The Great White Hope

It's made clear early on in Martin Ritt's The Great White Hope that Jack Jefferson (James Earl Jones, who's basically Jack Johnson in all but name) has controversy following him like a bad smell. There are many things that have earned him a bad reputation, none more so than his relationship with Eleanor Bachman (Jane Alexander).

This being made a few years after the Loving v. Virginia ruling, there are several aspects of The Great White Hope that make it more dated than it should be. It focuses more on the matter of race more than anything else happening in the film. Sure, it might have been daring stuff back in 1970 but it doesn't hold water in 2016.

Similarly, The Great White Hope seems conflicted as to which subject to focus on solely: Jack and Eleanor's relationship (and what those around them feel about it) or his boxing career. Again, this is set in the 1910s so racism was unfortunately commonplace. But even then it feels heavyhanded. (Then again, subtlety wasn't really a known aspect in other titles from the 1970s.)

Now if the film hasn't held up, what of Jones and Alexander's work in The Great White Hope? Admittedly he's forever known for Star Wars and she's the lesser-known of the multi-nominated actors, but overall they don't really provide anything groundbreaking. Maybe back then they did but certainly don't now.

The Great White Hope was perhaps something of high quality upon its release but it certainly hasn't held up decades later. (Hey, not everything from the 1970s was good.) All in all, only see it if you're going through every Oscar-nominated performance.

My Rating: ***

The Long, Hot Summer

One of the best things about Hollywood movies from the 1950s is that some of them are brimming with enough raw sexuality to stun an elephant. The fact the stars of the era displayed such a feat didn't help to tone it down much.

Martin Ritt's The Long, Hot Summer is one such movie. The reason? It stars future Hollywood couple Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, and you can just see the sparks flying between them. (The script by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr. is to thank.)

This movie isn't just about the sparks between Newman and Woodward. It also chronicles simple life in a small Mississippi town. But it's more about the people of the town, not just the many goings on. (That's just Ritt trying to maintain the wholesome 1950s image.)

The rest of the cast is pretty good. Among the names are Anthony Franciosa, Orson Welles, Lee Remick and Angela Lansbury. They're all quite good, but the MVPs of The Long, Hot Summer are Newman and Woodward. (Though I did like Franciosa a bit too.)

The Long, Hot Summer is typical Hollywood fare with the smoldering leading man and the fine supporting cast, but I don't mind. It's good entertainment. (Especially for one scene of Newman clad in boxers. Yum.) Just watch this, and you'll see why Newman and Woodward were married for fifty years.

My Rating: ****

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold

During the 1960's, the Cold War had everyone in a state of panic. Also during this time period, a new genre was becoming popular through different forms of media: the spy caper.

Richard Burton, an actor I admire, is the star of The Spy Who Came In from the Cold. I was a little uncertain if he could carry a movie on his own since the only other movies I've seen him in have him alongside other silver screen greats (Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner in The Night of the Iguana, Peter O'Toole in Becket). So does he hold his own? Well, yes and no. Yes because he gives a very good performance, no because the story falters periodically throughout the movie.

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold is based on a work by John le Carre. Having previously seen The Constant Gardener, I have come to this conclusion: John le Carre's work bores me. He has good concepts in his stories, but it seems he doesn't know how to make them appealing to the masses.

That said however, I did like The Spy Who Came in from the Cold but barely. (I'm not sure, but I think I dozed off when I watched it.) It's not great, but it's pretty good.

My Rating: ****

Hud

(sigh) Paul Newman. He was such a good actor. Makes me bummed that he's no longer with us.

Hud Bannon (Newman) is a ruthless young man who tarnishes everything and everyone he touches. Hud represents the perfect embodiment of alienated youth, out for kicks with no regards for the consequences. There is bitter conflict between him and his stern and highly principled father Homer (Melvyn Douglas). Hud's nephew Lon (Brandon De Wilde) admires Hud's cheating ways, though he soon becomes aware of Hud's reckless amorality to bear him anymore. In the world of the takers and the taken, Hud is a winner.

This is one of Newman's best performances. He portrays a character you're supposed to dislike, but his charm keeps you from doing that. The performances from Melvyn Douglas and Patricia Neal are also especially good, mainly Neal. The cinematography by Jame Wong Howe is breathtaking and the movie is a fine piece of filmmaking.

My Rating: *****