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The Films of Vincente Minnelli

Cabin in the Sky

I Dood It

Meet Me in St. Louis

The Clock (March 2/07)

Directed by Vincente Minnelli, The Clock follows Robert Walker's Joe Allen and Judy Garland's Alice Mayberry as they meet-cute in New York City and subsequently fall in love over the next several days. There's not much more to it than that, and although one can't help but lament the overly frenetic finale, the film is generally as affable and lighthearted as its premise might have indicated. Much of the credit for the film's mild success belongs to Walker and Garland, as their charismatic work often elevates Robert Nathan and Joseph Schrank's tremendously uneven screenplay. The inclusion of several admittedly worthless subplots - including an appearance by Keenan Wynn as a loud-mouthed drunk - doesn't seem to serve any purpose other than to pad out the film's running time, while the unusually dated third act leaves the proceedings with a fairly bitter aftertaste. Still, Minnelli's breezy direction is reflected in the performances - with the end result a piece of work that is, more often than not, agreeable enough to warrant a mild recommendation.

out of

Yolanda and the Thief

The Pirate

Madame Bovary

Father of the Bride

Father's Little Dividend

An American in Paris

The Bad and the Beautiful

The Band Wagon

The Long, Long Trailer

Brigadoon

The Cobweb

Kismet

Lust for Life

Tea and Sympathy

Designing Woman

Gigi

The Reluctant Debutante

Some Came Running

Home from the Hill (January 28/07)

Quite long but generally entertaining, Home from the Hill revolves around an exceedingly dysfunctional Southern family - with Robert Mitchum cast as womanizing patriarch Wade Hunnicutt. Wade's wife, Hannah (Eleanor Parker), remains married to the man based solely on the condition that she be allowed to raise teenaged son Theron (George Hamilton) as she sees fit, though it's not long before Wade - upset at his boy's reputation as a mama's boy - decides to take over as the central parental figure in Theron's life. Complicating matters is the presence of loyal ranch hand Rafe (George Peppard), who - as it turns out - is actually Wade's illegitimate son. Right from its opening moments, Home from the Hill plays out like a typically sweeping Hollywood epic - exemplified by Vincent Minnelli's grandiose directorial choices - although it ultimately becomes clear that the material doesn't entirely warrant such treatment. Mitchum's commanding performance certainly goes a long way towards keeping things interesting, to the extent that the film starts to suffer once his character is relegated to the sidelines. The increased emphasis on Theron's less-than-plausible character arc - the rationale behind his leaving home is utterly preposterous - doesn't help matters, and there's just no overlooking the feeling that the film would've benefited from some judicious editing. That being said, the inclusion of several thoroughly compelling sequences - coupled with some fine acting by Mitchum and Peppard - ensures that Home from the Hill remains just entertaining enough to warrant a mild recommendation.

out of

Bells are Ringing

The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Two Weeks in Another Town

The Courtship of Eddie's Father

Goodbye Charlie

The Sandpiper

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever

A Matter of Time

© David Nusair