MissGoddess
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Posts posted by MissGoddess
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> I do agree with that. What I liked was the entire feel of the era, particularly the "regular folk."
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Was it ever real. Even the veteran performers were the kind that look like every day folk. Some of the small parts wouldn't surprise me if they'd been real townspeople.
> It depends on how it's used. Violence with an emotional impact is what gets me. This film has that in spades.
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It really was. I true "cautionary tale".
> There is a certain expectancy with western violence, plus it feels like a foreign world. But to see violence in an urban setting makes it feel all the more real.
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That's a good point.
> I am! I can't believe she had the energy to watch it so late and then to look up all she did. That really tells you how much the film impacted her.
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My first instinct was to recoil from all I'd just seen and want to put it behind me. But I admit I was curious and the thought had crossed my mind to "google" a little more...I wanted to know what happened to "Rhett" (still can't get over that name). I'm glad Ro did it for me!
What for you was the strongest scene?
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> {quote:title=FrankGrimes wrote:}{quote}*that's putting it mildly. like i told ro, the intro works because it really sows the seed in your mind that what you're watching is the true deal.*
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> It really does. But I really struggled with the opening. It was draining me.
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I reminded me of *Captive City*, but it was afterward that realized what a great set-up it really was. The movie would not have impacted me nearly as much without it.
> I'm going to try and watch that later this week. I'm impressed by your giving *The Phenix City Story* another look.
Why? You're so crazy about violent movies. It's funny, I bet I see Matt Dillon kill more people in one of his half-hour western shows than in this whole movie, but it isn't nearly as harrowing. You should be impressed that Rohanka stayed up so late and did all that research.
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> You've got that right. *The Big Heat* is more of a dramatic film whereas *The Phenix City Story* has a strong documentary feel to it.
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that's putting it mildly. like i told ro, the intro works because it really sows the seed in your mind that what you're watching is the true deal. What a difference between this and *The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg*...I know which I prefer to watch!
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> It's basically a gangster film, how the boys from the neighborhood either stay clear of the town's way or they go work for the town. And sometimes you are forced to work in that world because it's all there is for you.
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Yes, they provided employment and attracted crowds, tourists, soldiers on leave.
> There's no way I could have kept my family in such a town. But that's how they get you. They push you out of your own home through fear. The "*Big Heat*."
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It's very similar, though the real-life aspects made this movie harder to sit through.
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That's one of the many moments that had me in tears!!! You just knew by some way I can't explain that this moment they were sharing was ephemeral, was not destined to last; it was inextricably tied with the quicksilver of youth and first love. When Lubitsch took Kathi back to that hill, and the tree was bare, and no stars in the sky....boo hooo!!!!
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> {quote:title=FrankGrimes wrote:}{quote}*I just finished* *The Phenix City Story. Why do you like it so much?*
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> I was greatly taken by how brutal the violence is depicted in the film. It's a film that really does grab you by the throat. I always like the story of minority versus majority and how those in power will stop at nothing to remain in power. Intimidation through violence is a tough one to stand up to. I really liked the ending. To see the non-violent response to the violent one was very pleasing.
Having seen it twice I'm still reeling by the impact of the brutality, the way the "machine", the syndicate, had absolutely no qualms, no hesitation...not one of them...to do or authorize doing the most vicious and savage acts. I was surprised that Rhett (GASP!!! HOW can such a beast have my beloved's NAME?!) actually did one of the worst deeds himself. I'd forgotten about what happened to Ellie Rhodes. I can't believe how brave she was. I'd have lost my gizzards working in a place like The Poppy Club after some of the stuff that went on, let alone stay and spy on them. I mean...goodness gracious.
I sympathized with Mrs. John Patterson...I totally would have been the same...let's get the HECK out of this town!!!
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Howdy, Ro,
> Oh me, oh my youngun, that has been me all over today. It really IS very disturbing and I just am almost LIVID thinking of the scene w/ the poor little girl (and then the little boy right after) OH my golly, GUT-wrenching is not even the word for it.
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Those are the scenes that spurred my initial vow never to watch the movie again, and they are what stayed with me forever after when *The Phenix City Story* was mentioned. I kept wondering if those two kids that saw what happened, the ones playing John Patterson's kids, were traumatized for real after filming. I know I would have been!
> I have to say that for me what makes this movie so important to watch (and I know I am not the first to say this) is that it is based on an actual incident and not just the figment from the imagination of an author of some "gritty" crime novel.
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No kidding. i thought the way the movie was set-up, with the interviews in the front section, really puts firmly into your mind that all this was not only real, but "fresh" news at the time. Much more so than if all they'd done was written an opening saying "This is based on true events". By showing us the real folks involved, you feel much more the realistic impact of what follows in the "movie".
> Disturbing is not even the word for it when you think there really ARE monsters in the world (some even still walking the earth no doubt) that could have plotted and planned and schemed up so much violence to perpetrate on members of their own community. (not that it would be an excuse to visit such mayhem on strangers.. but it gives a whole new meaning to the utter darkness of a human soul that could do such things to people in their very own home town.. and in such an "in your face" and out in the open kind of way. With NO apology, even. What does it say about a group of people who could be so willing to behave that way so openly? I shudder to think of it.. and yet I know there are those who DO behave that way.. and make no bones about it.
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I know! They're bold faced, matter of fact way of handling just the slightest hesitation on any townsperson's part to "tow the line" was ghastly. They had no qualms about sending out henchmen to do the most heinous things. I liked what John Patterson, who'd just come back from the Nazi trials in Germany, said about how this wasn't happening in some third world dictatorship, but right here.
That Clem, oh goodness, I always though that actor, John Larch, played some vicious types in westerns (see Man in the Shadow where he plays another nefarious henchman) but this one beat the cake. I could NOT wait for SOMEONE to do him in.
> I know.. hey.. maybe I'll follow your lead (in the Rambles thread) and go watch a Doris film.. I don't know.. hmmmm. How about.. The Thrill of It All? The Glass Bottom Boat?? OH.. hoow about Send Me No Flowers??? Those ought to do it.. but wait.. OH no.. that's NOT gonna help.... EEEKKKK!!! Those movies may be ruined for me FOREVER now.. if only because they will remind me of... http://images.tvrage.com/screencaps/28/5574/173420.jpg
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LOL! Edward Andrews must have some special place in movie hall of fame as one of the most creepy villain players ever. He has played so MANY creeps I can't keep track of them. But his special gift is how he looks SO MUCH like thousands of small town muckety-mucks and business leaders. I was that surprised by how nice he was in *Send Me No Flowers* and he actually handed me some of the biggest laughs in that movie, playing Rock Hudson's (a hypochondriac) doctor. ("Doctor, it hurts every time I press here." "Then don't press there." hahahaaaaa! I don't know why that line kills me every time.)
> (OH, forevermore.. how can anyone so well known for his charcacters in THOSE kinds of movies STILL be so convincingly menacing?? May I just say.. dadgum!)
Let's see, *The Phenix City Story, Tea and Sympathy, The Unguarded Moment*...hmmm....plus countless TV appearances. Usually innocuous but it's his creeps that stand out for me.
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Ro I'm so glad you watched...something told me you would appreciate this super hard hitting movie. Not often does a crime film linger with with me but this one I can't shake off easily. I remember when I first saw it a couple of years ago I promised myself never to watch it again, it was so harsh. But I wanted to be able to discuss it here so I took the plunge one more time. I probably need to watch ten"fluffies" before I can return to normal, ha.
Edited by: MissGoddess on Jan 3, 2012 5:08 PM
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Hi, mimi...Randall was a class act. And who can forget his "Felix" in the television series "The Odd Couple".
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> It's a hard-hitting film noir with a documentary feel. Since Lively Gal liked *T-Men*, I think she may like *The Phenix City Story*. I'd say Quiet Gal may like it some, as well. It's on the brutal side. It's a rather shocking film.
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Man, I'm almost at the end and it's even more brutal than I remember. The one crime was so horrific it sort of blotted out all the others. Sheesh, I don't think you can get any scarier than this...and to think it's all stuff that really happened (happens). Talk about man's inhumanity to man...and woman....and child.
Be warned, people, this movie is harsh, not for the kiddies. Don't let the year it was made (1955) fool you into thinking it will be tame.
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I just finished *The Phenix City Story*. Why do you like it so much?
Edited by: MissGoddess on Jan 3, 2012 1:56 AM
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Wow, a Sherlock Holmes in third place, not bad.
I found *The Phenix City Story* on YouTube and figured I'd put it out here in case anyone else was interested. CinemAva I think would like it the most, if she hasn't seen it already.
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>> *1. Earrings of Madame de...*
> > *2. The Phenix City Story*
> > *3. The Scarlet Claw*
> > *4. Great Expectations*
> > *5. Along Came Jones*
> > *6. A Day at the Races*
> > *7. The Last Sunset*
> > *8. Me and My Gal*
> > *9. The Pearl of Death*
> > *10. The Tattered Dress*
> > *11. Safe in Hell*
> > *12. Wife vs. Secretary*
> > *13. Plymouth Adventure*
> >
> > If your conversation and inclination permits, I am curious about your thoughts of *"The Tattered Dress" "The Last Sunset" and "The Earrings of Madame de..."*
> >
I'm just bumping this back up. Frank why don't you put the two lists together?
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I think we've all felt that way reading your posts!
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"It's no use my dear, he doesn't understand you."
I know just how she feels.
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> What?! You just want a man to kill himself over you!
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No, for goodness sake. It's a glorious character. So human yet great.
> *Did you watch it yet?*
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I guess that means yes!
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Cinemava, you should watch *Contraband*, you might like it.
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> {quote:title=FrankGrimes wrote:}{quote}*And your assignment, if you choose to accept it, is to watch an earlier movie with a similar scenario and Conrad Veidt as its leading man,* *Dark Journey (1937). I can't say the movie is nearly as good as the P&P film, it's not half as imaginatively shot or written, but it does have the advantage in its leading lady.
* >
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<swoon>! Sydney Carton...now there's a man. I have to get this DVD, I think. I'm in tears just thinking about him. Did you watch it yet?
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> It's a very familiar scene to reality, Isabella.
Both sexes start to feel less when we become jealous of another who is different than us and who has captured the attention of the one we love. I definitely liked that scene. I really do love seeing jealousy and insecurity.>
Not just different, better!
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> Wedgwood eyes? Huh? Women like Isabella really are frightening. They often expect everything to be handed to them. Yuck! I prefer Susan.
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Is she so different from Francie Stevens?
> He's been a joy to watch as Sherlock. He's brilliant. I only have one to watch.
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I can't really get into anyone else as Sherlock as much as I can Basil. He adds such a flair and is so dynamic.
> Right. He wasn't completely driven by anger and hate. He still possesses a compassion for humanity.
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The killer that has more compassion than the community.
> That's a very good point. The Civil War really is used in westerns as World War II is with dramas. It's all about the returning soldier. But the difference seems to be what side you fought on with the westerns. That's something far different with World War II.
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That's very true.
> It's as CineMaven perfectly described: "Sort of like, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
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Yes! Perfectly said.
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> But what's great about it in *Invitation to a Gunfighter* is that the backdrop is racially motivated. It becomes tribal.
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That's true, though you get the feeling that vested interests, business types are also under fire. That handmaiden of modern society, the middle man, as so perfectly illustrated by slimy Strother.
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I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Jackie. *Lover Come Back* is my favorite, actually, though it's a toss up sometimes. I really love Tony Randall, his character breaks me up. And Doris' wardrobe, of course.
You have to see *Pillow Talk* for Thelma Ritter if nothing else. And Doris' apartment.I finally saw Lubitsch's *The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg*. I was so moved by it! I wasn't sure if I was going to like the movie, despite my love for Lubitsch, but it's the most emotional film by him I've seen. I was crying buckets. It was great, just great.
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*Ben*, *Ben*, Ben! We mustn't forget him and his place riding across Monument Valley and Moab like the western wind. It was great seeing him on the big screen in a leading role, as Travis Blue in *Wagon Master*.
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Some of the shots were extremely expressionistic. I really enjoyed the look of the film. And I agree the best part is that it's a fun adventure.
Valerie is so skinny I immediately went on a diet seeing her.
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> {quote:title=FrankGrimes wrote:}{quote}*You know, Valerie wasn't at all like what I anticipated and I liked her a lot. It's a spirited, daring character.*
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> I liked her, too. And I thought you would, as well. She was quite defiant to start. She wasn't going to be told what to do, even if it was best for her. Women!
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> *Frank's right, it reminds me of the Hitch films like The Lady Vanishes or* *The 39 Steps or even later films like the 007 series.*
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> It's very Hitchcockian, especially his 30s films. The urban underground always fascinates me.
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> *Contraband is more playful and fun and of course, the photography is so imaginative. I love all the fog scenes...fog is such a great scene-setter! "Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"*
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> What did you think of Veidt?
I'll answer that after you've seen *Dark Journey*.
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You know, Valerie wasn't at all like what I anticipated and I liked her a lot. It's a spirited, daring character. Frank's right, it reminds me of the Hitch films like *The Lady Vanishes* or *The 39 Steps* or even later films like the 007 series. *Dark Journey* doesn't have that panache, unfortunately, but I felt more depth between Veidt and Leigh, maybe because she goes from almost being cold and businesslike, to so emotional. *Contraband* is more playful and fun and of course, the photography is so imaginative. I love all the fog scenes...fog is such a great scene-setter! "Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"
* 
The Annual FrankGrimes Torture Thread
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> I really didn't know the performers with the exception of Richard Kiley and John McIntire. Although, I had just seen Edward Andrews in *The Tattered Dress*.
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You haven't seen *Send Me No Flowers*, then.
> And you say I'm shiftless!
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Not shiftless, I just don't enjoy watching brutality.
> It's definitely the child scene, but I knew about that before I watched the film thanks to Martin Scorsese's documentary. The other scene I really like is at the very end with the Wards, particularly Helen (Helen Martin). And I just realized she's the elderly lady in the TV show 227! This was his first role.
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You mean hers? James Edwards had already done a few movies, starting with *The Set-Up*.
Biff McGuire (Ellie's boyfriend) is in a few "Alfred Hitchcock Presents".