Maestro-15 Reviews

Taras Bulba (1962)

Long Overshadowed Epic now remembered for its music score

[6/10 · 21 September 2009]

Released in 1962 a week after Lawrence Of Arabia, Taras Bulba, was not a thinking man's epic like Lawrence or any of the other epics of the time, such as Ben-Hur, Spartacus, El Cid, King Of Kings – it was more of a grand adventure yarn and critics and audiences of the time were just not that interested, despite the film having two big stars in Yul Brynner and Tony Curtis, and a director, J. Lee Thompson, who'd just come off a huge smash hit with The Guns Of Navarone. What Taras Bulba did have was an absolutely brilliant score by the great Franz Waxman.

For me the Best Sequence in the film is the Ride to Dubno where the various Cossack legions meet up with each other in long extended gallop march sequence.

This film is largely overlooked now despite some broadcasts on TCM where I had the privilege of seeing it for the first time. It appears to be a throwback to that epic film-making style in the 1950s and 1960s but appears to be a bit truncated in its length to retell the Gogol story. The subplot love story between Andrei (Tony Curtis) and Christine Kaufmann is uninspired to say the least. The one interesting fact to note is that Tony Curtis married Christine Kaufmann after meeting her on this film.

The Swarm (1978)

Closes the lid on Disaster films of the 1970's

[3/10 · 9 August 2009]

For those of you too young to remember---African Killer Bees were considered a real threat to US populated areas and US crop. Looking back now it was popular fodder for a disaster/horror films to be made...Also to put things into perspective a bit, Irwin Allen was riding the zenith of his career during the production of this film having just come off the success of both the Poseidon Adventure and Towering Inferno...Both of those films are on the Top 10 list of box office champions of the 1970's so it was not difficult for Allen to assemble such an myriad of A-list stars and even convince some legends like MacMurray and DeHavilland to sign on for the project. Without going into the specifics of the film since most of the previous comments have done that...Its interesting to note that this film and Concorde Airport 1979 had pretty much closed the lid on the big disaster film genre in Hollywood...Producers were focusing on the big stars and budget and not the script since this was not considered serious drama...For disaster film buffs - Check out the early Airport films, Earthquake, or Poseidon and Towering Inferno...Allen directed here due to an implausible script so this film is just recommended as a curiosity now..And this film was meant to be taken straight and not camp.

Miracle on 34th Street (1973 TV Movie)

Bad remake but not a waste of time

[5/10 · 23 December 2007]

I will underscore what has been said here on this 1974 remake of the 1947 Classic. The 1947 was such an original classic with wonderful performances by all the leads and supporting. Here Sebastian Cabot is probably the best choice to play the Santa but just cant compare to Edmund Gwenn's twinkle in the eyes..First the Miracle song in the Main title appears so "hokey" today but it does set the tone for the rest of the movie. The film in general does a credible job in updating the story for the 1970's but it has an impossible task to overcome as the world has changed and we have grown even more cynical of the Santa Claus story. I recommend it for curiosity only and I suppose there is a reason why this version hasn't really survived in the collective memory of repeated television broadcasts.

The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)

This film signals the end of the costume drama

[6/10 · 4 September 2000]

Moviegoers of the period must have been tiring of these grand spectacles to lure them away from television because this film is such a grand disappointment from what could have been. The pinnacle of these films was 1959's Ben Hur and only in five short years a film with such star-power and production values falls on its face like a ton of bricks. This was the last mega-production of independent producer, Samuel Bronston who rivaled in getting all the money put on the screen such as having the most expensive international cast and building a mammoth Roman Forum - which is probably one of the most impressive sets ever constructed in movie history. But unfortunately, it is the script most of all that is so horribly disjointed and badly conceived in its fictionalization of the sweeping historical events depicted in the fall of the roman empire. As far as acting most everyone is competent when they are on screen- again when there are so many characters we seem to get more cameo performances and one-scene speeches here, but this doesn't make a movie. Perhaps the most shining character is Christopher Plummer in his pre-Sound of Music days as the Emperor Commodus. Also merit should go to veteran character actor, Finaly Currie as an aging Roman Senator- but even he who has a short five minute scene can't save the film. Finally, one thing that disturbed me about this film was the suprisingly bland performance that Stephen Boyd gave in the lead - after his wonderful Ben-Hur performance he seemed subdued in this role - I think its a combination of that his character was poorly written and he wasn't a strong enough lead as Charlton Heston might have been who strangely enough rejected this role. This film is rememberred for closing the curtain on the historical epic for a time. It would not be until the movie "Gladiator" which parallel this movie in some ways that this genre would be back on the screen but with computer generated sets

The Odd Couple II (1998)

Classic duo in a flawed script

[31 July 2000]

This movie probably should never have been produced. But it was due to the box office successes of Lemmon-Matthau films like Grumpy Old Men, et al that governed its production. While it was sheer delight seeing these two film legends reprising their 1968 film roles, I also found it difficult to be kind to the script after being away from the original for so many years. The original Neil Simon scripted film is such a classic that revisiting it and coming up with amusing original material is an almost impossible task, even for the "herculean" playwright, Neil Simon. Thirty years have passed and we are to accept these classic characters as if time has stood still almost - this subtlety in the film makes the movie very difficult to watch. Seeing Lemmon and Matthau look so old since we last saw them in these characters was very unsettling for me and I found myself cringing in places where humor was supposed to be. Yes, there are some amusing situations and classic "Simon" dialogue" but the whole film is way off the mark and just unoriginal because a sequel to a classic just never seems to work. In summary however, this will go down in film history as another one of the classic film teamups with the great Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. On that basis alone, the film is worth one viewing at least.

Bullitt (1968)

Groundbreaking Car Chase

[23 July 2000]

As a student of film history - this film will be rememberred for its groundbreaking car chase sequence with Steve McQueen actually doing much of his own driving. It set the standard for two other classic car sequences (French Connection and The Seven-Ups) and forever changed action sequences in film. As for the other parts of the film, I found it to be a rather routine cop drama even with McQueen who exemplified "cool" in the sixties. In 1968, this must have thrilled moviegoing audiences, but now the pace is a bit slow and the script doesn't tie together well in the conclusion. I fear this film will survive only for the car chase sequence. Recommended for the film historian in you.

Nuremberg (2000)

Interesting look at the Nuremberg defendants

[17 July 2000]

We can never forget the horrors of the Holocaust which were committed by the Nazis during World War II. It is this theme that future generations of film viewers will see overwhelmingly portrayed mostly as the "embodiment of evil". This story is so critical in our understanding of how individuals who for duty to their country somehow perverted their political and military policies for mass murder to such an extent unlike the world has never seen. This miniseries does an excellent job in capturing the thought processes of the defendants (dramatically) and how the prosecution went about in convicting them. Notably, Brian Cox as Hermann Goering gives a compelling performance showing the former Reichmarshall's final days as prisoner believing his own propaganda. One Interesting thing, Goering admits that the mass murders were senseless. This is good drama but we don't know if this something he actually felt or said. Bottom line is that all of the defendants were equally guilty in the voluntary complicity in the formation of Nazi Germany and its responsiblities of its actions. This miniseries factually portrays the speeches of the prosecution and the politics of the Allies during these times. More or less, convictions were pre-determined. Finally, TNT should be applauded for producing a difficult subject that touches all of us and is so vastly reprehensible that it will never be forgotten and never allowed to occur again.

Kiss Them for Me (1957)

capable wartime romance-drama that holds due to Grant

[29 May 2000]

This film is interesting for only one reason - Cary Grant - he is the star and he stands head and shoulders above everyone in this film - even if you dont believe him in the character he is portraying here. As for the story - it focuses on what it must have like to be on shore leave in San Fransisco during World War II. This was based on a popular play in its day - but 20th Century Fox needed something to do with their new sex symbol - Jayne Mansfield - so they dumped her in these party scenes showing off her figure.(not bad) but it seems misplaced. The big tragedy of this film is gorgeous Suzy Parker - who wasn't that bad in this but didn't have much of a career after this apparently. Thats a tragedy.

A Guide for the Married Man (1967)

Pretty funny comedy about extra-marrital escapades

[24 May 2000]

Interesting things about comedies with social themes are that they tend to date themselves. On the surface, this clever written film about male fantasies about cheating on their wives is still relevant today in many respects. The only thing that perhaps dates the film is that all the husbands appear to be "executive" hard-working types while their wives seem to stay home and raise the family. Women didn't work in the sixties I suppose. Men and women will probably still conspire about adultery so the theme of the film won't go out of style. If the film had been made today - there would be alot more sex shown of course. What makes the film fun to watch are the episodes of wife cheaters supplied by famous celebrity cameos of the period. Obviously, the producers tried to copy "Mad, Mad World" but fell short.

Mommie Dearest (1981)

Faye Dunaway is Joan Crawford!

[14 May 2000]

Watch this movie for only one reason - Faye Dunaway's over-the-top performance as the legendary actress Joan Crawford. This film when originally released went throught alot of hullaboo just as did the book as it was based upon. I've never read the book by Christine Crawford so I can only accept what I see as this aging movie idol who takes on the "man's" world and vents her frustration out on her adopted daughter. There is no doubt that this is Dunaway's picture. She probably would have been recognized more for this performance if the subject matter wasn't so Hollywood trashy. As for this being a definitive "biopic" of Crawford's life it probably fails - it is so transfixed on the episodes of the ill-treatment that Crawford's daughter went through - we get no real sense of how Crawford gave us those entertaining performances on screen and how she turned into Mr. Hyde at home. But this was based on a tell-all book by her daughter.

U-571 (2000)

Good Traditional WWII Sub Flick

[7 May 2000]

As World War II becomes a distant memory, filmakers using this historical subject matter will use movies as the basis for making new films. Case in point, this movie took me back to one of those standard Hollywood films produced during the 1940's and 1950's with all of the cliches that made it just too predictable. However, having said all that I did find the movie to be enormously entertaining where the US Navy special commandos are successful in stealing the Nazi code machine and sinking a destroyer in the process. Watch for Matthew McConaughey as Lt.Tyler on his first command along with Harvey Keitel as his veteran chief petty officer for solid performances. The films depiction of being depth charged might even be on the same level as "Das Boot". But that is where the comparison ends..In summary, the film is an action-packed piece of WWII wartime drama that holds you in your seat for every torpedo and depth charge. Not as bad as some of the previous comments have suggested.

The Big Lift (1950)

Truly a Time Capsule of the Berlin Airlift

[30 April 2000]

This is film is one of the best true-life adaptations of an historical event - The Berlin Airlift. It was made on location in Berlin with the full cooperation of the US Military who actually played minor acting roles with the exception of the principal actors. The movie does an excellent job in portraying the bleak situation that the Berliners had to endure as a result of the Soviet blockade along with all the wrecked structures all of the city and the hording of black market staples such as coffee and coal. The most interesting portrayal in this film is the Paul Douglas character of that of an American seargant who has no love for the Germans and goes out of his way to be rude and act like a true "occupation" taking revenge out on a former Nazi prison guard that tormented him while he was a prisoner.

Its probably the most realistic portrayal of an American soldier after the war when technically the US Army was an occupation force along with the British and French. In addition, the portrayal of the German widow who really hated the Americans was probably realistic as well. These characters seemed more than stereotypes which was common in films portraying the political situation at the time. It does a good job in showing how ordinary soldiers and people can have divided loyalties and wrestle with the adverse situation that befell them in Berlin at the time. Truly a time capsule of Postwar Berlin.

Fail Safe (2000 TV Movie)

Great live television but ultimately flawed as remake

[29 April 2000]

I have to admit that enormous kudos should go to George Clooney and the CBS network for bringing back the live teleplay back to primetime. Let us hope that this will be the start of other projects such as this. For those who haven't seen the 1964 original film must have been so riveting in Cold war America for its time.- this remake should be compared on two basic levels.

First - the fact that the original screenwriter, Walter Bernstein updated his own work should have been a plus but it actually turns out to fail here. Obviously certain storylines have been compressed for live TV - but somehow the scenes have less dramatic impact than they did in the original. The cutting down of the Walter Matthau character speeches and the cutting of the nervous breakdown of the Fritz Weaver scene which were vital to the original have been deleted.

Secondly- doing a live television from a screenplay limits the character development. The cast in the remake has more starpower but they mostly come off as rather cardboard characters who we care nothing about. Also - alot of the comparison has to do with editing - obviously alot of quick cuts and camera angles are sacrificed for live television.

In general - I give the producers an A- for attempting something grand here but a B- for the overall grade. I felt that I was looking for technical mishaps more than being engrossed in the story.

Finally - maybe its just that the story has become so dated in 35 years that we really think that this could not happen today?

The Golem (1920)

Stunning Imagery that supports the setting

[20 February 2000]

I caught this restored version of the 1920 German silent classic at Lincoln Center where a new musical score was premiered by the Chamber Music Society. I had never seen the film before and was frankly amazed at the imagery in the sets and costumes and editing of the film. The film's director, Paul Wegener, wearing a thickly padded outfit and wig and high-heeled boots plays the main character, "The Golem". A mythical character from Jewish folklore. For its day, the special effects were also intriguing. I resist describing the movie as anti-semitic but I believe that the portrayal of the jewish ghetto was depicted so dramatically to show that the jews in Prague were outsiders and not welcome in mainstream society. This is evident in the fact that when a nobleman comes to the ghetto, he is greeted by a mammoth closed gate that looks like a precursor to the one used in King-Kong. And most notably, during the creation sequence, a satanic figure appears on screen that would coincide with the European belief a that time that Jews walk hand-in-hand with the Dark forces.

As far as the Golem's performance- this film is really a precursor to "Frankenstein" that Boris Karloff must have seen in its original release - there are so many similarites.

Biggest Image - at the conclusion, the Golem is surrounded by a group of "blond" Aryan-looking children that clearly distinguish them from the ghetto children that we see earlier in the film.

Blood on the Sun (1945)

Entertaining WWII drama with Hero editor Cagney at the helm

[29 January 2000]

Entertaining Anti-Japanese drama centering on James Cagney as an American editor in 1930's Japan involved in breaking the Japanese plot to invade China and bomb the United States. This film is interesting in that it fairly represents the anti-Japanese sentiment going on in the US since Pearl Harbor. Cagney, as always, is solid in this character as well as the other principals. As usual, the lead Japanese characters are played by Caucasian actors as was the custom of the times. Good Judo sequence for Cagney fans..

Pearl (1978)

Steamy Miniseries about life up to the Japanese attack

[2 January 2000]

This was a mega-TV miniseries in its time after the success of Roots and it generally is average Hollywood entertainment with a good cast. Dennis Weaver, Robert Wagner, Brian Dennehy all give good solid performances. The one to watch for is Angie Dickinson- she is "hot" in this..As historical fiction - its a fairly entertaining romp about the Navy in Pearl at the time of the Japanese attack. Any movie fan should notice that the Producers must have saved millions by editing an enormous amount of footage from Tora, Tora, Tora and cleverly working it into the story.

RKO 281 (1999 TV Movie)

Interesting Docu-Drama

[28 November 1999]

Hats off again to HBO for making another great docu-drama about the making of Citizen Kane. I suppose its difficult to dramatize the mundane qualities of making movies but everything from the how the scripting, cinematography, music scoring, and Welles perfection at directing sequences are dramatized with great effect here. Even legendary music composer Bernard Herrmann is portrayed in this as a professional who kicks Welles out of the scoring studio. I found the best perfomance to come from James Cromwell as William Randolph Hearst, a declining power-hungry publisher who uses all his remaining resources to destroy Welles and the picture. I found Liev Schreiber's performance less convincing though because Welles is a much more difficult character to portray and in real-life is still misunderstood. The most interesting sequence that was probably dramatized was when the heads of all the studios conferred to buy the prints of Kane. The expressions on the faces of the studio bosses said it all because they were all in the film business and must have hated caving into pressure from Hearst to quash someone else's film. Biggest fictional scene - Welles and Hearst in the elevator when Hearst foretold the rest of Welles life - that Welles made a film ahead of time and would never again be given the autonomy to make a film like Kane for the rest of his life because he didnt play by the rules.

55 Days at Peking (1963)

Epic Film from a politically incorrect viewpoint

[13 June 1999]

It's easy to understand how a film about the Boxer Rebellion gets made, it's a major historical event in Chinese history. But why make a film about the Western imperialist viewpoint? Easy, this is a 1962 Hollywood extravaganza - where European actors still play Asian roles. It would be decades before moviegoing audiences would be interested in seeing a film from the Chinese viewpoint,(eg. Last Emperor). All I learned from this film is that the Chinese were devious, calculating barbarians who wanted to rid their nation from foreign interventionists. Aside from the script, which was interesting, if not factual,was the massive production of this film. This is worth viewing for that reason alone. This was a Samuel Bronston production, with an all-star cast, epic sets and costumes, Dmitri Tiomkin music score. In short, everything for a good epic. The big problem, is that we don't come away with a good understanding of the events that prompted this battle and the movie tends to go off on these unimportant character stories. I kept wanting for more Chinese politics. Heston, as always, takes command, however, he was only a major who acted like a general, I felt.

The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959)

Routine Sea Drama

[13 June 1999]

This film is an entertaining piece of drama for a casual viewing. It has Charlton Heston in probably his last supporting role during his prime acting portion of his career. This film was made after he completed filming on Ben-Hur but before it was released. Heston took a backseat to Gary Cooper in this one, who gives another solid performance. This was one of his last films and he looked a bit tired. As far as the film, an interesting story of a sea captain's negligence and an unscrupulous team of ship salvagers on Coop's last command. Special effects are first rate for 1959. No classic here though.

Wild Things (1998)

Interesting film technique, but that's all

[12 June 1999]

I seem to look at films more for substance these days than the superficial. This film was definitely the latter in the acting and there really wasn't much of anything new here. The film tries to be clever with all the plot twists to keep the moviegoer guessing. It does succeed on that level but I couldn't get past Denise Richard's wearing a bra in much of the film - an amazing sight, and the various sex scenes - but it was just too gratuitous for my tastes. Finally, the most interesting thing about the film was the original use of the film's unanswered questions during the closing credits.

Quo Vadis (1951)

MGM burns Rome

[10 June 1999]

This movie helped usher in the age of biblical epics that were produced in the 1950's and 1960's that have not been equalled since. This film also was a first in that it much of the filming was done on location in the famous Cinecetta studios in Rome. The film is unequalled in production values, costumes, sets, musical score, etc. As far as the script is concerned, it is a bit weak, the screenplay not being adapted well from the classic novel about Rome. The only actor to watch in this is Peter Ustinov as the psychotic emperor Nero. Ustinov steals the film from everyone else.

The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980)

Poor choice for a final film

[6 June 1999]

This awful film only receives any kind of undeserved mention because it was Peter Seller's final "complete" film performance. I remember viewing this in the theater with my parents where we were all eager to see Seller's final film performance. I think for that reason alone the film gets criticized for being the piece of trash that unfortunately it really is. The particulars, horrible script that derides Asians - I won't even address the political correctness of it. This was 1980, not 1940. Why did someone finance this film? Another sad note is that this seems to have been the final performance for David Tomlinson, best remembered for Mr. Banks from Mary Poppins. Even the legendary Sellers under all that makeup couldn't save this film. The running joke ended after about 5 minutes and then the film becomes a genuine torture to sit through. I'm sure Sellers would have bounced back in a better project had he lived.

Ronin (1998)

Gripping Car Chase sequence - that's about it..

[5 June 1999]

When I think of John Frankenheimer and Robert DeNiro, I think of film making magic. This movie in simple terms was just a mediocre spy thriller that was beautifully photographed and had several excellent stunt sequences. Most notably, the car chase sequence in Paris was enough to make the film memorable. But as far an intelligent script that makes the moviegoer get engaged and care about these characters, this is all absent. DeNiro plays a character that I have no sympathy for as well as any of this spy cronies. It was just another formulaic way of how DeNiro survived and the bad guys died. In summary, a disappointment - I don't know what I could have been expecting from a team such as this.

Torn Curtain (1966)

Film with potential falls short.

[3 June 1999]

This film looks as if it had potential but seems to miss the mark. The story of an American scientist (Paul Newman) who is supposedly defecting to East Germany is engaging and is now dated. Newman's performance is capable. Julie Andrews who plays Newman's wife is mediocre at best - there just isnt much of a character to develop here. As far as a Hitchcock signature on the movie - the death of the policeman, "Grommek" is the highlight of the movie. The films turns into a harrowing escape adventure from East Germany. Finally, the things that disappointed me are the vastly cheap rear-projection that was used in making this film. And finally, the decision to scrap Bernard Herrmann's score and replace it was another composer could have made the film more exciting.

Time After Time (1979)

Sci-Fiction with a slant on realism

[8/10 · 16 May 1999]

I remember being fascinated by this film's originality which blended historical fact into a science fiction film. The premise is excellent and unfolds so well in the script it more than entertains for the whole film. Malcolm McDowell was great, David Warner has never been more evil since this film. Finally, Kudos should go to Director Nicholas Meyer not only on the original script but by getting legendary film composer Miklos Rozsa to create one of his last movie scores. This film is still great and so original.