CineMaven
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Posts posted by CineMaven
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"It?s my room. He?s waiting for me.?
Oh dear. Ooooh boy. :-(
I'll post this over in Films and Filmmakers.
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If Bronxie enjoyed 50 of 'em...swell. But you Ollie, YOU should have enjoyed about 3,689 of 'em since we share the same warped, demented, wacky sense of humor. So put the voodoo dolls down and have a read of my upcoming post on "SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR."
Oh yes...there will be spoilers! ;-)
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"The only way I'd spend any romantic time with Woody Allen is if the Earth got a reprieve. That way I could be assured he'd give me a part in his next picture, and maybe become a star! (even Grandma Moses started late)"
HA! I'm glad to read you'll take one for the team!!! Yay earthlings!!! We're getting a reprieve!!!
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Bronxie...Bronxie!!! If you've enjoyed 50 of my posts...my job is done. Thanx for the congrats. :-)
P.S. You make my heart race with a picture of my Sammy. (I love "THE RAVEN" as you know).
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You're too kind. Thank you Madame Cutter.
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"I just wondered what John Ridgely, Ward Bond or Elisha Cook made? Anyone out there have an answer?"
If anyone knows, I'll bet it's our own lzcutter.
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You're sweet. Foxy Rey, thank you for your congratulations. Truly appreciate it. :-)
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Miss G., what are your first two favorite films noir?
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"Man, I really have to find this movie now! I got suckered into Heflin's scheme, then had it
all whisked away by the flick of a channel changer. I hope they show it again. I'm going to
go scan the net for a version I can watch now......"
Jackaaaaaaaay, you and the Mister are going to have to find a way to share that remote control. Don't you have two televisions? It sounds rough to miss the classics by the flick of a switch. Can you get a divorce for two hours...and then re-marry when these films are over?
Okay, okay. So you don't live in California.........
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Good luck to all those who enter this next challenge. It really is a brain buster, but fun. Your moderator will aptly guide you.
Those who can't do...teach. Those who can't teach, teach gym.
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"TALL IN THE SADDLE" is one of my favorites. I love to see Wayne with Ella Raines. I love her 'edge' at the beginning. I love how he towered over her and Gail Russell.
He's a man alrighty!
Just saw a little of "It Happened One Night" and there was Ward as a bus conductor. He and John Ridgely and Louis Jean Heydt made every movie ever made, right?
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Let's hear it for those red-blooded American males. Those cat eyes'll get them every time.
Say listen, is this the way Evelyn looks in "The Prowler"?? What happened to the sweet girl from "The Face Behind the Mask" or "Here Comes Mr. Jordan"??
And me...I liked "Conflict." I liked the ending, I liked Bogie, I liked Alexis Smith and Greenstreet. Your typical Brothers Warner fare.
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While the others are taking a slight prowling breather...
Well at least you HAVE "Secret Beyod the Door" J.F. I have to (once again) depend on the kind-ness of 'strangers.' I'll watch it soon enough. The conversation will have long passed, but at least the writings will have more resonance for me after my having seen the films.
I am a Heflin convert myself. Oh for years I couldn't stand his pasty-faced, bug-eyed, wavy-haired look. (Eewww, my shallowness is rearing its pretty l'il head, sorry!) I had to endure him to get to Lizabeth Scott & Barbara Stawyck. And then one day...maybe two years ago I saw "Johnny Eager" and his performance floored me. And then I saw him in "3:10 to Yuma" and I was like...
whoa! And then with "East Side, West Side" I saw him really take Stanwyck in hand & I knew he was really the only one who could handle her; that put me over the edge onto Heflin's side.
So now I, too, am a bona fide Van Heflin fan. And I've no doubt that in "The Prowler" he will bowl me over.
But first..."The Arnelo Affair."
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Thank you for the reminder, Jackaaaaaaaay. I've been tantalizingly torturing myself by reading tiny bits and pieces of the posts on "The Prowler" and "Secret Beyond the Door." I haven't seen either movie yet (being failed by my last century technology) but I know the observations and musings of the Ramblers are most likely insightful and entertaining. Ev'ry time I read a little "spoi-lage" I smack myself in the forehead with a "Doh!" But I torture myself a little more every time I go
on this thread. (The only reason I haven't complimented the writing is b'cuz I haven't read or seen these films yet).
It's when I went to check this time (what the heck am I checking for, I dunno) that I saw your re-minder about "The Arnelo Affair." It was recommended to me (THANK YOU!!!) and yes, I still endorse it. Hodiak is oily and wanting and sexy; Murphy is stodgy but loving and Frances Gif-
ford...well, Frances Gifford.
The ( always ) great Eve Arden has some fine bon mots and tailored suits in this film and Dean Stockwell is just your average little boy...no cloying child star is he. A curly haired cutie, he's
just so believable. I love his scenes with Frances Gifford.
You haven't seen it yet? Well...check it out and let us know what you think after the current conversation is done.
*Barbara Pepper....didn't she have a walk-through in the ladies room in "The Women"? Did she
play Arnold Ziffel's mom on "Green Acres"????
Now, no more torture. Let me just start reading.
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Eddie Fisher has passed away at 82.
Sad thing is when I saw the broadcast of his death on MSNBC, the news clip showed an old
press conference with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. There was no Eddie in sight du-
ring the clip.
Wow!
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Hollywood. Harumph! Always going to the well once too often. (Loved "Babe" too). Thank you for Arnold's picture. I loved him...and Eb. :x
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And here is a raspberry:
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"Was he? He deserved to be a star. That dog had more talent in his little toenail than a
lot of human stars have in their whole bodies...." - < ( Jack Favell ) >
I don't know if the dog was more talented than Arnold Ziffel. You know...from "Green Acres."
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Dan Topping...got'cha, Mongo.
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MovieMan...you're not late. Congratulations are always welcomed. Warranted...that's another story.
Ro...chocolate covered cherries are my favorites. Thank you!!!
Okay Sue. Help is on the way.
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No ma'am, Miss Goddess...don't you slow down. I want to write like you when I grow up. I've got ten thousand more practices to achieve that.
Jackaaaaay, don't let my blazing writing talent blind you in that front row seat. Oh wait, that's a better seat to throw tomatoes from. (Yikes!) Let me practice my bobbing and weaving, while also preparing my dance for the boys. They might be getting restless.
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What a great photograph of Gail Russell. She looks positively luscious in the shot you posted.
Her eyes just pop!! A tragic beauty. Hmmm...worth a small TCM documentary???? I'd say so.
P.S. That is not Herbert Marshall...though Ukelele Godfrey with such M-G-M heavy hitters is interesting.
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Hi there M.N. Thanxxx so much for your congratulations. I hope to make the next 10K just as entertaining.
The NEXT ten thousand??? Oy vey!!! Head for the hills everyone.
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< ( Spit Take! ) >
Focus on Fritz Lang
in Films and Filmmakers
Posted
BE WARNED: THIS POST HAS SPOILAGE BEYOND THE DOOR.
I love classic films. I?m as much a movie buff as the next gal and guy. In fact, there?s a teensy tiny gene imbedded in the DNA of one of my ?X? chromosomes that suspends disbelief, accepts flowery language, absorbs actor-y behavior and lives with pat nice neat endings tied with the Hays Production Code bow. (Hey Will, get yer thumb outta there!)
I?m the girl in the local movie theatre eating popcorn, watching news reels, cartoons, and looking for my Ration card. See...that?s me in the third row watching the Feature Presentation for the fourth time that day. (Throw Veda OUT, Mildred!!!!) But Fritzie gave me problems with this one and it was a little tough to keep that 1940?s frame of mind.
I love Miklos Rozsa?s flowery schmaltzy lush refrains. As the score played, the music sounded strangely familiar (and helped along later with the emotions I was "supposed? to feel). When I rewound the credits I saw Mickey?s name and smiled at the memory of ?Ivers?-like melodic violins.
"I?m dead tired of being the darling of the stag line.?
Joan? Joan Bennett?? (CELIA) Stag? I was absolutely and utterly entranced by Bennett?s dark beauty. After seeing this film, Bennett has shot up extremely high in my estimation of film?s most beautiful brunettes. She now officially joins my personal list alongside Vivien, Kay, Ella, Delores, Elizabeth, the Gails and the Jeans (Patrick & Russell) (Peters & Simmons), Crawford (shoulder-length 1940?s), this film?s Barbara O?Neil, Ava and the pinnacle (IMHO) Hedy Lamarr (gotta get the new bio on her). I watched Bennett?s reactions throughout, smiling at some...puzzled by many. I don?t know her career like the back of my hand as I do many others, but I think she?d be worthy of carrying the Loy / Dunne mantle of sophisticated comedy. (Did she do many does anyone know?) I saw that Bennett could toss off a line. The ?stag? line was one and another favorite of mine was:
"I?m your wife. That means I?m more than the babe you whistled at.?
Bennett was sexy in her midriffs and voluminous pant suits. She smoldered as she puffed through her cigarette holder. When she blew the smoke (and combed her hair) I had thoughts of Pola Negri, Theda Bara and vamps galore. I wax on about Grimesy?s favorite scarlet woman in the street, on the beach and in the window (and Mother of the Bride) to delay speaking of my issues with the film itself. Boy, I had plot troubles.
"He saw behind my make up what no one had ever seen. Something I didn?t know was there.?
To me, Mark and Celia seeing each other across a crowded piazza during a knife fight, was one of Recognition; you know, like the Cat Woman in ?Cat People? recognizing Simone Simone. I think he found someone who liked thrills. And she found in him...uhmmm...vulnerability, damage, per-
haps merely someone who liked her(?) Nah, she had that with the older gentleman, Rick, and young Bob liked her too. She wanted danger? Okay, you tell me. What does a trust fund socialite want? You all always have a handle on movie characters better than I do. I don?t know what war-
ranted her to say:
"This is what I hunted those foolish years in New York. I knew before I knew his name or touched his hand. And for an endless moment I seemed to float like a feather gone to a place where time had stopped.?
From a glance...from Michael Redgrave?
"This is no time for me to think of danger. This is my wedding day.?
< Gulp! > Ooooh girls...if you?re walking down the aisle towards the groom and you have some doubts, keep walking. Walk past the altar, the minister, the groom...keep walking. You?ll be happier. When oh when will women in the movies start trusting their instincts instead of explaining away their fears with love. Aye yi yi. But I understand. I understand THIS is what makes the story. So I?m still going with it and accepted this plot device...at first.
"Can one kill by purposely denying someone love? By taking away the desire to live??
My short answer would be ?No.?
Did you notice the slight triumphant tilt of the head of the gypsy woman who was being fought over during the knife fight? (She was no Margo). Did art imitate life when Bennett was actually the ob-
ject of affection between two men? Is that really flattering for a woman? Ask poor tragic Barbara Payton. Or Guinevere ("shall kith not kill their kin for me...?) Or lets ask Bronxgirl.
I did kind of like the premonitions of...wait, premonitions is not the right word. I liked the way the 'revelations? were sprinkled along Celia?s path like bread crumbs or ?lilacs.? And each revelation was more shocking than the next.
"Why didn?t Mark tell me that he was married and that he has a son. I want to have Mark?s children but not another woman?s child.?
(Oh, btw about the son...I hated him).
We?re learning about Mark as Celia is. That ain?t good. Back to back we meet the two other women in Mark?s life. His sister Caroline, played by the (*great) Anne Revere and his secretary Miss Robey, the (*beautiful) Barbara O?Neil. I was quite expecting Revere to the be the icy b*tch in this and was happy she was not. If you?ve seen enough movies it was easy to spot Miss Robey was protective and in love with Mark.
"One side of her face was burned...It?s a pity for a woman to be disfigured but she uses it as a hold over Mark.?
Well...it seems Mark is the prize that these women in their own way are fighting for; he does have a kind smile and looks tall and lean and good in a t-shirt. I loved the scene when Celia was having a little tense tete-a-tete with Miss Robey and Caroline walks in. Celia was in between these two bookends of Mark?s life. Miss Robey wears black and Caroline steps in wearing the white blouse. Celia had on a black & white print. I thought Revere looked striking in her skirt and blouse walking down the hallway with Bennett. She has such a regal bearing to me. I like her nice ("National Velvet") pathetic ("A Place in the Sun"), no-nonsense ("Gentlemen's Agreement"), but I revere Revere severe as well: (?The Devil Commands?). :x
There?s a lot of interruptions in the movie, a character is ready to speak or walk away when some-thing gets their attention. When Celia should have walked away, she sends for her trunks. I like the shorthand of seeing the unpacked trunks. I just didn't understand the reason why she sent for them though.
Whoa...it was disconcerting to see Mark's omissions fairly glossed over and forgiven so quickly. (Strained my disbelief). I don?t mind a dumb damsel in distress staying in the midst of danger, but
I like it to be a little more rooted in logic, please. Are you or have you ever been --a Communist-- married before? Do you have kids? Any predilections for cutting your toenails in bed? A coupla questions before the nuptuals and removing the garter, don'cha think??
How?s this for a revelation: he collects murder rooms?
What the...CHECK PLEASE! Look as the rebound man Bob watch Celia hear the history of these rooms. What the...TAXI!!! Wasn?t it Caroline?s suggestion to give the guests this macabre tour?? What an actor-y scene that was when Bob and Celia overhear two drunken guests talk about Mark?s marriage motives. Oh my aching credulity. But I did like the psych major character, who was heavy-handily written. She lays it all out for you folks. She?s the psychological voice of reason. She gives her learned reasons for the whys of these rooms. Nobody's listening honey, you're just a sub-deb so have another hors d'oeuvre. (The actress' screen credit is billed as 'Intellectual Sub-Deb.' Huh? Sub-Deb?? A cut below Barbara Hutton and Brenda Frazier?? I guess it's better than being dubbed 'The Fat Woman' like Kathleen Freeman in the last ramble for ?The Glass Wall?).
The only surprise I got in the film was that Miss Robey did not have a scarred face. I was genuinely surprised by that. But I do see parallels between Lang?s film and Hitchcock?s superior ?REBECCA.? Oh, let me not leave out ?THE UNINVITED.? The heroine is also unseen and apparently it is SHE who is the icy b*tch in this fare.
?Eleanor had a certain charm but it was an enameled quality. An aloofness.?
Just tell me the secret. I?m dying to know what the SECRET is. Is it murder as metaphor? What is the dang secret?? No no no...I won't fast forward and I won't read all of your comments b'4 I've seen the film, as tempted as I am.
When Celia finally Nancy Drews her way into the locked door a la a very very slight nod to ?Notorious? it?s too much for her. She finally runs away (with a helpful --shove-- hand from pseudo rival Miss Robey). I liked Lang's shot of Celia running through the fog. I actually expected to see Larry Talbot running around with hoofed feet. Celia?s scream in the night was worthy of Evelyn Ankers.
So we get rid of the Secretary, we get rid of the Sister, we get rid of that Annoying Brat...and Celia comes BACK to the scene of the potential crime? (No I didn't think she was dead). She wants to give her marriage a go? (Oh darling...darling." "Don't you 'darling' ME!!")
"I know you wanted to kill me last night Mark...Last night I wanted to save myself, but I?d rather be dead than live without you. That would be a slow death for a life time.?
Uh...no, Celia...no it wouldn?t. Awwww she can?t hear me. I am not sitting at a local movie theatre. I am screaming at a tv screen in my bedroom more ?n sixty years too late. She?s sitting in the room...
in her tomb.
I think one of my chromosomes just burst...but if it gets me the answer to the Secret...
THE SECRET REVEALED.
The secret is that now I am determined to watch Joan Bennett in everything she's ever done.
Edited by: CineMaven on Sep 26, 2010 2:20 PM b'cuz those adjectives (*) are my opinion.
Edited by: CineMaven on Sep 26, 2010 5:41 PM Holy...Rick was her brother?! I missed that point entirely. Sorry. More when every one returns...