Cinemascope

No, it isn't hot, certainly can't imagine a Finnish movie being "hot" in any literal way. It is however quite touching, and IMHO one of Kaurismaki's best.

There's definitely something to be said for ambiguous endings. That's part of what makes some movies memorable, like The Graduate.

Ever watch Aki Kaurismaki's The Match Factory Girl?

I've generally enjoyed the few classic movies long enough to truly warrant intermissions, and having a chance to experience them in theaters is always nice! You can often find other movie fans during the intermission who may have interesting anecdotes to tell -- it's happened to me more than once.

No, your "point" was trying to make sweeping generalizations about everyone in a given profession using innuendo and lies. The fact that there are a few bad apples -- as there are in every profession -- doesn't really prove your point. Note also that I said "usually". As you might have heard, some studios have simply made up quotes and used names of "critics" that didn't exist -- all so they could have some enthusiastic quotes in their movie ads. So that proves that even in some cases, they have to make up false names because they can't find anyone willing to be wildly enthusiastic about certain movies.

It's DeMille at his finest -- and Charlton Heston isn't bad either. Absolutely loved watching it at a revival theater and enjoying the audience reactions. Can't even began to imagine what impact it might have made on viewers when it was brand new, and this was part of the long drive to get people out of their living rooms and away from TV's.

Now you're talking generalities (rather than false accusations) since these things apply equally to anyone in the media. And even more so in the case of actors and directors -- I'm sure you'd appreciate the difference between someone who is a SAG member and can barely get by, and those famous stars who can command $20 million plus points when they negotiate for a movie?

It's all fun to make completely unsubstantiated accusations about the integrity of members of the press without offering any evidence whatsoever, isn't it? Maybe you don't understand that the critics whose names are most influential are already paid well enough and when a studio needs wildly enthusiastic quotes, they will usually find someone willing to say something nice to get their name in the movie ads. But again, I'm sure it's much easier to make totally irresponsible accusations without the slightest bit of proof.

Well wasn't it distributed by UA?

I don't think anyone's actually said there was.

Yes, the statement is based on factual information. But since when do you have to take into account how much money a person makes to determine whether or not you'd like to hear what they have to say about the arts? What about basing our opinions about actors and directors based on how much money they make? Will you enjoy a comedy more knowing that the comic was paid $20 million dollars for 3 months' work?

Well it isn't just the Academy. I'm not saying everyone and their mum should love her. Having said that I find a lot to admire in someone who's had the talent to continue receiving interesting roles well past the age when most women in Hollywood can aspire to even getting leading parts! So if she wore a potato sack to the Oscars, I'd just admire her even more. She's a wonderful role model, all fashion considerations aside. P.S. No, jeans might be a tad too casual, but anything short of that, I can totally dig!

In any event if you wished to see the movie again (I'm assuming you didn't record ) it is scheduled to show again in May.

And why should everyone favor style over comfort? I admire her even more for being secure enough about herself to not really care about fashion *or* style!

Well the most revealing moment fashion-wise, if you'll pardon the pun, is the one that prompted David Niven to make a quip about some chap's "shortcomings"!

It's OK to forget things sometimes

Mark your calendars! Gene Kelly's SOTM salute kicks off March 5th, with: Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer For Me and My Gal DuBarry was a Lady Summer Stock Thousands Cheer Words and Music Invitation to the Dance and Les Girls

Maybe from a fashion perspective, it was. But maybe she just picked whatever was most comfortable!

"It would hardly be fair of me to say" j/k -- but scroll down past the SPOILER ALERT! .. .. She picked the one with the cane.

Funny how many reacted to MS's dress. It didn't really catch my eye at first -- when she's on camera, I'd rather be looking at her face. But in hindsight, I think it makes perfect sense... to me it is a way of saying, "I'm MS, and here's how much I care about fashion!"

I liked the NYT review of the film... if anyone else is interested, here it is: Since Hollywood's movie makers have been fascinated lately by mental trauma, it is not surprising that Britain's producers should also delve into the mysteries of the mind. And "The Seventh Veil," which had its American premi?re at the Winter Garden yesterday, is both an intelligent and engrossing case history and an example of the adroit blending of the pictorial and musical media. As indicated by the poetic title, the mind, unlike fabled Salome, is obstinately modest. The lifting of the last veil from the burdened brain of the film's heroine, a concert pianist tortured by complexes, makes for subtle and often exciting drama. As much a meticulous dissertation on psychotherapy as it is on character, "The Seventh Veil" probes for the reasons for Francesca Cunningham's suicide attempt and subsequent silence. Feasibly and deftly, an eminent psychiatrist, abetted by narcohypnosis, reveals here secrets and inhibitions. Unfolded in flashback is such telitale evidence as the caning of her hands at school, two unfortunate love affairs and her strange subservience to her cousin-guardian, a Svengali-like esthete. Apart from a few circuitous and overlong sequences, "The Seventh Veil" is a suspenseful and unusual treatment of a challenging theme and the denouement is, oddly enough, both surprising and sensible. Ann Todd, whose hair-do and facial contours are vaguely reminiscent of Greta Garbo, gives a restrained and sensitive portrayal of the mentally harried pianist. And, since Eileen Joyce, a British concert artist, actually plays the piano classics, music lovers should not find these sequences inadequate. James Mason, as Miss Todd's brooding, crippled mentor, and Herbert Lom, as the doctor, who gives her surcease finally, head the uniformly fine cast. In importing "The Seventh Veil" Universal has added a genuinely intriguing offering to the film scene. At the Winter Garden THE SEVENTH VEIL; original story and screen play by Muriel and Sydney Box; directed by Compton Bennett; produced in England by Mr. Box and distributed here by Universal Pictures. Francesca Cunningham . . . . . Ann Todd Nicholas . . . . . James Mason Dr. Larsen . . . . . Herbert Lom Peter Gay . . . . . Hugh McDermott Maxwell Leyden . . . . . Albert Lieven Susan Brook . . . . . Yvonne Owen and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arnold Goldsborough and Muir Mathieson.

Golddiggers are fun!

That sounds like a lot of bunk

Oh, the cinematography is definitely gorgeous.

I liked the long hair on the side, too!