The end of the year is a wonderful excuse to cast an eye over the fayre of the last 12 months. As there were few new releases – well, of note anyway – this is a summary of the best films I watched in 2021, they are not necessarily of that vintage.
It’s an eclectic mix (in order of release date), ranging from comedies to westerns, austere dramas to children’s animation; there is, it’s fair to say, something for everyone. Enjoy!
10. The Song of Bernadette (1943, Henry King)
Hollywood loves a saint’s life, indulging in sentimentalised depictions of heavenly beauty. Having heard much about the classic Song of Bernadette, I was afraid it would follow that mould. It did, but with such a fealty to the truth and a wealth of affection, it’s impossible to dislike and harder still not to shed a tear at the end.
A biopic about the life of St Bernadette Soubirous and her visions of the Immaculate Conception, the film establishes a number of saints-movie tropes. You have the sceptical baddie who eventually comes to believe, the angel choirs are in full voice and the spotlight beams direct from Heaven.
But the cast, led by Jennifer Jones as St Bernadette and the inimitable Vincent Price as the baddie, pitch the sentiment perfectly. While the phoney French accents fall flat, nothing else does, and you remain fully convinced throughout that it is indeed France and not a soundstage, that it is indeed a miracle we witness and not the trickery of flickering film.
Director Henry King, a veteran of the silent film era, marshals all he has learned to create an ambience and a tone befitting the strange innocence of sanctity and the pains it causes to those who don’t understand. Filmed in beautiful, crisp black-and-white, it’s a treat for all ages – just get children to watch it before they’ve been prejudiced against anything without bright colours! RJ.
9. Cheaper by the Dozen (1950, Walter Lang)
If the title of the film sounds familiar, it’s likely because you know the presumably dreadful remake starring Steve Martin. But this is the wonderful original, starring Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy as the eccentric Gilbreth’s, parents to 12 unruly children.
They have a lot of fun, given the uniquely humourous ways they have to deal with ordeals such a large family undoubtedly encounters. It’s a tour de force from Clifton Webb, who steals the show, although Myrna Loy was a very experienced actress by that stage and remains very likeable throughout.
It is, incredibly, based on a true story. It is not a laugh a minute movie but is quietly funny throughout with moments of hilarity centred around the unique father. SJ.
8. Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951, Raoul Walsh
A swashbuckling action adventure starring a perhaps-unlikely action hero in Gregory Peck, Captain Horatio Hornblower faithfully adapts the novels of CS Forester and the eponymous hero to the big screen. With some of the grandest naval battles ever filmed, it is yet another wonderful film from the much neglected Hollywood veteran Raoul Walsh.
Captain Hornblower is an English naval captain at a time when the nation was fighting France. The film follows the somewhat stuffy, mildly comic, always inventive leader of men as he dose battle with the French navy, and falls in love with Virgina Mayo in one of Hollywood’s better romantic sub-plots.
Fans of Master and Commander should make this a must see, as the film’s bear striking similarities. The chaos, realism and excitement of the battles are on a par, while both draw out an intriguing aspect of naval life: it is most dangerous when nothing is happening, when you are running short of food and water, and can do nothing to encourage the wind. A minor classic. RJ.
7. Bend in the River (1952, Anthony Mann)
A good, solid western based on the novel Bend of the Snake by Bill Gulick, Bend in the River makes the most of its winning combination, Anthony Mann and James Stewart, who shot six westerns together and eight films overall.
James ‘Jimmy’ Stewart stars as an all American boy, with support from B-movie regulars such as Burt-Lancaster-look-alike Arthur Kennedy, Julie Adams (the lead in the cult classic Creature from the Black Lagoon), an appearance from Rock Hudson and a rather controversial clownish stereotype from Stepin Fetchit as a black assistant.
Some good Western tropes make up the plot: a man with a past, Glyn McClintock (Stewart), is leading a wagon train of settlers to Oregon. They pick up Emmerson Cole (Kennedy) a ‘reformed’ marauder along the way. The plot comes to a head when the supplies they have paid to be delivered from Portland do not arrive and the settlers may starve. McClintock must now go to Portland and bring back the supplies… or else.
It’s a film that keeps you on your toes. I thought I had the plot figured a few times but it had me guessing for the duration. The beautiful scenery in Oregon, shot in ever-lovely Technicolor, is also a treat. SJ.
6. Nazarin (1959, Luis Bunuel)
It’s hard to believe that Luis Bunuel, Marxist, anarchist and ostensibly anti-Church, could make the Vatican’s list of 45 films. But he does so, and even more remarkably, it’s in the ‘religion’ category! While ideology determines the quality of many of his films, he occasionally reverted back to something like a Catholic worldview, shot through with an anarchic sensibility.
Nazarin is his life-of-Christ allegory, following Fr Nazarin, a young Spanish priest who attempts to minister to his disaffected flock, before heading on a quasi road-trip in which he attempts to live up to Christ’s example. However, Bunuel has him meet face to face the villainy of humanity and the apparent futility of his efforts to convert and save people. Everything Nazarin touches seems to fade away.
The film is meant to be a critique of organised religion, but instead ends up depicting a saint. Nazarin’s faith is sorely tested by his trials, and a sympathetic thief’s words cut to the bone – ‘You are good, I am bad Father, but what difference does it make? The world remains the same in the end.’
That, in summary, is Bunuel’s worldview. A disappointed Catholic, more sympathetic to its mission than he lets on it appears, the film is a sincere attempt to grapple with the faith in the thorny depths of a sinful world. It is a difficult film to watch, but a worthwhile one, with something of the penitential spirit of Lent. A challenge to our faith no doubt, but that is no bad thing – it is at least a sincere one. RJ.
5. The Miracle Maker (2000, Derek W Hayes and Stanislas Sokolov)
We make quite a remarkable leap forward of several decades to an unlikely Russian-Welsh claymation life-of-Christ, The Miracle Maker. Shot through with a sense of childlike wonder at Christ’s works, it puts a lively spin on a tale 2,000(ish) years old and counting.
Told from the perspective of a young girl, we follow Christ from the beginning of his mission up to his death and resurrection. A wealth of acting talent gives this an extra-level of spark, while combining claymation, hand and computer animation allows for wonderful imagings of a Christ’s interior and spiritual states.
The only mark against it is the strange decision to off-load blame from Judas onto a made up character, played excellently by Ian Holme. Sadly, not even he can make up for this clanger, which adds nothing and detracts much.
Still, and ideal film for children and one which their parents won’t object to. RJ.
4. Les Choiriste (2004, Christopher Barratier)
Part funded by lead actor Gerard Jugnot, who mortgaged his apartment to get it off the ground, Les Choiriste was a shock success when it came out, but is now a French classic. A remake of a movie from 40s, it tells the story of a new teacher at a severely governed troubled boys’ boarding school, who works against the headmaster and tries to improve his students’ lives through music. He forms a choir in his class and with humour and style assembles them into a tuneful choir.
It was obvious what was going to happen from the start, but Les Choiriste hits its notes with wit warmth and gusto. The music is very impressive, and I have been known just to listen to the soundtrack. The fact they cast a trained boy soprano for the lead is a help.
Shot in a beautiful setting, with a toned down colour palette that shows off the beauty of the French countryside all the same, the film is full of nostalgia and poignancy. SJ.
3. Northanger Abbey (2007, Jon Jones)
Directed by Jon Jones and starring Felicy Jones, this adaptation of an early book of Austen’s translates well to screen. More simplistic than her later novels, the star of the piece is Felicity, a very talented actress ably supported by JJ Feild, Catherine Walker as the Tilneys and Carey Mulligan and William Beck as the dislikable Thorpes. Includes a masterful, growling performance from Liam Cunningham.
Adapted by the same writing team as that from the 1990s Pride and Prejudice miniseries, the story is of a young woman whose penchant for sensational Gothic novels leads to misunderstandings in matters of the heart. She has read so many that she believes that those around her are all characters from those types of novels.
It’s a throughly enjoyable movie, with Felicity Jones standing out in particular. Nothing lets you down, as the sets and costumes are equally impressive. SJ.
2. Risen (2016, Kevin Reynolds)
This was a film I only watched because a listener to our radio show recommended it. I was very happily impressed, the cast and crew played it absolutely straight. In fact, I would love to get it on DVD and rewatch it.
The story is the Gospel as a mystery thriller. A Roman tribune is appointed to investigate the disappearance of Jesus’ body, an interesting angle, never done before to the best of my knowledge.
Joseph Fiennes is very strong playing the Roman tribune and career soldier sent to find God, with a solid backing cast. Tom Felton of Harry Potter fame is the other name of note, though he’s largely unexceptional.
There are a few odd portrayals of the apostles, such as Simon Peter as a grizzly bear infrequently roaring his lines, and Bartholomew as a new age hippy. All the same, a compelling movie which always had me wanting more. SJ.
1. The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019, Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz)
Indie movies are rarely my thing, their deliberately quirky style is more often irritating than interesting. But The Peanut Butter Falcon is a sweet, whimsical film that tells the story of a young man with Down Syndrome, called Zac, who dreams of becoming a wrestler.
The film was made for the main actor, called Zack Gottsagen, who told directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz that he wanted to be a movie star. In this film, the quirky style makes sense, conveying something of Zacs off-beat affection and childlike warmth.
You begin to sympathise with his vision of the life and character’s he draws around him – the ‘white trash’ character played by Shia Laboeuf and Dakota Johnston’s sympathetic carer.
The film simply asks you to accept the wildness and silliness of certain elements in order to grasp the overall intent – conveying that the life of a man with Down Syndrome is one ‘fully alive’ and not to be scorned, as many do. It is a distinctly pro-life message. RJ.
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