Classic Film Review: Monkey Business (1952)

I have to preface this review by saying that I really can't remember when I watched a film that made me laugh as hysterically as this one. Starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe and Charles Coburn, Monkey Business tells the story of absent-minded professor Barnaby Fulton (Grant) trying to come up with a formula for the fountain of youth. His boss Mr Oxley (Coburn) is very interested in the idea while Fulton's wife Edwina (Rogers) just has to deal with her husband being a little more scatty than usual. Barnaby thinks he's got the formula right and tests it on himself - what he doesn't know, however, is that instead of his formula working one of his chimpanzees has turned scientist and mixed another version of the formula into the laboratory water bottle... Chaos ensues.

There were so many hilarious scenes in this that I can't list them all. For instance, Edwina's first effects from the formula lead her to put a fish down Mr Oxley's pants. Rogers's comic ability really shines through in this film, particularly when she uses a slingshot to hit secretary Miss Laurel (Monroe) on the rear end. In fact, even popping gum is hilarious when Rogers does it. Not to be outdone, Cary Grant dresses up as an Indian brave in order to scalp a love rival and flies down a laundry chute when he loses his glasses. Miss Laurel is the only one never polluted but Marilyn Monroe is at her lightest comic best. The effect of all this is one of the best comedy films I've watched in years. Not bad for 1952.

Film buffs also might be interested in the fact that while Monkey Business co-stars Monroe and Coburn prior to their success together in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), it also has a small appearance by child actor George Winslow as a little Indian. Winslow played, of course, Henry Spofford III in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the young man who helps Monroe's character out of a porthole amongst other things. He may only have a few lines in Monkey Business but he makes them count.

Book Review: Kind of Cruel by Sophie Hannah

I'm a big fan of Sophie Hannah's novels, as any regular readers of this blog will probably know. Kind of Cruel had one of the oddest premises yet. Amber suffers from severe insomnia after the death of her friend in an arson attack two years earlier which landed her as guardian of her two children. She finally visits a hypnotherapist and the words 'Kind, Cruel, Kind of Cruel' come back to her for no reason she can think of. She accosts a woman she saw writing just before her appointment to ask her if she'd seen the words in her notebook - unfortunately, this woman happens to be police officer Charlie Zailer and Amber suddenly finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation. The words happen to be the only clue that the police have in the investigation of another murder, that of primary school teacher Kat Allen. However, these things aren't the only ones worrying Amber: she periodically wonders why her sister-in-law and her family disappeared on Christmas Day in 2003 before returning the next day without a word.

That explanation is as succinct as it gets, I'm afraid! The plot is so tightly wound that you really need to be awake to follow it but, as I've found with all of Hannah's books, it's a satisfying one. The 'who' gradually becomes clear but the 'why' is still up for grabs right until the final pages. Amber's scenes with hypnotherapist Ginny were intriguing and well-researched, raising some excellent points about memory and lies. Equally, the serial elements of the books were not neglected - the relationship problems between Charlie and Simon Waterhouse are as potent as ever. What I wasn't expecting, though, were the laugh-out-loud scenes involving DI Giles Proust at the beginning of the novel. I don't think I've ever laughed so much at a crime novel of any variety. The character's become something of a legend in these books but this time he really surpassed himself. I get the feeling Hannah likes writing him as much as her readers enjoy the finished result.

All in all, I think Kind of Cruel is close to the top of my list of Hannah's fiction. It had a brilliantly intricate plot combined with forward-movement of serial elements and made me think: what more can you ask for in a book?

To Lose Momentum or Not?

One piece of writing advice that I've always tried to recall at moments of despondency is 'push on'. That's right: don't stop and think for an instant or you'll lose your enthusiasm and the first draft of whatever you're writing won't get finished. That attitude has got me through two NaNoWriMos in one piece and with a completed draft at the end of them. I've been working on a little something new (nicknamed 'horrible mad story' in my head) and had just crossed the 6,000 word mark yesterday when I realised a fundamental aspect of a primary character wasn't right. A combination of research and common sense told me I needed to change it because it affects what's been and what's to come. But my instinct rebelled against going back and rewriting at this early stage. What to do?

Well, it needs to go. How can I write the rest of the novel with consistency if I know there are bits to change earlier on? The best case scenario is that it'll be a bit disjointed; the worst case one is that it'll lead to something completely fragmented and I'll have to rewrite it excessively anyway. I really might as well do it now, right? Sort out the basics and then I can move on and hopefully finish a first draft quickly.

Trouble is, I'm nervous. If I slow down and retreat I could easily lose the momentum for this story and believe me when I say I HAVE to write it for the sake of my own sanity. But I know I can't justify writing lots of stuff that I know I'll have to completely alter later. I don't have time to play around like that. So I have to rewrite it. Oh, good!

Power Cut Fun

Some regular readers of this blog might recall that since late last year we've been struggling with some doggy anxiety-issues. Fortunately, we worked out a solution that at least kept her calm - we leave the dining room light on for her twenty-four hours a day (it's a good thing we're on energy saving bulbs!). The last vet we saw seriously mentioned that she may have doggy dementia. She's getting a little old so we want to just try and keep her calm. All well and good. Until the power decided to cut out at six o'clock on a Saturday morning!

I was woken suddenly, not really grasping what was different in my room (turned out there was no light coming through from the landing). Then I heard the usual banging as she threw herself against the door then the anxious pacing as she circled the room. I waited to hear it again before I moved. Downstairs, I realised why she'd been panicking but I originally thought the bulb in the dining room had finally blown because I was too bleary-eyed to realise I'd walked down the stairs in the dark and that I couldn't turn the kitchen light on. It took me a good few minutes to realise I was being idiotic trying to find a fresh bulb.

So what could I do? I couldn't leave her there because she'd kick off and wake my father up so my only option was to stand with my eyes half-open in the kitchen staring at the garden through the window. Three hours sleep does nothing for my sanity. Luckily, the lights came back close to seven o'clock. I left the dog with Sky News to calm her down (yes, doggy abuse) and went back to bed. But once I'm up, I'm up. Not sure I got more than an hour of sleep and I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience. If I'd found out the power cut was down to cable theft I would've gladly tracked down the culprits and strangled them with their own ill-gotten gains. However, I think it was just a plain old surge. No violent retribution for me then, just irritated sleepiness.

Classic Film Review: River of No Return (1954)

River of No Return tells the story of Matt Calder (Robert Mitchum) reunited with his young son Mark (Tommy Rettig) in the Rocky Mountains after being released from prison. Mark has formed an attachment to singer Kay (Marilyn Monroe) while waiting to be collected. The trio later meet again when Kay's gambling partner Weston (Rory Calhoun) nearly crashes the raft the pair are on and Calder saves them. Kay and Weston are trying to file the deed for a gold mine Weston won in a poker game. When Calder refuses to give up his precious rifle and horse, Weston steals them. Kay elects to stay and look after an injured Calder but the pair along with Mark are forced to flee when Indians attack. What follows are lion and Indian attacks and the trials of the treacherous river they travel on.

I was a little underwhelmed by this one. Monroe really wasn't at her best (for 'best' see There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)) and seemed out of place in a Western. There was little chemistry between her and Mitchum, although both the leads had a good rapport with Tommy Rettig as young Mark. That - along with the beautiful scenery - was the film's saving grace. The few songs were instantly forgettable and only served to show off Monroe's body. This was unnecessary, I thought, since later on she was forced to adapt to her rustic setting and male fans got more than eyeful then. The Indian scenes were as stereotypical as in any 50s Western and the script was a little bland. Monroe, especially, seemed to struggle with her but, then, her character had more to say than Mitchum's brooding one. 

I can forgive bad performances or a bad script but rarely both in the same film. This film was spectacular for the on-location shots but forgettable for almost everything else. 

Book Review: Nella Last's War

I've wanted to read these diaries since I saw Victoria Wood's adaptation Housewife, 49 a few years ago. The diaries chronicle WWII as seen from the perspective of a middle-aged mother in Barrow-in-Furness. Nella Last suffered a nervous breakdown before the war but the renewed purpose she gets from various war-related activities separates her from her old self. She has a no-nonsense work ethic that permeates everything she undertakes but she still suffers from war fear and especially the fear that her youngest son, Cliff, will die when sent abroad. She becomes more than just a housewife and, even while the war wreaks damage everywhere, Nella's personal story is a revolutionary one.

It's easy to understand why these diaries are so compelling. Nella's voice is an everyday one in many respects but her attitude seems to contrast with some of the people around her. For instance, she wants to do everything she can and really isn't interested in getting involved with the 'politics' of which woman does what. This wins her short-term disapproval but long-term respect. She also refers to her marriage in stark terms, particularly towards the end of the war when she dreads going back to the existence where she stays in with her husband constantly. Much of the discourse I've read around WWII sees it as revolutionary for younger women, helping to set a new order for the years to come. However, Nella's story is one of an older woman grasping a fresh image of herself and her purpose. It's a very heartening book in that respect. She chronicles the good alongside the bad, the horror alongside her trips to a nearby tranquil lake. The voice that comes across is intelligent and thoughtful but rarely maudlin. There are some entries that are shocking, particularly the one where she admires Hitler for the killing of mentally ill people. Her argument is not one I'd accept today but I can see where she's coming from in the context of the day.

One thing that irritated me about this book was no fault of Nella's. Entries spanning over a year between the beginning of 1944 and May 1945 were lost when the Mass-Observation collection was moved. It interrupted the flow of the work and meant that a lot of domestic things we'd been following suddenly jump along a few paces. We don't get to read about Nella's first impressions of her daughter-in-law or how she reacted when her other son was injured and returned to her. However, the beauty of these diaries is that the gaps can be filled in because there is so much of Nella in her entries. I almost know how she would've reacted and, while it doesn't make up for it, it's a nice thing to be able to say after reading a book of diaries. I'm looking forward to reading the next collection that looks at Nella's life in the 50s.

The book contains some helpful explanatory notes at the end, including a list of people and a glossary. It also includes an afterword penned by Cliff Last which sheds light on Nella's later years and the lives of the main players in the diary. I'll leave you with Nella's final paragraph from her entry celebrating the end of the war in the early hours of 15th August 1945:

"I feel disappointed in my feelings. I feel no wild whoopee, just a quiet thankfulness and a feeling of 'flatness'. Dear God knows what I'd imagined it would be like. I think I'll take two aspirins and try and read myself to sleep." (p298)

Classic Film Review: Primrose Path (1940)

Primrose Path tells the story of a young woman, Ellie May (Ginger Rogers), whose family comes from the 'wrong' side of the tracks. This family includes an escort mother (yes, I'm being euphemistic), a failed alcoholic father and a mouthy little sister who is under the spell of her selfish maternal grandmother. Ellie May is a bit of a tomboy, deeply upset by her father's failings and disapproving of her mother and the gifts she brings back after she's been away. Encountering a man near the beach (and stealing his wallet in the process), Ellie May falls instantly in love. Ed (Joel McCrea) marries her after she spins him a lie about her family disowning her. When this secret comes out it threatens their marriage but things at the family home are about to take a tragic turn.

Rogers was fantastic in this. When she first appeared in pigtails she was extremely cute (think Doris Day in On Moonlight Bay (1951) and she passes through trying to be feminine to attract Ed, being a ballsy waitress at his diner and, finally, evolving into a strong woman who is comfortable in herself and beautiful to boot. Here are the before and after shots:

Quite a difference! The supporting cast worked very well, particularly Miles Mander as the drunken father. Queenie Vassar played the manipulative grandmother with few redeeming features better than anybody else could've and even the actress playing Ellie May's younger sister was less irritating than most child actors (and went on to play Agnes in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). Overall, I think this film was well-written and well-acted though I don't think Ed is a particularly enticing hero. This film was my first experience with Joel McCrea so I'm not too sure about him. Ginger, however, has cemented her place at the top of my favourites list: pigtails or not.