{"id":12068,"date":"2015-08-26T10:05:25","date_gmt":"2015-08-26T14:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=12068"},"modified":"2015-08-26T16:28:30","modified_gmt":"2015-08-26T20:28:30","slug":"br-world-of-henry-orient-the-1964","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=12068","title":{"rendered":"BR: World of Henry Orient, The (1964)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\"WorldHenryOrient_BR\"<\/a>Film<\/strong>: \u00a0Excellent<\/p>\n

Transfer<\/strong>: \u00a0Excellent<\/p>\n

Extras<\/strong>:\u00a0Excellent<\/p>\n

Label:\u00a0<\/strong>Twilight Time<\/p>\n

Region:<\/strong>\u00a0All<\/p>\n

Released:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0July 14, 2015<\/p>\n

Genre:<\/strong>\u00a0 Comedy \/ Drama<\/p>\n

Synopsis:<\/strong>\u00a0Two girls engage in a vivid fantasy game, following a pianist as devoted acolytes, yet persistently interrupting his efforts to enjoy an affair with a married woman.<\/p>\n

Special Features:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Audio Commentary with film historians Jeff Bond and Julie Kirgo and producer Nick Redman \/ Isolated Stereo Score Track \/\u00a0Original Theatrical Trailer \/ Limited to 3000 copies \/ Available exclusively from Screen Archives Entertainment<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Review:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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George Roy Hill directed a mere 14 feature films between 1962-1988, but as film historian Julie Kirgo points out in the Blu-ray\u2019s lively and personable commentary track, he\u2019s largely unknown to average many fans, partly because his work doesn\u2019t bear a specific visual imprimatur or share overtly recurring themes.<\/p>\n

And yet he directed\u00a0Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid<\/b>\u00a0(1969),\u00a0Slaughterhouse Five<\/b>\u00a0(1972), and\u00a0The Sting<\/b>\u00a0(1973), three works from which one can, in fact, extract examples of his craftsmanship as a solid picture-maker. His movies feature strong but never showy performances, memorable characters, a balance of drama and varying levels of comedy that under someone else\u2019s hand may not have meshed so naturally, and a director who knew how to make a film flow, especially when scenes might go into unconventional directions.<\/p>\n

The World of Henry Orient<\/b>\u00a0is a very peculiar film that begins as a tale of friendship between middle class pre-teen Gil (Merrie Spaeth) and her privileged counterpart Val (Tippy Walker) on one windy day as the girls make initially separate journeys to one of New York City\u2019s established private schools, yet by the time the end credits pop up, the pair have traversed into their first year as teens – the inseparable buddies are no longer scampering around the city engaged in fantasy romances and adventures, and like Gil, Val’s family unit has shifted to single parent.<\/p>\n

Hill\u2019s work benefited from bullet-proof screenplays by skilled writers who knew the value of understatement, of subtext, and when to wink a little at audiences and let them know when things shouldn\u2019t be taken too seriously, and\u00a0Orient<\/b>\u00a0is grounded by Nunnally Johnson\u2019s co-adaptation of the eponymous novel written in the late fifties and co-adapted by author \/ daughter Nora Johnson.<\/p>\n

The elder Johnson bought the film rights and apparently waited, ever so patiently, until the proper elements coalesced into a deal that would make a good movie, and decades later the film still surprises because it never goes for the predictable. The girls\u2019 friendship always feel genuine, and their fantasy games in Central Park are believable, being no different than two boys running around town as super-spies trailing a sultry Mata Hari figure.<\/p>\n

The plot involves Val and Gil\u2019s heavy infatuation with a \u2018naturally gifted\u2019 pianist named Henry Orient (Peter Sellers), and their repeatedly deliberate \/ accidental encounters that increase Orient\u2019s paranoia in being cornered by annoying pre-teens whenever he\u2019s in mid-affair with married ditz Stella (Paula Prentiss, from\u00a0Where the Boys Are<\/b><\/a>).<\/p>\n

The girls\u2019 friendship introduces us to their respective families: Gil\u2019s divorced mother Avis (Phyllis Thaxter) shares the home with longtime friend \/ companion Boothy (Bibi Osterwald), whereas Val\u2019s mother Isabel is domineering and dismissive, even when her often absent father Frank (Tom Bosley) has briefly returned from one of his far off European business trips.<\/p>\n

By the time Christmas approaches, some extra infidelity and betrayal shatters Val’s fantasy world and causes her to go missing for what seems like days, and yet how those events are played out, especially the daughter-parent confrontations, aren\u2019t according to the standard screenwriting template: where one expects a big blow-up, there\u2019s discrete behaviour, subtle insinuations, revelations and visual reactions, and brief exchanges that decide the winner; and when Val goes missing, it\u2019s a rather beautiful, lonely walk in a wintry Central Park that\u2019s especially affecting because it\u2019s a child going on an adult wander to contemplate where she fits in her unstable family unit, and whether believing in too much fantasy may have been an indulgence that was ultimately victimizing.<\/p>\n

Hill\u2019s film is also an ode to NYC, showing many local hangouts that have changed, or as many bloggers continue to lamented, entirely disappeared. The NYC of 1964 is very much a series of packed neighbourhoods with local colour featuring chunks of history that have been redeveloped or razed in place of corporate banalities. It\u2019s also a world \u2013 perhaps over-enhanced by Hill to some degree \u2013 where kids can run around and play unsupervised because their parents\u00a0trust them<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Hill\u2019s montages are beautiful and refreshing, with the girls\u2019 jumping over hydrants and trashcans transformed into a ballet of trampoline leaps and mid-air suspensions. The scene captures their joy, but it\u2019s also an extraordinarily edited sequence by Stuart Gilmore (Underwater!<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0The Sound and the Fury<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0Journey to the Center of the Earth<\/b><\/a>) which features slow-motion cinematography, a short burst of camera under-cranking, and a stretched non-anamorphic shot that give the lengthy montage all kinds of quirky moments before the editing and Elmer Bernstein\u2019s beautiful score wind down.<\/p>\n

Newcomers Spaeth and Walker give natural performances of their over-excited \/ gawky characters, while Lansbury plays another chilly, scheming, monster-mother \u2013 a lesser version of the brutal matron in The Manchurian Candidate<\/strong> (1962), but still the\u00a0complete opposite of Thaxter\u2019s supportive, easygoing mom. Hill seems to have drawn his cast from many character actors normally working in TV, including Bosley (Happy Days<\/b>) who\u2019s excellent as Val\u2019s quiet but ultimately decisive and supportive father, Osterwald as wise-cracking Boothy, and Al Lewis (The Munsters<\/b>) in a small role as a tavern owner.<\/p>\n

Twilight Time\u2019s trio of commentators include Kirgo, whose recollections of a similar childhood in NYC adds to the film\u2019s verisimilitude; film music historian Jeff Bond, who provides details on composer Bernstein; and producer Nick Redman, whose self-branded \u2018heretical\u2019 view of Peter Sellers may bristle some of the comedian\u2019s staunchest fans.<\/p>\n

Redman\u2019s critical stance on Sellers being wrong for the part and having made mostly weak films for the remainder of his career is a provocative take on an iconic figure often bonded to the term \u2018genius.\u2019 I don\u2019t agree with his harshest points (The Party<\/b><\/a>\u00a0has no plot, but Sellers\u2019 Indian accent and bumbling lunacy are amusing to certain connoisseurs), but perhaps his views are unique to those who experienced Sellers\u2019 rise in radio shows, TV appearances, small and modest parts in Ealing comedies (The Smallest Show On Earth<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0I’m Alright Jack<\/b><\/a>), and his sudden ascension to international stardom after\u00a0The Pink Panther<\/b>\u00a0(1963), which itself is an acquired taste for fans of Blake Edwardian farce.<\/p>\n

Sellers was more interesting when he took risks, and while Henry Orient may not be a deep character, weaker moments are augured by the girls\u2019 energetic scenes; one can also argue Sellers was somewhat trapped in playing a pallid reflection of the girls\u2019 fantasy lover who couldn\u2019t be anything more than a fraud, or child prodigy poseur.<\/p>\n

For international \/ North American audiences, their reference point to Sellers\u2019 peak years likely lacks the Ealing era (plus the\u00a0Goon Show<\/a><\/b>\u00a0radio & TV material being completely unknown), and those who relished Edwards\u2019 farcical and often meandering films naturally preferred the comedian stick with Edwardian-branded screen bumbling.<\/p>\n

When Sellers took a rare risk \u2013 notably\u00a0Hoffman<\/b><\/a>\u00a0(1970) \u2013 the picture bombed, mandating a return to generic comedies and a working environment where he could be treated as a star of popular comedies instead of a creative risk-taker. Sellers was ill-suited for fame, and the legendary nervous man became a nightmare for directors. Edwards brought him fame, but the\u00a0Pink Panther<\/b>\u00a0films arguably ruined Sellers\u2019 career by being the only safe bet in what should\u2019ve been a more dynamic career.<\/p>\n

However one feels about Sellers’ casting \u2013 I think he\u2019s perfectly fine \u2013 the trio of commentators present a lively discussion of a very unique film that\u2019s weathered the changes in family and teen comedies, and stands on its own as a subtle and affecting coming-of-age tale. Kirgo states quite beautifully that within the film’s narrative we see that small window in which kids are about to lose the innocence of playful fantasy games and rapidly transition towards the petty, combative teen years.<\/p>\n

Nora Johnson never wrote another screenplay (although weirdly, she has a small role in David Cronenberg\u2019s\u00a0Shivers<\/b>!), whereas veteran scribe Nunnally Johnson would co-write a few more classic films, including\u00a0The Dirty Dozen\u00a0<\/b>(1967), before apparently retiring. One of Fox\u2019s most prolific writers, Johnson penned\u00a0The Grapes of Wrath<\/b><\/a>\u00a0(1940),\u00a0Roxie Hart<\/a><\/b>\u00a0(1942),\u00a0My Cousin Rachel<\/b><\/a>\u00a0(1952), and\u00a0Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>(1962).<\/p>\n

Newcomer Merrie Spaeth appeared in singular episodes of\u00a0The Nurses\u00a0<\/b>(1964) and\u00a0The Legend of Jesse James<\/b>\u00a0(1965) before leaving acting and becoming a media specialist, whereas model-turned actress Tippy Walker starred in a season of\u00a0Peyton Place<\/b>\u00a0(1968-1969) and two more feature films \u2013\u00a0The Jesus Trip<\/b>\u00a0(1971) and\u00a0Jennifer on My Mind<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>(1971) \u2013 before leaving acting.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2015 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

External References:<\/strong>
\nEditor’s Blog<\/a> — IMDB<\/a> \u00a0— \u00a0Soundtrack Album<\/a> —\u00a0Composer Filmography<\/a>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nVendor Search Links:<\/strong>
\nAmazon.ca<\/a>\"\" \"\" —\u00a0<\/span> Amazon.com<\/a>\"\" \"\" —\u00a0<\/span> Amazon.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

George Roy Hill directed a mere 14 feature films between 1962-1988, and yet as film historian Julie Kirgo points out in the Blu-ray\u2019s lively and personable commentary track, he\u2019s largely unknown to many film fans, partly because his work doesn\u2019t bear a specific visual imprimatur or share overtly recurring themes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[18],"tags":[937,3886,3889,3892,3577,3890,3891,3888,3887],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-38E","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12068"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12068"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12068\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12098,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12068\/revisions\/12098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}