kijii

This movie launched the feature film debut of four actors that would later go on to reach some success: Pier Angeli, John Ericson, Ralph Meeker, and Rod Steiger. It was also the first of three films for Bill Mauldin, a famous illustrator for "The Stars & Strips" (the military's newspaper during World War II). The only known actors in the movie were Patricia Collinge (The Little Foxes) and Peggy Ann Garner (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn).

The movie begins with Philip Cass (John Ericson) in a session with his VA psychologist, Frank (Rod Steiger), after returning from the war in Italy. He is having trouble fitting in with civilian life.

His story is related to us in flashback— While serving in Italy, Philip is clearly scared and unable to fight the German enemy until Sgt Dobbs (Ralph Meeker) steps in to guide him to fight. During a battle with the Germans, Philip's assignment is to hide in the bushes and let the Germans pass him by and then shoot up a flare for US soldiers to be ready to fight them down steam Unable to do even this, he is sent to a local hospital with battle fatigue. There he learns that Dobbs had been killed in the fight. Filled with guilt and shame, he hides his head in the pillow and cries.

While in Italy, he and a group of US soldiers are assigned to bivouac in an Italian home. There, he meets, dates, and falls in love with a young Italian girl, Teresa (Pier Angeli). They get married and have a honeymoon in Rome. When he ships out for the US, he must leave his war bride behind until she is authorized to join him.

This brings us back to his private battle in the US: He must find a job and make his own home. But, to do this, he must face his possessive mother, Patricia Collinge, and spineless father, Richard Bishop. There are some fine scenes in this movie, especially between, John Ericson and Pier Angeli. However, there is nothing subtle about the story, which "hits us over the head" rather than simply indicating its meaning.

This is up for 14 nominations and is bound to walk away with the lion's share of Oscars. It was a pleasant movie, but did not reach the level of greatness for me that it has for others here. It is a basic girl-meets- boy movie with a bittersweet ending. There is not a song from the movie that I came out humming or singing. If Emma Stone wins for Best Actress in this movie, it would only show me how weak this the category may be this year. (But, I haven't seen Arrival or Elle so I don't know about these movies.)

As I watched this movie, I did think about Les parapluies de Cherbourg (1964), but that movie was a modern opera and La La Land (2016) comes no where near that great Michel Legrand work of yesteryear.

This movie received 3 Oscar nominations, and I am having a hard time finding another actress who gives us the kind of performance that Natalie Portman does here. I was also very impressed with the movie's score by Mica Levi which really set the grime tone of the story in the movie. What we have here is something that may be unique movie-making. It takes a well-known and well-covered story of the Kennedys and focuses it on Jackie, herself.

As one watches this movie, one realizes that--after 50 years with countless articles, movies, and documentaries about John F. Kennedy, his family, his administration, and his assassination--we still didn't have anything that focused in on Jackie and what she had to suddenly endure in front of the whole world. Here, we see Jackie striped bare and alone. Accented by the dysphoric chords of the movie's score, we see Jackie as a famous person with no one to really lean on. The camera constantly shows Jackie as an isolated, often silly, figure trying hopelessly to make sense of her role in the drama unfolding around her. What should she do? How can she help to make the Kennedy legacy last and be understood in the most positive way?

While Bobby (Peter Sarsgaard), does make an appearance in the movie, he does not seem to always understand what SHE is going through: packing up the belongings of the White House so that the Johnsons can movie in; taking care of the children; and making decisions about the funeral.

This is clearly Natalie Postman's movie, and although you may not like her vocal cadence and tone, you see and hear a person trying to maintain a sense of dignity in a private world of chaos. As Jack Valenti (Max Casella) moves into the White House, Jackie becomes a stranger in a strange world.

The late John Hurt is also featured in this movie as Jackie's priest who tries to help her makes sense of life. Although his part is small, it is important to the story.