Welcome to the latest installment of Hidden Treasures.
(click on MORE below to view clips / trailers from this week’s films)
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Spellbound (1945)
Right out of the gate, Spellbound had all the makings of being something very special. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, one of the most respected filmmakers in cinematic history, and starring screen legend Ingrid Bergman as well as a fresh newcomer named Gregory Peck, it was a movie destined for greatness. Yet remarkably, neither Spellbound’s director nor it’s stars could overshadow the film’s most famous scene; a dream sequence designed by none other than Salvador Dali, one of the most prolific surrealist artists of the 20th century.
Dr. Edwardes (Gregory Peck) has recently taken over as director of the Green Manors mental asylum, replacing the very popular Dr. Murchison (Leo G. Carroll). Before long, resident psychiatrist Constance Peterson (Ingrid Bergman) starts to sense that something is very wrong with their new administrator. After doing some research, she discovers that the man calling himself Edwardes is not only an imposter, but one who suffers from amnesia as well. On top of that, this man also believes he may have killed the real Dr. Edwardes, even though he can’t actually remember doing so. For assistance, Dr. Peterson asks her mentor, Dr. Brulov (Michael Chekhov), to examine the imposter, all the while realizing that the man she’s helping may, in fact, be a killer.
“I was determined to break with the traditional way of handling dream sequences”, Hitchcock told Francois Truffaut in 1962. “I wanted Dali because of the architectural sharpness of his work”. It proved to be a very successful collaboration. Rarely had such vivid imagery been produced for the screen; tables and chairs were held in place by human legs, large curtains were emblazoned with staring eyeballs, and a faceless man pushed a skier off a high roof, all the while holding what appeared to be a wheel in his hand. The whole sequence runs for only two minutes and 40 seconds, yet, despite it’s almost cameo appearance, stands out as a breathtaking collection of images that are as compelling as they are bizarre.
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The Vikings (1958)
The casting of Ernest Borgnine as a Viking Chieftain in Richard Fleischer’s 1958 action epic, The Vikings, was a stroke of pure genius. Borgnine is very convincing as Kirk Douglas’ father (despite the fact he was a year younger than Douglas); a king who harbors both a marauder’s stature and a Viking’s penchant for violence. This lust for violence is a trait his character would share with just about every other one in this film.
Set in the Dark Ages, when raiders from the North were wreaking havoc over all of Europe, The Vikings weaves a tale of two men who have more in common than either imagined. Einar (Douglas) is a Viking prince who has just kidnapped Morgana (Janet Leigh), a Welsh Princess betrothed to marry the English King, Aella (Frank Thring). Before long, Einar has fallen in love with Morgana, but she has, in turn, fallen in love with Eric (Tony Curtis), a hot-blooded slave who had insulted Einar on several occasions. What none of them realize is that Eric and Einar are half brothers, each a son of the Viking chieftain Ragnar (Borgnine). Driven by their love for Morgana and a deep hatred for one another, Eric and Einar recognize that a showdown is brewing, and to the victor will go the spoils.
Both director Fleischer and star Douglas (who also served as the film’s producer) sought to make The Vikings as realistic a portrayal of Viking society as was possible at that time. Portions of the movie were shot on location in the Fjords of Norway, and Fleischer spent a considerable amount of time at a Viking museum in Oslo, where he learned to design, among other things, the magnificent ships used throughout the film. This realism, however, was not limited to the settings and props. As Einar, Kirk Douglas is splendidly brash and arrogant, a Viking warrior in every way imaginable; drinking heavily, carousing with women, and living for the thrill of battle. The role of Einar was certainly not a glamorous one, nor was it very sympathetic, yet Douglas turns in a performance bursting with gusto and personality. This, coupled with the film’s painstaking attempts at accuracy, succeeds in carrying us back to the Dark Ages, recreating a most dreadful period mankind’s history.
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In America (2002)
So what is it that keeps director Jim Sheridan’s In America from slipping into the category of a truly sappy melodrama? At first glance, not much. Many of the standard clichés are here: a tragic death, a difficult pregnancy, a terminally ill neighbor, etc, etc. Sounds like a television movie of the week, doesn’t it? Well, I’m here to tell you that if you dismiss In America with a ‘been there, done that’ attitude, you’ll only be depriving yourself of a wonderful experience. Jim Sheridan has been called a master storyteller, and In America may be his crowning achievement.
Johnny (Paddy Considine), an actor who hopes to make it on Broadway, moves his family from Canada to New York City. With him are his wife, Sarah (Samantha Morton), and their two daughters Christy and Ariel (played by real-life sisters Sarah and Emma Bolger). Once in New York, Johnny hopes to not only start a new life, but leave behind the tragedy of losing his only son, Frankie, who died as the result of a fall. Finding work in New York isn’t easy for Johnny, who struggles with Frankie’s death on a daily basis, yet he finds the strength to carry on through the love and support of his young family.
One thing that saves In America from the lowly fate of becoming just another standard melodrama is its excellent performances (along with the wonderful turns of Considine and Morton are those of the Bolger sisters, who shine in every scene they appear in, bringing light to a family suffering incredible torments). Yet the pivotal character of the entire film is one who never appears on-screen: the deceased son, Frankie. Johnny has never fully recovered from Frankie’s death, and at one point says, “The last time I talked with God, I made a deal with him to take me instead of Frankie. Instead, he took us both”. Johnny walks through life as if he were a ghost, devoid of all feeling, which is a definite drawback for a man trying to get a job as an actor.
In America takes all the stereotypical plot lines and molds them around a wonderful small family, with characters that breathe life into each and every scene. It is a perfect example of how a standard formula, when injected with warmth and energy, can still seem entirely fresh.
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After the sprawling Cinecast going through the variety of Toronto International Film Festival films we took in, there are several folks that are probably TIFF’ed out. And that is without even attending the festival. Indulge us a little in getting the fading lights and flickering images out of our skulls with a big round-up of titles we saw. Rowthree hit the ground running for major festival coverage (Expect more from VIFF and Toronto After Dark) and we hope there is at least a little insight as to what smaller great films are out there on the horizon. As a closer for the gargantuan Toronto International Film Festival, John Allison, Mike Rot and myself compiled everything we took in and dropped a sentence or two of text along with a loosey-goosey rating out of 5. You can get an idea of what appealed to us.
