Movie Loner

The heist movie. It’s been a staple in cinema since British Director Frank S. Mottershaw’s A Daring Daylight Burglary in 1903. An innovative revelation, Mottershaw employed groundbreaking techniques such as cross-cutting, composite editing and location shooting. The five minute short heavily influenced American Edwin S. Porter to direct the famous The Great Train Robbery. Porter would advance the filmmaking process by experimenting with double exposures and camera movement to enhance the drama. Modern day heist films still borrow from these early models, however, it is legendary French Writer/Director Jean-Pierre Melville’s crime masterpiece Le Cercle Rouge that has impacted filmmakers young and old. Be it Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs or Michael Mann’s Heat, many a movie has drawn inspiration from this classic caper.

Upon his release from prison a suave thief named Corey receives a tip about a potential high-dollar score. On the same day of Corey’s discharge a career criminal named Vogel escapes custody of veteran Detective Mattei by jumping from a moving train. A happenstance meeting between Corey and Vogel leads to them partnering up to rob a jewelry store. In need of a sharpshooter to round out the crew, Vogel leads Corey to Jansen, an alcoholic ex-cop with nothing to lose. Together the three men go about the meticulous planning to bypass a sophisticated security system and walk away with a trove of loot. Meanwhile, a determined Detective Mattei edges closer to an underworld informant who has information regarding Vogel’s whereabouts. Can the three thieves avoid the trap that is unknowingly about to be sprung?

Le Cercle Rouge is truly a movie of its time. Subtlety drives the plot forward. The detailed, methodical pace employed by Melville is from a bygone era. Today this film would be riddled with quick cuts, flashy transitions, elaborate action sequences and a booming soundtrack. Melville practices targeted minimalism, focusing on the cerebral rather than the visceral. The elements of crime are mapped out like a scientific formula. The strict professionalism and discipline displayed by Corey, Vogel and Jansen is to be admired, as is their loyalty to one another. Each is given a role and each accepts that role with no hint of jealousy or malice. These are men of action not words. Melville’s script features sparse dialogue, preferring to let a look or expression reveal character. Criminals have much to hide so the choice of limiting chit-chat is both logical and refreshing. A soundtrack of ambient sound instead of music adds to the film’s authentic feel.

Guilt and whether it exists in the soul of every man is a running theme in Le Cercle Rouge. Mattei’s cynical boss repeatedly reminds his detective that all men are capable of wrongdoing and to think otherwise is foolish. Mattei, a circumspect loner whose only friends are three cats, has yet to grow numb to the evils of the world. He believes man is inherently good despite the fact his profession precludes him from observing such virtue. Representing the innate darkside of humanity are the three criminals. Corey, a cool as ice tough guy with smarts to match, exudes a contagious calm that masks a boiling rage. His past is ripe with betrayal, hindering his capacity to love. Vogel is a sheer brute constructed of fists and attitude; he lacks compassion for anything except his own satisfaction. Finally there is Jansen, a sad mystery man who grew tired of the corrupt bureaucracy that once employed him. He seeks redemption not profit. In the end, each man will succumb to his own guilty tendencies not because he wants to, but because it’s in his nature to do so.

The film’s dramatic heist scene is one of great ones ever put to film and also one of the most duplicated. Notably so in Entrapment, although I’m certain I’m missing countless others. Melville depicts every step from beginning to fruition, electing not to distract with cutaways. It provides a thrilling second act conclusion thus propelling the film into its final act which focuses exclusively on the aftermath. The aforementioned Heat brilliantly utilized a similar tactic in its story structure. Some heavy hitters in the French acting community go head to head. Alain Delon’s unflappable Corey is reminiscent of James Dean and Steve McQueen. And the legendary Yves Montand brings an endearing quality to the troubled Jansen. It should come as little surprise that the film is currently being remade by Hong Kong action director Johnny To. It is rumored Alain Delon has a part. Remakes used to bother me but as long as the original exists I could care less how much they butcher a retread. Le Cercle Rouge is an exceptional crime drama and a must-see for those who appreciate film history.

The trailer for Le Cercle Rouge:

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This edition of Shocktober takes us across the pond to jolly ol’ England. Do you remember the classic comic book Tales from the Crypt? Not the HBO retread from a few years back, but the original comic book? Every kind of scary scenario, be it vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, etc., were transformed into stars on the pages of this seminal comic. The weird and the macabre came alive with terrifying results. Vault of Horror was one the first cinematic adaptations of these spooky stories. Five bloodcurdling tales guaranteed to make your spine tingle.

Five men get off an elevator and step into a basement chamber to have a drink. While relaxing with their favorite spirit, the men agree to share nightmarish anecdotes that are frighteningly real. First up is boastful Rogers, who relays a dream in which he searches for his sister in a remote town populated by vampires. Second to speak is Critchit, an anal dapper dandy whose set-in-his-ways lifestyle drives his dutiful wife to insanity. The third episode features Sebastian, an arrogant magician who resorts to murderous ways in order to find a new illusion for his act.

The fourth tale is told by Maitland, a man so desperate for riches he concocts an insurance scam that involves him being buried alive. Of course, the plan goes horribly awry and has a “head-popping” outcome. The final story takes us to Haiiti where a struggling artist named Moore enlists the aid of a voodoo priest to reap vengeance upon those in the artworld who have wronged him. As wicked as these yarns may sound the real mystery is why these five men have gathered. The reason proves to be much more ominous than any of the stories recounted.

Vault of Horror falls into the B-movie category but that shouldn’t be taken as a slight. All the plots are comical, bordering on ridiculous. That acting is appropriately over-the-top without impacting the drama. Tom Baker, in particular, gears up the ham meter in his portrayal of the frustrated artist. The third and fifth installments contain the greatest level of creepiness and still manage to hold up after 35 years. I can’t recommend purchasing Vault of Horror, although you could probably get it cheap. Instead, look for it on your cable/satellite this month and you might catch it. I saw it on “Chiller” last weekend so be on the look out — if you dare.

The trailer for Vault of Horror:

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Peter Weir has been one of cinema’s consistently good Directors since the early 1970s. Before conquering U.S. markets with movies like Witness, Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Weir cut his creative teeth in Australia directing such renowned films as The Last Wave, Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously. One of his first projects, and in my opinion his best, was Picnic at Hanging Rock, an eerie puzzler certain to stay with you long after you see it.

On Valentine’s Day 1900, in Victoria, Australia, the girls of Appleyard College take a carriage ride to Hanging Rock for a picnic. Shortly after arriving, three girls and a teacher venture off to explore the paths surrounding the ancient rocks. A little while later, the four women vanish. The police are notified, a search party organized, and the area around Hanging Rock is thoroughly canvassed. Witnesses are gathered, students are interrogated, but no trace of the missing women is found. Is foul play involved? Did the girls simply fall into one of the many crevices? Or is an unnatural aboriginal force at work?

The repercussions of the disappearance ripple throughout the local community. Despite dogged efforts, the police remain perplexed. The future survival of Appleyard College is placed in jeopardy as frightened parents fear for their girls safety. Remaining students and faculty struggle with grief while desperately clinging to the small hope that the women will be discovered. And one young man, haunted by the vanishing, will risk his life to locate the lost girls. As shocking as the actual disappearance is, it’s the destructive aftermath that delivers the movie’s most profound moments.

Weir creates an ethereal atmosphere that perfectly fits a story steeped in mystery. Questions are abundant while answers are few. The psychological damage inflicted on the characters is both harrowing and sad. An ambiguous conclusion might disappoint some, but it adds to the veil of intensity that permeates the film. A mostly young cast provides very effective performances, and striking cinematography adroitly captures the mystical Australian outback. Peter Weir chooses his films carefully and therefore his catalog is relatively small, but his exceptional talent as a filmmaker is showcased in movies like Picnic at Hanging Rock.

A scene from Picnic at Hanging Rock:

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It’s been a while since I’ve gone back in the day so I figured I’d go way back to 1929. I first saw Man with the Movie Camera in film school at Ithaca College. I remember being transfixed by the striking images and inventive shooting techniques. To this day I am still impressed. The man responsible for this seminal masterpiece is the great Russian documentarian Dziga Vertov. Vertov believed in what he called “film truth”, a methodology that strove to capture reality in a way that the human eye could not.

Man with the Movie Camera is not a documentary in the traditional sense. There is no specific subject like you’d see from Ken Burns or Michael Moore. Vertov’s subject is life itself, in point of fact the life of a city and its inhabitants. He begins with a woman rising in the morning. Then the city awakens; empty streets fill with people, cars, buses, wagons. The hustle and bustle of urban existence is filmed in its purest form, without artifice. To be fair some of the setups are clearly staged, but Vertov deftly maneuvers his lens across the city in such an innovative fashion that you can hardly quibble over his creative indulgences. Split-screens, double-exposures, slow motion, and skew angles gloriously pepper the screen throughout.

Tricks and treats aside, Vertov succinctly contrasts the influx of technology on society with the routine occurrences of human life. Wheels turn, gears grind, pistons pump while people work, marry, play and die. The camera travels everywhere, from dark, dank coalmines to sun-soaked beaches. Vertov provides an all-encompassing portrait of a city’s populace: the joy of marriage and childbirth parallels the pain of injury and loss. His camera rarely stops to rest, electing to remain in motion seizing the rhythm and energy of man and machine. The similarities between the two is impossible to ignore.

Vertov believed the camera possessed a unique power greater than that of a pen or instrument. He eschewed romanticized images in favor of precise ones free of manipulation. He regarded fictional drama as an “opiate of the masses”, one that reinforced man’s inherent weakness and fallibility. It was his great desire to witness man evolve from an imperfect being into a more exact machine. His experimental endeavors behind the lens attempted to bring truth to the people. Man with the Movie Camera is one such truth, not a universal truth, but rather a subjective truth from the brilliant eye of Dziga Vertov.

A scene from Man with the Movie Camera:

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Occasionally, I’ll use this forum to discuss an older film that younger audiences might not be familiar with. Night of the Hunter is perfect for this site because it was overlooked by critics and ignored by moviegoers when it was released. Today it’s regarded as one of the most gorgeous examples of black and white cinematography put to film.

Robert Mitchum plays Harry Powell, a menacing criminal who gets pinched for stealing a car. While in jail, he meets Ben Harper, a man condemned to die. In their conversations, Harry learns Harper stole $10,000 and stashed it away. Harper is executed before he can tell Harry the money’s whereabouts. Once released, Harry travels to Harper’s home town, the hamlet of Cresap’s Landing in search of the stolen cash.

He arrives in town pretending to be a Preacher and immediately begins pursuing Harper’s widow, Willa (Shelley Winters). He seduces her with bible thumping sermons until she agrees to marry him. Once married, he refuses to touch her, claiming sex is a sin. When he’s not browbeating Willa, he interrogates her children, John and Pearl, who both know where the money is hidden. Frustrated by his lot, Harry resorts to murder. The children escape down river in a boat. Singing hymns, astride his horse, the Preacher follows. His evil shadow never far behind.

Charles Laughton, famous for acting in movies like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, directed Night of the Hunter. Due to its poor reception in 1955 Laughton would never direct again. What a waste. This film is visually stunning. Its images are like moving paintings. In my opinion, it looks better than Citizen Cane.

Then there is Mitchum’s creepy portrayal of the Preacher. He’s my favorite screen villain of all time. Forget Darth Vader and Hannibal Lecter. This guy seduces widows, menaces children, and tattoos ‘love’ and ‘hate’ on his knuckles. If that doesn’t define “bad guy”, I don’t know what does. Please watch Night of the Hunter and tell me what you think. It has always had a spot on my Top 10 list.

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