Off topic: When We Were Kings (1996)

Ali, boma ye!

Director: Leon Gast

Category: I’ve been watching boxing movies lately. Recently, I watched the first and final Rocky movies—Rocky and Rocky Balboa (the former is a brilliant film; the latter…is not). In the process, I thought I’d check out this documentary.

My thoughts: This is a great documentary, because the subject matter is so much more than just a boxing match. When We Were Kings is about the 1974 boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, which Ali called “The Rumble in the Jungle.” The fight took place in Kinshasa, Zaire (which used to be Belgian Congo and is now the Democratic Republic of Congo). Ali was previously banned from boxing for three and a half years because he refused to enter the draft and fight in Vietnam. This act of defiance endeared him to those in Zaire, and Ali embraced them in return. Ali got the Zaire people to chant “Ali, boma ye!” which means “Ali, kill him!” Interestingly, George Foreman’s decision to bring his pet German shepherd with him to Zaire did not endear him to the natives—because the Belgians used German shepherds to attach the citizens of Zaire while the country was colonized by Belguim (this fits with what I’ve heard about life under Belgian rule, which was, by all accounts, brutal).

The president of Zaire, Mobutu Sese Soku, is also featured in the documentary. He was a ruthless dictator, and he brings to mind the political situations that occurred in African countries during the 1970s—after all the fights for independence against colonialism had been won across the continent, many countries in Africa had to figure out how to govern themselves. And this was by no means a simple task. Mobutu reminded me of Idi Amin, dictator of Uganda in the 1970s.

Rocky is about an underdog who gets a chance to fight the world champion. And Ali was the “Rocky” of “The Rumble in the Jungle,” if you will. By 1974, many people thought he was past his prime. One person who didn’t think Ali was past his prime was Ali himself. He talked a good (and quite eloquent) game, but he could certainly back it up (it’s like that line in Beyonce’s “Ego”—“I walk like this cuz I can back it up”). During the actual fight with George Foreman, Ali didn’t dance around in the ring, like he might have done in the past. Instead he used the rope-a-dope tactic, in which he made his opponent, Foreman, tire himself out. And once this happened, Ali came out with a vengeance.

There is such a sense of the time period in When We Were Kings—it has a very 1970s feel. There’s a sense that black Americans, like the African nations after colonialism, were figuring out how to exist in the 1970s after the hard-won victories of the Civil Rights Movement. I can’t omit a very fascinating (and very ‘70s) element of this documentary—George Foreman’s wardrobe. It’s funny—Ali was a big talker, but a very conservative dresser, at least in comparison to Foreman. Foreman was very quiet, but his clothes were LOUD. Such intense colors! At one point, he wears this sort of bejeweled newsboy cap…and I just can’t understand why he decided to bring it all the way to Zaire to wear. There was also a concert preceding the fight, featuring James Brown, Memphis’ own B.B. King, and the Spinners. Like I said before, this is a fascinating documentary because it isn’t just about a boxing match. It’s about a legend (Ali) and a country (Zaire) who were both at a crossroads.

Great line (by Ali, who was marveling at how, in his opinion, the people of Zaire are smarter than Americans): "They speak English, French, and African. We can’t even speak English good."

P.S. Did anyone dare tell him that there’s no such language as “African?”

Off Topic: The Godfather

Year: 1972

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Category: I first saw this movie about sixteen years ago. All I knew was that Marlon Brando was in it and that it was about organized crime. And I’m glad I didn’t know much about it, because the plot drew me in and continues to intrigue me. Dear reader, this post contains some spoilers, so beware!

My thoughts: The Godfather opens with the wedding of Connie Corleone, the only daughter of mob boss Don Vito Corleone (played, of course, by Marlon Brando). Sometime later, Virgil “The Turk” Sollozzo arrives on the scene with a bunch of drugs, and needs protection and funding from mobsters. The Don says no, but Sonny, his impulsive eldest son, expresses interest in the drug game (before he’s shut down by his dad), which exposes a crack in the Corleone armor. The Don tells Sonny, “Never tell anyone outside the Family what you are thinking again.” This is, to me, where the plot turns—that meeting with Don Corleone, Sonny, and Sollozzo. It leads to a series of events that result in Michael Corleone, the youngest son, (who I mentioned when writing about The Custom of the Country) going from neutral party to ruthless don. And I mean RUTHLESS. I think The Godfather Part II documents more of how hardened and deadly cunning Michael had become. But here, in the original, you can see that he’ll be more coldly efficient than his father. I think Michael, even though he at first wanted no part of the family business, grew up in an environment where violence and revenge were de rigueur. So when he decides to get involved in it, it’s perfectly normal to him. It’s business (not personal).

I like this movie because it’s a very fascinating story. The characters are not saints, but they are very compelling to watch. In The Godfather, where things begin and where they end are very drastic. I think there’s something Shakespearean about The Godfather (it reminds me of both King Lear and some of the histories involving Henry IV and Henry V). But, unfortunately, it seems that filming The Godfather was not a fun process for the director and the actors. I once listened to the DVD commentary by Francis Ford Coppola. He stated that he was chosen to direct The Godfather because he was young and the studio thought they could push him around. I always think it’s interesting to hear about behind-the-scenes stories from great films—indeed, there’s a fascinating documentary called Hearts of Darkness about the making of another Coppola film, Apocalypse Now (which I’ve only seen in its entirety once—it’s pretty crazy).

Every time I watch The Godfather, I think about it for days afterward. I think about the twists and turns and the great lines. I like how, later in the film, Vito Corleone appears to be a little…senile, if you will. He rambles quite a bit when talking to Michael. But it’s at this point that Don Corleone tells Michael that the person who approaches him (Michael) with an offer of peace will be the traitor. And so it comes to pass.

Great lines:

Tom Hagen: When I meet with Tattaglia’s men, should I insist all their drug middlemen have clean records?

Don Corleone: Mention it, don’t insist. But Barzini will know that without being told.

Tom Hagen: You mean Tattaglia...

Don Corleone: Tattaglia is a pimp. He never could have outfought Santino. But I didn't know until this day that it was Barzini all along.

Off Topic: Now, Voyager

Now, Voyager (1942)

Category: I first came across Now, Voyager during my old movie phase as a teenager.

My thoughts: I love this movie, but it’s a bit melodramatic, especially toward the end. Now, Voyager has several elements: mother/daughter conflict, star-crossed lovers, and a glimpse into psychiatry in the early 1940s. This movie is the story of Charlotte Vale (played by Bette Davis), whose crotchety mother is domineering to the point of tyranny. As a result, Charlotte is incredibly repressed and on the verge of a breakdown. A kind psychiatrist, Dr. Jaquith (played by Claude Rains), intervenes, sends Charlotte to a sanitarium. She then gets a makeover (the kind always featured in those preteen novels I used to read, when an awkward girl returned to school in the fall with a completely new look) and goes on a cruise. There, she meets and falls in love with Jerry, played by Paul Henreid. But, you know, the course of true love never did run smooth.

The moment Charlotte comes back from her cruise and moves in with her mother again, it’s business as usual as far as her mother is concerned. Her mother refuses to acknowledge that Charlotte has grown. It’s a reminder that when you’ve experienced positive changes in life, it does not mean that the people around you have done the same or even appreciate that you’ve changed. People tend to relapse into the same roles, especially adults and their children. This film features a cute and famous moment where Jerry lights two cigarettes and then gives one to Charlotte. Well, I’m sure it was cute in 1942—nowadays, the Surgeon General and every anti-smoking organization in America would be after those two.

When I first saw this movie, it was a bit odd seeing Bette Davis play such a milquetoast after seeing her be something of a hellraiser in All About Eve. And those infamous Bette Davis eyes convey Charlotte’s sense of sadness, just as they blazed with fury in All About Eve—really, Bette Davis was a phenomenal actress. It was also unusual for me to see Claude Rains in such a kind role after seeing him play shady characters in Notorious, Casablanca, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. And I usually think of Paul Henreid as Victor Lazlo from Casablanca. The movie is based on a novel by Olive Higgins Prouty, who also wrote Stella Dallas, which was also made into a movie, but I’ve never seen it. The novel takes its name from a line in a Walt Whitman poem: “Now, voyager, sail thou forth, to seek and find.” This actually reminds me of Tennyson’s "Ulysses." This is a good movie for a lazy weekend, when you just want to curl up in a blanket and watch a good black and white movie.

Great lines:
Dr. Jaquith: “My dear Mrs. Vale, if you had deliberately and maliciously planned to destroy your daughter’s life, you couldn’t have done it more completely.”
Charlotte’s mom: “How? By having exercised a mother’s rights?”
Dr. Jaquith: “A mother’s rights, twaddle. A child has rights, a person has rights, to discover her own mistakes, to make her own way, to grow and blossom in her own particular soil.”

Off topic: All About Eve

Movie: All About Eve (1950)

My thoughts: All About Eve is my favorite movie of all time. I have been a huge fan for over half of my life. I can recite entire scenes word for word (much to the amusement of my family). This movie, for those who don’t know, is about an aging Broadway star, Margo Channing (played by Bette Davis) who takes a seemingly innocent young woman, Eve Harrington (played by Anne Baxter), under her wing. Eve turns out to be a deviously ambitious usurper who wants Margo’s career and her man, Bill Sampson. The movie has amazing (and highly quotable) dialogue and a lot of references to theater that I have slowly but surely learned over the years. When I first saw this movie as a fourteen-year-old, the references to Arthur Miller, Macbeth, Hamlet, Ibsen, Sarah Bernhard, etc. went completely over my head.

All About Eve also has wonderful supporting characters: Karen Richards is Margo’s best friend and the wife of Margo’s playwright; Birdie Coonan is Margo’s wisecracking assistant; and Addison DeWitt, shrewd and heartless, writes about the theater and knows a little too much about everyone’s business. The latter two characters have some of the best lines in the movie. Thelma Ritter was in A Letter to Three Wives  and her character, Birdie, is the first person to get wise to Eve’s game.

I love this movie because it is witty and is a wonderful drama without being melodramatic. The characters are flawed but very compelling. Eve is a bit like Undine Spragg, our old friend from The Custom of the Country —she fights her way into the theater world and wants success by any means necessary. All About Eve was directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, who also directed the A Letter to Three Wives (and, interestingly, Guys and Dolls). Oh, and did I mention that the force of nature known as Bette Davis is in it? Dear reader, watch it, and thank me!

Great line (from Margo Channing): Infants behave the way I do, you know. They cry and misbehave; they’d get drunk if they knew how. When they can’t have what they want. When they feel unwanted or insecure or unloved.

Off topic: A Letter to Three Wives and Gingersnaps

Recently, I had a nasty case of conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye (how very 4^th grade). For the most part, I felt perfectly fine, but since it’s very contagious, I missed a day of work. Sometimes, if I’m sick, I’ll put the television on just to have some background noise while I lie around in misery. But on this particular sick day, I watched A Letter to Three Wives. This is not a movie you want on in the background. It’s one you want to pay attention to.

Movie: A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

My thoughts: Movies like this embody the word “classic.” It’s such a great film. It’s directed by Joseph L. Manciewicz, who also happened to direct my all-time favorite film, All About Eve. This movie is the story of, well, three wives: Deborah Bishop (Jeanne Crain), Lora Mae Hollingsway (Linda Darnell), and Rita Phipps (Ann Sothern), who have a frenemy in their circle named Addie Ross (who narrates the story and is voiced seductively by Celeste Holm). Deborah is a farm girl who married up and feels as if she doesn’t fit in among her husband’s wealthy friends. Rita writes for a radio soap opera, and makes more money than her English teacher husband (which qualified as a serious issue at the time…hopefully not now).  And Lora Mae is a bombshell from the wrong side of the tracks who marries her former boss, the owner of several department stores. One afternoon, as all three ladies are ready to go on a boating trip with a group of children, they receive a letter from Addie, who all of the ladies’ husbands view as a sort of ideal woman. Addie informs them that she left town—with one of their husbands. Only Addie doesn’t say whose husband… Each woman ponders her relationship in a series of flashbacks.

There is an interesting-in-a-21^st-century-way scene where Deborah, Lora Mae, and Rita notice and stare longingly at a payphone—their only chance to call their husbands and ask, “Have you left me for Addie Ross?”— as the boat they are on sails away. And since the trip is an all-day thing, they won’t be able to find out whose husband has left until that evening. As I watched the scene, I couldn’t help but think that it would have been so different if cell phones had been around. Of course, the title of the movie would be different as well (A Text to Three Wives?) Also, we as the audience never see Addie Ross, which adds to her mystique.

While writing this, I started to think about why this movie is so great. The script is amazing, and Manciewicz crammed this movie with great actors. Kirk Douglas is great as Rita’s husband, an English teacher who corrects the grammar of those around him (I must say that I saw myself in him in this regard). And Thelma Ritter, the great Thelma Ritter, is the sarcastic Sadie, who works for Rita. This is a genuinely funny movie. It’s such a cliché to say this, but they really don’t make movies like this anymore.

Great lines:
Lora Mae: How do I look?
Sadie: If I was you, I'd show more of what I got. Maybe wear somethin’ with beads.
Lora Mae: What I got don't need beads.

Days later, after my eye turned back to its natural color, I decided to use up some leftover molasses and make gingersnaps from this recipe I saw on seriouseats.com. I hadn’t made these since Christmas 2010, which is a crying shame because they are SO GOOD.

Great way to use up leftover molasses!

P.S. I’m still reading A Hope in the Unseen, which, like the gingersnaps, is very good.

Off topic: Roman Holiday

In The Portrait of a Lady, Gilbert Osmond and Isabel Archer live in Rome after their marriage. This reminded me of Roman Holiday, which I decided to watch again (for the umpteenth time).

Category: One of my favorite movies

 My thoughts: What a great film! It’s genuinely funny and sweet but not saccharine. Audrey Hepburn is Princess Ann, a young royal from an unnamed European country who is on a tour of goodwill throughout the continent. In Rome, she decides to play hooky from her stifling royal duties. Here, she meets Joe Bradley (played by a gorgeous Gregory Peck), an American news reporter living in Rome. He tags along with her, and the two traipse around postwar Rome and slowly fall for each other. Here’s the catch—Joe knows Ann’s true identity and could potentially make a lot of money selling his story about his adventures with a runaway princess. While watching this movie again, I started to wonder, in this age of social media and paparazzi, if a princess could get away with such a thing these days.

 Both Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck are great in this movie (in fact, Hepburn won an Academy Award for her role as Princess Ann). It’s interesting that these aren’t the “iconic” roles for these two—that being Breakfast at Tiffany’s for Hepburn and To Kill a Mockingbird for Peck. In fact, it’s kind of funny to see Gregory Peck play a character that’s not so morally perfect as Atticus Finch. Joe Bradley is a bit rogue-ish. At one point, he tries to steal a young girl’s camera!

 Eddie Albert (from Green Acres) is also in Roman Holiday, playing Joe’s photographer friend Irving. Also, the city of Rome is very much a character in the movie. I read somewhere that the director wanted to shoot on location in Rome, which was more expensive than filming the movie at the Hollywood studio, so, to cut costs, he filmed to movie in black and white because it was cheaper than filming in color. The architecture of the city is really beautiful.  I’m really struck by the fact that the movie is set in postwar Rome. It gives a sense of gravitas to the movie—there is a sense that the city was trying to get back on its feet. However, this movie is not as serious as another movie set in postwar Rome, the incredibly brilliant The Bicycle Thief.

 In writing this, I thought of a similarity between Roman Holiday and The Portrait of a Lady. Like Isabel Archer, Princess Ann makes a grown-up decision—that is, to return to her duty of being a royal and not run off with the handsome American reporter. The end of the movie is bittersweet. But it reminds me of a quote I once read by Catherine Deneuve—“Pleasure is something you can cultivate, even if the rewards are strong but fleeting.”

 Great line (uttered by Princess Ann): "Rome. By all means, Rome."

 If that line doesn’t make sense, by all means, you should watch the movie!