Making a Case for Cagney

Facets Film School begins the first full week of March with four diverse classes taught by qualified instructors who not only know their topics but love cinema. On Mondays, Philip Sorenson and Olivia Cronk will offer Cinema of Absence: Objects of Desire; on Tuesdays Ben Sachs will ruminate on Alain Resnais and His World of Imagination; and on Wednesdays, Jeffrey Jon Smith will look at Couture Cinema: The World of Fashion on Film. However, on Thursdays, Doug Deuchler is offering James Cagney: Superhero of the Depression, which is the class I would take if there were more hours in the day and more days in the week. While this is no reflection on the other classes—which all sound fascinating—Cagney trumps fashion, the French, and the failure to get your heart’s desire, at least in my book. No contest.

In 1931, Cagney created the definitive portrayal of the tough-talking, swaggering movie gangster in The Public Enemy, which seared the archetype into the minds of millions of Americans for decades to come. Fifty years later, in failing health, he gave a memorable performance as a tough guy on the other side of the law in Milos Forman’s Ragtime. He epitomized what the star system of the Golden Age did best—constructing a highly recognizable screen persona that not only stood the test of time but held value for movie-goers of many generations.

VHS or Bust #6: Looking for Mr. Goodbar

Guest blogger Gregory Hess offers another in his series about films available on VHS only. Thanks Gregory!

Looking For Mr. Goodbar, directed by Richard Brooks from the novel by Judith Rossner, shares an interesting number of similarities with some of the most-talked-about films of 2011; it combines Shame’s story of sexual desire as symptom, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s bestselling pedigree and theme of violence toward women, and even Margaret’s side story of a young woman’s inappropriate relationship with her teacher. The film’s star, Diane Keaton, released her autobiography in 2011 as well, so now would seem the perfect time to examine this film. Based on a headline-grabbing real crime, the film poses interesting questions about the changing face of the fairer sex in America, in the 1970s and today.

The Answer Isn't Always Blowin' in the Wind

About 80 miles from Chicago, along a stretch of I-65 in northern Indiana, hundreds of wind turbines turn in unison, creating an alternative energy source that has been touted by many as the wave of the future. The wind farm is a sight to behold, with its 400-foot, gleaming white turbines laid out across the land in a pattern. Driving through the spinning windmills has a calming effect on me, dissipating stress and relieving boredom. After watching Laura Israel’s excellent documentary Windfall, I confess that I am still fascinated by their man-made beauty, even as I am leery of the wind industry’s image as “the good energy.”