Lord Jim (1965)

On the screen, we can see a ship fighting against a storm. Off, we hear a narration by the high class British actor, Jack Hawkins :

Joseph Conrad wrote : “If you want to know the age of the earth, look upon the sea in a storm. But what storm can fully reveal the heart of a man ? Between Suez and the China Sea are many nameless men who prefer to live and die unknown. This is the story of one such man. Among the great gallery of rogues and heroes thrown up on the beaches and ports, no man was more respected or more damned than … Lord Jim”.

That’s the impressive beginning of Richard Brooks’ movie.

“Lord Jim” is the 16th film of the prolific American director Richard Brooks. He wrote himself the screenplay based on the famous Joseph Conrad’s Novel and produced it with Associate producers Jules Buck and Peter O'Toole. Despite Columbia had some doubts about the commercial project, they finally agreed in 1964 to make the production because they admired and trusted Brooks’ abilities in handling this adventure movie.

During seven years, the perfectionist director spent a long time in developing the structure of the movie and writing the screenplay with a lot of researches on Indonesian culture and the local sets.

The Writer-Director Richard Brooks

Despite his previous literary adaptations (“The Brothers Karamazov” (1957) and “Elmer Gantry” (1960)), he had to face new difficulties for the transfer of the classic Conrad’s novel to the screen and expressed a lot of expectations on this movie. :

quote

“Film are made in a different style than a novel… Films must be suited to audiences of diverse cultures, different languages, different levels of understanding, and different levels of education. A book communicates with words, requiring first an intellectual response from the reader and then an emotional response. A movie is the opposite. Words, dialogue, verbal expressions are secondary… What we remember of a movie is what we saw ! Images ! A movie deals mainly with images ! The reaction to a movie, like that of music, is primarily emotional. If all the images are put together skillfully, then the secondary reaction may be intellectual… A translation from words to images is necessary and that translation prevents a film from being exactly like a book. In the end, it is possible for them to be closely related if only the intention is carried out… Perhaps with luck, perception, skill and hard work, we can make a new generation of many peoples “hear and fell and see’ Conrad’s “Lord Jim”.

unquote.

Peter O'Toole (Jim) and Paul Lukas (Mr Stein)

The Story : A idealist young naval officer, Jim (Peter O’Toole) embarked on an old ship, the s/s Patna carrying pilgrims to Mecca. After foolishly committing an act of cowardice, he was officially discharged and had sailing papers cancelled. Hoping for a second chance to redeem himself, Jim agreed to take some explosives for the account of Stein Trading Cy (Paul Lukas) into the unmapped jungles of Patusan, a journey that took him deep into the jungles of the east where a feudal war lord known as the general (Eli Wallach) was terrorizing the population. The general caught him and tortured which the aim of knowing from him the location of the explosives in vain. During his captivity, he met Cornelius (Curd Jürgens), the drunken, cowardly agent of Stein's trading company, who in reality was to the order of the General. A young native girl (Daliah Lavi) lead Jim's rescue. Jim took the head of the people to revolt against the tyrannical general. Jim won the battle and was hailed as a hero. The grateful natives bestowed the title “Tuan” on him. : “Tuan Jim” means “Lord Jim”. Cornelius escaped from Patusan and hired the services of a notorious cutthroat "Gentleman" Duncan Brown (James Mason) and his men to steal the Patusan’s treasure...

Peter O'Toole (Jim) and Daliah Lavi (The Girl)

The versatile Peter O’Toole took the leading part of Lord (“Tuan”) Jim. For the other parts, Brooks gathered a party of an international and great cast : “Jack Hawkins as the narrator and Captain Marlow ; James Mason as the river pirate Gentleman Brown ; Curt Jürgens as the infamous Cornelius ; Eli Wallach as the evil General ; Paul Lukas as the sagacious trader M. Stein; Akim Tamiroff as Schomberg the colorful owner of the rundown waterfront hotel Schomberg ; Daliah Lavi as the Girl and Christian Marquand as the French officer”.

Eli Wallach (The General) and Curt Jürgens(Cornelius)

After “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962) and “Beckett” (1964), Peter O’ Toole gave an intensive and outstanding performance. Even if the Irish actor kept a bitter memory of “Lord Jim”, he recognized later that it was one of his finest roles. The performances of Hawkins, Mason, Jürgens, Wallach, Lukas and Tamiroff, were all marvelous, as usual. Christian Marquand played with a great sense of humanity the short part of the French officer who understood the despair of Jim. The gorgeous Israeli actress, Daliah Lavi played with a great sensibility the coolly Patusan Girl who fell in love with Jim. It is probably her best role on the screen.

Daliah Lavi and Peter O'Toole on the Set

The acclaimed cinematographer Frederick A. Young (“Lawrence of Arabia” (1962); “Doctor Zhivago” (1965)) and the talented production designer Geoffrey Drake (“Guns of Navarone” (1961); “The Victors” (1963)) were chosen by the production.

Bronislau Kaper, the Polish origin composer, gave one of his most brilliant score and probably for the whole screen. He managed to merge a large symphonic orchestra and native Indonesian orchestration with the valuable help of gamelan musicians.

The film was photographed in Super Panavision 70 at Shepperton Studios, England, and on location in Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Lantau Island, Hong Kong and Malacca, Malaysia. Despite the hard conditions of the filming (bad food, heat, snakes and jungle creatures), Brooks’ Film received two BAFTA nominations (best British art direction and best British cinematography).

The Director Richard Brooks and Peter O'Toole on the Set

Unfortunately, best efforts are not always rewarded and the reviews were not good in America. Only European critics and audiences (especially in France) gave good responses to the movie. “Lord Jim” was the biggest challenge and most expensive film ($9 million) in Richard Brooks’ career. I regard it as his masterpiece.

We can understand the reasons why, several years later, Brooks’ vision of “Lord Jim” inspired John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola’s in the making of “Apocalypse Now” (1979) based on Joseph Conrad’s novel “Heart of Darkness”.

“One hope kept Jim going a hope common to most men. Rich or poor, strong or weak who among has not begged God for a second chance ? ...” .

 Suite from "Lord Jim"

P. S. : If you want to know more about “Lord Jim” and Richard Brooks, please refer to :

● Books :

“Tough as Nails” (The Life and Time of Richard brooks) by Douglas K. Daniel (in English) ; 2011, The University of Wisconsin Press.

“Richard Brooks” by Patrick Brion (in French) ; 1986 ; Ste Nlle des Edition du Chêne.

● Music : 

CD Album of “Lord Jim” by Bronislau Kaper ; 2005 ; FSM Vol.8 N°11.

(http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/cds/detail.cfm/CDID/343/Lord-Jim-The-Long-Ships/)

 ● Websites : 

The Joseph Conrad Society (UK) Official Website

Link : http://www.josephconradsociety.org/

Another link about Joseph Conrad

Link : http://conrad-centre.w.interia.pl/pages/home_en.html

The Unofficial Peter O’Toole Pages

Link : http://www.hame.ca/otoole/

Here are some stills from my collection :

US Souvenir Book Cover

Young Cassidy / Le Jeune Cassidy / Il Maginifico Irlandese / El Soñador Rebelde (1965)

“Young Cassidy” (1965) is a movie which is very close to my heart.

The movie was first directed by John Ford and later by Jack Cardiff when, after three weeks of filming, the legendary director, John Ford (“The Quiet Man” (1952)), was obliged to left the picture because of an illness. The talented cinematographer, Jack Cardiff (“The Vikings” (1958)) took over and finished the shooting.

Like “El Greco” (see the topic) “young Cassidy” is a biographical drama. This movie is based upon the early life of the famous Irish playwright Sean O'Casey (1880 / 1964). It was a fine opportunity to John Ford because he had already directed a movie version of O’Casey’s play “The Plough and the Stars” in 1936. 

MGM began the production a year after O'Casey's passed away. However before his death, he had given his approval to the script including the change of his name in the film to John Cassidy.

The Australian actor Rod Taylor took the lead role in place of Sir Sean Connery who was not available because of the success of the Bond films. Dame Maggie Smith played the part of the shy bookstore clerk Nora. Julie Christie joined the company to play Daisy Battles a good-hearted prostitute (it was her first great appearance on the screen). Sîan Phillips was the melancholic Cassidy’s sister and the fellow working class stiff Mick Mullen was played with humanity by Philip O’Flynn.

Three distinguished actors complete this wonderful cast, Dame Flora Robson played with authenticity the poverty-stricken mother, Sir Michael Redgrave was a very impressive W.B. Yeats and Edith Evans was the old mischievous woman Lady Gregory.

The English actor, dramatist and critic, John Robert Whiting (“The Devils” (1960/1971)) wrote a solid screenplay based on Sean O'Casey's autobiography “Mirror in my House” and the prolific traditional Irish musician Seán Ó Riada composed a brilliant score.

The photography of Edward Scaife (“Khartoum” (1966), “Dirty Dozen” (1967) ; “Dark of the Sun” (1968)) is truly beautiful. Before the shooting, the “impertinent” Taylor suggested to Ford that he should shoot the movie in color but not in black and white as originally planned by the director. Like for “The Quiet Man”, the colors of the Irish country are magnificent and give a sensational poetic dimension to the story. 

The Story : 1911, Dublin, the Irish people demanded the ending of the British’s oppression. A young Irish worker John Cassidy (Rod Taylor) wanted to become a pamphleteer against the social and political injustices in the Dublin life. But quickly, he realized that he could do more for his country with the pen than with the “sword”. He showed his play, “The Plough and the Stars », to W.B. Yeats (Sir Michael Redgrave), the founder of the Abbey Theatre who agreed to stage it. Unfortunately, the audience rejected Cassidy‘s vision of the Irish society. He lost his longtime friend (Philip O’Flynn) and his girlfriend’s love (Maggie Smith), but he didn’t give up his aim to be a playwright and understood that he had to leave Ireland for England to continue his career.

With “Dark in the Sun” (also directed by Jack Cardiff), this is the finest performance of Rod Taylor who keeps a very emotional memory of the picture. He plays his part with a lot of sensibility and a wonderful realism. In a recent interview for Turner Classic Movies Channel (TCM), Taylor remembered the day of scene following the funeral of Cassidy's mother under the direction of Ford. At the end of the shooting, the old veteran director said on the set : “You, Australian, son of a bitch… you made me cry. That's a wrap !”.

Among this fine cast, the magnificent actress Maggie smith gave a tremendous performance too. The talented actress played with a great intensity and conviction the part of Nora who is shared between her love and her idealist temperament to Cassidy’s character.

Taylor and Smith had both already given a remarkable performance in the MGM Production, “The V.I.P.’S” (1963) directed by Anthony Asquith with a fine cast including  Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Orson Welles, Louis Jourdan, Elsa Martinelli and Margaret Rutherford.

I have the feeling that “Young Cassidy” is a forgotten movie today which I deeply regret. But, if you like to see a lovely story without any intellectual pretentions, this picture is for you. Also, you will find all the ingredients of the best of John Ford’s films. For instance, the recurrent funny fight scenes in pubs with also very emotional moments, especially when Cassidy’s mother died, and when the two main characters decided to get separate from each other.

As to me, I feel the movie is quite different from the others. It’s a humanist message for a peaceful world and a true understanding between people. But it is also a great romantic poem which enhances the Irish mind… his courage and his dignity in face of adversity.

“Go ahead make your day”… 

P. S. : If you want to know more about “young Cassidy”, please refer to :

"Young Cassidy" page on the Complete Rod Taylor Site 

(from the official web site dedicated to The Great actor Rod Taylor) 

Link : http://www.rodtaylorsite.com/youngcassidy.shtml)

Also you can see the shot documentary "Sean O'Casey: The Spirit of Ireland" (1965), which is a kind of “making of” the picture with some interviews of Rod Taylor and Jack Cardiff.

Link : http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/226145/Young-Cassidy-Original-Movie-Promo-.html

Here are some stills from my collection :

More Soon …

El Greco / A Man called El Greco (1966)

“El Greco” (“A man called El Greco” / 1966) is my second choice for this blog. It is a very rare movie which is not available on dvd/Blu Ray. It can only be seen through the Fox Movie Channel.

The movie is a “biopic” of one of the greatest painters of the Spanish Renaissance, Doménikos Theotokópoulos, (1541 / 1614) known in History as “EL Greco”.

The Story : 1576, in Spain, the painter “El Greco” (Mel Ferrer) signed contracts for a group of paintings that was to adorn the church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo in Toledo. Here, he fell in love with an aristocratic Spanish lady Jerónima de Las Cuevas (Rosanna Schiaffino). The two lovers had to face the dark time of the Inquisition, the lavish courts of Spain and above all the conflicts between their social classes.

Rosanna Schiaffino (Jerónima de Las Cuevas)  and Mel Ferrer (El Greco)

In 1966, the international actor, Mel Ferrer (“War & Peace” (1956), “Scaramouche” (1952)) produced this movie which had all the ingredients of a beautiful love story in the way of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet”. Also, it was an interesting opportunity to Ferrer because the movie told about the liberty of creation and the place of the artist, in our civilized society, who sometimes has to fight against the political / religious powers of this dark period.

He was joined by an Italian producer Alberto Bini (“Arco Films”) and by 2 other production companies (“Produzioni Artistiche Internazionali » and « Les Films du Siècle »). Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation was in charge of the English dubbed version and for the distribution rights overseas.

Luciano Salce directed the movie and the great talented composer Ennio Morricone composed the Music score. The two men had already worked together on “Il Federale” / "The Facist" (1961).

Four veteran screenwiters wrote the script : “Guy Elmes (“The Story of Joseph and His Brethren” (1960)), “Massimo Franciosa (“The Leopard” (1963) ; « Ladro lui, ladra lei” (1958)), Luigi Magni (“Nell'anno del Signore” (1969) ; “La Mandragola” (1965)), and Juan García Atienza.

Leonida Barboni was the cinematographer (« La Grande Guerra” (1959) ; “La Viaccia” (1961), “L'Aventuriero / The Rover” (1967)). He was the perfect choice for “El Greco” The movie was shot in a very beautifull cinemascope and in De Luxe color.

Like “The Last Valley” (see the topic), the story of “El Greco” was during a very dark period of the European history. This time, the story took place during the Spanish inquisition which was one of the worst religious dictatorship power in the world. But, above all, the movie is a very romantic love story. The gorgeous italian “goddess”, Rosanna Schiaffino, shows in this film his very talented skills of actresse. The relationship between the two actors works on the screen wonderfully.
 

The Composer Ennio Morricone

Ennio Morricone, who was at his most creative period, wrote at the same time a strange and romantic atmosphere by using an “avant-garde” score in which he merged a native Spanish orchestration with a large symphonic orchestra plus chorus. In my opinion, the love theme is among the best he composed together with the ones of “La Califfa” (1970) and “Guns for San Sebastian” (1968).

If you don’t know this score, please get the Italian CD album reissued by GDM a few years ago.

While speaking about “El Greco”, may I refer you to another first class movie about the life of a famous painter, Michelangelo portrayed by Charlton Heston in : “The Agony and The Ecstasy” (1965) directed by Carol Reed. Both movies were shown at the same time …

Of course, “The Agony…” which was an international production got the advantage to receive a huge financial budget, whilst “El Greco” with a rather limited release was less lucky. But be sure that Mel Ferrer’s production is a black Pearl that must be rediscovered...

I hope that the Twentieth Century Fox Home Video will have the good taste to restore the movie and  issue it on dvd/Blu Ray, very soon...

Here are some stills from my collection :