Journal Midnight Oil

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)

Catherine Savard — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:27:23 +0000

In “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold” (1965), John le Carré’s influential novel of cold war espionage comes to life with Richard Burton playing the central character. Alec Leamas is a far cry from the super suave super-spy, James Bond. There’s none of the gadgetry and high gloss finish for the ordinary agent Leamas who gets to visit such exotic destinations as a forest hut, a cement cell and an austere courtroom in nowhere town, East Germany thanks to his exciting chosen profession as a spy. The enduring points of interest from the film (and the novel) do not come from glamourous locations, steamy sex scenes or fantastic special effects that accompany the adrenalin pumping pursuits of the secret agent. This black and white film features things that are a little more low key (not to mention low budget). Complex dialogue, interesting character development and moral dilemma sustain one’s attention and actually leave one with something to think about after it’s all over. Move Mr. Bond. No matter what worthy actor they get to play the eternally youthful 007, he won’t be a match for Burton’s rather gritty Alec Leamas à la le Carré.

See a very interesting SNAM “Interview” that includes material on John le Carré’s spy novels. “The Deadly Affair" (1966), screened on the same evening on Saturday Night at the Movies is also reviewed on Midnight Oil.

You can try listening to the original novel on audiobook.

>>More to see: Looking for more out of life?

>>Real Life Story: Priscilla escaped oppression while living in an Eastern block country under Communist rule.

See the trailer for "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" (1965)

Operation Crossbow (1965)

Catherine Savard — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:12:33 +0000

"Operation Crossbow (1965)" combines a good spy story and WWII military history with a pinch of the human interest angle thrown in for good measure. George Peppard is the British spy masquerading as a Dutch engineer in the pay of the Germans to help create the dreaded V2 rocket bombs (no explanation of his American accent). Sophia Loren makes a cameo appearance as the Italian wife of the Dutch engineer trying to escape the Nazi occupation with her (trilingual ?) children. It's all very confusing. You have to keep an eye on those German subtitles. Sophia is evidently there to prop up the galmour factor. If you like rockets a lot, wartime intrigue or Sophia Loren, this film may have some points of interest for you.

This movie was recently screened with another wartime movie on TVO. See reviews for “The Man Who Never Was” 1956 in the Midnight Oil video trailer section.

>>More to see: Looking for more out of life?

See director, Michael Anderson interviewed in the video trailer of "Operation Crossbow" from TVO.

Catch the opening scenes video trailer of “Operation Crossbow” 1965

The Deadly Affair (1966)

Catherine Savard — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:05:53 +0000

In “The Deadly Affair” (1966), John le Carré’s spy novel turns into a cinematic adventure for everyday secret service man, Charles Dobbs (played by James Mason). Even though he has a nymphomaniac wife at home, Charles Dobbs’ career as a British intelligence officer is nothing like that of James Bond. A suspicious looking suicide after an apparently unfounded accusation of communist sympathies leads down a trail of cold war intrigue. As the plot thickens, Dobb’s finds the answers in places that strike uncomfortably close to home.

See a very interesting SNAM “Interview” that includes material on John le Carré’s more famous spy novel, “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold”, a film starring Richard Burton, also screened on the same evening on Saturday Night at the Movies.

>>More to see: Looking for more out of life?

Catch the opening credits and opening scene for “The Deadly Affair” (1966) here.

The Lady From Shanghai (1947)

Catherine Savard — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:13:22 +0000

“The Lady from Shanghai” (1947) stars Rita Hayworth as Elsa Bannister and Orson Welles as Micahel O’Hara. Welles does it all as principle actor, writer and director of the movie. It is an interesting film from more than one angle (à la crazy fun house mirrors of the climax scene). Hayworth and Welles were in the final phases of their off-screen relationship at the time of filming, Welles reported that he did the film simply as a way of financing other projects in jeopardy, and the complicated plot of the original Sherwood King novel is just, well, hard to follow. But then, Michael O’Hara’s Irish brogue is rather hard to follow and even harder to swallow at times.

Rita Hayworth’s character is the rather too obvious femme fatale who spices up the exotic scenery and even indulges us with a musical number and a spectacular cliff diving scene for the benefit of box office sales. It’s film noir with more than the usual twist at the end with a visually discombobulating fun house scene that is all “Orson”. It can be fun, if you just relax and get into the genre and the period of Hollywood film making.

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>>Real Life Story: Katie and Nathan realized that they were driving each other into someone else’s arms. See the real life turnaround in their marriage.

Orson Welles as Michael O’Hara gives us his rendition of the poetic Irish soul in this famous “shark scene on video clip. See below a re-cut, remixed video trailer for “The Lady From Shanghai” (1947)

Apollo 13 (1995)

Catherine Savard — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:32:26 +0000

“Apollo 13” (1995), directed by Ron Howard, provides a wonderfully realistic dramatization of the historic aborted moon voyage of 1970. There was a PG rating on the film for language and emotional intensity. I appreciated the warning as the parent of a 10 year old who remains fascinated by gadgets, gizmos and galaxies but who gets slightly stressed out by the super suspenseful inner states of being that sell movies. You really do want to make sure that you go to the bathroom before you start out on this two hour “disasterful” cinematic voyage to the moon and back. Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon (playing astronauts Lovell, Haise and Swigert) form a triumvirate for outer space. Ed Harris provides ground support as Flight Director Gene Kranz. Well, there was that other guy, Gary Sinise. He plays astronaut Ken Mattingly. That’s the fellow who gets knocked off of the roster at the last minute by German measles - but no one ever mentions him. They did manage, in the name of historical accuracy, to mention the fact that the unfortunate Pilot Haise, played by Bill Paxton, got a major urinary tract infection due to not drinking enough water during the mission. Too much information.

Methinks there was a bit too much testosterone floating around the stratosphere in this film. In the end, everyone keeps their head and all get back to earth safely. I really wasn’t sure there for a few minutes – and that was after seeing the film previously and living through the historical event. When they are done right, movies can be an engrossing form of storytelling. This one was done right.

>>More to see: Looking for more out of life?

>>Real Life Story: Darrell Waltrip was a great success as a NASCAR driver until a near fatal accident changed his direction in life.

View the video trailer for "Apollo 13" (1995)

Monsoon Wedding (2001)

Catherine Savard — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:26:42 +0000

“Monsoon Wedding” (2001) gives a glimpse of a wedding day in modern-day India that has lots to say about the institution of marriage, families and India as it is today. Director Mira Nair lovingly constructs a multi-layered picture of an extended middle class family as it goes through the Hindu ritual. The gathering of the clan and the awkward introduction of two strangers who are soon to be husband and wife present the perfect opportunity for both flamboyant display and clandestine concealment. moviescreenshots.blogspot.comMultiple revelations take place during the course of the film. Some are funny and fun and some stumble upon the great tragedies and imperfections of life as it really is. Nair’s film is enjoyable because it captures “the way things really are” today in a specific state in India. The movie reaches beyond the frivolous and the cliché because it simultaneously reveals “the way things have always been” on a universal level. Who’s to say that the torrential downpour of a monsoon would not be the perfect ending of a grand celebration of a very imperfect life? It’s a different way of looking at things. It might just be a very lucky thing.

Be sure that you don’t miss the SNAM Interview dedicated to examining the intricacies of “Monsoon Wedding”.

Also shown on Saturday Night at the Movies was “Father of the Bride” (1950) , another movie along the wedding theme previously reviewed on Midnight Oil.

>>More to see: Looking for more out of life?

>>Real Life Story: Shawna went from the fairytale wedding to disappointment in her marriage to real happiness.

See the official trailer for “Monsoon Wedding” (2001). I decided some words of explanation (in English) were necessary to tell the story even though this video clip does an great job of capturing the visual story of the film through colour, texture, song and dance.

Dear Frankie (2004)

Catherine Savard — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:00:38 +0000

“Dear Frankie” (2004) IMDb is a real gem starring Jack McElhone as a young deaf boy and Emily Mortimer as his mom. Gerard Butler is the stranger who is brought into the picture in order to play the role of Frankie’s “dad” for a day. Things have a way of getting kind of complicated when the adults involved find they have to bend over backwards in order to maintain the charade for Frankie’s benefit. It’s a lovely tale told with much care and compassion for the plight of the single mom who tries to do her best with a very difficult dilemma.

TVO producer, Thom Ernst talks on his blog. about how this unusual and charming film came to be screened on SNAM.

See the TVO interview related to "Dear Frankie", in which the issue of telling lies in order to protect children is examined.

Also screened on on the same evening was another film reviewed on Midnight Oil, "East of Eden" (1955).

>>Real Life Story: Shannon deals with her fatherless childhood and leaves an abusive relationship.

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See the video trailer for "Dear Frankie" (2004).

The Snake Pit (1948)

Catherine Savard — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:23:14 +0000

“The Snake Pit” (1948) IMDb has Olivia de Havilland play the part of Virginia Cunningham, a young woman who finds herself locked up in a mental asylum. The film, taken from a novel by Mary Jane Ward and directed by Anotole Litvak, combines the point of view of the disoriented and harassed patient, Virginia, with external elements that keep the film firmly grounded in reality. In spite of the efforts of her loving husband (Mark Stevens) and Dr. Mark Kik (Leo Genn) to reach her, the harrowing experiences of the mental patient continue for a full two hours. “The Snake Pit” is an unusually honest film about mental illness for 1948 even if it does enter the realms of the melodramatic and over the top psycho-analysis at times.

Also reviewed on this blog was another film about mental illness shown on SNAM, "Shine" (1996).

>>More to see: Looking for more out of life?

Catch the TVO video trailer for "The Snake Pit" (1948)

See a segment of "The Snake Pit" (1948) with Olivia de Havilland.

Clean and Sober (1988)

Catherine Savard — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:31:09 +0000

“Clean and Sober” (1988) with Michael Keaton, Kathy Baker and Morgan Freeman makes for a hard-hitting onscreen drama about addiction that has seldom been surpassed. Keaton’s performance as the self-absorbed Daryl Poynter, real estate agent, coke addict and all around jerk, is simply excellent. The façade of the high roller slowly unravels. The action of the film takes place over the course of one calendar month in the life of the addict. Instead of being the guy pulling the strings behind the scenes, Daryl Poynter comes to see that he is not in control. His life is one big, tangled mess. It’s a hard pill to swallow.

Through the unintended help of people like his rehab counselor (Morgan Freeman), his A.A. sponsor (M. Emmet Walsh ) and others, Daryl Poynter gets a major dose of reality therapy just in time. We see him actually undergo a step of evolution and graduate from the level of “pond scum” (the scene where he cons his old mother on the phone) to semi-human status (the scene where he tries to help his fellow addict, Charlie, make the phone call to exit her abusive relationship). It’s not easy. It’s not meant to be an easy film. Keaton’s masterful closing scene at the A.A. meeting is painful to watch – a man so uneasy in his own skin that you think he might just crawl out of it. In the end, the film helps one to understand that the uneasiness of it all is necessary if there is to be a hope in hell of recovery.

Also reviewed on this blog is another feature screened on TVO's Saturday Night at the Movies "Days of Wine and Roses" (1962) with Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick.

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>> Real life story, Brian Welch: finding a way out of addiction.

See the video trailer for "Clean and Sober" (1988).

The Bicycle Thief (1948)

Catherine Savard — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:57:11 +0000

“The Bicycle Thief” (1948), is a small masterpiece on celluloid that captures the human drama of a family man struggling to maintain his livelihood and his dignity by recovering a stolen bicycle in post-war Rome. This Italian language film by Vittorio de Sica maintained my interest even with the English subtitles. Taking in a film through translation may be akin to listening to a symphony orchestra through a tin can telephone. One is sure to miss something in the translation. However, the acting on the part of the father and son duo (played by Lamberto Maggiorani and Enzo Staiolo respectively) is so convincing both through dialogue and the non-verbal, that one can forgive the ongoing necessity of the subtitles. Following the everyman character about the streets of Rome in his desperate search for his bicycle gives us the full range of an emotional workout and a depth of sociological analysis that the “official bus tour” of the famous Eternal City would never afford.

>>More to see: Looking for more out of life?

See a trailer for "The Bicycle Thief" (1948)