"The Scarlet and the Black"

"The Scarlet and the Black" starring Christopher Plummer as  Col. Herbert Kappler, the Nazi in charge of Romee, and Gregory Peck, as Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, is an your seat true life story. John Gielgud is also brilliant as the Pope, who literally walked a political tightrope, just as O'Flaherty did on the white line painted around the entrance to the Vatican. He even ventured outside in Rome, at first in his Vatican clothes, and later in various disguises. He should be made a Saint for what he did in saving over 6,500 lives at the peril of losing his own.

How he won the battle of wits with Colonel Kappler, who tried to kill him, even personally wielding a sniper's rifle at one point, is nothing short of a miracle. Even the Colonel, as depraved as he was, could not bring himself to squeeze the trigger, while the Monseigneur smiled up at him in the crosshairs of the rifle's scope.

In total, of Rome's 9,700 Jews, most were saved, with only 1,007 shipped to Auschwitz. The rest were hidden, 5,000 of them by the official Church - 3,000 at the Pope’s Castel Gandolfo, 200 or 400 as "members" of the Palatine Guard, and some 1,500 in monasteries, convents and colleges.

The remaining 3,700 were hidden in private homes, including Msgr. O'Flaherty's network of apartments. After the war, O’Flaherty was honored by various Allied countries with awards and decorations for his heroic acts to save Jews and POWs alike. Inexplicably he has never been made a Saint.

Monseigneur O'Laherty's total includes the POW's, many of whom were RAF pilots, which is why his total is so high. It should also be remembered that as an Irishman he basically deplored the English and the Black and Tans of his youth for the 1916 Bloody Sunday and subsequent Irish War for Independence, which led to Ireland's being divided into two halves in 1921. Also, it should be bpnoted that Ireland was neutral against Germany in both World Wars.

"The Scarlet and the Black" has an even more amazing ending in real life. It is written on the screen at the close of the film. Sentenced to life in prison, the Colonel had no visitors save one. That was Msgr. O'Flaherty, who visited him each month until the colonel died. Additionally, the Colonel even converted to Catholicism at the hand of Msgr. O'Flaherty before he died. The Monsignor lived well past the Colonel, not passing away until Octobern of 1963, having converted the agnostic man who had, on many occassions, tried to have him killed.

This film will have you rooted tomykur seat as you watch 3 of the greatest stars play their craft telling the story that seems almost unreal.

Note: Scarlet and Black were the colors of both the Vatican and the Gestapo. Two forces, diametrically opposed yet both claiming the same colors, makes an interesting observation.

https://youtu.be/D0YbW0ZzaNQ
 

"Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight" with Frank Langella (2013)

In 1964 Muhammad Ali declared his status as a conscientious objector based on his beliefs as a Black Muslim. The War in Vietnam was heating up at the same time that the Civil Rights struggle was coming to a head. This film covers the years between Ali’s initial declaration that he would not fight and the culmination of the Supreme Court Case arising from the Draft Evasion charges, for which he was fined $10,000 and sentenced to 5 years in prison.

During the time of his appeals he worked doggedly to keep himself alive in the eyes of the public, knowing that someday he would be coming back to the world of boxing. He had that kind of faith. From appearances on TV shows, Civil Rights events and even a Broadway Show, he remained visible, and proudly determined to win this, the toughest fight of his life; the United States of America versus Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali.

The brilliance of this film is that no one plays the part of Muhammad Ali. Instead, during the course of the movie, as the Supreme Court Justices debate what to do about the case, the audience sees and hears actual film footage of Mr. Ali on those TV shows, Civil Rights protests and even a clip from the Broadway show. This manages to actually convey the reality of how divorced he was from the actual proceedings. He simply went on with his life while he waited the outcome, of which he never had any doubt. Those are his words, not mine.

Playing the part of the Supreme Court Justices are a cast of luminary actors; not the least of which are Frank Langella as  Warren Burger; Ed Begley Jr. as Harry Blackmun; and Peter Gerety as William Brennan. Christopher Plummer plays Justice John Harlan, who is pitted against Burger in the struggle to keep the court free of political influence.

Barry Levinson plays Potter Stewart; John Bedford Lloyd portrays Byron 'Whizzer' White; Fritz Weaver takes a turn as Hugo Black; while Harris Yulin  and Danny Glover play Justices William Douglas and Thurgood Marshall, respectively. All are excellent in their roles. (Glover is especially humorous in his treatment of the wily Marshall, who recused himself from the case because he had been involved in a lower court ruling on the same case.)

The Chief Justice is beholden to the President, who wants the conviction to stand. The justices are almost divided, but Ali loses the case by a 5-3 vote. But then the astonishing happens; a law clerk assigned to Harlan is actually able to change the minds of not only the Chief, but several others along the way. When the Court debates the case again, Ali’s conviction is overturned.

Remarkable for its acting and the events themselves, this is a film you do not want to miss. It has everything you could hope for in the treatment of this case. It is historically accurate and captures all the tension of the era, while giving full view to what life is like behind the closed doors of the Supreme Court. 

"Barrymore" with Christopher Plummer (2012)

Christopher Plummer, in one of the finest roles of his storied career, portrays the classic actor John Barrymore; brother to Lionel and Ethel; and the slave of alcohol. The movie is very simply set, with most of the monologue; which the movie is, with the exception of the unseen “prompter” who feeds him his lines when he strays off course; taking place in a vacant theater which the aging actor has rented in order to stage a comeback that would never take place.

In a brilliant screenplay, Mr. Plummer is allowed to float seamlessly between the stage where the rehearsal takes place; and the dressing room; to flights of fancy borne of the aging masters past experiences. Sometimes you are not certain who he is, or where he is supposed to be performing; but so did he. He was a man lost to himself, and Mr. Plummer does such an excellent job of portraying him that I often found myself thinking that I was watching the real John Barrymore in all his eccentric glory. He has that ability to evoke the madness which raged within Mr. Barrymore, making him the one of the most talented actors of our time.

Capturing all of the demons which haunted Mr. Barrymore; the excesses and regrets; the writer has given all the room the actor needs in which to rant and rave his way through this remarkable film. If you are a fan of Mr. Plummer’s work, and a fan of Mr. Barrymore as well, then this will be a double delight for you. And if you are unfamiliar with the contradictions which were the man, then this film will have you wishing to know even more.