Black Narcissus (1947)

Five nuns, led by the unfortunately named Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr), start a convent high in the Himalayas. The brisk air and clear water cause the sisters to remember.

Filmed on back lots and studio sets, the painted backdrops are nevertheless breathtaking. Few viewers will be tricked into thinking they are anything other than what they are, but they still have impact. It’s a shame it came before the invention of CinemaScope. A wider aspect would have made it all the more impressive.

The old palace they are given to use was once a “House of Women”, which is exactly what that sounds like. The nuns are assisted by the enigmatic Mr. Dean (David Farrar). His gruff manner and manly good looks stir things in Clodagh, and the troubled Sister Ruth. He looked foolish appearing shirtless on an undersized donkey, but I suppose this was period accurate.

So, our story is about the nuns trying to overcome many obstacles (personal and otherwise) to run a successful convent, while everyone else is certain of their failure. There are many side characters, many of which were played by plausibly ethnic appropriate actors. The Young General (son of the Old General who granted the palace to the nuns) was played by Indian actor Sabu, famous for his roles in The Jungle Book and The Thief of Bagdad.

A very young Jean Simmons (in ‘Himalayan face’?) plays a wayward girl whose eyes catch with the Young General’s. Also, English actress May Hallatt plays a delightfully batty caretaker. Remember, this is the 1940’s, and western society and the church weren’t given glowing depictions.

Black Narcissus (named for the Young General's fancy cologne) is a slow and engaging watch. Style-wise it isn’t altogether different from Michael Powell’s The Red Shoes. Amazing visuals paired with a certain level of fantastic realism. And like The Red Shoes, it is an impressive and immersive watch, but certainly not for everyone. But for me, AMRU 4.

“I have invited some ladies to stay here at the House of Women.” 

“Ladies! Oh, that will be like old times!”

“It will not be in the least like old times. They are not that kind of lady at all.”

“Then they won’t be any fun.”

The Gay Falcon (1941)

George Sanders is Gay Laurence (aka The Falcon), a bored stock broker and amateur sleuth who becomes involved in a jewel theft, and tries to keep his fiancee from getting the wrong idea.

The Falcon series was criticized as a cheap rip-off of The Saint. I haven’t seen any of the Saint films, but from what I gather it’s an unfair comparison. The Falcon is a series of mystery films featuring an erudite womanizer who solves crimes, starring George Sanders in the title role of four of them, includes an embarrassing asian stereotype character in a servant role, with one film named The Falcon Takes Over, while The Saint is a series of mystery films featuring an erudite womanizer who solves crimes, starring George Sanders in the title role of five of them, includes an embarrassing black stereotype character in a servant role, with one film named The Saint Takes Over. There’s no comparison at all.

Many character actors are here, notably Wendy Barrie, who appeared in three Saint films and another Falcon. Willie Fung played the asian stereotype servant Jerry. He died tragically young at 49. Comic actor Allen Jenkins is The Falcon’s assistant in this and two other films. He appears in a surprising number of films, including King Kong, and most recently as a bumbling detective in SH! The Octopus.

Twelve year olds today may giggle at the character name, particularly when he says ‘Call me Gay’ to a lady in a vaguely foppish manner, but there is no queer coding here. Cary Grant may have gone “gay all of a sudden” three years earlier in Bringing up Baby, but that meaning hadn’t yet entered the popular vernacular.

Saunders grew tired with the role and perhaps thought himself too good for such films. I would agree. His purring sarcasm was a delight with the proper script and he would go on to appear in some great films. He handed it over to his real life brother, Tom Conway, a fine actor perhaps more suited to B movie roles. Conway appeared in three of the Lewton horrors and finished out the string of sixteen Falcon films.

There is no end to light mystery series made during the 30’s and 40’s. Torchy Blane, Boston Blackie, Philo Vance, Sherlock Holmes, even the Thin Man, and many more. The Gay Falcon is, by all accounts, no worse than the rest, and I briefly toyed with the idea of shooting through the series, to which my son retorted “Well, you know what you should do”. Yea. We will leave this series where it is. AMRU 3.

King Solomon’s Mines (1950)

The beautiful Beth Curtis (Deborah Kerr) hires famed African guide Allan Qua(r)termain (Stewart Granger) to lead her into the unexplored region interior in pursuit of her missing husband. Hubby had been searching for the legendary lost diamond mine of King Solomon. Allan initially refuses but soon realizes that he likes money.

King Solomon’s Mines is the second of three adaptations of the H. Ryder Haggard novel. I covered the first version in early 2021, and I’ve touched on Haggard with that and the two versions of ‘She’. Suffice to say that Haggard’s ‘Lost World’ novels are very much the product of the 19th century. They have a very patronizing view of native peoples and frequently feature a great civilization led by (of course) white people. Real Commander McBragg stuff.

While the 1937 version effectively side-stepped much of the problematic content (star Paul Robeson humbly disagrees), this version aged much better. Every African character is played by an African, hired on location. Our hero speaks to them in their actual language and their deaths are handled with real gravity. This is also the first time the Watusi tribe was filmed. There is no score save for the tribal dancing, which is fascinating to watch.

Story-wise, this differs from the earlier edition in a couple ways. Rather than looking for the father who disappears in the first act, pretty Beth is searching for her husband, gone for a year or so, making the love element rather problematic. Also, Granger embodies the commanding adventurer that Indiana Jones was partially modeled from. And Richard Carlson plays Beth’s concerned brother, a significant tonal shift from Roland Young. Other than that, the story pretty much hits the same beats.

Films are a product of the time they are from. They are crafted to speak to audiences of the day, and King Solomon's Mines is no different. I am not concerned when the source material is out of date with the times nor to filmmakers liberties with such material. Even Gone With the Wind saw  reenvisioning. I also try to be tolerant of films that age rather poorly, but I'm not always so successful. As for today's film, despite knowing the story, I found it rather enjoyable. AMRU 4.

Tension (1949)

Nice guy Quimby (Richard Basehart) plots to murder the lunkhead who stole his wife (Audrey Totter), and meets nice girl Mary (Cyd Charisse) along the way. When the lunkhead turns up dead, things become complicated.

Audrey Totter was delightfully nasty as the unfaithful wife. She drips with venom. Totter built a career as a femme fatale, her look being perfect for the woman of danger. When those roles dried up she transitioned to television. I had only seen Cyd Charisse in Singin’ in the Rain, and thought of her just as a dancer. She did no dancing here, and was quite charming in her good girl role. William Conrad (TV's Cannon) has a sizable role.

The tension in the title refers to the amount of tension the investigating officer needs to apply to suspects before they break, like with a rubber band. It’s a corny but forgivable analogy. As we know what happens pretty early on, this isn’t much of a mystery. The real star here is the delicious dialog which makes every scene pop. We care about the protagonists, hate the antagonists, and the story sizzles when it needs to.

Were I to criticize, it would be how the protagonist must act stupid so that the story can progress. The entire film would have been wrapped up in the second act had they just answered the police’s question. Also, the ending wasn’t quite as smart as it could have been.

That aside, Tension was an absolute delight to watch. Tight dialog, great characterizations, and excellent acting. The whole thing simply popped. AMRU 4.

Crossfire (1947)

A man is found murdered in his hotel room. He was seen the night before with a few servicemen in a bar. Police investigate, and focus on one soldier whose whereabouts are unknown.

The film stars three Roberts: Young, Ryan, and Mitchum. Young is the police chief investigating the crime, and Ryan and Mitchum are servicemen trying to ‘help’. Gloria Grahame had a small but important role as the dance hall girl who may be able to account for the married suspect’s whereabouts. Grahame’s private life was pretty bonkers.

Jacqueline White, who played the wife who just wanted her husband cleared and didn't care where he hid the salami, was charming in her limited role. She only appeared in twenty features and retired at 30 to domestic bliss. She turns 100 this month. A highlight was a character known only as ‘The Man’. He appears at Ginny’s (Grahame) apartment to find our poor suspect. We never figure out his story because he keeps changing it. It’s actually quite amusing. I want to know more about that character. I also want that coffee maker.

The story isn’t very complicated but the movie can be confusing because I had difficulty keeping the characters straight. Also, the IMDb trivia section called it “one of the most visually impressive film noirs ever made”. Please watch The Third Man (1949). I wouldn’t complain about Crossfire's cinematography. It was just middle of the road.

Crossfire (which features no crossfire, figurative or otherwise) was nominated for five Academy Awards, including best picture, but won nothing. It isn't much of a mystery. I was certain of the killer midway through the first act. And it got a little preachy, as some post war films do. But it scores on atmosphere and some delightfully quirky scenes. I was looking for a solid noir and this hit the spot. AMRU 3.5.

Stalag 17 (1953)

Prisoners in a German POW camp suspect there is a snitch in the barracks.

I grew up watching reruns of Hogan’s Heroes, which I understood was adapted of Stalag 17. I believed this while watching. There are many parallels, for instance barracks life, the word Stalag, and William Holden’s Sgt. Sefton is not a terrible analog for Bob Crane’s Col. Hogan. They both also share a Sgt. Schultz. Obviously the show has a more comedic, family friendly tone and while you can draw a line between show and film characters, they don’t line up perfectly.

In reality, while I believe the show was greatly inspired by the film, it was not an authorized adaptation. In fact the authors of the play the film was based on sued the TV show and initially won. The judge, however, reversed the decision. They can do this.

The film is somewhat episodic. The exploits of Sefton as well as Shapiro and “Animal” provide comedic interest. But the through line of the story is the Nazi spy they are trying to find, and there the stakes are high. Sefton becomes a prime suspect.

Peter Graves has a significant role, as does Richard Erdman, who is best remembered as that guy who reviews snack foods on youtube. There are a great many notable character actors throughout.

While I had never seen this film, I was well aware of it even as a boy. Unfortunately it was spoiled for me in an unexpected way. Mad Magazine would do satirical renditions of famous movies, and Stalag 17 was one of them. I read this issue in maybe 1980 and remembered the reveal to this very day. Still, it is a greatly enjoyable film. AMRU 4.

"I see nothing!"

The Magnetic Monster (1953)

Items in a store become magnetized and behave strangely. So, the shop owner does what any reasonable person would. He calls the department of power and light to speak with the chief engineer. When the engineer hears that appliances were magnetized, he wastes no time and contacts the Office of Scientific Investigation. A-Man Jeffrey Stewart (Richard Carlson) is on the case. Magnetism, it would seem, is the same as nuclear radiation.

Never before have I watched a film with more technobabble narration and exposition. Characters literally stop walking up stairs to spout this stuff. The intent was to make a film with a scientifically viable premise. Atomic energy was a serious and significant concern in post-war America, and this is a story about an experiment gone wrong. And rather than anthropomorphize the experiment as a giant insect or whatever, they anthropomorphize the element itself. It “feeds” and “murders”, and must be “killed”.

Every eleven hours the element reacts, grows larger and stronger, and more people die. Were it to continue growing it would spin the earth off its access. It’s the size of a raisin, but, you know, eventually … Much of the story follows the horror conventions of the day. They figure things out, test hypotheses, make a plan of action, then heroically carry it out. The difference is that despite the actor’s behavior, there is no conventional movie monster. Just a dangerous radioactive sample.

The low budget Magnetic Monster earns points for trying something different. It has a unique feel compared to the usual fare, and the lady in the shop jumping out of the way of a magnetized lawnmower is unintentionally hilarious. But in the end, it is a fairly unremarkable movie. AMRU 3.

“In nuclear research, there is no place for lone wolves.”