The Hunt for Red October is a Cold War thriller based on the best-selling book by Tom Clancy, and stars Sean Connery as the Soviet Captain of nuclear submarine, Captain Ramius and Alec Baldwin as Dr. Jack Ryan, a CIA intelligence analyst. It's a high stakes case of cat and mouse as Ramius is leading his crew on a path of defection to the U.S. Remius is a pretty complex and somber character, and Connery plays him with the right amount of gravitas. I like Alec Baldwin, and I enjoy seeing him in roles that are different from what we're used to, Jack on "30 Rock" or his Trump impersonation (he's had quite a varied career), and Jack Ryan is not a bully, or super-masculine, he's a pretty smart guy, a professor of Naval history at the US Naval Academy, and he hates flying. Connery steals the show, from Baldwin and the rest of the very impressive cast (James Earl Jones, Sam Neill, Scott Glenn and more). If a submarine film is done well, the viewer gets a claustrophobic feeling, and I definitely got that for the sub scenes. There is suspense, some action, and in light of current events, a strange sense of history thumbing its nose at us. My dad loved reading Tom Clancy's books, and I'm fairly certain he would have seen this movie at some point, so in some ways, this wasn't about the movie, but about remembering my dad. But, since this is a movie review blog, I enjoyed it, the drama, the plotline, the acting. A great summertime movie.
The BBC list has been a fickle mistress, but I feel a little redemption with The Shop Around the Corner, directed by Ernst Lubitsch (Ninotchka, To Be or Not To Be), and starring James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan and Frank Morgan (the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz). It took me a little while to get used to because the movie is set in Hungary, the characters have Hungarian names, but most of the actors have American or English accents. James Stewart is Alfred Kralik, the senior salesman at Matuschek and Company (Mr. Matuschek played by Frank Morgan). Margaret Sullivan is Klara Novak, a young woman who initially comes in looking for a job, but Mr. Kralik turns her away, but then she is drawn into a debate about a questionable cigarette box that Mr. Matuschek wants to sell, but Kralik thinks it's a terrible idea. On the personal side, Kralik has been writing letters to a woman he has not yet met, but she thinks he is wonderful, even if perhaps he embellished. There are several subplots going on: Pepi the delivery boy who has aspirations of being a salesman; Mr. Matuschek and Kralik having an unexpected falling out; Mr. Pirovitch, a co-worker, who is Kralik's friend and confidante; the uncomfortable relationship with Kralik and Klara. It's an entertaining romantic comedy, with Stewart as dapper and understated as ever; Sullavan is a match for him, and their scenes are funny; every time that Morgan was onscreen I couldn't help but think of him as Professor Marvel from The Wizard of Oz; that's not a bad thing, he just seemed to have those mannerisms in this role as well. I had never heard of the movie before, and then I find out it's also on the National Film Registry (also a list that has given me fits over time). This definitely makes up for The Shanghai Gesture.
5/29/17 The Band Wagon, 1953 #70 BBC, National Film Registry
Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse, and direction by Vincente Minnelli. What else do you need? Maybe a story by Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Alan Lerner, and a few snappy songs and great dance numbers. Yeah, that's it, and really, for my money, I'm not sure the story was all that important, just something between numbers. I could watch Fred Astaire dance for hours; he's so smooth and makes it look effortless. Astaire is Tony Hunter, a movie star in a downturn of his career who meets up with some old friends (played by Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray) and a slightly eccentric British actor/director/writer, Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan). As they discuss a potential project together, they break into song with "That's Entertainment", and decide on next steps. They are looking for a female lead and try to entice a ballerina Gaby Gerard (Cyd Charisse) to join the production. Their show doesn't quite take off as they thought it would (Faust isn't for everyone), but Tony rallies the troops (the much younger cast who kind of look up to Tony). There is a lot of friction between Tony and Gaby (he smokes, she's too tall), but eventually they put on a hit show. Like I said, the story was an excuse to have some song and dance numbers, but, it was a great excuse. Numbers like "Dancing in the Dark" and "Girl Hunt Ballet" featuring Astaire and Charisse are so fun to watch with their elegance and class. "The Triplets" is fun and silly with Astaire, Fabray and Buchanan as the triplets of the title. Minnelli directed films like Meet Me In St. Louis, Gigi, and An American in Paris (starring Gene Kelly), so he knows how to mix music, dancing, costumes and art direction.
