As the end of NetFlix as we have known it rapidly approaches and the avenues through which we receive our diversions multiply like a mythological hydra, I’m reminded that having a DVD library becomes more and more like a marriage; it requires a genuine commitment to owning a copy of a film.
Here are ten films I that are staples of my library:
1) The Apartment (1960) – Billy Wilder cut a wide and unique swathe through Hollywood. Austrian by birth, he was already writing film scripts in Berlin when Hitler came to power prompting his emigration to the US via Paris. Writing and producing with partner Charles Brackett, and directing these films he was a true Hollywood auteur. Picking one of his many many movies is difficult, but time and time again I come back to this particular bittersweet comedy. His second film with Jack Lemmon (there were eight in toto), this dystopian look at New York City through the life of a huge corporation never fails to appeal to this jaundiced eyes! Besides Lemmon as the tender-hearted schnook C. C. Baxter, Shirley MacLaine delivers an open honest performance as an elevator operator in an unsuccessful romance with big cheese, Fred MacMurray in his finally “Baddie” role in a long acting career. Shot in widescreen black-and-white (by Joseph LeShelle), Wilder uses the format to his advantage to capture the numbing regularity of corporate offices. Since the action takes place over the holiday season, I also love this movie as a Holiday Antidote Film! (5 well deserved Academy Awards )
2) The Awful Truth (1937) - Jerry and Lucy Warriner (Cary Grant and Irene Dunne) both do their best to ruin each other's plans for remarriage in this classic Thirty’s comedy via director Leo McCarey. Mostly improvised, the two stars have undeniable film chemistry (they teamed up for three films all together) and the pacing and set-ups are timeless. Dunne is stunning (hers gowns are 30’s classics) and funny, a combination to often seen these days and Grant gets an opportunity to show his prowess at physical comedy. The battles over Mr. Smith, their dog played by the famed Asta, are hilarious and the dog even steals a scene or two, so it appeals to me as a dog lover. It also features Esther Dale as Mrs. Leeson, the stuffy mother of Dan Leason (Ralph Bellamy), Lucy’s beleaguered suitor, an actress who holds the title of appearing in more Academy Award winning movies than any other actor! This film received 6 Award nominations and won Best Director for McCarey.
3) What’s Up Doc (1972) – This screwball comedy directed by Peter Bogdanovich, written by Buck Henry and starring Barbra Streisand as Judy Maxwell, a charming cloud of bad luck, is one of the few successful attempts at the genre since its heyday in the Thirties (Frank Oz succeeded in the Early 90’s with “Housesitter”). Ryan O’Neal also stars as the vacant musicologist Howard Bannister in Cary Grant role and never looks so gorgeous. His bow tie and underwear scene spawned the Chippendale dancers! This madcap 90 minute romp also featured Madeline Kahn in her first feature film as Howard’s uptight fiancée Eunice Burns along with a wonderful turn by Kenneth Mars as Howard’s rival for a major grant, Hugh Simon. It also features one of the most magnificent car chases through the streets (and bay) of San Francisco. A laugh riot every single time and a lovely valentine to a bygone era.
4) Zelig (1983) – People may mock me for this choice, but I love this film. Woody Allen’s take on the “mockumentary” is a work of masterful genius and proves that film making is a truly collaborative art. It also catches the Woody Allen/Mia Farrow years at a high (Allen and Farrow’s collaborations follow a similar path to that of Von Sternberg and Dietrich) in a charming comedy about a simple lonely man, Leonard Zelig, who so badly wants to be accepted he literally changes to fit into his surroundings. Allen produces the kind of fakery that makes you wish this peculiar character that ricocheted through history were true. The “real talking heads” who discuss Zelig are the crème of the intelligentsia and provide the icing on this romantic charmer. It also contains one of my favorite Allen quotes, “It just shows what you can do if you’re a complete psychotic!”
5) Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985) – A road picture unlike any other. The convergence of Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) and Tim Burton was Syzygy at its finest. As visually quirky as his star, Burton overcomes the seemingly impossible task of taking a Saturday Morning TV star who never left his playhouse and putting him into the real world. Using the road film as their genre they produce a view of this country through rose-colored X-Ray glasses. A strong supporting cast help raise Pee-Wee’s misadventures to a level of unique comic genius that rivals some of Tati’s majestic moments. You may quote me!
More to come…..
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