The_Blacksheep

Ace in the Hole is one of the most underrated films directed by Billy Wilder. For its time, it has an extremely dark theme and today it could almost be classified as a black comedy. And although Billy Wilder has tackled dark subject matters before (Sunset Blvd.), he is definitely best known for his comedies/collaborations with Jack Lemmon (Some Like It Hot & The Apartment). Ace in the Hole was also not particularly appreciated by its contemporary critics who called it both cynical and merciless. It was also a boxoffice flop and the film failed to attract enough people to even recoup its budget.

The film follows Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas), a former great journalist who feverishly fights to find a scoop. When he hears that a man is stuck in a cave, he does everything in his power to prolong the rescue and to get exclusive rights to all interviews with the victim. He does this to get a boost in his stagnant career. The story proves very engaging to the public and the area around the cave becomes the home of a carnival that many curious people visit. However, the story takes a dark turn when the man in the cave becomes seriously ill.

Kirk Douglas is very good in the role of the hungry/unscrupulous journalist and the film feels very relevant even today. It has a lot to say about human greed and that we may not have come that far from the time when public executions were an event. About clickbait articles and that the drive for profit before journalistic press ethics. Ace in the Hole was clearly ahead of its time and if you can handle the difficult subject matter, it's a world-class film that absolutely shouldn't be missed by anyone.

What most people probably remember about The Brown Bunny is the major controversy of including an unsimulated graphic sex scene. Film critic Roger Ebert also referred to the film as "one of the most boring experiences ever" and that it would be more fun to "watch paint dry". After this harsh criticism, Vincent Gallo trimmed the film down by almost half an hour and Roger Ebert later revised his opinion to the film. All the criticism and negative writing also led to Chloë Sevigny regretting her participation in the film. It's a shame that the film was so criticized because there is absolutely something beautiful and special here. The film has a downright melancholy tone and the motorcycle rider Bud Clay (Vincent Gallo) is portrayed with both sadness, loss, misery and hatred at the same time. If you try to compare the atmosphere with something else, the closest you can get is probably Harmony Korine's Gummo.

The dialogue is sparse and much of the film depicts an introspective trip to California. Over there awaits a meeting with Bud's former love Daisy (Chloë Sevigny). During the journey, he visits Daisy's parents. This very strange encounter is perhaps the first clue that something is not quite right with Bud Clay's psyche. Along the way, he also has some fleeting encounters with various women, but none of them seem to put him in a better mood. It all culminates in a graphic meeting with Daisy when we as spectators finally find out the truth of what happened. The scene is not erotic but is used to reinforce Bud Clay's torn inner self and his destructive frame of mind. The Brown Bunny is not an easy film to watch, but it is one of a kind and deserves far more praise than it initially received.

Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz effectively plays with our expectations in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Newly widowed Lucy Muir (Gene Tierney) moves into a cottage by the sea with her daughter Anna (Natalie Wood). Lucy notices early on that the house is haunted, but finds it more exhilerating than scary. She speaks directly to the ghost and angrily asks him to "show himself". The ghost turns out to be Captain Daniel Gregg (Rex Harrison) a former owner of the residence. He wants the place to himself but is impressed by how Lucy stands her ground and doesn't let herself be intimidated. The mismatched pair later strike up a platonic friendship, with the captain regularly turning up when he feels Lucy needs support (often to a comic effect).

Both Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison give excellent performances in the film. Much of the film is built on on their personal chemistry as well as well-written and quick witted exchanges. The fact that the main focus is on their friendship rather than their romance was also unusual in a '40s film. Admittedly, there is an included romance here as well, but it doesn't go quite as expected. The pace of the film is perfect, the photography is beautiful and the film has excellent shadows and lighting. This along with some unexpected twists and turns bring extra life to the story despite it being largely a chamber play.

The film was nominated for an Oscar for "best picture". Personally, I believe that it should at least also have been nominated for "best adapted screenplay" and "best actor". The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is somewhat of a forgotten diamond and its original history definitely deserves to be discovered by more.