This minor Mankiewicz post War classic sets up a bit of a contrived situation, three wives/friends who receive a letter from a mutual friend stating that she has run away with one of their husbands, but without telling them who. And while the narrative plays out the scenario of each of the women rethinking the state of their marriages with predictable conventiality, a surprisingly smart examination of marriage, fidelity and career expectations of women in the burgeoning feminist age emerges.
'Cleopatra', notable for being the most expensive movie ever made, the subject of heavily-consumed gossip fodder, and it’s place as one of biggest Hollywood ‘flops’ of its time, carries a lot of baggage. But unlike the glorious rediscovery and new appreciation of Michael Cimino's equally-loaded 'Heaven’s Gate', 'Cleopatra' never surmounts its expectations as a bloated and creatively bland sword and sandal picture.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring: Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, George Sanders, Edna Best
***
By Alan Bacchus
Part haunted house story, part searing cross-dimensional love story, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir paints a wonderfully textured gothic romance with all the intrigue and heartbreak of a steamy romance novel. But with Mankiewicz's moody tones and Bernard Herrman’s typically entrancing music, the movie waxes and wanes with much emotional grandeur.
Gene Tierney, as Mrs. Muir, is a recently widowed mother, who leaves her former life behind to live in a hilltop Victorian seaside house. The landlord is not shy to inform her that the ghost of the former owner, a grizzly but handsome seaman named Capt. Daniel Gregg, continues to inhabit the house. But ironically, Mrs. Muir loves the idea of a house with 'character'. The ghost is quick to make his presence known and introduces himself to the lady. The ghost then inspires Muir to express her creative side by 'ghost' writing his memoirs.
Meanwhile, Miles Fairley, a smarmy fellow author whom she meets at her publisher's, pines after Mrs. Muir with a suspicious aggressiveness. His possessiveness slowly comes to bear under the nose of Muir. Of course, Daniel notices and knows the truth about Fairley but needs Muir to discover the truth herself, no matter how painful that will be.
As the ghost/former sea captain, Rex Harrison embellishes all the clichés of a gruff sailor with charm and scene-chewing delight. Under the Hollywood production code, a surprisingly lustful sexual desire between him and Mrs. Muir is buried beneath the surface. Part of the deal between Muir and Gregg is that he can appear only in Muir's bedroom, which brings its own naughty connotations. In fact, one could argue Mrs. Muir is drawn to the ghost by a deep sexual attraction she never experienced with her former husband. Her drab marriage is characterized by a statement to her landlord – that her pregnancy with her daughter 'just happened'. And the dirty old sailor even remarks about observing Muir's naked body, but can't touch it.
Under the direction of Mankiewicz the production design and lighting of the grand old house contributes as much to the gothicness as the salacious material. The exterior backdrop behind the grand bedroom changes from lovely sunset to harsh lightning storms to foggy engulfments in order to express the mood of the scene. The night time moon, which comes in through the window as it reflects off the bustling waters, creates some deliciously expressive shadows at night.
But the film is made memorable by the genuine relationship that emerges between the ghost and Mrs. Muir. The emotional climax hits a surprisingly profound moment when Capt. Gregg says his painful goodbye to her while she's sleeping, asking her to “choose life”.
Dragonwyck (1946) dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz Starring: Gene Tierney, Vincent Price, Walter Huston, Glenn Langan
***
Joseph L. Mankiewicz was one of Hollywood’s most prolific and successful writers, producers and directors. After 17 years as a writer, Mankiewicz’s first attempt at director was an adaptation of an Anya Seton novel, “Dragonwyck”. The book was a large potboiling American gothic melodrama, which Mankiewicz expertly condensed and distilled into a 100min film. The film is a classic brooding chiller full of ghostly apparitions, haunted houses, psychotic madmen, against the historical backdrop of early colonial America.
The story takes place in 1844 New York, a humble god-fearing young gal named Miranda Wells (Gene Tierney) is asked by her wealthy cousin, Nicholas Van Ryn (Vincent Price), whom she’s never met, to be caretaker to his young daughter. Miranda desires to escape the drab farming existence of her father (Walter Huston) and become a woman of society. Miranda travels to the brooding fortress of a home which is dubbed “Dragonwyck”.
Despite the snobby objections of the other aristocrats, Miranda is ingratiated into the upper class of New York by the charming yet aloof Van Ryn. There’s more to Van Ryn than just charm though, he’s rules his lands like a tyrannical despot, which angers the humble farmers. There’s also talk of the ghost in the house who plays the harpsichord at night. After Van Ryn's wife dies he courts and marries Miranda and over the course of several years makes her life a living hell.
Though Gene Tierney and Walter Huston get top billing, the film is a showcase for a young Vincent Price. It’s a great brooding performance who brings the elegance, charm and mystery to the Van Ryn character, an early indication of the horror film star he'll soon become.
Harsichords, shadowy mansions, ghostly curses make for a great Hollywood melodrama. But the film begins wholesome and bright and gradually moves to the shades of grey and deep black. Early on Mankiewicz establishes a John Ford-like tone. The cheerful music and bright black and white cinematography in opening act reminded me of Ford’s “How Green Was My Valley”. In fact, Mankiewicz hired the same DOP (Arthur Miller) and the same composer (Alfred Newman). The masterful talents of these craftsmen help Mankiewicz gradually shift the tone toward the dark side.
In addition to the mystery of Van Ryn and his nefarious intentions for Miranda, there’s a historical story about the land owning policies of the Patroons, which the Dutch settlers brought over to their New York colony. Though everyone is American now, the remnants of this Dutch class system continued to exist. The film was made in 1946, and I think Mankiewicz may have got away with some subtle Communist subtext. The conflict between the land owning Van Ryn and his farmers who are not allowed to own the land they work on continually eats at Nicholas, until, in the end he is beaten by the steadfast workers.
Mankiewicz would explore class rivalry and social politics to even greater effect later in 1950’s multi-Oscar winning “All About Eve”. Mankiewicz would go onto a great career well into the 1970’s bridging the old studio system and the film school generation. “Dragonwyck” is a fine first film to rediscover.
"Dragonwyck" is available on DVD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in their new 'Fox Horror Classics, Vol 2' box set
All About Eve (1950) dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz Starring: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Hugh Marlowe
****
Part II of my Bette Davis reviews is one of Hollywood’s all-time classics, “All About Eve” – an enthralling satire about the nasty politicking in the New York theatre scene. It’s a great American film about ambition and greed. With today’s current eyes, it survives well as a commentary on the country’s own socio-economic values system.
The film opens with an awards ceremony in honour of a lauded theatrical actress, Eve Harrington. Instead of focusing on Eve we see the reaction of a group of people attending. It’s surly bunch, politely applauding but thinly hiding their disdain for the diva. Much like “Sunset Boulevard” tells the fall of Joe Gillis, the film flashes back to tell the sordid story of Eve Harrington.
Eve Harrington is introduced as a starstruck fan waiting outside the theatre to catch a glimpse of the stage’s top star, Margo Channing (Bette Davis). Eve gets the introduction of a lifetime when she’s allowed backstage to hang out with Channing's theatrical coterie - the same group of people at the awards ceremony. Margo empathizes with Eve’s dreams of working in show business and takes her under her wing. Slowly the innocent charity-case becomes a leech that needs to be burned off. Margo’s behaviour with Eve becomes abrasive and she soon lets her go. But by this time Eve has already cozied up to Margo’s friends, which make her look like a raving mad Diva. Eve’s stock rises and becomes a bigger star than Margo alienating all her friends and becoming a ego-driven maniac.
Eve takes Margo’s charity, then exploits and warps it creating her own career from the burned bridges of everyone she stepped over. In many ways, “All About Eve” dramatizes the old show business adage, be careful who you step on on the way up because you'll meet them on the way down. Writer/Director Mankiewicz manages to avoid all cliched traps and never let anyone fall back on caricatured or familiar performances.
“All About Eve” is a big film told small. The film spans many years and shows the gradual transition of Eve’s character from naïve outsider, to a sly conniving show diva. But the film is remarkably small in production scale and budget. Only a few studio locations and sets are used, and even when the action moves outside the director employs some rather rudimentary (and dated) process shots.
What doesn’t date is Bette Davis’ magnificent performance and Mankiewicz’s bristling dialogue, which is virtually incomparable to today’s films. If this film were made today, it would have been easy to play into the archetype of the bitchy Broadway diva, a la, “The Devil Wears Prada”. But watching the progression of the story, we side with Margo. Though she’s caught in the bitchiest political catfight, Margo's frustrations rarely boil over and she manages to escape with her own personal pride intact.
It’s theme of greed and corruption translates well to today's world as well – in fact, it will be relevant in any day, because as long as we live in a free-market democratic world there will be climbers and cheaters who will stop at nothing to get what they want. Enjoy.
“All About Eve” is part of the Bette Davis Collection from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment”. See also my review of “Phone Call From a Stranger”
