Cinemascope

Thank you for that link. Does it predate the film version of the musical?

> I just get irritated when people praise foreign films > as if they are the end-all in greatness. We have > turned out some great ones ourselves. > > Anne Anne, hun, yes there have been some good movies like the ones you mentioned... the problem, and it's particularly acute in the last decade or two, is that for every one of those movies, there'll be 2 or maybe 3 dozen of garbage movies. And I don't think anyone here (certainly not me!) intended to imply that foreign-language films are "the end-all in greatness". Again it's a matter of taste, but a lot of people find in foreign-language films an oasis from the mainstream, mechanical Hollywood movie that has become the norm in the U.S. Doesn't mean every single foreign-language film is a masterpiece, either, but the ones that do play in the U.S. generally are among the best in film production from all over the world.

Like you, I'll watch just about anything JN does. As far as the Oscar show... well don't ask me why, but I think it's kind of become an Oscar tradition to have constant shots of him in the audience, even if he's not nominated and regardless of whether or not he's presenting any awards. I am glad he is only playing a terminally ill man, although I guess that these days, most movie stars don't get sick without the media finding out about it very fast, so I kinda figured it had to be related to some film role...

Thanks for sharing, Holly. It's sad she died so young...

Haven't been to Texas in ages -- would love to be in Austin for SXSW one of these years... when do they have that, again?

I'm talking about the live action movies, which is why it would be under foreign-language films If it were the animated ones it would go under "animation".

Well, it was thoughtful of you to post it, anyhow!

With the official announcement by WHV that they'll be rescuing Royal Wedding from public-domain hell, there are at least three really good titles being "rescued" this year, the other two being Fox's The Little Princess with Shirley Temple and The Snows of Kilimanjaro with Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner. DVDBeaver.com has recently posted screenshots of the new Snows of Kilimanjaro from Fox home video, and the difference between the 'official' release and the horrible public-domain versions is like night and day! Check it out for yourself: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews28/snows_of_kilimanjaro.htm

Awesome summary! Thanks for posting!

Ill-will in Hollywood toward Marty? Not likely, since most of the elegible Academy members must have voted for him and for The Departed.

Aside from documentaries that exist, you may also find useful information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technicolor

Ah that was such a lovely film! Maggie Smith totally deserved the Oscar for that one!

> You and I don't agree on this subject. That's fine. > There's plenty we don't agree on. This is just one > more subject. Last time I checked, I was far from the only person who lamented the state of American filmmaking today... it's true the statement may apply to the average film, and it goes without saying that there are some good films still being made in the U.S., but that they're few and far between. I'm sure you'd agree the average movie shown on TCM is better than the average movie being shown in U.S. multiplexes today, wouldn't you?

Awesome, thanks for the update shearerchic. Any word on the possible Andy Hardy DVD set?

What you say isn't necessarily true, either, I don't think many Italians had watched "Rawhide". In any event, as I already explained to Izcutter, I don't see why you'd interpret the word unknown in the most literal sense.... yes, in terms of filmmaking, he was as much of an unknown as anyone can be and still get a lead role in a low-budget movie... point being, he wasn't famous like he is today. If you feel it is necessary to qualify that by saying relative unknown, then we're past the point of discussing cinema and we've steered into a semantics discussion. At any rate, I don't think Leone would have paid much attention to anything he said. He also didn't listen to Eli Wallach about shielding horses' ears when they were going to be shooting in their direction, which could actually have resulted in serious injuries to Wallach. So it really doesn't sound to me like Leone was very open to suggestions as to how to shoot his films.

I am not into gangster movies. Well, what about The Age of Innocence, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, The Last Temptation of Christ, After Hours, New York Stories, The King of Comedy, Bringing out the Dead, The Aviator and New York, New York? Those weren't gangster movies, were they?

I think I managed to see this theaterically, not sure if it was a festival or a regular engagement. Should love a repeat viewing. And you're right about the pleasure of listening to Scorsese -- how many of his own movies has he done audio commentaries for? Hasn't he recorded some commentaries for some P&P movies?

Izcutter, hun, nobody is saying that there aren't ANY good films being made and released in America. Nobody, absolutely nobody, as far as I can see in this thread. What we've said is that the quality of the average movie has decreased since the Golden Era... yes, there may have been a second Golden Era, but nonetheless, look at the average movie being made in Hollywood today... American Gigolo, Beerfest, Jackass, etc. Good American movies are few and far between... and every day more, people looking for intelligent, mature and original movies are increasingly turning to British, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, French, Italian or Spanish movies -- or movies from other countries, even. And of course that movies reflect at least in part the movies that "click" with the public, and the expectations of those who finance them to make as much of a profit as they can... those things we can usually just take for granted, and will probably hold true for the indefinite future.

Oh I wish I could watch it in a theater, too!

So you're saying that everyone in the U.S. feels the same way? Funny, because I don't. I like movies primarily for artistic, cultural, and sociological reasons. I am perfectly aware that the people who finance movies see it primarily as a business, but the people who finance movies also happen to be a small minority in relation to all movie goers.

> 1. I submit that if under any circumstances, watching > TV is a task, it's either not worth watching, or over > one's head. Wrong. It can be a task and yet have absolutely nothing to do with whether it's worth watching or over one's head. Main Entry: 1task Pronunciation: 'task Function: noun Etymology: Middle English taske, from Middle French dialect (Picardy, Flanders) tasque, from Medieval Latin tasca tax or service imposed by a feudal superior, alteration of *taxa, from taxare to tax 1 a : a usually assigned piece of work often to be finished within a certain time b : something hard or unpleasant that has to be done c : DUTY, FUNCTION 2 : subjection to adverse criticism : REPRIMAND -- used in the expressions to take, call, or bring to task synonyms TASK, DUTY, JOB, CHORE, STINT, ASSIGNMENT mean a piece of work to be done. TASK implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance . DUTY implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance . JOB applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance . CHORE implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm . STINT implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service . ASSIGNMENT implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority . > 2. Communication (by definition) is a two way street > and there's very little interactive television that > I'm aware of save for voting for someone on a > "reality" show. Even Newton Minnow, the first > chairman of the FCC, described TV as a "vast > wasteland." Maybe you've never heard of PBS, let > alone support it by contributing you dollars to it. > The MacNeil/Lehrer Report "might" have been > educational and informative but perhaps you didn't > see it that way, or see it at all. Communication is anything that communicates, it doesn't have to be a two-way street. Isn't all mass media part of modern communication? And I actually didn't mention PBS because I didn't think you would have heard of it. But if you have heard of it, then you should already know that TV can be used for educational purposes, which would contradict your earlier statement. > 3. It was exactly what I said earlier. Whether it was > a wise use of your time only you can decide. Yes, and it still isn't any of your business. > 4. I see, when Roger Ebert says it it's criticism. > When I say it, I'm "knocking" it. (And I'm sure that > in the days to come you'll find just as many people > "knocking" the Oscar telecast as praising it. And > that has nothing to do with who won or lost.) No, you were knocking people simply for doing their jobs. > 5. You're evidently (in the truest sense of the word) > not gracious enough to accept a compliment when it's > directed your way. Which compliment was it? > 7. I wasn't referring to a glut of classic movies > being broadcast or discussed, I was referring to the > way you always seem to have something to say > regardless of the subject, and unless I'm reading a > language that I don't understand, I'm far from being > the only one that feels that way. The subjects all have to do with movies... I like movies of all kinds, genres, and from all time periods... so what's wrong with that? > 8. My opinions, with regard to the Oscar telecast and > to film critics (in general) have been echoed by > several people whose opinions I respect highly. When > something I've said generates a similar response from > someone with far more experience than me, and from > someone in the film industry in particular, I take > that as a compliment and wear it like a feather in my > cap. Yes, but earlier you said nobody should voice their opinion unless they're asked. > 10. I know you won't excuse me for saying this, but, > you talk too much. Way too much. Almost 2,000 > postings in less than 6 months? Please, quality vs > quantity. Economies of scale don't apply here. Ah, I see, we have a self-appointed moderator now...

I won't call you crazy -- but the quality of the average American movie has decreased significantly since the Golden Era...

> Great to be patriotic and loyal, but I would hope not > "blindly," and you'd have to be blind to claim that > the American movies you're seeing are as good as the > foreign? Ditto.

Well, what a lucky fella!

> Kyle: > > Thank you, I had heard that SAG and AMPAS were > basically U.S. orientated, thus my confusion of all > the nominations for foreign films. There used to be > a category for foreign produced and language films > which separated them from U.S. offerings. i.e. the > Academy was for American crafters, not foreign. "Used to be"? The Academy still gives out an Oscar for "Best foreign-language movie", which in this day and age could just as easily be an American movie such as Letters from Iwo Jima or Apocalypto -- they're both American films in a foreign language. Nor is the rest of the Oscars meant exclusively for American films, just for English-language films, so it can include English-language movies from England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, etc. > Cinemascope: > > Thanks for the psuedo-history lesson about foreign > trade barriers and free trade. What do you think the > Revolutionary War was about, sometime back around > 1776 or so? Ah, but things have changed a bit since 1776. > As for isolation, I believe in buy American in cars, > clothes, movies, gymshoes, and candy. I'm not an > isolationist, I simply believe in 'See America > first', as in Mount Rushmore and Broadway, before the > Swiss Alps or Piccadilly Circus in London. My > generation also thought we had a good thing going > with foreign problems with our foreign aid programs > and such, especially after the Berlin Wall was torn > down, and the cold war ended. Mine was the first > generation to visit China and Russia. Nobody has a > lock on safety and freedom, 911 proved that. With > each generation one thing gets settled, then another > yo-yo decides he's going to become the King of > the World!!! I'm pretty well versed in Italian, > Polish, Irish, Scottish, English, Mexican, and Greek > cultures due to a very large extended family. So > don't preach to me about the need for education in > various cultures. Yes, you have every right to your own preferences and prejudices, however a celebration of all the best movies in the world necessarily has to include movies made in and by people of many other countries, including Britain, Mexico, Japan, Germany, etc.