Polonsky's Prophesy - FORCE OF EVIL

One impactful film that is prophetic of the Trump age of unbridled capitalism is FORCE OF EVIL, a 1948 crime thriller film-noir starring John Garfield and directed and written by Abraham Polonsky based on Ira Wolfert’s novel, “Tucker’s People.” Wolfert co-wrote the screenplay with Polonsky.  I watched this film this weekend, and it confirmed my appreciation for John Garfield, a consummate actor whose intensity is not only convincing but also mystifying.   

The story unfolds with Joe Morse (John Garfield), a firecracker and an unethical lawyer, who represents crime boss Ben Tucker (Roy Roberts) for planning a numbers scheme on July 4th to wipe out small racketeering gaming outlets called banks. Morse’s older brother, Leo (Thomas Gomez), overweight, sweaty with a weak heart, owns and runs a small bank, who Tucker wants to merge into a big operation that plays an illegal lottery called Policy.  Joe wants to enlist Leo in the merger.  Leo emphatically says no to the offer and wants to run a small family-like business without gangsters.  He urges Joe to let his young secretary, Doris Lowry (Beatrice Pearson), leave the bank unscathed, but a police raid ensues, and she’s tainted.  Joe and Doris, lonely in the City, fall in love plunging in and out of the gloomy darkness of criminal greed and turmoil. 

Polonsky provided a poetic stream of consciousness dialogue, conflict, and an intense epic of the dilemma, money vs. ethics between two brothers of a different character.  The opening shot of Trinity Church and framing Wall Street provide symbolism encompassed in capitalism, and the ending shot at the George Washington bridge gives unequivocal hope of Joe’s redemption.

The back story regarding the creation of the film by John Garfield’s production company, Enterprise, which he modeled after the collectivism of The Group Theatre, is remarkable.  Garfield, a leftist, not affiliated as a member of the Communist party, hired top talent non-discriminatory towards their communist sympathies like Polonsky, a Marxist.  Polonsky sees capitalist corruption through the lens of gut-wrenching realism that money corrupts the soul and compromises moral values.

 After the film release, Polonsky refused to name names to the U.S. Congressional House Un-American Activities Committee and subsequently blacklisted in Hollywood as well as Robert Rossen, the director of Enterprise film hit, BODY AND SOUL. Garfield was under immense pressure to name names, died of a heart attack in1952 at age 39.  

Trump seemingly compromised by the Russians, and the GOP enablers of the President’s criminal wrongdoing are a force of evil that is undermining democracy every day.  Villains in films get their comeuppance.  Trump’s impeachment is coming.   

Revisiting The Disney Magic of The Lion King

The theatre is a beautiful thing to uplift the heart, mind, and soul.  The play in dramatic or musical form takes on engaging dimensions of the expression that elevates and cultivates one’s consciousness to a higher realm of thinking.  This phenomenon occurs especially if the theatrical experience taps into one’s center of wonder, creativity, and intuitive thinking. This episode of curiosity occurred while at a job on the merchandise team of The Lion King at the Dreyfoos Concert Hall at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.  The Dreyfoos Concert Hall is just shy of a twenty-two hundred seats.  When the theatregoers enter the hall there’s a mandatory security check-in at the metal detectors walk through that is a reminder of the current sad affairs of today’s threat of guns and bombs at entertainment venues.  It does not take away from the magnificent spiraling three open tiers in the front of house for concessions with tables and chairs and a marketing kiosk on the first floor and the store enclave on the second floor.  When the theater house is ready to open, the red rope barriers move away, and the anticipation on the audience smiling faces beam that theatre is alive and well.

 I saw The Lion King twenty-two years ago in 1997 on Broadway in previews when the Disney opened The New Amsterdam Theatre after major renovations to restore the original splendor for this production. Julie Taymor’s vision that occurred on stage was inventive, imaginative, artistic, and mind-boggling creative.  I marveled at the animal costumes, the puppetry, the dancing, and Elton John and Tim Rice’s magnificent score.  

I took on the assignment to work at the merchandise kiosks because I wanted to revisit the musical, work for Disney, and have a job for eight performances.  I could not see the production at the Kravis Center since the run was practically sold out except for the limited, costly seats in the orchestra.  

It occasionally happens that actors enter from the lobby down the aisles onto the stage for the opening after the audience is seated.  The opening number, “The Circle of Life,” the actors imitating animals used the lobby for entrances, and it was so cool to see great actors work the puppet characters deftly.

What makes The Lion King the #1 grossing musical is the show taps into the inner child in all of the audiences; parents, children, and humans who love the marvel of theatre.   Disney Theatrical marketing magic is ever enticing from the tour merchandise manager and company.  The audience leaving the theatre with the theatrical experience and filled totes certainly puts the thoughts of unlawful violence at bay.