Winchester '73 (1950)

 

WINCHESTER'73 (1950)

By Ralph Santini  - ****

          Richly compelling and outstandingly powerful “Winchester ’73” is, without a doubt, among one of the finest westerns ever made. With its brilliant direction by the great Anthony Mann, the film stars James Stewart (playing against type for the first time after frequently portraying shy characters) as cowhand Lin McAdam who wins a priceless Winchester rifle in a rifle shooting contest in Dodge City, but unfortunately, he is violently robbed by his own mean brother hiding under the name “Dutch” Henry Brown (Stephen McNally) who desperately wanted the gun for the purpose of killing. The screenplay was remarkably written by Borden Chase and Robert L. Richards and the flawless story was provided with impact by Stuart N. Lake, an expert biographer on the famed U.S. Marshall Wyatt Earp, who coincidentally happens to be portrayed (wonderfully) by character actor Will Geer.

The storyline continues with Lin, out to get his gun back from his no-good brother who unfortunately loses the rifle with disgruntle to a vicious Indian trader (a riveting John McIntire) but the gunrunner is not too lucky either when he is killed and scalped by a renegade Sioux leader (an early role for future superstar Rock Hudson) and possesses the rifle until being killed in action and the gun would be handed to a cowardly gentleman (Charles Drake) who is sadistically killed by trigger happy outlaw Waco Johnny Dean (a compelling performance by the underrated Dan Duryea). The leading lady of the film is dance hall piano player, Lola, who is portrayed with an Oscar® worthy performance by the fabulous Shelley Winters. In fact the only sad thing about this gem is that it was not nominated for one single Oscar® and that must be outrageous because this film turns out to be among one the better westerns of the 1950s which makes it absolutely on par with John Ford’s equally extraordinary The Searchers (1956). 

What makes this film a winner all the way is not only the excellent acting by the cast, especially Stewart, Winters, MacNally, Duryea, McIntire plus Jay C. Flippen as an army sergeant, and bleak direction by the auterist-celebrated Mann, but also its brilliant black and white cinematography by William Daniels. On top of that there is also one of the most arresting climaxes ever filmed which involves a rifle gunfight between the battling McAdam brothers themselves. Equally convincing is the witty dialogue in the script including a couple of memorable quotes when ‘Dutch’ Henry complains of an older rifle manufactured by the Henry company saying “That’s the trouble with these old Henrys; takes them too long to kill. Let’s go get a rifle that does it right now” and an accomplice insinuates “I don’t think it was a bullet”.

One 1950s very best films “Winchester” 73, I believe, is a great American film that demands multiple viewings. It is an extremely enjoyable western that ranks way up there with “Stagecoach” (1939), “My Darling Clementine” (1946) “Red River” (1948), “High Noon” (1952), “Shane” (1953), “The Searchers” (1956), “The Wild Bunch” (1969) and many other classics of the genre. It is Anthony Mann’s best western and quite possibly his best film. It is also, arguably, James Stewart’s best western role in his long distinguished career.

Turner And Hooch (1989)

TURNER AND HOOCH (1989)

By Ralph Santini – **

Turner and Hooch is one of those films that might make me laugh once in a while but nevertheless convinces me that it’s overall a stupid one.  Tom Hanks can be hysterically funny when playing his character, Scott Turner a displeasing neat freak of a police investigator, yell desperately at a mangy, drooling French Mastiff named Hooch who likes to make lots of ugly messes all the time in his presence. The big problem here is that he’s got no choice but to look after the mongrel because his old master, Amos Reed (John McIntire in his final role after making so many films for 40 years) has been murdered by organized crime that turns out to be involved in the fishing business.

So Scott must handle his nearly-impossible struggle with the dog which reacts rather poorly to anger even if it means attempting to kill the mangy canine. But unfortunately for Scott he must handle the dog, because he is in fact the closest thing to a witness in his old master’s murder. Meanwhile Scott tries to take Hooch to a female veterinarian Dr. Emily Carson (Mare Winningham) but Hooch won’t cooperate until it turns out she has a cute Collie that the Mastiff has on her. And then the film goes on focusing on Scott’s investigation to old man Reed’s cruel murder.

To be absolutely fair, the film has two or three big sequences that gave me plenty of laughs because I personally find Tom Hanks to be very funny when he yells at Hooch. It makes me conclude that Pixar probably looked at this film which was rather successful even surpassing a similar film, K-9 released the same year, so they could cast Hanks as the voice of Woody in Toy Story. Neverthless I can’t quite recommend Turner and Hooch due its insubstantial screenplay that took only 5 writers to make it. Besides I happen to have found the ending be very disappointing and overall its story is likewise unintelligible.

Tower Of London (1962)

 

TOWER OF LONDON (1962)

By Ralph Santini - **

In 1939 Vincent Price appeared in a previous version of “Tower Of London” as only The Duke Of Clarence, one the brothers of Richard III who in that version was played by Basil Rathbone. After more than 20 years Price appeared in B-filmmaker Roger Corman’s so-called remake taking over Rathbone’s role as Richard III, but with rather generic and hammy portrayal in comparison to the former.

This 1962 version seems to have nothing to do the 1939 version with the only exception being the setting of late 15^th century England in the title location and only the characters that existed in the history of Richard III’s existence, nothing more. The story is different and the additional made-up characters are completely new here and this film even lacks the minor qualities of the 1939 film that starred Rathbone. The previous film had more wit, ingenuity and more dignity than this forgettable scare yarn.

The story for this film is just a horror show retelling of Richard III being haunted by the ghosts of his murder victims ranging from his brother Clarence (this time played by Charles Macaulay) to his nephew heirs (which did happen the 1939 film and, in fact, history as well) all of them telling him he will perish himself to hell for his treacherous consequences.

The other victims in his murders that haunt Richard as ghosts include a young lady, Mistress Shore (the ever lovely Sandra Knight) which even causes Richard to kill his own wife, Anne Neville (Joan Camden). Neville’s ghost doesn’t exactly haunt Richard, she just tells him the consequence of his obsessive murders to buy his way to the throne of England.

Besides the ghosts of his relatives and wife and the young lady, there are also the physician wizard Tyrus (Richard Hale) and his royal Earl of Buckingham (Bruce Gordon). But enough about the ghosts. This film is just a second-rate attempt to revamp the horror show of Richard III’s murder ambitions that fared a lot better in the 1939 film with Basil Rathbone. Also, Corman’s involvement in this film seems to lack the campy fun of the other horror film collaborations that he and Price had gone other times.

This film is just formulaic hogwash from the beginning, the middle to the end. The only good things about this film are just the well intentions of the use of the haunting ghosts that attack Richard III and the somewhat satisfying performance by Hale as the trusting physician who allies with the conspiring enemies of the over-ambitious Duke of Gloucester. Everything else is just ho-hum, mundane mumbo-jumbo.

Tower Of London (1939)

 

TOWER OF LONDON (1939)

By Ralph Santini - ***

“Tower Of London” begins with another clichéd monologue text that takes only 30 seconds to end describing all about King Edward IV, with the help of Richard III, usurping Henry of Lancaster from the throne leading to Richard’s future treachery with his family. No, this is nothing related to William Shakespeare’s immortal play but a screenplay written by the film’s director Rowland V. Lee’s brother Robert that becomes one of Universal Pictures’ new horror shows of 1939. I know there are some obviously superior direct adaptations of Shakespeare’s play about Richard III, but enough about that. This film is actually one of the most underrated horror stories Universal has ever told right after Carl Laemmle sold the studio for 3 years and Basil Rathbone is uncommonly chilling as Richard III even if there is no Shakespearean dialogue present.

I know it’s a traditional theory and common knowledge that nothing can be compared to William Shakespeare’s work. He’s regarded by many as one of the most important English writers of all time but unfortunately not everybody, especially hardworking literature students, can appreciate his complex writing. I remember when I was in High School I did not seem to have the experience, not to mention interest in those days, and I even had an extremely difficult assignment by writing an English composition over Hamlet, in this case by using the 1990 adaptation by Franco Zerrifelli of Hamlet which starred Mel Gibson as the title role and Glenn Close as his mother, among many other well-known actors from English-speaking cinema. It wasn’t until I went to college when I was little by little getting more seriously obsessed with film as just more than escapist entertainment and I got a little more interested in the renowned 16^th century playwright.

As I said before, Basil Rathbone plays Richard III, who’s story in this version begins when he betrayed a Lancastrian sympathizer (played by Rathbone’s own son John Rodion) who’s cousin John Wyatt (John Sutton) would do anything to the defy the Yorkists led by King Edward IV (Ian Hunter who is also good as Richard’s equally tyrannical brother as portrayed in this version) by even standing by the prisoner’s execution. After Wyatt’s cousin is beheaded, he tries to ask for the king’s consent for the marriage of his young, beautiful fiancée, Lady Alice (the youthfully demure Nan Grey) but unfortunately the inconsiderate King brought with him an Idea to arrange a royal wedding between Wyatt, who is also Queen Elizabeth’s (Barbara O’Neill) cousin, and a very old duchess so John Wyatt defies the King and even resists arrest from Richard’s club-footed henchman Mord (an excellent performance by Boris Karloff). However the Queen implores the King not to behead her cousin, luckily Edward decides to put his subject into exile in France.

A few seconds later Richard brings the news to his brother with maniacal excitement that the Prince Of Wales (G.P. Huntley) has arrived to re-usurp King Edward’s throne; he even plans to bring Wales’ mentally driven father Henry (a brilliant Miles Mander) to the battlefield and orders Mord to spread the word to his henchmen that Henry will support King Edward against his own son. Ricard is excited to the battle because of his longtime jealousy with Wales for his alleged love of his wife Anne Neville (Rose Hobart) so when the battle begins he encounters Wales and they do a swordfight duel and the latter is tragically killed, which to King Edward and Richard’s brother Clarence (Vincent Price) is bad news. Clarence has been the possessor of Middleham and Barnard until Wales is killed in action, and when finds out that Anne has been located by being dragged from a villagers tavern to the Royal Palace and is eventually married to Richard, he pleads with Edward not remove his possession but because they are only half-brothers with Clarence’s mother not accepted in court circles, he nevertheless loses his possessions removed by Edward, reassigning them to newlywed Anne.

An angry and betrayed Clarence decides to conspire against his own half-brother King but Mord arrests by order of the English throne, and while imprisoned in the Tower, Clarence bickers with Richard, challenging themselves into a duel of Dukes with a Malmsey drinking game. Richard eventually loses and is drowned in a huge cask of Malmsey by Richard with the help of Mord. Years later a dying King Edward asks Lady Alice forgiveness for his exiling John Wyatt to France and orders him a pardon before he succumbs. 

The rest of the story will consist into a climactic adventure of stealing a royal treasure for the profit of a battle between Henry Tudor vs. Richard III whose details I won’t give away because they have an important concern to the film’s ending. Nevertheless you’ll be in a huge surprise when you see this film. Forget about thinking this film as a historical lesson and a valuable resource to reading Shakespeare’s Richard III. Only Rathbone’s portrayal in this film, along with Boris Karloff perfectly sinister role as the club-footed Mord, and many exciting sequences, including that Drinking duel between Richard and Clarence, are all reason enough to see this film. I think it’s basically a functional retelling of Richard III’s power and greedy desire to buy his way to the throne turned that is told in a stylish period horror show.