The Horse's Head

#49) Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

OR “The Finest McBain Movie”

Directed by Sergio Leone

Written by Leone & Sergio Donati. Story by Leone, Dario Argento & Bernardo Bertolucci.

Class of 2009

The Plot: A tale of vengeance in the Old West with the interconnecting stories of a widow (Claudia Cardinale) determined to develop her dead husband’s land, the gunslinger (Henry Fonda) who murdered her husband, a fugitive bandit (Jason Robards) framed for the murder, and a man with a harmonica (Charles Bronson) who has his own agenda.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls this film “among the greatest achievements of the Western movie genre” and salutes the work of Leone and composer Ennio Morricone. An essay by Professor Chelsea Wessels focuses on the film’s use of iconic Western imagery to tell the story.

But Does It Really?: Yes, given that this was your only option. Leone’s earlier (and arguably more famous) westerns were pure Italian productions, and therefore not eligible for NFR inclusion. Since Paramount paid Leone a large sum to shoot one last Western, this film qualifies. Not that I’m knocking the film or its impact, Leone’s contributions to the genre deserve to be preserved by anyone who can stake a legitimate claim. The film can drag a bit (though, as Paramount learned, cutting it does more harm) but “Once Upon a Time in the West” is proof that with the right filmmakers, even the oldest film genres can be reinvigorated. Plus Fonda’s the bad guy! Come on! That’s worth it right there!

Shout Outs: Leone et al worked several American Western homages into the film, including NFR entries “My Darling Clementine”, “High Noon”, “Shane” and “Johnny Guitar”, among others.

Everybody Gets One: For obvious reasons this is Sergio Leone’s only film on the list. Also noteworthy are screenwriter (and future director) Bernardo Bertolucci, actor Lionel “Max” Stander, and pretty much the entire crew.

Wow, That’s Dated: Ah, the completely dubbed soundtrack of 1960s Italian cinema. Also the sexism. Let’s not forget the constant sexism shown towards the one female character in this film. I guess it wasn’t Leone’s idea to have one of the leads be female…and it shows.

Seriously, Oscars?: Due to its flop status upon initial release, “Once Upon a Time in the West” missed out at the 1969 Oscars. But why should this film be any different? None of Sergio Leone’s seven films received any Oscar nominations in any category. They didn’t even give him a lifetime achievement award!

Other notes

• This film brings up an interesting question; what qualities constitute a film’s nationality? Obviously the creative team was Italian, and the film was shot mainly in Rome, but Paramount was a major financier and three of the film’s four leads were American. I dunno, seems like a stretch by NFR standards. We’ll see this issue come up again for “Lawrence of Arabia” and the works of Stanley Kubrick.
• Claudia Cardinale really got a raw deal on this film. Everything’s set up at the beginning to make her story the backbone, but then she’s pretty much sidelined for the whole film. She spends a lot of time getting abuse from the other characters and [Spoilers] doesn’t get to exact revenge on Frank herself. If you’re going to get top billing over Henry freakin’ Fonda I expect more from your character.
• Early on Mr. McBain slaps his son and the sound effect is obviously a punch. Did they really think no one would notice?
• Nationality debate aside, is this the first American film in which a character says “bullshit”? I’ll go ahead and say that Jason Robards is the first actor to say “turds” in an American film.
• In perhaps the greatest against-type casting in film history, Henry Fonda is not fucking around as cold-blooded Frank and it is just the greatest.
• I love that each of the main characters has their own musical theme. This film is a gritty, cinematically violent “Peter and the Wolf”.
• Speaking of, never has the sound of an off-screen harmonica been so effective. Well done, Morricone (and, to an extent, Pavlov).
• Best line in the film; “How can you trust a man that wears both a belt and suspenders? Man can’t even trust his own pants.”
• Shout-out to cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli. The framing of each and every shot? Forget about it, it’s beautiful.
• When you do as much on-location shooting as this film does, the few uses of rear projection really stick out.
• For the dirty Wild West, everyone sure has the whitest teeth.
• That…was a long pre-title sequence.

Legacy

• This is the first film in Leone’s unofficial second trilogy; it was followed by the spiritual sequels “Duck, You Sucker” (aka “A Fistful of Dynamite”) and “Once Upon a Time in America”.

• This is also the reason films started having “Once Upon a Time in…” in their titles.
• David Letterman has said on numerous occasions that this is one of his favorite films.

• Can’t you just picture little Quentin Tarantino watching this film frame-by-frame, dreaming of one day making his own Spaghetti Westerns, working/possibly sparring with Ennio Morricone?

Further Viewing: Any and all of Sergio Leone’s other “Spaghetti Westerns”.

#48) Disneyland Dream (1956)

OR “When You Wish Upon Scotch Tape”

Directed & Written by Robbins Barstow

Class of 2008

Watch the whole thing below, and be sure to check out the film (as well as David Barstow’s channel) at archive.org.

Note: My viewing of this film was part of an amateur film festival night at The Exploratorium. Thanks Liz & Phae.

The Plot: The Barstow family of Connecticut enter a contest sponsored by Scotch Tape to win a family vacation to the all-new Disneyland Park in California. 4-year-old son Dan wins the contest and he and father Robbins, mother Meg, brother David and sister Mary are off for a week of adventure. Through Robbins’ unique style of home movie making, the Barstow’s trip through Hollywood and Disneyland is just as magical as anything Walt could have dreamed up. Robbins, recorded in 1995 on the occasion of Disneyland’s 40th anniversary, narrates the film.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls it a “fantastic historical snapshot” of all the places the Barstow family visits, and extolls on the importance of home movies. An essay by home movie preservationist/toaster collector Liz Coffey gives appreciation to Robbins Barstow.

But Does It Really?: Home movies, by and large, are tedious and poorly executed. But the Barstows somehow take a family vacation and spin it into art. As a document of 1950s America, it is a treat. As a look at Disneyland in its first year of operation, it is a treasure. And as a film it achieves the impossible; for “Disneyland Dream” is a home movie that commands repeat viewings.

Shout Outs: A trip through Fantasyland’s Storybook Land Canal Boats shows us the homes of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Pinocchio”, and “The Three Little Pigs”. Also, as previously mentioned, “The African Queen” inspired Adventureland’s Jungle Cruise attraction.

Everybody Gets One: In addition to his work as an amateur filmmaker, Robbins Barstow worked for the Connecticut Education Association and was a Civil Rights and “Save the Whales” advocate. He made many home movies in his life and several of them are uploaded onto archive.org for preservation.

Wow, That’s Dated: Even the Barstows of Connecticut gave in to the Davy Crockett craze that swept America in the ‘50s. This film also shows us that back then a razor was all you needed to cut a boy’s hair.

Other notes

• Robbins typically performed the narration live when he presented this film at home or at local events. What you hear in the 1995 recording is a script that was polished over 40 years.
• Bradley Field stills exists, only now it’s Bradley International Airport and you can get a non-stop flight to LAX from there. You also probably don’t need to stop in St. Louis to refuel.
• The plane taking the family to (then) Idlewild Airport is filthy.
• The only thing this family loves more than effects shots is making everyone in the family do one.
• The Huntington-Sheraton Hotel (now The Langham Huntington, Pasadena) is featured in another Disney film; 2013’s “Saving Mr. Banks”.
• Yes, even back then Knott’s Berry Farm was something you did as an afterthought while visiting Disneyland. Some things never change.
• Is it just me or is that a long Hollywood bus tour? I feel like under modern traffic conditions it would take a few days to see all of that.
• While the Barstows don’t see any current movie stars in Hollywood, they do see an 11-year-old Steve Martin selling guidebooks at Disneyland.
• Of note to early Disneyland buffs: this was filmed before Autopia had guided rails. This is also before the Jungle Cruise skippers were funny.
• Love the gardeners casually standing around and ruining the illusion of Storybook Land. Current Disneyland would not tolerate this at all.
• Among the many rides the Barstows go on that are no longer at Disneyland are the Skyway, Rocket to the Moon, the Stagecoach, and the Pack Mules. They also visit the original Fantasyland before its 1983 remodel and Tomorrowland before its 1967 renovation.

Legacy

• Two “sequels”; 2011’s “Disneyland Dream Revisited” featuring eldest son David, and 2015’s “Disneyland Dream Revisited Again” featuring all three children.

Further Viewing: The Barstows weren’t the only ones documenting 1956 Disneyland. Disney Studios sent their own camera crew to record the Magic Kingdom in “Disneyland U.S.A.” Though lacking the simple charm of “Disneyland Dream”, this film is nonetheless a noteworthy look at Disneyland in its infancy. The film covers practically everything about the park the Barstows missed out on, and in widescreen no less!

#47) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

OR “Lee Dies at the End”

Directed by John Ford

Written by James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck. Based on the story by Dorothy M. Johnson.

Class of 2007

The Plot: Told through flashback, Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) recounts coming to the small town of Shinbone as a young attorney. His stagecoach is robbed by local outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), who beats Stoddard nearly to death. It turns out no one in Shinbone will stand up to Liberty, except for Doniphon (John Wayne), who knows that Liberty doesn’t respond to anything but violence. Stoddard spends his time educating the town and pushing the territory towards statehood, all the while leading to his inevitable showdown with Liberty.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls it “Ford’s last great Western” and contemplates what was lost when the West became civilized.

But Does It Really?: I give this one “minor classic” status. Everyone involved has done better, but it’s probably the most meditative western you’ll find this side of “Unforgiven”. Wayne’s character represents what the West was, and Stewart’s what the West will become, and it’s a perfect vehicle to bring these two legends together. The film has something to say about the end of an era in American history, coming from filmmakers at the end of their era in movie history.

Shout Outs: If there’s a stagecoach in a John Ford western, does it count as a reference to “Stagecoach”?

Wow, That’s Dated: As always with a John Ford western, Native Americans are vilified or completely ignored, in this case both. No natives in sight, except for a passing reference to “savage redskins”.

Title Track: Only once does someone actually say “The man who shot Liberty Valance”. The real drinking game for this film is every time John Wayne says “pilgrim”. He really over-does it.

Seriously, Oscars?: Perhaps because Ford’s day in the Oscar sun was long over, the film only received one nomination; costume design for the legendary Edith Head. She lost to “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”.

Other notes

• Shout-out to cinematographer William Clothier, the man who shot “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”.
• There’s that “Young Mr. Lincoln/Ascot Gavotte” theme again! What’s the deal, Ford?
• So when we flash back Jimmy Stewart is the exact same age?
• If you’re Lee Marvin and you want to leave a mark on films, beating up Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne is a start. Quick! Someone call the town’s comically drunk gunfighter!
• They never explicitly say which state/territory they’re in, but we know that this film takes place sometime in the early 1880s, so let’s just say West Dakota.
• Woody Strode’s character is named Pompey. Like the city?
• More westerns should have Swedes in them.
• And yes, Edmond O’Brien’s character is frequently referred to as Mr. Peabody.
• The love triangle is a bit unnecessary (and creepy, both Stewart and Wayne are 20 years older than Vera Miles).
• One of the songs in the saloon is so close to being “West of the Wide Missouri”.
• Sheep Wars? Now that’s a film I wanna see!
• Geez I keep expecting Andy Devine and Edmond O’Brien to have a “comic relief-off”.
• Ummm…where’s the music in the convention coming from? That hall is way too small to fit a band.
• For those of you keeping score, that’s a flashback WITHIN a flashback at the end. Christopher Nolan, take note.
• Wait, they go the whole movie without actually singing the song? What a jip!

Legacy

• Whenever a John Wayne impression contains the word “pilgrim”, it’s because of this film.
• “Liberty Valance” gives us the saying; “When the legend become fact, print the legend.”
• Sergio Leone once called this film his favorite John Ford western. Only appropriate since he picked up the torch from there.

#46) Tess of the Storm Country (1914)

OR “Squatter Knows Best”

Directed by Edwin S. Porter

Written by B.P. Schulberg. Based on the novel by Grace Miller White.

Class of 2006

Here is the film. It is a thing that happened.

The Plot: Tess (Mary Pickford) is a young girl living in a shantytown with her father (David Hartford). In addition, there’s the evil landowner (William Walters) who plots to get rid of the squatters, his son (Harold Lockwood) who falls for Tess in the process, and his daughter (Olive Carey) who has a child out-of-wedlock. And as if Tess isn’t busy enough with all of this, her father is arrested for a murder he did not commit. Oh, and there’s a storm too I guess.

Why It Matters: According to the NFR, this is the film that made Mary Pickford “America’s Sweetheart” and launched her iconic celebrity status. An essay by Pickford expert Eileen Whitfield is a love letter to Mary and her performance in this film, plus sheds a little more light on her cult following.

But Does It Really?: If you say so, NFR. This film is so plodding I have virtually nothing to say about it, other than this; if you’re going to adapt a novel into a silent film, maybe choose one that doesn’t rely so much on words or dialogue. And if you have to, maybe use more intertitles? Half the time I didn’t know what was going on, and the other half I just didn’t care. We have one other Mary Pickford film on the list, 1917’s “The Poor Little Rich Girl”, and here’s hoping it’s a better representation of this legendary movie star.

Everybody Gets One: Mary’s leading man Harold Lockwood was quite the matinée idol at the time. Sadly, he died in 1918 of Spanish Flu.

Wow, That’s Dated: The name Tessibel.

Other notes

• Again, I have nothing to say about this film. It happened, I saw it, I can cross it off the list. Moving on.

Legacy/Further Viewing: The novel has been remade for film a few times throughout the years, most notably in 1922 by Mary Pickford again!

#45) Toy Story (1995)

OR “When Disney Met Pixar…”

Directed by John Lasseter

Written by Joss Whedon and Andrew Stanton and Joel Cohen & Alec Sokolow. Original Story by John Lasseter & Pete Docter & Andrew Stanton & Joe Ranft.

Class of 2005

This is my original post regarding “Toy Story”. You can find my revised and expanded version here.

The Plot: Andy (voiced by John Morris) is a young boy with a room full of great toys. What he doesn’t know is that when he’s away, the toys have a life of their own. Andy’s favorite toy, cowboy doll Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), is threatened by the arrival of new spaceman toy Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen). The two toys fight and end up stranded out in the real world. Will they make it home before Andy moves away? Well it’s a Disney movie, so you figure it out.

Why It Matters: The NFR acknowledges the film for being the first full-length computer animated feature, and applauds the film’s “magical and hilarious secret world of toys”. It should also be noted that this is one of the rare films to make the NFR after only 10 years, the minimum eligibility period.

But Does It Really?: The ripple-effect that Pixar created with “Toy Story” cannot be denied. But on top of that, it’s also a really good movie. “Toy Story” hits all the right notes; it’s appealing to kids without talking down to them, and appealing to adults without being racy. It taps into a fantasy world that every child has dreamed of and then runs around and has a lot of fun with it. Good animation is never about technique or technology, but rather about a good story and strong characters. “Toy Story” has all of these in spades.

Get Off My Lawn: I saw “Toy Story” in the theater on its original release in November 1995. I don’t remember much, other than the CG animation was pretty amazing. And the video release in October 1996 was like the second coming of Christ. It was seriously that big a deal.

Shout Outs: Quick nods to previous Pixar shorts “Luxo Jr.” and “Tin Toy”. Among the many films that get referenced throughout are NFR entries “The Wizard of Oz”, “The Exorcist”, “Star Wars”, “Alien”, “Apocalypse Now”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Lion King”.

Everybody Gets One: Tim “The Tool Man” Allen, Laurie “Jackie” Metcalf, Jim “Ernest” Varney and the recently departed Don Rickles. And that’s Penn Jillette (of “& Teller” fame) as the announcer of the Buzz Lightyear toy commercial.

Wow, That’s Dated: The whole film has that early ‘90s CG look about it. 22 years later it takes a second to remember that that’s what cutting-edge technology looked like. Also check out the credits for “Soundtrack available on cassette and compact disc” and a reference to the film’s CD-ROM (which I had).

Seriously, Oscars?: Lasseter received an honorary Oscar for his technical achievements (a call-back to when they used to give Walt Disney these kinds of awards). As for actual nominations, it lost its Original Screenplay nod to “The Usual Suspects”. By missing out on Best Original Score and Best Song, Randy Newman lost his 7^th and 8^th Oscar nominations. He would eventually win on number 16 with another Pixar film, “Monsters Inc.” and on number 20 with “Toy Story 3”.

Other notes

• Yes, it’s that Steve Jobs and Joss Whedon listed in the credits as executive producer and writer, respectively. Jobs was a majority shareholder of Pixar at the time, and Whedon was a script doctor who helped Lasseter and company navigate the exciting new world of screenplays.
• The Toddle Tots (because “Little Tikes” is a registered trademark) sound a lot like Jawas.
• I always forget how much more antagonistic Mr. Potato Head is in this film compared to the sequels. I guess married life softened him a bit.
• This film – along with “Finding Nemo” – leads us to believe that humans have no peripheral vision or ability to hear anything outside a few feet of them.
• They live in a two-story house and yet Andy has to share a room with Molly?
• For whatever reason I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of the lines “Look, I’m Woody! Howdy, howdy, howdy!” and “Would you like some tea, Mrs. Nesbitt?”
• It’s a good thing that he’s voiced by Tom Hanks, because Woody is a real jerk for the first half of this film. The story goes that Disney Animation head Jeffrey Katzenberg unsuccessfully pushed for Woody to be meaner and for the film to be edgier. Hmmm, kinda like a certain animation company Katzenberg might just have founded a few years later…
• So about Sid: from a toy’s perspective he’s pure evil, but I actually think he’s cool. He’s way more interesting than that goody-two-shoes Andy, plus he’s very creative with how he reconfigures his toys. And his mom makes Pop-Tarts! I’d much rather hang out with him.
• Nice foreshadowing of Al’s Toy Barn. Newman!
• With this film, Pixar begins their tradition of listing “Production Babies” in the end credits. Those babies are now in their early-to-mid-‘20s.

Legacy

• Two sequels; one that is among the best sequels ever, and one that is also very good and very intense.

• Of course, every Pixar movie made since “Toy Story”; plus that weird theory that they’re all in the same universe. (No no, they just share in-jokes).
• “Three hours in line for a video game?”

• Randy Newman: Act II
• The animated shorts that used to play on Saturday mornings that gave Jim Hanks a nice round of residuals.

• The Buzz Lightyear TV series that gave Patrick Warburton a nice round of residuals.

• Toy Car Story

• And in 2019, a fourth one.

Further Viewing: Someone did a shot-for-shot remake of this film using real toys. Admire their commitment.