Swithin
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Posts posted by Swithin
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13 hours ago, Swithin said:
Husband and Wife met whilst making a film together. Husband made many films but is best known for TV, in particular a starring role in a popular series. Wife was Oscar-nominated and had an impressive career spanning six decades.
When you identify the couple, name the film on which they met; Husband's TV series; and Wife's Oscar-nominated film.
Hints:
Husband's TV show was based on a movie.
Wife's Oscar nomination had an interesting twist on Oscar night. Wife did not win, but the winner that year criticized the Academy's rules and singled out Wife's excellent performance.
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I watched Night of the Demon and Curse of the Crimson Alter, both on TCM yesterday during their "cult" festival. I've seen the former many times and own the DVD. I haven't seen the latter film in many years.
Night (aka Curse) of the Demon (1957) is a great film, and I believe TCM showed the longer, British version (UK and US versions are on my DVD). It's a well known movie with a great cast, directed by Jacques Tourneur, beautifully shot in glorious black-and-white. Although there are those who feel that the demon should not have been shown, I totally disagree. I think it is one of the best demons! And we see it depicted in the various demonology books that are shown anyway. The film also features one of my favorite English actresses: Athene Seyler, who plays Dr. Julian Karswell's mother. (Some might know her from her role as Lady Beatrice in Make Mine Mink.) One annoying aspect of the film: Dana Andrews, who gives a good performance, is just over-the-top rude at the seance. His skepticism goes too far, and he should have kept his mouth shut, out of politeness if nothing else. I do love that seance, and the amusing performance of "Cherry Ripe" which is sung to entice the spirit. The lyrics are by Robert Herrick, who gave us "Gather ye rosebuds..." All in all, a great story and film.
Curse of the Crimson Alter aka The Crimson Cult (1968) is a good film, but not particularly special. It echoes themes that have been better presented in other films, e.g. City of the Dead/Horror Hotel, etc. A man goes to a village to look for his missing brother and finds witchcraft. He also finds T-and-A, up close and personal! The film has a great cast, including Boris Karloff in one of his final roles, Christopher Lee, Barbara Steele, and Michael Gough. The leads are Mark Eden and Virginia Wetherell (whose t-and-a are on view). There are loose ends, e.g. that wild party at the beginning, which is sort of a red herring, though I think the producer wanted to give us some titillation. (The Devil Rides Out was made the same year, and it's a more original film, also about demons and witchcraft in the English countryside.)
Speaking of the producer, he's Tony Tenser, who produced many great British films, including two of the best British horror films: Witchfinder General and The Blood on Satan's Claw. Tigon Studios gave Hammer a run for its money. I think Witchfinder General is one of the best and perhaps the most tragic horror movie ever made, depicting as it does at the end, the total corruption of good (even the audience is corrupted). It's best seen in the UK print. Tigon's The Blood on Satan's Claw is my favorite of the horror in the English countryside genre. Terrifying at times, with one truly shocking scene.
But a word about Disciple of Death (1972), a film I saw long ago but glimpsed briefly recently. It's the lowest of low budget films, it's poorly made, but it has something -- a "je ne sais quoi." It also has, out of the blue, one of the most peculiar (and hilarious) scenes in any horror movie, ever: in the middle of the rural 18th century English countryside, Nicholas Amer as Melchisidech the Cabalist: "Trinity, schminity. This is your kosher, Yiddisher magic."
Here's a critic's comment about Disciple of Death:
“Disciple of Death is the worst film I have ever seen. It is quite simply a stinker of remarkable ineptitude – featuring the worst performance by a leading man in the history of celluloid (Mike Raven), some truly pitiful special effects, a story which beggars belief and camerawork and direction which… well, I despair." -- Chris Wood
Barbara Steele in Curse of the Crimson Alter
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Crown -- Brock Peters in Porgy and Bess (1959)
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I became (sort of) converted to Svengoolie a few years ago. But I miss Zacherley, every night on Channel 7/ABC in NYC, right after the Ben Hecht Show. I pleaded with my mother to be allowed to stay up! He had the whole Universal horror library at his disposal, pretty much everything from 1931-1946.
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Husband and Wife met whilst making a film together. Husband made many films but is best known for TV, in particular a starring role in a popular series. Wife was Oscar-nominated and had an impressive career spanning six decades.
When you identify the couple, name the film on which they met; Husband's TV series; and Wife's Oscar-nominated film.
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The three C's had a very particular meaning once upon a time: "Civilisation, Commerce and Christianity." There's a song about them, from a British (Royal Shakespeare Company) show called Poppy. "Civilization, commerce and Christianity, all go together, and all begin with "c." Got to deliver that heathen hoard, so come on chillin, get aboard..."
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Jackie Gleason was in Navy Blues with Martha Raye.
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Great actress, I particularly love her performance in The Last Days of Disco (1998). Get well soon!
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Marriage Story (2019)
Next: Boat race
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Laurence Olivier (Marathon Man: "Relax, relax. Come on. Open.")
Next: Wattles
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14 minutes ago, Sepiatone said:
You can tell it's a good "horror" flick by the image of a scantily clad woman with long legs in the poster.
Sepiatone
Standard practice. Even the original Frankenstein poster has that necessary image. And after all, Dr. Jekyll is basically an uptight Englishman who, in becoming Mr. Hyde, lets loose his sexual inhibitions, with a vengeance!
I haven't seen the film, as far as I can recall, but from what I've read, I think the number depicted in this poster is about women's suffrage!
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8 hours ago, laffite said:
White Zombie
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That's the one, your turn Laffite!
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On Svengoolie tomorrow, September 11, 2021:
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11 minutes ago, laffite said:
White Ghost
1988
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Not quite but close. Ghosts are dead. Think of a word that is a synonym for "living dead."
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Cecil Cunningham was in Daughter of Shanghai with Evelyn Brent.
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Harold and Maude (1971)
Next: Being mean to a native in Africa
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Days of Heaven (1978). On paper, it sounds like my kind of movie. But I couldn't get into it. I do, however, love Malick's The New World (2005).
"Birds and passion still soar in the latest version of "The New World," Terrence Malick's rapturously beautiful telling of the founding of Jamestown and the Indian princess called Pocahontas." -- Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
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Jean Louis and Loretta Young? He designed costumes for many films, including Bell Book and Candle. I'm not a big fan of Loretta Young. I like some of her films, e.g. Clive of India and House of Rothschild.
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"I Wonder Where My Easy Rider's Gone" -- sung by Mae West in She Done Him Wrong (1933) [I'd put all my junk in pawn, to bet on any horse that jockey's on..."]
Next: Another suggestive song from a 1930s movie
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Great actor, R.I.P. I loved him on the old, short-lived TV show Hey, Landlord.
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Caucasian living dead
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Christopher Lee
Next: Married a doctor
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Gwendoline Christie
Next: Played Greek tragedy
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The first actor/actress that comes to mind..
in Games and Trivia
Posted
Peter O'Toole
Next: Garden