November 11 - War Horse

Today’s movie is a drama with a scene that happens on November 11. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

WAR HORSE                         

Shortly before World War I in Devon, England a thoroughbred colt is born. The colt is later bought by farmer Ted Narracott for 30 guineas ($140.00 in 2013) even though the colt is not the workhorse he really needs. Ted’s son Albert promises his mother Rose he can get the colt, who he names Joey, in shape to work on the farm. This expense means Ted cannot pay the rent on his farm, but he persuades the landlord, Lyons to give him until autumn, so a rocky, non-productive field can be plowed and planted, providing extra income. Albert learns his father was a brave soldier in the Boer War, even though he now often drinks. Albert’s mother gives him Ted’s regimental pennant. Albert trains Joey and they plow the field. However a storm destroys the crop. The Great War has begun, so Ted is forced to sell Joey to the army, in spite of Albert’s protests. Joey is assigned to Captain James Nicholls, but Albert ties his father’s regimental pennant to Joey. Joey becomes friends with another horse, Topthorn ridden by Major Jamie Stewart. After the regiment overruns a German encampment, they are slaughtered by hidden machine guns, and Joey and Topthorn are captured. Two German soldiers who are brothers, Michael and Gunter, convince their superiors to use Joey and Topthorn as ambulance horses. When Michael, who is really only 14, is ordered to the front, Gunter kidnaps him and takes Joey and Topthorn along. They hide in a windmill, but are discovered and shot as deserters. The horses were left behind and are discovered by Emilie, the granddaughter of the windmill’s owner. When German troops arrive to confiscate al the food on their farm, the two hide the horses, but later when riding Emilie encounters Germans who seize the horses, but her grandfather keeps the pennant that was tied to Joey’s bridle. The two horses are used to pull heavy artillery. Albert has joined the British army by this time. In a charge against the German lines, he is blinded. Topthorn finally dies from exhaustion. During a retreat Joey is separated from his German handler and charges into no-mans-land, but becomes entangled in barbwire. A British soldier, Colin and a German soldier come out and free Joey. Afterwards a coin toss decides Joey will go with Colin. Joey is to be killed due to his injuries, but is saved by the temporarily blinded Albert, who convinces people Joey is indeed his horse. On November 11, 1918 [2:07:30 to 2:08:24] the Great War ends. Joey is auctioned off. Albert bids, but loses him to Emilie’s grandfather, who bids 100 pounds ($6,594.00 in 2013). He had recognized that Joey was the same horse that Emilie loved. However, when Joey tries to leave with Albert, who identifies his father’s regimental pennant, the grandfather gives Joey to Albert. The two return home to Devon.  

A touching story. However, it is certainly not overly sentimental and some scenes are downright brutal. It is a film well worth watching.

The end of the war was on this date as per World War One by Norman Stone (Basic Books, New York, 2007) at page 181

Producer - Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy

Director - Steven Spielberg

Awards – This movie was nominated for the Best Picture, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing Oscars at the 84^th Academy Awards.

Screenplay - Lee Hall and Richard Curtis

Runtime – 2 hours 26 minutes

Released – December 25, 2011

Starring –

Jeremy Irvine as Albert Narracott

Emily Watson as Rose Narracott

Peter Mullan as Ted Narracott

Niels Arestrup as Grandfather

David Thewlis as Lyons

Tom Hiddleston as Captain James Nicholls

Benedict Cumberbatch as Major Jamie Stewart

Céline Buckens as Emilie

Toby Kebbell as Colin, the South Shields soldier

Patrick Kennedy as Lieutenant Charlie Waverly

Leonard Carow as Private Michael Schröder

David Kross as Private Gunther Schröder

Matt Milne as Andrew Easton

Robert Emms as David Lyons

Eddie Marsan as Sergeant Fry

Nicolas Bro as Private Friedrich Henglemann

Rainer Bock as Brandt

Hinnerk Schönemann as Peter, German soldier in No Man's Land

Geoff Bell as Sergeant Sam Perkins

Liam Cunningham as Army Doctor

Gerard McSorley as Market Auctioneer

Tony Pitts as Sergeant Martin

Pip Torrens as Major Tompkins

Philippe Nahon as French Auctioneer

Julian Wadham as British Captain in Trench

David Dencik as German Base Camp Officer

Edward Bennett as Cavalry Recruiting Officer

Johnny Harris as Infantry Recruiting Officer

Tam Dean Burn as British Medic in Trench

Maximilian Brückner as German Artillery Officer

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.

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November 10 - The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell

Today’s movie is a courtroom drama with a scene that happens on November 10. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

THE COURT-MARTIAL OF BILLY MITCHELL   

Gen. Billy Mitchell disobeys orders and uses heavier bombs to sink the former German battleship Ostfriesland. For this he is demoted to Colonel and reassigned to a ground job in Texas. After his friend Cmdr. Zack Lansdowne is killed in the crash of the Shenandoah airship and six army planes crash, he gives a statement to reporters critical of the top brasses handling of the air corps. He is court-martialed and gets his friend Cong. Frank Reid to represent him.  To delay the trial he tries to subpoena the President, but refuses an offer to withdraw his statement in return for a reprimand. Reid asks Lansdowne’s widow to testify and she finally does. There she testifies that naval officers asked her not to talk about the fact that the Shenandoah was an unsafe airship. The court reverses an earlier ruling and on November 10, 1925 [1:01:40 to 1:14:48] allows various officers testify that pilots have died due to flying out of date airplanes. Mitchell testifies, but is found guilty and suspended for five years.

A decent biopic. The film holds your interest. A good trial movie.

Day by Day: The Twenties: Volume 2 1925-1929 ed, by Rodney P. Carlisle (FactsOnFile, New York, 2008) p. 687

Producer - Milton Sperling

Director - Otto Preminger

Screenplay - Emmet Lavery and Milton Sperling

Runtiome – 1 hour 40 minutes

Released - December 22, 1955

Starring –

Gary Cooper as Col. Billy Mitchell

Charles Bickford as Maj. Gen. Jimmy Guthrie

Ralph Bellamy as Congressman Frank R. Reid

Rod Steiger as Maj. Allan Guillion

Elizabeth Montgomery as Mrs. Margaret Lansdowne

Jack Lord as Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Lansdowne

Fred Clark as Col. Sherman Moreland

Darren McGavin as Capt. Russ Peters

James Daly  as Lt. Col. Herbert White

Peter Graves as Capt. Bob Elliott

Robert F. Simon as Adm. Gage

Charles Dingle as Senator Fullerton

Dayton Lummis as Maj. Gen. Douglas MacArthur

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.

November 9 - Victoria and Albert

Today’s movie is a biographical drama with a scene that happens on November 9. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

VICTORIA AND ALBERT

Albert, younger son of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and his brother Ernest visit the young Princess Victoria of Great Britain. Various people suggest a marriage between them However, she thinks he’s too stuffy and he doesn’t want to be just a consort. Victoria visits her uncle, King William IV, who blasts her domineering mother. The King sends her a letter, which her mother’s secretary Sir John Conroy grabbed out of her hand mortally offending Victoria. Victoria is forced to decline the King’s offer of a £10,000 a year pension. Victoria becomes queen. Two years later her uncle Leopold, King of Belgium visits and she agrees to receive Ernst and Albert. When she sees him again, Victoria immediately falls hopelessly in love. She proposes to him and he accepts, even though as he later acknowledges, he does not love her. They are married. They disagree about Albert’s role. There is an attempted assassination and Princess Vicky is born. A young boy sneaks into Buckingham Palace and Albert is put in charge, displacing Victoria’s former governess, Countess Lezhen. Lord Melbourne loses the election and Robert Peel becomes Prime Minister. Albert works behind the scenes to get Mr. Standish, husband to a lady in waiting, beloved by Victoria and despised by Peel, made an ambassador in Vienna, thus avoiding potential conflict over her retention.   Prince Edward is born on November 9, 1841. [2:06:56 to 2:08:08] Vicky gets sick and conflict over her treatment causes Countess Lezhen to ‘retire’. Albert starts to assist Victoria with state business. 10 years later Albert pushes through the Great Exposition of 1851 and at its opening Victoria publicly praises Albert. He is so touched that he finally tells Victoria that he loves her causing her delight. 10 more years pass and Victoria and Albert despair of the Prince of Wales, who smokes, doesn’t study and dallies with showgirls. Albert gets sick and dies to the great grief of Victoria.

A mostly true biopic. Victoria’s mother did act like that and Victoria and Albert did fight about his place. Albert was the one who introduced the Christmas tree to England.

Victoria by Stanley Weintraub (Truman Tally Books, New York, 1987) p. 197

Director - John Ermant

Producer - David Cunliffe

Screenplay - John Goldsmith

Awards - The film won the Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or Special Emmy. It was also nominated for the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or in a Movie (Rigg) Emmy.

Running Time -  3 hours 20 minutes

Released - October 20, 2001

Starring -

Victoria Hamilton as Queen Victoria

Jonathan Firth as Prince Albert

Peter Ustinov as King William IV

Diana Rigg as Countess Lezhen            

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014

November 8 - Rudy

Today’s movie is a biographical drama with a scene that happens on November 8. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

RUDY                                   

Daniel E. "Rudy" Ruettiger always dreamed of playing football at Notre Dame. However his grades were to poor and his stature to small to either get accepted to the school or play major collegiate football. After graduating from high school he goes to work in a steel mill, but saves his money to one day go to Notre Dame. His girlfriend wants to get married and buy a house. When his friend Pete is killed in an accident he goes to Notre Dame. With the help of a local priest he is admitted to Holy Cross Junior College with the idea of later transferring to Notre Dame. He volunteers to assistant Fortune, the Notre Dame groundskeeper, who has never seen a Notre Dame football game. At the school Rudy becomes friends with D-Bob, a Notre Dame grad student, and teaching assistant at Holy Cross. Rudy helps the shy D-Bob meet girls. In return D-Bob figures out that much of Rudy’s academic problems stem from the fact that Rudy has dyslexia. At home Rudy is mocked for not being on the team and his girlfriend dumps him for one of his brothers. Rudy finally gets into Notre Dame in his last semester of eligibility. He makes the practice squad and after two years Coach Parseghian agrees he can suit up for one game next year. However, Parseghian steps down at the end of the year and the new coach won’t let him suit up. Rudy is about to quit until Fortune talks him out of it, saying he would always regret it if he did. After other players volunteer to sit out to free up a spot for Rudy, the new coach, Dan Devine agrees to let him suit up. On November 8, 1975 [1:35:22 to 1:49:56] Rudy suits up with the team and leads them on the field. After other players start a chant for him Rudy goes in for two plays and makes a tackle. He is carried off the field.

This is a feel good movie, but it’s not too bad. It never drifts too far into being maudlin. Good acting and a good story keep this film interesting until the end.

Chicago Tribune (Sunday, November 9, 1975) Section 3, page 2

Producer - Robert N. Fried and Cary Woods

Director - David Anspaugh

Screenplay - Angelo Pizzo

Runtime – 1 hour 56 minutes

Released – October 13, 1993

Starring –

Sean Astin as Daniel E. "Rudy" Ruettiger

Jon Favreau as D-Bob

Ned Beatty as Daniel Ruettiger, Sr.

Charles S. Dutton as Fortune

Robert Prosky as Father Cavanaugh

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014. 

November 7 - She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

Today’s movie is a western with a scene that happens on November 7.  Watch it tonight and enjoy.

SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON      

At Fort Starke, Captain Nathan Brittles goes out on patrol and to deliver his commanding officer’s wife and niece to the eastbound stage. The niece is the object of the romantic attentions of two lieutenants, Cohill and Pennell. On patrol they skirmish with the Indians and find that the stagecoach post has been burned. On November 7, 1876 they return to the post, leaving Cohill and two squads to hold a river crossing. [1:01:35 to 1:13:47]  Captain Brittles retires from the army.  He returns to the troops and tries to talk peace with the Indians. When that fails he leads a stampede of the Indians pony herd through their camp, preventing a battle. Brittles is appointed Chief of Scouts. The niece, Miss Dandridge  and Cohill become attached.

            A classic western. The second film in John Ford’s “cavalry trilogy’. Famous for its Monument Valley cinematography. Interesting in that it hints that the Indians aren’t all evil, but are being manipulated by bad white men into fighting the cavalry.

In the film at 5:33, a calendar is shown and Sunday the 5^th is checked off to the comment that it is six days to Brittle’s retirement, which is shown as the 10^th. meaning the start of the film is on the fifth. However, the layout of the dates on the calendar only matches March, 1876. But we are clearly told at 12:21 that these events take place after Custer was killed, which was June, 1876. You will notice that the calendar does not give the month. I think that this printer did the calendar, with each month starting on the correct day of the week, but each sheet having 31 days. The only month in 1876 after Custer’s defeat that started on Wednesday was November.

Producer -  Merian C. Cooper, Lowell J. Farrell and John Ford

Director -  John Ford

Screenplay - Frank S. Nugent and Laurence Stallings

Awards - The film won the Oscar for Best Cinematography (Color). 

Running Time - 103 minutes

Released - October 22, 1949

Starring -

           

John Wayne as  Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles

Joanne Dru as  Olivia Dandridge

John Agar as  1st Lt. Flint Cohill

Ben Johnson  as  Sgt. Tyree

Harry Carey Jr. as   2nd Lt. Ross Penell

Victor McLaglen as  Sgt. Quincannon

Mildred Natwick as  Abby Allshard ("Old Iron Pants")

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.

November 6 - The Eagle Has Landed

Today’s movie is a war/suspense film with a scene that happens on November 6. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED             

After Col. Skorenzky rescues Mussolini from the allies, Hitler orders Admiral Canaris, head of German intelligence to prepare a contingency plan to kidnap British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Col. Radl, who is assigned this task, gets a message from an agent in England that Churchill will be spending the weekend at a lonely house on the Norfolk coast near the village of Studley Constable. Radl picks Steiner for the job since he’s a paratrooper who was educated in England. Steiner and his men are arrested for trying to save a Jewish girl from deportation. Canaris orders Radl to drop the plan, but he meets with Liam Devlin, a member of the IRA who hates the English. Himmler orders the plan carried out. Radl retrieves Steiner and his men from suicide torpedo duty. Devlin travels to Studley Constable and meets Molly Price and fights Arthur over her. Steiner’s men parachute in. Arthur investigates Devlin. Molly shots Arthur, since she thinks Devlin is a black marketer. Devlin meets the village priest and his sister Pam, who introduces him to an American officer, Capt. Clark, who is stationed nearby. His boss Col. Pitts wants a combat command. Steiner’s men, who are disguised as Poles begin ‘maneuvers” in the village on November 6, 1943, [1:04:45 to 2:07:43] but are exposed when one of the men dives into the millrace to save a small child who is drowning. Pam and Mary are in the church and see the Germans herding all the civilians there so they escape through a tunnel under the chutch. Pam goes to see Joanna Grey since she has a car. Unfortunately, she turns out to be the German agent who filed the initial report. She shoots Pam and wounds her, but Pam still escapes to warn Capt. Clark. Col. Pitts desperate for combat leads his men to the village and tries to get Steiner to surrender. When he refuses, Pitts sends his men charging in blind and many are killed. Churchill is intercepted by Capt. Clark and taken to the American HQ. Back in the village Col. Pitts again charges in blind and is shot and killed by Joanna Grey. Clark takes over and gets more men. Steiner releases the villagers he had been holding as hostages.  Steiner sneaks out through the tunnel to go and shoot Churchill, while his men hold off the Americans as long as possible until all are killed. Devlin leaves on the e-boat that had been sent to pick up the Germans. Steiner stays. He goes to the HQ where Churchill is staying and gets close enough to kill him before being killed himself. Only then is it revealed that it wasn’t Churchill at all, but a double, as the real Churchill has left for the Teheran conference. Radl is shot on Himmler’s orders.

A good action film. Keeps the suspense high, even though you know how it turns out. Larry Hagman was well cast, while Donald Sutherland was not.

The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins (Pocket Books, New York, 1975) at page 10 and the film at 16:51-16:52 give the date of the battle

Producer - David Niven, Jr. and Jack Weiner

Director - John Sturges

Screenplay - Tom Mankiewicz

Running Time - 2 hours 25 minutes

Released - December 25, 1976

Starring -         

Michael Caine as Oberst Kurt Steiner

Donald Sutherland as Liam Devlin

Robert Duvall as Oberst Max Radl

Jenny Agutter as Molly Prior

Donald Pleasence as Heinrich Himmler

Anthony Quayle as Adm. Wilhelm Canaris

Jean Marsh as Joanna Grey

Sven-Bertil Taube as Hauptmann Ritter (Hans) von Neustadt

Siegfried Rauch as Sergeant Major Otto Brandt

John Standing as Father Verecker

Judy Geeson as Pamela Verecker

Treat Williams as Capt. Clark

Larry Hagman as Col. Pitts

Richard Wren as Sgt. Hans Altmann

Alexei Jawdokinov as Cpl. Werner Briegel

Steve Ubels as a German paratrooper

 Leonie Thelen as the Jewish girl

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.

November 5 - Time After Time

Today’s movie is a science fiction film with scenes that happen on November 5. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

TIME AFTER TIME                          

On November 5, 1893 [1:13 to 20:07] Jack the Ripper murders a prostitute. H.G. Wells shows his friends, including Dr. John Stevenson, that he has created a time machine. The police arrive looking for the Ripper and find evidence in Dr. Stevenson’s bag that he is the Ripper. After they leave Wells realizes that Stevenson has used the time machine to travel into the future. The machine returns empty, as it was designed to. Wells uses it to follow Stevenson to November 5, 1979 [22:53 to 32:43] in San Francisco. Wells goes to all the banks to see if Stevenson has exchanged money. He meets Amy Robbins who tells him Stevenson did exchange pounds and she referred him to the Hyatt–Regency Hotel. Wells goes there to try and get Stevenson to come back with him to 1893. Stevenson refuses, tries to kill Wells and flees. Wells thinks Stevenson is killed in a car crash. Wells and Amy go on a daylong date and spend the night together. Then he learns Stevenson is not dead and has killed two prostitutes. Neither the police nor Amy believe Wells’s story. Then he takes Amy forward in time a few days and she sees a newspaper story about her own murder. They go back in time to before her murder, but Wells only manages to call the police shortly before the Ripper’s next murder. Because of this the police arrest Wells as the killer. He is worried about Amy and begs the police to check on her safety. When they finally go to Amy’s apartment they find a dismembered body. Wells is released since he obviously could not have done it as he was in custody. However Stevenson killed Any’s co-worker and took Amy hostage to get the key from Wells that will enable him to leave in the machine and stop it returning to Wells.  Once Stevenson gets in the machine Wells removes the “vaporizing equalizer”, which sends the passenger traveling through time without the machine, in effect killing Stevenson. Wells and Amy return to 1893 and get married.

A moderately exciting time travel story. Interesting in that November 5 is a date used in two other time travel films, Back to the Future and Timerider: The Adventures of Lyle Swann. I wonder was that intentional or coincidental.

    

Date given in the film on the time machine at 17:17 and 23:04

Producers – Herb Jaffe                    

Director – Nicholas Meyer                               

Screenplay – Nicholas Meyer                           

Runtime – 1 hour 52 minutes       

Released – August 31, 1979                                                  

Starring –

Malcolm McDowell as H. G. Wells                                                                             

David Warner as John Leslie Stevenson

Mary Steenburgen as Amy Robbins                                                                           

Charles Cioffihorror as Police Lt. Mitchell                                                                              

Kent Williams as assistant                                                                                               

Patti D'Arbanville as Shirley                                                                                        

Joseph Maher as Adams                                                                                               

Corey Feldman as boy at museum                                                                           

Andonia Katsaros as Mrs. Turner  

Jim Haynie as 1st Cop

Wayne Storm as 2nd Cop   

Shelley Hack as Docent                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.