Charade (1963) ~ A Second Chance

My co-worker and friend, Frank, was taken aback by my 2 out of 4 stars rating for the Grant/Hepburn classic Charade (1963) (see post Movie Overdose). I didn't quite get it when I watched it and promptly taped over my recording of it with other things. But since then I thought that this film deserved a second chance and I was willing to give it one. For my Screenwriting class, I decided to read the script and do a one-page response in hopes that I could appreciate this film for what it is. And lo and behold, I did! Here is my response for class.

I never quite understood this movie but because it came up on very high recommendations, I thought I'd give it another try by reading the script. One of the things that I believe draws people to this film is it's visual appeal. Alps, Paris, Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Walter Matthau, museums, outdoor cafes, boat rides on the Seine. It's all very glamorous. The script is written in this style too. Lots of setting descriptions as well as visual depictions and character renderings. This story is driven by witty dialogue. The repartee between the two main characters, Peter and Reggie, who are falling for and fighting with each other at the same time keeps the story interesting. It is also at its core a mystery. I realized that a mystery needs visual clues as well as spoken ones to function. A description of an empty apartment, various passports, writing on the carpet next to a dead body, etc. Plus we need to be tricked. A good mystery should have us thinking one person is the culprit and then have us fooled until Act III when we learn who it really is. The protagonist, Reggie, is absolutely clueless about everything that is going on but since she's so in the thick of things she is forced to feel her way around situations. What drives her is her basic gut instincts about people. I think in this way the audience has more of a connection with her. Almost as if we felt beholden to take care of her because she is in such a vulnerable position. And we start to dislike people who we think are working against her (Peter) and people working for her (Bartholomew) only to have things switched up at the end! Also, what keeps it a funny movie as well as a thriller is the absurdity the characters are given. Reggie's dialogue is absurd which gives it a comedic element in contrast with the life-threatening situation she's in. After reading the script, I came upon a new found appreciation for this classic.

God Speed Charlton Heston (1924-2008)

Soylent Green Is People!!! We'll miss you Charlton.

Cat People (1942) ~ Script Review

For my screenwriting class I'm taking in graduate school, I have to read 2 scripts a week and write a one-page response for each. This week I chose to do sort of a script-double-feature and read the scripts for Cat People (1942) and it's sequel The Curse of the Cat People (1944).

Here is my response to Cat People. This is my original extended version which was later cut down for class purposes.

Val Lewton is one of my favorite producers. RKO gave him horrible concept titles and he worked with screenwriters to come up with stories based on them. With only the title and a very low-budget, he and writers like DeWitt Bodeen would come up with these amazing stories that turned out to be cult classics. For having such little money to work with and trying to make this story a "horror" movie, it was needed to set up a sense of ambiance thus the script is highly descriptive. It served its purpose, showing readers (whom were probably film executives) that this film had substance enough to entertain audiences. Also, the writing is very sensual and there is a lot of chemistry written between characters. Maybe this subtle sexuality is lost on screen to contemporary viewers because of all the sex we are bombarded with in today’s media. But reading the script, rather than watching the film, this sensuality and underlying eroticism becomes apparent. One of my favorite examples in the writing is when Oliver enters his love interest Irena's apartment for the first time, notices the perfume as smelling like something "warm and living".

Even though this story is different from what you would expect, there are no actors dressed in cheap-looking cat costumes, the writer never lets go of the "Cat" element. It's the theme that intertwines the story together. Pretty much every scene has a cat or cat-like element in it. But you don't feel overwhelmed by cats though, like you've just entered a woman's apartment and 30 cats swarm around you. There are a lot of hints thrown at the audience to give them a heads up that there is something suspicious about Irena, the main character. It's intensified by the fact that Oliver, Irena’s love interest, is oblivious to the signs which are omens of potential evil. The most famous scene is the one when Irena's jealousy overcomes her and she prepares to pounce on Alice as she swims alone in a hotel pool. Lots of writing here to set the mood, build up the tension. I noticed a heavy amount of text in order to make sure the important scenes convey what they need to.

What's really scary here? The fact that this nubile, delicate young woman can entice an everyday, normal, nice guy into marriage when her true evil, which she has tried very hard to surpress, bubbles to the surface. And the idea of being cursed and living your curse without ever having a hope to be able to break it, forever being trapped by extenuating circumstances. The idea that a basic human emotion, like jealousy, could transform oneself into a monster!