Wednesday, February 14, 2007

One, Two, Three (1961)

Our setting is West Berlin, Germany, just after the Second World War where James Cagney plays C.R. MacNamara, a Coca-Cola executive assigned to look after his boss's daughter Scarlett Hazeltine (Pamela Tiffin) while her parents are away vacationing in Europe. As the story progresses Scarlett falls in love with an East German Communist named Otto Piffl, played by Horst Buchholz. When MacNamara finds out that the underaged Scarlett is engaged to be married all hell breaks loose as he (with the help of his assistant Schlemmer) hastly undertakes the task of transforming Piffl into a respectable, presentable, and noble husband when Mr. and Mrs. Hazeltine arrive back to greet their daughter.

MacNamara's trouble doesn't end there, however. Phyllis MacNamara (Arlene Francis) is unhappy with her life in Berlin, and for the sake of their children she pleads with her husband to take back his old position in Atlanta and return to live in the United States. He refuses and she threatens to leave him.

Billy Wilder directs this fast-paced comedy with sheer brilliance it will leave your head spinning. The cast here is top-notch and James Cagney is non-stop hilarious. For a film that has at least a chuckle a minute it is nowhere to be found on AFI's Top 100 Laughs. Fans of Howard Hawks' "His Girl Friday" should enjoy and appreciate this highly underrated farcical gem. ***1/2 out of ****

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Shane (1953)

Alan Ladd portrays Shane, a retired gunslinger who wanders onto the Starrett ranch and befriends the family, eventually working for them. Right from the beginning the character of Shane comes across as a little strange and mysterious, and not much information is given as to his background or past affairs. The cast includes Van Heflin as Joe Starrett, Jean Arthur (in what is to be her final film appearance) plays his wife Marian and Brandon De Wilde as their little boy, Joey. The Starrett family alongside many others are living in the vicinity of a small community with no established law. In other words, trouble flows frequently and the peacemakers of the bunch find themselves and their property threatened by wild and stubborn cowboys, who harbor an intent to drive the settlers out of town.

Meanwhile, a cattleman named Ryker (Emile Meyer) wants to buy the Starrett property, but Joe is adamant in his decision and refuses. Leaving him with no alternative Ryker sends for an infamous gunslinger named Wilson to take care of Starrett, but Shane ultimately intervenes and saves the town from overpowering corruption.

"Shane" is a movie about conflict; about how one man, a stranger, can put a troubled town back on its feet and, at the same time, change the standing of one family. The showdown between Shane and Wilson, played by Jack Palance, is short, quick and to the point. Palance has such a strong presence as Wilson, yet all it takes is a single bullet. That scene looked and felt like a real showdown. It is a beautiful looking movie with wonderful cinematography, not to mention a story that really gets into your heart. Its classic ending really is what everyone says it is. Very few westerns get any better than this. **** out of ****