Lady in a Cage (1964)
Starring Olivia de Havilland, James Caan, Jennifer Billingsley, Jeff Corey, Rafael Campos, William Swan, and Ann Sothern
Directed by Walter Grauman
Written by Luther Davis
The RyMickey Rating: C+
Showing posts with label olivia de havilland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label olivia de havilland. Show all posts
Monday, September 07, 2020
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Movie Review - The Snake Pit
The Snake Pit (1948)
Starring Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, and Leo Genn
Directed by Anatole Litvak
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***
Despite the fact that at the film's end the doctors feel the need to explain away every little thing wrong with the schizophrenic Virginia Cunningham in an effort to appease and educate the audience (a la the psychiatrist at the end of Psycho explaining away Norman Bates's psychoses), The Snake Pit is a surprisingly gritty and gutsy take on mental illness. Certainly carried by a stellar performance by Olivia de Havilland as Virginia, director Anatole Litvak really seems to provide an unflinching look at the state of treatment of mental illness in the 1940s...and it's not always a pretty sight to see.
In what is essentially a character study of a mentally unstable woman, The Snake Pit utilizes voice-overs, clever camera shots, and de Havilland's acting chops to showcase the truly manic state of Virginia. Also adding to the uncomfortable tone of the film are the wonderful performances from the other female residents in the all-women's mental institution in which Virginia resides for an extended period of time. There were a couple scenes depicting the women around Virginia that were both frightening and heartbreaking -- sometimes at the same time.
Admittedly, the film does lag quite a lot when it delves into Virginia's past to determine what caused her mental breakdown, but de Havilland is just as good in these early stages of illness as she is at the all-out unstable peak of her disease. Both de Havilland and director Anatole Litvak were nominated for Oscars and it's really no surprise they were among the top contenders of 1948 as both bring something very unique, raw, and unflinching to the screen. Slight tweaks to the screenplay would've made this one excellent, but for now it'll just have to settle with being quite good.
The RyMickey Rating: B
Monday, September 06, 2010
Movie Review - Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Starring Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Hattie McDaniel, Leslie Howard, and Olivia de Havilland
Directed by Victor Fleming
The only problem with Gone with the Wind is that it's too long. Clocking in at 238 minutes (that's two minutes shy of four hours) if you include the "entrance," "intermission," "entr'acte," and "ending" music as it would have been presented in 1939, the film slowly meanders along its soap operatic path.
Here we're presented with the Civil War -- North against the South -- but it really doesn't matter. That's just the backdrop to the epic love story between the headstrong southern belle Scarlett O'Hara and the philandering Rhett Butler. Rhett falls for Scarlett, but she's in love with the bland Ashley (that's a guy), but Ashley's marrying his cousin (as they were wont to do back then), the heartwarming Melanie. Such drama!
Yes, it's silly, but the story is surprisingly effective. I dare anyone to deny that Vivien Leigh's Scarlett O'Hara is a bitch, but that's what makes her so interesting. Yes, she's the biggest flirt in all of Georgia which angers all the women in town, and, after she steals the men away from their ladies, she simply breaks their hearts, but she's really just a woman trying to make it in a male-dominated world. While it may seem like she hasn't changed a bit from the opening reel to the closing one, the fact of the matter is, she really has grown to be self-sufficient (despite her endless reliance on men). She did what was necessary to survive -- more than she ever thought she would be able to do.
And that's what makes her so attractive to the womanizing Rhett. Clark Gable plays this Southern Casanova with wit and charm, always well aware of Scarlett's manipulations and never allowing her to walk all over him. Plus, he gets to spout some great lines -- the most famous being "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn," but my favorite being "You need kissing badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how." Coming out of anyone else, it may sound silly and trite, but coming from Gable, it's kind of fantastic. Without a doubt, both Gable and Leigh (the later of whom won an Oscar) are stellar here, rising above the melodrama and making the film much better than it has any right to be.
Aided by a rather touching performance from Olivia de Havilland as Melanie, the woman who unknowingly shatters Scarlett's dream of being with her perceived true love Ashley, and Oscar-winning Hattie McDaniel as Mammy, the house servant with the voice of reason, director Victor Fleming manages to pull out some amazing performances from his actors. Fleming also crafts a beautiful looking film as well. There are some wonderful shots here -- ones that resonate even hours later -- Scarlett walking through a field of wounded soldiers, a beautiful red-hued sunset at the O'Hara plantation named Tara to name just two. The use of Technicolor (in its early stages) and a sweeping Max Steiner score are both stunning, adding some oomph to the already powerful images.
If only the film were an hour shorter. A three-hour running time would've been perfect. At four hours, this film's pushing its luck.
Yes, it's silly, but the story is surprisingly effective. I dare anyone to deny that Vivien Leigh's Scarlett O'Hara is a bitch, but that's what makes her so interesting. Yes, she's the biggest flirt in all of Georgia which angers all the women in town, and, after she steals the men away from their ladies, she simply breaks their hearts, but she's really just a woman trying to make it in a male-dominated world. While it may seem like she hasn't changed a bit from the opening reel to the closing one, the fact of the matter is, she really has grown to be self-sufficient (despite her endless reliance on men). She did what was necessary to survive -- more than she ever thought she would be able to do.
And that's what makes her so attractive to the womanizing Rhett. Clark Gable plays this Southern Casanova with wit and charm, always well aware of Scarlett's manipulations and never allowing her to walk all over him. Plus, he gets to spout some great lines -- the most famous being "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn," but my favorite being "You need kissing badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how." Coming out of anyone else, it may sound silly and trite, but coming from Gable, it's kind of fantastic. Without a doubt, both Gable and Leigh (the later of whom won an Oscar) are stellar here, rising above the melodrama and making the film much better than it has any right to be.
Aided by a rather touching performance from Olivia de Havilland as Melanie, the woman who unknowingly shatters Scarlett's dream of being with her perceived true love Ashley, and Oscar-winning Hattie McDaniel as Mammy, the house servant with the voice of reason, director Victor Fleming manages to pull out some amazing performances from his actors. Fleming also crafts a beautiful looking film as well. There are some wonderful shots here -- ones that resonate even hours later -- Scarlett walking through a field of wounded soldiers, a beautiful red-hued sunset at the O'Hara plantation named Tara to name just two. The use of Technicolor (in its early stages) and a sweeping Max Steiner score are both stunning, adding some oomph to the already powerful images.
If only the film were an hour shorter. A three-hour running time would've been perfect. At four hours, this film's pushing its luck.
The RyMickey Rating: B
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