Based on the novel The Last Frontier by Howard Fast, Cheyenne Autumn is the story of a cavalry captain who reluctantly takes part on a mission to track down a tribe of migrating Cheyenne. Directed by John Ford and screenplay by James R. Webb with contributions from Mari Sandoz, the film is Ford’s final western as it play into a man being forced to take down a Native American tribe as it play as an elegy for the West and for Native Americans who had been mistreated by the American government. Starring Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, Ricardo Montalban, Gilbert Roland, Sal Mineo, Dolores del Rio, Edward G. Robinson, Karl Malden, Arthur Kennedy, and James Stewart as Wyatt Earp. Cheyenne Autumn is a majestic and sprawling film from John Ford.
Set in the late 19th Century, the film is based on the real-life Northern Cheyenne Exodus of 1878-1879 where a group of Cheyenne decide to leave their reservation in the Oklahoma Territory to return to their homeland in Wyoming due to a promise that wasn’t fulfilled by the U.S. government. It plays into this cavalry officer who is order to pursue a tribe of migrating Cheyenne and take them back to the reservation as he doesn’t want to harm them but knows the mission is futile. Adding to this in this pursuit is then Secretary of the Interior in Carl Schurz (Edward G. Robinson) who trying to prevent violence happening while some in the press are spreading lies into what the Cheyenne has done when the reality is that the death toll of soldiers were actually small. James R. Webb’s screenplay is largely told from the perspective of Captain Thomas Archer (Richard Widmark) who talks about his pursuit as well as wanting to keep the peace knowing that he’s tried to help the Cheyenne anyway he can and was angry that a meeting between a major government official and the Cheyenne didn’t take place because the former didn’t keep his promise.
Captain Archer tries to ensure two of its chiefs in Little Wolf (Ricardo Montalban) and Dull Knife (Gilbert Roland) to stay in the reservation despite its poor condition so he can reach out and give the Cheyenne what they want. With their head chief in poor health, Little Wolf and Dull Knife make the decision to return to Wyoming as they’re aided by the schoolteacher Deborah Wright (Carroll Baker) who is concerned for the children as the Cheyenne allow her to travel with them. Wright is Captain Archer’s lover as he would learn that she had fled with the Cheyenne making his reluctant pursuit personal as well as wanting to ensure that no harm comes to her. The film also showcase others encountering the Cheyenne including Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday (Arthur Kennedy) in a comedic moment in the film as it play into this exaggeration of the press. Much of the film’s second half is about this divergence between Little Wolf and Dull Knife over their journey with the latter seeking shelter where things don’t go according to plan which angers Captain Archer and Wright forcing the former to turn to Schurz for help.
John Ford’s direction is definitely grand for the way he captures the world of the American West as it is shot largely on Monument Valley at the Arizona-Utah Border to play into not just some of the desolation of the location but also into a world that is ever-changing. Ford’s usage of the locations has him use a lot of wide shots with some precise compositions such as the scene of the Cheyenne waiting for the government official as they remain still with Captain Archer and his superior waiting as they would learn that the man won’t show up prompting the Cheyenne to leave. Ford’s usage of the wide shots doesn’t just play into the beauty of these locations but also in how vast the number of the Cheyenne as well as Captain Archer’s troops who are trying to pursue the Cheyenne but don’t want to create any conflict that could get both parties killed. The attention to detail in the compositions says a lot of what Ford wanted to say about the West and its mistreatment towards Natives including the Cheyenne.
While there are some intimate moments in the close-ups and medium shots that include a brief detour in a scene at a small town where Earp and Holliday are first seen playing cards and then get involved in a scuffle with the Cheyenne that is a comical moment in the film. It’s a scene that does seem out of place but it does play into this air of exaggeration the press will make in order to stir trouble and sell newspapers though there is a scene of one newspaper that wants to tell the truth. It all play into Ford’s need to have the Natives tell their side of the story as well as their mistrust towards whites with the latter wanting to make amends for their past sins. Though the eventual meeting between Schurz and the Cheyenne chiefs is presented in an awkward backdrop, it is a key moment that would create a step forward into a peaceful settlement between the Cheyenne and the American government. Overall, Ford crafts an evocative and mesmerizing film about the real life Northern Cheyenne Exodus.
Cinematographer William H. Clothier does brilliant work with the film’s Technicolor cinematography as it captures the beauty of the locations as well as the great attention to detail for many of the colors including some of the interior lighting for scenes set at night. Editor Otho Lovering, with additional work by David Hawkins, does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward to play into the action and suspense. Art director Richard Day and set decorator Darrell Silvera do amazing work with the look of the town where Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were playing poker as well as the look of some of the cavalry forts. Costume designers Frank Beetson Jr. and Ann Peck do fantastic work with the costumes for the look of the cavalry uniforms and the lavish clothes for the people at the small town as well as clothes of the Cheyenne. The sound work of Francis E. Stahl is terrific for its natural approach to sound as well as the way it captures gunfire and war drums from afar. The film’s music by Alex North is wonderful for its sweeping orchestral score that play into the sense of adventure and suspense along with the usage of percussions for some of the bombast as well as low-key moments for the drama.
The film’s superb ensemble cast include some notable small roles and appearances from Judson Pratt as a mayor, George O’Brien as Captain Archer’s superior Major Braden, Sean McClory as the fort doctor O’Carberry who tends to a young Cheyenne girl, Mike Mazurki as 1st Sergeant Stanislus Wichowsky who helps out Captain Archer later in the film, John Carradine as Major Jeff Blair who plays poker with Earp and Holliday, Elizabeth Allen as a woman trying to flirt with Earp, and Patrick Wayne as 2nd Lieutenant Scott as a young cavalry officer eager to kill some Cheyenne yet has to endure some humility.
James Stewart and Arthur Kennedy are terrific in their brief appearances in their respective roles as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday with the two legends who provide some humor in their roles but also prove to be capable badasses that no one should mess with. Dolores del Rio is terrific in a small role as Spanish Woman as a Cheyenne who is a liaison for the Cheyenne and Wright as she sees good intentions in Wright but also know there is trouble going on. Sal Mineo is wonderful as Red Shirt as the son of a chief who has immense disdain towards the white people as he would often get the Cheyenne into danger while he pines for a chief’s wife. Karl Malden is fantastic as Captain Oscar Wessels as a cavalry fort captain who takes in a portion of the Cheyenne for shelter until he is given the order to take them back to their reservation as tries to instill his idea of order.
Ricardo Montalban and Gilbert Roland are excellent in their respective roles as Little Wolf and Dull Knife as two Cheyenne chiefs who both share the same views about White people only to diverge over ideas of survival as they would both struggle to maintain their friendship. Edward G. Robinson is brilliant as Carl Schurz as the then-Secretary of the Interior who is trying to maintain some order as well as securing a peaceful resolution with the Cheyenne as well as discredit any kind of news that puts them in a bad light. Carroll Baker is amazing as Deborah Wright as a Quaker schoolteacher who joins the exodus to watch over the children and help them as she deals with the troubles of the journey. Finally, there’s Richard Widmark in an incredible performance as Captain Thomas Archer as a cavalry officer who is trying to ensure a peaceful resolution with the Cheyenne as he reluctantly pursues them where he becomes aware of Wright with them as he tries to ensure that he and his troops don’t kill anyone.
Cheyenne Autumn is a remarkable film from John Ford. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, an exhilarating film score, amazing action, and a compelling story. The film is definitely one of Ford’s finest westerns as well as a touching elegy to Native Americans who were often depicted in an unkind light in the genre. In the end, Cheyenne Autumn is a marvelous film from John Ford.
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the novel by Edna Farber, Giant is the story of a ranching family in Texas who endure changing times to protect their land while dealing with an ambitious ranch hand who strikes it rich with oil. Directed by George Stevens and screenplay by Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat, the film is a sprawling tale of the life of a family who endure many different things including social, racial, and personal issues that would shape their fortune. Starring Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Carroll Baker, Jane Withers, Chill Wills, Mercedes McCambridge, Dennis Hopper, Sal Mineo, Rod Taylor, Elsa Cardenas, and Earl Holliman. Giant is a grand yet evocative film from George Stevens.
The film follows the life a family of ranchers in Texas from the early 1920s to the mid-1950s where a rancher marries a woman from Maryland and brings her home where she copes with her new life and her own ideals while they both deal with an ambitious ranch hand who inherits land that is filled with oil. It’s a film that is about not just ambition but also the definition of success and how a rancher is trying to maintain his own ideas and morals for many years as he also contend with changing times and fortunes. The film’s screenplay by Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat is definitely sprawling in terms of the way the times are set as it begins around the early 20th Century in Maryland where Bick Benedict (Rock Hudson) goes to the state to buy a new horse. He ends up returning to Texas with a new wife in Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor) who falls for Bick in their initial meeting as she adjust to her new environment as well as try to fit in with the new world.
The script does have a simple three-act structure as the first act is about Leslie in her new environment where she has to contend with Bick’s sister Luz (Mercedes McCambridge), the way things are in Texas as well as the role of women, and the racial divide between the rich, white ranchers and the poor Mexican-Americans who live near by in near-poverty. The second act is about the growth of Bick and Leslie’s family but also what Bick’s former ranch hand in Jett Rink (James Dean) would discover from land he inherits from Luz as he would become rich and later overwhelm the Benedicts with his oil empire. It’s around the same time that Bick’s morals and his ideas of what he wants would come to ahead in changes as his son Jordan II (Dennis Hopper) doesn’t want to take over the family business. The third act is about the decisions that Bick and Leslie’s children would take such as daughters Judy (Fran Bennett) and the youngest in Luz II (Carroll Baker) would take but also tragedy relating to the family and the decision Jordan II would make in marrying a Mexican-American in Juana (Elsa Cardenas).
George Stevens’ direction is definitely vast in not just the setting of the locations in Marfa, Texas but also for the length of the story that spans nearly four decades. With the scenes in Maryland shot in Virginia, the house interiors and the airport/parade scenes near Burbank, California, the film explores a world that starts off as simple with old ideas and old morals as they work no matter how imperfect they are. Stevens’ usage of wide shots are gorgeous in capturing vast depth of field that is the Benedict land with its horde of cattle which represents this old kind of empire that was the source of income for Texas. There is an intimacy in some of the close-ups and medium shots but also in how Leslie would encounter the new world she’s in as it’s very different the quaint and more colorful world of Maryland. There are moments that would foreshadow certain things including moments of tragedy and sadness but also little things that Leslie does that would shape the fortunes of the less fortunate as it showcases her grace. It is in sharp contrast to the old order that Bick stands for where he doesn’t want Leslie to be involved in conversations he’s having with other men including Uncle Bawley (Chill Wills) who adores Leslie.
The moments of foreshadowing would be prevalent towards its second act once Bick and Leslie become parents as they cope with the fact that Bick’s ideas and plans for his children don’t go as planned. Adding to the trouble is Jett and his emerging oil empire where it play into this sense of change that Bick has trouble adjusting to but also refusing to have Jett drill oil in his land. Stevens’ direction would play into these changes as the scenes of the oil wells and emergence of modern transport play into the falling fortunes of Bick and his reluctance to be part of the oil industry just to survive. Yet, it would all climax in an event that would celebrate Jett’s success as Stevens gives it a grand presentation that is quite large but there’s something about it that is off. Especially as it relates to Jett and what he’s achieved but there’s a sadness to it. Notably as it would also involve something that Bick is forced to see and come to terms with in who he is and be forced to accept. Overall, Stevens creates a riveting and enthralling film about the life of a rancher, his wife, and a ranch hand through many years in Texas.
Cinematographer William C. Mellor does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography in capturing the yellow and sunny desert look of the locations around the Benedict ranch and some of the locations in Texas well as some unique lighting in the interior scenes including the climatic scenes at the Jett hotel. Editors Phil Anderson, Fred Bohanan, and William Hornbeck do excellent work with the editing as its usage of transitional dissolves and fade-outs help play into structure of the film as well as rhythmic cuts to help intensify some of the dramatic moments. Production designer Boris Levin and set decorator Ralph S. Hurst do amazing work with the design of the Benedict home and its interiors as well as the design of the shantytowns that Benedict‘s Mexican workers live in and the hotel that Jett would open including its lavish dining hall. Costume designers Moss Mabry and Marjorie Best do fantastic work with the costumes with the design of the clothes the men wear as well as the dresses with Mabry designing the many clothes that Leslie would wear.
Makeup supervisor Gordon Bau does some fine work with some of the aging makeup in some of the characters though the way Jett looks when he‘s older is just bad as is some of the look of the Mexicans where it looks ridiculously bad. Special visual effects by Jack Cosgrove does some fine work with the minimal visual effects which are just some rear projection shots for a few scenes in the film. The sound work of Earl Crain Sr. is superb for the way some of the parties are held including some of the quieter moments at the Benedict home and the scenes during the work at the ranch and in the oil wells. The film’s music by Dimitri Timokin is wonderful for its soaring orchestral score that play into the drama with some elements of country-western music to play into the world of Texas that also include some traditional songs.
The casting by Hoyt Bowers is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from Mickey Simpson as a racist diner owner, Noreen Nash as a film star, Paul Fix and Judith Evelyn as Leslie’s parents, Carolyn Craig as Leslie’s sister Lacy, Rod Taylor as Leslie’s then-beau Sir David Karfey, Maurice Jara as Dr. Guerra, Charles Watts as family friend Judge Whiteside, Earl Holliman as Judy’s husband Bob who wants a life of his own like his wife, and Sal Mineo as Angel Obregon II as a ranch hand son who is a childhood friend of the Benedict children as well as someone that Leslie is fond of as she helped him get better when he was a baby. Elsa Cardenas is wonderful as Jordy’s wife Juana who is a Mexican-American that Jordy loves as Bick would eventually become fond of late in the film. Jane Withers and Robert Nichols are terrific as Bick’s neighbors in Vashti and Pinky, respectively, as family friends who help the Benedicts cope with changes as well as try to maintain some old ideas.
Chill Wills is fantastic as Uncle Bawley as Bick’s uncle who is the family advisor as well as someone that is willing to hear what Leslie thinks as well as display a tenderness that isn’t seen very often. Fran Bennett is superb as Bick and Leslie’s eldest daughter Judy as a woman who is determined to find her own life as well as go for something that is more down-home rather than what Leslie wants from her. Mercedes McCambridge is brilliant as Bick’s sister Luz as a headstrong woman who finds herself butting heads with Leslie on who should run the house while being the business manager who is fond of Jett. Carroll Baker is excellent as Luz II as the youngest daughter of Bick and Leslie who is a typical young woman that would have a crush on Jett as she becomes confused in her loyalty towards her family. Dennis Hopper is amazing as Jordan “Jordy” Benedict II as Bick and Leslie’s son who is trying to find his own path as a doctor as well as marry a Mexican-American where he faces some prejudice as he tries to stand up for himself and defend his wife’s honor against Jett.
In his final performance, James Dean is incredible as Jett Rink as a ranch hand who would inherit land from Luz that would prove to be prosperous with his discovery of oil where Dean explores someone that was to make something of himself but there’s an emptiness that is quite sad as it show the fallacy of success. Rock Hudson is great as Jordan “Bick” Benedict II as a rancher that meets and falls for a woman from Maryland as he brings her home to Texas where he tries to show her the world that he lives in as he copes with changes of ideals and other things as well as his own immorality that he’s been carrying for so many years. Finally, there’s Elizabeth Taylor in a phenomenal performance as Leslie Benedict as Bick’s new wife who is trying to adjust to her new surroundings while maintaining her own sense of being in a world where women don’t have much say in things as it is Taylor that has this sense of command and grace into her performance while having great rapport with both Hudson and Dean.
Giant is a sensational film from George Stevens. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, a soaring music score, and a captivating story of changing times, ambition, and ideals. It’s a film that definitely lives up to its definition of the epic while also containing a few flaws. In the end, Giant is an incredible film from George Stevens.
George Stevens Films: (The Cohens and the Kellys in Trouble) - (Kentucky Kernals) - (Bachelor Bait) - (Laddie) - (The Nitwits) - (Alice Adams) - (Annie Oakley) - Swing Time - (Quality Street) - (A Damsel in Distress (1937 film)) - (Vivacious Lady) - (Gunga Din) - (Vigil in the Night) - (Penny Serenade) - (Woman of the Year) - (The Talk of the Town (1942 film)) - (The More the Merrier) - (That Justice Be Done) - (On Our Merry Way) - (I Remember Mama) - A Place in the Sun - (Something to Live For) - Shane - (The Diary of Anne Frank) - (The Greatest Story Ever Told) - (The Only Game in Town)
© thevoid99 2017
Directed by David Fincher and written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris (w/ additional work by Andrew Kevin Walker and Larry Gross), The Game is the story of a wealthy investment banker who is invited to play a game that blurs reality and fiction as it becomes dangerous and thrilling. The film is about a man being forced to confront his own fears as well as his own life through a deadly game. Starring Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, James Rebhorn, Deborah Kara Unger, Carroll Baker, and Armin Mueller-Stahl. The Game is an exhilarating and sprawling film from David Fincher.
The film follows the life of a wealthy but cold investment banker who is given a mysterious birthday present from his estranged younger brother which is an invitation to play a game where reality and fiction blur. It’s a film where a man is forced to confront aspects of his own life as well as memories about his father’s death where he has no idea if the game he is playing is real or just some sick joke. The film’s screenplay by John Brancato and Michael Ferris doesn’t just establish the life of its protagonist Nicholas Van Horton (Michael Douglas) who is wealthy but very lonely as he lives in a mansion with a longtime family maid as he is more content with making money and being powerful. When he is invited to lunch by his younger brother Conrad (Sean Penn) who would give him this mysterious invitation. Nicholas doesn’t think about what his brother gave him until he takes a chance where he’s interviewed and examined and then the game starts in a mysterious way.
In the course of the film, Nicholas would wonder what is going on as aspects of his life begin to fall apart from a TV reporter that he watches who suddenly talks to him to other odd things. Along the way, he meets a waitress named Christine (Deborah Kara Unger) who has no idea what is going on as she becomes part of the game for some strange reason. Even as his house has been vandalized and other things start to make no sense as Conrad would claim that the company who handles the game has gone out of control. There is a structure to the script as much of the second act is about the game while the third is Nicholas trying to find out more about this company and expose them to see if he’s still playing or something else has happened.
David Fincher’s direction is definitely stylish in terms of the moods and compositions he creates as it play into a man taking part into the world of the unknown. Shot largely on location in San Francisco, the film plays into this world that mixes the corporate business side with a wild side as Nicholas is not familiar with the latter. Fincher’s meticulous compositions in the usage of the medium shots and close-up play into that sense of cold and unforgiving world that Nicholas lives in as Fincher presents Nicholas in a somewhat detached way. Once the game begins, the direction becomes more intimate and eerie as well as having some bits of dark humor. The lines of reality and fantasy would blur where Fincher doesn’t try to make anything distinctive only for the fact that a game is being played. At the same time, it is about the sense of the unknown where San Francisco is a character in the film where Fincher uses some wide shots to establish some of its landmarks.
The direction also has Fincher use some flashbacks shown in 8mm film as it play into the guilt and loss that Nicholas is carrying which adds to his loner persona. Yet, he realizes that he will have to depend on those who are willing to help him such as Christine. Still, there is that blur of who is playing what and are any of them in on the game or have no clue that they’re in a game. The film’s climax definitely ups the ante in terms of its intensity where Nicholas tries to decipher what is real and what is fantasy as well as face some of his own fears that had been looming into his life. Overall, Fincher creates a thrilling yet provocative film about a man playing a game of death where he is forced to confront his own fears and flaws about himself.
Cinematographer Harris Savides does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of filters and lights for some of the interior scenes as well as the scenes set at night while creating a cold look for some of the exteriors set at night. Editor James Haygood does excellent work with the editing as it has some nice rhythmic cutting to play into the suspense and action as well as some of the darkly comic moments in the film. Production designer James Beecroft, with art directors James J. Murakami and Steve Saklad and set decorator Jackie Carr, does fantastic work with the look of the interior at Nicholas‘ home as well as the look of the office where the people of the game work and the hotel rooms in San Francisco‘s finest hotels. Costume designer Michael Kaplan does nice work with the costumes from the expensive suits that Nicholas wears early in the film to the more casual look he would sport later on as well as the clothes of the other characters.
Visual effects supervisor Kevin Haug does terrific work with some of the minimal visual effects as it mostly relates to the film‘s climax it play into that blur of reality and fantasy. Sound designer Ren Klyce does amazing work with the sound work as it has many layers into the locations that Nicholas encounters as well as in the phone conversations he has. The film’s music by Howard Shore is superb for its haunting yet bombastic score as its orchestral flourishes swell into the drama and suspense while music supervisor Dawn Soler creates a fun soundtrack that features elements of jazz, classical, and contemporary music.
The casting by Don Phillips is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Spike Jonze as a EMT, Linda Manz as Christine’s roommate, Yuji Okumoto as the Nikko hotel manager, Tommy Flanagan as a solicitor/taxi driver, Mark Boone Junior as a shady private detective following Nicholas, and Charles Martinet as Nicholas and Conrad’s father in the flashback scenes. Anna Katarina is wonderful as Nicholas’ ex-wife Elizabeth who only appears briefly late in the film as someone who has moved on but is starting to see that Nicholas is having some revelations about himself. Carroll Baker is terrific as Nicholas’ maid Ilsa as a woman who has been taking of Nicholas’ home yet knows a lot about Nicholas’ father once he starts to ask her about him. Peter Donat is superb as Nicholas’ attorney Samuel Sutherland as someone who watches over and handles some of Nicholas’ business as he becomes evasive later in the film. Armin Mueller-Stahl is excellent as Anson Baer as a businessman that Nicholas tries to buy out only to be just as eccentric and mysterious as he is fun to watch.
James Rebhorn is fantastic as Jim Feingold as a man who is an analyst for the company that creates the game as he is this eccentric yet fun guy that brings so much joy into his performance. Deborah Kara Unger is amazing as Christine as a waitress whom Nicholas meets during his game as she becomes this unlikely player that becomes part of the game as she tries to figure out what is going on. Sean Penn is brilliant as Conrad as Nicholas’ estranged younger brother who would introduce his brother to the game saying it will change his life only to find himself owing money to the company that created the game. Finally, there’s Michael Douglas in an incredible performance as Nicholas Van Orton as a wealthy investment banker who is quite cold and distant where he is given the thrill of a lifetime where Douglas gives a performance that is exhilarating as a man who encounters fear and danger as it is one of his great performances.
The Game is a phenomenal film from David Fincher that features a sensational performance from Michael Douglas. Along with a great supporting cast, eerie visuals, a chilling music score, and a crafty screenplay that blur the lines between reality and fiction. It’s a film that isn’t just a smart and engaging thriller but also a study of fear and control. In the end, The Game is a spectacular film from David Fincher.
David Fincher Films: Alien 3 - Se7en - Fight Club - Panic Room - Zodiac - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - The Social Network - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011 film) - Gone Girl
Related: 15 Essential Music Videos by David Fincher - The Auteurs #61: David Fincher
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Village Voice article Death of a Playmate by Teresa Carpenter, Star 80 is about the life and death of Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten who was set for stardom until she gains the jealousy of her husband/ manager Paul Snider. Written for the screen and directed by Bob Fosse, the film is a dramatic account into Stratten’s life as well as her tumultuous relationship with Snider as Dorothy Stratten is played by Mariel Hemingway and Eric Roberts in the role of Paul Snider. Also starring Cliff Robertson, Carroll Baker, Roger Rees, and David Clennon. Star 80 is a eerie yet entrancing film from Bob Fosse.
Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten aka Dorothy Stratten was a young woman who had become the 1980 Playmate of the Year for Playboy magazine as she was due for stardom where she would appear in Peter Bogdanovich’s 1981 film They All Laughed. Instead, her life was cut short tragically at the age of 20 where she was killed by her husband/manager Paul Snider in a fit of rage and jealousy who would later kill himself. The film is about Stratten’s short life from how she was discovered by Snider and to the murder/suicide as it’s told in a unique narrative as it has Snider looking back while the narrative would cut back-and-forth in events during their life as well as various people including Stratten’s mother (Carroll Baker) and Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner (Cliff Robertson) being interviewed about Stratten and the events that led to her death. Bob Fosse’s script does take some dramatic liberties due to some legal issues as it relates to the real-life story where he wouldn’t be able to use the real names of Stratten’s family as well as Stratten and Snider’s neighbors at the home they shared in Los Angeles.
Another figure in Stratten’s life that is given liberties is the filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich where he isn’t mentioned in the film due to legal reasons. Instead, Fosse would create a fictionalized version of the character in Aram Nicholas (Roger Rees) who would be the filmmaker that falls for Stratten and offer a life without Snider’s control. The narrative does however create some unique development where Stratten would mature and be surrounded with people who really care about her as well as be aware of her husband’s behavior and plans. Snider’s development is just as interesting as this sleazy yet well-meaning guy who discovers Stratten at a Dairy Queen where he falls for her. Once she goes to Los Angeles and makes some connections, Snider becomes suspicious yet still has ambition. Unfortunately, his ideas for her and what he wants prove to be tasteless and low-class as he loses money and goes insane.
Fosse’s direction is definitely stylish not just in its usage of montages to play into Stratten’s rise as well as the numerous photos she took. It is also in the way he created different array of film styles ranging from the documentary to something more dramatic. Notably as he would maintain different visual styles in the way some of the scenes are presented where the interviews are very straightforward with a few stylish but eerie shots. The dramatic portions including a scenes where Stratten are interviewed do have a flair of style as it play into her rise to stardom. Fosse’s usage of close-ups and medium shots play into the intimacy in not just Stratten’s own observation of the world but also in the evolution of her relationship with Snider where it would eventually become toxic. Fosse would also use close-ups for a lot of the scenes set in Los Angeles with a few shots set in Vancouver as it play into the two different worlds these characters would encounter.
While Fosse would create something that is a play on the idea of fantasy vs. reality as it relates to Snider wants in the former, Fosse would an extra layer of realism for the film’s climax where the home that Stratten and Snider lived is the place where they actually lived in the final days of their lives. All of which plays into the tragedy as well as one man’s determination to keep this beautiful young woman no matter at what cost. Overall, Fosse creates an unsettling yet compelling film about the life and death of Dorothy Stratten.
Cinematographer Sven Nykvist does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the colorful look of the sunny day locations in California as well as some of the lavish approach to lighting for some of the interiors including Stratten‘s photo shoots. Editor Alan Heim does excellent work with the editing as it is very stylish with usage of dissolves, jump-cuts and montages to play into the craziness of the Hollywood life that Stratten would encounter as well as some of the eerie moments involving Snider. Art directors Michael S. Bolton and Jack G. Taylor Jr., with set decorators Anne D. McCulley and Kimberly Richardson, do fantastic work with the look of the Playboy mansion‘s interiors as well as the apartment that Snider has in Vancouver.
Costume designer Albert Wolsky does amazing work with the costumes as it plays into the look of the late 70s where it is all about style as Stratten‘s look represents this air of innocence while Snider‘s choice of clothing fits perfectly with who he is. Sound editor Dan Sable does nice work with the sound to play into the atmosphere of the parties as well as some of the chilling moments at the film‘s climax. The film’s music by Ralph Burns is superb for its mixture of low-key orchestral music with some electronic music to play into the times while the soundtrack that featured music by the Village People, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, Steppenwolf, Louie Prima, Shirley Goodman and Leonard Lee, and the Band.
The casting by Howard Feuer and Jeremy Ritzer is wonderful as it includes some notable small roles from Keenan Ivory Wayans as a comic, James Luisi as Hefner’s assistant, Stuart Damon as a TV actor that Snider talks to, Tina Willson as a Playboy Playmate, Keith Hefner as a photographer cheated out of a finder’s fee by Snider, Lisa Gordon as Dorothy’s sister Eileen (a fictionalized version of Louise Stratten), Kathryn Witt as Stratten/Snider’s neighbor Robin, Josh Mostel as a private detective Snider hires late in the film, and David Clennon as a neighbor of Stratten/Snider who befriends them only to be wary of Snider’s troubled behavior. As a fictionalized version of filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich in the form of Aram Nicholas, Roger Rees is excellent as this filmmaker who falls for Stratten as well as being nurturing to her growing talents as an actress and being the man who wants to help her. Cliff Robertson is brilliant as Hugh Hefner as the man who founded Playboy as he sees something more in Stratten where he would be a fraternal figure of sorts for her while being very suspicious towards Snider.
Carroll Baker is amazing as Stratten’s mother who is suspicious about what Snider wants to do as she isn’t really charmed by him while she is also aghast in how he stole Stratten from her. Mariel Hemingway is remarkable as Dorothy Stratten as this young and beautiful woman who finds herself becoming a star where Hemingway displays an air of innocence to the character as well as someone who would grow up knowing that something isn’t right about Snider. Finally, there’s Eric Roberts in an incredible performance as Paul Snider as he exudes the sleaziness of the character in the way he looks and acts but also has a charm that is engaging where it would morph into something very dark in its anguish and torment where Roberts really creates something that is very scary to watch.
Star 80 is a marvelous film from Bob Fosse that features great performances fro Eric Roberts and Mariel Hemingway. It’s a film that doesn’t just explore not just some of the darker aspects of obsession but also tragedy in the form of a real life story of the murder suicide of Dorothy Stratten and Paul Snider. In the end, Star 80 is a brilliant film from Bob Fosse.
Bob Fosse Films: Sweet Charity - Cabaret - Liza with a Z - Lenny - All That Jazz - The Auteurs #56: Bob Fosse
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and George Marshall and written by James R. Webb, How the West Was Won is a five-part story about the life of a family told through four generations in the development and migration of the American west. Narrated by Spencer Tracy, the film is a mixture of the epic films of mid-20th Century mixed in with the broad canvas of the western. Starring Carroll Baker, Walter Brennan, Lee J. Cobb, Andy Devine, Henry Fonda, Carolyn Jones, Karl Malden, Harry Morgan, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Robert Preston, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, Eli Wallach, John Wayne, and Richard Widmark. How the West Was Won is a majestic yet sprawling film from John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and George Marshall.
The film is a five-part series that tells the story about one family in the course of fifty years that would shape the American west through various periods in American history. All of which plays into the lives of a few people in the family known as the Prescotts where they travel on the Erie Canal to find a new home where two sisters would later take different paths in the second act. One goes to California to claim a piece of land she’s inherited with a gambler while the other settles into farm life with a trapper she fell for during her family’s journey in the river. The story then moves into the 1860s where the son of these women becomes part of the Civil War and later a cavalryman dealing with the changing times and the arrival of the railroad until he would meet his aunt for the very first time in the final part of the story.
It’s all part of James R. Webb’s extraordinary story about a family living in a period where the American west is discovered as they also endure the many changes in those fifty years as it’s told by Spencer Tracy as his narration only fill in moments about what has happening in America instead of the story about the Prescotts. All of which is separated in five parts with the first part being about the Prescotts at the Erie Canal and the treacherous journey they take where one of the daughters in Eve (Carroll Baker) falls for a trapper named Linus (James Stewart). The second part is about Eve’s sister Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) and her journey through the prairies where she and a gambler named Cleve (Gregory Peck) go to the west to get some land she’s inherited. The third part is about Eve’s son Zeb (George Peppard) and his encounter with the Civil War as he becomes a key player in the fourth and fifth part where he deals with the railroad where he meets an old friend of his father in Jethro Stuart (Henry Fonda).
It would play into this family’s encounter with history and how times are often changing in the West as they deal with the chaos of the Civil War, conflict with the Native Americans over the railroad, and also criminals and bandits over cattle and such. Notably as Zeb in the film’s third act realizes the horrors of war and the greed that comes into play involving the railroad as he definitely carries a sense of pride and honor that his father and uncle would carry in their lives. Even in the fifth and final part where he meets his aunt Lilith for the very first time while having to deal with a criminal named Charlie Gant (Eli Wallach) who has a grudge with Zeb.
The film’s direction is definitely vast in not just its composition but also in the way it wanted to tell a story about the development of the American west. Shot in the curved-three screen projector that was known as Cinerama, the film has this truly grand scale to capture not just the landscape of the American west but also the moments that shaped that world in the span of five decades. Under the vision of three filmmakers, with transitional scenes helmed by Richard Thorpe, the film does have this sense of unification in the filmmaking while each director does bring in their own ideas to the story to add that sense of epic storytelling. The Civil War segment is helmed by John Ford as it features not just some extravagant battle scenes but also some intimate moments where Zeb encounters the horror of war while meeting a Confederate drifter (Russ Tamblyn) as it’s a very telling piece to display Zeb’s sense of loss and his desire to find himself in an ever-changing world.
The railroad segment is helmed by George Marshall as it displays a lot of dramatic tension and some very intense scenes involving a buffalo stampede which would play to Zeb’s resolve over the conflict between the railroad company and a tribe of Native Americans. The rest of the film is helmed by Henry Hathaway who maintains the same sweeping vision like his other filmmakers as he also creates his own ideas that includes some intense moments involving the Prescotts in the rapids as well as other suspenseful moments such as Gant’s attempted train robbery. All of which plays to the grand spectacle of the west as the overall results is a very sensational yet engaging film about a family living in the changing times of the American west.
Cinematographers William H. Daniels, Milton Krasner, Charles Lang Jr., and Joseph LaSelle do fantastic work with the film‘s very colorful and vast cinematography to capture the vast beauty of the different landscapes in the American west along with some amazing shots set at night and the interiors to display some of the film‘s vibrant look. Editor Harold F. Kress does brilliant work with the editing in not just bringing some energy to some of the shootouts and battle scenes but also going for a methodical approach to some of the film‘s dramatic moments. Art directors George W. Davis, William Ferrari, and Addison Hehr, along with set decorators Henry Grace, Don Greenwood Jr., and Jack Mills, do excellent work with the set pieces from the look of the rafts in the first segment to the farms and buildings made during the film‘s duration and how it would evolve over time.
Costume designers Walter Plunkett and Ron Talsky do terrific work with the costumes from the showgirl costumes that Lilith wear in the second segment along with her dresses to some of the more low-key costumes most of the characters wear in their journey. The special visual effects work of A. Arnold Gillespe and Robert R. Hoag do nice work with the visual effects for the scenes set in the river rapids despite the fact that it sort of looks fake given the primitive technology that was used at the time. Sound editor Van Allen James does superb work with the sound to capture the extravagance of some of the gunfights and battles along with more intimate moments in some of the film‘s locations. The film’s music by Alec Newman is wonderful for its array of themes from broad and sweeping to more serene yet somber in their orchestral arrangements while the soundtrack also includes lots of traditional folk and country songs some of which are actually sung by Debbie Reynolds.
The film’s cast is phenomenal as it features some small but notable appearances from Lee Van Cleef as a river pirate, Harry Dean Stanton as a member of Gant’s gang, Raymond Massey in a brief scene as Abraham Lincoln, Harry Morgan as General Ulysses S. Grant, Russ Tamblyn as a Confederate deserter that Zeb meets, Carolyn Jones as Zeb’s wife Julie in the fifth segment, Thelma Ritter as Lilith’s traveling companion Agatha Clegg, and John Wayne in a small yet amazing performance as General William Tecumseh Sherman who gives a great monologue about not giving up the Civil War. Other noteworthy and memorable performances include Karl Malden and Agnes Moorehead as Lilith and Eve’s parents in the first segment, Walter Brennan and Brigid Balzen as a couple of river pirates, Robert Preston as a wagon master who tries to win Lilith’s heart, and Lee J. Cobb as a marshal who reluctantly helps Zeb to battle Gant.
Eli Wallach is excellent as the smarmy criminal Charlie Gant who is eager to cause trouble for Zeb Prescott while Richard Widmark is terrific as an immoral railroad baron who is more concerned with making money with the railroad no matter what the cost is. Henry Fonda is great in a small but memorable role as Linus’ old friend Jethro Stuart as a man who helps Zeb out over the conflict between the railroad and a Native American tribe as he would also help Zeb find his way in life. Gregory Peck is superb as the gambler Cleve Van Valen who is smitten by Lilith as he hopes to do whatever it takes to make her a proud woman. James Stewart is brilliant as the trapper Linus Rawlings who helps out the Prescotts in navigating the river while dealing with river pirates as he falls for Eve.
George Peppard is wonderful as Zeb as a man who has the same sense of pride and honor like his father Linus while dealing with the chaos in the changing times he encounters. Carroll Baker is amazing as Eve Prescott as a woman who falls for Linus as she deals with the dangers of the river. Finally, there’s Debbie Reynolds in a remarkable performance as Lilith Prescott as a woman who is very tough as well as talented as she is someone trying to define herself as a woman while finding a good man in Cleve as she later helps Zeb’s wife in the way Zeb is when it comes to action.
How the West Was Won is a sensational film from John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and George Marshall. Thanks to its sprawling vision, engaging story about a family encountering historical moments in the course of five decades, and a brilliant ensemble cast. The film is definitely an epic-western that has to be seen in a big screen or a big TV to display its vast images. It’s also a film that explores the life of a family and how they manage to define themselves in the American west no matter how troubling it is. In the end, How the West Was Won is an incredible film from the trio of John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and George Marshall.
© thevoid99 2013
