Post by klep on Sept 11, 2017 6:58:49 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 9/11: To Be Or Not To Be (1942)
SCREWBALL WEEK!
If you were to make a list called "Fertile Settings for Romantic Comedy", the Nazi occupation of Poland would be near the bottom of that list. But then again, you aren't Ernst Lubitsch. With his iconic To Be Or Not To Be, Lubitsch proves that his famous "touch" can extend even into the darker chapters of human history, shining light and entertainment. And so we have a film that turns a spy hunt into a romantic farce, as a theater troupe gets roped in by way of the love triangle involving the troupe's stars.
Maria Tura (Carole Lombard) has a flirtation with a Polish airman (Robert Stack) just before the war (one he takes creepily too seriously - so many red flags there Maria), and when he returns to occupied Warsaw looking to stop a spy, who else is he to turn to for help? Naturally hijinks ensue, leading Maria's husband Joseph (Jack Benny) and the rest of the troupe to impersonate various Nazi officials, including the spy, the local Gestapo head, and even Hitler himself.
Lubitsch treats the spy hunt with the gravity it deserves - the stakes are clear and very high, and there's genuine tension to whether or not everyone will pull through ok. But the film also side-splittingly hilarious. Any time Lubitsch isn't focused on the dire stakes of the spy hunt the film is brimming with jokes and innuendo. It's one of those brilliant Code-era films where everyone wants to fuck but no one can say as much. Specifically everyone wants to fuck Maria, who flirts back with all of them either out of her own desire or out of necessity.
And of course this all sends her husband into a tizzy, but in the classic nature of these screwballs their love for each other is never truly in question. Joseph seethes at the idea his wife might be stepping out with her airman friend, but only because he knows how good he's got it. And while Maria might entertain thoughts of a physical affair, when Sobinski suggests she leave her husband she is horrified. As every good screwball knows, lust is for play, but love is forever.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 9/18: Black Swan
PSYCHODRAMA WEEK!
As mother! arrives in theaters next week we've selected a psychodrama to go with it for our Movie of the Week, and wouldn't you know it but we picked another Aronofsky! Join us next week as we dive into the maddeningly demanding world of ballet with Natalie Portman's Oscar-winning performance in Black Swan. Black Swan is available for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 9/7: Logan Lucky
This week's podcast finishes its discussion of Soderberghian heists with his new film Logan Lucky, which is still in theaters. We'll have a thread for discussion of it up on Wednesday.
SCREWBALL WEEK!
If you were to make a list called "Fertile Settings for Romantic Comedy", the Nazi occupation of Poland would be near the bottom of that list. But then again, you aren't Ernst Lubitsch. With his iconic To Be Or Not To Be, Lubitsch proves that his famous "touch" can extend even into the darker chapters of human history, shining light and entertainment. And so we have a film that turns a spy hunt into a romantic farce, as a theater troupe gets roped in by way of the love triangle involving the troupe's stars.
Maria Tura (Carole Lombard) has a flirtation with a Polish airman (Robert Stack) just before the war (one he takes creepily too seriously - so many red flags there Maria), and when he returns to occupied Warsaw looking to stop a spy, who else is he to turn to for help? Naturally hijinks ensue, leading Maria's husband Joseph (Jack Benny) and the rest of the troupe to impersonate various Nazi officials, including the spy, the local Gestapo head, and even Hitler himself.
Lubitsch treats the spy hunt with the gravity it deserves - the stakes are clear and very high, and there's genuine tension to whether or not everyone will pull through ok. But the film also side-splittingly hilarious. Any time Lubitsch isn't focused on the dire stakes of the spy hunt the film is brimming with jokes and innuendo. It's one of those brilliant Code-era films where everyone wants to fuck but no one can say as much. Specifically everyone wants to fuck Maria, who flirts back with all of them either out of her own desire or out of necessity.
And of course this all sends her husband into a tizzy, but in the classic nature of these screwballs their love for each other is never truly in question. Joseph seethes at the idea his wife might be stepping out with her airman friend, but only because he knows how good he's got it. And while Maria might entertain thoughts of a physical affair, when Sobinski suggests she leave her husband she is horrified. As every good screwball knows, lust is for play, but love is forever.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 9/18: Black Swan
PSYCHODRAMA WEEK!
As mother! arrives in theaters next week we've selected a psychodrama to go with it for our Movie of the Week, and wouldn't you know it but we picked another Aronofsky! Join us next week as we dive into the maddeningly demanding world of ballet with Natalie Portman's Oscar-winning performance in Black Swan. Black Swan is available for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 9/7: Logan Lucky
This week's podcast finishes its discussion of Soderberghian heists with his new film Logan Lucky, which is still in theaters. We'll have a thread for discussion of it up on Wednesday.