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on December 3, 2016
I'm a fan of all these really old war movies and this one is a good one. I saw an episode of Mash the other day and was surprised to see Gene Evans was in it. Didn't recognize him at first. The movie was great.
on November 9, 2016
Due to how expensive this film is, I rented just "Baron" on netflix.
Granted, I am a huge fan of Vincent Price's films and acting style and his one-of-a-kind presence on-screen, but this was a great performance by Price. I was not only surprised, but thoroughly pleased and entertained by his oily, polished charlatan James Addison Reavis. The plot of this extremely unique and beautifully-filmed movie revolves around the slick, educated forger Reavis and his attempt to convince the US government that Arizona actually belongs to a long-lost bloodline of Spanish nobles represented in a young woman. All of this is thanks to a land deed freshly and expertly forged by Reavis himself during a complicated journey he takes to Spain.
"Baron of Arizona" was made in 1950, and for this reason, I found the film's honest style to be that much more impressive. In others, it was thankfully absent of the Jimmy Cagney "whaddaya say, whaddaya know" style. In a smoothly-paced film, the advancement of the plot just never lets up -- it is fascinating from beginning to end. With such a rich plot to carry out, the casting of the legendary Vincent Price is that much more brilliant as he is at the top of his game as the Baron.
Granted, I am a huge fan of Vincent Price's films and acting style and his one-of-a-kind presence on-screen, but this was a great performance by Price. I was not only surprised, but thoroughly pleased and entertained by his oily, polished charlatan James Addison Reavis. The plot of this extremely unique and beautifully-filmed movie revolves around the slick, educated forger Reavis and his attempt to convince the US government that Arizona actually belongs to a long-lost bloodline of Spanish nobles represented in a young woman. All of this is thanks to a land deed freshly and expertly forged by Reavis himself during a complicated journey he takes to Spain.
"Baron of Arizona" was made in 1950, and for this reason, I found the film's honest style to be that much more impressive. In others, it was thankfully absent of the Jimmy Cagney "whaddaya say, whaddaya know" style. In a smoothly-paced film, the advancement of the plot just never lets up -- it is fascinating from beginning to end. With such a rich plot to carry out, the casting of the legendary Vincent Price is that much more brilliant as he is at the top of his game as the Baron.
on October 20, 2016
Read a capsule review of this 1951 film somewhere and it sounded interesting. A very low budget affair, it purports to tell the story of a grizzled veteran, a sergeant, who has narrowly missed execution by the North Koreans. He picks up a Korean boy who dogs his steps. Together they run into other GIs who have lost there way. The grizzled veteran is asked to provide the leadership, despite the presence of inexperienced officers. In the process, prejudices against black soldiers and revealed as well as the place of conscientious objectors. It is an odd, thoughtful movie that refuses to glorify war.
on October 18, 2016
Sergeant to Lt. who has pointed out an error: "If I was always right I'd be an officer."
on September 20, 2016
An old movie I saw many years ago--good to see again but out dated. As with most older movies it contained mostly conversation, good acting by the major characters but unimpressive by the others.
TOP 1000 REVIEWERon July 31, 2016
Criterion created a series of "lost, forgotten, or overshadowed classics" that have been gathered in one package. This one features director Samuel Fuller's first 3 films. Overall the films are entertaining and certainly different in tone and focus than those that were otherwise released by Hollywood. Here is a review of each of the films:
I SHOT JESSIE JAMES (1949) - 3.5 Stars
In his directorial debut, Samuel Fuller, who also wrote the screenplay, turns the traditional western on its head. This isn’t a shoot-'em-up that audiences had become accustomed to but a blueprint of even better and more thoughtful westerns like “High Noon,” “Shane,” “3:10 to Yuma” and others that followed. Preston Foster got top billing as John Kelley an older suitor of Bob Ford’s girlfriend played by Barbara Britton. The story isn’t really about Kelley or even Jesse (Reed Hadley), but about the conflicted Ford nicely played by newcomer John Ireland.
Ford shoots Jesse in the back in order to gain a pardon from the governor. He wants to settle down with Cynthy (Britton), a saloon singer but his criminal background prohibits an honest future. Still Jesse James using the pseudo name of Mr. Howard was well thought of in the community which turns against Ford. Fuller attempts to provide a more sympathetic picture of Ford and to some degree succeeds. This isn’t a great film like those mentioned above but is a thoughtful change of pace with some fine performances.
THE BARON OF ARIZONA (1950) - 3.5 Stars
This was acclaimed director Samuel Fuller’s second film (after “I Shot Jesse James”). Like the previous film, this one is a bit unusual to be sure. The key plot point is so ridiculous that it is almost unfathomable. But surprisingly, the story is based on fact. After the Civil War, the Arizona territory became fertile land for the western migration. James Addison Reavis (Vincent Price, “House of Wax”) was a war veteran and a Missouri realtor who landed in Arizona.
Reavis comes up with the idea of falsifying a claim to the territory proposing that the land was gifted to nobleman by the King of Spain, who at the time owned the land. He had to go to great lengths to convince the U. S. Government that the claim is legitimate. This is the story Fuller delivers here using his own script. The years-long preparation for the ruse begins with Reavis identifying a young girl (Karen Kester) who has been adopted by a man called Pepito (Vladimir Sokoloff) after her parents died. Reavis convinces Pepito that Sofia is indeed the child of the noble Peralta family and takes them into his own home. Reavis even hires a full time governess called Loma (Beulah Bondi) to educate and teach the young girl how to act as well as learn her ABC’s.
Reavis then heads to Spain where the original deeds of transfer are kept. He will need to erase and replace the handwritten information. The books of this era (1750’s) are kept at a monastery in a rural part of the country. Reavis signs on as a monk in training and lives for years until he is trusted and given access to the secured books. He’s become adept in the art of calligraphy and learned enough chemical science to create a fluid that would erase ink and another compound for the ink to replace the entry. A few complications ensue including a couple brief love affairs which the cad uses to further his own plans.
Once he returns to Arizona, Sofia is all grown up (Ellen Drew) and is prime picking for Reavis to marry. They become husband and wife and soon after, “The Baron” and “The Baroness.” In Phoenix they make their claim to the entirety of the territory as their property. Reavis has enough detailed information that the Government must take notice. An agent for the Department of the Interior named Griff (Reed Hadley) who specializes in forgery and fraud is assigned to investigate. After travels to Spain he concludes before a federal judge that he doesn’t have proof that Reavis’s claim is false.
While this is going on, the residents of the territory are up in arms about the prospect of losing their property or having to pay rent to Reavis. But something is off. Reavis turn’s down $25 million of 1870’s cash to relinquish his claim. So what is it that he wants? He says he wants his claim to be legitimized. Is his ego that big? He just wants his elaborate scam to be declared authentic? Before we get too far, it must be pointed out that Sofia and Pepito begin to smell something fishy. In fact, Pepito tells Reavis something that disproves the whole of Reavis’s argument. And Sofia doesn’t want to displace the townsfolk, especially now that they’ve become potentially violent and may have her hubby in their gunsights.
Fuller takes us on this unlikely journey with excellent storytelling and some fine photography by James Wong Howe. The acting is fine, although seeing Price as a handsome ladies man is a bit of a stretch. I also had to chuckle when the villagers with their pitchforks, er…rifles come after Reavis and his family. They barricade themselves inside his office piling up chairs in front of the door as mob-stopping barriers. Uh, sure. In the end….well you’ll just have to see the film or look it up. What you know for certain is that Arizona did become our 48th state in 1912.
THE STEEL HELMET (1951) - 4 Stars
This was Samuel Fuller’s third film and catapulted him to the big leagues shortly after its release. Surprisingly, the film about the Korean War, was released only 6 months after the conflict began, making it the first of that subject. Shot in 10 days with a miniscule budget, Fuller not only took on the violence and heroism of war, but abject racism and bigotry. Gene Evans stars as Sgt. Zack, a grizzled infantry man whose platoon was captured by the Chinese (or “gooks” as Zack calls them). After being hog-tied, the POWs (called PWs here) are executed (off screen).
Zach is the lone survivor, feinting death as the bullet entering his helmet merely rattled around causing a contusion on his cheek. The bullet-holed helmet remains a character throughout the film including the final scene. Zach is rescued by a 12-year old South Korean boy (William Chun) called Short Round (also the name of a boy in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”). Zach agrees to take him along with the boy playing the role of a pack mule. They run into another straggler, Corp. Thompson (James Edwards), a black medic whose unit met a similar fate as Zach’s. He was kept alive to care for the enemy’s wounded and later escaped.
The trio then meet up with a squad, led by a recently commissioned Lieutenant Driscoll (Steve Brodie) and his sergeant “Buddha-Head” Tanaka (Richard Loo), a Japanese American. The rest of the squad is a mixed bag. The conscientious objector, the quiet one, the inexperienced radioman and a Korean. In one of the better action sequences, Zach and Tanaka work together to locate and take out “Red” Chinese snipers. The group has been ordered to a Buddhist temple to await further orders. Once there, they are unaware that a North Korean major (Harold Fong) is hiding.
After he is eventually captured, the well-spoken enemy questions Tanaka and Thompson as to why they remain loyal to the U. S. given their treatment back home. The issues of Japanese-American internment during WW II and African-American discrimination and other social ills are in the forefront. Both minorities respond patriotically. Thompson talks about riding in the back of the bus. But he says maybe in 20 years we can ride in the middle of the bus and in 20 more years we can ride at the front. Fuller, who also wrote the script, was pretty accurate. If I have an issue with the film, it has to do with the cavalier reaction to a fellow soldier’s death. I’ll chalk it up to the fog of war. Fuller created a fine film of war and its effects and at the same time raises the conscientiousness of the viewer. Recommended.
I SHOT JESSIE JAMES (1949) - 3.5 Stars
In his directorial debut, Samuel Fuller, who also wrote the screenplay, turns the traditional western on its head. This isn’t a shoot-'em-up that audiences had become accustomed to but a blueprint of even better and more thoughtful westerns like “High Noon,” “Shane,” “3:10 to Yuma” and others that followed. Preston Foster got top billing as John Kelley an older suitor of Bob Ford’s girlfriend played by Barbara Britton. The story isn’t really about Kelley or even Jesse (Reed Hadley), but about the conflicted Ford nicely played by newcomer John Ireland.
Ford shoots Jesse in the back in order to gain a pardon from the governor. He wants to settle down with Cynthy (Britton), a saloon singer but his criminal background prohibits an honest future. Still Jesse James using the pseudo name of Mr. Howard was well thought of in the community which turns against Ford. Fuller attempts to provide a more sympathetic picture of Ford and to some degree succeeds. This isn’t a great film like those mentioned above but is a thoughtful change of pace with some fine performances.
THE BARON OF ARIZONA (1950) - 3.5 Stars
This was acclaimed director Samuel Fuller’s second film (after “I Shot Jesse James”). Like the previous film, this one is a bit unusual to be sure. The key plot point is so ridiculous that it is almost unfathomable. But surprisingly, the story is based on fact. After the Civil War, the Arizona territory became fertile land for the western migration. James Addison Reavis (Vincent Price, “House of Wax”) was a war veteran and a Missouri realtor who landed in Arizona.
Reavis comes up with the idea of falsifying a claim to the territory proposing that the land was gifted to nobleman by the King of Spain, who at the time owned the land. He had to go to great lengths to convince the U. S. Government that the claim is legitimate. This is the story Fuller delivers here using his own script. The years-long preparation for the ruse begins with Reavis identifying a young girl (Karen Kester) who has been adopted by a man called Pepito (Vladimir Sokoloff) after her parents died. Reavis convinces Pepito that Sofia is indeed the child of the noble Peralta family and takes them into his own home. Reavis even hires a full time governess called Loma (Beulah Bondi) to educate and teach the young girl how to act as well as learn her ABC’s.
Reavis then heads to Spain where the original deeds of transfer are kept. He will need to erase and replace the handwritten information. The books of this era (1750’s) are kept at a monastery in a rural part of the country. Reavis signs on as a monk in training and lives for years until he is trusted and given access to the secured books. He’s become adept in the art of calligraphy and learned enough chemical science to create a fluid that would erase ink and another compound for the ink to replace the entry. A few complications ensue including a couple brief love affairs which the cad uses to further his own plans.
Once he returns to Arizona, Sofia is all grown up (Ellen Drew) and is prime picking for Reavis to marry. They become husband and wife and soon after, “The Baron” and “The Baroness.” In Phoenix they make their claim to the entirety of the territory as their property. Reavis has enough detailed information that the Government must take notice. An agent for the Department of the Interior named Griff (Reed Hadley) who specializes in forgery and fraud is assigned to investigate. After travels to Spain he concludes before a federal judge that he doesn’t have proof that Reavis’s claim is false.
While this is going on, the residents of the territory are up in arms about the prospect of losing their property or having to pay rent to Reavis. But something is off. Reavis turn’s down $25 million of 1870’s cash to relinquish his claim. So what is it that he wants? He says he wants his claim to be legitimized. Is his ego that big? He just wants his elaborate scam to be declared authentic? Before we get too far, it must be pointed out that Sofia and Pepito begin to smell something fishy. In fact, Pepito tells Reavis something that disproves the whole of Reavis’s argument. And Sofia doesn’t want to displace the townsfolk, especially now that they’ve become potentially violent and may have her hubby in their gunsights.
Fuller takes us on this unlikely journey with excellent storytelling and some fine photography by James Wong Howe. The acting is fine, although seeing Price as a handsome ladies man is a bit of a stretch. I also had to chuckle when the villagers with their pitchforks, er…rifles come after Reavis and his family. They barricade themselves inside his office piling up chairs in front of the door as mob-stopping barriers. Uh, sure. In the end….well you’ll just have to see the film or look it up. What you know for certain is that Arizona did become our 48th state in 1912.
THE STEEL HELMET (1951) - 4 Stars
This was Samuel Fuller’s third film and catapulted him to the big leagues shortly after its release. Surprisingly, the film about the Korean War, was released only 6 months after the conflict began, making it the first of that subject. Shot in 10 days with a miniscule budget, Fuller not only took on the violence and heroism of war, but abject racism and bigotry. Gene Evans stars as Sgt. Zack, a grizzled infantry man whose platoon was captured by the Chinese (or “gooks” as Zack calls them). After being hog-tied, the POWs (called PWs here) are executed (off screen).
Zach is the lone survivor, feinting death as the bullet entering his helmet merely rattled around causing a contusion on his cheek. The bullet-holed helmet remains a character throughout the film including the final scene. Zach is rescued by a 12-year old South Korean boy (William Chun) called Short Round (also the name of a boy in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”). Zach agrees to take him along with the boy playing the role of a pack mule. They run into another straggler, Corp. Thompson (James Edwards), a black medic whose unit met a similar fate as Zach’s. He was kept alive to care for the enemy’s wounded and later escaped.
The trio then meet up with a squad, led by a recently commissioned Lieutenant Driscoll (Steve Brodie) and his sergeant “Buddha-Head” Tanaka (Richard Loo), a Japanese American. The rest of the squad is a mixed bag. The conscientious objector, the quiet one, the inexperienced radioman and a Korean. In one of the better action sequences, Zach and Tanaka work together to locate and take out “Red” Chinese snipers. The group has been ordered to a Buddhist temple to await further orders. Once there, they are unaware that a North Korean major (Harold Fong) is hiding.
After he is eventually captured, the well-spoken enemy questions Tanaka and Thompson as to why they remain loyal to the U. S. given their treatment back home. The issues of Japanese-American internment during WW II and African-American discrimination and other social ills are in the forefront. Both minorities respond patriotically. Thompson talks about riding in the back of the bus. But he says maybe in 20 years we can ride in the middle of the bus and in 20 more years we can ride at the front. Fuller, who also wrote the script, was pretty accurate. If I have an issue with the film, it has to do with the cavalier reaction to a fellow soldier’s death. I’ll chalk it up to the fog of war. Fuller created a fine film of war and its effects and at the same time raises the conscientiousness of the viewer. Recommended.
