Johnny Guitar, Phony Western?

The romantic style of Johnny Guitar is very different from the realism that dominates the work of classical Western directors such as John Ford and Howard Hawks, and this expressive boldness can be looked at as a form of allegory. In particular, many critics have pointed out that the film is a hidden commentary on the McCarthy witch-hunts. The film is certainly more than just a Western — Truffaut called it "a phony Western". It is a sexual drama with obsessive personalities bordering on madness: the character played by Mercedes McCambridge is obviously the chief villain, but Joan Crawford's character is not entirely likable, scowling through much of the movie. Ray shows that Crawford's own psycho-sexual obsession affects her in equally bizarre turns; for example, she dresses entirely in white in a crucial scene where she must confront McCambridge (who dresses in black for most of the film).

Some insights on Johnny Guitar from the blogosphere:

...Ray’s work is highly regarded by film buffs, and rightfully so. The 1954 western Johnny Guitar is a minor classic, not really a western at all but a bizarre psychological study laced with insightful social commentary.
The plot has Joan Crawford maintaining a powerful hold on a boomtown where the railroad promises to bring even more boom. Crawford operates a casino on the outskirts of town and she’s buying more and more property, poised to become the West’s ultimate dominatrix. She’s also suspected of having led the robbery of a stagecoach, a crime that claimed the brother of Mercedes McCambridge who despises Crawford and wants to run her out of town. The reversal of gender roles is the most interesting aspect of this movie, the first western in which two women wear the pants and dominate the proceedings. The tension between these two is considerable, and it’s no wonder. Crawford, apparently resentful that there was another woman in the cast, allegedly did one of her Mommie Dearest numbers on her co-star, making life hell for the poor actress throughout the shoot.
The women’s strength is enhanced by the casting of two comparatively weak actors in the leading male roles. MORE »


Johnny Guitar has it all. There’s repressed Freudian urges: Emma (Mercedes MacCambridge) loves the Dancing Kid (Scott Brady) but her longing scares her righteous religious side -- so she considers killing him. There’s also gender-confusion, as a strong-willed woman (Vienna played with hard brittle by Joan Crawford) runs a saloon. Crawford, often shot in low-angle compositions with shoulders thrown back, exudes masculine confidence. Decked in a black shirt, pants, and boots, she totes a gun while smirking out of the left side of her mouth. Even Sam (Robert Osterloch), her croupier, in an apparent narrative aside quips, "Never seen a woman who was more a man. She thinks like one, acts like one, and sometimes makes me feel like I’m not." MORE »
Johnny Guitar was adapted into a stage musical, which debuted in 2004. The musical adaptation favored a more "camp" approach toward the material, which seemed to work in its favor, at least among the critics.
Johnny Guitar Musical official website »

The Caine Mutiny Typhoon was factual.

Typhoon Cobra (1944)plays an important role in the novel The Caine Mutiny.

Although Caine Mutiny novel and film are fiction, fellow twitter reveals the typhoon was factual. Excerpt from retweeted article/div>

What The Caine Mutiny Can Teach Us about Global Warming Scientists

Last year, Reid Bryson, the “father of climatology,” and a leading AGW skeptic, passed away. Bryson’s actual achievements are the hallmark of a genuine scientist as opposed to the work done by AGW advocates.

A true scientist demonstrates his knowledge by using it to make predictions which can be confirmed or refuted. Bryson successfully predicted, in December 1944, that the so-called “Caine Mutiny Typhoon” would hit Adm. William Halsey’s Third Fleet. This storm was so-named because the novel The Caine Mutiny was based on what happened to the Fleet when it was struck by the typhoon. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize and was later made into a movie starring Humphrey Bogart.

Reid Bryson later wrote of his experience with the Caine Mutiny Typhoon in the October 2000 issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. From weather reports, he realized that a typhoon had formed and a trough of low pressure could cause it to curve toward the Third Fleet. He ordered up a reconnaissance aircraft, which located the storm’s eye, and estimated that the surface wind speed was a very strong 140 knots. Bryson radioed this observational data to Fleet Weather Central at Pearl Harbor, who responded with “we don’t believe you.” The Third Fleet did not receive Bryson’s warning. The typhoon hit the fleet, sinking four ships and killing nearly 800 men.

Retweets

• instapundit FRANK TIPLER on The Caine Mutiny and Global Warming….: FRANK TIPLER on The Caine Mutiny and Global Warming. http://tinyurl.com/dnee48 6:38 PM Feb 17th from twitterfeed
• orkydd FRANK TIPLER on The Caine Mutiny and Global Warming…. http://tinyurl.com/dnee48 6:26 PM Feb 17th from twitterfeed

Witness for the Prosecution | Marlene Dietrich singing "I May Never Go Home Anymore"

"Witness for the Prosecution" Preview Trailer & Videoclip featuring Marlene Dietrich singing "I May Never Go Home Anymore"

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Cast:Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton. Miss Plimsoll: Elsa Lanchester. Brogan- Moore: John Williams. Mayhew: Henry Daniell.
Director: Billy Wilder.

» Available on DVD.
» Wikipedia Entry
» Turner Classic Movies Article¹

Billy Wilder directed this tingling adaptation of Agatha Christie's play about the trial of a man accused of murder based on very strong circumstantial evidence. It is a complex courtroom drama filled with deceptions, disguises, and plot twists.

According to the New York Times, "the air in the courtroom fairly crackles with emotional electricity, until that staggering surprise in the last reel. Then the whole drama explodes." ¹

Sir Wilfrid (Charles Laughton), a master barrister in ill health, takes Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power) on as a client, over the protestations of his private nurse, Miss Plimsoll (Elsa Lanchester), that the doctor had told him to stay away from criminal cases. Vole is accused of murdering Mrs. French (Norma Varden), a rich, older woman who had become enamored of him, going so far as to make him the main beneficiary of her will.

In real life, Elsa Lanchester (Miss Plimsoll) was Laughton's (Sir Wilfrid) wife and you can see their natural chemistry accentuates the wonderful comic performance between the two.

This was Tyrone Power's final finished movie.

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Spoiler Alert for anyone who hasn't seen the film yet! Marlene Dietrich did not receive a nomination but many of her fans believe she deserved one for her dual role as Christine Helm and the Cockney woman. It's not until near the end of the film that Sir Wilfrid and the audience learn Christine was the mysterious woman. ¹

Academy Awards

• Best Actor in a Leading Role (Charles Laughton)
  
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Elsa Lanchester)
  
• Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Picture, and Best Sound

Trailer:Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

My Favorite Quote:

A most clever, erotic "tete-a-tete" of sexual inuendo begins their first encounter:

Leonard Vole ............Tyrone Power
"What are you looking for? "

Christine Vole ............Marlene Dietrich
"My accordion. "

Leonard Vole ............Tyrone Power
"I think I've found it. "

Christine Vole ............Marlene Dietrich
"Step on it again. It's still breathing."

Marlene Dietrich"I May Never Go Home Anymore"

My Favorite Scene:

Dietrich, stunning covered in all black wearing signature trousers has just a sliver of her great legs exposed to "bring the house down" in her rendition of this song with sexy overtures,Our present generation of entertainers should learn they could "bring sexy back" with subtle class instead of vulgarity and obscenity. Marlene proves here "Less is more".

Reposted from my old MySpace Blogs

Win a special edition TCM 31 Days of Oscar notebook--2 winners!

Retweet @HolleyV: Win a special edition TCM 31 Days of Oscar notebook--2 winners!

Visit TCM University each day to find out what subject will be covered, sign the yearbook, participate in the movie challenge, and much more! Go HERE.

GIVEAWAY
Thanks to RoleMommy I have 2 TCM University special edition blank composition books to give away to two lucky people. They measure 9.75"x7.5" and include the 31 Days of Oscar schedule on the inside flaps. More...