tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804657780857817119.post1881543933128936174..comments2022-11-20T03:15:18.468-08:00Comments on Cinema Directives: A Forgotten Gem from John Hustontom hylandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059595835440742055noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804657780857817119.post-55358360548919465302012-02-18T06:39:14.058-08:002012-02-18T06:39:14.058-08:00Adam:
Thanks for the comment. I think Huston unde...Adam:<br /><br />Thanks for the comment. I think Huston underrates this work quite a bit. This is urgent, passionate, intelligent filmmaking. <br /><br />I agree that Pedro Armendariz does indeed give the best performance in the film. He is physically intimidating, yet he can be quite suave and his scene with Jones, where he eats crab and drinks rum like water, is a highlight. Jones is good as she underplays the role. I thought Garfield was fine. I don't see him as being miscast in this role, but I could see others in this part.<br /><br />Do we get to know the characters here as well as we do in the best Huston works such as "Sierra Madre" or "Fat City"? No, but I can't quite agree with your statement that the characters "seem a little... distant." They are in some ways mysterious to be sure, but that helps the overall message of the film about how everyday citizens come together for this act.tom hylandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15059595835440742055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804657780857817119.post-65477447960653991682012-02-18T00:52:50.018-08:002012-02-18T00:52:50.018-08:00Yeah, We Were Strangers surprised me a lot when I ...Yeah, <i>We Were Strangers</i> surprised me a lot when I first watched it for my Huston Blogathon two years ago. I had feared the worst, especially since Huston dismisses it in his autobiography as "not a very good picture," but methinks he was underrating it a little. It's one of the better movies about "heroic terrorists," and modern-day movies like <i>Inglourious Basterds</i> owe a lot to it -- though I vastly prefer Huston's treatment of this kind of story to Tarantino's.<br /><br />One thing that makes the movie considerable is Jennifer Jones' performance, because she makes for one of the stronger heroines in Huston's filmography. I can't say I was impressed with John Garfield's performance very much, though; he's a good actor (particularly in <i>Gentleman's Agreement</i>), but he seemed miscast here, probably because he doesn't look too comfortable inhabiting the role of an action hero. I don't seem to recall those close-ups of his face you mention here though, so I'll keep a look out for those when the movie airs on TV again.<br /><br />I think part of the reason why the movie doesn't quite rank with Huston's best work is because, in retrospect, most of the characters seem a little... distant. The movie is much more efficient as a meditation on ideas about facism & democracy than it is as a window into the lives of these people. I'd say the two characters who made most of an impression on me were the sidekick played by Gilbert Roland, and the villain, Ariete. In fact, I'd venture to say Pedro Armendariz gives the best performance in the movie - he really steals that one scene where he sadly remarks that everybody in his life is afraid of him, including his own mother.Adam Zanziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14524618281515322239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804657780857817119.post-31566049754789255832012-02-14T10:33:22.038-08:002012-02-14T10:33:22.038-08:00"Beat The Devil" is not top-drawer Husto..."Beat The Devil" is not top-drawer Huston, but it is a lot of fun.<br /><br />As for "Adrian Messenger", there's a gimmick that keeps you around to the end, but it's not that great a payoff after all is said and done. The rest of the film is pretty lousy and a big disappointment.tom hylandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15059595835440742055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2804657780857817119.post-32255685655175944642012-02-14T10:17:42.620-08:002012-02-14T10:17:42.620-08:00A big Huston fan, I would love to be able to see t...A big Huston fan, I would love to be able to see this film. My favorite 'unknown' Huston films are The List of Adrian Messenger and Beat the Devil.Stephen Mitchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06808705341828556267noreply@blogger.com