Le fond de la bouteille

"Le Fond De La Bouteille" is based on a true story ;Georges Simenon remembered his own past:he was the one who made it big whereas his brother Christian ,his mum's favorite ,was a washout,someone who always failed.Like the movie,the novel takes place on the Mexican border and that's why ,unlike other Simenon American adaptations ("The man on the Eiffel Tower ") it was successful because it' s hard for an American director to recreate the Parisian atmosphere.

And of course there is Henry Hathaway !When will they give this great director the place he deserves?I have seen many of his movies,some are among my favorites ("Peter Ibbetson" "lives of a Bengal Lancer" "Niagara").

Joseph Cotten was ideally cast as the "good " "Abel-like" brother ;and who could play his fallen brother but Van Johnson?Ruth Roman is less cold than usually :the actress is believable as a -apparently- frivolous party woman who helps her husband discover forgiveness and compassion.Hathaway makes a good use of the wide screen ,particularly in the scenes on the river -which recall those of "Niagara" which Cotten's presence reinforces.He also strikingly contrasts the luxury house and the seedy room Mildred and her children pack into.

Georges Simenon spent a part of his life not far from the Mexican border;his book was probably a catharsis.

Social and family drama slowly and elegantly directed by Henry Hathaway , adding an engaging screenplay by Sydney Boehm , based on the novel "Le fond de la bouteille¨by Georges Simenon . In the border town of Nogales, Arizona, a rich advocate at law and rancher named Patrick (Joseph Cotten) is solicited by his getaway convict brother Donald (Van Johnson) in aiding him to cross the frontier into Mexico . But Patrick is reluctant to help him , while his wife Nora (Ruth Roman) attempts to support him , despite she doesn't know his true identity . Brother against brother ... stripping the southwest's ranch society of its bought respectability !...

This cultured and dramatic family film contains a feud between brothers , thrills , rider pursuits , escapes and emotion . Hathaway does the human touch including lots of nice moments and enjoyable relationship blending enmity , brothership , fraternity and strong confrontration between siblings . Including some breathtaking and spectacular scenes about a river is flooded and they have to pass it . Performances are over-the-top , such as : Van Johnson as drunkard on the lam who had been sent to the penitentiary five years previously for killing a man in a barroom brawl , Joseph Cotten as the wealthy solicitor and rancher big-man-in-town , while Ruth Roman is pretty good as the bitter wife who doesn't know about his jail-bird brother on the loose . They are finely accompanied by a great support cast , such as : Jack Carson , Margaret Hayes , Jim Davis , Bruce Bennett, Brad Dexter, Peggy Knudsen, Margaret Lindsay , Nancy Gates , Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez , Robert Adler , John Doucette and Harry Morgan as a barman.

It displays a colorful cinematography in Cinemascope and Technicolor by cameraman Lee Garmes . Bing shot on location in Old Tucson, Arizona, Nogales, Santa Cruz Valley, Sonoran Desert, Sierrita Mountains , Ironwood Forest National Monument, Tucson Mountains, Mission San Xavier del Bac, West San Xavier Road, Tucson, Arizona . As well as moving and thrilling musical score by Leigh Harline . This well-developed in cracking style flick was stunningly directed by Henry Hathaway and usually works very nice . He does the human touch and full of insight that accompanied him during most of his films and the story develops pleasantly with an interesting plot and fully adjusted to the requirements of the action . Hathaway was the classic Hollywood craftsman giving prrolific and professional works . He had a long friendhip with John Wayne , both of whom collaborated in various Westerns , they included ¨Five Card Stud¨ , ¨North to Alaska¨ and Wayne's Academy Award-winning ¨True grit¨. Hathaway himself was only even nominated for an Oscar , but his movies themselves are testimony to his skills to heighten narrative tension and shoot action so exhilarating it made adrenalin run . Henry was a good artisan who had a long career from the 30s with successful films , and especially Westerns , as ¨Brigham Young¨ and ¨Raw Hide¨ . In his 60s Hathaway still got the vigour to make some fiery movies as ¨From Hell to Texas¨, ¨How the West was won¨, ¨Nevada Smith¨, The sons of Katie Elder¨and ¨Shoot out¨ . He was an expert on Western genre as he proved in ¨True grit¨ , ¨Five card stud¨ , ¨Nevada Smith¨ , ¨How the West was won¨ , ¨Rawhide¨ , ¨Brigham Young¨ , ¨Buffalo Stampede¨, ¨Garden of evil¨ and many others. Hathaway also directed other genres as Drama, adventures , Film Noir and about the Second World War that were all for studio Twentieth Century-Fox and included ¨The House on 92nd Street¨ (1945); ¨Wing and a Prayer¨ (1944); ¨You're in the Navy Now¨ (1951) and ¨13 Rue Madeleine¨ (1947). Rating : 6.5/10 , better than average .

Usually Van Johnson is cast as a nice guy next door, the kid from just around the block who just happens to be around when everybody wants to dance--and in many ways, he was the happy simpleton to June Allyson's perky plans, or played off Esther Williams by just being nice and attractive in a chubby way. Here, Johnson earns his chops as an escaped convict with a severe drinking problem who runs to his brother for help only to meet the same brick wall the two of them built growing up. The brother, played coldly by stolid Joseph Cotten, is a wealthy rancher, but has problems of his own, having married for reasons never quite made clear, but mired in a long-time childless relationship with svelte, intelligent Ruth Roman, here, as in so many films, holding an anchor on some out of control emotions. Except for what I felt was an unnecessarily saccharin final five minutes, the plot zips with some intensity along the Mexican-American border, and the assured direction of veteran Henry Hathaway assures the viewer of a Cain-Abel story with modern ranch trimmings. Johnson, who passed away in 2008, could always be relied upon to be an easy leading man in musicals, from Two Girls and A Sailor, In The Good Old Summertime (with Judy Garland), but also served well in wartime dramas Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo and Caine Mutiny; in this film, however, Johnson stretched his talents beyond the usual and turned in his most distinctive role.

Enjoyed this great Classic film from 1956 starring a great cast of actors, namely: Van Johnson, (Donald Martin) who was serving time in Joliet Illinois Prison and seeks the help of his brother, Joseph Cotton, (P M Martin) who is a very successful rancher and well known throughout the community. P M is not very happy about his brother showing up, because he never told anyone about his brother and that he had a bad problem with drinking which caused most of the problems in his life.

Ruth Roman, (Nora Martin) played the role as wife to P M who did not really get along and now that Donald Martin appears, his wife becomes interested in her husband's new friend, not knowing it is his brother. There is plenty of action and this is truly a great classic from the Year 1956, enjoy. Nora Martin teaches her husband about being your Brother's Keeper, the hard way.

On the surface Bottom of the Bottle seems like it could be really interesting. I like movies that show the middle 50's, there's a really nifty house with a kitchen right out of a mid 50's design book, it is beautifully shot with some nice scenery outdoors.

The key for me to really enjoy a movie is when I get hooked into the characters. I have to be interested in them, worried about them, find them likable or appealing even if in a sinister way. This movie fell flat for me because frankly I didn't much care for any of the characters. I guess I felt a little sorry for Ruth Roman, the wife who wanted children and her husband (Joseph Cotten) wouldn't 'give' her any... but Joseph Cotten just isn't the kind of person you can generate much warmth for. He's about as appealing as a first-aid cabinet. I like Van Johnson - usually - but his character here is a jerk even when he's sober. While his love and concern for his family makes him seem a little more human, I just couldn't empathize with him. He and Joseph Cotten, brothers in the story, never seemed very brotherly to me and between them it's hard to say which one I cared less about.

What happened to the horses when they crossed the river? I guess they were both just washed away and nobody cared? I didn't like that. They were Cotten's horses; the least he could have done was ask 'are they all right' and look pained when he found out what happened, but not even a mention.

If you want to watch a movie that shows some dysfunctional family life in the middle 50's including people battling the bottle and other demons, I would suggest the real gem 'No Down Payment'. I think it's ten times the movie that this one is. For me, this one is a yawn. If I hadn't been exercising during the time it was on it would have been a total waste of my time. I'll give it five stars because it's not BAD bad, but it's just not that good either. It's just a so-what movie.