Probably the person most famous for announcing deaths is DeForest Kelley, i.e., Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy on the original Star Trek (1966-1969) series. This post considers when Kelley first said the notorious phrase and why he did not utter the declaration during the most memorable Star Trek death scene of all time.
A few weeks ago, I watched The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956), starring Gregory Peck. While watching the movie, I noticed Kelley appearing in a small role and saying the line that would be immortalized on Star Trek in different variations: “This man’s dead, Captain.” The commentary on The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit DVD pointed out that DeForest Kelley appears in the movie in an uncredited role in just the one scene. Kelley plays the doctor approached by Gregory Peck’s character, who is carrying his injured friend. When Gregory Peck asks the doctor for help, Kelley utters the memorable line (at around the 18-second mark) that he would repeat many times throughout his career. Did this scene launch his career?
Of course, others have pointed out the connection in the past. But it was surprising to actually see it come out of nowhere while watching The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.
Who would have guessed while watching the movie that Kelley would build a career around proclaiming someone dead? See the video below for a montage of some of Dr. McCoy’s greatest hits.
In a key scene of what is probably the best Star Trek movie,Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, McCoy’s famous line was given to another character. According to Wikipedia — which cites Terry Lee Rioux’s biography of DeForest Kelley, From Sawdust to Stardust, Kelley recognized that his death announcements had turned into punch lines. So, he thought that if he said his famous “he’s dead” line about Mr. Spock, it would ruin the seriousness of the death scene. Therefore, in the movie, James Doohan’s Scotty tells William Shatner’s Kirk the news about his friend: “He’s dead already.”
In the Kasey Chambers song “Ignorance,” covered above by folk-singer Lori McKenna, she sings, “If you’re not pissed off at the world / Then you’re just not paying attention.” There have have been several excellent documentaries in recent years that reveal disturbing information about our world that should make us mad. Chimesfreedom recently wrote about Gasland. Here, we discuss three other movies that make us mad: The Corporation, Food, Inc., and The Cove. All three movies are now available on DVD and Blu Ray.
(1) The Corporation (2003) is a documentary about the role of corporations in our society. The movie paints a disturbing picture of the power that corporations have and the damage they have caused with almost complete immunity. The movie is very disturbing, and almost overwhelming at times. In watching it, I kept wanting to take a break from the movie but could not stop watching. Just when you think the stories could not get any more disturbing, they do, such as information about how American corporations profited through supporting Nazi Germany.
Certainly, The Corporation has an agenda, so one should maintain a little skepticism. For example, the movie unnecessarily went a little overboard with a segment about corporations meeting the definition of a psychopath. But many of the techniques, like using movie clips, are designed to make the information entertaining. And if the movie makes you seek more information, then it is a success. Many of those interviewed provide intelligent commentary. In addition to insight from some who you would expect, like Noam Chomsky, there is interesting commentary from people like Ray Anderson, the CEO of Interface, the world’s largest commercial carpet manufacturer, who had an epiphany after many years.
(2) Food, Inc.(2008) reveals information about the sources of our food. Yes, the movie includes some information about where our meat comes from, and I know a lot of people try to avoid being reminded of that knowledge. But animal flesh is not the focus of the majority of the movie. Among the interesting information is the extent to which corporations own and patent some of our basic food sources, a topic also briefly addressed in The Corporation.
(3) The third movie, The Cove (2009), is not as broad as the other two movies. Instead, it explores a narrower issue. The Cove delves into secrets behind the dolphin meat industry, focusing on a hidden cove in Japan. While you are learning that dolphins are more intelligent than you thought they were, you also may realize that humans are more devious than you expected. The Cove won the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary of 2009.
Unfortunately, these three movies are not uplifting. The good news, though, is that there are intelligent people making these movies and that people are watching these movies to learn about the world around them.
It is easy to look away from unpleasant Truths. And there is a cost to having your eyes opened. These movies may affect how you view your food, the corporations around you, and your decision whether or not to visit Sea World. Do you want to know the information or not? It is like the movie, The Matrix (1999). Your decision whether or not to watch these movies is similar to the offer of whether to take the red pill or the blue pill. Welcome to the desert of the real.
“And you can turn off the TV And go about your day. But just ’cause you don’t see it, It don’t mean its gone away.” — Kasey Chambers, “Ignorance”
What is your favorite movie that makes you mad? Leave a comment.
Is there another actor who has been in more classic movies from different film categories than Robert Duvall? If you consider various movie genres and the top handful of movies in each category, a large number of those groups include movies with Robert Duvall. Consider:
(1) Gangster Movies: Godfather I and II (2) Sports Movies: The Natural (3) Lawyer Movies: To Kill a Mockingbird (4) War Movies: Apocalypse Now (5) Westerns: Lonesome Dove (and True Grit) (6) Social Commentary: Network (7) Satire: M*A*S*H and Network. (8) Preacher Movies: The Apostle (9) Singer Movies: Tender Mercies (and Crazy Heart) (10) Cop Movies/Car Chase Movies: Bullitt
In each category, the movies listed are among the top few. And yes, we are using a loose definition of “genre,” and the list is starting to stretch for categories a little at the end. But we stopped before adding “Military Family/Angry Father Movies” (The Great Santini).
The list is for movies where he appeared, so To Kill a Mockingbird qualifies even though he had a very small (yet important) part. Also, Lonesome Dove was a TV mini-series, but it still ranks up there among the very top classic westerns, and Duvall has said it was his favorite role. But if you do not like that one, replace it with the original True Grit (see the Chimesfreedomcomparison of the two versions of True Grit). Two other Duvall westerns, Open Range and Broken Trail were excellent, but not top classic status.
Although Duvall is respected, he usually is not mentioned with quite the same respect as actors like Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. But few actors have the range of work shown from the genre list above, due largely to his ability to become a character besides “Robert Duvall.” In one great scene from Lonesome Dove where he embodies the classic character of Gus McCrae, you can see the pain in his face when he has to hang an old friend who has fallen in with a bad gang. In particular, he conveys a world of meaning in the first few seconds after the hanging just through his face and his body language. [Update: Unfortunately a clip of that scene is no longer available on YouTube, but another scene from the miniseries is below.]
The movies in the genre list are true classics, among the best in each category. Through acting skill, excellent movie choices, and some luck, maybe no other actor has accomplished a similar feat of being in classic movies in so many different categories.
What is your favorite Robert Duvall Movie? Can you think of another actor who appeared in Great Movies in so many categories? Leave a comment.
On April 17 in 1865, Mary Surratt was arrested for conspiracy to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. In 2011 on that date, the American Film Company released its first film, The Conspirator. The movie is about Mary Surratt and directed by Robert Redford and starring Robin Wright, James McAvoy, Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Kline, Danny Huston, and Tom Wilkinson.
From a young age, we learn the name of John Wilkes Booth. We know he is the man who shot Abraham Lincoln. His chase and capture are recounted in the recent book, Manhunt (2006), by James L. Swanson.
But the names of the others who allegedly conspired with Booth are less heard: Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, David Herold, John Surratt, and Mary Surratt. A number of additional people were also arrested and convicted of crimes, including Dr. Samuel Mudd.
Mary Surratt: “The Conspirator”
The Conspirator centers exclusively on one of the more interesting accused conspirators, Mary Surratt. In doing so, Redford maintains focus in what might otherwise be an unwieldy long story.
We may be curious to know more about the other conspirators and to spend a few minutes with Lincoln before he is killed. But Redford keeps the story tight and aimed on the stoic Surratt (Wright) and her passionate lawyer Frederick Aiken (McAvoy), following Aiken as he struggles with his responsibility to defend Surratt.
Currently on the Rotten Tomatoes website, the critics rating for The Conspirator is 56% and the audience rating is a much-higher 71%, which makes sense. The movie is not an exciting historical romp like The King’s Speech (2010), and the story is told somewhat conventionally. But it is an interesting story that audience members may appreciate more than critics, who might want a film that is more daring.
Still, the fine acting and look of the film make it well above a History Channel special. All of the principal actors do a very good job (although Justin Long seems out of his time period even with the goofy mustache). And, as in Redford’s A River Runs Through It (1992), the lighting effects seem like another character, making for numerous scenes bathed in beautiful clean natural sunlight.
Overall, the movie is engaging and addresses a lesser known aspect of the Lincoln assassination. I will not reveal how everything comes out, but during the prosecution of Mary Surratt and even until today, there are still questions about whether or not she had any involvement in the conspiracy of which she was accused.
Parallels With Modern Issues
Others have noticed that the movie has some parallels to the modern debate about military tribunals. Kevin Kline’s Secretary of War Edwin Stanton spouts concerns that echo in our Age of Terrorism. Anthony Lane at The New Yorker believes that Redford belabored the parallels with today’s debates about military trials for accused terrorists a little too much.
By contrast, I did not think the parallels were overdone. Instead, the movie would have been much more topical and challenging for viewers had it been released several years ago instead of in 2011. Just as more people spoke up on Mary Surratt’s behalf years after her trial, this aspect of the movie seems a little late too. Yet, the issue is still topical.
Another contemporary issue underlying The Conspirator is how innocent persons accused of outrageous crimes may be convicted or almost convicted of crimes they did not do. The Death Penalty Information Center website notes that since 1973, there have been more than one hundred people released from death row because of evidence of their innocence.
Additionally, there are a number of people who have been executed with genuine questions remaining about whether they were innocent. One may debate the extent of the problem and the exact number of condemned innocent who spent years on death row, but the clear risk is certainly troubling. Even in civilian trials with our current constitutional protections, the innocent still may be convicted and condemned, and this realization has contributed to several states eliminating capital punishment in recent years.
Conclusion
Conclusion? Conspirator is a well-made straightforward drama about an important event in American history. Although it may not be one of the top few movies of the year, it is a period courtroom drama in a league with Amistad (1997) as less than awe-inspiring but nonetheless engaging, educational, entertaining, and worth your time.
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What did you think of The Conspirator? Leave a comment.
Conviction (2010) had a lot going for it. The movie is a compelling true story and an inspiring tale about family love. It features a murder mystery. One of the characters is a real-life famous lawyer. It has outstanding actors. Why was the movie not even mentioned at Oscar time? Why did it flop at the box office, ranking 150th in box office for 2010 after its October release?
Movie marketers often face a dilemma. To get people to see their movie, they have to tell potential viewers enough about the movie to create interest (or in the case of comedies, the best or only laugh lines — as I recently experienced while watching Cedar Rapids (2011)). But then, potential viewers may feel they do not need to see the movie unless there are other compelling reasons to see it. Plus, true stories are often already familiar. One recent excellent movie that had the familiarity challenge was Conviction (2010), starring Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell. But the movie is still worthwhile viewing.
Conviction follows the true story of Kenny Waters, who was sentenced to life in prison for a murder. His sister Betty Anne Waters believed in him so much that to prove him innocent, she earned her G.E.D., graduated from college, went to law school, passed the bar exam, and became a lawyer. It is an amazing story featuring hard work and a lot of luck.
The reason that Conviction did not do better at the box office may have been that the story was too predictable (although 127 Hours faced a similar challenge), or maybe the story was too conventional. Or maybe the fascinating story lost something when converted to a 107-minute movie. The story is incredible because of the years the sister labored to free her brother while he was in prison. But it is hard to convey time in a movie, and to do so may have required a longer movie. Would it have been a better movie if it were longer, and would people have gone to see a longer movie?
Or maybe the movie was just cursed. There is a tragic ending to the story not shown in the movie. Other actors (Phillip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly) dropped out of the lead male role, and sixteen hours of crucial footage was ruined by an airport x-ray. Meanwhile, some family members were not happy with the final movie.
But even if you know the story, should you see the movie? It is still entertaining, due largely to the fine acting by Swank and Rockwell. The movie also features Melissa Leo, who recently won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work The Fighter, and an excellent performance in a small role by Julliette Lewis. It is unfortunate that more people did not see Conviction because the story shows something that happens in the criminal justice system more often than we would like to believe.
Conclusion? Although this review points out some problems, these criticisms are an attempt to determine why such a compelling story with great acting did not translate into a big box office or a more perfect film. Conviction still is very good and worth viewing. But if you plan to see it, do not watch the trailer below. Conviction is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
You may know how the story ends, but in case you do not, I will not ruin it. If you want more information, you may watch a local news story about the case and the release of the movie. Also, see the Chimesfreedom review of 127 Hours about how another movie faced the familiarity problem.
Probably the person most famous for announcing deaths is DeForest Kelley, i.e., Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy on the original Star Trek (1966-1969) series. This post considers when Kelley first said the notorious phrase and why he did not utter the declaration during the most memorable Star Trek death scene of all time.
(2006), by James L. Swanson.
