Lisa (1962)

“Lisa” is a movie I watched and wondered, I’d like to read the book; I bet it’s better and bolder. Not to trivialize this drama set in post-World War II 1947 about an Auschwitz survivor seeking entry into Palestine, that is, what we now call Israel. Dolores Hart is Lisa, and her passage is set by a Dutch inspector (Steven Boyd) who comes to love her, yes, but is more driven by his failed actions during the war to save his fiancée from the Nazis. This is all vital, especially Lisa’s grim suffering at the hands of Nazi doctors, but it’s also played way heavy-handed with dialogue smothered by Hollywood orchestra music that feels misplaced. And as great as Ms. Hart -– now a nun -– is, Boyd is played so square-jawed stiff, you just want to pop coins off the guy. A sea of horror lurks at every step, political, religious, sexual, but, every time it comes a boil, someone -– studio, director, test audience? –- slams the lid shut, cues up the music, and wants us to concentrate on pretty faces and scenery. There’s much missing. B

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947)

I have not read the short story nor have I seen the new film from Ben Stiller of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” But I did just check out the original cinematic take with Danny Kaye as the mother-heckled, day-dreaming hero whose flights of fancy get him in trouble, from running a car over a curb to getting caught up in a murder conspiracy plot that plays as a satirical stab at Hitchcock. That’s not a complaint, not with Kaye -– absolutely one of the most lovable and talented souls ever to grace the screen -- as the good guy and Boris Karloff as an evil doctor who tries to shove Kaye out a high-rise window. (Kaye is playing the anti-Cary Grant hero here, a scared wet-eyed puppy.) Story author James Thurber hated the film. Changes were made and blah blah blah. Sorry for him. Truly. Because it’s Danny Kaye, we have song and dance, and not to discount Thurber, I smiled huge. Sure, it’s corny, but it’s joyful, even if the finale feels random, missing. Watch it. Smile. B+