Motion Picture Gems : Lee Marvin

Showing posts with label Lee Marvin. Show all posts

6/26/2015

Visiting Arlington Cemetery (Arlington Virginia, USA)

Last month I went on a work-related trip in the Arlington/Washington DC area, and had an opportunity to visit Arlington National Cemetery, spending about 3 hours on a Sunday morning there before having to catch my plane back home. It was my first time visiting.

At Arlington, soldiers from almost every American war and military battle are buried there, including well known leaders such as General George S Patton.

Some well know movie legends who served in the military are buried there, including Lee Marvin, Charles Durning, and Jackie Cooper. Also buried there are actresses Constance Bennett and Phyllis Kirk, whose husbands were veterans.

I did not have a chance to visit all of their graves (that might have taken all day to do), but I did see the grave of Audie Murphy, who was the most decorated soldier in WWII, and also acted in the autobiographical film of his life To Hell and Back.

Some Presidents of the US are buried there including John F Kennedy. I got to see his grave; next to it is an eternal flame. Nearby his brothers and father are buried there as well. Here are some additional photos.

Overall it was a very emotional and inspiring experience, and I recommend everyone visit if they are ever in the area. Plan for at least a half day or a day, and plan on lots of walking!

10/14/2013

Ship of Fools (1965)

The year is 1933. Hitler is now in power. A cruise ship is making its way to Germany.

The passengers include numerous German citizens as well as Americans (including Lee Marvin and Vivien Leigh, in her final film appearance).

It's kind of a long film with several interconnected story lines. A reoccurring theme explores the German character's feelings and attitudes about the changing political climate of the country.

Among the Germans aboard is Jose Ferrer's character, an obnoxious publisher who won't stand to eat with anyone who is a Jew. Lee Marvin's character (a washed-up American baseball player) observes this behavior and asks someone "What's he got against the Jews?".

Oscar Werner plays the German ship's doctor, and he's good. All throughout the film he's politically agnostic, and later he's suspected of being Jewish. But the truth is never truly revealed to us. Instead, we learn that he longs for something more in life, and he longs to be with Simone Signoret's character, a humanitarian that he admires and adores.

The movie ends by showing all of the characters leave the ship, and the audience is left to wonder what is to become of them all throughout the 1930s and beyond. It's assumed that some of the Americans are just there in Germany for a short visit - Lee Marvin leaves the ship and quickly tries to meet a pretty young blond woman. And we assume that some of the Germans will grow to support the emerging Nazism, including an old woman (who previously showed sympathy to Jews) who greets and hugs her awaiting son - who is wearing a Nazi armband.

A very patriotic and proud German Jew (Heinz Rühmann) views the coming years optimistically, and is oblivious to any of the horrors that will emerge from Hitler's dictatorship. The ship's philosopher, Michael Dunn, says to him at one point "you might be the biggest fool on this ship".

With George Segal, Lilia Skala, Jose Greco, Elizabeth Ashley.
Director: Stanley Kramer

Writers: Katherine Anne Porter (novel), Abby Mann (screenplay)

2/17/2013

The Caine Mutiny (1954)

An exciting and compelling drama featuring memorable performances by Humphrey Bogart, Van Johnson and Fred MacMurray, set during WWII.

In the first part of the film, a naval captain (Bogart) pushes his crew to the limits, forcing the crew - believing him to be mentally unstable - to stand against him and his orders. In the second part of the film, the officers are brought to trial, and in his testimony the captain's true state-of-mind is revealed.

The movie is brilliantly told from the perspective of an Ensign, played by Robert Francis (1930-1955). Mr. Francis died very young at the age of 25 in a plane crash, and only had 4 films to his credit: They Rode West (1954, with Donna Reed), The Long Gray Line (1955, with Tyrone Power), and The Bamboo Prison (1954, with Dianne Foster).

Another promising young star in the film is May Wynn (1928 - ), who plays the Ensign's girlfriend. She retired from films after the 1950s; this was her best-known film. More about May Wynn here at the blog Captain Critic.

Van Johnson, Robert Francis, and Fred MacMurray

Nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor (Bogart), Best Supporting Actor (Tom Tully), Best Screenplay, and Best Score (Max Steiner).

Directed by Edward Dmytryk. Co-starring Jose Ferrer, Tom Tully, EG Marshall, and James Edwards. A number of other recognizable actors have smaller roles aboard the ship, including Lee Marvin, James Best, Claude Akins, Jerry Paris, and Todd Karns, who played brother Harry Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life.

Based on the acclaimed novel by Herman Wouk (1915 - 2019).

Trivia: Herman Wouk served in the U.S. Navy as Executive Officer on the Destroyer-Minesweepers U.S.S. Zane and U.S.S. Southard. This later became the inspiration for his novel The Caine Mutiny. (IMDb)

Further Reading:
Greenbriar Picture Shows: The Caine Mutiny, Part 1
Greenbriar Picture Shows: Part 2: Exhibitor Memories of The Caine Mutiny

1/18/2011

40 Years Ago - Top 10 Box Office Stars of 1971 (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. John Wayne