nightwalker

Fred, I can't speak to the merits of playing any television programs on TCM, but I will say that, if they had to do it, this (and the others they're going to play) was the one to go with.

> {quote:title=JackFavell wrote:}{quote} > Greene, I realize after some thought, wrote a lot about good and evil, and our perceptions of such. His "spirituality" (I think he would shudder at the use of that word in this context) is two-sided and questioning... So Greene's main preoccupation is with reality, appearances and deception. Agreed (and very well put). I think this can even be seen in Greene's pulp classic This Gun For Hire, in which Philip Raven, the amoral killer, is actually a far more tender-hearted soul (in some ways) than the man who hires and then betrays him. > I think that is what makes "The Third Man" great, not necessarily it's spirituality, but the larger ideas surrounding that spirituality. What is the true meaning of "spirituality"? At the risk of oversimplifying an admittedly complex issue, I will give you the "nightwalker" take on this question: In its most basic sense, spirituality has to do with that which is spiritual, i.e., beyond the physical, not just in an abstract sense, but also in how our "spirituality" impacts how we live in the "real world." Of all the books I have read that touch upon this subject, it seems to me that Bible is the one that most realistically and sensibly deals with it. It appears, from a reading of both Testaments, that God is interested not only in our relationship to Him (the "purely" spiritual, if you will), but in how that spirituality affects our attitudes and actions in this life (the "practically" spiritual). For example, in the Old Testament, the Jews as God's "chosen people" had quite a collection of laws, or commandments, with which they were expected to comply, including those regarding sacrifice. Yet in First Samuel 15:22, the prophet Samuel asks a disobedient King Saul "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams" (emphasis added). In the New Testament Epistle of James, we read in 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (i.e., the sinful world system as dominated by the devil). And lastly, in the words of Jesus Himself, in the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector as found in Luke 18:9-14, we can find the whole subject wrapped up for us: To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." So it would appear that the real "secret" of spirituality is to maintain a proper perspective on one's relationship to God, while at the same time allowing that relationship to have a practical outworking in one's life and "sphere of influence," and remembering that man is meant for fellowship both with his Creator and his fellow creatures. And, it would seem that remembering that "God is in control" (in spite of seeming appearances to the contrary) is also a part of it. I quote from Habakkuk 3:16-17 in the Old Testament: "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will rejoice in God my Savior." Well, I didn't mean to preach a sermon or write a dissertation, but this is a subject to which I have given a lot of thought, and it means a lot to me. Thanks for your forbearance.

> {quote:title=rainingviolets21 wrote:}{quote} > I know! what act is so sinful it's UNSPEAKABLE? I think the filmmakers purposefully left that up to the viewer's imagination. In Wilde's day, there was such a thing as "the love that dare not speak its name." It has been aptly remarked that in our day, it has become "the love that won't shut up."

> {quote:title=filmlover wrote:}{quote} > Most of the great ones have been put mentioned, but I'll put in my two cents: > > Henry Mancini "Breakfast at Tiffany's" I once saw Mancini on the Tonight Show in the mid-80s when Leno was subbing for Johnny Carson. They discussed Mancini's film scores, including this one, but the one Leno seemed most interested in was the "Creature From the Black Lagoon" music. Mancini seemed amused that that was what interested Leno the most, but took it all in stride and was a good sport about it. In that light, to my previous posts I would add the names of Hans J. Salter and Frank Skinner, the two men responsible for the distinctive sounds of the great Universal classic horror & sci-fi films from 1939 onward through about 1948.

It's actually part of a Rat Pack box set to be released later this month.

His name might not have been mentioned, but NOW, VOYAGER and CASABLANCA were. I'd also mention his fine score for THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON, which interpolates the actual theme of the 7th U.S. Cavalry, "Garryowen."

> {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote} > When Dennis Hopper does that commercial for our demographic, I feel like crawling into a hole. I think Dennis spent a little too much time experimenting with strange Mexican and South American flora. That's flora, not Flora.

Well, really, it was bound to on a thread such as this sooner or later!

I'd also put in a word for some scores of Dimitri Tiomkin. In addition to RIO BRAVO, which I mentioned in my last post, I would add PORTRAIT OF JENNIE, HIGH NOON, THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY, FRIENDLY PERSUASION , THE GUNS OF NAVARONE, CIRCUS WORLD and THE WAR WAGON.

That's okay, Jackie, glad to have you back. I understand the appeal these "bad"characters have. I think that's part of the challenge of good writing: to make "good" characters equally as appealing! One writer whom I always thought succeeded quite admirably in that regard was C.S. Lewis. His Aslan the lion in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (possibly the ultimate "good" character, in fact) as well as "Ransom" in the science fiction trilogy are two examples. It's been said of Lewis that perhaps his greatest gift as a fiction writer was his ability to endow ordinary people leading ordinary, decent lives with nobility. I think there's something to that.

Got it, Martin. Nightwalker

Maybe... LOL.

My vote would be for "historical/factual" order. RO could make that clear in his intros to each film. Agree about GLORY: I'm DVRing it to watch later, possibly this weekend. I wouldn't mind seeing GETTYSBURG on the next "epic battle" night!

Hey, Kyle. ZULU DAWN is good, but not as good as ZULU. It is worth seeing.

Yep, COBRA WOMAN. If you've not seen it, it really isn't a horror film, it's one of the Jon Hall-Maria Montez adventures The score is by Edward Ward, and captures wonderfully the spirit of those escapist fantasies made during the war years.

Agree 100% about Tracy's acting here. I thought the whole issue of the need for and the ability to trust others was very well handled here. The tension between Tracy's need to trust Cronyn and Tandy and his natural hesitation to do so after what he's been through was excellent. Yet another film extremely well-narrated by a corpse!

Agree re THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR and THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES. Some other favorites of mine: MR. PEABODY AND THE MERMAID LAURA COBRA WOMAN THE QUIET MAN RIO BRAVO THE WINDS OF WAR and WAR AND REMEMBRANCE I'm sure I'll think of more...

I liked Reeves as both characters, but I really enjoyed his portrayal of Clark Kent. In the comics, Superman always played Kent as a "spineless jellyfish" (to quote Lois Lane). His rationale was that he didn't want to risk being put in a position in which he might be forced to reveal, even accidentally, his super-strength (I guess by fighting). But, think about it. Kent often drew more attention to himself with his coward routine than he would have by simply acting as a regular guy with a normal degree of courage! This is why I like George Reeves' portrayal of Kent: he pretty much plays him as a regular guy, not too timid, not too "brave," and by so doing, he doesn't stand out from the crowd in any way, thus drawing less attention to himself (from everyone but Lois, anyway).

Yep, great supporting cast, all right. But really, Bronxie, the movie would be worth watching even without them. Still, it's always good to see even one of them, in anything, anytime!

Did the movie feature cave people? If so, your wife might be thinking of WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH, 1970, the climax of which features storms, earthquakes, and a piece of the Earth breaking away into space to form the moon.

I always thought the sequence in THE HAUNTING where the two girls who thought they were holding hands with each other realize they weren't was very scary!

Yes, I remember this one, too. Remember the opening sequence, where a monster attacks a bath house and "something" spatters all over the window shade? As a kid, that was my cue that this was going to be quality entertainment!

Sorry you won't be on the boards with us any more, Martin. You can send me your phone number, if you like. Maybe you should send it by "Private Message." Or. you could send me your address and we can write back & forth. Nightwalker

> {quote:title=JackFavell wrote:}{quote} > I feel even more sorry for Holly, now. He didn't get his own tv and radio shows! > I guess everyone was smitten with Harry, not just women, lol. Just goes to show that an entertaining personality is worth more than good judgement and honorable behavior......If you give people some excitement in their lives they love you...... True, but I would observe that, at least in those days, the character had to be reformed somewhat first.

That picture and Lederer's performance get a thumbs-up from me, too.