Rebel Without a Cause (1955): The James Dean classic

Rebel Without a Cause (released in 1955) is an iconic movie, and hard to believe that the movie is now more than 50 years old. The movie is part of the youth culture now, with the concept of teenager angst being a central theme of the movie, and the phrase 'Rebel without a cause' is an integral a part of normal everyday language. The interesting thing about the origin of the name of this movie was that it was based on the name of a book (Robert M. Lindner's 1944 book, Rebel Without A Cause: The Hypnoanalysis of a Criminal Psychopath). The name of the movie was taken from the book, but otherwise there is no relation between the storyline of the book and the movie.
James Dean had a very short movie career, only starring in 2 other movies besides this one (Giant, and East of Eden), before dying in a car crash. However, he was incredibly remembered for long, and his portrayal of a young volatile and nervous teenager who is rebellious against his parents and society was a great role.



The movie portrays the life of teenagers who did not fit into the normal and sugar portrayal of movies of that era, with the movie attempting to take their viewpoint and explaining what makes them rebellious (in sharp contrast to a lot of movies who would try and see how a teenager could be made to see light). The combination of Director Nicholas Ray and screen-writer Stewart Stern scripted a movie that has become 'the' portrayal of youthful angst.
James Dean portrays the role of 17 year old Jim Stark, who moves to Los Angeles along with his parents and enrolls in the local school. He is soon in trouble, brought into the police station for public drunkenness; and soon you realize what one of the motifs of the movie is. His family comes to get him out of the police station, and then you realize that part of what makes him so rebellious is that he does not have a strong father figure - his father and mother frequently quarrel, including in front of Jim. His father bows down many times in such a quarrel, leading to Jim realizing that his father does not have a strong backbone. In the police station, he also meets 2 other characters who are with him through the movie - a 15-year-old boy, John, nick-named Plato (Sal Mineo) who starts to idolize Jim, and Judy (Natalie Wood), who was in the police station for being out after dark.
Judy is a member of the gang of Buzz Gunderson (Cory Allen), somebody whom Jim has an ongoing battle with. In a 'chicken race' with Buzz, where the challenge is to see who first jumps out of a car heading towards a cliff, Buzz gets stuck to the car and goes over the cliff. This experience is unsettling to Jim, but he is unable to get any kind of understanding from his parents when he tries to explain to them. The members of Buzz's gang also start pursuing Jim and Judy (and Plato, who is along with them), and the fight takes a tragic turn when Plato is escaping from the police with a loaded pistol, and is shot by a police officer in self defense.
Originally, Jim's parents think he has been killed, but then realize that he is alive, and this causes a change whereby Jim's father decides to be a better father figure.

Rob Roy (1995)

Far more people would have seen the story of the Scot legend, William of Wallace (as depicted by Mel Gibson. Braveheart was a hugely successful film, detailing the efforts of an exceptional man to win the freedom of his country (Scotland) from the oppressive rule of the English royalty. Incidentally, there was a movie released just a month and a half before Braveheart, this one also dealing with the efforts of a Scottish hero who seeks to prove his honesty and bravery while facing incredible odds.
This was the movie Rob Roy, starring Liam Neeson in the title role of the Scottish Chieftain Rob Roy MacGregor, battling intrigue spun by feudal landowners, and how he manages to clear his name. The movie was nominated for a single Oscar (Best Supporting Actor) for the portrayal of the villain Archibald Cunningham (a psychopathic character) - played by Tim Roth.



MacGregor is a chieftain who wants to get into the business of trading Highland cattle, and hence borrows 1,000 pounds from the Marquess of Montrose (John Hurt). He entrusts the money to his sub-chieftain, but is however devastated when the Marquesses' factor (person tending to his grounds and collecting rents) Killearn (Brian Cox) and his sociopathic protégé Archibald Cunningham (Tim Roth) murder the sub-chieftain for the money. No one knows that they have done this, but the net result is that MacGregor is now in debt to the Marquess for 1,000 pounds (a sizeable amount).
When he wants to try to make a settlement with the Marquess, the Marquess agrees, but wants MacGregor to falsely testify that the Duke of Argyll (Andrew Keir) is involved with a Jacobite plot (an attempt to bring back the Catholic King James to the throne of England and evict the Protestant kings from the throne). MacGregor is not comfortable with perjuring himself and refuses. With this, hopes of clemency from the Marquess vanish and the Marquess orders Cunnigham to take MacGregor to debtors prison. MacGregor runs away, and his house and wife bear the brunt. His house is destroyed, livestock killed, and his wife Mary raped by the psychopathic Cunnigham. This is discovered by MacGregor's brother Alasdair, but he is sworn to secrecy by Mary.
MacGregor and Mary find out the truth about the stealing of the money from Betty, who is a chambermaid at the residence of Montrose, and who had been having an affair with Cunningham and who is dismissed from service when she becomes pregnant. She however kills herself before she can testify. And so goes a constant battle by MacGregor to prove the complicity of Killearn and Cunningham in the killing and theft, with constant struggles. In the end, a duel is arranged between MacGregor and Cunningham, where MacGregor is on the edge of defeat, but just when he is going to face the final blow, he counter-attacks and kills Cunningham.

Nixon (1995)

It is very rare that an American President gets impeached, and leaving aside the case of Bill Clinton (who was almost thrown out for lying about Monica Lewinsky), Richard Nixon was the US President who would most certainly have been the one who was impeached if he had not resigned. As it is, at the of his resignation, he was a most polarizing figure in the nation, one who a large section of the population hated, and whose own men had started to resign rather than follow through on his orders.
This was a movie that was hard to make. Oliver Stone had 2 other projects in mind, but they fell through, and he then decided to make a biopic about the Former President, and it gained impetus since Nixon had died in 1994. The studio was hesitant in making the movie (commercially, they were justified in the end since the movie never made its budget in its hall releases), and given that the character being portrayed was one who was almost drummed out from the Presidency, there was always going to be a set of people who would not be happy with the scenes from the movie. And so it proved, since Nixon's family heavily criticized the movie, and many critics also panned the movie (and as always, some other critics praised the movie).



The movie was nominated for 5 Oscars,
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Anthony Hopkins),
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Joan Allen),
Best Music,
Original Dramatic Score and Best Writing,
Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Richard Nixon was a complex personality. He did a lot for the United States, it was in his terms that the United States finally withdrew from the mess in Vietnam (although he also tried to succeed militarily, but finally gave up that strategy as flawed), he was the proponent of the immensely strategic opening up to China, it was during his term that a lot of the civil rights desegregation was enforced and the US became a lot less racially separated, he was the President under whom all the successful lunar missions took place. And yet, he was the President who was finally done under due to the arrogance of trying to believe that he was above the law when his involvement in the efforts to break-into the Democratic 1972 convention and then to try and brazen his way out of the investigations into the same incident. He eventually quit when it was clear that he was frozen out. He did a lot more after he resigned in terms of becoming a respected elder statesman, but in the end, Richard Nixon will be remembered for Watergate, the only President of the United States who resigned. And Anthony Hopkins did a great portrayal of this role.

Tom Jones (1963)

Henry Fielding had written a classic novel, called 'The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling' way back in 1749. The story of an illegitimate man, his love, his relationship with others, the hatred towards him by a rival, and how he gets saved right in the nick of time near the end; all of these make this a great story. The movie was acclaimed as a great comedy, was award winning, and was covered in a cover story by Time Magazine when it was released in 1963.
The movie was directed by Tony Richardson and starred Albert Finney in an Oscar nominated role (Albert however did not get the Best Actor Oscar). The movie was also interesting in terms of Academy Award since it was the first and only time in which 3 actresses were nominated for 'Best Actress in a supporting role'.



The movie is the story of Tom Jones. He was found by a Squire in his bed after he returned from a long trip, and the Square suspected that the was the illegitimate child of his servants. The good natured Squire decides to raise the bastard child like his own son (he had already kicked out the servants whom he suspected of giving birth to this child). The child, under this care, grows up to be a dashing and kind good man who can win hearts all around. However, in this society, he is still an illegitimate man, and cannot hope to marry the one whom he truly loves Sophie Western (Susannah York); she is from a much higher part of society. She loves him back, but cannot show this.
Her parents have somebody else in mind, somebody who would be more suitable for her. This person is Blifil (David Warner), the son of the Squire's sister. He is the exact opposite of Tom Jone, since he is of respectable birth, but otherwise possessing values that certainly do not endear him to Sophie. He is not particularly fond of Tom Jones, and after his mother's death he manages to convince the Squire to turn Tom Jones out (Blifil has also intercepted a letter from his mother to the Squire - and the content of this letter is not revealed till the end).
In his journey outside, Tom Jones goes through many experiences; he is robbed of his legacy, has to fight for the good name of Sophie, meets the persons who are supposed to be his parents, meets ladies out to get him, and eventually ends up in Jail, waiting to be hanged (since he has been framed by Blifil for robbery and attempted murder). He is facing the end, and this is when things start to turn right for him. The Squire rescues him, and finally they also learn that Tom Jones is in fact the illegitimate son of the Squire's sister, and not of servants. The Squire also learns that Blifil knew all this and yet concealed it, leading to disgrace for him. And so things end well for Tom Jones.
The movie won and was nominated for the following Oscars:

Won:
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Music, Score - Substantially Original (John Addison)
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

Nominated:
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Albert Finney)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Hugh Griffith)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Diane Cilento)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Dame Edith Evans)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Joyce Redman)
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color (Ralph W. Brinton, Ted Marshall, Jocelyn Herbert, Josie MacAvin)

Gunga Din (1939): A classic movie of war and bonding

Rudyard Kipling has a famous poem by the name of Gunga Din, and although this movie cannot be called to represent the poem, it does have elements of the poem along with parts from another of his novels called 'Soldiers Three'. The movie is cited as a classic, a tale of a man's quest to become a honorable soldier while he is currently just a helper to the army. It is also a tale of the comradeship between soldiers, their friendship and dedication to each other. The movie was directed by George Stevens, and was written principally by Fred Guiol and Joel Sayre with contributions from many others. The movie earned one Oscar nomination, with cinematographer Joseph H. August having been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White.



The movie is set in 1880, near the Kyber Pass in Northwest India (currently the area where there is an extreme amount of tension due to the Taleban); this has been an area where historically, it has been hard to conquer and keep under control. The British had a lot of problem in controlling this area, and fought frequently to keep the rebels at bay. The movie starts with a outpost at Tandipur having been lost, and the Colonel in charge, Colonel Weed (Montagu Love), sends out a team for investigation headed by 3 sergeants MacChesney (Victor McLaglen), Cutter (Cary Grant), and Ballantine (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.). All 3 of them belong to the Royal Engineers, and are veterans of the campaign. They are not exactly the most disciplined officers, but in a situation of such uncertainty, they would have been the best people to send. They are accompanied by a local water-bearer, the character bearing the name of the movie, Gunga Din (played by Sam Jaffe). He aspiration is also to become a soldier of the British Indian Army, and serve the queen.
This detail reaches Tandipur, and finds it deserted - their immediate aim is to secure the place and repair the telegraph. However, they are actually in a trap, and are soon surrounded by attackers, through whom the detail has to fight its way out, and they are successful in that. Back at their base, one of the captured weapons is identified as belonging to the Thuggees (a cult that had been suppressed in the recent past, but apparently is again resurgent).
These 3 sergeants are the key to the movie, and one of the 3 is Ballantine who is doing the unthinkable, leaving the army to marry Emmy Stebbins (Joan Fontaine) and go into the tea business. The other 2 sergeants cannot fathom as to how he can do this. Combine this with the fact that Gunga Din reports about a temple made of gold to Cutter (getting Cutter terribly interested), something that gets Cutter put in the stockade to prevent him from running away. Cutter however does manage to run away, helped by Gunga Din, heading to the temple where he is caught by the Thugs; Gunga Din escapes to get the rescue team.
The detail now goes to the rescue of Cutter, entering into a fight with the Thugs; the fight eventually costs Gunga Din his life, but not before he has sounded the alarm and got the Army to come in and defeat the Thugs. In death, Gunga Din manages to be inducted as a soldier, something that he always wanted.
The movie is a classic, full of action, adventure, comedy, male bonding, and a movie that is bound to be seen as a throwback to the past in these politically correct times.

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

It has happened many times that a movie was a box-office disaster when it was released, panned by critics, and having a negative effect on the careers of people involved; and then, over a period of time, the movie was re-evaluated and got more fame over a period of time. One of the movies that is a prominent member of this category is called 'Bringing up Baby', released in 1938. The movie, set as a screwball comedy (at a time when not too many people knew this term) involving a scientist needing a final item to complete his dinosaur skeleton (and needing a donation of 1 million dollars from a wealthy lady) gets involved into a series of mis-steps involving a jaguar called 'Baby' being shepherded by the lovely heiress Katherine Hepburn (also the niece of the rich lady).



The movie was based on a story by Hagar Wilde (and adopted into a screenplay by Dudley Nichols and Hagar Wilde), directed by Howard Hawks. At that time, the effect of the disaster was such that Hawks was fired from the next movie that he was supposed to direct; similarly Katherine Hepburn was also affected by this disaster. Now, of course, the movie is considered a classic, generating money, and earmarked among several of the top 100 movie lists.
The movie is about this paleontologist called David Huxley (Cary Grant). He is other mind-mannered with one passion, he has been trying to assemble the skeleton of a Brontosaurus, and is now just one bone short. He is also supposed to get married to another boring colleague; and most of all, he is expecting a donation of 1 million dollars for his museum from a rich lady called Mrs. Random. And then he meets Susan (played by Katherine Hepburn) one day before his wedding. Katherine is free, vivacious, spirited, who also happens to be the niece of the rich Mrs. Random (although David does not know this).
Katherine has been sent a pet jaguar called Baby by her brother for passing onto her aunt. Susan has the belief that David is actually a zoologist and can help her in the matter of Baby. When David is there with her, she starts loving him, and trying to get ways to keep him there in order to avoid him leaving to marry his colleague. In addition to this situation, there are more complications in the shape of a dog who steals the last bone and buries it, Mrs. Random arrives, Baby runs off (and they mistakenly release another jaguar from the nearby circus, who is certainly not tame). These 2 must now resolve all these issues, while ensuring that the million dollar donation is still on track, Baby is retrieved; a major complication is that the local bumbling policeman has put them in the local jail.
This is a must watch movie for the fast dialog delivery, the utter comedy, the situations that seem totally improbable, and the excellent timing.

The Battleship Potemkin (1925)

The Battleship Potemkin is a classic Russian movie, released in 1925. It is a silent movie, also known by another name 'he Battleship Potyomkin' as well as by the Russian name of 'Bronyenosyets Potyomkin'. The movie was directed by Sergei Eisenstein, and was based on the real life story of the actual crew of the Russian naval ship of the same name during 1905, oppressed by the naval officers of the Tsarist regime that was ruling Russia around that time.
The movie has been so famous that the history of the ship is defined more by the movie rather than by history books. The movie was famous also for its graphic violence (not seen in movies of that time) as well as to be a propaganda movie to get sympathy for the crew of the ship. This attempt worked so well on viewers that the Nazi propaganda spinner, Joseph Goebbels, was very admiring of the movie for its attempt to sell a political story in a simple yet powerful way.



The zeal of the movie director to sway audiences imparted a revolutionary approach that caused the movie to run afoul of sensors in many countries, with the movie either banned or scenes cut; it was only over a period of time that the movie was restored with cut sections to audiences all over. The movie had some classic scenes, but the most striking was the scene of the Czar's Cossack soldiers marching down steps (the Odessa steps) and firing into the crowd of civilians who had come to watch the ship arrive.
The movie takes the true story of the rebellion on board the Russian naval ship Battleship Potemkin in the year 2005. There was discontent against the oppressive officers of the Tzar, and there was a plan to have an uprising. However, the uprising was started earlier on the battle-ship when the sailors protested against having to eat maggot infested meat that the ship's officers and doctor had certified as being fit for human consumption. This was the first element of the movie, with the movie being essentially divided into 5 parts:
1. Men and maggots
2. Drama at the harbour: The sailors rise up and their leader, Vakulynchuk, is killed
3. A dead man calls for Justice: The civilians at Odessa mourn the dead
4. The massacre of civilians at Odessa where the Czar's soldiers kill the civilians on the steps
5. "The Rendez-Vous with a Squadron where the squadron joins the sailors instead of crushing them
After the mutiny, the sailors go different ways. The ones who returned or were induced to return were executed or jailed, and the others went to different countries such as Romania, Argentina and Ireland.