Sex

Lana Turner

The Marquee (Marvin Division)

My Week of Movie Watching

Point Blank – This is the film film buffs point to first when they think of Lee Marvin. Marvin is a hood cutting a bloody swath through the criminal “organization” that betrayed him, stole his money, and left him for dead. Angie Dickinson is here, as is Carroll O’Connor as one of the head baddies. As well, this film stars the twin towers of Canadian villianry – John Vernon and Lloyd Bochner. Marvin is at his gruff, brass-knuckle best here, and his performance is angry, sad, and finally, frustrated. Recommended.

The Human Condition (part 3) – This one delves into the first stages of Kaji’s career in the military, with special focus on how one weak recruit is driven to suicide by his commanding officers. As in the previous segments that I’ve written about, HC goes straight for the jugular in portraying Japanese excesses. Part 3 is also notable for a touching visit to Kaji by his wife. At one point he asks her to stand naked in front of him so he can “Burn the image into his brain.” These two know full well that they may never see one another again, and it lends a somber dignity to the scene.

The Marquee

The Blue Angel

Cool

Archibald Leach.

this isn't happiness

The Marquee

Moments of Distinction

The Film – Short Cuts, dir. Robert Altman

The Set-Up – As Ralph (Mathew Modine) and Marion (Julianne Moore) get ready for company to arrive, long-simmering resentments finally erupt to the surface.

Altman was always a master of setting up a scene that tells a huge story in only a few minutes, and this is a class “A” example. Earlier in the film we’ve gotten hints about Ralph’s opinion of the “lousy” artist that he suspects Marion cheating with, and here he finally forces it out into the open. What’s striking here is the level of cruelty that these two inflict on each other. Watch Modine’s little smirk when Marion spills the drink on herself – he ENJOYS seeing her distressed. But then, she turns the tables on him – Does she ever. Having Moore perform this scene nude from the waist down might seem gratuitous and unnecessary at first glance, but consider the dynamic at work here. Ralph is already uncomfortable with his wifes’ nudity, and when she stands in front of him and finally relates the details of her infidelity, she’s really rubbing his nose in it. She knows how uncomfortable he is at that moment. Ralph’s repeating of the line “Have a go at it?” is marvelous. He chooses to see the other man as an insignificant poseur, and his repeating of the man’s crude come-on is really his way of saying, “You cheated with a loser!” Then, there’s the wry little ending to the scene – With all the bile now out in the open, they turn their attention back to getting ready for their guests.

The Marquee

Black Fury (1935)

Cool

David Lean