Romy Horst Delon Belmondo! Fashion! Glamour !

MONPTI. Oh, to be young in Paris in 1957 – Horst Buchholz and Romy Schneider were in this romantic confection from Helmut Kautner. He is a poor Hungarian who lives in an attic and has some colourful neighbours, she appears to be a rich girl whom he meets in the park. There are some lovely romantic moments but (like Romy’s CHRISTINE the next year) there is no happy ending here. We also see a contrasting wealthy but shallow couple and wonder why we see so much of them, this is revealed at the climax, where that car accident robs our couple of happiness. It is a slight tale told to us by the older Monpti, and it all captures that 1950s Paris nicely, I imagine, as it was 1970 when I first got to the City of Light. Romy and Horst (1933-2003) though shine nicely here, he too was a European star before Hollywood beckoned.

I am indebted too to a friend (thanks Mel) who sent me a 1967 documentary on Romy which I did not know about: ROMY - PORTRAIT OF A FACE, by Hans-Jurgen Syberberg,  catching her at a good point, on a ski-ing holiday, where she talks to the camera and discusses her career and life to date, including her teen years as SISSI and working with the likes of Welles and Visconti.. Schneider was one of the most prolific international actresses of her era, with 62 titles in her 43 years (1938-1982), often averaging several a year, 
from her teenage years in Germany to being an icon of French cinema.
(I have about 40 of her titles, with maybe 10 yet to see, see Romy label for reviews).

BORSALINO, 1970. It’s a brilliant idea: take two popular French male stars, set them in a 1930s setting, spare no expense with period detail, kit them out in great suits and give them lots of stuff to do, as they initially fight – over a woman of course, faithless Catherine Rouvel (from CHAIR DE POULE), then they team up and play at gangsters in Marseilles, but their easy-going approach to crime soon changes as they end up in control of organised crime in the city. Add in Michel Bouquet and Corinne Marchand and plenty of local colour and its all a leisurely, blissful movie, which I somehow did not see at the time, despite my affection for the two leads – Belmondo and Delon. 

It was a huge hit at the time, as directed by Jacque Deray (LE PISCINE), and a fashion hit as well, covered by all the magazines, but has not been available here for a long time, but finally, a sub-titled version. It all looks terrific and is one to return to. The two leads are perfectly matched too as they guy their tough-guy images, that first fight of theirs is hilarious. It could well be this hit gave someone the idea to team another popular pair, Newman and Redford, in a similar 1930s setting ? 

Vacation time: Holiday for Lovers / Bon Voyage!

HOLIDAY FOR LOVERS. Like Disney’s BON VOYAGE (below) this 1959 20^th Century Fox family comedy  (which I remember seeing as a child) starts out fun but soon gets tedious and one ends up begging for it to stop as it seems far too over-long and we lose patience with most of the characters. Jane Wyman coasts in both films, as the understanding wife and mother, but gets nothing much to do. Here, father is Clifton Webb, a consulting psychologist in Boston, whose older daughter Meg (Jill St John) a promising sculptor if you please, goes to Sao Paulo in Brazil to study with famous architect, Paul Henreid. She seems to be getting involved so parents and other daughter Carol Lynley are soon South America bound – cue endless airplane interiors, and lots of location shooting as our cast stand in front of lots of back projections of Sao Paulo, as it is obvious they never left the back-lot. Jill indeed seems smitten with the suave Henreid, but it turns out to be his boorish, beatnik son (Nico Minardos) she is romantically involved with, while Carol inexplicably falls for army fellow Gary Crosby. After trekking around Sao Paulo endlessly, the family head off to Rio and we see some of the carnival (maybe the same one used for the film BLACK ORPHEUS, also that year), and if that wasn’t enough local colour (all that’s missing is Carmen Miranda!), then it is off to Lima in Peru for a bull-fight. Then everything stops for a flamenco number or two from Jose Greco and the misunderstandings get sorted out, as we wind up in Trinidad – don’t ask! Directed by Fox reliable Henry Levin; at least Clifton gets to do a few South American dance steps. Fascinating though to luxuriate in air travel as it was over 50 years ago, and Sao Paulo certainly looks great, if not as teeming as it is these days. We like Clifton Webb a lot here at The Projector - see label, and Jane was certainly engrossing in that Sirk classic ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS. she was third choice here after Gene Tierney and then Joan Fontaine both had to drop out due to health reasons (or maybe they realised they really had nothing much to do here) - it would have been nice though to have seen Gene's LAURA re-teamed with her Waldo Lydecker! while Joan could raise those eyebrows and be more acerbic than bland Jane. 

BON VOYAGE!, 1962. Comic adventure awaits the Williard family from Terre Haute, Indiana, when Harry packs up the wife and kids and sets sail on a long-awaited “dream” vacation to romantic France. However, their trip includes some unforeseen adventures: his wife Katie is pursued by a Hungarian admirer, his daughter Amy meets a brash young playboy, and Harry himself gets hopelessly lost on a tour of the Paris sewer system (he is a plumbing contractor)! Join the Williards for a hilarious, whirlwind trip they’ll never forget!

So says the blurb, but this is Disney corn which at 132 minutes is way overlong, with terrible pacing from Disney hack James Neilson, but it looks like they really went to France on a transatlantic liner which takes up most of the first half of the film. Fred McMurray and Jane Wyman coast on autopilot, Deborah Walley (wasn’t she a GIDGET?) is a pallid daughter, while Disney kids Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran reprise their usual roles. Its all an over-long travelogue around Paris – Francoise Prevost has a good moment as the coded  working girl who tries to pick up Fred, and then his son; Ivan Desny pursues Jane, Michael Callan gets to dance a bit and finally Jessie Royce Landis has some fun as his overbearing snooty society mother (above), while British Richard Wattis also pops up, as it all finishes up on the Riviera. 

Debbie & Dolly do Glastonbury; Grace & Sade from the archives ...

Among this year's acts wowing the Glastonbury Festival were those two 68 year old blondes - Debbie Harry with Blondie; and Dolly Parton who was a sensation here, ending up on all the front pages of even the quality papers, as her set - probably her usual act with all that patter in between numbers, got everybody going. Debbie on the other hand barely said a word to the crowd between numbers, but they were all there, even "Rapture" and "Atomic" - odd though knowing the videos for those numbers, and the now rather portly figure in the low-key black with that odd white harness .... 
I suppose once a punk ....

Dolly on the other hand radiated that old-fashioned country glamour and seemed slimmer than ever, and had some new songs too. Both gals are releasing new material this year.   
We are of course used to old rock stars still going (was anything more bizarre than Paul McCartney now in his Seventies and with that dyed hair still singing "I Saw Her Standing There" (about that girl of 17) at that recent Beatles in America tribute, or Jagger still trying to get some "Satisfaction" - at least the gals can give them a run for their money).
Top 5 Lists continued: The Top 5 Dolly songs as listed are: "Just Because I'm A Woman", "Down From Dover", "I Will Always Love You", "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" and "To Daddy".

Back to the archives: a new BBC series "Sounds of the Eighties" offers eight half hour specials of music clips from vintage '80s BBC shows.

It was bliss to see again that bizarre version of "Slave To The Rhythm" which Grace Jones did on the Terry Wogan show in 1985 - Grace is covered up for most of the number, I remember this from its first transmission, 
and we always like a Sade number - "Diamond Life" indeed ! 

Strike a pose ...

Watching the 2006 CASINO ROYALE again recently, I was struck by the striking looking woman seen briefly at the card table during that exciting sequence where Daniel Craig's James Bond and Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) go head to head .... on checking the credits I was surprised to see she was Verushka, 

Verushka in CASINO ROYALE

the German '60s super-model best known for her scenes with David Hemmings in Antonioni's seminal BLOW-UP - first where he photographs her at his studio, and later at that stoned party where she is in Paris! 

Verushka Von Lehndorff, like Donyale Luna and Nico, was one of those '60s faces and was featured in all the magazines, and occasional bit parts in movies. I remember some stunning photographs she did in Africa. She is still striking now at 75 ...  

Also present in CASINO ROYALE from BLOW-UP is Tsai Chin, who played Thomas's receptionist, as Madame Wu, also at that casino table. 

1957 Royal Film Perf.

Another Royal Film Performance - this time the 1957 one. We covered the 1966 one recently (Showpeople label). This is another of those Pathe Newsreels now on YouTube ..... lots of happy browsing there!

This time the film is that 1957 favourite of mine, Cukor's LES GIRLS, but none of the stars are featured in the newsreel or in the Royal line-up. Surely Kay Kendall was there with maybe Mitzi and Taina and surely Gene Kelly would be there? Kay was delayed in America doing some TV shows ...

But we do have Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield (very demure here - unlike, also that year when Sophia arrived in Hollywood and there was reception for her at Romanoffs when Jayne who was not invited gatecrashed and bent over Sophia showing her very low cut dress .... which caused a sensation at the time, but did not do Jayne much good, as her studio (whom Sophia was doing BOY ON A DOLPHIN for) took a dim view of her antics and it really spelled the end of Mansfield's era in American films, as the rest of her films were made in Europe ...).

Also on hand here, are favourites like Michael Craig and Yvonne Mitchell, our recent re-discovery Anne Heywood, and Royal show regulars Kenneth More and Jack Hawkins, plus William Holden and Cecil B De Mille.

There are plenty other Royal Performances available on YouTube.

Coming up here: a Euro-feast, with about 10 Romy Schneider titles (LA CALIFFA, A SIMPLE STORY, VIEUX FUSIL, FANTASMA D'AMORE from 1981 with Marcello Mastroianni (finally a sub-titled print), and MONPTI from 1957 with Horst Buchholz, along with MADO, A WOMAN AT HER WINDOW, THE LADY BANKER, LOVE IN THE RAIN and more, 
plus a few Catherine Deneuve: APRES LUI, LE VOLEURS, MY FAVOURITE SEASON, HOTEL AMERICA. Then there's Jayne Mansfield's TOO HOT TO HANDLE ! 
plus more Jean Sorel, Belinda Lee, and finally a sub-titled print of Delon & Belmondo's BORSALINO from 1970, and Gabin and Signoret in LE CHAT ! Then there's 2 Tati's: PLAYTIME and TRAFFIC, and all those HAMLETs of stage and screen. How I spoil you.

RIP continued

Eli Wallach  (1915-2014). Its a cause for celebration if someone reaches the grand age of 98 ! What a long and varied career he had. For me he will always be the mean and resentful Guido in THE MISFITS (above, left) - and he certainly outlived that cast! It was also fun seeing him pop up in items as diverse as HOW TO STEAL A MILLION or GENGHIS KHAN, and much later in THE GHOST, and of course those baddies in THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN or HOW THE WEST WAS WON. He was also good with Jeanne Moreau in their episode of THE VICTORS in 1963. I really will have to re-see BABY DOLL now. Eli turned up in the most surprising places, after films with Marilyn Monroe and Jeanne Moreau, it was odd but fun seeing him as the comic villain in Disney's THE MOONSPINNERS in 1964  with Hayley Mills and Pola Negri, not to mention Irene Papas and Joan Greenwood - Eli worked with them all! - right up to Kate Winslet in THE HOLIDAY. Not to mention his career in the theatre, and with his wife Anne Jackson, who survives him. 

Ruby Dee (1922-014), aged 91, was an acress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist and activist. She is best known for films like A PLACE IN THE SUN in 1961, DO THE RIGHT THING in 1989 and AMERICAN GANGSTER in 2007 for which she was nominated as Best Supporting Actress. She was married to Ossie Davis until his death in 2005 She began her illustrious theatre career working with Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte. Her other films include Mankiewicz's NO WAY OUT in 1950 (review at Mank label), THE BALCONY in 1963 and THE INCIDENT. On television she did everything from PEYTON PLACE and POLICE WOMAN to THE GOLDEN GIRLS. 

Gerry Goffin (1939-2014), aged 75. He wrote (writing intially with his wife Carole King) the songs we grew up with: "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", "Take Good Care Of My Baby", "Go Away Little Girl", he penned over 50 Top 40 US hits, and 21 UK hits. I particularly like his lyrics for "Up On The Roof",  and "It Might As Well Rain Until September", "One Fine Day", "Halfway to Paradise" (a UK hit for Billy Fury), Dusty's "Some Of Your Loving" and Rod Stewart's "Its Not The Spotlight".

Francis Matthews (1927-1986) aged 86, British actor, successful in the Hammer Horror films like THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS, and RASPUTIN THE MAD MONK. He played PAUL TEMPLE for the BBC and was the voice of CAPTAIN SCARLETT.

Alan Bestic, (1921-2014), aged 92. Irish Journalist and author, his 1969 THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING IRISH is still a very droll read. 

Me in front of a OZ graphic in 1967

Felix Dennis (1947-2014), aged 67. Felix was one of the 1960s movers and shakers, a founder of the notorious OZ magazine, which led to a court trial on charges of "conspiracy to corrupt pubic morals" due to a sexually expicit Rupert Bear cartoon - the counterculture magazine was influential in other areas too with its psychedilic graphics and design - one had to buy it every month. The court case was defended by John Mortimer and Dennis and his colleagues Richard Neville and Jim Anderson, were acquitted, but convicted of minor charges. He was also a publisher, poet and philantropist, who became very wealthy with his publishing company with ground-breaking computer titles. 

Dusty time again ...

How we listened to music then - a nice shot of Dusty in 1965, used to promote a new biography on her, recycling all the gossip and myths. 

Britain's greatest pop diva, Dusty Springfield was also the finest white soul singer of her era, a performer of remarkable emotional resonance whose body of work spans the decades and their attendant musical transformations with a consistency and purity unmatched by any of her contemporaries (Lulu, Sandie Shaw, even Mariane Faithfull, or dear old Cilla); while remaining a camp icon of glamorous excess in her towering beehive hairdo and panda-eye black mascara.

I have done several items on  Dusty already, as per label - including seeing her record one of her 1969 tv shows for the BBC, when I was 20, at the old Golders Green Hippodrome. She was in a bad mood that day and was having a diva moment, as she had to re-record her first song. I can still picture her stomping around the stage. 

For when you have a spare hour, this compilation  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCcYTv6Evoc&list=RDoCcYTv6Evoc#t=3074

 of her BBC appearances is worth watching, particularly the later ones, and that last sad final one on the Jools Holland Show. I also like her doing "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" with The Pet Shop Boys at the Royal Albert Hall Brits Awards in 1987 see below - the only time they did it apart from the pop video. In their later shows the Boys used a back projection of Dusty for the number. She remains though for me up there with Joni, Barbra and Aretha, and her "Dusty In Memphis" remains an essential album. 

Song writer Gerry Goffin who died recently, is featured on the album too, as four Goffin-King songs are included:  the wonderful "No Easy Way Down" plus "Don't Forget About Me", "So Much Love" and "I Can't Make It Alone". There will always be so much love for Dusty - if only her last years had been better. 

Photo of the day ...

Lea Massari, Michelangelo Antonioni and Monica Vitti on the set of L'AVENTURA, filmed in late 1959, one of the sensations of 1960. Plenty more on Antonioni and Monica at labels ...
I am on a break now, more big reviews when I am back.

Caipirinha time ...

The World Cup marathon is about to start, with the opening ceremony in a few hours. Those Brazilians sure know how to party and put on a show, so expect to be dazzled, even if you are into interested in the footie.

I first had a caipirinha over a decade ago, when it was a rare hip new drink in clubland. Now I am ready to make my own, as have got a bottle of that sugar cane spirit, cachaça , and the necessary limes and golden castor sugar. Cut a lime in segments, and bash in a strong glass to release all the juice and mix with the sugar, then top up with a measure of cachaça and ice. To simplify things I have just got an ice crusher and a cocktail muddler, a little tool ideal for bashing the fruit - otherwise one may have to use the end of a rolling pin!

My pal Jorge in Sao Paulo sends me this recipe for a peach caipirinha and says be sure to use a ripe peach in this tart, refreshing spin on the classic drink. 

Half a very ripe peach / 

3/4 ounce of freshly squeezed juice from 1 to 2 limes /

1 teaspoon sugar / 

2 1/4 ounces cachaca

1/2 a lime cut in 4 wedges. 

Slice peace in quarters and place in cocktail shaker. Add lime, juice and sugar, and muddle well. Add cachaca and lime wedges, fill shaker with ice and shake until very cold, about 15 seconds. Pour into a rocks glass. Well, its a change from Peach Bellini ! 

As a change from the football how about some movies set in Rio and Brasil - lets start with BLACK ORPHEUS which I loved last year, and my old favourite: Belmondo and Francoise Dorleac in THAT MAN FROM RIO, very 1964 - or Jean Dujardin zippy spoof OSS 117 LOST IN RIO.

Alternatively, one could fly down to Rio with Fred and Ginger, or Gary and Ingrid in NOTORIOUS ! 

RIP continued ...

Martha Hyer (1924-2014), aged 89, Martha from Forth Worth, Texas, was a fixture in '50s Hollywood, her usual persona was the chic, country club princess who does not get the guy at the end, which she perfected in SABRINA, HOUSEBOAT, MISTER CORY and others. She was also a tough dame out west (I have her NIGHT OF THE GRIZZLY with Clint Walker from 1966 to see this week). She also scored in Minnelli's SOME CAME RUNNING as Sinatra's love interest, for which she was nominated as Best Supporting Actress. Martha married producer Hal B Wallis in 1966 until his death in '86. She was also effective in THE CHASE, THE BEST OF EVERYTHING, THE CARPETBAGGERS and many others - like Vera Miles, Ruth Roman, Dorothy Malone or Viriginia Mayo she was a top rank second-tier star. 

Mona Freeman (1926-2014), aged 87. Mona was an attractive ingenue in lots of films, including THE HEIRESS, FLESH AND FURY, BATTLE CRY and lots of television. 

Barbara Murray. Stylish English actress Barbara Murray, died on May 20, aged 84. A Rank Organisation girl in the 1950s, she was a student of their famous Charm School, and had several good roles before moving into television. She was Dirk Bogarde's love interest in the 1957 CAMPBELL'S KINGDOM, and she was also in DOCTOR IN DISTRESS, and other films she appeared in were PASSPORT TO PIMLICO, BOYS IN BROWN, Bette Davis's ANOTHER MAN'S POISON, MEET MR LUCIFER, DOCTOR AT LARGE, and THE PUNCH AND JUDY MAN in 1962. 

On television she scored in THE PLANE MAKERS and its follow-up THE POWER GAME from 1965-69, as the wife of tycoon Patrick Wymark, as well as various series like UP POMPEII (as Ammonia), THE PALLISERS, and Peter Davison's DR WHO. She retired to Spain after some theatre work. 

Rik Mayall (1958-2014) aged 56. Prolific actor, writer, comedian, alternative comedy and  "post-punk" star of THE YOUNG ONES, THE NEW STATESMAN, BOTTOM, BLACKADDER and films like DROP DEAD FRED and GUEST HOUSE PARADISO. A brilliantly funny comedian with a unique stage presence he died far too young. He and Ade Edmondson began at The Comedy Store, and was soon part of the COMIC STRIP gang with their hilarious send-ups of Enid Blyton and the like.  

Kevin Elyot. (1951 - June 2014) aged 62. British playwright and screenwriter. His most notable works include the play MY NIGHT WITH REG and the tele-film CLAPHAM JUNCTION, a highly controversial work which at least re-united several of the cast of MAURICE: James Wilby, Rupert Graves and Pheobe Nicholls. 
I saw MY NIGHT WITH REG on the stage, its a fascinating tragi-comedy about the affects of the Aids crisis on a group of friends. It was filmed by the BBC. Elyot also did that BBC adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's CHRISTOPHER AND HIS KIND, with DR WHO Matt Smith as the Isherwood figure here (review at gay interest label). There is apparantly a new production of MY NIGHT WITH REG opening in London this summer, which Elyot was working on. 

Top 5: Five beautiful screen actors

Another of the "Sunday Telegraph"'s Critical Lists was "Five Beautiful Screen Actors", and critic/columnist Anne Billson chose:

1 - Paul Newman in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF / 2 - Christopher Walken in THE ANDERSON TAPES (1971) / 3 - Keanu Reeves in BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE / 4 - James Dean in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE ("Prettier than Brando, he never had a chance to grow bored with his own beauty")  and 5 - Tony Leung Chiu Wai in IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, 2000.
Well, that is a female perspective. Now I love IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, but maybe not in this context.

I would keep Paul Newman in CAT - and Keanu, but for SPEED in 1994 where he is buffed up as every gay's fantasy boyfriend. Dean I would certainly keep, but for EAST OF EDEN, or looking moody in GIANT. So, lets add in two Euro-boys: 

Alain Delon as Tom Ripley in Clement's endlessly fascinating PLEIN SOLEIL shot in 1959, and Jean Sorel at his moodiest in Visconti's 1965 SANDRA (OF A THOUSAND DELIGHTS - where Claudia Cardinale was also at her zenith).

Another day, it might be Dirk Bogarde (at his prettiest in CAMPBELL'S KINGDOM in 1957); Montgomery Clift; Tyrone Power; Erroll Flynn as CAPTAIN BLOOD or THE SEA HAWK; and Gary Cooper - endlessly fascinating and beautiful even as he aged. Cary Grant too at his zenith in NOTORIOUS ... 
and Gregory Peck, maybe Rock in ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS ? or John Gavin. 

Back in the '60s/'70s we liked Michael York and Terence Stamp (Willie Garvin in MODESTY BLAISE) 
and ... Robert Hossein is a relatively new discovery too. 
now there's Matt Bomer .... and Joseph Fiennes, Tom Hollander ... 


plus here, Guy Madison letting rip on the dance floor - there are lots of interesting pictures of Guy around; and Jeffrey Hunter, and the fabulous Kerwin Matthews ... then of course there's Tony Perkins and Tab Hunter and Fabian and ...