The Confession is a 1970 French film, based on true events involving a Czechoslovak politician in the 1950’s. A staunch and life-long communist, he and his friends in the government are falsely charged with espionage for the USA against the communist regime. Most of the movie is about the physical and psychological torture they perform on our protagonist, over the course of a couple years, as they attempt to get him to confess to crimes he never committed. For a long time, he stays true to himself, even as his friends and former colleagues get in line to provide testimony against him and each other. The movie comes off as pretty anti-communism, though from reading I see that wasn’t the director’s intent, and is more about the hazards of any totalitarian government. Perhaps minus the torture, you can see a lot of similarities between the concocted plots discussed in this film and the McCarthyism that happened right here at home. A lot of dialogue in this one, and since it is a foreign film, you’ll be reading throughout all of it, but a decent enough film.
Gilda is most well known for being Rita Hayworth’s signature role, and it is worth seeing for her alone. She plays the title role, a femme fatale, who says and does what she pleases, no matter the cost. She is married to the owner of an illegal gambling house in Buenos Aires, Mundson. Mundson has hired Johnny (Glenn Ford) to run the place, unknowing that Johnny and Gilda have had a past, turbulent relationship. They seem to openly despise each other, making funny little quips each other’s way, but there is an obvious attraction there too. The movie gets pretty dark in the latter half, losing its humor, which for me, was the best part, but still, an enjoyable film with some of the past’s greats.
A Special Day is a beautiful film dating to 1977, featuring two of Italy’s best actors, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. It takes place during the day in 1938 when Adolf Hitler visited Benito Mussolini, setting off a day of celebration in the streets of Italy. All of the country turns out to see the spectacle, except for Antonietta, who stays to clean up after her large family, and her neighbor across the way, Gabriele, who has his own reasons for not attending. The two meet in the morning, and spend the day together. Gabriele learns that Antonietta is in a loveless marriage, and she learns that he is a persecuted homosexual. As the day unfolds, Antonietta’s mind and views of the world are opened up, at a time when her country is closed off in every way that it can be. Tremendous acting from both leads, with a sensitive story, this is a moving film, though ultimately a sad one.
Woman of the Year is a romantic comedy from 1942, starring Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. Unfortunately I found this one a bit boring, despite its classic status. Tess Harding and Sam Craig are each journalists for the same paper, he for the sports page, and her for politics. Tess speaks multiple languages and hangs out in high society, while Craig is an everyman’s man. Improbably, they fall in love, or at least, Craig falls in love with Tess. Their marriage gets bumpy quickly though, as Tess thinks Craig wants a wife to stay home and perform wifely duties, whereas she wants to continue her professional life. In reality, Craig loves her for who she is, but she doesn’t realize that until it is too late. There is funny banter between the two throughout most of the film, and it has its moments, but for me it wasn’t all that engaging.
The Philadelphia Story is another Hepburn film, this from 1940, also starring Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. When made, Grant and Hepburn were the big stars, but Stewart steals the show (and he won his only Oscar for this role). Hepburn plays Tracy, a spoiled ultra-rich girl marrying her second husband, and Stewart is a tabloid paper’s reporter, Mike, off to write about the wedding of the year. He tags along with Grant (Dexter), Tracy’s first husband. Tracy longs to be truly loved for who she is, but seems to draw men that idolize her for her wealth and class. Tracy finds herself in a love triangle between Dexter, Mike, and Kittredge (her fiance), liking each of them for different reasons. A very entertaining movie.
Jons Movie Takes 