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This year on TCMFF Eve, I visited another Quentin Tarantino-owned theater. This time it was the New Beverly Cinema to take in Norman Jewison’s Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), an adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice’s Broadway musical about the Passion of the Christ. Told through a theatrical troupe’s re-enactment in a desert, the screenwriters presume the story is known by the audience so it’s not always clear who or what is being shown. I didn’t connect with any of the songs beyond Judas singing “Superstar.”
Meet TCM was held at Club TCM which is the festival’s hub at the Roosevelt Hotel. Moderated by Scott McGee, TCM’s Senior Director of Original Programming, the participants included Genevieve McGillicuddy, VP, Enterprises & Strategic Partnerships at TCM; Charlie Tabesh, SVP, Programming and Content Strategy at TCM; Katie Daniels, Creative Director for TCM; Missy Chambless, Executive Vice President Marketing; Missy Birns-Gordon, Warner Bros Discovery Head of Talent Development.
There was talk of directors Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Paul Thomas Anderson being on an advisory board. They had ideas for the Two for One series and helped bring in talent. They were also involved with interstitals that deal with the tradition of the double-feature and old movie theaters. Also how the channel worked with MAX, WBD’s streaming channel and pulling from other networks in synergistic ways.
In terms of good news, there were going to be another session of Carol Burnett and Dave Karger segments on TCM. Unfortunately, there are no plans for rerunning Robert Osborne’s The Essentials or Private Conversations. In terms of the festival, it was explained that once they pick a film, they work to get the best available. This year there are 12 World Premiere restorations. Boston Light and Sound were a big help, especially with the VistaVision presentations.
My first screening was the first showing of the day in the infamously small Theater 4. That it was starting late was not a good omen. Introduced by Jeopardy host Ken Jennings, Karl Freund’s pre-Code musical Moonlight and Pretzels (1933) is a delightfully corny, backstage Broadway musical inspired by the success of 42nd Street (1933). Two young lovers, songwriter George Dwight (Roger Pryor) and Sally Upton (Mary Brian) meet in a small town. He dreams of heading to Broadway and finds success, but eventually he and Broadway star Elsie Warren (Lillian Miles) feel taken advantage of and break from their prodcuers who afre taking advantage of his success. They find new investors who have their own agenda, so navigating to Opening Night proves difficult, especially when Sally comes to Broadway, looking to reconnect with George. There are three big numbers in the movie but it’s not clear how they would play together in a musical. During the final number, Freund uses film tricks, such as a dissolve, but they make no sense since the in-movie audience wouldn’t be able to see them. But as baffling as the plot and execution are, the movie was enjoyable.
Closed out Thursday with Blithe Spirit (1945), the adaptation of Noel Coward’s play about a supernatural love triangle between writer Charles Condomine (Rex Harrison), his wife Ruth (Constance Cummings), and the ghost of his first wife, Elvira (Kay Hammond, who played the role in the original play production). Celebrating its 90th anniversary, the film was a 35mm print from a 2008 restoration. Speaking before the film was Christine Ebersol, who played Elvira in the 2009 Broadway revival alongside Angela Lansbury, who played Madame Arcati.
Charles is working on an occult-based novel and as a means of research invites Madame Arcati (Margaret Rutherford, who played the role in the original play production) over for dinner. Before the evening ends, Arcati calls forth the spirit of Elvira bit only he hears her. The next day Elvira appears only to him. She scares Ruth acting like a poltergeist, and Charles learns Elvira wants to reunite with him, which can only be in the afterlife. The story plays out more like a sitcom than I expected. I’m not sure I understood the big reveal nor the conclusion but I do understand why Coward didn’t like it.
John Huston returned to themes he explored in The African Queen in the WWII drama Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) starring Robert Mitchum as U.S. Marine Corporal Allison and Deborah Kerr as Irish nun Sister Angela who meet on a South Pacific island. He washes ashore after a Japanese attack on a U.S. submarine. She is the last survivor of a pair who came to evacuate a priest. The actors’ charm makes up for plot improbabilities as the seemingly incompatible pair try to avoid the Japanese military. The plot gets a bit ridiculous as Mitchum sneaks in and out of the Japanese camp, like he was a member of Hogan’s Heroes, which undercuts the drama.
After her hand-and-footprint ceremony, Michelle Pfeiffer was interviewed before The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), her breakout role, co-starring brothers Jeff and Beau Bridges as the titular piano players. The Baker Brothers have a complicated relationship/partnership. Frank (Beau), who has a family, manages the act, booking them in bars and lounges performing standards for an older crowd. Jack (Jeff), who lives alone, is unhappy, with the act, with his life. He’d quit but feels compelled to help his brother, which brings resentment.
As business is dwindling, Frank decides they should hire a female singer, which is how they meet singer Susie Diamond (Pfeiffer). They make a great act and get better bookings, but success brings its own complications as each has ideas on how to proceed. Other complications occur when Jack and Susie become attracted to one another, which Frank asked Jack not to do. The plot unfolds in a believable way for the characters. If not for composer Dave Grusin’s score, one wouldn’t know the movie was made in the ’80s.
Based on the 1919 novel and a remake of the 1920 film, The Mark of Zorro (1940) stars Tyrone Power as Don Diego Vega, son of a wealthy ranchero and the area’s former magistrate. Under Don Luis Quintero’s new leadership, the people are mistreated, so Diego puts on a mask and leads a revolt under the name El Zorro. He also undermines Don Luis by wooing his daughter and filling his wife with ideas that life is better elsewhere. Power is great in Diego’s dual role of effete dandy and heroic swashbuckling alter ego.
Eddie Muller and Mario Cantone need to take their act introducing classic films on the road because their time before Now, Voyager (1942) was so funny as they bantered and Cantone did his Bette Davis impression that I would imagine a great number in the audience didn’t want them to end. Hopefully, someone recorded it.
Filled with great performances, Now, Voyager is certainly adifferent kinda love story. Charlotte Vale (Davis) has been emotionally abused by her mother, which has caused her to be withdrawn and lacking in confidence. She is also described as “fat” intended to add another negative trait, but she isn’t close to being overweight. She ends up going to the sanitarium of psychiatrist Dr. Jaquith (Claude Rains), and the time there, especially being away from her mother is beneficial.
She goes on a cruise where she meets Jerry Durrance (Paul Henreid). He’s unhappily married and only stays because of his daughter Tina. They fall in love, but can’t be together. They go about their own lives, yet eventually find a way to stay close and a part of each other’s lives. It’s an unusual relationship, especially for the time, but it works in the film.
Although I’ve seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) numerous times and sleep is a premium at the TCM Fest, I was curious to hear Barry Bostwick be interviewed beforehand. Because the shadowcast (the Happy to be Here Club) had to set up and Bostwick is a bit of a nut, the start time got pushed back to 1:40 am, so I left after Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry) is introduced and sang “Sweet Transvestite.”
My first movie for Saturday was Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) but 15 minutes before showtime they hadn’t let anyone in so I was worried I might be changing my schedule. Craig Barron and Ben Burtt provided a timeline of artificial intelligence in movies.
Colossus is a supercomputer created by team leader Dr. Forbin (Eric Braeden, who was in attendance), for the U.S. Government. Once it goes online, it becomes sentient and wants to link with its Russian supercomputer counterpart. After agreeing to do so, the President and the Soviet General Secretary have second thoughts and break the link. This angers the supercomputers and they respond by firing nuclear missiles. The governments agree to connect the link, but it still results in collateral damage. Forbin and other try to devise a way to stop the computers but are they too late?
As people grown more concerned with artificial intelligence, this futuristic film made 55 years ago seems rather timely. The film moves at a measured pace like science-fiction films of the era, more thought provoking than action packed, but very compelling as it unfolds and Colossus grows stronger.
Eddie Muller, who co-wrote Tab Hunter’s autobiography, actor Keith Carridine introduced Gunman’s Walk (1958), the restoration of which was getting its U.S. premiere. Not sure whythis filmisn’t talked about more as it is a compelling family drama/western.
Van Heflin is Lee Hackett, a wealthy and powerful rancher. He has two sons, fiesty Ed (Hunter) and sincere Davy (James Darren). Lee is disappointed that Davy is meek compared to his older brother and that he is interested in a half-Sioux woman, Clee (Kathryn Grant). Her brother Paul (Bert Convy) and two other Native Americans take part in Lee’s round-up of wild horses. A white mare is found and both Ed and Paul pursue her. Ed runs Paul off a cliff to his death and claims the mare. Ed is put on trial but a witness comes forward. Sieverts (Ray Teal) claims the cliff gave way under Paul and it was an accident. Later, Sieverts claims he lost some horses and may be in the group. Thankful for saving his son, Lee tells Sieverts to take 10 horses, but when he claims the white mare, Lee understands what has happened. Ed challenges Sieverts over the mare and kills him. It eventually falls to Lee to handle Ed.
Hunter makes a great villain, a spoiled brat of a man who acts without thinking. Heflin delivers a great range of emotions, as it comes into focus what he must do in regards to his out-of-control son.
With Brady Corbet and Paul Thomas Anderson having shot (The Brutalist and One Battle After Another, respectively)in the VistaVision format, it’s no surprise older titles also shot in that format are receiving renewed attention and are appearing at the festival. Charlotte Baker, Director, Film Preservation & Restoration, with the Paramount Archives was on hand to discuss the history of VistaVision which was created by that studio’s engineers.
Based on the French play La Cuisine Des Anges by Albert Husson, We’re No Angels (1955) is a delightful Christmas comedy starring Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov as Joseph, Albert, and Jules, recent escapees from Devil’s Island in French Guiana. They hide out in store run by Felix (Leo G. Carroll), his wife Amelie (Joan Bennett), and their daughter Isabelle (Gloria Talbott). Initially intending to rob the place to aid their getaway, the criminal trio have a change of heart when they learn how poorly the store is doing. The owner, Andre Trochard (Basil Rathbone) comes from Paris to take over running the store. In addition, Isabelle has been intending to marry Andre’s nephew Paul but discovers he is engaged to someone else.
The way the conflicts are resolved certainly have the feel of a French farce. Bogart should have done more comedies because he is very adept here. Ustinov is also very funny as a charming murderer. I am curious if Ray was the first choice for his role because he’s rather a non-entity. It felt like any day player could have contributed what he did, which is not much beyond saying the dialogue. I am also not sure why they bothered to shoot in VistaVision. The film is is staged like a play and uses so many interiors that the format offers no advantages.
Better use of what VistaVision has to offer can be seen in John Sturges’ Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), the third film of the historical event involving Wyatt Earp (Burt Lancaster) and Doc Holliday (Kirk Douglas). While they start on opposite sides of the law, they find out they aren’t so different in their beliefs and work together, including the climactic battle where they take on the Clanton gang in a thrilling shootout in Tombstone, Arizona. They each have to also have to deal with a woman in their life, both of whom want the men to change how they are.
Lancaster and Douglas make a good screen team, which helps explain why they did seven movies together. The film shows the interesting dynamic between hero and antihero, and shows how they bend towards the other, depending on the situation, such as Earp helping Holliday escape a murder charge and Holliday getting deputized to help Earp legally. The VistaVision print shown is in needs of a restoration as darkness overwhelms in certain scenes.
David Lynch’s Wild at Heart (1990) was introduced by Dave Karger and co-star David Patrick Kelly, who played mandolin for the audience, including closing with “In the Jailhouse Now.” Lovers Sailor (Nic Cage) and Lula (Laura Dern) on the run from Lula’s mother Marietta (Diane Lane, Laura’s mother) and heading west. She knows Sailor saw her involved in the murder of Lula’s father. First, she asks her boyfriend, P. I. Johnnie Farragut (Harry Dean Stanton) to bring them back. She also asks boyfriend, gangster Marcello Santos (James E. Freeman) to kill Sailor and bring Lula back. Santos also sees this as an opportunity to get rid of Farragut.
At one point, Lula exclaims, “This whole world’s wild at heart and weird on top,” an accurate description of the film, which constantly takes unexpected twists and turns as they and the audience encounter the cast of characters assembled, but resolves in a satisfying way if you buy into Lynch’s vision. Cage fits so perfectly I am surprised he and Lynch didn’t team up again.
Lynch’s Oz-infused modern noir mashed-up different films, including an Elvis musical, that it seemed a fitting way to end my festival experience. Although I was jealous of what I was missing on Sunday and can’t wait to come back next year.
