THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE IFFY (9)

THE GOOD:   "INHERIT THE WIND"  Based on the "Scopes Monkey Trial" of 1925 in Tennessee, the film directed by Stanley Kramer is fictionalized but holds true to the outcome of a teacher tried for teaching Darwinism in a public school.  Spencer Tracy and Frederick  March portray the two attorneys at odds with each other and Gene Kelly (in a rare non-musical role) plays a newspaper man sent to cover the case.   Florence Eldridge (March's real wife) plays his wife in the film.  Others in the noteworthy cast include Dick York as the teacher on trial and Harry Morgan as the judge.  The acting is first rate and Tracy was nominated for an Oscar.   This should be on your bucket-list if you have never seen it. It is mesmerizing watching the two lead giants of acting battle it out.




THE BAD:  "POPEYE"   What sounds like a sure-fire hit on paper can turn into a fiasco in the hands of the wrong director.   In this case, the director was Robert Altman and the "sure-fire" was to be provided by Robin Williams in the title role with  Shelley Duvall as his true, Olive Oyl.  Sadly, it became a misfire and received mixed reviews by the critics.  (While some called it "messy and wildly uneven," Leonard Maltin noted ".....the sailorman boards a sinking ship in this astonishingly boring movie.  A game cast does its best with an unfunny script, cluttered staging and alleged songs."  The songs were written by Harry Nilsson but even his talent couldn't salvaged this disaster.  


THE IFFY:  "FANNY"    A wonderful film that finds itself placed on my iffy list for one simple reason: it appeared in the waning days of musicals (1961) and director Joshua Logan decided to excise all of the songs that served the Broadway play so well.  (Ironically, "West Side Story" was released the same year.) Thankfully, the score was used, albeit instrumentally, on the soundtrack. And it soars.   That being said, the cast is superb headed by Leslie Caron in the title role with Horst Buchholz as her "all-most" love interest.  Charles Boyer and Maurice Chevalier play their respective fathers.  Set in Marseille, it was filmed on location and was nominated for five Oscars including Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Score (Harold Rome), Best Supporting Actor (Boyer) and  Best Picture.  It is a love story that will linger in your heart for years to come (at least in mine).  But how I miss those songs.







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