Raw Deal

When I think of Noir, I think of John Huston

Not this time though, now I'm thinking Anthony Mann.

Raw Deal is Noir.

There is a jail break, two women fighting for the affection of a tough-guy, police chases, gun fights with bad guys, cigarettes, booze and seedy hotel rooms. I think that is every item on the Noir checklist.

Raw Deal is realistic black & white action/adventure in the hard boiled streets of 1940's San Francisco. The film, while focusing on the flight to freedom for Joe Sullivan (a recent escapee from prison) is truly telling the sad love story of his long-suffering and devoted girlfriend Pat.

Pat is played by Claire Trevor.

Claire Trevor

...right, never heard of her.
In fact, I had never run across any of the cast - Denise O'Keefe, Marsha Hunt...

Oh wait

I have heard of the dude that played the bad guy - Raymond Burr
Seeing him in a role other than Perry Mason or Ironside was fantastic.
He was not a good guy. Raymond Burr added a dimension to Raw Deal
by portraying the villain with real depth. He was tough, merciless and cowardly. It was enjoyable to see him get his desserts.

But back to Claire - this is her story, and in keeping with the tradition of Noir, she is jealous of the other woman (this time played by Marsha Hunt). She watches the man she has invested so much of her life into fall little by little for the woman that they both need to ensure their escape. It is an unmanageable position and she can only continue to fight her way to safety while hoping for the best.
It isn't until later that she seizes the opportunity to "solve" her problem at the expense of the other woman.

The peak comes as Claire realizes that she'll never have Joe's heart and sends him to save the woman that is competing for his love. This finale is a master class for Noir with as much heartbreak as there is action. 

SPOILER BELOW

It ended with Claire watching the man she loved die in the arms of the woman he loved.
Poignant, hard and gritty. The only end possible in this King of Noirs.

The Long Hot Summer

I don't know very much about Paul Newman

I've seen Butch Cassidy and I've seen Cool Hand Luke - loved both those movies, but for some reason, I've never given Newman much thought. So it really didn't cross my mind to check out The Long Hot Summer, and honestly, I have no recollection as to why I decided to watch it this weekend. But I suppose Malcolm Gladwell would say I've hit the tipping point, because now I'm a real fan.

So the specifics:
The Long Hot Summer is a 1958 melodrama directed by Martin Ritt
It stars not only Paul Newman, but also Joanne Woodward and Orsen Wells. <in fact, Ritt became known as "the Orson tamer" due to his diplomatic handling of the emotional star>.

IMDB has a 7.4 rating and Rottentomatoes says 88% fresh - not bad

This is a well established classic and you can find lots of details online if you like.
I really just want to comment on how much I enjoyed this film.

At first, I didn't know how to categorize this film. Usually I'm watching Noir or Horror. So this is the first time that I've identified "melodrama" as a style that I enjoy.

But now as I mull it over a bit, I put The African Queen at the top of my favorite movies list, so I suppose it makes sense.

Here was a movie where the heat and grittiness of the weather combined with the story to immerse me as a viewer.

The story line was involved and engaging. Newman was a newbie to town and as a smart "quick" guy, he in short time, ingratiated himself with the leading business man. Now the fun starts as the family responds to an outsider that is on such good terms with the father that none of them can please.

Acting: 
This is an A List cast. Performers at the top of their art - and so many names!

First of all, who can resist Lee Remick as Eula :)
She was a fantastic party girl with nowhere to party.
 
Eula's husband Jody was played by Anthony Franciosa. He nailed the 1950's angst as young Varner (reminded me of Sal Mineo's performance in Rebel without a Cause. 

Orson Wells was a surprise as well - what a powerful portrayal of a hard headed , self-made business man.

And Angela Lansbury was there too - giving life to her tough, seen-a-lot-of-life character.

Music: 
The soundtrack fit the picture well and the opening tune with Jimmy Rogers set the tone

I certainly recommend this film - in fact, I did recommend it over lunch today.
You can find it on Netflix right now.

The Kennel Murder Case - Noir?

I'm not sure what made me think that this Philo Vance adventure was billed as a noir, but it isn't.

First the facts:
This is a 1933 mystery drama that runs 1:33.
It stars William Powell (later to do the Thin Man series)

It is entertaining, but being so early, the production values are not what they were even for the Thin Man series. Even this digitally remastered version had some challenges.

But if you are a fan of The Thin Man, then you will understand the feel of this film. It is light-hearted, while not as comedic as the Thin Man. What struck me as I expected a noir, was a total lack of grit or underworld culture. This was a foray into sophisticated society.

The action starts with very little per-amble. We jump right into the action. It is a bit of a jolt and it is very important to pay close attention as characters are being introduced left and right. I had a hard time keeping track of who is who (but not to worry, it eases up and all becomes clear later on).

Robert Barratt is the villain and does a fine job making himself a target by alienating everyone he comes into contact with and Mary Astor helps add to the intelligence of the plot. There is a good scene where she is alluding to a confession and recants when she learns more around the circumstances of the murder. It was worth-while to read between the lines and see how she was suspecting her boyfriend and covering for him and then backing out as she learned it was impossible for him to have committed the crime.

So as I was saying, this was more of a Holmesian adventure and they probably should have credited Arthur Conan Doyle. It had more in common with the Basil Rathbone Sherlock series (that would come later in the 1930's) than it did with the noir style that I think started in the mid 1940s.

But if you like little dogs running about discovering dead men (this foreshadowed Asta), and comedic police that depend on independent detectives to do their work, then this is a fun, enjoyable film.

On the minus side, there is some minor racist commentary - maybe to be expected in a film from the 30's. However, at least they hired an Italian and Asian actor to portray these characters.

So while I was disappointed that I didn't get the noir that I was hoping for, I did have a bit of fun.

The Lark Ascending - A Tale of Two Violinists

One of my favorite pieces of music is Vaughan Williams' "The Lark Ascending".

It is majestic, fragile, happy, sad, vibrant, subdued and emotional.
Every note, every harmony is perfect from the beginning of the piece until it whispers to an end after 16 minutes.

This "pastoral romance for orchestra" resonates through the listener with an almost spiritual bliss. It brings me back over and over again.

I think I probably heard it first on Laura Carlo's WCRB program. [She has introduces me to much of my favorite music]  Because of my love for this piece, I became curious as to how other musicians and conductors handled it. The questions in my mind were - "would I love every rendition?", "how different would it be with another conductor?"

There are no shortage of versions of this amazing work. However, being a bit of a Julia Fischer fanboy, I of course started there. Actually, I was researching her violin...

Julia played the Booth Stradivarius for ~ four years.

Haven't you wondered how a top-shelf virtuoso chooses the instrument that they play? How they care for such a treasure? I often even wonder what the responsibility of care-taking a priceless human wonder (like an original Strad) would feel like. So as I was reading about the Booth, I discovered that it was once owned by Iona Brown. <question arises> what must she have sounded like - to play such an insrument <end question>

After a quick search on youtube, I found Iona playing The Lark Ascending :)
A very happy discovery for me.

So now I have two of the most wonderful classical musicians of our time playing the same piece (maybe on the same instrument?).

Iona's version was recorded in 1972 with the Academy of Saint Martin in-the-Fields (Neville Marriner conducting).

Julia's was from a 2011 recording with Orchestre Philharmonique De Monte Carlo.

The obvious difference is the quality of the recordings. After all, it was a 40 year interval between the two. The Iona Brown version sounded weaker with the violin a bit further down in the mix. I suppose with modern recording, Julia's performance was able to be brought forward, as it is more pronounced.

Aside from technical improvements, the two recordings are strikingly similar.
Both artists are masterful in their renditions and both supporting orchestras are flawless.

Listen to Iona Brown's version on youtube: CLICK HERE

Listen to Julia Fischer's version on youtube: CLICK HERE







So a fabulous piece of music with many wonderful interpretations.
In fact, as I am writing this, I am listening to the wonder Hilary Hahn (2 x Grammy winner) perform this piece with the London Symphony Orchestra - and her heartfelt rendition may become one of my favorites. Listen to it here