I'm a regular viewer of Turner Classic Movies. There is hardly a week that goes by that I don't watch at least 2 or 3 movies on TCM, sometimes more. Anyway, there are two movies coming on in the next week that are not seen on TV much, and I really like these two movies so I thought I'd point them out.
First up is a serious film called The Dresser. Unfortunately it comes on at 3:30 (EST) in the morning on Sunday, March 2. But this is why God created DVRs. Even so, it deserves a much better time slot.
The Dresser is a powerful film with a strong script and outstanding acting. The film is an adaptation by Ronald Hardwood of his own play about a mentally deteriorating actor with a Shakespearian acting troop trying to perform plays during the bombing of London in W.W.II. Well, I say it's about the actor, but really, as the title suggests, it's about the dresser, the assistant to the actor. Albert Finney plays the aging actor, referred to in the film only as "Sir", and Tom Courtenay plays the effeminate dresser, Norman. There is a marvelous moment in the film when the confidence and power of "Sir" is on display as he makes a train stop with a bellowed command. Behind the scenes, however, "Sir" is an aging actor who is forgetful and insecure. Norman is the ever faithful, loyal and devoted assistant who is ever overlooked, unremembered and unacknowledged. Quickly their interdependence of their relationship becomes clear. "Sir" would have no career and would likely be in a hospital somewhere if not for Norman, and Norman would have no direction in life if not for his relationship with "Sir".
There are many funny behind-the-scenes moments of the actors griping, the actual work of putting on the plays, and some old actors' superstitions about "the Scottish Play". These moments are deftly woven with the more serious moments of the film of watching two men whose world is figuratively and literally falling down around them. The acting is absolutely top notch, with brilliant performances by Finney and Courtenay (both nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role) as well as by Zena Walker, Edward Fox, Eileen Atkins and Michael Gough. It is a powerful film that I find very moving. If you at all enjoy stories that focus on characters (rather than, say, action or plot twists), then I think you will enjoy this film.
The second film I want to mention is The President's Analyst. This satirical comedy will be shown at 10:00 (EST) on the night of Tuesday, March 4. This is a 1967 film that satirizes the politics of the 1960s, and just about everyone gets made fun of in this movie. The title refers to James Coburn's character, Dr. Sidney Schaefer, an analyst, as in psychoanalyst. He is chosen to be the analyst for the President of the United States, and his position as someone who gets told everything in the President's head but who cannot, himself, tell anyone else, begins making him paranoid. But then, as the saying goes, are you really paranoid if everyone really is out to get you?
Now, when I say just about everyone gets made fun of, I mean just about everyone. Republicans, Democrats, politicians, the FBI, the CIA, hippies, counter-culture, Canadians. And of course the film also pokes a lot of fun at the conventions of 60's spy movies. But that isn't to say there isn't a serious theme to this film. I had seen the movie several times before I got it, but the film is about the nature of identity. But please don't, er, analyze this movie too much. Sit back and enjoy the trip, man.
Also, watch for charming characterizations by William Daniels, Will Geer, Walter Burke, Barry McGuire, and Pat Harrington. There is some cool stuff here, like Walter Burke playing the chief of the FBR (a play on the FBI obviously), Henry Lux (Lux being the name of vacuum cleaner, as play on the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover). If you have not seen The President's Analyst before, and can DVR it, I recommend you do so. You'll notice things on a second viewing that you might have missed and understand things might have seemed odd on the first viewing. It's a better crafted story than the movie might seem on the surface Anyway, I highly recommend it, particularly if you're a fan of the political thrillers of the 60s and 70s, and/or of other spy spoofs like Coburn's Flint movies or the Matt Helm movies.
