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The Greatest Civil War Western - The Outlaw Josie Wales

by Daniel Mallock

The Outlaw Josie Wales is my favorite western. It’s considered by some folks to be the greatest western. I agree.

A great western should have a collection of strong key elements, and Josie Wales has them all. The setting is the savage Civil War in Missouri and Kansas where atrocities and outrages were perpetrated by irregulars of both sides. Folks at the time called these criminals and guerrillas “bushwackers”. The fighting in this theater of the Civil War is not commonly known by non-students and historians and was particularly ugly and violent. Most actions were small unit affairs, with people who were well known to one another before the war fighting under opposing flags. Violence and crimes against civilians was common as both legitimate armies used irregulars to terrorize the civilian population. The massacre at Centralia, Missouri , September 27, 1864 was perpetrated by Bloody Bill Anderson and his men. There is no mention of this event in the film, of course, as there could be no sympathy for anyone who had had a part in that abomination.

Josie Wales captures the ugliness and horror of those times and provides a motivator to the title character when his family is murdered by Kansas Union irregulars. Wales is enraged and joins Bloody Bill Anderson’s Confederate guerrilla outfit. When the War ends, they are one of the last organized Confederate units to surrender (at least according to the film). Wales’ comrades surrender themselves at a Union camp, but Josie refuses. But everything is not as it seems and as the men surrender their arms and take the Oath of Allegiance to the Union, they are viciously murdered in cold blood. It turns out that the same unit that has just killed his fellow Confederates is the very same that had killed his family several years before. And so the chase begins… Wales is now the “Outlaw Josie Wales” running from bounty hunters and every male in the territory with a gun not to mention the Union army.

Josie Wales is played by Clint Eastwood in one his best performances. The character is very much like the “Man with no name” from his Spaghetti Western days. Closer to “Blondie” in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly than the silent gunslinger of “Pale Rider” Wales is essentially a good man driven to revenge and violence by circumstances. He is the everyman of the Civil War dragged into the maelstrom of events. As he runs from his pursuers he picks up a ragtag crew of fascinating characters who ride with him, eventually heading for southern Texas. Along the way there are gunfights, suspense, and lots of action.

A great western should have certain components including:

• beautiful desert scenery
• a good story line
• small ramshackle frontier towns
• a hero or anti-hero with strong and understandable motivations
• guns, ideally pistols
• cool hats
• indians
• lots of horses
• rotten villains

Outlaw Josie Wales (1976) was directed by Eastwood as well as starring himself. Sandra Locke, later his common law wife, Chief Dan George, and John Vernon co-star.

Wales is an avenger as he rides across deserts and through broken down frontier towns. He has no options, but to find a place to hide, or just keep on riding forever. Every shooting that involve him is self-defense or in the defense of others who cannot defend themselves. He is a hero, an unsurrendered Confederate partisan, haunted by the senseless murder of his family.

Josie Wales has beautiful scenery, lots of horses and pistols, rotten villains who deserve to get shot (and generally do), suffering innocents who need protection, and one of the coolest hats in American cinema history.

Josie Wales’ hat is stained with sweat, it’s a deep Confederate Gray with a wide and slightly upturned brim. Eastwood hides his eyes under the brim of this hat, and when he slightly lifts his head to look at someone - they know quickly that Wales is not a man to be trifled with. He has a sense of honor and obligation to others, but has no compunction in shooting those who are hunting him or are fixin’ to hurt his friends.

There is a funny moment after Eastwood and his friends have arrived at their Texas destination. Sondra Locke dressed in a fine white dress talks about how beautiful the clouds look. She represents the stability, and happiness of his pre-war life and the look of sadness and dissociation that Eastwood delivers is a fine and sad one. After all of his war-fighting, his losses, and the personal toll that the War has taken, Josie Wales must try very hard to find a place for himself in a peaceful and stable post-war environment. Killing is easy now for him, it’s the living without violence that will be so challenging. One of the more powerful aspects of his character is that he so wants to try.

WGA Strike - Creative Failure of Imagination

It’s not enough to simply kill the Golden Goose, some folks feel that they must beat the poor dead beast ’til it’s no longer recognizable.

by Daniel Mallock, BookFolks

The first warning signal comes from an unexpected quarter. Carson Daly, host of a late night talk show announced today that he will be crossing the picket lines and his show will be on the air - without WGA involvement. If his show is successful without their support, and the WGA must be praying hard that it fails, other entertainers and hosts will follow in Daly’s path the “Writer’s strike” will be in serious trouble.

When a union’s membership lands on the picket lines the leadership has failed in planning, strategy, imagination, and negotiation. Redress of grievances and negotiating with management for better wages and benefits is the core purpose of the union. Fundamentally, negotiating with the threat of strike is the position of strength, striking is a signal of defeat. Abandoning negotiations for the picket line is an existential defeat for the union.

Creative people sometimes get too involved in their own stories, too involved in their own creative process so that they are blinded to more sanguinary and generally uninteresting issues like, oh, business. Certainly, hollyweird products are generally a conglomeration of creative minds. All of those creative minds should have a fair share in the profits resulting from the products that they create together. But when one group in this conglomerate brings the entire process to a grinding halt and puts the entire operation at risk-that group has lost sight of some very important facts. The most important fact is that there are many writers who would be delighted to have the opportunity to write for tv and film. These folks, not currently in the WGA will certainly have the chance if this strike continues for much longer.

Daly will come under intense criticism from the WGA and its supporters as his actions threaten their action. His argument is a good one, and difficult to refute. “As a non-WGA member I feel I have supported my four Guild writers and their strike by suspending production for a month,” he said, “While I continue to support their cause, I can’t, in all good conscience, stand by and let that (loss of income and livelihood) happen to the vast majority of my loyal staff and crew.”

The writers in the Guild have forgotten their roots, or perhaps remember them too well.

They are now bullies, damaging the economy of LA and California and affecting the careers and livelihoods of thousands of others. This union bullying is one of the strongest reasons why the union movement in the US is on a steep decline - folks don’t want to be bullied by other folks who won’t sit at a conference table and patiently work out differences with the “other side”. This strike is as demonstrative of leadership on the part of WGA negotiators as the decision by a court in Sudan to jail a middle-aged Brit for her unfortunate choice of name for a teddy bear is illustrative of civilized or rational behavior.

There are far more writers who are ready to work for Hollyweird than there are angry writers who, rightly or wrongly, want a larger slice of the profit pie and are striking to get it. The demands of the WGA appear reasonable and legitimate in the long-term, their decision to strike now and stay on the strike line does not.

What will be the result if Carson Daly’s admirable desire to save the jobs of his staff due to the short-sightedness of the writer’s union’s leadership? The result will be that more shows will go back on the air, non-union writers will be hired, etc. Writer’s in the Guild do not have a lock on creativity - there are many excellent non-union writers waiting for a big break. This could well be the break they are waiting for.

If the strike fails, and if Hollyweird studios and management recovers with non-union writers, the Guild will be left a powerless shell. Throwing down the gauntlet and refusing to work (striking) thus breaking contracts, endangering projects/productions, negatively impacting local and regional economies, and putting the livelihoods of others at risk cannot have anything but negative results for the Guild and its members.

The notion that writers are irreplaceable is not a widely accepted one. Couldn’t a more productive approach to studio management and their bean-counters have been, “We aren’t pleased, but we would like to negotiate for a larger piece of the profits as we continue working side by side with you (management/studios) our partners.”

The strike decision appears desperate, unprofessional, and lacking in both prudence and patience. As a writer, I understand the value of my own partners and the business-side folks who make it possible through their deal-making to get projects that allow me to work professionally as a writer. Hurting them hurts me. I know this. It is completely stunning that the WGA leadership does not understand this core truth of the writer’s life. Diminishing the importance and the reputation of writers by forcing union members to break agreements and walk the picket line is nothing at all about empowering writers, but rather the opposite.

Let cooler heads prevail. Honor your agreements, create art, go back to work, negotiate with your partners!

“Enchanted” - Walt Disney’s Apocalypse Now
-Helicopters and Dragons-

by Daniel Mallock, BookFolks

Sometimes a movie hits just the right notes (espcecially a musical), and is released at just the right time - that it is on its way to massive box office returns by the first day of release. Disney’s “Enchanted” is such a movie. The last time a movie was so perfectly timed, and of such high quality, might have been Francis Ford Coppolla’s “Apocalypse Now”. This is not to say in any way, of course, that “Enchanted” has anything in common with “Apocalypse Now”… wait. Hold on. Now that I think about it - they have so much in common.

Apocalypse Now documents the shattering of a country and the two male leads (Brando and Emelio Estevez’s dad) through the Vietnam War, a complete upheaval that sucks up everything in its path and spits it out again all broken and battered, or just plain dead. Lots of folks end up waking up dead in “Apocalypse Now”. Enchanted is a kind of apocalypse, too- a potentially life shattering event for a cartoon princess in which the heroine could well find herself waking up dead! Great stories are about watching interesting characters go through changes. The more intense and cinematic the change, the better! Few films have come close to the shattering images in Apocalypse Now, for example the image of Marlon Brando making a million dollars a minute for his fairly average performance is hard to forget. Much like the disturbing and artsy images from Coppolla’s violence-fest, Disney’s “Enchanted” has equal number of bright, happy, and sometimes “ewwwww!” inspiring moments to match.

While helicopters thump and whirr overhead and shriek across village’s blowing them to bits in Coppola’s helo homage, Amy Adams twitters and flits and bobs and dances and smiles her way into almost every viewer’s heart in “Enchanted”. Met with almost universal affection from viewers and pointy headed critics alike, There are exceptions, of course. These folks can find help easily. Some folks just haven’t got any joy. One unhappy reviewer even suggests that “…the movie becomes pedantic and predictable, proceeding from fanciful to boring in about ten minutes flat.” So wrong. So sad. So many people scratch their heads and wonder aloud about critics - how they can appear in print when they are so often utterly mistaken or deluded in their grasp of art and the artists who perpetrate it!? The value of critics and criticism is outside the purview of this particular post; needless to say, most critics have little merit. A by-line doesn’t make one insightful. However, even the most clueless of critics can have moments of accuracy. Roger Ebert, for example, so notorious for being so wrong, so often, is favorable to the movie. So, where critics are concerned, fantasies can come true! [For a great illustration of how deeply confused most critics are take a look at their utterly pathetic wrong misinterpretations of “Running With Scissors”. A superb and disturbing movie almost completely misunderstood by critics.]

“Apocalypse Now” has Emiolio Estevez’ dad, while “Enchanted” has the by far more talented and lovely Amy Adams. Both films were just right for the times in which they were released, both were box office hits and critically acclaimed (not that that matters). It was the right time in 1979 for Coppolla’s movie. It was right for him-he needed money for his vineyard and winery, and he got it. It was right for the movie-going public-folks were ready for a serious artistic review of the Vietnam War. Apocalypse Now was there when it was needed and wanted. In a sense it provided a service. Now, folks are ready for a more whimsical tour de force. “Enchanted” is perfectly timed, and has just the right mix of charm, humor, drama, action, music, and romance. This is the combination that America needs now. And boy do we need it bad!

Some will say, including me, that “Enchanted” may be the best Disney movie since Julie Andrews’ stole America’s hearts in with her attitude heavy portrayal of Mary Poppins. The country is ready for “Enchanted” - America now has more than enough real apocalyptic activity going on right about now what with the vanquishing of evil, mysogonist, reactionary, cruel and heartless, self-aggrandizing Islamo-Fascists over in Iraq and Afghanistan and on our own shores currently underway. “Enchanted” is a much deserved break from the harsh realities of our lives. And its timing couldn’t be better.

The foundation of good drama, good art is watching folks change. The more change, the more real the change, the better! What could be more traumatic to watch (other than repeated viewings of Rocky Horror Picture Show) than a lovely cartoon princess being thrown into the real-life (at least from her perspective) bizarre, shocking, and dirty world of current day Times Square? Not much! That is exactly the predicament sweet Princess Giselle finds herself in. But she handles this existential change not by being shattered or violently blowing things up, but by handling herself with panache, positivity, music, and meeting new animal friends! Princess Giselle then has to fight Susan Sarandon, of all the horrors the film makers could throw at the young lass, did they have to be so cruel as that? Well, yes. And despite Ms. Sarandon’s lack of “clue”, the ensuing conflict works. Princess Giselle grows into a perfectly decent, always stunning and talented New York gal of the current day. Patrick Dempsey of Grey’s Anatomy is lucky enough to find her wandering in the rain in Times Square and takes her home so that his five year old girl can explain how life really works to him. Male leads in Disney films are often incredibly daft. And over time, we see Dempsey change and grow and learn that his cynical approach to life can be quickly overturned when the right princess is dropped in his life to muck up his very tight schedule, which doesn’t include cleaning his very expensive west side apartment. All the leads are quite good except for Sarandon whose obvious obsession with Frank N. Furter leads her far far astray.

While a critic (not me, of course) could readily blame the director for allowing Ms. Sarandon to so muck up her role, it’s more fun to directly heap criticism upon her. But it’s not all bad with Ms. Sarandon. Taking a much needed break from her seeming endless agitprop silliness Ms. Sarandon may well have put her most memorable role on celluloid with this movie. A small hint regarding her questionable performance can be found here in this interview in which she says that she never was really “into” the princess thing and doesn’t really understand why so many little girls are so intrigued by them. In answering the question “Why do you think the princesses still resonate with a new generation of girls today?” Ms. Sarandon uses the term “I don’t know” four times. Clearly, she is being honest. Looking a cross between Nora Desmond and Rocky Horror’s FrankNFurter Ms. Sarandon is so far over the top that the plummet to the bottom of the fountain for Giselle is but a quick dip compared to the endless millenia it will take for Sarandon’s Princess Narissa to fall her own distance to bottom.

“Apocalypse Now” had helicopters spitting fire from on high, “Enchanted” has a dragon doing the same. Both are scary in some primal way. But as our helicopters were silent during the release of “Apocalypse Now” - they are very much in action again today. Now is the time for “Enchanted” with it’s personal upheavals and battles and profound multiple apocalypses for a battle and war weary public.

This is not an anti-war film by any stretch, it recognizes as so many in our country do not, that there are times when force and evil must be met with an overwhelming force response so that the princess and the kingdom can be preserved. Believing that our enemies will desist in their evil because we request them to do so, or because we hope they will, or because we apologize to them is more a fantasy than anything in “Enchanted”.

    

Tragedy of Cleveland, Ohio Should Not Be Its Obituary - It Should be A Call for Renewal!

by Daniel Mallock, BookFolk

Recent headlines for Cleveland could hardly be worse, “Where Cleveland Went Wrong”, and School Shooting! are two of the most recent. This once proud “rust belt” city on Lake Erie is in eclipse. Long known for lake effect heavy snows and too many gray days per year Cleveland is now the horror that all American cities fear to become. With a completely diminished tax base, a failed economy, and little apparent hope for economic recovery in the near future Cleveland waits to figure out how to repeat the stunning recovery of similar cities like Pittsburgh. After the steel mills close, the inner city rots away, foreclosures suck the life out of low and middle class areas, and folks who can flee flee, where can Cleveland turn for growth and renewal?There are four fascinating aspects of Cleveland life that, if properly fostered, encourage, and leveraged, will be the foundation of its rebirth - diversity of population, superb civic culture and history, excellent health care, Lake Erie waterfront and port.

The excessive and horrible foreclosures currently sweeping the country, based upon shady and misleading mortgages sold to folks wanting a share in the American dream of home ownership - have hit Cleveland hardest. One section of Cleveland in particular now is littered with empty foreclosed homes looted by dirtbags and crooks (see link above).

This is now the time for urban renewal folks to make their plans. Giving up on Cleveland is for fools - Cleveland can now become a shining example of American ingenuity - a place where folks will want to move to and live. It’ll take time, but the effort should be made, and quickly.

Cleveland is blessed with one of the finest orchestra’s in the world, the Cleveland Orchestra. Long recognized as one of the finest symphonies in the world it is a testimony to Cleveland’s importance that so many in the area continue to support this great institution as the city that hosts it continues its long crumble into decay. There is enough money in the area, enough people loyal to the area - living outside the city limits - who continue to support the superb cultural and educational offerings of the city. In addition to the Orchestra, Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Museum of Art are available for all to enjoy. Cleveland has a proud history. Ohio was one of the largest contributors of soldiers to the Union during the Civil War. The monument to Civil War veterans in downtown Cleveland is a little known national treasure that all who appreciate American heritage and history should visit. Folks are not leaving the region en masse, only the inner city itself (with folks who can’t leave, staying). Cleveland can be saved. If Cleveland is not revitalized and rehabilitated it will become a sister city Detroit. While the proponents for Cleveland and Detroit may challenge the studies that proclaim the failure of these cities and speak of the irresponsibility and cruelty of suggesting such things - the problems remain. These problems must be resolved, and quickly. Hopefully, for both Cleveland and Detroit the hour is not too late to make a change. And don’t forget, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland, too! Cleveland rocks, remember?

The failure of American steel and the closure of most of Cleveland’s factories, steel mills, and economic infrastructure shattered the economy of the city in the 70s and 80s - but… businesses remain and are growing - albeit in completely different sectors. Now, healthcare and technology are the economic hopes for Cleveland’s future growth and prosperity. Cleveland Clinic is a nationally ranked hospital system serving folks from all across the planet. Imagine - Cleveland as a destination city just for health care! Well, that’s the truth.

The true natural resource of Cleveland and the foundation of its recovery is the waterfront. Some folks in Cleveland are actively working to build up the waterfront, attract investment and bring folks back to Cleveland. The Port Authority is leading the way. Why can’t Cleveland have a bustling port and waterfront anchored with the Rock Hall and the Science Museum just like Boston’s or Baltimore’s or San Francisco’s. Build a destination for folks - a beautiful place with great hotels and parks and condos and apartments and restaurants and homes - and folks will come!

So, how does a city recover after being the hardest hit in the nation by foreclosures with school shootings and serious inner city decay? All the great urban planners, investment gurus, historians, restaurateurs, and government officials - city, regional, and federal - should build a commission now to reclaim Cleveland.

It is a national sin to let our cities fall and die while our pathetic neanderthal pseudo allies grow rich on our consumption of their oil. Our cities should be a shining light, a beacon, to everyone in the world - a testament to our ingenuity, our skills at planning, organization, and creativity. Shame on the government of Cleveland and the federal government for allowing Cleveland to rust and die a slow wretched death.

Bring Cleveland back to life and bring Detroit back to life, too. America is built on hard work and business and caring for our fellow citizens. Let Cleveland be a beacon to those creative folks who want to show their stuff, their organizational and leadership skills, and their patriotism. Rebuild Cleveland. Do it now.

Disney World - Empowering Little Girls at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

by Daniel Mallock, BookFolks

Recognizing the Need for Supporting Youngsters Boys and Girls

There has been a serious debate in our culture for approximately 15 years about helping girls achieve in academia, in business, and in life. If Oprah covers it, it must be of some moment, right? Some schools have even created girls-only classrooms believing ridiculously that “girls only education” without the apparently negative influence of boys will somehow elevate the intellectual capabilities of the girls. This absurd notion has found a strong foothold in society. I think it a better approach to empower girls in general, just as we ought to empower our boys, and teach them to get along with mutual respect for one another. This silly idea of separating the sexes early on in education is another way for the education industry to suggest a solution to a problem of their own failings. Doubtless young boys and girls have difficulties during their early years but both should be encouraged and supported in equal measure according to their needs. But I digress.

Disney World, Orlando, Florida - long the bain of many cultural snobs, literatti, and Puritans has a new, expensive but superbly important offering - their contribution to empowering little girls.

All Kids Need to Feel Good About Themselves

As a parent or educator there are many options to help our children feel empowered- films, books, sports, etc. But we should also include essential character building with empowering activities and entertainments. For girls, building a sense of personal value and personal power will help them overcome the very strong negative messages of peer pressure and advertising from Madison Avenue. Here is a good bit against advertising, and another one and another good one here on deceptive weight loss advertising . One of the most important aspects of empowerment is making girls and boys feel good about themselves whatever their condition may be. Barbie movies of recent vintage are particularly impressive. These movies even have good animation. But most importantly they all include a message of responsibility, empowerment, and personal strength. They are a pleasant surprise amidst all the drek available for children’s entertainment. Much of this drek is general drek that children might mistake for children’s drek, but is really adult-oriented drek. But drek is drek, right? We’ve got the whole Barbie movie collection and I am quite happy to watch my little one enjoying them. They are well-written and the producers understand the value of positive messages for little girls. Of course, they are also repulsively cute, but that is not a problem for the little one.

How Disney World Helps Little Girls Feel Special, and Empowered - Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

Disney World in Orland, Florida has a new offering called Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique . There are two locations at Disney World-one in Downtown Disney, the other in Disney World itself at the Princess Cinderella castle. At the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique little girls get a makeover, and walk out looking like a proper Disney princess! There are several fairy god-mothers in training (hair stylists and makeup artists) who pamper and primp the little girls. Parents can choose from three levels of princess makeover, from mildly expensive to quite pricey. Go for the lowest price, then save some money for a tip for the fairy god-mothers. If you can get a nice princess dress for your little girl, bring it with you, too. Making children feel special is something that Disney does very very well. They charge a pretty penny for it, but it’s worth it if you know how to pre-plan a vacation and save some money. I am not a shill for Disney by any stretch having thought the entire concept of Disney World was hooey until only recently. I’ve been to Disney World several times and enjoy it each time. (An excellent forum for all things Disney can be found here. )

This trip was particularly positive on account of the superb treatment of my little one at the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique! The attention that she received, the positive reinforcement, the excellent service given to her for her about her was almost more than she could believe. All smiles, she walked in a proper princess but exited also looking the part, too. And all day throughout the park many guests and most staff greeted her with “hello princess” some even bowing and curtseeing. It was a pleasure for me as a parent to see. My little one is my princess, after our visit to the boutique everybody else saw that she was a princess, too! While the notion of “princess” might seem silly to those older and more jaded, for little girls it’s a very serious matter. And what better way to teach social responsibility, empowerment, manners, bravery, personal strength, comportment, etc., than to explain what a proper princess would do and wouldn’t do. As a former disdainer of Disney I can say now that I am most impressed and would recommend this boutique experience to anyone travelling to Disney World in the company of a princess.

He knows what he wants.
-Don’t you, Rocco?
-Sure! What’s that?
Tell him, Rocco.
Well, l want.
. . .he wants more. Don’t you, Rocco?
That’s it! More.
— Bogart and EG Robinson in Key Largo

By Daniel Mallock, BookFolk

The current Hollywood Writer’s strike is an unfortunate mistake. Nobody is irreplaceable. Folks on the picket lines say, “Well, they need us… don’t they?” with a kind of quirky hesitation and fear in their voices hinting just a whit at self-doubt. Of course, the entertainment industry needs writers to create new shows, work edits, bring ideas - be the fountains of creativity that they are. But there are others out there, hungry writers who want a break without deep concern about “DVD profit streams” as a deal breaker on the road to fame and fortune.

Certainly writers should be better paid, so should cops, and teachers and
firefighters, and soldiers and helicopter jockeys and on-and-on-and-on. It
seems to me that the moneyed folk in Hollywood were at the table negotiating
willing to give some concessions, but not the concessions that the writers
wanted and not on the schedule that they wanted. Instead of 8% the moneyed folk offered 2.5%, etc. But the Union (I mean “Guild”), in all their wisdom, decided to throw the gauntlet down and walk away from the discussion. Why is this a reasonable decision? I do not think that it was.

Writing is very much about personal relationships and trust whereby the writer
is trusted by the client to deliver quality on-time and on-budget. A strike,
especially with nasty words and ugly press, and yelling strikers walking the line, cannot help but break this relationship of trust. I believe that film producers, and television executives will now do their utmost - if the strike is not quickly resolved - to circumvent the Guild and find others who will provide content and new shows, the creativity (good and bad) that makes American television the money machine that it is.

If this strike goes on for a lengthy time television executives will have every
incentive to go in other directions - the day of the independents will have come
and the Writers Guild will have gone the way of PATCO, remember them?

Staying at the negotiating table, lowering the rhetoric, removing the anger - these are the ways to make deals with moneyed folks. Why would the Union, I mean Guild, actively pursue this path whereby the executives and deal-makers have every reason not to work with the Guild again? If they can avoid it in future, they will.

Making a living as a writer is a special gift. That’s how I feel about it. Why alienate the client? What is the value in ruining the relationships by which writers are hired, and checks are cut? It makes little sense to me. Patience is the virtue here, not angry picket lines. There are many forms of entertainments for the people to enjoy, all kinds of bread-and-circus kinds of things. Network television is on a massive decline. If this strike continues for a lengthy time, the great unwashed will get all washed up, and head on out to the symphony, the park, local theater, local clubs, museums, etc., even… cable. Yep, if this strike goes on for too long, the gigs will dry up, the executives will not call nor answer calls, the checks will stop coming and independents will have their day. Not that that is necessarily a total negative.

Go back to the table, quickly. Save the Guild, and show the executives and entertainment consumer that writers are still the brilliant humble folks that make the world of culture go ’round.

We all want “more”. But most of us accept the truth of life that - in order to get it - we usually just have to wait.

by Daniel Mallock, BookFolk

Jeremy Brett vs. Basil Rathbone:

The Best Sherlock Holmes on Film

vs.

The Truth is Always a Simple Matter Once Explained!

Most fans of Sherlock Holmes will attest that Jeremy Brett is the very embodiment of Sherlock Holmes on any television or movie screen anywhere, ever, period. However, there are those who retain some affection for Basil Rathbone the Sherlock Holmes of previous generations. Both actors are superb, and model the height of acting skill for their generations. But Brett is clearly the superior actor, and the superior Holmes. The game is afoot!

Different Generations, Different Film Technology Demand a Different Holmes

Basil Rathbone’s Holmes fits perfectly into the 1940s era in which his films were made. In the midst of WW2 England and the U.S. needed heroes on the screen. Sherlock Holmes through Rathbone helped the Allies find and destroy Nazi goons within their midsts. A patriotic Brit and hater of fascism Rathbone’s Holmes is the perfect addition to Air Force, Marines, and Navy power. The intellect used as a weapon of war is rarely shown so effectively as in Rathbone’s portrayal of Holmes! One of the major problems with the Rathbone Holmes stories is that 95% of them are originals, that is, they are not adaptations of Conan Doyle’s Holmes stories. Granada Television did every episode as a spectacular and deeply faithful adaptation of the Doyle originals with Jeremy Brett. Most every episode included one or more scenes taken directly from the original drawings by Sydney Paget from the Strand Magazine - that is faithful adaption if ever there was!

• An episode list of Brett’s Holmes can be viewed here.
• You can see some of Paget’s Holmes illustrations for the Strand Magazine, here.

For the purest the Rathbone lack of faithfulness to Doyle is an almost unforgiveable problem. In fact, it’s something of an insoluble conundrum. In addition to the problematic stories themselves whose pacing and supporting actors are often of questionable quality and expertise the characterization of Watson by Sir Nigel Bruce is distracting, aggravating, and overly comedic.

The Problem of the Three Watsons

vs. vs.

The relationship between Holmes and Watson in the Rathbone series is supportive, considerate, gentlemanly, but with Holmes so far eclipsing Watson in intellectual acumen that one has to wonder why the two stay together. In addition, Rathbone’s Holmes is so markedly without those neuroses of character shown by Brett’s portrayal that the viewer must wonder why Rathbone’s Holmes is not married or at least involved with some stunning academic, classical pianist, opera starlet, or some brilliant Irene Adler-type lovely lady. But there is no explanation and no context in which Holmes should be alone, accompanied everywhere by Sir Nigel. Holmes as played by Rathbone should have girlfriends, a wife, some kind of vibrant emotional connection to some favored female(s)!

Brett covers Holmes in self-doubt, utterly driven by intellect. So much so, that he has sacrificed the better parts of his nature, those tender parts that would appeal to a woman and that would allow him to relax and trust enough to be loved by a woman and to love her in return. He has essentially “shut off” those parts of his soul that he believes might distract him from his work - or something has happened. Something dark and painful long ago that Brett occasionally hints at, but never reveals. The depth of Brett’s Holmes is astounding. Brett plays Holmes as a grand knight of deduction who has sacrificed the pleasures of love. As a lover Holmes would be a second-rate detective, and that would simply not do. But there is more to this than all that. Brett is haunted by his sacrifices and his lack of tenderness. This is seen most clearly perhaps in the Adventure of the Abbey Grange. (Pay special attention to the part when the lady attempts to thank Holmes. He does not handle the moment well.)

• You can get a nice plot summary of Abbey Grange right here.

Rathbone’s Watson (Sir Nigel Bruce) plays Watson as a bumbling oafish but utterly dedicated partner and friend exactly the companion that Holmes needs. Brett’s Watson(s) are much more formidable.

Menace, Mania, and Moroseness - Choosing Brett

While Rathbone is not to be faulted for acting in the 40s style, flat and somewhat affected - Brett’s Holmes is the very picture of a highly complex, brilliant, intellectual artiste - the great detective brought to life.

Granada television and PBS is to be complimented for airing such a beautifully written and lovingly adapted series such as the Brett Holmes set. Rarely in recent television history has such a finely made program been aired. The Hollywood writer’s strike of the current hour is little lamented here as nothing of this quality has been seen in so long on the small screen. The complexity and depth of Brett’s Holmes will long be held as the standard for this character. Brett’s early death was a serious loss to every Holmesian. Brett is the Johann Sebastian Bach of the Sherlock Holmes world.

Others have attempted Sherlock Holmes from Ian Richardson’s overly whimsical take to Rupert Everett’s quite passable go, but Brett is the master interpreter. Without a case to work he is difficult, petty, argumentative, morose, bored. His seven percent solution would see him through too many dry spells, but when the game was afoot Holmes’ intellect, brilliance and bravery the finer components of his character always quickly came to the fore.

Basil Rathbone a Fine Holmes - But No Match for Jeremy Brett

From the LoveBoat to Immortality

Having once appeared on the LoveBoat (see this incredible clip on YouTube) Brett rose to the very heights of the acting profession. Still mourned today by those who knew him and appreciated his brilliance as Sherlock Holmes, the same reverence cannot be claimed by Rathbone. Now known to but a few, and those mostly Holmes fans, Rathbone long ago set the stage for the appearance of someone like Brett - to finally bring a permanent record to a living Holmes on screen. Depth of characterization, complex line deliveries, hints of past events and unspoken secrets and pain - Jeremy Brett is an actor’s actor.

Jeremy Brett is the greatest Sherlock Holmes on screen, ever. Long may he solve cases! And never require the needle!