Hudson Movie Reviews

However, when I ordered it, from Amazon, I think, I was surprised to see that the video had been "altered" (exactly what the euphemism used to stand for). I went back to 20/20 and found that they had the same new version I'd bought. The older, funnier and much sexier one had vanished. I hope that a choice will be given if this comes out on DVD: a choice such is being given now for "Spun," for example. I wonder whose agent went all to pieces and had that changed?

Mowgli, however, doesn't want to leave the jungle, the only home he has ever known. He runs away from Bagheera and meets Baloo, a happy-go-lucky bear, and decides to be like him in order to stay in the jungle. It's up to Bagheera to convince the two of them that Mowgli will be safer in the Man village. Together, the three set out against the many hilarious and menacing obstacles that await them on their journey.

A Disney classic, one of the best things about this movie is the voice work: Sebastion Cabot as the up-tight panther Bagheera; Phil Harris as the "jungle bum" bear Baloo; George Sanderson as Shere Khan, giving him almost an upper crust dignity; and in two of the best roles in the film, jazz star Louis Prima as the orangutang King Louie who wants the secret of man's fire from Mowgli so that he, too, can be a man; and Sterling Holloway as the sly snake Kaa who only wants the mancub for a tasy meal. The film is also full of great music, including "Trust in Me" and the ever-popular classics "I Wan'na Be Like You" and "The Bare Necessities."

This is a family film full of fun, music and adventure that everyone is sure to enjoy.

I say this as a horse nut, mind you, who sat in her youth through every horse movie ever made! Cinematographers, even great ones, never seem to quite 'get' how to film horses, this is the textbook not only on dramatic filming of animals but valuable to study for cutting generally. The action sequences particularily thrust you right into the scene in very original ways.

Horsey girls need no persuading to see this movie; I'd rather urge film students to brave chortling roommates and take a good long look.

On a horsey note though, how on EARTH did they get that horse to do all that stuff?!

There is a 45 minute sequence on the island with Kelly Reno and the stallion. This is only portion of the film which does lag just a trifle. There's no dialogue and the tender love that grows between boy and horse is very deliberately filmed. It does seem improbable that the boy could survive alone on the island with only a pocket knife, but you have to just accept the dubious and revel in the lush photography and understated elegance.

Ther performances are uniformly superb. Kelly Reno is excellent as the boy, but the film ultimately belongs to Mickey Rooney, a naturally charasmatic and gifted actor who never appears to be acting. He steals the film because he's always brilliant and his character is enigmatic and made interesting because Rooney is playing him. Terri Garr, as the boy's mother, is not especially memorable or interesting. Imagine Meryl Streep in this role instead.

The climactic race scene at the conclusion always leaves me in tears. This is a cinematic jewel, a truly beautiful and outstanding movie. People of all ages should love this film, it bridges the generation gap perfectly.

Interestingly, at the time he was too popular a "star", with a recent spate of successful if insubstantial romantic comedies to his credit. No one felt it believable that John Randolph could be transformed into this familiar celebrity. Now, with Hudson's face and figure much less familiar to new generations of filmgoers, this concern is somewhat alleviated, and his performance can be valued on its substance.

At the same time, with our fuller knowledge of Hudson's personal life and tragic death, his ability to portray a man leading what is essentially a double life is far less surprising. He brings to the role a scorching insight and personal perspective that is both pointed and poignant, and in the end degenerates convincingly into desperate fear and rage.

As the adjectives used above would indicate, this is not a "nice" film. There is no happy ending to this story that transcends genre to speak to the dark places in all of our souls.
SECONDS has become something of a cult classic. While this is understandable, it is deserving of more attention than that. It has its flaws, but its impact goes beyond nit-picking. If you have not seen it and you can handle something far more intense than the usual fluff, check it out.

John Randolph is Arthur Hamilton, a man haunted by the thought of life passing him by. Arthur is brought to a strange agency, and is given a unique opportunity: the agency will erase Arthur's old persona via a convenient faked death, perform plastic surgery, and give him a new life as a "second". Rock Hudson plays Tony Wilson, his post-surgery "second" persona. In his new "second" identity, Tony learns that a new body and new identity don't address his need for individuality. Tony never lets go of his supreme self-centeredness, which eventually leads to his downfall.

The film settles in the pit of your stomach with several strange and unsettling scenes. At the agency, he meets a friend who has something on his mind...he seems very intent that Arthur adopts a "second" identity. When Tony awakes from surgery he is bandaged, and is told not to talk because his teeth have been removed. As he recovers, he is given a strange personality and occupational aptitude battery (I have never trusted these after seeing this movie!) Eventually After having too much to drink, he realizes all of his friends are fellow "seconds". Tony visits his wife, who think's he's dead. The gravity of Arthur/Tony's choice is clear; he can never go back. Eventually Tony returns to the agency, and is asked to suggest fellow clients...he never realizes the danger of not ponying up a new candidate. And the final scene...I won't spoil it, but you'll feel cold afterwards.

Hudson is brilliantly and presciently cast, as it was made before his sexuality was common knowledge. It's little wonder that "Seconds" is recognized as Hudson's best work. John Randolph as the gray, depressed Arthur Hamilton is overshadowed by Hudson, but his understated performance is critical to the later success of the film. Never a great actor, Murray Hamilton is at his best as a frightened agency client - we know why he's nervous, but wonder why Arthur can't see it. Frankenheimer's work is brilliant. "Seconds" takes a toll on it's viewers, and I find that I have to steel myself to watch this great film again. Strongly recommended.

This is among the subtlest but also one of the most frightening of films. To say more about its plot would be a disservice to those who have not as yet seen it. Suffice to say that, under the brilliant direction of John Frankenheimer, the cast plays out what becomes a horror story of almost unbearable impact. My opinion is that Hudson's performance is his strongest throughout a lengthy film career. Will Geer appears briefly but memorably, as do others in a diverse cast which includes Murray Hamilton, Jeff Corey, Richard Anderson, and Salome Jens. Also noteworthy is James Wong Howe's cinematography which nourishes, indeed intensifies the gradually-increasing sense of terror as Wilson attempts without success to re-negotiate the terms and conditions of his surgically-enhanced life. Whenever I recall the final scene, I shudder despite the fact that I have seen this film several times and know that it is "only a movie."

The Crawford of Baby Jane is remarkably different than the Crawford of Strait-Jacket. Gone are the subtlety and the last remnants of a great beauty that were still apparent in Baby Jane. Gone is the masterful acting of Mildred Pierce, Humoresque, and even Queen Bee. What is left is a tired shell of Joan Crawford, clinging to the last remains of the glamour; the faded star. Of course, Joan's star has never faded, even 25 years after her death. Her fame was just too great to ever really die during her lifetime or generations after. But although Strait-Jacket appears to be nothing more than a cheap B-movie thriller, it is actually a striking look into the fateful last years of a legend. The movie will leave you thinking for a long, long time after you've seen it. The image of Crawford at the end of her career will burn in your mind. You'll be captivated and repelled at the same time, but what will remain is the fascination. Who was Joan Crawford really? Will we ever know?

Yet, for all of that, in Strait-Jacket, Joan manages to turn what could so easily have been just another William Castle mediocrity-fest, into a very enjoyable film, via one of her best performances as disaster-plagued farmer's wife, Lucy Harbin.

The plot is thin but totally sufficient - Joan murders vile Husband and Mistress, Joan is locked up for 20 years, Joan is released, and more murders take place. Sounds straightforward enough. However, it's the contrast between tender emotion and outright rage that Crawford so beautifully portrays in her role as Lucy that lifts this film out of the ranks of B-Movie and makes it one of Crawford's finest hours.

Her supporting cast are perfunctory, with the exception of a strong performance by Diane Baker as Joan's supportive daughter, and the utterly miscast and woeful John Anthony Hayes as Doctor Anderson, a Pepsi-Cola executive who fancied himself an Actor. Thankfully, his part is minute, and doesn't colour any of the scenes in this otherwise fine thriller.

If Bette Davis considered herself a better Actress than Crawford, and indeed, for movie fans in general who consider Crawford a lesser being, check this out. In places it's tired and showing its age, but put Joan's performance in a melodrama instead of a schlock horror and you've got an Oscar.

Also, the DVD extras are great - the Crawford ax-swinging screen tests are particularly funny :-)