Hairy and Mrs Henderson

King Kong

Wednesday December 14, 7500 screens - every freaking corner of the planet!

The first time is special because it is the first time. It is the thing that has never been done. It is new, unusual, sometimes unexpected and happens only once. You can’t unring a bell. Remaking a first from Hollywood’s golden age is daunting at best. What place does the 1933 RKO production of King Kong hold for the fans that treasure it?
Movies like this make going to the movies the unique and wonderful experience that they are. This film like The Bride of Frankenstein is one of a few that can be considered a template for all that followed. It is loved and appreciated for the balanced theatrical work that it is, to be enjoyed by bankers and ditch diggers wherever there are movie houses and the need for the common social experience of on demand entertainment. Films like this define the art of the motion picture and it's development as a hallmark of the twentieth century.
Why would any sane person direct a film destined to be held up in comparison to a masterpiece? Sadly, the pre-sold audience is a safe business decision that guarantees a profit by virtue of name recognition. Films based on tired old television sitcoms fall out of Hollywood like gumballs from a machine.
Fortunately, Peter Jackson is one of those fans in awe of that lovely old film so the truth behind his remake of King Kong lies somewhere between real homage and making a buck. Jackson offers a greatly expanded version of the Cooper and Wallace screenplay that draws the viewer in with considerate detail while changing very little of the original story. Of the scenes that are changed, one or two fail, while several others are surpassingly clever and beautifully done. At 187 minutes the film clicks along from start to finish. It is explicit and revealing, not the simple fairytale of the original but for fans of the older film it is a wonderful indulgence. Naomi Watts’ teary-eyed and grief stricken performance is so exceptional it’s hard to imagine any other actress as Ann Darrow. The biggest problem with Peter Jackson’s King Kong is not an addition but something that was left out. To make matters worse, the omission was dangled like a seductive carrot only to be snatched away. Among the most iconic images from the original film is the screen test scene ending in Ann’s scream, "What does he think she’s really gonna see?" The first trailer released for the new film offered a slightly different version of the scene with a subtle and virtually perfect conclusion. Of all the scenes to cut, why in the world…?
Anyone with a warm spot in their heart for the original should see this thoughtful retelling of that big hairy dude and the chorus girl on their infamous blind date.

Mrs. Henderson Presents

Thursday December 15, 7:00pm The Harvard Exit

What a great surprise after standing in the freezing cold for an hour to discover the director of "Mrs. Henderson Presents" would introduce his film and remain for discussion after the show. Stephen Frears was as warm and funny as the entertaining work he is known for. On British film in general; "We like to make films about how dreadful our people are." On Mrs. Henderson Presents; "I’m horrified I made it. Thank god my mother isn’t alive to see it. It’s what we used to call ‘a nudie’."
The film stars predictably wonderful Judi Dench as the socially detached, decadent and wildly inappropriate widow Mrs. Henderson, "I am bored with widowhood. In India there were always plenty of people to look down on" and Bob Hoskins as the irascible theater manager hired to bring "Revuedeville" to the stage. Excellent art direction, a cast of beautiful girls and a decent musical score transform the first half of "Mrs. Henderson" into something akin to "Topsy-Turvy, the Next Generation." Funny fast talking flappers and music hall flimflam mix with the lively dialog of the two bickering principals to create an energized pace. The decision to go "nude" is hilarious but the big head of steam vaporizes as soon as the story gets serious. Hitler and the blitz turn "Mrs. Henderson" into just another stiff-upper-lip surviving the war story. Dench is elegant and has memorable scenes throughout but the story quickly dissolves into corny sentiment and unconvincing nostalgic patriotism as soon as the humor ends.
The post-show Q&A began with an ignorant accusation of anti-Semitism and groans from the audience. Frears was gracious, charming and offered humorous insight, "I was told Judi would rather like me to direct them. It seems I had little choice." On his choices; "I like very much being taken into a new world" and "In the end, you make films about the people in front of you."

Coming attractions:

The much anticipated release of Terrance Malick's "The New World" is currently scheduled for January 13.

Seattle Theater Groups continuing series of silent film resumes in January with three Cecil B. DeMille films. The Ten Commandments, 1923 (01/08), a grand epic still unequalled, is followed by Carmen (01/15) and The Cheat (01/22), both from 1915, Sundays at the Paramount Theater