jrb104sc2001 Reviews

Fail Safe (1964)

Great performances Hagman and Deloise

[10/10 · 28 July 2010]

Two actors who became better known years later were great in this film.

Larry Hagman as the young interpreter plays off wonderfully with Henry Fonda. Very few young actors of that time could have done as well. Seems to be forgotten as he never gets credit for this role. He was a lot of fun in Dallas, but after seeing this movie, you wonder how good he could have been.

Dom Deloise is excellent in a small but crucial part. Although he obeys orders, he shows the pain of doing so and he senses the rejection of his fellow soldiers. A fine comedian doing drama as a young actor.

Seeing actors when they were young and relatively unknown is one of the great joys of watching movies.

The Hurricane (1937)

Another Great Movie Based on a Book!!

[9/10 · 22 November 2006]

I remember seeing this movie decades ago as a child and being frightened by the hurricane scenes. I saw the movie again last night on AMC and it was even better than I remembered.

The special effects were far better than the computer generated ones of today. Sixty years before the real-life tsunami showed waves leaving villages and towns looking like Hiroshima, John Ford's movie dramatically showed similar results from a major hurricane. Utter devastation.

In addition, the story line was excellent. What should be noted is that the movie was based on a book, "The Hurricane", written by Nordhoff and Hall. If their names sound familiar, you may have read their most famous book, "Mutiny on the Bounty". Two authors who certainly knew of the oceans and the South Seas.

Wonderful.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

The Best Anti-War Film of the 60's

[10/10 · 7 March 2005]

I'm not going to repeat all the other reviews about this spectacular movie. Many of the reviews in IMDb are wonderfully written.

Just wanted to emphasize how this Western (a great Western) made in Italy showed up all the Hollywood and New York types who put together so many trivial "protest" movies during the era of the late 60's-early 70's.

The movie showed brutal criminals, thieves, and murderers....but their actions seemed reasonable, well-mannered and principled compared to the scenes of scores of young soldiers being slaughtered for no reason. Maybe I am too sentimental - but when they fulfill the dying captain's wish and blow up the bridge - the feeling is simply overwhelming.

Further, the dramatic scenery emphasized the suffering of these soldiers in this desolate area - far from any news coverage, recognition or glory. The "Good, Bad and the Ugly" chose to live there and be part of that land. The soldiers were sent there by superiors who had no knowledge of the land or cared what took place. Certainly the equivalent of "All Quiet on the Western Front" in showing the horror and waste of war.

------------------ How good is this movie? My 17 year old daughter started watching the film this weekend and asked me to sit and watch it with her. A 17 year old girl watching a three hour Western! Suffice it to say she was amazed at how great the film was and she could have easily watched for another three hours if it lasted that long. So could we all.