The Yellow Rolls-Royce ( 1964 )

Rex Harrison, Shirley MacLaine, and Ingrid Bergman head up the all-star cast of The Yellow Rolls-Royce, a colorful anthology film of three stories linked together by a sparkling 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II. 

The opening segment shows the first owner of the beautiful Rolls, the Marquess of Frinton ( Rex Harrison ) purchasing the car as an anniversary present for his wife ( Jeanne Moreau ) who, unbeknownst to Lord Frinton, is engaging in an affair with his attaché John Fane ( Edmund Purdom ). When he spies them together in the Rolls...back it goes to the dealer!

Years later, the Rolls turns up in a showroom in Italy where it catches the fancy of Mae Jenkins ( Shirley MacLaine ), the "fidanzata" of big-time mobster Paolo Maltese ( George C. Scott ). He is giving his lady-love the grand tour of Italy but, when he is called back to America to "settle a score with O'Leary", she ends up having a grand time herself with the amoral photographer Stefano ( Alain Delon ). 

Lastly, the Rolls becomes a transport bus for mercenary soldiers in Yugoslavia when the snooty but socially prominent Mrs. Millett ( Ingrid Bergman ) decides to aid a rebel ( Omar Shariff ) in his fight against the Nazis. 

The Yellow Rolls-Royce was one of only a few anthology films to be released in the 1960s. This was a style of storytelling more frequently seen in British and American films of the 1940s and 1950s ( e.g. Encore, Tales of Manhattan ). These kinds of films are entertaining when all three segments are equally engaging but when one segment is boring it tends to pull the entire film down. In The Yellow Rolls-Royce, the last segment featuring Mrs. Millet is the weakest, even though it is the only segment that hints that the Rolls could be of more use than just a cozy love nest. 

Terrance Rattigan's script tries to include a little adventure and romance in each segment but it ends up leaning heavily on the side of romantic drama. This is just as well as all the leading actors were well-equipped to handle romantic drama. Rex Harrison gives an especially good performance as the jilted husband in the first story. 

The film features beautiful costumes and cinematography by Jack Hildyard ( The Bridge on the River Kwai ) with location filming in England, Italy, and Austria...which was standing in for Yugoslavia. But the most entertaining aspect of watching The Yellow Rolls-Royce is spotting all of the supporting players which included Art Carney, Joyce Grenfell ( affecting a Southern accent ), Wally Cox, Roland Culver, Isa Miranda, Moira Lister, and Michael Hordern. 

Riz Ortolani's musical score is also delightful and includes the catchy "Forget Domani" theme which was performed onscreen by his wife actress Katyna Ranieri and later made popular by Frank Sinatra. Ortolani had a huge success with his song "More" from the pseudo-documentary Mondo Cane released two years earlier. 

The Yellow Rolls-Royce received mixed reviews from critics but was a great hit at the box-office, becoming one of the top ten films of the year. MGM later released a 10-minute promotional short titled "The Car that Became a Star" which gave audiences a glimpse of the grand vehicle on the set of the film. 

The film is currently available on DVD and by streaming through Amazon Prime.

The Hideaways aka From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler ( 1973 )

Claudia Kincaid wants to run away from home. She is a romantic dreamer at heart and feels like her parents do not appreciate her. So, when she finds a train ticket with an unpunched ride, she decides to take off on an adventure of a lifetime. Together with her younger brother Jamie ( who is financing their expedition ), she plots their escape and, while riding in the bus to school one day, they take off for New York City. "You don't run away from a place, you run away to a place," Claudia says. And New York City is the place she wants to go to because that is where the Metropolitan Museum of Art is located. 

Claudia wants to live in the museum and immerse herself in history. One night, while at the museum, she sees a statue of an angel in a backroom and falls in love with it. It is part of a new art exhibition and may possibly have been sculpted by Michaelangelo. The famous Italian sculptor's mark is on the base of the statue but art experts have been baffled for years as to whether it is a genuine mark or not. 

Claudia was wondering just why she had run away and now it occurs to her that she wants to prove that she is capable of doing something grand and noble... just like the knights in the legends of King Arthur that she reads about. Solving the mystery of whether or not Michaelangelo carved the angel statue would be such a gesture. It would make her feel important. The only person who can help Claudia and Jamie solve the mystery is Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler ( Ingrid Bergman ), a recluse who once owned the statue.

"You know Jamie, this is really a great adventure, something we'll remember as long as we live. Not even a king has lived in a fabulous place like this."

The Hideaways is based on the popular children's book "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" written by E.L. Konigsburg. It was required reading for many elementary students during the 1980s and 1990s. This film adaptation escaped me as a youngster and the only filmed version of the story that I was aware of at the time was the 1995 television adaptation starring Lauren Bacall. 

The Hideaways is by far a superior adaptation of the story and a much better film overall. Sally Prager and Johnny Doran are excellent in the lead roles and Sally especially gives a touching performance as the imaginative and spunky Claudia. For such a little thing, she really does have a lot of wisdom. 

The dialogue throughout the film is so loose and natural which makes everything that the children say seem believable. It was Blanche Hanalis who penned the script. This marvelous screenwriter had a knack for writing dialogue for children. She wrote the script to The Trouble with Angels ( 1966 ) and also many episodes of Family Affair and Little House on the Prairie. 

The Hideaways could be classified as a coming-of-age film because Claudia and Jamie learn, grow, and mature through their experience of running away from home. Their sibling bond strengthens throughout their adventure and Claudia comes to see just how much she loves her family and how much they love her. 

Ingrid Bergman gives an excellent and sensitive portrayal of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. She is immediately captivated by Claudia and her interest in the angel statue and is eager to help this kindred spirit to solve the mystery. You get the idea that perhaps seeing Claudia and Jamie makes Mrs. Frankweiler regret that she did not have any children herself. 

George Rose, a fine English actor, has a marvelous part as Mrs. Frankweiler's patient butler Saxonburg. Richard Mulligan and Georgann Johnson have small parts as the children's parents and Madeleine Khan also has a brief appearance as a schoolteacher at the museum.

The Hideaways also features fine cinematography by Victor J. Kemper ( The Last Tycoon ), beautiful music by Donald Devor, and an excellent setting - The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was filmed on location within the museum and it is wonderful to get an inside view of such a famous New York institution. The children wander through all the major rooms and, as an audience, we get to see beautiful paintings by Degas, Leutze, Rosseau, and Monet. 

Book Review: Hitchcock's Heroines by Caroline Young

While a number of great books have been written about the Master of Suspense and the making of his films, few have focused on the leading ladies of Hitchcock's films. In Hitchcock's Heroines, which made its printed debut this week, author Caroline Young shines the spotlight on the stunning blondes ( and other actresses of various hair colors ) of 23 films dating back to Alfred Hitchcock's breakthrough motion picture, The Lodger ( 1927 ).

This beautiful 193-page book, published by Insight Editions, is filled with rare publicity photos, behind-the-scenes candids, and costume sketches, which makes it a delectable coffee-table book to peruse as well as being a great read. 

Madeleine Carroll, Teresa Wright, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Fontaine, Grace Kelly, Doris Day, Eva Marie Saint, and Tippi Hedren are just a few of the actresses that Young profiles. The author's easy-going writing style makes it an entertaining and highly-addictive book. For each film, Young delves into how the leading lady was cast, the production of the film itself, and the actress' experience on the set ( as well as her opinion of Mr. Hitchcock ). 

"Tallulah liked to drink, was witty, and had the mouth of a sailor—just the kind of woman Hitchcock enjoyed spending time with..."

There is also an emphasis throughout the text on the costumes the gals wore in each film, which will be a delight to classic film fashionistas. Hitchcock was particular about details and so many of these costumes helped to accentuate the nature of the characters themselves and provide compositional balance through color and silhouette. Since Young had blogged about Hollywood fashion ( Classic Hollywood Style ) for several years, and also authored a book focusing on fashion in "films of the golden age" entitled Classic Hollywood Style, it seems natural that she would highlight the costumes designers and their work in Hitchcock's films. 

"[Her] clothes had to match the budget of a woman in her first year as a member of staff, yet she was also to have pride in her appearance and look groomed." - describing Ingrid Bergman's appearance in Spellbound

Numerous quotes from vintage magazine articles and recent interviews with the stars liven up the text and the splendid layout by Katherine Winterson provides ample room for side columns featuring plot summaries and bios of each film and actress profiled. 

In short, if you like Hitch and his leading ladies, you'll love this book!

Hitchcock's Heroines retails for $29.99 and is available to purchase through Amazon,  Barnes & Noble, or directly from the publisher.