Just some thoughts on current happenings:

There are 5 recommended films to watch on Turner Classic Movies in the U.S. this month. Most of these are previous recommendations, the reviews for which will be linked.

My first recommended feature is The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), a romantic fantasy/drama that provides viewers with an incredibly moving emotional experience. It has been previously reviewed here. This timeless romance begins on Thursday, December 10 at 3 pm PST.

My next recommended viewing is Otto Preminger's intense courtroom drama, 1959's Anatomy of a Murder: one of the most accurate and realistic depictions of the U.S. criminal justice system ever filmed.

(In forefront left to right) Lee Remick, James Stewart, Ben Gazzara

Part of this motion picture's authenticity stems from its sourced novel written by John D. Voelker (moonlighting under the pen name of Robert Traver who once defended a client in a similar situation). Later, he became a sitting Michigan State Supreme Court Judge and worked as a consultant on this motion picture. In addition, the fictional judge in this film is portrayed by none other than Joseph N. Welch, the real life lawyer who represented the U.S. Army in the televised 1954 Army-McCarthy hearings. In fact, I have heard from several different sources that Anatomy of a Murder is shown and studied in various law-school classes around the country.

(In forefront from left) Lee Remick, Arthur O'Connell, James Stewart and Ben Gazzara

When a military man avenges an assault on his beautiful wife, his legal representation on murder charges falls into the hands of a low-rent small-town lawyer. This film contains one of the best displays of ensemble acting from a divinely chosen cast. James Stewart gives his utmost, fully committed performance as defence lawyer Paul Biegler who strategises a brilliant, although difficult to substantiate, "irresistible impulse" form of temporary insanity plea for Lt. Frederick Manion (a pressure-cooker performance from Ben Gazzara: See End Credits) over the killing of his wife's attacker. Mrs. Laura Manion is played by the gorgeous Lee Remick as naturally flirtatious, even after both shocking incidents (her rape and victimiser's death) have occurred and therefore needs to be coached considerably by Biegler before appearing in court and testifying. As a matter of fact, Biegler will need to work extraordinarily hard and smart to gain his client's acquittal, not only because his charge indisputably took another man's life but due to the defence attorney's cunning and experienced big city adversary, renowned prosecutor Claude Dancer, portrayed with relish to the charismatic hilt by George C. Scott.

(From left) George C Scott, Joseph N. Welch, and Kathryn Grant

The multi-faceted characters and intricacies of the trial are explored with detailed precision courtesy of adapting screenwriter Wendell Mayes and Preminger's commanding direction. Filmed almost entirely on location where many of the portrayed events actually happened (even the interiors), and sticking to the controversial, highly-charged subject matter as they actually occurred, provided a perfect fit for Preminger’s non-manipulative style of authentic storytelling. The director’s favoured widescreen approach to filmmaking resulted in more naturally occurring drama within the frame resulting in less cutting to get reaction shots which he considered "interruptions" and that this critic feels is a form of emotional persuasion. There’s also a revolutionary off-kilter but high energy score by jazz great Duke Ellington that magnifies the uncertainty of its narrative outcomes. Even more shocking than the ground-breaking use of what were thought to be the Production Code's forbidden words, is the total absence of moralising even though one person has been raped and another killed. This lack of pontification over right and wrong does not, however, preclude any shortage of suspenseful dramatic fireworks as this film will clearly demonstrate. The setting's realistic atmosphere is further enhanced by Biegler's ethically questionable rule bending needed to win the jury over and therefore his formidable case. Despite witnessing the clever arguments presented from both sides of guilt and innocence, not to mention gaining insights into how the system works, the film's surprising final moments make us question if justice was really served providing much fascinating food for thought. The trial is set for (updated) Saturday, March 2 (2024) at 9 am PST.

TCM's current schedule can be confirmed by clicking on any of the above images. For those who live in parts of the U.S. other than the western region, the time zone can be adjusted in the upper right-hand corner of TCM's programme.

*(Added June 1, 2020) Our CC contributor Bob DiMucci was kind enough to provide some background information concerning the true life events surrounding this landmark film:

Robert Traver, the name of the novel’s author, is a pseudonym for Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker, who served as technical advisor on the film and was the defense attorney on the real-life case on which the novel was based. The murder occurred in the small town of Big Bay in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. On 31 July 1952, Lt. Coleman Peterson, who had recently returned from Korea, shot and killed tavern owner Mike Chenoweth, allegedly because Chenoweth raped Coleman’s wife, Charlotte.

Voelker crafted a defense that hinged on the rabid, irrational rage that erupted when Peterson - an otherwise responsible citizen - learned that his wife had been manhandled by Mike Chenoweth. He argued the officer was influenced by an "irresistible impulse" to defend the integrity of his marriage by killing Chenoweth. He asked the jury of 10 men and two women to acquit Peterson on the basis of temporary insanity.

The idea of fleeting hysteria as an excuse for homicide challenged the common sense of the small-town jurors, and they initially voted 8-4 to convict Peterson of murder. But a judgment of insanity, encouraged by a particularly persuasive juror, gained a foothold in the jury room and gradually became the prevailing point of view over a series of blind votes.

Finally, the jury returned to the courtroom with a unanimous verdict: not guilty due to temporary insanity.

Shrinks at a state asylum judged after the trial that Peterson had regained his sanity, so he was a free man following just a month under the psychiatric microscope. After being freed, Peterson left town without paying Voelker his fee.

The Petersons soon divorced, and the lieutenant is said to have died in a plane crash in Alaska a few years later.

(After the film’s release):

Despite the film’s frank treatment of a rape trial, it was granted a certificate of approval by the Production Code Administration after the producers agreed to several minor deletions. In a letter from Geoffrey Shurlock of the PCA to Otto Preminger, Shurlock instructed Preminger to delete the words "sperm," "sexual climax" and "penetration" and to restrict the use of the words "panties" and "rape." The National Catholic Legion of Decency placed the film in a separate classification on the grounds that it “exceed[ed] the bounds of moral acceptability and propriety in a mass medium of entertainment.”

The film was scheduled to open in Chicago on 2 July 1959, but the screening was canceled after the Police Film Censor, backed by Police Commissioner Timothy J. O’Connor and Mayor Richard J. Daley, ruled that the film could not be shown unless two sequences containing the words “intercourse,” “contraceptive” and “birth control” were deleted. After Preminger brought a suit for a permanent injunction against the ruling, Federal Judge Julius Miner overruled the censor board, stating that the film could not be considered obscene because “[it] does not tend to excite sexual passion or undermine public morals.” The Variety review noted that the film contained language “never before heard in an American film with the Code Seal.”

B.D.

Another movie trial is set to occur on TCM, however this time the crime is relatively incidental to the romantic development taking place in the charmingly sentimental Remember the Night (1940).

This initial pre-Double Indemnity pairing of Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray stars the former as a twice-convicted shoplifter accused of a similar third offense. MacMurray plays the prosecutor who knows that a conviction over the Christmas Holidays is an unlikely prospect. Postponing the trial, he puts up her bail and takes her to his mother's home for the holidays. Sympathy and endearment for the enchanting Stanwyck steadily increases as she flourishes in this warm and loving environment unlike that of her own upbringing. Her heartfelt appreciation for the generous kindness shown makes for a most cherished cinematic story full of humour, festive spirit and emotional sincerity. The reason for the narrative's quality, including some inventive character building madcap situations, is primarily due to its script by the noted, soon to be director, Preston Sturges. Mitchell Leisen directed with style and is especially deft at blending the comedic elements with the cold reality of Stanwyck’s visit to her mother’s residence and an impending trial. The bittersweet resolution still leaves us confident that love will triumph over adversity. Remember the Night is well worth remembering for what Christmas is really about: charity and kindness... and for those in the U.S. who can partake, being on TCM (updated) Sunday, December 22 (2024) at 7 pm PST.

TCM's current monthly schedule can be confirmed by clicking on any of the above TCM related images. To confirm the correct Pacific Standard (West Coast) showtime information, subtract 3 hours from the Eastern Standard (East Coast) showtime listed on TCM’s schedule.

Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart and Frank Morgan

My next TCM showing to see is The Shop Around the Corner, another Holiday treat from the same year (1940) as the previous recommendation and reviewed last Christmas season here. It will open (updated) Sunday, December 3 at 9 am... Friday, December 15 at 5 pm... and Monday, December 25 at 3 pm. All of the listed showtimes are Pacific Standard Time.

(From left to right) Harpo, Zeppo, Chico and Groucho

Finally on the last day of the month, TCM will once again show my favourite Marx Brothers movie Monkey Business previously reviewed here. I cannot think of a better year-end send off than this zany comedy classic. See them send-up everything and everyone in sight Thursday, December 31 at 1 pm PST.

TCM's current schedule can be confirmed by clicking on any of the above images. For those who live in parts of the U.S. other than the western region, the time zone can be adjusted in the upper right hand corner of TCM's programme.

December's Soundtrack recommendation is an easy one: Double Indemnity: Film Noir at Paramount, a compilation of original film scores from Paramount which is more than any fan could hope for.

This recently issued 2CD set from Intrada contains not only Miklos Rozsa's landmark music to the titular masterpiece but also Hugo Friedhofer's monumental soundtrack to the equally powerful Ace in the Hole. As if that wasn't enough of a surprise to film music lovers, this amazing set boasts Franz Waxman's virtuoso score to Sorry, Wrong Number (including one track by Nathan Van Cleave), Victor Young's all important dramatic contribution to I Walk Alone and the rhythmically exciting score (in stereo no less) to The Desperate Hours courtesy of composer Gail Kubik (with one additional track by Daniele Amfitheatrof). Wait, there's more! Leith Stevens is represented for musically darkening The Scarlet Hour and three amazing cues by Heinz Roemheld from Union Station are included as well. More on this soundtrack gift of a lifetime, plus ordering information from Intrada Records can be obtained by clicking on the image.

This month's Happy Birthday shout-out goes to that motion picture icon Kirk Douglas who, on this day, (December 9th) turns 99. This incredible actor is one of our few surviving treasures from film's Golden Age. Here's hoping he has at least a few more fabulous birthdays to come.

My Blu-ray recommendation this month is a rarely chosen contemporary film which has justifiably received numerous accolades, Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).

It’s been 30 years since Australian director George Miller gave us part 3 in a trilogy of 'Mad Max' films. Since then, what have we had in the way of inspirational action blockbusters? A few ‘Bourne’ and ‘X Men’ films come to mind amid a deluge of dross: comic strip, plainly dumbed-down good vs. evil, CGI-laden yawn-fests which rather than providing some engagingly creative characters and story line, wind up administering the perfect cure for insomnia.

After our fearless leader’s long hiatus from the action genre, dabbling in cute and cuddly pigs (Babe) and penguins (Happy Feet), Miller, now 70, comes roaring back to action like a Mad Max character himself, all pumped with gonzo energy commandeering one of those crazy super-charged rigs headed straight at us. He’s hauling his trademark Mad Max arsenal of outrageously flamboyant, awe-inspiring set pieces and stunts involving a host of bizarre looking, post-Armageddon beastly characters mixing brutality with beauty, Aussie horror with Aussie humour, pitting fierce, single-minded determinists against one another amidst unimaginable displays of chaotic destruction. There’s Miller’s familiar but unique plot device: an army of crazed warriors in a thunderous and deadly vehicular pursuit across an apocalyptic wasteland. This time, however (as if to make up for time), the stakes are viscerally higher; the dynamism comes at us like multiple rockets from launchers that just keep firing.

If Miller has a weakness (most evident in the last Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome), it’s in portraying the kinder, more compassionate side of his characters but he wisely wastes no time with that here. The director has pared everything down to the marrow. There’s just enough establishing narrative to give his unique, multidimensional characters their clear, pronounced motives and gradually revealing personalities. Then it’s on with the showdown. When just a hint of sentimentality appears, Miller wisely moves on to another dynamic, e.g. resentment, despair or sacrifice. This Mad Max instalment may lack the profundity and mythical overview of his visionary masterpiece The Road Warrior (Mad Max 2). Nevertheless, there are substantial sociological undercurrents contained within a tsunami of driving energy and technical swagger providing one astonishing scene after another. We’re like the water-starved masses portrayed here only instead it’s a little imagination in the action genre we thirst for and George Miller has generously turned it on full bore. He’s returned to kick ass and we're fortunate to have had him do so.

The U.S. Blu-ray is from Warner Home Video. More information from Amazon including ordering is available by clicking on the image below.

A.G.

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