Yellow Sky –
Better-than-average western stars Gregory Peck and Richard Widmark as leaders
of a gang of bank robbers who seek refuge in a desert ghost town. Problem is
the town isn’t quite deserted. There’s a woman (Ann Baxter), and her prospector
grandfather hanging around, and the gang decides that there must be a cache of
gold around, as well. The film is notable for the way that Peck and company are
portrayed as opportunists who will have no qualms about taking the old man’s
treasure. This one is also worth checking out for its terrific B & W
camerawork, courtesy of the great Joe McDonald.
The Woman in the Window – Fritz Lang flick has Edward G
Robinson as a mild-mannered university professor who unwisely has a drink with
a pretty girl (Joan Bennett), and gets himself enmeshed in a murder. Well, this
was sure a strange viewing experience for me. For all but 5 minutes of its
running time, I felt I was watching the greatest film Noir ever. Then the film
throws an unbelievably ham-handed twist at us at the end, and I wanted to punch
something. I will recommend this one, but only by being pig-headed and refusing
to acknowledge the last 5 minutes. Because then, you see, this would be the
greatest Noir ever.
Cactus Flower – This rom com from 1969 was Goldie Hawn’s
first film. She plays the girlfriend of a dentist (Walter Matthau) who has told
her he is married to avoid a commitment. When he actually falls in love and wants to marry her, he has to produce his wife. The job of impersonating
the wife falls to his reluctant receptionist (Ingrid Bergman). This one has
some good laughs,as lies pile on top of lies, and the whole affair gets waaaay out
of hand. I was sceptical to see Bergman playing a light comic role, but she is
surprisingly good here. She starts out as a bit of an ice queen, but gradually
succumbs to the excitement of the role-playing.
Recommended.
Broken Arrow – This based-on-fact 1950 offering from Delmer Daves might be
one of the first westerns to really present Indians in a sympathetic light. An
ex Union soldier played by James Stewart is recruited to try to negotiate
with the Apaches, led by Cochise (Jeff Chandler). Stewart encounters mistrust
and hatred from both sides, but gradually earns the respect of the great chief.
BA is noteworthy for its politics, but it is far from a perfect film. The
whites are standard-issue troglodytes and the natives the noble savages – Caricatures
which are as simple minded as those that they are replacing. There is even an
inter-racial marriage here, which I thought was a distraction, but it is used
well in the films powerful climax. Not a great film, but a good and important
one, and I recommend it.
