June 9 - Duel

Today’s movie happens on June 9. Watch it tonight and enjoy.    

DUEL                                             

On June 9, 1972 [the entire film] salesman David Mann leaves his California home on a business trip. He passes, is passed by and re-passes a dirty Peterbuilt tanker trunk. Mann stops at a gas station and calls his wife, who is upset that he did not confront a friend of his who had made a pass at her. The station attendant tells Mann he needs a new radiator hose, but Mann doesn’t believe him and leaves. Mann gets behind the truck again, which blocks all attempts to pass. When Mann finally does get around the truck, it’s driver begins to tailgate him at high speed, causing Mann to finally crash into a fence opposite a diner, while the truck keeps going. After using the restroom, Mann is shocked to see the truck parked outside. Mann has an inner dialogue with himself in which he tries to pick the  driver out from the diner’s patrons and  berating himself for just sitting there. When he thinks he has identified the driver he confronts him, but the man leaves in a different truck, followed shortly thereafter by the tanker. Leaving the café, Mann stops to push a stopped school bus, but flees when the truck reappears and pushes the bus. When Mann has to stop at a railroad crossing the truck appears behind him and tries to push him into the train.  Mann stops at Sally’s Snakerama to call the police, but the truck returns and destroys the booth, with Mann just barely escaping. Mann parks behind an embankment and the truck passes him. However when Mann starts up, he sees the truck waiting for him just around the bend. Again Mann can’t pass the truck, but when he does a chase begins. Several people along the way either can’t or won’t help him. Near the top of a long uphill climb, Mann ‘s water hose bursts and he barely makes the summit to coast down the other side. Mann drives onto a dirt road and places his briefcase on the accelerator and heads towards the pursuing truck, leaping out at the last second. The tanker hits the car, which bursts into flames partly obscuring the driver’s vision, as too late he realizes the truck is headed for a high cliff. The truck and burning car plunge over the side as Mann sits tossing pebbles while the sun sets. 

This film is an early Spielberg classic. This story of an average guy getting caught up in an extraordinary situation brings North by Northwest to mind. And like a good Hitchcock film, Spielberg gradually builds the suspense with the most apparently mundane shots. Weaver is excellent as the ordinary guy who is finally pushed far enough to fight back.   

In the film at 2:50-54 the scores of baseball games that occurred the previous day are given.

Producer - George Eckstein 

Director - Steven Spielberg

Screenplay - Richard Matheson

Awards – The film won the Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing Emmy and was nominated for the Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Entertainment Programming – For a Special or Feature Length Program Made for Television Emmy at the 24^th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Runtime – 1 hour 30 minutes

Released - November 13, 1971(original version), October, 1972 (extended version)

Starring –

Dennis Weaver as David Mann

Jacqueline Scott as Mrs. Mann

Carey Loftin as The Truck Driver

Eddie Firestone as Café owner

Lou Frizzell as Bus driver

Eugene Dynarski as Man in café

Lucille Benson as Lady at Snakerama

Tim Herbert as Gas station attendant

Charles Seel as Old man

Shirley O'Hara as Waitress

Alexander Lockwood as Old man in car

Amy Douglass as Old woman in car

Sweet Dick Whittington as Radio interviewer

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015. 

June 8 - Noble House

Today’s movie is a drama with a scene set on June 8. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

NOBLE HOUSE 

Ian Dunross arrives at the headquarters of Struans in Hong Kong just before midnight on June 8, 1986 to be sworn in as Tai-pan, or supreme leader of the company. [2:20 to 5:15] He learns about 4 coins that the company’s founder, Dirk Struan broke in half and gave half to others, promising to grant any favor when presented with a half coin. The company is in a lot of financial trouble when he takes over. Three years later Dunross announces a deal with Par-Con from California which will provide the cash he needs to pay a lot of debt. The president of Par-Con, Lincoln Bartlett arrives with his VP K.C. Tcholok “Casey” and John Chen, son of Philip Chen, Struan’s compradore or intermediary with the Chinese community. John Chen steals the half-coin his father has then immediately gets kidnapped. The next day Casey makes a tentative deal where Struans will get $40 million cash, while Bartlett meets with Quillan Gornt, who is Dunross’s enemy, and ‘accidentally’ meets Orlando Ramos. (Gornt’s former mistress). Everyone learns John Chen has been kidnapped. Philip Chen learns John was working for Par-Con and passing them Struans’ financial documents, as well as the fact that the half-coin is gone. Dunross asks Four Fingers Wu, a smuggler to help find John Chen, and he agrees but because he knows about the coin and wants it for himself. At a party at Dunross’s house he and Bartlett close the deal. Gornt and Jason Plumm, another Hong Kong business tycoon plot against Struans and Gornt starts a run on the Ho-pak bank. The run starts and one of the kidnappers puts pressure on an old amah (nurse) so she pays him off and points out other people for him to put the squeeze on in return for a cut. John Chen is killed. The next day Bartlett tells Gornt he has inside financial info on Struans and suggests he sell Struans stock short, causing the price to go down and he will cover all losses. Gornt agrees. The stock price plummets and Dunross has to pledge to buy shares back for $18 million. He doesn’t have that much so he tries to get it from Four Fingers Wu and Lando Mata, who controls the gambling in Macau. Philip Chen pays the ransom for John Chen and Four Fingers Wu’s men trail the kidnappers back to their hideout. At a party on a floating restaurant, Casey learns Orlanda was Gornt’s mistress. There is a fire and Bartlett, Casey, Orlanda, Dunross and Gornt have to jump into the water to escape. Four Fingers Wu’s men find the half coin. The next day the body of John Chen is found. Bartlett goes to see Orlanda and they start a sexual relationship. The police visit the amah and find photos that show that Brian Kwok, a police detective is a communist Chinese spy. He’s arrested. Paul Choy, Four Fingers Wu’s son is forced to throw the kidnapper they took the coin from overboard, wrapped in chains. He doesn’t like doing this. Four Fingers Wu makes a drug pickup and then presents the half coin to Dunross. The favor he wants is for Struans ships to smuggle drugs for him. The next day Dunross asks for help from Red China. Dunross learns that Philip Chen had had the half coin and was keeping records about Struans and he’s not happy about this. Dunross tells Philip to get $40 million by Monday or he’s fired. Dunross and Casey go to Macau, where they have a sexual encounter. It starts to rain. The next day Brian Kwok is subjected to intense psychological interrogation. At the races Dunross challenges the Superfoods takeover of Hong Kong General Stores using Casey and Bartlett’s money. The Victoria Bank proposes to bailout the Ho-pak, which has gone belly up due to the run, guaranteeing the depositors and the chairman getting a seat on the Victoria’s board if the chairman votes how the CEO of the Victoria wants him to. He agrees. The Victoria plan to cut Struans off and get back the shares of the Victoria that Struans owns. In the last race Dunross’s jockey is killed in an ‘accident’ arranged by Gornt. Dunross is invited to make a secret trip to Beijing. Casey is annoyed with him since he won’t tell her where he’s going. The next day in Beijing Chu Yan, a childhood friend of Dunross and now head of a Chinese Trust Company says he will provide a $300 million line of credit if Dunross can get Brian Kwok released. Casey goes yachting with Gornt and he put the moves on her, which she doesn’t like.At a party Dunross announces Struans stock will not trade on Monday and on Tuesday will open at 30, which will ruin Gornt. There is a landslide. Bartlett was in Orlanda’s apartment. The building collapses. Bartlett is trapped and dies. Four Fingers Wu also dies in the landslide and Paul Choy gets the half-coin off his body.  The next day Paul Choy presents the coin to Dunross and asks favors for himself, which are granted. Brian Kwok is deported to communist China, so Dunross gets his $300 million, saving the day. The next day Dunross agrees to let Gornt buy back in at a price that will hurt him, but not destroy him. Casey leaves, but promises to return in 30 days to renew her relationship with Dunross.

One of my favorite novels. As long and complicated as that summary was several plotlines that were in the novel were dropped or who knows how long this miniseries would have been. Good, but complicated. Helpful to read the novel first.  

Date given in film at 2:34 as Sunday, June 8

Producer - Eric Bercovici                                             

Director - Gary Nelson

Awards - The film was nominated for the Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special Emmy.

Screenplay - Eric Bercovici     

Running time - 6 hours 16 minutes

Released - February 21, 1988

Starring - 

           

Pierce Brosnan as Ian Dunross

Deborah Raffin as Casey Tcholok

Ben Masters as Lincoln Bartlett

John Rhys-Davies as Quillian Gornt

Burt Kwouk as Phillip Chen

Gordon Jackson as Supt. Armstrong

Khigh Dheigh as Four Finger Wu

Julia Nickson-Soul as Orlanda Ramos

Richard Durden as Paul Havergill

David Henry as Bruce “Johnjohn”

Edward Petherbridge as Jason Plumm

Tia Carrere as Venus Poon

John Houseman as Sir Geoffrey Allison

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015

June 7 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Today’s movie is a fantasy adventure film with a scene that happens on June 7. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN       

When his Uncle Vernon’s sister Madge comes to visit and makes disparaging remarks about Harry’s parents, he curses her, causing her to inflate and float away. Harry leaves and catches the Knight Bus, a magic transport for witches and wizards which takes him to the Leaky Cauldron at Diagon alley.  On the way he learns about the mass murderer Sirius Black, who has escaped from the wizarding prison of Azkaban. At the Leaky Cauldron  Harry meets Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic and to his surprise is not punished for illegally using magic. Mr. Weasley tells Harry Sirius Black wants to kill him. On the train to Hogwarts, new professor R. J. Lupin saves Harry from a dementor attack. The dementors, which usually guard Azkaban, now guard Hogwarts. Hagrid’s first class as a professor goes wrong as Buckbeak the hippogriff bites Draco Malfoy. Harry sneaks into the village of Hogsmede using his invisibility cloak and learns that Sirius Black betrayed his parents and killed their friend Peter Pettigrew. Harry learns how to defeat dementors and Buckbeak is ordered executed. On the day of the execution, Hagrid refuses to let Harry, Ron or Hermione watch, but they observe from afar. A black dog attacks Ron and drags him to the Shrieking Shack, where Sirius Black appears. Harry is about to kill Sirius, when Lupin appears and disarms Harry. The two tell the three friends that it was actually Peter Pettigrew who betrayed Harry’s parents and has been hiding as Ron’s rat, Scabbers ever since.  On the way back to the castle to turn Pettigrew in Lupin turns into a werewolf and Pettigrew escapes. Harry follows Sirius and both are attacked by dementors. Someone drives them away. Sirius is caught and sentenced to have his soul sucked out by the dementors. Hermione and Harry use her time-turner to go back three hours. They hide Buckbeak so he’s not killed. It was Harry who saved himself and Sirius from the dementors. He and Hermione use Buckbeak to rescue Sirius. The next day June 7, 1994 Lupin resigns and leaves Hogwarts. [2:05:50 to 2:09:35]

                       

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic Inc., New York, 1999) pages 418-428.We are told that the execution of Buckbeak was set for June 6 (page 400). Lupin leaves “the next day” (page 421)

Awards – The film was nominated for the Best Original Score and Best Visual Effects Oscars at the 77^th Academy Awards. 

Producer - Chris Columbus, David Heyman and Mark Radcliffe

Director - Alfonso Cuarón    

Screenplay - Steve Kloves                                

           

Runtime – 2 hours 22 minutes                         

Released – May 31, 2004     
                             

Starring –

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter

Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley

Emma Watson as Hermione Granger

Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid

Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore

Gary Oldman as Sirius Black

David Thewlis as Remus Lupin

Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew

Alan Rickman as Severus Snape

Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015.

June 6 - The Americanization of Emily

Today’s movie is a dramedy with scenes that happen on June 6. Watch it tonight and enjoy. 

THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY         
                       

It is shortly before D-Day in England. Charlie Madison is a womanizing, cynical ‘dog-robber’ who, as an aside to Admiral Jessup, ensures his boss gets the best food and throws the best parties around by bribing/threatening supply officers to get what he needs. His new driver Emily, a English widow, is both fascinated and repulsed by Charlie. In spite of this she agrees to attend a bridge party when Charlie ends up a girl short. Admiral Jessup is in Europe to ensure that the Navy’s role in the upcoming Normandy invasion gets more press, so that after the war Congress won’t reduce the Navy’s budget. He comes up with the idea that the first dead man on Omaha beach must be a sailor. Charlie and Emily begin a sexual relationship. The Admiral wants a movie made about the Naval demolition units that precede the troops onto the beach. Charlie tells Emily he’s a coward and she says she approves of this as her husband, brother and father have all died in the war and she couldn’t love a man who might be killed. When Charlie tells the Admiral he doesn’t like the movie idea, the Admiral puts Charlie in charge of it. Charlie’s best friend Bus Cummings cuts orders sending Charlie and Emily on a vacation in Sussex, ostensibly to scout filming locations. Charlie is then assigned to an underwater demolition unit, but the Admiral has nervous breakdown. However, he has written the President about the film. To keep the fact that Admiral Jessup has flipped out secret, the Navy brass decides the film must be made. Cummings sees this as his last chance for military glory and refuses to let Charlie out of the plan. When they leave to join the unit, Emily says she does not want to see Charlie again, as she has decided honor and duty are important and can’t stand Charlie’s cynical attitude.  At the port they learn the ship with the underwater demolition teams sailed two hours before (a fact known to Charlie, but not Cummings). However, since the invasion is postponed, the next day they are put on the correct ship in a timely manner. On  June 6, 1944 Charlie and Bus land on Omaha beach where Charlie is shot by Cummings when he won’t go on the beach. A shell burst knocks Charlie down and everyone thinks he is dead. [1:28:48 to 1:35:57] The Navy builds Charlie up into a huge posthumous hero. Emily now realizes she really did love Charlie and misses him terribly. The Admiral recovers and is dismayed when he learns his actions caused Charlie’s death. Then word comes that Charlie is alive. The Admiral wants him in Washington to testify before Congress. Charlie announces he going to tell the truth about what happened, even if it means being jailed for cowardice. Emily convinces him to go along with his heroic status so they can be together.

This movie is about as cynical as they come. It has a very hard edge and its biting sarcasm can’t be matched. Both Garner and Andrews give excellent performances of characters who are out of their usual comfort zone.

The Third Reich at War by Richard J. Evans (The Penguin Press, New York, 2009) at page 620 gives the invasion date

Producer  - Martin Ransohoff

Director - Arthur Hiller

Screenplay - Paddy Chayefsky

Awards – The film was nominated for the Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography Oscars at the 37^th Academy Awards.

Runtime – 1 hour 55 minutes

Released – October 27, 1964

Starring –

James Garner as Lt. Cmdr. Charles E. "Charlie" Madison

Julie Andrews as Emily Barham

Melvyn Douglas as Admiral William Jessup

James Coburn as Lt. Cmdr. Paul "Bus" Cummings

Joyce Grenfell as Mrs. Barham

Keenan Wynn as Old Sailor

Edward Binns as Admiral Thomas Healy

Liz Fraser as Sheila

William Windom as Captain Harry Spaulding

John Crawford as Chief Petty Officer Paul Adams

Douglas Henderson as Captain Marvin Ellender

Edmon Ryan as Admiral Hoyle

Steve Franken as Young Sailor

Alan Sues as Petty Officer Enright

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015

June 5 - Les Miserables

Today’s movie is a period drama with scenes that happen on June 5. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

LES MISERABLES

In 1815 Jean Valjean, a convict is released on parole.Valjean is offered shelter by the Bishop Myriel, but steals his silver during the night and flees. Valjean is caught and returns, but the bishop says the silver was a gift, so Valjean is released. Because of the Bishop’s faith in him, Valjean uses the silver to go straight. Nine years later Valjean has become a factory owner and mayor of Vigo. Fantine, one of the workers in his factory, sends money to the innkeepers, the Thenardiers, who take care of her illegitimate daughter, Cosette. When the manager learns of Cosette’s existence, Fantine is fired. Desperate for money, Fantine becomes a prostitute. Javert, the new police inspector in Vigo, who used to be Valjean’s guard, thinks the mayor might be a convict. Javert arrests an ill Fantine after she attacks an abusive client. Valjean gets her released and takes care of her. After Valjean learns another man has been arrested as him, he goes to the court and confesses. He then returns to Vigo and promises Fantine that he will care for Cosette. Javert comes to arrest Valjean as Fantine dies, but he escapes. Valjean gets Cosette from the Thenardiers and together they elude Javert and arrive in Paris. Ten years later, Marius, an anti-government agitator sees Cosette, now a young woman, and falls instantly in love with her, an interest she returns. . Despite her entreaties Valjean, now calling himself Lafitte will not discuss his past or her mother with Cosette. Marius and Cosette profess their love for each other.  Javert goes to tell “Lafitte” that Marius has seduced his daughter. This forces Valjean to tell Cosette the truth about his past and they flee to avoid arrest. Cosette refuses to leave Valjean and Maruis won’t leave Paris to flee with them. On June 5, 1832 at the funeral of Jean Lemarque, a popular government official, the revolution is launched. Javert follows Maruis when he goes to meet Cosette, and tries to arrest him, but Marius overpowers him. Valjean joins the revolutionaries to protect Marius. Valjean is given the job of executing Javert, but lets him go.  [1:44:01 to 1:57:21] The citizens do not support the revolution and the army wipes out the rebels.  Valjean carries the unconscious Marius to safety through the sewers. Javert allows Valjean to save Marius by delivering him to Cosette’s care, then frees Valjean and commits suicide.

                       

A good adaptation. However it does omit several storylines.

                    

Director - Bille August                                              Screenwriter - Rafael Yglesias

Runtime – 2 hours 14 minutes                                   Released – May 1, 1998

Starring – Liam Neeson as JeanValjean, Geoffrey Rush as Javert, Uma Thurman as Fantine, Claire Danes as nineteen-year-old Cosette, Mimi Newman as young eight-year-old Cosette, Hans Matheson as Marius Pontmercy, Jon Kenny as Mr. Thenardiers, Gillian Hanna as Mme.  Thénardiers, John McGlynn as Carnot, Kelly Hunter as Mme Victurien, Shane Hervey as Gavroche, Lennie James as Enjolras, Sylvie Koblizkova as Éponine

Copyright by Ivan Walters  in 2015. 

June 4 - Rapid Fire

Today’s movie is a drama, with a scene that happens on June 4. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

RAPID FIRE  

Antonio Serrano, a mafia drug distributor travels to Thailand to visit his long-time heroin supplier Kinman Tau. Serrano is having troubles and wants to make himself Tau’s silent partner, but his request is not granted. Meanwhile, on June 4, 1991 [7:56 to 20:50] Jake Lo, an art student in LA passes a protest condemning the Tiananmen Square massacre, where his father was killed.  Jake is tricked into attending a party with Chinese pro-democracy activists. At the party, Jake sees Serrano killing party sponsor Carl Chang, an associate of Tau. He has to use his martial arts skills to survive. Jake is blackmailed into cooperating with the FBI and placed in protective custody. They take him to Chicago to testify against Serrano. Some of the agents watching him are corrupt and try to kill Jake, who manages to escape again by using his martial arts talent. Another effort to kill Jake is prevented by Lieutenant Mace Ryan, a Chicago cop who has been after Tau for 10 years. Ryan blackmails Stewart, the remaining corrupt FBI agent to help Ryan get Tau and he blackmails Jake, who is wanted for killing two FBI agents into helping him. A meet where Stewart delivers Jake to Serrano goes wrong and Stewart is killed. Jake has to use his martial arts abilities to escape and captures Serrano. Jake gets pissed when he learns Ryan already cleared him and decks him.  One of Ryan’s subordinates, Detective Karla Withers, gets the Army intelligence file on Jake’s father who was an agent. She and Jake have a romantic interlude.Ryan’s effort to intercept Tau’s drug shipment at his laundry is unsuccessful, but one of Tau’s henchmen penetrates the jail and kills Serrano. Karla persuades Jake to help Ryan get Tau in an unofficial operation.  Jake wears a wire into the laundry, posing as a worker.  Tau grabs Withers and Ryan. Jake saves the day and Tau is killed trying to get way from Jake. Jake goes back into the burning laundry to bring out an injured Ryan.

                       

A passable martial arts film. The fights are believable and realistic. A pretty good crime drama. The romance between Jake and Kate seems out of place in this film. Still it’s entertaining, as long as you don’t expect an Oscar winning film.

Great Events From History, The20^th Century, 1971-2000, Vol. 4 1985-1990 ed by  Robert F. Gorman (Salem Press, Pasadena, Ca, 2008) p. 2318

Producer - Robert Lawrence

Director - Dwight H. Little

Screenplay - Cindy Cirile and Alan McElroy

Runtime – 1 hour 35 minutes

Released – August 21, 1992

Starring –

Brandon Lee as Jake Lo

Powers Boothe as Lieutenant Mace Ryan

Nick Mancuso as Antonio Serrano

Raymond J. Barry as Agent Frank Stewart

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015.

June 3 - I Shot Andy Warhol

Today’s movie is a biographical drama with scenes that happen on June 3. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

I SHOT ANDY WARHOL

       

On June 3, 1968 Valerie Solanas shoots Andy Warhol [1:39 to 2:07]. While his friends hold a premature wake, the police interrogate Solanas. She has been committed to a mental institution and a nurse recounts Solana’s case history. She was born in a troubled family, including sexual abuse. At boarding school she had a lesbian encounter and considered herself one after that. Solanas got a degree in psychology and moved to New York where she wrote a misandrous and communistic manifesto. She lived with a transvestite, Candy Darling and prostitutes herself to men to earn money.  Through Candy, Solanas is introduced to Andy Warhol and the group of artists around him, collectively called “The Factory”. She meets Maurice Girodias, a publisher, who gets her to sign a contract to write a pornographic novel. Much of the rest of the film concerns her efforts to get Warhol to produce a play she has written. Solanas hangs around the party scene at the Factory. One of the men she sleeps with has a gun, which she takes. Solanas goes on a TV show to promote her ideology and gets humiliated. She blames Warhol at least in part for this. Finally, on June 3, 1968, she goes to the Factory and shoots Warhol. Leaving the building she hands the gun over to a policeman. [1:28:51 to 1:33:31] Through onscreen print we learn that Solanas was committed for three years while Warhol did survive the shooting.

           

A very bizarre film. I think even the most ardent feminist will agree that Solanas had serious mental issues. Her passionate hatred of Warhol seemed to have no basis in actual reality.

Andy Warhol by Arthur C. Danto (Yale University Press, New Haven, 2009) at page 102 gives the date of the shooting

Producer - Tom Kalin and Christine Vachon

Director - Mary Harron

Screenplay - Mary Harron and Daniel Minahan

Runtime – 1 hour 43 minutes

Released – May 1, 1996

Starring –

Lili Taylor as Valerie Solanas

Jared Harris as Andy Warhol

Stephen Dorff as Candy Darling

Martha Plimpton as Stevie

Lothaire Bluteau as Maurice Girodias

Anna Levine as  Iris

Peter Friedman as Alan Burke 

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015