Author: thehorsesheadblog

#372) Imitation of Life (1959)

OR “What Ever Happened to Sarah Jane?”

Directed by Douglas Sirk

Written by Eleanore Griffin and Allan Scott. Based on the novel by Fannie Hurst.

Class of 2015

The Plot: Universal takes another stab at Hurst’s story of family and racial identity in this updated “Imitation of Life”. Lora Meredith (Lana Turner) struggles to become a New York theater star while raising her daughter Susie (Terry Burnham). A chance meeting leads to Lora hiring Annie Johnson (Juanita Moore) as her housekeeper, taking in Annie and her light-skinned daughter Sarah Jane (Karin Dicker). Lora finally lands a play, and her star (and finance) rises over the next decade. A now grown up Susie (Sandra Dee) becomes infatuated with Lora’s old flame Steve Archer (John Gavin), while Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner) continues to pass for white, distressing Annie. The original film had its problems, but surely the kinks will be worked out 25 years later, right? …right?

Why It Matters: The NFR’s write-up is primarily a description of Douglas Sirk’s “glossy, often deliriously flamboyant” melodramas and a comparison between both of the novel’s film adaptations. And then they spoil the ending for no good reason! There’s also an essay by film historian/author Matthew Kennedy.

But Does It Really?: Well, this version is…better? This “Imitation of Life” is allowed to explore some of the more complex issues involving race and privilege in America that its predecessor couldn’t, but is ultimately bogged down by the decision to go full melodrama, particularly Lana Turner’s theatrical performance. The 1934 version broke down a major racial barrier in film, and while this version continues down that path, it still keeps Annie and Sarah Jane as the B-plot to an uninteresting A-plot. On a film list that already includes a version of “Imitation of Life” as well as a Douglas Sirk tearjerker, do we really need another of either?

Shout Outs: Lora says her latest stage role is “the best part since Scarlett O’Hara”.

Everybody Gets One: Many a recognizable character actor is making their only NFR appearance here. Among them: Robert (Sky Masterson, father of Alan) Alda, Oscar nominee Dan O’Herlihy, Gladys Kravitz #2 Sandra Gould, and look at her, she’s Sandra Dee.

Wow, That’s Dated: “Imitation of Life” makes an effort to upgrade the original story’s racial elements for the Civil Rights era (Brown vs. Board of Education and the Montgomery bus boycott were recent events in 1959). The film’s crucial mistake is swapping the original’s pancake storyline with Lora’s theater stardom, therefore eliminating Annie having any chance of succeeding beyond her life as “the help”. Like its predecessor, the film is progressive by 1959 standards, yet problematic by today’s.

Title Track: We have a title song! Sung by vocalist Earl Grant, the song makes a better case for the title than the ’34 version: A life without love is just an imitation.

Seriously, Oscars?: “Imitation of Life” managed two Oscar nominations, both in the Best Supporting Actress category. Susan Kohner and Juanita Moore no doubt split the vote with each other, paving the way for Hollywood veteran Shelley Winters in Best Picture nominee “The Diary of Anne Frank”.

Other notes

• The casting of Lana Turner was a bit controversial: it was her first film following the scandal in which her daughter Cheryl Crane fatally stabbed Lana’s boyfriend Johnny Stompanato in self-defense. Universal gave Turner the royal treatment (including the largest trailer on the lot), but the shoot was still a difficult one for Lana, as a film about a strained mother-daughter relationship surely struck a few nerves.
• Also incredibly dated: Allen Loomis, the sleazy, sexually abusive movie producer. His character is more or less dismissed (“happens all the time” says Archer), and he is a consistent presence throughout the movie. And while we’re on the subject; a womanizing playwright? Please.
• As Lora’s plotline about becoming an actress progresses, I’m beginning to think there aren’t going to be pancakes in this one. Then again, if I judged every movie on this list on a pancakes/no pancakes metric, they would all be found wanting.
• Alright, another movie for the “Die Hard” Not-Christmas list!
• Even by Sirk standards, this thing is me-lo-dra-ma-tic. There are many ways this subject matter could have been covered; why a soap opera?
• Taking a step back from the 1934 version, Sarah Jane is played by Susan Kohner, a woman of Mexican and Austrian descent, rather than a light skinned African American. Apparently Natalie Wood was also considered for the part, but don’t worry: her day of whitewashing will come.

• Coincidentally, Susan Kohner’s mother, Mexican film star Lupita Tovar, was inducted into the National Film Registry the same year as her daughter, thanks to “Drácula”.
• One of the film’s nicer touches; Lora is so devoted to her career, she never once bothers to learn more about Annie or her life outside of the house.
• I shouldn’t be laughing at Lana Turner’s performance, should I? She’s just so over-the-top, especially in her more dramatic scenes, which require, ironically, less dramatics.
• Wow, I’ve already forgotten John Gavin was in this. At least he’s better here than he was in “Psycho”.
• I will say Juanita Moore is very good in this. She starts off as a somewhat stereotypical “magic Negro”, but as the film continues her sunny exterior fades away and we see the suffering her Annie has endured over the years. Her final meeting with Sarah Jane is heartbreaking.
• That’s Mahalia Jackson, fresh from her stint at the Newport Jazz Festival, as the choir soloist in the final scene. The finale doesn’t pack the same punch it did for me in the ’34 version, which is a shame.

Legacy

• “Imitation of Life” was met with critical indifference, but managed to become Universal’s most successful film to date. Universal wanted more from Douglas Sirk, but Sirk instead retired to his native Germany.
• Lana Turner forewent her usual star salary for “Imitation of Life”, opting for a cut of the box office. The gamble paid off, and while Turner never had another film as successful as “Imitation”, she maintained financial security for the rest of her life.
• Susan Kohner retired from film shortly after “Imitation” to get married and raise a family. You know her sons Chris and Paul Wietz best as the co-directors and co-writers of “About a Boy”.

• “Imitation of Life” is largely forgotten today, but still gets referenced more than the 1934 version. Often mentioned in connection Douglas Sirk’s other melodramas, “Imitation” was one of the major influences behind Todd Haynes’ “Far from Heaven”.

#371) State Fair (1933)

OR “How Ya Gonna Keep ‘em Down on the Farm?”

Directed by Henry King

Written by Sonya Levien and Paul Green. Based on the novel by Philip Stong.

Class of 2014

No trailer, but here’s a clip

The Plot: The Frake family travel to the Iowa State Fair for a few days of fun. Father Abel (Will Rogers) believes his hog Blue Boy can take home the blue ribbon, while mother Melissa (Louise Dresser) feels the same about her pickles and mincemeat. Daughter Margy (Janet Gaynor) has a whirlwind romance with reporter Pat Gilbert (Lew Ayres), while son Wayne (Norman Foster) has an affair with experienced acrobat Emily Joyce (Sally Eilers). Will these blossoming young adults heed the siren call of a more exciting life? Or return to the security of the country?

Why It Matters: The NFR’s write-up focuses primarily on Will Rogers, and gives shout-outs to Henry King’s direction and the film’s “diverse storylines rich with Americana and romance”. There’s also an essay by Fox expert Aubrey Solomon.

But Does It Really?: I…don’t know. The NFR definitely makes a case for “State Fair” on the basis of Will Rogers, but I’ll argue there are better Rogers vehicles that could have been chosen (“Laughing Bill Hyde” and “A Connecticut Yankee”, just to name two). “State Fair” is by no means a bad movie, but it lacks the overall emotional and/or cultural impact I’m looking for in an NFR entry. I can give “State Fair” a pass for Will Rogers, but the second another one of his movies makes the list this one’s getting a reevaluation. [UPDATE: We have a second Will Rogers movie on the list, this is not a drill!]

Everybody Gets One: Will Rogers’ performance career started in the early 1900s as a rope twirler on the Vaudeville circuit, and over the next 30 years he became a celebrated humorist, radio personality, newspaper columnist, and movie star. Rogers’ homespun demeanor and witty topicality made him popular with both urban and rural America. Like many of his films, “State Fair” was tailored to fit Rogers’ established persona, with some of his own one-liners sneaking into the final cut.

Wow, That’s Dated: Mainly the concept of state fairs as an event that brought rural America together. Now it’s a showcase for shoddy carnival rides and concerts by one-hit wonders.

Seriously, Oscars?: “State Fair” was the hit Fox Studios needed to get out of their financial slump, and received two nominations at the 6^th Academy Awards. The film lost Adapted Screenplay to the umpteenth remake of “Little Women”, and Best Picture to the long-forgotten “Cavalcade”.

Other notes

• Reminder: “State Fair” is now legally a Disney movie. Will the Janet Gaynor filmography be a sub-category on Disney+?
• Will Rogers is either the most professional amateur actor I’ve ever seen, or the most amateur professional actor. He’s so natural I can’t tell.
• The opening scenes on the farm play out like if “The Wizard of Oz” didn’t have a twister. Enough set-up; let’s go to the fair, Frakes!
• Director Henry King traveled to the 1932 Iowa State Fair with author Philip Stong to observe the action, as well as to film various events and locations for background plates. In addition, the fair’s blue ribbon hog, Dike of Roseland, was cast as Blue Boy.
• Today’s Inflation Adjustment: the three dollars Wayne wins at ring toss would be about $60 today.
• Not a lot of meet-cutes happen on a roller coaster. Gaynor and Ayres are charming in their scenes together, proving that love is, in fact, like a roller coaster baby baby.
• “State Fair” is seemingly on this list to represent Will Rogers, yet Abel is a supporting character. On top of that, most of his scenes are with the hog! Rogers did, however, manage a good one-liner out of the situation during an interview: “A hog’s at his best when he’s on a plate between a couple of eggs.”

• Hearing this film’s underscore, I completely understand why you would want to musicalize this material.
• I’m glad I picked a summer evening to watch “State Fair”; it helps set the mood. Weirdly enough, the film was shot at Fox in the winter of 1932.
• The affair between Wayne and Emily was originally much more implicit. One scene in particular featuring a shot of Emily’s negligee on the floor caused uproar among moviegoers expecting something more family-friendly. When “State Fair” was re-released in 1936, the Hays Code was in full swing, and the aforementioned scene was deleted, never to be seen again.
• Abel tells Margy that she’s “a lot prettier than them movin’ picture actresses that just get paid for being pretty.” Should Janet Gaynor be insulted?
• “And if you think next year don’t roll around quick, you just wait ‘til you’re old enough to pay taxes.” There’s your Will Rogers wit in action!
• The only major difference between the novel and the film is the happy ending tacked onto the movie. That being said, that’s a beautiful closing shot.

Legacy

• “State Fair” was a critical and commercial hit, and was re-released in 1936 to commemorate the sudden passing of Will Rogers.
• Phillip Stong was always bugged by the altered “Hollywood ending” his story received, and eventually wrote a sequel, 1953’s “Return in August”, in which Margy and Pat reunite at the fair 20 years later.
• “State Fair” has been remade for film twice, both times as musicals. The 1945 version features second-tier Rodgers and Hammerstein, while the 1962 update stars Ann-Margret! The remakes inspired a stage production that came and went on Broadway in 1996.

• “State Fair” was also loosely adapted as a TV pilot in 1976, with Vera Miles as the family matriarch. The pilot aired once on CBS, and never went to series.

• As for the original film, “State Fair” disappeared after the 1930s, partially to avoid confusion with its remakes, and partially due to quality prints being destroyed in the 1937 Fox fire. A useable print was finally discovered in the 1960s, and the original “State Fair” started making the classic movie cable rounds in the 1990s.

Listen to This: During the Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover asked Will Rogers to join him on a radio program to promote his unemployment relief campaign. Rogers’ speech, later dubbed “Bacon, Beans and Limousines”, was simultaneously a pep talk to downtrodden Americans and a mild condemnation of Hoover’s presidential missteps. The speech solidified Rogers’ standing as the voice of the everyman, and the broadcast made the National Recording Registry in 2012. An essay by Will Rogers expert Ben Yagoda and an NPR piece by Kurt Andersen provide more historical context.

#370) Roger & Me (1989)

OR “Flint Condition”

Directed & Written by Michael Moore

Class of 2013

The Plot: Journalist Michael Moore returns to his hometown of Flint, Michigan in 1986, just as the town’s General Motors plant announces a seismic number of layoffs. 30,000 employees find themselves out of work, despite General Motors continuing to turn a profit. Moore chronicles Flint’s citizens as they grapple with a downward-spiraling economy. Simultaneously, Moore attempts to contact GM Chairman/CEO Roger B. Smith and hold him accountable for the devastation his “business solutions” have caused.

Why It Matters: The NFR praises Moore’s “brazen, in-your-face style” of “take-no-prisoners, advocacy documentary filmmaking”, and mentions the film’s continued relevancy.

But Does It Really?: Like many of Moore’s documentaries, “Roger & Me” is flashy and biased, but packs more punches in 95 minutes than most quote-unquote serious films.  “Roger & Me” starts as an investigation and ends with Moore exposing the toll capitalism takes on the working class, as well as the hypocrisy of the American dream. It is downright infuriating how relevant “Roger & Me” and its reportage of class warfare has remained 30 years later. Like him or hate him, Michael Moore and his effective documentaries have earned their place in the National Film Registry.

Everybody Gets One: Michael Moore sums up his youth pretty succinctly in the film’s opening minutes. The unnamed San Francisco magazine Moore worked for was “Mother Jones”, which he successfully sued for wrongful termination. Moore used the money from the settlement to partially fund “Roger & Me”. A first time filmmaker, Moore learned the technical aspects of the movies from “Atomic Café” director (and one of this film’s cinematographers) Kevin Rafferty.

Seriously, Oscars?: “Roger & Me” won a bevy of critics awards, but was famously snubbed for the Best Documentary Oscar. This movie was the first of many acclaimed documentaries to be shutout of the Oscars, culminating with “Hoop Dreams” and an investigation into how the Documentary branch selects the nominees. While some filmmakers were outraged by the exclusion of “Roger & Me”, an anonymous Academy member informed the L.A. Times that voters perceived the film as “dishonest and unfair to its subjects.”

Other notes

• Moore does an excellent job of utilizing archival footage to create his desired viewpoint. MSTies will be quick to recognize the 1956 GM short “Design for Dreaming” during the film’s opening.
• The “Tart to Tart” cafe highlighted in the San Francisco montage is right by my apartment. It looks exactly the same!
• I love me some ironic Beach Boys music. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is featured over footage of Flint’s poverty-stricken communities.

• Despite Michael Moore’s claim, the film is not presented in complete chronological order. Filming occurred from 1987 to 1989, while many of Flint’s attempts to boost tourism had started as early as 1984, before the GM layoffs. But as Roger Ebert correctly points out, an accurate timeline is not this film’s priority.
• As depicted in the film, President Ronald Reagan visited Flint after the layoffs to address a group of former GM employees. His advice: seek job opportunities in other states. So much for making America great again. (Look it up; it was his campaign slogan first).
• The Gatsby party (complete with living statues) is your first peek at the class struggle in Flint. That being said, one of the partygoers – Flint lawyer Larry Stecco – successfully sued Michael Moore for “false light invasion of privacy”.
• Flint native/“Newlywed Game” host Bob Eubanks does not come off looking great in this. Adding insult to injury, Moore includes an outtake of Eubanks telling an off-color joke. Eubanks thought the camera was off when he told that joke, and later apologized for his comments.
• One of Moore’s strengths as a filmmaker is finding situations with the most dramatic impact. Of course a Miss America contestant isn’t going to have a strong opinion on a car manufacturer’s layoffs, but Moore knows he can get a revealing answer if he presses the issue.

• Between this and “Harvey Milk”, Anita Bryant is documentary films’ go-to antagonist. She and GM celebrity spokesperson Pat Boone give the same tired spiel about Flint pulling itself up by its bootstraps. Like Miss America, these two are out of their element, but it does highlight the shallowness of celebrity.
• The tourism section of this film is excruciating. Everyone’s heart is in the right place, but making Flint a tourist destination was never going to work. On the plus side, the AutoWorld theme park is a “Defunctland” episode waiting to happen.
• Unsurprisingly, the film gets darker as it progresses. In quick succession we get a scene where a rabbit is murdered and skinned on-camera, followed by footage of the Flint police shooting a mentally ill African-American man. Both are unsettling, haunting images.

• This film kept reminding me of the “This is Fine” meme, as well as the line from “1776” about how Americans “would rather protect the possibility of being rich than face the reality of being poor.” I feel these sum up everything this movie is trying to convey in a nutshell.
• This is the saddest movie on my “Die Hard” Not-Christmas list. The Singing Dogs’ cover of “Jingle Bells” does not help.

• Some critics complained about the film’s manipulative editing, particularly in the final scene where a woman and her family are evicted while Roger Smith is giving his annual Christmas address. But listen closely: Moore says he filmed them on separate days during his confrontation with Smith.
• Shoutout to the movie’s legal team. Where’s their Oscar?

Legacy

• Upon its release, “Roger & Me” was the highest-grossing documentary ever. As per Moore’s contract with distributor Warner Bros., portions of the film’s profits went to Flint homeless shelters, the families whose evictions are in the movie, and various charities and organizations. Despite all this, Moore later called the film a failure because it didn’t inspire major improvements to Flint.
• While General Motors publically decried “Roger & Me”, the film was allegedly quite popular with GM employees who became increasingly disillusioned with Roger Smith’s leadership. Smith voluntarily resigned from GM in 1990, less than a year after the film’s release.
• Modern sources list the number of General Motors employees in Flint between 5000 and 7000, less than 1 percent of its early 1980s figures.
• Michael Moore initially vetoed any TV airings of “Roger & Me”, but relented in 1992 when it was aired on PBS. The broadcast included Moore’s follow-up/epilogue, “Pets or Meat: The Return to Flint”.

• You would have to be living under a very conservative rock to be unaware of Michael Moore’s oeuvre of uber-liberal documentaries. Highlights include the Oscar-winning “Bowling for Columbine” and the controversial-even-by-Moore’s-standards “Fahrenheit 9/11”. Flint and its ongoing set of problems are a recurring theme throughout Moore’s films.

• And finally, a reminder that as of this writing, Flint, Michigan is still without reliably clean drinking water. It’s getting better, but there’s still a long way to go.

#369) The Matrix (1999)

OR “Neo Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”

Directed & Written by Lana & Lilly Wachowski

Class of 2012

The Plot: Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) has a double life on the internet as the hacker “Neo”. The mysterious Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) recruits Neo and reveals the truth: the world Neo lives in is a computer simulation (the Matrix), and the real world is a 22^nd century dystopian nightmare ruled by machines. Prophesized to be “the one”, Neo is unplugged into the real world, and joins Morpheus’ team of fellow escapees determined to free the human race from the Matrix. It sounds convoluted, but boy howdy look at all them flyin’ people!

Why It Matters: The NFR calls the film “visionary and complex”, praising the special effects and their lasting impact on film.

But Does It Really?: It’s only been 20 years since “The Matrix” hit theaters, but its impact on visual effects and pop culture is still quite extensive. As a film, “The Matrix” is flawed, but entertaining. Any of the film’s eye-rolling plot points are immediately forgiven once the next action sequence starts up. “The Matrix” has never been my cup of tea, but no one can deny the film’s well-deserved spot among iconic American films.

Everybody Gets One: The Wachowskis got their start in Hollywood as screenwriters with a three-picture deal at Warner Bros. When their script for 1995’s “Assassins” was completely rewritten, the Wachowskis convinced the studio to let them direct their own screenplays. Their next film, 1996’s “Bound”, was a success, giving Warner Bros. more confidence to finance the Wachowski’s most ambitious screenplay: “The Matrix”. Former teen star turned action movie hero Keanu Reeves won the role of Neo after such names as Will Smith and Brad Pitt turned the part down.

Wow, That’s Dated: Ah, the early internet of the ‘90s. How I’ve missed seeing those eternally loading low-res graphics. Also dated, this film’s reliance on phone booths, floppy disks, and cellular phones the size of a hoagie.

Seriously, Oscars?: “The Matrix” was one of the biggest hits of 1999, and one of the few films to bat 1000 at the Oscars, winning all four of its nominations (Film Editing, Sound, Sound Editing, and Visual Effects). 1999 was one of many years the Academy considered, but ultimately rejected, a proposed “Best Stunt Coordination” category.

Other notes

• The Wachowskis have cited countless influences on “The Matrix”: from the film version of “Ghost in the Shell”, to Jean Baudrillard’s “Simulacra and Simulation” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. Practically every shot of this movie has allusions and references hidden throughout. It’s like the Wachowskis designed the film to be viewed frame-by-frame on the DVD.
• Speaking of allusions: “Hallelujah. You’re my savior, man. My own personal Jesus Christ.” Alright already, we get it; Neo’s a metaphor for Christ! It makes one pine for the subtleties of “E.T.”.
• I spent most of the movie assuming the generic downtown American city featured throughout was Toronto. Turns out the bulk of this movie was shot in Sydney, Australia, with the more recognizable buildings digitally removed.
• Hugo Weaving’s accent is… a choice. If you don’t know going in that it’s deliberately flat and machine-like, it can be quite confusing.

• Someone using an alias on the internet? Heresy!
• I don’t care how many acclaimed movies or August Wilson plays he’s in, Laurence Fishburne will always be Cowboy Curtis to me.
• I am always wary of films that preach against consumerism/complacency, especially when said film is a product from a conglomerate movie studio.
• The Construct looks a lot like a car commercial. Either that or Morpheus is about to read a letter from a DirectTV customer.

• I wouldn’t trust Trinity or Cypher if I were Neo; they might have killed Guy Pearce’s wife.
• So the only pop culture references to survive in 2199 are “The Wizard of Oz” and the Life Cereal “Mikey” commercial? Where were you when we needed you, Library of Congress?
• The beauty of this film is the blending of digital effects with practical. It’s a marriage that quickly became lopsided towards the digital and has never fully recovered.
• We have a “whoa”! Keanu knows what audiences expect from his movies.

• There seems to be a lot of things you can’t do in the Matrix because of “Arbitrary Matrix Rules”. It helps that a lot of the film’s techno babble is explained with a dismissive, “You wouldn’t understand.”
• Pretty sure the “there is no spoon” kids were the ones Matthew Modine experimented on before Eleven showed up.

• Off-Broadway legend Gloria Foster is a refreshing change of pace in her one scene as the all-important Oracle. It’s a shame she didn’t finish filming her scenes for the sequels.
• Uh-oh, Agent Smith is monologuing. This is followed by extended monologues from both Neo and Trinity. More butt-kicking, please!
• 180 years in the future and there are still no gun control laws? Just because your movie can be prescient…
• It took us almost the entire movie, but at long last, the “Bullet Time” scene. It is still a sight to behold 20 years later, and the “making of” footage enhances my appreciation of the scene, rather than detracts.

• I’m willing to accept a lot of this film’s forced plot points, but the romantic angle is where I draw the line. I love you because the Oracle told me I would? Cue “Power of Love”.
• If it’s a ‘90s movie about the fight against technology, you have no choice but to start your credits with Rage Against the Machine.
• Sorry folks, but whatisthematrix.com is now just a link to buy the film on Ultra HD Blu-Ray. The password is useless. Useless!

Legacy

• The Matrix” was a huge success, and paved the way for countless imitators. You couldn’t throw a rock without hitting a “Bullet Time” parody in the early 2000s.

• Like many an NFR entry, “The Matrix” has had its share of follow-ups. The film’s two sequels – 2003’s “Matrix Reloaded” and “Matrix Revolutions” – are more or less ignored, while “The Animatrix” shorts fare better.

• And like a surprisingly large amount of NFR entries, “The Matrix” has spawned several video games. The Wachowskis even directed some live-action scenes for them with the original cast!

• The Wachowskis are still bringing their unique aesthetic to movies, with such highlights as “V for Vendetta” and…“Speed Racer”?

• Unsurprisingly, “The Matrix” is still referenced throughout the internet. Here are just a few of the memes this film has inspired:

• And of course:

#368) The Big Heat (1953)

OR “Good to the Last Drop”

Directed by Fritz Lang

Written by Sydney Boehm. Based on the serial and novel by William P. McGivern.

The Plot: Officer Tom Duncan has taken his own life, and Detective Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) investigates. Duncan’s widow (Jeanette Nolan) says Tom was in poor health, but a woman claiming to be Duncan’s mistress (Dorothy Green) refutes this, and winds up murdered the next day. Bannion continues to inquire, despite objections from his superiors and death threats directed at his wife Katie (Jocelyn Brando). With assistance from Debby Marsh (Gloria Grahame), the girlfriend of gangster Vince Stone (Lee Marvin), Bannion uncovers a crime syndicate whose influence reaches far beyond the town’s underworld.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls it “[o]ne of the great post-war noir films” and “both stylized and brutally realistic”.

But Does It Really?: Sometimes I designate films on this list as “minor classics”, but “The Big Heat” made me question if there was a label below that. There’s nothing wrong with “The Big Heat”; it has all the hallmarks of film noir without resorting to cliché, and its female characters are allowed to be far more dimensional than others of the era, but overall the film was just “meh” for me. “Big Heat” is a well-made pulp drama that has aged quite well, but its standing as a classic has definitely diminished over time. “The Big Heat” is great noir viewing, but I question its standing as a significant American film.

Shout Outs: When Bannion encounters Stone at The Retreat, the background music is “Put the Blame on Mame” from “Gilda”, also starring Glenn Ford.

Everybody Gets One: While not as successful as younger brother Marlon, Jocelyn Brando had a stage and screen career that spanned over 35 years. “The Big Heat” was one of Jocelyn’s first films. Other highlights include the original stage production of “Mister Roberts” with Henry Fonda, and the 1981 cult classic “Mommie Dearest”. Ever the older sibling, Jocelyn was incredibly supportive of Marlon and always quick to publicly defend his behavior.

Wow, That’s Dated: Your standard ‘50s crime elements, like police blotter on an automatic typewriter, and pre-Miranda suspect beatings. And today on “We Are the Worst at Inflation”: a 35-cent drink in 1953 would be $3.35 today, and that’s only at the happiest of happy hours, let me tell you.

Seriously, Oscars?: No nominations for “The Big Heat”, but it did win the Edgar Allan Poe Award for its screenplay. At least someone was paying attention.

Other notes

• Before becoming a novel (and a major motion picture), “The Big Heat” was a serial from Philadelphia Bulletin reporter William P. McGivern. The story was serialized in the Saturday Evening Post from December 1952 to February 1953. The novel was published shortly thereafter, with the film version hitting theaters that October.
• Like many novels turned movies, certain liberties were taken with “The Big Heat”. Bannion and Debby’s implied relationship was toned down, as was, believe it or not, most of the violence. The film’s locale was also changed from Philadelphia to the fictitious Kenport, because God forbid a real city is implied to have crime of any kind.
• I’ve never seen Lee Marvin looking so young. Lee was 29 when he filmed “Big Heat”, and this was one of seven films he made in 1953 alone!
• The Widow Duncan is played by veteran film actor Jeanette Nolan. Any woman who can play a corrupt widow and everyone’s ailing sweet-natured grandmother has automatically earned my respect.
• One major element separates “Big Heat” from other film noir: because it’s a later entry in the genre, “Big Heat” can reflect on the suburban boom of the early ’50s. Bannion still treks the darkly lit alleys of a criminal underworld, but this is in counterpoint to his picket-fence homelife.
• Like “Fury”, Fritz Lang is really struggling to bring his German expressionism sensibilities to an American studio film. He and Old Hollywood cinematographer Charles Lang (no relation) get no opportunities to do any inventive camerawork, other than the occasional 90-degree dolly tracks.
• Today on Code-Era Profanity: “In a pig’s eye”, and the uninspired “You can fill in the four-letter words better than I can.”
• [Spoiler] A quick film lesson I call the Gwyneth Paltrow Rule: the more harmonious a movie cop’s home life is, the more gruesome the murder of his wife will be. “The Big Heat” features an extreme example. It’s tame by today’s standards, but still unsettling.

• Maybe it’s the inherent tropes associated with a gangster’s moll, but a lot of Gloria Grahame’s scenes with Lee Marvin play out like “Born Yesterday: The Drama”.
• What am I missing about Glenn Ford? I’ve seen three of his movies and I’m just not getting the appeal. He’s giving me the same restrained anger in every performance. I don’t recall Pa Kent being this pissed all the time.
• This is one of several movies on the list that features Carolyn Jones (aka Morticia Addams) with her natural blonde hair, therefore making her unrecognizable to a modern audience.
• Why does Gloria Grahame keep getting herself mixed up with tough guys haunted by their dark past? Glenn Ford, Humphrey Bogart, Will Parker…
• “The Big Heat” will see the grapefruit-smashing scene of “The Public Enemy”, and raise it one coffee-throwing scene. I hesitate to call the moment iconic, but Gloria Grahame getting a face of Folgers is the scene that gets the most mentions when “The Big Heat” is referenced.

• Speaking of, shoutout to makeup artist Clay Campbell and his uncredited team. Debby’s burn marks look amazing.
• Wow, the bodies really start piling up in the last 10 minutes. Did this movie need to fill a quota?
• In a sweet bit of cinematic payoff, Bannion finally monologues about his dead wife at the end. It’s the ‘50s equivalent to the “She Used to Fart in Her Sleep” monologue from “Good Will Hunting”.

Legacy

• Fritz Lang made a handful of noir movies in the ‘50s with such titles as “While the City Sleeps” and “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt”, before returning to his native Germany. Maybe some day when I’ve finally completed this list we can look at some of Fritz Lang’s more iconic, NFR-ineligible work.

• Detective Bannion retired from the force shortly after the events of “The Big Heat”. In a few years he would remarry and start his new career teaching high school English to juvenile delinquents. Cue Bill Haley!