FrankGrimes
-
Posts
10,876 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by FrankGrimes
-
-
SPOILED OUT OF THE PAST
*I thought Robert Mitchum was a sap in* *Out of the Past. Talk about soft!*
He sacrifices himself! He's dead! And Kathie Moffat is as tough as they come.
But you do make a good point. I like saps who are pushovers for the bad girls but not for the good girls. It's my film noir snobbishness, I'm afraid.
-
I know. And I like that you like the soft.
Snippy and I always go back and forth on this stuff. I love *Out of the Past*, especially its ending. I love the "doom" of it. She doesn't. I prefer unhappy endings, as a rule.
-
I would have definitely liked it more, but I still wouldn't have loved the film. After the opening, which I thought was good, the film kind of settles into a less-interesting world to me. There's a lot of "building" going on. It wasn't until Harry (Robert Newton) intrudes on their life, in full, that I liked the film again. But I wasn't happy with how all of that played out. And then the ending is a let down.
I just wasn't into the film for most of it. It felt "soft" to me.
-
*I do see your point about the ending, it's left open ended but is at least a little hopeful.*
I'll go with that. I just lean toward the filmmaker wanting us to think it's a hopeful ending. It's the "right thing to do." It's just with film noir, I prefer "it's the wrong thing to do."
*I thought you were the one who liked the redemption of love, the Angel and the Badman, two wounded people coming together from different worlds and finding a little peace.*
I do like that, actually. But I guess I don't like it in film noir unless it's done a certain way. The film felt like a meshing of film noir with a woman's picture. But I suppose that's how man and woman come together. We're not both "film noir" or "woman's pictures." The two mix. Oh, no! It's a wedding film noir! Awful!
I guess I want my love and romance to be doomed in film noir. In other genres, I'm much more open to love and romance. But, as I mentioned earlier, there are films noir where I do like love and romance and a "happy ending," such as *On Dangerous Ground*. Ahhhhh, Nick Ray.
-
*Plummer was "Liberty Valance", the lawless man of the gun. Ringo was a good guy, but also a gunman, one determined to do vengeance. He killed three men and only needed three bullets to do it! I can't take credit for noticing that detail, it was pointed out by Gallagher.*
You know, I just re-watched *Stagecoach* this year, yet I cannot remember the details of Luke Plummer. Did Ringo Kid kill a family member of his? So Plummer represents putting Ringo Kid's past to bed.
*Maybe he's ambition, the need to dominate others or greed.*
You think Brennan is that way? I'm only asking because I can't remember him that well, right now. He seemed to withdraw from society, right?
*He's great and had the perfect actor to portray him. Boone is the very opposite of Scott. Self-reflective as you say, educated, witty, talkative. Scott's honest, taciturn, gets on with it.*
Great descriptions! Boone is definitely the more outgoing, engaging actor. Scott is more like Coop. You have to pay attention to him (them).
-
*Whoa... what happened to Mr. Romance? I think you were actually watching You Only Live Once. Now he really does choose her in that one. So what's the diff? And what makes it so bad that he does choose her? Let's see.... life with a future, or a running death in a hole somewhere .... oh yeah... I see which one is better.*
Happy endings in film noir? No! No, no, no! We don't want that! I want harsh lessons, not "see, everything works out." Yuck!
-
*I give up, you're trying to have it both ways. Most of your favorites have girls in them that represent the road not taken but this one you don't care for. And that's fine.*
Yes! The road NOT taken! We like those roads! There are some films noir that I like where the woman wins out. One of your favorites, *On Dangerous Ground*, is one. You like the hopeful films noir! And I do know that. *Fallen Angel* is one where a woman wins out. That's a favorite of mine. *Criss Cross* is one where the woman wins out. Yay! And *Angel Face*, too!
You know, looking over my favorites, a film that comes very close to *Kiss the Blood Off My Hands* is one I do like and that's *Where the Sidewalk Ends*. That one is pretty similar in terms of result. For some reason, *Kiss the Blood Off My Hands* makes me think of "poor, baby." Yet, I do like those kind of guys, typically. Frank Sinatra played a couple of those guys.
*To each his own.
*Somebody is being adorable!
-
KISS THE SPOILED BLOOD OFF MY HANDS
Great title, by the way. It makes sense and speaks to the film's soft side.
*Precisely. See, Grimes, Jackie put it there. Isn't that noir, when the "hero" gets sucked (suckered) by not just a girl or criminals, but by the system, partly because of his own weakness and partly because of a flawed world?*
And so he ends up being a sucker twice? "Okay, honey, I'll turn myself in." Awful!
*But she kind of represents the truth that you can't keep running. Fabian takes the other course and he is stopped from running...permanently. She knows this in a way, that they can't live like that. The Live By Night also goes to show you can't live like that. As much as it stinks, you have to find a way to live in this system, at least if you want to have a home life. If you want to be a homeless loner, that's another story.*
His decision is either her or run. She's not running. So he chooses her. "Yes, dear."
*I think it does.*
You're wrong!
*Doesn't he have to be offered something different? You want it to be all about crappy people like Newton or an unsympathetic legal system? Where's the possibility, the hope, the redemption?*
In film noir? Yuck!
*What about the normalcy Joan represents, and how she gets sucked into it? What about how her life basically gets shot to piece when she wakes up and sees this man come in her window? Isn't that what the war did? Sneak right into the heart of normal people's lives, trailing issues no one wanted to confront? She was happily buried along with her dead hero fiance. Burt dragged her back to life and not altogether happily.*
Now that's your best point. The story is really about Jane (Joan Fontaine) and how she is affected by Bill's (Burt Lancaster) breaking into her life and how the war affected her. The ending is hopeful, which I usually attach to women more than men. (Where's Sweet T when I need her?!) She's also the driving force of the film, especially with Bill and his decision. Again, this makes it "female" to me. I can definitely see how you and Jackie would love the film. Me? Not so much. Where's Harry Fabian when you need him?!
*But Burt never was a criminal to start with like Farley Granger was! The only similarities I see between those two films is the couple on the lam.*
Burt killed a man! That's why he's on the run! He's guilty of involuntary manslaughter! And for what?! For being told it's closing time. Yes, I do know it shows how on edge he was from the war. And that is definitely film noir. If only he would have been... !
*You're so incredibly picky.*
-
*Precisely. Even the same can be said of Luke Plummer and the Ringo Kid. Except making things even more complex, the hero does settle down but he has to leave civilization to do it. He and Dallas are going to form a home and family, but as outsiders.*
So are you saying Plummer represented that with the Ringo Kid?
Society is a "villain" in *Stagecoach*, just as Movieman mentioned outside forces sometimes being the villain.
*What about Frank (Richard Boone) in The Tall T? Is he one of those villains?*
That one is very interesting. It's yet another one where the villain represented multiple people's fears. The biggest being Doretta (Maureen O'Sullivan). Her husband was exposed and this made her look at herself. I'd probably have to watch it again to see how Frank represented Brennan (Randolph Scott). I'm sure he did. He brought him and Doretta together, so that's one thing.
And Frank himself is one of the better western villains you'll find because he has a lot of regret and self-reflection. He's a rather complex guy.
-
*You're the trickster, Harry Fabian.*
Where's your purse?!
*That part was a little "romantic", I know.*
*The girl wins out?*
Yes! He chooses to do what she wishes. Harry Fabian just keeps on running!
*They may not believe her story, it's pretty far fetched. In any case, he's going to do time and she's going to be dragged through the courts on her own account and his. They may never get work after it's all over, how will they survive?*
Now if we saw that, that would make me feel better about the film. But I don't believe the film wants to think this.
*I think the movie paints the world as rather unprepared to deal with people like Burt who are screwed up from the war. Their solution is to beat him and throw him in the clink. He did what he did, but it was because he's messed up and not a real criminal, not yet anyway, or he'd be like Robert Newton: too canny to get caught. Newton remained free the whole time, even watching the trial, while he was the real criminal yet society protected him and did nothing for Burt who went out to kill for that society in the war.*
I can't disagree with that. The film is clearly trying to draw sympathy for the returning vet while showing the danger of teaching a man to kill. That's definitely "film noir." I thought the outset of the film was excellent. I liked the set-up. But then Joan enters the picture and things go screwy.
One of my very favorite films plays similar to *Kiss the Blood Off My Hands*, but it's done much differently. It's *They Live by Night*. Each film has a guy finding love and wanting to put his past behind him but he gets dragged back in. Their endings are quite different.
*Yes, and Burt's had been too, by war especially, but also by a system that seemed as harsh as the concentration camp he was in.*
That is true. But we don't see the change in him like we do in *Let Us Live*. Well, actually, we do. We see him go from miserable to feeling better. I like it the other way in film noir!
-
*I think they both represent living by the gun, and relatively unfettered, vs. living by the law/legal process. All these men can't be tied down, are not part of the "civilized" way of life. It's just that the heroes know it and even regret it or want to be a part of it, but they can't.*
Great point! They are caught. They know who they are and they know where the world is going. It's going away from them. And if Valance is done away with, Tom could be done away with. And what happens is...
What's interesting about both *The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance* and *Shane* is that the villain comes to represent two men's fears.
-
Howdy, Cowboy Chris -- *I think the "James" (Patrick) clearly feels abandoned. It comes from the he says "Father." It drips of sarcasm and false respect. When Wayne tells him, if I remember correctly, he in some way acknowledges what he did without apologizing, what James can call him but not to call him like he does.*
You've got it right. Big Jake tells James he can call him an "SOB," if he likes. He just cannot call him "daddy." Big Jake even knows how long it has been since he's seen his boys: nine years and four months. This comes after James says it's been "ten years." It's as if he's saying "it hasn't been that bad." But there is guilt with Big Jake. He knows what he's done. And sometimes when someone knows they are guilty of something bad, they get defensive and lash out. They hate that they are guilty. The tough ones who often see themselves in the right struggle with this the very most. My grandpa was this way. He's very much a "Big Jake."
*I hadn't really thought about it but Sir Francis(?) is right when he says Wayne played a lot of father figures in his late westerns. Miss G asked about Stewart playing a father figure and you could stretch "The Cheyenne Social Club" and certainly "Firecreek."*
That was Miss G who mentioned that. She deserves your acknowledgment.
-
Howdy, Burnt Toastmaker -- *Enjoy.. you folks have had enough of the "stuff" lately. Hope you have a little sun and relaxation from the bad weather for a while.*
I believe we need to enjoy it now because all signs are pointing to a harsh winter here. The jet stream ain't looking good.
*Well, I feel honored, Jabez!! Since WHEN have you ever listened to your old Ma??? ha. (now how about that Charles Dickens??? hmmmmm???? Or am I just "Great EXPECT-ATING" too much of you?? HA.)
:p* Just like a woman! Greedy! You expect me to mow the lawn AND take the trash out? Who am I, Superman?
*I think they were both operating under a lot of false percepetions about who they THOUGHT he was (based a lot on things they'd only heard about him.. as you are right he was not around for them to learn for themselves.) But I also think they had NO idea about who he really was at all,in terms of his character and what sort of integrity he may or may not have had.*
This is true. They only knew of him from their youth. They definitely knew what kind of personality and demeanor he possessed. Big Jake's way doesn't always sit too well in the safe world of a home. But you get out in the dangerous world of the wild west and you can see how it can be needed. For the boys to see dad in action, it helped them to appreciate him more. And to understand him more.
*And I don't really think he abandoned them either, though a case likely could have been made for that. (so it is likely going to be a matter of opinion) They certainly may have felt that way.. but even he says something like "You never heard that from your mother" when the boys say something to him about being gone.. or why he left.. or something. (I can't remember the exact exchange)*
*But notice that in both movies.. she kept the kids and raised them the way she thought they should be raised.. and that was likely the biggest part of the issue between them. They both loved each other.. but were so hard headed and set in their ways they could not live with each other because she was so determined to raise "her" children in a way that was COMPLETELY different from his way of life that they could not see eye to eye on what their family should look like any more. So one of them had to go. It did not necessarily mean that he just walked out on his family, but either she forced him to go.. or he may have left so they could have the life SHE wanted them to have in peace.. without the two of them butting heads all the time.*
But he doesn't even know he has a grandson! He's never met him! I don't care what kind of problems two parents have, you can at least stop by and see your boys every once in a while. I'm sure the Mrs. would be okay with that. It can't be that difficult. And I don't care if there is a disagreement over how to raise the kids. It's much worse to just leave them... for years. He's basically shirked his responsibilities as a father and grandfather. He's a guilty figure in this one... and I like that. There's a lot of selfishness with Big Jake, and that's where his boys and grandson come to help him understand some things about life. He needs spanked in this one, not Maureen!
Keep in mind, the recurring theme in the film is...
*Yes.. that would have been a totally "McLintock" way to go.. fortunately that kept that sort of comedy out because even despite the father/son competition type humor.. this was not a comedy driven story at all.*
And I actually liked the comedic fight in the film!
* Why is it that I feel the QT is the one saying it the most*
*HA!!! Now why would you EVER possibly think a thing like THAT????????
*Ummmm, I don't know.
-
Howdy, Fred -- I enjoyed reading about the Wayne boys and their recollections of *Big Jake* and their father.
Thanks to this board and members such as Miss Goddess, Movieman, and Rohanaka, I've come to appreciate and like John Wayne. He's a very comfortable watch for me. I like his warmth and sense of humor.
-
KISS THE SPOILERS OFF MY HANDS
I will not! It's a trick! You'll slap me!
*What tree?*
The "Love is a Many-Splendored Crime" tree! They go traipsing up the hill.
*And the ending isn't exactly happy. I mean, you can hope but based on how he was treated by the courts and law already...and what he did in the beginning, they don't have too much guarantee that their story will be believed.*
I think the film is hoping we take the ending to be positive, redemptive, and hopeful. The girl wins out with the guy and he turns himself in. Yuck! This ain't *Night and the City* !
*I loved it, it reminded me of the one with Maureen and Henry Fonda, and you didn't like that one, either. Bad taste!*
That one isn't that good, either! But it's definitely an early version of *The Wrong Man*. I do like the ending to *Let Us Live*, though. I like how Brick's (Henry Fonda) demeanor has been changed for the worse. -
Howdy, Fordy Guns -- *That's terrific...it hadn't occurred to me to look at it that way. It's driving me crazy that I don't have it to re-watch right away.*
I'm glad the discussion has you wanting to see the movie again. Did you order it from Netflix?
*I like what you wrote about the western villain being about what's wrong with the hero. You are doing well all of a sudden. What happened?
* Thank you.
I'm hanging around Movieman and Quiet Gal. That's what has happened.*It's true, too. Look at Jack Wilson vs Shane or Liberty vs. Tom.*
How so? What does Jack Wilson represent to Shane and Liberty to Tom?
-
*I'm just joking, but she's not quite what you're used to in this one.*
Oh, no, you're not! I'd like to see a different kind of Joan.
*Well, Gable should make living in a place called Prairie Dog Creek palatable, but anyone else...would give a woman pause.*
Yes, Nella.
*So I guess you were not crazy about Kiss the Blood Off My Hands, Joan again!*
No, not really. There's some silliness going on in that one. The tree being the worst offender. And the ending is no good. This is female noir!
-
*Poor Kris!*
I'm taking him back to the orphanage! I hope Connie Towers is there and sings to me.
*I bet you will love it.*
I do love the battle of the sexes with comedy.
*I do like Tracy's comedy, he has two scenes that are just superb. Kate's dumbfounded reactions in both seem genuine, and I like her for it. What's so nice about the two of them is they are so well balanced. Neither one overshadows the other and both are interesting people to watch, so different, but protective of each other in a way that feels genuine.*
I noticed that in *Woman of the Year*. It's very natural. I'm now excited to watch *Adam's Rib*.
*But I do like Spence with Myrna a smidge more.
* Myrna is lovely. I like her "twinkle."
*I guess. I'm not crazy about it. Joan is too transparent which makes me wonder over all the people around her. You'll see. Wow, lots of Fontaine going around these days.
*I can't imagine you wanting Joan to be harmed! Joan plays "mousey" so very well.
*The real fun is between Gable and Jane. She digs her spurs in but good.*
That's women for ya!
*Well don't wait too long, it's Nick Ray month THIS month.*
Oh, for goodness sake. I can watch it next month!
*I love that she can't forgive him for rejecting her, lol. She knows he's rejected her, too. I mean, she knows she could have him on his terms, but to her that's as much as a rejection because he won't cowtow to her dreams, so she loves to provoke him every moment she can afterward. Her drunk scene is hilarious.*
That's superb! I never thought of it that way! You're right on it. It's not good enough for her to just be with him. She needs it all.
*And it kills me how he constantly calls her "your Responsibility".*
That's hilarious!
-
*I thought he was sweet. You don't like children!*
He interrupted the film!
*I don't like her too "causey", as Tracy says of her in Adam's Rib. She gets on my nerves, then. You'll probably like that one since it's pretty much comedy straight through. All the feminism stuff bores me, though and I'm not enamored of Judy Holliday. Her part in the movie annoys me, too. I liked Jean Hagen, though, and David Wayne. Spence saves the film for me, in the end. I can deal with anything for his sake.*
You make it sound interesting! I'm not sure I've seen Kate being "causey." I like that Movieman recommended it and you're opinion is a bit different. Perfect.
*He's even more so in Born to be Bad. I would have liked it better if he'd strangled Joan Fonatine.
* Wow! Poor Joan! Now I have to see that one, too! It's Nick Ray. Woohoo!
*In a way, his character reminds me a little of Harry Carey's back in his western days. He was the good-bad man with his own code, and extremely unpretentious (but the bravest one, of course). Ryan's "Nathan Stark" is the new breed, flashier, basically self-made but then stands behind hired guns. This is where Ryan is somewhat miscast, because he's clearly a man of action as much Gable, or more so because he's in better shape, ha.*
Ryan is mostly deferential in the film. He only goes after Cameron Mitchell. That's nowhere near as exciting as clashing with Gable. I do think Ryan is miscast in the film, as you say.
*Still, it's great seeing the two of them. I like them better together I think than Wayne and Ryan in Flying Leathernecks, which I guess TCM will be showing as part of the Nicholas Ray salute. But then that may be because I just don't care for a war movie as much.*
That's another I wish to see! But I want to get the DVD of that one. I'm very much looking forward to it because of Ryan and Wayne being two different kinds of men.
*I love Jane. "I wish I was a peachtree, a growin' in the ground, and ev'ry time my sweetie passed by, I'd shake some peaches down...." She put over a song and seems so comfortable around all these men. I know between Gable, Ryan and Walsh she must have had her hands full.*
We know what you would do, Peachy! I liked Jane's little songs. She has a sweet voice. I like that gal.
-
Good evening to you, Lively Gal of the Year -- *Sounds like you just described marriage there.*
Ouch! You're harsh! I tend to be very idealistic when it comes to love and marriage.
*I hear you and I know what you mean. This kind of tightrope is pretty delicate for even the best of directors to maneuver, mixing comedy with drama. Now, they're married. Their fun and bantering are over.*
Exactly. You got it. Everything before the marriage was fun and full of banter. After that, the tone of the film changes, primarily due to Sam's tone changing. He becomes a wet rag.
*I wonder if, now that they’re married...it’s about winning and not discovery. Neither one of them had to entirely change. It should have been about compromise. But this is 1942. And a woman’s place...wasn’t the typewriter.*
My problem was the change in Sam, which changed how I absorbed the film. It went from a film about banter to a screwball comedy then slapstick comedy mixed with a serious drama (angry/frustrated husband over wife). I didn't like the mix at all. It's a mess, to me.
*I have a problem with Kate in the kitchen making waffles. I find that unfunny and painful to watch. But their chemistry throughout (up until the toast went flying) was great. They were a fish out of water in each other’s world.*
That didn't bother me so much. The reason why the scene works is that we are being told she doesn't belong there. And Sam knows this. That was never his problem with Tess. He even says that at the end.
*They say opposites attract...I’m not so sure about that, especially after seeing* *“The Constant Nymph.”*
That reference went over my head... today.
*How do you mean ‘like a silent?’ Do you mean like ‘slapstick’?*
No. The scene isn't about words. We're just watching Tess make a mess of everything. So we went from a film with banter to a silent slapstick. Odd.
*Wasn’t it though. The scene felt very intimate. If I’m remembering properly, I liked when he told her that she was the only woman in the world he would have walked out on last night.*
That's a great line, CinemAva. And I happen to think like "Sam."
*Tracy worked with one of the most beautiful women in movies (Hedy Lamarr). And Kate...you can’t get more dashing than having Cary Grant as your leading man. Kate's persona was always competent...Tracy's, brash. But Tracy and Hepburn brought out something in each other that I had not seen in them before with any of their co-stars. Sexiness.*
Very good! I really like that. I think they both know how to loosen the other. That's something I find invaluable with a relationship.
*I’m glad you liked them together. It wasn’t high on your list in comparison to the other films you've just filmed. But you liked them...you really liked them. And I hope in time you’ll go on to see them together in their other films.*
I do have their box set, so I'm going to watch Kate & Spence. I'm going with *Adam's Rib*, next.
-
*I'm not as fond of ToTT as others.*
I like *The Talk of the Town* because of the drama and emotion. If *Woman of the Year* remained a comedy, I would have really liked it. But it veers, to me.
*Why was it "horrible"? And "little Nermal" was her secretary, not the boy, in case you confused the two. He reminds me of Manhattan men these days. Very modern.*
Oh! Yeah, I was glad to see Sam take care of him. I didn't like seeing Chris (George Kezas). That's the "horrible" I speak of.
*I'm not as crazy about the movie as I used to be, because I'm not as into Kate as I once was. Now I prefer other things she did. I'm even starting to like Sea of Grass and* *Keeper of the Flame, two of the least successful films they did together. I haven't seen* *State of the Union in a while, but I'm not fond of politics in movies. I remember Angela Lansbury playing a sort of warm up to Mrs. Iselin.*
That's really fascinating. I pretty much like Kate in most everything, I'm coming to know. I like it when she's "girly" and I also love it when she has a tongue. I like her.
*It's an unpretentious, entertaining oater. It's not trying to send any message.*
That's a fair assessment. It's a good Gable/Russell "vehicle." It's about them, not the story. The story is the MacGuffin.
*I find it very enjoyable though I agree, almost anyone else could have played Ryan's role, at least anyone who's comfortable in westerns.*
It's one of the most disappointing Ryan roles that I've seen. He's neutered, for the most part. I still like seeing him, though.
*I figured you might like Gable's philosphy in the movie.*
I do! I do, Nella!
-
Good evening, Miss Gun for Hire -- *True Grit*.
That's one I've yet to see. Actually, I've seen some of it.
*I think Stevens does a good job at balancing funny and serious and I like the "silent" aspect of his movies, if I understand what you're referring to correctly. That unusually quiet camera and pacing is one of the things I like most about his movies.*
*The Talk of the Town* and *Woman of the Year* are two films where I liked one side of the funny/serious but not the other. I enjoy the serious of *The Talk of the Town*. I like the emotion in the film. The comedy? Not really. With *Woman of the Year*, I was enjoying the comedy and the romance and then Sam (Spence) turns sourpuss on me and it becomes serious. I didn't like it. So Stevens has been struggling to make both the funny and serious work for me.
*One of my favorite moments in WoY is when Tracy dispenses with "little Nermal".*
I didn't like any of those scenes. They were painful to watch. I understand the entire commentary on Tess and her kind not taking parenthood seriously. It was purely a "thing to do." I get that. But what a horrible watch it was.
*Going on to the ones you didn't like so much: The Tall Men, tread carefully, two of my favorite stars in that one.*
I was looking forward to watching *The Tall Men*. It features three performers I really like, after all. Well, I definitely enjoyed The King and Jane is very good but poor Robert was shackled. But the reason I was lukewarm about the film is the actual story. There wasn't enough "meat on the bone" for me. It's a rather empty western.
-
My favorite films are in parentheses.
1. *Alfred Hitchcock* (Psycho; Vertigo; Rear Window; Strangers on a Train; Notorious)
2. *Fritz Lang* (Scarlet Street; M; The Testament of Dr. Mabuse; The Big Heat; Clash by Night)
3. *F.W. Murnau* (Faust; Sunrise; Nosferatu; Tabu; The Phantom)
4. *Anthony Mann* (Raw Deal; Reign of Terror; Devil's Doorway; Winchester '73; The Naked Spur)
5. *Nicholas Ray* (In a Lonely Place; They Live by Night; On Dangerous Ground; Johnny Guitar; The Lusty Men)
6. *Robert Wise* (The Body Snatcher; The Curse of the Cat People; The Set-Up; The Day the Earth Stood Still; Born to Kill)
7. *Otto Preminger* (Fallen Angel; Anatomy of a Murder; Where the Sidewalk Ends; Laura; Angel Face)
8. *John Huston* (The Night of the Iguana; The Treasure of the Sierra Madre; The Asphalt Jungle; The Misfits; The Maltese Falcon)
9. *Howard Hawks* (Only Angels Have Wings; His Girl Friday; The Big Sleep; Scarface; Rio Bravo)
10. *Jacques Tourneur* (Out of the Past; Cat People; The Leopard Man; Night of the Demon; I Walked with a Zombie)
11. *John Ford* (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; 3 Bad Men; The Searchers; Mogambo; Stagecoach)
12. *Samuel Fuller* (Pickup on South Street; The Naked Kiss; Forty Guns; Shock Corridor; House of Bamboo)
13. *Ernst Lubitsch* (The Shop Around the Corner; The Smiling Lieutenant; Cluny Brown; Trouble in Paradise; To Be or Not to Be)
14. *Stanley Kubrick* (The Shining; The Killing; 2001: A Space Odyssey; Dr. Strangelove; A Clockwork Orange)
15. *Orson Welles* (Citizen Kane; The Lady from Shanghai; Touch of Evil; The Stranger)
-
How do, Piecemaker -- *Well hello there, Mr. Grey, (how's the weather out there in old PA?? Did you get snow???? I heard that somewhere there was snow.. ha.. but I was only half listening to the news.. I am not even sure they were talking about today. ha. But I am getting foggy in the brain in my olden days now, so who KNOWS what I might have heard.. even if I had been listening.. ha)*
In the higher elevations of PA they got some snow. About an inch. Thankfully, I do not live in such areas! I'm in the Susquehanna Valley. It's been rainy (record-setting) and chilly here. Temps in the low-50s. But that system is about to move out and we're gonna have a gorgeous week. Temps are going to reach the high-70s this weekend. Woohoo!
*What's this I see???? YOU have watched another Duke???? (and one of my sentimental favorites, to boot!) Impressive!*
That's because I looked at your list of favorites on Rey's thread. That's why I watched it, Ma Stone!
*I have always loved Big Jake.. it is NOT the best Duke film ever made.. but I just enjoy the conflict between Jacob and his sons.. as he is in the midst of the conflict with the cutthroat kidnapping murderers too.*
It's a rather loving western with some good fun and a heavy-price ending.
*She is.. but I am with Miss G.. I wish she'd been in the film a bit more.. SOMEHOW. (but can't quite figure out how they'd have added her to it)*
It would have to be the ending. I didn't like the still ending. She could have bookended the film.
*I like the way they have NO idea who their father REALLY is and yet they end getting to know him (and coming to respect him) as they go along. (and he comes to know and respect them too)*
You don't think they know who their father is? I think they do. I believe they come to understand and love him through the journey. Keep in mind, he abandoned them. That's where James' (Patrick Wayne) bitterness stems.
*Now see.. I liked that. It was a good mix of him showing everyone that sometimes the OLD ways are still the best.. and his son showing him that SOMETIMES there are NEW ways that will work better. It was a meeting of the "generations" so to speak... each one walking away with a better opinion of the other.*
I do understand why it was shown this way. I also think it was a statement about John Wayne and where he was in his career and where the film industry was. He was the old horse while guys like Steve McQueen were the car/motorcycle.
I was just worried that the film was going to be a clash of horses and cars/motorcyles and it was going to play wacky. That would have drove me nuts.
*And OH that awful (and yet oh so polite) Richard Boone.. Miss G has it right.. he is a terrific bad guy. I love the exchange between Jacob and Boone's character out in the middle of the night at the campsite.. the QT and I go around saying "I understand" (in a low and disgruntled voice all the time) ha. But what can I say.. we are easily entertained.. ha,*
Why is it that I feel the QT is the one saying it the most?
*
The Annual FrankGrimes Torture Thread
in Your Favorites
Posted
*I can't ever conceive of a movie with a man being tortured by a 20th century penal system using medieval methods as "soft", but to each his own.
*