Time Magazine just released another of their polls, “the best movies from every decade”. I had some holes in my film files, so just like summer construction, it was time to fill in some potholes.
I rented Brian De Palma’s Blowout with John Travolta and a very young and too believably creepy John Lithgow. Dennis Franz also plays a womanizer and the victim, Nancy Allen, goes two for two in duped by the misogynists. John Travolta attempts to save her and is perfect as the moral compass in a city of frauds and depravity.
I guess I understand why this made the Time Magazine list. Certainly for 1981, De Palma had chops for portraying suspense using the newest technology of the time, in this case-sound recording. I also enjoyed one particular scene where Travolta frantically hunts for an accident recording and the camera goes around in circles with the room, showing Travolta’s frenzied confusion. And the story had enough levels: Travolta’s real job in making a horror flick, his past trying to be a police informant, his witness of Nancy Allen’s accident, the real story behind her accident, Lithgow’s involvement and corrupt police and detectives. One super lame scene ruined my investment: the crazed Travolta, frantically trying to save Nancy, drives into a parade scene and crashes slow motion style, knocked unconscious. If that wasn’t triggering enough, he suddenly regains consciousness and not being hindered by any policemen (after nearly running them down) he goes on a foot chase to find Nancy. The climax and denouement were lost on me after this, though I will reiterate that all of the acting was top notch.
Incredibly, I also saw Gone with the Wind for the first time on the big screen thanks to Trish and Renee of Burns Court Theater and chosen and moderated by Gus Mollasis.
If you did a poll on normal folks who had also seen neither of these movies and asked them which movie they assumed would be more corny, I certainly would have chosen Gone With the Wind. But how wrong I was!
Gone With the Wind is still a quality film, and that is an understatement. Talk about epic levels! This movie was a comedy, a war flick, a love story, a friendship story, a tale of endurance and adaptation, with a theme of ‘there’s no place like Tara’ and topped off with a dollop of a thriller (burning of Atlanta, sewing circle scene, carpet bagger scene). I bought the entire movie, hook, line and sinker. Bless all the actors: Leigh, Howard, Gable, deHavilland, McDaniel; the original author (Margaret Mitchell), the screen adaptation by Sidney Howard and the director, Victor Fleming. Last, Max Steiner’s beautiful score.
This should be number one on the Time’s list and I am happy to have seen it on the big screen. Not to mention a cautionary tale for us: let’s keep communication lines open during this next election and and work together despite different ideas. Let’s never ever go to war with ourselves again.
