In this marathon, we hit the last movie that Orson Welles was only an actor in and we only have one more movie period left. A movie I have purposefully not watched yet. Because the last few posts, including this one, have been me writing about movies I saw roughly a month or so ago, which is not ideal from my perspective.
I'll keep you all in suspense over what exactly that movie is, and focus on the movie today: The Long Hot Summer. This movie gets off to a great start with what is a fantastic theme song by Jimmie Rodgers.
And the movie that follows it... is actually pretty good. I was not aware of this movie's existence before researching what Orson Welles movies to watch (because he made a few just to get a paycheck that... do not hold up). So my expectations were nill.
It helps that the lead role is played by Paul Newman, not exactly playing against type here. Probably because this movie, and Cat On a Hot Tin Roof the same year, helped define his "type." He's a smooth talking,con man who ingratiates himself into a rich family and finds love well the love changes him. Fairly typical stuff here.
But it is probably helped by what was a real life love story behind the scenes. Newman played opposite Joanne Woodward, still alive by the way, and they fell in love off screen and were married until Newman died. You can get a sense of that when watching this movie.
It's a fairly stacked cast. Angela Lansbury, also still alive, is in the movie for a comic little sideplot that doesn't really work. Not her fault. It was probably funny in 1958. Anthony Franciosa was fresh off an Oscar nomination when he did this movie, and plays Woodward's brother, while Lee Remick plays her sister.
And then there's Orson Welles. He adds to the entertainment with his Southern accent. With his bellowing voice and big frame, he does not really try to make sure people understand what he's saying. You need subtitles to understand him. It doesn't really matter, because it's seriously entertaining as hell. Honestly, I don't know that I would be that interested in the movie if Welles didn't keep my interest.
3/4 stars
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Because I don't have much to say, and I don't feel like making a whole post about this movie, I'll quickly explain my thoughts on the other movie Newman made in 1958. I'm not a fan.
If I could sum up why, it's that the director did not take advantage of the fact that he was making a movie. He might as well just filmed the play and released it that way. Bewilderingly, the screenplay changed a lot of the play's dialogue and less bewilderingly because of the time, removed the gay element of the play. So you're not even getting the best version of the play in this version.
When I say Richard Brooks, the director, didn't take advantage of this being a movie, I mean there are two settings in the entire movie: the house and in the first few minutes when Brick injures himself. That's it. When we go to the house, we are there for the rest of the movie and the rest of the movie is pure melodrama turned to 11 for the entire freaking movie.
Give me flashbacks of Brick being his normal self. Don't need to reveal what actually happened. Do something interesting instead of just regurgitating the play, which you have changed so much that Tennessee Williams didn't like it. I don't know. There are lot of words spoken and the everyone is just talking in circles for most of the runtime. Don't really get the love for this movie.
Also, if you play a drinking game for every time Big Daddy is said, you would die before the movie was over. Good lord did that get annoying. Acting is good though. Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, Burl Ives.
2/4 stars
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