Film Book Review: Robert Wise: The Motion Pictures
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
The dream of many cinephiles is to make moving pictures; this goal usually results in desires having never even been attempted. I knew right away — while I was studying film — that I wanted to go the academic route. Would I like to make a motion picture? To degrees, yes. I would love to maybe write a screenplay just to see what would happen. I used to act and miss that dearly. Even though I blatantly didn’t want to pursue the production side of film school, there are pieces of me that feel unfulfilled. I sense that author J.R. Jordan operates similarly, as he makes it clear through just the acknowledgement section of his thorough biographical book Robert Wise: The Motion Pictures that this text is a labour of adoring film. If he’s not going to be making motion pictures himself, Jordan is going to recreate a lifetime in book form (exempting the same mistakes biopics make, by including as many important and small details as possible). Why Robert Wise? Well, Jordan makes it clear that he first watched The Sand Pebbles (Wise’s war epic of ‘66) with his father. In the same way Joseph C. Jordan Jr. introduced J.R. to this motion picture (and, subsequently, cinema), the latter showed great initiative to share the beauty of film in his own way.
The tenderness of cinephilia (when unaffiliated with elitism, which Jordan never showcases) is best matched with a warm subject, and Robert Wise couldn’t have made for a better case study. The Motion Pictures begins with a tribute from television star Gavin MacLeod, who acknowledges Wise not as a boss or contemporary equal, but as a father figure after his own dad passed away while MacLeod was only a teenager. Even in failed auditions, Wise acted as a voice of guidance and warmth to MacLeod. It only makes sense that The Motion Pictures then continues with a piece by Douglas E. Wise (nephew to Robert), who likens Jordan’s research to the eye-opening experience uncle Robert provided within the film industry (whether it was helping Douglas get work in the industry, or the expansive films that enhanced what Hollywood would be).
In the same way that Gavin MacLeod kept fighting for auditions (even humourously, with a hair piece to secure a part) and Douglas E. Wise persevered until he was an assistant director on numerous Star Trek films, Robert Wise’s legacy was the result of the hard work of the inspired; Jordan matches this determination by sectioning The Motion Pictures into very precise sections of Wise’s career. This organization is almost strictly of that nature, as chapter one zips from Wise’s birth right into his first brushes with film (the visitation of movie theatres) and his first gig (working for RKO Radio Pictures); all within the same paragraph. Jordan is speaking the language of cinephiles and not historians; he knows we likely care more about an auteur’s affiliations with their works, and not their entire life’s story outside of these bookmarked sections. Besides, life to a film fanatic can be likely told via our own experiences with film, as is clearly the case with Jordan himself. This makes for a digestible, relatable read, that’s properly sliced into the many film industry thresholds of a director that has basically done it all.
So The Curse of the Cat People might not say much about Wise’s life, but Jordan fits all of the assistant and editing work Wise did before his directorial debut into this chapter. From there on — with every film based chapter — life is attributed to Wise’s work, but these works also have life breathed into them. Jordan tosses in as many interesting on-set or production stories, tidbits, and public reactions as he can. Fascinatingly, Jordan somehow maintains a mostly nonpartisan stance, allowing The Motion Pictures to let the subject’s legacy do its own talking, while Jordan is just here to relay it all to the curious reader. For instance, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is allowed to be the rushed, incomplete portion of the masterpiece it was supposed to be.
Even when The Motion Pictures is celebrating Wise’s opuses, it does so without even an ounce of critical opinion; West Side Story is detailed through its genesis from the stage, and its numerous rebirths during the awards season and pop culture. Having life play out through his pictures just helps illustrate each creation with their intentions. Rooftops was lacklustre because Wise was contributing to other film industry matters (including helping run the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences); Rooftops was the result of an occupied filmmaker that still wanted to keep going. The only forms of praise come from those who worked with Robert Wise, including cast and crew members attached to each picture. For instance, the lukewarm reception to Two People doesn’t detract from actress Lindsay Wagner’s recounts of having acted in the film; her memories are so engaging (including how curious Wise was as a director, and how Peter Fonda was occasionally funny-yet-pesky with his pranking on set). I wouldn’t even say that these interviews sway opinions, rather than they paint pictures.
All in all, Robert Wise: The Motion Pictures is aptly named. It’s Robert Wise as defined through his films. That’s all you need, especially when this premise (and this premise alone) makes for an in-depth, magnetic read. J.R. Jordan’s hard work helps tie together discovery, love, hardship, loss, and spontaneity all through the cinematic experience, using Robert Wise as one such vessel in order to do so. The difficulties and triumphs of life only make up a portion of this literary tapestry, proving that life and legacy do not necessarily mean the same thing. Robert Wise: The Motion Pictures aims to tell both stories, and it succeeds sublimely. I’m not quite sure how J.R. Jordan didn’t manage to place much of his own opinion on these films; not a lick of obsession or pretence is found here. It’s a trait I hope he’ll teach me if I were to ever attempt to write such a book.
In the meantime, Robert Wise: The Motion Pictures does the trick. As someone who isn’t particularly in love with Wise’s works myself (although I do really like some of his pictures), I grew to admire Wise for his heart. Part of that was because Jordan allowed me to connect with Wise himself, not Jordan’s perception of Wise. Whether you’re a fan of Wise or not, The Motion Pictures is a dynamic book for any cinephile to experience all aspects of the industry through one such director that was able to experience it all.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.