#120- Murder, My Sweet

Quick recap: Detective Philip Marlowe has been hired by an ex-con to find his missing ex girlfriend. Somehow this also turns into a jewelry heist and murder mystery. Always with the murder mysteries, noir films.

Fun (?) fact: The film was originally titled Farewell, My Lovely but was changed because audiences thought it was a musical. If anything, I think this speaks more about the advertising department for the film than the initial confusion.

My thoughts: I’ve mentioned my least favorite genres at length as of late, but now I’m glad to talk about a new favorite- the film-noir. I’ve watched a few already and really love how dark they can be, and yet have such a quick wit about them . Murder, My Sweet is no exception. If I had to describe what film-noir was to someone, I would use this movie as a prime example.

The mystery at the heart of the film is a complex one and I’ll admit to still not completely understanding some parts. Not understanding a plot would annoy me in other situations, but it’s all par for the course in this type of genre. I wasn’t able to figure out where the ex-girlfriend was until the very end and I’d like to say it’s because of the intricate plot, but it’s most likely because I’m the worst at solving mysteries. I couldn’t even handle Encyclopedia Brown as a kid because the stress of solving the puzzle, mixed in with the crushing disappointment of knowing the answer was right in front of me the whole time was too much for a 7 year old to deal with. In a positive light, if I had figured out the ending to Murder, My Sweet I wouldn’t have been as entertained.

I loved Dick Powell as Detective Philip Marlowe. He was fearless when it came to hunting down clues and never lost his cool. I’m not sure detective work is really a good choice for him in the long run however, on account of how easily he blacked out throughout the movie.The scene where he wakes up after being drugged is my favorite because of all the work it took to put the viewer in the perspective of someone who has lost his mind. The camera’s lens was made to look like spider webs had formed in the room, a perfect symbol for that foggy feeling we all feel at some point. Hopefully not because we have been strangled by a dim witted ex-con, but I still get it.

The black pool opened under my feet again, and I dived in

Some favorite tropes I observed in Murder, My Sweet:

beach house as a scene of the crime (seriously, I’m staying away from beach houses)
making out with all the girls, even the ones who are about to murder you
flashbacks!
police interrogation at the beginning of the film to launch the story
gun mishandling- always a laugh

Final review: 4/5. This one was a lot of fun, but still a little to complex for its own good.

Up next: Persona

#116- Red River

Quick recap: It’s Mutiny on the Bounty but with cowboys.

and there’s a wise cook who shares his teeth with a Native American. That’s not an expression, by the way. He literally shares his dentures with another person.

Fun (?) fact: John Ireland, who played Cherry Valance, originally had a much bigger part in the movie but due to unprofessionalism barely had any scenes in the final cut.

comparing the size of their ‘guns’

My thoughts: Despite having hated Shane, I vowed to not let it taint the western movie genre for me. Red River is already a step in the right direction for two reasons: 1) it has John Wayne, whom I have never seen act before (I KNOW) and 2) there are no creepy ‘Village of the Damned’ children. Score!

Before I start, let me first explain that I was going to make this post all about the flirting going on between Montgomery Clift’s character (Matt) and John Ireland’s character (Cherry Valance). Imagine many witty Gay Cowboy jokes, maybe with a few cleverly placed Brokeback Mountain references for good measure. But in researching Red River, I learned that Clift was most definitely gay in real life and the director (as well as everyone else) was well aware of it. That joke about comparing gun sizes? Totally intentional. And now I’m embarrassed for neglecting my 1940’s gossip magazines, or I would’ve already known this fact. 70 year old scandal is the best kind of scandal, you know.

Red River, for the most part, exceeded my expectations. On the surface, it was a fun western with all the tropes you would expect to see: damsel in distress, negative portrayal of native americans, cowboys being macho and ‘manly’. But I liked how John Wayne’s character brought in some deeper themes. I don’t know much about John Wayne (I KNOW), but I always thought he played the ‘good guy’. Actually, I still don’t really know if he is considered the ‘good guy’ in this movie because he has a fondness for killing people. Like, he just does it without thinking. I laughed out loud in the beginning of the film when there is a time jump to show how much Thomas Dunsan’s (John Wayne) ranch has grown and you can see a whole graveyard of people he has apparently killed and buried over the years. He’s just so nonchalant about it which seems kind of evil, but he always buries the victims and reads out of a Bible so in the eyes of other cowboys, he isn’t so bad.

I also appreciated that the movie didn’t just put the cowboys in situation after situation, even though the cattle drive was perilous. There were dangers, sure, but most of the conflict came between the men themselves. But there was also an ‘indian raid’ and stampede (caused by a cowboy stealing sugar) so the action was plenty intense.

a parting shot of Montgomery Clift and that other guy

Final review: 4/5. Close to a 5 but I have hope that there are even better westerns out there for me to see

Up next: Nashville

#108- Sergeant York

Quick recap: This movie is the real life story of Alvin C. York, a young wild Appalachian turned Christian turned war hero.

real life Alvin C. York

Fun (?) fact: Alvin York agreed to a movie of his life on 3 conditions- 1) profits would go to a Bible school he wanted built 2) no cigarette smoking actress would play his wife and 3) only Gary Cooper could play him.

So directors went with a real life 15 year old to play the wife and kiss a 40 year old.

My thoughts: Before I start my snark on this movie (and believe me, there will be snark. SOO much snark), let me just say that the real Alvin York is a badass. He led an attack during World War I that killed 23 Germans and captured 132 of them. And he did this with help from only 7 other men. He’s a hero, plain and simple. Now, onto the snark!

My issue with Sergeant York lies solely with Gary Cooper. That Gary Cooper that I absolutely fawned over last time. It surprised me to learn how many people consider this movie his best role because I thought it was awful. Maybe my ire is directed towards Cooper because of his god awful redneck accent or his portrayal of a simple minded man, but I think the biggest problem with this role is Cooper’s age.

It happens all the time: actors playing characters much younger than themselves. Sometimes it works, but most of the time it’s just creepy. And for me, when the age difference is so big, it distracts from the entire movie. The real Alvin York was 30 when he fought in the war but Cooper is over 40 and he looks it.The first scene with Cooper has him in overalls, running all over the countryside like an idiot. We are supposed to believe he is in his 20s but the effect is more of something like Forrest Gump, who you just feel sorry for. It should be noted that many people who made the movie also thought Cooper was too old to play York but York refused to sign over the rights to his story unless he got to choose who played him. Which is fair, I suppose. If anyone made a movie out of my life I’d choose Jennifer Lawrence. Or maybe Betty White because she is hilarious.

The movie itself is your typical patriotic war movie. Sergeant York was released in 1941, right around the time of Pearl Harbor. There are reports that after watching the movie, young men ran and signed up to serve in the war effort. The story follows the American Dream perfectly: a young, poor wild man finds God and with divine intervention, becomes a war hero. The only thing that would’ve made this movie more patriotic would’ve been a bald eagle in every shot.

Final review: 2/5. be forewarned that if I have to sit through this movie again, I’m just going to end up yelling , ‘He’s, like, 40!’ for two hours straight.

Up next: The Harder They Come or Winter Light

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#93- Meshes of the Afternoon

Quick recap: A woman falls asleep, except she’s not. There’s also a key, a flower and a knife that are important for some reason. And also a guy with a mirror face. Basically, what one would expect in a 14 minute art house film.

The phone is off of the hook! How deep! Such meaning!

Fun (?) fact: I’m out on the porch as I type this, and I think I’m about to watch a battle between a wasp and random bird.

My thoughts: If I’m going to be entirely honest, here are my exact thoughts as I watched this film:

Is it a requirement for all experimental films to feature a flower?

Gross! Is the symbolism flirting with death, because that’s what she’s doing putting that nasty key in her mouth.

That’s…..off-putting?

WTF?

WTF?

WTF?

I could continue, but I think my point has been made. I got that the main character was asleep and I think I understood that she was in a dream but that’s about it. On one hand, I could take the time to analyze the film and research its true meaning, but that kind of ruins the ‘wtf’-ness of it all.

Final review: 2/5. The film was creepy, but overall all the symbolism turned me off.

Up next: My Night at Maude’s

1001 Movie Nights

Tag Archives: 1940’s

#120- Murder, My Sweet

#116- Red River

#108- Sergeant York

#93- Meshes of the Afternoon

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