Arkadin

One of the most striking aspects of THE INVISIBLE MAN to me is Claude Rains performance. Here is an actor who is unable to use his face (and many times his body as well), but is able to create all kinds of emotion and sentiment by simply using his voice. While this was not uncommon in radio, it was astonishing in a medium where the transition to sound was still quite new and audiences were used to depending on their eyes rather than their ears. Rains ability combined with Whale's direction and special effects (which still look astonishing by today's standards) made for a very special film unlike anything of its time.

Credit must go to Dewey, who was my guide and introduced me to quite a few of those films. Take a bow Mr. D!

Obviously Mr. Farr needs to dig a little deeper. Noir is quite a popular subject these days with more resources available than ever before. In that light, he really has no excuse for not doing his homework. I'll try and keep this within the "classic" era: ACT OF VIOLENCE (1948) PITFALL (1948) THE GIRL IN BLACK STOCKINGS (1957)* THREE STRANGERS (1946) THE BIG KNIFE (1955)* IL BIDONE (1955) CORNERED (1945) LE CORBEAU (1943) BIG HOUSE USA (1955) AFFAIR IN TRINIDAD (1952) THE LOCKET (1946) THE SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR (1947) THE VERDICT (1946) TRY AND GET ME (1950) MURDER BY CONTRACT (1958) CONFLICT (1945) JOHNNY O' CLOCK (1947) PUSHOVER (1954)* DIAL 1119 (1950) THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (1948) NIGHTFALL (1957) THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK (1941) POSSESSED (1947) THE GOOD DIE YOUNG (1954) THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF UNCLE HARRY (1945) EDGE OF DOOM (1950) DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD (1954) SOUL OF A MONSTER (1944) HOUSE BY THE RIVER (1949) NAKED ALIBI (1954) RIFIFI (1955) CRY TERROR (1958) I could go on and on, but I think my point is made. * Showing Soon on TCM

Tony Brtko is a simple man. He wants nothing to do with Nazis or Allies. He just wants to live his life and be left alone with his dog. He will soon become a man of property however, and although The Shop On Main Street (1964)(showing tonight on TCM) deals with a physical location, Tony soon realizes he?s not simply selling material goods, but his own heart and soul. This funny/heartbreaking tale, set in German occupied Slovakia, during WW2, is perhaps one of the deepest investigations into morality, race relations, and self-preservation. When his party member brother-in-law acquires a Jewish shop for him to run, Tony quickly jumps at the chance. The previous owner of the shop, an elderly Jewish woman with bad hearing misunderstands his duty as "Aryan Controller" and thinks he is her new assistant! Tony soon learns there is no money here. The woman is so poor that the other Jews subsidize her. Slowly, bonds of friendship form between them and they grow attached and dependent upon each other. When the call comes that the Jews must be loaded on trains and shipped out to the death camps, Tony must make a decision and stand upon it one way or another. Shop and Closely Watched Trains (1965) another standout Czech film, have much in common in the fact that they are both about WW2, use satire and humor, and deal with common people who must come to terms with where their morality and consciences lie. Although both of these films are set in the Second World War, they are actually criticisms of communism and Russia, which controlled Czechoslovakia at that time. That this film could be made little more than a decade after Stalin died (and slipped passed the censors) is flabbergasting. That it is also a great work of art and a touching portrait of humanity is more incredible still. While sometimes labeled a holocaust movie, TSOMS is really not about the Jewish Holocaust or Nazi's, but the hearts and minds of those who stood by and allowed it to happen. The film explores a single man's conscience. Tony does not care about the war or people--only how it affects him personally. He begins exploiting the Jewish woman and taking money from the other Jews just as any Nazi would, but as he gets to know her, he begins to see her as a person. This great dilemma is the heart of the film: Should he try to save her, or protect himself? Can he as a human recognize another as human and watch them be slaughtered? Tony's dog is prominently shown to be a very loving companion. He actually has a better relationship with his dog than his wife. This is not coincidence. If he can treat a dog like a human--can he treat a human like a dog? The Shop On Main Street might not answer all these questions, but the film does define that responsibility does not lie with nations or corporations, but individuals. It suggests the evil that happens in our world has more to do with our own complacency and self-absorption than hatred of our fellow man. Tony?s unwillingness to choose sides does not define him as neutral, but worse than his oppressors who actually believe in their cause. In a shrinking world of globalization, Shop?s relevancy continues to grow as we discover that it is indeed our own passions or disinterest that create change--of which we must all give account.

I like Tati very much. The man was a genius with sight gags and Mon Oncle (1958) is one of my absolute favorite films of all time. Sometimes I think American audiences expect him to be more like Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd, or other silent masters and feel let down by the lack of action in his character. Although Tati was no slouch at physical comedy, Hulot's nature has always been introspective. In a world of changing technology, morals, and loyalty, he is a plumb line of the human heart, showing us the individualism, honor, and kindness of man. Hulot's ability to thrive in such desolate surroundings comforts us that all is not lost and perhaps simple goodness can indeed brighten up a drab existence--or send it into chaos.

I've been working most of the day. Got a link?

Cool. Let me know what you think.

Ed, Glad you dug WHITE HEll. Yes, Kino has restored most of AF's "mountain film" work and you can see why these pictures were so popular. If you haven't seen LR's THE BLUE LIGHT (1932), by all means do so. It has much of this type of scenery, but with a fairy tale feel.

Let me know what you think when you get around to it.

If you liked that one, you might enjoy THE WHITE HELL OF PITZ PALU (1929), also starring LR.

Herzog. Anyone who can eat his own shoe and make a film out of it (directed by his friend Les Blank), has the vision and scope to direct anything.

Hi BenHur, DOWNFALL (2004) is a great film. Here's a review I did awhile back: ?I didn?t realize that fate would lead me somewhere I didn?t want to be. I walked by a memorial plate of Sophie Scholl in the Franz-Joseph-Strasse. I saw that she was about my age and she was executed in the same year I came to Hitler. And at that moment I actually realised that a young age isn?t an excuse.??Traudl Junge One of the last living survivors of Hitler?s staff, Traudl Junge was the Fuhrer?s personal secretary. At 22, she was very young and did not see or know about his atrocities. When Adolf Hitler moved to his special bunker under the streets of Berlin, Junge lived with him and personally witnessed the events of Downfall. This epic film (showing on TMC 8/11) follows the last days of the leader of the National Socialist Party as he slips into disillusion and finally madness as mortars rain down upon his hiding place. Unlike Saving Private Ryan (1998) this film does not try to manipulate our emotions, rather it presents an unbiased view of WWII from both sides. Junge, in the documentary Blind Spot (2003) (the basis for this film and a fine companion piece), shares personal insights into Hitler?s warmth and kindness as well as coldness. We are given for the first time, a balanced picture of this complex man who was a monster, yet somehow induced millions to follow him with an unbelievable fanaticism?the majority to their own deaths. To see his gentleness with Traudl and children and then hear him make calm statements such as: ?Compassion is an eternal sin. To feel compassion for the weak is a betrayal of nature.? --is to see a man whose thoughts and actions were totally unhinged from reality. And yet this is realism. I doubt a more accurate factual picture of WWII has ever been made. The cinematography is wonderful. Shooting in the cramped space of the bunkers and wonderful sets gives us an enclosed trapped feeling and action above ground is especially well done. Special effects are here, but they never take the viewer out of the story, they simply enhance it. Seeing young children (from the Hitler Youth Organization) building barricades and shouldering rifles and grenade launchers taller than themselves is a sobering experience. Naturally a great film has nothing if the acting is not well played and believable. If you only know Bruno Ganz from the romantic Wings of Desire (1987), prepare yourself for a shock. His portrayal of Adolf Hitler is one of the most realistic interpretations of a public figure ever committed to celluloid. To see him raving and screaming or crying softly when he knows the war is lost forever is an experience few will ever forget. Alexandra Maria Lara is no less haunting as Junge. She has many parts and scenes where there is no dialogue, but she lets us know what her character is feeling or thinking. The fact that Traudl has our heart and sympathy is a credit to her subtleness with the role. Downfall is not a happy feel good movie. It is instead a testament of a man and his vision of life that almost destroyed one nation and had designs on the rest of us as well. War is never honorable or glamorous, but is sometimes a necessity and inevitability.

Has anybody else seen this documentary about Mark Borchardt trying to make his low budget horror film COVEN? If not, you are missing a hilarious trainwreck with offbeat characters in the truest sense of the word. Rather than try and explain this mess, I leave you with a few clips: Original Trailer: http://youtube.com/watch?v=zCIxYfig04k Mark's best friend and sometime actor Mike Schank:

Here's an old list I did (2005?) that I drag out and post each year in honor of those who serve and risk their lives for our freedoms--past and present. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) Based on Erich Maria's Remarque's classic WW1 novel, this movie follows the lives of German schoolboys as they join for a noble cause, only to find the slaughter of no mans land. As one man says "...we sleep and eat with death. We're done for because you can't live that way and keep anything inside you". The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) The touching story of three veterans return from WW2, one of the men Homer Parrish, is played by a real veteran (Harold Russell--the only man to win 2 Academy awards for the same part) with no hands who sits at the piano with Jazz legend Hoagy Carmichael and plays "chopsticks" as a poigant tribute to the resolve of our American spirit and its cost. Gregg Tolland's subtle deep focus shots allowed for more expression and reaction from the actors. A complex and moving story that swept the Oscars in '46. King Rat (1965) James Clavell's autobigraphical novel about life in a Japanese POW camp is toned down a bit for the screen here, but loses none of it's intensity. Much of the credit goes to George Segal and Tom Courtney as Corporal "King" who lives a privileged life at the camp, and Lt. Grey who is determined to destroy him. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) An amazing anime film about 2 Japanese children who must fend for themselves when their parents and home are taken from them. A complex take on the victors and the victims--not for children!! Open City (1945) Roberto Rosselini's film about the Italian resistance movement was actually made while the country was still under occupation. The whole film has a gritty newsreel look about it that definitely influenced Schindler's List (1993). The sight of Anna Magnani being mowed down by SS machine gun fire is one of the great shots of cinema. Shoah (1985) This 4 DVD documentary of the holocaust would take up your whole weekend! Done over a 10 year period, interviews were conducted with camp survivors, German camp guards, commandants, and people in the towns nearby who knew of what was going on, but were powerless to stop it or sided with the Nazi's. No corpses or other unsightly shots are seen. Just people telling their story (or nightmare) in front of the camera. The Grand Illusion (1937) "In 1936 I made a picture named La Grande Illusion in which I tried to express all my deep feelings about the cause of peace. Three years later, the war broke out". Jean Renoir's classic film about the illusion of class and honor in WW1, is not just a great war movie, but one of the greatest films ever made. Many works such as Casablanca (1942) and The Great Escape (1963) have copied whole sequences from this film. Cross of Iron (1976) Orson Welles once called Cross of Iron "The greatest antiwar film ever made". High praise indeed. Set in 1943, the Germans are losing the war on the Russian front. A new power hungry commander arrives to take charge of the retreating German army. His opposition is Sgt. Stiener (an Oscar worthy performance by James Coburn) who is more concerned about the lives of his men than winning medals. Other great films you might investigate: The Story of G.I. Joe (1945) Murphy's War (1971) Pride of the Marines (1945) The Deer Hunter (1978) Lifeboat (1943) Paths of Glory (1957) Schindler's list (1993) Three Comrades (1938) The Manchurian Candidate (1962) The Killing Fields (1984) The Battle of Algiers (1966) Battleship Potemkin (1925) Glory (1989) The Big Parade (1925) Shame (1968) Mother Night (1996) The Mortal Storm (1940) Das Boot (1982) Edge of Darkness (1943) Downfall (2004) The Life and Death of Col. Blimp (1943) Blind Spot (2002) Barbed Wire (1927) The 49th Parallel (1941) The Last Flight (1931)

If you enjoyed THE MORTAL STORM (1940), check out Borzage and Sullavan's THREE COMRADES (1938).

Or perhaps this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JaQqWYD3EI&feature=related

SEVERAL FRIENDS is in the dual DVD set w/KOS. It's really a great deal for the money. Two full length films and four shorts.

Hi, you are looking for the films of Charles Burnett. They are all included in a dual DVD package: http://tinyurl.com/43k2k7 Here's an essay I did on the film when it showed: http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/click.jspa?searchID=189983&messageID=8041167 I love your username BTW.

Yes, Tina Louise is in GOD'S LITTLE ACRE and also showed up on TCM recently in DAY OF THE OUTLAW with Robert Ryan last month.

I've read it. Great little book by a wonderful writer who knows his films.

All you have to do is register and be a member--same as here. Many of the SSO regulars are also members here and Moira, who started the forum, writes here at TCM for Movie Morlocks. You can view the original thread here: http://silverscreenoasis.com/oasis/viewtopic.php?t=2106 and here is where the films are being debated and eliminated: http://silverscreenoasis.com/oasis/viewforum.php?f=51&sid=98bd9772671055fef4461b7a18b84009

Molo, if you've never seen FORCE OF EVIL, you owe it to yourself to check out this great little movie. We are in the middle of a noir contest at SSO and I listed FOE as my number one film. I also know Miss G. is a big fan of this one.

A man dear to my heart, Garfield is criminally underated and it's a shame that he has no boxset released to his name (ARE YOU LISTENING TCM?!). Warners never seemed to know what to do with this talented guy who was always behind Robinson, Bogart, and Raft in the casting line when it came to leads for pictures. While this led to some subpar films, ANYTHING with Garfield is worth viewing because of his skills as an actor and in some cases (Gentleman?s Agreement (1947)) he might be the only spark in a dreary film. I've read "Body and Soul". It's OK, but the best bio I've read about him was called "He Ran All the Way" by Robert Nott. Some of my favorites: FORCE OF EVIL (1948) SATURDAY'S CHILDREN (1940) OUT OF THE FOG (1941) FOUR DAUGHTERS (1938) CASTLE ON THE HUDSON (1940) BODY AND SOUL (1947) AIR FORCE (1943) HUMORESQUE (1946) THE SEA WOLF (1940) BLACKWELLS ISLAND (1939) THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946) THE BREAKING POINT (1950) HE RAN ALL THE WAY (1951) DANGEROUSLY THEY LIVE (1942) DUST BE MY DESTINY (1939) THE FALLEN SPARROW (1943) Look at that list and think about how many of those films are not available on DVD (Hello TCM?).

You have the makings of a great boxset right there (ARE YOU LISTENING TCM?) I'd also add EDGE OF DARKNESS (1943) to the mix.