Act of Violence

Fred Zinnemann's Act of Violence opens with a man limping to his apartment and retrieving a gun. He gets on a bus to Santa Lisa, checks into a hotel, and circles the name "Frank Enley" in the phone book. What is this story?

It turns out that the man -- Joe Parkson (Robert Ryan) -- served in the war with Frank (Van Heflin) and both men were prisoners of war. It was Frank's actions while they were prisoners that has Joe seeking revenge. But will Frank manage to get out of this unscathed?

Being one of many post-war film noirs, Act of Violence displays a scarred attitude towards humanity. Similar to his follow-up film The Men, Zinnemann shows the battle a soldier faces upon returning home and how it can be more challenging than the war itself. And like The Search -- released the same year -- it shows that man is capable of some truly unspeakable things.

Both Heflin and Ryan are more or less synonymous with the noir genre. (They earned Oscar nominations for their roles in such titles after all.) And both are ideal in their characters' shifting moral roles. As Act of Violence goes on, you're not quite certain as to who's the hero and who's the villain in this tale. All that's clear is that it won't end well for one of them.

Act of Violence depicts the horrors of war without showing the actual war, something other directors have tried to capture with varied success. Similar to The Best Years of Our Lives before it, every soldier's experience upon returning home is different but the commonality between them all is that nagging feeling that you can't go home again; the person that their families and friends know was lost overseas.

My Rating: ****1/2

The Search

There's that long-running cliche of Hollywood producing a film pertaining to the Holocaust. It's an even bigger cliche that such a film is instant awards bait. (Best proof: Schindler's List, Sophie's Choice, The Reader.) It's almost revolting that one man's suffering is another man's art.

Hell, Hollywood's been making such films ever since the rest of the world found out about the Holocaust. Granted, there weren't as many being made as there are now, but apparently studios and screenwriters found an easy way to make a quick buck. (Sorry if it sounds like I'm ranting. It's just something that's been bugging me as of late.)

One of the early films was Fred Zinnemann's The Search. It's not about the Holocaust itself but rather the aftermath of it as well as the war. And the film isn't tole from an adult's perspective; it's told from the point of view of a child survivor.

The star of The Search isn't Montgomery Clift (in his second film role, not his first as many believe). The star is in fact Ivan Jandl, the young child whose point of view the film is told in. He doesn't say much throughout the film and his expressions speak greater volumes. (Those big, sad eyes of his certainly help in that regard.) Perhaps one of the best child performances film has captured.

Despite what I previously stated, The Search is a great film. Along with the performances from Jandl and Clift, the cinematography by Emil Berna is just stunning. The completely barren ruins of Berlin he captures is something that must be seen. Then again, the whole film is something that must be seen.

My Rating: *****

The Men

At times, a film is only still remembered because it contains the debut of a now prominent actor or director. (I mean, really. Is The Silver Chalice remembered for anything else besides introducing the blue-eyes beauty that was Paul Newman?)

This is the case with Fred Zinnemann's The Men, which features the film debut of acting legend Marlon Brando. Brando is frequently credited with beginning a new era in Hollywood (even though his acting "rival" Montgomery Clift showed up in Hollywood a few years before Brando.) Watching The Men shows the distinction between the glamorous and gritty eras of Hollywood.

It's pretty clear from the slightly melodramatic script that Brando feels out of place. Not because he's not good enough but rather he's too good. He needed to be in something with a sturdier script. (Thank God for A Streetcar Named Desire the following year.)

The Men isn't that bad of a film though. The script and some of the actors are stagy, sure, but the story's not too bad. After all, there weren't too many films from that time about a soldier readjusting to everyday life, which is a plot all too common now.

The only notable quality of The Men is, no surprise, Brando's performance, but again it's not as bad as I make it sound. There are its flaws, but it's a better acting debut than most of the others I've seen.

My Rating: ****

The Nun's Story

It's a daring move to have a film focus primarily on one character. It's usually several primary characters are introduced and focused on. Only a few films can make it work.

The amusing thing about Audrey Hepburn is she's usually viewed as an image of glamour. Not many people acknowledge that she was a fine actress. Her skill as an actress is as natural as her eternal beauty.

As Sister Luke in Fred Zinnemann's The Nun's Story, Hepburn gives perhaps the greatest performance of her career. Through her years in the church, she becomes worn out by the rules and restrictions. She tries to keep others happy with her behavior, but she herself isn't happy.

With a running time of over two and a half hours, it could have fallen apart early on. But Zinnemann makes sure such a thing doesn't happen. The film practically glides with every passing minute rather than get stuck every ten minutes. Again, not many films can make that work.

In toll, The Nun's Story is an excellent film. Hepburn is luminous in her role, a type that comes around every now and again. Conflict in the church is almost a cliche by today's standards, but Zinnemann's film shows the depths that so many fail to achieve.\

My Rating: *****

Julia

One of the most notable female playwrights is Lillian Hellman. Well known for her plays The Children's Hour, The Little Foxes and Toys in the Attic, she had somewhat of a biopic made a few years before her death.

After becoming a celebrated playwright, Lillian Hellman (Jane Fonda) is invited to a writers' conference in Russia. Her childhood friend Julia (Vanessa Redgrave), having taken on the battle against Nazism, enlists Lillian en route to smuggle money through Nazi Germany which will assist in the anti-Nazi cause. It is a dangerous mission, especially for a Jewish intellectual on her way to Russia.

The performances from Fonda, Redgrave and Jason Robards were strong. Fred Zinnemann's directeion is also strong, but I felt that the movie itself was overly dramatic in some parts.

My Rating: ****1/2

High Noon

I will admit I haven't seen a Western with Clint Eastwood. But I have seen a Western, three in fact. Those three are Red River, Once Upon a Time in the West and High Noon, the latter I'll be reviewing.

On the day of his retirement and his marriage to Amy (Grace Kelly), sheriff Will Kane (Gary Cooper) receives news that Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald), an outlaw Kane brought to justice years before, is coming to get his revenge on him. As others lose hope for him, Kane prepares himself for the worst.

If Fred Zinnemann knew that he would have directed one of the most influential Westerns in movie history, he would've been stunned by the impact of High Noon. The tension throughout is so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Cooper delivers a memorable performance as the determined Kane.

My Rating: *****

From Here to Eternity

When the movie From Here to Eternity is mentioned, people usually think of that famed adulterous kiss Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr share on the beach, the waves brushing up against them to cool their burning passion. But there's more to this Best Picture winner than the celebrated lip lock.

Set in Hawaii during the months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) is transferred to Schofield Barracks. At his previous post Prewitt was a bugler and the unit's top boxer, the latter makes Capt. Dana Holmes (Philip Ober) constantly tell Prewitt to join the boxing team and he refuses. First Sgt. Milton Warden (Lancaster) suggests to make life difficult for Prewitt in order for him to change his mind. As the other soldiers make his life a living hell, the only soldier that supports Prewitt is his friend Pvt. Angelo Maggio (Frank Sinatra).
As all of this is happening, Warden begins an affair with Holmes' wife Karen (Kerr) who's unhappy with her marriage. The relationship goes well until Karen asks Warden to apply for officer training; problem is Warden doesn't want to be an officer.

Another thing that From Here to Eternity is famous for is the rumor that Frank Sinatra called upon the Mafia to get into the movie. Yes, he desperately wanted the role, but he didn't go that far to get it. As most people know, author Mario Puzo used that rumor for his novel The Godfather for the character of Johnny Fontane. And Sinatra was not too pleased about that.

There's one scene in the movie, I'll admit, that I got teary-eyed over. Maggio had been beaten to death, and a mourning Prewitt plays a sorrowful "Taps". The scene cuts from him to the other soldiers listening feeling remorseful for the soldier they once abused. It goes back to Prewitt with tears running down his face. When he finishes playing, he just walks away without saying a thing. Heartbreaking.

My Rating: *****