TCM Neo-Noir: Body Heat 1981

Last Sunday, Jeff and I watched Body Heat. I think I saw it when it first came out. I definitely recorded it from a cable showing, but I haven't seen it in years. 

When I first saw it, I wasn't as interested in or as knowledgeable about noir as I am now. I saw the film as a worthy successor to the great noir classic Double Indemnity. The plot outlines are similar. A femme fatale ensnares a man to kill her husband. 

Both women are confident enough in their sexuality to seduce a man to murder for them. Kathleen Turner's Matty Walker is even more evil than Barbara Stanwyck's Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity. Phyllis was quick to spot Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) as a sap and use him to get rid of her husband. All it took was "a honey of an anklet." Matty actually seeks out Ned Racine (William Hurt) for his mediocre legal skills. 

I also saw a few similarities to The Letter in Body Heat: specifically a masterful use of music, heat, shadows, and wind chimes. 

A strong supporting cast rounds out the film. I especially liked Ted Danson as Ned's dancing friend and assistant deputy prosecutor. 

Body Heat could do something that Double Indemnity could not: its femme fatale succeeded. The last shot of the film shows Matty achieving her ambition: to be rich and live in an exotic land. Hollywood's Production Code ensured that Phyllis had to be punished. 

What We're Watching

We're back watching our Netflix films pretty quickly; there's very little baseball on TV (though we did catch a special on the 1986 league series that was pretty good) and many series are now in rerun status.

This week we watched the remake of Total Recall and The Avengers. I wasn't impressed with either.

I'm a fan of the original Total Recall. This version had some good moments, though frankly I can't think of them now (not a good sign.) CNN named it as one of the ten worst films of the year (another not good sign.) I actually got bored during the climactic action sequence.

The Avengers? Another mindless action movie. I spent half the movie adjusting the volume. When we watched Thor, our neighbor told us the sound was shaking the pictures on her wall.

I'll be the first to admit that mindless action flicks can be fun and diverting. But I find myself more and more bored by the over-the-top action sequences that make up much of films today. They're just too ridiculous.

I remain a fan of the classic films of the thirties and forties. I hate the restrictions the Hays office imposed on films and enjoy many pre-Code films.  But the best directors were able to work around some of the stupid code rules, e.g. William Wyler's version of The Letter with my favorite actress, Bette Davis.

Good directors don't have to rely on mindless action or sex sequences.

My Fifth Favorite Movie: The Letter.

The Letter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3nv1zmp0Dg

From the opening scene when Leslie empties her revolver into a man running down her veranda--you are drawn in her world: the Singapore heat; the moonlight; the rhythm of the ceiling fans. Leslie Crosby's explanation of the shooting is clear cut; her husband was away--an acquaintance's visit grew sinister. She defended herself as any woman would.

But there is more to Leslie's story. Her crochet lace work grows more intricate throughout the film as her clear cut story is obscured and contradicted by the evidence in, you guessed it, the letter.

Bette Davis is my favorite actress. Of all her roles, I believe Leslie Crosby is her best. (Margo Channing is a close second.) She also has an incredible supporting cast: James Stephenson, Herbert Marshall, Gale Sondergaard and Victor Sen Yung.

Don't forget director William Wyler. He had to work around Hayes office censorship and make his film make sense. He succeeded brilliantly.

My five favorite movies

My first full time job had some slow, boring periods. One of my co-workers used to write memorial quizes for celebrities who died. We also made lots of lists: favorite movies, people we'd take with us to a desert island, dead people we'd take with us to a desert island (if they were alive--no zombies for us.)

My favorite movie list has changed since then, but number one and two remain the same. I'll discuss the top five in future posts.

1. Casablanca
2. Citizen Kane
3. Fargo
4. Bringing Up Baby
5. The Letter