Hidden Treasures - Week of Dec. 17th

THE DANCER UPSTAIRS (2002)
The directorial debut of noted thespian John Malkovich, THE DANCER UPSTAIRS weaves a tale of violence and revolution, yet manages to present it all in a manner best described as introspective. Police Detective Agustín Rejas (Javier Bardem) has been assigned the task of tracking down and capturing the mysterious revolutionary known only as Ezekial, who has been wreaking havoc throughout the country, sending children to bomb local stores and lining streets with dead dogs. There is violence in the film, to be sure, yet the overall atmosphere of THE DANCER UPSTAIRS is reflective and subdued, almost dreamlike. For a directorial debut, it is an absolute wonder. John Malkovich has always been one of the cinema’s most distinctive actors. Here, he adds his unique voice to a film while working entirely behind the scenes, and the results have me hoping he will do so again in the very near future.

DAY FOR NIGHT (1973)
If you love movies, then Francois Truffaut’s 1973 award-winning film, DAY FOR NIGHT, is a must-see. Truffaut himself appears as the director of a new film titled May I Introduce Pamela, which will star, among others, the famous American actress Julie (Jacqueline Bissett). There is plenty of humor, not to mention some drama, to be found in DAY FOR NIGHT, yet what I enjoyed most about the film was the way it so lovingly presented the details, those pesky little particulars that are so often overlooked in movies about the filmmaking process (at one point, the director instructs a member of his crew to steal a vase from the lobby of the hotel where they’re all staying, but only because it will look perfect sitting on a table in the dining room set piece). More than a dramatized account of life on a movie set, DAY FOR NIGHT is, at its heart, a respectful homage to the art of making movies.

SUDDENLY (1954)
SUDDENLY, a brisk 75-minute thriller in which a disgruntled veteran tries to assassinate the President of the United States, contains one of Frank Sinatra’s finest performances (and with films such as THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM, FROM HERE TO ETERNITY and THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE on his resume, that’s no small accomplishment). Sinatra plays the veteran, John Baron, who invades the home of a family in the small town of Suddenly (a home that happens to overlook the local train station) because he’s learned that President Eisenhower plans a stop-over there on his way west. There’s more than enough suspense to go around, yet SUDDENLY is noteworthy for its fine performances. Sterling Hayden is very effective as the sheriff who tries to stop Baron, but it’s Sinatra, whose character’s deep-seated resentments have driven him to the point of madness, who steals the show.

THE LAVENDER HILL MOB (1951)
As a proud member of the STAR WARS generation, my introduction to Alec Guinness’s work was through his role as the wise and powerful Jedi, Obi Wan Kenobi. It would take years for me to discover the actor’s comedic abilities, and of all the comedies he appeared in, THE LAVENDER HILL MOB is my absolute favorite. Guinness is Henry Holland, a bank employee whose dreary life takes an up-turn when he devises a plan to steal a shipment of gold bullion. Alec Guinness starred in a string of comedies for England’s Ealing Studios starting in the late 1940’s, including KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS and THE LADYKILLERS. Yet if you see only one of his films from this era, I recommend you make it THE LAVENDER HILL MOB (and keep an eye out for a brief cameo by none other than Audrey Hepburn)