I kept thinking throughout that this would have been miles more powerful as a silent film, no element moreso than Phillips Holmes' performance. But the sublime ending nearly made up for all -- Elsa's blunt recrimination of Paul's destructive self-pity and the further violence it would cause, a moment of painful tension, all culminating in Nancy Carroll's expression upon hearing Paul play Walter's violin. (But we still could have had that ending in a late silent!)
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Making Montgomery Clift 2018
Disjointed mess as a documentary. But Lorenzo James's remembrances and palpable love for Monty are indescribably moving.
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Wild River 1960
Some rambling thoughts after seeing this, my favorite Kazan, again...
Certainly one of the most authentic films ever made about the American South. Jo Van Fleet's character, Ella Garth, retains a nobility that you can't help but admire, even as you recognize the untenability of her staunch individualism.
In past viewings, the central conflict beween Garth and the TVA, represented by Montgomery Clift's Chuck Glover, left the greatest impact on me. That's still the case, but I was also struck…
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Frances 1982
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
What a mess. On the one hand, Jessica Lange's virtuoso performance commands respect, channeling a kind of barely contained (and sometimes uncontained) rage that I found cathartic and exciting - especially from an actress with Lange's glamorous image in 1982. On the other hand, you have a director who apparently gets off on highlighting Frances Farmer's victimization, with multiple set pieces depicting - and in at least one scene, grossly misrepresenting - her exploitation and abuse, to the exclusion of…
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