Movie Rambles

[movieman1957]

April:

 

 

 

I can't find it so here I will post my comments on "The Wings Of Eagles."

 

 

 

Real men do cry. It is obvious that Ford loves the Navy and the friendships built in that organization. There is a deep respect among the sailors and even members of the Army that know him.

 

 

 

It was an interesting life for Mr. Wead. It is full of stress and accomplishments. Wayne does a fine job in the lead role. It must have been tough playing the physical part of that role. He is at times very personable but mostly with his buddies. He is not always that way with Maureen. I thought that on their reunion in San Francisco he runs the gamut from letting Maureen help him with his legs to a sad plea to get back together. I didn't find it that warm as it was matter-of-fact. Maureen was wonderful in that same scene. Especially when she is behind Wayne and shows up how she feels but not him save for a kiss on the head. It is sad to think of all those years that they wasted and were never able to recover because each was unwilling to give a little. Maureen has less to do than one might think but she does a wonderful job.

 

 

 

It is nice to see Ken Curtis in a normal role. Bond does a fine send-up of Ford. Two things that I noticed in the Ford scene was 1- I'd swear there was an old photo of Wayne on an end table but was never close enough to confirm. 2 - In the foyer of the office they used the same cowboy picture on two different walls. Nice support by Dailey as loyal friend almost to the end. Some good old Ford humor thrown in for good measure.

 

 

 

Nit-picking. The MGM lion looked like he had his hair done. He looked silly. The first 15-30 minutes played more like a Keaton comedy that didn't do a lot to advance the story. It did give some background but not much. Maureen's streak of gray in her hair looked out of place.

 

 

 

*SPOILER*

 

What was the point of the loss of the first child except for historical purposes? They made nothing of it afterward. Did it affect their relationship? Was there any bearing on the two who came later? It seemed like a throw away moment in the film. Unless I missed something they could have done away with that part.

 

 

 

Not great Ford but good Ford.

[Film_Fatale]

What was the point of the loss of the first child except for historical purposes? They made nothing of it afterward. Did it affect their relationship? Was there any bearing on the two who came later? It seemed like a throw away moment in the film. Unless I missed something they could have done away with that part.

 

Nice write-up, Chris. I only saw the movie a couple of weeks ago, myself, and enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. As for the loss of the child, well, I guess it's historically accurate and it also adds to the emotional burden that Wayne's character carries, maybe also it added a bit of tension to his marriage. I'm kind of glad that Ford chose to include it.

[Film_Fatale]

So what does everyone think of today's wonderful lineup of pre-codes? We get nothing but pre-codes all day, until prime time and the Joseph Cotten lineup. B-)

[MissGoddess]

Hi Chris! Thanks for sharing your ramble on Wings of Eagles. The discussion you were

looking for was in the "Ford at Fox..." thread.

 

What was the point of the loss of the first child except for historical purposes? They made nothing of it afterward. Did it affect their relationship? Was there any bearing on the two who came later? It seemed like a throw away moment in the film. Unless I missed something they could have done away with that part.

 

I think this is one of those cases where, as often happens with Ford, he cares much less

about advancing any story than about examining a way of life. If you notice the tragedy came

right upon the heels of Wead and Jughead careening about like juveniles, oblivious to home.

The juxtaposition is meant to rattle us, to show how very different a man Spig was at home to

what he was with his military buddies. Also, tragedy frequently occurs on the heels of comedy,

and vice-versa, in his movies.

 

For all the affection Ford had for his beloved Navy, he puts a surprising amount of ambivalence

into the way he depicts the mentality which keeps it going. That is one of the reasons I think

this is in fact one Ford's greater efforts, and most artistic. That it does not seem that way on

the first couple of viewings makes it all the more of a wonder to me.

[Film_Fatale]

The juxtaposition is meant to rattle us, to show how very different a man Spig was at home to

what he was with his military buddies.

 

That is a good point, I had not seen it from that perspective.

 

That is one of the reasons I think

this is in fact one Ford's greater efforts, and most artistic. That is does not seem that way on

the first couple of viewings makes it all the more of a wonder to me.

 

I've only seen it once, so far, but I hope to watch it again soon - especially now with a big-screen TV. B-)

[movieman1957]

April:

 

That figures. I looked through pages of both "Ramble" threads and this one before I went. The search didn't even help.

 

I would agree with the scene where they lose their son coming at a point where he is still having some fun, so to speak. What gets though is nothing more is made of it. I didn't expect it to be a burden in the film but if it was that important it would seem to come up again. It just struck me odd how quicky it came and how seemingly unimportant it was in the rest of the film.

 

I think Ford is at aleast being realistic about the ambivalence you speak of. It was obviously an important part of his life but after all it is a huge bureauocracy so things don't always make sense.

 

Thanks for letting me dredge it up again.

[Film_Fatale]

To me, personally, a lot about his family life was just barely glossed over. After his accident, the movie seems to be mostly about his (rather remarkable) recovery, and of course then there's the Pearl Harbor attack.

[MissGoddess]

> {quote:title=movieman1957 wrote:}{quote}>

> I would agree with the scene where they lose their son coming at a point where he is still having some fun, so to speak. What gets though is nothing more is made of it. I didn't expect it to be a burden in the film but if it was that important it would seem to come up again. It just struck me odd how quicky it came and how seemingly unimportant it was in the rest of the film.

>

 

If you'll recall, though, Min's alcoholism escalates after the death of the child. It sets up

a downward spiral on her part and exposes the real lack of closeness in what may have

seemed initially a perfect match.

 

> I think Ford is at aleast being realistic about the ambivalence you speak of. It was obviously an important part of his life but after all it is a huge bureauocracy so things don't always make sense.

>

 

Yes, but I think he's going deeper than that---he's showing the fear and insecurity at facing real

life which many career military men have. They expend so much energy and even emotions in

their career that it siphons away what they could share with their family. In Spig's case, he's

a brilliant man and hail fellow well met, but with his wife he's tongue tied and fearful, unable

to open up or help her without enormous effort.

 

Also, the way the military treats the whole competition aspect between the different arms

of the service exposes an almost daft view. The military exists because war has to be perpetuated

and what keeps the military alive is what keeps war alive. That Ford could show the bravery and

well meaning behind the best of these men, and at the same time show how being well meaning

can have disastrous consequences, is remarkable to me. That's the ambivalence I was

clumsily trying to describe (and probaby am still being unclear).

 

> Thanks for letting me dredge it up again.

 

My pleasure, Dredgy!

[Film_Fatale]

If you'll recall, though, Min's alcoholism escalates after the death of the child. It sets up

a downward spiral on her part and exposes the real lack of closeness in what may have

seemed initially a perfect match.

 

I didn't recall the alcoholism part, specifically, but I do remember the downward spiral. To the best of my recollection, his alcoholism really got bad when he was in the hospital and everybody kept bringing him a bottle of something or other. But then again, I've only seen the movie one time.

[movieman1957]

You make a good point about her drinking becoming a larger part of her life. Since it happened after the girls showed up (or at least when I noticed it) I put it more to her frustration with Spig but, yeah, it would have been a factor.

 

What's up next?

[Film_Fatale]

Oh, wait, she drank too? I didn't remember that part!

[Bronxgirl48]

> {quote:title=Film_Fatale wrote:}{quote}

> Did you or anyone watch that 1925 silent THE WIZARD OF OZ?

>

> Well, not last night, but I'd seen it earlier since it's a bonus feature on the DVD of the more popular 1939 version. It's not one of the best silents I've ever seen, unfortunately, and I tended to zone out after a while. I do hope to give it another chance eventually, but last night would have been too soon since my last viewing.

>

> Besides, I was watching Lubitsch's *The Oyster Princess* - and what a lovely silent that is!! :x

 

Now THE OYSTER PRINCESS sounds like something I'd love to see.

This Larry Semon OZ was such a mess; it was all about HIM scampering about.

[Film_Fatale]

It's fun and refreshing.

 

[JackFavell]

I have not seen The Oyster Princess yet, but it looks great! Thanks FF! I can't wait, after that tantalizing little picture you posted!

 

Wow, you guys reminded me that I wanted to ask something about *Wings of Eagles*. I am so curious, because it struck me strongly during the film. I watched it after reading the Scott Eyman bio of Ford, and the way Eyman describes Ford's study at home was EXACTLY like the study in the movie. I remember he talked about how Ford had all these "trophies" up on his walls- rustic pieces - a saddle, and such. Just curious if anyone knew if this was a replica of his real home?

 

I watched *The Misfits* for the first time the other night, and I stayed awake- oh, boy and how. I had a hard time sleeping after this one, it kept me thinking all night.

 

First of all, Clark Gable was superb. Is it blasphemy to say that it was completely HIS movie? At first, I was worried that he was going to play it all in a totally different style than the other actors, but his early screen persona fit perfectly the character he was playing. He started out as the same old "King" of movies. But as he was "broken in" by Marilyn, he became more and more deep, more and more shattered by the changes in the job and the things he loved. The scene in which they are at the bar after the rodeo, when he looks for his kids just broke my heart. There was nothing of the "leading man" or "king of Hollywood" in THAT scene, just a broken man. I am so impressed with this performance, I cannot even write without choking up about it. He was wise enough to see that the very thing he loved about his job, was the very thing that was being destroyed by his job. I keep wondering now, after the movie, what will this man do now that he can't go mustangin'?

 

I loved Marilyn as well. But I guess from all the clips I've seen of this movie, I expected the performance she gave, whereas I had no idea Gable had this in him. I loved all the breaking and roping in metaphors. I loved that Gable ended up being the "horse whisperer" - the one who could finally get Marilyn tame. Thelma Ritter is on a level all by herself, setting the tone of the picture, although I would have liked to see her again later on. Clift really didn't have that much to do, but his presence was a good and quiet one, especially in balancing the horribly frightening Eli Wallach. From the minute he came onto the screen I was afraid of him, but I didn't know why. He was a ticking time bomb of a person, never fully realized. I think it was scarier of Huston to leave him out in the world than having him do something violent in the movie. I was convinced he would crash his plane or kill or rape someone. He was so dead.... I am glad that Huston did not take the easy route in this picture.... nothing ends the way you expect it to, it was a surprise all the way through.

 

Learning afterwards that Gable did all his own stunts just made it a more poignant performance- the performance of a lifetime. It is the way he would have wished to go, I think, and though I feel sorry for his wife and son, I think he did the right thing- To see that stunt work on film is amazing- as amazing as the acting he does - it will live forever thanks to the power of film.

 

Thanks for letting me ramble here about this movie that I wasn't sure I wanted to see....

 

Message was edited by: JackFavell

[Bronxgirl48]

As usual, jackie, you nail all the characters in any movie you write about, and THE MISFITS is no exception. I feel exactly the same about "Pilot" -- totally frightening! And i couldn't agree with you more about Gable.

[JackFavell]

I can't believe I put off seeing this film. I was afraid it would be one of those where you just spend the whole time looking at the actors because you know they died right after the movie was made.....

 

I couldn't have been more wrong. I was captivated by the story, and of course, Gable and Monroe, who were perfect together. I didn't mean to give short shrift to Monroe, who is really great in this movie. She is so totally trusting, and yet, you can see that she has been taken advantage of over and over again.....

[Film_Fatale]

Now I want to see *The Misfits* again! I haven't watched it since college...

[JackFavell]

I highly recommend it..... as if you couldn't tell...

[Film_Fatale]

Well, I'm still waiting for my Blu-Ray player to come in the mail. And even though that movie isn't on BR yet, it'll still play better with the player's upconverting feature. So it should look even more dazzling then! B-)

[JackFavell]

It was a lot prettier movie than I thought it would be.... actually, the indoor sequences were quite ugly, so it made the outdoors that much more beautiful......

[Film_Fatale]

I just love that it is a black-and-white film. They were already a bit rare in the 60's.

[MissGoddess]

Jackie I'm so glad you liked one of my all time favorite films, *The Misfits*. I agree with

everything you said. This film is very dear to my heart.

[Film_Fatale]

This film is very dear to my heart.

 

Now I know I definitely have to watch it - and treasure it. B-)

[JackFavell]

Goddess, I watched it with you in mind, knowing how highly you speak of it made me want to see it.

[Film_Fatale]

Goddess, I watched it with you in mind, knowing how highly you speak of it made me want to see it.

 

I felt the same way w/ *The Wings of Eagles* B-)