The Horse's Head

Welcome to movie #500! I’m happy to have made it this far, and there’s no better movie to cover for this milestone than the quote-unquote “greatest movie of all time”. Buckle up, because this is another Horse’s Head three-parter.

#500) Citizen Kane (1941)

OR “Hearst Hassle”

Directed by Orson Welles

Written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz 

Class of 1989

Even the trailer for this movie is groundbreaking. Filmed by Orson Welles during production, it’s a four minute teaser for “Kane” that doesn’t show a single frame of the final film.

The Plot: Newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) dies in his palatial manor Xanadu, and his final word is the cryptic “Rosebud”. Upon learning his dying word, a team of reporters attempt to figure out who or what is Rosebud. Among their interviewees are Walter Parks Thatcher (George Coulouris), Kane’s legal guardian in accordance with his parent’s trust fund, Jed Leland (Joseph Cotten), Kane’s best friend who helped him launch his newspaper empire, and Susan Alexander Kane (Dorothy Comingore), Kane’s mistress and second wife. Each offers their own often-contradictory perspective of Kane, furthering the mystery of the man. But the biggest mystery surrounding “Kane” isn’t the identity of Rosebud, it’s whether or not real-life newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst will notice some pretty obvious allusions to his own career.

Why It Matters: The NFR gives a brief rundown of plot and production, with the only superlatives going to Gregg Toland’s “stunning black and white cinematography” and the film’s overall status as the “greatest film of all time”. An essay by film critic Godfrey Cheshire tries to downplay the hype (calling it “the greatest critic’s film”) and focus instead on its actual accomplishments.

But Does It Really?: While I cannot conclusively deem “Kane” the greatest movie ever made, it is definitely a strong contender for the title. One of my notes simply read “just so fucking engaging”, and if nothing else, “Kane” is an engaging film from start to finish. In his first movie, Orson Welles assembles an awesome array of talent, and uses his natural theatrical flair to create something truly unique. With his outsider status, Welles is able to take apart the standard Hollywood studio film and put it back together in a way that profoundly changed movie making, taking on such subjects as power and corruption in a new, complex way. Many will argue that “Kane” is boring or overrated, and I will agree that there is some homework that needs to be done to fully appreciate this movie, but at the end of the day, “Citizen Kane” is a remarkable accomplishment in film, and one that will stand among the untouchables for generations to come.

Shout Outs: The opening “News on the March” sequence is a full-on parody of the “March of Time” newsreel, for which many of Welles’ Mercury Radio/Theater crew had previously worked as announcers. According to Welles, “March of Time” producer Henry Luce was one of the first people to see “Kane”, and greatly enjoyed the parody. Bonus Shout Out: Among the films Welles viewed to prepare for “Kane” was John Ford’s “Stagecoach” which he screened 40 times during production.

Everybody Gets One: Most of the cast were members of Welles’ Mercury repertory company, and would return for his next film “The Magnificent Ambersons”. The main exceptions were the actors playing Kane’s wives. Ruth Warrick was a radio singer who (along with most of the cast) made her film debut in “Kane”. Dorothy Comingore was recommended to Welles by Charlie Chaplin, and while she was poised to be the next big movie star, she was eventually blacklisted when she refused to testify in front of HUAC. 

Wow, That’s Dated: The main ones for “Citizen Kane” are newspapers as a major influence, and the idea that a single scandal could end a political career. Plus I’ll pour one out for the late great RKO.

Title Track: Herman Mankiewicz’s first draft was originally titled “American”, but RKO studio chief George Schaefer expressed concern it was too close to Hearst’s newspapers “American Weekly” and the “New York Journal American”. Schaefer suggested “Citizen Kane”, which became the official title in June 1940, mere weeks before filming began.

Seriously, Oscars?: At the 1942 Oscars, “Kane” received a respectable nine nominations, but lost in most categories (including Best Picture and Director) to John Ford’s “How Green Was My Valley”. Welles and Mankiewicz did, however, take home the prize for Original Screenplay. According to “Kane” editor/nominee Robert Wise, several attendees would boo whenever “Kane” was mentioned during the ceremony.

Production Notes 

• Because we all need to feel bad about our own accomplishments: Orson Welles was 25 when he made “Citizen Kane”! Welles initially had no interest in the movies, opting to stay in New York directing theater and scaring the crap out of radio audiences. Welles ultimately signed a two-picture deal with RKO once they offered him complete creative control of his films, including final cut. An offer like this was unheard of in Hollywood, which led to some animosity towards Welles within the industry.

• Welles’ original plan for his first film was an adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”, but it was scrapped because its budget would have exceeded his allotted $500,000 (for the record, the final cost for “Kane” was $839,000). After weeks of brainstorming with screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, the two agreed on an original screenplay centered around a powerful public figure, told from multiple perspectives. The idea of the protagonist being the president or a political figure was considered before zeroing in on a newspaper magnate.

• Major Production Note #1: While Charles Foster Kane is not a beat-for-beat stand-in for William Randolph Hearst, there are a number of parallels to declare Hearst the main inspiration. Both men used yellow journalism and sensationalism to influence public opinion, both unsuccessfully ran for US Governor, and both lost a large chunk of their fortunes in the Depression, to name just a few similarities. Other major figures of the day that influenced “Kane” include Joseph Pulitzer (another sensationalist newspaper magnate), Samuel Insull (Chicago businessman, and the inspiration for older Kane’s makeup), and Harold Fowler McCormick (who used his clout to promote his second wife’s opera career, despite her less-than-stellar voice). Still, enough of Kane’s story comes from Hearst, to the point that Hearst famously banned his papers from promoting the film, and tried in vain to prevent “Kane” from seeing the light of day.
• Major Production Note #2: Stories debating the screenplay’s authorship are not necessarily untrue, but it does depend a lot on perspective. The truth (as best I can tell) is that while Welles and Manckiewicz created the general idea together, Mankiewicz wrote the first few drafts of “Kane”, establishing the characters and overall structure. Welles then took those drafts (which ran over 300 pages!) and did extensive editing and re-writing. Mankiewicz’s contract stipulated that he was a “script doctor” and would go uncredited, but after going to the Writers Guild, Mankiewicz received a co-credit with Welles, who made sure Mankiewicz got top billing. The dispute over who wrote what came to a head in Pauline Kael’s 1971 essay “Raising Kane”, which claimed that Mankiewicz was the sole author and that Welles “never wrote a word”. Many critics and collaborators came to Welles’ defense, and the essay was eventually discredited, but the damage had been done, and the debate still lingers.
• To ensure that his film came in on time, and to prevent RKO executives from bothering him during production, Welles conducted several “camera tests” through June and July of 1940. These “tests” were actually the first month of principal photography, so that by the time RKO figured out what was going on, there was too much footage in the can to scrap the movie.

For my thoughts on the film itself, keep reading for Part Two!

#499) Body and Soul (1925)

OR “Day of the Hunter”

Directed & Written by Oscar Micheaux. Based on his novel.

Class of 2019

The Plot: The town of Tatesville, Georgia has taken a shine to their new minister, Reverend Isaiah T. Jenkins (Paul Robeson). Little do they know that Jenkins is a wanted fugitive posing as a reverend to steal their money. Congregation member Martha Jane (Mercedes Gilbert) wishes to pair up Jenkins with her daughter Isabelle (Julia Theresa Russell), even though Isabelle is already going steady with Sylvester (Paul Robeson again!). When Isabelle steals her mother’s savings and runs off to Atlanta, Martha Jane tries to track her down. But a well placed flashback is just one of a few twists that Oscar Micheaux has up his sleeve.

Why It Matters: The NFR gives high praise to Oscar Micheaux, “a fearless director with an original, daring and creative vision.” The only superlative for “Body and Soul” specifically goes to Paul Robeson’s “blazing screen presence”.

But Does It Really?: Oscar Micheaux is only the fourth African-American director with multiple films on the NFR (following Gordon Parks, Spike Lee, and Charles Burnett). I enjoyed his first entry “Within Our Gates“, and while “Body and Soul” isn’t quite as impactful, it made me appreciate Micheaux’s directing style. So many directors on this list have one movie as representation of their entire filmography, but “Body and Soul” proves that Micheaux was no one-trick pony. Like “Gates”, “Body” is a nuanced story about African-American lives, but this time with more complexities and no obligation to cater to white audiences. And Micheaux’s doing all of this in 1925! Only a handful of Micheaux’s films have survived, but what remains is a testament to a talented artist’s thirty-year documentation of 20th century African-Americans.

Everybody Gets One: A school teacher in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Julia Teresa Russell got the role of Isabelle through her family connections: her sister Alice was married to Oscar Micheaux. Despite Isabelle’s prominence in the film, Russell was uncredited, and “Body” was her first and only film appearance.

Wow, That’s Dated: Mainly the fact that everyone’s dialogue is written out phonetically in the intertitles (“dat” instead of “that”, etc.). Micheaux doesn’t do this for every character, but when he leans into the stereotypical speech patterns, the intertitles become incredibly difficult to decipher. They’re like those seemingly gibberish sentences that make sense when you say them out loud.

Other notes 

• This is Paul Robeson’s film debut! Like “Emperor Jones“, Robeson is simultaneously charming and menacing as Reverend Jenkins. My question: Why is he playing Sylvester too? It’s such a small part. And I guess Sylvester is Jenkins’ twin brother? Why establish that if you’re not going to attempt some cool “Parent Trap”-esque split screen effects?

• The version of “Body and Soul” I viewed was a restored cut available on the Criterion Channel. I bring this up because I really dug the jazz/hip hop soundtrack by Paul Dennis Miller, aka DJ Spooky. Turns out not every silent movie score has to be incessant organ music.
• Weirdly enough, Mercedes Gilbert is also uncredited for her performance, despite Martha Jane having a decent amount of screentime. While this is her only NFR appearance, Gilbert also co-wrote the Fats Waller song “Stompin’ the Bug”, which appears in “Eraserhead“.
• Isabelle tells her mother not to use the n word because “it’s vulgar”. Are you listening, White America?
• Because silent movies are….well, silent, I find myself paying more attention to their cinematography and overall blocking. Sure, “Body and Soul” has the kind of uninteresting staging I associate with silent movies, but Micheaux knows how to spice things up with brisk editing, and effective usage of close-ups and insert shots.
• Isabelle writes to her mother that she feels she has been “Crushed – body and soul”. Take a Shot! I mean, Title Track!
• The phonetically spelled-out word Micheaux goes to the most in this movie is “gwine” (presumably pronounced “gwynn”), used instead of “going”. I think.
• Oscar Micheaux loved his third act flashbacks. While “Gates” gave us a flashback to the main character’s backstory (complete with on-screen lynching), “Body” flashes back to earlier scenes in the movie from Isabelle’s perspective. We would not get that kind of layered storytelling in Hollywood films for at least two decades.
• Following completion of the film, the New York censor board refused to approve “Body” for screening because of its disrespectful portrayal of a minister. On a tight budget with no money for reshoots, Micheaux filmed a new ending, in which the entire story was a nightmare had by Martha Jane. It’s…definitely a letdown. Especially because that now implies that Martha Jane dreamed of her daughter’s boyfriend being a criminal and rapist. What does that say about her?

Legacy 

• “Body and Soul” was one of 43 films Oscar Micheaux made in his lifetime, and unfortunately one of only three known to survive in their entirety. The film got a thorough restoration in 2016, and has helped keep Micheaux in the conversation of groundbreaking African-American filmmakers.

• For the record, “Body and Soul” is no relation to the ’30s jazz standard or the 1947 John Garfield boxing movie.

• Not much of a legacy for “Body and Soul”, but it should be noted that “Night of the Hunter” tread a lot of the same water as “Body and Soul” 30 years later. Michaeux died four years before “Hunter”, so we’ll never know if his reaction was L-O-V-E or H-A-T-E.

#498) Hair Piece: A Film for Nappy Headed People (1984)

OR “A Natural Woman”

Directed & Written by Ayoka Chenzira

Class of 2018

Here’s a brief clip, plus an intro by Ayoka Chenzira

In my almost 4 years of this blog, I’ve covered a wide range of topics: The Vietnam War, second-wave feminism, immigration, etc. But today’s film is about the topic I may be the least qualified to discuss: Afro-textured hair. As always, I’m just here to watch the movie, and report on what I’ve seen. Please forgive me for not going into too much nuance regarding Afro-textured hair; I’m still educating myself.

The Plot: Revolutionary filmmaker Ayoka Chenzira uses animation and collages to tackle “The Hair Problem”. For decades, African-Americans were told that hair was only beautiful if it was long, smooth, and moved with the breeze. This resulted in generations of African-Americans using hot combs and products like Dixie Peach pomade to smooth out their hair. But thanks to the impact of the Black Power Movement, Chenzira suggests that African-Americans need to stop trying to meet the standards determined by White America, and let their hair do its own, natural thing.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls the short “insightful and funny” and gives some historical context for Ayoka Chenzira.

But Does It Really?: Oh sure. At first glance, “Hair Piece” is on the list as representation for Ayoka Chenzira, one of filmdom’s first African-American independent filmmakers. But the film itself is an engaging time capsule of African-American hair culture and its evolution, presented in an animation style that gets the point across clearly. The unique perspective of “Hair Piece” helps it stand out and earn its place in the NFR.

Everybody Gets One: Born and raised in North Philadelphia, Ayoka Chenzira was encouraged by her mother to pursue the arts, with Chenzira deciding on filmmaking while in high school. Chenzira’s films have covered such subjects as dance, child abuse, and hair, all from an African-American perspective. At different times, Chenzira was the director of the Black Filmmakers Foundation and Red Carnelian, two distribution companies focused on promoting films by and about African-Americans. In addition to her plethora of awards from various film committees, Ayoka Chenzira is also a professor of Women Studies, Film and Video at Spelman College.

Wow, That’s Dated: “Hair Piece” is very much a product of the Natural Hair Movement of the late ’60s and early ’70s, which encouraged African-Americans to wear their hair naturally and help redefine what African-American hair “should” look like. As stated at the end of the film, “Hair Piece” is about African-American women letting their hair “come into the full beauty of its own rebelliousness.”

Title Track: I don’t need to recall the details here, but in regards to a certain word in the title: Fuck you Don Imus, now and forever.

Seriously, Oscars?: No Oscar love for “Hair Piece”. 1984’s Best Animated Short Film was Canada’s “Charade” (no relation to the Cary Grant/Audrey Hepburn movie).

Other notes 

• Ayoka Chenzira was inspired to make “Hair Piece” after seeing many African-Americans walking around wearing shower caps, which she later learned was part of the Jheri curl hair process. Chenzira opted to make an animated film on the subject rather than live-action so as to avoid “finger-pointing” and highlight the differences between Eurocentric hairstyling and African-American hairstyling in a more relaxed, fun way.
• In a lovely bit of foreshadowing, when Ayoka Chenzira was growing up, her mother owned a beauty salon in their building.
• Shoutout to the film’s narrator Carol Jean Lewis, a veteran actor with five decades worth of film and theater credits, and maybe the only New York actor without a “Law & Order” credit.
• As a white male, I was trepidatious about covering this film, but Chenzira’s excellent storytelling skills put me at ease. Obviously I will never truly comprehend what it is like to have Afro-textured hair in modern America, but “Hair Piece” made me feel like I might, might, understand the subject on an elementary level.
• For a 10 minute short, this movie packs quite the soundtrack. Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, James Brown; the music rights must be trickier to clear than a Martin Scorsese film.
• Once again, I am severely under-qualified to discuss African-American hair, especially the political connotations that are still resonant, but if nothing else, researching this post reminded me of this photo of a young African-American child touching Barack Obama’s hair. Cute and innocent on the surface, powerful and important underneath.
• Callback to a previous post: “Hair Piece” received a grant from the Jerome Foundation, named after “Film Portrait” director Jerome Hill.

Legacy 

• Ayoka Chenzira continues to tell stories in various mediums, most recently in digital art and transmedia. One of her more recent films, 2013’s “HERadventure”, is a collaboration with her daugher Haj Chenzira-Pinnock.

• Chenzira would go on to make “Alma’s Rainbow”, one of the first full-length films to be directed, written, and produced by an African-American woman.

• I’m gonna go ahead and say that without “Hair Piece”, there is no “Hair Love”. Give credit where’s it due, internet!

#496) Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

OR “Papa, Can You Steer Me?”

Directed by Charles Reisner (and an uncredited Buster Keaton)

Written by Carl Harbaugh (again, with an uncredited Buster Keaton)

Class of 2016 

The Plot: William Canfield Sr. aka “Steamboat Bill” (Ernest Torrence) is a Mississippi steamboat captain whose ship is being overshadowed by the bigger, more luxurious steamer of rival John James King (Tom McGuire). Canfield is delighted to learn that his son William Jr. (Buster Keaton) will be paying him a visit for the first time since he was born. Expecting a big, burly seaman, Junior is a skinny “dandy” with ukulele and beret, much to Bill’s dismay. Bill attempts to teach Junior the ways of steamboats, but Junior is more interested in the affections of Kitty (Marion Byron), the daughter of John James King. This all comes to a head when a cyclone strikes the river, with a climactic sight gag that always brings the house down.

Why It Matters: The NFR gives an extensive tribute to Keaton as the “everyman” of silent film comedy, and gives an overview of his career. While Keaton himself gets superlatives like “ingenious”, the only “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” specific shoutout is for the film’s “breath-stopping stunts and cyclone finale.”

But Does It Really?: Amazingly, I don’t have a lot to say about “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” The scene of the house falling around Keaton is remembered for a reason, and the rest of the film holds up well with plenty of LOL moments. I think it’s the plethora of Keaton films on the list that gives me a feeling of sameness with “Steamboat”. Regardless, “Steamboat” is a fun and funny silent movie that is still worth a watch, with an iconic gag that pushes it into NFR inclusion.

Wow, That’s Dated: Steamboats, that’s the big one. 1928 was the tail end of the steamboat’s reign on the Mississippi, ultimately giving way to trains and diesel tugboats.

Title Track: The title comes from the popular song “Steamboat Bill”, immortalized in “Steamboat Willie” (see “Legacy”). And it has lyrics!

Other notes 

• “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” was filmed on location in Sacramento, California, with the Sacramento River doubling for the Mississippi. I think you’d have to wait until “Lady Bird” to see another movie so prominently shot in California’s capital.
• If Ernest Torrence looks familiar, you may have seen his other nautical-themed NFR performance as Captain Hook in “Peter Pan“.
• The beginning of the film is heavy on setup and light on laughs, but once Keaton arrives, things definitely pick up. My main takeaway from “Steamboat” (or any Keaton film really) is that no stone is left unturned. Keaton has clearly thought of every possible gag idea for each scene, and you are seeing the funniest, best staged version in the final print.
• During the scene where Bill tries to buy Junior a new hat, one of the rejected hats is Keaton’s trademark pork pie, which he had already donned in several earlier films.

• The Michael Douglas Scale returns! Buster Keaton was 32 during production, Marion Byron was 16! He was literally twice her age!
• Best line (intertitle) in the movie: “No jury would convict you.”
• When Junior learns to steer the steamboat, the entire cast shows off their status as “Star Trek Academy of Stumbling for the Camera” graduates.
• The key to any good physical comedy in film: tell the audience what you’re going to do, and then do it. If Keaton is straddling between two boats, you know he’s going to fall into the water and it’s going to be hilarious. Keaton also excels at subverting your comedy expectations. There are several unexpected pratfalls that spring up organically throughout the film.

• The film’s original third act was going to take place during a flood, but the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 made the producers insist on a re-write. The film’s cyclone/rainstorm finale is an acceptable workaround, with every conceivable wind and rain gag thrown in for good measure.

• Keaton had attempted the “house falls around a person” gag in some of his earlier films (you can see it in Keaton’s fellow NFR short “One Week“), but “Steamboat” is unquestionably the definitive version. Stories of the scene’s production (including tales of a suicidal Keaton) are lacking in reliable sources.

• Despite the massive age gap between Bill and Kitty, the romance plot-line is minimal to the point of being unintrusive. It also lead to the last gag of the movie, which kept me laughing through the final intertitles.

Legacy 

• “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” was a critical and commercial disappointment when first released, and a despondent Buster Keaton jumped ship (if you will) from United Artists to MGM. Although his first film with his new studio (1929’s “The Cameraman“) would later make the NFR, Keaton called this move the biggest mistake of his career.

• The main takeaway from “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” is the shot of the house falling around Keaton. It has been recreated time and again, most notably in “Arrested Development”.

• Six months after the release of “Bill”, the similarly titled “Steamboat Willie” premiered, marking the film debut of Mickey Mouse. The title and profession of the main characters are the only parallels between “Bill, Jr.” and “Willie”. I don’t remember Buster Keaton swinging a cat around while playing “Turkey in the Straw”.

#495) Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (1906)

OR “Industrial Light & Rabbit”

Directed & Written by Wallace McCutcheon and Edwin S. Porter. Based on the comic strip “Dream of the Rarebit Fiend” by Winsor McCay.

Class of 2015

The Plot: An unnamed man (Jack Brawn) feats on Welsh rabbit (or rarebit, if you will), and promptly goes to bed. Unfortunately the rarebit seems to disagree with him, and his indigestion leads to nightmares about a flying bed and little devils poking at him with pitchforks. It’s crazy, but the man is also dreaming about some noteworthy early movie effects.

Why It Matters: The NFR praises the film’s “groundbreaking trick photography”, comparing it to the work of Georges Méliès. There’s also an informative essay by author and film Professor Lauren Rabinovitz.

But Does It Really?: Oh, sure. “Rarebit” stands out from other shorts of the era thanks to its impressive undertaking of early film special effects. It’s short, it’s visually engaging, and a perfect harbinger of all the movie magic we’ve gotten since 1906. No argument here for NFR inclusion.

Everybody Gets One: Co-director Wallace McCutcheon got his start in the film industry making films for American Biograph. He moved over to Edison and collaborated with Edwin S. Porter on a number of shorts, including “Rarebit”. When McCutcheon was denied a raise at Edison, he returned to Biograph, but was eventually replaced by a young up-and-comer named D.W. Griffith.

Title Track: I’m confused: is the title referring to a dream being had by someone fond of rarebit, or is it a man’s dream of demons caused by the rarebit? I guess it all depends on which definition of the word “fiend” you’re choosing to apply here.

Other notes 

• Like his later strip “Little Nemo in Slumberland”, McCay’s “Dream of the Rarebit Fiend” was based around people’s dreams. Each strip began with a character eating Welsh rabbit and, after falling asleep, dreaming the kind of surreal abstractions that were McCay’s trademark. I feel like you need to know the basic premise in order to understand why this film begins with a lengthy shot of Jack Brawn eating.
• The best part of the NFR’s write-up for “Rarebit” is when they describe Jack Brawn’s character as “a top-hatted swell”. Someone had fun with that.
• Once we hit the dream part of the title, the special effects take front and center. They are quite rudimentary by today’s standards, but they are still a wonder to behold over 100 years later. And the variety of effects are impressive as well: stop-motion, optical effects, models, double exposure; this film gives you everything.
• The little devils at the beginning of the dream remind me of Happy Hotpoint. And THAT is the most obscure reference I’ve ever made on this blog.
• The effects are such a mix of impressive and archaic that I found myself laughing while watching them, but I genuinely don’t know if I was laughing with them or at them.

Legacy 

• Other than writing the comic that served as inspiration, Winsor McCay was not involved in the film of “Rarebit Fiend”. But don’t worry, McCay would get into innovative film work soon enough.

• In addition to being one of the earliest narrative films on the NFR, “Dream of a Rarebit Fiend” is the first to prominently feature special effects, so let’s go ahead and label this film the forebearer to all visual effects in American movies. And no, I am not forgetting about Georges Méliès, but the very nature of this blog forces me to focus on his American disciples. We’ll get to Méliès when “Hugo” inevitably makes this list. Speaking of great effects…