The Lady from Shanghai
I picked this movie at random, because I knew I would be purchasing my Nintendo Wii this week and for the first time would be able to stream my watch instantly queue to my TV. Basically, I scrolled through the list of movies on my queue that had an option to watch instantly and this was the first one that really caught my attention, and honest to God, sounded like it would make for a diverse week.
After having watched the movie:
(Possible spoilers below)
I don't think I could have selected a better movie to add to this weeks list. I had no idea the movie would turn out the be Film Noir, and certainly never expected the kind of story that I got along with the movie. I don't really even know where to begin with this movie. I thought it was done so well and even though I wasn't prepared to watch a who-done-it movie, it was perfect to watch on my day off. A little side note, Film Noir is quickly becoming my new favorite genera.
This movie is black and white; however it's a different kind of black and white movie than 8 1/2. It's kind of difficult to explain, but 8 1/2 was always intended to be an 'art film' which is why the cinematography is different then a movie like The Lady From Shanghai. Although by no means do I discredit the way this movie was shot, because I think it was done rather well and had more than a couple of spectacular shots near towards the back-end of the movie. I'm speaking specifically to the scenes shot in the fun house and the maze of mirrors. I was really upset and felt robbed when I later found out that the studio made the decision to edit out more of the final scene that Orson Welles had intended to be in the finished product.
Of course one of my favorite aspects of 365 Movie Challenge is writing and sharing some of the things I learn about the movies after I've watched them. For instance I would have had no idea that this movie was made when Welles was in a rush to get $55,000 and was able to quickly talk producers into making the movie from the book If I Die Before I Wake. Or that actor, Everett Sloane, never relied on crutches. Instead Welles was just certain that Sloane, who was a radio star, moved awkwardly on film and gave him crutches to conceal any awkward movements. Although saving the best story from the production of the film for last, this above all is the perfect example of the kind of stories I like to hear from production. It's the kind of office prank that usually happens on set or in the production office. It's a little silly, a little bit of a power play, but in the end is harmless because no one was really hurt during the process.
Nearing the end of production of the film, Welles expressed to Columbia and specially Executive Jack Fier, that he would need a complete set repainted over the weekend. Executives being Executives, they declined Welles request for budgetary reasons. Repainting an entire set would require that union crews come into work on the weekend, thus requiring triple their pay rate. Finding this to be completely unacceptable, Welles along with a few friends broke into the paint department that weekend in order to paint the set themselves. I'm sure they kind of cleaned things up once they were done, and left the set with a banner that read, "The only thing we have to fear is Fier himself." Of course when the union painters came to work on Monday and found an entire set to have been repainted, like any union they refused to work, threw up a picket line and refused to work until the painters were paid for the work that was done. Which, was exactly what Fier had tried to avoid. I mean, could you imagine coming into that kind of mess on Monday morning. I would have been furious. In order to calm things down, Fier did what any Executive would have done in this case. He agreed to the painters demands, paying them the money they 'earned' and sticking Welles with the tab. But Fier did one better, in addition to paying the painters he paid them to paint another banner that read, "All's well that ends Welles."
Final thoughts: I don't want to really discuss much of the plot of the movie, or some of the events that happen, because it is a who-done-it. Although I will say that the movie is certainly worth watching and is much better than a lot of the poor press it initially received.
OFFICIAL COUNT 93 DOWN 272 TO GO
Next up: Mommie Dearest
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