Reviews

The Six Million Dollar man was born in South Carolina and lived his early years in Six Mile, South Carolina. Beyond that we know almost nothing else about him other than little tidbits mentioned far and wide between various programs. Which is an actual geographic place in South Carolina that was once listed on Maps near Hollywood, South Carolina some 30 miles by road (16 by air) South of Charleston. There is not much there other than some homes and remains of Plantations, swamps that General David Hunter and General Sherman burnt to the ground during the War of Aggression.

After the series was taken off the air; this community was also taken off the state maps (although it still exists as do many such places as Bentleyville that were on the maps in 1950 but no longer there) clearing up some confusion among fans: the Town of Six Mile in Western South Carolina was left on thus reducing the confusion of where Six Mile was located by those who did not know the State of South Carolina. South Carolina has a number of Ghost Towns resulting from catastrophic events, lost of connecting transportation and lost of employment of residents.

Back then this program was taken mostly as rather far fetched science fiction but many of the things that the writers wrote about then are fact today. For instance: Paraplegics are able to walk with some of the newer electrical bionic stimulation devices and people who have lost limbs in Iraq are basically living about as normal lives as those who never lost any limbs.

Now it may seem a bit hokey that the Six Million Dollar Man seems to be stalked by the number 6 (Can't you just hear the superstitious fundamental Christian religionists now saying that the Six Million Dollar man was the sign of the beast:666??) but I assure you that this was all contrived by the writers after getting to know my friend and High School classmate Actor Wallace Merck; who was getting his breaks about this time appearing on television and in movies. Wallace is by the way from Six Mile, South Carolina a small rural town that is dominated by a monodock (Six Mile Mountain) located between Clemson, South Carolina (Clemson University) and Pickens, South Carolina the County Seat. Also note that movies are shot in Hollywood, California but the writers chose a place close to Hollywood for the main character to live near and that word Hollywood contains 9 letters which when 9 is inverted becomes 6.

In the end; we may say that several undercurrents run through the program ---those who are haunted by certain numbers ---for instance J.S. Bach was haunted by the number 7 and the possible meaning thereof.

There is none of the sentimental and heroic garbage in this movie that one sees portrayed in the lives of other great men.

This movie, while recognizing Beethoven's Genius, takes him off his Mount Olympus Pedestal and makes him a real life breathing, seeing and hearing though going deaf man who runs a business, works every day, bathes, shaves and does all the things that ordinary men do. Munroe is very convincing in his portrayal as well as his appearance. I do not know what he looks like in real life but if he looks anything like Beethoven in real life I would think that I had met Beethoven's Ghost. While the viewing audience for this film is aimed for children--it is also a good film for adults to see.

The first thing that I noted about this Cinematic piece is that it has characteristics of all the great cinematography of the past. It deserves every award it can get. Unlike the original movie IN COLD BLOOD upon which this is based it is in Color. I think that Truman would be proud of this film if he were still living to see it. I have many fond memories of Truman when he was living among us although the claim that he never wrote again is inaccurate. Truman did write after IN COLD BLOOD but it was a steady stream downward from the heights that he had reached involving heavy drinking and severe mental depression. I never knew if Truman ever got psychiatric treatment for his depression but in retrospect it seems that he should have as well as for his grief over Perry Smith. The last straw was ANSWERED PRAYERS which he had begun to publish in four issues of Esquire Magazine. ANSWERED PRAYERS was an expose of all the high society people who had allowed TRUMAN into their most private lives and considered him a close trusted friend with whom they could be themselves with---including Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Chris Isherwood, The Paleys, Tennessee Williams just to name a few and these folks never forgave him and never took his phone calls etc after he had hurt them. ANSWERED PRAYERS was something that was a very bad judgment on Tru's part---probably as the result of his alcoholism. Alcoholics are often dysfunctional people and hurt others for their own selfish gains. While Truman did have an excellent memory; he often took a hidden tape recorder (this is has come into dispute of late but many of us know that he did) with him and taped his conversations not only for accuracy but legal reasons although many legal scholars might say that he taped his interviewees and friends illegally by trampling on their privacy rights without their knowledge. In ANWSERED PRAYERS, Truman betrayed just about every person that he knew by exposing them--ANSWERED PRAYERS never got off the ground fully especially when those in it learned of how he depicted them. Needless to say the Paley's and others were very hurt by this and quickly shut him out of their lives. Truman became an unwelcome a pariah in their eyes to be avoided like the plague at all costs and only the most loyal of his friends stuck with him despite how badly he had severely hurt them--among them NBC Tonight Host: Johnny Carson and his ex-wife Joanne--- the latter in whose whom he had come to live as a sort of permanent house guest. Mrs. Carson is to be admired for her courage and support for taking on Truman and giving him the support that he needed in his last years although it must have been very embarrassing to walk in and find Truman dead.

The set critics who seem to go to movies to find fault with the set people have found a number of things that are wrong with this film but that does not detract from it's superbness but I assume that this was because it was hurriedly shot without checking historical references. I myself noticed a major flaw in the execution scene in which the prisoner's handcuffed hands are in the wrong place. In arresting anyone or executing anyone the proper Police procedure is to have the subject's hands handcuffed behind their back to prevent any assault on the officers present by the prisoner or prevent making an escape easier. Despite this--the way this scene is shot gives the viewer the feeling of being the one being executed. Truman often said that he fell in love with Perry Smith which he did and it cost him dearly as it would in ANSWERED PRAYERS.

Hoffman has Truman's character down so accurately that those of us who knew Tru or were at least acquainted with him would in an earlier situation would have thought that it was really Truman. The disappointment of this film is that one is led to believe that this will be a biography of Tru's life so one expects to see scenes of his early life (which Hoffman as Tru tells) and life after IN COLD BLOOD. Instead we are treated to a history of IN COLD BLOOD--which has also been made into a movie that is recommended be seen before seeing this movie as well as reading the book.

The drama in this film is so intense at times that one barely notices any of the music once absorbed with TRU. Dr. Lee (author of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and played by played by Katherine Keener) plays a significant role CAPOTE but it is not clear to the viewer if she is there as Tru's secretary or she is there to write a similar story. (Dr. Harper's MOCKINGBIRD is also about similar case in which a Minister murders for insurance money and is then murdered himself at the funeral of one of his victims.). Much of the early part of the film takes place in Dr. Nell Harper Lee's (who is a lawyer in her own right and has multiple Doctorates including one from the University of Alabama) modest cold water flat, after she had moved to New York (she had formerly worked for an airlines). We are shown the two worlds of Tru---the glamorous parties in which the illustrati of New York are in attendance along with the luxurious world and the drab

While the heterosexual actors in Brokeback Mountain play gay characters---their portrayal of gay people is not entirely convincing. For that reason two gay men who can project a heterosexual persona should have done the part of Jack Twist and Innis particularly in the sex scenes which instead of being done like two people in love come across more like a prison rape scene than consensual sex. The heterosexual sex scenes come across more like the characters are enjoying heterosexual sex a little too much--at least more than gay characters would enjoy being queer queer. It is only later that these actors achieve some similance of what their gay characters would have been like by being tender and gentle with each other. Most times; one does not know for sure if the characters are beating each other up or not with all the rough treatment these actors give each other.

I had heard before seeing this movie that it was filled with one sex scene after another,nudity, expletives in just about every sentence ad nauseum. I am glad to report that this is not true. The nudity is very tastefully done with no frontal scenes.

The story line has a great deal of reality to it. IT is however a very sad and tragic story because it deals with heterosexuality and traditions violating the rights of gay people and forcing them to deny their gayness. If you are expecting the see the stereotype of gay men here you will have to look elsewhere. These guys play the stereotype super macho heterosexual guy to the hilt and are proud to be gay men not an imitation of a fake woman. If there is a real life day to day lesson in this movie it is that gay people should be allowed to marry and raise their own families as same sex couples just as heterosexual couples do. One has to be a very hard hearted person not to have some tears in their eyes when coming out of this movie. Innis's denial of his homosexuality is so profound that when he finally recognizes that he is gay; it is too late ---he learns that Jack is dead and they can not be a couple as Jack had wished all these years. Innis holds own to Jack's clothing and a picture of Brokeback Mountain in his closet which is all he has left of a relationship that could have been.

Highly recommended; the landscape is simply gorgeous and the screen writers keep things real except for the sex scenes but then the author says that she had to imagine what sex would be like between men and she might have not known that same sex experience is almost the same as heterosexual sex. There are some continuity problems and while I have not seen the parts that fell on the editing floor--I suspect that just too much was cut from the film which is why parts of it come across on the brutal side as the scenes leading up to various scenes have been cut out.

This is a do not miss movie.

I first saw this as a child but could almost swear that Grace Kelley played the role of Doris Day.

This film in my opinion is not seen enough and what is seen has been butchered by the television people for the purpose of commercials just as the Disney film---The Great Locomotive Chase has been, unfortunately.

In the full original version; this film could compare with North by Northwest but it does not yet have that recognition.

THE MAN--- is a remake by the master of his earlier film starring Peter Lorrre.

Stewart is of course at his best as is Doris. Royal Albert Hall is a nice touch. Would anyone know if the music from this film has been recorded on CD and who wrote it. If so I would like to hear from you.

While you are at it; I am searching for both a recording, video and orchestra score of "Seconds" that starred Rock Hudson with music by Jerry Goldsmith--if you know the whereabouts of any of these let me know also.If so I would like to hear from you.