*WARNING* This entry contains SPOILERS!

The year is 1953, and L.A. is plagued with drugs, gambling and prostitution, all overseen by vice king Mickey Cohen, but when he is put away under tax evasion, his kingdom is up for grabs until someone with “balls or brass” comes to claim it.  Soon, we are introduced to three very different cops: Bud White, a man who comes off like a brute, but has a kind heart, Jack Vincennes, who has let his job go to his head since he became the technical adviser on a popular cop show, and Ed Exley, a young cop trying to prove himself against his cop father.  Thus begins L.A. Confidential.  Based upon James Ellroy’s best selling novel, L.A. Confidential is a truly thrilling film that harks back to the classic film noirs of the 1950s.

I’ll say this, I adore L.A. Confidential from beginning to end.  It is entertaining and has brilliant characters, but it isn’t perfect in terms of period correctness…first off, I want to point out the use of typography in the film, as pointed out by Mark Simonson. Much of the typography used in the film was not period correct.  Additionally, in the “Movie Premiere Pot Bust” scene, Jack takes a bag of marijuana, these are in small “ziploc” type bags, which were not invented yet – plastic bags at this time were the fold over kind.  In the scene where Bud kills one of the rapists, a milk carton with the folding spout is seen on the coffee table, these types of cartons were not introduced until the mid-1960s.  One of the film’s classic scenes is also one of a garish error.  There is a scene where Jack and Ed find Johnny Stompanado and a girl who turns out to be Lana Turner.  It is true that Stompanado and Turner did date, but that was not until 1957 and their relationship lasted until his death in April 1958, when Turner’s daughter stabbed him to death.  But the witty writing, stellar cast, and stunning costumes smooths over these errors and a wonderful and entertaining film is still presented.

Usually, my Thursday Cinema consists of period movies, and I sit here with my little blog and point out all of the historical inaccuracies.  Today, I’m not going to do that.  Instead, I want to spotlight a film that has its roots in the golden age of comic books, and was transformed for the silver screen in today’s modern age, The Spirit.

Created by comic book legend Will Eisner, The Spirit began in 1940 and lasted through 1952, but has been republished as well as reinterpreted, after Eisner’s death, and new issues are available today.  The storylines of The Spirit were often comical – as was the comic book tradition then – but also had some “hard-boiled” noir aspects as well.  In 2008, graphic novel writer and director, Frank Miller brought The Spirit to the big screen.  This interpretation would be greeted by a rather dismal reception.  Many, not knowing the roots of The Spirit, expected to see another Sin City.  The Spirit was however quite the opposite, it was filled with humorous tongue-in-cheek quips and very comic book moments, including having the Octopus’s henchmen’s names printed on their shirts.

That all aside, The Spirit is very interesting in terms of its art direction and production design.  One moment it looks as if it could take place in 1949, men wear broad brimmed fedoras and women wear seamed stockings, but the next  moment a modern TV camera is used, and a cop is whipping out a cell phone.  Cops still wear their caps, and drive old Buicks, but the SWAT team is all up-to-date with modern helicopters and technologies. In the special features for the film, they said that despite the style of The Spirit, it is always modern and the technology keeps with the times.  Additionally, in pickings props, they said they flipped through books and picked what looked the coolest.

If you want my opinion the film itself, I loved every moment of it.  I laughed so hard I cried.  I saw it with my dad and there were times where he and I were the only ones laughing.  I grew up on the old 1960s Batman staring Adam West – hell, I was obessed at 16 months old, but that’s a whole other story.  The point is, he and I got what the film was doing, the campy jokes and slapstick moments were deliberate, because that is simply how comic books were back then.  And I will shamlessly admit that I saw it three times.  The second time was with a few friends who also had watched West’s Batman, and got the slapstick.  So, if you dig style, and 1960s Batman humor, you should love The Spirit.

The year is 1951, and the Red Scare is rampant, especially since The Hollywood Ten has hit the headlines.  Film writer Peter Appleton (Jim Carrey) has been Blacklisted and while out driving has a car accident.  He finds himself on a beach of a small town, with a clue who he is.  One man, Harry (Martin Landau), believes Peter to be his son, Luke who has been missing since the war.  Peter, with not idea of who he is, believes himself to be Luke, along with the rest of the town, and he and Harry restore the cinema to its former glory, meanwhile the FBI are on the hunt for Peter and the film produces a climax that reminds us what it means to be a citizen of the United States.

The Majestic certainly isn’t lacking in heart or story.  While the town is called Lawson, The Majestic was actually filmed in Ferndale California, a town vertually untouched, with wonderful old store fronts, which are well maintained to keep their old charm. Each store front bears service photos in period correct frames and  service flags.  Cameras as well as items stocked in stores are correct and the clothing is stunning, however stockings on women are never shown.  A poster for It’s a Wonderful Life is shown in the background when Harry is discussiong renovating the cinema.  This makes perfect sense to be the last picture shown or upcoming, because he says he closed the theatre after the war, which ended in 1945, and It’s a Wonderful Life was released in 1946.  Additionally, all of the films which are shown or have posters for are pictures which were released in 1951.  One error occurs during the welcome back party; the song “Stranger on the Shore” while fitting, (due of Peter’s entrance to Lawson) was not released until 1961, ten years after the film takes place.

The film has other fun elements.  In Appleton’s first film, Sand Pirates of the Sahara, personal favorite, Bruce Campbell stars, plus the idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark gets a cameo appearance as well.  I will also admit that I couldn’t stand Jim Carry before  seeing this film, and I think it proved his worth as an actor.

A valentine to the movies, The Majestic is a film that sheds light on the darker side of the 1950s while also reminding its audiences of the magic of what the cinema was all about.

In 1964, Frank William Abagnale ran away from home and quickly became the youngest and most successful “paperhanger” in the United States.  Donning a pilot’s uniform, followed by acting as a resident supervisor at a hospital, then a lawyer, and even a sociology professor, Abagnale cashed over $2.5 million in fake checks.  In 2002, director Steven Spielberg took Abagnale’s true story to the big screen under the same title as Abagnale’s memoir, Catch Me If You Can with Leonardo DiCaprio in the leading role.

With such a complicated tale, not all can be told, and from the get-go Spielberg made that clear to Abagnale, “this is a film, one meant to entertain…an interpretation” Abagnale said, although he claims that “90 percent” is accurate in the scams he conducted.

The crew on board this entertaining film went to great extents to get a lot of things accurate.  They had an FBI technical advisor who told them everything with regards to the FBI portions of the film, right down to the door frames and windows.  The costume designer, Mary Zophres, said that all the women in the film wore period correct bras (meaning pointy bras), which made the period clothing fit better, she even admitted that they “could not cast women with breast implants because they do not fit into that pointy silhouette”.

But despite their efforts for period correctness, including Zophres watching Pan Am stewardess footage and bringing in magazines from the period, she made a mistake with regards to the postal worker uniform that Abagnale’s father wears in a scene.  In the scene the patch on the uniform reads “United States Postal Service”.  My grandfather was a postal worker during this time the postal service was under the name the Post Office Department.  This changed to the United States Postal Service in 1971 under President Nixon.  Another error is that of modular telephones.  Many of the phones in the film are modular (one where the receiver can be easily disconnected), however modular phones were not invented until 1970.

Overall, Catch Me If You Can is fairly accurate, while also being highly entertaining and has remained one of my all-time favorite movies.

In March of 1954, broadcast journalist, Edward R. Murrow, took Senator Joseph McCarthy head on and investigative broadcast journalism in a new direction.  Fifty years later, George Clooney in his second film for him to sit in the director’s chair, tells this story in his film Good Night, and Good Luck, which was nominated for six Oscars. Filmed in black and white through wisps of cigarette smoke, and using real footage of McCarthy, Good Night, and Good Luck is both stunning and evocative.

As far as period correctness goes, the film is virtually flawless.  From clothing to typewriters to the hair dryer in the make-up room, Good Night and Good Luck is near perfect with the exception of one rather bad historical inaccuracy, and one understandable and common error.  The first, and worst, error is in the very beginning.  The film opens with Murrow’s famous “Wires and Lights In a Box” speech, which was given at a Radio and Television News Directors Association dinner.  In the film, the date of the dinner is 25th of October, 1958.  In reality, the date was really 15th of October, 1958.  What I don’t understand is how such an error could be made, especially since the script, which is provided in the book Good Night, and Good Luck. The Screenplay and History Behind the Landmark Movie, gives the correct date of the 15th.  An understandable error is seen in the Warshba bathroom while Shirley is getting ready.  A three prong outlet is seen, however these were not yet used in households yet.

There are other historical inaccuracies, ones which I believe to be deliberate, and understandably so.  During the course the film takes place, CBS newsman Don Hollenbeck committed suicide by turing on his gas stove and oven.  In the film, Hollenbeck is seen in his chair, wearing a button down shirt, and presumably wearing the rest of his work attire as the the gas fills his apartment.  However, in reality, Hollenbeck performed his suicide in his bathrobe and boxers.  I think this change was to offer some dignity to Hollenbeck who was a continuous victim of columnist Jack O’Brian.  Additionally, the death occurred two months after the date presented in the film.  George Clooney admitted to “telescoping” (moving around dates for dramatic purposes) this moment in the film’s commentary.  The other change is that of the “Wires and Lights in a Box” speech.  Much of it was edited, and left portions out.  The film version, I must admit, is much more dramatic.  The full text of the speech can be found here.

I commend Clooney and Grant Heslov for doing their research and involving those who were there working with Murrow and asking them what happened during those times when there was no documentation of what occurred.  Both Joe and Shirley Wershba are still alive, and Clooney and Heslov used them, as well as Milo Radulovich.  Fred Friendly’s son was also talked to in the production of the film.  Interviews with them can be seen in the special features of the DVD.

Overall, Good Night, and Good Luck is a film that is close to flawless, and does one of the most important journalistic heroes and his team justice.

In 2003, director Peyton Reed brought audiences Down with Love, a romantic comedy that is a bit of  a spoof on Pillow Talk and the other sex comedies staring Doris Day and Rock Hudson.  When author Barbra Novak (Renee Zellweger) writes  “Down with Love,” a book that explains how women can “have sex the way a man does – ala carte” the world gets in a frenzy, and the battle of the sexes begins when magazine journalist Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor) wants to write an story exposing Barbra as a fraud, trying to prove that all women want love and marriage.

Stylistically, Down with Love is incredible!  It’s filled with bright fun 60s colors, great clothes, fantastic furniture (including the Eames Womb Chair), and music!  It even uses the old rear projection technique when characters are in cars. It also has a fantastic story with witty writing and entertaining characters. However, Down with Love has a few downsides.  First off, the film claims it takes place in 1962, and it shows the Pan Am building of NYC, which was not completed until 1963.  In an attempt to publicize her book, Barbra and her editor, Vickie (Sarah Paulson, who stared as Bunny Yeager in The Notorious Bettie Page) try to come up with a way to get her book on The Ed Sullivan Show.  The result is Judy Garland singing the song “Down with Love” on the Show.  But, Garland did not appear on The Ed Sullivan Show until 1966.  In a scene where Catcher returns to his apartment, he turns on and turns off a Philco Predicta with a remote, however, this model did not come with a remote.  Midway through the film, Barbra and Catcher are shown against a night scene of Broadway with various show signs passing by.  One show is Bye Bye Birdie, which closed in 1961.  Another show is Oliver! which did not open on Broadway until 1964.

One possible error is a rather interpretive one. The film seemingly takes place in spring or summer.  This can be assumed because of the green foliage on the trees, as well as a scene where Barbra is sunbathing, not to mention there are two scenes taking place at a baseball field.  However, Catcher makes reference to the Cuban Missile Crisis, which happened in October of 1962.

Overall, Down with Love is a fun “zanny sex comedy” that is worth the watch if you like both Zelleger and McGregor.  It is much more a caricature of the 1960s than an accurate portrayal, but fun and entertaining nevertheless!

As already established, I’m a big fan of pin-ups, and of Bettie Page.  With a mysterious life, Bettie Page captured the hearts of millions across the world, and in 2006, director Mary Harron brought Bettie to life on the big screen with The Notorious Bettie Page.  Notorious gives us a nice condensed version of Bettie’s early years before entering the modeling scene, but the bulk of the film takes place during her stint with Irving and Paula Klaw and Bunny Yeager, as well as the trial that included her photos.  In terms of story and entertainment, Notorious is great for Bettie fans since it brings Bettie to life in a manner never done before.  Additionally, the film is extremely artistic in the sense that it uses both black & white and color.

However, in terms of being period correct, as well as historically accurate to Bettie’s life, it’s way off in many, many ways.  The movie opens with a shop selling men’s magazines.  One magazine is shown is Adam, which didn’t hit news stands until 1957, and the opening takes place in 1955.  After Bettie’s first marriage, we see her taking a uniform out of a bag, marking her husband’s return from war.  The uniform shown is an Army uniform, however, Bettie’s husband, Billy Neal, joined the Navy.  In the scenes where Bettie is shooting with Klaw and company, her stockings are double welted, and seamed, however, they do not bear a keyhole.  Throughout the film, Bettie is, of course, being photographed, however there is utter disregard for the film.  Many cameras used only had 12 exposures, and time after time, more than 12 shots are taken without film being changed.

The film’s biggest mistakes occur in the scenes with Bunny Yeager – and really should not have happened since finding the actual photos isn’t that difficult.  The film covers the “Jungle Bettie” shoot and in the film, Bettie is shown posing with jaguars, but in reality, Bettie posed with cheetahs.  Thankfully though, Bettie’s costume is correct, however, Bunny’s outfit is not – in the film she wears a simple green shirt and slacks, instead of the striped, blue piece shown here.

Additionally, the film shows the Christmas shoot that was used for Playboy.  The Santa hat on Bettie’s head is positioned with the bob away from the camera, when it was actually toward the camera, and Bettie is shown holding a pink ornament, when she was really holding a green ornament.   In the film, only one ornament is shown near Bettie’s knee, however, in the real photo, there are clearly four.  Plus, the entire shot is shown in reverse of how the actual picture was released, this however is disputable, because many photographs have been reversed over the ages.

Overall, The Notorious Bettie Page is fun to watch, and entertaining, however, it is frustrating at times to see such mistakes being made.

John Waters (pornography aside) is perhaps one of the best directors when it comes to looking at social issues with a totally unique perspective.  His campy romps are scandalous, but also hilarious.  In 1990, two years after his mainstream hit, Hairspray, Waters wrote and directed Cry-Baby.  Johnny Depp stars as Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker, the coolest drape in school, he’s also the leader of the Cry-Baby Gang.  Enter Allison Vernon, a square who can’t help herself around Cry-Baby.  What ensues is a wonderfully campy caricature of the 1950s.  From the hair to the clothes, Cry-Baby is like Grease – but taken to the Nth degree, it’s simply outrageous.

In terms of realism, you can pretty much through it out the window, however it fairly period accurate in terms songs, cars and clothing.  There was a moment when Allison’s skirt is torn and stockings are revealed, they seem accurate since they have two welts, the back of the stockings are never shown.  In a deleted scene, the character of Wanda (Traci Lords) is taken to Toe-Joe Jackson’s studio, where he shoots both male and female smut.  While the lines are rather unpleasant, the images are great, as seen on the right.  Wanda is wearing a fabulous little number with double welt stockings, again, the backs are not seen.  The imagery is still adorable and perfectly pin-up.

The downsides to period correctness of Cry-Baby are few and far between.  The song “Bad Boy” was written in 1957 and the film takes place in 1954.  Additionally, a portion of the film takes place at the Enchanted Forest theme park in Maryland, this park wasn’t built until 1955 though.  Another error I would point out, while not a period issue, is that prisoners are shown watching Creature for the Black Lagoon, they are wearing 3D glasses, however, the print being shown is the normal version.

Ultimately, Cry-Baby may appear period correct, but it isn’t exactly a perfect recreation of the period, but rather a highly entertaining caricature of the period.  Additionally, Cry-Baby also stars Iggy Pop and Patty Hurst – yes, the Patty Hurst.

In the second installment of Thursday Cinema, I bring you Disney’s adaptation of Dave Stevens graphic novel, The Rocketeer.  After a failed “snatch-and-grab” of a Howard Hughes’ created jetpack, it lands in the hands of two struggling pilots, the young Cliff and his mentor, Peevy (Alan Arkin).  To make some extra dough after a crash and burn with one of their planes, the two show off the piece at an air show.  It is later revealed that famous actor (and secret Nazi spy) Neville Sinclair (played by the two-time James Bond, Timothy Dalton) was the one trying to steal the jetpack.  What ensues afterward is an action-adventure popcorn flick  you’ll cheer for.

The film also stars Jennifer Connelly as Cliff’s girlfriend, who was inspired by the pin-up queen herself, Bettie Page.  In the graphic novel, her name is Betty and is, in fact, a pin-up model.  There are several shots of her either nude or in lingerie.  However, in the film, Betty has been renamed Jenny and is now an actress breaking into Hollywood.  Gotta keep it PG!  The graphic novel has many wonderful squares dedicated to Betty in all of her pin-up glamor, including the image on the right.  In the film we still have a few of these moments; there is a wonderful (albeit somewhat cliche) shot of Connelly putting on a stocking and fastening the garter.  The stocking does have the proper welts, though it is difficult to see if seams (or a keyhole) are there due to the way it was shot.

From a story standpoint, The Rocketeer is good, clean fun with some witty one-liners, however some of the acting is a tad dry.  But visually, the film is stunning.  From the dog shaped diner to the utterly fabulous costumes, it’s a feast for the eyes!  Connelly is gorgeous to look at, though falls terribly flat acting wise.  But that aside, The Rocketeer is fabulous fun and comes highly recommended.

In terms of period correctness, I have found no real errors in the area of fashion and set decoration.  I do call into question the model of the Spruce Goose, however.  The film takes place in 1938, and I have heard of no Spruce Goose ideas pre-1942.  Additionally, the portrayal of Howard Hughes is far from how he was in reality.  Here, he is offered up as a generous, idealist instead of the dramatic obsessive compulsive character he was.  The film also has a nice way of explaining the removal of “LAND” portion of the “HOLLYWOOD” sign, although this was not done until ten years later, in 1949.

A fun film from beginning to end, The Rocketeer is sure to have you cheering, and even more so if you dig the 1930s and 1940s.

All right.  I’ve decided to start a new weekly installment here: Thursday Cinema.  Every Thursday I intend to write about either an old movie, or a movie that takes place before 1979.  Each entry will contain a review of the film, letting you know if it’s even worth seeing (a rating out of 5 is given at the bottom), as well as discussing the historical components of it.  Today I bring you Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day…

On the eve of World War II, England is home to high style and thrilling night clubs.  Singing at The Scarlet Peacock is Delysia Lafasse (Amy Adams), an American trying to make a name for herself in showbiz by any means possible.  Meanwhile, Miss Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) has lost her third job, and stumbles into becoming Delysia’s personal “social secretary” and Delysia takes her on the ride of her life through lingerie fashion shows and cocktail parties.  A high society comedy akin to The Importance of being Earnest, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a wonderful and heartwarming story with happy endings all round.  The film is based upon the book under the same title, which was actually written in 1939 and was originally set to become a film staring Billie Burke, but when Pearl Harbor occurred, the project was shelved.

Miss Pettigrew is certainly a feast for the eyes.  Chalk full of fabulous outfits from undergarments to hats, and even hair styles.  Amy Adams falls wonderfully into the period and I expect will continue to be cast in this era.  McDormand has yet to produce a role that isn’t stunning, and the role of Miss Pettigrew seems as though it was written for her.  Shirley Henderson (of Bridget Jones, a they Harry Potter films, and even an episode of Doctor Who) also stars and is fabulously bitchy in that stylish way.

In terms of period correctness, there is little to pick at.  In doing pre-1950s films, it is easier to find period correct cars that have had little modern customizations done to them.  I did find a possible error in respects to a claim Delysia makes makes regarding being an extra in a film.  She claims to have been drinking a margarita.  And while there are claims of the margarita being invented before 1940, they were not common until after 1948.  While taking place on the eve of WWII, little attention is given to it with the exception of the climax of the film taking place during an air-raid, and by no means is the film dependent upon issues regarding the war.

A true delight in every sense of the word, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a fun and bubbly comedy for vintage lovers.