In order to past the time here in my cell at Château d’If, Abbé, Faria advised me to apply myself to what I do best and pass my wisdom onto others who might benefit from my experience.
The window of my cell overlooks a wildly overgrown area of the island, home to many animal species, the most prevalent are the rats, mice and squirrels, all of them guarded by a squad of sharp eyed and razor toothed bunny rabbits. Maybe a few hares were thrown in for the sake of diversity. I can’t tell the difference, anyway. Boney is safely sequestered in Elba, I do know that..
The good Abbé wisely advises, “Make the rodent population your students”. He knows I cannot abide interruptions and will get none from the four-legged. “Beware of an air attack by owls and hawks, the treacherous bastards,” he cautioned. I summoned the humble creatures and they gathered below my window in silence. I began:
1968 was a watershed year for me. Liberated from high school I was free to run amok, and did. Let us begin my view of 68’s movies with my favorite of that year.
The Lion in Winter ,a hearting warming family Christmas story set in Chinon France in 1183.
Directed by Anthony Harvey Screenplay by James Goldman based on his play.
With: Peter O’Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Jane Merrow, John Castle, Timothy Dalton & Anthony Hopkins in his first film. (“You hardly know me, Johnny, so I beg you to believe my reputation: I’m a constant soldier and a sometime poet and I will be King.”)
Henry II: “ I’ve snapped and plotted all my life. There’s no other way to be alive, king, and fifty all at once.” Plantagenets , my favorite dynasty.
Directed by Peter Yates, Screenplay by Alan R. Trustman & Harry Kleiner
Steve McQueen as the title character, San Francisco police detective Frank Bullitt. It has one of the best car chases put on film. Excellent cop/action drama. Just bitchin’.
With: Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Don Gordon, Robert Duvall, Simon Oakland & Norman Fell.
Planet of the Apes is a goofy science fiction romp that bore little resemblance to the novel it was based on. (Number One, it was not Earth.) The half-buried Statue of Liberty ending you could see coming up Hollywood Blvd.
(“Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!” I know the feeling.)
Oliver!
Directed by Carol Reed. Screenplay by Vernon Harris, Based on Oliver! 1960 musical by Lionel Bart, and Oliver Twist 1837 novel by Charles Dickens
A Wonderful adaptation of the stage version with classic story and excellent performances by the cast, with special mention of Oliver Reed as the menacing Bill Sykes. Delightful songs and staging.
“Consider yourself at home, Consider yourself one of the family, We’ve taken to you so strong, It’s clear we’re going to get along”
Funny Girl
Two spectacular musicals in one year. How did that happen? It made broadway star Barbra Streisand into a movie star.
Directed by William Wyler, Screenplay by Isobel Lennart.
Based on Funny Girl 1964 musical by Isobel Lennart, Jule Styne &Bob Merrill.
With: Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, Kay Medford, Anne Francis and Walter Pidgeon as Florenz Ziegfeld.
The Bofors Gun
A thoroughly unpleasant British drama about a few working class losers who joined the army when unable to find civilian work (no employer had openings for chronic whining, cigarette smoking lay-abouts), assigned to guard an antiaircraft gun in West Germany in 1954.
I only saw it because Nicol Williamson played an important role as a neurotic, manipulative prick, from what I have read it was typecasting.. I had like his performance as Hamlet in a cut-rate movie production. More fool I.
Rosemary’s Baby
Roman Polanski’s masterful version of Ira Levin’s horror novel. The story proves just how far an actor is willing to go to get an acting job.
With: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans &Ralph Bellamy
(“The baby kicked like a demon”)
Where Eagles Dare an action adventure war thriller spy film from a story by the master, Alistair MacLean. Time magazine called it “The story of two supers soldiers who could win World War II on a weekend pass.” The story has all the action and plot twists you expect from a MacLean story.
Directed by Brian G. Hutton
With: Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure, Patrick Wymark, Michael Hordern and Robert Beatty as Brig. Gen. George Carnaby. The man who invented the art of the stuntman, Yakima Canutt was the second unit action director.
“The world is grown so bad, that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch” Richard III
Coogan’s Bluff
An Arizona deputy sheriff is sent to New York City to exercise frontier justice. Directed by Don Siegel who would go into direct Eastwood in Dirty Harry.
With: Clint Eastwood, Susan Clark, Don Stroud, Tisha Sterling, Betty Field & Lee J. Cobb.
Ice Station Zebra What a piece of shit. Why pay for an Alistair MacLean story and then not use it? John Sturges directed? Did he get hit in the head after he did this.
The Great Escape? [EDITOR’S NOTE: 1963] If any movie screams for a remake faithful to the novel, THIS IS IT!
A complete waste of Patrick McGoohan. [EDITOR’S NOTE: I totally agree]
The Thomas Crown Affair
A smart, hip, love-story/caper film with two of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Steve McQueen&Faye Dunaway. The great character actor Jack Weston keeps it grounded. With Paul Burke.
Hal Ashby (later director, The Last Detail, Bound for Glory, Coming Home, and Being There ) was editor.
Oh, and 2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick’s greatest self-indulgence. A great looking ride to nowhere with an incomprehensible plot and the thinest of plywood characters, the most interesting of which is a machine.
Ride, ride my see-saw,
Take this place
On this trip
Just for me.
Ride, take a free ride,
Take my place
Have my seat
It’s for free.
So, I dismissed by rodent Myrmidons, wiser and influenced by my prejudices. Tomorrow is another day, to be much like today
Exit, stage left.
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