Reviews

I really wish I liked the show more and I might have if I wasn't familiar with the original. But the original has real advantages over the remake 1. The panelists were better. Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis and Bennet Cerf were with the show for years and became like members of our family. We knew we would see them live every Sunday night - they were dressed beautifully and brought a sense of elegance and sophistication to the show.

2. The moderator was better. I don't know if anyone could have successfully succeeded John Daly (he was asked back for the syndicated show but turned it down). I don't know who Wally Bruner was but he was no John Daly and the same goes for Larry Blyden - they completely lacked the sophistication, elegance (and vocabulary) of John Daly.

3. The fact it was syndicated took away the "special" event that the original show was- knowing it was live on Sunday night was unique.

Again if I didn't know the original show I might like the remake better but its hard to accept ginger ale once you had champagne. Jay Kauffman

I suppose no picture could live up to the hype that has surrounded this long lost John Wayne produced film and a lot of people have fond memories of seeing it in the fifties. Placing it in that context gives us a better perspective on the films value. Points in its favor is the gorgeous restoration and the sound is great too, though the famous Tiomkin theme is repeated so often it rapidly gets put on the shelf reserved for melodic fragments to which we have now become impervious. Some good acting as well from Wayne, Stack, Trevor and a nicely behaved Robert Newton. However many of the individual stories don't hold up well at all in todays environment and I'm not even talking about the security procedures back then. I won't even discuss the preposterous story and acting from the newlywed bride (who I hoped would have been thrown off the plane along with the luggage). The other stories are so clichéd; the heart of gold grade-B actress, the has been beauty queen worried about meeting her frontier man (!); Phil Harris is saddled with a story that I couldn't figure out about a "crying towel", David Brian plays his usual steely eyed tycoon accused by an ineffectual Sydney Blackmer of stealing Blackmers wife. Added is a brat kid running up and down the plane with a toy airplane who apparently was given a sedative to shut up since he sleeps through the whole ordeal. Of course it not this films fault that its hard to watch it without thinking of Airplane. All that said, it has great historical value as one of the the first disaster films and very well executed it is too. Glad I watched but keep in mind what era it comes from.

Film violates Jay's number one artistic rule - Never Mess (substitute proper word) with a Masterpiece. Just as "The Wiz" was an abomination of "The Wizard of Oz" so this piece of junk is a travesty of the original. But since everyone can easily see the original Honeymooners - this film is totally besides the point. The characters of Ralph Kramden, Alice Kramden, Ed Norton and Trixie Norton are not only justifiably famous - they have become part of our consciousness. Many of us can quote lines from the original (the "to the moon" quote is purposely and uselessly altered for this film as if the writers knew that we all were familiar with the original) - they were right and we didn't need this.

Film is based on the infamous Papin case which rocked France in 1933. In the town of Le Mans, Monsieur Lancelin, a retired solicitor, lived with his wife and daughter. Seven years earlier, the family had hired two sisters as maids, the elder Christine and younger Lea. Madame Lancelin was strict and would wear white gloves to check for dust and there was surprisingly little personal interaction between the family and maids. One afternoon Monsieur Lancelein came home to pick up his wife and daughter for a dinner engagement and found the door bolted. After awhile police got in through a back window. They found the bodies of Madame Lancelin and her daughter; heads bludgeoned beyond recognition and legs carved like pieces of French bread. Weapons were a pewter jug, hammer and knife. Unique to this case, was the fact that their eyes had been gouged out while they were alive. The maids were found upstairs and confessed. The younger had twice blown out the house fuse and feared reprisal from the mistress of the house. The maids attacked them both when they arrived home; the younger following what the older did. The case became a cause celebre in France as an example of the cultural chasm between employer and servant. The case was also made into a play The Maids by Genet and another film - Sister My Sister. Interesting that all psychiatric testimony about the pair (incest and an extremely dysfunctional background and family) was dismissed by the small town jury but later resulted in such evidence being admitted into French trials.

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A really wonderful film about a terrible filmmaker. Voted the Worst Director of all Time which he certainly is not since his films are never dull - something that cannot be said of some other directors. Beautifully cast down the line and directed as a loving tribute to this man - it does help if you know some of the films first e.g. Glen or Glenda and Plan Nine from Outer Space. A very special film indeed.

From it's wonderful opening with the credits on the sand to the Monsoon ending (and the use of Wagner's music for the underwater sequence; the opening of the Rheingold which actually takes place under water) this a great way to spend a little over an hour with two of Hollywoods most entertaining actors; Sondergaard and Carradine are both cast against type and are wonderful. As are Toler, Borg and Birell. A lot of fun!!!!I have the Alpha release which is worn but fine.