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Managing Editor A comedy classic, a great documentary and an odd, but moving film from Germany are featured in this week's reviews. Lipstick and Dynamite: The First Ladies of Wrestling Admit it: at some point in your life, you've watched professional wrestling. Whether you were a wide-eyed kid or a bored adult just channel surfing, most people have had a moment when they've witnessed what is now called "sport entertainment." This new documentary sheds light on one of the sport's most obscure chapters the rise of women wrestlers in the late 1940s. At a time when wrestling offered little of the glitz and production values of today, Lipstick and Dynamite examines just why young women chose a career in such an odd form of show business. Regardless of how pre-determined the matches were, this was no easy way to make a living. The film shows that feuds between wrestlers and memories of cheating promoters and managers die very hard. The film interviews a number of the athletes including the first woman wrestler, Gladys "Killem" Gillem, and, perhaps still the best-known woman wrestler, The Fabulous Moolah. It expertly weaves these contemporary interviews with vintage photos and footage of matches. Director Ruth Leitman clearly has affection for these women, but she doesn't sugarcoat her subjects. Moolah and her housemate another wrestler known as The Great Mae Young often come across as simply mean and greedy. Few of the other wrestlers care very much for them. What is heartening is that, despite the rough conditions under which they performed, most of the women come across as proud of their pioneer status. This is a fascinating film even if you're not a wrestling fan. For more information, log onto www.lipstickanddynamite.com. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek Compared to other directors, Preston Sturges had a relatively short career, but man what a career it was! Sturges was the first person to actually be allowed to write and direct his own films and in the 1940s he produced a string of comedies that included The Great McGinty, The Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels and Hail the Conquering Hero. Sturges had a satiric eye and an ear for great snappy and over-lapping dialogue. He was willing to marry silly slapstick with sophisticated humor the result being that in a Sturges film the narrative was always full of surprises. For many The Miracle of Morgan's Creek is his best film. It is certainly his most amazing film. Shot in 1944 when the censorship office run by Joseph Breen was at its full power, Sturges managed to make a film about a young woman (Betty Hutton) who can't quite remember what happened to her the night she went out to parties with departing GIs, other than that she got married to someone. She can't remember the name of the man and she had a curtain ring on her finger the next morning. A while later she gets the news she is expecting and she panics at how she is going to break the news to her widower father (William Demerest). She hatches a scheme with the young man who has been in love with her since childhood (Eddie Bracken) and ... well, I can't tell you. You should see this film for yourself. At a time Sturges shot the film, pregnancy could barely be depicted on screen and to make a comedy out of this situation would have been unthinkable. The two extras on the DVD show how Sturges worked and how he was able to tiptoe his script past the watchful eyes at the Breen Office. One of the great films of the 1940s, Miracle shouldn't be missed. For more information, log onto wwww.paramount.com/ homeentertainment. Schultze Gets the Blues When I saw the trailer for this film I thought it was a warm and funny comedy from Germany about a polka playing accordionist who discovers Zydeco music. Well, the film has its amusing moments, but it is actually a fairly distant and somber affair. Hortst Krause is Schultze, a foreman at a mine in a small town in Germany, who is forced to take early retirement. He doesn't know quite what to do with himself until he discovers Zydeco music by accident on the radio one night. An accordionist who specializes in traditional polkas, Schultze becomes obsessed with the music, a passion that is not shared by the other members of his music club. His dream is to come to America and experience Zydeco first hand, which he does with both comic and serious results. Director Michael Schorr shot his script in long shots and medium shots. We never get close to the characters either visually or through dialogue. Schultze is pretty much a silent character and there are huge gaps in the narrative. For instance, Schultze suddenly gets a boat when he is in Louisiana and heads off in search of a destination that is never revealed to the audience. While I found the film interesting, it should have been far more intimate. I've seldom seen a film about an awakening in a person's life that is played out at such distance. For more information, log onto www.paramount.com/ homeentertainment. |
