rsgwynn

I was reading a Wikipedia article on "yelllowface" in the movies. There was.a long list of examples of the practice, but I was frustrated that My Geisha wasn't listed. I kept reading and found it in a secondary list, probably because the audience is aware of the movie's premise--a great example of the extended use of dramatic irony. I saw it when I was 14; I was already a fan of Shirley MacLaine and was surprised that this comedy had some dramatic depth to it. Some of the location photography is stunning, and it was my first introduction to Puccini's music. Well, I haven't seen it since and probably never will just so I don't have to watch Bob Cummings reprising his "ladies man" routine, which was pretty funny on his tv show but lays a huge egg here. Yves Montand is always a pleasure, as is Edward G. Robinson, playing light for a change. Shirley is pretty good as well. My one bit of praise is for the "revelation scene," which makes a clever use of film technology to wake up the inattentive M. Montand. I think I saw it twice, mainly for the music. If you're an opera fan, you should see.the 1995 film version of Madame Butterfly, which I rate as one of the top five filmed operas.

When you're in your 70s and can remember details about a movie that you saw 50 years ago, it does say something about the quality of the film. I don't think I'd care to watch it again--I'd probably be disappointed--but I'll never forget the look on Richard Thomas's face after he trips and falls into . . . No, I won't do a spoiler. Thomas has always been a fine actor even though his post-Waltons' career has been spotty. Desi Arnaz, Jr., is very fine, and it's a shame that his personal problems ran his career off the rails. And Catherine Burns? Two classic film roles and she was pretty much done with her film career, though she did continue as a writer. This odd little movie deserves a better reception and wider audience than it got. I can't verify its availability on dvd, but I suspect it would still hold up well with younger audiences. Back in the day, you'd had a lot of trouble finding a movie that took teenagers seriously. The enveloping action of World War II is both distant and present. A good comparison with an older movie might mention The Human Comedy, with Mickey Rooney doing a serious role while still being thought of as a "chikd star."

I'd never seen this one before and came across it looking for Alec Guiness movies. I found it enjoyable and historically accurate. What's curious is that Peter Ustinov's film version of Melville's Billy Budd was released the same year. Both stories are set against the background of the Napoleonic wars and the Nore and Spithead mutinies. Also, both feature truly evil antagonists, Dirk Bogarde in the former and Robert Ryan in the latter. Of the two films, I rank Billy Budd higher; it tells a story with some depth, and the acting is superb. Terence Stamp made an impressive debut as the ill-fated Billy.