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June 10, 2005
Love With The Proper Stranger
Wlady Pleszczynski wonders why that film is missing from some recent Steve McQueen love.
I can see his point, but it also strikes me that if the film does, indeed present the classic "back-alley" abortion, wouldn't that balance out, for snippy programmers, any hint that abortion might be a bad choice?
Posted by Amy Welborn | Permalink
Comments
After reading the article, I was left feeling that some sort of velvet-gloved censorship was at work. It would be very interesting to learn why this movie was omitted from the canon of McQueen's work. After all, these things just don't happen on their own.
Posted by: Ed at Jun 10, 2005 10:59:54 AM
I doubt it was anything so sinister as "velvet-gloved censorship." The two DVD collections are from Warner and MGM. Love With the Proper Stranger was a Paramount flick from what I can tell.
Posted by: Bill Logan at Jun 10, 2005 11:28:47 AM
Bill,
Thanks. It's nice to know that not all of these things are fueled by the VAST LEFT-WING SECULAR CONSPIRACY.
Posted by: Ed at Jun 10, 2005 11:33:10 AM
Not quite a conspiracy. Don't assume that Hollywood is competent at preserving its own history. People will always dig McQueen because of his indelible macho qualities. Clearly a precursor to Clint Eastwood- please, no more tirades over Million Dollar Baby, even the great Martin Scorcese goofed up with The Last Temptation of Christ; everyone's entitled to a few stinkers. Tough for Hollywood to generate them now- either ultramacho cartoon characters or metrosexual. Let someone else go into a tirade about McQueen being around When Men Were Men. Trouble is, in an age where the sliding standards of feminism hold forth, it's probably true.
Posted by: Gerard E. at Jun 10, 2005 11:48:08 AM
Sand Pepples was a great film, IMHO, and probably McQueen's best performance. On the other hand, I disagree with Wlady's contention that the only time Paul Newman was cool was Cool Hand Luke. Didn't he ever see Hombre?
Jess: His marker said "In the fullness of his years." Does that meet with your approval?
Russell: Settle for that myself.
Jess: What do you suppose yours is going to say?
Russell: "Shot dead", probably.
Jess: Don't people like you, Mr. Russell?
Russell: Only takes one who doesn't.
Posted by: John Farrell at Jun 10, 2005 12:08:47 PM
There was a tribute film, very comprehensive, on McQueen on Turner Classic Movies recently that also left Love With A Proper Stranger unmentioned. As it was a popular movie, directed by Robt. Mulligan, with Edie Adams and Natalie Wood, representative of that bygone era (1963), well reviewed by the NY Times, and one of my favorites, I wondered about that also. I hadn't considered that the clear message of the film (promiscuity and abortion are for low-lifes) might be the reason.
Posted by: Mitch at Jun 10, 2005 1:53:36 PM
Amy,
The review at Am Spec has it a wee bit wrong. Natalie turns to Steve because women could still do that: as it was a baby - not a blob of tissue - as he was the "father" - there was nothing unexpected about her going to him to tell him. He didn't recall her so she feigned toughness and asked for the name of a "doctor".
She never wanted to do it. When they go to the meeting place (literally an alley or deserted street), the partner of the "doctor" demands more $. That is why they go to Steve's parents. She likes his parents, they like her. They are starting to weaken: getting together would mean keeping the baby, though, and Steve isn't ready for that. Back at the office, Natalie is offended by the money-grubbing insensitivity and emotional barrenness of the scene. She never even gets all the way undressed, as I recall, or on a table. She screams at the ugliness of the whole situation - that she likes Steve, that this has happened, that these rough, hard people are now in her life. He rushes in, lets them keep the silver and they start dating. Then they marry.
The movie is about chivalry with the corners off, family, constancy. Really. Can't let the kiddies see that.
Posted by: Nat Fan at Jun 10, 2005 2:19:20 PM
After checking the listing for this movie on IMDB, another reason occurs to me for this movie not showing up in the documentary, my guess is somewhat in line with Bill's comment above.
In a word, clearance.
If you are going to make commercial use of copyrighted works, outside of what can be considered fair use, you have to get clearance from whoever holds the relevant rights. The TCM documentary (which I enjoyed) was not a review, a parody or academic use, it was a derivative for-profit work which would definitely require clearance. But to get clearance, you have to find that rights holder first, which can be interesting.
Films made under the classic studio system (before the mid 50's) were generally owned outright by the studio, and any master prints were usually stored by the studio. In most cases these rights either remain with whatever corporation owns the studio, or with whoever may have bought it's library of old films. TCM was built around the MGM library, which was owned by Ted Turner. Clearance is simple.
Since the mid to late 70's or so, with the advent of cable and videocassetes, the ownership of such residual rights is very clearly worked out in contract in line with the requirements os such groups as the Director's Guild. Again, clearance is usually straighforward.
But starting in the 1950's, independent producers began to take over, with studios renting facilities and handling distribution. Often, the films were not owned by the studio, and the negatives could end up anywhere. Getting clearance on some of these movies can be very difficult indeed, as the original contracts may not have clearly spelt out who would own rights nobody understood or cared about at the time. You may have to renegotiate the rights with an array of producers, financial backers, major actors and such, or whoever is managing their estates. Sometimes it is not worth the trouble.
(One of the results of this is that some films have only been available as VHS coversions of faded pan-and-scan TV prints. Nobody knows where a better copy might be, or who to ask about it. One good example of this was Godspell, which was only rarely available on TV or videotape for years. A decent DVD become available, finally, in 2000.)
Love with the Proper Stranger was produced by Paluka and Mulligan, along with several other films. To Kill a Mockingbird is by far their most famous collaboration, and it is quite available. But other films, some well known, by both men from that period remain harder to find, such as Inside Daisy Clover or The Sterile Cuckoo. There may well be clearance issues for all of them.
You only have so much money and time in putting together someting like the TCM documentary, and if something is going to be too difficult or expensive to get cleared, and it isn't central, it will be dropped.
Posted by: Claude Muncey at Jun 10, 2005 6:44:56 PM
I graduated from high school in 1962. This picture came out when I was a freshman in college. The only other movie I can recall from that time that addressed abortion was called "Blue Denim" or something like that starring Carol Lynley. It probably came before LWPS, but involved a high school girl and not a real adult like Natalie played.
I serendipidously saw this film again on cable in the past year and was surprised that it made me cry. You have to see it; it's beautiful. It isn't just that the intended abortion is a back-alley situation; both mom & dad are starting to sense that there is a new life involved. It's not stated, but you know it's there. It's the dawning of the sense of responsibility for a life that has been created. He starts treating her gently and she makes herself go through family grilling. You start to see them forming a family in their heads and then for real.
The transformation of these two people is a wonder to watch. It's all in their facial expressions. And it's all the more impressive because of McQueen's cool quotient. And the parents aren't lovely Ozzie & Harriet types - they're obnoxious. They are finding their adult places in a world that is for real and not just "cool" and hip. The 2 protagonist go through a huge transformation.
I would rank this movie up there with Babette's Feast in showing grace descending on the most unlikely people.
Rent the movie. It's incredible.
The movie itself may not have made the TCM retrospective for the reasons noted. But there was nothing to prevent them from discussing it. I think the movie not PC and it was not an accident that it was not mentioned.
BTW I think it's Pakula and not Paluka. Joe Palooka was a cartoon boxer.
Posted by: Julia at Jun 10, 2005 9:18:57 PM
"Love With the Proper Stranger" pops up on Turner Classic Movies every so often. Look for it. You won't be disappointed.
Posted by: Whitcomb at Jun 11, 2005 12:04:23 AM
If it is shown on TCM, why wasn't in the TCM documentary?
Julia, I agree with your post. You do see change and growth, subtly achieved.
Posted by: Nat Fan at Jun 11, 2005 1:06:09 AM
I remember Blue Denim. It was an amazing little movie and couldn't be made today.
Posted by: dymphna at Jun 11, 2005 10:32:29 AM
Folks, this is censorship and I frankly don't see anything "velvet" about it. This movie was up for 5 academy awards including best actor (Steve McQueen) and best actress (Natalie Wood).
The ending is surely in line with the conservative point of view but what must trouble those folks is that in this very good black and white movie, you get to see just what was going on in the 50's and 60's. Women were truly desperate for abortions that were highly illegal and the Bronx depiction shown in _Love with the Proper Stranger_ is what many of my affluent, suburban friends went through.
This is a very important movie just because that part of it is profoundly accurate and should be available to all. The ending is definitely of its time but the stress and ugliness of what went on has to be understood as those on the right want to return ALL us to this terror.
Posted by: helen holmes at Jun 30, 2005 2:09:01 PM
Folks, this is censorship and I frankly don't see anything "velvet" about it. This movie was up for 5 academy awards including best actor (Steve McQueen) and best actress (Natalie Wood).
The ending is surely in line with the conservative point of view but what must trouble those folks is that in this very good black and white movie, you get to see just what was going on in the 50's and 60's. Women were truly desperate for abortions that were highly illegal and the Bronx depiction shown in _Love with the Proper Stranger_ is what many of my affluent, suburban friends went through.
This is a very important movie just because that part of it is profoundly accurate and should be available to all. The ending is definitely of its time but the stress and ugliness of what went on has to be understood as those on the right want to return ALL us to this terror.
Posted by: helen holmes at Jun 30, 2005 2:13:48 PM
