Arkadin
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Posts posted by Arkadin
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Got a link to that CS? "Bitter Tea" is one of my faves.
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Contempt is one of my all-time favorites.
Lot's of movie refrences in this (I'm playing Dean Martin in "Some Came Running"), Fritz Lang saying "M" is his personal fave as well as his views on widescreen (Cinemascope is for shooting snakes and funerals (no offense CS)), and beautiful color shots.
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Personally, there is something about almost every genre I enjoy. I might like certain categories a bit more than others, but if it's well acted with a good storyline I usually enjoy it no matter what it is.
As for all the Mickey Rooney bashing, I can understand how the Hardy B-films might not be everyone's cup of tea, but the man is a fine actor. You only have to view "Requiem for a Heavyweight" (1962) to see his abilities.
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That's like asking me to name my favorite talking film--impossible.
Some of the ones that I regularly watch though:
The Penalty (1920)
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
The Temptress (1928)
City Lights (1930)
Foolish Wives (1922)
Sherlock Jr. (1924)
He Who Gets Slapped (1924)
Pandoras Box (1928)
Diary of a Lost Girl (1929)
The Fall of the House of Usher (1928)
Spies (1928)
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"Across 110th Street" (1972) is a very good film of that genre that is not corny at all. "Shaft" is not one of my personal favorites, but the music is great. I much prefer Gordon Parks earlier film "The Learning Tree" (1969) to "Shaft".
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Yep. AND IT'S FREE!
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Sweetsmell,
You will like Black Ceasar if you're into Blackxploitation, but just to let you know up front--it has a lot of offensive stereotypes and lines in it.
I'm glad to see "Act of Violence" (1948) coming back on. There are other good ones as well. As someone said it's a crazy list, but I always find some things to set the recorder for.
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The Big Knife is a great movie that for some reason receives almost no notice. Awesome film.
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Dreams and Dead Ends by Jack Shadoian
Film Noir The Dark Side of the Screen by Foster Hirsch
The Big Book of Noir by Lee Server
These are all good places to start. You might also check books on individual directors.
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"The Docks of New York" (1928) is a great film as is "Underworld" (1927). I am still waiting for "Dishonored" (1931) and "Shanghai Express" (1932) to come to DVD.
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We should turn this into the Peter Lorre appreciation thread!
My faves:
M (1931)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)
Mad Love (1935)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
Secret Agent (1935)
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
Three Strangers (1946)
The Verdict (1946)
The Beast with Five Fingers (1946)
The Face Behind the Mask (1941)
Hotel Berlin (1945)
Beat the Devil (1953)
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I would agree with you about "Long Days Journey". Lumet is very proud of that film and the performances are first rate, but he shot it in the dullest way imaginable, in my opinion.
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> What Classic Films Were Your Biggest Disappointment?
>
> I'll start:
>
> Casablanca - I thought it was boring - although it
> did have some great lines.
> Citizen Kane - I still can't stay awake for the whole
> movie - I've tried many times
Kane is one of the few films that actually lives up to it's hype in my opinion. It is certainly one of the most important films of the talking era.
The first couple of viewing's can be quite baffling though. We do not receive what we would normally expect from most movies. Like Thompson, we are given a jigsaw puzzle to play with and it does require our active participation.
I would encourage you to check out some info on the web or your local library (there are tons of film criticism and books on Kane) and revisit the film. When I first watched it I felt much the same as you. It really took several viewing's (over several years time) before I realized what I was looking at.
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I have always enjoyed musicals. My parents and grandparents were supporters of the theatre and their taking me to plays and musicals are some of my earliest memories.
There is a big difference between a live musical and a filmed one however, and while I can appreciate various things about a filmed musical, I much prefer the stage.
There are some I do enjoy such as "Love Me Tonight" (1932), "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" (1964), and of course "The Wizard of Oz" (1939). (I also love "The Red Shoes" (1948), but that's a ballet). Part of this I believe is because some of these films work better as movies than they might on stage (although with all the recent technology, that has changed quite a bit).
Another problem is the fact that after "Love Me" most film musicals were dubbed vocally. While I understand the technical reasons for this, I still can't help feeling a bit cheated. A legitimate triple threat (a person who acts, dances, and sings) has to have amazing stamina and lungpower to be able to pull off a great performance (and make it look effortless).
You have to have better than average pitch (which a lot of singers don't have). This is especially true if you are starting the tune before the orchestra. If you are sharp or flat the accompaniment will be completely off. You also have to be able to hold those long notes at the end when you're worn out and stay on pitch.
I do enjoy various performances though. How can you look at the "Make 'Em Laugh" number from "Singing" and not find that inspiring? There are other moments as well, but generally I prefer a live show.
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Of the Leone trilogy, I always saw "For a Few Dollars More" (1966) as the real masterwork. Leone obviously liked this film as he reshaped some of it's themes for his epic "Once Upon a Time in the West" (1969).
I also felt "The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976) was a great film (at least till the romantic scenes with Sondra Locke). Dan George is wonderful and the film portrays Indians in a thoughtful intelligent way.
"Unforgiven" (1992) is a great film because it's characters have so much depth. There is not a lot of black and white in this movie which is a common flaw in most westerns. Good and evil in the heart of man are often intertwined and very few persons have passed through this world completely one way or the other.
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> Exactly... I personally wouldn't be caught dead
> watching an Underground film (yes, I've tried a few;
> HATED THEM), but I don't begrudge others their
> two-hour slot each week... To each his own... It's
> called having mutual respect, hello?
Hello. Totally agree. There is enough time and space on TCM to satisfy a wide variety of tastes which is the main reason I watch.
Variety is one of the things I feel that is missing in modern movies (as well as most other movie channels). I like how TCM has given space and allowed different types of film to find audiences that wait each week for their segments to come on.
I don't like every film that comes on TCM, but I do find plenty to watch and record each month that keeps me busy. For all the people who want to complain about what TCM shows, check out the UK schedule. Not as many "Great" classic films and lots of repeats (although they did show Woman in the Window last month--why can't we see that one here?). Yuck. We have it really good in the USA.
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I see several prints of "The Big Combo" at Amazon. I know you spoke of the Image print (which is $45!!), but is there a better one? I'd like to buy the clearest one if I can.
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The Far Country is a personal favorite. My brother and I love all Walter Brennan's quips about coffee and we usually throw a few back and forth during our first cup at work (I got to have my coffee!!).
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Actually, I thought Fontaine was incredible in "Rebecca" (1940). If you watch her facial expressions and the way she works her character.
For instance, when she first comes to Manderly and is wet and disheveled there is so much she does just in facial and body movement. She doesn't have that many lines, but she communicates her thoughts very well to us.
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Yes. Nice review. I has been awhile since I have seen it. I will look for the DVD. I wish "Naked Alibi" (1954) would come out as well as "The Secret behind the Door" (1948).
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There was a Russian version of "Don Quixote" (1957?). Beautiful color film that should be restored. I have an old VHS copy, but have not seen it on DVD.
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I have seen it, but not recently. If you have some thoughts or insights about the film feel free to share though. I will keep it in mind on my next viewing.
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There are some people who have spoken lightly of Capra's work in the past. They had a problem with some of the unrealistic scenerio's and feel good endings (calling them "Capra-Corn").
Capra had many dark moments as well though. My favorite of his films "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" (1933), is quite different than almost anything coming out of Hollywood at that time.
"Wonderful Life" and "John Doe" both have their share of harrowing moments. Finally, "Mr. Deeds" is the ultimate quest for what lies within one's soul--humanity or inhumanity which is at the core of all his work.
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MF is definitely a more subtle film shot-wise than something like "Stranger on the Third Floor" or "The Letter" which preceded it. Light and shadow actually came from the German Expressionist films of the 20's. While it is important to Noir it is not original to the genre.
While there are not the light and shadow shots of those earlier films, there is lots of odd angled camera work. The cutaways are also interesting. These things are as much a part of Noir as light and shadow. "Gun Crazy" (1949), another fine film that I forgot to mention, has tons of these kinds of shots. Odd angles and POV shots suggest a claustrophobic feel and a nightmarish world out of step with reality.
"Lady From Shanghai" (1948) also uses this effect although with much more intensity. In "The Third Man" almost every shot is this way COMBINED with light and shadow to create a film that is quite headspinning to say the least.
Do you think it's required people sleep together in movies today?
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I personally don't care for nudity or excessive language in movies, most of the time it's completely unnecessary, but I can accept just about anything if it has a purpose in within the film and advances the plot.
Probably the hardest thing for me to take personally is the killing of animals in films like "Rules of the Game" (1939), "Closely Watched Trains" (1967), "Land Without Bread" (1932), "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" (1973), the opening of "Persona" (1966) and others.
In some of these films (most notably "Rules" & "Persona") I can understand what the director is trying to achieve, but I never felt there was any excuse for that kind of stuff.