Gentleman's Agreement: 1947

When I read the back of the DVD case for Gentleman's Agreement, I knew I would find the film interesting, but I didn't realize just how much the film would speak to my own feelings about tolerance and speaking up for others. Gregory Peck stars as Skylar Green, a writer who is known for going undercover and experiencing the truth. His new assignment is to write a series on anti-Semitism, a serious issue in the United States at the time this film was released. After throwing around various angles and finding nothing that works, Green realizes that the only way he can write this series is to pose as Jewish man and experience anti-Semitism. Throughout the course of eight weeks, Green quickly realizes just how much anti-Semitism has infiltrated society.

Perhaps the most important discovery Green makes is that it's the people who do not stand up for what is wrong who make anti-Semitism and hatred in general stronger. Early in the film, Green falls in love with Kathy Lacy, a woman who proclaims to support Jewish people and wants to fight against anti-Semitism. Yet as their relationship progresses and they become engaged, Green begins to realize that Kathy may want things to change but doesn't actually do anything to incite change. When Green learns about Kathy's home in Connecticut, he suggests that she allow his friend Dave Goldman to rent it so that his family may move to New York when Dave has an amazing job offer. Kathy reveals that there is a "gentleman's agreement" (see the definition here) that prevents the people in this community from selling or leasing their homes to Jewish people. This underhanded and secretive means of keeping the community homogeneous infuriates Green, as it should. Kathy acts completely helpless, and at this point, I began to despise her as well. Kathy becomes the ultimate hypocrite. Sure, she hates hatred, but she's not really doing anything to stand up against it.

Kathy's hypocrisy becomes even more apparent in a scene towards the end when she meets with Dave. During their meeting, Kathy relates hearing a crude joke at a dinner party that makes her sick, and Dave asks her what she did about it. Kathy looks shocked. Of course, she didn't say anything, and that's what Dave points out to her is the real problem with hate. When people don't stand up, don't say anything, that's the real issue. It makes me think about how in the past in my classroom, when students have used the phrase "that's so gay" to describe something they didn't like, I began saying that I didn't appreciate them using that word in my presence. The word soon disappeared from their vocabulary at least in my classroom, and I like to think that I caused them to reconsider using that phrase. At the very least, I stood up for what I felt was right.

Dave and Kathy, filmfoodie.blogspot.com

The scene that upset me the most was when Green's son Tommy comes home and tells him about the boys on the playground calling him names for being Jewish. Tommy has experienced hatred for the first time in his life, and Green must try to comfort his son while explaining hatred. It's a heart-wrenching scene, especially after seeing their father-son relationship grow up to this point. Tommy seems so happy-go-lucky, but as Green's friend Dave points out, it's when they get the kids that it hurts the most.

  

Tommy and Skylar Green, source: www.french-movies.net

In a time when hatred is still an issue in our society, Gentleman's Agreement is a must-see film for everyone. After seeing it, I now believe even more in the power of one person standing up and saying "that's enough." If we each did, then the impact would be multiple, and perhaps we would have less hate in our world: a goal worth reaching.

The Best Years of Our Lives: 1946

Although I've seen and heard several stories of returning Vietnam War veterans, I didn't know much about World War II veterans other than what is taught in high school history (the baby boom, the development of suburbs, women returning to the homes, etc.). The Best Years of Our Lives shows that the returning veterans faced many of the same issues as the returning Vietnam veterans. The film follows three veterans as they adjust to civilian life, and each man has a similar yet different experience.

Homer, the youngest of the the three veterans, lost both his hands during a battle. As a sailor, he explains that he didn't see much combat, but his battleship sunk and his hands were burned beyond repair. Homer has actual hooks in place of his hands, and while he's quite capable with them, other people cannot help but stare at him, as if he is a freak. Returning home, he must deal with his family's pity and figure out how to be with his girl.

Al is the oldest of the veterans, and when he returns, he has to reacquaint himself with his children, who are two years older. To cope with the shift back to civilian life, Al begins drinking, and his wife Millie struggles with helping him adjust. To complicate matters, his daughter has fallen in love with Fred Derry, the third veteran.

Fred's story is not atypical of the time; before he left for the war, he met a girl and married her after only knowing her 20 days. When Fred returns, Marie is not living where he thought she would be. He also learns that she has taken a job at a night club. Marie is clearly interested in having fun, and Fred wants to settle down in a home and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes apparent that these two people are not in love. Even worse, they don't even like each other.

Weaving their stories together, the film follows each man as he tries to find his place. Fred struggles with finding decent work, ending up in a low paying job at the drug store where he worked before the war. Al receives a promotion but doesn't like how his bank runs its business. Homer wants everyone to treat him like he's normal, but he has his own hang ups to get over. The film does an excellent job simply telling each man's story. At no point did I feel like I was being pushed to feel sorry for any of them. Instead, I wanted to know how each man would finally learn to cope and possibly even feel "normal" again.

Ultimately, the film has a happy ending while still being realistic. My only complaint about the film is the length (2 hours 40 minutes), but having finally finished it, I'm not sure there is much that could be cut without the film seeming incomplete.

The Lost Weekend: 1945

The Lost Weekend teaches a lesson without being preachy or condescending. In the film, the protagonist, Don Birnam, is an alcoholic. And it isn't pretty. Don is a desperate man, stealing from his brother just to get more booze. He drinks to run away from his life. Don sees himself as a complete failure; he's a writer who published a short story in college and decided to drop out and pursue writing full time in New York City. Instead, he's turned into a drunk who lives off his brother's good will. When his brother has had enough and tries to force Don to sober up, the results are disastrous. Don can't think about anything other than his precious rye whiskey, and when his brother leaves for a long weekend in the country, Don steals the money for the cleaning lady and goes on a drinking binge (I learned that at this time, $10 could buy a lot of cheap whiskey).

As Don spirals out of control and wreaks havoc on his body, the woman he loves waits desperately for him outside his apartment door. It's the few scenes when we see her that we begin to understand how alcoholism affects more than just the alcoholic. She doesn't want to love him, but she does. And it is her pain and misery that make Don's seeming lack of care for anything but booze all the more horrific. Clearly, this woman would do anything for him, but that doesn't matter to Don.

What impressed me in this film was just how real it all seemed. Throughout the weekend, Don progressively looks worse. The make-up and costumes reflect a man who hasn't bathed and hasn't consumed anything but liquor. His skins grows pale and damp with sweat covering his face. Ray Milland, who played Don, captures the shaking hands and unsteady gait common for alcoholics, and his outlook sways from supremely optimistic when he begins drinking to the absolutes depths of hell when the bottle is empty.

I wouldn't say this is a film I would see again. But it's definitely a film that is starkly real and presents an ugly side to our society. For that reason, it's film that deserves to watched at least once, to gain that understanding of what alcoholism does to people.

Going My Way: 1944

Bing Crosby stars in Going My Way as a priest who is sent to St. Dominic's Cathedral to save the church from sinking under its financial burdens. With Crosby starring, the film naturally includes multiple musical numbers in which Crosby croons to the audience and woos the ladies, even as a priest. The film is best described as heartwarming (t's the first Best Picture of this blog to make me cry a little at the end, but I won't tell you why).

Crosby's Father O'Malley is a young priest who is described by the elderly Father Fitzgibbon (played by Barry Fitzgerald, who won an Oscar for supporting actor for this role) as "progressive". The contrast is stark between the priests: Father Fitzgibbon isn't curmudgeonly but he's close. He's very old school and very Irish. At times, his Irish brogue makes him difficult to understand. As the story progresses, however, Father Fitzgibbon seems to become younger under the influence of Father O'Malley, and the two men become friends.

It's not surprising that this film won Best Picture in 1944. With World War II raging, audiences needed a story unrelated to the war that would make them feel good about people, and this film does exactly that. It's easy to escape into New York City and the woes of St. Dominic's. There is a brief reference to the war when one character says goodbye to his wife before he reports for duty, but other than that, it's almost as if the war doesn't exist. Instead, the worst conflict is between Mrs. Quimp and all her neighbors and landlord. Mrs. Quimp is the self-righteous Catholic who even seems to try Father Fitzgibbon's patience, and her ridiculous claims lends humor to the film, as do the boys who Father O'Malley forms into a successful choir.

Simply put, this film will make you happy. And sometimes, that's what we need. It's nice to see that the Academy recognizes films like this.