February 4

Ida Lupino

I watched The Big Knife for Ida Lupino's birthday. Ida is married to Jack Palance who is a movie star living in Hollywood. In front of the press they are very happily married. Once the press agent leaves they they argue and are really separated. When Jack meets with his agent and entourage he states “I didn't wake up, I came to”. Jack decides he has had enough of Hollywood and doesn't want to renew his contract, even though he can name his own price. Rod Stieger convinces (by blackmail) Jack to sign a new contract. Jack finds out that a friend asked Ida to marry him. Jack becomes very jealous and wants her back. Ida thinks that Jack needs her and comes back, but another woman, Shelley Winters is in the house. Jack tries to convince her that nothing was going on and they argue, verbally and physically. The film really shows the dark side of Hollywood and how far the studio would go to cover up for their stars. Jack was in an accident while drunk and Shelley was in the car with him and he hit and killed a child. The studio covers up the story and decides to take care of Shelley so she doesn't talk, because she can't. She ends up getting beat up. The studio asks him to get her out of the bar and take her home, he is supposed to get her so drunk she passes out then he is to leave, his obligation cleared. The studio will take care of her after that. Jack believes that they will kill her and he refuses. He states she is his friend. Rod decides that if Jack doesn't go along with the idea he will not cover up him and will have the family of the killed child sue him and takes everything he has. Shelley ends up leaving the bar on her own and gets killed. The press agent is happy at this, a problem solved. Water drips from the ceiling. As you hear the commotion above, the camera is on Ida's face, you see the confusion, the fear until she can make it upstairs. When she comes back downstairs slowly, she is covered in dark stains, whether is blood or water, you can't tell. Her face reflects shock and pain she gets his coat and trembles.

There is an awful sound in the film. I can't tell if it is sliding door or dramatic music. When the sound comes men are talking or walking into a room, so I can't really tell. The music at a few points is very startling. I almost jumped off the couch at one point from the shock when the music suddenly erupted.

I like the way that the people are photographed. In one scene the agent is standing up looking down at Jack on the right side of the screen vertical and Jack bent over a table on the left side of the screen horizontal. Later on at a dinner party Ida is on the right side of the scene sitting on the couch and Jack is standing up on the left side of the screen in front of a stone fireplace looking at Ida. Later when Ida comes back and sees Jack with another woman you see her standing behind a wooden decorative room divider. There are several shots where the camera is lower so you look up at the actors and you see the top of the wall. You don't see that shot very often. There are also a lot of shots where the camera is overhead looking down on all the actors. If I were to watch the film several more times, I would probably notice more great shots.

I really like the house. The living room, where most of the action takes place, is beautiful. It is a sunken room with modern 50's furniture. There is one wall that is all stone with a fireplace in that wall and a large wall plaque of a sun, with drama/comedy masks. On the side of the room there is a large spiral staircase that leads to the bedrooms and bath upstairs. On the other side of the wooden room divider is wallpaper with elongated diamond shapes, I can't tell what colors in black and white, but there are dark and light shapes. On another wall there is a built in bar, made of the same stone as the wall with the fire place. On the same wall as the bar is a large glass and wooden door to the patio. The hallway floor leading into the living room has black and white tile. There are several large statues: Buddha head on a pedestal and an ivory horse, head down either on the floor or on top of a table behind one of the couches. There are several large paintings on the wall next too the bar. There is only one scene where you see the fourth wall and it looks like a jumbled mess compared to the rest of the room. Maybe because the TV is in the center of the wall, right underneath a large picture window. Off to the side is the library. They don't go into that room but it is often in the background.

It is a good film. It is not a film I could watch every day, but it is well acted, by everyone. Rod Steiger (who is a little too realistic as as studio executive a******) has the best dialog in the film.

I am going to return the film at the library and get a few more DVD for next week. I don't have anyone listed for the 5th, but there are a number for the 6th. At this point I don't know if I will watch Ida Lupino directorial films or if I will watch someones films on the 6th for the 5th.