The Eiger Sanction Is a Tough Climb

The Eiger Sanction (1975). This action thriller, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, follows a former assassin who is coerced into one last mission. There is some talk about recovering a germ warfare formula, but the mission is really about revenge. Two bad agents kill one of ours, so a shadowy U.S. agency wants them sanctioned--which is apparently code for eliminated. Eastwood's ex-killer now teaches art at a college (!) and wants nothing to do with this tit-for-tat until he's told the identity of the deceased agent.

Jack Cassidy as a villain.

Based on a novel by Rodney William Whitaker, The Eiger Sanction can't overcome a poorly-written screenplay and an opening half-hour of mostly filler material. The plot finally perks up when Eastwood's out-of-shape assassin starts training to climb the Eiger mountain in Switzerland in preparation for his mission. These scenes benefit from the casting of George Kennedy and Jack Cassidy in familiar roles (Kennedy as Eastwood's old pal and Cassidy as a slimy villain). Both actors were frequently stuck in these kinds of roles, but still--somehow--managed to deliver entertaining performances.

Vonetta McGee--wasted as Clint's gf.

Clint plays a softer variation of Dirty Harry, though he's more interested in the opposite sex. Indeed, the film's portrayal of women and the sexist attitudes toward them may be a little jarring for modern audiences. Part of that can be attributed to the decade when The Eiger Sanction was made--though there were strong female characters in Black action films like Cleopatra Jones and Coffy. To his credit, Eastwood starred in The Enforcer the following year with Tyne Daly as Dirty Harry's gritty partner.

There are thrilling scenes in the final third of The Eiger Sanction, as Eastwood's assassin scales the title peak while trying to figure out who to kill. However, the climax is such a letdown that I didn't realize it was the climax until John William's closing music started to play. (Incidentally, the dreadful score proves that the great John Williams was only human after all.)

Overall, The Eiger Sanction ranks as one of Eastwood's least interesting 1970s films. It's recommended for Clint completists only.

That's Dancing in Kiss Me Kate!

Kiss Me Kate (1953) boasts a Cole Porter score full of familiar tunes and was made by MGM during the era when the studio was known for its lavish musicals. And yet, it was considered a box office failure when first released and remains largely forgotten today. That's a shame because it features some truly spectacular musical numbers featuring the dancing of Ann Miller, Tommy Rall, Bobby Van, Bob Fosse, and Carol Haney. Some of those names may be unfamiliar if you're not a aficionado of great dancers. But their jaw-dropping talents make Kiss Me Kate worth your time despite a creaky, overly-familiar plot.

Howard Keel singing to Kathryn Grayson.

For the record, the story has producer/ star Fred Graham (Howard Keel) mounting a stage musical of The Taming of the Shrew starring his ex-wife Lilli (Kathryn Grayson) as Katherine and himself as Petruchio. Lilli is engaged to a Texan millionaire and Fred is interested in a pretty dancer, but it's clear that the divorced couple still harbor romantic feelings toward each other.

This unoriginal plot gets a boost from the side stories, especially one featuring a couple of thugs (wonderfully played by Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore) who believe Fred owes their gangster boss money. Fred convinces the duo that he can't pay if the musical shuts down and that Lilli is threatening to leave the production. Thus, the thugs have to ensure that Lilli remains with the show!

Soprano Kathryn Grayson signed with MGM in 1940 at the age of 18. She had appeared in a number of hit movies (e.g.,  Anchors Aweigh) before headlining the studio's highly successful remake of Showboat in 1951. Kiss Me Kate pairs her with Showboat co-star Howard Keel. Their duets on Porter classics like "So in Love" and "Wunderbar" are pleasant, but Grayson's finest hour is her no holds barred rendition of "I Hate Men." As she punctuates the lyrics, she repeatedly slams down a metal goblet to emphasize her point--and dramatically sweeps the surface of a table at the finish. 

Ann Miller.

Despite Grayson's triumph, the best parts of Kiss Me Kate are the dance numbers. Ann Miller kicks off the hoofing with an energetic "Too Darn Hot" (though it seems tossed into the plot at the last minute). Later, she and Tommy Rall dance an acrobatic duet to "Why Can't You Behave." However, the film's highlight is "From This Moment On." which features Miller, Rall, Bob Fosse, Carol Haney, Bobby Van, and Jeanne Coyne (ex-wife of both Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen). Fred Astaire's frequent collaborator, Hermes Pan, choreographed all of Kiss Me Kate's dances except for the Fosse-Haney duet near the end of "From This Moment On." It showcases what would become Fosse's trademarks and sizzles with sexuality and flair.

By the way, if you watch Kiss Me Kate and wonder why people and objects keep moving toward the camera, it's because the film was shot in 3D. It's a minor distraction, though. If you enjoy stylish, energetic dancing, then Kiss Me Kate is a must-watch. 

Here is the "From This Moment On" number, which we're currently featuring on the Cafe's YouTube channel:

The Conversation and Repeat Performance

Gene Hackman.

The Conversation (1974). Francis Ford Coppola directed this overlong, but engrossing look into the life of an intensely private surveillance expert (Gene Hackman) whose recording of a seemingly innocent conversation has tragic results. Hackman’s character strives to distance himself from his subjects (“I don’t care what they’re talking about.—all I want is a nice fat recording.”). But his latest assignment conjures up painful memories of a previous job where one of his recordings led to murder. Hackman perfectly captures the loneliness and paranoia of a man who intrudes on others’ privacy, while zealously guarding his own. The best scene: Hackman and surveillance rival Allen Garfield try to one up each other during a party with other experts in their field. A young Harrison Ford plays a menacing business executive and Cindy Williams (Shirley in in the 1970s hit sitcom “Laverne and Shirley”) plays one of the subjects in the title conversation. Hackman, Coppola, and the film all earned Oscar nominations; Coppola lost to himself (he won for The Godfather Part II). Hackman played a similar surveillance expert in 1998’s Will Smith thriller Enemy of the State.

Joan Leslie.

Repeat Performance (1948). I first saw Repeat Performance over the Christmas holidays when I was in high school. The timing was impeccable since the film’s opening takes place on New Year’s Eve. I suspect I watched it because the supporting cast included Richard Basehart (star of my first favorite TV series “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”) and Tom Conway (from The Falcon detective films). In any event, I found myself watching what amounted to an extended episode of “The Twilight Zone”—and, this case, that's a high compliment. Joan Leslie plays Sheila Page, a popular stage actress who kills her playwright husband at December 31st. Distraught over what she has done, Sheila goes to see her emotionally fragile friend, poet William Williams (Basehart). Sheila tells William that she wishes for a second chance—if she could live the year again, she would do things differently. When the clock strikes midnight, the year begins over again. Yet, no matter what Sheila does, fate intervenes and she seems powerless to alter the ultimate course of destiny. Released by budget-minded Eagle Lion, Repeat Performance was regarded as a minor “B” film when first released. It has gained a little fame over the years, having been remade as the 1989 made-for-TV movie Turn Back the Clock with Connie Selleca (and featuring Joan Leslie in a cameo). In the late 1990s, it began to pop up at film noir conventions, sometimes with Leslie in attendance. Incidentally, the supporting also features a young Natalie Schafer—Mrs. Howell from “Gilligan’s Island.”