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As A Change From Watching Movies I Am At The Theatre! Waiting For St Cleres Players Production Of Oliver!
As a change from watching movies I am at the theatre! Waiting for St Clere’s Players production of Oliver! to begin!
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lizzypuppet1711 liked this · 6 years ago
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SUSAN SLEPT HERE (Dir: Frank Tashlin, 1954).
Frank Tashlin made his name as an animation director at Warner Bros’ Termite Terrace before graduating to live action slapstick comedies of questionable taste such as The Girl Can’t Help It and this movie Susan Slept Here.
As with much of Tashlin’s work Susan Slept Here is very much anchored to the decade in which it was made. The convoluted plot concerns Hollywood scriptwriter Dick Powell and 17 year old juvenile delinquent Debbie Reynolds who is given to Powell as a ‘gift’ on Christmas Eve in order to keep her out of jail during the festive period.
Recalling such better comedies as Billy Wilder’s The Major and the Minor and the Preston Sturgess scripted Remember the Night, Tashlin’s middle age male fantasy remains just about on the right side of good taste. Were this movie made today it would certainly raise eyebrows and maybe it did in 1954. If it was made today I doubt the subject would be given the light and fluffy rom com treatment.
As it is the movie is far more palatable than expected, thanks to the appealing performances of Powell and Reynolds and the assured direction of Tashlin who could turn out this sort of material in his sleep. The highly saturated Technicolor photography shows off the 1950s decor in all its garish splendour and Reynolds gets the opportunity to show of her considerable dancing skills in a very much of its period dream sequence.
To fully enjoy Susan Slept Here requires a certain amount of suspension of disbelief, not least to accept 55 year old Powell as the 35 year old object of Reynolds’ desire. It is by no means a classic but neither is it the vacuum of good taste I was expecting. Fans of its director and stars, particularly Debbie Reynolds, will probably find much to enjoy.
100+ movie reviews now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
OLIVER! (Dir: Carol Reed, 1968).
Carol Reed’s movie adaptation of Lionel Bart’s blockbuster stage musical is a universally acclaimed, multi-award winning masterpiece.
Based, of course, on Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist, it is certainly a sanitised depiction of Victorian East End London; a film about child exploitation populated by thieves and murderers should probably not make for suitable family entertainment, and yet it does.
A top drawer cast includes unknown juveniles Mark Lester, winsomely appealing in the title role and Jack Wild gives a spirited and charismatic performance as Dodger. Of the adults, Ron Moody as Fagin, Oliver Reed as Bill Sykes and Harry Secombe as Mr Bumble are all impressive but perhaps the stand out is the previously little known Shani Wallis. As Nancy, Ms Wallis gives a genuinely moving, sympathetic performance. It’s staggering to think that Oliver! did not launch her to international movie stardom.
Bart’s outstanding score is easily one of the best to grace stage or screen; unusually for any musical all 13 songs taken from the show, from Food Glorious Food to Om Pah Pah have entered the public conscious and are all exquisitely staged, lavish production numbers.
In spite of the tremendous critical and commercial success of Oliver! by 1968 the big budget family musical was becoming a less commercially viable prospect for Hollywood. The previous year had seen the commercial failure of Disney’s The Happiest Millionaire and Fox’s Doctor Doolittle and in the half decade since its initial release few non-animated film musicals have had anywhere near its impact. Although the genre has undergone a successful revival, such recent examples as Mary Poppins Returns and the live-action Beauty and the Beast, as good as those movies may be, have not managed to match it for artistry or sheer entertainment.
It is easy to see why critics and audiences were so enamoured by Oliver! as 50 years on it remains a genuinely fantastic film that withstands many repeated viewings.
100+ movie reviews now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME. Link below.
THE GHOSTS OF BUXLEY HALL (Dir: Bruce Bilson, 1980).
Originally screened in two parts on the long running Disney anthology series, at this point in its history broadcast on NBC under the Disney’s Wonderful World banner; The Ghosts of Buxley Hall is a throwback to Disney fantasy comedies such as Blackbeard’s Ghost (Robert Stevenson, 1968) and Charley and the Angel (Vincent McEveety, 1973). Failing military academy Buxley Hall is forced to merge with a cash strapped girls school, enraging the ghosts of founder General Eulace C Buxton, cohort Sergeant Major Chester B Sweet and wife Betina Buxley (played by Dick O’Neill, Victor French and Louise Latham respectively). Their focus soon shifts to aiding new student Jeremy (Red Daly) whose scheming aunt and uncle threaten both the future of the school and more importantly the well being of their nephew.
Although very much a product of its time The Ghosts of Buxley Hall is undemanding formulaic fun. It has a welcome, albeit slight, feminist message, although some may find gags involving smoking and alcoholism and some mild risqué humour involving a sex education class a little out of place in a family movie. With regards to modern audiences, I imagine this film is more likely to appeal to grownup children of the 1970s/80s than by actual children.
Is The Ghosts of Buxley Hall a good movie? Not particularly. Did I enjoy it? Yes, I kinda did. It felt nostalgic, raised the odd smile and kept me out of mischief for 90 odd minutes.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for more reviews of classic and vintage Disney movies! Link below.
SANTA CLAUS aka SANTA CLAUS VS THE DEVIL (Dir: Rene Cardona, 1959).
Unraveling like one of my better fever dreams, the weird and wonderful Santa Claus is a 1959 Mexican production, re-cut and dubbed into English by schlock movie producer K Gordon Murray and released in the US in 1960.
José Elías Moreno stars as Santa as he is pitted against devil minion Pitch, portrayed by dancer José Luis Aguirre, in a bid to save the festive season from the clutches of Lucifer.
Seemingly made with an eye on the international market, Cardona’s film is a mishmash of Mexican, US and British cultural references (who knew Merlin the Magician was an ally of Santa?). Santa’s workshop (which is in space by the way) is filled with some frankly freaky gadgets. Everyone knows that “he sees you when you’re sleeping” but who ever thought it was through a re-purposed vacuum cleaner hose with a human eye on the end? Or that he listens to us by way of what looks like a severed human ear attached to a fan? All of this is relayed to Santa via a bulky bit of machinery complete with a massive pair of human lips!
It is true that much in this children’s film could terrify those of a sensitive disposition and no one would argue that it is a good film. In fact many would argue that it is a very bad film. It is certainly camp and kitschy and little of it makes much sense, but it does features some weirdly attractive mid-century style sets and it means well; I have to admit that part of me enjoyed it un-ironically.
With its copyright having long-ago lapsed, Santa Claus is easily to find on-line in varying states of decay. If you are inclined to watch it (and you really should be!) I suggest you find a decent print and settle yourself down for 95 minutes of incredulous festive fun!
100+ movie reviews now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
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