musica_poetica Reviews

The Anderson Tapes (1971)

Worthy of Watching on Many Levels, Especially for Christopher Walken's Film Debut

[9/10 · 14 May 2005]

Walken's 1971 debut film role was a major part that hooked me as a lifelong fan immediately, as The Kid, directed by Sidney Lumet in a gem adapted for the film from a great book of the same name by author Lawrence Sanders - "The Anderson Tapes". I'm not an avid reader, but I did read most of Sander's mystery novels, and would rate this as one of his best. It's worth mentioning that the only memorable quote from this movie on this web site is a Christopher Walken line! He brought an electrifying presence to the role with his trademark edginess akin to a cocked revolver.

The movie stars Sean Connery, Dyan Cannon, Alan King, and Martin Balsam (in a beautifully restrained role as a light-in-the-loafers antiques dealer). I'm sure viewers of this film following its release must have considered the addition to the cast by The Kid as a wonderful bonus. The locale of the film is NYC's Central Park perimeter, namely the high-priced real estate at the park's border.

Besides being a pre-PC (in both contexts of PC) satire of technology and man's inability to control its sometimes obvious sinister applications, it is also an ironic precursor to the "authorities'" myopic interpretation of gathered intelligence data, specifically the current federal administration's inability to "connect the dots" after receiving Richard Clark's distribution of the pre-9/11/2001 FBI memo detailing the intercepted intention of Arab terrorists to fly jumbo jets into skyscrapers and other federal buildings. Who would have (or should have) thought they might try to complete their failed 1993 attempt to bring down one of the WTC towers? On a lighter note Garrett Morris acted in this film with Walken, a full 4 years before his SNL run, site of some of Christopher Walken's most memorable gigs.

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

A Cinematic Masterpiece In A Class Of Its Own - Almost

[10/10 · 17 February 2005]

Perhaps the least prolific writer/director to create a masterpiece in a class of its own - almost - was Charles Laughton, who wrote and directed ONE movie in 1955 called "The Night Of The Hunter" with Robert Mitchum as a demonic preacher, Shelley Winters in a fine role, and Lillian Gish at her best. Charles Laughton was 7 years from the end of his 55-film acting career (that began in 1928) when he made Hunter, a film that had little commercial success upon its release, but has since achieved cult status. When I first caught Hunter as a afternoon movie broadcast, I was mesmerized by its haunting mood, earthy characters, photographic brilliance, and perfectly matched soundtrack music.

Decades later upon first seeing Terrence Malick's Badlands (1973), I remembered a movie from my distant past that evoked the same awe, starred Mitchum, and was directed by Laughton. It was at this IMDb site years later that I was able to ID it as "The Night Of The Hunter". My most memorable similarity noted between the two masterpieces was the cinematography - clever camera angles, sweeping stark landscapes, menacing crime scenes on land and water, and above all the frequent close-ups of animal and plant life, the latter with time-lapse growth montages. Hunter was a remarkable directorial debut for Laughton as was Badlands for Malick, whom I suspect was somewhat influenced by his predecessor.

Ever since I first caught Badlands as a late-night movie broadcast, I have been mesmerized by its haunting mood, earthy characters, photographic brilliance, and perfectly matched soundtrack music - so much so that I am compelled to watch broadcast after broadcast. After buying first the VHS then the remastered DVD, I am still left wanting the ultimate package that would feature not only better widescreen video and richer surround sound, but also a separate bonus audio soundtrack with all the musical selections, especially those by Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman. Fans of this movie have long lamented the absence of a published soundtrack. For more info on the actual Badlands Orff/Keetman cuts, see my review at Amazon 'Soundtrack for the Terrence Malick 1973 movie "Badlands"?'.

We who hold Badlands in high regard have also bemoaned the two-decade drought of directorial output by Maestro Malick that ended with a poorly edited theatrical release of "The Thin Red Line". "Days Of Heaven" was nearly on par with Badlands, but then did Orson Welles ever have a realistic shot at surpassing Citizen Kane with HIS subsequent efforts? Interestingly, 43 years passed from the premiere of Hunter until the soundtrack CD was finally released in 1998 with narration throughout by Laughton (never before published)! I just discovered the existence of this CD today while surfing IMDb prior to writing this review. Perhaps there is hope we may see a Badlands soundtrack release before 2016, maybe with some Sissy Spacek narration and Martin Sheen dialog as separate tracks.

Badlands (1973)

A Cinematic Masterpiece In A Class Of Its Own - Almost

[10/10 · 16 February 2005]

Ever since I first caught Badlands as a late-night movie broadcast, I have been mesmerized by its haunting mood, earthy characters, photographic brilliance, and perfectly matched soundtrack music - so much so that I am compelled to watch broadcast after broadcast. After buying first the VHS then the remastered DVD, I am still left wanting the ultimate package that would feature not only better widescreen video and richer surround sound, but also a separate bonus audio soundtrack with all the musical selections, especially those by Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman. Fans of this movie have long lamented the absence of a published soundtrack. For more info on the actual Badlands Orff/Keetman cuts, see my review at Amazon 'Soundtrack for the Terrence Malick 1973 movie "Badlands"?'.

vv - temp Update As of August 15, 2009 - vv See my eB@y auctions ending soon under seller ID thedoorsguy for both the 6-CD set & the 10-LP set w/ Buy-It-Now Bonus mp3s of the 6 "Badlands" pieces! ^^ - temp Update As of August 15, 2009 - ^^

We who hold Badlands in high regard have also bemoaned the two-decade drought of directorial output by Maestro Malick that ended with a poorly edited theatrical release of "The Thin Red Line". "Days Of Heaven" was nearly on par with Badlands, but then did Orson Welles ever have a realistic shot at surpassing Citizen Kane with HIS subsequent efforts? Perhaps the least prolific writer/director to create a masterpiece in a class of its own - almost - was Charles Laughton, who wrote and directed ONE movie in 1955 called "The Night Of The Hunter" with Robert Mitchum as a demonic preacher, Shelley Winters in a fine role, and Lillian Gish at her best.

Charles Laughton was 7 years from the end of his 55-film acting career (that began in 1928) when he made Hunter, a film that had little commercial success upon its release, but has since achieved cult status. When I first caught Hunter as a afternoon movie broadcast, I was mesmerized by its haunting mood, earthy characters, photographic brilliance, and perfectly matched soundtrack music. Decades later upon first seeing Badlands, I remembered a movie from my distant past that evoked the same awe, starred Mitchum, and was directed by Laughton. It was at this IMDb site years later that I was able to ID it as "The Night Of The Hunter". My most memorable similarity noted between the two masterpieces was the cinematography - clever camera angles, sweeping stark landscapes, menacing crime scenes on land and water, and above all the frequent close-ups of animal and plant life, the latter with time-lapse growth montages. Hunter was a remarkable directorial debut for Laughton as was Badlands for Malick, whom I suspect was somewhat influenced by his predecessor.

Interestingly, 43 years passed from the premiere of Hunter until the soundtrack CD was finally released in 1998 with narration throughout by Laughton (never before published)! I just discovered the existence of this CD today while surfing IMDb prior to writing this review. Perhaps there is hope we may see a Badlands soundtrack release before 2018, maybe with some Sissy Spacek narration and Martin Sheen dialog as separate tracks.