The Battle of the Normans - We have a winner

After many weeks and four movies, we have a winner from the duel between Norman Jewison and Norman Taurog. Here are my reactions to the four movies and why the winner is Jewison:

Fiddler on the Roof

This movie was astoundingly well done in my perspective. It had all of the perfect elements of a musical and translated a theater production onto the screen beautifully. The addition of camera work and scene transitions enriched the story and movement of the characters. One of my favorite elements of camera work in the film is when Tevye begins a spoken internal monologue while talking with each of his daughters about their potential husbands. At this point, the camera suddenly shows that he is distant from his daughters physically as he talks to God about whether to allow them to marry. As I am rating movies based on how they make me feel, this movie carries a great deal of weight.

Boys Town

I can definitely see why this film was so impacting and important in its time. Coming from 1938, when the prevailing thinking was that someone was born bad and stayed bad throughout their lives (an idea which still pervades our current systemic and internal functioning), this film was progressive and possibly even subversive. The idea was shocking that someone could take a large group of orphan boys and foster in them a sense of community and responsibility. But Father Flanagan sticks to his belief that "no boy is bad" and viewers of the day were probably astounded that this story was based on reality. Beyond these powerful messages, the film was slightly stiff and formulaic, though there were moments from Mickey Rooney that were incredibly endearing, and the small, lovable orphan aptly named Pee Wee was irresistibly cute.

In the Heat of the Night

Oh my goodness. I can't believe I hadn't seen this amazing movie before beginning this tournament. Sydney Poitier helps this movie to burn with his apparent passion and commitment as an actor. The tension is palpable throughout the film, emanating from the screen and affecting the viewer. This is one of those films that so fluidly helps me to see another situation, another perspective and circumstance. This film is a sort of time machine that can help me better understand where we have been as a country and why. The acting, costuming, setting, and camera-work all came together to communicate with an audience. This movie is expressive and true and I loved it.

Pardners

Jerry Lewis is a master of physical comedy and the camaraderie and comedic partnership is apparent between him and Dean Martin. They bring the audience in to view their inside jokes and their own love for each other as great friends. I can't tell if this relationship between the stars puts up a slight barrier because we know that we can't be a part of it or whether I don't connect to the comedy as closely because it's from a different time period. Whatever it is, I found myself simply observing rather than enjoying a lot of the jokes. It is obvious that the two stars and the audience have come to expect a formula and they stick to it. But the movie is nevertheless fun.

So, our first winner is Norman Jewison! Congrats, Norman, you move on to face William Wylar. dun dun dun.