Bad Day at Black Rock

 

You know what one of my favorite things is?  

When you have a movie you have been meaning to watch, but you just can't bring yourself to do it.  Maybe you promised someone under duress that you would see it.  Maybe you just aren't in the right mood.  Or maybe it's the type of film that just seems like "homework."  

Well, I love it when you watch one of those movies and it just blows you away.  I had that experience with Bad Day at Black Rock, a film I've been meaning to see for about a decade and finally forced myself to sit down and just watch.  And I am so glad I did. 

One dusty afternoon, the train stops in the tiny town of Black Rock.  The townspeople are instantly suspicious because the train hasn't stopped at the Black Rock station for years.  And even more suspicious is the one-armed man named John J. Macreedy (Spencer Tracy) who steps off the train and immediately starts asking questions about a missing Japanese farmer named Komoko.   Confronted with a dark secret long thought buried, the townspeople all react in different ways to Macreedy's inquisitiveness - some with evasiveness, others with obstinance, and others with violence, but the one thing they all have in common is that they refuse to answer any of his questions.  And, basically, that's it.  There isn't much more to the plot.  

There is no doubt that this film is a slow burn.  There are a few tense encounters, sure, but most of the movie really is Macreedy just walking around the town, having conversations with people.  This is not a fast paced film.  I also don't think the mystery is very mysterious at all.  It really doesn't take long for the audience to figure out the town's secret, and that unfortunately makes the plot itself less interesting.    

But who cares?  Look, I know what I just wrote doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement, but Bad Day at Black Rock is a terrific film. And I think the mystery itself (or the lack of it) doesn't really matter.  In fact, I don't think the movie even really cares about it.  Bad Day at Black Rock is more interested in the behavior surrounding the mystery.  The personal dynamics.  The suspicious mentality of a small western town that is slowly rotting away.  

And the film is also a fascinating study on societal bullying.  It's not really a depiction of playground bullying; this is more of an instance of when a bully is able to get his way in a town that should know better through the sheer force of his aggressiveness.  The effect is so complete that some folks in the town don't even realize that they've been beaten into submission and actually look to that bully for leadership.  It's frustrating to see because it's real.  We've all seen that happen at one time or another.  There's a sort of synergy in the town between the community leader and the rest of its citizens.  Nobody is really happy, it seems, but it works and life goes on.  And then you add a wild card in Macreedy who just keeps walking around, amiably asking his questions, and causing cracks to form in the community's shield.  The movie almost feels like a morality play, and it's really interesting to watch.     

So back to those conversations I mentioned.  The movie has a lot of them, but they aren't boring when they are as well written and as well acted as these.  This film has a superb cast.  In addition to Spencer Tracy, you have Robert Ryan, Walter Brennan, Dean Jagger, Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin.   Between those actors, you have 17 Oscar animations and 9 Oscar wins.  That's quite a high caliber cast, and they all deliver.   The Oscar-nominated direction was by John Sturges, who also directed The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven, and the script by Millard Kaufman was also nominated.  I also think the cinematography by William Mellor probably deserved a nod.  The film certainly makes the most of the widescreen cinematography, capturing the bleak desert and the mountains that frame it in the distance.  But I was more impressed with how the town was shot.  Black Rock is a dying town.  The tiny main street is aped by the surrounding barrenness, in danger of being swallowed by the dust and rock.  It's a strong visual depiction that either represents the last of the Old West being subsumed by the modern world or the rot that is seeping in and killing the town because of its dark secret, or maybe a little of both.  Either way, it works beautifully.  

Bad Day at Black Rock's producer Dory Shary was always attracted to films that had a social conscious, and I am sure he saw this film as an allegory against McCarthyism and the Red Scare.  But I was also impressed with its take on xenophobia.  World War 2 was still fresh in everyone's mind and here was a movie that was already questioning the injustice of the Japanese internment camps, and confronting those who hated Japanese-Americans because of their heritage.  Granted, it tries to tackle this subject without a single Japanese-American in the cast, but still...it's a step in the right direction.  For the 1950s, I was impressed with the mature and professional way the script weaves this thread in, without once seeming preachy.  

And at the end of the day, that is thanks to Macreedy himself, Spencer Tracy.  Tracy was always known for his very naturalistic style, and that is a huge asset to this story, which could have easily fallen into moralistic preaching.  There is not a word that comes out of his mouth that I don't believe.  And the impact of his performance resonates.  

I could keep going on, but that's probably a good place to stop.  I don't want to ruin anything!  I went in knowing very little about Bad Day at Black Rock, and maybe it's better than you do, too.  Sure, not much happens in the story, but it is a movie I wanted to immediately watch again as soon as it finished.  And that doesn't happen often.  

MVP:

Even with a cast this good, there is no doubt in my mind.  The MVP is Spencer Tracy.  He is just playing on a different level than everyone else (and everyone else is really good).  As I was watching Bad Day at Black Rock, I realized I had actually never seen a Spencer Tracy movie before.  I'm not sure how that is possible since I love classic films.  I had seen It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, but that doesn't count because he's barely in it.  No, this was my first Spencer Tracy movie and I am bit embarrassed to say that.  Don't be surprised if you start seeing more Spencer Tracy movies pop up on this blog sometime in the next year!  :) 

BEST LINE:

Macreedy: You know, I know what your trouble is, son.  You'd like me to die quickly, wouldn't you, without wasting too much of your time; or quietly, so I won't embarrass you too much; or even thankfully, so your memory of the occasion won't be too unpleasant. 

TRIVIA:

Dore Shary knew his man.  He knew what the film needed.  Spencer Tracy was clearly Macreedy.  But for some reason, Tracy kept turning the part down.  I'm sure there were a number of reasons.  I read that he felt he was too old for the part, which to be fair, he kind of is.  But Shary knew that Tracy was the best man for this part.  He had the script rewritten so that Macreedy was a one-armed man, hoping that the acting challenge would entice Tracy.  The esteemed actor was tempted, but still refused to commit.  Finally, Shary found the trick that would win his man over.  He sent a memo to Tracy telling him not to worry about it any more.  Alan Ladd (Shane) had agreed to take the part.  Tracy reacted immediately, calling Shary to get his part back.  

Taras Bulba

 

Before we get into this, please be warned.  There are going to be a lot of SPOILERS in this review!  

I think by now, we all know that epics are my favorite genre.  Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Spartacus, Ten Commandments and Ben Hur are among my favorite movies, and I even make time for those lesser epics like El Cid and Cleopatra, flawed messes that are nonetheless fun for me.  I try to seek these movies out when I can.  But there was always one movie that eluded me for one reason or another - 1962's Taras Bulba.  I remember as a kid seeing that badass image of Yul Brynner, confidently mounted on his horse, the sun reflecting off his iconic bald head, his scimitar flashing in the sun, and I knew this was movie I had to see.  

As I got older, I learned more about Taras Bulba and most of what I read wasn't good.  It was a box office success, but had still underperformed and lost money.  While it wasn't considered an outright disaster, I guess you could say everyone involved walked away disappointed.  And it is a shame because there is a lot of talent on display here.  Director J. Lee Thompson was coming off two powerhouse hits with Gregory Peck, Cape Fear and the Oscar-nominated Guns of Navarone.  The script was adapted from the iconic Nikolay Gogol novel by two well regarded screenwriters, Waldo Salt, who would go on to win Oscars for Coming Home and Midnight Cowboy, and Karl Tunberg, who was one of the writers who worked on Ben Hur.  Tony Curtis was in the midst of a remarkable run of hits that included Some Like It Hot, Operation Petticoat, Spartacus and The Great Imposter.  And the title character, Taras Bulba himself, was played by Yul Brynner, the major box office star whose last big role was in the iconic western The Magnificent Seven.  

I also really appreciated that Taras Bulba focused on a time period and location in history that largely goes ignored in movies.  The story picks up in the 17th century Russian steppes.  The Cossacks, a fierce band of nomadic cavalry, ally with the Imperial Polish army to defeat the invading Ottoman Turks.  Instead of celebrating, the Polish army turns on their allies and uses the opportunity to conquer the steppe.  Taras Bulba, infuriated by the betrayal, vows to never rest until he has his revenge on the Poles.  Decades pass and some semblance of peace returns to the land.  Taras Bulba agrees to send his two sons Andrei (Tony Curtis) and Ostap (Perry Lopez, Chinatown) to be educated in Kiev - the goal being to learn more about the Polish so that information could be used in any upcoming war.  But instead of focusing on his studies, Andrei falls in love with the daughter of a local aristocrat, Natalia (Christine Kaufmann, Last Days of Pompeii).  And of course, we all know that is going to lead to all sorts of problems.  

But the biggest problem is that this movie kind of stinks.  No wonder it was considered such a disappointment, when there is this much talent behind the scenes and in front of the camera.  So what went wrong?  I think the biggest problem is the critical miscasting of Tony Curtis.  Never in a million years could I believe that the middle aged Tony Curtis could be the son of a middle aged Yul Brynner.  It makes all of their scenes together utterly ridiculous, whether it's their giddy wrestling matches or their bonding over upcoming battles.  I just can't get past it.  Whenever Curtis says, "yes, poppa" or "no, poppa" (which is often), I just roll my eyes.  But it's more than that.  I often read people criticizing Tony Curtis's performances in period films.  Though he made a lot of historical movies, critics these days really seem to prefer him in comedies or more contemporary material.  I've read reviews that joke that he has trouble hiding his New York accent or that his acting just isn't good enough compared to his co-stars.  I don't agree with that.  I found him to be very effective in both Spartacus and The Vikings.   But in Taras Bulba, all of those criticisms are completely justified.  He isn't even trying.  Everyone else seems to understand they are in a movie about Russian steppe in the 17th century, and Tony Curtis just strolls on in with his 1960s swagger and his 1960s haircut, and he tries to woo young Christine Kaufman with his 1960s charm.  He just sticks out like a sore thumb.  

It does not help that Christine Kaufman was 16 at the time, and Curtis was 37.  It also does not help that in real life, Curtis fell in love with Kaufman, shattering his marriage to Janet Leigh.  Curtis and Kaufman were married a few years later, when she turned 18.  I know it was a different time, but this really bothers me.  But this behind-the-scenes drama didn't ruin the love story in the film for me.  It ruins itself because it's just not well done.  I read about the romance after I had seen the film, and it just kind of made everything worse.  

At a certain point, the movie has to make a choice.  During post production, it became clear that the film was going to be too long.   So what to cut?  Do they can spend the time on Tony Curtis and his unbelievable love story, or should they focus more on Taras Bulba himself, who, you know, the movie is named after.  They chose Curtis, cutting many of Yul Brynner's scenes, infuriating the actor.  

Look, I don't want to lay the whole blame at Tony's Curtis' feet.  That's not fair.  And the bad decisions in this film were not his.  I put a lot of the blame on J. Lee Thompson, as well.  He was the captain of this ship and some of that oversight is just a mess.  He tried some editorial tricks to "modernize" the film, such as blurring out the sides of the frame whenever they do a closeup of Natalia, in a goofy way of representing Andrei's love for her, or the whiplash editing at a Cossack party that is more appropriate in a 1960s French sex farce.  That's not to mention the laughable special effects - some ridiculous rear projection that puts Curtis and Brynner in the center of the battles, or - spoiler alert - the rag dolls dressed as Polish soldiers that are thrown off "a cliff" at the film's climax.  You're telling me that with a budget this big, they couldn't afford more realistic looking rag dolls or an actual real cliff?

But most of all, the movie is a disappointment because this could have been something really cool.  The movie's setting is different and intriguing, Yul Brynner is amazing, and there are some moments in the movie that really are terrific - yes, even some including Tony Curtis (I really like the extended and genuinely tense sequence where he tries to infiltrate the Polish fortress).  And I have to give a special mention to the film's most famous scene - where the Cossacks are gathering their forces for battle.  Yul Brynner's Cossack band is riding in the steppes to glorious music by Franz Waxman, and at a certain point they see more Cossack horsemen in the distance; everyone yells a cheery hello and the bands join up and keep charging ahead as the music kicks it up another notch.  And then they run into another group, yell hello, join forces and the music kicks up yet another notch.  This keeps happening until thousands of horsemen are galloping through the plains to Waxman's blistering music, blinding columns of dust trailing behind them.  It. Is. So. Cool.  And gives a taste of what this movie could have and should have been.  

So is the movie really that bad?  No, to be fair, it's not.  It's a handsomely made picture and there is some good stuff in there.  This is not The Tartars.  But in some ways, it feels worse.  This is just a huge missed opportunity and a waste of a lot of talent.  Disappointment really is the best word for it.  

MVP:

The MVP for Taras Bulba is an easy choice.  I do want to give an honorable mention to Franz Waxman for the score.  Bernard Hermann, who composed Citizen Kane and Psycho said that Taras Bulba was the finest movie score ever written.  I would never say that, but that "Ride of the Cossacks" cue is easily one of the best cues ever composed.  It is just an immense and masterful piece of movie music magic.  That is not enough to put him in serious contention for MVP, but it's worth a mention. 

No, the MVP is easily Yul Brynner.  He connected deeply to the role and sank himself into it.  He loved this character and he embodies him to the point that you cannot imagine anyone else possibly playing the part.  When Brynner is on-screen, he utterly dominates the picture and everyone else pales in comparison to his forceful and at times emotional performance - which is what you want in your Taras Bulba.  This character should be a force of nature, and I still remain utterly baffled that the filmmakers muffled their greatest asset for huge portions of the movie's runtime, preferring to focus on Tony Curtis instead.  Oh, I'm sure the studio thought Tony Curtis would bring in a bigger box office.  I get it.  But they were wrong.  This should have been Yul Brynner's movie.  But even muzzled, he is still the MVP.

BEST LINE:

Taras Bulba: From the day I plunged you in the river to give you life, I loved you as I loved the Steppes.  You were my pride!  I gave you life.  It is on me to take it away from you.

TRIVIA:

Yul Brynner really did poured his heart into this character and this film.  And he was so disappointed by the result, that according to his son, Rock, he never again put himself into his film performances.  He would care about his craft on the stage, but movies were now just for the paycheck.  And you can see that in his filmography.  Before Taras Bulba, you have Ten Commandments, Anastasia, Magnificent Seven, The Brothers Karamasov, The Sound and the Fury, and his Oscar-winning performance in the King & I.   Not all of them were good, but they were all classy productions.  After Taras Bulba, it doesn't take long before he falls into material like Morituri, Invitation to a Gunfighter and Flight from Ashiya.  Sure, we have the iconic Westworld coming up in the 1973, but that was a blip on the radar that was followed by movies like The Ultimate Warrior and Death Rage.  Damn it, Taras Bulba, your greatest crime is that you broke Yul Brynner.  How many amazing performances in great movies did you cost us!?