by Frank Calvillo
The Archivist
Welcome to the Archive. Following the infamous “Format Wars” (R.I.P. VHS), a multitude of films found themselves in danger of being forgotten forever due to their admittedly niche appeal. Thankfully, Warner Bros. established the Archive Collection, a Disc On Demand & Streaming service devoted to some of the more idiosyncratic pieces of cinema ever made. Being big fans of the label, we here at Cinapse thought it prudent to establish a column devoted to these unusual gems. Thus “The Archivist” was born — a biweekly look at some of the best, boldest and most batshit motion pictures the Shield has to offer. Some of these will be recent additions to the collection, while others will be titles that have been available for awhile. With over 1,500 pictures procurable on Warner Archive (and more being added every month), there’s no possible way we’ll get to all of them. But trust me when we say we’re sure going to try.
It’s hard to truly define what makes a true movie legend. For me, a legend is a screen performer who is able to project an undeniable magnetic charm onto film and combine it with an acting ability that’s both raw and instinctive. This, combined with a penchant for choosing to lend such unique and extraordinary gifts to a collection of unforgettable films full of meaning, depth, and pathos, is what really makes a legend.
Without question, two shining and irrefutable examples in all of film history are Warren Beatty and Jane Fonda. Movie stars as well as movie moguls, Beatty and Fonda broke through the shadows of their already-established family members (in his case sister Shirley, in hers father Henry) and their youthful good looks to become two of the most beloved and influential film figures of all time. Their combined list of credits includes a list of bona-fide film classics such as Bonnie and Clyde, They Shoot Horses Don’t They?, Klute, Shampoo, Coming Home, Heaven Can Wait, The China Syndrome, 9 to 5, Reds, On Golden Pond, Bugsy and Bullworth. With three Oscar wins and a combined total of 18 additional nominations between them, a person would be hard pressed to find two other individuals who have rightfully earned the title quite like Beatty and Fonda.
Yet everyone has to start somewhere, and that’s just what Beatty and Fonda did, honing their skills at both the Actor’s Studio and the New York stage before coming to Hollywood. In this, the 40th edition of The Archivist, we’ll be taking a look at two of these actors’ earliest film roles and witness the talent which was waiting to be unleashed.
In All Fall Down, Beatty plays Berry-Berry Willart, a twenty-something drifter who bases his existence on good looks and an ability to charm his way in and out of a number of situations. When his travels bring Berry-Berry home, his younger brother Clinton (Brandon de Wilde), loving mother Annabelle (Angela Lansbury), and alcoholic father Ralph (Karl Malden) are all glad to see him. Yet when he catches the eye of Echo O’Brien (Eva Marie Saint), the older daughter of one of Annabelle’s friends as well as Clinton’s secret crush, the whole family comes crashing down.
Directed by John Frankenheimer, this virtually-unheard of family drama had the bad luck of being released at the same time as Birdman of Alcatraz and The Manchurian Candidate, two of the director’s most iconic films. It’s a shame since All Fall Down is as rich and drama-filled a tale of a fractured family as could possibly be. The plot turns are fairly easy to spot, but Frankenheimer makes them feel incredibly powerful. Berry-Berry’s return home during the family dinner time especially stands out as hypnotic as the director chooses to only show the character’s shadow as he moves throughout the house. The entire cast is excellent, with Lansbury in particular doing harrowing work as a woman willing to forgive any and all of her elder son’s behavior. But it’s Beatty as the film’s most intriguing and elusive character who commands the screen. In his hands, Berry-Berry is less of a cad, and more of a tormented grown child who has no use for anyone and who can barely even tolerate himself. His work in the film’s final scene remains some of the actor’s best moments on screen.
Picnic and Sayonara director Joshua Logan helmed the film version of the successful Broadway play about an eager college co-ed named June Ryder (Fonda) who has transferred to a new college in order to win the heart of a star basketball player named Roy Blent (Anthony Perkins). With the aid of a pair of professors (Ray Walston and Marc Connelly), June succeeds, and she and Roy soon make plans to marry. With financial matters putting a sharp dent in their plans, however, Roy is offered a large sum of money to throw the season’s big game in order to let the other team win, leaving him with a decidedly big problem.
Tall Story is a nothing more than a pleasant piece of fluff, pure and simple. Yet the film has so much charm throughout that its hard not to be taken with the proceedings. The comedy, while dated, is nonetheless fun, and the grownups of the piece are given some humorous moments of slapstick to play. Meanwhile, the scene where Roy and June fall in love is so warm and tender in its execution that it takes Tall Story beyond the confines of just another romantic comedy. Released the same year as Psycho, which launched Perkins into the stratosphere, this film shows him at his warmest and most affable as a truly good guy who finds himself in the most conflicted position of his young life. He’s no match for Fonda, though, who in her screen debut conveys a kind of natural charm on the screen, which echoes that of a more accomplished performer. While June is squarely at odds with the kind of women she would spend her career portraying on the screen, Fonda still manages to find some determination in the role she’s playing, making her Tall Story’s most dynamic character hands down.
