skimpole

Now it's 1990. Here is Best Adapted Screenplay: Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorcese, Goodfellas, based on the book Wiseguy by Pileggi Nicholas Kazan, Reversal of Fortune, based on the book of the same name by Alan Dershowitz Charles S. Haas, Gremlins 2: the New Batch, sequel to the movie Gremlins William Harrison, Bob Rafelson, Mountains of the Moon, based on the novel Burton and Speke by Harrison. Gianni Amelio, Vincenzo Cerami, Alessandro Sermoneta, Open Doors, based on the novel of the same name by Leonardo Sciascia And here is Best Original Screenplay: Diane Kurys, Alain Le Henry, C’est la Vie/La Baules-Les-Pins Bruce Joel Rubin, Jacob’s Ladder Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Mller’s Crossing Akira Kurosawa, Dreams Luc Besson, La Femme Nikita I have not seen Avalon, Green Card (original)

theyshootpictures.com top 1000 movies 1974 Ali: Fear Eats the Soul Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany #138 Celine and Julie Go Boating Jacques Rivette, France #178 The Enigma of Kasper Hauser Werner Herzog, West Germany #498 The Phantom of Liberty Luis Bunuel, France #504 Alice in the Cities Wim Wenders, West Germany #576 Lancelot du Lac Robert Bresson, France #634 Edvard Munch Peter Watkins, Sweden #672 We All Loved Each Other So Very Much Ettore Scola, Italy #801 Arabian Nights Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy #845 My Little Loves Jean Eustache, France #867 Jonathan Rosenbaum's top 1000 movies Alice in the Cities Wim Wenders, West Germany Benilde or the Virgin Mother Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal *Celine and Julie Go Boating Jacques Rivette, France La Guele Ouverte Maurice Pialat, France Lancelot du Lac Robert Bresson, France Part-Time Work of a Domestic Slave Alexander Kluge, West Germany The Phantom of Liberty Luis Bunuel, France Reason, Debate, and a Story Ritwak Ghitak, India Stavisky Alain Resnais, France The Traveler Abbas Kiarostami, Iran An asterisk (*) means the movie is one of Rosenbaum's top 100 movies. Note that dates are not exact.

Wikipedia says this movie was shot in English, though there is a dubbed Italian version. That makes sense, since Lancaster is the key character, and the movie consists of him talking with the other characters. Had it been considered a foreign language film, it would have been #7 on my list.

Last week I saw four movies. Valmont is beautifully shot with lovely set decoration and charming performances. Had Dangerous Liaisons not appeared a year earlier, and had there not been a prominent theatrical adaptation of the original novel earlier that year, people would undoubtedly have liked it much more. However, there were both such things, leading one to think why anyone would produce a version defined by having nicer protagonists. Seriously, what's the point? As such, the cast ultimately pales besides Dangerous Liaisons: Annette Bening acquits herself best against Glen Close, while Meg Tilly and Fairuza Balk are least impressive against Michelle Pfeiffer and Uma Thurman. Settling into the sixth Mission Impossible movie, it occurred to me that I had forgotten the subtitle (Fallout), as well as the subtitle to the previous movie (Rogue Nation), and had forgotten most of that movie except Tom Cruise hanging on to a flying plane, and an elaborate scene where he has to get somewhere or deactivate something while running the risk of drowning. As it turns out, this movie is a bit more memorable: there's an elaborate, and very threatening fight in a bathroom near the beginning. There's also an elaborate chase involving helicopters over the Himalayas as a climax, complicated by the fact that Cruise can't simply kill the villain since he has to take the detonator he's carrying. Also there is an interesting, somewhat over elaborate car chase in Paris for the middle which is OK if not brilliant. Once again, the plot involves Ethan Hunt being accused, or framed of involvement in a terrorist conspiracy, and only way he can clear his name involves giving the terrorists what they want. Also this plans goes badly wrong, and Hunt has to find a way to solve it. I know variations of this happened in movies 1 and 4, and if I cared enough about the plots, it may have happened in 2, 3 and 5. At least this time the government officials who criticize Hunt are even more horribly compromised. Something New is a silent movie with only one joke. But it is a surprisingly good joke and sustained over the 55 minutes it lasts. Basically Nell Shipman, director and lead actress, is kidnapped by Mexican bandits. And so the hero comes to rescue her (which he eventually does) and they (eventually) get away. The joke is that he does this by car, and he's doing this in a rocky, mountainous area where you'd have to be an utter idiot to drive. Given the reliability, or the lack of them, of 1920 automobiles, any drivers watching the film in its first run must have been terrified as how the car crawls over the landscape, thinking every minute the suspension will break. Shipman also shows some initiative as the movie goes on. I can imagine the conversation studio heads had when developing Roman J. Israel Esq: "It has Denzel Washington concerned about the African-American community." "We've done that." "He's also a lawyer concerned about losing his soul." "We've also done that." "But this time he has Asberger's Syndrome." "All right I admit we haven't done that. But should we bother?" As it happens the issues raised are vaguely and shallowly presented, and the thriller that the movie eventually gets around to doesn't amount to much. True, the director of Michael Clayton liked it. But since the directors of the two movies are brothers, people who don't have to share Thanksgiving dinner with them can reasonably be more skeptical.

1. Celine and Julie Go Boating Jacques Rivette, France 2. The Enigma of Kasper Hauser Werner Herzog, West Germany 3. The Phantom of Liberty Luis Bunuel, France/Italy 4. Scenes from a Marriage Ingmar Bergman, Sweden 5. My Little Loves Jean Eustache, France 6. Alice in the Cities Wim Wenders, West Germany 7. Fear Eats the Soul Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany 8. Arabian Nights Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy/France 9. Lacombe, Lucien Louis Malle, France 10. Lancelot du Lac Robert Bresson, France 11. The Traveler Abbas Kiarostami, Iran 12. Still Life Sohrab Shahid-Saless, Iran 13. Stavisky Alain Resnais, France/Italy 14. Electra, My Love Miklos Jancso, Hungary

Actually three other women served in the Senate in the second half of the thirties. But the three didn't serve at the same time. They served for terms less than 11 months (1936-1937), five months (1937-1938), and two months (1938-1939). The first two were appointees, the third won a peculiar special election for a two month term.

Now it's 1989. Here is Best Adapted Screenplay: Kenneth Branagh, Henry V, based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare Oliver Stone Ron Kovic, Born on the Fourth of July, based on the autobiography of the same name by Kovic Roger L. Simon, Paul Mazursky, Enemies: A Love Story, based on the novel of the same name by Isaac Bashevis Singer Hayao Miyazaki, Kiki’s Delivery Service, based on the novel of the same name by Eiko Kadano Ron Clements, John Musker, The Little Mermaid, based on the story of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen And here is Best Original Screenplay Woody Allen, Crimes and Misdemeanors Cameron Crowe, Say Anything… Chu T’ien-wen, Wu Nien Jen, A City of Sadness Abbas Kiarostami, Homework Kira Muratova, Aleksandr Chernhyk, Sergei Popov, The Asthenic Syndrome

Now it's 1988. Here is Best Original Screenplay: John Cleese, Charles Crichton, A Fish Called Wanda Marcel Ophuls, Hotel Terminus Hayao Miyazakai, My Neighbor Totoro Terence Davies, Distant Voices, Still Lives Theo Angelopoulos, Tonino Guerra, Thanassis Valtinos, Landscape in the Mist And here is Best Adapted Screenplay: George Sluizer, Tim Krabbe, The Vanishing, based on Krabbe's novel The Golden Egg Isao Takahata, The Grave of the Fireflies, based on the short story of the same name by Akiyuki Nasaka Christopher Hampton, Dangerous Liaisons, based on his play Les Liaisons Dangereuses and the novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos David Cronenberg, Norman Snider, Dead Ringers, based on the novel Twins by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland Jean-Claude Carriere, Philip Kaufman, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, based on the novel of the same name by Milan Kundera I have not seen Running on Empty (original) or Gorillas in the Mist (adapted)

Now it's 1987. Here is Best Adapted Screenplay: Alan Parker, Angel Heart, based on the novel Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg William Goldman, The Princess Bride, based on his novel of the same name Mark Peploe, Bernardo Bertolucci, The Last Emperor, based on the autobiography From Emperor to Citizen: The Autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi by Henry Pu Yi Lasse Hallstrom, Reidar Jonsson, Brasse Branstrom, Per Berglund, My Life as a Dog, based on Jonsson's novel of the same name Stanley Kubrick, Michael Herr, Gustav Hasford, Full Metal Jacket, based on Hasford's novel The Short-Timers And here is Best Original Screenplay: John Boorman, Hope and Glory Jeffrey Boam, Chip Proser, Innerspace Abbas Kiarostami, Where is the Friend's Home Woody Allen, Radio Days David Mamet, House of Games

Now it's 1986. Here is Best Original Screenplay: Eric Rohmer, Marie Riviere, The Green Ray/Summer David Lynch, Blue Velvet Andrei Tarkovsky, The Sacrifice Richard Fire, John McNaughton, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Robert Bolt, The Mission And here is Best Adapted Screenplay: Richard Burridge, Absolute Beginners, based on the novel of the same name by Colin MacInnes James Cameron, Aliens, sequel to the movie Alien, directed by Ridley Scott Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, A Room with a View, based on the novel of the same name by E.M. Forster Charles Edward Pogue, David Cronenberg, The Fly, remake of the movie The Fly directed by Kurt Neumann Bruce A. Evans, Raymond Gideon, Stand by Me, based on the novella "The Body" by Stephen King I have not seen Crocodile Dundee, My Beautiful Laundrette (original), or Crimes of the Heart (adapted)

theyshootpictures.com top 1000 movies 1973 Amarcord Federico Fellini, Italy #72 The Spirit of the Beehive Victor Erice, Spain #107 La Maman et la Putain Jean Eustarche, France #111 Touki Bouki Djibril Diop Mambety, Senegal #291 Scenes from a Marriage Ingmar Bergman, Sweden #409 Day for Night Francois Truffaut, France #411 The Holy Mountain Alejandro Jodorowsky, Mexico #744 Ludwig Luchino Visconti, Italy #803 Jonathan Rosenbaum's top 1000 movies Martha Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany The Mongols Parviz Kimiavi, Iran La Maman et la Putain Jean Eustache, France Narita: Heta Village Shinsuke Ogawa, Japan Nathalie Granger Marguerite Duras, France *Parade Jacques Tati, France Salome Carmelo Bene, Italy Touki Bouki Djibril Diop Mambety, Senegal An asterisk (*) means the film is one of Rosenbaum's top 100 movies. Note that dates are not exact.

I saw four movies last week. BlacKkKlansman is an interesting and in many ways serviceable Spike Lee joint about the first black police officer in his Colorado city who decides to investigate the Klan. Having accidentally given his real name to the man he telephoned he has to convince a Jewish colleague to impersonate him as part of the investigation. Adam Driver, as the colleague, does a good job as does Jasper Paakkonen as the most sinister of the Klansmen and Topher Grace as David Duke. There's a certain weakness of rhetoric, with Stokely Carmichael appearing giving a speech doing his trademark more charisma than brains. Where are my Children? may have been directed by a woman and an argument for contraception. But it doesn't wear well a century later, what with its seduced and abandoned subplot, belief that women have abortion for frivolous reasons and obvious name (Malfit as the abortionist). Peking Opera Blues is one of the more successful action films of 1986, with the plot of three women in Republican China trying to help the national good over warlord factions. It's expertly edited, well paced and shot, notwithstanding the lack of acrobatics later seen in Once Upon a Time in China. It also does well with the limitations put upon it. Chinese cinema at the time, whether Communist or non-communist, was fairly puritan in its tone. So the fact that two men who hang around and help the two women don't become love interests actually works in giving the women more autonomy. (The movie ends with the five riding off in different directions.) The Unknown Girl is another fine Dardenne brothers drama about the Belgian precariat, if not quite up to the high standards as their previous two films. In this case a doctor ignores a buzz at her clinic door an hour after closing, only to find out soon after that the inquirer was the title character in question, and she died violently shortly afterwards. Adele Haenel gives an especially good performance as the doctor as she tries to find out who the victim was.

1. The Spirit of the Beehive Victor Erice, Spain 2. La Maman et la Putain Jean Eustace, France 3. Day for Night Francois Truffaut, France 4. State of Siege Constantin Costa-Gavras, France 5. A River Called Titas Ritwik Ghatak, India 6. Ludwig Luchino Visconti, Italy/France/West Germany

Now it's 1985. Here is Best Original Screenplay: Terry Gilliam, Tom Stoppard, Charles McKeown, Brazil Claude Lanzmann, Shoah Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, Back to the Future Agnes Varda, Vagabond Juzo Itami, Tampopo And here is Best Adapted Screenplay: Elem Klimov, Ales Adamovich, Come and See, based on Adamovich's novel I am from the Fiery Village Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Masoto Ide, Ran, based on the play King Lear by William Shakespeare Jonathan Lynn, Clue, based on the board game invented by Anthony E. Pratt Vaja Gigashvili, The Legend of Suram Fortress, based on the novella Tsiskan by Daniel Chonkadze Kurt Luedtke, Out of Africa, based on on the memoir by Isak Dinesen and the books Silence Will Speak by Errol Trzebinski and Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller by Judith Thurman

Now it's 1984. Here is Best Original Screenplay: Brian Grazer, Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel, Bruce Jay Friedman, Splash L.M. Kit Carson, Sam Shepard, Paris, Texas Leonordo Benvenuti, Piero De Benardi, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcali, Franco Ferrini, Sergio Leone, Once Upon a Time in America William Kennedy, Francis Ford Coppola, The Cotton Club Woody Allen, Broadway Danny Rose And here is Best Adapted Screenplay: Phil Alden Robinson, Henry Olek, All of Me, based on the novel Me Too by Edwin Davis Paul Mommertz, The Wannsee Conference, based on the original protocols Bruce Robinson, The Killing Fields, based on the article "The Death and Life of Dith Pran," by Sydney Schanberg Sandy Kroopf, Jack Behr, Birdy, based on the novel of the same name by William Wharton Peter Shaffer, Amadeus, based on his play of the same name

Now it's 1983. Here is Best Original Screenplay: Ingmar Bergman, Fanny and Alexander Steve Martin, Carl Reiner, George Gipe, The Man With Two Brains Chris Marker, Sans Soleil Monty Python (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam), Monty Python and the Meaning of Life Woody Allen, Zelig And here is Best Adapted Screenplay: Robert Bresson, L'Argent, based on the story "The Forged Coupon" by Leo Tolstoy Philip Kaufman, The Right Stuff, based on the book of the same name by Tom Wolfe Shohei Imamura, The Ballad of Narayama, based on the book Narayama bushiko by Shichiro Fukazawa Oliver Stone, Scarface, based on the film Scarface: the Shame of a Nation directed by Howard Hawks John Secret Young, Testament, based on the short story "The Last Testament" by Carol Amen I have not seen Betrayal, Educating Rita, Reuben, Reuben (adapted)

6 is the only one I haven't seen.

Now it's 1982. Here is Best Original Screenplay: John Briley, Gandhi Barry Levinson, Diner Werner Herzog, Fitzcarraldo Philippe Garrel, L'Enfant Secret Ron Fricke, Michael Hoenig, Godfrey Reggio, Alton Walpole, Koyaanisqatsi And here is Best Adapted Screenplay: Constantin Costa-Gavras, Donald E. Stewart, Missing, based on the book The Execution of Charles Horman, An American Sacrifice by Thomas Hauser David Mamet, The Verdict, based on the novel of the same name by Barry Reed Roger Waters, Pink Floyd: the Wall, based on the album The Wall by Pink Floyd Hampton Fancher, David Peoples, Blade Runner, based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick Blake Edwards, Victor/Victoria, based on the film Viktor und Viktoria directed by Reinhold Schunzel I have not seen An Officer and a Gentleman (original)

theyshootpictures.com top 1000 movies for 1972 Aguirre: the Wrath of God Werner Herzog, West Germany #97 Cries and Whispers Ingmar Bergman, Sweden #155 The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie Luis Bunuel, France #158 Solaris Andrei Tarkovsky, Soviet Union #228 The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany #516 Fellini's Roma Federico Fellini, Italy #675 Jonathan Rosenbaum's top 1000 movies 1972 Aguirre, the Wrath of God Werner Herzog, West Germany The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie Luis Bunuel, France Fellini Roma Federico Fellini, Italy *Out 1: Spectre Jacques Rivette, France Solaris Andrei Tarkovsky, Soviet Union An asterisk (*) means the movie is one of Rosenbaum's top 100. Note that dates are not exact.

I saw three movies last week. I saw Bloodbrothers because it had been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. The seventies saw a number of movies which sought to deal with Italian Americans. Bloodbrothers was one of those where neither the director, the screenwriter, the writer of the original novel, or the main star and focus of audience identification were actually Italian. You might think this was not a promising approach, and you would be right. As it happened, the director of Bloodbrothers, Robert Mulligan, had directed in 1963 Love with the Proper Stranger, a tale of two Italian-Americans played by Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen (!) united by the magic of unwanted pregnancy which got five oscar nominations (!!). LWTPS was not a good, or honest movie, but at least it had Wood and McQueen as a couple. Supposedly a tougher movie, Bloodbrothers just has most of Italian characters being really obnoxious. The dilemma the protagonist faces between the close, narrow minded traditions of his family and the more imaginative fulfilling choice that he's actually good at is as predictable as one might think. Even more irritating is that Richard Gere's (implausibly awful) parents, played by actors thirteen years older than him, look exactly like actors thirteen years older than him. This lack of credibility is especially irritating considering that paternal authority is the key theme of the movie. Gilda Live is amusing, although the best skit is early on in the movie, and Radner, I'm afraid, doesn't have the energy or power that Bette Midler had in the same year's Divine Madness. Ironically the most telling joke is when one of Radner's characters is singing an ode to saccharin, claiming that men prefer thin girls with cancer to healthy ones with bulging thighs. Radner's own death later that decade from ovarian cancer is a nasty irony. Tanna isn't exactly a remake of Tabu, although it has a similar plot in that it deals with unfortunate lovers facing opposition from tribal authorities. It's OK, and if there's nothing here that's as memorable as in Murnau's work, there's considerable attention paid to authenticity. The film was shot in Vanuatu, and the characters speak the local language. One interesting thing is one might think the story told was very old, and then halfway through the movie one of the characters says he's seen Prince Philip. Later the lovers find a Christian village and this leads to the movie's funniest line ("Those people really freak me out.") and at the end we find it's 1987!

1. Cries and Whispers Ingmar Bergman, Sweden 2. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie Luis Bunuel, France 3. Solaris Andrei Tarkovsky, Soviet Union 4. Aguirre: the Wrath of God Werner Herzog, West Germany 5. Red Psalm Miklos Jancso, Hungary 6. The Mattei Affair Francesco Rosi, Italy 7. Blaise Pascal Roberto Rossellini, France 8. Tout va Bien Jean-Luc Godard, France 9. Chloe in the Afternoon Eric Rohmer, France

Now it's 1981. Here is Best Original Screenplay: Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, Time Bandits Andre Gregory, Wallace Shawn, My Dinner with Andre Lawrence Kasdan, Raiders of the Lost Ark Warren Beatty, Trevor Griffiths, Reds John Guare, Atlantic City And here is Best Adapted Screenplay: Jerry Juhl, Tom Patchett, Jack Rose, Jay Tarses, The Great Muppet Caper, based on the characters created by Jim Henson Jeffrey Alan Fiskin, Cutter's Way, based on the novel Cutter and Bone by Newton Thornburg Sidney Lumet, Jay Presson Allen, Prince of the City, based on the book of the same name by Robert Daley John Boorman, Raspar Pallenberg, Excalibur, based on Le Morte D'Arthur by Thomas Malory Dennis Potter, Pennies from Heaven based on the his television series of the same name I have not seen Arthur (original) or Ragtime (adapted)

Now it's 1980. Here is Best Adapted Screenplay: Gerard Brach, John Brownjohn, Roman Polanski, Tess, based on the novel Tess of The D'Urbevilles by Thomas Hardy Stanley Kubrick, Diane Johnson, The Shining, based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Airplane!, based on the movie Zero Hour! Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Berlin Alexanderplatz, based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Doblin Jonathan Hardy, David Stevens, Bruce Beresford, Breaker Morant based on the play of the same name by Kenneth G. Ross Here is Best Original Screenplay: Jean Gruault, Mon Oncle D'Amerique Bo Goldman, Melvin and Howard Akira Kurosawa, Masatao Ide, Kagemusha Ingmar Bergman, From the Life of the Marionettes John Cassavetes, Gloria I haven't seen Brubaker, Fame, or Private Benjamin (original)

The one noteworthy foreign language film I've seen from this period so far covered by this thread is Joris Iven's 1968 French movie The 17th Parallel. This is a documentary made by Ivens showing the Vietnam War from the viewpoint of North Vietnamese villages near the title border. Ivens had a long history as a radical, often pro-Communist filmmaker, and see the villagers very determined, and somewhat angry, at the Americans bombing their country. We see bomb shelters, underground passageways as well as teams who quickly fill in bomb craters. We also see the villagers react to the actual bombing, not to mention anti-aircraft teams and people who seek to salvage material from unexploded bombs and the occasional downed plane. You can see the movie here:

The self Styled Siren had a blog posts that contains foreign movies, some of which haven't been mentioned so far in this thread. (She also mentions some American/English movies which I didn't feel the need to include.) 2017: The Year in Old Movies (because measuring it in other ways wouldn't be nearly as pleasant) The 10 best of what the Siren watched in 2017, presented without preamble, and in alphabetical order. The Siren wishes her patient readers a most happy 2018. The Big City (Mahanagar; directed by Satyajit Ray, 1963. Viewed on Criterion DVD) Madhabi Mukherjee’s performance instantly became an all-time favorite. It is part of Satyajit Ray’s genius that he refuses to make her husband (Anil Chatterjee, half lummox, half mensch) into a villain, instead showing how the man’s prejudices give way not only to love of his wife, but common sense. Bitter Stems (Los Tallos Amargos; directed by Fernando Ayala, 1956. Viewed at Metrograph) The Siren thinks this may be the noirest noir of them all. The movie weaves together guilt and ambivalence over Argentina’s history in World War II with the hero’s (Carlos Cores) own psychological unraveling. Magnificent cinematography by the Chilean Ricardo Younis. Do read Raquel Stecher’s post on the film’s restoration; you will see how close we came to losing this beauty forever. The Siren was so impressed that she donated to the Film Noir Foundation as thanks. The Glass Tower (Der gläserne Turm, directed by Harald Braun, 1957. Viewed during Film Society of Lincoln Center’s series The Lost Years of German Cinema: 1949–1963.) A classic women's picture about the emotional abuse inflicted on a former actress (Lilli Palmer) by a secretly psychotic tycoon husband (O.E. Hasse). You’d know this film influenced Rainer Werner Fassbinder even if the program notes never said so. The Siren loved the way it suddenly became almost an Agatha Christie mystery, loved the design (by Walter Haag) that envisions the couple’s life as a series of elegant glass-walled prison cells. The plot resembles Under Capricorn, but the film plays out to its resolution in a much more satisfying way. (Bosley Crowther’s review is possibly the most sexist thing he ever wrote, which is saying something.) I’ll Be Seeing You (directed by William Dieterle, 1945. Viewed on Kino Classics DVD). Somehow the Siren had missed this delicate wartime romance, which boasts one of Ginger Rogers’ most heartfelt and touching performances. As her character and that of Joseph Cotten gradually fall in love, you realize you are watching two psychically wounded people trying to heal. The Siren much prefers this to the better-known Love Letters (same year, same director), which has a torpid screenplay by Ayn Rand; I’ll Be Seeing You has a screenplay by Marion Parsonnet, whose credits include Gilda. The Siren saw I’ll Be Seeing You while researching her video essay on Ginger Rogers’ dramatic roles, which will be included in Arrow Films’ Blu-Ray release of Magnificent Doll in February 2018. Le Trou (The Hole; directed by Jacques Becker, 1960. Viewed at Film Forum’s run of the 4K digital restoration.) The Siren has a new favorite prison movie. And while this may surprise you, the Siren tends to like prison movies. The late-movie payoff is one that many Hollywood directors would sell a kidney to come up with. Paris Frills (Falbalas; directed by Jacques Becker, 1945. Viewed on MUBI.) It’s a pity this isn’t widely available, as it makes a terrific companion piece to Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread. The Siren would love to know if Anderson saw it. Paris Frills also concerns an egotistical couturier (Raymond Rouleau), whose atelier is also in a palatial townhouse, and who also runs roughshod over the people around him, with much different consequences. Becker is more concerned than PTA with the daily labor of “les petits mains” and with suggesting all the lives beyond those of his leads. The Siren’s favorite scene involved the couturier, deep in a selfish funk about a love affair, being told off by Solange (Gabrielle Dorziat), his equivalent of Phantom Thread’s Cyril: “I don’t give a damn about her. She has time for sentimental complications, where here there are 300 who can’t be permitted that, and who you are going to put out in the street.” (Note for the Siren’s fellow lovers of fashion history: The gowns were by Rochas.) Roses Bloom on the Moorland (Rosen blühen auf dem Heidegrab; directed by Hans H. König, 1952. Viewed as part of the FSLC Lost Years series.) The Siren’s surprise of the year. One alternate title is Rape on the Moorland, which didn’t exactly sound like her sort of thing, and she saw it only because it was screening at a rare moment that found her in the Walter Reade neighborhood. The film turned out to be a unique combination of Universal horror movie and rural romance, with Ruth Niehaus splendid as the death-haunted peasant heroine, and Hermann Schomberg storming through his scenes as the **** villain. König makes exquisite use of the windswept, Bronte-esque setting, but what really sold the Siren was the denouement, with its unexpected warmth and humanity. Ruthless (directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, 1948. Viewed as part of the MoMA series “Poverty Row.”) Written about in the Siren’s roundup of this series at the Village Voice. Tonka of the Gallows (Tonka Sibenice, directed by Karel Anton, 1930. Viewed as part of MoMA’s series “Ecstasy and Irony: Czech Cinema, 1927–1943.”) The Siren wrote her heart out about this one at her Film Comment blog. Honorable mention, among many others seen and enjoyed: I Knew Her Well (Antonio Pietrangeli, Italy 1965) Kristian (Martin Fric, Czechoslovakia, 1939) Happy Journey (Otakar Vavra, Czechoslovakia 1943) False Faces (Lowell Sherman, U.S. 1932) Sword of Doom (Kihachi Okamoto, Japan 1966) Black Gravel (Helmut Kautner, Germany, 1961. Note: This one is not for dog lovers.)