Bronxgirl48
-
Posts
14,533 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
2
Posts posted by Bronxgirl48
-
-
CaveGirl, my Bronx and I thank you so much!
I haven't been back there in a long, long time but want to so much.....tugs at my heart. Bittersweet.
On a lighter note, I woke up last night with TCM still on and saw something that was apparently TIP ON A DEAD JOCKEY. This was a film I knew nothing about. There was squat Martin Gabel prattling on (and on) in some Hollywood "foreign" accent about international intrigue; Bob ruminating on life, marriage, and.....Balzac; little (he's really short!) Marcel Dalio -- who had such a distinguished career in France (GRAND ILLUSION, RULES OF THE GAME) before coming to America and being unfortunately known primarily as the croupier in CASABLANCA -- playing a character named Toto, "colorful" sidekick to Taylor. The great Miklos Rozsa (one of my favorites; his scores are easy to identify) seemed to be phoning it in but who could blame him? At one point Marcel and Bob get into a plane going (I think) to Egypt but (mercifully) I fell asleep.
-
2 hours ago, CaveGirl said:
You have just been added to my will, Christine!
What higher accolades could I ever incur in this lifetime?
CaveGirl, I agree with Christine.
(no hidden agenda, lol)
-
5 hours ago, CaveGirl said:
I so wish I could have shopped at Ransahoff's, Bronxgirl. Don't you just love the mannequin in the window as Scotty and Judy approach the store. So elegant! Oh, you are also so right about good old clean cut Harold Lloyd and his propensity for shooting models in 3-D. I think, suspicious person that I am, that he just tried to say he was so interested in the 3-D camera possibilities, to try to make it seem like it was the innovations of the camera that drew him to photography, when really it was all just a ruse to get these girls to come to his mansion for some hanky panky. If anyone questioned it, then he could just say "Hey, I am a photography buff [no jokes abou the buff, okay?] and the human body is beautiful and lends itself well to three dimensions. How dare you imply that I am doing this for salacious purposes!"
You may be right about Milland's superior skill in DMFM, but it would have been fun to see Helmore do a screen test right?Yes, I loved those old department stores! We will never see their like again....
I was really shocked to learn about Harold's "proclivities"! I saw a "This Is Your Life" with him on YouTube where he seemed so....normal, lol. We all pretty much know the dark sides of Chaplin and poor Keaton, but I thought for sure Lloyd was different.
I agree about a screen test for DIAL M FOR MURDER with Tom!
-
1
-
-
VERTIGO.
Questions.
Why does Judy from Salina, Kansas speak with New Yorker-ish intonations? ("Yuh satis-FYED?") Is it to dramatically distinguish her "real" voice from Madeline's fake posh tones?
Scottie first casts his eyes on Madeline at Ernie's for what? 5 seconds before he becomes totally and irretrievably obsessed with her?
Judy doesn't bat an eyelash when she opens her hotel room door and sees Scottie. I'm thinking she is just very good at compartmentalizing.
After Scottie rescues Madeline from the water he calls Elster and tells him what happened. There is a significant pause from Elster on the other end, enough for Scottie to ask "Are you still there?" Why does Gavin hesitate?
Why does coroner Henry Jones affect what sounds to me like an exaggerated Southern accent when he says: "From that great city to the Nooooaaaath"?
-
2 hours ago, cigarjoe said:
Yes, she is actually in Noir Ministry of Fear (1944) and one that's pretty close called Confidence Girl which is better than The Sting
Thanks! I do remember her in MINISTRY OF FEAR. Thank you also for the heads up on CONFIDENCE GIRL -- never saw it. I think Hillary is also in several or at least one of the Sherlock Holmes films -- THE WOMAN IN GREEN.
-
TOPAZ just started!
I'm addicted to that martial music score. I just lurv it! Weird, I know....but you should see me -- I bob my head back and forth in tune, I go crazy!
-
4 hours ago, LornaHansonForbes said:
**This really has nothing to do with anything, but in the spirit of keeping the thread alive during ALLEY's hiatus, I saw FRENZY! (1975?) this winter and *loved* it. Really, it doesn't get the praise it deserves for The innovations Hitchcock's shows late in his career
id also say it's an even better film than VERTIGO.
Retroplex Channel has been running Hitchcock films for many months now. I've seen FRENZY several times; as a matter of fact I just finished watching it this evening. Barry Foster is fantastic. (the only other actor who I think could have played that part is Michael Caine)
-
1
-
-
5 hours ago, LornaHansonForbes said:
Oh, so you're the one.
Well good for you!
Do you by any chance periodically visit the animal shelter and say "you got any especially ugly ones missing legs or an eye or both ears or something?"
(I kid! I kid!)
LOL
There's a shrunken head waiting for you on your bed!
-
1
-
-
No, my sweet lafitte, you are making sense. For me NBNW almost feels like a school course by Hitch in how to make the perfect thriller. He puts together all his recognizable themes -- the wrong man, chase, cool blond, fancy villain, scenery, etc., an amalgam of THE 39 STEPS but updated with 1950's Technicolor "glamour" sensibilities.
-
2
-
1
-
-
Oh my gosh, lol, Miliza Milo, who knew she was an actual actress? For me the awkwardness but somehow strange authenticity of her line readings made me think she was an actual Ransohoff sales person, ha! And only 36 years old when appearing in VERTIGO? Seemed much older. "I think we may still have that model". "Yes, I thought so" Cannot imagine someone like Miliza in GANG GIRL. Wow. And for all we know she just may very well have been related to Fellini's Sandra. There are certainly stranger Tinseltown facts, like me finding out that one of Harold Lloyd's most beloved hobbies was taking so-called "glamour" 3-D photographs of nude actresses and strippers, which also allowed him to get frisky with them. (his favorite model was Bettie Page) And I always thought Lloyd was such a straight arrow in private life!
As for Tom, yes, he was under the radar and luck/fate does have a lot to do with achieving Hollywood stardom. I have to say, though, that I do enjoy Milland's hammy villainy in DIAL M FOR MURDER. Not quite sure Helmore could have pulled off that long murder set-up monologue Ray describes with barely concealed relish to Anthony Dawson.
-
1
-
-
2 hours ago, ThePaintedLady said:
You're not the only person. I, too, am a HUGE Hitchcock fan, and I border on "not caring for" and "hating" Vertigo. I love the cinematography, the set location (I'm a San Franciscan), and the fashion. I just really hate the plot and the idea that a man has that much control over a woman to fulfill his selfish desire. I actually come out of the theatre angry each time I see it.
My top Hitchcock films:
- Rear Window
- Foreign Correspondent
- Shadow of a Doubt
- Strangers on a Train
Why do I stop at 4? Because the fifth one often changes.
On a minor and frankly shallow point: For some reason I can't stand the voice of that head sales lady in VERTIGO. "My, you certainly do know what you want, sir". It's not what she says but the physical tone itself, kind of wobbly, nasal, I can't really describe it but she drives me crazy.
-
1
-
5 hours ago, TheCid said:
My wife does not like Vertigo either and I haven't watched it in years. Actually, the only thing I really like is (wait for it) Stewart's car.
As to Hitchcock, I enjoy The Birds, Marnie and North By Northwest and sometimes To Catch a Thief.
I'm particularly fond of TO CATCH A THIEF mainly because of the glorious south of France location.
For me the best part of THE BIRDS is that brilliantly "choreographed" setpiece by Hitch in the diner where everyone is trying to figure out what's going on. Melanie on the phone with her father is interrupted by the old crone, who in turn is cut off by the waitress's order, then the others chime in with their own opinions and we are caught up in the escalating tension and fear.
NORTH BY NORTHWEST is a little too "slick" for me. It's too picture-perfect, if that makes any sense. (probably not)
-
1
-
-
Would any of you regard Hillary Brooke as a femme fatale?
I've always enjoyed her icy, dare I say spooky qualities, even when she was Bud and Lou's neighbor on their television show.
-
4 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT is the under appreciated Hitchcock classic. Not only is it better than REBECCA, I would probably place it in my top five favorites of his ever.
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT is one of my favorite Hitchcock's. I also enjoy the alternately jaunty and romantic score.
(another small voice) I like UNDER CAPRICORN.
-
1 hour ago, CaveGirl said:
Bronxgirl, I never realized he was British, so thanks also for that! I just saw him the other night in an old "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" called "Murder Me Twice", and was searching for it on IMDB, and noticed his middle name is Percy! If I'd ever looked him up before maybe that would have clued me in on his British origins. And I so agree. TC is hopeless.
And he understudied Rex Harrison in the original stage production of MY FAIR LADY!
Oooh, I watch AHP on MeTV almost every night but missed that "Murder Me Twice" episode. Will have to watch for it.
TORN CURTAIN, lol, yeah.....
-
12 hours ago, ChristineHoard said:
I kinda agree with you Bronxgirl48. I don't think VERTIGO is the best movie of all time and like some others have said, not even the best Hitchcock. It's OK and I like certain scenes but it's not on the level of PSYCHO, STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, REAR WINDOW or SHADOW OF A DOUBT.
Yes, I do think that VERTIGO is not even the best Hitchcock, and concur with you on those four films.
-
3 hours ago, CaveGirl said:
Nuff said about "Torn Curtain"!
I dig Helmore too. He really is quite good in the part, and probably not noticed or appreciated by any but the most astute viewer, namely you! The whole bit about Carlotta, and when he tells Scotty about the mental conditions of Madeleine's ancestral females, is well done. I too enjoy seeing Helmore in other roles, and always enjoy his rather sophisticated man of the 1950's appearance and mien. Great chat and thanks for posting!Thanks so much.
Just when I think TORN CURTAIN can't get any worse, up pops Lila Kedrova. "My American sponsor!" (love her in ZORBA THE GREEK however) And Ludwig Donath ironically never shuts up even though he mocks others who do not: "Yak! Yak! Yak!" The Gromek character is "fun" but still.....Okay I'll shut up now about TC.
When I first saw VERTIGO and heard Helmore's phrase "portals of the past" as he's telling Scottie about Madeline's vehicular wanderings, I was immediately suspicious. "Portals of the past" just sounds so old-fashioned and melodramatic, very Victorian, which is of course the "freedom and power" (for men) time period Elster prefers. So I knew something was up, lol.
Helmore's gentlemanly British presence reminds me a bit of Alan Napier.
-
5 hours ago, CaveGirl said:
You're allowed. I hesitate to say I really don't care for Paul Newman as an actor. I find him mannered and stiff. Can you imagine if I told people that here, I'd probably be burnt at the stake so don't say anything, okay?
Paul was always easy on the eyes but frankly he sneered a bit too much for my liking. And don't get me started on TORN CURTAIN! I can summarize that entire film in one word: "stale". Even TOPAZ is better by comparison!
The only actor I appreciate in VERTIGO is Tom Helmore as Gavin Elster. In fact, he made such an impression on me that when I first viewed THE TENDER TRAP and saw Helmore coming out of an elevator to get acquainted with Celeste Holm, I yelled at her: "Get away as fast as you can!!"
I enjoy Helmore's quiet, shaded cunning as Elster. Yes, the actor himself may be bland but I find it works perfectly for the character as he's "introducing" himself to the audience and getting back in touch with Scottie to set up his evil plan.
-
1
-
-
On 7/16/2018 at 5:10 PM, Brrrcold said:
Not going to take position on EM, though I think the whole noir thing is being overplayed by TCM; but that chef is truly annoying. Please bring back Claire Tooley.
Claire was definitely a step up even though I can do without any of them.
She told Eddie that her favorite Hitchcock movie is THE BIRDS.
But who am I to judge since I don't care for VERTIGO, lol.
-
On 7/15/2018 at 11:44 AM, Looney said:
I really liked BLACK MAGIC. TWO FOR THE GUILLOTINE was not at all what I expected. I thought it would be much darker. I loved Connie Stevens in this. She added a charm to this character I didn't expect.
Connie is a cutie-pie, that's for sure. I even enjoyed Dean Jones, lol. And one cannot ever have enough of Cesar Romero!
I hope TCM runs BLACK MAGIC again in the not too distant future. As an Orson Welles fan I really want to see it.
-
On 7/15/2018 at 10:26 PM, misswonderly3 said:
Oh, I love all those noirs you mentioned ! That bizarre, semi-nightmarish, disorienting, or as you say "colourfully existential stuff" is one of my favourite kinds of movie. I suppose you could add to that list, Night of the Hunter (don't know if it's technically a noir, but it's definitely "colourfully existential" and nightmarish ) along with Decoy (doesn't get much weirder than that), and Kiss Me Deadly, just to name a few.
However, that's not to say that I don't really enjoy the less macabre, surrealistic noirs. I think they're fun, too.
As I've said on these boards, several times I think, the only kind of so-called noir I dislike are the ones that present a psycho-killer as the protagonist. I'm not talking about noirs that just have a psycho -killer in them (there are a lot of them ), I mean, movies that kind of give the viewer the story through the psycho's point -of-view. I don't hold with psycho-killers as people I can empathize with, unless it's in the Talking Heads song. Qu'est ce que c'est?
I've been seriously under the weather lately so forgive my late replies.
I can also enjoy a good police procedural/crime drama (which I think started with Fritz Lang's 1931 M) when the mood hits me, lol.
Would you believe I've never heard that Talking Heads song? Now you've got me thinking about movies with a psycho's p.o.v.
-
On 7/19/2018 at 12:07 PM, CaveGirl said:
Do you really, Bronxgirl? That is so interesting since I am obsessed with that movie and watch it over and over. Should I seek out a shrink?
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person in the world who doesn't care for VERTIGO, lol. I'm the one who should probably seek out a shrink!
I want to like it, even love it, believe me, but I just can't. And I'm a huge Hitch fan.
-
4 hours ago, misswonderly3 said:
So, you stopped watching it partway through? Well, we're all different, of course, and there are probably lots of movie fans who do the same thing when they really can't stand a film, or even one particular actor in it.
Me, I tend to stick it out no matter what. A movie has to be incredibly horrible for me to abandon it. Usually once I've committed to watching a film, I'll watch it till the end. Especially with a noir, first because I just love them, even the bad ones or the ones with bad actors, and second, because almost all noirs are mercifully short. That's one of the things I like about them: they get in, tell their tale, and get out. It's rare for a noir to be any longer than 90 minutes, many of them aren't even that long.
Re: Joan Dixon: I know what you mean about her, I guess we can all understand why her acting career went nowhere. Too bad Howard Hughes always had to insist on sticking whatever his latest crush/lover/protegee into whatever movie project he was involved with at the time. As Eddie has said more than once, Hughes did this a lot. Another noir that comes to mind where the female lead has no charisma and I start thinking about who would have been better cast in their role is, Where Danger Lives.
As for her being "very generic in the femme fatale department", I attribute that to the fact that after about the first half hour, she's not really much of a femme fatale at all. (See my earlier post about this.) That's not Joan Dixon's fault, that's the writing....but still, I think I know what you mean when you say she's "wooden". And I imagine everyone else at that studio felt the same way, since I'd never heard of her before I watched Roadblock this morning, and since as far as I can tell she wasn't in much else. (looked her up in wiki and it's a very short list....)
I did stick it out but must confess that, aside from Dixon as an actress or her character as written, "noir" films with titles like ROADBLOCK, ARMORED CAR ROBBERY and its ilk leave me cold because, immature as I am, lol, I prefer the more colorfully existential stuff in this style/genre like NIGHTMARE ALLEY, STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR, SCARLET STREET, etc.
-
Tried to get through ROADBLOCK but Joan Dixon made it virtually impossible. I thought she was a terrible actress, no charisma, just wooden and very generic in the femme fatale department.
-
1
-
Noir Alley
in General Discussions
Posted
I agree with you. I read Hitch was excited to film it, giving some, um, explicit directions.
I don't even want to imagine what he thought about the rape scene in FRENZY.
I cannot stand Connery's character overall in MARNIE. I will also add Rod Taylor in THE BIRDS.