THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE

Bogie

THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948). Director/writer: John Huston.

Down-on-their-luck Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Curtin (Tim  Holt) encounter an old prospector in Tampico named Howard (Water Huston) who tells them there's gold to be found in those hills if they only want to do a little hard work and dodge bandits to get it. The three men, quite friendly, set out to find their riches but once they begin prospecting doubt and suspicion begin to gnaw away at them. Other threats come in the form of a man named Cody (Bruce Bennett of Mildred Pierce), who wants to share in future booty, and the bandit "Gold Hat" (Alfonso Bedoya), who robbed a train the men were on and now wants them to turn over their rifles and everything else. Even some friendly Indians cause a bit of a problem when they want Howard to go with them to save an little boy who nearly drowned (in an affecting sequence). But once they have enough gold to live comfortably for the rest of their lives, will they manage to hold onto it, or will paranoia become their undoing? One of the great strengths of this wonderful movie is that it's almost completely unpredictable and continuously suspenseful and fascinating. The three lead actors are all excellent, bolstered by fine performances from Bennett; Bedoya (playing a very different role from his part in The Big Country); Barton MacLane [The Mummy's Ghost], as a man who tries to fleece them early in the picture; and even the director, John  Huston [Annie], as an American who gives Bogie a hand-out on more than one occasion. Bobby Blake plays a cute little Mexican kid selling lottery tickets. One of Huston's best pictures and aside from a couple of stilted moments possibly Bogie's most memorable performance. Notable also for Ted McCord's photography and Max Steiner's evocative score.

Verdict: A classic. ***1/2.

THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS

THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (1942). Writer/director: Orson Welles.

Orson Welles' follow-up to Citizen Kane was based on Booth Tarkington's brilliant novel, which was not only a trenchant small-town family drama but a look at the changes wrought in American society after the turn of the century and its effects on several citizens. Welles' film was cut by the studio, stripped down to bare basics, but still emerges as a creditable movie with some fine performances. Tim Holt probably never did anything better than his performance as spoiled young George Minafer, whom the whole town is hoping will eventually get his comeuppance. Eugene (Joseph Cotten) had been in love with George's mother, Isabel (Delores Costello,) but she married another man. Now she is a widow, and Eugene is a widower with a grown daughter, Lucy (Anne Baxter). A complication is that George's Aunt Fanny (Agnes Moorehead) has always been carrying a torch for Eugene. "Just being an aunt isn't really the great career it may seem to be," she tells George. A bigger complication is that George is vehemently opposed to any romantic union between his mother and Eugene. [George and Fanny have a number of scenes together which Welles almost always films in long takes.] Eugene is also planning on manufacturing motor cars, which upsets the more genteel members of the Minafer family. As the film progresses there are dramatic developments and the fortunes of the Minafers take a turn for the worse, leading to a situation wherein George has to really prove what kind of person he is. The cast, including Ray Collins [Lt. Tragg on Perry Mason] as Uncle Jack, is excellent, although I fear that Agnes Moorehead is perhaps a bit more odd and semi-hysterical than she needed to be as the desperate and lonely Fanny [she received a supporting Oscar nomination, however]. The movie is handsomely produced and looks great [the art direction and Stanley Cortez' cinematography were also nominated].

Verdict: Nearly a masterpiece. ***1/2.