It is Falsely Accused week over at Wandering Through The Shelves, and I think I am getting old timer's disease. There are so many movies with this theme...Hitchcock loved this theme but my mind went blank. I decided to stay away from one of my favourite directors (Hitch) and actually went to 2 newer movies (newer in my mind) so let's get on with the show...
1. SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS-1941
This is a brilliant film by Preston Sturges and one that people should see at least once. It actually inspired the Coen Bros to make "Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou." The film was written with Joel McCrea in mind as Preston didn't want anyone else but him to star as the director of comedies. McCrea plays Sullivan, a rich, Hollywood director of escapist comedies but he wants to make a film about the reality that people are facing every day-poor, downtrodden, unable to find work so he decides to go out on the road with only 10 cents to his name to understand the true meaning of what the average joe is going through. The first day turns out to be a disaster but he does meet a beautiful, out of work actress ready to give up and go home. He brings her to his home and when she realizes he is not a bum but a rich director, she pushes him in the pool. Ahhh...love! The next time, he decides to try again but she comes with him. After being separated and he is hit over the head with a rock to steal his money and shoes. When he wakes, he has amnesia and ends up in prison-10 years hard labour. What happens, well, watch the movie. It is not just a comedy but it does hit the dramatic points about people who live on the edge of society. All are treated with respect. Veronica Lake is the girl who was famous for her peek-a-boo hairstyle and was so happy to get the part she didn't tell Preston she was pregnant until she showed up on set and Preston nearly killed her (he didn't touch a hair on that head of hers). The famous costumer, Edith Head, created outfits to hide her pregnancy. Unfortunately, she was known as one difficult beyutch and Joel McCrea vowed never to work with her again (he did, years later). See it if you can.
2. PRESUMED INNOCENT-1990
Harrison Ford plays a lawyer for the district attorney. he appears to be happily married with a nice home and a lovely son but not all is at appears because he had a lusty affair with a fellow colleague. What's worse is that she has been raped and murdered and he looks to be the prime suspect. he hires the great Raul Julia to defend him and we learn, in flashback, how the affair started and ended. Harrison is stating he is innocent but ...is he? Brian Dennehy (one of my favourite actors) plays the District Attorney who also had an affair with the gal and we learn this gal was climbing up the ladder on her knees. I enjoyed this film which made me think if he did it or not until the very end. I also love the music which was composed by John Williams.
3. DOUBLE JEOPARDY-1999
I really like Ashley Judd and, boy, does she kick ass in this thriller about a seemingly happily married woman who asks her dear friend to babysit her son while she and her husband, played by Bruce Greenwood, can have some sexy time on their yacht. Poor Ashley wakes to a bloody mess which is all over her, the sheets and on top. She finds a knife which she, stupidly, grabs onto looking at the bloody railing. At that point the coast guards come and arrest her. The police drag the lake but can't find a body but, she is convicted & sentenced to prison for the death of her spouse. Her child has been taken by her friend who soon leaves town, son in tow. Ashley finds out where her friend went and calls her so she can speak to her son. While she speaks to him, she hears her son yell, "Daddy!" She realizes that her bastard husband is not dead at all and realizing she can't be charged for the same crime twice, she starts her revenge. When she gets out of prison, on good terms, she must stay at this home run by the parole officer which is Tommy Lee Jones who is watching her every move. Of course, you know Ashley will be on the road looking for her bastard of a husband so she can get her son and Jones will be hot on her trail. Ashley Judd holds the film together and, although there are some issues with this movie, it is still quite good and fun to watch. Ashley Judd deserves to make films that utilize her talent.
So what films can you come up with??
Hi, Birgit!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen film #1, Sullivan's Travels, but I can tell from the clip that I would like it. That car scene was long and shot in a single take with no cutaways, but it was delightful. The dialogue was natural, dialed-back, the chemistry excellent. Actresses like Veronica Lake who come across as very subdued, almost to the point of being "wooden," have always appealed to me because they resemble real people. Notice how they refer to films as "pictures" over and over again. I appreciated Veronica's comment, "I don't care for musicals. They hurt my ears." :) Interesting (I hope) tidbit: My gallery of framed classic horror movie posters includes the gruesome Flesh Feast (1970), Veronica Lake's final screen performance.
It shocks me to realize I never watched Presumed Innocent. I enjoy legal dramas and admire Ford, Julia, Dennehy and Bonnie Bedelia. It's a mystery why I never saw this one because I saw Witness, Working Girl, Regarding Henry and the Indiana Jones movies that were released during that time period.
Yessum, I have seen Double Jeopardy. Ashley Judd is a big favorite of mine, star of the film that tops my list of favorite movies, Ruby In Paradise. I was heartbroken when she badly injured her leg in Africa a year ago and nearly died. I hope she is recovering and can resume a normal life.
For my movie pick in this category, I'll go with one that's common as dirt:
"All right, listen up, ladies and gentlemen, our fugitive has been on the run for ninety minutes. Average foot speed over uneven ground, barring injuries, is 4 miles per hour. That gives us a radius of six miles. What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area."
- The Fugitive
Thank you for the morning entertainment, dear friend BB, and enjoy the rest of your week!
You will really like Travels and Presumed because they are well done, in my humble opinion. I have not seen Flesh Feast but I know about and know it was her last film before she sadly passed away. She led quite the life that’s for sure.
DeleteYou have to see this Harrison Ford drama/Thriller. He was so big in the 80s.
I’m glad you like my last pick but I didn’t know that she hurt her leg. I will have to look this up. I expect The Fugitive to be very popular today.
Harrison Ford does a lot of that type of movie since The Fugitive came to my mind first.
ReplyDeleteYes, he does and that movie should be popular this week.
DeleteI've seen Sullivan's Travels, but I'm not sure about the other two. Were they remakes? They sound familiar, but not with those actors.
ReplyDeleteFirst one that I thought of was The Wrong Man (1956) with Henry Fonda. My wife and I watched that one last year. Also the classic Shawshank Redemption. A personal favorite of mine is Jean Claude Van Damme's JCVD.
Lots of films in this category I'd say.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
I don’t know if the last 2 are remakes....it wouldn’t surprise me though. I know The Fugitive would be popular this week. I love Shawshank-brilliant film. I have n9t seen this Van Damme flick.
DeleteThe only one I've seen is last one. Ashley Judd did quite a number of thrillers in the 90s and early 2000s.
ReplyDeleteShe is great. I love her.
DeleteI loved Double Jeopardy. One of my all time favorites.
ReplyDeleteIt is such a good movie...so enjoyable,
DeleteI thought of Presumed Innocent right off. I'm glad to see you did, too. Double Jeopardy is an excellent movie. I haven't seen Sullivan's Travels. Right off, I can't think of any others that work but this is the kind of plot I really like.
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you like my 2 movies that are newer films, Sullivan is a really good film. Many Hitchcock films use this theme.
DeleteHi Birgit,
ReplyDeleteTerrific choices!
Double Jeopardy is ridiculous at times but deliciously so with both Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones biting into their roles with a great deal of relish.
Likewise Presumed Innocent has some crater sized plot holes but thanks to that astonishing cast it goes down very easily. I am also a huge fan of Brian Dennehy, he had a unique presence that he could shift between puppy dog adorable and unsettlingly ominous but always tinged with humor. I’m also a huge Bonnie Bedelia fan and while she had a very respectable career it was never as big as it should have been.
I haven’t seen Sullivan’s Travels in years but it’s an excellent picture. LOVE Veronica Lake and the brevity of her career is unfortunate. Having read her autobiography and various other stories about her it’s pretty obvious from a modern perspective that she was bipolar (she had even been diagnosed as schizophrenic in her teens but her mother fearing the shame of such a thing simply ignored it and never sought treatment for her…nor apparently told her!) So her infamous difficult behavior and self-medicating heavy drinking seems much less borne of ego than illness. She was a fascinating screen presence and when cast properly enchanting.
My first thought was Harrison Ford’s The Fugitive a film that’s a great thrill ride. There’s also Atonement and my favorite Bogart and Bacall picture-Dark Passage. They are very good in it, but Agnes Moorehead steals it as the venomous Madge.
Yeah, they both have plot holes and some improbable issues but both films are so much fun. I had no idea that Lakers mom did this to her....how so very sad and cruel. I think some people with bi-polar can be nice but flawed while others are not nice but flawed. It’s all in how their brain functions and controls their behaviour. I find behaviour so interesting to be honest and have met people with bi-polar disorder who are so sweet while others are not but they seem to have other issues like paranoia. Regardless, she was talented and, I think, strong to speak out which women are not supposed to do. She died way too young.
DeleteThe Fugitive should be popular this week. I have not seen Dark Passage yet...the only Bogie & Bacall film I have not seen. I can’t stand Atonement.
The only one of these I've seen is Double Jeopardy. I don''t think movies and when I read the themes you publish, I come up blank. I'm impressed how you come up with choices every week. Hope all is well.
ReplyDeleteI bet you can come up with books. I am glad you come by every week to read this.
Delete"The Fugitive."
ReplyDeleteTV show and movie. Both awesome.
My mom told me that no one went out the night the TV show ended by finding the one-armed man. It was a huge audience who watched it considering the amount of TV people had back then. I watched the show, the movie and the TV show remake that didn’t last.
DeleteWhenever I hear about Double Jeopardy, I think of People Will Talk. Because I remember how it wasn't actually double jeopardy, and in People Will Talk, there was a similar setup. You've seen People Will Talk with Cary Grant, right?
ReplyDeleteNo! I have not seen it and it stars one of my favs, Jeanne Crain. I have never seen it come up in my neck of the woods but have wanted to see it for a long time,
DeleteBIRGIT ~
ReplyDelete'SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS' is a really nice, somewhat obscure (in 2022) choice.
Of course, the *best* is 'IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE' (George Bailey was *NOT* responsible for the missing $8,000!)
In 'MIRACLE ON 34th STREET', the real, authentic, genuine Santa Claus is falsely accused of being insane.
Just a few nights ago, I re-re-watched 'TO CATCH A THIEF', in which Cary "The Cat" Grant is falsely accused of stealing expensive jewelry.
And, by the way, 'ROGER RABBIT' was innocent!! Even the movie's title screamed out the fact that the rabbit was 'FRAMED'!!
There are tons of options for this category!
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Yes!!! It's A Wonderful Life is a perfect fit as well as Miracle. To Catch A Thief is another great choice which Cary did well in these types of roles. Roger Rabbit is a perfect choice too and I should watch this one again.
DeleteI really enjoyed Double Jeopardy!! It was fun to watch Ashley Judd kick some major butt in that movie.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was. She was a strong character
DeleteDouble Jeopardy is popular this week and I've never seen it in full. I haven't seen any of your picks in their entirety this week.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to see them in full one day. Yes, This film is popular...I thought it would be The Fugitive.
DeleteI'm also a fan of Ashley Judd's and enjoyed Double Jeopardy but haven't seen the other films. Thanks to your always excellent synopses, I'd like to! The first one that came to mind for this theme (after Double Jeopardy) is The Shawshank Redemption.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you saw the one and like reading my synopsis. Love, LOVE Shawshank but I thought it would be everywhere this week plus, I had used it twice before.
DeleteYou’ve given me 3 movies to put on our Netflix list. The Joel McCrae one first. I had a crush on him when I was a teenager. The one movie that comes to mind is Shankshaw Redemption. I’ve seen that umpteen times, and will probably watch it again and again.
ReplyDeleteI, too, had a big crush on Joel McCrea and wanted to meet him. Shawshank is perfect and LOVE that film.
DeleteHi Birgit, great movies this week and I've seen two of them, not the first one though. Like the comment above, I though the Shawshank Redemption was a brilliant movie, and clearly shows how justice can go awry. Hope you are keeping well, Kate x
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you saw 2 and Shawshank is brilliant. I am doing well and thank you for asking.
DeleteEven though Double Jeopardy was my fave, Presumed Innocent was an excellent thriller.
ReplyDeleteHuge congrats:) Hugs. Enjoy your weekend.
Yes, I am glad you like Presumed as well.
DeleteI picked Double Jeopardy as well - though it really wasn't that good a movie 😂
ReplyDeleteIt would never win awards but I like it better than you did:)) It's a fun flick to watch.
DeleteFirst, congrats on getting the job. Second, I have actually seen one of these, Double Jeopardy, which it appears as have most of your loving fans. Always love reading what you think of each of these, though.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I am happy you have seen that film which is fun to watch.
Delete