Movie-A-Day #65: Roxanne (1987).
Today is the birthday of French wit and swordsman Cyrano de Bergerac, whose exploits have been embellished by generations of writers in the past 400 years. The most notable version of his adventures was Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play, which was updated 90 years later by Steve Martin and the charming and fluffy rom-com “Roxanne.” Martin’s modern day Cyrano is a small town fire chief who romances Daryl Hannah in this sweet little tale.
Movie-A-Day #64: Benny & Joon (1993).
“Benny & Joon” is a sweet little romantic comedy that, aside from a charming early performance by Johnny Depp (channeling Charlie Chaplin), doesn’t have a whole lot that makes it memorable. Except for part of its soundtrack, which took a five-year-old song from an obscure Scottish duo and turned it into one of the biggest earworms of the 1990s. The Proclaimers may have turned into a one hit wonder here in the United States, but their song “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” is still instantly recognizable and a karaoke staple nearly 20 years later. Craig and Charlie Reid, the twin brothers who make up the band, turn 49 today. But they’re still around, turning out albums and playing gigs back in the U.K. Check them out if you can, because there is certainly a lot more to them than just one hit.
I Was an Adventuress (1940).
The Scoop:
Good turns by Erich von Stroheim and Peter Lorre highlight this fun, but very slight, con artist caper.
This remake of a 1938 French film features von Stroheim as André, the conniving, slightly menacing leader of a trio of jewel thieves that also includes the dim-witted kleptomaniac Polo (Lorre) and the former ballet dancer Tanya (Vera Zorina). Together they travel across Europe using a combination of flirtation, pickpocketing and con artistry to swindle wealthy aristocrats our of their fortunes. That is, until Tanya falls in love with one of their marks (Richard Greene) and tries to leave the business to get married and resume her dancing career.
Zorina was already an established ballet star, having had a successful career with the Ballet Russe and other troupes, and this film was designed as a star vehicle to boost her fledgling film career. In fact, the climax of the action is an extended sequence in which she dances “Swan Lake” on stage, featuring choreography by her husband, George Balanchine. As ballet on film goes, it’s a good performance, but it and all the other ballet bits seem tacked on at the expense of the main plot.
And that’s a shame, because the central caper had the potential to be really interesting. Von Stroheim is in his element as the gang’s ringleader, while Lorre adds a gentle charm to his usual slimy film demeanor. They steal the show, and if they had been the focus, the result would have been a stronger film. “I Was an Adventuress” is billed as a comedy, but the laughs are so gentle as to be virtually non-existent.
It’s all genial and charming, with some clever cons mixed in, but it’s lighter than air and floats away almost as soon as its quick 80-minute running time is done.
Best Bit:
The Von Kongen double-cross.
Side Note:
Besides choreographing the “Swan Lake” sequence, Balanchine also dances in it with his wife Zorina. In fact it has something of a parallel to last year’s “Black Swan” in which that film’s choreographer Benjamin Millipied also danced “Swan Lake” on screen with his future wife, Natalie Portman.
Companion Viewing:
“The Lady Eve” (1941) and “The Brothers Bloom” (2008).
Links:
IMDb.
Take a Look:
Von Stroheim’s foot fetish, and the following scenes:
The comedy team of Lorre and von Stroheim:
Movie-A-Day #63: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).
Happy 64th birthday to Gunnar Hansen, the man behind the legendary Leatherface in “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” Watch out for those old, out-of-the-way farmhouses, boys and girls….
Movie-A-Day #62: Happiness (1998).
Today is I Want You to Be Happy Day. The goal seems to be to encourage people to do things to make others happy, which is an idea I can always get behind. But happiness can be a double-edged sword. Happiness and sorrow can often go hand-in-hand, a phenomenon Todd Solondz’s “Happiness” explores quite well. There’s more to being happy than just accumulating Hallmark card sentiments.
Desuko Movie Spot. 