The Voracious Cinephile Film Review: The Left Handed Gun (1958); Directed by Arthur Penn

You are reading the first blog post from The Voracious Cinephile, the second blog in the Voracious family. I have toyed with the idea of having two completely separate blogs, but for now I think I’ll just post my film-related blogs with the above logo to differentiate them from those written for The Voracious Bibliophile.

Film poster for *The Left Handed Gun* (1958); directed by Arthur Penn.

Review

The Left Handed Gun was the first directorial effort of Arthur Penn, who would become famous for ushering in the New Hollywood movement with Bonnie and Clyde (1967). It was also only the seventh film featuring screen siren and Hollywood heartthrob Paul Newman, just a few months before he would receive rave reviews for the role of “Brick” Pollitt in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Newman plays William Bonney, more famously known as Billy the Kid. I didn’t know this before watching this film, but William Bonney was also an alias of Billy the Kid’s. His birth name was Henry McCarty, and he lives on in infamy due to his part in New Mexico’s Lincoln County War, which you can read more about here.

Paul Newman as Billy the Kid in *The Left Handed Gun*.

While lacking in the pomp and circumstance surrounding bigger-budget Western fare of the era, The Left Handed Gun still stands above the serialized radio and television Western shows released in the late 50s. This is due in no small part to the excellent performances given by Newman and John Dehner, who imbues the role of Pat Garrett with a rugged stoicism that pairs well with Newman’s brash and sensitive Kid. It’s my opinion that only Newman could have pulled off a Billy the Kid who is so tender, yet ultimately too caught up in his own violent passion for revenge to let his softer nature win. So who cares if he was too old for the role? If we allow ourselves to get overly legalistic in our desire for realism, the magic of the cinema loses its potency. For me, of course, the same sentiment doesn’t apply to George Cukor’s 1936 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet with Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard, but that’s a matter for another blog post.

John Dehner as Pat Garrett in *The Left Handed Gun*.

The Left Handed Gun may have been a box office bomb in the United States, but the Belgians were a lot more discerning and appreciative of the film, awarding it with the 1961 Grand Prix of the Belgian Film Critics Association. Other winners of the prize include such classics as 12 Angry Men, Dr. Strangelove, and Cabaret.

While I of course always recommend owning physical media, you can stream The Left Handed Gun on HBO Max.

Thanks as always for being a faithful reader of The Voracious Cinephile. If you like what you see, please like, comment, follow, and subscribe to my email list to get notified of new posts as soon as they drop. Keep watching the world, one frame at a time.

Film Review: A Lady Without Passport (1950); Directed by Joseph H. Lewis

Film poster for *A Lady Without Passport* (1950); directed by Joseph H. Lewis.

Review

A Lady Without Passport was the Noir Alley selection on TCM for September 14th. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Noir Alley, it is my favorite programming block on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) and it showcases films in the film noir genre. While I’ll fallen off from time to time due to work and school commitments, I’ve been a devout viewer and fan from the beginning. Eddie Muller, the host, is one of my favorite people. His encyclopedic knowledge of film noir as well as his verbose intros and outros, make him an excellent host.

I can’t exactly blame him [Lewis] for bilking the King Brothers for a chance at making a film with the bright lights, big-budget “Tiffany” studio MGM, but there’s something to be said about less money, more creative control, and the way tighter purse strings spur innovation.

One of the best things about Eddie is his straight-shooter, no-nonsense analyses. When something doesn’t quite land or is, to be frank, hot garbage with interesting window dressing, he says so. I’ve taken a few days to digest A Lady Without Passport and to be honest, it’s shocking to the system that this is the film Joseph H. Lewis made directly after Gun Crazy. I can’t exactly blame him for bilking the King Brothers for a chance at making a film with the bright lights, big-budget “Tiffany” studio MGM, but there’s something to be said about less money, more creative control, and the way tighter purse strings spur innovation.

Mostly, I’d say that I concur with what The New York Times had to say about the film*:

Romance is slightly more important than reason in this number and while the scenery, meaning Havana and Florida, is authentic and picturesque, the goings-on are as intriguing as those in any garden variety melodrama. The ring of connivers who are dedicated to smuggling aliens into this country get their come-uppance but it hardly seems worth all the effort.

I’m not disappointed I watched the movie, not least of all because John Hodiak was exceedingly handsome in the picture, but I don’t really think it bears repeat viewing either.

I’m not disappointed I watched the movie, not least of all because John Hodiak was exceedingly handsome in the picture, but I don’t really think it bears repeat viewing either. If you’re looking for a good John H. Lewis film to watch, Gun Crazy is a much better choice (and it does bear repeat viewing).

*The quote was taken from a review in The New York Times titled “Hedy Lamarr as ‘Lady Without Passport’” (linked here).

Thanks as always for being a faithful reader of The Voracious Bibliophile. If you like what you see, please like, comment, follow, and subscribe to my email list to get notified of new posts as soon as they drop. You can also email me at fred.slusher@thevoraciousbibliophile.com or catch me on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest @voraciousbiblog. Keep reading the world, one page (or pixel) at a time.

Film Review: To Have and Have Not (1944); Directed by Howard Hawks

Film poster for *To Have and Have Not* (1944).

Review

To Have and Have Not was a landmark film for several reasons, not least of all because it introduced Lauren Bacall to the world and became the backdrop for the beginning of one of Hollywood’s most famous marriages. In fact, I’d say the only Hollywood love affair that topped it would have to be Liz and Dick, but that’s not really a fair comparison. To Have and Have Not is based loosely on the 1937 novel of the same name by Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway was friends with Howard Hawks, the director of the film, and it was during a fishing trip they took together that Hawks told Hemingway he could make a great movie out of Hemingway’s worst novel, which in his estimation was To Have and Have Not.

Whether or not he was successful in his quest is not really up for debate, because anyone that sees the film can’t easily forget it. From the time that Lauren Bacall first explodes onto the screen asking if anyone has a match to her infamous line about whistling (watch the scene with the line here), every frame is a delight.

Garfield’s tortured desperation is more fitting and far more interesting than Bogart’s stalwart stoicism.

I say that even though To Have and Have Not isn’t even my favorite adaptation of Hemingway’s novel. The Breaking Point (1950), directed by Michael Curtiz of Casablanca fame and starring John Garfield (in his penultimate role), Patricia Neal, and Phyllis Thaxter, is the far superior film. I know this statement is sure to arouse a lot of strong feelings in some, and I welcome the discourse. It is only my opinion, but I stand by it wholeheartedly. Garfield’s tortured desperation is more fitting and far more interesting than Bogart’s stalwart stoicism. And while Bacall is truly a revelation in this her first film role, her performance has nothing on Phyllis Thaxter’s pleading anguish when trying to convince Harry (Garfield) to reverse course.

It would be really easy to turn a character like that into a stereotype or a caricature, but Brennan is far too capable to let that happen.

Perhaps one of my favorite parts from the film, aside from Bogie and Bacall, of course, is Walter Brennan’s performance as Eddie. Brennan’s Eddie is really a tragic character, but not an obviously tragic one. His alcoholism makes him vulnerable and is also probably one of the driving forces behind Morgan’s (Bogart’s) de facto adoption of him. He’s the kind of person you want to protect but that is seemingly helpless in the face of their own demons. It would be really easy to turn a character like that into a stereotype or a caricature, but Brennan is far too capable to let that happen.

If you’ve seen the film or are inspired to watch it after reading this post, let me know and we can talk about it.

Production Stills

Happy Belated 100th Birthday to Lauren Bacall

Bogie and Bacall in *The Big Sleep* (1946).

She was the kind of person you’d only want to serve your good wine to, because anything less than the best would’ve been an insult.

Although she is no longer with us, yesterday would have been Lauren Bacall’s 100th birthday. She is TCM’s Star of the Month, and they’ve been showcasing some of her best and most iconic performances on Monday nights in September.

Yesterday, they showed the four films she starred in with her first leading man and later husband, Humphrey Bogart: To Have and Have Not (1944) (which was also her film debut), The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948).

I’ve seen Dark Passage twice and Key Largo years ago, but until last night I’d never managed to catch To Have and Have Not and The Big Sleep when they were on. The funny thing about that is I own them both on DVD, but it’s a lot more fun to watch them when they air on TCM (especially if there’s an intro and outro from one of the hosts, who I consider my own personal friends even though I’ve never spoken to any of them).

The thing I love most about Lauren Bacall, aside from her effortless acting ability, is how elegant she was. She classed up a room just by walking into it. She was the kind of person you’d only want to serve your good wine to, because anything less than the best would’ve been an insult.

Criterion Collection: My Personal Top 10: Purple Noon

For cinephiles everywhere, The Criterion Collection represents the best that cinema has to offer. From the Silent Era to the Golden Age of Hollywood and beyond, The Criterion Collection selects only films that are groundbreaking, feature powerhouse performances, are technically astute, and/or have otherwise had a significant impact on the culture at large. According to their Mission, Criterion “has maintained its pioneering commitment to presenting each film as its maker would want it seen, in state-of-the-art restorations with special features designed to encourage repeated watching and deepen the viewer’s appreciation of the art of film.” (Full Mission available here)

One of the regular features on Criterion’s website is its Top 10 Lists, wherein filmmakers, musicians, writers, and other artists share their favorite films available in Criterion Collection editions. Along those lines, I thought it would be cool if I shared my (current) personal Top 10 with everyone who reads this blog. I am not going to present them in a ranked order because picking a favorite film is like trying to pick a favorite potato dish and that’s just not possible.

*Purple Noon* (1960); directed by
René Clément

It seems appropriate to highlight Purple Noon first, not just because it’s a terrific film, but because Alain Delon, the star of the film, just recently passed on August 18th at the age of 88. He was one of the greatest French actors to ever grace the screen. An argument can be made that he be given the superlative title of The Greatest French Actor of All Time. He had a charisma and a vitality that are rarely seen and when they are, they are rarely accompanied by the level of talent he displayed in front of a camera.

He [Alain Delon] had a charisma and a vitality that are rarely seen and when they are, they are rarely accompanied by the level of talent he displayed in front of a camera.

Purple Noon is adapted from The Talented Mr. Ripley, the first book in the Ripley series by Patricia Highsmith. The book has been adapted several times, first as an episode of the U.S. television anthology series Studio One, then the French/Italian co-production of Purple Noon, and so on. I won’t go into details on any of the other adaptations, not least of all because I haven’t seen them (yet).

The most gripping aspect of Purple Noon, aside from Delon’s sheer animal magnetism, is the lush and saturated cinematography. The colors in this film are breathtaking, and no one watching it could call it anything but beautiful. If they could, don’t trust them. You don’t want friends with that kind of taste, or lack thereof.

The most gripping aspect of Purple Noon, aside from Delon’s sheer animal magnetism, is the lush and saturated cinematography. The colors in this film are breathtaking, and no one watching it could call it anything but beautiful.

The Criterion Collection edition of Purple Noon is the newest (as of this writing) digital restoration of the film, with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack. All of the extras included add to the viewer’s appreciation of the film, but I particularly enjoyed the archival interviews with Alain Delon and Patricia Highsmith, who in addition to The Talented Mr. Ripley is also the author of Carol (or The Price of Salt) and Strangers on a Train, which both also boast excellent cinematic adaptations.

Check back soon for the rest of my Top 10 Criterion Collection picks!

Quote for the Day: March 31st, 2024

Free for use under the Pixabay Content License. Image Credit: CDD20

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright

Quote for the Day: March 30th, 2024

I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.
Albert Einstein, German-born physicist and recipient of the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics

Quote for the Day: March 29th, 2024

Free for use under the Pixabay Content License. Image Credit: Pexels

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere’s Fan

Quote for the Day: March 27th, 2024

There ain’t no way you can hold onto something that wants to go, you understand? You can only love what you got while you got it.
Kate DiCamillo, Because of Winn-Dixie

Because of Winn-Dixie is one of my favorite books of all time, and I recently rewatched the movie with my parents. My mom had been wanting to rewatch it for some time, and it was so nice to revisit it. I also have to say that it didn’t hit me the first dozen times watching it that it has one of the most stacked casts of any non-Oscar baity movie I’ve ever seen. Eva Marie Saint? Cicely Tyson? Jeff Daniels? Dave Matthews? And that’s not even including two of the younger cast members, AnnaSophia Robb and Elle Fanning. If you’ve never seen the movie or read the book, there’s no better time than right now.

Quote for the Day: March 26th, 2024

Free for use under the Pixabay Content License. Image Credit: Lenalensen

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.
Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc.