March 26 - The Scarlet Letter

Today’s movie is a period drama with a scene on March 26. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.   

THE SCARLET LETTER          

Nathaniel Hawthorne tells how he found some documents at the Boston Custom House and used them as the basis for the story that follows. In 1642 Boston Hester Prynne is brought out of jail with her infant daughter, Pearl to be publicly berated for having committed adultery. She must also wear the red letter “A” on her dress. She spots her husband who she thought to be dead in the crowd watching her. Hester refuses to name Pearl’s father and her partner in adultery. Her husband calling himself, Roger Chillingworth says that Hester’s lover should also be punished and vows to himself to find the man. Chillingworth, claim to be an herb doctor visits Hester in prison and is angered when she refuses to name the man. He forces her to agree to never reveal he is her husband or else he will destroy her lover. After her release from jail, Hester lives alone with her child and works as a seamstress. Her daughter Pearl is fascinated by the “A” her mother wears and grows up to be a mischievous and wild child. Community leaders plan to take Pearl from her, but listen to a plea by Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale to leave Pearl with her mother.  Dimmesdale’s health begins to fail and Chillingworth moves in with him to treat him. However Chillingworth applies psychological pressure on Dimmesdale as he has begun to suspect he was Hester’s lover and one night learns the truth. On March 26, 1649 [40:20 to 51:48, Pt 2] the night Governor Winthrop dies, Dimmesdale goes to the scaffold where Hester was humiliated all those years ago. He confesses to Hester and Pearl that he is Hester’s lover and they see a meteor make a red “A” in the sky. Chillingworth comes along and Hester tries to persuade him to give up his planned vengeance. Later Hester tells Dimmesdale that Chillingworth is her husband and persuades Dimmesdale to sail to Europe in secret.  Then she learns Chillingworth is sail on the same ship. On Election Day, Dimmesdale gives his most inspired sermon and then climbs to the scaffold and publicly confesses he was Hester’s lover. He dies in her arms. When Chillingworth dies soon thereafter he leaves his money to Pearl, which Hester and she use to sail to Europe. Hester returns to Boston years later and ministers to afflicted women. Later she is buried beside Dimmesdale with a single marker that just has an “A”.
   

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (Houghton Mifflin Co., NY) at page 182 and the film at 46:36 Part 2 identify this scene as occurring on the day that Governor John Winthrop died, which was on this date. 

Producers - Rick Hauser and Herbert Hirschman

Director - Rick Hauser

Screenplay - Allan Knee and Alvin Sapinsley

Runtime - 4 hours

Released  - March 3, 1979

Starring –

Josef Sommer as Nathaniel Hawthorne

Meg Foster as Hester Prynne

Elisa Erali as Pearl Prynne

John Heard as Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale

Kevin Conway as Roger Chillingworth    

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

March 25 - Men of Honor

Today’s movie is a biography with a scene that happens on March 25. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

MEN OF HONOR                              

Carl Bashear grows up in an African-American sharecropper’s family in Kentucky who have hard times since he goes to school at the insistence of his father instead of working. He joins the navy and works as a cook. He is impressed by the bravery and dedication of  Master Diver ‘Billy’ Sunday and determines to become one himself. After two years he is accepted to the Navy’s Dive and Salvage school, where he finds Sunday is the chief instructor, who unbeknownst to Brashear is under orders to fail him because he is an African-American..  Brashear does well in the technical aspects of the course but nearly fails the academic portion until he meets his future wife, an aspiring doctor, who helps him. Brashaer experiences racism first hand. For example when he rescues a student after a training accident, a fellow student who fled the scene gets a medal instead of Bashear. During his final exam, to assemble a flange underwater, his tool bag is cut spilling his tools all over the bottom. However, he finds the tools and completes the assignment, earning the unvoiced but obvious admiration of Sunday and his heretofore hostile fellow students. Sunday is demoted for allowing Brashear to pass and with his hot temper gets demoted further when he fights with those who disrespect him. When an atomic bomb is lost off Palomares, Spain Brashear finds one of them but his leg is partially crushed as it is brought on board on March 25, 1966. [1:30:40 to 1:31:31:55] He has the leg amputated so he can wear a prosthesis and return to duty. The same officer who opposed Sunday now stands in his way, but a review hearing he establishes his fitness and returns to duty.   

A good biopic. Not too overly romanticized. Plenty of exciting moments.  The story of this American hero is well worth watching.

The Reminiscences of Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate Carl M. Brashear by Carl M. Brashear (U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, MD, 1998) at page 83 gives the date of his accident.

Director - George Tillman, Jr.

Producer - Bill Badalato, Robert Teitel

Screenplay - Scott Marshall Smith

Released - November 10, 2000

Runtime – 2 hours 9 minutes

Starring -

Robert De Niro as Chief Petty Officer Leslie William 'Billy' Sunday

Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Senior Chief Petty Officer Carl Brashear

Charlize Theron as  Gwen Sunday

Aunjanue Ellis as  Jo Brashear

Hal Holbrook as Captain  'Mr. Pappy'

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

March 24 - Romero

Today’s movie is a biographical drama with a scene that happens on March 24. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

ROMERO                         

Conservative bishop  Óscar Romero is named Archbihop of San Salvador because he is seen as a bookworm who will not upset the existing poltical applecart. However, after the massacre of innocent civilians and the assassination of his best friend  Father Rutilio Grande, he moves into opposition. Then Rafeal Zelada, the minister of Agriculture  is kidnapped by rebels and eventually killed, in spite of efforts by Romero to get him released. After a priest is arrested and tortured, Romero refuses to attend the inauguration of  Gen. Carlos Humberto Romero as President of El Salvadsor. When the army turns a church in a suspected rebel village into a barracks, Romero goes there and leads the parishioners straight into the guns of the soldiers, forcing them to back down and celebrates mass in the church. When rioters seize a soldier as a hostage, Romero goes to try and broker a deal. When the army reneges on the deal Romero is arrested along with the rebels. He is released, but on March 24, 1980 [1:37:49 to 1:40:45] he is assassinated by the government.           

A good biopic. Romero was a brave man and a real Christian. Well worth watching.

A Brief History of Central America by Hector Perez-Brignoli (University of  California Press, Los Angeles, 1989) at page 191 and the film at 1:41:00 give the date of Romerp’s assassination.

Producer - Fr. Ellwood (Bud) Kieser

Director - John Duigan

Screenplay - John Sacret Young

Runtime – 1 hour 42 minutes

Released - August 25, 1989

Starring –       

Raúl Juliá as Archbishop Óscar Romero.

Richard Jordan as Fr. Rutilio Grande, SJ.

Alejandro Bracho as Fr. Alfonzo Osuña, SJ.

Tony Plana as Fr. Manuel Morantes, SJ.

Lucy Reina as Lucia

Ana Alicia as Arista Zelada

Omar Chagall as Rafael Zelada

Harold Gould as Francisco Galedo

Eddie Velez as Lt. Ricardo Columa

Robert Viharo as Col. Ernesto Dorio.

Harold Cannon as Gen. Carlos Humberto Romero.

Al Ruscio as Bishop Estrada.

Claudio Brook as Bishop Flores.

Martin LaSalle as Bishop Arturo Rivera y Damas

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014. 

March 23 - Dead Ahead: the Exxon Valdez Disaster

Today’s movie is a disaster film with a scene set on March 23. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

DEAD AHEAD: THE EXXON VALDEZ DISASTER             

On March 23, 1989 [2:36 to 6:.12] the oil tanker Exxon Valdez hits the rocks in Prine William Sound, Alaska and starts leaking oil. Captain Hazelwood was not on the bridge at the time of the collision.  Dan Lawn with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation springs into action to start the cleanup, while Frank Iarossi, President of Exxon gets the bad news. The Coast Guard notices that Captain Hazelwood smells of alcohol. The ship leaks 8 million gallons of oil. Due to various problems the Alyeska Pipeline Company’s response is very slow. Gov. Steve Cowper goes on board the Exxon Valdez and Dan Lawn tells him Alyeska is not handling the cleanup like it is supposed to do so. Frank Iarossi’s plane flies over the spill site and the ship. Exxon’s cleanup proceeds very slowly. The State of Alaska learns that it can’t take over cleanup unless Alyeska fails to do so, at which time it’s too late to do anything, but if the State tries to intervene before Alyeska has failed Alyeska could escape liability. Exxon starts spraying chemical dispersants, over the objections of environmentalists and fishermen.  Dan Lawn authorizes Exxon to do a test of burning off the oil. He also recruits local fishermen to deploy booms to protect bays. Exxon finally gets permission to use dispersants, but a storm comes up and the oil starts washing up  on shore.   Hazelwood gets fired for being drunk. The oil devastates the wildlife in Prince William Sound. The Exxon Valdez is finally hauled off the rocks and emptied. 

This is a very good docudrama. It tries to give an objective view of the incident. Keeps from becoming too political.  

Out of The Channel: The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound by John

Keeble (HarperCollins, New York, 1991) at pages 36-39 and the film at 3:40 give the date of the disaster.

Director - Paul Seed

Producer - John Smithson and David M. Thompson

Screenplay -  Michael Baker

Runtime – 1 hour 26 minutes

Released – December 21, 1992

Starring –      

John Heard as Dan Lawn

Bob Gunton as Larry Dietrick

Mark Metcalf as Dennis Kelso

Christopher Lloyd as Frank Iarossi

Remak Ramsay as Craig Rassiner

Paul Guilfoyle as Cmdr. Steve McCall

Rip Torn as Adm. Paul Yost

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014

March 22 - Scandal

Today’s movie is a political drama with a scene on March 22.  I hope you will like this film and watch it tonight.

SCANDAL                

In late 1950’s London, playboy Dr. Stephen meets showgirl Christine Keeler.  He takes her under his wing in a platonic relationship and introduces her to all sorts of people and sex parties. Christine becomes friends with a new girl in the show Mandy Rice-Davies and they both move into Ward’s apartment. Ward introduces them to Yevgeni Ivanov, who works at the Soviet Embassy. Christine and Mandy meet Errol Flynn, Jr. An MI5 agent asks Ward to keep an eye on Ivanov, who’s suspected of being a spy. Then Christine literally runs into John Profumo, Minister for War at the cottage Ward rents from Lord Astor. Christine soon begins affairs with both Ivanov and Profumo. When Profumo tries to set her up in a private hideaway, she refuses to move out of Stephen’s flat. A year later Christine leaves one of her boyfriends and he tries to shoot his way into Ward’s flat. Because of this Ward ends his relationship with Christine. A story about the shooting appears in the newspapers. Christine sells her story to the papers and Ivanov is recalled to the USSR. Ward sends Christine off on a holiday. John Profumo makes a statement in Parliament where he denied ever having an affair with Christine Keeler on March 22, 1963[1:16:16 to 1:18:43]. Scotland Yard begins an investigation.  Lord Astor tosses Ward out of the cottage. The police try to pressure Keeler into saying Ward was her pimp, but she denies it.  Profumo admits that he lied to parliament and resigns as Minister for War. Ward is arrested and brought to trial for pandering. Mandy testifies that she gave money to Ward. Christine testifies that Ward gave her money. Ward defends her when his own counsel is badgering her on the stand. Ward kills himself. He is found guilty of pandering.

An interesting film. Hunt gives a very good performance as Ward. Be aware this film is rated R in the USA.  

Our Times: The Age of Elizabeth II by A.N. Wilson (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New

York, 2008) at pages 131-133 and the film at 1:26:48 give the date of Profumo’s statement.

Producer - Stephen Woolley

Director - Michael Caton-Jones

Screenplay - Michael Thomas

Runtime – 1 hour 55 minutes

Released - March 3,  1989

Starring –

John Hurt as Stephen Ward

Joanne Whalley as Christine Keeler

Bridget Fonda as Mandy Rice-Davies

Ian McKellen as John Profumo

Leslie Phillips as Lord Astor

Britt Ekland as Mariella Novotny

Daniel Massey as Mervyn Griffith-Jones

Roland Gift as Johnnie Edgecombe

Jean Alexander as Mrs. Keeler

Alex Norton as Detective Inspector

Ronald Fraser as Justice Marshall

Paul Brooke as John, Detective Sgt.

Jeroen Krabbé as Yevgeni Ivanov

Keith Allen as Kevin, Reporter Sunday Pictorial

Ralph Brown as Paul Mann

Iain Cuthbertson as Lord Hailsham

Johnny Shannon as Peter Rachman

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

     

March 21 - THX 1138

Today’s movie is a science fiction classic with a scene that happens today, March 21. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

THX 1138         

On March 21, 2_75 [2:57 to 16:44] in an underground city, the population is controlled by drugs and sex is outlawed. SEN 5241(a man) and LUH 3417 (a woman) work in the surveillance center. Luh 3417 has a male roommate THX 1138. He works in a factory making android robots. In a similar factory radioactive materials kill some workers. On the way home THX 1138 stops at a booth where computer OMM 0910 spouts platitudes. At home he takes his drugs and watches mindless entertainment. LUH switches her drugs for THX 1138’s drugs. This causes him to have emotional feelings and he and LUH 3417 have sex. She suggests they escape, but he declines. THX 1138 stops taking his drugs. SEN 5241 changes LUH 3417’s shift and tries to talk THX 1138 into becoming his roommate. THX 1138 files a complaint against SEN 5241. The control center mentally immobilizes THX 1138 prior to his arrest for non drug use. This occurs at a critical time and almost causes a nuclear accident.  THX 1138 and LUH 3417 are arrested. They have a brief reunion in an all-white limbo and she tells him she is pregnant. At the trial of THX 1138 he is spared the death penalty and returned to limbo. He meets SEN 5241 there. Aided by hologram SRT they escape. SRT and THX 1138 end up in the control center, where THX 1138 learns LUH 3417 is dead. SEN 5241 is rearrested. THX 1138 and SRT steal cars, but SRT crashes. THX 1138 reaches the edge of the city, climbs out an escape hatch and sees the sun for the first time.  

A classic dystopian film. This movie is a cereberal film that you have to watch. This is not just mindless entertainment, but an important film everyone should watch.

This date is given in the film at 13:50.

Producers - Edward Folger,  Lawrence Sturhahn and Francis Ford Coppola

Director - George Lucas

Screenplay - George Lucas and Walter Murch

Runtime – 1 hour 28 minutes

Released – March 11, 1971

Cast –

Robert Duvall as THX 1138

Donald Pleasence as SEN 5241

Don Pedro Colley as the hologram SRT

Maggie McOmie as LUH 3417

Ian Wolfe as the old prisoner PTO

Marshall Efron as prisoner TWA

Sid Haig as prisoner NCH

James Wheaton as the voice of OMM 0910

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

March 20 - Wuthering Heights(1998)

Today’s movie is a period drama with a scene on March 20. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS 

Mr. Lockwood, new tenant at the grange comes to pay his respects to his very surley landlord, Heathcliffe. When he has to stay the night, Mr. Lockwood has a ghostly encounter. We then flashback to 30 years earlier. Mr. Earnshaw adopts the gypsy boy Heathcliffe. His son Hindley hates Heathcliffe, but eventually Heathcliffe and Cathy Earnshaw become close. When Mr. Earnshaw dies Hindley and his wife return to live at Wuthering Heights. He allows Heathcliffe to stay as a servant. One night when Cathy and Heathcliffe spy on the Lintons at Thrushcross Grange, Cathy is injured when the Lintons set the dogs on them. Cathy stays at the Grange while she recuperates.  When she returns home, Cathy has assumed a more genteel air. When the Lintons come to dine, Heathcliffe tries to improve his appearance, but after being taunted by both Hindley and Edgar Linton, there is a fight and he is beaten. Hindley’s wife has a son, but she dies and Hindley sinks into alcoholoic depression. Linton asks Cathy to marry him and she accepts, even though she loves Heathcliffe, but cannot marry him because of his low social status. She thinks she can use her new status to help Heathcliffe. He overhears this and runs away. Five years later Heathcliffe returns, having made his fortune. Cathy married Edgar Linton and they live at Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliffe soon courts Edgar’s sister Isabella as a means of getting revenge. The pair eventually elope. Cathy gives birth to a daughter, also named Cathy and dies. Isabella has a son Linton. Heathcliffe murders Hindley and takes charge of Hindley’s son, Hareton. On March 20, 1800 [1:18:42 to 1:19:27] it is Cathy’s sixteenth birthday. When Isabella dies, Edgar brings her son Linton to stay with him, but Heathclife takes the boy. When Cathy goes to visit Linton, Heathcliffe holds her capitive and forces her to marry Linton. Edgar Linton dies, followed shortly thereafter by Linton.  We have now returned to the time of Mr. Lockwood’s visit. Heathcliffe later dies, while Cathy and Hareton plan to get married as they became close, living together at Wuthering Heights after Linton’s death.

A good adaptation of one of the classics of English literature. Heathcliffe is a real … well really shouldn’t say. Beautiful innovative cinematography.

Brontë, Emily. Wuthering Heights. New York: Harper Collins, 2011. This book at page 257 gives Cathy’s birthday as this date which is given as the date at 1:18:49.

Director:  David Skynner

Screenplay: Neil McKay

Release date : October 18, 1998

Run Time: 1 hour 52 minutes

Cast: Robert Cavanah (Heathcliff ), Peter Davison (Joseph Lockwood), Orla Brady (Cathy Earnshaw), Tom Georgeson (Joseph), Matthew Macfadyen (Hareton Earnshaw), Sarah Smart (Catherine Linton), Kadie Savage (young Cathy Earnshaw), Ken Kitson (Mr. Earnshaw), Flora Montgomery (Isabella Linton), Ian Shaw (Hindley Earnshaw), Crispin Bonham-Carter (Edgar Linton), David Maybrick (Gaddick). Catherine Chesire (Frances Earnshaw), Polly Hemingway (Nelly Dean)

Copyright Ivan Walters 2014.