Midnight Oil:Movies and More

“Days of Wine and Roses” (1962) IMDb looks inside the private world of an alcoholic as Jack Lemmon plays Joe Clay. Lemmon convincingly portrays the struggles of the charming and talented addict who quickly draws his young wife (played by Lee Remick) into the predictable downward spiral with him. Although some might be tempted to write the film off as a mere modern-day morality tale, I tend to see it as a laudable attempt to deal honestly  with the subject of alcoholism. The flavour is definitely bittersweet. It’s a film that points toward the intensely human capacity for courage, hope and redemption as well as for degradation.

This film was paired with “Clean and Sober” (1988) IMDb with Michael Keaton, another very powerful film about addiction. See the Saturday Night at the Movies preview for both films in the “Hooked” episode here.

View this retrospective on the acting career of the late Jack Lemmon set to Henry Mancini's Oscar winning song for the movie, "Days of Wine and Roses".

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Catch the video trailer for “Days of Wine and Roses” here.

The Three Musketeers (1973) IMDb from the classic Alexandre Dumas novel sports an all-star cast befitting a sprawling swashbuckler that spans over two feature-length films. Included in the line-up are Michael York, Richard Chamberlain, Oliver Reed and Frank Finlay. Also on display with an abundance of frillyness and    silliness are Raquel Welch, Faye Dunnaway, Geraldine Chaplin, Christopher Lee and Charlton Heston. Saddled with a plot that doesn't matter and  awkward costumes that do (there's something to do with the Queen's honour - or was it a love affair entangled with a diamond necklace and a conniving cardinal?) the actors  work hard to offer us un grand spectacle, as Michael York reminds us in his TVO interview. If  you're into frills and spills and not too much mental work, this may be the very film for your viewing pleasure.

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Catch the TVOntario video preview of both movies for the Three and even "The Four Musketeers" here.

See the video trailer for "The Three Musketeers" (1973)

"Father of the Bride" (1950) IMDb with Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor provides an interesting look into the subject of marriage, weddings and father/daughter relationships. Joan Bennett plays the bride to be's mother and Don Taylor the prospective groom. A very young Liz Taylor makes for a convincing first-time bride while Tracy hams it up in the role of the doting daddy. While

the perspective on marriage and general naïvité of the young persons involved might seem a little odd for today's audience viewing this film, the dynamics of the internal family relationships may prove to be more familiar ground.

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Catch the video trailer for "Father of the Bride" here.

The Lady Eve (1941) IMDb, directed by Preston Sturgess, is a madcap comedy that showcases the talents of Babara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. Two of Hollywood's favourite stars shine brightly in this lighthearted romp wherein the rich but hapless Mr. Charles Pike falls like a ton of bricks for the conniving Miss Jean Harrigton. And then he does it again, this time with Miss Harrignton's alter-ego, the Lady Eve Sidwich, phony English accent and all. Charles Pike doesn't seem to take note of such inconsequential details, so taken up is he with the Lady Eve's charms. A thoroughly enjoyable film for fans of Ms. Stanwyck and Mr. Fonda as well as for enthusiasts of the screwball genre or this era.

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Catch the TVO  video preview of "The Lady Eve" (1941) here.

"To Catch a Thief" (1955)IMDb Hitchcock's romantic thriller packs in the glamour on the French Riviera. Always the gentleman, Cary Grant plays the super suave ex-cat burgler, Monsieur John Robie, opposite the exquisite and exciting Grace Kelly. Cary Grant, as Robie, is fingered for a series of robberies which he didn't commit and finds himself obliged to solve the mystery with the aid of the beatiful Ms. Kelly.

 

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 Catch the TVOntario video preview for  "To Catch a Thief" here.