Love old or unusual movies? Here is a Christmas noir double feature:
Miracle on Main Street (1939): You may have never heard of this movie, which was lost in the avalanche of great films that came out this golden year of classic Hollywood. But it’s worth checking out. Taking place from one Christmas to the next Christmas, it’s a tale of redemption as a woman of ill-repute (Margo) discovers a baby in a church and decides to keep it and clean up her act. Her slimy ex-partner (Lyle Talbot) is no help in her new life, but her crusty landlady (Jane Darwell) might be. Walter Abel is also on hand as a man who might actually like Margo and be a nice guy. This is purple holiday noir in black and white, and highly recommended.
“Blast of Silence” (1961): Here’s a much bleaker Christmas noir. Allen Baron directed, co-wrote and stars as a depressed Cleveland hitman in New York with a dirty job to do. The film is mostly fascinating because of the enormous amount of Christmas in New York circa 1961 that the extensive location shooting provides. I wouldn’t recommend too much optimism about the spirit of the holidays redeeming this lost soul, however. This is a bleak and fascinating look at a Scrooge who is only really haunted by himself.
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Now streaming on The Criterion Channel
“The Phantom Carriage” (1920): This spooky New Year’s Eve fable is a foundational classic in Swedish cinema. In fact, it helped inspire Ingmar Bergman to become a filmmaker. It tells a story of reckless living and the possibility of redemption. The conceit is this: Death drives around collecting souls in the titular carriage (drawn by a ghost horse, of course) but his tenure ends on New Year’s Eve, when he selects a newly dead person to assume his job for the next year. The director of the film, Victor Sjöström, stars as a lifelong drunk who expires at the stroke of midnight. Will the goodhearted efforts of a local Salvation Army worker (Astrid Holm) be enough to get him to change his ways? The acting is heartbreaking throughout, very unlike the over-the-top histrionics we sometimes associate with silent movies. It’s very affecting.
Now streaming on The Criterion Channel and Kanopy
“Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” (2023): Less of an actual documentary and more a very friendly retrospective of his work, Rob Reiner’s new film about his friend is nevertheless a delight. Boyhood friends, both grew up in showbiz households with highly achieving fathers. The film tracks Brooks’ progress from avant-garde comedian to avant-garde filmmaker to comedic legend. If you’ve ever been a fan of his work, this piece is sure to delight and amuse, as it sure did me. Everything’s here, from the early television standup appearances to loopy short films on Saturday Night Live to “Broadcast News” and beyond.
Trivia Question #1032: In what film did Albert Brooks say to a friend on the phone, “I’ll meet you at the place near the thing where we went that time?”
Answer to Trivia Question #1030: Michael Caine has been nominated for Best Actor four times.
Ray Ivey is a writer and movie fan in Hollywood, California. He would love to hear from you at rayivey@ca.rr.com.
