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Reviews
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Very enjoyable, still current, still accessible, but one actor spoils the fun.
I bought the DVD of this play to add to my collection of recent film versions of Shakespeare plays ("Twelfth Night", "The Merchant of Venice," "Midsummer Night's Dream," etc.). This film is still fresh and highly accessible, especially to younger American audiences (I've tested some of these on my teenage relatives) who might be turned off by the concept that "Shakespeare" means nothing more than some British theater company trying to educate the Colonials using ossified performances by theatrical statuary.
I think Shakespeare plays should be inhabited by ordinary people who actually spoke a form of the English language that probably resembled its current American manifestations. After all, a lot of this country was settled by Scots-Irish immigrants, who brought an accent with them that still resembles what can be heard today in many parts of the British Isles. Not everyone over there speaks with that so-called "Oxford" accent.
I loved the energy of this movie and was especially pleased by the performances of Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves, both of whom seemed to me to fit their roles very well.
However, I was very disconcerted by Michael Keaton, who really smothered his character, Dogberry the Constable. One important aspect about Dogberry is that he mangles the language in a way that foreshadows the much more famous Mrs. Malaprop of Richard B. Sheridan's 18th-century play "The Rivals".
In the film, alas, Mr. Keaton adopts a weird affect of gritting his teeth so tightly that his speech is almost unintelligible, thereby destroying the punchline of the extended linguistic joke that his character is supposed to be playing out. Mr. Branagh apparently didn't seem to mind this, but I do, and I discount the movie on this point.
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Throroughly enjoyable and still current!
Although I'm neither a fan nor an expert regarding the genre of thrillers and chase movies -- and although I have never even seen "The French Connection" (!) -- I have seen "To Live and Die in L.A." five times since I bought the DVD a few weeks ago. I AM a fan of TV's CSI, and I allowed an actor friend to interest me in the early films of William L. Petersen. I was very intrigued by two completely disparate portrayals from the same actor: flying, exuberant, profane youth and quirky, nerdy, introspective middle age. Both characters are exasperating, driven, secretive, single-minded and completely like-able in their unlike-ability. That is, I don't WANT to like either one but am somehow forced to anyway and they both keep me riveted.
Also, this 1985 film is still up-to-date and, though it is dated in some details such as the styles of the cars, the design of the 20-dollar bills and some of the slang expressions in the dialogue, the music, the quality of the directing and numerous scenes and situations are still current and even push the edge. May I mention there is even a suicide bomber?
Could the "R" rating have kept this movie from being a big hit in its time? I hope that, now that William Petersen, Willem Dafoe and John Turturro are much better known, this jewel will become a cult classic, if it isn't already. William Friedkin deserves a lot of belated recognition for his work here.
Counsellor at Law (1933)
One of my secret favorites!
This film is so rare that probably few people have heard of it. What a terrible shame! The only copy I have was taped from cable TV several years ago. I
never dreamed that I would be reading such appreciation of this little treasure by so many others! There should be a movement afoot to try to bring this
wonderful work out of obscurity, at least to get it on video!
I have read that John Barrymore considered himself miscast here. But I think he was the best possible choice for this film role (played on Broadway by Paul
Muni). At a time when Hitler was just coming to power, I wouldn't want to
imagine the response by the average U.S. moviegoer toward an actual Jewish
actor trying to elicit sympathy for the personal struggles of a Jewish man trying to get himself accepted into Gentile society in this way.
As for the office setting, well, I work for a New York law firm, and this film hits the target dead on! It evokes perfectly the scurry of New York office life, as well as the latest technologies, the fashions and the speech patterns of the period, like that adorable switchboard operator! Bravo to William Wyler!
I have seen many, many John Barrymore movies, and I agree with everyone
else writing here that this must certainly be his best surviving performance, his monument, for those of us who never saw his Richard III or Hamlet. It's even
better than "Twentieth Century" and "Grand Hotel". In an era when silent-movie histrionics was still evident in the acting style, his performance is subtle, nuanced, very modern and deeply affecting, especially in that final scene!