Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and the real Blanche Barrow

It's been 50 Years since the release of this film. Its starts -Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway - have been receiving some attention lately for their recent Oscar Awards appearances. Bonnie and Clyde has always been one of my favorite movies ever since I was in high school and first watched it on TV.  I always enjoy the visual style of this movie - the close-ups, editing and dialogue (influenced by the French new wave), the music, and the performances.

On my latest rewatch, I became very interested in learning more about the real Buck and Blanche Barrow. In the film, Buck is played by Gene Hackman and Blanche is played by Estelle Parsons.

I went to my local library to see if I could find anything about them, and I found a biography written by Blanche Barrow called "My Life With Bonnie and Clyde". It's a fascinating book with a detailed chronology, photos, and dozens of pages of references and notes.

The real Blanche, who died in 1988, also had a few interesting things to say about the famous 1967 movie and about the actress who played her, Ms Parsons.

Also interesting to learn from the book is that that Blanche Barrow's name was never used in any of the other previous movies about Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, such as You Only Live Once (1937), They Live By Night (1949), Gun Crazy (1949), or The Bonnie Parker Story (1958).

Some other takeaways from the book -

• Producer Warren Beatty wanted to use her name in the film and had to ask her for permission; she agreed to meet with him at her lawyer's office, and she read the script. After approving, she signed a contract allowing her name to be used in the film.
• One of Clyde's brothers visited the set one day, and jokingly said to Warren Beatty and Gene Hackman, "Howdy there, brothers!"
• Beatty came to Blanche's house a few times to visit and played the piano.
• She did not like the finished movie (claiming the script was rewritten), and said of her portrayal: "That movie made me look like a screaming horse's ass!"

Blanche never wanted media attention after the movie, yet she did ultimately make money from the movie's success.

The French Connection (1971)

Two NYPD narcotics cops - Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider (from Jaws) - track down drug dealers and a shipment of heroin from France.

Spanish actor Fernando Rey plays the heroin smuggler they're after.

I didn't always understood why this movie won so many Oscars and Best Picture, and thought it might have to do with the famous car chase scene.

But watching other cop films that were made before this, I can see how different a film this is in comparison, and how it influenced later films.

I watched this film in college as part of a film appreciation course I took during my Senior year.

This film was followed by a second movie 4 years later, "The French Connection II", which I haven't seen. (Also a TV-movie "Popeye Doyle" was made in 1986 and starred Ed O'Neill).

Peter Boyle was originally cast to play the lead, but turned it down because his agent thought the movie was going to be a failure.

Nebraska (2013) and I Never Sang for My Father (1970)

I recently watched two intriguing films about complicated father-son relationships.  I would recommend both films; I think they'd be especially enjoyed by anyone who has had experience caring for an elderly parent.

The first is 1970's I Never Sang for My Father, which recently aired on Turner Classic Movies.  It's a serious drama that explores the themes of aging and death. Gene Hackman plays a widower who wants to move out of state and remarry. He's torn between moving and staying to care for his elderly father played by Melvyn Douglas.

Melvyn Douglas' character is a stubborn and proud man. We learn he used to be a politician and was very well-known at one time. He's the kind of man that will talk your ear off. Now in his 80s and a widower, he has very few friends, and often falls asleep watching westerns on TV.  He's not entirely sympathetic - we learn he and his daughter (Estelle Parsons) are estranged because of his disapproval of her husband.  And he treats Hackman like a child, and keeps making him feel guilty by saying, "I don't know what I'd do without you".

The movie has two sequences that I've rarely seen in the movies. One scene shows Hackman and Douglas shopping for funeral caskets (for Hackman's mother who just died). Another scene shows Hackman visiting different nursing homes to see if they would be right for his dad. He sees many lonely people by themselves, and he's filled with so much guilt.

It's a very quiet film, and really makes you think about these people, particularly Hackman's character, and how he handles the cards he's been dealt.

The other film is a bit more lighthearted: last year's Nebraska (2013), which is a quirky - and occasionally raunchy - comedy starring Bruce Dern as an elderly man suffering from early stages of dementia. His character is very different from Melvyn Douglas'; Dern is much more of an "average guy", and is much more of a quiet man who doesn't talk much.

But Dern is stubborn nonetheless - and is determined to claim a winning sweepstakes prize in Nebraska. His son is played by Will Forte and the two men go on a road trip to claim the prize. I really enjoyed these scenes of the two men bonding. At one point they visit Mount Rushmore and Dern is unimpressed. Then the best part of the film has the two pass through Dern's old hometown in Nebraska, where they meet many of his old friends including Stacy Keach, who teases him about the prize. There's even an old flame of Dern's that Forte meets, which makes him see a different side of his father.

The movie kept me in suspense to find out what happens at the end when they try to claim the prize. I was very pleased with the outcome of the movie, and I felt uplifted and inspired at the end.

Both movies have elements that reminded me of people in my own family and real life situations.

Read another blog post about Nebraska here from Avvaganda.com

The Conversation (1974)

"Brilliant film about an obsessive surveillance expert (Gene Hackman) who makes a mistake of becoming too involved in a case and finds himself entangled in murder and high-level power plays." (From Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide).

I love this movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It takes place in San Francisco, and a key surveillance sequence takes place in Union Square.

On my trip to there last month I got the chance to see this park, which was really neat. It's changed a bit in 40 years, but it still draws a large crowd just as it did back then.

This film is really thrilling, and has great performances by Gene Hackman and John Cazale, and a very earlyl movie role for Harrison Ford, who follows Hackman through a convention hall. It holds up pretty well after nearly 40 years even though some of the technology is a bit dated.

With Robert Duvall, Teri Garr, Frederic Forrest, and Cindy Williams.

Top 10 Box Office Stars of 1972 (USA)

1932| 1933| 1934| 1935| 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 |
1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948| 1949 | 1950 |

1951 |1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959|1960 |
1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 |1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977-present

The rankings come from Quigley Publishing Co.'s annual list (since 1932) of top money making stars in the USA, which based on a poll of hundreds of theater executives. The list does not rank stars only on how much cash their films made, but on what theater owners say about who attracts audiences on their star power alone.

1. Clint Eastwood

2. George C. Scott

3. Gene Hackman

4. John Wayne

5. Barbra Streisand

6. Marlon Brando

7. Paul Newman

8. Steve McQueen

9. Dustin Hoffman

10. Goldie Hawn

1932| 1933| 1934| 1935| 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 |
1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948| 1949 | 1950 |

1951 |1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959|1960 |
1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 |1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977-present

The Poseidon Adventure (1972) New Year's Eve Celebration

Last night I celebrated New Years Eve at special screening of the original 1972 classic at Chicago's historic golden-age movie palace, The Music Box. But this was no ordinary viewing of the the film - this was a Rocky Horror-esque experience, complete with hats and party favors, champagne, and a pre-show hosted by a group of local performers that included a costume contest (see picture below - the woman dressed as Mrs. Rosen won the grand prize), an audience sing-along to "The Morning After", and a few quirky performances of songs from the locally-produced Poseidon: An Upside Down Musical.



Everyone got an audience interactive/participation guide (when/what to shout out at what times) and there was even a "running commentary" provided by a goofball comedian with a microphone. The coolest part was that the screening was timed so that everyone - off AND onscreen - celebrated midnight at the exactly the same time.

VIDEO CLIPS FROM LAST NIGHT

1. (90 seconds) Ringing in 2010 with the passengers of the SS Poseidon!



2. (20-seconds) Outside of the Music Box, built in 1929.

BONUS!

I love this clip! Someone edited together the capsizing scene with Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding. Check this out!


Click here for my capsule review of the film itself.

The Poseidon Adventure (1972) Capsule Review

Seen as campy today by some, this exciting 1972 film is one of my favorites, an inspiring story of courage and survival. If you haven't seen it before, all you really need to know is that once the ship capsizes, the "adventure" begins. Actually, its more of a quest for survival than an "adventure", I'd say. Unlike some so-called "disaster" films from this era such as the inferior Aiport sequels from this same era, this film - 1972's biggest box office hit after The Godfather - has brave characters you actually care about, such as Gene Hackman's Rev. Scott and Shelly Winters' Mrs Rosen, both sacrificing their lives for the others in the small group of survivors.



Not long ago, I watched this movie on the big screen in its entirety for the first time, and on a big screen - the way it was meant to be seen. Nothing like it. I broke down during Ms Winter's final scenes in the movie; she's so wonderful in this. Jack Albertson and Winters are so memorably endearing as Mr. and Mrs. Rosen. You can easily fall in love with their characters, and even feel like they are part of your own family. Ernest Borgnine is great as the impatient cop skeptical of Rev. Scott throughout - until the end. What happens to his wife, played by Stella Stevens, I did not expect. This is one of Gene Hackman's greatest performances. It really is thrilling. Don't miss it!

BONUS #1

On his blog, Mr. Jeffery posted a photo of a Mrs. Rosen action figure that came out in the 70s! I had no idea they came out with this line of figures back then. Pretty cool!

BONUS #2

I love this clip! Someone edited together the capsizing scene with Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding. A version of this was shown on the Oscars a number of years back, right before they gave out the Best Film Editing award. Check this out!

Movie Reviews 557 – The Poseidon Adventure (1972) | Lazarus' Lair (wordpress.com)

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

This has been one of my favorite movies since I was in high school, and I try to watch it every few years or so to see something new in it that I hadn't noticed before. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway star as the title characters. Arthur Penn directed. Released by Warner Brothers. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were notorious real life bank robbers in the early 1930s and constantly on the run from the law; this movie depicts their story.

I remember seeing Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers when it came out in 1994, and remember some comparisons to this film. But that film had a different tone, and was trying to tell a different story, I feel.

What I like about this film is that its a very hip, groundbreaking late-60s movie, as well as anti-establishment/anti-capitalistic/anti-banks - and very violent in its time. And its box office success paved the way for directors to be explicit in they way they show sexuality and violence in films, such as "Midnight Cowboy" and the "The Wild Bunch" in the following years.

 All of the principle members of the cast were nominated for Oscars for their roles, including Gene Hackman enthusiastically playing Clyde's brother Buck Barrow, who tags along with them on their crime spree through the south for a short while. In between the robbery-and-shootout scenes is a romance - Clyde and Bonnie, escaping the real world through crime, and always talking/arguing about their future plans together as a wealthy couple, which never happens.

Also starring Dub Taylor who went on to co-star in aforementioned "Wild Bunch". Here he plays a kindly old father of one of the crime duo's recruits (Michael J. Pollard). Estelle Parsons plays another recruit.  The film's cinematography, costumes, and sets recreate the days of the depression. A good scene shows the characters going to the picture show to watch "42nd Street" - and showing the famous "We're in the Money" sequence.

The real-life couple's poses for photographs and a poem that Bonnie Parker wrote and published while they were on the lam - are all depicted in the movie. I have always loved the great car chase scenes, the banjo-picking score (including "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"), and the humorous cameo by Gene Wilder - whose car is stolen by the "punks". Also co-starring Denver Pile as a local sheriff who does them in.

Read Blondie's post on Bonnie and Clyde from October 2009.