Dodsworth (1936)

Sam Dodsworth (Walter Huston) sells off his car company to do some traveling and reconnect with the wife. Her desire to shed her hayseed lifestyle and fear of middle age lead to her innocent flirtations becoming problematic.

The film features a very young David Niven as a wannabe suitor to the Mrs. Dodsworth. He didn’t think much of the role or experience, and director William Wyler didn’t think much of him. Ruth Chatterton plays the discontented wife. At 44, she was also facing a midlife crisis herself. She would appear in two more features in the next two years, then relegated to television.

But in many ways, this is Mary Astor’s film. Huston gets all the screen time but she’s always in the periphery. The good girl, or, the right choice. Not sexually aggressive or terribly beautiful, she is nevertheless appealing. Ironically enough she was going through a bitter custody battle during filming where her ex-husband was releasing excerpts of her stolen diary detailing affairs and sexual encounters. Mary wasn't staid and matronly in real life.

Dodsworth is an interesting and sometimes amusing drama, but I didn’t find much else there. Still, it was well written, well acted, and well paced. AMRU 3.5.

Roman Holiday (1953)

Pretty, young, princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) grows tired of her regal routine while visiting Rome. Her doctor gives her something to help her sleep, but instead she sneaks out of the palace in a stupor. She is found sleeping on a park bench by a reporter (Gregory Peck) who does not recognize her. After trying to safely ditch her, she ends up sleeping on his couch. When he finds out who she is, he realizes he could make a fortune selling an exclusive story. So, he convinces her to go on holiday for the day. Love blooms.

This is the movie that introduced Audrey Hepburn to America, and boy howdy. Audrey was adorably charming and Peck was charmingly awkward as normal. Eddie Albert (Green Acres) had a nice comedic secondary role. Cary Grant was intended for the male lead, but he deemed himself too old for the part. Ten years later he would see his way clear.

I was a little confused why Peck's character, who was scheduled to interview this very famous princess, had no idea what she looked like. No biggie, though. We were caught up in the charming story. I had long wanted to hit the rom-com sub-genre, but they can be so vapid. Not that low-rent sci-fi is all that, but at least they offer a nice monster from time to time. But I've hit three smart, entertaining films in recent weeks. I'll hit a few more before I move on (currently there is a serial in the works), but really there is no end of them.

Many American productions shot in Europe have this "look how hip and interesting we are drinking cappuccino alfresco" vibe to them. The Pink Panther's, Charade recently, even Repulsion a bit. I did not get that here. Rome looked wonderful (filmed in black and white so that it doesn't overwhelm the story), but the cheese factor never came into play. Clever, charming, and satisfying. AMRU 4.

"Is this the elevator?"

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Veterans returning from World War II faced difficulties adjusting back to normal life. Huh. All this time I thought only 'nam vets had that problem.

This story documents three returning vets, a crippled young sailor unsure how his handicap will be received by his family and girlfriend, an older flier who seems to not have many skills apart from bombing, and an older Sargent who barely recognizes his own kids. The three meet when they share a transport plane home.

Homer Parrish is a sailor who's hands were burned off in a fire during WWII while doing a training exercise. He was played by Harold Russell, who's hands were burned off in a fire during WWII while doing a training exercise. Funny how life imitates art ... or is the other way around? Despite not being able to act, Russell won two awards for the same role.

Homer has two hooks for hands and gets very upset when everyone looks at him funny. Cathy O'Donnell, his equal as an actor, plays girlfriend Wilma. Hoagy Carmichael plays his uncle Butch. Homer copes by getting blind, stinking drunk.

Dana Andrews is officer war hero Fred Derry. He was a big shot in the war but now learns he has no marketable skills on the outside. To make matters worse, the hoochie mama wife of his (Virginia Mayo, who went on to marry Cody Jarrett) doesn't see the point in being married to a war hero if she can't parade him around town every night of the week. Ah, trouble in paradise. Derry copes by getting blind, stinking drunk and making passes at girls much to young for him.

Fredric March is Sargent Al Stephenson, banker. He returns to the bank to learn that his new job is to deny loans to servicemen. He has two children, the forgettable Rob and the hot Peggy (Teresa Wright). His wife is played by Myrna Loy, who earned the nickname The Perfect Wife because of this role. In real life Myrna was married and divorced four times and never had children. Myrna had top billing because she was considered the greatest female actor of all time. Al copes by getting blind, stinking drunk.

This movie reminds me a little of Cavalcade (1933) in that the subject matter touched a nerve with the audience. But unlike Cavalcade, The Best Years of Our Lives stands up to the test of time. The acting was better, the script was better, the subject matter was better, it was all around better storytelling. Seldom in old movies do you see an unflinching treatment with something like a disabled veteran. Russell's handicap was in no way glossed over.

Also touched on is the controversy of using atomic weapons and conspiracy theories about the war. They had the luxury to touch on these topics as the movie was over two hours 45 in length. For scheduling reasons I had to watch it in two separate segments a day apart, but the movie never dragged. In addition to Best Picture, it also won the academy award for best actor, supporting actor, director, editing, music, and writing. It was also nominated for best sound. I give it an AMRU of 3.5.