May 15 - Cast a Giant Shadow

Today’s movie is a biographical drama with a scene set on May 15. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

CAST A GIANT SHADOW        

At Christmastime 1947 the Haganah underground group, approaches the Jewish Mickey Marcus, former American military lawyer to assist the future Israeli army. He finally agrees and tells his wife, who is upset, as she thinks the Israelis can’t win. She thinks back to when he served during World War II. Marcus finagles his way across the Channel into France after D-Day, without orders and is arrested by his commanding general. Back in 1947, the Pentagon says he can only go to Palestine if he goes incognito. When he arrives in Palestine, the bus he travels on is ambushed by the Arabs.  He is greeted with  suspicion by the Haganah, but after he assists in helping some illegal refugees land, he earns some respect. Marcus goes on a tour of Haganah positions and reflects back on when he helped in the liberation of Dachau concentration camp. Marcus leads a raid to destroy an illegal Arab arms dump. Marcus keeps pushing to unify the different Jewish forces into a united army. He continues observing, writes manuals for the Israeli army and runs the Arab gauntlet into Jerusalem.  His wife miscarries their child.   In Jerusalem, Mickey resists temptation from his female Haganah handler, Magdha. Marcus returns to New York for a time and thinks back to when he was awarded the OBE. He returns to Palestine with a planeload of arms. The Haganah and Palmach agree to serve under a unified command. Israel declares its independence and Marcus succumbs to a night with Maghda. The next day, May 15, 1948, Marcus, Gen. Asher and David Ben-Gurion meet  and discuss the overwhelming Arab advantage. [1:27:14 to 1:28:56] Israel is attacked on all fronts, but they fight back with everything they’ve got. Marcus leads an attack with improvised weapons that stops an Egyptian armored attack. He is recalled to help save Jerusalem and is put in charge of all forces in the area.  He helps organize an attack on Latrun, where the Arab Legion has cut off the supply line to the city.  The attack is repulsed due to overwhelming Arab strength and lack of Israeli training. Marcus proposes building a new supply road through a narrow valley. Working 24 hours a day the new road is built and the supplies start flowing again to feed Jerusalem. Marcus decides to end the affair with Maghda.  On the night before the cease fire takes effect, Marcus is killed by an Israeli sentry because he didn’t know how to respond to a challenge in Hebrew.  . 

A good, if somewhat sentimentalized biopic. Marcus is presented as the American “saviour’ of Israel, which is certainly an exaggeration. The film also tacks on domestic quarrels and a love affair to what is essentially a war movie.

This scene is after the proclamation of the state of Israel, which was on May14, 1948 as per Historic Palestine, Israel and the Emerging Palestinian Autonomous Areas ed. by Laura S. Etheredge (Britanica Publishing, New York, 2011) at page 69. The next scene after this at 1:29:00 says May 16

Director - Melville Shavelson

Producer - Melville Shavelson

Screenplay - Melville Shavelson                             

Released - March 30,  1966

Runtime - 2 hours 26 minutes.

Starring -

Kirk Douglas as “Mickey” Marcus

Angie Dickinson as Emma Marcus

Senta Berger as Magda

Yul Brynner as Asher

Stathis Giallelis as Ram Oren

John Wayne as The General

Frank Sinatra as Vince

Gordon Jackson as McAffee

James Donald as Saphir

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.  

May 14 - Master and Commander: The Far Side of The World

Today’s movie is a naval war film with a scene that happens on May 14. I hope you will enjoy this motion picture and watch it tonight.  

MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD 

In 1805, The HMS Surprise under the command of Captain Jack Aubery is ordered to pursue the French privateer the Acheron and sink or capture her. The ship however is surprised by the Acheron in the fog and the Surprise’s cannonballs bounce off the Acheron’s hull. Surprise’s rudder is shot off and it is only by using rowboats to pull the ship into an impenetrable fog bank that the Suprise escapes. They lay low repairing the ship and tending the wounded. The captain and his friend Dr. Maturin relax by playing music together. On May 14, 1805 a crewman who happened to see the Acheron being built in Boston gets a friend to build a model of the ship which they give to the Captain. [28:05 to 30:00] The Captain dines with his officers. For a second time they are spotted by the Acheron. They stay ahead of it during the day and at night, using a raft with lamps as a decoy, slip away. The Surprise is now chasing the Acheron, but loses her in a terrible storm.  Aubrey heads to the Galapagos islands where Dr. Maturin engages in some scientific investigation of the islands unique flora and fauna. They find the crew of a British whaler sunk by the Acheron. An officer suicides and Dr. Maturin is accidentally shot. Aubrey abandons pursuit of the Acheron to take Maturin back to dry land in the Galapagos where Maturin operates on himself using a mirror. While looking for more specimens Maturin discovers the Acheron is very close. Taking an idea from one of the insect specimens collected by Maturin, Aubrey disguises the ship as a whaler to lure the Acheron in close.  The ruse works. Acheron’s mainmast is shot away and boarding parties capture the French ship. As the Acheron sails away with a prize crew Aubrey learns that the man he thought was the Acheron’s surgeon was actually its captain. He orders a pursuit. 

                       

A very exciting combat film. It explores an area of history that has received little attention from filmmakers.  Very good action sequences as well as character development, which only rarely both occur in the same film.

                      

Date given in film via Aubrey’s letter to his wife at 28:09

Awards – The film won the Best Cinematography and Best Sound Editing Oscars. It was also nominated for the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Sound Mixing, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Visual effects and the Best Makeup Oscars at the 76^th Academy Awards.

Producer -  Alan B. Curtiss                  

Director - Peter Weir                                            

Screenplay – Peter Weir & John Collee       

Runtime -  2 hours 18 minutes    

Released – November 14, 2003                                                      

Starring –

Russell Crowe as Captain Jack Aubrey

Paul Bettany as Dr. Stephen Maturin

James D'Arcy as Thomas Pullings

Edward Woodall as Lt. William Mowett

Chris Larkin as Captain Howard

Max Pirkis  as William Blakeney 

Jack Randall as Midshipman Boyle

Max Benitz as Peter Myles Calamy

Lee Ingleby as Midshipman Hollom

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014. 

May 13 - To Hell And Back

Today’s movie is a biographical combat film with a scene set on May 13. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

TO HELL AND BACK           

Twelve year old Audie Murphy helps support his family by shooting game and working odd jobs. After his mother dies several years later, he enlists in the armed forces and sends most of his pay to an older sister who is taking care of his younger siblings. He is rejected by the Maries, the Navy and the paratroopers for being undersized before being reluctantly accepted by the Army. He is sent in as a replacement in North Africa after the ‘Torch’ landings,  His unit does not see much combat and in fact are at a party when on May 13, 1943, they hear about the German surrender in Tunis. [22:17 to 24:50] His unit is a part of the invasion of Sicily, Operation ‘Husky’. When his lieutenant is killed, Murphy helps take out a machine gun nest. He is promoted to corporal. In Italy his lieutenant is killed and his sergeant wounded, so Murphy has to take over a unit that is acting as a diversion for a river crossing taking place elsewhere.  Afterwards, his unit gets to participate in some well deserved  rest and relaxation in Naples. After the Anzio landing, Murphy led his platoon in a small unit action over a strategically placed farmhouse need as an artillery spotter location. Murphy is later involved in the ‘Dragoon’ landings in southern France. Murphy received a battlefield promotion to lieutenant.  In an attack on the last German pocket in France, Murphy won a Congressional Medal of Honor/ The attack bogged down and the Germans counterattacked. Murphy climbed onto a burning tank destroyer and used its machine gun to cut down the advancing Germans, stopping their attack. 

                     

A somewhat sentimentalized story about a great World War II hero. Interesting in that Murphy played himself in the film. Watchable, but you can tell the combat scenes were filmed in the American west, not in Europe.

An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa 1942-1943 by Rick Atkinson (Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2002) at page 529 gives the date of the surrender

Director - Jesse Hibbs                       

Producer - Aaron Rosenberg                             

Narrator - General Walter Bedell Smith 

Screenplay - Gil Doud and Audie Murphy      

Runtime – 1 hour 46 minutes   

Released -  September 2, 1955                                                                   

Starring –

Audie Murphy as Himself

Marshall Thompson as Pvt/Corp. Johnson

Charles Drake as Private Brandon

Jack Kelly as Pvt./Staff Sgt Kerrigan

Gregg Palmer as Lieutenant Manning

Paul Picerni as Pvt./Cpl Valentino

David Janssen as Lieutenant Lee

Richard Castle as Private Kovak

Bruce Cowling as Captain Marks

Paul Langton as Colonel Howe

Art Aragon as Sanchez

Felix Noriego as Swope

Denver Pyle as Thompson

Brett Halsey as Saunders

Susan Kohner as Maria

Anabel Shaw as Helen

Mary Field as Mrs. Murphy

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

May 12 - J. Edgar

Today’s move is a biographical drama with a scene that happens on May 12. I hope you will enjoy this motion picture and watch it tonight.

J. EDGAR        

There are two different storylines in this film. The first one starts in the 1960’s when J. Edgar Hoover brings in agent Smith to write his autobiography. The second track is Hoover telling Smith in flashback the story of his career. It starts in 1919 when radicals start planting bombs, including trying to kill Attorney General Mitchell Palmer, Hoover lives with his mother. He meets Helen Gandy, and while she rejects his marriage proposal agreed to become his secretary. Hoover organizes an anti-radical task force and gets Emma Goldman deported. Hoover led raids against suspected radical groups and a new Attorney General, Harlan Stone names him head of the FBI.   Hoover meets Clyde Tolson and hires him. Hoover starts his secret files that contain damaging material about prominent people. In the early sixties Hoover uses the secret files to blackmail the Kennedy brothers to avoid having to deal with the Mafia and to approve his methods of dealing with the Civil Rights movement.  Hoover tells how at the start of the depression a wave of bank robberies created work for the FBI. When the Lindbergh kidnapping occurred, Hoover tries to take over the case. Lindbergh and John Condon deliver the ransom money to the supposed kidnappers, but the child is not returned. Hoover uses the lack of oversight by the Kennedys to use wiretaps and bugs to try and get damaging info on Martin Luther King, Jr. At Hoover’s insistence the serial numbers of the bills used to pay the Lindbergh ransom are noted. On May 12, 1932, the body of the Lindbergh baby is found. [1:02:53 to 1:03:58]  Hoover personally arrests several people on the most wanted list. Tracking the serial numbers of the Lindbergh ransom money eventually leads to Bruno Richard Hauptman, who is arrested charged, convicted and executed for the crime. Hoover uses this case to get kidnapping made a federal offense and establishes the FBI crime lab. Tolson and Hoover, who have been having a homosexual affair have a huge fight when Hoover says he’s going to marry a woman, but nixes the idea when Tolson says he will leave if Hoover does.  Hoover’s mother dies shortly after this. In the 1960’s Tolson has a stroke, which upsets Hoover.  Hoover used the secret files to blackmail FDR, to keep him from interfering with the FBI. Hoover runs a vendetta against Martin Luther King, Jr. convinced he’s a communist revolutionary and tries to use damaging information about King to force him to decline the Nobel Peace Prize. When Hoover dies suddenly Helen Gandy destroys the secret files.

Di Caprio gives a fantastic performance. However, this film has a muddled plot that is hard to follow at times. Overall it is a good biographical movie about a very controversial figure.

The Ghosts of Hopewell: Setting the Record Straight About the Lindbergh Kidnapping Case by Jim Fisher (Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, Ill., 1999) at page 21 gives the date the body was discovered

Director - Clint Eastwood    

Producer - Clint Eastwood, Brian Grazer and Robert Lorenz

Screenplay - Dustin Lance Black

Released – November 9, 2011

Runtime – 2 hours 17 minutes

Starring –

Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover

Armie Hammer as Clyde Tolson

Naomi Watts as Helen Gandy

Josh Lucas as Charles Lindbergh

Judi Dench as Anna Marie Hoover

Damon Herriman as Bruno Richard Hauptmann

Jeffrey Donovan as Robert F. Kennedy

Ed Westwick as Agent Smith

Zach Grenier as John Condon

Ken Howard as Harlan F. Stone

Stephen Root as Arthur Koehler

Denis O'Hare as Albert S. Osborn

Geoff Pierson as Alexander Mitchell Palmer

Lea Thompson as Lela Rogers

Gunner Wright as Dwight D. Eisenhower

Christopher Shyer as Richard Nixon

Miles Fisher as Agent Garrison

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

May 11 - (500) Days Of Summer

Today’s movie is a drama with a scene on May 11. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.  

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER                           

Tom Hansen, who studied to be an architect, but works at a greeting card company meets Summer Finn, the assistant to his boss, Vance. Tom believes in true love, but Summer does not. Tom chats Summer up at an office party and is intrigued by her.  After a karaoke night at a local bar, where Summer says she doesn’t want to be anybody’s girlfriend, Tom’s friend McKenzie blurts out that Tom likes Summer. She proposes they be friends, but then kisses him in the copy room. They start a ‘casual” relationship, as Summer puts it. Tom is soon head over heels in love with her and walking on cloud nine, as evidenced by a fantasy sequence when Tom and fellow pedestrians break into a song and dance routine. Tom shows her his favorite spot in the city in a park. Tom asks his little sister Rachel for advice about his relationship with Summer. One night at a bar a guy comes onto Summer and Tom ends up getting belted. Summer is mad at Tom and they have a fight. On day 290 they breakup after watching The Graduate. Tom takes the break-up hard and his friends McKenzie and Paul call in Rachel to help. Summer quits her job and Vance moves Tom to writing consolation cards. They both attend the wedding of a co-worker and dance together. Summer invites him to a party at her apartment. He attends with a split screen showing his expectations of what’s going to happen - getting back together with Summer versus the reality of what does happen - Tom leaves when he notices she’s wearing an engagement ring. Tom really goes into a deep funk and quits his job. He starts looking for architecture jobs. On May 11, 2010  Tom is at the park when Summer comes to talk to him. He expresses his bewilderment at her behavior, while she tells him she found love, just with some one else. [1:21:20 to 1:27:02]  A few days later while waiting for a job interview, he meets a fellow candidate and asks her out. Her name is Autumn. 

A quirky and refreshing film, which is different from the usual romance film because it has a happy ending for only one of the main characters. It uses unusual film choices, such as Tom’s fantasy flashmob and the split screen view of the party. The synopsis is a linear one, not jumping around like the film does.  

At 1:54 we’re told Day 1 is January 8-9. We are told at 1:21:18 that it’s Day 488, which would be May 11 the next year. That is the only way it works out so day 500 is May 23.  

Producers - Mason Novick, Jessica Tuchinsky, Mark Waters, Steven J. Wolfe and Scott 

                   G. Hyman

Screenplay - Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber

Director - Marc Webb          

Runtime – 1 hour 35 minutes        

Released – January 17, 2009                                                                                    

Staring –

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom Hansen

Zooey Deschanel as Summer Finn

Richard McGonagle  as The Narrator

Chloë Grace Moretz as Rachel Hansen

Geoffrey Arend as McKenzie

Matthew Gray Gubler as Paul

Clark Gregg as Vance

Rachel Boston as Alison

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

May 10 - Gods and Generals

Today’s movie is a biographical war movie that has a scene that occurs on May 10. I hope you will enjoy this motion picture and watch it tonight.   

GODS AND GENERALS  

Robert E. Lee is offered command of the United States army, but refuses it. Virginia secedes and Lee is appointed commander of the state’s forces. Col. Thomas Jackson trains troops in the Shenandoah Valley and marches them to the First Battle of Manassas, where he saves the day and earns the sobriquet “Stonewall”. Lawrence Chamberlain, a college professor is appointed second-in-command of the 20^th Maine and drills them relentlessly. The Union army moves on Fredericksburg, Virginia and occupies the town.  They attack uphill into an entrenched Confederate position and suffer horrendous casualties. Lee and his officers celebrate Christmas.  On the front lines, Yankee and Confederate pickets trade coffee for tobacco. Jackson reluctantly orders three deserters shot.  Jackson stays with the Corbin family and becomes attached to the youngest daughter. Jackson is devastated when she dies of scarlet fever, crying for the first time to the amazement of his officers. Jackson’s wife and daughter pay him a visit. The Yankees cross the river to attack. Jackson leads his troop on an end around march and attacks their flank, pushing them back. That evening, moving forward to do reconnaissance, Jackson is wounded by one of his own men in a “friendly fire” incident. His arm is amputated. Pneumonia sets in and Jackson dies on May 10, 1863. [3:30:09 to 3:32:57] 

This movie has some great battle scenes, but suffers from moving too slowly. It does a good job of striving for historical accuracy. Should have just concentrated on Jackson, instead of veering off to touch on Chamberlain and Lee. 

Robert E. Lee’s Civil War by Bevin Alexander (Adams Media, Avon, MA, 1998) at page 165 gives Jackson’s death date

Producers -  Moctesuma Esparza, Robert Katz, Ted Turner, Mace Neufield and Robert

                    Rehme

Director - Ronald F. Maxwell

Screenplay - Ronald F. Maxwell

Released – February 21, 2003

Runtime – 3 hours 39 minutes

Starring –

Stephen Lang as Lieutenant General Stonewall Jackson(CSA)

Jeff Daniels as Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Chamberlain(USA)

Robert Duvall as General Robert E. Lee(CSA)

Kevin Conway as Sergeant Buster Kilrain(USA)

C. Thomas Howell as Sergeant Thomas Chamberlain(USA)

Jeremy London as Captain Alexander "Sandie" Pendleton(CSA)

Matt Letscher as Colonel Adelbert Ames(USA)

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

May 9 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Today’s movie is a fantasy film with a scene set on May 9. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER”S STONE        

       

The wizard Dumbledore leaves the orphaned Harry Potter with his non-magical relatives the Dursleys. They treat him horribly for the next decade, but strange things happen when Harry’s around, like a python escape during a zoo visit. Then Harry gets a mysterious letter, which is seized by his Uncle Vernon, but copies of the letter continue to arrive. Vernon decides they will leave their house and go to a hut on an isolated island. On Harry’s birthday the gigantic Hagrid arrives and tells Harry he is a wizard and the letter is an invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry’s aunt and uncle oppose this, but can’t stop it.  Hagrid takes Harry to London where they visit magical Diagon Alley, Gringotts bank and Hagrid gets a package from vault 731 for Dumbledore. Harry gets his inheritance and buys his magical school supplies. Hagrid tells Harry the dark wizard Lord Voldemort killed his parents and tried to kill him, but couldn’t and vanished.  Hagrid gives him a train ticket to Hogwarts that references Platform 9¾, so Harry has to rely on the aid of a magical family he fortuitously meets to get on the platform. On the train he meets red-haired Ron Weasley and the bossy know-it-all, Hermionie Granger.  At Hogwarts Harry is sorted into Gryffyndor House, like his parents. Harry begins his study of magic, complicated by the fact that the potions professor, Snape takes an instant dislike to him. Harry learns that someone tried to break into vault 731 at Gringotts. Harry discovers he has natural ability at broomstick flying and is drafted for the Gryffyndor quidditch team. Harry, Ron and Hermionie end up in a forbidden third floor corridor and find a gigantic three-headed dog guarding a trapdoor. On Halloween, Harry and Ron save Hermionie from a troll. In the year’s first quidditch match Harry’s broom gets possessed and Ron and Hermionie are sure Snape caused it. Hagrid lets slip that that the object hidden below the trapdoor, guarded by the three headed dog he calls “Fluffy” is connected to Nicholas Flamel. At Christmas Harry gets an invisibility cloak as a gift from an undisclosed person and uses it to find the Mirror of Erised, which shows a person their deepest desires.  The three friends discover Nicholas Flamel has the last sorcerer’s stone, which can be used to make the elixir of eternal youth and that it is hidden at Hogwarts.  Hagrid acquires a dragon’s egg and it hatches on May 9, 1992  [1:38:32 to 1:42:27]. For being out of bed after hours on a visit to Hagrid they get detention, which is served in the Dark forest helping Hagrid find a wounded unicorn. Harry finds the unicorn dead and a shadowy hooded figure drinking its blood, which has the power to keep anyone alive, regardless of their condition.  The three friends learn Hagrid told the person who sold him the dragon’s egg how to get past “Fluffy”.  Harry, Ron and Hermionie sneak out after hours to stop Snape from stealing the stone, after paralyzing the clumsy Neville Longbottom. “Fluffy” is already asleep, so they go through the trapdoor. They defeat devil’s snare, use Harry’s flying skills to grab a key, and Ron’s talent at wizard chess to win a life size game. Harry presses on to find bumbling Professor Quirell and the Mirror of Erised. Harry wishes he had the stone and it appears in his pocket. Lord Voldemort, who is sharing Quirell’s body tries to talk Harry into joining him, but he refuses. Quirell attacks Harry but can’t touch him and doing so causes Quirell’s body to disintegrate. Harry wakes up in the hospital, where Dumbledore tells Harry that his mother’s sacrifice of her life to save him created a magical barrier that protects Harry from Voldemort. After Dumbldore awards some points for their actions, Gryffyndor wins the House cup.  The students return home on the train. 

If you’re a fan of the Harry Potter books, like me this is a very good film. If you’re not a Harry Potter fan, the synopsis above, though long, probably won’t help you understand what happens in this film.  You’ll just have to watch it.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic Press, New York, 1997) at pages 229-235. This event occurs after Easter (page 229), which was on April 19, 1992.  It was more than one week before exams, which are in June (page 246)

Director -  Chris Columbus

Producer -  David Heyman

Screenplay - Steve Kloves

Awards – The film was nominated for the Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and

                  Best Original Score Oscars at the 74^th Academy Awards.

Released – November 4, 2001

        

Runtime – 2 hours 32 minutes

Starring –

Daniel Redcliffe as Harry Potter

Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley

Emma Watson as Hermione Granger

John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick

Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid

Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick

Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley

Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore

Ian Hart as Professor Quirrell

John Hurt as Mr. Ollivander

Alan Rickman as Severus Snape

Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy

Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley

Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall

Julie Walters as Molly Weasley

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.