I haven't seen that many movies featuring Steve McQueen. Known as "The King of Cool", I had previously only seen the actor (who died in 1980 at the age of fifty) in the gritty romance (for the 1960's), "Love With The Proper Stranger" with Natalie Wood; the original "The Thomas Crown Affair" (with the remake generating more heat due to the lack of sparks between McQueen and Faye Dunaway) and "The Towering Inferno" which doesn't really count as he was part of a big, all-star ensemble. But I just watched "Bullitt", a police action-thriller that is probably McQueen's most famous movie role and helped turn him in to a screen icon. This was the first American film by British director, Peter Yates, an unlikely choice after years as an assistant director before directing several little-seen features but he proved he was up for the task at hand.
A Chicago mobster is going to testify in court against his organization and placed under witness protection. Lt. Frank Bullitt (McQueen) and his team are assigned to guard him in shifts over the weekend in a cheap hotel in San Francisco. But the location is discovered with the mobster being mortally wounded by gunmen. A furious Senator, Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) blames Bullitt for this security breach and will hold him responsible if the witness dies. The mobster does die but Bullitt arranges with a doctor (Georg Stanford Brown) to keep it secret for a few days, allowing the Lieutenant some time to investigate and find the killers.
"Bullitt" maintains a timeless feel by the use of actual locations and following more closely true police procedures to help create a more realistic atmosphere than what was usually found in police dramas at this time, including some graphic bloodshed and death, not long before "Bonnie and Clyde" would push screen violence to the edge the following year. McQueen displays a natural, easy-going style that makes it quite clear why the handsome actor became a movie star. But what "Bullitt" is best known for is the elaborate car chase sequence through San Francisco that has remained impressive and highly influential. Shot in three weeks and only slightly over ten minutes long, this thrilling scene is remarkable to watch as cars zoom dangerously at high speeds throughout the city, enhanced by the meticulous work of editor, Frank P. Keller which helped him win an Oscar. Jacqueline Bisset plays Bullitt's girlfriend in a small, thankless role and look for Robert Duvall appearing briefly as a cab driver.
"Bell, Book and Candle" (1958)
A Chicago mobster is going to testify in court against his organization and placed under witness protection. Lt. Frank Bullitt (McQueen) and his team are assigned to guard him in shifts over the weekend in a cheap hotel in San Francisco. But the location is discovered with the mobster being mortally wounded by gunmen. A furious Senator, Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) blames Bullitt for this security breach and will hold him responsible if the witness dies. The mobster does die but Bullitt arranges with a doctor (Georg Stanford Brown) to keep it secret for a few days, allowing the Lieutenant some time to investigate and find the killers.
"Bullitt" maintains a timeless feel by the use of actual locations and following more closely true police procedures to help create a more realistic atmosphere than what was usually found in police dramas at this time, including some graphic bloodshed and death, not long before "Bonnie and Clyde" would push screen violence to the edge the following year. McQueen displays a natural, easy-going style that makes it quite clear why the handsome actor became a movie star. But what "Bullitt" is best known for is the elaborate car chase sequence through San Francisco that has remained impressive and highly influential. Shot in three weeks and only slightly over ten minutes long, this thrilling scene is remarkable to watch as cars zoom dangerously at high speeds throughout the city, enhanced by the meticulous work of editor, Frank P. Keller which helped him win an Oscar. Jacqueline Bisset plays Bullitt's girlfriend in a small, thankless role and look for Robert Duvall appearing briefly as a cab driver.
James Stewart and Kim Novak made two films together and both were released in 1958. One was Hitchcock's psycho-thriller, "Vertigo". The other was the dark-themed, romantic-comedy, "Bell, Book and Candle" about a lovely witch who casts a spell on her upstairs neighbor in order to have him fall madly in love with her. And yes, this was an inspiration for the classic sitcom, "Bewitched".
Set in Greenwich Village on Christmas Eve, Gil (Novak) is the owner of a rare African art store. "Shep" Henderson (Stewart), a book publisher, lives in the building and has caught Gil's eye. But Shep is engaged to Merle Kittridge (Janice Rule). Discovering that his fiancée was her adversary back in college and that the couple plans to elope the next day, Gil decides to use magic on Shep, causing him to immediately fall madly for her, effectively ending his engagement. Ernie Kovacs plays Sidney Reditch, a best-selling author that Shep wishes he was able to publish. After being magically summoned by Gil, the writer's arrival creates havoc as he plans to write a book about real-life witches (which Shep will publish) with the help of Gil's bongo-playing, warlock brother, Nicky (Jack Lemmon) who will share secrets for a share of the book's profits.
Richard Quine, an actor turned director, has crafted a fantastical comedy with moments of style and enchantment. Yet the central love story feels hollow and cynical, never inspiring much faith in this potential romance. While Stewart is fine, having done the rom-com leading man role many times throughout his career, able to do this part in his sleep (and seems to be actually sleep-walking through this film), Novak struggles with finding an inner life for Gil, relying on sensuous poses and her dramatic costumes to help fill in her character. "Vertigo" proves that Novak can be an impressive performer on screen but requires the steady hand of a formidable director to help guide her. The rest of the cast is top-notch and includes Elsa Lanchester as Gil's eccentric aunt, Queenie, who is also a witch and Hermione Gingold as a powerful witch named Bianca De Pass.
"La Piscine (The Pool)" (1969)
"La Piscine", a sensual French thriller by Jacques Deray, opens with the barely covered, wet glistening bodies of Marianne (Romy Schneider) and Jean Paul (Alain Delon), two bronzed lovers locked in a passionate embrace by a swimming pool. As the couple enjoy their time on holiday in St. Tropez, their tranquility is interrupted by the unannounced arrival of an old friend, Harry (Maurice Ronet), a record producer and his teenage daughter, Pénélope (Jane Birkin). While Marianne and Jean Paul wanted to relax, Harry wants to party and the couple are unable to refuse their gregarious buddy. But the arrival of these guests begins to create some tension between Jean Paul and Marianne. Harry was once Marianne's lover and their display of rekindled intimacy makes Jean Paul uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Jean Paul finds himself getting close to Pénélope, who confesses she barely saw her father when she was growing up, and spending more time alone with her. The mood quickly shifts from festive and tranquil to hostile and combative.
Set in Greenwich Village on Christmas Eve, Gil (Novak) is the owner of a rare African art store. "Shep" Henderson (Stewart), a book publisher, lives in the building and has caught Gil's eye. But Shep is engaged to Merle Kittridge (Janice Rule). Discovering that his fiancée was her adversary back in college and that the couple plans to elope the next day, Gil decides to use magic on Shep, causing him to immediately fall madly for her, effectively ending his engagement. Ernie Kovacs plays Sidney Reditch, a best-selling author that Shep wishes he was able to publish. After being magically summoned by Gil, the writer's arrival creates havoc as he plans to write a book about real-life witches (which Shep will publish) with the help of Gil's bongo-playing, warlock brother, Nicky (Jack Lemmon) who will share secrets for a share of the book's profits.
Richard Quine, an actor turned director, has crafted a fantastical comedy with moments of style and enchantment. Yet the central love story feels hollow and cynical, never inspiring much faith in this potential romance. While Stewart is fine, having done the rom-com leading man role many times throughout his career, able to do this part in his sleep (and seems to be actually sleep-walking through this film), Novak struggles with finding an inner life for Gil, relying on sensuous poses and her dramatic costumes to help fill in her character. "Vertigo" proves that Novak can be an impressive performer on screen but requires the steady hand of a formidable director to help guide her. The rest of the cast is top-notch and includes Elsa Lanchester as Gil's eccentric aunt, Queenie, who is also a witch and Hermione Gingold as a powerful witch named Bianca De Pass.
"La Piscine", a sensual French thriller by Jacques Deray, opens with the barely covered, wet glistening bodies of Marianne (Romy Schneider) and Jean Paul (Alain Delon), two bronzed lovers locked in a passionate embrace by a swimming pool. As the couple enjoy their time on holiday in St. Tropez, their tranquility is interrupted by the unannounced arrival of an old friend, Harry (Maurice Ronet), a record producer and his teenage daughter, Pénélope (Jane Birkin). While Marianne and Jean Paul wanted to relax, Harry wants to party and the couple are unable to refuse their gregarious buddy. But the arrival of these guests begins to create some tension between Jean Paul and Marianne. Harry was once Marianne's lover and their display of rekindled intimacy makes Jean Paul uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Jean Paul finds himself getting close to Pénélope, who confesses she barely saw her father when she was growing up, and spending more time alone with her. The mood quickly shifts from festive and tranquil to hostile and combative.
"La Piscine" (which Luca Guadagnino loosely based his 2016 film," A Bigger Splash") is a classic erotic thriller, set in a seductive upscale world of class and refinement, with these privileged individuals allowing their uncontrollable desires overwhelm them to the point of jealous rage and murder. Deray creates intrigue and suspense through suggestion, never allowing us to know definitively if the members of this quartet are actually being indiscreet. And while their real-life romance ended years before this film, there is still a startling erotic charge between Delon and Schneider that ignites the screen with their potent chemistry.
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