A young teacher moves to the East End of London, taking a position at an inner city school, not quite knowing what he’s getting into. Not only are the teens quite rowdy, they don’t know the basics of mannerisms and respect - not because they don’t want to, but because most of these kids come from rough home lives and didn’t have anyone to teach them any better. Pranks are made early on, until Thackeray (Poitier) has had enough, abandoning lesson plans and textbooks & teaching the students about life and their emerging adulthood. Eventually, he becomes respected and wins the hearts of the class.
The Landlord (1970) is a film that was way ahead of its time in terms of subject. It addressed race, class, and gentrification. Elgar Enders decides to finally grow up and leave his precious WASP cocoon for an old tenement in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Park Slope in 1970 is not what it is now - we see that it is quite a slum and a far cry from the upper middle class neighborhood it’s transformed into. Elgar’s intention is to be the landlord, fix up the place, and then evict everyone to make the house his own. After getting to know the tenants, he starts to change and decides to fix the place up for them. There is a bit of a love triangle though - he falls in love with Lanie, the mulatto dancer but impregnates Francine, the married woman he has a one night stand with.
The cinematography of the film is amazing, and the juxtaposition of the white-washed Enders family to the vivid reality of the Park Slope scenes really show contrast of the two worlds. Also, the closeups and the way some of the scenes are shot is just full of impact.
I saw this film a while ago, and decided to watch it again. While now, gentrification is so commonplace, back then, it was a new concept. After so-called “white flight” in the 50s, there was a huge “urban renewal” movement in the 70s and 80s by artists and young professionals that displaced the working class people who moved in. Unfortunately, because of all this whitewashing, neighborhoods are becoming more suburban (especially in Manhattan and many parts of Brooklyn) and real estate developers buying properties only to tear them down for condos. As a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, I have seen neighborhoods change so drastically over the years. I can say that not all of Brooklyn has become a playground for the upper echelon, there are still many parts that are “old school,” and Queens is NYC’s true melting pot, where neighborhoods have lots of different flavors and overall feel.
The Landlord (1970) - pt 1- “Everybody wants own home” (by tranmere789)
What happens when you find out that your ex has decided to sublet your apartment to a total stranger after your breakup? You get angry, annoyed, and you hold ground - especially since you’ve been there first and you have a child. You find out the stranger has keys, so you decide to let the guy stay. Elliot is new to New York and is an actor looking to make his NYC break in a gay reinterpretation of Richard III (those scenes are some of the funniest scenes in any film). Paula is an out of work and out of shape dancer who is trying to make ends meet for her and her 10 year-old girl. She also has a bad history with actors - every man she gets involved with is not only an actor, but they always wind up leaving her. So, of course the living situation grates on her nerves for a while, but eventually she warms up to Elliot and romance blooms - not without complications of course.
The screenplay was by Neil Simon and the lead role of Elliot was originally intended for Robert DeNiro - which didn’t work. Richard Dreyfuss then stepped in and after a rewrite of the screenplay, you see the winning results. Dreyfuss won the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Elliot.
Richard Dreyfuss in “The Goodbye Girl” 1977 Movie Trailer (by DreyfussFan)
The screen adaptation of the wildly successful My Fair Lady starring Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, the street urchin turned society lady, is one of the most charming and thoroughly enjoyable musicals ever. The sharp wit in Hepburn’s early scenes with that harsh Cockney accent peppered with crass speak are hysterical. When the misogynistic Professor Higgins (played brilliantly by Rex Harrison) takes her on has his little project, things get interesting. Watching her painfully go through her vowels to correct her speech until her “breakthrough” is pure comedy. I think the most interesting thing about this film is the societal impact of how classes do indeed struggle, and how image, posturing, and speech do work into how one is perceived in the public world. The most heartbreaking thing is watching Eliza back at Covent Garden where all the people she once knew don’t recognize her and treat her much differently. The musical numbers are lavish and fun, however Hepburn’s voice was dubbed by Marni Nixon for all of the numbers except for “Just You Wait.”
Professor Higgins comes across as a sexist, classist snob, and when he declines to credit any of his success to Eliza, it’s crushing. More crushing to me, is that she does in fact return to him at the end, fetching his slippers and all.
Quite possibly one of the best films ever made, Sunset Boulevard is about the dark side of Hollywood. Fame can do many things to people, and as time changes, unfortunately stars fade. Norma Desmond (played brilliantly by Gloria Swanson), once a star in the silent age, is very bitter after the talkies took over, yet she still sees herself as the greatest star in the world.
The storytelling is classic film noir - we start at the end, and the lead character, Joe Gillis narrates us through the entire story, unraveling us to his doomed fate. His story, of how he is a failed film writer who fell back on loan payments and how he stumbled upon Desmond’s mansion, and eventual role as her kept man, all seem to flow naturally. He didn’t want any of this to happen - it just did.
As we learn more about Norma, we realize that she is not only insane, but she has never really grown up. She lives in the past and in a fantasy world that exists in her head. She lives life as if she is on the stage, and the moment she hears the word “cameras,” she lights up, hypnotized, waiting for her biggest role yet, ready for her close-up.
[Trailer] Billy Wilder - Sunset Boulevard (by PiChennedi
A pre-code film directed by Frank Capra, The Bitter Tea of General Yen was the first film to be shown at Radio City Music Hall. Bitter Tea definitely pales in comparison to Capra’s better-known works, but it is still a very interesting and culturally significant film. This is one of the very first films to deal with the issue of interacial romance - with Nils Asther playing the role of General Yen in yellowface and the luminous Barbara Stanwyk as Megan Davis, the missionary who has come to China to rescue orphans.
Megan is about to be married, and on her wedding day, she decides to postpone the wedding to go with her fiance to rescue the children in a war-torn province. On their way back, they become separated and the General rescues/kidnaps Megan and she meets the cast of characters in his world, his American financial advisor, Jones and his concubine Mah-Li, who is a spy for the enemy. Eventually, Mah-Li’s betrayal is brought to the General’s attention & he orders her death. Megan pleads to spare her life & he reluctantly agrees, although he warns that Mah-Li will not change. He is right, while Megan believes she is praying, the monks chant all of the General’s secrets, thus ruining him.
One of the best and most Capra-esque moments of the film comes in the dream sequence where Megan is terrorized by an exaggerated, stereotypical version of the general, but then he turns into a handsome romantic type who sweeps her off her feet. By the time Megan decides to serve her captor, he has prepared the poisoned tea, committing suicide at her feet.
Casablanca is probably one of the most famous and well-known classics of all time, but when it was originally released, no one ever knew the lasting impact it would have. Just another film that was adapted to the screen from an unstaged play called Everybody Comes to Rick’s. Casablanca endured, though - winning three Oscars including Best Picture, and over the years has become embedded into our consciousness as one of the greatest films ever made.
The film was quite timely - WWII was still being fought, and this was definitely a film of its time. It’s embedded in our pop-culture - when you hear As Time Goes By, every time you hear famous lines such as “play it again, Sam,” “here’s looking at you, kid,” or “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” it’s all from this amazing film.
Quite simply, it’s the story of an expatriate living in Morocco, Rick who is a nightclub/gambling den owner. Rick obtains letters of transit which ultimately allows the bearer to get to America safely - a priceless commodity. As fate would have it, Rick’s ex-lover, Ilsa is married to a fugitive resistance leader who has escaped a concentration camp, needs the letters so they can escape to freedom. Rick’s feelings of abandonment after Ilsa stood him up years prior turn into many twists and turns, flashbacks, and confessions.
The film has a large cast, and flows so freely - there are tons of emotions, from quick witted comedic moments, musical interludes (I really love the “Knock On Wood” number), romance, patriotism (the amazing “La Marseillaise” interlude), suspense, and drama. It is a formula that few films have ever been able to duplicate since.
The 1932 film, Rain starts out very slow and deliberate. We see the tropical landscape drenched in rain, natives from the island at sea, and a ship at sail. The boat that we see is temporarily stranded at the island of Pago Pago due to a cholera outbreak. We see passengers discharge including the missionary Alfred Davidson, his morally fundamental wife, and then with meet prostitute Sadie Thompson. Sadie is loud and boisterous and eventually becomes the major topic of discussion about Mrs. Davidson and her friend. Mr. Davidson offers Sadie a chance at salvation, to which she turns down. Because she turns down the offer, he orders her to be deported to San Fransisco where she committed a crime years earlier. She begs to stay while she plans on leaving for Sydney.
During a heated argument, Sadie becomes taken with Mr. Davidson’s religious ways and accepts to be “re-born” while in this trance-like state. She is now “saved” and willing to go to San Francisco to do her time. Eventually, the native drums beat and somehow Mr. Davidson has a change of character and accosts Sadie. The next morning, his body washes up on the shore, apparently committing suicide, and Sadie somehow has “snapped out” of the trance and is back to her old tricks.
Greta Garbo’s first of her two comedies, Ninotchka portrays her as a cold, emotionless Soviet general who is sent to Paris to bring back comrades who have been taken by Western culture. Her dialogue during the first half of the film is very straightforward, and when she meets her leading man, Leon (Melvyn Douglas) tries to break through the ice. Eventually, Ninotchka warms up and realizes that capitalist society isn’t so bad, and enjoying life is something new and exciting for her.
Watching it now, as the Cold War Has been over for nearly 20 years, it’s amusing to look at what our thoughts and perceptions of Communist society was. When you see Ninotchka and her so-called 3 stooges return to the USSR, you see a drab apartment that she shares with two roommates and we hear about how she had to save her eggs to make an omelet. This is in stark comparison to the delights of Paris. It pretty much tells the audience that Communism is miserable and joyless. Pretty typical of the Cold War era.
Graduating college for some is a huge milestone - the beginning of the future, while for others, it’s a period of uncertainty. When Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman) returns home from college, he is bombarded with “the future” from friends and family, when he honestly has no clue.
Mrs. Robinson, his father’s law partner’s wife knows exactly what she wants, and gets it with Ben. While her first attempt to seduce him is thwarted when her husband comes home, Ben takes a chance and starts the affair at the Taft Hotel. This brings more confidence to Ben, even though his days are spent lazing about in the pool. There is one condition to the affair: Ben must not even try to go out with her daughter, Elaine, while his parents are encouraging him to do so.
He caves in and takes her out, but decides to embarrass her by going to a strip club. He notices how hurt she is, and kisses her & they go out to a burger joint. He sees in Elaine someone he has something in common with, and is at ease speaking with her. When Mrs. Robinson finds out, she threatens to ruin Ben, so he tells Elaine. He starts stalking her in Berkeley, but she never wants to see him again, as he eventually finds out that Mrs. Robinson told her that Ben took advantage of her. Elaine decides to marry someone else, and Ben finds out where the wedding is so he can stop it, culminating in that famous final scene.
The cinematography & direction in the film are incredible, showing great perspective to the viewer. Dustin Hoffman was perfect as the clumsy Ben. Simon & Garfunkel’s soundtrack throughout was good, yet quite repetitive (I don’t think I can hear “Scarborough Fair” for a while).
The thing that gets me, is how messed up the plot is - boy has an affair with a married woman and falls in love with her daughter who he eventually stalks, to success at the end. Just a bit creepy, but it’s still a wonderful film.
