Based on the novel by David Grann, The Lost City of Z is a fictionalized story of Percy Fawcett’s exploration through the Amazon to find a lost city as he would go on various trips in his lifetime to find this mysterious city. Written for the screen and directed by James Gray, the film is a look into a man’s determination to uncover a legendary myth that would later become an obsession. Starring Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Angus MacFayden, Ian McDiarmid, Franco Nero, Harry Melling, Clive Francis, and Tom Holland. The Lost City of Z is a ravishing yet eerie film from James Gray.
Told in the span of 20 years in the early 20th Century, the film follows the exploits of Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) who was a military officer that was asked by the Royal Geographical Society into surveying a land that is at the center of a border dispute between Brazil and Bolivia. This journey into South America and the Amazon would lead to this obsession in finding what he believes to be a lost city where the first idea of civilization began. It would be a journey that Fawcett would venture into through the course of 20 years where he would return to Britain with his findings only to be met with ridicule and skepticism. James Gray’s screenplay revolves around three expeditions Fawcett would make as he would often be accompanied by Corporal Henry Costin (Robert Pattinson) in these expeditions since Costin does know a lot about the Amazonian rain forests. The first act is about Fawcett’s life as an officer in Britain as well as his first expeditions through the Amazon where he would make a discovery about the possibility of a lost city.
The second act is about another expedition with Costin and another soldier in Corporal Arthur Manley (Edward Ashley), who also took part in the first expedition, where they’re joined by famed biologist James Murray (Angus MacFayden) who is unprepared for the trek through the Amazon as he becomes a liability into the expedition that would be stopped abruptly due to Murray’s selfishness and the news of Archduke Ferdinand’s assassination that would start World War I. While it is obvious there are some dramatic liberties that do relate to Fawcett’s explorations as well as what happened to him in World War I, it does play into the fact that the man was devoted to his family including his wife Nina (Sienna Miller) whom he always turn to for advice. The third act is about Fawcett’s final expedition with his eldest son Jack (Tom Holland) in 1925 as well as the fame he received about his past expeditions before embarking on the journey that would eventually be shrouded with mystery.
Gray’s direction is definitely mesmerizing for the scope of the locations he captures as well as the sense of danger and mystery into exploring the Amazon. Shot largely on location in Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland for scenes set in Britain with the scenes of the Amazon shot near Santa Marta, Colombia. Gray would create an atmosphere for the two different worlds where they both share an air of serenity and chaos. The scenes set in Britain would play into a world that is organized but also with an air of superiority towards their idea about the people in the Amazon believing to be savages. It’s an idea that Fawcett doesn’t agree with as Gray would use medium shots and close-ups in how characters interact with one another in Europe with some wide shots for some of the location. When Fawcett is at the Amazon with Costin and Manley, the direction is definitely looser but also with an air of unpredictability as it relates to the encounter with natives. Notably in the second act where Costin is able to communicate with the natives where he, Costin, and Manley make a major discovery about their way of living.
Gray would also play into this air of chaos that looms into Fawcett’s findings with those in the British government not impressed with his findings and claims while there would be a brief detour for a World War I battle scene where Fawcett has to lead a regiment with Costin at his side. It would include a small scene where Fawcett and other soldiers meet a fortune teller who is aware of Fawcett’s obsession with finding the lost city as she would tell him it is his destiny. The film’s third act does play into this air of intrigue in Gray’s direction into not just Fawcett’s return to the Amazon with his son Jack joining him but also what has changed in the years since his last major expedition. Still, Gray wants this final expedition to be more about the bonding between father and son who went through a period of estrangement as they would embark on a discovery that would create intrigue but also the idea that what they found is something much bigger. Overall, Gray crafts an intoxicating and haunting film about a man’s desire to find a lost city in the middle of the Amazon in the course of 20 years.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with the usage of sepia-drenched lighting for some of the nighttime interiors in Britain as well as a few nighttime scenes with the usage of fire while emphasizing on low-key colors for some of the exterior scenes in the jungle as it’s a highlight of the film. Editors John Axelrad and Lee Haugen do excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with some rhythmic cuts for some of the action and suspense including a few montages that play into the surrealism that Fawcett would encounter. Production designer John Vincent Puzos, with set decorators Maria Andrea Rangel and Naomi Moore plus senior art director Fiona Gavin, does amazing work with the look of the homes that the Fawcett families lived in as well as the site for one of the tribes that Fawcett and his men encounter where they stay briefly yet peacefully. Costume designer Sonia Grande does fantastic work with the costumes from the dresses that Nina wears as well as the suits and clothes that the men wore during those times.
Hair/makeup designer Nana Fischer does terrific work with the look of Costin with his beard as well as some of the hairstyle that Nina sported in those times. Special effects supervisor Simon Cockren and visual effects supervisor Eran Dinur do superb work with some of the special effects that include bits of set dressing as well as the look for some of the animals Fawcett and his team encounter. Sound editor Robert Hein does incredible work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the jungles and for the World War I sequence as well as the quieter moments in the film. The film’s music by Christopher Spellman is wonderful for its orchestral score that play into the suspense and drama for some of the scenes set in the Amazon while music supervisors George Drakoulias and Randall Poster provide a mixture of classical and traditional pieces of the times as well as opera piece that Fawcett and his men would hear early in the film.
The casting by Kate Ringsell is great as it feature some notable small roles from Nathaniel Bates Fisher and Daniel Huttlestone in their respective roles as the adolescent and teenage versions of Brian Fawcett, Bethan Coomber as the seven-year old Joan Fawcett, Elena Solovey as the fortune teller Madame Kumel, Pedro Coello as Fawcett’s native guide Tadjui who accompanies on the first expedition, Harry Melling as a young government official in William Barclay who mocks Fawcett’s findings, Tom Mulheron and Bobby Smalldridge in their respective roles as the young and adolescent Jack Fawcett, Edward Ashley as the often-reliable Corporal Arthur Manley who joins Fawcett and Costin in their expeditions, Clive Francis as the RGS official Sir John Scott Kettle who is a supporter of Fawcett’s expeditions as well as the few that believed him, and Ian McDiarmid in a terrific performance as Sir George Goldie who heads the Royal Geographical Society in which he assigns Fawcett to survey the land between Brazil and Bolivia to settle their border dispute. Franco Nero is superb as the mysterious Baron de Gondoriz as a man who lives in the jungle as he would lend Fawcett information as well as a guide.
Angus MacFayden is fantastic as the famed biologist James Murray who joins Fawcett for an expedition that he was unprepared for as he would be a liability and would later try to discredit Fawcett for his own selfish reasons. Tom Holland is excellent as Jack Fawcett in his teens and young adulthood as a young man unhappy with his father’s reputation and not being around only to later join him on the final expedition where he would more than acquit himself into life in the jungle. Sienna Miller is amazing as Nina Fawcett as Percy’s wife who is treated as an equal to her husband as well as help him find information and such while knowing that Jack wants to join his father. Robert Pattinson is brilliant as Corporal Henry Costin as Fawcett’s right-hand man who had been to the Amazon and help him find certain pieces as it’s a low-key yet reserved performance from Pattinson that allows him to show so much by doing so little. Finally, there’s Charlie Hunnam in an incredible performance as Percy Fawcett as a man determined to find this lost city where Hunnam display a sense of humility and curiosity as well as knowing that not everything he does is the right decision as it is Hunnam giving one of his finest performances of his career so far.
The Lost City of Z is a tremendous film from James Gray that features great performances from Charlie Hunnam, Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson, and Tom Holland. Along with its gorgeous visuals, beautiful locations, intricate sound work, and eerie music, the film is definitely a mesmerizing look into a man’s obsession to find a place that is considered mythical but also discover wonders that traditional society would have trouble understanding. In the end, The Lost City of Z is a phenomenal film from James Gray.
James Gray Films: Little Odessa - The Yards - We Own the Night - Two Lovers - The Immigrant (2013 film) - Ad Astra – The Auteurs #67: James Gray
© thevoid99 2018
Directed, shot, and edited by Steven Soderbergh and written by Rebecca Blunt, Logan Lucky is the story of a trio of siblings who try to end their family’s streak of bad luck and underachievement by robbing the Charlotte Motor Speedway and hope they don’t get caught by the FBI. The film marks a return from Soderbergh following a four-year break from films as he returns to a genre that has brought him success and mixing it with humor. Starring Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Riley Keough, Katie Holmes, Hilary Swank, Sebastian Stan, Katherine Waterston, Seth McFarlane, Jack Quaid, Brian Gleeson, Dwight Yoakam, and Daniel Craig. Logan Lucky is an exhilarating and whimsical film from Steven Soderbergh.
The film follows two brothers whose lives haven’t gone well as they conspire with their younger sister about stealing money at the Charlotte Motor Speedway with the help of an incarcerated safecracker they know. It’s a film with a simple premise with some complexities and intrigue yet it is about a family trying to change their fortunes and hope to give themselves a better life. Yet, they know they can’t do it by themselves as it’s not just this safecracker they need but also his brothers who aren’t very smart but are dependable. Rebecca Blunt’s screenplay does follow a simple three-act structure as the first act is about the Logan family with the eldest in Jimmy (Channing Tatum) was once a promising football star until his right knee gave out as he works in construction and wanting to be a good dad to his daughter Sadie (Farah Mackenzie) whom he has shared custody with his ex-wife Bobbie Jo Chapman (Katie Holmes).
Yet, he would be laid off due to insurance liabilities relating to his knee as it add to his growing misfortunes that would include his younger brother Clyde (Adam Driver) who lost part of his left arm in the Iraq War and is wearing a prosthetic while working as a bartender. The first act doesn’t just play into the Logans’ misfortune and Jimmy’s motivation to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway but also wanting to change it as he knows what to do, where to steal, and when as they recruit their younger sister Mellie (Riley Keough), the incarcerated safecracker Joe Bang (Daniel Craig), and Bang’s younger brothers Sam (Brian Gleeson) and Fish (Jack Quaid). The second act isn’t just about the heist but also how Joe and Clyde, who would put himself in prison to help Joe, break out and later get back in to serve their sentences but there are also complications as it relates the day of the heist forcing Jimmy to change plans. The third act is about its aftermath where the no-nonsense FBI agent Sarah Grayson (Hilary Swank) come in and figure what is going on as she would prove to be a match for all involved.
Steven Soderbergh’s direction is definitely stylish in some respects in terms of some of the compositions and set pieces he creates yet much of it is still straightforward as it play into the simple world of a trio of unfortunate siblings. Shot on various locations in North Carolina as well as Charlotte including the Charlotte Motor Speedway and parts of the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Soderbergh does use the locations to play into this world of the American South as it is set mainly in the border between West Virginia and North Carolina where Jimmy did some of his construction work in the latter though he lives in the former. Soderbergh would emphasize on a simple approach to the compositions such as the opening scene of Jimmy fixing his truck while talking to Sadie about a John Denver song. It’s among these moments where Soderbergh can bring so much by doing so little which would also include a key scene of Sadie doing her pageant performance as the simplicity of the shots are captivating in establishing what is happening but also would serve as a key motivation for the few involved in that scene.
Also serving as cinematographer and editor in respective pseudonyms as Peter Andrews and Mary Ann Bernard, Soderbergh’s approach to the visuals as there are some stylistic approach to lighting for some of the interiors and scenes at night whether it’s the usage of dark-yellowish colors or something natural for some scenes set in the daytime. Soderbergh’s editing does have style such as this usage of dissolves in a montage for some characters during the third act but also in some stylish cuts as it play into the heist and its aftermath. The heist sequence has elements of comedy but also intrigue into the attention to detail of what is going on and how they get the money but there’s also some twists and turns along the way such as what is happening at the prison Joe and Clyde are serving at. Soderbergh would also infuse bits of comedy as it relates to a snobbish British businessman in Max Chaliban (Seth MacFarlane) who would rile up the Logan brothers but also put himself into some serious shit. All of which play into two sets of siblings trying to pull off a heist without having the authorities wonder who it is. Overall, Soderbergh crafts as mesmerizing and fun film about a trio of siblings trying to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway to end their family curse.
Production designer Howard Cummings, with set decorators Barbara Munch plus art directors Eric R. Johnson and Rob Simons, does brilliant work with the look of the homes that some of the characters live in as well as the interior of the tube system inside the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick does fantastic work with the costumes from the dresses that Sadie wears for her pageant as well as some of the stylish clothing that Mellie wears. Visual effects supervisors Christina Mitrotti and Lesley Robson-Foster do terrific work with the visual effects as it relates to Clyde without his prosthetic as well as a few set dressing scenes. Sound designer Larry Blake does excellent work with the sound as it play into the way the tube system sounds from the inside as well as the scenes at the race track. The film’s music by David Holmes is amazing for its electronic-jazz score that has a lot of energy in the way it play into the suspense and humor with some blues and rock in the mix while music supervisor Season Kent provides a fun soundtrack of blues, rock, and country from artists and acts like Bo Diddley, John Denver, the Groundhogs, Lord John Sutch, John Fahey, LeAnn Rimes, Dr. John, and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The casting by Carmen Cuba is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from real NASCAR racers Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch as state troopers, Jon Eyez as an inmate friend of Joe in Naaman, Kyle Larson as a limo driver, LeAnn Rimes as herself singing America the Beautiful, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano as security guards, the trio of Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip, and Mike Joy as themselves commentating the race, Charles Halford as a friend of the Logans in Earl, Macon Blair as Grayson’s partner, Jim O’Heir as Jimmy’s boss early in the film who reluctantly lays him off, David Denman as Bobbie Jo’s husband Moody Chapman, Boden and Sutton Johnston in their respective roles as Moody’s sons Dylan and Levi, Ann Mahoney as a woman working security named Gleema, and Sebastian Stan in a terrific small role as NASCAR racer Dayton White who tries to live a healthy lifestyle despite working for Chaliban.
Katherine Waterston is fantastic in a small role as a former classmate of Jimmy in Sylvia who runs a mobile clinic where she gives Jimmy a tetanus shot. Dwight Yoakam is superb as Warden Burns as a prison warden who tries to uphold some order during a prison riot that lead to Joe and Clyde’s brief escape. Jack Quaid and Brian Gleeson are hilarious in their respective roles as Joe’s dim-witted brothers Fish and Sam as two guys who aren’t smart but are still guys who can get the job done. Katie Holmes is wonderful as Bobbie Jo Chapman as Jimmy’s ex-wife who is still bitter about Jimmy’s shortcomings as she is also concerned about her daughter’s performance at the pageant. Farrah Mackenzie is brilliant as Sadie as Jimmy and Bobbie Jo’s daughter who is entering a beauty pageant as she turns to her Aunt Mellie for help while wondering what song to sing at the pageant. Hilary Swank is excellent as Sarah Grayson as a no-nonsense FBI agent who arrives in the film’s third act as she knows something is up but is also aware that whoever stole the money are a lot smarter than anyone realizes.
Seth MacFarlane is a joy to watch as Max Chaliban as a pretentious businessman from Britain with awful hair and a mustache who insults the Logan brothers as well as try to get his racer to drink his awful energy drink as he is just fun to watch. Riley Keough is amazing as Mellie Logan as a hairdresser who doesn’t believe in the family curse but is aware that the family hasn’t done great as she helps her brothers with the robbery in her own way while being there for her niece Sadie for the upcoming pageant. Daniel Craig is incredible as Joe Bang as a safecracker who is doing time in prison that knows how to open safes while Craig is given the chance to be funny and charming as he is a joy to watch. Adam Driver is marvelous as Clyde Logan as a former Iraq War veteran with a prosthetic left arm who also works as a bartender where he is reluctant to be part of the bank robbery as he had gotten arrested before as a kid yet is hoping to reverse the family curse. Finally, there’s Channing Tatum in a remarkable performance as Jimmy Logan as a former football star turned construction worker who decides to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the hope to change his family fortunes but also give his daughter a chance for a future as it is a low-key but charismatic performance from Tatum.
Logan Lucky is a phenomenal film from Steven Soderbergh. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, a killer music soundtrack, and a witty take on the caper/heist film. The film is definitely one of Soderbergh’s most entertaining films but also one that is full of engaging characters and moment that are full of heart and joy. In the end, Logan Lucky is a spectacular film from Steven Soderbergh.
Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - Kafka - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray’s Anatomy - Schizopolis - Out of Sight - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Ocean's Eleven - Full Frontal - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-Equilibrium - Ocean’s Twelve - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean’s Thirteen - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Behind the Candelabra - (Unsane) – (High Flying Bird)
The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh: Part 1 - Part 2
© thevoid99 2018
For the 29th week of 2018 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks series hosted by Wanderer. We focus on the subject of parents. Not the ones who bring love and guide the children but the ones who are bad and do horrible things to their kids like Joe Jackson to his kids including Michael and Janet. The fucker just died and honestly, good fucking riddance. Here are three picks:
1. Mommie Dearest
Joan Crawford is unquestionably Hollywood royalty who gave us great performances in all sorts of films. Yet, behind the scenes. She was an evil bitch to her two adopted children and when she died, she left them nothing but that didn’t stop her adopted daughter Christina to write a tell-all that became one of the most over-the-top and campiest films ever made. With Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford and Diana Scarwid as the teenage/adult Christina, the film is fucking nuts from start to finish. What Al Pacino did in Scarface for aspiring actors is exactly what Dunaway has done for aspiring actresses with this film. NO WIRE HANGERS EVER!!!!!!!
2. This Boy’s Life
Based on Tobias Wolff’s memoir, the film that would give the film world a proper introduction to Leonardo DiCaprio as Wolff is this compelling film about a mother and her son being part of a new family with Robert de Niro playing the insecure and vicious Dwight Hansen who is essentially the stepfather from Hell. Hansen would often beat Wolff and try to toughen him up every way he can but still remains a fucking asshole. One notable scene involving an empty jar of mustard as it was brutal to see de Niro press that jar of mustard on DiCaprio as there’s mustard stains on his face. It is a tough film to watch but certainly powerful.
3. Natural Born Killers
From Oliver Stone comes a film that is definitely insane in every sense of the word from a story by Quentin Tarantino as it would feature Rodney Dangerfield in one of the most shocking performances of his career. Playing Juliette Lewis’ dad, Dangerfield is darkly-comical in the way he presents himself and berates Lewis by calling her a stupid bitch as well as showing that he doesn’t just verbally abuses her. He is also cruel to his wife who doesn’t even stop the abuse as their fate would eventually come as it help add to the legend of Mickey and Mallory Knox in the film which remains notorious but also unlike anything since its 1994 release.
© thevoid99 2018
Inspired by Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s short story White Nights, Two Lovers is the story of a man who returns home to New York City as he finds himself engaged to a woman when he falls for a neighbor. Directed by James Gray and screenplay by Gray and Richard Menello, the film is an unusual romantic triangle where a man finds himself falling for a beautiful woman but also wants to be a good man to his fiancé. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Elias Koteas, Moni Moshonov, and Isabella Rossellini. Two Lovers is a rapturous and intoxicating film from James Gray.
The film revolves around a troubled man who finds himself in a love triangle with a beautiful neighbor he’s fallen for and a woman whose father wants to buy his parents’ laundromat business. It’s a film that plays into a man dealing with not just in love with two different women but also the fact that he’s still reeling from heartbreak as he is unsure of what to do. The film’s screenplay by James Gray and Richard Menello opens with Leonard Kraditor (Joaquin Phoenix) walking near a creek on his way home as he thinks about his former fiancée who broke up with him as he jumps off a bridge in a suicide attempt. He is saved but still has to return home unaware that his parents are having a meeting with the people who are going to buy their laundromat as they’re bringing in their daughter Sandra Cohen (Vinessa Shaw) who is fascinated by Leonard. During this time he’s dealing with his family’s business being bought, he meets a neighbor in Michelle Rausch (Gwyneth Paltrow) as they hang out and such as he’s unaware of how troubled she is.
Throughout the course of the script, Leonard is being pulled into two spectrums as he is often leaning towards Michelle because they both share emotional and mental troubles as Leonard is still coping with a break-up as it forced him to move back to his parents. Yet, his time with Michelle would often lead to a lot of questions than answers as she is having an affair with a married law partner in Ronald Blatt (Elias Koteas) that is becoming tumultuous. It’s a relationship that is problematic yet Leonard does find himself courting Sandra who is a more grounded person and very kind but also doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable as it relates to his previous break-up. Plus, her parents like him and his parents like her a lot where they attend family events and such as he feels more relaxed around her. Still, he is enamored with Michelle who wants his help as it relates to her relationship with Ronald with Leonard’s mother Ruth (Isabella Rossellini) watching from afar.
Gray’s direction is low-key as it doesn’t emphasize too much on style in favor of aiming for an intimate story of a man torn between two women. Shot mainly on the Brighton Beach area in Brooklyn in New York City with some of the films shot on New York City, the film does play into this environment that is largely working-class but also a world that is also vibrant. Gray would use some wide shots for some of the locations including some scenes on the apartment rooftop in a few conversation scenes between Leonard and Michelle that is presented on an entire take in one shot with a few more to follow in medium shots and close-ups. Yet, much of Grey’s approach of the film is to shoot it in many rooms and apartments as well as real locations around Brooklyn to play into this world these characters live in but also one that is prospering as far as Leonard’s father Reuben (Moni Moshonov) is concerned knowing that his family laundromat is going to be a part of something big with Leonard having something to fall back on since his aspirations as a photographer hasn’t gone anywhere.
Gray’s direction also play into the idea of longing since Leonard and Michelle live in the same build but across from each other’s window as it adds intrigue to their relationship whenever they talk on the phone as Ruth is supposedly hearing the conversation though she isn’t seen. Gray’s direction also play into this temptation where Leonard is attending a Bar Mitzvah for Sandra’s brother as he spends all of his time there but gets a call from Michelle whom he sees later as Gray would make the choice of having Michelle and Sandra never meet each other though the latter does know about the former due to conversations with Leonard. The film’s climax relates to Leonard’s decision about his future and his love life as it would play into the idea of safety in Sandra or to risk it all with Michelle. Overall, Gray crafts a tender yet intoxicating film about a man torn between two women he is in love with.
Cinematographer Joaquin Baca-Asay does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it emphasizes on mood for its usage of sepia-based lighting for many of its interiors and scenes set at night along with more blue-grey colors for a few daytime exteriors including a scene at a restaurant with Leonard and Sandra. Editor John Axelrad does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward to play into the drama with a few rhythmic cuts to play into some of the film’s emotional moments. Production designer Happy Masse, with art directors Marc Benacerraf and Pete Zumba plus set decorator Carol Silverman, does fantastic work with the look of the apartment that Leonard’s family lives including his messy room as well as the apartment that Michelle lives in.
Costume designer Michael Clancy does nice work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward for its Christmas holiday setting with the exception of a few stylish clothes that Michelle wears as well as a New Year’s Eve dress that Ruth wears. Sound designer Douglas Murray does superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of a few party scenes as well as the sparse and quiet sounds for some of the scenes at the apartment rooftop. Music supervisor Dana Sano does terrific work in assembling the film’s soundtrack as it include some classical pieces for the film’s score as well as a mixture of hip-hop, opera, and jazz music to play into the world that the characters are in.
The casting by Douglas Aibel is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Anne Joyce as Leonard’s former fiancée in a dream sequence and in picture, Iain J. Bopp as Sandra’s little brother David, Samantha Ivers and Jeannie Serrales as a couple of Michelle’s friends, Julie Budd as Sandra’s mother Carol, and Bob Ari as Sandra’s father Michael who would make an offer to Leonard about his future at his company. Elias Koteas is terrific as Ronald as Michelle’s married lover who is concerned about her well-being as he asks Leonard to keep an eye on her. Moni Moshonov is superb as Leonard’s father Reuben as a man that is trying to uphold his deal in this merger as well as ensure that his son would not have to worry about his future.
Isabella Rossellini is fantastic as Leonard’s mother Ruth who is concerned about her son’s well-being as she is also wondering what is going on as she seems to know about his affair with Michelle as it’s a very low-key yet mesmerizing performance. Vinessa Shaw is amazing as Sandra Cohen as a woman whose father is buying Leonard’s family business as they start off as friends and eventually lovers as she is a woman that is kind and understanding but also someone who is willing to help him. Gwyneth Paltrow is brilliant as Michelle Rausch as a woman who lives in the same apartment as Leonard as she is someone who is charming and fascinating but also troubled due to her love of drugs and alcohol to cope with her own emotional troubles. Finally, there’s Joaquin Phoenix in an incredible performance as Leonard Kraditor as a man still reeling from heartbreak as he finds himself falling for two women as he deals with the decision he’s in but also the prospect of his own future as it’s a restrained and charismatic performance Phoenix.
Two Lovers is a phenomenal film from James Gray that features great performances from Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, and Isabella Rossellini. Along with its supporting cast, gorgeous locations, riveting story, and beautiful visuals, it is a romantic film that doesn’t play by the rules as well explore the idea of security and heartbreak in a romance. In the end, Two Lovers is a sensational film from James Gray.
James Gray Films: Little Odessa - The Yards - We Own the Night - The Immigrant (2013 film) - The Lost City of Z – Ad Astra – The Auteurs #67: James Gray
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the novel The Home Invaders: Confessions of a Cat Burglar by John Seybold (under the pseudonym Frank Hohimer), Thief is the story of a safecracker who decides to go straight upon completing one more diamond heist only for everything to go wrong. Written for the screen and directed by Michael Mann, the film is a look into a thief who is known for his professionalism as he deals with the dangers of his profession as he is eager to start a new life. Starring James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Robert Prosky, James Belushi, Tom Signorelli, Willie Nelson, and Dennis Farina. Thief is an entrancing and gripping film from Michael Mann.
The film follows the life of a safecracker who has decided to end his life of crime to focus on living a cleaner and safer life but a crime boss offers him a job that would make him rich as he copes with what the job will do for him but also if it can really set him free. It’s a film that is really more of a character study of a man that does have a couple of businesses that he runs in a bar and in a car dealership yet he makes great money in being a safecracker. Yet, when a fence who is supposed to pay him is killed and unable to give the safecracker named Frank (James Caan) his money. Frank learns that his dealer owes money to a crime boss in Leo (Robert Prosky) who wants to offer Frank a job to steal diamonds in California. The job would allow Leo a chance to not just get the money he’s owed but also so much more including a way out of the life of crime as he had been to prison and doesn’t want to go back. Michael Mann’s screenplay follows the world that Frank lives in as despite his legitimate businesses, he is at his best when he is opening safes and steal its goods while maintaining a low profile as he answers to no one.
Still, he has endured so much trouble and wants to stay away from trouble just as he’s getting his life going upon meeting and dating a restaurant cashier in Jessie (Tuesday Weld). He also has this idea of a dream he wants to do of a life outside of crime and major responsibilities that he wants to share with Jessie as there is this scene at a diner that is seven-minutes long where Frank talks about this dream he has with a picture he had been carrying. A man in that picture is his mentor Okla (Willie Nelson) who is incarcerated for his time as a safecracker but has a chance of getting out. For Frank to do that, he has to take Leo’s job offer as he and his friend Barry (James Belushi) go to California to do this job. The second act isn’t just about Frank accepting the job but also trying to get things the right way as he also has to deal with corrupt cops. The third act is about this heist but also its troubling aftermath.
Mann’s direction is rapturous for the way he creates an atmosphere of a man in his element as a safecracker as the first seven minutes showcases Frank breaking into a safe with a drill and hammer with great attention to detail. Shot largely in Chicago with some of the film shot in California, Mann would maintain a tone that does bear elements of film noir as much of the action is shot at night with very little scenes shot on a sunny day. Mann’s usage of wide shots do play into the locations yet he aims for something more intimate in the fact that the film is character-driven with Frank in nearly every frame of the film whether he’s having this conversation with Jessie about his life in a seven minute scene filled with monologues or a meeting with Leo at a restaurant with its medium shots and close-ups. Much of the film’s first two acts are driven mainly by suspense and drama with little emphasis on action as it play into the planning of this big heist in California.
Mann’s direction is also intoxicating for the way he builds up this slow attention to detail into how a heist would work but also Frank’s desire to make sure that Jessie wouldn’t know too much despite telling her what he really does. The climatic heist is also a slow build in not just what Frank, Barry, and their friend Joseph (William LaValley) do but also the tools and such they need to open a vault. It’s an amazing sequence that has Mann be patient in his approach as well as what is in the vault. The aftermath as it relates to everything Frank is given and what he wants do come into play where it’s not just violent but also play into the idea of loyalty in the world of crime which is something Frank has a problem with. It would lead to a showdown that is intense but also chilling in the way Mann approaches every shot in what is to come as well as the attention to detail into Frank’s professionalism. Overall, Mann creates a mesmerizing and riveting film about a safecracker trying to go straight while being asked to do one more job.
Cinematographer Donald Thorin does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of low-key lighting for some of the interiors as well as scenes set at night with its emphasis on stylish lighting as it’s a highlight of the film. Editor Dov Hoenig does excellent work with the editing as it help play into the rhythm of the suspense in its pacing as well as some stylish cuts for some of the action and drama. Production designer Mel Bourne, along with set decorator John M. Dwyer and art director Mary Dodson, does amazing work with the look of the home that Frank would get from Leo as well as the bar and his car dealership as well as the room where the big vault for the film’s climax is presented.
The special effects of Russel Hessey and Doug Hubbard is terrific for some of the film’s action scenes as well as a few moments in the heist scenes. Sound mixer David M. Ronne does superb work with the sound in the way a drill sounds in breaking into a safe as well as other objects that help play into the suspense and action. The film’s music by Tangerine Dream is brilliant for its electronic-based score that has elements of somber and moody pieces along with eerie cuts that play into the suspense while a score piece by Craig Safan for the film’s final moments is intense in its art-rock sound as the soundtrack also includes some Chicago-based blues in a few scenes in the film.
The casting by Vic Ramos is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from William Petersen as a bartender at a blues bar, Dennis Farina as one of Leo’s hoods, Patti Ross as Barry’s girlfriend Marie, William LaValley as an associate of Frank’s in Joseph, Hal Franks as Frank’s fence Joe Gags who didn’t inform Frank about the money he owes to Leo, and Tom Signorelli as Leo’s right-hand man Attaglia as a low-level crime boss that refuses to give Frank his money as he would get in touch with Leo to deal with Frank. Willie Nelson is superb in a small but memorable performance as Frank’s mentor Okla as a man that is incarcerated as he’s dealing with ailments prompting Frank to get him out of prison legally.
James Belushi is fantastic as Barry as Frank’s friend who works as a mechanic at Frank’s dealership while also aiding him in the heist as he also hopes the job would give him a good life. Robert Prosky is excellent as Leo as a crime boss who offers Frank a major job with a big payday as he also helps him get a few things where it is clear what his motives are as it play into the ideas of loyalty and greed. Tuesday Weld is amazing as Jessie as a cashier waitress at a restaurant Frank falls for as she is suspicious about his attitude towards life while learning about what he does as she tries to help him start a new life. Finally, there’s James Caan in a tremendous performance as Frank as a safecracker who runs a dealership and a bar that is eager to go straight until he’s not given the money he’s owed as it’s a performance of intensity but also with an air of calm and restraint as a man who has been through too much and is eager that this one job will be his last as it is Caan in one of his best performances.
Thief is a spectacular film from Michael Mann that features an incredible performance from James Caan. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, riveting screenplay, offbeat suspense, and a hypnotic score by Tangerine Dream. The film is definitely an early major achievement from Mann that would showcase his approach to crime and man dealing with his situations as it is also this engrossing character study that isn’t afraid to show flaws in the decisions that a man makes. In the end, Thief is a phenomenal film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: The Jericho Mile – The Keep – Manhunter – L.A. Takedown – The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film) – Heat – The Insider – Ali – Collateral – Miami Vice – Public Enemies (2009 film) – Blackhat - Blackhat - Ferrari - (Heat 2) - The Auteurs #73: Michael Mann Pt.1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2018
Written, shot, edited, and directed by D.A. Pennebaker, Dont Look Back is a documentary film that chronicles Bob Dylan’s 1965 tour of Britain which would be the last tour he would do playing solely acoustic music before going electric. The film showcases the folk artist struggling with fame as well as questions about his authenticity as an artist as it shown in a raw, black-and-white style. The result is an engrossing and fascinating film from D.A. Pennebaker.
It’s the spring of 1965 in Britain as Bob Dylan is doing an eight-day tour as he’s accompanied by an entourage that include folk singer/then-girlfriend Joan Baez, road manager/friend Bob Neuwirth, and manager Albert Grossman. Joining his former Animals keyboardist Alan Price who had just left the band as they chat about music and ideas while Dylan is doing interviews with the press who are questioning about what his songs mean and all sorts of idiotic questions. It does play into Dylan’s disdain towards his growing fame just as he is changing his look that would include footage of him singing protest songs in Mississippi that is filmed by Ed Emshwiller that shows a young Dylan two years before being the prince of the folk music scene. The Dylan during this tour of Britain is often seen wearing sunglasses and black-leather shoes as well as being a bit more confrontational.
Much of D.A. Pennebaker’s direction is loose in the fact that he captures all of the chaos that goes on backstage, at a hotel room, whenever Dylan is being interviewed, and when he’s on the road riding on a train to a show. Even as there’s scenes that has Joan Baez singing a couple of songs in a hotel room while Dylan is typing something or Dylan watching Donovan perform in a hotel room following an argument over who threw glass on the floor. Pennebaker would often shoot something just as it is happening while he also films a scene of Grossman doing a deal to show how much he cared for Dylan during that time as they would part ways five years later. The usage of raw black-and-white film would give the film a stylistic look while Pennebaker’s editing also has style in the way he would shoot some of the performances with the usage of dissolves and jump-cuts in some of the scenes of Dylan being interviewed.
The performances are straightforward in its presentation with the climax being the shows Dylan played at the Royal Albert Hall in London as it would be this moment that would show Dylan ready to move on from playing folk music and get ready to take a step into a new path. The film’s opening scene is a music video for Subterranean Homesick Blues that has Dylan holding cue cards featuring the lyrics while Allen Ginsberg is in the background talking to someone as it play into this new phase that Dylan was to embark. Even if Pennebaker was unafraid to show Dylan in a bad light such as the scene of him confronting someone over broken glass or being mean to a journalist where it does show Dylan being arrogant in some ways as a front in how he tries to deal with this growing sense of stardom. The sound work of Jones Alk with concert sound by J. Robert Van Dyke does play into the way things sound with Van Dyke providing a nice approach to how Dylan sounded live in his performances.
Dont Look Back is a phenomenal film from D.A. Pennebaker. It’s a documentary that showcases a man’s ascent to stardom as well as coping with this stardom while on tour at a turning point in his career. It’s a film that fans of Bob Dylan must see as it’s also a film that does play into the looseness and style of documentary that captures this air of realism that is unfolding during the course of a tour as it is happening. In the end, Dont Look Back is a tremendous film from D.A. Pennebaker.
Related: Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - No Direction Home - I'm Not There - Trouble No More
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the characters from DC Comics, Justice League is the story of a group of superheroes who form a team to stop a major threat from unleashing havoc on Earth as well as secure a trio of boxes to stop this threat. Directed by Zack Snyder with additional direction by Joss Whedon and screenplay by Whedon and Chris Terrio from a story by Terrio and Snyder, the film is superhero movie that feature many revered superheroes who come together and save the world as they also deal with themselves. Starring Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Amber Heard, Jeremy Irons, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, and Ciaran Hinds as the voice of Steppenwolf. Justice League is a thrilling though underwhelming film from Zack Snyder.
The film is a simple story in which a group of superheroes team up to face a super threat as it all takes place on Earth following the death of Superman/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) during a major battle. For Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), he is consumed with guilt for not doing enough to help Superman as he encounters a major threat forcing him to call upon Wonder Woman/Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) to help him recruit other figures with special abilities. The film’s screenplay by Chris Terrio with additional work from Joss Whedon does play into the stakes yet it doesn’t do enough to introduce the other characters that would be part of this team and information about these mysterious boxes that the Justice League has to get to stop this antagonist in Steppenwolf. The first act is about Wayne and Prince recruiting the other supers into the Justice League with the Flash/Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) immediately saying yes while Cyborg/Victor Stone (Ray Fisher) and Aquaman/Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) initially decline until Steppenwolf get involved with their personal lives.
The boxes that are known as the Mother Boxes are all sources of power that Steppenwolf wants to use to destroy the world but he had been thwarted many centuries ago by an alliance of men, Atlanteans, Olympian Gods, the Green Lantern Corps, and Amazonians who agreed to hide the boxes from Steppenwolf. The character of Steppenwolf is a villain that is underwritten due to the fact that he’s not compelling and is never really fleshed out. The script also doesn’t do much Stone as there is little to know about his origin as a kid who survived a car accident only for his father Silas (Joe Morton) to have one of the three boxes to use to create a new cyborg body that Stone would use to retrieve all sorts of information. While Allen and Curry do get a bit of back story, they’re also hampered by the script’s shortcomings due to the fact that they never get a proper introduction though there’s brief mention of why Allen can run so fast and emit electricity.
Zack Snyder’s direction is definitely lavish with some dream-like compositions to play into a world coping with loss as well as a growing sense of hopelessness and danger. Shot mainly at the Warner Brothers Studios in Leavesden in Britain with additional locations around London, Los Angeles, Chicago, parts of Scotland, and Iceland. Snyder does establish a world on the brink of chaos and despair as he does create some unique wide shots for some scenes including Wayne’s meeting with Curry in an attempt to get him on board. There are also some close-ups and medium shots in the film to play into the characters interacting with one another as Snyder does know where to put a few moments of humor in the film as well as giving audiences a break for the action. It’s among some of the things that Snyder and his replacement in Joss Whedon would succeed in doing but it’s not enough to make the film more engaging than it needed to be.
Among these issues is that there is this feeling that there’s a longer film in there somewhere as Whedon had to make some compromises to make it less messy but it undercuts some of the moments with the characters as Stone isn’t given a lot to do in how he became Cyborg while the sequence about the origin of Steppenwolf and the three boxes seem to feel like there was a longer version presented. Then there’s many of the visual set pieces as it relates to the action where Snyder and Whedon try to create so much action and visual textures yet the emphasis on visual effects do overwhelm the action including the film’s climax where the Justice League faces off against Steppenwolf and his army. It also has these clunky moments where they try to do so much but ends up being overkill in moments where it wants to be funny and exciting with moments that are serious. Overall, Snyder and Whedon crafts a worthwhile but lackluster film about a group of superheroes coming together to save the world.
Cinematographer Fabian Wagner does some fine work with the cinematography in terms of setting the mood for some scenes at night with its lighting although the reliance on de-saturated colors is overkill as it doesn’t do enough to make the film visually vibrant in favor of grittiness that doesn’t entirely work. Editors David Brenner, Richard Pearson, and Martin Walsh do some good work in the editing in creating some fast-cuts for some of the action though there’s moments where there is too much fast-cutting where it doesn’t do enough to establish what is going on in these action sequences. Production designer Patrick Tatpoulos, with set decorator Dominic Capron and senior art director Matthew Gray, does excellent work with the look of the Batcave where Wayne does much of his work and serves as a temporary base for the Justice League as well as the look of the place where Steppenwolf wants to use the Mother Boxes. Costume designer Michael Wilkinson does amazing work with the costumes in the look of the characters as well as the casual clothes they would wear when they’re not working as superheroes.
Makeup designer Victoria Down does nice work with the look of the characters from the look of Cyborg as well as the tattoos on Curry. Special effects supervisor Mark Holt and visual effects supervisor John “D.J.” Des Jardin do some terrific work on the visual effects for the design of the monsters though its usage as set-dressing isn’t inspired while the look of Steppenwolf is underwhelming as well as the awkward look of Clark Kent when he smiles. Sound designer Chuck Michael does superb work with the sound in the way the aliens sound as well as some of the weapons and the layer of sounds in the film’s climax. The film’s music by Danny Elfman is wonderful for its orchestral bombast that help play into the action and suspense along with a few low-key pieces for the non-action scenes while music supervisor Karen Elliott does do some OK work on the soundtrack as it includes music from the White Stripes as well as covers of songs by Sigrid doing Leonard Cohen’s Everybody Knows and Gary Clark with Junkie XL doing the Beatles’ Come Together.
The casting by Kristy Carlson, Lora Kennedy, and Kate Ringsell is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Billy Crudup as Allen’s father Henry, Joe Morton as Stone’s father Silas, Amber Heard as the Atlantean Mera who knows Curry’s mother, Connie Nielsen as Prince’s mother Queen Hippolyta who would send her daughter a signal about Steppenwolf, Michael McElhatton as a terrorist Diana defeats early in the film, Diane Lane as Kent’s adoptive mother Martha Kent, and J.K. Simmons as Gotham police commissioner James Gordon who briefs members of the Justice League about the kidnappings at Gotham. Amy Adams is fantastic as Lois Lane as the reporter for the Daily Planet and Clark Kent’s love interest who copes with not just loss but also the sense of hopelessness despite the efforts of the Justice League. Ciaran Hinds is OK as Steppenwolf as he provides the voice of this menacing figure though it’s a character that is severely underwritten and not really given much to do but go after the Mother Boxes and kill good people.
Henry Cavill is good as Clark Kent/Superman as he’s first seen in an Instagram video as the superhero where he would later be part of a plan to be revived as Cavill has his moments despite some bad visual effects on his face. Jeremy Irons is excellent as Alfred Pennyworth as Wayne’s longtime butler/assistant who is the film’s conscience of sorts as someone who helps the Justice League with information as well as be aware of what is at stake. Ray Fisher is alright as Victor Stone/Cyborg as a former athlete who survived an accident that would have him sport a machine-like body as he deals with his abilities and being alive as Fisher has his moments though he’s not given a lot to do. Jason Momoa is superb as Arthur Curry/Aquaman as a half-Atlantean/half-human man that has the ability to control water and such as he is reluctant to join the Justice League until Atlantis was attacked prompting him to join as he does provide some funny moments.
Ezra Miller is brilliant as Barry Allen/the Flash as a young superhero who can run very fast and emit electricity as he is an admitted loner that has a hard time trying to get friends as he is also a fanboy of sorts in working with Batman and Wonder Woman as he is fun to watch. Gal Gadot is amazing as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman as the Amazonian princess who learns about Steppenwolf’s return as she decides to help Wayne out in forming the Justice League while dealing with her own reluctance to help out humanity. Finally, there’s Ben Affleck in an incredible performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman as the vigilante who decides to form a team as a way to make amends for his anger towards Superman while being aware of this threat as knows he’s been in too many battles but is hoping to save the world.
Justice League is a horrendous film from Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon. Despite its great cast, some nice action set pieces, and bits of humor, it’s a film that falls short in what it needed to be as this epic superhero cross-over film with high stakes. Especially as it rely too much on visual effects and spectacles that don’t really do much for the story that needed to flesh out the characters more. In the end, Justice League is a drab and lackluster film from Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon.
Zack Snyder Films: (Dawn of the Dead (2004 film)) – 300 - Watchmen - (Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole) – Sucker Punch - (Army of the Dead) - Rebel Moon
Joss Whedon Films: Serenity - The Avengers (2012 film) - Much Ado About Nothing (2012 film) - The Avengers: Age of Ultron
DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Suicide Squad - Wonder Woman - Aquaman – Shazam! – Birds of Prey - Wonder Woman 1984 - Zack Snyder's Justice League - The Suicide Squad (2021 film) - (Black Adam) – (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) – (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) – (The Flash) – (Blue Beetle) – (Batgirl)
© thevoid99 2018
For the 28th week of 2018 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves Thursday Movie Picks series hosted by Wanderer. We delve into characters who either grow up to be older or to be younger by some idea of magic or something. It’s often a plot device that often creates ideas of humor or an understanding for characters to either face what might or return to their youth. Here are my three picks:
1. Death Becomes Her
From Robert Zemeckis comes one of the finest comedies of the 1990s that pits Meryl Streep against Goldie Hawn for the affections of an alcoholic Bruce Willis. Streep plays an aging diva who learns that Hawn has lost weight and has become beautiful with Willis falling for Hawn all over again. Streep learns about a potion that makes her younger and live forever but there’s a catch which she and Hawn both find out as there’s a lot of shenanigans that goes on. It’s a film that still holds up with visual effects that may be dated for its time but it did help tell the story of what happen when two women try to kill each other for a man and to live forever.
2. 13 Going on 30
A 13 year old girl on her birthday wants to be accepted by the cool kids and hopes the cutest boy kisses her. Instead, she gets upset and wishes to be thirty and flirty where she becomes a woman in her 30s working for a flailing fashion magazine and isn’t nice to people. It’s an enjoyable comedy with a winning performance from Jennifer Garner who definitely proves she can be funny and full of charm as she’s aided by top-notch supporting performances from Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, and Andy Serkis who steals the show as Garner’s boss who does the Moonwalk.
3. 17 Again
A light-hearted comedy that has Matthew Perry lament over his failure in life and in his marriage where he felt he peaked when he was 17 as he falls into a whirlpool and becomes Zac Efron. It’s a film where a man is given a second chance as a 17-year old to fix his life as well as help his teenage kids with growing pains as it’s a light-hearted film that include a hilarious supporting turn from Thomas Lennon as his best friend who pretends to be Efron’s dad as he falls for the school’s principal that has a love for Lord of the Rings. It’s a formulaic film but Efron is what makes the film a joy to watch.
© thevoid99 2018
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
