The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

 The Greatest Show on Earth is Cecil B. DeMille’s tale of life under the big top and the backstage dramas contained within, including a trapeze competition between the Great Sebastian (Cornel Wilde) and Holly (Betty Hutton) which ends in tragedy, the secret past of Buttons the Clown (James Stewart), and circus manager Brad Braden’s (Charlton Heston) efforts to resist corruption and put on his greatest show through it all.

Well, this movie has an unfortunate title. There’s just something about a title like The Greatest Show on Earth and a cast featuring Charlton Heston and James Stewart that raises expectations and opens up your film to more scrutiny if it turns out to be not so good- and without mincing words, Greatest Show is a colossal waste of time. In addition to sloppy editing and laughable green screen/miniature special effects, the film simply has no appealing story or resolution. At least half of the running time just shows neat circus stunts which, while impressive, do not make for a good film. You keep waiting for something to tie the disparate characters together in an Altman/Anderson way, which only occurs with limited satisfaction after a train crash scene that looks like it was filmed with Legos and Linkin Logs. It was more entertaining to watch Katie’s horrified expressions every time a clown was onscreen than actually watching the film (Katie is deathly afraid of clowns… more on that in her post). Fun uncredited cameos from the likes of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope cannot save this picture, which only barely avoids being the worst Best Picture winner because of vibrant colors and more ambition and spectacle than The Broadway Melody. This film’s Best Picture win over such classics as High Noon or The Quiet Man must rank as one of the most disappointing snubs in the history of the awards. Make no mistake- this film does not live up to it’s title and is a Show that is better left skipped.

Take that, Super 8!  Watch this at the 2:00 minute mark for one of the most illogical scenes I've ever seen in a film. There, we just saved you 2.5 hours. You're welcome.

CLOWNS?!?! What the heck!  JIMMY STEWART!!! YOU ARE BETTER THAN THIS!  This movie is an abomination.  Jimmy Stewart is constantly wearing clown make-up and his name is Buttons...  What the hell is going on?  And as we were watching it Tim says, "Katie, don't be afraid of clowns... they're fine.  No one is going to hurt you."  Then Buttons the clown is an effing "murderer."  Ridiculous... aka NOT The Greatest Show on Earth.  

The first movie that Steven Spielberg ever saw. His father took him to the theater, promising him a trip to the circus. He was four years old at the time. 

Buttons: Clowns are funny people, they only love once. 
Holly: All men aren't that way, even if they act like clowns. 

An American in Paris (1951)

Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) is a struggling American painter living in Paris.  He finds a sponsor who is a classy dame that mostly just wants to get in his pants and is funding his passion so he will fall madly in love with her.  However, he falls madly in love with Lise.  She is a young french girl who is engaged to a cabaret singer, who happens to be Henri, one of his buddies.  In fact the two of them sing together often with Adam, a concert pianist who has never had a concert, playing and singing with them.  The last twenty minutes is an abstract ballet dream sequence in which Kelly choreographed the whole number.  

To me, An American in Paris is a great cinematic achievement.  I saw this movie for the first time when I was about eleven and I thought it was terrible.  I didn't get it.  The abstract qualities all seemed like bologna to me.  The last twenty minutes of the film are just dance.  Which now I totally appreciate.  It's an incredible sequence and the dancing is wonderful.  The leading lady, Lise was quite good but we'll be seeing more of her in Gigi.  Kelly has a way of wooing most people with his effortless dancing that doesn't take away his masculinity, like Fred Astaire, a flawless dancer who appears to be "light in the loafers"... if you catch my drift.  Singin' in the Rain, which wasn't even nominated, is more entertaining but An American in Paris is more artistic.  The songs don't really flow together to make a cohesive story but it's so charming.  He is SO charming.  Even when his character's an ass.  This is the first best picture winner that is in color since Gone with the Wind.  It's vibrant, chic atmosphere really takes this picture above and beyond.  His sponsor in the film, Milo (a very rich woman), wants to treat him to a swag lifestyle so she can get some action.  Her character is VERY Patricia O'Neil in Breakfast at Tiffany's where she tries to keep George Peppard, a penniless writer, as her "kept" man.  Kelly has too much honor for that.  He flat out tells her that he does not intend to pay her back... sexually.  But then when Lise turns him down, he goes back to the sponsor and leads her on.  Her plot line does not end so well...  As far as the other chick, Lise, goes, Kelly is working it to get with Lise but she wants nothing to do with him.  No small flirtation.  No witty banter.  She basically just hates him.  And he starts singing about how he's in love with her after five minutes...slow down crazy, slow down.  

An American in Paris is only the second musical film to win Best Picture as well as the second one in color. This film demonstrates that the musical has come a really long way since The Broadway Melody thanks to Gene Kelly’s irreplaceable charisma and charm. His dancing is so effortless and joyful, making for a screen presence that cannot be ignored. Leslie Caron also shines in her impressive film debut, as does Nina Foch as the ill-fated benefactor of Kelly that looks upon him more as a project than a person. Oscar Levant is also notable as Kelly’s pianist friend, who has several of the best quips in the film and is often able to demonstrate his truly virtuosic piano skills. One irrelevant but fascinating dream sequence reminiscent of Fantasia shows Levant playing a piano concerto in which he plays the part of everyone in the orchestra. The film gets many bonus points for having a score composed of George Gershwin’s music, despite the fact that several of the musical numbers are pretty silly and awkwardly squeezed into the film. The much-talked-about 18-minute closing ballet sequence is truly a marvelous sight to behold- it nearly feels that it was in these sequences that Kelly’s heart truly lied, and the films that surrounded them were made to appease producers into funding these visions. An American in Paris would have arguably been more powerful had it ended two minutes earlier and the musicals of the following decade would easily eclipse it, but it remains an important stepping stone of the medium and a film that is easy to appreciate.

After Arthur Freed and Ira Gershwin reached an agreement during their weekly pool game, film rights to George Gershwin's "An American in Paris - A Tone Poem for Orchestra" were purchased for $158,750, and Ira received $56,250 as a consultant to write any necessary new lyrics for songs used. 

Adam Cook: I'm a concert pianist. That's a pretentious way of saying I'm... unemployed at the moment. 

All About Eve (1950)

Sorry about the gap between posts!  Christmastime always proves to be a busy one.  We will try to get more done, especially since we got a beautiful television for Christmas!  But back to the movies...

We find ourselves in the fifties with this classic film starring Bette Davis.  All About Eve is about Eve (obviously), a young ingenue who wiggles her way into a theatre troupe stealing away the thunder of Margo (Davis).  Margo, a born diva, doesn't do well with her competition for fame.  Marilyn Monroe makes a minor appearance.  While this movie might appear predictable in the beginning, the end is very unexpected!  

I really like this movie!  It's basically an old school Mean Girls and Bette Davis is meanest Regina George anyone could ask for.  Plus, any movie that shows the in workings of a theatre company is very appealing to me.  I can think of a few high school scenarios where I felt almost exactly like Margo's character, however, I did not have as sharp of tongue as Bette Davis, who is fantastic.  The victim of most of Margo's attacks is Eve.  We first meet Eve as a young girl obsessed (actually obsessed) with Margo and her theatrical career.  She wants to learn everything about Margo like what she wears, what she eats, and who she hangs out with.  A creep to the core.  It's like fatal attraction minus the rabbit stew.  The story takes a turn for the dramatic when Eve is put in as Margo's understudy when the diva is late (as usual) and Eve is an excellent stand in for her.  The movie only gets better in second half when innocent ingenue Eve starts showing everyone her true colors by sneaking her way into the lead roles and trying to ruin Margo's romantic relationship.  At the end, we see how Eve's choices have lead to the beginning of her demise which we only get a taste of.  It is a great film about ambition, talent and pride.  

Can you believe that I, movie guru extraordinaire, had never seen this film until just now? It was one of the very few of the AFI top 100 that I had not yet seen; however it also enabled me to view this film with a fresh perspective. The script, bursting with devilish demonstrations of pride and the witty put-downs they engender, really shines thanks to top-notch ensemble acting. Nobody plays a bitch better than Bette Davis, and Anne Baxter proves her equal as the plot unfolds and Eve is not what she seems. Life imitated art when Anne Baxter successfully worked hard to campaign for her own Academy Award nomination, leading to a snub for both her and Davis as the votes were split between them. The only acting Oscar for All About Eve was earned by George Sanders and his wonderful portrayal of Addison DeWitt, one of my favorite characters from this film as he is the only one that sees through everyone’s egos and deceptions from the beginning. Thematically, this film shares a lot with one of the films it defeated for the Best Picture prize: Sunset Boulevard. While I prefer Sunset Boulevard because of it’s film-noir approach, All About Eve’s classic status is beyond reproach. Do yourself a favor and don’t wait as long as I did to see this film. 

Zsa Zsa Gabor kept arriving on the set because she was jealous of her husband George Sanders in his scenes with the young blonde ingénue Marilyn Monroe. 

Margo Channing: Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!