From Beleaguered Housewives to Syrian Immigrants in Finland, The Five Films I Watched Over the Weekend

Diary of a Mad Housewife

Friday night I watched Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970) courtesy of the Criterion Channel. Tina (Carrie Snodgrass) is mostly miserable. Her husband (Richard Benjamin), in the parlance of the time, is a male chauvinist pig, who treats her horribly. Her two young daughters are poster girls for spoiled brats, neither respects Mom. I’m sure it was a powerful social statement fifty years ago that members of the burgeoning women’s lib movement (as it was then called) would have celebrated. But today it is dated and more interesting as a reflection of the times it was made in. It is also over-the-top. There isn’t a hint of subtlety or nuance in Benjamin’s performance or character nor in that of the daughters. They're more like cartoon villains than avatars of  overbearing, thoughtless family members. Not surprisingly, Tina seeks comfort in the arms of another, a writer played by a young, long-haired Frank Langella. Sadly for Tina, he is a grade A asshole too, barely an improvement over her husband. One strains to understand what she sees in him. Despite its cinematic histrionics, I enjoyed Diary, mostly as a time capsule of the late sixties/early seventies. Snodgrass was a revelation in the lead role and indeed earned an Oscar nomination for best actress.

Saturday afternoon I enjoyed my umpteenth viewing of the classic film, 12 Angry Men (1957) Lumet. I was inspired to watch by the book I was reading, Reginald Rose and the Journey of 12 Angry Men written by Phil Rosenzweig. (I have numbered Phil among my close friends since high school.) Phil’s book tells the story of Reginald Rose who wrote the teleplay for 12 Angry Men which aired in the fall of 1954, then adapted it into a screenplay and co-produced the film with Henry Fonda, who also starred in it. Reading the book made me appreciate the film even more and I already greatly admired it. It features a great cast that in addition to Fonda includes Lee J Cobb, Jack Warden, Jack Klugman and Martin Balsam. (How many outstanding films were Warden and Balsam in? Clue: a lot.) Sidney Lumet directed and it was his first of many outstanding directorial efforts. Twelve Angry Men is a many-layered story which is why it has been successfully used for decades in management courses teaching about group dynamics, as well as psychology courses and of course law classes. It is a movie that many people -- yours truly included -- never tire of. The characters are fully realized, the set design and cinema photography top notch and the story of a jury that goes from 11-1 to convict to 12-0 to acquit, is compelling. 

Stage Door

Saturday evening the missus and I watched Stage Door (1937) La Cava another film with a great ensemble cast led by an acting giant. In this case Katharine Hepburn stars and is ably supported by the likes of Ginger Rogers, Gail Patrick, Lucille Ball and Eve Arden, among others. It is set in a New York theatrical boarding house. Most of the young women are struggling to get work. In addition to it being a competitive business, there’s the not so small matter of a depression ravaging the economy. The ladies survive by wit, sarcasm and togetherness. Some take dinner dates with wealthy producers or other sugar daddies. But those dinners and the minks and trinkets they receive are only temporary salves for the reality of being mostly out of work. It's not just a paycheck they hanker for, they dream of success and fame on the stage. Every day out of work is another day that dream is deferred. There is a drama and pathos in Stage Door. There is a suicide (so it’s not an entirely light comedy) but there is redemption and victory as well. I’ve seen the film several times and always enjoy being ensconced in the large boarding house with such witty and tough ladies, sharing their triumphs as well as withstanding the cruel blows they suffer. Stage Door was ably directed by Gregory La Cava. It is based on a play written by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman (no slouches) and adapted for the screen by Morrie Ryskind and Anthony Veiller, another talented duo. Still much of the dialogue was improvised, a testimony to a sterling cast.

Sunday was Aki Kaurismäki day. I started with Lights in the Dusk (2006), the story of a night watchmen who is played by a group of gangsters via a femme fatale. Janne Hyytiäinen as Koistinen is the poor sap who is manipulated by an attractive woman, Mirja (Maria Järvenhelmi). Koistinen is tricked into revealing the security code for a jewelry store and later is drugged and has is keys stolen. He is arrested for the robbery but won’t give up the girl. When Koistinen’s keys and some of the jewels are planted in his apartment, he accepts his fate and stoically goes to prison. Meanwhile there’s a young woman who he evidently has a history with who runs a hot dog stand. She will play a role in our protagonist’s post prison efforts to rebuild his life and perhaps extract a measure of revenge. It’s a beautiful story made all the more so by the director’s use of color and the moods and setting he creates. While the characters are particularly relatable to me as a Finn, Lights has enjoyed a wide audience. I highly recommend it.

I closed the weekend with my second Kaurismäki film, his most recent and purportedly his last, The Other Side of Hope (2017). It’s simply one of the most compassionate films I’ve ever seen. It begins with two stories that later intersect. One is about a Syrian refugee seeking asylum in Finland while also looking for his missing sister. The other is about a Finnish businessman who has left his wife and job to open a restaurant. It is a funny movie which takes sudden and harrowing turns. There are thoughtless bureaucrats and racist thugs but there are thoughtful and empathetic citizens willing to take risks to help someone in need. As in a lot of Kaurismäki films, there are dark times but there is also the light which shines through. Hope was made in no small part to shine a light on the plight of immigrants and bring more awareness of their struggles. It's a cruel world but Hope shows there are plenty of people willing to help those in need.