Robert Mitchum Video #2 ~ "The Ballad of Thunder Road"

The theme song of Thunder Road (1958) was co-written and sung by Robert Mitchum.

Thunder Road (1958)

Thunder Road (1958) has one of the most interesting backstories of all the films Robert Mitchum made in his long career as an actor. It's not as dramatic as perhaps the one for Out of the Past (1947) which starts with a plane crash, but it's still full of juicy bits of trivia that will keep any film buff entertained.

Thunder Road is a Robert Mitchum production. For some time, Mitchum had played with the idea of writing a story about moonshiners. He wanted to create an adventure story that dealt with the illegal production and distribution of moonshine in the South and the prosecution of the moonshiners by government officials. Mitchum singled out the town of Asheville, North Carolina as the perfect place to base the story and shoot the film and he almost singlehandedly put this film together.

After doing extensive research for the story, he began collecting the people who would help him make the film. First there was screenwriter James Atlee Philips who was enthusiastic to work with Mitchum on the screenplay and also had a connection with the government tax office. Then came Mitchum targeted Arthur Ripley to be the director of the film. Ripley had a reputation for being super efficient and shooting whole films in 3-5 days. Mitchum chose Ripley because he saw one of his films a long time ago and liked it very much indeed (not that he could remember which one). Mitchum's choice seems an odd one, especially considering how Mitchum was so laid back in his work style and never much cared for deadlines or schedules.

Mitchum then set his eye on, of all people, Elvis Presley! He wanted the 22 year old to play the character of Robin Doolin, Mitchum's character's younger brother. Presley was a big fan of Mitchum and even modelled his famous pompadour hairstyle after Mitchum's wavy locks. Despite Presley's interest in the project, Presley insisted that Mitchum discuss the matter with his manage, the infamous Colonel Tom Parker. Mitchum wanted to deal with Presley directly and even invited Presley to the Mitchum house to have dinner and share stories to kind of woo him into the project. But Presley left things with his manager, who demanded the King be paid a salary that ended up being more than the film's entire budget. Mitchum, not one for dealing with managers or with Hollywood politics, decided to use his own son, James Mitchum, in the role instead.

Mitchum's next target was singer Keely Smith.He had heard one of her records and was very impressed. She had very little to no acting talent but Mitchum wasn't fazed by this. He had to have her in the movie and that's how it was going to be. Keely Smith playing the part of singer/love interest. The music part of the movie was very important to Mitchum. He cowrote two songs for the film. "The Ballad of Thunder Road" is the theme of the movie shown during the opening credits. Mitchum sang the ballad and it was so popular it even made it onto the pop charts! Another song, "The Whippoorwill" based on a poem, was sung by Keely Smith.

Once Mitchum had arranged the cast of characters that would bring his film to life, he and his crew headed to Asheville, NC for several weeks of filming. The local women were delirious with delight over the big movie star being in town. Mitchum was a notorious womanizer and he had the pick of the litter. He didn't even have to pursue, they came to him. His wife Dorothy had come to stay with him for a while during shooting. After a weekend of hardcover drinking, Mitchum woke up to see a strange woman in his bed. In a panic, he rushes out of the room and out of the house, leaving behind a beloved watch which was a gift from his wife and had been inscribed with his name and a personal message.. He knew he would be in the dog house with his wife if he didn't find that watch. That morning, Dorothy surprises him by handing him the missing watch.Turns out he had left it on their bedstand. The strange woman was really his wife!

Robert Mitchum wore many hats for this film including that of writer, researcher, sometimes director, producer, casting director, lyricist and singer. On top of all this, he also starred in the film. After years of being under the creative restraints of the eccentric Howard Hughes, Mitchum was finally free to be creatively independent. Thunder Road is a shining example of how versatile and talented Robert Mitchum could be.

Ryan's Daughter (1970) and the merits of CGI

My friend Kirk and I were discussing the merits of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) in film. He prefers films with lots of action and a good amount of CGI whereas I prefer realism and a good story. I scoffed at Kirk for liking pretty fluff instead of a movie that had more meat in it. With the success of Avatar (2009), many of us classic film fans are retreating into our lairs and consoling ourselves with our precious old movies. All this fancy technology, seems to be taking away the merits of intelligent stories, witty dialogue and good old-fashioned plot development. The only CGI-laden film that I've really enjoyed was 300 (2006) mostly because of my interest in mythology, the graphic novel's influence on the book industry and how the film upheld the traditions of ancient storytelling (repetition, grandiose language, emphasis on immortality, pride and patriotism, etc.). But otherwise, CGI is a hard sell for me.

Over the weekend, I went to a late night showing of a documentary and the trailer for Ironman 2 (2010) was shown. And then something clicked. I finally understood. Anyone who goes to see Ironman 2 or any other film with some amounts of CGI wants a visual spectacle. They want something they can't get at home. They want their movie experience to be the equivalent of a roller coaster ride. They want to be on the edge of their seats, hearts pounding, eyes wide open; they want the thrill.

This isn't new. Ever since the advent of Television, movie studios have relied on technological advances to woo movie goers away from their living room and into the theater. CGI is one way. 3-D is another. Weird musicals with Gene Kelly yet another.

So what does this have to do with Ryan's Daughter (1970)? This David Lean epic isn't an outstanding film in terms of story. Sarah Miles stars as Rosy, local pub owner Ryan's daughter, who marries sheepish school teacher Robert Mitchum. She's Irish and has a wild extra-marital affair with a British soldier played by Christopher Jones. Miles and Mitchum are terrific in the film as are Trevor Howard and John Mills. They deliver first-rate performances. But the story is so-so and Christopher Jones is a big disappointment.

What makes this film truly amazing is it's incredible cinematography. It's pure eye-candy; a feast for the eyes. You are transported from your seat into a seaside town in Ireland circa late 1800s. The breathtaking cinematic quality of this film is lost on a TV and it begs to be watched on a big screen.

I created a Flickr slideshow of some of the best visuals from the film. I've also included my favorites below.