RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN

RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN. Ethan Mordden. Harry N. Abrahms; 1992

This huge, heavily illustrated, and beautifully written coffee table tome on the wonderful duo of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II is not only a visual treat but is packed with information on these two gentlemen and musical theater in general. R&H began their collaboration with the influential Oklahoma, then followed this with such great musicals as Carousel, The King and I, South Pacific, The Sound of Music and others. Mordden writes with enthusiasm, wit, and knowledge about these works, and also devotes a chapter to the team's one and only score written specifically for a film, State Fair. Mordden also provides backstage details and looks at the cast members of these shows, some of whom were famous, some of whom faded into obscurity. Mordden also looks at the film  versions of such shows as Oklahoma, South Pacific, the mega-hit Sound of Music and others, comparing both versions with his usual verve. An absolute must for devotees. Mordden has written many other books on musical theater and this is one of his best.

Verdict: Superb book! ****.

A WOMAN SCORNED: THE BETTY BRODERICK STORY

Meredith Baxter

A WOMAN SCORNED: THE BETTY BRODERICK STORY (1992 telefilm). Director: Dick Lowry. 

Betty Broderick (Meredith Baxter of The Cat Creature) has been nagging her successful husband, Dan (Stephen Collins) about a divorce for years, but when he finally gives up, moves out, and files papers, she is absolutely livid. Betty mounts a campaign of terror against the man that spares no one, including her own children. She goes so far as to call her little boy a "little traitor" because he wants her to stop carrying on the way she does, which includes driving her car into her now ex-husband's house when her children are inside! Later claiming that she was "driven to it," Betty goes to his home (supposedly wanting to "talk" late in the evening), climbs the stairs to the bedroom, and shoots both him and his new wife (Michelle Johnson) dead.

Kelli Williams and Stephen Collins

A Woman Scorned makes very clear that -- although some stupid people made Broderick a cause celdebre, seeing her as a symbol of middle-aged women dumped by husbands for younger models, an over-simplification to say the least -- Broderick was, as one psychologist calls her, an extreme "narcissist" who had no problem using her own children as pawns in a war with her ex. Ignoring restraining orders, acting like a loon, alienating friends and family -- even though she could have started over again with her new boyfriend -- she was her own worst enemy. In an Emmy-nominated performance, Meredith Baxter brings the woman vividly to life, never chewing the scenery, always making it clear what makes this woman tick. Baxter is excellent casting, showing the dark side of the sitcom mom she had previously played. Stephen Collins and Kelli Williams are also perfection as Dan Broderick and his oldest daughter, one of four children caught in the middle of this mess, and there are a host of solid supporting performances as well. Followed by Her Final Fury. Dick Lowry also directed The Jayne Mansfield Story and many others. 

NOTE: In 2014 Stephen Collins admitted to People magazine that he had "inappropriate sexual contact with three female minors." The statute of limitations prevented him from being arrested. 

Verdict: Well played and suspenseful, this is one high-class telefilm. ***. 

HER FINAL FURY: BETTY BRODERICK, THE LAST CHAPTER

Betty on trial: Meredith Baxter

HER FINAL FURY: BETTY BRODERICK, THE LAST CHAPTER (1992 telefilm). Director: Dick Lowry. 

After shooting her ex-husband and his new wife dead in their own bedroom, Betty Broderick (Meredith Baxter) goes on trial for double homicide. Betty has gotten a surprising amount of support, primarily because she paints herself as the stereotypical "discarded" wife, and her ex-husband as an abuser, even though the prosecution finds no evidence of this. DA Kerry Wells (Judith Ivey) is reluctant to put Betty's little boys on the stand, although they have important information to relate, because she fears further traumatizing them, but her eldest daughter, Kate (Kelli Williams of The Practice), willingly becomes a prosecution witness, incurring her mother's eternal enmity. 

Judith Ivey versus Meredith Baxter in court

Her Final Fury boasts another fine performance from Meredith Baxter as the narcissistic sociopath Betty Broderick. Judith Ivey also offers her customary excellent work, as does Kelli Williams as the conflicted daughter, who loved her father. Watching the proceedings, it is clear Broderick hated her husband less because of the divorce, than because he walked out on her, before she could do the same, and because she didn't get enough money despite his more than generous alimony payments. While we generally think it's men who shout "no one walks out on me!" and "If I can't have you, no one can!" women are perfectly capable of having the same mind set. The first trial ended in a hung jury (because of two dumb hold outs), but Betty was convicted in the second trial. 

Betty Broderick was denied parole in 2010 and on subsequent occasions because she showed no remorse and refused to admit she did anything wrong. (Let's make no mistake -- even if her husband had been the monster she portrayed him as, murder is never an option, and it only made things worse for everyone, especially her children.) Her next parole hearing isn't until 2032 when she will be 84. Interestingly enough, her two older children think she should stay in prison, while the two younger children want her to get out.

Verdict: Well-acted and absorbing follow up to A Woman Scorned. ***. 

THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE

Matt McCoy and Annabella Sciorra

THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE (1992). Director: Curtis Hanson.

After Claire (Annabella Sciorra) is molested by her doctor (John de Lancie) and other women come forward, the man commits suicide. Claire and her husband, Michael (Matt McCoy), are unaware that the doctor's widow, Peyton (Rebecca De Mornay of Guilty as Sin), is out for revenge. Using an assumed identity she applies for a job as nanny and gets it, then uses her position to cause havoc in the household and try to break up Claire's marriage. When Claire's friend, Marlene (Julianne Moore of Far From Heaven), figures out who Peyton really is, a series of violent incidents occur. Claire may learn that her nanny is far more dangerous than even she could imagine. 

Rebecca De Mornay

Although somewhat forgotten today, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle was a very successful and influential movie in its day. After this there were a whole slew of theatrical, made-for-cable and direct-to-video features about homicidal, manipulative and Machiavellian women out to break up marriages, steal husbands, and the like, with sinister nannies in abundance. While entertaining, Hand is hardly a classic thriller, although it does boast some good scenes, such as a meltdown at a surprise party, and the climax with Peyton on the rampage is fairly exciting. The screenplay has only minimal characterization, however, and the direction makes it seem more like a telefilm than a theatrical movie. The acting is good, with the ladies taking top honors. Matt McCoy makes an adept, blandly handsome leading man. He, De Mornay, and Sciorra -- not to mention Moore and Ernie Hudson as a mentally-challenged handyman whose life Peyton nearly destroys -- all had busy and long careers after this movie. 

Verdict: Not as visceral as Fatal Attraction, but not without its moments. **3/4. 

FATAL CHARM: THE LIFE OF REX HARRISON

FATAL CHARM: THE LIFE OF REX HARRISON. Alexander Walker. St. Martin's; 1992.

This superb biography takes a thorough, exhaustive look at the life and career of Rex Harrison, highlighting his enormous talent and good points while unsparingly detailing his less admirable traits, which were many. Walker covers Harrison's early British films and stage work, his coming to America to appear in Anna and the King of Siam with Irene Dunne, his triumph in both the Broadway and movie versions of My Fair Lady, and his many marriages to the likes of Collette Thomas, Elizabeth Rees, Lilli Palmer, and Rachel Roberts, among others. Roberts was a particular handful, an alcoholic whose behavior in public was often disgusting, and who even after her divorce from Harrison and his subsequent remarriage never stopped trying to get him back. Then there are the numerous affairs, the most publicized of which were with Carole Landis (who committed suicide over him) and Kay Kendall [Les Girls], whom Harrison married, divorcing Palmer, after learning Kendall had only a couple of years to live. Walker's biography maintains a balance between Harrison's career and personal life, analyzing his performances, and is bolstered by many interviews and comments from friends and co-workers.

Verdict: A damned good show! ****.

THE DANGER OF LOVE: THE CAROLYN WARMUS STORY

Illicit Lovers: Joe Penny and Jenny Robertson

THE DANGER OF LOVE: THE CAROLYN WARMUS STORY (1992 telefilm). Director: Joyce Chopra.

Teacher Michael Carlin (Joe Penny) is married to Mary Ann (Deborah Benson) but is drawn to a co-worker, the wealthy Carolyn Warmus (Jenny Robertson), who is used to always getting what she wants. Although Michael tries more than once to break things off, Carolyn just won't take no for an answer. One evening Michael meets Carolyn for drinks, and comes home to find his wife shot to death, almost execution style. As far as Detective Pollina (Joseph Bologna) is concerned, Michael is the number one suspect, but first he has to take a hard, cold look at the man's mistress ... The Danger of Love is based on the true story of the notorious Warmus, and is bolstered by excellent performances from the two leads, especially Robertson. Richard Lewis also has a good turn as Michael's friend, a lawyer named Edward. The screenplay is perhaps too kind to Michael, who in real life was probably not as sympathetic as Joe Penny portrays him.

Verdict: Even smart blonds can be dumb. ***.

HUSBANDS AND WIVES

Mia Farrow

HUSBANDS AND WIVES (1992). Written and directed by Woody Allen.

"You use sex to express every emotion except love."

Jack (Sydney Pollack) and his wife. Sally (Judy Davis of My Brilliant Career), are long-time friends of Gabe Roth (Woody Allen) and his wife, Judy (Mia Farrow). The Roths are startled and dismayed when Jack and Sally announce that they're splitting up, but they assure them that "it's perfectly okay." However, it turns out to be not so okay when Sally discovers that Jack has been having an affair with the much-younger Samantha (Lysette Anthony of the reboot of Dark Shadows). Sally starts seeing Judy's co-worker Michael (Liam Neeson of The Other Man) while Gabe finds himself drawn to his young, admiring student, Rain (Juliette Lewis), and Judy has her own attraction to Michael. Can any of these people ever find happiness? Husbands and Wives begins quite well but suffers from a more contrived second half, which may have been influenced by the true-life events of the highly publicized Woody-Mia break up at the time. Otherwise, as usual, the picture is entertaining, very well-acted by all (with high marks to Davis, Anthony, and Lewis, in particular), and has some interesting observations and intelligent dialogue. Once again we have Allen showing off almost in fetishistic fashion his alleged appeal to younger and much more attractive females (Soon-Yi Previn notwithstanding); yes, sometimes the "yuck" factor gets in the way. However, one of the best scenes has Rain telling Gabe what she thinks of his new unpublished novel, and what it says about his attitude toward women, in a taxi. The shaky hand-held camera shots can be distracting.

Verdict: Not bad, not great, but never uninteresting. **12.  

ALIEN 3

Alien checks out Sigourney Weaver

ALIEN 3 (1992). Director: David Fincher. NOTE; This review is of the special expanded edition/assembly cut.

After the end of Aliens, Lt. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) escaped from LV-426 with the child, Newt, and Corporal Hicks. Unfortunately, it turns out that there was an alien on board, and the ship crash lands on Fury 161, a closed prison planetoid whose inhabitants have chosen to remain on this dismal world. As if she hadn't enough heartbreak, Ripley learns that Newt and Hicks have died, and discovers something even more horrifying about her medical condition. The company is still after a specimen of that dreadful alien species, and nothing else seems to matter, leading Ripley to make a moving sacrifice to save the lives of millions. Not overly loved at the time of its release, and with undeniable flaws, Alien 3 is actually a very good horror sci-fi flick with some excellent performances, interesting psychological elements, and adroit characterizations in the screenplay by Giler, Hill and Ferguson. The supporting characters include the medical officer, Clemens (Charles Dance), who has his own secrets; Dillon (Charles S. Dutton), who has turned the other cons into religious converts; the crazy Golic (Paul McGann), who sort of "bonds" with the alien; Aaron (Ralph Brown), a kind of warden who only wants to get back to his wife and kids; and others, who are vividly brought to life both by the script and the performances. Some creepy and suspenseful sequences as well. Elliot Goldenthal contributed an effective score; a nice touch is the way the 20th Century Fox fanfare at the opening ends on an ominous, sinister and sustained down-note. Followed by Alien: Resurrection.  Fincher also directed Gone Girl and Zodiac.

Verdict: A highly interesting mix of genres and characters with some fine performances. ***1/2.

A VILLAGE ROMEO AND JULIET

Michal Dlouhy and Dana Moravkova

A VILLAGE ROMEO AND JULIET (1992). Director: Petr Weigl.

In this filmed adaptation of Frederick Delius' opera of the same name, Sali (Michal Dlouhy) and Vreli (Dana Moravkova) are childhood sweethearts whose fathers become bitter enemies over a lawsuit over property. Later on Sali accidentally kills Vreli's father, Marti (Pavel Mikulik), and he and the woman he loves go off together despite her mixed emotions. There they wind up with a group of bohemians and outlaws among which the couple do not really feel comfortable. The two make a sad decision ... A Village Romeo and Juliet is beautifully filmed, well-acted, and marvelously sung. Dlouhy and Moravkova, both very attractive actors, do expert pantomiming while Arthur Davies and Helen Field do the outstanding vocalizing. Star baritone Thomas Hampson both sings and acts the role of the "Dark Fiddler" and is excellent on both counts. Delius' music is intensely romantic and there are moments of real beauty in the score.

Verdict: Good things to look at and beautiful music to hear. ***1/2.

FLYING THROUGH HOLLYWOOD BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS: SAM ARKOFF

FLYING THROUGH HOLLYWOOD BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS. Sam Arkoff with Richard Trubo. Birch Lane Press; 1992.

Sam Arkoff of American International Pictures tells how the company was formed, relates behind-the-scenes details of some of its more famous movies [including I Was a Teenage Werewolf and the Roger Corman/Vincent Price Poe pictures], and looks at some of the famous actors and directors who got their start at AIP, such as Jack Nicholson and Francis Ford Coppola. AIP tapped into a huge audience that the majors were ignoring -- teenagers -- and [when that ran its course and even before] developed new genres, such as beach, hot rod and "blaxploitation" movies, that the major studios eventually copied. Like a wise old owl, Arkoff laments how the movie industry needlessly spends millions on [often terrible] movies and how stars' salaries have become hopelessly inflated, along with other cogent criticisms. Arkoff regrets AIP's merging with Filmways, and later quit that group to form Arkoff International Pictures. Author Trubo skillfully allows Arkoff's personality to come through, with the result that the book is not only informative and entertaining, but a darn good read as well.

Verdict: An insider's view of filmmaking, Hollywood and exploitation pictures. ***1/2.

ARMY OF DARKNESS

ARMY OF DARKNESS (1992). Director: Sam Raimi.

A sequel to Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 has hero Ash (the charismatic Bruce Campbell) falling through a time warp and winding up in the middle ages. There he learns that the only way he can get home is to find the Necronomicon (a mystical book that was actually invented by H. P. Lovecraft). Along the way he encounters more demons, tiny, giggling duplicates of himself, an evil doppelganger, witches, flying creatures, and living skeletons. The movie is busy but by no means should it be confused with a decent fantasy, sword and sorcery, or horror film; it's a travesty in every sense of the word -- and an effort to sit through for the most part due to its monumental silliness (as opposed to genuine humor). There's no real story and no real characters. Director Raimi, who co-scripted with his brother, seems to have been trying to turn star Campbell into some kind of slapstick comedian. Campbell can handle everything the script throws at him with aplomb, but he deserves better. And so do horror-fantasy fans. There's some acceptable stop-motion work, but none of it is of Ray Harryhausen quality, and there's nothing in this that compares to the climax of Jason and the Argonauts. Some effective, amusing moments, but much of this is just clumsy and foolish. Pretty much a moron movie.

Verdict: Full of sound and fury ... *1/2.

OF MICE AND MEN (1992)

OF MICE AND MEN (1992). Director: Gary Sinise.

John Steinbeck's heartbreaking study of loneliness and shattered dreams has such a strong story that it carries this flawed remake both starring and directed by Sinise (pictured). As actor and director Sinise is perfectly competent but rather lightweight, although he certainly isn't bad as George Milton. Although John Malkovich is not as memorable as Lon Chaney Jr. in the 1939 version, he is more on the money as Lennie. Ray Walston offers a solid performance as old Candy -- is there anything more pathetic than seeing him crying on the cot after his dog has been shot?-- and Casey Siemaszko scores as the nasty little Curly. Sherilynn Fenn is excellent as Curly's unnamed wife, who is much more sympathetic in this version. This also gives a good scene [per the novel] to the black character Crooks (a vivid Joe Morton), as in the original version. The 1939 version was more artistic, but this version has its own strengths, a certain graphicness, and it does pull one along. But it's empowered every step of the way by Steinbeck's genius. Screenplay by Horton Foote.

Verdict: Disturbing and affecting. ***1/2.