My unpublished review was written in 1973 while I was studying the films of Hugo Haas, presented here in shortened form.
Of all the films he has directed, "Lizzie" is Hugo Haas's most Hollywood establishment-oriented, in that he was not writing and producing (thus reducing his usually clearly defined auteur status) and he was working with a star cast. Thus, "Lizzie" serves as a convenient "control" against which his more personal films can be judged.
Camera set-ups, compositions, camera movements, use of sets and decor, and direction of actors all reveal Hugo Haas's style, although the film's "3 Faces of Eve" , Shirley Jackson-novelized material is really only tangential to the mainstream of Haas's melodramatic conception. His natural talent for pouring on the sleaziness is kept within bounds here, for he is making a B- rather than a Z-budgeted film. Itis interesting to compare the film with Paul Newman's "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" (far inferior to Haas' modest effort), which stars an overacting Joanne Woodward a la her "3 Faces of Eve", but relies on simplicity of style and kitchen-sink sleaziness of which Haas is the master.
The first elaborate dolly shots and swivels in the Natural History Museum which open the film are clear indications of Haas' inspiration. They economically for some set-up a cold, dead milieu sans overstatement in addition to establishing the groundwork for some memorable nightmare fantasy shots later in the film. The lack of showy variety in the stagings reflects a limited budget. All the action takes place in: museum exhibit area, Eleanor Parker's office there, Joan Blondell's house, outside in the yard with neighbor Haas, a low-life bar, the roof of the museum, and flashbacks at the beach. Haas's exploitation of these stagings is magnificent, with the additional staging of Richard Boone's office taking a lion's share of screen time.
Eleanor Parker's tour-de-force as Elizabeth/Lizzie/Beth is of special note because it combines her own well-demonstrated acting range a la "Caged", while indicating the overlay of Haas's heightened intensity style. It proves the sad fact that Haas's own films as quadruple-threat man would have been more successful if he could have afforded top actresses instead of borderline amateurs like Cleo Moore and Beverly Michaels. Haas's understanding of cinematic problems is well demonstrated as he definitively contrasts Eleanor's personality with her makeup. Thus, after the requisite establishing scenes, Haas has a scene of Lizzie in Elizabeth's makeup "coming out", and a climactically powerful scene of Elzabeth seeing herself in the mirror as the gaish, uninhibited-looking Lizzie. His use of the 3-sided mirror is made memorable by Haas's complete elimination of distraction -there are no other objects or interesting bits of detailing save the four images of Eleanor in this medium shot in her bedroom.
Of all the films he has directed, "Lizzie" is Hugo Haas's most Hollywood establishment-oriented, in that he was not writing and producing (thus reducing his usually clearly defined auteur status) and he was working with a star cast. Thus, "Lizzie" serves as a convenient "control" against which his more personal films can be judged.
Camera set-ups, compositions, camera movements, use of sets and decor, and direction of actors all reveal Hugo Haas's style, although the film's "3 Faces of Eve" , Shirley Jackson-novelized material is really only tangential to the mainstream of Haas's melodramatic conception. His natural talent for pouring on the sleaziness is kept within bounds here, for he is making a B- rather than a Z-budgeted film. Itis interesting to compare the film with Paul Newman's "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" (far inferior to Haas' modest effort), which stars an overacting Joanne Woodward a la her "3 Faces of Eve", but relies on simplicity of style and kitchen-sink sleaziness of which Haas is the master.
The first elaborate dolly shots and swivels in the Natural History Museum which open the film are clear indications of Haas' inspiration. They economically for some set-up a cold, dead milieu sans overstatement in addition to establishing the groundwork for some memorable nightmare fantasy shots later in the film. The lack of showy variety in the stagings reflects a limited budget. All the action takes place in: museum exhibit area, Eleanor Parker's office there, Joan Blondell's house, outside in the yard with neighbor Haas, a low-life bar, the roof of the museum, and flashbacks at the beach. Haas's exploitation of these stagings is magnificent, with the additional staging of Richard Boone's office taking a lion's share of screen time.
Eleanor Parker's tour-de-force as Elizabeth/Lizzie/Beth is of special note because it combines her own well-demonstrated acting range a la "Caged", while indicating the overlay of Haas's heightened intensity style. It proves the sad fact that Haas's own films as quadruple-threat man would have been more successful if he could have afforded top actresses instead of borderline amateurs like Cleo Moore and Beverly Michaels. Haas's understanding of cinematic problems is well demonstrated as he definitively contrasts Eleanor's personality with her makeup. Thus, after the requisite establishing scenes, Haas has a scene of Lizzie in Elizabeth's makeup "coming out", and a climactically powerful scene of Elzabeth seeing herself in the mirror as the gaish, uninhibited-looking Lizzie. His use of the 3-sided mirror is made memorable by Haas's complete elimination of distraction -there are no other objects or interesting bits of detailing save the four images of Eleanor in this medium shot in her bedroom.