Merry Christmas from Out of the Past ~ A Classic Film Blog

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

King of Kings (1961)

King of Kings (1961) was directed by Nicholas Ray and stars a 33-year old Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus Christ. It's details like that, choosing an actor who was currently living in his Jesus Year (Jesus was 33 when he was crucified), that make this film simply astounding. It could have been a cheesy, over-the-top epic production. The 1960s were full of badly dubbed versions of those. However, Nicholas Ray and company made a respectful and timeless epic about the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ. There are no special effects in this film. You do not watch Jesus walk on water, turn water into wine, feed hundreds with 7 loaves and fishes and you do not watch him ascend into heaven after his resurrection. There are no angels, no devil, no representation of god. You hear the devil speak to Jesus in the desert and you see the sun shine down upon Jesus when he's on the cross but that's it. They could have gone there but they didn't. Instead what you see in King of Kings is what people who lived during Jesus Christ' time probably saw. A holy man who walked among the meek and was there to uplift them and comfort them during a time of taxation and oppression.

Jeffrey Hunter was amazing as Jesus. He had piercing blue eyes that seem to cut right into your soul and a steadiness to his countenance that I imagine Jesus would have had.

Siobhan McKenna as Mary had the same: piercing eyes and a steady countenance.

The choice of Robert Ryan as John the Baptist was genius. His scenes were by far my favorite.

Brigid Bazlen as Salome was also exceptional. Watch for the erotic dance she performs for King Herodious in exchange for John the Baptist's head. Oh, yes and we don't see the severed head. I liked that too. That would have gone into the realm of cheesy but instead they kept it classy. We know what happens but we don't have to see it. Glorification of gore is not necessary in order to understand pain or death.

Now I'm by no means religious. However, I did grow up Christian and the story of Christ is one that has always interested me. I've always found comfort in the Sermon on the Mount and have always been deeply pained by the passion. This Christmas, King of Kings (1961) was what I needed. I didn't need a Christmas film from the good ole days when people were nice to each other and everything turned out well. I wanted to see a film about oppression and hope.

Before you comment on this post, just note this is not a forum to start religious debate.

Black Legion (1937)

I promise to finish what I started and this Bogie marathon will have 24 posts! Since I didn't have either Kid Galahad (1937) or Black Legion (1937) in my Bogie boxed set (due to a technical error) I had to wait for these to come from Netflix. Black Legion (1937) is quite a depressing film but I think it's an important role for Bogie and it's important for the time period. In a pre-High Sierra role, Bogie stars (yes stars!) in Black Legion (1937), a typical exposee fare from the 1930s. The film exposes underground white supremacist groups who find "justice" in bullying and causing harm to people who they see as different and dangerous. Bogie plays Frank Taylor, a machinist at a factory who feels he is this close to getting a promotion. He's so close he can already taste the money he'll earn and is planning on how he can spend the money on his wife and young son. However, when Joe Dombrowski, a hardworking mechanist who attended night school while all the others spent their evenings drinking, gets the promotion, Frank tastes blood. It doesn't help that Joe happens to be a Jew. Frank's anger and envy drive him to join the secret society of the Black Legion and it all goes downhill from there.

This film depressed me greatly. I'm the daughter of two immigrants who worked really hard to give me opportunities that they didn't have themselves in their respective countries. Because of their hard work and the work ethic they instilled in me, I was able to earn my high school diploma, my Bachelor's degree and my Master's degree and to develop a career of my own chosing. I'm forever grateful to them for that.

I place myself in the position of Joe Dombrowski, who works all day as a mechanist, studies at night and helps his family out at their chicken farm. America is a land of opportunity. Frank Taylor thinks those opportunities are only for his notion of who is an "American". Jews, the Irish and foreigners don't count. I'm sure if African-Americans, Asian-Americans and Hispanic-Americans were involved in the story, he'd discount them too. Unless you are 100% Native American you can't claim yourself as coming from a non-immigrant family. So while I felt bad for Frank Taylor and all the trouble he got himself in, I despise the notion that America is a land of opportunity for some and not for all. And I hope the audiences in 1937 who watched this film felt the same way.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946) at the Brattle

Lately, I've had this persecution complex that I just can't shake. I feel like everyone is out to get me. I've always had some form of a persecution complex, something I inherited from my mother, but it seems to be at it's peak right now. I feel very neglected, unappreciated, taken for granted but I also feel like people are out to get me. When I feel like this, I have a tendency to withdraw and disassociate. I try to avoid as much human contact as possible. My biggest problem has been being kind to others. I don't see why I should if all I get in return is maliciousness. However, another thing I inherited from my mom is her giving nature.

The other day, as I was waiting in line in a cafe, I saw a lady trying to waive down a taxi. She was in the worst imaginable spot. Most of the taxis that passed by already had customers that they had picked up from the taxi cab stand only a block from where the lady was standing. It was cold outside and she seemed anxious. I imagined that she was visiting a friend, was unfamiliar with the area and had a plane to catch. When I stepped out of the cafe with my hot steaming cup of chai, I went up to the lady and pointed her in the direction of the taxi cab stand. She blurted out a thank you and ran to the stand as quickly as she could. I felt good about helping her. Fast forward to that afternoon and something terrible happened to me. Someone, who had been watching me very closely waiting for me to slip up, saw her opportunity and pounced. I reeled from the embarrassment and humiliation this person had put me through. And it was all because of her jealousy. So why did I even bother with that good deed in the morning if all I got was a bad deed done to me in the afternoon? Where the heck was Karma when I needed it?

Sometimes it's difficult to do good deeds. Take George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) for example. When he saw his little brother fall through the ice, his first instinct was to pull him out and save him. What did he get in return? An ear infection that led to permanent hearing loss in one ear. What did his brother do for him in return? Abandoned the family business when George wanted to pass it on so he could see the world. Let's take another instance. A young George Bailey works at Mr. Gower's store. Mr. Gower, depressed over the news he's just received has drunk himself into a tizzy. He accidentally puts poison in pill capsules and sends young George off to deliver the pills. George sees what Mr. Gower has done and doesn't deliver them. What does George get in return? Mr. Gower boxes his ears until he bleeds and then gives him an uncomfortably tight hug. What does Mr. Gower get in return? A will to live and a successful business. 

No one really thinks that George Bailey is a shmuck though, even if he doesn't get to travel the world or become an architect. He doesn't have it that bad though. He marries a wonderful woman, has a beautiful home, raises 4 children, helps out the members of the community, etc. But he still has Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) always watching him for an opportunity to make him fall. (Maybe we all have our own Mr. Potter's in life). Bailey is driven to despair and that's when Clarence steps in. We all need a Clarence, don't we. Someone to tell us that "no man is a failure who has friends".

Carlos and I missed an opportunity to watch It's a Wonderful Life (1946) at the Brattle last year. This year, we were smart and purchased our tickets in advance. The house was packed to the brim and there was not one seat available. The audience was so-so. They laughed at many moments that were not supposed to be funny. I always relegate this to their stupidity for 1. buying tickets to a movie they don't really want to see and 2. not being open minded and understanding that this film is not from this time period. Oh well. They weren't as bad as I've seen in other circumstances and by the end many people were wiping their eyes. Why doesn't anyone think to bring tissues to this movie?

I am not ashamed to admit that I cried three times during the filming. I first cried during the scene when Mary (Donna Reed), Bert and Ernie had set up the old house with travel posters, tropical music, a roaring fire, dinner and a made bed ready and waiting for some copulating. It was really sweet for Mary to take an unfortunate situation and turn into something special. The second time I cried was during George Bailey's despair. He crashes his car, heads to the bridge and wants to end it all. I've never been suicidal but I know what despair feels like so I could really sympathize with him. The third and final time I cried was during the very last seen when the whole community comes together to help out George Bailey and sing Auld Lang Syne together. This is the moment when everyone shows their appreciation for Bailey and all he's done for the community. This sort of demonstration usually only happens during funerals. Lesson here: show people how much you appreciate them while they are still alive!

I've seen a few other people on Twitter and Facebook mention that they have seen this film on the big screen this Christmas season. What was your reaction and what was the audience reaction? Have you seen it on the big screen before? Please share your thoughts.

Special thank you to the Brattle Theater for showing It's a Wonderful Life every year!