Some Came Running

Rather long and artless melodrama, watchable but uninspiring. Minnelli gets in some decent commentary about small-town, middle-class hypocrisy but doesn't do it with the grace of Sirk. Sinatra and Martin are dull, but the screen lights up whenever Shirley Maclaine shows up. The relationship between Sinatra and Hyer is incredibly forced, basically nothing about it works. The carnival climax is nicely shot, everything else is pretty flat. Also didn't care much for the in-your-face score.

Unusual drama expressing discomfort with and resistance to but not yet rebellion against 1950s "small town USA", as well as anxiety connected with existing forms of masculinity and family life, and a longing for intellectual independence and sexual freedom. But with no way to reconcile this tangled web of doubts and feelings, it can bring the narrative to a close (or free the emotional tension) only by cancelling everything out with a wave of the writerly pen conducted under the sign of tragedy.

I really liked this, but goddamn does Martha Hyer's schoolteacher suck the life out of it, especially in contrast with MacLaine who's amazing (and gets nothing but treated like shit by all the asshole male characters in return). It's sort of like Minnelli doing a Sirk melodrama, except where Sirk goes camp Minnelli gets sort of earnest (and apart from the climactic carnival scene this is a lot more visually restrained, surprisingly considering Minnelli is known for his extravagant musicals).

The focus of this movie changes quite a bit - at first it seems to be about the brotherly feud, then switching its attention to something else and so on, but that didn't really bother me. It's truly adult for its day. I adored the love triangle, particularly Gwen, a female character who insistently rejects the protagonist's romantic advances, which is audacious for 1958. The dramatic twist at the ending seemed redundant to me, but it's a great movie anyway.

Things I loved: the cinematography, Shirley MacLaine, the hat. Didn't quite love anything else, but it's mostly adequate. The unfocused nature of its narrative weakens the overall experience.

Excellent work from Sinatra and MacLaine especially. Part character and part study of small town 50's US, it balances the two nicely creating a very compelling narrative whose weight hinges on the emotional reactions of its characters.

Basically perfect. "He even sleeps with his hat on... I bet." Probably the best compositions of any Minnelli movie. So many beautiful and daring stylistic touches - the fade to near-black when Dave kisses Mrs. French! It's his masterpiece. The final shot killed me. A terrific movie about a hat, more or less.

# 484

414

Shirley MacLaine rocks

dreary 1950s romance about "sluts and pigs" and classy looking dames who dont put out

A schizophrenic film which can't make up its mind whether or not it wants to be a third rate Peyton Place or Ocean's Eleven. Minnelli may have been a great musical director, but drama was not his forte. The only redeeming feature of this film is Shirley MacLaine's performance as the barroom floozy.

Minnelli's visual style heightens the emotional turmoil felt by the characters. The lighting and decor, Bernstein's score, and the smooth camerawork all comment on the action; every facet is integrated, especially in the carnival-set climax, which is staged like one of Minnelli's balls-out musical finales. Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin are both tops, showing vulnerable sides that are usually hidden behind swagger in other roles, but it's Shirley MacLaine who really broke my heart here.

Star Rating: ★★★★★

watched: 2015, 2021

I wasn't hooked until 105 minutes into the film when the great scene between MacLaine and Hyer reeled me in. Both of them received an Oscar nomination (alongside Arthur Kennedy), and I found MacLaine's performance, as well as the writing of her character Ginnie Moorehead, highly memorable.

Em honra do centenário de James Jones. Mais uma vez com Minnelli não tem erro, nunca vou saber se gosto mais de seus musicais ou dos seus melodramas, o último Minnelli sempre é o melhor Minnelli. Plus: Não me aguento quando vejo o Uncle Leo do Seinfeld nesses lugares aleatórios. WEBRip no MakingOff.

"A lot of people got it into their heads that the only thing the American moviegoer wanted to do was to stare at Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton and they made movies accordingly." http://illusionpodcast.blogspot.com/2015/01/episode-42-vincente-minnelli-melodramas.html

430

Minnelli does a solid job with this this enjoyable but somewhat overlong melodrama that feels like something Douglas Sirk could have made. The performances are generally excellent, highlighted by MacLaine and Sinatra, who shows he's not just a singer. The ending, including the re-introduction of Ray after a long period away to the point where we've almost forgotten him, feels very abrupt and almost like a cop out to some degree. Good stuff.

#412