Elizabeth-40 Reviews

American Beauty (1999)

Not a revelation...

[25 September 2000]

Interesting? A bit. Mildly entertaining? Perhaps. The greatest film in the history of the world? Well, of course not.

AB would have been a great black comedy, if it had been funnier. It would have made a great statement about society, if it had portrayed reality. However, AB does neither of these things.

I guess I wasn't "blown away" by this film because it was no revelation to me that "beauty" is everywhere. If you're 15 years old, I suppose this is "news." I would be surprised if an educated adult was "surprised" or "enlightened" by anything in this film.

Laura (1944)

You'll fall in love with this film...

[10/10 · 30 March 2000]

One of the best suspense films of the 1940s, "Laura" is loaded with elegant sophistication, witty dialogue, unscrupulous characters, and romantic obsession, all wrapped in hauntingly beautiful music.

Lovely Gene Tierney is Laura; the young advertising executive allegedly murdered at the front door of her apartment. Dana Andrews is well cast as Mark MacPherson, the handsome, no nonsense detective assigned to unravel the case.

Clifton Webb is superb as Waldo Lydecker, Laura's mentor and an egocentric, effeminate newspaper columnist who has made a career of eliminating Laura's prospective suitors. Lydecker detests Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price), a southern playboy to whom Laura is engaged. Anne Treadwell (Judith Anderson) is Laura's aunt who, incidentally, is in love with Carpenter herself.

As MacPherson sorts through the motives and alibis, he finds Laura too bewitches him. In one of the most memorable movie scenes of all time, Dana Andrews gives an intense performance of a man driven to distraction by the story of Laura, her letters, private diary, perfume, and hauntingly lovely portrait above the fireplace. Clearly agitated, he takes a drink as he sits in a chair beneath Laura's portrait. He falls asleep, and the audience is left wondering if his dreams of Laura are coming true, as she appears through the doorway. He awakens and rises from the chair, his soul shaken by the sight of Laura alive.

This intriguing story, combined with Clifton Webb's biting quips, Gene Tierney's beauty and elegance, Dana Andrews' intensity and dark good looks, and Vincent Price's sense of humor, makes this film immensely watchable again and again.

My Foolish Heart (1949)

Unforgettable Romance

[10/10 · 7 December 1999]

Susan Hayward and Dana Andrews will take you to the heights of joy and deepest despair as two lovers who are forced to live a lifetime in a few weeks as America enters World War II. As the film begins, the war is over and Eloise Winters (Hayward) is married to college sweetheart Lou Wengler (Kent Smith). A visit from college roommate Mary Jane (Lois Wheeler) prompts Hayward to relive the wartime memory of her true love, Walt Dreiser (Andrews). You will be enchanted by Andrews and Hayward's first meeting when sparks fly and an extremely handsome, charming Andrews sweeps Hayward off her feet to the tune of Victor Young's heart stirring theme. I dare say no man looked better on the 1940s screen than the sophisticated, yet easy-going Dana Andrews in this film. Nominated for an Academy Award, Hayward is exceptional in her ability to wear her emotions as a woman deeply in love. Don't miss whimsical moments with outstanding characters actors Robert Keith and Jessie Royce Landis as Hayward's parents. Based on a story by J.D. Salinger, "My Foolish Heart" is a fine film to curl up with on a rainy Sunday afternoon to relive the first blush of your one true love.

The Ox-Bow Incident (1942)

Powerful Drama

[10/10 · 6 December 1999]

This is a powerful everyman's allegory about justice and the human condition. Directed by William Wellman, this film is a fine portrayal of every human frailty that thwarts the execution of justice in the world. Look for Dana Andrews, who gives one of the best performances of his career as a man who is heart broken by the callous inhumanity he sees. Truly, his sorrow is the world's sorrow. This is a movie of eternal truth and raw, human emotion that will live in your heart.