"THE LETTER" FROM A LONG LOST AGE...

Aah Film noir. One of the oldest genres around. To be sure it has changed a lot since it’s heyday in the ‘40s and ‘50s so much so that it has spurned a new genre called “neo-noir” that differentiates the modern versions from those good old Hollywood classics. It’s like a roast dinner, fish and chips, your favourite drink (please note that I am writing this post just before dinner LOL), in short something you know like the back of your hand and come back to knowing what to expect. If it is an American Classic like The Letter, you will get a beautiful woman, seductive but dangerous (Bette Davis), a man of the law (often a private eye or a police officer but in this particular case the family lawyer, played by James Stephenson), a crime, a cover-up and the impending sense of doom despite the best efforts of the characters, be they sympathetic or not… Adapted from W. Somerset Maugham’s best-seller, The Letter is cited as an example for “classic American noir” – and there’s a good reason for it…

Leslie (Bette Davis) and Robert ( Herbert Marshall) lead a charmed life, living on plantation in Singapore. Servants to tend to their every need and enough money to make %100 sure these needs are tended to mean that Leslie has little to do apart from relaxing and enjoying life while her adoring husband makes sure the plantation is ticking over. She is adored by one and all in the area and part of the very cream of high society, so everyone is shocked when she admits to killing one of her neighbours, a man both her and her husband had known for some time, in her own home in the middle of the night. However, as she is a trusted and well-loved member of society people are also more than ready to believe her word on what happened. The man was drunk, had showed up unannounced, was making unwanted advances and she was alone in the house. She defended herself. She is of course put on trial – but it really seems to be little more than a formality – everyone fully expects life to return to normal very, very shortly. Except… There is talk of this letter… A letter written in Lesley’s own hand and that could turn this idyllic world upside down… Her lawyer seems to be the only one who can help her… Stuck between his loyalty to his client and his loyalty to his vocation, Howard is in a very tight spot indeed… But he must choose carefully, for no matter which way he turns, his actions will have grave consequences…

It’s an interesting combo, the film noir. Becoming popular, and holding a lot of its roots in the Depression era the genre takes a step away from “classic” Hollywood. You can definitely sense the general disillusionment with the establishment and the “system” (whatever that may be) as criminals who get away with murder (among other crimes), officers of the law who fully believe that “everyone has their price” but who have lost all faith in justice they are meant to uphold are prominent along with the dark and striking photography that owes a not a little to German Expressionism but doubtless also contributes to the atmosphere of the film and the constant sense of “something bad being about to happen”.

The Letter is a textbook example of all of the above, but don’t think for a minute it is a hard tale of doom and gloom that you will find difficult to “get into”. In fact this film, as do a lot of its genre, relies a lot on emotions and feelings. In fact I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Bette Davis; as an actress she is as brilliant as always, however there are times when you note a gesture or a pose that is so exaggerated you can very clearly see the lingering effects of the pre-sound era of cinema. It is literally the kind of stuff I do today when I’m clowning around and want to give a sense of an “overly exaggerated” whatever it is… Oh you’ll recognise it. You really, really will. But you have to remember that cinema is an art form like any other, and it grows, changes and develops. Find it funny or not, The Letter is one of the great-grandparents of the crime dramas we watch today. And visiting your grandparents (or indeed your great grandparents) can be both fascinating and great fun… If you can find time in your “modern existence” to actually do it that is… ;) 

ON HOW TIME AND LIFE CHANGES US... "WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?"

Ok, so I know that it’s literally Halloween tomorrow. You’ll be thinking I have missed a trick or two. I mean, why in the world am I not reviewing horror films, right? Well, I know my schedule is a little skew-wiff this week but I would argue that this film is not exactly out of context. I mean, there are many real-life scary things in this world of ours. One is the human mind and it’s capabilities for creating suffering – for ourselves and the people around us. The second, is using this capability within the context of your own family – and as a lot of us probably know this happens more often than we like to admit in public. But anyway, whatever happened to baby jane is specifically this kind of thriller. And I don’t care how used you are to big special effects and CGI, if you have even half a heart, I can guarantee that this little black and white number from the ‘60s will get the hairs on the back of your neck standing right on end…

We start off in 1917, and child star Baby Jane Hudson is taking America by storm. An all-singing, all-dancing American sweetheart  that toured the music halls, Baby Jane has shot to celebrity very young, and it shows. Adored by all, she is spoiled and treats her sister Blanche and her family little better than staff. Fast forward some years however and the tables have taken a very drastic turn. Blanche has shot to fame as a star of the big screen while Jane (Bette Davis) has been forgotten – partly due to her drinking problem. But if the bitterness of being forgotten while her sister is celebrated is not enough, Jane has another slight problem. A car accident has left Blanche (Joan Crawford) paralysed from the waist down, so it falls to Jane to wait on her hand and foot and take care of her every need. But Jane is bitter about this situation. She is very bitter indeed. And she doesn’t miss a single opportunity to remind her sister of it. Question is, when will the torture Jane inflicts on her sister end, if ever? How much more can Blanche take, and has she any way of stopping her, despite being completely dependent on her?

Ok. I don’t even know where to begin with this. But the cast alone should tell you something. Come on, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. I mean, the acting is just… Just superb… I can’t think of many actresses that could successfully pull off the “bad guy” so well and give such a sense of the pathetic at the same time. But even though you feel at times desperately sorry for Jane, you cannot help but watch in horror at what she puts poor Blanche through. It’s funny , really… Family ties are complicated at the best of times without the added complications of lost fame, resentment and crippling accidents, besides let’s face it, who knows our weak spots better than them? The dynamic between the two sisters is simply timeless, and I defy anyone to watch this without their skin crawling on some level or another, despite it being made 50 odd years ago… Just goes to show, some fears never change or grow old…

Speaking of 50 years ago though, technophobe that I am, I couldn’t help smiling at the fact that this film could not be made in the 21^st century. A lot of the plot revolves around the fact that Blanche cannot contact the outside world or call help because she is trapped on the second floor of the mansion – completely dependent on her sister to get to the first floor – and unable to reach the telephone and call help. Blanche would probably have a mobile and a laptop or tablet if she were alive today; and even assuming her sister removed all these things, she would sooner or later be able to get hold of something, e-mail, call , text, skype, whatsapp or viber the authorities and that would be the end of that… I’m not even getting started on how “possible” the skeleton in the family closet would be in this day and age (mainly because the skeleton constitutes a very fine sting in the story’s tail that I want you to discover for yourselves) but suffice it to say that in a lot of ways the film is a museum piece. But the way it takes such a universal theme as sibling rivalry and turns into a thriller we can relate to today despite the antiquated settings makes the film a real masterpiece and a true classic.

BLACK AND WHITE SOIREE 2 : THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS! "ALL ABOUT EVE"

There really is no business like show business… Honestly. On stage, the PERFORMANCE is sheer magic. The stars truly shine. Then, they gracefully float out of sight, the grease paint comes off, the claws come out and production assistants and runners are thrown flying through the air like toys (I can personally vouch for the last part being true metaphorically true and wouldn’t swear that it didn’t occasionally happen physically as well). Now, it is almost exactly 10 years after Mr. Welles turned the world cinema stage upside down. We are now in the hands of quadruple (counting his win with this film) Oscar® winning director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Ok, he was a bit before our time so what else might you have heard of that he did? The Barefooted Contessa? Yeah, come on, you’ve HEARD of it even if you haven’t actually watched it. Anyway, Mr. Mankiewicz takes us backstage. Not to the backstage of his own movie (DVD’s, Extras and “Behind The Scenes” wasn’t invented in 1950) but backstage in the theatre. Come, come, the real “drama” is just beginning…

Margo Channing (Bette Davis) is a diva. There is no other way to describe her and she would tear you to pieces if you tried. She lives in that rarified atmosphere – “the art circle darling” – populated with playwrights such Lloyd Richards and his wife Karen who is “theatre by marriage”, theatre critics such as Addison DeWitt, directors such as Bill, Margo’s long suffering boyfriend. Margo is so famous and such a success everyone puts up with her “ways”. She brings in such big crowds she’s allowed to play parts of 25 year-olds even though she’s pushing 40. And she has fans. Oh hundreds of fans but none so devoted as Eve Harrington. The mousy young woman attends ALL Margo’s performances, every single one, rain or shine. Karen is touched by the young girl’s attitude and devotion. And she is very old friends with Margo so she decides to do the poor little thing a favor and introduce them. Well Eve even melts Margo’s heart and soon she is living with Margo as her personal assistant. She has so many qualities, is so efficient… She’s just the perfect assistant for Margo… Or is she?

Now, I am a movie buff. I have worked in television, I am still heavily embroiled in the media and hope to become even more so. I love everything to do with showbiz and “behind the scenes”. I, therefore, watch one heck of a lot of this sort of thing. Rarely in my life have I seen a film where the intrigue was so cleverly constructed, Plot twists fall out of thin air, Bette Davis is brilliant, Anne Baxter who plays Eve is brilliant, everyone is brilliant. Everyone, incidentally, includes Marilyn Monroe who has a small part in it. Small, but brilliant. Like a diamond. The other thing is, of course, this movie is chiefly about acting – and I don’t just mean the topic. This was 1950 people, no special effects, no 3D, no HD, no adrenalin-pumped car chases or whatever. There is, however, acting. Bucket loads of the stuff in the best quality as well… Which is very fitting seeing as the topic is, basically, us. Even in your average office, all of you will know, there is intrigue, back stabbing, plots… Ok, put it in a theatre and showbiz, glam it up, it becomes more “dramatic”, but this is basically the kind of thing that happens all the time. You witness it and partake in it every single day. This is precisely why this film is a timeless classic. You’ll know what I mean when you watch it. And you will “recognize” the story. Immediately…

P.S. Ok, I love a bit of trivia. And I want to share this little morsel with you simply to show you how true to life this film is. When this film was shot, Bette Davis was a star, Anne Baxter was just starting out. And apparently Miss Baxter actually managed to influence the authorities into nominating her as “Best Actress” along with Bette Davis. The word is, this move divided the votes and definitively prevented Bette Davis from winning an Oscar ®. So there you are. I told you the film was realistic ;)