Movie Review: Criss Cross (1949)

A film noir featuring ill-fated lovers, snarling rivals, and a daring theft, Criss Cross is always breathless, often exhilarating, but also flawed.

In a Los Angeles parking lot, lovers Steve Thompson (Burt Lancaster) and his ex-wife Anna (Yvonne De Carlo) plot to meet after he participates in a heist the next day. In flashback, Steve recalls his past eight months.

After divorcing Anna he drifted across the country, but returned to Los Angeles purportedly to care for his mother (Edna Holland), but really because he could not stay away from Anna. He reconnects with his friend Detective Pete Ramirez (Stephen McNally), secures a job as an armoured car driver, and reunites with Anna at their favourite hangout, the Round-Up club.

Although they bicker constantly, Steve and Anna start dating again and discuss getting remarried, despite his mother's vehement disapproval. Suddenly, Anna abandons Steve and marries mobster Slim Dundee (Dan Duryea). She soon regrets her impulsiveness and they resume what is now an affair, but Slim starts to get suspicious. Steve conceives of a daring armoured car heist as a distraction.

Criss Cross features several quite brilliantly memorable scenes. In a dream-like state, Steve observes Anna dancing (with an uncredited Tony Curtis) at the Round-Up, as flutist Esy Morales and his band perform Jungle Fantasy. The surprisingly violent heist sequence is a chaotic collision of explosions and improvisation as plans are abandoned and reformulated on the fly in the thick fog of smoke bombs. The bar at the Round-Up is a living room away from home, bartender Frank (Percy Helton) and a perpetual barfly (Joan Miller) providing a comfortably familiar environment for life's turning points.

The good moments continue, as director Robert Siodmak takes a deep breath and slows everything down for a stupendous hospital scene delving into mortal fear triggered by helplessness and guilt. And the ending, once witnessed, is unforgettably bleak.

While the movie frequently sparkles, it is also beset by gaping weaknesses. The Daniel Fuchs screenplay is unevenly paced, with Steve and Anna never provided the opportunity to demonstrate their strengths as a couple before the mean bickering takes over. Criss Cross is fundamentally about Steve risking everything for his love of Anna, but what is on the screen is less love and more infatuation and a need to possess, allowing Anna's character the freedom to wriggle towards an understandable pursuit of independence.

The heist appears wedged into the doomed romance, both the introduction and resolution of the hold-up leaving behind some gaping holes. Steve suggesting the crime on a whim is extraordinary and out of character, and the aftermath is a layer cake of dim decisions and unexplained actions, including how the stolen money ended up where it did after the shooting stopped.

Siodmak fills Criss Cross with all the noir adornments. Crisp nighttime cinematography, stark light sources, smoke, narration, flashbacks, and close-ups surround flawed characters stepping on each other to eke out an advantage, intrinsically aware nothing worthwhile can be gained without an equivalent spectacular loss.



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Movie Review: The Sword And The Cross (1958)

A Biblical story on a budget, The Sword And The Cross (also known as Mary Magdalene) is a clunky Italian production elaborating on the story of the woman closest to Christ's inner circle.

Roman Centurion Gaius Marcellus (Jorge Mistral) arrives in Judea to help control the restless region, with rumours of preacher Jesus Christ inspiring the people. Marcellus rescues Jerusalem courtesan Maria Magdalene (Yvonne De Carlo) from the clutches of local bandit Barabbas (Andrea Aureli). Marcellus and Maria then embark on a torrid affair, but recognizing no relationship between a Jewess and a Roman can be allowed, she abandons him.

Maria resumes her activities as a seductive dancer at high-society parties. Her sister Martha (Rossana Podesta) and brother Lazarus (Mario Girotti, later known as Terence Hill) are both early followers of Christ, and as she is exposed to His presence Maria starts to question her lifestyle. With local Roman governor Pontius Pilate (Philippe Hersent) growing increasingly concerned about rumours of rebellion, Marcellus is given orders to arrest Jesus.

With a juvenile script, wooden acting and plastic sets, The Sword And The Cross trudges through the story of Jesus from the perspective of Mary Magdalene. Christ is never fully shown on screen, His presence intimated and voice amplified to echoey spectral levels for full effect. The Sandro Continenza script takes some liberties with traditional Biblical stories to increase Mary's involvement in Christ's life, and director Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia puts in a decent shift to tighten the circle of characters and connect the Romans, bandits and disbelievers to Mary and the trail of events leading to the Crucifiction.

But this is an unfortunately cheap production, blank stares and theatrical delivery exposing a depressing lack of talent. The skirmish scenes are poorly directed, the extras often spotted standing around wondering what to do. Yvonne De Carlo descends to the level of the material with a vacuous performance, and Jorge Mistral never comes close to convincing as a Roman soldier. 

The Sword And The Cross is neither comically campy nor soulfully stirring, just dismally dull.

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The Movies Of Yvonne De Carlo

All movies starring Yvonne De Carlo and reviewed on the Ace Black Movie Blog are linked below:

For Whom The Bell Tolls (1943, uncredited)

Criss Cross (1949)

Tomahawk (1951)

The Ten Commandments (1956)

Band Of Angels (1957)

The Sword And The Cross (1958)

McLintock! (1963)

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The Movie Star Index is here.

Movie Review: Band Of Angels (1957)

A Civil War drama, Band Of Angels is stranded between old and new representations of racism and eventually falls between the cracks.

In Kentucky just before the Civil War, Amantha Starr (Yvonne DeCarlo) is the daughter of a cotton plantation owner who is unusually kind to his slaves. Upon her father's death, Amantha is shocked to discover her mother was a slave, and so therefore she is half negro. Brutal slave traders holding her father's debts immediately capture and ship her to New Orleans, where wealthy businessman Hamish Bond (Clark Gable) buys her at auction for $5,000.

Hamish owns multiple properties and treats all his slaves with dignity, and indeed has raised Rau-Ru (Sidney Poitier) as a son, but Amantha remains unsure what Hamish wants from her. Eventually a romance develops between them and he offers her freedom, but she elects to stay. Hamish is hiding dark secrets about his past, while various other suitors enter Amantha's life as she struggles with her identity. The eruption of the Civil War severely disrupts Hamish's business, while Rau-Ru finds the dream of true freedom within grasp.

Based on the book by Robert Penn Warren, Band Of Angels deserves some credit for adopting a relatively enlightened stance and featuring multiple dignified black characters carving out a place in a shifting societal landscape. Sidney Poitier's outspoken Rau-Ru is the most prominent, but the intriguing Michele (Carolle Drake) is another of Hamish's slaves grappling with loosely defined captivity, the complications of freedom, and quiet infatuation.

Despite the good intentions, Band Of Angels stumbles and stalls rather than building momentum. Director Raoul Walsh is unable to ever ignite the film as it trundles from scene to scene with little passion. The intention to duplicate the grand drama of Gone With The Wind with more modern sensibilities is clear, but Band Of Angels does not come close to replicating the grandeur of the 1939 classic. Neither the writing nor the acting are at the requisite level, and indeed many scenes unfold with a stiff and artificial theatricality.

Walsh and writers Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts also manage to fumble the most pertinent discussions around racism. Amantha openly resents her blackness, Rau-Ru is angry at everything, and Hamish's relative kindness appears to stem from embers of guilt rather than any core belief. Although Gable is absent from large chunks of the film, Hamish's dark background is by far the most compelling aspect of the story, and Band Of Angels would have greatly benefited from showing samples of his formative years. Instead Walsh leans heavily on Gable, who is excellent, to recall the past, reducing the film to plenty of talking and spurning the opportunity for a more powerful cinematic experience.

Elsewhere, and between bouts of self-hate, Amantha too easily falls in love with every man who sets eyes on her. There is a fiery preacher and ardent believer in freedom, a handsome military type, the gruff Hamish, and a slimy next-door plantation owner. They take turns abusing and rescuing her, not necessarily in that order, as Band Of Angels desperately tries to define itself. In search of stability and fulfilment Amantha wastes too much time purring at the wrong targets, much like the film itself.

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Movie Review: The Ten Commandments (1956)

A religious epic, The Ten Commandments is the story of Moses recounted on an impressively massive scale.

In ancient Egypt, the Hebrews are enslaved people, used primarily for the arduous task of constructing massive monuments and new cities. The Pharaoh hears of prophecies that a newborn will grow up to lead the slaves to freedom, and orders the death of all male Hebrew babies. Slave Yochabel (Martha Scott) packs her infant son in a basket and sets him adrift on the Nile to spare him from death. He is picked up and adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter Bithiah (Nina Foch), and she names the baby Moses. Only Bithiah's servant Memnet (Judith Anderson) knows that the baby is the son of Hebrew slaves.

Moses (Charlton Heston) grows up vying with Rameses (Yul Brynner) for the right to succeed Pharoah Sethi (Cedric Hardwicke) to the throne, a prize that comes with marriage to the ambitious Nefretiri (Anne Baxter). Rameses recruits the services of Hebrew collaborator Dathan (Edward G. Robinson) to try and uncover the identity of the Deliverer who will free the slaves.

Moses is more capable and more resourceful than Rameses, and also more empathetic to the plight of the Hebrews. He demonstrates mercy to stonecutter Joshua (John Derek) and Joshua's love interest and water carrier Lilia (Debra Paget). But before Moses ascends to the throne, Memnet intervenes, forcing Moses to face his true destiny. Spared from death, he marries Bedouin shepherd's daughter Sephora (Yvonne De Carlo) before embarking on a monumental battle of wills with Rameses.

Producer and director Cecil B. DeMille's crowning achievement (and his second crack at the story after a 1923 silent version), The Ten Commandments is three hours and 40 minutes of grand storytelling, old-fashioned Hollywood at its extravagant best. The cast features a galaxy of stars, the extras in some scenes number in the thousands, the sets are numerous and impressively crafted, and the film bursts with the colours of abundant and imaginative costumes.

The popular Moses and Exodus stories are probably amalgams of people and events composed from legends, fractured oral histories and religious texts. To his credit DeMille cites several books as sources for the film, and benefits by steering away from Bible-in-pictures territory. The long story unfolds in four manageable parts: Moses' rise to prominence as a military leader, city builder and potential future Pharoah; his awakening to his true origins and acceptance of his destiny; the struggle to free the Hebrews; and finally the arduous Exodus out of Egypt and towards the new challenges beyond.

The narrative is punctuated by several memorable setpieces. The scenes of mass motion and human activity feature outstanding choreographed artistry, and DeMille always maintains a strong hold on what his cameras are capturing. The city-building, rock-making and Exodus sequences make use of extras in every corner of the VistaVision screen, conveying a profound sense of open space, ongoing industry and masses on the move.

The latter parts of the film scale some unforgettable heights. Moses and his close allies sheltering during the haunting passover night is a quiet but immensely powerful moment in the shadow of creeping horror. The pillar of fire halting an army, the extraordinary parting of the Red Sea, and the Ten Commandments being carved in stone by mystical flames are innovative visual achievements representing the era's state of the art.

And despite all the theatricality on display, The Ten Commandments generally avoids the pitfall of overstated reverence. This is a movie that tries hard to represent real people displaying naked ambition, conspiracy, sensuality, doubt, mixed emotions, and fallibilities. The script does not try to sound as if every spoken word needs to be enshrined on a hallowed wall.

A story this big needs sturdy acting shoulders to stand on, and DeMille assembled an impressive cast, with the luxurious length affording substantive screen time for several performers. Charlton Heston rises to the challenge of portraying Moses with plenty of authoritative presence, whether as a strapping young man earning his way towards the Pharoah's chair or as the grizzled prophet leading his people to freedom with supernatural winds in his sails.

Heston needed a robust foil to shine, and Yul Brynner delivers as Rameses, Moses' rival for leadership and subsequently his existential foe in the struggle to free the Hebrews. Until late in the film Brynner remains a strong presence representing the Egyptian viewpoint. Edward G. Robinson, Anne Baxter, John Derek, Nina Foch, Martha Scott, Yvonne DeCarlo, Debra Paget and Cedric Hardwicke all provide sustained and animated support, DeMille wisely introducing most of the key characters early in the story and then coming back to them repeatedly in different contexts as Moses' life evolves.

Bold and grandiose in breadth and scope, The Ten Commandments is a domineering and engrossing cinematic achievement.

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Movie Review: McLintock! (1963)

A comedy Western, McLintock! is a tedious exercise in atrocious low brow humour.

George Washington "G.W." McLintock (John Wayne) is a tough but fair cattle baron who owns most of the land and businesses in the town that carries his family's name. The arrival of settlers creates some tension among the local cattle ranchers, as do Indians who show up to welcome incoming Chiefs. McLintock offers a job to Devlin Warren (Patrick Wayne), an enthusiastic young man, and also takes in Devlin's mother Louise (Yvonne De Carlo) as the new household cook.

G.W.'s ill-tempered wife Katherine (Maureen O'Hara) shows up after a long separation, demanding a divorce and insisting that she will scoop their daughter Becky (Stefanie Powers) back east. G.W. refuses to agree to any of her demands, and their relationship remains toxic. Meanwhile Devlin sets his eyes on Becky, while Louise is also on the prowl for a partner to take the place of her deceased husband.

Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen from a script developed by John Wayne but credited to James Edward Grant, McLintock! is an adaptation of sorts of Shakespeare's The Taming Of The Shrew. The film wallows in infantile slapstick humour, and surrenders to misogynistic and racist tendencies. Women's bottoms are spanked with coal shovels, Indians are generally treated as whiskey-loving caricatures, and the humour is anchored by increasingly tiresome and seemingly endless fistfights, people sliding into water pits and drunks tumbling down the stairs. Three times, just to make the point.

With the genre clearly reaching its nadir in terms of ideas, creativity and energy, dross like McLintock! explains the emergence of the Spaghetti Western, Sergio Leone and his cohorts grabbing the Western by the boot spurs and injecting a large dose of stylistic steroids to reinvigorate its potential.

McLintock! extends to an agonizing 127 minutes, McLaglen seemingly clueless about how to try and sharpen the focus onto any of the loose threads that attempt to pass as plot. The film just throws ideas at the screen and does exactly nothing with any of them. Cattle ranchers against settlers, incompetent politicians, Indians fighting for respect, several unconvincing romances and finally a Comanche raid during a 4th of July celebration. All of it comes and goes with barren soullessness, and the story lines disintegrate into interludes that mainly serve to interrupt Wayne's awkward soliloquies espousing his philosophies on life.

Not even the central conflict between Katherine and G.W. is given its due. She is bitter and angry, he is uncaring, and so it stays for the best part of two hours until Katherine gets her humiliating comeuppance.

Far from funny, McLintock! is boring, imbecilic, and grotesquely dated.

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Movie Review: Tomahawk (1951)

An early progressive western, Tomahawk is an underrated and compact film. The story of a territorial conflict between the U.S. army and the Sioux Indians is culturally sensitive and features an excellent Van Heflin performance.

Gold has been discovered in Montana, and the U.S. government attempts to strong arm Sioux Chief Red Cloud (John War Eagle) out of the way by offering to negotiate another worthless treaty. Frontier scout Jim Bridger (Heflin), who travels with a Cheyenne woman called Monahseetah (Susan Cabot), understands the value of the land to the Sioux, and uncovers a secret plan for the army to build a new fort under the command of Colonel Carrington (Preston Foster), regardless of the negotiation outcomes.

The fort is built, and army troops start to escort white travelers along a new road through Sioux territory. Lieutenant Tob Dancy (Alex Nicol) is Carrington's top deputy, and Bridger recognizes Dancy as having a history of extreme violence towards Indians. When traveling entertainers Dan (Tom Tully) and Julie (Yvonne De Carlo) are attacked by the Sioux, they take refuge at the new fort, and tensions rise both inside and outside the walls.

Directed by George Sherman and loosely based on real events, Tomahawk is one the earliest westerns re-examining relations between natives and settlers, and offering a much more balanced view of history. Along with efforts like Broken Arrow and Devil's Doorway (both from 1950), Tomahawk offers a nuanced representation of the cultural conflict on which the Unites States was built. The Indians are portrayed as victims, deceived by a succession of treaties and resorting to violence only in the face of the latest naked land grab.

The film is assembled on a modest budget, and clocks in at just 82 minutes. In most aspects Sherman produces an experience that exceeds expectations. While the dialogue is straightforward, the emotions often obvious and the supporting cast bland, the film weaves in an unusual number of interconnected threads as sources of tension, evolution and discovery. Jim and Tob Dancy are connected through a violent past, Carrington represents a promising new breed of army commander, his wife and the other ladies at the fort have a decision to make on how to treat Monahseetah, while Julie quickly learns what civility means in the presence of a man like Jim Bridger. The film provides rich grounds for personal growth and interaction, and thoughtfully exploits the opportunities for narrative progression.

Van Heflin and Yvonne De Carlo also help to elevate the material. Heflin sinks his teeth into the role of Jim Bridger and delivers a thoughtful, distinguished performance, finding the keen dilemma of a white man who has fully internalized the suffering of Indians. De Carlo provides able back-up as a privileged woman provided with the circumstance to interact with Jim and Monahseetah at close quarters, and therefore the opportunity to question everything she took for granted about Indian culture. Deep in the cast, Rock Hudson appears in an early role as an army soldier.

Filmed in bright colours and drenched in sunshine, Tomahawk boasts a vivid aesthetic to match its brutal honesty. From form to function, this is a small western that rides with dignity and casts a long shadow.

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