Change Your Image
novisplova
Reviews
McLintock! (1963)
The eternal battle of the sexes
Well, this film certainly may not be too politically correct for these times, but that aside, is simply a very well acted Western version of "The Taming of the Shrew". The chemistry between John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara is electric. She plays her role so convincing that you're happy she gets her spanking from George McLintock in the end. It's all done in a very comical way, and Maureen O'Hara was an excellent comic actress. For this reason, this film remains popular. In some ways it is similar to another John Wayne film, "The Quiet Man" also starring with Maureen O'Hara. In that film, John also plays the patient guy trying hard not to become violent, but to no avail. Both films represent the rawness of the land they live in: the rough American West and the bucolic but tough Irish country where fist fighting is very much a man's art. Seen through cultural filters both films are very realistic and natural. Those who look at these films from a perspective foreign to these cultures are missing the point entirely.
The Big Heat (1953)
The Good and the Bad are eternal
This film is a precursor to "Serpico" starring Al Pacino many years later. It's the story of an honest cop surrounded by corrupt and cowardly police officials who are in the take of a powerful city mafia. It's like Chicago during the times of Al Capone. The script is well written and has a good pace. The scenes are neither too short or too prolonged, just the right amount to move the story along. The actors played their parts well: Lee Marvin as a sadistic degenerate thug is very convincing as is Gloria Grahame playing his not so empty headed girlfriend, who has more depth and humanity than meets the eye. Jocelyn Brando (Marlon Brando's sister) played a small but very convincing role as Detective Bannion's loving and supporting wife, who encourages him to be the honest cop that he is. Their best scene together is right before she gets blown off in the car. It's a very tender, sentimental family scene when their daughter interrupts their kissing because she cannot go to bed. This is actually the pivotal scene of the film because Katie's violent death becomes Bannion's main motive in getting her killers. Jocelyn Brando plays the role of the perfect woman: dedicated wife, mother and the moral support behind her husband and Glenn Ford plays the role defending this order of things. In the end, he triumphs over those who seek to destroy this order: Lee Marvin and his thugs. The film makes a strong case for this theory with the hope that the natural order of things has been restored.