CineMaven
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Posts posted by CineMaven
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Ha! Uma meet Oprah, Oprah meet Irma. I'm still confused about the attraction of the naked chest of Joseph Calleia.
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Hi Jackaaaaaaaaaay, I can't really do "RAINTREE COUNTY". But I love "BUtterfield 8". That's the only movie I could really watch yesterday without feeling sad (though I was out most of the day) b'cuz it's ALL so over-the-top; prim, proper, stick-in-the-mud, uptight Susan Oliver, Grace Kelly-Lite Dina Merrill, old vaudevillian Thelma Ritter wannabe Kay Medford, the wonderful-
ly acerbic Betty Field, denyingly delusional Mildred Dunnock, gutless clue-
less spineless song-writer Eddie Fisher, wonderfully meddling but this time smart Mother of Dina Merrill....and then there's Elizabeth. Stiletto heels, pearls, --raven haired-- no, make that a deep dark soft mink colored brunette. There's nobody like her.
* "I'M ME!!!"
* "NO SALE!!"
Oh yeah...."BUtterfield 8." It's like buttah!
Hi there Ollie - Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia. Oh, and also send me "THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES." I'm dying to see that movie again.
This thread and the others with our good writers is why I wouldn't waste time on a Maltin 'review'.
I've ofttimes told some of the others here that their writing is worthy of a book of essays on classic films.
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That picture you posted of Marilyn brings this to mind...TCM's promo of what's new for April. There's a book out about Marilyn. In that promo, there is a shot of Marilyn looking up at Arthur Miller and she looks positively contemporary and adorable.
So I watched 'LOVE AFFAIR' and thought I'd prefer it over 'AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER'...The orphanage kids are in LA. And they sing! Eeek! But yes, Jackie, its easier to swallow, lol.
Oh boy, I head for the heeeels when the kids come on the scene in both versions.
We have the interesting but uneasy blend of brittle sophistication with sweet sentiment in both. Oddly, both Boyer and Grant seem uncomfortable as playboys.
I thought they captured that pretty well. We know in real life though, that Boyer was very devoted to his wife. But I can see Boyer and Cary playing the field and catching lotsa little fishies in their continental nets.
Paulette Goddard is somewhat amusing masquerading as a fortune teller in 'THE CRYSTAL BALL.' She's small, curvy, with a shrewd, bewitching, Scarlett O'Harish-ish aura, Her screen persona, from the little I've seen, has a manipulative slyness, and I haven't yet warmed to her as a personality or actress.
You've named all the traits that make me like Goddard. This was a fluff of a movie though and she did a passable job. But it's her personality that is the winning feature for me.She pulsates and shines brightly like a copper penny.
I was out and about all day yesterday. I think I was kind of avoiding Elizabeth Taylor. I must confess that I don't see her as having passed on at all; that is how I'm going to get through dealing with it. Hmmm, I probably need to schedule a visit with Miss Holloway below. (Plaster saint is another way to put it). I did see "National Velvet" and was quite taken by her sincerity and etherealness in her performance. She was also given some glorious close-ups. (Move over Hedy!)
Enjoying Elizabeth today. I'm always taken aback when Gloria in 'BUTTERFIELD 8' orders an extra helping of french fries before her wild week with Laurence Harvey on the boat. I mean, all that grease.
Awwww let the girl have her grease. After all, she has a Yankee Stadium-size fan club to keep happy especially working those stiletto heels of hers. The girl needs her carbs...and some Isotoner foot pads. I loved the way she ordered the fries; she sounded so very natural and like it was a throwaway line...like that was her real voice. It read better to me than talking about being with the Major: "I liked it!!!" By the by, that boat didn't look that sturdy.
Taylor makes a perfect Southern belle. She's bee-atchy, neurotic, headstrong, vulnerable, sensuous, and utterly beautiful. Her monologue to Clift about the fire is extremely well done. She could have delivered the lines very histrionically, which would have been emotional overkiil, but instead gives us the traumatic remembrances with steady, clear, dramatic control.
There were flashes in Elizabeth's performances that reveals her genius at expressing emotion. She needed a strong director who wouldn?t let her go over the top. Her beauty obscured her talent ofttimes.
Rod Taylor's performance as Garwood made me think that somewhere along the line in his career he would have been perfectly cast as Brom Bones in a version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
I don't pretend to know the classics: ( "...Sleepy Hollow" but with a name like Brom, I fear Rod's obvious masculine charms might be tamped down and all covered up...and that will never do. ;-)
By gad, sir, you're right -- that really is our wasp boy Zinnie as little Maria's father. (by the way, how did he know she was murdered, and not just accidentally drowned?)
As soon as I heard his voice I knew. Then I looked it up and confirmed it. How did he know she was murdered? The little girl is a country girl who's used to valleys and streams and brooks. Besides, everyone knows that people who wear lederhosen a smart as a whip and can figure things out quickly. Just look at Colombo. Oh yeah, you can't tell me he wasn't wearing lederhosen underneath that rumpled raincoat. (Wasn't Ray Milland on an episode??)
Don't get me started again on pickle-pussed Colin Clive, lol. His **** paroxyms of scientific hubris are very well done, though, I must say.
Me get you started? Oh not me ma'am. I don't want to get you started as wonderful a read as that was. As for Colin, his fits of peroxide seemed more suitable to "REEFER MADNESS" than to the land of science, medicine and lederhosen.
I'm fascinated by the verticality of FRANKENSTEIN -- the "up and down" motifs.
I loved how you laid out the instances of verticality in FRANKENSTEIN. That went over this maven's head, but your pointing it out makes it crystal clear. Thanx!
Karloff's imploring, eloquent hands reach up toward the light.
That gesture of the Monster?s broke my heart. :-(
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THE UNINVITED has been cozily with me since childhood.
You wrote a lyrically wonderful review of the movie that I enjoyed reading, Bronxella.
I'm a Milland fan... The way his characters turn serious or light-hearted on a dime, I find dramatically intriguing.
I am fast becoming a Ray Milland fan. Oh, I've always known him...thought he was okay. I remember 'Raymond' in "BOLERO" "X-The Man With the X-Ray Eyes" "Love Story" and his tour-de-force performance with Roosevelt Grier. That's how I knew him when I was young. And there were any number of other leading men more vibrant that I pinned my fantasies on. But there's something in what I'm seeing of Milland lately that is bringing him into my sights with more crystal clarity. He has a light touch. And that makes his performance in "LOST WEEKEND" all the more harrowing. Sometimes the Oscar is given for your one performance measured up against the body of your work up until that time. (Hell, that's the only way I can explain "Kitty Foyle").
I just adore the always pleasant, smart, and casually sophisticated Ruth Hussey in this particular role. She is almost as charming as "sleeping beauty" Gail Russell.
Proof again that there was such a plethora of talent in "the golden age of Hollywood" that someone like 'The Great Hussey' gets a little lost in the Hollywood shuffle. No one?s trying to protect her. She?s competent. She is smart...but she doesn?t read sexy and that might?ve done in having an A-list career. She had a great sophisticated voice and a nice comfortable screen presence. As for "sleeping beauty" I was very drawn to Gail Russell as I wrote earlier.
I'm always sa amazed at the bold, even aggressive, way Alan Napier as Dr. Scott "goes after" Pamela. I've never seen a country doctor do that in a movie before, lol.
Who knew that Batman?s ?Albert? had it in him. I liked Alan Napier in ISLE OF THE DEAD and in MARNIE. I find him reassuring.
Of Cornelia Otis Skinner, what can I say, lol? She IS "Holy Holloway", so completely sinister in that part. I just can't imagine Cornelia as a teenager jaunting through Europe with friend Emily Kimbrough, their hearts young and gay, ha!
Didn't Gail Russell play her in the movie of the same name? Cornelia could give Judith Anderson or Gale Sondergaard a run for their money. Holy Holloway is sexual repression to the nth degree. And putting that in the hands of a psychologist...
dangerous and deadly!!
THE UNINVITED has delightful sprinklings of gentle humor throughout but never lets the audience out of the tale's moody, tense and compellingly spooky grip. We never know just when a shock is coming. The atmosphere is eerie and homey at the same time. It's a one-of-a-kind movie, and close to my heart. I love it.
Your review was wonderful!
A good (Universal) video clip is worth repeating. Thanks to you, I've see
that nifty, scary compilation before, ha!
Did I? I'm sorry to have been repetitive. Hopefully others haven't seen it before. It was really well-done.
I'm going to record "HOME BEFORE DARK" and "THE YOUNG PHILADELPHIANS" as I head out into the New York City day. I'm a big Barbara Rush fan, and to think I will actually see her in person in a few weeks.
Edited by: CineMaven on Apr 11, 2011 12:34 PM - Egads Bronxie, methinks you gave me a new expression. What am I talkin' about? Oh, you'll know it when you read it.
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Rather a wunderkind himself with his acting (drama, comedy) and dancing...with success in his Andy Hardy series and having already married beautiful new-comer Ava Gardner, this veteran (Mickey Rooney) all but disappears in "NATIONAL VELVET" next to the beauty
and sincerity of twelve-year old Elizabeth Taylor. She's given some glorious close-ups and boy can she ride like wind. Six years later, she and Anne Revere appear together again (though not in the same scene) in "A PLACE IN THE SUN."
But here...the beginning.
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After seeing just the last half hour of "A FACE IN THE CROWD" (Whew!) I dunno...but I'm thinking that before the next Republican and Democratic National Conventions, the delegates should be invited to a free screening of this triple feature:
"A FACE IN THE CROWD"
"THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE"
"NETWORK."
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Wishin'....and hopin'....and thinkin'....and prayin'.....plannin' and schemin'....
ugh!
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Sad news. A wonderful director with a great feel for New York City. Sad sad news.
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Wow...you're right. There is a modern feel to that scene. You know how a lot of scenes don't translate well through the decades from the 30's...the 40's. But this heartbreaking scene...
sadly, yes.
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Belle Watling cares for Rhett...Rhett cares for Scarlett...Scarlett cares for Ashley... Ashley cares for Melanie. I know that scene you described Wouldbe. That's a very touching scene. And when he leaves and pinches her cheek and says quietly "Goodbye Belle" oh yes...my heart breaks for her.
Many times we must be responsible for making sure we are not hurt. We must let go.
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Hi there Bronxie.
WoW!!!
Your review of "FRANKENSTEIN" is one of the most wonderfully riveting reviews I've read by you. I agree with you totally. Besides my being (unexpectedly) scared when I saw the Monster's entrance...I was kind of surprised at my feelings about that. These surely weren't the feelings I had when I was a little kid watching this scary movie. But as I watched the movie the other nite, I felt incredibly sorry for the Monster...its being tortured by that hump-back little troll!!! The Monster didn't mean to kill the little girl, but he definitely knew he did something wrong when he high-tailed it outta those woods. When Dr. Zinthrop (of "Wasp Woman" fame) quietly carries the lifeless body of his daughter Maria through the Bacchanalian crowd, with grief inducing his zombie-like state, I found that positively shocking. The camera stayed on him as the crwod fell away and stopped their celebrating at the site of them. You know, this movie is really very shocking. I can't imagine what 1931 audiences felt...("Well...we warned you." Head over heels love that opening).
Even more shocking was Mae Clarke picking, (what'd you call him...lemon faced?) Colin Clive, over tall dark swarthily handsome John Boles. Now THAT shivered my timbers.
Wonderful review. I feel your pain and I emphatically and empathetically agree with you.
If you have the time or inclination Bronxie, go to YouTube and check out this video: "Horror Is Universal." The poster did an excellent job crafting his homage to horror movies. My favorite shot is the Invisible Man facing the moon with his arms crossed, as though he was set to defy God. Love it. Enjoy!
You might be due for a good comedy next. Whew!
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OMG!!! This is great. Now, probably not all the Guest Programmers write on this Message Board. But some of them do. If you're just figuring out this Board, let me tell you that write below the date and above the title of this thread is your INBOX (1). It's there where you can write a PM (Private Message. I'll send you one. Hopefully you'll see it.
CineMaven aka.....
Edited by: CineMaven on Apr 7, 2011 11:08 PM - Did ANYONE notice that the man that played poor little Maria's father, wound up as Dr. Zinthrop in "WASP WOMAN"??? His voice sounded familiar and I thought...nah, it can't be. I IMDB'd him. It's him.
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Say....is this...is it really YOU?? I've been trying to get in touch with you for the longest...since Atlanta!!!
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"I've been watching the James Garner birthday tribute but had no idea R. G. Armstrong had one too and 94 to boot. That drawl of his is like good barbecue sauce; smoky, tangy and sweet all at the same time. I could listen to him all day..." - << (( wouldbestar )) >>
Wow! What a well-turned phrase you wrote on R.G. Armstrong. Nice.
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"It was my pleasure, CineMaven." - << (( Mongo )) >>
:x
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I am utterly captivated by Gail Russell in ?THE UNINVITED.?
From the moment of her entrance in the film...when she answers the door, I say "WHO IS THAT?" She has a most different look from any ingenue of the 1940's I'd say. There's a vulnerable lusciousness about her. She plays Stella Meredith, who is haunted by the memory of her mother who might be a ghost in the strange old house bought by Pamela and Rick wonderfully played by Ruth Hussey and Ray Milland. I liked her spunkiness in standing up to her grandfather, and how she was in the moonlit music room where Rick truly begins to fall in love with her.
Director Lewis Allen gives her a glorious close-up as she talks of her mother's spirit being in that house and the warmth she feels from it. Her jet black hair and blue eyes are a stunning combination. The song "Stella by Starlight" is so won- fully romantic; Victor Young's the composer. I've got to check out more of his work. I probably know him without even knowing him. There is something so farwaway about Gail. Poor girl, tragedy awaited her.
Ray Milland is really growing on me. I don't understand myself. Why does it sometimes take me so long to recognize the good ones. And boy, is Ray a good one. < Sigh! > There are none so blind as those who will not see.
Chita Rivera is a wonderful co-host.
Reading a review from you on "THE UNIVITED" might be scarier than the movie itself...but I'll risk it. Have you seen it, Bronxie?
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If I may throw this shrimp on the barbie...one of the great classic songs:
.Who's baaaaaad?
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I'm watching "THE UNIVITED" now, and it gives me an idea for my next
list. I'll need a day or two to get it together Foxy Rey...but it's-a-comin'. ;-)
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Or....hey who are we talkin' about? Oh yeah, me and Gable and a long long train ride West. Can someone distract Eva Marie while I work my magic. That competition will ruin me.
Thanx!
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Trapeze??? Wrong movie star. You're talking about Burt Lancaster.
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"I didn't really care for the movie, but I thought Yvonne DeCarlo was an excellent choice to play a biracial character. I'm black myself and would easily believe her to be of mixed race (the same with Dorothy Lamour)." - << (( Bundie )) >>
...Or Linda Darnell, Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne or Joseph Cotten.
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"A stage hand drenches Marilyn Monroe, Tommy Rettig and Robert Mitchum in preparation for a scene of 'River of No Return'."
I thought this was going to be some type of 'wet t-shirt' photo, Mongo.
P.S. Thanxxx for the pix of Doris Day on her birthday.
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"I've seen "Duel At Diablo" and that is a good, stark film. It has the bonus of Sidney Poitier in it as well but Garner is quite rough in this one. He is not completely without a heart but it looks like it doesn't come easy to him." << ( Movieman1957 ) >>
Awwwwww man, I LOVE "DUEL AT DIABLO." It has one of my favorite movie theme songs (my favorite is from "THE LONG SHIPS" also featuring Sidney Poitier). I love all the story lines and themes intersecting throughout the film. Garner rough tough and rugged, bringing back the wife that Dennis Weaver no longer wants b'cuz she has been kidnapped by the Apaches... Sidney busting broncs for the military and has to travel along with them...
Garner falling for the wife remembering his wife was also Native-American and killed by whites...the Indians wanting to get back Weaver's wife, played by Bibi Andersson b'cuz she has the child of the Chief's son (the Chief played by that great Native-American actor John Hoyt ;-) ) and a rousing 'Cowboys & Indians' battle. My parents took us to see it in the movies when it came out and I didn't believe Sidney Poitier as a cowboy. How could he play a cowboy? There was no such thing.
Uhhh...I learned my lesson and learned my history. Boy, were there ever Black cowboys.
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Many of my favorites were mentioned here already...but if I'd have to pick one who is my favorite favorite and is still gloriously with us:
LIZABETH SCOTT.
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Tarrrrrrrr - zan.....('32) :x I think Lupe Velez would most certainly agree.
Here's to sharing!
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Tarrrrrrrr - zan.....('32) :x I think Lupe Velez would most certainly agree.
Here's to sharing!
BRONXGIRL'S MOTHER, HENRY FONDA'S HIRSUTENESS, ETC.
in Films and Filmmakers
Posted
Hi
, I remember phones with prefixes. We had two. One was MO6-XXXX, the other one was TE1-XXXX. Lotsa stuff to remember when I was a child.
Betty Field was great in the movie. I crack up when she says just before the fade out "I must have said that wrong." (Or words to that effect).