I’m the one person in America who never had to read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school. Not for lack of effort, I was also the one nerd who actually read all the books assigned, just this one never was in any of my classes. So now I’ve seen the movie fresh, and I must say, what a fantastic film. Gregory Peck is tremendous as small town lawyer Atticus Finch. The movie is told through the eyes of his kids Jem and Scout, so the audience isn’t privy to the adult goings-on, but Finch has been assigned to defend a black man charged with raping a white woman. While the kids play around town and make up stories about the reclusive neighbors, Atticus starts to be hounded for defending his defendant. The trial in the latter part of the film is mesmerizing, but the real climax is how the fallout effects the kids. An outstanding movie, and I hope to finally read the book one day before too long.
Based from a play instead of a book, A Raisin in the Sun is also a true classic. Starring the incomparable Sidney Poitier, it is about a poor black family in Chicago getting ready for a financial boon. Walter lives in a tiny apartment with his wife, young child, his adult sister, and his mom. They are just days away from receiving a big life insurance check for the death of his father. The check will be going to his mom, who hasn’t decided how to spend the money. Some want to fulfill the American dream and buy a house, but Walter wants to invest it with some buddies into a liquor store. We keep hoping Walter will come to his senses to support his family properly, but he has to let us down before he can be redeemed. A charged movie full of racial tension, gripping drama, and a stirring moment at the conclusion.
If you’ve read my blog for awhile, the title Magnificent Obsession may sound familiar, and that’s because it is. This is the 1935 version, the original film version based on a book from 1929. This earlier film is much like the later one I had previously written about, albeit more archaic and downright sexist and predatorial at times. Robert Merrick says things like “Be a good girl and smile,” and physically won’t let female passengers out of his car. If you can get past those signs of the times, the film is still pretty good on its own merit. Robert Merrick’s transformation from egotistic scoundrel to caring friend is maybe even a hair more believable than Rock Hudson’s version from 1954, as is Helen’s hitting of rock bottom during her blindness.
How can a film buff go so long without seeing Casablanca? Nevertheless I’ve just seen it for the first time. People like to say it is overrated, mostly because it is in so many “top ten” lists, but don’t count me in the former group. This is a tremendous film. It is mostly a love story with a bit of espionage thrown in. On the brink of World War II, Casablanca is an important port in northwest Africa, nominally a territory of France but also policed by German forces. American Rick Blaine owns a neutral cafe and casino where nationals of both countries come to relax. One day, in walks Ilsa Lund and her husband Victor Laszlo. We learn that Ilsa and Rick had a relationship in Paris before it was occupied, but now she is devoted to her husband Victor, who has spent his life in resisting the German occupations across Europe. Everyone is searching for two “letters of transit”, papers which allow the owners to travel freely to neutral Lisbon, and from there on to America. Victor desperately needs to escape because of his importance to German officials, but Rick is bitter towards Ilsa and refuses to help. Featuring two actors who were established but still on the rise, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, this movie coined a chorus of quotable lines, and has one of the genuinely most beautiful moments in cinema at the end. A great movie to curl up next to your loved one and enjoy.
So much black and white, I just needed to see some color, so I went with An American in Paris, the famous musical based on the Gershwin brothers’ music. Who doesn’t love a good song and dance? And this one features some great ones, performed by the best in the genre, Gene Kelly, and ballet trained Leslie Caron. Jerry is the title character, a struggling artist living in Paris. His work is noticed by a rich socialite, Milo, and she is interested in more than just his painting. However, Jerry has fallen for the young and beautiful Lise. Enter in the love triangle, and not just between this trio, but also Lise’s fiance Henri, unbeknownst to Jerry, who happens to be best friends with Jerry’s friend and neighbor Adam. If it sounds convoluted, it really isn’t. In fact, as plots go, this one is a bit thin, but the movie is saved by the fantastic musical and dance numbers. If you like musicals you should enjoy this one immensely, but otherwise you can probably stay away.
Jons Movie Takes 