Mubi Monday: Sullivan's Travels (1941)

To the memory of those who made us laugh: the motley mountebanks, the clowns, the buffoons, in all times and in all nations, whose efforts have lightened our burden a little, this picture is affectionately dedicated.

 Although age may have wearied it slightly, and there's a worrying air of somone rich going on a "poverty safari" during the earlier scenes, Sullivan's Travels soon starts to live up to its reputation, mixing in some sharp barbs with plenty of gentle humour and some surprisingly affecting moments of drama.

Written and directed by Preston Sturges, this is the tale of a successful director (John L. Sullivan, played by Joel McCrea) who wants to move away from the comedy films that have made his reputation. He wants to do more relevant, serious, fare but his bosses try to dissuade him from that idea, explaining that he can't deliver those kinds of movies because he doesn't really know anything about the hardships of life. Sullivan agrees, and then decides that he will try to experience poverty and hardship

Although the cast includes the likes of Robert Warwick, William Demarest, and Franklin Pangborn, and there's a great turn from Jan Buckingham as the unaffectionate wife (in name only) of the main character, Sullivan's Travels is really based around the performances of McCrea, desperate to go as far as he needs to in order to experience "authentic" hardship, and Veronica Lake, playing a woman he meets who is initially unable to comprehend the situation that Sullivan has created for himself.

Sturges clearly has a lot of fun with the central idea, a premise that allows him to take viewers to some soaring highs and then some real lows, and the film is a perfect mix throughout of sheer entertainment and one clear message. The pacing is perfect, especially during the gradual transition from the lighter moments to the more serious scenes, and almost every single one of the supporting players gets at least one chance to shine.

Yet another classic movie that quickly reveals to you, the viewer, why so many hold it in such high regard, and a very influential (this would be the perfect time to mention the Coen brothers, who took the title "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" from this) and surprisingly resonant experience to this day, Sullivan's Travels is one to mark of your list ASAP, whether you're a casual film fan or a more obsessive cinephile. You won't be disappointed.

9/10

The blu ray can be bought here.
Americans can get it here.

This Gun For Hire (1942)

Alan Ladd stars as Philip Raven, the hired gun of the title. He gets in some hot water when his latest employer, via a cowardly middle man (Laird Cregar), pays him his fee in bills that have been reported as stolen. Out for revenge, Raven soon finds himself dragging the beautiful Ellen Graham (Veronica Lake) into his plan. Unfortunately, Graham has a boyfriend who is in the LAPD (Michael Crane, played by Robert Preston), and it's not long until the net starts to close in around them.

Based on a novel by Graham Greene, this is an enjoyable film noir, but it's the least of the Ladd-Lake pairings in this style. Lake, especially, isn't treated well in the first half of the movie, being given a couple of minor musical numbers that feel out of place.

The script by Albert Maltz and W. R. Burnett isn't too bad, those musical moments aside. It keeps the character of Raven interesting, even if he's not very likeable, and lines everything up in time for a satisfying finale that ensures viewers are rooting for the right character by that point.

Director Frank Tuttle does well enough, but I can't help thinking that he could have done better with the cast he has.

Ladd is as good as he usually is in this type of role, Lake is luminous once again, and Crane is solid, but it's the supporting cast members who raise this above average. Cregar is a fantastic, conniving, coward, a man easy to dislike while remembering that he would always have someone else giving him orders, and Pamela Blake makes a great impression, despite only having a couple of scenes. She plays a young woman who dislikes Raven, with good reason, and her performance is a spirited mix of anger and fear.

Having only recently discovered both Ladd and Lake on film, I must say that they have yet to disappoint me. While This Gun For Hire may be the weakest of their film noirs, it's still a good film, and I don't think fans will regret giving this, or any of their other collaborations, a watch.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Film-Noir-Collection-Kirk-Douglas/dp/B000UWXM1C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384884960&sr=8-1&keywords=film+noir+boxset

The Blue Dahlia (1946)

While it's no classic, and certainly a rung or two below The Glass Key (a film sharing many of the cast members), there's some easy fun to be had with The Blue Dahlia, a film written by Raymond Chandler and directed by George Marshall.

Alan Ladd plays Johnny Morrison, a man who gets home from military service to find that his wife (Doris Dowling) hasn't exactly been sitting at the window with a lamp on, awaiting his return. She's been living it up, particularly enjoying the company of Eddie Harwood (Howard Da Silva). The husband and wife argue, the husband storms out, and later that night there's a murder. It looks like Johnny is the man the police desperately want to get a hold of, but his friends, played by William Bendix and Hugh Beaumont, don't want to see him imprisoned. Even if they suspect that he may have done it. Johnny also finds an ally in the shape of a woman (Veronica Lake) he doesn't realise is actually Mrs. Harwood.

The Blue Dahlia may not have the best script or the most thrills, but it's an enjoyable enough watch, thanks mainly to the characters populating the onscreen world. Ladd has always been more of a stoic than charismatic lead, but that suits just fine in a film such as this. Lake is always captivating, Da Silva is enjoyably slippery and nobody does the big lug quite like Bendix. Will Wright, Tom Powers and others all help to keep boredom at bay.

There aren't any surprises here, no twists and turns beyond those that fans of crime flicks will see coming a mile away, but everything moves along well enough. There's a final scene that ties up any loose ends, without spending more time than necessary on each detail, and every element onscreen is at least competent and satisfying, despite being unspectacular and a bit lacking in excitement. Still worth a watch though, especially for anyone who enjoys the movie stars of this era.

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Film-Noir-Collection-Kirk-Douglas/dp/B000UWXM1C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384710199&sr=8-1&keywords=film+noir+collection

The Glass Key (1942)

Brian Donlevy plays the central character in this enjoyable film noir, but the movie really belongs to Alan Ladd, playing his smart, loyal, right hand man. And the fact that Veronica Lake is also in the cast means that she steals many scenes simply by being as beautiful as she is.

The story, by Dashiell Hammett, is all about a smooth criminal named Paul Madvig (Donlevy) who wants to straighten up his act and move forwards in life. This is due, in no small part, to his falling for Janet Henry (Lake). As Paul starts to ruffle some feathers, particularly those of a crook named Nick Varna (Joseph Calleia), he finds himself being set up for a big fall. A murder rap could be pinned on him, and it could be hard to beat. Thankfully, his friend, and star employee, Ed Beaumont (Ladd) is also hard to beat, and he keeps digging around to find out who the real murderer was and how everything is being laid at Paul's feet.

Directed by Stuart Heisler, this is an unspectacular film that eventually blossoms into a thing of subtle beauty. Early scenes make viewers prepare themselves for another standard crime flick, but as Ed starts to use his intelligence while so many other people use fists and/or bullets it goes from strength to strength.

Ladd may not be the most charismatic actor to have graced the silver screen, but in the latter half of the film he does perfectly fine as someone who won't give up, no matter how much others try to deter him with threats and beatings. Donlevy is wonderfully smooth, and often a step or two behind Ladd's character, in the role of Paul, making him a reformed criminal that's easy to root for when compared to the other bad guy. And Calleia is good enough as that other bad guy, he's suitably ruthless and brutal. William Bendix, as a big man who administers beatings when ordered, is also pretty brutal, and there's a middle section that's surprisingly gruelling to watch thanks to his involvement. Lake is lovely, it's all too easy to see why a man would change his ways to try to be with her.

The script, by Jonathan Latimer, is very good, even if it falls just short of the greatness of the truly classic noirs. Ladd gets most of the best lines, but any exchange of dialogue between himself and Donlevy or Bendix ends up being quite enjoyable.

I'm not sure if this is a generally well-liked film, but I certainly liked it, a lot, and I hope that others will at least give it a watch, to see whether or not they agree.

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Film-Noir-Collection-Kirk-Douglas/dp/B000UWXM1C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384370873&sr=8-1&keywords=film+noir

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)

Steve Martin is detective Rigby Reardon in this amusing, but respectful, slice of fun that makes great use of clips from many classic films of the 1940s (there may be a few movies that come just before or after this decade, but I couldn't say for certain). Reardon has been given a case by the beautiful Juliet Forrest (Rachel Ward), a woman who can sucket a bullet from a gunshot wound, and as he starts to make some headway he soon finds himself in more and more danger. Ain't it always the way.

This black and white outing sees the comedy star teamed up once again with director Carl Reiner, with the pair working on the script with George Gipe, so fans of that relationship will find plenty to enjoy here. There's the usual silliness, but there's also an impressive amount of smart manipulation on display. Every plot development and minor detail is carefully placed onscreen to allow the interaction between Martin and the classic movie characters to seem effortless. The fact that the scenes are often twisted into something comedically brilliant is a big plus, but noir fans may well find themselves falling in love with the "greatest hits" selection of clips put to use.

While there may not be as many moments that stand out as being downright hilarious, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid still has plenty that will stay in the memory of fans who can then go on to share those gags with other fans. The running gag about Reardon's special cup of java, the reaction from the words "cleaning woman", a number of great lines from the ongoing voiceover narration and more.

The main players all do well, including Reiner, who decided to give himself a small role rather than just stay satisfied with his directing and co-writing duties. Thankfully, the performances from people such as Bette Davis, Burt Lancaster, James Cagney, Cary Grant, Veronica Lake, Ingrid Bergman, Lana Turner and, especially, Humphrey Bogart are all as good as you may remember them being, making the film a pleasure to watch even in between the numerous laughs.

It always feels to me as if Reiner and Martin did many more movies together, but the total was only four. They just happened to be four comedies that either still rank as outright classics, or at least come very close. Don't miss this one, and don't miss any of the others either.

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steve-Martin-Collection-DVD/dp/B000QJMSFA/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1373746372&sr=1-1&keywords=steve+martin