Best Picture | MovieBrando

Historical Blockbuster Done Right

Posted on May 15, 2016 by G Virdee for MovieBrando

It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a movie from the 1930s for the AFI challenge so I’d thought I’d take it way back to 1935 for the iconic ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ based on a true story (1935: AFI 1998 #86) staring the George Clooney of the Golden Era Clarke Gable (because the Cary Grant comparisons are absurd – there will never be another actor as effortlessly charming as Grant) playing Fletcher Christian and British theatre star Charles Laughton as villainous Captain William Bligh (yup, they again chose a Brit to play the most hated man in the movie). I actually think that this maybe (correct me if I’m wrong) but the oldest film I have reviewed so far – although I managed to catch Buster Keaton’s silent farcical classic ‘The General’ (1926: AFI 2007 #18) a while back but haven’t managed to write about it because I hope to compare it to Chaplin’s ‘Modern Times’ (1936 AFI 1998 #81, 2007#78) which I’ve yet to see.

Clarke Gable and Tahitian love interest Mamo Clarke

‘Mutiny’ is a legendary story of how Lieutenant Fletcher of HMS Bounty stages a revolt after witnessing Captain Bligh’s cruel and brutal treatment of his officers and crew on the long voyage to Tahiti in 1787. As a history minor graduate I had heard of this infamous tale, but I decided to take elective’s on the History of Sport and The French Revolution so it never made my syllabus, so I’m not sure if it is historically accurate. However, the fact that central character Roger Byam (played by Franchot Tone) who faces a moral dilemma of obeying his tyrant Captain or following his friend Fletcher into the mutiny was not a real character but based on midshipman Peter Haywood suggests that those wanting to use the flick as a point of reference before their history exam on the event may find that their grade is not as high as they’d hope. And although Captain Bligh has a reputation of being a tormenter he did not flog any of his crew to their death as the film depicts.

‘The Mutiny on the Bounty’ 1935 trailer

The historic event has had such a huge interest over the years that it has been made into a major movie five times – twice before the Gable version and twice after. There has always been a fascination with how or why the revolt took place- was Bligh a sadistic control freak like the 1935 movie depicts? Or was Fletcher and the crew so engulfed in the freedom and sexual liberation they experienced in Tahiti the thought of going back on board to a disciplinary Captain dreaded them so much that they took a huge gamble and staged a revolt as many contemporary historians suggest was the real cause of the mutiny.

Documentary on facts vs fiction on ‘The Mutiny on the Bounty’

We may not know the real cause of the conflict or what really happened when the crew landed in Tahiti (which is now a Honeymooner’s paradise and where the Real Housewives of Beverley Hills spend their summer vacations) but this film does a good job of trying to fill in the gaps. And although it maybe historically inaccurate in some parts – the film is bloody entertaining – I was not expecting to like it so much. It has the suspense of a modern blockbuster and you become so invested in the characters that you are desperate for Bligh (who was voted AFI’s 19^th best villain) to have a piece of his own medicine. Charles Laughton who looks like a cross between Boris Johnson and Oscar Wilde is terrific as the ruthless captain who lacks a drop of compassion and Gable comes across as endearing and idealistic that he almost seems like an early prototype of Paul Newman’s character in Cool Hand Luke (1967). I haven’t seen the other versions of this story, but this is the only one that made it into the prestigious AFI top 100 list that it is probably the best version. Even Marlon Brando couldn’t save the 1962 version from it being a huge critical and financial disaster. But it would be interesting to see how Mel Gibson tackles the protagonist and Anthony Hopkins the villain in ‘The Bounty’ (1984).

Hopkins and Gibson in ‘The Bounty’ (1984)

For Bligh’s and moustacheless Gable’s near perfect performance, the cameo from James Cagney and the jam packed action that inspires blockbuster films to this day – I give ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ a perfect score 5 out 5.

Why Are Horror Movies Never Critically Praised?

Posted on November 5, 2015 by G Virdee for MovieBrando

I was flicking through the movie channels yesterday when I came across the classic cult ‘Carrie’ (1976) starring a very young and terrifyingly terrific Sissy Spacek as well as John Travolta pre Saturday Night Fever fame. The flick is not only a perfect horror movie, but it ticks all the boxes for the American Film Institute criteria on what films should be selected for the prestigious Top 100 Films Of All Time List. It was a critical and box office hit, but most importantly it has lasting influence – there is not a Halloween that goes by when someone doesn’t dress up as a blood covered Carrie and most movie enthusiasts are aware of the iconic scene where she gets covered by pigs blood when accepting her prom queen win. So why did this AFI top 100 nominated movie fail to make the list?

Spacek gets her revenge in ‘Carrie’ 1976

Generally movie critics (who I assume make a large proportion of the American Film institute voting body) have a distaste for horror movies – well when you have crass films like Piranha 3DD (2012) or unimaginative flicks like Freddy VS Jason (2003) it’s not hard to understand why the genre has a bad rep. So unsurprisingly horror films get little representation on the 1998 and 2007 AFI Top 100 Movie List. Can Hitchcock’s greatest masterpiece Psycho (1960: AFI 1998#18, 2007#14) or the epitome of the classic gothic story Wuthering Heights (1939: AFI 1998# 73) be considered horror? ‘Psycho’ has a strong case as does ‘Silence of the Lambs’ (1991: AFI 1998#74, 2007 #65).

The nineties sleeper hit may technically be a thriller/ crime movie, but there are so many elements of horror that I think it can be lumped in that category plus I was shit scared for the most of it. It’s also one of those pictures where you think you’ve seen it before because you remember all the iconic scenes like when Dr Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins creepily tells Clarice how he ate one of his victims. But I thought I must completely watch it from start to finish because there are some parts I can’t piece together.

After viewing the first ten minutes I was pretty sure I hadn’t seen it from the beginning. I didn’t realise that Clarice, played by the ever versatile and Oscar-winning Jodie Foster, was a rookie FBI agent who had reluctantly been persuaded by her superior to get in the mind of cannibal Dr Hannibal Lecter to help solve a case of serial killer Buffalo Bill. I’m not sure if in realty the FBI would seek help from a psychopath, it seems pretty far-fetched to me, but then again so are most horror films.

Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins in their Oscar-winning roles

Over the years Hannibal Lecter has a comical and somewhat camp persona, I first introduced to him when I watched the prequel Hannibal (2001) in the cinema and vividly recall the audience laughing when he murdered is victims, especially when he ate the brains off Ray Liotta whilst he will still conscious and at the dining table – so to say his character gave me a sleepless night in this 1991 Best Picture Winner is perhaps an over-exaggeration, but then again he was truly frightening when he escapes his incarceration, which suggests why he was voted the Top Villain Of All Time

‘Silence Of The Lambs’ trailer

Perhaps the supporting character Buffalo Bill terrified me more, not only was he truly disturbed for killing woman for their skin in order for him to make a body suit, but he was loosely based from real murderers – Jerry Brudos, Ted Bundy and Ed Gein – with the latter also inspiring Norman Bates in ‘Pyscho’ (1960) and Leatherface in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'(1974). Nothing thrills a horror geek more than believing some of the plot is based on true events – although that term is used so loosely in almost all movies of this genre that I wouldn’t be surprised if a scary movie about a giant people eating dinosaur would have a ‘based on true events’ disclaimer.

Hopkins gets into character on the set of ‘Silence ff The Lambs’

‘Silence of the Lambs’ may not be a traditional horror movie, in fact it combined traces of horror, thriller and crime to create its own genre which inspired movies like ‘Kiss the girls’ (1997) and even television programmes such as CSI (2000 – 2015). For inspiring a string of thoughtful and psychological thrillers that came after I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Ted Levine plays the disturbed ‘Buffalo Bill’

Perhaps in the Twentieth Edition of the Top 100 Films of all time the AFI committee could consider more classic and traditional horror movies like ‘The Shining’ (1980), ‘The Exorcist’ (1973) or the amazing and perhaps my personal favourite ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ (1968) to feature in the coveted list.

Angelina Jolie’s Dad Tries To Make It In The Big Apple

Posted on July 21, 2015 by G Virdee for MovieBrando

I’ve been slacking with my American Film Institute challenge this week – my good friend Cam brought me a copy of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey (1968: AFI 1998#22, 2007#15) for my birthday way back in March, but I haven’t got around to watching it yet. But I did oddly enough catch Michael Douglas promote his new comic film on the ‘One Show’ on BBC1.

I was definitely not interested in hearing what he had to say about his new movie ‘Ant-Man’ (2015, seriously? An Ant like superhero? Is there a Daddy Longlegs Man movie in the works?) starring Paul Rudd, the man who I was convinced got his big break in ‘Clueless’ (1995) from being a top movie executive’s son because I can’t imagine what made a casting director say ‘That plain looking dude with mediocre acting skills is our man! He’ll play the star’s love interest!’ What I really wanted to hear was how his legendary dad Kirk Douglas was keeping. This man is truly one of the last remaining actors of the Golden Age in Hollywood and at 98 he is the oldest active blogger for the Huffington Post. But unfortunately the presenters only briefly mentioned his father and talked about more trivial things like how good his Welsh is – that’s what you get for BBC early evening family viewing.

Jon Voight & Dustin Hoffman living rough in ‘Midnight Cowboy’

Having a super-famous dad like Kirk must have helped Michael Douglas get his foot into acting, but I refuse to believe that he is the sole reason for his son’s success – why weren’t the other brothers Oscar winners like Mr Zeta-Jones? Another star whose Dad probably gave her a helping hand into the world of cinema is Angelina Jolie – although she is arguably more successful than her father Jon Voight, she definitely hasn’t starred in an iconic movie (The closest she has got is ‘Girl Interrupted’ (1999) but that’s a bit of a stretch) like ‘Midnight Cowboy’ (1969: AFI 1998#36 2007#43) – the only X-rated Best Winner Picture at the Academy Awards.

Like ‘Easy Rider’ (1969: AFI 1998#88 2007#84) the movie explores taboos themes of promiscuity, drugs and life in 1960’s America, but unlike ‘Easy Rider’ the film has a solid plot and superb acting from Voight and Dustin Hoffman. The story revolves around Joe Buck a naïve Texan who goes to New York in hopes of becoming a male prostitute, things don’t go to plan and he becomes so desperate that he ends up staying with Ratzo, (Hoffman), a crippled con man who ripped Voight off money when he first arrived in the city. The two form a close bond and try their luck at becoming hustlers together.

The famous ‘I’m walking here’ quote was apparently improvised by Hoffman

The story has similarities to perhaps my favourite novel ‘Catcher in the Rye’ (1951) – the protagonist in both plots are naïve yet good hearted anti-heroes who struggle with their sexuality and face alienation and loneliness in cities that are too big and intimidating for them. Although it’s unlikely we will ever get to see Holden Caulfield on the big screen (thanks to author J. D. Salinger vetoing a big screen adaptation of the book) Joe Buck is the closest we’ll ever get. For the moving, but utterly devastating ending to the film it alone deserves a 4.5 out of 5.

Harry Nilsson’s iconic ‘Everybody’s Talkin’ was played throughout the movie