Richie’s Reel
Reviews—My FAVORITE Films and other CLASSICS
I present my top few movies. The first 4 are locks. The remaining 7 on the are nearly interchangeable in terms of actual position. I will present additional favorites in subsequent entries.
1.
NORTH BY NORTHWEST
The occasion of my serendipitous introduction to the film
certainly contributes to its being my favorite movie of all time (although it’s
close with 2-4). It was October, 1977. Kentucky was playing football at Penn State,
who was heavily favored. I was with my
friend and law school classmate that weekend at his home in Louisville. We were listening to it on the radio and to
our great surprise and joy, KENTUCKY WON!
As it happened the game was going to be replayed in Lexington that very
Saturday night, so we drove back to my house to see the replay. Exhilarating!
Well, immediately following the game the station, WKYT, went
right into its late movie, something called North
by Northwest. Doug and I were all
smiles after the game so we just sat contented watching this movie unfold, from
its alluring intro and incredible Bernard Herrmann soundtrack, all the way to
the end, with very few commercial breaks.
We just looked at each other afterwards and said, WOW, where
did this come from?! A different joy
replaced the now long forgotten game played earlier that day.
North by Northwest has EVERYTHING, and I mean everything, a superlative movie SHOULD
have—scintillating story, humor, drama, suspense, class, photography, acting, a
surprise yet satisfying ending, a moving soundtrack, action--and has NOTHING,
and I mean nothing, that a great and
entertaining film should NOT have—graphic violence, crude language, irrelevant
or meddlesome dialogue, depressing and humorless aura.
The action starts in New York, the late 1950’s, with the
quintessential Cary Grant as an advertising executive dictating orders to his
secretary in the back of a Yellow cab on a typically busy Manhattan ride en
route from his Madison Ave. office to a business lunch meeting at the venerable
(but now defunct) Oak Bar[1]
located within the even more venerable Plaza Hotel (but also just as
defunct—now converted into private condos).
From there a classic case of mistaken identity has Roger Thornhill
(Grant) stalked and kidnapped by the bad guys, taken to a lavish estate
whereupon the action begins in earnest.
The movie moves from well-heeled Long Island, where we meet cold war-era bad guy
spies James Mason and a young Martin Landau, back to Manhattan, to the Plaza,
to the United Nations, to Grand Central Station, aboard a train to Chicago, upon
where he meets who to my younger eyes then, and still now!, the most gorgeous
woman ever, Eva Marie Saint.
The action is just starting—to the corn fields of Indiana (first
famed scene--“strange, that cropduster’s dustin’ where there ain’t no crops” a
brown-suited Hoosier says to Grant moments before the plane turns on him), back
to Chicago, to Rapid City, South Da-KOT-ahh, as Cary would pronounce it,
culminating in the famed cliffhanger scene on Mt. Rushmore. Along with CIA master spy, Leo G. Carroll ("War's hell, Mr. Thornhill, even a cold one"),
he flies on Northwest Orient airline from Chicago to Rapid City, which is apparently
the basis for the film’s title.
We get to see Americana as it existed in her heyday. Luxurious hotels, newly developed national
parks, city, countryside, Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, classy clothes (I am
still on the hunt for Cary’s slate blue suit with matching tie that he wears
from beginning to end, and I still believe Eva’s red and black print dress that
she wears to the art auction is the most stunning I have ever seen), and incomparably
witty dialogue—the best since Casablanca, which is number two on my list.
Never is a long time, but I don’t believe another movie will
ever rival this one—at least for me. You
just may like it too.
2.
CASABLANCA
Released in 1942, the story of Europeans trying to escape the
Nazis through about the only point left at that time, Casablanca, Morocco,
could not have been more timely. It
takes just a little imagination to imagine yourself as a patron of Rick’s Café
Americain, maybe looking to get—by any means possible—a letter of transit, and
if you were really fortunate, an audience with Rick himself, played by the only
guy in the world ever who COULD play that role, Humphrey Bogart.
What makes Casablanca perhaps THE greatest movie of all
time? I don’t know, I can only answer,
as with all my reviews, why they are special to me. First, every line’s a classic. And I mean EVERY SINGLE LINE of dialogue is
quote-worthy. Not one wasted syllable,
hem or haw, much less a wasted word.
The acting even by the smallest roles is dynamite. The film noir quality, which today could
never be duplicated, adds to the drama and suspense, as does the fabulous
music. Dooley Wilson deserved an Oscar
for his piano playing and singing (As Time Goes By, Knock Three Times) alone,
much less his acting.
True suspense, a surprising and MOST INSPIRING ending, to
which Woody Allen famously paid homage in his movie Play it Again, Sam (which
I believe I actually saw before I had even seen Casablanca). Add a star-studded cast including Ingrid
Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre along
with truly amusing character actors like S.Z. Sakall (who played Carl) and you
have…a MASTERPIECE.
3.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Great movies often come from great stories, and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird ranks as one of
the all-time best. However, a great
story is no guarantee that the movie will do it justice. Thankfully, this movie captures, distills and
delivers in a way that is for me very personal and emotional, and to just about
anybody who watches it, a powerfully moving experience.
Shot in black and white, set in the depression-era southern
town of Maycomb, Alabama, the story focuses on racial injustice and the efforts
to rectify that injustice by one of the most noble and pure character of all
time, Atticus Finch, who is played by my late mother’s favorite actor, Gregory
Peck.
The storyline, the setting, compelling child actors and a
mostly anonymous cast of adult actors (Robert Duvall plays Boo Radley, a
central character but with little on screen presence) along with a
heart-tugging Elmer Bernstein soundtrack all combine to elicit smiles, tears and a
yearning to stand tall for truth and justice.
Again, what takes this movie over the top for me are two
factors. One, my mother’s favorite actor
was Gregory Peck, she just loved him.
Also, it was my mother who encouraged me to go to law school, and I made
a deathbed promise to her to do so. Two,
I saw this movie at the University of Kentucky Student Center while taking a
break studying for law school finals. I
was not that well-read, and I really had no idea what the movie was about, only
that it was a classic.
To say that the movie influenced my life and encouraged my
desire to be an agent for positive change is a vast understatement. Thanks mom, thanks Ms. Lee, thanks Robert
Mulligan (the director), thanks Mr. Peck, thanks Mary Badham and Phillip Alford
(Scout and Jem), thanks to EVERY actor, stagehand, costumer, errand boy and
musician for making this life-changing movie.
4.
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
Surely, you know this movie. The
fact that it is one of my favorite films points to MY criteria and therefore
EXPECTATIONS of a truly great film: uplifting, positive theme and ending, along
with humor, acting, photography and the like.
Many of the “Best Picture” Oscars I could give a tinker’s damn for,
either because of the dark and cynical subject matter, the graphic nature or
otherwise depressing storyline which many of them contain.
It’s a Wonderful Life, as you know, is one of the most
uplifting and truly, truly RELEVANT movies OF all time. Which one of us could not use an occasional
reminder how special our life—OUR
life—truly is. Even if we suffer, there are
those who would suffer even more, the world would suffer even more, were we not
in it, or had we never been in it!
Wow, that is an awe-inspiring concept and generations of humanity have
this film to thank for it. Ahh, but I
just gave the GRAVY of a great film. What makes it great before you even get to the
gravy, i.e. the fact that it is so inspirational, of course, is the incredibly
moving performances by all the actors, particularly Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed,
Lionel Barrymore, the incomparable directing of Frank Capra, the soundtrack
and…well you know!
5.
The Verdict
Paul Newman plays a down on his luck, alcoholic lawyer who tries to turn his luck—and life—around on a
gutwrenching case of medical negligence (his client was turned into a vegetable
by being given the wrong anesthetic) against the best defense lawyer around
(expertly played by the legendary James Mason).
This movie reeks of old Boston. Director
Sidney Lumet makes sure that everything is consistent and authentic, from
properly-accented character actors to setting, to a most appropriate TOTAL LACK
of music! Never was the saying “less is
more” more fitting than the fact that there is nary a note of music in this
entire film!
The foreboding, muted colors of a cold New England winter mirrors the
increasingly desperate situation Paul Newman’s character finds himself in,
out-maneuvered by a slick defense lawyer, and with virtually no chance to win a
recovery for his client’s sister and her family who are utterly dependent on
it. The mahogany benches and diamond
shaped old tile floor of the court room put you THERE, in the juror’s box as
each side presents its case.
A surprise ending that vindicates a positive, never-say-die attitude
culminates what for me is an understated tour-de-force, one that I take the
chance to see again whenever I can. Oh,
and by the way, I just happen to love Paul Newman, so that certainly
contributes to this movie’s high standing on my list. Perfect supporting roles by Jack Warden,
Charlotte Rampling and Milo O’Shea complete what may be for you a surprising
entry but what I consider…a masterpiece!
6.
The Graduate
Again, it was not only the actual movie, but also the circumstances under
which I got to see it, that make this one of my favorites. I was working one day after school in our
store at the old Lexington Mall when Uncle Martin comes in from Whitesburg and
asks if I want to see a movie with him.
“You’re the boss, SURE!” I said.
We went to the cinema in the Mall (in those days you got ONE movie if
you were lucky). I had no idea that I
was about to see what turned out to be one of the best movies ever!
Humor and outright laughs galore, fabulous acting from Dustin Hoffman,
Anne Bancroft, Katherine Ross, Murray Hamilton, Alice Ghostly, cool California
setting—Mrs. Robinson’s house still looks modern and contemporary, without a
hint that this was shot in 1967. Add to
that director Mike Nichol’s ground-breaking use of Simon & Garfunkel’s[2]
incredible soundtrack to create much of the aura and emotion and you have what
is perhaps a new generation’s first Masterpiece. At least for me it was…and is.
7.
Woody Allen (early years)
I LOVE, love, love early Woody Allen—and some of his later stuff too, but
particularly his early films, upon which
I cut my “independent” movie-going experience, i.e. movies to which I could
drive myself. The first Woody Allen I
saw was with my cousin Eddie (he was at UK, I a junior at Lafayette High), Everything you wanted to know about Sex but
was Afraid to Ask which we saw at the old and long gone Turfland Mall
cinemas.
I recall us just laughing HYSTERICALLY at what was truly a never-before-seen
subject matter and style of cinematic delivery.
I was hooked on Woody from that point forward.
Next came Bananas, then Play it Again Sam, then Love
and Death, then Sleeper, Manhattan, then his
universal biggie, the Oscar winner, Annie Hall. Before that he had made Take the Money and Run,
(“No that says gub (not gun) what’s a gub” says the bank manager as hapless
bank robber, Virgil Starkwell, played by Woody, hands over a poorly written
demand note to the teller) but one I did not see until after I had seen his
later fare.
Oh my God, so many funny, reality-based vignettes and lines in those
movies. This guy is pure, unadulterated
genius. He makes me laugh like crazy, he
makes me love New York evermore, and he introduced me to jazzy and classical
music the likes I have never heard before.
He is a consummate artist, with a purpose—to make us see the often
incredible inanity of everyday life, and to highlight enduring virtues in a
MOST FUNNY way. He is the best!
Also, he bears a remarkable resemblance to my cousin, Joe. Just an aside, but one that I guess endeared
me to him even more. So I include all
these Woody Allen movies collectively as number 7.
8.
The Odd Couple/The Out of Towners
RE The Odd Couple: For a
guy in 7th grade, to break cherry on such Neil Simon
magnificence—the likes of Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, along with a cast of
characters including Vinnie, Murray the cop, Speed, Roy, the Pigeon sisters was
bound to be an unforgettable experience.
HI-larity, absolutely and complete hilarity from near-beginning to
end. “Oscar, you missed it! The greatest triple-play in history and you
missed it!!” If you don’t know what I’m referring to you are just going to have
to see it, I ain’t givin’ it up for free.
And The Out-of-Towners, again pure comedic genius. Jack Lemmon, Sandy Dennis, unforgettable
character actors, a fabulous romp through New York, which would shortly
thereafter become like a second home for me until our company closed shop in
2008, this is a film I could see over and over and over again. As these two movies show, I just love movies
shot in New York!
9.
Peter Sellers Pink Panther series
I again include these films as a set.
I could see ANY Peter Sellers movie over and over and over again. Peter Sellers is the funniest, most effective comedic actor of all
time. His inspector Clouseau—well, you
know, surely you know. For me, not only
him, but the European setting and all the other elements of great movie-making
come into play to make him and his films some of my all time favorites.
10. Three Days of the Condor
A perfect thriller. Perfect. Robert Redford and his literary team read
books for the CIA, looking for hidden clues and plots that may be hidden
within. He goes out to pick up lunch,
comes back and…they are all dead! Thus
begins a realistically haunting cat and mouse where he eludes the assassin’s
hunt, while trying to outmaneuver his way to a solution.
What makes this a masterpiece is the incredibly efficient dialogue (no wasted anything), much of which is artful, even poetic at times, the setting, again NEW YORK—and a little in Washington D.C. Director Sydney Pollack orchestrates every nuance perfectly. The Dave Grusin soundtrack is superb AND, bonus! It was shot during Christmas so there are background holiday songs throughout—from the Salvation Army brass playing Good King Wenceslas to what I believe may be the Ray Coniff Singers singing Joy to the World, all while spies are looking to kill good Robert.
What makes this a masterpiece is the incredibly efficient dialogue (no wasted anything), much of which is artful, even poetic at times, the setting, again NEW YORK—and a little in Washington D.C. Director Sydney Pollack orchestrates every nuance perfectly. The Dave Grusin soundtrack is superb AND, bonus! It was shot during Christmas so there are background holiday songs throughout—from the Salvation Army brass playing Good King Wenceslas to what I believe may be the Ray Coniff Singers singing Joy to the World, all while spies are looking to kill good Robert.
The New York cold accentuates Joe’s (Redford’s character) sense of utter
loneliness and isolation. The cast, unreal: Faye Dunaway is Catherine Hale, who Joe
kidnaps so that he can hide out in her pad, Cliff Robertson is the CIA control
agent, ostensibly on Redford’s side, John Houseman is the CIA chief pulling all
the strings and Kurt Von Sydow is the assassin, who listens to classical music
as he details mini-figurines in his hotel while awaiting his next move. Colorful character actors, the sights and
sounds of New York life in the 70’s, suspense, action and as surprising an
ending as you will ever see make this…a MASTERPIECE. As I said, a perfect thriller.
11. Forrest Gump
Tom Hanks, one of my favorites, in a Gomer Pyle (also one of my favorite
tv characters) type character who exudes nothing but pure goodness and
innocence and for whom, because of such innate faith, everything turns out well
in the end for him and for those around him.
Over-the-top creativity from director Robert Zemeckis, lots of classics
songs from the 60’s and 70’s, an incredibly touching story and a great
ending. What’s not to like, make that
love!
[1]
The Oak Bar became my favorite
NY hangout for years until it closed thanks to this movie. The old portraits behind the famed bar, along
with the whole room remained unchanged since the movie was shot!
[2]
Simon and Garfunkel were a musical duo for ALL ages. My dad, the late Woodrow Wilson Dawahare,
detested “rock” music. He was a fan of
his music—big band, swing, the crooners he could dance to—and he loooovvved to
dance. But one day in his office I
caught him hum-singing “Mrs. Robinson!”
I was elated, because they were and are one of my favorite groups. It’s a scene I will always remember!
