Gene Tierney in Leave Her To Heaven (1945): A Force of Nature

This post is my entry in the Great Villain Blogathon, being hosted by Silver Screenings, Speakeasy and Shadows and Satin from May 15-20, 2016. Check out the other posts for more devilish fun.

Always an underrated actress, Gene Tierney was at her best as the monstrous, and yet oddly sympathetic Ellen Berent in the Technicolor noir Leave Her To Heaven (1945). In it she plays a woman so consumed by jealousy that she will do anything to have her way. It is as if she is an unstoppable force of nature with no consideration for the destruction she causes.

Ellen meets novelist Richard Harland (Cornell Wilde) on a train. They flirt, and part, in the lounge car but it turns out they are guests of the same Arizona ranch owner. She is there with her mother and adoptive sister, he is alone. Determined to marry Richard because of his resemblance to her father, whom she previously smothered with her obsessive love, she draws him into her web. She does this despite the fact that she is already engaged. Before he knows it, they are on their honeymoon.

Harland soon finds that Ellen is just as jealously territorial about him as she was her father. She resents the intrusion of anyone on their union, from her own family, to his longtime hired hand and crippled younger brother. Whatever it seems on the surface, her only goal is to do whatever it takes to have him to herself. Harland is horrified by her behavior; she seems compelled by a force beyond her own control.

In Ben Ames Williams' book upon which the movie is based, much is made of the power of nature. In two key sequences a life-threatening natural event, first a torrential rain storm that causes flooding, then a raging forest fire, mirrors the stormy nature of Ellen's emotions. She is presented as a force of nature, unchangeable and all-powerful. In one chilling scene, she stalks Richard and he firsts notices her presence when her shadow falls across him like a dark rain cloud.

Both Tierney and director John Stahl understood Ellen's natural instinct for protecting her self-interest with the determination and power of a predator. In a library seduction scene, Stahl instructed Tierney to act "like a serpent" and the actress responded with an appropriately slinky and serpentine performance. Even her whispery, seductive voice is carefully calibrated for trapping her prey.

Tierney inhabits her role with simmering frustration. She knows that she can't explode the way her emotions compel her to, so she adopts a mask of sanity, stalking her prey with icy calm. The placid exterior is an act of social survival, because when she occasionally slips and reveals her true self, she sees how it disturbs the people around her and understands she is not hiding her true nature well enough.

Despite this unnerving behavior, there are elements of Ellen's jealousy that are relatable and it is this aspect of the role that Tierney gets so right. She makes you as sorry for her as you are afraid. Maybe most of us wouldn't resort to murder and destruction to possess a loved one, but many of us understand that need for space to forge a deeper connection.

I remember the primal fury I felt when my in-laws wanted to come visit our first born the last day before my husband's paternity leave was over. They were only excited to see their first grandchild as much as possible, but I took it as an intrusion on our final day of peace together before real life began again. We hadn't had much time alone together since the birth. I protested violently, and at first I was frustrated because my concerns were not heard, which only increased my agitation. Eventually, I got my quiet family day, though not without feeling like a monster

It was impossible for me to analyze my feelings at the time. I was too raw and hormonal. Later I realized though that I now felt a love different from any I had ever known. The combination of my husband and child, the birth of our family unit, had brought out an elemental force in me.

I think about that day when I look at Ellen suffering in quiet rage. Perhaps her demands aren't completely reasonable, but I sense her impotence and how she feels it demeans her. As a woman in the 1940s, as a woman today, that feeling was and is all too common. We have to fight so much harder and be so much uglier to obtain and keep true power and control.

Obviously most of us aren't going to take that impulse all the way to murder. It is Ellen's sociopathic tendencies that make her a villain, and that harden her desire to win her prize and have it all to herself. But that she is angry that she has no say over who stays in her marital home? That she can't be intimate with her husband without her brother-in-law banging on the wall and honking out good morning in his barely pubescent voice? What woman couldn't sympathize with her frustration?

Ellen is destructive because that primal side of her nature is much stronger than it should be. She lives like a predator stalking her prey. In a poolside scene, she sneaks up on Harland underwater, silently advancing until she surprises him by popping up at the edge of the pool. In other scenes, she watches him, subtly, learning how he moves and what his weaknesses are.

Where Harland's younger brother is concerned, Ellen is more scornful. He is her prey too, but because he has infantile paralysis, he is too weak to be worthy of her full talents. She doesn't waste her energy stalking him, but rather coaxes him to a dangerous spot and waits for him naturally succumb to his disabilities. She watches him as still and as quiet as a panther in the trees, biding her time.

Tierney plays Ellen with a rigid, watchful chill. There's wildness in her eyes when she feels threatened, or is about to go on the attack, and sometimes she slips and lets out her version of a roar. When she goes after Danny, she hides those wild eyes behind sunglasses, as if determined not to give him any reason to be afraid.

It's an awesome performance, quietly mighty, just like that force of nature Ellen Berent.

On DVD: Eleanor Parker Goes Exotic in The Seventh Sin (1957) and Valley of the Kings (1954)

Following the release of Lizzie (1957) and The Woman in White (1948) earlier this spring, Warner Archive continues to feed my Eleanor Parker lady crush with another pair of new releases featuring the actress. This time around, she travels to exotic locations in The Seventh Sin (1957) and Valley of the Kings (1954).

MGM production The Seventh Sin is an adaptation of the W. Somerset Maugham novel The Painted Veil. It made its first screen appearance in 1934 as a Greta Garbo vehicle. In this newer version Parker is Carol Carwin, an empty-hearted socialite in a loveless marriage with bacteriologist Dr. Walter Carwin. When her husband catches her in an affair with a notorious womanizer, and he makes her an ultimatum. If she cannot convince her lover to divorce and marry her, he insists she join him in rural China, where he will face the dangerous task of tackling an intense cholera epidemic.

Much to her heartbreak, Carol is rejected, the affair meaning more to her than her partner. Faced otherwise with the humiliation of a very public divorce scandal, she agrees to go on the trip, essentially consenting to a suicide pact. Life in China moves these two in unexpected ways though, and the emotionally wounded spouses find some redemption.

The first part of The Seventh Sin did little to move me. A fancier, slicker, more lavish production than its predecessor, it was pretty to look at, but little else. Every scene went on longer than it should have, with too much dialogue wedged in where a strong image or gesture would have sufficed. For a while there, I wondered if this film's only saving grace would be the opportunity to admire Parker.

Things pick up once the action moves to China though. This is mostly because George Sanders enters the picture as Englishman Tim Waddington, who, delighted to be in the company of a beautiful lady, decides to make Carol feel at home. What follows is one of the most enjoyable platonic relationships I have seen in the movies. For all the heat of the title, it is these two who give the movie heart, finding great chemistry and ease together.

It's also amusing to see Sanders play a good guy. When he flashes a goofy grin, it almost doesn't look like him. Because of the kinship he finds with Parker, this film gathers steam as it goes. The humanity their friendship reveals in Parker lends more poignancy to her relationship with her husband, ending in a closing scene of unexpected emotional power.

This is a nice film print, with a clean, sharp black and white image.

Trumpeted in the credits as "Suggested by Historical Data in 'Gods Graves and Scholars' by C.W. Ceram'", and presented in blazing Technicolor, Valley of the Kings lives up to the suggested grandeur of its source material, and is the most successful of the two releases.

Parker is Ann Mercedes, the daughter of a deceased explorer, who wishes to finish the research he began in Egypt. Elegant, but tough, she is remarkably independent for a woman of 1900, one of the luxuries of wealth. She is paired with rough-mannered, but hunky archeologist Mark Brandon (Robert Taylor) who has the knowledge and savvy to help her on her quest. 

This was the first large-scale Hollywood production to be filmed in Egypt, and as expected, there is a bit of racial ickiness. I also found myself occasionally distracted by the extras, wondering if there were any real Africans, or if they were all Mexicans as they appeared to be. Oh Hollywood.

It's obvious from the beginning that Ann and Mark are intrigued by each other. I like the way the initial sparks between them flicker subtly but surely, and that you don't have to deal with them hating each other first. You don't normally get a light touch like that between romantic leads in a big production, but there is a real tenderness between the two, and a satisfying intellectual connection, that develops into a passion which fits the scope of their surroundings. Ann's attractive husband shows up early on, but he talks funny, so you know they're going to get rid of him somehow.

The towering sets and visual effects are magnificent, often dwarfing the actors as they stride through them. There is an overall feeling of majesty to the production, but the little things get attention too, like this sturdy rabbit who gets a few moments of screen time during, and after a violent sand storm:

I also loved the way the action scenes were approached. There's a real weight to a strenuous sword fight; you can almost feel the "qwack" of the metal. Another fight scene was a lot more intense because of the perilous place where it was staged. While there were spots where the action slowed down to almost too much of a crawl, for the most part this an excellent, well-paced action-adventure epic.

The print has a soft look, but is essentially clean and the colors are gorgeous. I can see how a restoration would really make this film pop.

Many thanks to Warner Archive for providing a copies of the films for review. These are Manufacture on Demand (MOD) DVDs. To order, visit The Warner Archive Collection.

TCM Classic Film Festival 2016: The Stars

While there are plenty of TCM Classic Film Festivalgoers who will camp out for three hours to ensure entry to a rare pre-code or film noir, there's no doubt that it's the special guests that really get our blood pumping. There's nothing like seeing a performer you have admired on the screen in the flesh. It's as if you are getting proof that these magical people are real. There's a good reason why it's the guest announcements that get the most chatter when news about TCMFF begins to trickle out each year.

So, even though it can be a bit awkward and repetitive, I'm sharing my star experiences in a separate post from my festival film viewing, so you can get the full impact of all that reflected glory. These are dynamic, charismatic people. Though most of them will claim otherwise, they really are different from the rest of us, and that's why we love watching them.

I approached this year's festival feeling that I'd seen so many amazing guests over the past two years, that maybe I wasn't as capable of being dazzled by them as in my first experiences. This was not the case though. In fact, in a couple of instances I don't think I was ever more star struck. Here are the people I saw, and what they said:

Ted Donaldson, Child Actor, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), Interviewed by Jeremy Arnold

The first celebrity interview of the festival was in many ways the most compelling. Ted Donaldson played a supporting role in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but his performance is an indicator of just how much everyone was on their game in this film. There's not a bit of the precocious child actor air about him; he seems like a real, obnoxious, big-hearted kid.

The soft-spoken Donaldson was delighted to share his memories with the crowd. He was so quiet that the audience was collectively leaning forward in its seats to catch everything he said. Interviewer Jeremy Arnold gave him plenty of space to reminisce. 

In addition to making movies, Donaldson worked in commercials, soap operas, radio and on Broadway, most notably for a production of Life With Father. However, he focused his comments on the film to be played that night.

He praised director Elia Kazan for his ability to stage scenes well for the screen, despite the fact that it was his first time helming a film. The actor also said, "Dorothy McGuire's performance is one of the greatest given on film," a statement with which I somewhat agreed. Just like the hardworking mother she plays, it can be easy to not fully appreciate the craft that went into her understated performance, that is, until you realized how she has totally destroyed you.

Donaldson also told a sweet story about Joan Blondell. The actor said, "she had a great sense of embracement." When he confessed he had a crush on the actress, and even proposed to her at age ten, she was very sweet to him. She gave him a photo of herself on which she wrote, "From Joan 'I'm waiting for you' Blondell."

It was clear that Donaldson would have loved to stay longer, and it seemed many in the audience would have enjoyed that as well. The actor was generous with his time throughout the festival though. I hear he answered many questions about working with Cary Grant in Once Upon a Time (1944) while hanging out in Club TCM.

Illeana Douglas, TCM All-Star

The actress/author/director/producer Illeana Douglas is such a familiar face at TCMFF, that I think a lot of us TCMFF regulars are just used to seeing her around. She is clearly a star, but she's also friendly, accessible and a full-on classic movie nerd. I mean, I think some of my friends are even pals with her. It's always fun to see her film introductions and interviews, because she so thoroughly loves and understands movies.

That's why I was a bit stunned by my reaction to her at her book signing for I Blame Dennis Hopper. It's really by chance that I was even able to go; the Francis Ford Coppola hand/footprint  ended earlier than I expected, and I thought it would be fun to thank her for writing such an entertaining book. I'd also borrowed the book from the library and really wanted to buy my own copy.

Well my goodness, I tossed a crazy word salad for Ms. Douglas. Hope I didn't scare her. I can't remember what all I said, but it was not dignified. When I wondered later what had come over me, I realized that while I admired her as an actress and classic film fan, I was gob smacked by her ability to write a consistently funny book. Not many people can do that!

Anyway, I was not able to gracefully put into words how much I admired her achievement, but thank heaven she is a pro, and was very gracious, even patient? And I hear that was her boyfriend taking fan photos for her. How sweet.

Gina Lollobrigida, Trapeze (1956), Interviewed by Illeana Douglas

The announcement that Ms. Lollobrigida would be a guest at TCMFF was one of my first squeal-worthy moments leading up to the festival. I love this sexy, intelligent star. While Doris Day was Rock Hudson's best comic partner, I think La Lollo had the most sizzle with him. There's no film that her easy glamour and sensuality cannot improve.

As a festival guest, Lollobrigida was every bit as glamorous and fascinating as I expected. She looked gorgeous, and was still in many ways quite a bombshell. In a career highlight film that played before the movie, someone commented that "she makes Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple" and that pretty much nails it.

The actress spoke at length about her enjoyment working on a circus set for Trapeze. As a woman more interested in travel, art, and photography, the skill of the real circus performers and the challenge of doing many of her own stunts appealed to her. She would even disguise herself as a clown when she wasn't needed on set so she could hang around incognito and soak up the atmosphere. When her stunt double broke her nose, she had to perform her own stunts, or as La Lollo put it, "I had to do the double of my double."

Lollobrigida also discussed other actors and films in a lengthy, if not nearly long enough discussion. She joked about producer David Selznick wanting to buy her out of her Beat the Devil (1953) contract because he feared she would outshine his wife, and her costar, Jennifer Jones. She also said that co-star Humphrey Bogart was much funnier than his screen persona, always laughing, joking and singing.

The actress became somber when she discussed the death of friend and costar Tyrone Power, which happened when she was starring with him in Solomon and Sheba (1959). She shared a sweet story of Power calling her in the middle of the night just to say he couldn't sleep because he wanted to tell her what pleasure it gave him to work with her. Lollobrigida initially did not like working with the actor's replacement on that film, Yul Brynner, but eventually passion changed her mind. It seems that once they started an onscreen kiss, they couldn't stop, no matter what the director did to get their attention.

It was a very entertaining interview. I have a feeling it would be fascinating to talk about just about anything with this brilliant lady. She's got an admirable lust for life.

Angela Lansbury, The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Interviewed by Alec Baldwin

I was so anxious to see Dame Angela that for the first time ever, I nabbed a spot in the short line gathered in the forecourt of the Chinese Theatre. To put that in perspective, my queue number was 40 and about 500 people lined up in the media/classic pass category. As expected, she was worth the wait.

Alec Baldwin conducted the interview, and while I think he's a smart, funny guy with a lot of classic film knowledge, sometimes he puts a bit too much of himself into his interviews. I guess that's an actor for you, grabbing the spotlight. That said, he did a great job, and it was actually pretty funny when he noticed he had a pillow on his lap and wondered aloud why.

Dame, Baldwin, lap pillow

Lansbury talked both about The Manchurian Candidate and her early career in Hollywood. She noted that the somber mood on the set was inspired by director John Frankenheimer, who set the tone and was all business. This was the last film the actress would make in Hollywood before she escaped to better roles on Broadway. It was a satisfying experience for her, though not without its drama.

Star Frank Sinatra proved to be a challenge because he was famously a one-take actor and the complex nature of the film required much more than one go at a scene. It was also interesting to hear that 'Ol Blue Eyes originally wanted Lucille Ball for the evil mother role Lansbury played. I think the right actress got the role, but that sure would have been interesting to see.

Lansbury went on to talk about her experiences as a young actress in Hollywood, which were for the most part a bit frustrating. She said "producers all saw me in a different way," which led to a great inconsistency of quality in the parts she played. Fortunately, she found satisfaction and huge success on the stage.

When Baldwin said to Lansbury, "you're never going to retire?" She replied, "no, I don't think so" and the audience responded with a huge cheer. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see this sharp-witted, charismatic actress. 

Eva Marie Saint, The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1966), Interviewed by Leonard Maltin

Going to see this movie was a last minute decision for me, partially inspired by my desire to see a comedy, but firmly made once I realized I'd never seen Eva Marie Saint in person. I knew she was a charming, generous interview subject and that I should grab the chance to see her. I'm glad I did, because what she really did was give a performance, and a very entertaining one at that.

If I had a transcript I might have just posted the whole conversation here. It was so witty and amusing that it was difficult to believe the whole thing wasn't scripted. I adored Maltin's intro, where he said of the Egyptian, "I love this theater. I love this screen. Everything looks great on this screen." But the critic knew who we were there to see, so he hurried on to bringing out Saint.

What a lovely, energetic and life-affirming person she is. From the moment she appeared, it was like adding Pop Rocks to soda. She sparkles!

The actress was completely engaged with both Maltin and the audience. I never saw a star look out into the audience so much, as if she was attempting to have a conversation with hundreds of people. She made it look easy too.

Saint was sassy and sexy, talking about wearing hot pants in the sixties and flirting with Maltin. When he said he'd researched her on Google she responded, "you Googled me? I didn't even feel it!"

Everyone gasped when she announced that she is 92. She barely looked in her sixties. When she asked Maltin his age he said, "I'm 65, but I could play 64." Get these two in a road movie together!

Though The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming is a fifty-year-old film, she had lots of vivid memories of working on what sounds like a happy production. She shared an amusing story about Alan Arkin's grimaces while digging through her character's purse in the film, and how her kids would tease her about it whenever she groped in a similarly desperate fashion for something in her handbag in real life.

Saint also talked about the declining enthusiasm of the extras, all of them locals, once they realized being in show business required hard work and tedious repetition. She shared a hilarious story of looking for a church at one of the the filming locations years after the production, only to be told by a local that it had been a façade constructed for the film.

This interview was constant fun. It's one of the best schedule changes I made the entire festival.

Anna Karina, Band of Outsiders (1964), Interviewed by Ben Mankiewicz

Seeing Ms. Karina made me realize just how star struck I could get. My experience seeing her is probably worthy of its own post, but I don't know if I'd have the intestinal fortitude to carry through.

Anna Karina is one of my favorite actresses, not just for her great performances, but her style, wit, intelligence and indescribable joie de vivre. I have so much respect for this dignified and kind-hearted lady. For that reason this event was my must-see of the festival, and I approached her appearance with laser-eyed obsession.

As soon as the War of the Worlds screening let out, I started eyeing the line for Band of Outsiders, even though the audience for the next film in the theater had just been seated. Fortunately, artist/blogger Kate Gabrielle was even more obsessed than I was so we kept each other company and totally geeked out copying a few shots from another favorite Karina flick, A Woman is  Woman (1961). I'm Jean-Paul Belmondo:

Photo credit Kate Gabrielle

Though catching Karina on the red carpet gave me the shakes for a good half hour, seeing her up close was an entirely different experience. This is the first interview where I wanted a front row seat, and where I took a picture of the place where the actress of my admiration would be sitting (see pic at top of post. I will remember that crack in the floor forever). I'm talking crazy times. But once we were seated, I settled into a goofy state of bliss that stuck with me for hours.

The presence of Anna Karina is overwhelming. She so charming, bright and joyful. Even Ben Mankiewicz seemed to be in awe, nearly wordless when he tried to describe his admiration for her style and stopping to gush over the elegant way she said, "Palmolive". At a certain point, Karina picked up on his fanboy goofiness and said in the most affectionate way, "you're funny." I think she kind of made him melt.

As for me, I had to make an effort not to stare. My goal the entire conversation was not to be scary. What a magnetic force this woman emits though. It was almost impossible to look away.

Though it may be hard to believe, I did manage to hear some of the words that came out of Karina's mouth. A lot of the stories she told about working with Godard, the start of her career and how she feels about her films were familiar, but the style in which she told them was so offhand and amusing, so French.

She spoke about the beginning of her romance with Godard: how he would send her love notes requesting specific rendezvous locations and times, and the way he would film her while he asked her questions about her love affairs. Overall, she was really telling the story of how she came to be famous, and the director who was at her side through it all, which was appropriate given the film being shown.

It was an incredible experience. I loved how satisfied and grateful she seemed with the life she has had so far, and how touched she was by the love of the audience. It was also wonderful to feel the adulation of a twelve-year-old for this artist, because this is a time where the famous seem increasingly more likely to let us down. It was nice to believe in someone and upon seeing her, feel that my admiration had been deserved.

Yes! Finally settled down long enough to get a pic that isn't blurry!

To see more photos of the stars and read more about my experiences seeing celebrity guests of TCMFF, check out my Red Carpet coverage and my report on the Francis Ford Coppola hand and footprint ceremony.

Check out my full TCMFF 2016 coverage here.

Flicker Alley: The Unapologetic Women of Too Late for Tears (1949) and Woman on the Run (1950)

This post is my entry in the Flicker Alley Noir Blog-a-thon, Detectives and Dames. Click here to read other entries and learn more about these amazing new releases.

I know it wasn't very noir of me, but I cheered when I learned that restored versions of Woman on the Run (1950) and Too Late For Tears (1949) were going to be released on DVD/Blu-ray. That the Film Noir Foundation and UCLA Film and Television Archive were teaming up with Flicker Alley to do the deed just sweetened the deal. These are people who can give forgotten or underseen films the respect and treatment they deserve. Here's hoping this is the start of a long relationship.

Often a restoration is applauded because it grants access to a film that was long unavailable. This is not the case with Woman on the Run and Too Late for Tears. These noirs have been in the public domain for several years. When films are in as shabby condition as these pair were though, it is almost as if you're not truly seeing them at all. In this case, they had enough magic to them that you couldn't look away, even if it wasn't always easy to stick with them.

By simply enabling audiences to appreciate these films fully, the restorations are of great importance, but there are other elements which make them fascinating as a pair and tie them together thematically. Despite the familiar types of the femme fatale, and the good girl looking to save her sister/clear her boss' name/etc., film noir is often a man's game. Here you have two noirs that are focused on women: one a heroine, the other a villain. And the kind of women that they are is also novel; while they are dramatically different morally, these are ladies with one significant trait in common: they don't apologize for not living up to society's expectations, not even in the last minutes of the film.

Before watching these new releases, I was most familiar with Too Late For Tears, which I had watched on several crummy public domain discs, somehow thinking that one might be better than the rest. The first time I saw it, I didn't understand the complexities of film preservation and restoration. For some reason I thought that all good films would of course have to be properly cared for. It didn't occur to me that even the best of films could be crammed with ten others in a cheap DVD set for sale at the grocery store. That's why I was shocked to find that Too Late For Tears was so good. How could this amazing noir not be treated like a classic?

As top notch as the rest of the production is, it's hard to imagine Too Late For Tears having as much of an impact if it weren't for Lizabeth Scott. I hear that in later years she claimed not to love her performance here, but I think it is her best. As a housewife who mistakenly has a suitcase full of cash thrown into her car, and then protects the illicit gain like a mama bear with a cub, she is all steely focus and false smiles. The money is her ticket to the respectability she craves, and she will be completely unrespectable to keep it.

One of the most remarkable things about Scott's performance is that she makes you feel for her. She's a vicious sociopath who will kill supposed loved ones for cash, but her desire is so much more intense than anyone around her that you can't help wanting her to succeed. In her mind there's nothing like a comfortable life to make one desperately crave a world of luxury. When she sees her opportunity to escape buying furniture on the payment plan and worrying about bills, nothing else matters.

Though she is playing a villain, there must have been ladies in the audience who felt vindicated by this woman who pursued her dreams with unapologetic passion. She doesn't wait for a man to tell her what to do, she gives the orders, and she knows exactly what she wants.

Scott is supported by a strong cast, including Don DeFore as a sketchy stranger with an interest in Scott and Kristine Miller as her sister-in-law. Dan Duryea stands out as a criminal, and intended recipient of the money, who realizes quickly he is in over his head with Scott. He's playing the same scumbag he always does in crime flicks; it's just that this time he has met his match, and it's pretty amusing to watch him deal with it all.

Of the two films, Woman on the Run was the one I felt was most in need of attention. I only ever managed to get through it once before because the picture and sound quality were so bad I had difficulty getting lost in the story. At the time, I thought it was an interesting noir, but I didn't feel the need to struggle through it again. 

In its restored version, you can finally appreciate the mid-century San Francisco location shooting and the nuances of Sheridan's performance that were lost to shoddy public domain presentations. This is one of her best roles, because she gets to discard some of that big studio glamour and fully display the grit and sharp wit that made her an intriguing star in the first place.

As a wife in search of her missing husband, who she is on the brink of leaving, Ann Sheridan is equally unapologetic about her unconventional ways, if exponentially more heroic. Hubs has taken off after dodging a bullet from a murder suspect, so the cops want to talk to him. Sheridan just wants him to take his heart medicine once she learns he has been hiding an illness from her. A wisecracking supposed newspaperman played by Dennis O'Keefe insists on helping her so he can get an exclusive and is a good target for her quips.

Done with love and romance and quietly sad about her failing marriage, Sheridan is numb and weary. When the police ask why there are only dog food cans on her kitchen shelves she says, "I'm lazy, we eat out." The comment is meant to be depressing as it is funny, but you can't help but wonder how many woman of the time admired the liberty she had taken.

Sheridan's disappointed housewife doesn't grin and bear it, but she doesn't come off sour for acting as she feels. In fact, it makes her more sympathetic. How often do you see that sort of freedom in any character, let alone a female?

Woman on the Run, while mostly of a noir flavor, successfully dips into many genres. Sometimes it works as a comedy; at times it is as chilling as a horror flick. At its core though, it is a drama about a frail marriage; just the sort of movie you always planned to avoid, but if you did in this case, it would be criminal.

There are more noir collaborations to come if this first partnership between Flicker Alley and the Film Noir Foundation is a success!

Both disc sets come with DVD and Blu-ray discs. They include booklets full of photos, stills and advertisements connected to the films and essays that shed a little more light on the films and the restoration process. The sets also contain several short features about the making of and restoration of the films. Noir czar and Film Noir Foundation president and "Czar of Noir" Eddie Muller provides the commentary track for Woman on the Run, while Alan K. Rode, film historian & programmer, and a director of the Film Noir Foundation comments for Too Late for Tears.

Too Late for Tears and Woman on the Run can be purchased at the Flicker Alley website for 25% off through May 16, 2016! Click on the title links for more details.

Many thanks to Flicker Alley for providing copies of the films for review.

On DVD: Billie Dove in The Man and the Moment (1929)

One of the most remarkable stories of film preservation is the recovery of a lost film. What a miracle it is that a piece of celluloid long thought lost is suddenly found, restored and made available to anyone who wishes to see it. That is the story of The Man and the Moment (1929), a Billie Dove and Rod La Roque silent with Vitaphone sound effects, music and talking sequences. Found in an archive in Italy, this nicely-restored film is now available on DVD from Warner Archive.

It's a nice print, clean and essentially undamaged. The soundtrack is also in good condition, clear and sharp. An oddity of the restoration is that the print discovered was meant to be distributed as a silent film, but the sound comes from Vitaphone discs; so while there are dialogue sequences, the actors are often not seen speaking. Instead, you can hear them while reading the same words on title cards. While odd, this doesn't make it difficult to enjoy the film.

Man of the Moment could easily have been a screwball were it a full talkie. The intertitles are full of sharp wisecracks; as you read them, you can almost hear a pre-code Joan Blondell speaking out of the corner of her mouth. While there are plenty of sweeping melodramatic touches, the sharp-witted titles keep it light.

This racy tale stars Rod La Rocque as Michel Towne, a millionaire who is being chased by Viola (Gwen Lee) a sneaky flapper-type who has decided to discard her husband for Towne's riches. The pair once had a flirtation, and as an insurance policy, she keeps one of his love letters in her stocking. Billie Dove is Joan Winslow, a free-spirited socialite who feels imprisoned by her guardian.

The pair meet cute in a perilous way, when her little plane crashes into his motorboat. He is instantly smitten; she is wary. Eventually though, they realize a marriage of convenience will solve their various problems. Is this the first screen pair to tie the knot in order to gain themselves freedom?

Michel is determined to have Joan though.He weakens her with champagne and they consummate their union on his yacht, causing her great distress. Escaping the next morning through a porthole in her lingerie, the infuriated Joan embraces the wild life to punish Michel. They spend the rest of the movie simmering in sexual tension.

The Man and the Moment has all the best traits of early pre-codes: free-spirited flappers, beautiful clothes, a playful manner and characters with lose moral codes. Its wealthy inhabitants are living in an eternal party, including one in which a tank full of ladies swimming around like mermaids serves as a backdrop and then a dramatic prop.

Dove makes the transition to talkies well, her voice is smooth and natural, and takes some of the sappiness of her constant trapped animal fearfulness. La Rocque is less charming. Though he is handsome, he tends to be more oily than romantic and never really seems worthy of Joan's trust. The screen lothario is also less successful in his talking scenes, where he works so hard to enunciate clearly that the nuances of his character are lost.

While Dove and La Roque lack significant chemistry, they sizzle enough to keep the story interesting. I've never liked Dove better, it has plenty of fascinating Roaring Twenties zest, and there are a few shots that are almost poetic in their beauty. This is a great find.

Many thanks to Warner Archive for providing a copy of the film for review. This is a Manufacture on Demand (MOD) DVD. To order, visit The Warner Archive Collection.

TCM Classic Film Festival 2016: Francis Ford Coppola Hand and Footprint Ceremony at the Chinese Theatre

On the second morning of the TCM Classic Film Festival, I had the pleasure of covering a hand and footprint ceremony honoring Francis Ford Coppola in the forecourt of the Chinese Theatre. 

This is the third year that I've attended the ceremony and, as in previous years, it was a fascinating, once-in-a-lifetime event.

I was pleased to get a much better spot to watch the festivities this year. In 2014 and 2015, the bloggers were corralled behind a gate with a crowd of onlookers. This year we got a nice corner near the center of the action.

It's nice to have time to stand by the theatre and soak up its beauty without being harassed by an aggressive Batman or a Spider-man with the shape of Homer Simpson. 

In addition to enjoying some people watching and seeing the staff preparing for the ceremony, I always love finding new things to admire on the facade of the building. This year, I noticed this guy for the first time:

It's also great to see the block of wet cement, all ready to immortalize someone new:

The wait time before the ceremony is also the perfect time to get caught up with friends I only get to see at the festival, and sometimes very briefly once the whirlwind of film screenings begins. Raquel, Jessica and I have enjoyed covering the ceremony together for the past three years:

And this year there were even more fun people to talk with!

One of my favorite things to do before the ceremony begins is to look for familiar faces in the VIP seating. I'm pretty sure I saw John Landis, though I neglected to get a photo.

I picked out Peter Bogdanovich right away. There's no mistaking that serious expression and neckerchief. I was excited to see him, as I admire both his films and his amazing film scholarship. And is it just me, or does the guy next to him look a bit like Edward Arnold?

When Ben Mankiewicz stepped onto the stage, my first thought was that this hardworking man had a long weekend ahead of him. He is always graceful under pressure though. A real class act:

Roman Coppola introduced his father. Seeming to understand what the crowd was thinking, he said that Sofia Coppola was unable to attend due to work commitments. 

I like his look. He's giving me a young Victor Mature here:

And then the great Francis Ford Coppola made his appearance. His speech was short, but sweet:

I had to keep reminding myself that I was looking at one of the most celebrated directors in the history of cinema. While he definitely exudes the confident charisma of the famous and accomplished, he seems more like that cozy uncle who loves to cook and makes his own sauces. An amusing thought, because I think that is also true of Coppola.

He was so kind and thoughtful, making sure to wave to the fans and smile in the direction of every camera:

I remember that lady with the ponytail from previous ceremonies. Jerry Lewis teased her mercilessly in 2014 (doing his job so to speak). This year and Christopher Plummer in 2015 must have felt like a vacation:

As he pressed his palms and feet into the cement, the photographers shouted out requests for various poses, as they do. He complied with every single request, and seemed thoroughly amused by it all:

Then Coppola's wife of fifty-three years, Eleanor, and Roman came out for photos. I love the way she's looking at him in this pic. So much affection:

Sister Talia Shire and granddaughter Gia also joined the group. It's clear this is a close-knit family. They are so relaxed in each other's company:

Then Bogdanovich was brought out for pics. It was funny to hear the photographers yell over and over again for him to smile to no avail. I mean, not smiling is his thing! Like Posh Spice! I shouted "Pull a long face for me Peter!" But of course it was too noisy for him to hear me.Or maybe he did hear me and complied?

Look how happy Coppola is here! This was the most uneventful, and shortest of the hand/footprint ceremonies I have attended, but I loved soaking up the laid back, congenial vibe:

And here they are, still wet:

Later in the festival, I realized I hadn't ever looked for the hand/footprints from previous ceremonies I had attended. I had a bit of trouble finding Christopher Plummer until an attendant at the theatre door told me that newer prints are closer to the building. Makes sense:

It was delightful to spend another beautiful morning watching a great name in the world of film being honored in this way. Each year is a unique, and extremely enjoyable experience. It's always worth missing a couple of films to attend.

Check out my full TCMFF 2016 coverage here.