284. Mister 880

284. (24 Nov) Mister 880 (1950, Edmund Goulding) 40



Burt Lancaster hams it up as a Secret Service agent tracking down a counterfeiter. He has cute scenes opposite Dorothy McGuire as they great distracted from the task at hand by falling in love. But that no one suspects Edmund Gwenn, despite his constant presence at crime scenes and his fitting the profile, prevents this from feeling suspenseful or believable. Gwenn's Oscar nomination is absurd; just like in Miracle on 34th Street he's a genial old man with a courtroom scene, but there's no substance to this performance whatsoever.

All About Eve

All About Eve, 1950
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Nominated for 14 Oscars, Won 6
Up Against: Born Yesterday, Father of the Bride, King Solomon's Mines, Sunset Blvd.

Synopsis: Eve Harrington is an aspiring actress, and a rabid fan of Margo Channing, a big Broadway star. One evening, a good friend of Margo's a playwrights wife, notices Eve and remembers seeing her at every single show Margo's done, and invites her to meet Margo. Margo, initially repulsed by the idea of a rabid fan, takes Eve in after hearing her story of loss, and of wanting to become an actress. She takes the girl in, lets her live in her home, and Eve becomes almost a pseudo-help. All the while, she's impressing all those she comes into contact with through Margo. And there may be a lot more to Eve than her seeming innocence.

This film has promise to be an interesting story (one that has become quite cliched now) of a young actress taken under their idol's wing, and becoming stars themselves. However, this film was overlong, and take s a very long time to get going, and a long time to wrap up.

It's a clever idea, and was probably one of the first films to mock celebrities. Bette Davis (Margo) was wonderfully over-dramatic, but subtle when she needed to be. And Anne Baxter as Eve was so innocent, but was able to turn on the persona she later gains in the second half of the film with ease and believability. The acting was great, and there was even a couple scenes with a very young Marilyn Monroe.

But the main qualm I had with this film was it was too long. Had this film been at least 45 minutes shorter, the story would've been much more effective, and a lot more entertaining. The first hour or so captivated me, but around the 1 and 1/2 hour mark, I started getting tired of the story. When I read I still had around 45 minutes to an hour left, I was impatient. The film took too long to get to Eve's "rise to fame" chapter, and then spent too long with a pompous Eve, being quite popular.

Overall, the film was well-acted and looked quite good, and the music also good, but it was just too long to really capture me entirely. The film got quite dry by the end, and I was ready for it to be over. Had this been 1950, and I were watching it when it was made, I may have been less hard on it. I haven't seen and read stories like these a few times over, and it would've been a fresher take. However, it's 2012, and it's hard to judge really. The screenplay was sharp and witty, and was another great thing about it. I really wish I'd liked it more, given how much of a classic it really is. I applaud the idea, being a clever one, and being executed (initially) quite well. Compared to other films, it is still quite relevant, and still has an audience appeal because we still make movies with a similar story. It stands the test of time quite well, as still being regarded as a good film, with a good story, screenplay, and acting. However, had this film been a little bit shorter, I may've enjoyed it a lot more.

6.5/10

Double Feature: King Solomon's Mines (1950) and Julius Caesar (1953)

King Solomon's Mines:

Deborah Kerr and Stewart Granger star in this Technicolor adaptation of Allan Quatermain's quest to find a woman's husband who went looking for the mysterious diamond mines of King Solomon. Though it is dated, it is easy to see why an adventure film like this got nominated for Best Picture amidst films like All About Eve and Sunset Boulevard.

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Cinematography (Color), and Best Film Editing. Though it won for the latter two nominations, the Best Picture nomination could have been given to something like Harvey or The Third Man.

Julius Caesar:

This rendering of Shakespeare's tragedy features solid performances from James Mason (as Brutus), Marlon Brando (as Mark Antony), and John Gielgud (as Cassius). Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz allows the material (and what material!) to speak for itself, and Miklos Rozsa's score complements it nicely.

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando), Best Art Direction (B&W), Best Cinematography (B&W), and Best Score (Dramatic or Comedy Picture). Though Brando is good, Mason and Gielgud deserved to be nominated along with him.