gwendress

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a particularly big fan of Kirk Douglas, though in a long career he has delivered some truly wonderful performances and, on a more personal note, has been innovative and so willing to take on injustices (e.g. hiring blacklisted writers, making brazenly anti-war films, realistically dealing with prejudice, and early on setting up his own production company, etc.). I like this (at the time LITTLE film) very, very much. Douglas is terrific, playing a throwback cowboy, who is a law to himself, but who will not bow to injustice, and (thank God!) never really becomes a Rambo-like character. There is, under that rough exterior, a very tender side to him. The story is basically very simple, though the themes are definitely not so simple and still have great import today (especially today!). I mean where do you stand on the issue of personal freedom vs. societal needs. Or, lets say the never-ending wholesale encroachment by economic interests on OUR nature reserves (that is, my children's patrimony and my grandchildren's! Don't my babies have a right to experience something still a little wild. Isn't that in part what I served in two wars for? OK! OK! I'm getting off my soapbox.) The screenplay is quite literate but very sparse (absolutely the right touch for this film); everything flows smoothly and logically from scene to scene (Steven "War of the Worlds" Spielberg please take notes). The camera is really allowed to tell the story, and it is awesome. The 2.35:1 Panavision and the absolutely breathtaking black & white, exposes the uncredited character -- the still sometime wild and open (mid-20th century) West and the occasionally dangerous mountains and highways. It's a story of personal courage and integrity, and Douglas gives a very fine and, in many ways, understated performance. I should mention Walter Matthau, whose character (the Sheriff) is sarcastic and so very laid back and truly funny. Actually, I can't remember Matthau every giving a bad performance! Films yes, but not performances. (If you know of one, please don't tell me.) If you haven't seen this picture, go find a copy -- you won't be sorry! Naturally, like many interesting older films, it's only available on a pan-and-scan VHS copy. God forbid we should get a clean DVD of this cult classic. Believe me, this film is included in my lengthy nightly litany, begging the god(s) of cinema for a digitally restored, anamorphic transfer onto DVD. They do answer my prayers sometimes -- didn't I just now get a marvelous "East of Eden" (Oh Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean), released on a 2-disc DVD set (after waiting something like 30 years). No! No! Don't thank me, please!! Modesty forbids.

Let's suppose Jesus Christ returned to modern times. What would be the fate that befalls him? That is the question that the great writer Nikos Kazantzakis (1883-1957) poses in his deeply moving novel "The Greek Passion", brilliantly realized by black-listed director Jules Dassin in the film "He Who Must Die".

The story's answer to this question was not to the liking of the Greek Orthodox Church, who promptly excommunicated the author Kazantzakis, who also wrote the novels "Zorba the Greek", "The Last Temptation of Christ", and "Saint Francis", among other works. (He is rumored to have been nominated 5 times for the Nobel Prize for Literature.) This tale is about much more than a religious passion play put on in a Greek village towards the end of the 400-year Turkish occupation. In a century in which religious morality and the church's real-politics have been severely criticized, this tale hits us right between the eyes. Definite food for thought. Could the church's silence in the face of so much unspeakable evil during the 20th century be one reason that religious thought has become largely irrelevant in our daily lives (politics, business, diplomacy, etc). A solid philosophical perspective is found in Robert Boldt's brilliant review (above).

Why this film has not been released on video is totally beyond me -- a nice DVD would certainly be appreciated--especially now, when more and more of Jules Dassin's work is being restored and released (especially on the Criterion label).

The story is an odyssey, in which the director (Sam Pillsbury) airs his sense of social injustices, but in a reasonably gentle style (although the protest isn't gentle). The film also speaks to us in another age, far removed from depression era, post-WWI, New Zealand, though in fact, very little seems to have actually changed. After all, here in 21st century America, the poor are still being evicted and dumped onto the streets, soldiers are still send to fight and die for dubious (and fictitious) causes, while their veteran's benefits are slashed and their enlistment contracts are ignored. Far too many people must still seek medical help in charity institutions. Yet all the while we have to listen to the insufferable platitudes of officials declaring the wonders of the human condition in this great and wonderful land, while perhaps as many as 20 million American children will go to bed hungry tonight. Somewhere in this (not totally perfect) little treasure is a wry sense of humor between the embittered war-veteran (Peter Phelps) and the runaway teenage girl (Greer Robson, a great beauty, now a bit more grownup than the little girl who played the late and great Bruno Lawrence's daughter in "Smash Palace (1981)", now available on DVD). Their growing affection, in light of their mutual dependence on each other, provides the hint of a love story. I have always been very fond (sentimentally so, I admit) of this almost unknown little film. Unfortunately, now available only on previously viewed videotape, from private sellers (in the USA, see Amazon.com third-party sellers).