Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Fri, 1 Jun 2012 23:19:44 -0700

Walt Disney’s first feature length movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is to this day held as an industry standard by which all other animated films are compared. That’s a particularly impressive distinction considering the film is now celebrating its 75th birthday. And in honor of its diamond anniversary, Disney has unveiled a new restoration with the most gorgeous saturated colors, from the deepest red of a poisoned apple, to the shimmering waves of a set of “Dopey” blue eyes.

I’m not sure when or where I first saw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I’m guessing it had to be when I was fairly young and viewed it on the old TV show, The Wonderful World of Disney. I must have seen it many times throughout my childhood, because I remember it well enough that I know most of the songs by heart and can recite the names of all seven dwarfs. Then again, who can’t? Disney (the person, place and thing) is such an indelible part of the American experience that it seems virtually impossible to find anyone within the 50 states (or its territories) that wouldn’t know, understand and immediately identify a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs reference. And that’s without ever having seen the groundbreaking film at its best, projected on the big screen in a movie theater. Few people nowadays can boast such a distinction. After all, the film was initially released in 1937 and has had only a handful of re-releases since. However, thanks to the Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival, I can now count myself among those few.

I was so excited to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the 2012 TCMFF that I arrived outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre long before they had even established the waiting line. Needless to say, I got exactly the seat I wanted and spent the rest of my pre-show time chatting with those who had sat down around me. Besides the Daws Brothers who had planned ahead to join me (use this link to read their account of the festival), I spoke with a very interesting older man, George. He was at the screening with his young niece, Amelia who was an animation student in Arizona. Of course I thought she had brought him, but it was the other way around. George knew so much about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and animation in general that I thought for sure he must be a part of the industry, or at the very least a professor of animation history. As it turned out he was some big wig at an oil company, and the TCMFF was his Mecca, a place where he could mingle with other like-minded fanatics to unabashedly share his appreciation for classic cinema. I could have talked with George all day, but then the lights dimmed and I remembered why I was in the Chinese Theatre in the first place.

Film critic, Leonard Maltin was the host of the screening, and his first duty was to introduce the packed audience to a 92-year-old Marge Champion. Besides being a famous dancer (Show Boat, Lovely to Look At) the surprisingly youthful Champion was the 17-year-old model that posed for illustrators as Snow White. Having never attempted to illustrate such vibrant representations of the human form before, the animators were eager to render the character’s movements as realistically as possible. The result was the wonderfully vivid and lithe movement of Disney’s first princess; one that remains as captivating today as she was more than 75 years ago. Obviously, Disney selected the right young woman for the job who aged with the same grace and beauty one would expect of Snow White herself.

As the film began to play in that enormous theater I became completely engrossed. As I said, I’ve seen the film many times before but it had been years, and never on the big screen, let alone one the size at the Chinese Theatre. Viewing Snow White in such a format was not only magical but completely absorbing. It was as if I were seeing parts of the film for the first time, particularly the playful antics of the seven dwarfs with their individual nuances and expressions (according to George, Disney used seven different shades of ink to color their noses alone). Apparently the grand impression had the same effect on the rest of the audience, because I’ve never been in a theater rife with children who were so quiet, and some were so young they were sitting on their parent’s laps. This extraordinary accomplishment is a testament to the fascination the film still holds for people of all ages, and an accomplishment that should be lauded and honored as frequently as possible.

Fortunately, TCM agrees with this assessment and has been working with the folks over at Disney for several years to bring their classics out into theaters to be admired by the public once again (last year Fantasia was included in the Hollywood film festival). Who knows, maybe if we’re lucky, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs may receive the same treatment as Casablanca and experience it’s own national, one-night only special presentation, complete with a pre-recorded introduction by Robert Osborne. If any film at this year’s festival is ripe for such a celebrated fanfare, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the one. And if it does, I urge you not to miss your opportunity to see a bit of the wonderful world of Disney. It will undoubtedly remind you just how wonderful it was.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Sun, 6 May 2012 22:19:53 -0700

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was the first live action film produced by the Walt Disney Studios. With a story based on a Jules Verne novel, lots of seafaring excitement, and Kirk Douglas, Disney obviously intended to make a bold impression upon a public used to the famed animation studio presenting cartoon interpretations of fantastical tales. As it turns out the impression was more than bold, it was magical.

Of course, it took the imagination of a cinematic pioneer like Walt Disney to even think of pairing the squeaky clean studio with the mischievously charming Douglas. After all, when one thinks of good family fare in the movies, one naturally turns to Disney. Kirk Douglas on the other hand is not a name that usually springs to mind. In fact, with such recent (at the time) roguish roles in Billy Wilder’s, Ace in the Hole, and Vincente Minnelli’s, The Bad and the Beautiful one might conclude that the two cinema icons would have been considered mutually exclusive. However, Disney had built a reputation for providing the public with what they liked, and at this time they liked Kirk Douglas. With both Disney and Douglas at the top of their game in 1954, a pairing between the two just made good business sense.

Actually, other than a few early Film-Noirs, Douglas never portrayed truly evil characters completely beyond redemption. If anything, he specialized in playing the disarming, devil-may-care man, who due to circumstances must choose between the conflicting forces within him and emerges as a better person in the end. And that’s exactly what Douglas’ Ned Land does in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Ned (one of Douglas’ own favorite roles) is a rough and rugged whaler who likes the ladies and loves a good fight. He has little concern for the superstitions of his fellow sailors who report the sightings of a mysterious sea monster, or the patience for a man of science in the form of Academy Award winner Paul Lukas (he beat out Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca for his role in Watch on the Rhine). It is only after surviving a horrific shipwreck with Lukas and his assistant that the mismatched companions are forced by circumstance to get to know each other.

The rest of the impressive cast includes the always enjoyable Peter Lorre (Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon) as Lukas’ assistant, and the debonair James Mason (A Star is Born, North by Northwest) as Captain Nemo, the man who devised and commands The Nautilus, the most impressive sea vessel the world has ever known. Lorre provides many comic moments particularly when paired with Douglas for a brief, although harrowing, adventure on an uncharted island. Mason on the other hand is undoubtedly the villain of the film. For all his intellect and gentlemanly ways, Nemo has been eliminating all other ships that cross the path of The Nautilus, sending hundreds of men to their deaths due to a superiority complex and misdirected revenge on a world that has done him wrong. Therefore, Douglas’ carefree Ned regards Nemo as a murderer and a menace, even though Lukas’ professor respects the man as a brilliant scientist. It is the conflict between these two perspectives that drives the story. Unfortunately for all of them, Nemo has underestimated yet another main character: the sea itself.

One of the most exciting sequences in the film is when the Nautilus comes under attack by a giant squid. It sounds terribly cheesy, but thanks to the ingenuity of the film’s Academy Award winning Special Effects and Art Direction the exciting climactic battle remains impressive even by today’s computer enhanced standards. Initially, director Richard Fleischer (The Narrow Margin, Soylent Green) had problems making the desperate fight for life look believable, let alone not laughable. Apparently the wires and gears needed to operate the squid were all too visible. Everyone was unsatisfied with the look of the scene until Walt Disney and screenwriter Earl Felton suggested setting the action amidst a ragging storm, thus hiding the unwanted elements from the immediate eye of the camera. FX and Art were able to successfully mask the behind-the-scenes mechanics, and the result is the magical movie moment we know today.

I had the great opportunity of seeing this film at the 2012 Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival, and its truly amazing how great the film looks on a screen the size of the one at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Even more impressive was getting to see the film’s star, Kirk Douglas in person. Kirk may not look the same as he did fifty-eight years ago, but he’s just as full of energy as he ever was. He happily recalled to screening host, Ben Mankiewicz that 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was one of his all time favorite working experiences. One reason was that he married his wife of nearly 60 years during the filming, and another was the opportunity to sing for his first and only time on screen. It was a nice little sea chantey called A Whale of a Tale, which he sang on the spot with out missing a word. It was a wonderfully charming moment that no one in that theater is likely to forget anytime soon.

Whether or not Kirk Douglas personally sings you the song he used to serenade a sea lion you’re bond to enjoy Disney’s first live action feature, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. This family friendly film is truly entertaining for young an old alike without pandering to, or boring either. That seems to be an aspect of production most family films can’t quite manage to accomplish now a days. Obviously Disney knew the secret. All you have to do is provide a fantastic tale of action and adventure and let the imagination of the audience do the rest. Genius.

The Princess Bride

Fri, 8 Jul 2011 22:28:22 -0700

If you’re not already familiar with “The Princess Bride”, you should know what others who have gone before you have discovered - one viewing will not suffice. Be warned, this film will get under your skin and draw you back again and again for repeat viewings. No matter what your age, you won’t be able to help yourself from becoming addicted to the wholesome entertainment this film has to offer for viewers of all ages and all backgrounds. I don’t think it’s saying too much to call “The Princess Bride” the modern age “Wizard of Oz”. Yes, it’s that good.

Like Oz, Bride takes the audience away to a world of fantasy and wonder. But instead of a clunk on the head caused by a house under the threat of a natural disaster, we are lead into this other world by the soothing voice of a loving grandparent reading to a beloved grandchild who is sick in bed. Played by Peter Falk, the grandfather has a strong and protective presence that heightens the authenticity of the adventure while maintaining a secure and cozy feeling. Regardless of how hardened your sensible, adult heart may be you’ll be drawn into the story just as easily as the jaded grandson, Fred Savage (prepubescent and pre-“The Wonder Years”). The kindly voice of the doting storyteller carries us along a quaint beginning that quickly morphs into a tale of adventure, loss, and impending doom. Way cool!

And from there it only gets better. For what initially appears to be a classic fairy tale of a beautiful maiden discovered by a charming Prince is far from what it seems. Oh no, for “The Princess Bride” comes from the brilliant mind of master storyteller and Oscar winning screenwriter William Goldman (“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, “All the President’s Men”). Goldman has deftly used his keen talents to gingerly throw in every classic fairy tell element you can think of and then proceeds to stand each one on its head, creating an epic tale where heroes scale the Cliffs of Insanity, battle Rodents of Unusual Size, and endure villainous torture in the Pit of Despair, complete with daring swordplay and, much to the displeasure of the grandson, some kissing.

“The Princess Bride” is an unapologetic escape into the world of fairy tale and fantasy, helmed by the expert comedic hand of one of the most under-appreciated directors of our time, Rob Reiner, whose experience among the silly and the daffy include the world’s first and most irreverent “rockumentary”, “This is Spinal Tap”. Much like his ode to all things tasteless in rock and roll, Reiner spares no shame in constructing his fractured fairy tale. Every gag is played perfectly straight and to the hilt. This is the sign of a true master of comedy. Not to undervalue the performances of the extremely capable cast by any means, but it takes a genius to guide those talents to their best performances without letting them get beyond themselves.

For instance, the evil Prince, usually an over the top caricature, is portrayed by a wonderfully understated Chris Sarandon. Sarandon’s Prince Humperdink is really a conniving warmonger with a streak of yellow running down his back, but even he has his sensitive moments when conferring with his best friend. Furthermore, the treacherous kidnappers are spared the standard two-dimensional depictions. As the leader, Wallace Shawn is painfully funny as he bullies and manipulates an out of work circus performer (Andre the Giant, in a stroke of brilliant typecasting) and a swarthy swordsman. Mandy Patinkin is sexy personified as the swordsman on a lifelong quest to revenge his father’s death.

And a dashing Cary Elwes channels the spirit of Douglas Fairbanks in his turn as the dread pirate Roberts, an entrepreneurial young man who has decided to retire, but not before regaining the heart of his true love. Topping it all off is the ethereal performance of then newcomer Robin Wright. It’s impossible to think of a more perfect fit for a role than Wright as Princess Buttercup. Her simple delivery, paired with a timeless grace and beauty, recalls the image of Grace Kelly. It makes you wonder what Her Serene Highness would have been like if she had done a tongue in cheek comedy.

“The Princess Bride” has everything you could want from a cult classic, and more, because it has one thing other cult films lack – universal appeal! Sounds like an oxymoron when referring to a cult film, but there you have it. It has everything “The Wizard of Oz” has without anyone breaking out into song. It has all the romance and adventure of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” without the cross-dressing. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it might raise questions mom and dad just aren’t ready to answer.

Most importantly, there’s true love in the form of romance, friendship and family. As much as you’ll enjoy experiencing the inevitable happy ending, you’ll find yourself gushing tears over the happiest ending when a satisfied grandchild invites his grandfather to come back the next day and read it all over again. Much like an avid cult movie fan, the grandfather can’t resist the opportunity to revisit the story again, and again, and again.

The Sound of Music

Tue, 3 May 2011 12:53:45 -0700

The Sound of Music is one of the most popular and entertaining films of all time. Like The Wizard of Oz, this family friendly feature is well known the world over and beloved by generations, due in large part to becoming an annual television event. In the days before VCRs I remember the excitement of being allowed to eat dinner in front of the television because The Sound of Music was on. This was a rare privilege, bestowed on only the most special occasions.

Upon it’s initial release the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic received a multitude of awards including Oscars for Best Picture, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Music Score and Best Director for the flawless direction of the versatile and highly honored Robert Wise, who also directed Best Picture winner Westside Story. Interestingly enough, Wise only agreed to direct after William Wyler had abandoned it, and if 20th Century-Fox would agree to finance his next picture, The Sand Pebbles. They did, so he did.

As most people know the story is based on a real family and the events in their life. This audience favorite tells the story of Maria, who, after proving too high-spirited for the other nuns in her convent, is sent to work as a governess for the unruly children in the Von Trapp family in 1930s Austria just before the outbreak of World War II. Julie Andrews (in only her third film) stars as the young and effervescent novice who charms her charges and wins the heart of their strict military father played by the incredibly sexy Christopher Plummer. Ironically, Plummer was known for decades to despise the film for what he thought was overwhelming sentimentality. However, as the years have passed, he has since come to embrace its charming appeal.

Although the chemistry between the two stars is palpable, their blossoming romance is conducted on the highest of moral grounds, making it a love story any adult can enjoy while in the presence of children, and likewise children with their parents. Throw in some Nazis for some villainous adventure and some angelic nuns for comic relief and you’ve got a well constructed, perfectly written, wonderfully acted, and brilliantly executed film. Simply put, The Sound of Music has everything one could want in a movie, and it is a timeless classic every family should share.

For many film fans, The Sound of Music is the 70mm experience! And Director Robert Wise doesn’t waste a moment of the grand aspect’s magic. From the very first shots across the Salzburg woods to the final camera sweeps over the Austrian Alps, to the energetic “Do, Re, Mi” montage sequence with Maria and the children scampering through picturesque scenery, to the Cathedral wedding scene with the bridal train that goes on and on and would never fit on 35mm, every frame requires the grandeur of 70mm film. If you’re a fan of classic cinema, or just looking for a unique experience the whole family can enjoy, I recommend you get a copy of one of the most popular films of all time. You’ll undoubtedly watch it again and again and likely start a family tradition that will span the generations.

For other reviews on The Sound of Music use this link to MRQE.com.

Field of Dreams: A Sports Film with Mass Appeal

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 21:00:42 -0700

What could possibly be a better film for baseball loving fathers and sons to watch together than Field of Dreams, which may also quite possibly be the single best sports film even mothers, daughters and even non-sports persons can love.

Far more than just a sports film, Field of Dreams emerged into the heart of all things Americana over 20 years ago. It’s a film about a man played by Kevin Costner (The Untouchables, Dances with Wolves) who longs for a resolution with a deceased father he never understood, let alone appreciated. Now, the son has a chance to reach out to that father through a fanciful game of baseball with ghosts playing on a diamond in a cornfield. As strange as it sounds it’s really a simple tale that works to great effect, and is guaranteed to tug on the heartstrings of even the manliest of men.

Through a series of events dictated by the voices in the head of a struggling Iowa farmer men of all walks of life, living and dead come together to play the great American past time. Along his journey the farmer is influenced by strange forces to elicit the aid of two very different men played by James Earl Jones (The Great White Hope, Matewan) and Burt Lancaster (The Killers, From Here to Eternity). Jones and Lancaster play two particularly moving characters, each on a journey of his own to fulfill a long lost desire, one to play professional baseball and the to experience the game to its fullest. Jones is an award-wining writer who had an effect on the beat generation, and Lancaster plays an elderly small town doctor who has recently passed away. Like most of the other men they have absolutely nothing in common except for a shared love of a national pastime so deep it is best expressed by the playing of the game itself.

After completing his quest, saving his farm and fulfilling the requests made by the voices in his head, Costner is finally given the opportunity to play a game of catch with his long dead father. The emotional moment that passes between the two is far deeper than any they shared while the father was alive. It is a poignant scene that any person can understand, male or female, sports enthusiast or not. It also qualifies as the best scene ever depicted demonstrating the simple solution to the complicated question of communicating with family. As the very wisest of parents have already discovered themselves: when words become useless the best communication between a parent and child is in the moment itself.

Athlete or not, you will undoubtedly love the timeless themes expressed within Field of Dreams. But it’s likely you’ll enjoy them even more so if you’ve got a dad and a son in your life who enjoy the pleasure of each other’s company even in silence. Who needs a whole bunch of fancy words getting in the way? The feelings are there, they just don’t have to talk about them to appreciate them or each other.