Tag: Marraige

The Last Sunset (1961)

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I was flipping through channels a few days ago and happened upon this dramatic Western.  It just caught my attention from the first scene.  A striking man dressed all in black, Brendan O’Malley (Kirk Douglas), rides up to a simple ranch house in the Mexican desert and humbly asks for food and shelter.  From the way they look at each other, we know that there is something going on between him and the lady of the house, Belle Breckenridge (Dorothy Malone), a strong/beautiful woman.  She has a bright/lovely teen daughter, Missy (Carol Lynley), who’s very intrigued by the stranger.

When Mr. Breckenridge (Joseph Cotton, playing against type) comes home, he’s drunk.  The rancher offers O’Malley a job; he needs men (aside from his two Mexican ranch hands) to take his cattle to Texas.  O’Malley says that he can be “the gun” (protect the herd/ladies), but he knows someone who can be a great “trail man.”  He fails to mention that this man is also a marshall, Dana Stribling (Rock Hudson), who has been tracking him for SOME time.

After the drive, O’Malley says he’ll take 1/3 of the herd.  “Oh, and I also plan to take your wife,” he adds nonchalantly.

This film contains unlikely twists and turns.  The characters develop and change over time.  The more traditional handsome man, Hudson, is in the secondary role (the white hat).  I think he does a FINE job w/ his role of the straight-shooter.  Pay attention to the touching scene with Hudson, Lynley, and a baby calf.  But the star is Douglas, who captivates and smolders onscreen (and not just because of his muscles).  He portrays a troubled man full anger, regret, and finally… selflessness.

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

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When the dir. of this film noir, Lewis Blackstone, complained to Lauren Bacall re: the “lack of interesting men in Hollywood,” she immediately recommended Kirk Douglas (her good friend from NYC theater days).  That is how Douglas got his 1st film role- starring opposite Barbara Stanwyck no less!  Stanwyck, known as a generous co-star, helped Douglas manuever through his 1st film.  He does a TERRIFIC job, as do his fellow 3 leads.

In 1928, strong-willed teen Martha Ivers is desperate to run away from her small factory town (Iverstown, PA)  and the domineering/wealthy aunt who’s in custody of her after her parents’ deaths.  A street-smart boy from the other side of the tracks (and close friend), Sam Masterson, is also planning to run away to join the circus.  Their plan is thwarted first by  local cops (under the thumb of the aunt) and then by Martha’s tutor, Mr. O’Neil (trying to ingratiate himself w/ the aunt).  Walter, O’Neil’s straight-arrow son, wants to win Martha’s friendship.  That stormy night, things occur that will change the course of  these characters’ lives forever.

Then we go forward to 1946, when a grown-up Sam (Van Heflin) drives into Iverstown to find “his people” (relatives).  While daydreaming, his car got dinged up, so he has to stop at a garage.   He meets a beautiful young woman Antonia “Toni” Marachek (Lizabeth Scott) sitting on the steps of his former house, now a boarding house.  She’s not sure if she should take the late bus to her parents’ house in the next town.  They commiserate re: the mistakes they’ve made in life, etc.

Sam, a drifter/gambler, is chagrined to discover that “scared little boy” Walter (Douglas) is now a DA w/ political ambition.  Walter is also married to Martha, who has expanded her aunt’s factory, created many jobs, and become a powerful woman in her OWN right.  Toni gets in trouble w/ the law, so Sam goes to Walter’s office seeking help.  Martha comes in while the men are talking; she is VERY happy/excited to see her old friend (and first crush) all grown-up.  She wants to speand some time w/ Sam.  Walter is wary of Sam, fearing that he knows the truth of what happened all those years ago.

This is a well-paced film that contains clever dialogue, intriguing characters, and plot twists.  The quick-witted/confidant Sam is a catalyst for change in the lives of the other characters, but he’s not always 100% sure of the right thing to do.  Martha and Walter’s relationship is complicated and (IMO) HIGHLY dysfunctional.  It’s fun to watch though!

Two Reviews: Blue & Intimacy

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Blue (1993)

This is the 1st film in dir. Kieslowski’s Three Colors trilogy.  The blue represents depression, sadness, and freedom here.   Julie (Juliette Binoche) is a young French wife who loses her husband (a famous composer) and 5 y.o. daughter in a terrible car crash at the opening of the film.  She decides to leave her large country estate, taking nothing except a gorgeous blue mobile ornament, and move to Paris to live a solitary life.  She’s determined that she won’t work, seek out company, or reconnect w/ the family friend who may have deep feelings for her.  But life has a way of just happening, even as Julie is in deep mourning.

In her apt, Julie is deeply perturbed by a mouse and her babies in one of the closets.  Even a mouse can have babies, while she has lost everything!  Then a young single woman from downstairs barges in on Julie.  She looks like she can use some comfort, and Julie is around (w/ a non-judgmental attitude).  Eventually, Julie starts to finish the song that her hubby left behind.

This is a non-narrative, artisitic film, so it won’t appeal to some viewers.  It’s slow and contemplative.  The music is simply beautiful.  There are many close-ups of Binoche’s (I think perfect) face as she goes through a myriad of emotions.  Binoche is simply great (and I wouldn’t expect anything less).  You can’t see her acting; everything just rises from within.  Vive La Binoche!

Intimacy (2001)

NOTE: There are 2 versions of this film, one of which is R-rated, and was shown in indie theaters upon release.  The version on Netflix is the original Unrated film(equivalent to MPAA’s NC-17 rating). 

This is another film that’s not for everyone, BUT it certainly is unusual and out-of-the-box.  (NOTE: There is an R-rated version and an Unrated version.)  Raw emotions are depicted, as two strangers connect to and disconnect from each other in London.  It was directed by Frenchman Chereau and stars British character actors from the theater.  The film is based on a short story by famed British-Pakistani writer, Hanif Kureishi.  This is the kind of stuff Hollywood is afraid to show!

Jay (Mark Rylance) is a failed musician who manages a trendy bar and lives in a dump of a rowhouse in a working-class area.  In his past life, he was married and father to two adorable young sons.  For a personal life, he has a (junkie) best friend and Claire (Kerry Fox).  But Claire is NOT his gf or a “friend w/ benefits”- she’s a stranger who comes by once a week for hooking up.

Jay and Claire barely speak, but one day, Jay follows Claire out into the streets, curious about her “real” life.  That’s when the story gets GOOD, and even a BIT suspenseful!

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Jay is shocked to discover that Claire has a full life; she’s an amateur actress, drama teacher, wife, and mother to a preteen son.  He even talks w/ her husband, Andy (Timothy Spall), a talkative/humble cabbie who doesn’t know much about the theater, but supports his wife (in the background).

You can see the shock/pain/jealousy on Rylance’s face as his character wonders why Claire gets to have a life while he’s in a fog of depression, missing his ex and (especially) sons.  When Jay confronts her about it, Claire feels VERY violated.  She lashes out at him- he wasn’t supposed to enter her life like THAT!

But Jay CHOSE to leave his family, and now he can’t handle it.  The new bartender working below Jay, a cute young Frenchman, wonders if Jay can even feel love.  Ouch!

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The streets are gritty and unwelcoming.  There are people everywhere, but the main characters are drifting, lost in their own world of disappointments, compromises, etc.  Jay and Claire are BOTH artistic souls, BUT they have failed (or not made much of a mark) in that regard.  Andy seems like a decent guy; Claire is a mystery- I found her to be TOO abrasive.  I’m pretty sure that was intentional.  Jay is the more sympathetic individual (though very flawed); more is seen from his view.  In one quiet scene, he watches for Claire from his window; Rylance’s face becomes that of a hopeful little boy.  His performance is fearless; I don’t think I’ve seen a lead man portrayed in this manner EVER in Hollywood!

“Garrow’s Law” (Series 1)

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Who’d have thought late 18th century London (just a few years after our American Revolution) would be such an exciting setting for a courtroom drama!?  The cases you see on this TV show are based on real cases of the Georgian era.  The protagonist is a confidant, intelligent, and passionate young man  ahead of his time.  He doesn’t just want to practice the law- he wants to change it (as the system is rigged heavily against defendants).  Hmmm… sounds a bit like the young John Adams!

All lawyers aren’t bad- LOL!  William Garrow, the son of a humble headmaster (principal), didn’t go to Oxford.  He learned at his father’s school, then studied with a mentor (a solicitor) in Billingsgate.  Being ambitious and energetic, he eventually pushed aside paperwork (writing briefs) and became a barrister.  He tried his first case at age 23- unthinkable in our time!  Garrow is the one credited w/ the the phrase “innocent until proven guilty.”  He didn’t play it safe, even in his personal life.

Garrow (Andrew Buchan, who had supporting roles in the newest Jane Eyre and Cranford) is an eager hothead when we first meet him.  His mentor, Mr. Southouse (musical theater and TV veteran Alun Armstrong), cautions him against speaking too boldy in court and losing the sympathy of the (very powerful) judges.  Garrow wants to address the jury, and does on several occasions, though this is frowned upon.

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MP Sir Arthur Hill (Rupert Graves, most recently seen in Sherlock), is impressed by Garrow’s performance in court.  His beautiful, well-read, and opinionated wife, Lady Sarah (Lyndsey Marshal from Rome) is also impressed.  However, at their dinner party, we quickly learn that Garrow’s politics are quite different from Sir Arthur’s.

 

Lady Sarah admires Garrow’s strong convictions (in line with many of her own forward-thinking ideals).  She often observes trials, sitting beside the judge and other notable people.  Lady Sarah even pays for Garrow to help a poor young servant.  Their mutual respect and admiration eventually grows into more (you’ll have to see).  Also, politics and his ambition create a big distance between Arthur and Sarah.

The dialogue on this show is very well-written!  (It sounds fresh, though it’s not modern.)  The production value is very high.  The sets, costumes, and music are all perfect for the period.  Buchan even looks boyishly handsome in a powdered white wig, black robe, and chunky heeled shoes.

Buchan played clergyman St. John Rivers, Jane’s buttoned-up (and very emotionally repressed) cousin/suitor, in the 2006 BBC version of Jane Eyre.

In Cranford and Return to Cranford, Buchan played carpenter/family man Jem Hearne.

NOTE: Do NOT read further unless you want to know details from S1 eps.

Episode 1

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You will learn that the law is not a game for gentleman. -Garrow to Silvester (an Oxford-educated prosecutor)

Garrow has been buried in paperwork, but gets a case at the Old Bailey in Ep 1. Everything was rigged against the defendant, as Southouse explains after giving Garrow the brief the night before the trial. He can’t visit his client in jail. He won’t be given a copy of the indictment. He won’t get to hear re: the evidence the prosecution has against his client. (Yikes, we’ve come a LONG way!)

The prisoner in the dark has too long been left to rot for want of counsel. -Garrow says to Sir Arthur Hill, a minister at Parliament

You lack manners. You were too angry and you lost control. -Southouse says to a disenchanted Garrow after his loss

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The second case Garrow gets is thanks to Lady Sarah, who insists that her involvement be kept a secret, b/c it’d be like “an infidelity” in the eyes of her more conservative husband. A young unmarried washerwoman, Elizabeth Jarvis, has been accused of “infanticide” (though she insists her baby was stillborn). Garrow and Lady Sarah interview the defendant in Newgate Prison (VERY unusual), then have an independent doctor (“surgeon”) examine Elizabeth, then the body of her deceased child.

How can it be an improvement in my court where I play a lesser part? -Judge Bullard says (bemused) to Lady Sarah during lunch break from court

Episode 2

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By now, Garrow has some claim to fame, and he likes getting the approval (since his parents are deceased). He (hesitantly) takes on the VERY unpopular case of a young man accused of cutting beautiful young gentlewomen in broad daylight. The defendant’s doting mother insists her son could never do such things, though he loves drinking, pros, and runs through money. The media refers to him as “The Monster,” and in time, so do the public. BUT just b/c a defendant is unlikeable doesn’t mean he’s guilty!

Episode 3

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This ep focuses a BIT more on Garrow’s petsonal life; we see that he has more to learn still (though in court, he has a way w/ juries). When he thinks Silvester insulted Lady Sarah (who Garrow is in love w/), he challenges his nemesis to a duel. Mr. Southouse is bewildered, thinking Garrow is crazy and needs to bow out. But Garrow’s hot-headed/stubborn side wins over!

The main case Garrow handles is that of a noted “thief-taker” (bounty hunter to us modern folk) who could be using less clever/scared thieves to commit bigger crimes for his gain.

Episode 4

We are of like minds, you and I. -Garrow says to Lady Sarah

Sir Arthur tells Garrow his good news, which could mean that Lady Sarah could be lost to him forever. She insists that she won’t leave her husband.

The crux of this ep centers on the case of a businessman/husband/father to 3 young children, Joseph Hamer. He has been imprisoned in Newgate for 3 mos. ONLY for gathering w/ those who think like him and exercising free speech. His wife, Mary, impresses Southouse and Garrow w/ her convinction and strength; she wants the BEST defense for the man she loves. There has been NO charge (reminds one of Guantanamo cases) yet, BUT Garrow will take the case.

Your case, Joseph, is played out in the shadow of the guillotine. They [the aristocracy] fear you. -Garrow puts things into context when he meets his defendant

Late one night, Joseph is dragged from his cell to a meeting w/ ministers of Parliament (incl. Sir Arthur). They grill the humble shoemaker w/ questions, BUT he asks for actual charges. Lady Sarah wonders what’s all the noise-the jailers and heavy shackles disturbed her quiet. She meets Joseph in the hall, and realizes that her husband MAY be on the wrong side of justice. Finally, Joseph gets his day in court, BUT the charge is “high treason” (so he could be hanged)!

“Pride & Prejudice” (2005)

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Running Time: 127 minutes

Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, Rosamund Pike, Carey Mulligan, Jena  Malone, Simon Woods, Tom Hollander, Rupert Friend,  and Judy Dench

We all know that the camera loves Keira Knightley, just like Michelle Pfeiffer.  But Keira’s not just a pretty face.  “She worked like a dog,” then first-time director, Joe Wright, says on the fun/informative commentary track of the DVD.  Wright’s version of the P&P story (that many know and love) is a must-see!  (When I saw it in the theater, I wasn’t very impressed.  I think it takes a second look to appreciate all that’s going on under the surface.)

The Bennet parents are humanized by Blethyn and Sutherland.  Pike is the perfect Jane.  Malone (who’s American like Sutherland) does a terrific British accent and plays the flighty Lydia w/ gusto.  The adorable Carey Mulligan makes her film debut as Kitty.

I think looking at it now, Darcy would seem much more snobbish in our understanding of the word than he would then. To somebody like Darcy, it would have been a big deal for him to get over this difference in their status, and to be able to say to Lizzie that he loved her.  –Matthew Macfadyen

Macfadyen (a theatrically-trained actor) is a terrific Mr. Darcy- tall, slim, subtle, and not too much of a pretty boy.  He looks posh and elegant in all the costumes, but never overly imposing.  Darcy’s feelings are reigned in tightly, but his eyes are expressive.  And don’t forget that voice– one of the most gorgeous in all of show business!

 

“They just fancy each other,” Wright comments, noting the deep physical attraction between Lizzie and Darcy.  When she follows Jane to Netherfield Hall on foot, Lizzie’s hair gets mussed and her hem gets muddy.  Darcy is shocked, like best pal Bingley and his sis Caroline, but also intrigued.  He has never met a woman like her before!

When Jane gets over her bad cold, and she and Lizzie have to leave, Darcy helps Lizzie onto the carriage.  This is the first time they touch, and he’s very affected by it.

For the Netherfield ball, Lizzie makes a special effort to look cute, hoping to meet the dashing Wickham.  To her surprise, Darcy asks her to dance!  This dance sequence is one of the best moments of the film.  (Dances were very important in Austen’s time; it was one of the few times young, single people could meet, chat, and hold hands.)

This film was almost entirely shot on location- in Derbyshire, Kent, Lincolnshire, etc.  Pemberly in this version is actually the house of the Duchess of Devonshire.  (Interestingly, Keira played the role of Georgiana in The Duchess in 2008.)

We can’t overlook the rainy scene!  Toward the end, Darcy leans in close and almost kisses Lizzie.  Wow…

Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R-Zg5es7mg