From Cats on Roofs to Chinatown and Hippies With a lot of Sharon Tate, The Nine Most Recent Films I've Watched

Shampoo

Let’s check in on the last nine films I’ve watched. You'll  notice a few themes that run through many of them such as Sharon Tate and the Manson family. Tate's husband Roman Polanski will be referenced a few times as well.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) Brooks. Watching this movie is an extremely frustrating experience. The strictures of censorship turned what could have been a great movie into a passable one. Based on the Tennessee Williams play of the same name it features a great cast in top form: Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor (as gorgeous a pair of co-stars as you’ll ever see) Burl Ives, Judith Anderson and Jack Carson. As compelling as the film is, the story was eviscerated by cutting all the play’s homosexual themes, a fact that — unsurprisingly — angered Williams. His artistic vision was ruined and what should have been a strong statement on homophobia and sexism was instead merely a vehicle for great acting. As if that weren't bad enough, studio execs altered the ending of the film to make it more palatable for audiences, something Hollywood bigwigs are want to do. Cat was a critical and commercial success and is certainly still well worth a look, but oh, what might have been.

Shampoo (1975) Ashby. With this my latest viewing of Shampoo it occurred to me that the film is  about the death of hope. The sadness of the film is masked to a great degree by watching star Warren Beatty bed-hopping with various women, namely Lee Grant, Goldie Hawn, Julie Christie and Carrie Fisher — all in a 24-hour period, mind you. Beatty co-wrote the script with Robert Towne (more on him later) about a wildly popular and lascivious hairstylist (Beatty) who wants to own his own shop. The main character is based on two real people, one of whom was Jay Sebring who was killed alongside Sharon Tate by members of the Manson Family. He seeks start-up capital from the husband (Jack Warden) of one of his lovers (Grant). Meanwhile the potential investor is himself having an affair with an ex of Beatty’s (Christie). Shampoo begins on election eve 1968 and the election and its results (a Nixon victory) are no mere window dressing. Shampoo is about the death of the Sixties and  the decadence of America’s noveau riche who partied on while the high hopes of the Sixties died. Shampoo, is a terrific multi-layered film that is not only very much of the time it was set but of the time it was made with a strong Seventies cinema sensibility. Shampoo has less of a Hal Ashby stamp to it then some of the other excellent films he made in the seventies, probably because Beatty essentially co-directed. It's also been said that the script, which had been in development for about five years, was ultimately influenced by the murderous rampage by the Manson Family, the most famous victim being Sharon Tate.

Sharon Tate

The Wrecking Crew (1968) Karlson. Watching a really bad film is only tolerably if a) you know it’s going to be bad and b) there’s a reason beyond enjoying a cinematic experience for you to watch it. I correctly anticipated the Wrecking Crew would be a stinker, although I didn’t know the stench would be quite so bad. There’s no better example than when the film’s star (Dean Martin as Matt Helm) leaps over a hedge, lands on a lawn and the ground ripples. Or when Helm and his leading lady are landing a helicopter and it is evident that the vehicle is being operated by a stunt double who bears only a vague resemblance to Helm. Wrecking Crew’s credibility is not helped by the many scenes in the hills of Denmark (Denmark has no hills) that strongly resemble the hills of Southern California. The fight scenes are boring, the dialogue seems written by a 12-year-old and the plot is beyond absurd. But I was compelled to watch the movie because of Martin’s co-star, Sharon Tate. Wrecking Crew features in Quentin Tarantino’s brilliant film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood where we see Tate (as played by Margot Robbie) enter a movie theater and gleefully watch herself in the film. I’d also been thinking a lot about Tate because of the podcast You Must Remember This which had a series on Charlie Manson’s Hollywood which naturally centered around the murder of Sharon Tate and others by members of the Manson Family. I’ve been “having to watch” Wrecking Crew ever since Once Upon a Time… came out and the podcast was the tipping point. I’m glad I’ll never have to watch it again, though I have to say that for all the film’s faults, Tate was a delight to watch.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) Sciamma. This one of the rare cases of a film I admire but don’t like. I think its a terrific movie and and understand and appreciate that it's loved by many, particularly feminists and the LGBTQ community. But it didn’t work for me. I couldn't warm up to either main character. I was not at all bothered by the subject matter and indeed thought it was a good story. Portrait was beautifully shot — well, hell, there’s nothing wrong with it, I just didn’t like it. Happens.

Daily Miller

Daisy Miller (1974) Bogdanovich. As mentioned previously on this blog I've recently listened to TCM’s The Plot Thickens podcasts in which Ben Mankiewicz interviewed Peter Bogdanovich. I have subsequently watched all of Bogdanovich’s films (almost all, I passed on a few that were very poorly received). The last of these was Daisy Miller starring Bogdanovich’s then girlfriend, Cybill Shepard in the title role. I’d never seen Daisy Miller before and was suitably impressed. For all its merits Daisy tanked at the box office. As Bogdanovich himself has said it came out at a time when the movie-going public was not interested in period pieces. Twenty years later, he has speculated, it might have been a hit. Based on an 1878 novella by Henry James, Miller is about a young, beautiful, wealthy and obnoxious American woman traveling in Europe and being pursued by various suitors, one of whom is a fellow American who has our sympathies. He is played by Barry Brown and yes, I said “who?” when I saw his name too. Brown was a strange cat who Bogdanovich said liked to read the obituaries in the morning paper. He took his own life five years after Miller, at the age of 27. More’s the pity because based on Miller he was a fine actor, this was his biggest role.

Chinatown (1974) Polanski. There’s so much going on with this film that it deserves a book and indeed there is a new one out and following my latest viewing of Chinatown I ran out (actually my wife drove me to the bookstore) and bought it. The book is called The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood and it's by Sam Wasson. After two days I’m halfway through the book and loving it. I’m not the only person who regards Chinatown as one of America’s greatest films and likewise its screenplay, by Robert Towne as virtually unparalleled in cinema history. I also think it is the quintessential 1970s American film (high praise indeed) despite the fact that there are three others I hold in slightly higher regard (Manhattan (1979), The Godfather (1972) and Taxi Driver (1975)). Previously I mentioned Shampoo is a sad film about the death of hope. Compared to Chinatown, Shampoo is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. There is utter despair in the ending. The rich and powerful are victorious and get away -- literally -- with murder. The woman in the picture, Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) who at first seems something of a femme fatale, tries mightily to protect her daughter (her sister) from a rapacious evil that is capitalism personified in the person of Noah Cross (John Huston) the man who once owned -- literally -- water and now profits of it and directs its path like a god. The private detective J.J. Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is a cynic who revels in dirty jokes and happily takes divorce cases but comes to love Mulwray and tries to save her and her daughter (sister). Screenwriter Robert Towne had a happier ending in mind but director Roman Polanski had other better ideas. Still reeling from the murder of his wife Sharon Tate at the hands of Mason Family members, he wasn’t about to put a smiley face at the end of a story about greed, corruption and incest. But Chinatown is not the slightest bit depressing. It’s too damn good for that. It is something of a message film as it is something of a seventies noir and something or a murder mystery. It defies easy classification. What it surely is is brilliant collaboration of writer, director, producer, cast and crew to create a uniquely American expose of America itself and its worst manifestations under capitalism. Can’t wait to finish the book and to watch the film again.

Love and Mercy (2014) Pohlad. This is an excellent film  that deserved more recognition. When I initially saw it five years ago it inspired me to re-visit The Beach Boys music and gain a greater appreciation for the group's leader, Brian Wilson.The film is a showcase for actors Paul Dano and John Cusack who play Wilson at different ages. They were both excellent. (Paul Giamatti gives a masterful performance as the the psychotherapist Dr. Eugene Landy who for years cruelly controlled and manipulated Wilson). Love and Mercy is a celebration of genius which is unquestionably what Wilson is. It is also a look at mental illness which Wilson unquestionably has. (Not the first time those two have gone together.) It is also a story of how the love of another person — Wilson’s second wife Melinda (Elizabeth Banks) -- can have a curative and redeeming effect on a person. It’s a fine movie. (Side note: Beach Boy Dennis Wilson -- Brian's brother -- for a short time hosted Manson Family members in his home.)

Tess

Tess (1979) Polanski. Truly one of the most beautiful films ever made. It is an epic tragedy based on the Thomas Hardy novel of the same name. Tess is a victim. She is a victim of rape. A victim of the horribly sexist mores of Victorian society. A victim of her earnestness and of a young man’s capriciousness. Like many tragedies it is full of if-onlys. If this hadn’t happened, if she hadn’t said this or he hadn’t done that. Natasha Kinski then 17, gave a perfect performance as Tess despite not even being British. She is as stunning a screen presence as one will ever see. Tess faces everyone and everything matter of factly and accepts her fates stoically. Clearly there is bafflement at times, shock and disappointment at others but she does not break down. Indeed she keeps going, forever walking through the British countryside (though Tess was filmed in France). Misfortune and the vagaries of relationships including heartbreak do not stop her. Tess is a woman on a mission, though to or for what is not clear. There are scenes of great beauty in Tess: Tess’ suitor Angel carrying her and three companions across a flooded road; Tess’ rapist/benefactor trying to talk reason to Tess at a threshing machine; A group of girls in long pretty white dresses dancing in a field at twilight; Stonehenge at daybreak; A deer approaching a sleeping Tess in the forest; And all those country roads. Tess, of course, suffers a sad fate, one that could easily have been so different. But that’s life, isn’t it. We are at the mercy of chance and at our own decisions, ones often made in haste and in youth. Polanski dedicated the film to his late wife, Sharon Tate who first suggested he make a cinematic version of Tess.

Revolution (1968) O'Connell. For me the most amazing aspect of this film is that I’d never seen it before. Revolution is a documentary (available on YouTube) about the hippie scene in San Francisco in 1967 which was then at its apex. Revolution focuses primarily on hippies in and around Golden Gate Park and the Haight Ashbury district — the epicenter of the hippies. We meet several young hippies, as they talk about love, sex, drugs and defying societal norms. We see hippies tripping on acid (a must for all self-respecting counter culturists of the time) grooving at concerts, frolicking in the nude, engaging in rap sessions, spare-changing and romping around in the park. A few “straights” are interviewed as well to give their perspective on the burgeoning hippie revolution. It is a fascinating time capsule and for me a bit of stroll down memory lane. I was a young teen across the bay in Berkeley which at the time  — particularly around Telegraph Avenue — was also a hotbed of hippie activity. I was a bit of one myself, although at the same time I was a jock. (I was a strange kid.) There is everything hopeful about the people and scenes in Revolution. We are witnessing a clarion call for peace, love, understanding and a rejection of capitalist greed and conformity. Revolution depicts the short-lived golden age of the hippies. Soon the movement would be ruined by profiteers, criminals, drug abuse, the Manson family murders, Altamont and the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy. Still the hippie movement has had a lasting and positive impact on our culture and the documentary goes a long to show what the Hippie spirit was all about.

Peace.