Being There (1979)

"Chauncey, you have the gift of being natural." 

Director

Hal Ashby

Cast

Peter Sellers - Chance the gardener/ Chauncy Gardiner

Melvyn Douglas - Ben Rand

Shirley MacLaine - Eve Rand

Richard Dysart - Dr. Robert Allenby

Jack Warden - the U.S. President

Ruth Attaway - Louise

Way back around 2010, I got into a habit of checking out random films and documentaries I was unfamiliar with from my local library. Back then, I was living alone. I was single. I was in college. I felt adventurous. But I was cheap. So, that's as far as my adventurous-ness would take me.

Checking out the obscurest (for me, at least) movies I could find became a long-lasting hobby of mine.

Some of those movies, such as "The Paper," I've already written about. Others, such as the French animated movie "The Triplets of Belleville" I'll eventually write about some day. 

Back then, I hadn't heard of the 1979 movie "Being There." Seeing that it stars Peter Sellers, one of my top five favorite comedians of all time, was the selling point for me. And yes, I do have a mental list of top five favorite comedians. 

But I wasn't as keen a movie viewer then as I believe I am now. So, I missed a few things here and there in the story. Still, I was intrigued by "Being There" ever since. 

A few years after first watching "Being There," I came across another movie I never heard of that aroused my intrigue. That movie was the 2004 made-for-TV biopic "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" starring Geoffrey Rush. That's another movie I hope to review later. 

There's a part of the movie that depicts the period when Sellers' worked on this particular film.  

which is based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosiński. Sellers was evidently eager to make "Being There." He tried for years to get this movie off the ground.

In my last post, I cited the movie "Brazil" as being a favorite satirical social commentary film of mine. "Being There" is a favorite satirical comedy of American political life. Not only is Sellers perfectly cast in the lead role, but the movie also has a stellar supporting cast which includes Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas (who died a few days before I was born), and Jack Warden.  

Peter Sellers and Melvyn Douglas had known each other
since the 1940s, according to Douglas's granddaughter, Illeana Douglas.

The Plot

"Chance" (Peter Sellers) works as a gardener for a wealthy man who seemingly lives alone, aside from Chance residing in his Washington, D.C. home as well. 

He has apparently lived with this rich old man since childhood, always taking care of the garden. Chance has also never left the house in his life. 

His window to the outside world has been television and only television. Everything Chance knows of the world is from watching T.V. 

The movie starts with Chance waking up on another typical morning. He turns on the television - there's one in every room - and goes through his regular routine. 

However, Louise, the old man's housekeeper, tells Chance that his benefactor has died. 

Chance is completely naïve about the gravity of the situation. He's now alone in the house, but continues doing what he has always done - tend the garden and watch T.V. 

Some attorneys stop by unaware that Chance is still living there. Surprised by his presence, they ask him if he has any Claims on the old man's estate.  
As he doesn't know how to respond, nor what the attorneys are talking about, he tells them, "I have no Claim. I don't even know what one looks like."

So, they inform Chance he must be moved out by noon the next day. 

He packs up a single suitcase, mostly with suites that belonged to the old man, stored in a trunk up in the attic, and aimlessly wanders around Washington, D.C. 

Chance doesn't know how to interact with other people. He approaches a random woman and asks if she would please make him a sandwich.

He also goes up to a street gang inquiring where he might be able to find a garden to tend to. 

That interaction doesn't go well. 

As he meanders around well into the evening, Chance walks past a T.V. store with a television and camera displayed in the store window. The camera captures passersby on the screen. Chance is enamored at seeing himself on T.V. He backs up and steps off the curb when a chauffeured car belonging to a wealthy businessman named Ben Rand (Melvyn Douglas) accidentally backs in and hits him on the leg. 

Ben's wife, Eve (Shirley MacLaine) is in the vehicle. Apologetic for the accident, she offers to take Chance to the hospital. 

On their way, however, she suggests instead to take him back to her estate where an on-site doctor caring for her elderly husband can examine his leg. 

Peter Sellers as "Chance."

She also offers him a stiff drink and asks what his name is. The alcohol doesn't go down well, and Chance starts coughing. 

He says "Chance, the gardener" while coughing, but she thinks he says "Chauncey Gardiner." So, that's how she introduces him to her husband.

Ben is pleased to meet him and thinks he's a well-off highly educated businessman like himself. The couple encourage him to stay in their huge estate until his leg is mended, which he does.

At supper, Ben mistakes Chance's explanation of the lawyers kicking him out of the old man's house as meaning his business was forced to close thanks to the attorneys.  

Ben happens to be a close friend and advisor to the President of the United States (Jack Warden). 

After a few days, the president is scheduled to pay Ben a visit. Ben wants Chance to be a part of his meeting with the president.

He introduces him as Chauncey Gardiner before he and the president start discussing the economy. 

When the president inquires how to "stimulate growth," Chance considers this a gardening reference. 

So, Chance chimes in with gardening advice and the changing of the seasons. 

The president hears this as deep seated and optimistic political advice. So much so that the president quotes Chance by name during his next televised speech.

Of course, the world's attention quickly turns to Chance. If he's influential enough for the U.S. President to mention him by name, inquiring minds want to know who Chauncey is, where he's from, and what other words of wisdom and philosophy he has to offer. 

Chance quickly finds himself interacting with various influential individuals such as a publisher, a Soviet Ambassador, members of the press, and wealthy businessmen who want to hear more of his deep and insightful financial knowledge. 

Yet, in the midst of all this notoriety, nobody from the press, nor the President's cabinet, nor 16 other countries can find any background information on Chance. This leads to all kinds of conjectures as to why that is. All the president's advisors can find is the make and model of his clothing, which he pulled from his caretaker's trunks in the attic. They were all tailored in the 1920s and 1930s. 

"Being There" was shot at the Biltmore Estate and Gardens in Asheville, N.C.

My Thoughts

Chance is so likeable among the influential people he's in the middle of because he's a blank canvas. And each person, whether they're a publisher, an ambassador, a successful businessman, a politician, or the President of the United States, sees themselves reflected in Chance. 

He's none of them. But to each character, he the same as them. Being so blank and empty, Sellers manages to make this character engrossing. He's like what Mary Poppins would be if she were a man, with much less magic and a lot more ignorance. He just... there. And his name "Chance" is very fitting.

Those around him impose their own ideology, political or otherwise, onto him through his words. He is whatever they want him to be. He's an empty page. He's simple and void of complexity. And what's most appealing, he doesn't pontificate nor correct anyone. Chance is agreeable to everyone simply because he doesn't know anything beyond the garden. He's seemingly optimistic and people get what they want from Chance.

The last scene sums him up well. 

Conspiring pallbearers carrying Ben's remains to his final resting place whisper among themselves about Chance. 

"A man's past cripples him," one of them says. "His background turns into a swamp and invites scrutiny. Up until this time, he hasn't said anything that can be used against him." He then suggests Chance should fill the presidency in the next term as we watch Chance literally walk on water. 

While everyone is trying to figure out Chance, we get various points of view when it comes to those who engage with him. 

The one vantage point that's most accurate comes from Louise who worked for the old man whom Chance lived with. 

She happens to catch Chance on the Gary Burns show, her mouth agape at seeing him on the screen.

"I raised that boy since he was the size of a piss-ant," she says to those sitting with her. "And I'll say right now that he never learned to read and write. No, sir! And no brains at all. Stuck with rice pudding between his ears. Short-changed by the Lord, and dumb as a jackass. Look at him now. Yes sir! All you gotta be is white in America to get whatever you want. Gobbledygook!" 

In other words, as Chance personifies the result of the American system, Louise sees him from the view point of everyday American society. 

And Chance doesn't hide any of his ignorance. 

He tells a publisher named Ron at a suave dinner party that very same fact when offered an opportunity to publish a book of his philosophy. 

But Ron laughs it off.

"I can't write," Chance flat out says. 

"Of course you can't. Who can, nowadays? I have trouble writing a postcard to my children," Ron says. 
"I can't read," Chance later admits. 

"Of course you can't. No one has the time." 

The publisher starts chatting about how everyone tunes into the television instead. 

"I like to watch T.V." Chance replies. 

"Sure you do," Ron says. "No one reads!"

In the beginning, Louise criticizes Chance's lack of understanding or interest in sex.

"You need to find yourself a nice woman," she says. "But I think it should be an older woman, since you're not going to do a young one any good." 

Shirley MacLaine co-stars with Sellers in "Being There."

This sexual naivety comes up again several times, namely with Eve.

In one scene during that same suave dinner party, Chance is approached by a flirtatious man named Dennis.
"Tell me, Mr. Gardner... have you ever had sex with a man?' 

Chance clearly doesn't understand the question.

"No... I don't think so."

This man then invites him to "go upstairs." 

Chance innocently asks, "Is there a T.V. upstairs," which makes the man chuckle. "I like to watch."

The man pauses a moment and says, "You like to, uhh...watch?" 

Chance nods.

Sellers' ability to turn naivety into a hilarious performance, with an absolutely innocent and straight face is flawless throughout the entire movie. He always speaks in a soft, gentle, blank tone, with a friendly smile. His cluelessness is ever present on his face. Sellers told critic Gene Shalit during a 1980 interview on the "Today Show" that he slightly patterned his voice after comedian Stan Laurel. His character carries himself with proper and gentlemanly mannerisms. 

Everything plays out smoothly in the story. Nothing feels forced nor far-fetched. 

For instance, after he gets a call from a studio inviting him to appear on the Gary Burns show, Chauncey accepts saying "I've been on television." He's referring to the instant earlier in the film when he walked past the television store window and saw himself on the screen. 

The juxtaposition between the events that fall into Chance's path and what he happens to be watching on T.V. at the time, or what he recalls seeing on T.V. in the past, is subtle and impressive.

For instance, when Eve walks into his bedroom as he's lying in bed, eating breakfast and watching "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood" he has no idea that she's blatantly trying to get to make love to her. We hear the conversation between Fred Rogers and Mr. McFeely in the background which hilariously corresponds to what we're seeing. Chance is simply trying to keep his eyes on the screen. He's more interested in Mr. Rogers than he is in what Eve is offering. 

In the scene where he's hit by the car and taken to the Ben and Eve's estate - the second chapter in middle-aged Chance's life- the music video "Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces " by Cheech and Chong is interspersed in the scene as though Chance is equating this event with the song he must have seen previously on television. 

"I need help, ladies and gentlemens [sic]. I need someone to stand beside me. I need, I need someone to set a pick for me at the free-throw line of life. Someone I can pass to. Someone to hit the open man on the give-and-go and not end up in the popcorn machine. So cheerleaders, help me out," the song lyrics goes. In other words, throughout the movie, the T.V. gives the audience all the insight into Chance using real programming he's obviously seen before. 

This aspect of the story reminds me a little of the 1984 picture "Amadeus" in which Mozart's thoughts and emotions are depicted through his actual music heard in the accompanying soundtrack.

This allows the audience to be in on what Chance is thinking while those in the story don't have a clue.

"Being There" is a smart movie. It's a unique take on politics and society. It's subtle and doesn't beat the audience over the head with its underlying commentary. Chance doesn't need brains. He just needs to sound the right way. He needs to have the right people around him. He needs to appear right. Then he'll go far. But as Louise points out to him, "You'll always be a little boy."

During the end credits, an outtake is played which took me out of the movie. Though it's funny, watching Peter Sellers unable to control his laughing is distracting. It's strange how they added it in the credits.

Otherwise, "Being There" is a movie that doesn't try to be anything more than it already is. It's smart, consistent, and delicate like a priceless work of art. We're meant to think like people should we choose to live.  

Brazil (1985)

"We're all in it together." 

Director

Terry Gilliam

Cast

Jonathan Pryce - Sam Lowry

Kim Greist - Jill Layton

Michael Palin - Jack Lint

Katherine Helmond - Ida Lowry

Ian Holm - Mr. Kurtzmann

Peter Vaughan - Mr. Helpmann

Bob Hoskins - Spoor

Robert De Niro - Tuttle

Terry Gilliam's dystopian comedy "Brazil" has been on my "blog about this" list for a long time. It's a movie that's popular to some degree but doesn't seem to be talked about as much as other British films. Thankfully, it has been released through the Criterion Collection. 

As Gilliam is an alumni of the British sketch comedy troupe, Monty Python, the movie has a Monty Python feel with its surreal cynical imagery and comedy style. And in true Monty Python fashion, it takes satire to an otherwise sacrosanct level as it pokes fun of George Orwell's novel "1984." However, it is not a Python movie.

Fellow Python member Michael Palin also stars in this film which helps give it that comedic style. 

In "Brazil" the very not-distant future is a grimy, heavily bureaucratic, totalitarian, consumerist and rather flimsy one. In the midst of this rather present future is a grey-suited government employee named Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce). 

He's at the bottom of the pole when it comes to his government job. 

Lowry has a reoccurring dream in which he's a winged warrior who finds and rescues a gorgeous blond woman in distress. Reality, however, is drab business with little to no peace of mind.

During the Christmas season, a random office worker in a random office kills a fly with a magazine. The dead carcass falls into a printer causing an error on an arrest warrant the machine is typing. 

The name Archibald Buttle is accidentally printed on the warrant, which leads to the arrest of an innocent shoe repair operative instead of a criminal terrorist named Archibald Tuttle.  

Buttle's house is raided by heavily armed officers as he listens to his sweet wife read "A Christmas Carol" to their young children. He's later killed for Tuttle's crimes as authorities don't yet realize they have the wrong person. But what can the government do? Mistakes are made. Nobody's perfect. Oopsy.

Lowry catches the mistake when the wrong bank is charged for the cost of the arrest. 

So, Lowry is given the task of visiting Buttle's emotionally broken widow to hand her a refund check. 

While at her apartment he spots the upstairs neighbor, Jill Layton (Kim Greist), who looks just like the girl in his reoccurring dream. He tries to get to her and talk but she disappears before he can get a chance.

Jill, who works as a truck driver, has been trying to help Mrs. Buttle figure out what happened to her husband. She finds its nearly impossible to work her way through the thick layers of administrative paperwork and officials requiring stamps and approvals. 

All her efforts to help her neighbor leads to the ignorant bureaucrats thinking she's an accomplice to terrorism because she reported Buttle's wrongful arrest. 

That night, the air conditioning in Lowry's apartment fails. He wakes up late at night, roasting, and calls Central Services to fix it. While they're not very eager to help, Tuttle himself (Robert De Niro) shows up to fix his AC. 

Jonathan Pryce as Sam Lowry.

Tuttle says he used to work for Central Services but left because he found the amount of paperwork more tedious than one would expect. 

With his history being what it is, Tuttle is rather apprehensive and jumpy. While he's working on Lowry's AC, two Central Service workers named Spoor (Bob Hoskins) and Dowser (Derrick O'Connor) end up coming by his apartment to fix his AC.

When he declines their services, they become annoyed. Of course, he doesn't tell them that Tuttle is in his apartment. 

Later, Spoor and Dowser return, trash his air ducts, and take control of his apartment under the false claim that they're making necessary repairs. 

Meanwhile, Lowry searches for Jill's personal file, but he discovers it's classified. The only way he can access it is to be promoted to the Department of Information Retrieval. 

His mother, Ida (Katherine Helmond), who is very wealthy and influential, previously managed to get him a governmental promotion, but he declined. 

So, he backtracks his previous refusal by talking to Deputy Minister Eugene Helpmann (Peter Vaughan) during a suave dinner party hosted by Ida. Helpmann gives him the promotion, and now Lowry has access to Jill's file. 

He happens to spot Jill in the lobby of the Ministry of Information. Authorities, too, are closing in to arrest her.

Lowry uses his office to stall the arrest and escorts Jill back to her truck. He jumps in with her and, right away, professes his love to her while government authorities are chasing them. 

They stop at a mall where a terrorist bomb goes off. 

Government agents catch up and arrest Lowry.

When he's able to return home, the two guys from Central Services have repossessed his apartment. Tuttle secretly aids Lowry in getting his place back through a rather stinky means. 

Thankfully, Lowry and Jill meet outside his place, and the two of them hook up in his mom's luxurious apartment while Ida is away somewhere with her plastic surgeon. 

He falsifies some documents to indicate Jill died so she can escape the government's manhunt. 

They spend the night together. And the next morning, government agents raid Ida's apartment.

Lowry next finds himself bound and strapped in a medical facility about to undergo torture by his friend, Jack Lint (Michael Palin). 

And I'll end the synopsis there.  

By 1985, Terry Gilliam had solidly proven himself a master of cynical social commentary through a truly original style of surreal photo animation and imagery. His is a dainty and savory type of silly, blended with a distinctly sharp hint of straightforward irony. I could sit and watch hours of his work. His animations sequences in the series "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and the subsequent Monty Python movies are among my favorites by far. They're deliciously saturated in satire, not taking seriously all the seemingly inane formalities that burden us like wet clothes.  

"Brazil" sits in the middle of a trio of surreal style Gilliam movies including "Time Bandits" (1981) and "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" (1988). These three movies all tell stories about escaping societies that are ordered to the point of absurdity. 
"Time Bandits" centers on a child. "Brazil" centers on a young adult man. And "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" centers on an old man. 

Katherine Helmond, Michael Palin, Ian Holm, Peter Vaughan, and Jack Purvis also star in "Time Bandits" while Jonathan Pryce stars in "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen."

The imagery and silliness typical of Gilliam couldn't fit any better in a story like this. There's still room for the audience to come in, relate to the situation and to the main character to some degree. But that Monty Python influence is visible underneath the exterior satirical humor to the fisheye close-ups and camera angles. 
Even as a cult film, it seems to me this movie doesn't receive as much attention as it should though it has inspired directors such as Tim Burton, the Coen brothers, and Neil Marshall.

Despite critic Roger Ebert's less-than-positive review of this movie, I still love it.   

"Brazil" has a place among other off-beat social critique films such as "A Clockwork Orange," "Dr. Strangelove," and I would even be so bold to include Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times." Although Charlie Chaplin's movie is much more simple and less packed than "Brazil" which makes his commentary easier to grasp. 

Gilliam's future in "Brazil" includes a pampered upper-class that doesn't bat an eye to any chaos around them, including terrorist bombs going off, alongside a lower-middle class subject to an unsympathetic machine-like witless ruling class. 

The bureaucracy is heavily built up to the point of senselessness. The shoddy ducts and vents are like some sort of umbilical cord between the masses and the ruling officials always pumping and blowing life (for all practical purposes) into society while killing all beauty and character.

The ruling class doesn't think. It just does. And the masses are either comfortably distracted by materialism, or standing up against the system which plasters and spews propaganda all around. Pointless, meaningless mantras like "Suspicion breeds confidence" and "Information is the key to prosperity" are plastered everywhere and shoved in people's faces as they go about their daily lives. And the rest think the best way to regain society is to destroy it completely. But the more things change, the more they stay the same.

The forced festive music amid the dull gray dystopian and laborious environment tries to get it in people's heads, "See! Things are actually going well" while everything crumbles around them. But no one should pay any attention to that.

Nothing is perfect. There's always a problem, great or small.  

One touch I like is how various characters in this movie are often tuned into classic films. In one scene, Jill sits in her bathtub and watches "The Coconuts" (1929) starring the Marx Brothers. While Lowry is at work, employees secretly watch other old black and white classics when the boss isn't looking. It's as though the society yearns for more normal periods of time. The atmosphere is a mix of past and present done well. 

A favorite scene of mine sees Lowry and another government agent in the next office in a tug-o-war over a shared desk that protrudes through the office walls. 

In this movie, Lowry demonstrates that humanity still exists no matter what. His romantic dreams are haunted by the obstructing, imprisoning bureaucracy around him. In one dream, he battles this bureaucracy which takes the form of a Samurai warrior filled with industrial flames, to save the woman of his dreams. 

As this movie is often compared to Orwell's "1984," "Brazil" is distinct from Orwell's book in that it depicts the here and now. Orwell looks into the future. 

"Brazil" is a loaded movie. It's one of those movies that audiences may have to watch more than once to grasp to take everything in. 

The message amidst all this is clear. The desire for something better and wholesome exist even when drab, stone grey government and they suffering they cause looms high and wide over everyone. They can't take that away no matter what they repeatedly beat people over the head with. 

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

"You tell 'em Nick Cage smooch is good!"

Director
Tom Gormican

Cast

Nicolas Cage - Nick Cage

Pedro Pascal - Javi Gutierrez 

Sharon Horgan - Olivia

Lily Sheen - Addy

Tiffany Haddish - Vivian

Ike Baronholtz - Martin

Paco Leon - Lucas Gutierrez

Neil Patrick Harris - Richard Fink

Nobody can Nicolas Cage better than Nicolas Cage. He's so Nicolas Cage that he can be both verb, noun, and adjective all at once. Chuck Norris can't even do that.
Though I've seen my fair share of Nick Cage flicks, I've never considered myself a fan. And, really, I still don't. 

I think he emanates a cloud that smells like excessive conceit, and it's just too pungent for me. That's not to say he hasn't made any movies I like. He is, in mind, a celebrity's celebrity. If I had to paint the stereotypical Hollywood superstar actor, my image would resemble Cage very closely. Or, it would just be Nick Cage himself. 
After having seen Nick Cage in his recent film "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" (a title I can only guess came from the mind of Nick Cage, but clever none the less), released in April, I've eased up my generally negative opinions about Nick Cage. I found myself enjoying a Nick Cage movie in which Nick Cage plays Nick Cage. Well done, Nick Cage.
"Nicolas Cage... is incredible." "This guy's a fucking legend." Those are the first lines spoken in this movie. Actually the movie opens with dialogue from the 1997 Nick Cage movie "Con Air." A young couple watching that movie then throw out lines of praise to Nick Cage. 
In this movie, Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage (Nick Cage) finds himself caught in a CIA mission to find and rescue Maria (Katrin Vankova), the daughter of a Catalan anti-crime politician who's kidnapped at the start of the film. 
Before he's pulled into this operation, Nick Cage is struggling to land a new role in a movie as his name is being passed over by a major movie producer. 
His ex-wife Olivia (Sharon Horgan) is fed up with how engrossed in his acting life he has been. And his daughter Addy (Lily Sheen) feels like she has been emotionally neglected by her dad.
After Nick Cage looses out on a major movie role, he embarrasses himself at Addy's birthday party.
So, he decides to quit acting. 
Still, even Nick Cage needs money to pay the bills and clear some heavy debts. His agent, Richard Fink (Neil Patrick Harris) offers him an anonymous gig for $1 million. It involves travelling to Majorca to spend time with an extremely wealthy Nick Cage fan named Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal) and be the guest of honor at his birthday.
Nick Cage agrees to go. But little does Nick Cage know that the CIA suspects Gutierrez, whom they claim made his fortune through arms dealing, is responsible for Maria's kidnapping and may likely be keeping her on the property. 

Nick Cage as Nick Cage, and Pedro Pascal.

Agents Vivian Etten (Tiffany Haddish) and Martin Etten (Ike Barinholtz) contact Nick Cage about Gutierrez, asking him to spy and see what he can find out about Maria's whereabouts.
Nick Cage reluctantly agrees as he and Gutierrez have become good friends. He doubts whether he can go behind his new pal's back. 
Gutierrez wants Nick Cage to reconsider his decision to quit acting, and offers him a script he wrote. He hopes Nick Cage will consider it for production. And Nick Cage does. 
When I was forced against my will to watch the trailer prior to the movie I paid to see, my initial thought was "of course this is a Nick Cage movie."
"The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" is a tongue-in-cheek, somewhat cynical love letter to Nick Cage. It's one Nick Cage Easter egg after another. Not the bees! 
So much so that mashable.com published a list of every movie name dropped in this film, including all the Nick Cage movie titles. 

The film is like the cover of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," but with Nick Cage instead of the Beatles. And all the faces on the cover are all Nick Cage characters, especially from "Face Off." 
Nick Cage is certainly aware of his eccentric and self-loving public image. He's aware of what fans expect.
I found myself not only laughing at the jokes, but at Nick Cage being himself, or as audiences generally see him as an actor and a personality. 

One scene has Nick Cage stumbling upon the room where Gutierrez keeps his extensive Nick Cage paraphernalia collection.

Among his collection is a Nick Cage mannequin holding the golden guns from the movie "Face/Off" (*whispers* which stars Nick Cage).

Nick Cage stares at the likeness of himself and asks, "Is that supposed to be me? It's grotesque."

Then he offers Gutierrez $20,000 for it.

Nick Cage certainly has a lot of energy and interest in his previous film roles. It's often layered on rather thick, and I think that's the reason I don't get excited over Nick Cage movies. 

That's most definitely true here, especially as he plays both himself and his alter ego. His alter ego shows up randomly in the form of a younger Nick Cage, whom he calls "Nicky." When Nicky does show up, he kicks his older self back into the game and reminds him that he's not just an actor, he's a movie star. Nicky is the Nick Cage persona audiences have seen time and time again, in movie after Nick Cage movie - self-absorbed, rowdy, and a bit crazy.

Nick Cage and Pedro Pascal work incredibly well together. The casting choices are superb. 
Pascal plays his character as sympathetic, which he pulls off beautifully. Sometimes, its as though Pascal is the sidekick in this team. Other times, Nick Cage seems like the sidekick.
This is a buddy film with some originality thrown in. I hope to see Nick Cage and Pascal together again in a later film. I'd love to see these two earn a place among other famed comedy duos. 

"The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" is certainly a Nick Cage fan-base movie. Regardless, I had fun watching it. 
And on top of everything else, Cage and I both love "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari." Maybe Nick Cage is starting to grow on me a little.

Rambo: Last Blood (2019)

"I want revenge. I want them to know that death is coming. And there's nothing they can do to stop it."

Director
Adrian Grunberg

Cast

Sylvester Stallone - John Rambo
Yvette Monreal - Gabriela Beltran
Adriana Barraza - Maria Beltran

Paz Vega - Carmen Delgado
Sergio Peris-Mencheta - Hugo Martinez
Óscar Jaenada - Victor Martinez
Fenessa Pineda - Gizelle
Pascacio Lopez - El Flaco

The fifth and last installment (as of now, at least) in the Rambo series, "Rambo: Last Blood," came out in 2019 with a lot of hype before exiting quietly and seemingly unnoticed.

Aside from this Rambo movie, I admit I've only seen "First Blood" (1982) followed by the fourth film, "Rambo" (2008). I haven't seen the second film, "Rambo: First Blood Part II" (1985) in its entirety. Nor have I seen "Rambo III" (1988) at all. I'm sure I will in the very near future. So, I had to read the film synopsis for two and three to get myself caught up.

In the first installment, Vietnam veteran John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) searches for an old army buddy somewhere on the outskirts of Hope, Washington. However, the family informs Rambo that his friend died from cancer, which he caught from being exposed to Agent Orange while in Vietnam. 

As Rambo wanders into the town limits to find a place to eat, a local sheriff sees him and decides he doesn't want this vagrant Army veteran coming through his community. Rambo ignores the sheriff's warnings, and pretty soon there's a manhunt out for him. 

In the second movie, Rambo is asked to return to Vietnam to rescue POWs. 

In part three, Rambo, living in Thailand and working for a monastery, squares off against Russian forces in Afghanistan. I've often heard this is the weakest film.

In "Rambo," he's still living in Thailand 20-years later. He's asked by a missionary doctor to help rescue a group who have been kidnapped while on a humanitarian mission in Burma by a heavily corrupt SPDC officer named Major Pa Tee Tint and his Burmese junta army forces. At the end of the fourth movie, Rambo returns to the U.S. to see his father at his home in Arizona. I found the pace of this movie rather odd.

"Rambo: Last Blood" picks up with Rambo still living at his now deceased father's home. He manages a horse ranch at the house with his long-time friend, Maria Beltran (Adriana Barraza).

Maria's granddaughter, Gabriela (Yvette Monreal), lives with them. For Gabriela, Rambo has been her true father figure as her real dad walked out on her and her mother when Gabriela was very young.

She's close to Rambo and her grandmother. However, she gets a call from her friend, Gizelle, in Mexico who tells her she found the home of her father. 

Gabriela tries to convince Rambo and her grandmother to allow her to drive down to Mexico to find her dad.

Considering just how ruthless, cold, and unsympathetic her father was years ago when he abandoned them, Rambo and Maria strongly forbid it. They try to convince her that he's not worth inviting back into her life.

Gabriela agrees not to go but sneaks off to Mexico anyways. She meets with Gizelle (Fenessa Pineda) who takes her to her dad's place.

There, he tells Gabriela straight out that he never wanted anything to do with her nor her mother, and that she doesn't need to ever come back and see him. 

Sergio Peris-Mencheta and Yvette Monreal in
"Rambo: Last Blood."

Seeing how distraught Gabriela is, Gizelle takes her to a night club to help get her mind off of things. 

A random guy takes an interest in Gabriela. He discreetly drugs and kidnaps her, and brings her into a sex trafficking cartel. 

Maria soon finds out that Gabriela snuck off to Mexico. Rambo immediately jumps in his truck to find her and bring her home. 

The first place he goes is to Gizelle's apartment. As she refuses to cooperate, he threatens her until she shows him the same club she took Gabriela. 

When they get inside, Rambo quickly figures out that she was kidnapped. 

Gizelle points out a guy who goes by "El Flaco" (Pascacio Lopez) as the man whom she last saw Gabriela with.

Rambo follows El Flaco to his car, tortures him until he agrees to take him to Gabriela's whereabouts. 

The leaders of the cartel get to Rambo first when he shows up at their ring location. They beat him up severely and steal his ID. But one of the leaders of the operation, Hugo Martinez (Sergio Peris-Mencheta) lets him live. They leave him there, bleeding and unconscious. 

Rambo is rescued by a strange woman named Carmen Delgado (Paz Vega) who followed him from the club. 

She brings him back to her home. When he awakens four days later, Carmen tells him she's a journalist following the cartel, which had previously kidnapped her late sister. 

Rambo manages to find and rescue Gabriela. When he brings her home, Rambo then goes back to get revenge on one the cartel leaders to send a message to its leaders. 

Hugo tracks him back to his home in Arizona. He brings an armed militia with him to Rambo's home. And per Rambo fashion, he knows they're coming. So, he sets deadly traps around the property, and arms himself for battle. 

Stallone certainly tries to regain the audience's sympathy for the Rambo character as it was seen in "First Blood." That was totally missed in the previous movie. 

But this time, he's diving into slasher territory. Sure, the previous films are violent. That's not a problem. This movie, however, made me feel like I was watching a version of "Home Alone" directed by Rob Zombie. In other words, this doesn't hold back on violence at all. Not in the least. It's graphic straight to the end, leaving me with the notion that revenge doth belong to Rambo.

The graphic content made me wonder just what distinguishes a horror movie from an action movie. 

If this was not a Rambo movie, it would easily be in the horror category. I suppose since Rambo is technically speaking the "good guy" of the story, the purpose of the movie isn't to evoke fear in the audience for the sake of entertainment. There's enough blood, violence, dismembering, decapitating, heart-ripping (literally) and exploding body parts to make one believe Rambo has now gone full-slasher flick. 

Just like the previous movies, this story is about John Rambo against yet another evil group deserving to take what they give. We know who's going to come out victorious and who will not. The uncertainty and entertainment value lies mainly with how he gets the audience through it all to the climax and conclusion. 

In and of itself, "Rambo Last Blood" is predictable. I swore he would die at the end, but that much I was wrong about. It's meant to be watched so audiences can see what Rambo does best - get revenge and eliminate the enemies. Still, seeing him up against a mob of completely degenerate deplorables is satisfying and intense. And having Rambo in the midst of a family brings some humanity back to Rambo, who's gone through hell, the scars of which still plague him. I'd be lying if I said I was not entertained by this movie.

The nostalgic spot-hitting of seeing John Rambo yet again, like seeing an old high school chum, is an experience to enjoy.

Rambo, an ex-Green Beret and Medal of Honor recipient, is a symbol of the damage warfare can leave with a soldier as depicted in "First Blood." It also depicts the America, personified by the police officers chasing him, that didn't welcome back Vietnam veterans returning home. 

According to Stallone, as stated in a 2019 article from ScreenRant.com "What to Expect from Rambo 6," "Rambo: Last Blood" is meant to be the final film in the series. But Stallone evidently later suggested the possibility of doing another Rambo film.

The article claims the 2008's "Rambo" was also supposed to be the last. I think the same goes for "Rambo III." Stallone has quite a talent for keeping his biggest franchises going - namely, the Rambo and Rocky Balboa movies.

While I can't yet say anything about part three, I can say that if "Rambo: Last Blood" was meant to give the character a final send-off, then it missed that mark by miles.

There's talk of doing a prequel film which could see John Rambo heading to Vietnam. Honestly, I'd rather see a film that gives the character a decent and well-deserved send-off rather than a prequel. 

Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo once again.

I think the first movie is the introduction we need to John Rambo. That's the whole reason David Morrell created the character for his novel "First Blood" in 1972, which the movie is based on. The ill-treatment soldiers like Rambo received is the basis for the story. That's captured so well in the first film. And Stallone manages to make this war torn, callous Army warrior of a man into a truly sympathetic character. He deserves that sympathy.

I'm sure it would be awesome to watch a prequel with Rambo in combat and witness the experiences he went through which ended up causing him severe PTSD. Rambo has since become a largely recognized American pop-culture icon. And prequels are a trend in cinema now.  

Still, I hope to see one last Rambo film just to watch this character get the farewell he deserves. This movie certainly didn't accomplish that. 

I may have gotten more out of "Rambo: Last Blood" had I watched part two and part three first. I still grew invested in this movie and found it entertaining, all things considered.  

Under the Rainbow (1981)

"We're starting a film next week, and I'm anticipating a few small problems."

Director

Steve Rash

Cast

Chevy Chase - Bruce Thorpe

Carrie Fisher - Annie Clark

Joseph Maher - The Duke

Eve Arden - The Duchess

Robert Donner - The Assassin 

Billy Barty - Otto Kriegling

Mako - Nakomuri
Cork Hubbert - Rollo Sweet

A few weekends ago, I took my five-year old daughter to the Oz Museum in Wamego, Kan. She, being a fan of the classic 1939 film, was anxious to visit. Her favorite character happens to be the Wicked Witch, whom she dressed as for Halloween in 2020. I don't understand how this witch appreciation developed, but it is what it is.

Last Halloween, she decided to dress as Dorothy - ruby slippers, and all. So, she dawned her Dorothy outfit at the museum, which of course scored her a lot of compliments. A doting father like myself is allowed to boast about his daughter on his own blog.
Anyways, walking through the exhibits and seeing props and paraphernalia from various Oz movies and Oz history, I was especially glued to the small window with stuff pertaining to Disney's 1985 dark fantasy "Return to Oz." 
I'm very familiar with "Return to Oz." It's a sequel to the 1939 movie, though it's not a musical nor is it filmed in the same atmosphere and style. While the ruby slippers remain in the story, "Return to Oz" captures the world of the books (particularly "The Marvelous Land of Oz" and "Ozma of Oz") so much better than "The Wizard of Oz." Plus, it's quite a bold movie. It doesn't hold back as it treats its young audience with maturity. In other words, it doesn't pander to them.
I watched it quite a bit in my youth, especially on days I stayed home sick from school. Back then, mom would rent a couple movies from the video store on sick days. "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," "Pinocchio," "Where the Red Fern Grows," and "Return to Oz" are the titles I remember most. 
I was originally going to write commentary on "Return to Oz" because I've met too many people who've never heard of it, or simply haven't seen it. It's a favorite film of mine. My appreciation isn't necessarily based on the nostalgic value I've placed on it. 

The museum visit brought it back to the forefront of my mind as far as this blog goes. Just the other day, I was talking with a co-worker about the Oz Musuem, and I mentioned the film. This co-worker said they couldn't remember if they had heard of it before or not. 
With its availability on the Disney + streaming app, I decided to search for something more obscure as far as Oz content goes. I considered the 1976 movie "Oz – A Rock 'n' Roll Road Movie" (also known as "20th Century Oz") from Australia. I just couldn't find a copy. Not yet, anyway.
A YouTube channel I enjoy from time to time called "grimmlifecollective" posted a video titled "Secret Wizard of OZ Munchkin Tunnel." The video showcases the Culver Hotel in Culver City, Calif. The YouTuber mentions the 1981 movie "Under the Rainbow." I never heard of it before. And what especially got my attention is that it stars Carrie Fisher and Chevy Chase. 
The story is full of sub-plots. Just thinking about summarizing the storyline is a little overwhelming.
"Under the Rainbow" begins with a little person named Rollo Sweet (Cork Hubbert) who lives in a homeless shelter somewhere in rural Kansas back in 1938. 
Rollo is eagerly waiting for Hollywood to contact him for a film role fit for a person of his stature. 
As residents at the shelter gather around a radio to hear President Roosevelt's Fireside Chat, the reception goes out. So, Rollo volunteers to climb to the roof to fix the antenna. 
However, he falls off and crashes into some crates. 
Meanwhile, groups of all kinds of people are checking into the Culver Hotel. 
Annie Clark (Carrie Fisher), who works for MGM Studios, is working on reserving rooms for a crowd of little people who are in town for MGM's next movie, "The Wizard of Oz." Among them is Rollo Sweet. 

Chevy Chase, Eve Arden, Billy Barty, and Carrie Fisher
in "Under the Rainbow."

Clark's boss, Louis (Jack Kruschen)- as in Louis B. Mayer, I guess- wants her to look after all 150 Munchkin extras. 

He has his dopey nephew, Homer (Peter Issacksen), assist her as best he can.
Also checking in are an Austrian Duke (Joseph Maher) and Duchess (Eve Arden) along with their U.S. Secret Service escort, Bruce Thorpe (Chevy Chase). 

A club of Japanese amateur photographers are also staying at the hotel. And to add to the fun, Adolf Hitler has sent a Nazi Secret Agent, Otto Kriegling (Billy Barty), who also happens to be a little person, to rendezvous with a Japanese contact named Nakomuri (Mako) at the same hotel. Hitler wants Kriegling to obtain a map of U.S. military locations from their Japanese liaison. 
All these characters mix and mingle in a variety of shenanigans and mishaps. Kriegling is told to look for a Japanese man wearing a white suit when he gets to the hotel. Of course, all the Japanese guys in the photography club are wearing white suits. 

And Nakomuri is looking out for a small person to hand over the map to. The hotel is filled with little people when he arrives. So, confusion and hilarity ensue.
Homer assumes Kriegling is one of the Munchkin extras and has him fitted for a costume. 
The Duke is paranoid that someone is trying to assassinate him. Thorpe doesn't think so. However, there is actually an assassin (Robert Donner) following the Duke. He wants murder him as an act of revenge.
And the map Kriegling is after ends up in Clark's copy of the Oz script. So, he goes after her all over the hotel. Thorpe ends up trying to protect her while also protecting the Duke and Duchess. The movie is all over the place.
The Munchkin extras are rowdy and unruly, filled with alcohol and hormones. They wreak havoc all over the hotel. 
And in the end, Rollo wakes up back at the shelter. It was all a dream, just like at the end of "The Wizard of Oz." All those in his dream were people currently in his life. Sure enough, a bus is waiting for him outside ready to whisk him off to Hollywood. The end. 

Sadly, all the well-known talented actors do nothing for "Under the Rainbow." 
I heard through various sources and interviews, including one of Judy Garland herself who plays Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," that many of the adult actors playing the Munchkins were often unruly. Many tried hitting on Garland during filming, according to her own words. 
If the movie stuck to that aspect of Oz's production without being a slapstick comedy with pointless sub-plots, I think the movie could have been alright. Granted, it would portray little people as such. But that's how it was. 
With all the over-the-top subplots, "Under the Rainbow" has no clear direction. It doesn't know where to go with everything it's carrying. All these sub-plots get in the way of the premise of having all these rambunctious actors who, it's true, were precisely that. I was more interested in that particular fact in "The Wizard of Oz" production history.
Instead, we got a film loaded with stereotypes, terribly dated and eye-roll inducing humor, superfluous slapstick, dumb one-liners and lazy sight gags. Most of the jokes are at the expense of the size of the Munchkin actors. The writers made the assumption that people of short stature are easy to poke fun of. So, that's where they went. 
Chase's performance is completely lackluster. Enough said.

Munchkin actors run amok at the Culver Hotel in 
the film "Under the Rainbow."

And Carrie, whom I truly appreciate as an actress, seems like she's just trying to get to the end of the movie. Her appearance in "Under the Rainbow" is sandwiched between her performances in "The Blues Brothers" and "Return of the Jedi." 
Jerry Maren, who played one of the Lollipop Guild Munchkins in "The Wizard of Oz" also appears in the film. 

Zelda Rubinstein plays a rowdy extra named Iris who wants to drink and party. I'm most familiar with her refined and respectable performance as Tangina in "Poltergeist" which was released the following year. Seeing her in this role is quite a change. 

Some scenes were shot at the real Culver Hotel where Munchkin actors had stayed during Oz's production back in 1938. I learned that tidbit of information from "grimmlifecollective."

Director Steve Rash directed "The Buddy Holly Story" two years before, which is a highly praised movie. 

Film composer Joe Renzetti worked on the musical score for "The Buddy Holly Story." He won an Academy Award for best adaptation score.
Unfortunately, Renzetti's work on "Under the Rainbow" earned him a Razzie Award for worst musical score. And Billy Barty earned one as well for worst supporting actor.

Evidently, Rash had signed a deal to make a movie for Orion Pictures, which was a new company at the time. He was contractually obligated to cast Chevy Chase. The result was this movie.
"Under the Rainbow" is a lousy movie, and a waste of talent. The moral of this story is supposed to be that no person's dream is too big to accomplish. That's completely lost on me with all the cheap humor, nonsense, and sub-plot after sub-plot...after sub-plot. Sadly, when I woke up, none of it was a dream. If only that were the case.  

The Kid (1921)

"A picture with a smile - and perhaps, a tear."

Director

Charlie Chaplin

Cast

Charlie Chaplin - The Tramp

Jackie Coogan - The Kid "John"

Edna Purviance - The mother

Carl Miller - The father

Tom Wilson - The policeman

Charles Reisner - The bully

Twice have I claimed on this blog that I consider myself a great admirer of Charlie Chaplin, praising his genius and theatrical mastery all while criticizing two of his films - "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) and "A King in New York" (1957). 
How impudent of me, but not really. 
Chaplin's movie "The Kid" from 1921 is a film I've wanted to post my thoughts on for quite some time.
I'm willing to bet all my DVDs that the majority of people alive have at least one movie they'll watch again and again, and never grow tired of. For me, "The Kid" is one of those movies.  
There are several Chaplin movies I love as I find his artistic creativity and careful dedication to telling a story that hits all the right chords with an almost flawless balance of comedy and drama truly inspiring. 

Chaplin wrote, produced, directed, composed, and acted in a majority of his films. Most importantly, he thought the stories through scene by scene, line by line. 
Directors like Chaplin, who have the sharpest eye for detail, don't come around often. Stanley Kubrick is the only other director that comes to mind whom I would put on the same level as Chaplin. 

His first full-length movie "The Kid" is a film about family bond above all else, forgiveness, and repentance.
It brings to mind a quote from the 2000 movie "Finding Forrester." In that film, Sean Connery's character "William Forrester" gives a speech in which he discusses family. 
"Losing family obliges us to find our family," Forrester says. "Not always the family that is our blood, but the family that can become our blood. Should we have the wisdom to open our door to this new family, we will find that the wishes we had for the father who once guided us, and for the brother who once inspired us, are not merely wishes at all. A family is not what you always imagine it will be." 
The movie opens with a woman (Edna Purviance - Chaplin's leading lady in several of his pictures), unwed and alone, leaving a hospital with a baby in her arms. "Whose sin was motherhood," the title card reads. 

There's no one to greet her at the hospital. She walks with her newborn baby, lost, through the streets wondering where to go and what to do next. 
As she goes from one place to another, her life now changed, an image of Christ carrying His cross to Calvary slowly fades into frame, and then fades out.
The mother passes by a large house with a limousine parked out front. An idea comes into her head. 
She thinks about it for a moment, and then places the baby in the back seat of the limo with a note attached asking that whoever finds the child to please take care of him. 
After she runs off, two thieves approach the car making sure the coast is clear. 
Once they think no one is looking, the steal the limo without noticing the baby in the back. 
They drive to a dirty alleyway in the slum part of town. When they park, they hear the kid crying. So, they place him by some garbage cans, and drive off as quick as they can.
Charlie comes along, unaware of everything going on, and finds the abandoned baby. There's a carriage nearby with another baby inside. He thinks who ever that carriage belongs to must have dropped their other kid. So, he puts the baby inside.
The mother comes out and catches him. She starts beating on him for messing with her child. After a few more attempts to give someone else the baby, he sits down and tries to come up with a plan. Charlie finds the note and then chooses to take care of the child himself. 

Jackie Coogan and Charlie Chaplin.

Despite living in a ramshackle home in the slums, with no money and very little possessions, he still cares for the baby.

Five years go by. Not only has the bond between the Tramp and the kid become as strong as a father and son relationship, they also have a working partnership. He and the kid work together repairing windows. 

The kid's job is to throw rocks at random windows without getting caught. Charlie's job is to coincidentally walk by after the damage is done, and offer to repair them. 

Meanwhile, the mother has since become a renowned singer. Despite the attention and fame, she still carries the guilt of abandoning her son. To make some kind of penance for her sin, she spends her free time helping the poor living in the slums where Charlie and the kid live.

During a visit, the woman sees the kid watching her as she hands out toys to other children. She doesn't realize who he is as she gives him a toy, which he accepts fondly.

He plays with his new toy, which may be the only toy he's ever been given, as she departs. A bully sneaks up behind him, snatches it, and runs off. 

The kid chases him and, in no time, they're engaged in a fist fight out in the street. 

The bully's big brother comes on scene, as does Charlie to break up the fight. But the big brother insists the kids fight. Not necessarily keen on the idea, Charlie interferes. In no time, Charlie and the older brother are fighting. 

The mother returns, breaks up their fight, and offers counsel to Charlie and the bully's brother.  

When the ruckus is settled, the kid isn't looking too good. The mother advises the Tramp to call a doctor.

After the doctor arrives and examines the bedridden kid, he learns Charlie isn't the boy's father. He shows the doctor the note he found with the kid five years ago.

The doctor reports this to welfare workers who show up later with a police officer to take the child away. 

Charlie, however, doesn't let them take the kid so easily. He fights back, rescues the kid, and runs away.

After he's gone, the mother comes by Charlie's home to see how the boy is fairing. She bumps into the doctor who tells her they're gone, and shows her the note. She recognizes that it's the same note she left with her baby years ago.

Hiding from the authorities doesn't last long. The law soon catches up with Charlie, but all is not lost for him. His care in raising and loving this orphan child despite his poverty when no one else would doesn't remain unappreciated. 

The drama cuts deep in this comedy.

Chaplin's method of storytelling is so delicate, precise, and masterful. Without saying a word, he controls the audience's emotions like a child holds a balloon. It's his true medium.

"The Kid" is a perfect example of how well Chaplin can tell not only a great story, but an emotionally compelling one and still make room for humor that's neither out of place nor inappropriate for the subject at hand. 

The acting is absolutely accomplished in this silent film. 

In one scene, Edna chats with a woman on the sidewalk outside the Tramp's home. She asks if she can hold this woman's newborn baby. As Edna holds the baby, her smile begins to fade. The pain and regret of the past creeps onto her face as she looks in the camera. No words are spoken. Her expression speaks volumes. At the same time, the kid walks out of the house behind her, unaware that his true mother is standing right there. And Edna is just as unaware that her child whom she's thinking about is standing behind her. 

The most emotional scene in the story occurs when the cop and welfare workers hold Charlie down while forcefully snatching the kid out of his arms. One of them takes the kid, whose kicking and screaming, and puts him in the back of their truck. Some women are standing by outside the Tramp's home watching this occur.

The child, sobbing profusely, pleads and begs with these women to help him. But there's nothing they can do. 

In desperation, he turns his gaze to heaven, and begs God to help.  

As the doctor and the police officer restrain Charlie inside, he stares into at the camera with a face full of pain and fear, listening to his boy's cries from outside. But he can't get to him. It's one of the most heart wrenching scenes in silent film history, as far as I've seen. 

This is where Jackie Coogan's powerful performance comes in. He was about seven-years old when he appeared in "The Kid." Coogan masters the art of conveying a ton of emotions in this movie - anguish, joviality, shyness, and feigned innocence. But this scene showcases how truly great a young actor Coogan is.

Watching his performance as the kid being ripped from the arms of the only father he's known is exceptional, amazing, and tear-inducing. 

Incidentally, Coogan, whom I've heard referred to as "America's first child star" continued his acting career into his adult years. He's well known for playing "Uncle Fester" in the sitcom "The Addams Family." 

Each time I watch "The Kid," it leaves me with the same questions. QWhat happened after the mother meets the Tramp at the end, knowing he indeed loved and cared for her child when she felt she wouldn't be able to?
Also, what did she decide to do with the real father?

The copy of "The Kid" I have is on VHS, distributed as part of the "Charlie Chaplin Centennial Collection" from MK2 and Warner Home Video. It's packaged with his 1921 film "The Idle Class." 

The version I re-watched the other day is on Amazon Prime streaming service. This streamed version didn't have the movie score I'm familiar with. It also has some scenes that aren't included on my VHS copy. One scene in particular, which was new to me, shows the mother attending a suave party. As she walks in, she sees the man with whom she had her child out of wedlock with. 

The smiles leave both their faces when their eyes meet. It's an awkward moment, and that sentiment spills into the audience. 

The woman politely excuses herself onto the patio. The gentleman follows her without trying to draw attention to himself. 

Out on the patio, the two exchange a few words, but then say nothing. They stand there silent, not looking at each other, contemplating their past together, and what became of their son. This scene answered that question I had. What did this woman decide to do in regards to the kid's father?

According to imdb.com, Chaplin decided to release a new version of "The Kid" in 1972. The website claims this new version was given a new music score composed by Chaplin. 

He also re-edited the film, and cut a few scenes featuring the kid's mother as he thought they were toosentimental for modern audiences. My guess is that my VHS copy is the 1972 version of the film while the version streaming on Amazon is the original cut.

Chaplin did something similar to his 1925 film "The Gold Rush" but that's another post for another time.

His soundtrack for "The Kid", just like so many of his other soundtracks, fits the film so perfectly. Not very many soundtracks capture the mood of the characters as well as this one. It's flawless. I consider it, hands down, one of the best music scores in film history. Even as I download images from the movie onto this post, the dramatic soundtrack plays in my head. It's a memorable and crucial part of the story.

Still, I wish there was an epilogue to this story. Did the boy stay with Charlie as he was the only father he had? Did the woman give the Tramp a better place to stay, and an opportunity to work an honest job? Did the child stay with his real mother and keep in close contact with the Tramp? I guess it's for the audience to decide. One thing is certain, the Tramp is the true father in this story. 

He's not the blood father, but the father that can become such to the child. After all, a family is not what you always imagine it will be. 

There are a handful of films I think are such a foundational part of our American cinematic culture. Films like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "Citizen Kane", "The Wizard of Oz" and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" are among such films. They should be seen by everyone at least once. Chaplin has a few such films, and "The Kid" is without a doubt one of them. It's visual proof of Chaplin's theatrical expertise.

Atoll "K" (1952)

"It's like playing hooky." 

Directors

Léo Joannon

John Berry (uncredited)

Cast

Stan Laurel - Stan

Oliver Hardy - Oliver

Suzy Delair - Chérie Lamour

Max Elloy - Antoine

Suzet Maïs - Mrs. Dolan

Adriano Rimoldi - Giovanni Copini

Luigi Tosi - Lt. Jack Frazier

Laurel and Hardy's final film together, "Atoll 'K'" is also their first film in five years following their 1945 movie, "The Bullfighters." 

Having seen a large majority of Laurel and Hardy movies, mostly their short films, I have never seen their last one until recently.

I happened to find a copy at a Half-Priced Books in Omaha, Neb., for $2.50. I had to tap into my soda money to purchase this flick.

Back in the 1950s, "Atoll 'K'" went through production hell. And in the years of home video marketing, it has gone through distribution hell. 

This movie fell into public domain rather quickly.  

According to the book "The Final Film of Laurel and Hardy: A Study of the Chaotic Making and Marketing of Atoll 'K'" by Norbert Aping, a copyright for the film was never filed in the U.S. (p. 193)

"Atoll 'K'" becoming public domain resulted in the distribution of various poor-quality versions, which is what generally happens with public domain films. They're a quick and easy buck for home video companies. 

In a 2008 article called "The Final Film of Laurel and Hardy" writer Phil Hall points out that there's no true version of the movie "Atoll 'K'."

"Four very different versions were theatrically released: a 93-minute French-language version known as 'Atoll K,' a 97-minute Italian version called 'Atollo K,' a 96-minute English-language for British audiences called 'Robinson Crusoeland,' and an 82-minute U.S. release called 'Utopia'," Hall says.

The copy I have, under the title "Utopia (aka Atoll K)" is from Platinum Disc Corporation and is packaged with their 1939 feature film "The Flying Deuces." 

The quality of the overall picture and sound isn't very good. This is a letdown as the package claims the movie is digitally mastered. 

It seems poorly edited at times, too. I don't know if that's the distribution company's fault, or just the way the my cut of the movie happens to be like. 

Based on the run time of 82 minutes, I'm assuming the version I have is the U.S. cut. 

Still, there's a better quality version on YouTube. 

And one YouTube channel - a personal favorite of mine - called "Hats Off Entertainment" has a fan-made edit of the movie which runs a little over one hour, with better sound and picture quality. 

So, what's this movie about?

Stan inherits a boat, an uninhabited island, and a ton of cash from his rich uncle. However, thanks to piles of taxes and legal fees, his monetary inheritance is diminished considerably. He's left with the boat, the island, and a few bucks.

Miffed, Stan and Ollie decide to take the ramshackle boat and head out to the private island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. They decide they want to get away from taxes and laws.

They're accompanied with a nationless refugee named Antoine (Max Elloy), who works as a chef while on the boat. There's also a stowaway on board named Giovanni Copini (Adriano Rimoldi). 

During their voyage, they hit a terrible storm. While trying to navigate through the tempest, an atoll emerges from the water and saves them. 

The four of them decide this atoll is going to be their new home.

A nightclub singer named Chérie Lamour (Suzy Delair) finds her way onto the island in an attempt to run away from her jealous fiancé, Lt. Jack Frazier (Luigi Tosi). 

They welcome Chérie onto the island, and form their own Republic calling it "Robison CrusoeLand." 

They create their own constitution, form their own laws, declare that no one will be taxed, decide what roles each of them will play in governing their new land, and even work on making a flag to represent their nation.

(Left to right) Adriano Rimoldi, Oliver Hardy,
Max Alloy, and Stan Laurel.

Everything goes well until uranium is discovered on the atoll. This leads to other nations of the world going to war over who will claim ownership of the island. 

Greedy adventurers start arriving in boatloads, swarming the shores of the Robinson CrusoeLand.

Soon, the founders of Robinson CrusoeLand find themselves about to be lynched when, by some miracle of nature, an eruption sinks the atoll back into the ocean. 

A ship happens to be sailing along and rescues them. 

It takes Stan and Ollie to the real island Stan inherited. And their left with nothing but the consequences of not paying their taxes. It ends with Ollie's familiar catchphrase, "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into." 

"Atoll 'K'" is co-directed by John Berry and French writer/ film director Léo Joannon. Just this fact of the film's production is tainted in craziness. Berry's name is uncredited as he was blacklisted by the U.S. House Un-American Activities Committee for refusing to cooperate with their investigations into Communist infiltrations. Berry was one of several other Hollywood writers and directors who refused to cooperate. American filmmakers Edward Dmytryk and Frank Tuttle both claimed Berry was an alleged Communist. 

As a result, Berry exiled himself and his family to Paris. He was living in France when he was hired to co-direct "Atoll 'K'." 

"While Berry never acknowledged working on this film, [Norbert] Aping was able to get confirmation from leading lady Suzy Delair that he was, in fact, responsible for co-directing much of the movie" Hall says in his article. "Berry's presence was problematic, given that any word of his participation would have killed a U.S. theatrical release. It is unclear just who okayed Berry to be part of the film, and it is equally uncertain which scenes were his and which were directed by Joannon."

As "Atoll 'K'" was produced in France, some of the actors, especially Max Elloy, have their lines dubbed in English. It threw me off while watching it. I didn't know if that was an issue with the sound quality or not.

U.S. audiences didn't see the movie's release until 1954.

At first the film's scenario seemed odd for a Laurel and Hardy picture. But having watched it for the very first time a few days ago, and thinking about it, it really isn't an odd situation for the two considering all the short movies they've done together. 

They've played piano movers, police officers, prisoners, Rhodes Scholars, each other's sisters, Foreign Legion Soldiers, gypsies...the list goes on. So, being the founders of a republic on a small island in the middle of the ocean makes just as much sense. Yet, it's still a film that's unique among all their other pictures.

Stan's appearance in "Atoll 'K'" says a lot about the pair. In all respect, he looks old and unwell. Evidently, he was sick during the production of movie. Sadly, it shows.

Ollie, too, was ill. According to imdb.com, he was suffering from cardiac fibrillation and the flu.

No wonder Stan and Ollie don't have the same gusto and energy like they used to in the 1920s and 1930s. This makes their appearance feel more like a novelty than as comedians to laugh at. Again, I say that with all reverence to these guys. 

That's not to say the movie is void of comedy. It's there.

One scene in particular had me laughing. All the guys are sitting around the table eating when Cherie walks in. They subtly try to see if she's single or not. Stan asks an indirect question, and Cherie mentions she has a fiancé. Soon, all the guys at the table are sobbing uncontrollably. 

In another scene when Oliver is elected the president of Robinson CrusoeLand, he starts handing out governmental positions to the others in their small group. 

Stan, of course, is left out. When he asks Ollie what his government position is going to be, Ollie replies, "Why Stanley, you're the people." 

Stan objects, not wanting to be "the people."

So, Ollie tells him there's more of him than there are of the them - the leaders.

Despite the flaws, Laurel and Hardy made as best an effort as they could to make something different from what they made before with new routines, a new story line, and an original scenario. 

Whether they knew this would be their last movie or not, they certainly accomplished something that stands out in their filmography. 

It's a shame that the movie received poor reviews at the time of its release. 

It showcases new gags, such as Stan leaning out of the boat's porthole, trying to calm the storm and crashing waves with a small can of oil, and actually succeeding.

Also, as a running gag, Stan adopts a pet lobster which he names Oscar. He takes care of Oscar like a true pet, gives him his own lobster house, and even burps him like an infant. 

Though Laurel and Hardy didn't make any more films together after "Atoll 'K'," they did return to the stage in a European tour a few years after the movie's release. And they did rather well on this final tour of theirs. It's the subject of the 2018 biopic "Stan & Ollie" which I thought was a great movie.  

Still, being their last film, the creativity to make something unlike what they've done before is very present. Despite all the hell "Atoll 'K'" has been through, Laurel and Hardy deserve applause for this movie, as well as a nod, and a heartfelt "Well done, boys!" 

Check out my first review on this blog - Pack Up Your Troubles