Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) - Lancaster/Douglas nearly burn through the celluloid in Sturges' iconic western

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A star-touting, hot-colored poster for John Sturges' Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

In a little small town in the West the sheriff Wyatt Earp rides in and gets mixed up in the local troubles of Doc Holliday.

 

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is written by Leon Uris (Battle Cry (1955)), inspired by the actual 1881 gunfight and 1954 Holiday magazine article The Killer by George Scullin, and directed by John Sturges (The Man Who Dared (1946)).

It opens with a beautiful credits sequence and the wonderful title theme by Dmitri Tiomkin (score) (Rio Bravo (1959)) and Ned Washington (lyrics) (High Noon (1952)), sung by Frankie Laine (Thunder in the East (1952)). Burt Lancaster (The Scalphunters (1968)) and Kirk Douglas (Top Secret Affair (1957)) are splendid together in a radiant production.

Entanglements and romance prolong the film beyond what was necessary, and some of its magic is thus lost. But Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is still an iconic, style-assured western that's as near to becoming a caricature and a pastiche on itself as it possibly can without actually being one.

 

Related posts:

John Sturges:  The Eagle Has Landed (1976) - Sturges' enjoyable, last man's adventure
Chino/Valdez, Il Mezzosangue/Valdez the Half BreedThe Valdez Horses (1973) - Bronson is his own man only in Sturges' good spaghetti western 

The Great Escape (1963) - Sturges' further manly exploits in war-adventure classic 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 2 mil. $

Box office: 10.7 mil. $ (likely North America alone)

= Some uncertainty but at least a big hit (returned at least 5.35 times its cost)

[Gunfight at the O.K. Corral premiered 29 May (New York) and runs 122 minutes. Shooting took place from March - May 1956 in Arizona, including Phoenix, and in California, including Los Angeles. The film includes countless historical inaccuracies. It reportedly earned 4.7 mil. $ on its first run and 6 mil. $ on a re-release; it is unclear but likely that this was just in North America, meaning that the world gross was likely in the 15-17 mil. $ range at least, which would change the film's status to that of 'huge hit' or even 'mega-hit'. It was nominated for 2 Oscars: It lost Best Sound to Sayonara and Editing to The Bridge on the River Kwai. Sturges later made sort-of sequel Hour of the Gun (1967), which is more historically accurate, about the gunfight's aftermath, with other stars. Sturges returned first with uncredited work on Saddle the Wind (1958) and in official front with The Law and Jack Wade (1958). Lancaster and Douglas returned together again in their next movie, Sweet Smell of Success (1957). Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is fresh at 83 % with a 6.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Gunfight at the O.K. Corral?

Film Excess' 4th birthday movie masterpiece: From Here to Eternity (1953) - Zinnemann, Taradash and Jones' Hawaii-set classic

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An expertly balanced, dramatic poster for Fred Zinnemann's From Here to Eternity

Oahu, Hawaii, 1941: A sergeant, who is tough but good at heart, falls for his captain's miserable wife, and they begin a secret romance. Meanwhile a newly arrived private gets put down forcefully, because he refuses to use his boxing skills in a match against anymore.

From Here to Eternity is a marvelously charming film, which simply has it all; it is one of those kind of films that just isn't done anymore. Furthermore, it must be among the best instances of love captured on film as well as one of the sexiest films of all time.
Burt Lancaster (The Leopard/Il Gattopardo (1963)) is young, strong and cuttingly handsome as the romantic sergeant; Deborah Kerr (The Journey (1959)) is beautiful as his torn love. Montgomery Clift (Freud (1962)) is phenomenal as the stubborn and loyal foot soldier; and Frank Sinatra (Tony Rome (1967)) is both funny and touching as the group's Italian-American drunkard. Donna Reed (The Far Horizons (1955), Clift's love interest, is beautiful and lovely, and Ernest Borgnine (Murder, She Wrote (1987), TV-series) is tremendous as the sadistic staff sergeant 'Fatso'.
The film blooms with Hawaiian flavor and runs on conflicts that to some degree come across as relatively small peace-time problems on a paradisaical, Pacific island, - although it is also clear why they are nevertheless considerable for the characters involved in them. SPOILER But all of that changes with the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese towards the film's end, which is staged impressively. 
SPOILER The very end is heartbreaking, adding additional weight to an already beautifully acted, directed and photographed (by Burnett Guffey (Some Kind of A Nut (1969)) and Floyd Crosby (Beach Blanket Bingo (1965))), absolutely unique pearl in cinema history. It was written by Daniel Taradash (Hawaii (1966)), based on the same-titled 1951 novel by James Jones (The Thin Red Line (1962)), and directed by Austrian-Hungarian master filmmaker Fred Zinnemann (Oklahoma! (1955)).

Related reviews:

Film Excess' 1st birthday movie masterpiece: Broadway Danny Rose (1984) or, Keep Your Heart
Film Excess' 2nd birthday movie masterpiece: The King's Speech (2010) - Hooper's soaring, royal masterpiece about overcoming human frailty
Film Excess' 3rd birthday movie masterpiece: Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - The courtroom movie to rule them all

Watch a teaser trailer for the film here

Cost: 2.5 mil. $
Box office: 30.5 mil. $
= Mega-hit
[From Here to Eternity premiered 5 August (New York) and runs 118 minutes. Shooting took  place from March - May 1953 on Oahu; on Waikiki Beach, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Halona Cove (for the iconic beach love scene), Diamond Head and the Schofield Barracks, among other places. It was rumored for years that Sinatra got his part as result of mob ties, a legend that gained momentum from the plot string in The Godfather (1972) that culminates with the severed horse's head found in a film producer's bed, said to be inspired by this, although the rumors have been denied by many, including Zinnemann. Kerr and Lancaster reportedly had an affair during filming. The film had to relinquish many things from the novel due to the strict censorship at the time, as well as to get the army's cooperation: Plot points related to homosexuality, venereal disease, prostitution and the army's discipline and image were honed away or changed for the film. It debuted to rave reviews and changed Sinatra into a respected actor as well as singer. It was one of the highest-grossing films of the year and of the decade overall, but the US Army and Navy were ultimately unhappy with it. In France, nearly 6.5 mil. people paid admission to it. It was nominated for 13 Oscars, winning for Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Sinatra), Supporting Actress (Reed), Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Sound and Editing. It lost two Best Actor nominations (Clift and Lancaster) to William Holden for Stalag 17, Best Actress (Kerr) to Audrey Hepburn for Roman Holiday, Costumes to Roman Holiday and Score to Bronislau Kaper for Lili. The film also won 2 Golden Globes, a National Board of Review award, a special award at Cannes and a BAFTA nomination. From Here to Eternity is certified fresh at 92 % with an 8.2 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of From Here to Eternity?

The Leopard/Il Gattopardo/Le Guépard (1963) - The greatest film ever made?

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A painted poster that doesn't at all do Luchino Visconti's The Leopard or its stars justice

If you only watch one more film for the rest of your life, let it be The Leopard by Milanese master filmmaker Luchino Visconti (Death in Venice/Morte a Venezia (1971)), based on the same-titled 1958 novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, his only novel.

On Sicily in the years 1860 to 1862, the Prince of Salinas steers his aristocratic family safely forward, as the rebel Garibaldi attacks royalist troops and unites Italy, and a promising marriage approaches in his nearest family.

From the very first frames of this epic period drama, it is clear that it is a work of extraordinary visual beauty. The cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno (The Stendhal Syndrome/La Sindrome di Stendhal (1996)) captures the Sicilian landscapes and the often flamboyant interiors with equal measures of grace and profundity and wisely withstands close-ups for the vast majority of the film in place of more distanced, picturesque offerings.
Visconti adapted the novel with screenwriters Suso Cecchi D'Amico (What a Woman/La Fortuna di Essere Donna (1956)), Pasquale Festa Campanile (Rocco and His Brothers/Rocco e i Suoi Fratelli (1960)), Enrico Medioli (Once Upon a Time in America (1984)) and Massimo Franciosa (Rocco and His Brothers). It is a mature story of love, war, marriage, Sicily, Italy, aging and death. Sequence after sequence stuns and affects with its humor, its sharp and often profound dialog and its magnificent images.
Nino Rota (Amarcord (1973)) has composed the beautiful score, and Mario Serandrei (The Battle of Algiers/La Battaglia di Algeri (1966)) has edited the film just perfectly. It trusts its own attraction in its visuals and strong characters to overcome the fact that this isn't a plot-driven film, and the editing of several sequences, including the fancy ball scenes that make up nearly the last hour of the film is not only bold but piercingly insightful. This last third of the film is arguably its most miraculous, perfectly portraying the uniquely lonely and desolate feeling of being isolated in a major festivity setting.

A still from the overwhelming, fantastic civil war scenes from Luchino Visconti's The Leopard

The battle scenes are incredible, and so different in their purity, (regrettably, one might add), from the way that war plays out in our time.
The Leopard, of course, attains its masterpiece status as one of the best films ever made not least because of its brilliant cast:
Burt Lancaster (From Here to Eternity (1953)) got his career's arguably best part as the Prince of Salinas, the ultimate, wise, Conservative patriarch, a personified institution on the Mediterranean island, where he is like a lion on the savanna. In the latter scenes where the Prince becomes morose, Lancaster plays him with astounding sensibility, but he is a study in formidable character acting from start to finish here.
Behind the Prince, Alain Delon (Le Samuroaï (1967)) might be the most dashing actor in a film ever as his nephew, and Claudia Cardinale (Once Upon a Time in America/C'Era una Volta il West (1968)) equals his beauty with her voluptuous grace, fantastically memorable vulgar laugh and perpetually, and awfully charming, puckered forehead.
In supporting parts, the film also has some extremely fine and funny roles for some esteemed Italian actors: Paolo Stoppa (Garibaldi (1961)) as Don Calogero, Rina Morelli (The Joy of Living/Che Gioia Vivere (1961)) as the hysterical Princess of Salina, Romolo Valli (The Garden of the Finzi-Continis/Il Giardino dei Finzi Contini (1970)) as Father Pirrone and Terrence Hill (My Name Is Nobody/Il Mio Nome è Nessuno (1973)), who is also quite handsome as Delon's army chum, are all delightful.
The Leopard demands attention and concentration but is an infinitely worthwhile film. SPOILER Even in the end, it doesn't give us and its title character the movie ending that would seem obvious; he doesn't get to die.
The Leopard doesn't give contrivances, it gives life.

Burt Lancaster in the role of his life, as Luchino Visconti's The Leopard

Claudia Cardinale and Alain Delon in Luchino Visconti's The Leopard

Watch the American trailer for the film here, - which doesn't do it justice at all

Cost: 2.9 Bil. ITL
Box office: 1.8 mil. $ (North America only)
= Uncertainty
[Visconti originally wanted Russian star Nikolai Cherkasov for the lead, but he wouldn't be in the film. The American studio Fox gave their contribution to the budget with star Lancaster attached, which made Visconti angry, because he didn't get a say in the matter, - but it turned out to be a great collaboration after all. Visconti, being gay and naturally enamored with Delon, gave him the only dressing room available, so that the film's star Lancaster reportedly had to wait around for hours for Delon to be ready. The Leopard was a big hit in France, where it won the Palme D'Or in Cannes and 3.6 mil. paid admission, and in Italy, where it nearly made its budget back by '67 (2.3 Bil. ITL). It was also re-released several times in Italy to success. I count it tentatively as a box office success. Upon release in the US, Newsweek and The New Yorker gave the film ridiculing reviews. It is out in four lengths; the 185 minute version is Visconti's preferred one, - so watch that one.]

What do you think of The Leopard?
Do you agree that it might be the greatest film ever made?

Airport (1970) - A genre is born

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An original poster for George Seaton's event picture Airport, which flashes its starry cast and for some reason repeats its title 8 times

Chicago Airport: A blizzard, too few landing strips and snow plows, a man with a mysterious attaché briefcase, impending divorce and a stowaway passenger. 

 

These are just some of the obstacles presented in Airport, the film that's called the first disaster movie ever, defining genre conventions for countless disaster movies to follow by combining small-scale melodrama with big-scale disaster aspects. It is written and directed by George Seaton (Diamond Horseshoe (1945)), adapting the same-titled 1968 novel by Arthur Hailey (Overload (1979)). Henry Hathaway (Nob Hill (1945)) directed some winter outdoor scenes.
The film is entertaining and worth watching particularly for its stars; the glorious Jean Seberg (À Bout de Souffle/Breathless (1960)), Dean Martin (Rio Bravo (1959)) as a veteran sky captain who might finally choose love over individual freedom, and Burt Lancaster (From Here to Eternity (1953)), who made millions off the flick but still disparaged it gloriously in public, calling it "the worst piece of junk ever made."
The start of Airport is a bit cardboardy, as characters and their wives and girlfriends are introduced, but later on it gets quite exciting, and the film still works perfectly as a lazy afternoon watch.

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

Cost: 10.2 mil. $
Box office: 128.4 mil. $
= Blockbuster (returned 12.58 times its cost)

[Airport was released 5 March (North America) and runs 137 minutes. Through profit participation deals, Martin was paid 7 mil. $ for his performance; Lancaster 5 mil. $. Shooting took place from January - June 1969 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and in California. The film grossed 100.4 mil. $ (78.2 % of the total gross) in North America. It was nominated for 10 Oscars, winning one: Best Supporting Actress (Helen Hayes (Ah, Wilderness! (1959, TV movie)). It lost another Supporting Actress nomination (Maureen Stapleton (Passed Away (1992)), Art/Set Decoration to Patton, Cinematography (Ernest Laszlo (The Last Sunset (1961))) to Freddie Young for Ryan's Daughter, Costume Design to Cromwell, Editing to Patton, Score (Alfred Newman (Bus Stop (1956))) to Francis Lai for Love Story, Picture to Patton, Sound also to Patton and Adapted Screenplay to Ring Lardner Jr. for MASH. It was also nominated for a BAFTA, win 1/4 Golden Globe nominations, 1/2 Grammy nominations and a few other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 2/4 star review, translating to 2 notches under this one. The Boeing 707 used in the film was only leased: It later crashed in 1989 in Brazil, killing the 25 people onboard. The film was followed by 4 sequels, the first being Airport 1975 (1974). Seaton returned with Showdown (1973). Lancaster returned in Lawman (1971); Martin in The Red Skelton Hour (1970, TV-series), Swing Out, Sweet Land (1970, TV movie) and theatrically in Something Big (1971). Airport is fresh at 73 % with a 6.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Airport?