Blue Sky

The opening credits of Tony Richardson's Blue Sky depict an assortment of magazines, all advertising glamor and sophistication. Photos of Hollywood starlets strewn about amid promises of beauty if use this product. All the things Carly Marshall (Jessica Lange) yearns for but are just out of her reach.

As the wife of Major Hank Marshall (Tommy Lee Jones), she is expected to be a dutiful housewife and mother. But there's something not quite right with Carly, a fact Hank and their daughters are all too acutely aware of. But as the Mitchells settle in on a new army base, things get more complicated.

There are elements in Blue Sky that are reminiscent of Richardson's films during the British New Wave all those years ago. Co-writer Rama Stagner based Carly and Hank's marriage on her own parents' relationship, and strained connections are no stranger to Richardson. The problem is that it doesn't feel as fraught as, say, Look Back in Anger or The Entertainer.

Indeed, Blue Sky feels incomplete as a story, with many parts that don't always interlock. Granted, Richardson wasn't in the best of health during production (he died of AIDS complications sometime after; the film then sat on the shelf for nearly three years), but even then, he still made the most of it. It's a decent swan song for the director.

Blue Sky mainly relies on Lange (who ended up winning an Oscar) and Jones' work to carry it through but they succeed in doing that. Overall, however, it has good ideas but they are clumsily put together in certain scenes. Still, it's enough for it to be watchable.

My Rating: ****

The Entertainer

It must be a sad life that Archie Rice (Laurence Olivier) leads. Beneath the layers of greasepaint he wears for his act, he is nothing more than a tragic clown.

When Archie is on stage, he possesses a liveliness that could be matched to that of Fred Astaire. Off stage, however, one could become shocked that this was the same Archie Rice that performed with great enthusiasm. The reason for such a remark? His liveliness and enthusiasm are replaced by desperation.

Can you blame him? The only reason he's in show business is to avoid going to jail for tax evasion. He's also trying to get out of the shadow of his father, a famous (and more talented) name in vaudeville. It's a losing battle for Archie; he simply can't upstage or even match his own father.

There's a scene in The Entertainer that showcases what Archie really feels. After his tryst with a beauty contest runner-up, she pours out her feelings for him. The camera lingers on his face, which expresses a sort of happiness that he is unfamiliar with. This is perhaps the only time in the film (and maybe in his own life) where Archie feels loved.

Olivier has portrayed tragic heroes and cold villains, but his role as Archie Rice is a complete departure from his other roles. We can't entirely sympathize for him but we don't hate him either. There's one thing there's no denying about: The Entertainer contains Olivier's best work as an actor.

My Rating: ****1/2

Look Back in Anger

The subject of marriage has been examined countless times. Some occasions show why the subjects fell in love, but it's not the case every time.

In Look Back in Anger, the marriage of Jimmy (Richard Burton) and Alison (Mary Ure) is so estranged you wonder what made them fall in love in the first place. (That theme would also be examined in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, another work of Burton's.) They have moments of passion early on, but it's all downhill afterwards.

Jimmy is so dissatisfied with his life with Alison, he will spew his discontent onto her, regardless of what she thinks. Jimmy is also physically abusive towards Alison, as well as other women. He doesn't hate women however. If he did, he wouldn't have gotten married in the first place.

Look Back in Anger is good, but it pales in comparison to Room at the Top, which was released the same year and focuses on similar themes. I like Burton's work, but it looks weak next to Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, again similar themes. It's still good though.

My Rating: ****