sam (Doug McClure, The Virginian)-only to have his service come all too soon. Likewise, daughter-in-law Katharine Ross (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) gives a wise and maternal performance amid her debut film’s unhappy times. Sons Charles Robinson (The Sand Pebbles), Jim McMullan (Dallas), and Tim McIntire (Kung Fu) are little more than filler, but the bittersweet talent from the rest of the family makes up for any stock players.

Shenandoah is a simple little film making some not so quiet anti-war statements. It’s an old-fashioned picture, but somehow progressive; has western and war action, but also heavy drama. Jimmy Stewart fans and classic film lovers should know and love it; and teachers reading or viewing Friendly Persuasion should definitely consider Shenandoah as a compatriot pacifist tale. Like most older films, there’s nothing naughty to deter young viewers. Blessedly, Shenandoah is available on DVD-featureless, but affordable. So gather the family, the popcorn, and the tissues for a night with Shenandoah. You’ll be hugging each other afterwards.