Misery

Tags

1990's, Frances Sternhagen, James Caan, Kathy Bates, Lauren Bacall, Misery, Psychological Thriller, Richard Farnsworth, Rob Reiner, Stephen King

Film Title

Misery

Director

Rob Reiner

Starring

• James Caan as Paul Sheldon
• Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes
• Richard Farnsworth as Buster
• Frances Sternhagen as Virginia
• Lauren Bacall as Marcia Sindell

A sterling and very unsettling adaptation of the Stephen King novel, Misery, as directed by the versatile Rob Reiner, gains great suspense and uneasiness from confident direction, a sinister score and an Oscar-winning performance from Kathy Bates.

Paul Sheldon is a successful author, most famous for his romance novels containing the character of Misery Chastain. Yet after writing so many books about the character, Paul has grown restless and wants to try other things in the more serious genres. He has just finished writing the manuscript for a new novel of a different vein while in the retreat of a Colorado lodge and plans to journey back to his New York home. As he drives though a fierce blizzard halts these plans and he crashes his car violently off the road knocking him unconscious. Trapped in his car as the blizzard rages on, Paul is rescued by Annie Wilkes, a former nurse who takes him to her house and tends to his injuries. When he wakes up, the seemingly friendly Annie makes him as comfortable as possible, while telling him that she is his number one fan. Annie is a homely and lonely woman who is slightly odd but spears to be relatively harmless in Paul’s eyes and he’s extremely grateful to her for saving his life. Annie promises that once the phone lines are back up,and working and the road is safe, she’ll take him to a hospital. Yet things turn very creepy very fast once Annie reads Paul’s latest Misery novel and finds out her favourite character has been killed off. Flying off the handle she shows her true frightening colours. She then reveals that she never called the hospital, so no one knows where Paul is and many presume him to be dead. Still bedridden and now completely terrified, he is for forced to comply with her demands of writing a new novel bringing the character of Misery back to life. Frightened for his life, he begins writing, all the while planning some form of escape from the disturbed Annie, who never wants to let Paul go and is so intensely obsessed by him and his work, that she will resort to the most brutal tactics to make sure he completes the novel she is forcing him to write. Meanwhile, the local Sherrif Buster, an old, seasoned pro begins searching for the missing Paul, convinced that he isn’t dead as everyone else seems to believe. Before, writing was just a way of making a living for Paul, but now in the desperate situation of prisoner under the obsessed and deranged eye of Annie, he is writing to save his very life.

The ever versatile Rob Reiner shoes flair for the psychological thriller genre buy focusing on events with the confined setting of Annie’s house, that becomes claustrophobic once her mania comes out. Reiner taps into the fear of entrapment and fanatical devotion that both palpably leap from the screen and increase the terror. Tension and chills are provided through zooming close-ups, particularly of a fearful Paul and a crazed Annie. These are used most effectively in the iconic scene of Annie hobbling Paul after finding out he has tried to escape, just thinking about that scene gives me chills. Just as entertaining as watching the terrified Paul attempting to escape is the battle of wills between him and Annie. He tries to reason with her, but is ultimately forced to give in to her demands for fear of his life. Annie basically becomes the role of a disapproving and demanding(plus very menacing) editor of Paul’s work, adding to a gleefully dark undercurrent of Misery. There are some impressive jolts of black humour and irony thrown into the mix that give Misery yet more of a twisted scope to work within and coil around with mounting intensity. While the film is filled with shots of snowy hills and landscapes almost from the off, the suspense-building score from Marc Shaiman lets the audience now that we are not in for a cosy ride with strings and brass mixing to chilling effect as Paul becomes at the mercy of the unhinged and devoted Annie.

James Caan, who from the roles I’ve seen him in often plays the hell raiser of the menacing type, flips it here successfully portraying the imprisoned Paul. He convincingly conveys the feelings of entrapment and terror that soon arise when Annie’s niceness vanishes. The main draw of the film is the super impressive and award-winning performance from Kathy Bates as the psychopathic Annie Wilkes. Essaying the mood swings of the character, from calm and homely nurse to enraged torturer who will stop at nothing to keep Paul with her, Bates registers on every level so well it is frightening to behold. There is simply no other actress who could have played the part of Annie with the creepy intensity of Kathy Bates and the Oscar she won for the role was well-merited indeed. Richard Farnsworth breathes intelligence and humour into the part of the searching sheriff who won’t give up and his performance is complimented by that of Frances Sternhagen as his sarcastic but helpful wife. Lauren Bacall appears in a small but memorable role as the concerned publisher of Paul’s work.

A chilling psychological thriller of shocks and squirms, Misery will have you most uncomfortable by the end due to the creepy factor that is built throughout it and the excellent work of the cast, in particular an unforgettable Kathy Bates as the devoted but extremely dangerous number one fan.

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Lady in a Cage

Tags

1960's, Ann Sothern, James Caan, Jeff Corey, Jennifer Billingsley, Lady in a Cage, Olivia de Havilland, Rafael Campos, Thriller, Walter E. Grauman

Film Title

Lady in a Cage

Director

Walter E. Grauman

Starring

• Olivia de Havilland as Mrs. Hilyard
• James Caan as Randall
• Jeff Corey as George
• Ann Sothern as Sade
• Jennifer Billingsley as Elaine
• Rafael Campos as Essie

Stark and highly suspenseful, Lady in a Cage is a surprisingly lurid and at times brutal thriller from the 60’s. Parts of it reek of being dated and melodramatic, but I was still surprised by how effective and shocking this movie was at keeping me on edge like all good thrillers.

Mrs. Hilyard, a wealthy widow is recuperating after breaking her hip. To get around her house better, she has had an elevator installed to help her get between the two main floors. With her son away, who she often mollycoddles a lot, Mrs. Hilyard attempts to find something to take her mind off being alone. But when she uses the elevator, which at times resembles a cage, a power failure causes it to stop midway and she is left trapped. She tries to call for help but no one seems to come. That is until the homeless alcoholic stumbles into her home and instead of helping her because of his addiction, steals some of her belongings. He proceeds to visit his only real friend, the weary prostitute Sade. Both are desperate for money so they return to the house to see what else they can hawk for cash. The duo gains the attention of a violent troika of teenage hoodlums; savagely brutal leader Randall, lecherous Essie and violence loving Elaine. The teenagers cotton on to the idea of money and riches and follow George and Sade to the house. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hilyard is slowly beginning to crumble in fear and things get a whole lot worse when Randall and his posse arrive and indulge in games of violence and torment with her, and Sade. Can this civilised and well-bred woman manage to survive the ensuing brutality around her and free herself from the eponymous cage?

Walter E. Grauman coats Lady in a Cage in a bleak and unforgiving light, that makes the events that transpire even more horrifying. Themes of indifference and cruelty are explored with a lot of dramatic impact generated. The fact that when Mrs rings for help no one seems to notice taps into society’s culture of being to busy to notice important things and it is presented against the backdrop of savagery that soon invades her house. The stark and at times harsh black and white cinematography is used to terrifying effect as it brings more darkness to the film, despite the events all taking place over a sunny day. Now it must be stated that Lady in a Cage despite holding up well in various areas, does have parts that have dated badly. The main instance is the inner monologue of Mrs Hilyard, which seems like a good idea but eventually becomes more than a little repetitive. In other instances some of the film gets a bit histrionic, but thankfully due to some of the content that is still shocking today it succeeds above these two flawed elements. A shifting score of tempo and volume ushers in uneasy feelings for the characters and audience.

Olivia de Havilland is excellently cast as the trapped woman of the title. Through her performance, we as the audience share her suffering and turmoil as her civilised world is torn apart and she must fight to survive the carnage. Sympathetic, desperate( as evidenced by the fact that Mrs Hilyard makes her own conversation to alleviate her panic) and traumatised, yet still holding on, de Havilland is oh so marvellous in the part and she displays such tangible emotions that we can’t help but want her to live through the terrifying plight she endures. In his first really substantial film role, James Caan is disgustingly evil as the leader of the gang who delight in terror. He really strikes fear into the heart of this film and many of the shocking events unfold as a result of his character’s cruelty. Jeff Corey and Ann Sothern manage to make their characters, who are in essence thieves sympathetic, because they may break into the house but their violence and means are nothing as vicious as the trio of demented teenagers. And speaking of the horrid teenage hoodlums, Jennifer Billingsley and Rafael Campos as the loyal followers in the gang are equally as creepy and filled with disturbed menace.

A thriller film that isn’t afraid to be shocking and disquieting, Lady in a Cage showcases talented acting and dark subject matter in a highly compelling and difficult way. Archaic as some of it is, one can’t deny the power of the film and what it taps into. Who knew a movie from such a long time ago could still retain a brutal impact?

The Godfather

Tags

1970's, Al Pacino, Crime, Diane Keaton, Francis Ford Coppola, James Caan, John Cazale, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Talia Shire, The Godfather, The Godfather Trilogy

Film Title

The Godfather

Director

Francis Ford Coppola

Cast

• Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone
• Al Pacino as Michael Corleone
• James Caan as Sonny Corleone
• Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen
• John Cazale as Fredo Corleone
• Diane Keaton as Kay Adams
• Talia Shire as Connie Corleone

Synopsis: The story of an Italian-American family involved in organized crime in post-war New York. The head of the family has three sons, one daughter and an “adopted” son. One of the sons will eventually take the reins of power from the ageing Don; volatile Sonny, weak-willed Fredo or war hero Michael.  The story concerns the passing of power from one generation to another and the effect that it has on the family.

I know that many people will take one look at this review and think, “Why does The Godfather need to be reviewed?” After all it is common knowledge to many that it is one of the most acclaimed films in the history of cinema. But before people judge it too quickly, please listen, read my review and see what I have to say about this movie that changed my life.

The Godfather is the epic, operatic and masterful story of the Corleone crime family, directed by a young Francis Ford Coppola whose name will forever be associated with this hugely influential and iconic film. It is often seen as one of the most influential movies and also one of the best ever made. No other film has entered into popular culture quite like The Godfather, words from the script are now embedded in the minds of moviegoers and who knows how many people have attempted an impression of Marlon Brando’s ever present and pivotal Don. One need only look at The Soprano’s or Scorsese’s later work to see how much of an impact the film has made. It is hard to imagine a world without The Godfather. Unlike the typical gangster films of the 1930’s and beyond that featured gangsters against FBI or police such as The Public Enemy , The Godfather examines the more personal side of the business portraying the Corleone’s as a family who believe in a sense of honour and duty no matter the cost or bloodshed. It is essentially a family drama that happens to be about organized crime.

There are three specific scenes in the film that are important to me for different reasons; the wedding scene, the death of one of the sons and the baptism scene.

What I find so interesting in the opening  scene of the Don’s only daughter Connie’s wedding , is the clear dichotomy that is shown between family and business, which is emphasised by the dimly lit court that the Don is holding indoors and the jovial, sunny and celebratory atmosphere occurring outside.  
Whilst the multitudes of guests gather outside in the sunny heat, the family patriarch Don Vito Corleone is listening to various stories of people who require his “assistance”. The Don is an ageing man whose raspy voice and deliberate movements belie an exceptional intelligence and sense of judgment. Outside whilst the celebrations are taking place, Coppola takes the time to introduce the other members of the family. Vito’s eldest child Sonny is a hot-headed, bullish and arrogant man with a temper that knows no boundaries, Fredo is the second eldest son and the weakest member of the family, Tom Hagen is the Don’s “adopted” child and lawyer with an extremely level head who often acts as the voice of reason and Connie as the only girl amongst four boys is a spoiled young woman. Then one of the most important characters is introduced, the white sheep of the family and war hero Michael. Michael is one of the only members of the family who does not want to be involved in the business .Out of all of the Don’s children; Michael is by far the most interesting and most complex character in the film. At the wedding he brings along Kay Adams, his all-American WASP girlfriend who has no idea of the family’s business. I think that the introduction of Kay is used so that the audience can see what she is seeing as she is not Italian-American and the customs between her upbringing and the family’s culture is varied. When I watched the film, I saw its examination of the family from two points of view; as a family that will do anything to uphold honour and loyalty and like Kay, unsure of the dynasty and their way of life. The examination of the family even though they are involved in organized crime is presented like any other family celebrating a significant event. This helps back up the point that they are just like any other family, they just happen to do bad things usually for good reasons. It presents the character of Don Vito as a man who by his own admission would do anything for his family. He is just like every other father who cares a great deal about his relatives and would go to any limits to protect them.

One of the most effective scenes in the film and the one that had an impact on me was the brutal slaughter of bullish eldest son Sonny. It had a huge impact on me because I could see that something bad was going to eventually happen to him because of his volatile behaviour and actions, but I just didn’t know what. Even though it is obvious that something is going happen to Sonny because if his temper, his death is still one of the most emotional and shocking moments to grace the screen. For its time, the murder of Sonny was shocking. But it hasn’t lost any of its original impact on the viewer or the events that follow on from his demise.  Before this scene, Sonny has found out that Carlo has been beating his sister up.  Although he promises his terrified sister that he won’t do anything, he takes revenge on Carlo by viscously beating him up in the middle of a street. Just before he leaves the barely conscious Carlo, he warns him that if he touches his sister again he will kill him. Carlo ignores this and after a pregnant Connie finds out he has been having an affair and berates him about it, he mercifully attacks her. The build-up to Sonny’s demise then starts with him receiving a phone call from his sister. In a barely audible voice she explains that her husband Carlo has beat her, Sonny clearly angered by this sets out to kill Carlo. This unfortunately leads to his demise which is set up by Carlo himself. Whilst driving to Connie’s house, the car in front of Sonny on the highway by a station stops. At this moment, you know that something bad is going to occur. It turns out there are more people at the station than Sonny thought. As he tries to escape after sensing that something is wrong,  Carlo’s henchman pop up from the station and the car in front. Then the bullets start to fire at Sonny in a fast paced motion, throwing his body about in a particularly unsettling fashion.  This graphic depiction of death was clearly influenced by the famous finale of “Bonnie and Clyde” in which the two eponymous lovers are violently gunned down in slow and fast motion.  I think that Coppola references “Bonnie and Clyde” because it was one of the first films to feature extreme violence and also because it broke new ground as to what was seen as acceptable in film. The demise of Sonny made me think about how I would feel if it was a member of my family and what I would do. I felt sympathy for Sonny because even though he has done bad things he did them for the honour and values of his family.

The penultimate scene of the film is the brilliantly edited sequence that intercuts the baptism of Connie’s child with the killing of the heads of The Five Crime Families. The juxtaposition between the beginning of life and the end is mesmerising to watch.  I remember watching this sequence and being amazed at how technically and cinematically effective it was. I also remember the scene for the sight of a now changed Michael being asked if he renounces Satan and at that exact moment his hit men take out the family enemies. The scene is a clear indication of how Michael has now become the cold and calculating Don he wasn’t expected to become. Twinning the holy presence of religion and the brutal massacre of others was a stroke of genius.

The turning point for the family and the film is the arrival of Sollozzo, a gangster with the backing of another family who wants to import narcotics but requires the assistance of Vito. When Vito refuses, Sollozo’s men gun him down but the ageing Don doesn’t die.  What follows on from these events is what makes the film so compelling especially the slow-building metamorphosis of Michael from reluctant youngest son to ruthless and calculating Don. The film is more than just an average crime movie; it is an insightful and almost Shakespearean family saga, in the model of King Lear. Even though The Godfather is justly famous for the showier and exciting parts that occupy the film, it is the elegiac and personal study of family values and ties that gives the film its edge.  The film’s cinematography is outstanding in the way that it captures the emotions and creates atmosphere onscreen; a classic example is the opening scene in the Don’s office that is low-lit to give a sense of shadiness. Also in the various scenes of Michael hiding out in Sicily, the lighting and mise-en-scene give the film an old-fashioned and sweeping quality. The music featured throughout the film is haunting and clearly suits the languid and thoughtful pace at which the movie runs.

One of the most successful aspects of the film is the cast that Coppola assembled. It goes without saying that no one else could be as good a Don as the legendary Brando, but the real revelation of the film is the young then almost unknown Al Pacino. His performance is amazing as Michael changes from bystander to ruthless boss; this performance clearly shows that risky casting does pay off. Equally as good are Caan and Duvall as two very different characters, the volatile Sonny and the level headed Tom. Out the few women in the film, Kay is the most rounded character and Diane Keaton makes her an interesting female presence in a male-dominated movie. She is at first naïve of the family business but she gradually begins to realize what is happening. Despite this, she dearly loves Michael and the final shot of the film in which the door is closed metaphorically and literally on her dejected face as Michael becomes the new Don is heart breaking to watch

.

If I had to summarise what The Godfather was about in three words they would be family, honour and power. If anyone out there has not seen it please watch it, I promise you it will change your life. After all it is in the words of the Don ,simply an offer you can’t refuse.