The Bridge at Remagen

One Memorial Day I don't know how many years back, I stumbled across a WWII movie on Turner Classic Movies that I'd never seen before, much less heard of.  1969's The Bridge at Remagen is based on a WWII battle, but because of a general lack of big names -- whether it be the director or the cast -- is not mentioned in discussions of other 1960s MGM war movies. It is a product of the times as America was fully involved by 1969 in Vietnam, but it is a very effective look at the closing days of the war.

Too often war movies pick a side and go from there, disregarding the other side completely.  Some of the better ones at least attempt to show both sides of the war.  It is said of war that 'the victors write the history books' but in many ways, the soldiers on either side are very similar.  They're fighting because that is what they're told to do, their superiors deciding what should or shouldn't be done.  Director John Guillermin splits time evenly between the Americans and Germans, giving an excellent look at one of the key battles late in WWII with an underrated cast and some great action.

It's March 1945 and the German armies are in full retreat.  The Allied forces are nipping at their heels, chasing them back into Germany.  The German High Command has ordered all bridges over the Rhine River destroyed to help slow down the Allied charge, but one bridge at Remagen remains. General Von Brock (Peter van Eyck) sees that 75,000 German troops will be cut off if the bridge is destroyed and instead sends a close friend and fellow officer, Major Paul Krueger (Robert Vaughn), to hold the bridge as long as possible. Just miles away, the Allies charge forward hoping to catch the German defenses napping, at their front an armored infantry unit commanded by Lt. Hartman (George Segal), who after weeks at the point is leading an exhausted unit.  But pressure from HQ and the battalion commander (Bradford Dillman) keeps the men going, hoping to end the war as quickly as possible.        

Where this reflects the times is the portrayal of a war near its end, the soldiers deteriorating with pure exhaustion.  The end of the war is near, and the Germans are turning on each other.  Vaughn's Krueger is promised a defense that doesn't exist and reinforcements that can't be moved.  The SS and Gestapo run rampant, ruling with an iron fist.  The ranks are thinned by deserters, and refilled with old men and young boys.  The Americans are always on the move, pushing themselves and the Germans to their absolute limits.  They're bone tired but they have no option but to follow orders.  The rules of war are gone to a certain point, and survival has taken priority over everything else.  It is a cynical story at times, the effects of war wearing men down on both sides.  Frightening at times to see the portrayal of the closing days of the war presented in a realistic fashion.

The portrayal of the opposing forces is seen through the eyes of two junior officers, both with different missions but driven to the same point.  Segal is perfect as Lt. Hartman, a company commander at his wit's ends when it comes to commanding.  He's trying to protect his men as best as possible, but HQ has their objectives.  Guest star E.G. Marshall as an American general callously states "100 may die, but 10,000 will be saved." An honest statement in the big picture, but when you're part of the 100, does it matter?  Across the river is Vaughn's Krueger, a career German officer -- not a Nazi -- disobeying orders but still trying to save as many men as possible.  The two actors don't share any scenes together, but there is a bond between them nonetheless.  They may be on opposite sides of the war, wearing different uniforms, but in many ways they're the same.

In the honest portrayal of a war in its closing days, both sides aren't shown as particularly heroic.  Ben Gazzara is a scene-stealer as Sgt. Angelo, one of Hartman's men who is a good soldier under fire but rubs the Lt. the wrong way by picking clean the bodies of dead German soldiers.  Gazzara is so good in the part that you forget at times how despicable his actions are.  He balances the good with the bad, the power of his actions wearing on him.  Forced to kill a Hitler Youth teenager, he almost snaps when confronted.  All of the Americans aren't shown in a positive light, including Hartman's unit which includes Bo Hopkins, Matt Clark, Robert Logan, Steve Sandor, and Tom Heaton. Dillman's Barnes is a good officer but he has no idea how to interact or treat his men. The Germans too are at each other's throats.  Look for Hans Christian Blech in a solid supporting part as one of Krueger's officers.

Bouncing back and forth between the American and German perspective could have caused a disjointed story, but that's never really a problem.  Instead, it drives the pace at a lightning speed as the Germans fall back, the Americans pushing forward.  The action scenes are well-handled and nicely choreographed starting with the filming locations in Czechoslovakia where a bridge similar in appearance to the actual Remagen bridge was used.  There is an epic scale to the battles with the end result possibly being an earlier end to the war, but on a personal level we see Hartman's men ordered across a bridge fully expecting it to blow at any moment.  Full of tension from the beginning, the battle sequences are aided by Guillermin's camerawork, right there on the ground with the foot soldiers.

A highly underrated WWII story.  Elmer Bernstein's score (Main Theme listen HERE) borrows from some of his more notable musical scores, and at times sounds more like a western theme, but for the most part it's good. You can watch the whole movie in a widescreen version via Youtube, starting with Part 1 of 11. Don't let the lack of big names scare you away from this one. An all-around solid look at the closing days of WWII and one of its key engagements.

The Bridge at Remagen <---trailer (1969): **** /****

Road House

One of my favorite professors at college opened each class by showing a movie or TV clip that introduced the theme/topic that the day’s class would cover.  Midway through the semester, he opened with 1989’s Road House, showing the clip where Dalton describes his philosophy on being a bouncer at a bar.  The clip went on for a few minutes, and once Dalton was done, the professor turned the DVD off.  Usually when the clips went bye-bye, there was typically some quiet booing, some groans.  What reaction did Road House produce?  Heavy booing, some shouting, and one rather enthusiastic fan yelling ‘Turn the movie back on!'

Road House shows what a modern B-movie can be and is a perfect example of everything that’s great about 80s movies.  It’s got everything a big cheesy movie should have, lots of gratuitous nudity, more than enough action, lots of gratuitous nudity (sorry, repeat), great soundtrack, and a script full of one-liners that are easily translatable into everyday conversations.  And really, what’s more important than that? It’s the guiltiest of pleasures – although admitting it is a guilty pleasure kind of negates it, doesn’t it? – and a movie that whenever it’s on TV almost demands you sit down and enjoy its epic awesomeness.

Trying to improve his bar, Tighlman (Kevin Tighe) hires the best cooler in the business to come and clean the place up.  His name is Dalton (Patrick Swayze), and he’s known by just about everyone.  There’s not a problem he can’t solve no matter what it requires some no-holds barred fighting or just outwitting his opponent.  Dalton takes the job and heads for the Double Deuce in a town outside Kansas City.  Cleaning up the rowdy customers may be the least of Dalton’s problems though as the local head honcho, Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara), doesn’t take kindly to his actions.  The problem gets even deeper when Dalton starts seeing the requisite hot blonde doctor (Kelly Lynch) working at the local hospital, a woman Wesley’s in love with.  Looking for some help, Dalton calls his old friend and mentor, Wade Garrett (Sam Elliott), as Wesley’s actions continue to escalate.

There is nothing new or unique about this story.  Whole elements have been in movies before and then have been used since.  The same goes for the characters which you’ve seen in any number of other movies.  The quiet anti-hero with a tortured past? Check. The ultra-cool mentor who is cool because the story requires him to? Double check.  Slutty-looking blonde (sorry, Julie Michaels) who serves no purpose other than being attractive and wearing skimpy outfits?  You betcha.  There’s not a problem with any of this.  All those familiar elements work perfectly together.  If it feels like you’ve seen this movie before, you probably have.  But it’s so entertaining, you won’t even notice.

Swayze was one of the biggest stars of the 1980s and early 1990s, and this might be his most well recognized part right up there with Red Dawn, Ghost, and Point Break.  His Dalton is not the typical action hero, odd considering he’s a badass bouncer.  He’s quiet, cool and doesn’t let much get to him.  Dalton has a philosophy degree from NYU, and finds time to question the idiocy of fighting and brawling.  On the other hand, he’s good at it, and it’s the only thing he’s ever known.  Also a bonus, Swayze does just about all his own stunts, giving the already cool fight scenes an even better edge.

The rest of the cast ranges from good to bad with some more badasses thrown in for good measure.  Lynch isn’t the greatest actress, and her romance with Dalton does slow the story down some.  However, this storyline is especially key in the finale.  Gazzara hams it up as only he could as Brad Wesley.  Nothing redeemable about this fella at all, he is as cartoonish as a movie villain could and can be.  Ruling this town with an iron fist and taking money as he so chooses, it’s pretty easy to figure out how his character is going to end up.  Joining Swayze to form a superhero-worthy fighting team, Elliott as the wise veteran bouncer Wade steals every scene he’s in.  You know that any actor who gets the ‘And…Insert Name Here’ in the credits must be pretty awesome.

Of course, what sets Road House apart from most other modern B-movies is the high-quality action.  As mentioned, Swayze handles his own stunts, and there are a lot of them.  It’s never too long with this story before Dalton has to beat the crap out of some clueless drunk looking for a fight.  The best is one of the last fights as Dalton – pushed too far because every anti-hero is eventually pushed too far – goes mano a mano with Jimmy (Marshall Teague), Wesley’s top thug.  It’s a pretty (SPOILERS ---->) vicious fight (especially the conclusion) and doesn’t seem faked or choreographed, just two guys who seriously want to inflict some pain on their opponent.

Now a movie set in a bar better have some good music, and Jeff Healey and his band provide some catchy blues and rock throughout, some covers and some of their own songs.  Healy, a blind lead singer who also plays the guitar, plays Cody, the singer of the Double Deuce’s house band and an old friend of Dalton’s.  Some great music and a key feature to any B-movie.  One of my all-time favorites that is definitely a movie that qualifies as a ‘so bad it’s good’ entry.  If you can’t find something appealing about this one, movies might not be for you.  Seriously, it’s Dalton’s way or the highway. 

Road House <----trailer (1989): ****/****

Anatomy of a Murder

In the 1950s, actors like James Dean, Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando started a trend in acting that continues even to this day; method acting. Actors tried to really get into the role, often times driving everyone around them nuts in the process. What about method directing then? I couldn't help but think of that idea while watching 1959's Anatomy of a Murder from director Otto Preminger.

A producer, director and actor at different points during his career, Preminger never shied away from telling stories without that glossy finish. His movies feel real, almost like a documentary, because they don't call attention to themselves in a highly visual way. These movies are nonetheless great to look at -- the German-born director favored black and white filming -- but as a viewer you feel like you are there with the actors in the scene. Where some directors overfilm (if that's a word/concept), Preminger puts the camera in place and lets his actors go to work. This style pays off with his depiction of a genre that's been used to death in film, the courtroom drama.

Having lost his position as the county district attorney, lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart) has settled into an easier, slower-paced lifestyle. He spends much of his time fishing, playing his piano, listening to music and reading law with his friend Parnell McCarthy (Arthur O'Connell), and then takes an occassional case here and there. But then Paul is offered a high-profile case to defend a soldier, Lt. Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara), who shot a man five times for raping his wife, Laura (Lee Remick). Paul isn't sure if he should take the case but after looking into it and interviewing those involved decides to defend Manion. What's waiting for him in court is Michigan's best prosecutor, a ringer brought in from Lansing, Claude Dancer (George C. Scott).

Having grown up watching countless repeats of Law & Order, Boston Legal, and any number of courtroom movies like 12 Angry Men, I won't say I'm jaded when it comes to that type of story, but I feel like I've seen just about everything the genre has. That doesn't mean I don't seek these movies out, it just takes a little more to impress me. Preminger succeeds on that level with his sometimes leisurely -- slow-paced isn't the right choice of description -- courtroom story that runs 160 minutes. Even at over two and a half hours, it doesn't feel long. The first hour is Biegler's personal investigation as he figures out exactly what happened in the murder. The last 90-100 minutes is the actual trial, and it's one of the best presentations of a courtroom trial I've ever seen, thanks to Stewart and Scott bantering back and forth.

What's interesting in the execution of the trial is the feel of a twist coming, the expectation that we're about to be wowed with some huge revelation. It never comes. There is no twist. Preminger doles out the story, the situation and the characters and lets the story peel like an onion. The jury's verdict is read, and that's it. So in a way, it is a twist. The story is as linear as a story like this could be. Biegler is the viewer because he knows what we know. Was Laura Manion raped, or was she having an affair that went to far? Did Lt. Manion go temporarily insane when he shot the accused rapist? Preminger doesn't give you an easy out, no nice and tidy explanation. And that's why Anatomy of a Murder works.

Working with many of Hollywood's biggest stars, Preminger had a reputation as a stickler for details, but he was always able to get an impressive performance out of his actors. I can't decide about Jimmy Stewart because I say this with every movie I see with him in it, but this is one of his finest performances. With the Manion case, he's up against the wall and must use every trick in the book to get his client acquitted. It's one of those performances where you can't take your eyes off the star, it's that captivating to watch him work. Stewart worked with all the greats in his career, Preminger, Ford, Hitchcock, Capra, and it's easy to see why. He never mails it in, always making his performances special.

To work with Stewart, Preminger assembles an impressive listing for his supporting cast. Gazzara is his typical sneering, intimidating self as Manion, and Remick sexes it up as his possibly trampy wife Laura. Neither character is particularly likable, and we're never sure who's telling the truth so Stewart's Biegler has his work laid out for him if he wants to win the case and get Manion off. This isn't Scott's best part, mostly because it is a one-note part, but he makes the most of it. O'Connell is the stereotypical country drunk who never really lived up to his own expectations but gets a 2nd chance at success with Biegler. Eve Arden has a funny part as Paul's long suffering secretary looking for a paycheck, and Kathryn Grant plays Mary Pilant, the estranged daughter of the murder victim.

Certainly a unique look at a genre that's been overdone at times. Somewhat risque for the time in its depiction of a rape and the rape victim, Preminger has a winner with this courtroom drama. Not a perfect movie, but pretty close to being one. Enjoy the very cheesey, very enjoyable overdone trailer.

Anatomy of a Murder <----trailer (1959): *** 1/2 /****