nothin' plain about jane

the answer is i am curious. that is why i watch a movie directed by howard hughes, 'psycho tuna' of the first degree. it took me till very recently to see his western saga, 'the outlaw.' made in 1943, he produced and directed this truly strange slice of cinema. as crazy as this sounds, he was very special. the symphony that washes over the opening credits of this film doesn't seen so outrageous once the rest of his oddity reveals itself. there is an implied rape by way of introduction between two characters who end up loving one another. there is a naturalness to the dialogue that is pretty arresting. most of all there is 17 year old jane russell who is so good. she doesn't really emote much. the combination of her passive presence, howard's epic dream, and the simple nature of the whole thing is very unique.