On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles gave America an early Halloween surprise. By then, his radio show "The Mercury Theatre on the Air" had been on the air for three months, offering weekly hour-long adaptations of classics from world literature. The CBS Radio Network unleashed an episode based on H.G. Wells' sci-fi classic "The War of the Worlds" that night. It is such a sturdy story that it keeps getting revisited. The latest is Steven Spielberg's 2005 version, with Tom Cruise playing an everyman on the run from alien invaders lying waste on planet Earth. Movie buffs everywhere have this one fresh in their minds.
Welles’ program starts identifying the content to come as fiction but toys playfully with the radio format. His introduction leads onto a musical broadcast, eventually interrupted by a news flash covering the appearance of spaceships in a small town in New Jersey. Perhaps some people tuned in too late, or the aural illusion and the performances were all too convincing. Whatever the case, legend has it that some people believed an alien invasion was taking place, and panic ensued. Human gullibility knows no boundaries.
The story is such a touchstone of pop culture that it is frequently alluded to. In Woody Allen's pseudo-biographical "Radio Days" (1987), a hit from the late-eighties Art House, we experience the event through unmarried Aunt Bea (Diane Weist), who is left stranded in a secluded lover's outpost when his date panics listening to Welles' broadcast on his car radio. I know the story of a man who, in 1996, caught a promo short of "Independence Day" on TV and fell for it. He called his son - an acquaintance of mine - to alert him of the impending doom. That is why I can believe the scenario presented by "Brave New Jersey."
The End of The World! Coming to You Live from CBS Radio Studios!
Jody Lambert’s feature film debut takes us to the fictional town of Lullaby, New Jersey, where the grandest event in a long time is the inauguration of a milking machine in a local dairy farm. The Mayor, Clark Hill (Tony Hale), is a doormat holding a candle for Lorraine (Heather Burns), the wife of local moneybags Paul (Sam Jaeger). School teacher Peg (Anna Camp) fences a marriage proposal from long-time boyfriend Chardy (Matt Oberg), but you can tell she yearns for something more exciting. Reverend Ray (Dan Bakkedahl) is having a crisis of faith, much to the dismay of parishioner Helen (Erika Alexander) and her husband Stan (Leonard Earl Howe). World War I veteran Captain Ambrose Collins (Raymond J. Barry) is a hermit whose only contact with the outside world is a gang of local kids playing pranks on him. The group includes Paul and Lorraine’s daughter, Ann (Grace Kauffman), and Ziggy (Harp Sandman), a shy and silent cousin from Poland. The little refugee is a reminder of the Nazi threats festering in Europe.
They all fall for the "War of the Worlds" once the broadcast hits. Lullaby lies a few miles from ground zero for the alleged invasion, and the panic brings out the best and the worst in all the characters. "Brave New Jersey" is a loaded fable about how humans reveal their true nature in the face of adversity or, in this case, extinction. In a rather on-the-nose bit of foreshadowing, Peg tells her students that on Halloween, "for one night, you can let go of your inhibitions and become someone completely different." It's a rather heady word for the preteens she teaches, but it is easy to see that she is, in a way, speaking to herself. Her engagement is perfect only on the surface. Once the chaos sets in, Peg becomes someone else for a few hours, making out with a manly bad boy, Sparky (Jack Landry), and releasing hidden reserves of zealotry.
We find a perfect opposite in Clark, who finds his spine slowly but steadily, eventually confessing his feelings for Lorraine. Luckily, Paul hits the road early. If he is going to meet oblivion, it will be in the arms of a woman named Margaret. That much he says to her wife in an all too brief goodbye letter - his escape is one of the laugh-out funny jokes in the movie. The romantic subplot works because Hale offers a subdued performance, unlike the zany characters we have loved in his signature TV work in the series “Arrested Development” and “Veep.” He is closer to a sad sack everyman, making his insecurity something to behold. It is exciting to see how versatile a beloved comedian can be. His work in “Brave New Jersey” hints at more surprises in the future if he can avoid typecasting.
It Takes a Village to Make "Brave New Jersey"
Jody Lambert does her best work with the script, crafting a gentle ode to small-town America that does not evade the dark undercurrents under the folksy ways. Corey Walker’s cinematography sets a dreamy stage, especially in the first act. Sunny daylight bathes every shot in butterscotch. As far as low budget movies go, this one looks like a million bucks.
Alas, Lambert falls short of reining in the plot strands. Some characters’ arcs get lost in the melee. It is a problem of framing, camera placement, and editing. Everything seems to play in medium and wide shots. A cut away to a reaction in close-up would suffice to, say, register Sparky’s feelings about the resolution of his affair, but the character fades away. It is even more egregious when it comes to Captain Collins. Once it becomes clear that the war veteran is manipulating her neighbors to make them believe he is once again at war, we face perhaps the most poignant development in the movie. And it all ends up getting lost in the smoke.
“Brave New Jersey” is good enough to make you wish it were better. For every missed opportunity, a sly joke hits the spot. I love how the kids locked in the school scream every time someone knocks on the door - for once, the filmmaker’s affinity for wide shots works out just fine.
The charm of the large cast of actors keeps the movie chugging along. Fans of the gone-too-soon sitcom “Last Man on Earth” will perk up at the sight of Mel Rodriguez, playing a useless Sheriff. Anna Camp is a revelation, even if the movie seems to miss a couple of scenes that would make her character’s arch make sense and bring extra shades to the larger narrative. Kudos to Sam Jaeger for pulling a Jon Hamm by putting his leading man looks at the service of a smarmy, villainous clown. Don’t rack your brain wondering where the heck you have seen him before. He plays the role of Canadian agent Tuello in the Hulu series “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Yes, the guy who wants to convert Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski) to his secular ways never seems to seal the deal.
Juan Carlos Ampié
Gustavo's Orson Welles Moment in Uruguayan Radio
I have been a fan of "The War of the Worlds" since an early age. I don't mean only the H.G. Wells novel. The film adaptations, too. And, of course, the Orson Welles radio play. Thanks to the magic of the internet, you can hear the broadcast in all its glory and believe you are one of the crazy citizens of Lullaby, the little northeastern town at the heart of "Brave New Jersey." The comedy streaming in Popflick brought back all my love for this story and reminded me of a cherished episode from my past as a radio reporter.
In 1997, I worked at Lacosta 88.3 FM, a popular radio station in Uruguay. It was the early days of cell phones, and the new novelty was to use them to do interviews out of the studio. One Saturday afternoon, I was assigned to do a story on the circus that had just arrived in Montevideo.
The Brothers Gasca Circus was famous for touring South America. One of the owners kindly received me, gave me a backstage tour, and then took me to his trailer to subject himself to an interview. We agreed to pretend I was doing the interview live, even though the promenade was past and we were comfortably enclosed in his air-conditioned trailer.
I talked about caressing an elephant, playing with monkeys, and dancing dogs. When I said we were approaching the lion cage, the manager said they were not dangerous, used as they were to interact with human beings. He invited me to enter and feed them pieces of meat. I described how they opened the cage door and how I stepped inside. I called on the Lion and promised meat chunks. He approached me slowly, and I said it was coming slowly. Then, I screamed, “No!No!No!” and hung up the call on my trusty cell phone.
We both laughed a bit. I said thanks for the interview and returned to the radio station with some courtesy tickets to give away to our listeners. When I arrived, my workmates embraced me warmly. The producer cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. Everybody was convinced that a Lion attacked me.
We are all citizens of Lullaby, New Jersey, defenseless to the power of radio - pure radio magic.
