ChiO
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Posts posted by ChiO
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*So what's your best "under the radar" performance in film noir?*
Actors? Shouldn't they be treated like cattle (or, is it "treated as cattle"?)? They merely get in the way of the auteur. Assuming the question is "best performance by relative unknowns in an 'under the radar' film noir", then...
Is *The Naked Kiss* (Samuel Fuller, 1964) under the radar? If so, then Constance Towers (best regardless of gender).
Runners-up: Allan Baron and Larry Tucker in *Blast of Silence* (Allan Baron, 1961), and Marshall Thompson, Leon Ames, Virginia Field and Andrea King in *Dial 1119* (Gerald Mayer, 1950).
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*This, and others is what probably moved Orson to work with him.*
Of the Reed films mentioned, only *The Stars Looked Down* (1939) was released before *Citizen Kane* (1941). Also, the following excerpt from Encountering Directors (Charles Thomas Samuels, 1972) could lead one to think that it was Reed that wanted Welles. Also, not to diminish Reed and his films (especially The Third Man), but Welles' motivation likely had to do with making money for his own projects as much as it did to act in a Reed movie. Be that as it may, great movie and great performance.
CHARLES THOMAS SAMUELS: Whose idea was it to cast Orson Welles as Harry Lime?
CAROL REED: Mine. I was having dinner one night with Orson. I?d just gotten the synopsis from Graham Greene, which I thought was all right, so I told Orson that there was a wonderful part in it for him. He asked to read it, but I said, ?Look, the script?s not ready yet, but I?m sure you?ll like it even though you don?t come on until halfway through.? ?I?d much rather come in two-thirds of the way through,? he replied. After a week, I got Greene?s treatment, which I accepted. By this time David Selznick wanted me to do Tess of the D? Urbervilles, which I wasn?t very keen on. He had a script, which we both thought was pretty bad, so I asked him to have work done to it and meanwhile let me go ahead with The Third Man, since it was something we could knock off quickly. I said I wanted Orson and Cotten, who I knew was under contract to Selznick, as was Valli. ?Cotten and Valli you can have,? he said, ?but you can?t have Orson.? I asked why, knowing very well that Orson wasn?t under contract to him and that he preferred me to use someone who was. Besides that, I think Orson one day had made a pass at Jennifer or something. Selznick was very strong on Noel Coward?s playing Harry, but of course that would have been disastrous. It went on and on. When I started the film, Selznick was still going on about Noel. Alexander Korda, the producer, didn?t care, however, so in the end I got Orson.
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But, look...he l-o-v-e-s puppies.
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As of this moment...
1. Barbara Stanwyck
2. James Stewart
3. Robert Ryan
4. Humphrey Bogart
5. Robert Mitchum
6. Edward G. Robinson
7. Lee Marvin
8. Renee (Marie) Falconetti
9. Sterling Hayden
10. Timothy Carey aka Timothy William Carey aka Timothy Aoglia Carey aka Timothy Agolia Carey aka Timothy Agoglia Carey
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CineMave said: *I'm not sure he did "OUT OF THE PAST" but that is another noir film with great music. Actually, I always wait for the scene with Mitchum and Huston talking by the river. The music there is so sweet.*
Roy Webb composed the music for Out of the Past (and The Magnificent Ambersons, Cat People, The Leopard Man, Murder, My Sweet, The Spiral Staircase and Notorious).
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CineMaven said: *my apologies to those Mid-Westerners in the know!*
Apology accepted (or, is that "excepted"?). For the record, those delightful denizens of Wisconsin are not "hayseeds"...they are "Cheeseheads."
From Chicago, Caught Between My Homestate Hoosier Hayseeds and Wisconsin Cheeseheads,
ChiO
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Add *Monsieur Hire* (1989) and *Death Watch* (1980) as highly relevant movies, having now seen them.
Unfortunately, *Death Watch* is only on VHS and Region 2 DVD. A TV station, headed by Harry Dean Stanton, wants to televise the death of a young attractive woman (ratings, you know) who has only two months to live. So the station has a TV camera implanted in Harvey Keitel's eyes, thereby making it possible to broadcast whatever Keitel sees, and assigns him to watch Romy Schneider once she agrees to the deal. She finally agrees to being filmed, but doesn't know that Keitel is the means of filming. After getting the money from Stanton, Schneider goes on the lam with a man she just happens to meet (Keitel). Sense of guilt galore as the relationship evolves.
*Monsieur Hire* delves into the relationship of a friendless voyeur and the woman he looks at and how that relationship evolves once she knows he's watching. Constantly shifting sympathies. Beautifully filmed.
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1967. Sixteen, with a license to drive to the Big City and see movies before they hit our local second-run theater. And I took advantage.
Bonnie and Clyde: Ark nailed it on this one, though for me it compares favorably with THEY LIVE BT NIGHT and YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE. Loved it then and still do, even though GUN CRAZY is now preferred. I still marvel at Gene Hackman's performance and I was convinced that Michael J. Pollard would be huge. Both were nominated for Best Supporting Actor; Beatty and Dunaway were nominated for Best Actor and Actress, respectively, Arthur Penn for Best Director, and Estelle Parsons won Best Supporting Actress; it won for Best Cinematography.
Doctor Doolittle: The one of these movies that I didn't see and still haven't, even though MrsChiO thinks we rented it for our little one 10 or so years ago. I must have walked out.
The Graduate: It was our generation's REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, or so it seemed. Doesn't have REBEL's timeless or near-universal qualities, seeming almost quaint to me now, though I still enjoy watching it; however, maybe rather than it not aging well, it is I who has not aged well. Outstanding performances by Dustin Hoffman (weren't he and Hackman NYC roommates?) and Anne Bancroft.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner: Seemed like a Stanley Kramer movie then and haven't watched it since. I'll take Sidney Poitier in ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW and EDGE OF THE CITY and...
In the Heat of the Night: Wonderful performance by Poitier, but Rod Steiger's is brilliant. I agree with Ark completely. Along with Sterling Hayden (his polar opposite?), he seems to be one of the most often criticized actors, but I'm mesmerized by both of them.
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The pre-class discussion has been illuminating and very gratifying. Thanks to everyone participating.
As you continue to think about the on-topic films you?ve seen, maybe watch again, and check out some you haven?t seen, here are a few questions to ponder:
What are the characteristics of the voyeur(s) in the movie? What are the characteristics of the person being viewed? Their genders? Their professions? Their societal status?
What are the circumstances of the voyeurism? Premeditated? Accidental? Do the circumstances change?
Is there any significance in how the voyeur effectuates the viewing?
What is the reaction (if any) to the voyeurism by the person(s) being viewed? By others who become aware of the voyeurism?
Where does the film place the film viewer relative to the voyeur(s) and the person(s) being viewed?
Remember: We start in earnest on September 2.
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I saw *The Saddest Music in the World* at a screening about 3 years ago where Maddin discussed that film and his life as a director. Enjoyed it immensely and want to see more, but... Have you seen My Winnipeg? Do you have any recommendations?
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You folks are too much. I may not even moderate and just let you all go and I'll sit back and...watch.
Here's another one that I just got around to today despite my aversion to any movie with a knife: *Sisters* (DePalma, 1973). Luckily, only two knife scenes. There is looking a la Candid Camera, premeditated looking, inadvertent looking, spying, cameras, binoculars and split screens (there, you now have some hints regarding potential discussion topics). Even if you might not otherwise want to watch it, turn it into a parlor game to find his references to (surprise, surprise) Hitchcock (not to mention the Bernard Herrmann score) and even some to Powell and Fuller.
Found *Monsieur Hire* and *Death Watch* last night...just trying to keep up with everyone here.
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Oh-my-goodness: peeping through a window _and_ a mirror -- how many symbols (that's "tropes" for those seeking graduate credit) do you want?
I looked for *Monsieur Hire* a couple of years ago and couldn't find a Region 1 copy to rent, then forgot about it. Thanks for the tip! Ditto with *Death Watch* (Bernard Tavernier, 1980). I'll try to snag that one now, too.
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Frank-the-Cubs-take-2-out-of-3-from-the-Bucs: I was counting on you to mention *VERTIGO* and the 1,000 EYES OF DR. MABUSE, the Kings of Obsessions.
And _Ark_ does it again!
The "Eyes" have it. I'm just going to sit back and moderate when the time comes. Everyone who has commented here is going to make this very interesting for all of us (and teach me alot).
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Ray Danton was married to the lovely Julie Adams, most memorable as the Gill Man's love interest in The Creature from the Black Lagoon.
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CineMaven: It can't be a Ph.D class. "Deconstruction" and "post-modern" were not used in the description.
Film Fatale: I love Wings of Desire. Use it to your and our heart's content (but please try to avoid positing Henry Travers as a voyeur...that would change my Christmases forever).
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Sorry, Casablanca and Bogie fans. The Fall Semester Session, beginning Tuesday, September 2, is ?
Here?s Looking At You, Kid: Voyeurism ? Implicating and Transforming the Audience
?Everything's perverted in a different way.? ? Alfred Hitchcock
We all like to look. Even when we avert our eyes, we still like to sneak a peek. There is a fascination with observation and pleasure derived from the tension between attempting to maintain our privacy while invading another?s privacy. Watching movies fulfills this basic urge. Watching others watching others heightens the tension. The suggested films each use voyeurism as a key theme of the narrative, from purportedly innocent impersonal watching from afar (Rear Window) to the sinister personal view (Peeping Tom), from the transformation of the voyeur into his object (The King of Comedy) to the transformation of the voyeur?s perception of reality (Videodrome) to the symbiotic relationship between the voyeur and the exhibitionist and their attempt to break the barriers between them (The Hole). The audience vicariously shares the thrill felt by the film?s voyeur and then is implicated as a co-conspirator in the act of voyeurism, causing us to reflect on the real reasons we watch movies and transforming our relationship with that film reality.
Here are a few suggested films that may be useful in our discussion:
Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)
Peeping Tom (Michael Powell, 1960)
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (Roger Corman, 1963)
Blow-Up (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966)
The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1982)
Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983)
The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998)
The Hole (Tsai Ming-liang, 1998)
Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze, 1999)
Phone Booth (Joel Schumacher, 2002)
Cache (Michael Haneke, 2005)
Each of the above should be available for rental. Over the next month, if you think of other films that fit into this topic, or even a movie that has voyeurism as a significant plot point rather than as a major theme (for example, 2001: A Space Odyssey), that are available for rental or will be shown on TCM, post it here so we have a chance to watch it and use it in the discussion. I will intermittently post some discussion topics over the next month as well to help things get started on September 2.
Remember: This is a class where peeking at your neighbor is not only permitted, it is required.
See you in September.
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Bronxgirl from Argyle: Will you be screening any movies that feature Mr. Danton's wife? If so, may I attend?
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*And if ChiO hasn't seen Dementia, he's in for a real treat.*
I haven't, but I've wanted to since 1986 when I read in Re:Search: Incredibly Strange Films this passage from an essay devoted to *Daughter of Horror* --
Its depictions of murder, resurrection and dismemberment -- all common elements in horror films -- are presented as the hallucinations of an insane mind. Despite the noir cinematography and depictions of pimps, payoffs, and venal police, *Daughter of Horror* is not a crime movie. The original title, Dementia , probably reflects the film's essence most accurately. In a conventional horror film the terror comes from the outside, with the central figure a victim in a world gone mad. In Parker's film the horror originates from the inside, as an aberrant mind turns upon itself.
The two essays immediately preceding that: *God Told Me To* and Blast of Silence. The one immediately following: Spider Baby. I'm sold -- where do I buy it?
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*I look forward to seeing what the topic of the next class will be. I hope I can participate in that one.*
I'm glad someone is.
After hours of intense negotiations with DeanCutter over salary, class size, office hours, and tenure, an announcement of the Fall Semester offering will be made in a separate thread under "Films and Filmmakers" later today.
Keep an eye out and look for it.
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*For me it's gelato, Italian gelato, any time anywhere.*
Absolutely (as eyes glaze over in a reverie, imagining slowly eating pistachio gelato at Siena's Piazza del Campo while watching a classic of Italian cinema...say, Once Upon a Time in the West).
Now, back to the Breyer's.
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_Bronxsie_ -- I was looking forward to you holding court with Yummy Foods as a Trope in *The Argyle Case* and The Argyle Secrets.
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Oh, my. I don't recall saying that I would teach any class, least of all Sci-Fi (enjoy it, but my exposure has been an inch deep and a foot wide -- as opposed to some other categories where it's two inches deep and 18 inches wide). I do recall mentioning that I was going to _take_ a class on Murnau, and Prof. Cutter proposed Summer School and then behind my back you Fordites staged a coup.
Let's see...ummm...how about: Deconstruction of Feminist Motifs in Cassavetes and Fuller or Meanderings on The Method: The Comedy Stylings of Marlon Brando and Timothy Carey.
I'll get back to you.
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Barbara Baxley has the lead. She did a bunch of TV, but *The Savage Eye* was her first film credit. She earlier had an uncredited role in East of Eden, which puts her in great company with...Timothy Carey (and there was some other young guy who got a credit). She had later roles in No Way to Treat a Lady, Nashville, Norma Rae and Sea of Love.
Gary Merrill and Herschel Bernardi are the male leads.
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_Ark_ & Dewey: You noir teases, you! At least I had the common decency to include only movies that are commercially available to rent or buy. Luckily, I have connections that sometimes slip something through my mail slot when I'm in the throes of major noir DTs. Never see their faces as they disappear into the night fog, trench coat and fedora covering their mugs. But marvelous selections, as always.
A couple more on DVD:
*Dark Waters* (Andre De Toth, 1944): This underappreciated director's entry in the Southern Gothic noir category. Stars Franchot Tone and Merle Oberon, but it is Thomas Mitchell's and Elisha Cook, Jr.'s movie all the way.
*The Savage Eye* (Ben Maddow/Sidney Meyers/Joseph Strick, 1960): May be stretching the boundaries of film noir with this one, but it is one of the most powerful female-centered films I have ever seen, perhaps surpassed only by *Wanda* (Barbara Loden, 1970). The darkside of urban life seen through the eyes of a newly divorced woman. If you liked *Something Wild* (Jack Garfein, 1961) when TCM showed it a while back, then try this.
And speaking of Jack Garfein, here are some (of the many) film noirs not on DVD (or VHS), _and_ not mentioned by anyone, that I'd love to see:
*The Strange One* (Jack Garfein, 1957)
*My Name Is Julia Ross* (Joseph H. Lewis, 1945)
*So Dark the Night* (Joseph H. Lewis, 1946)
*Here's Looking at You, Kid: TCM School Fall Semester*
in Films and Filmmakers
Posted
As always, Ark's got my back. He's absolutely right. This will be about questions, not answers, and looking at old favorites and, one hopes, some new favorites in different ways. As for Peeping Tom, that's on my long list of films I need to revisit this weekend. Molo, I hope you have a chance to view it; this topic aside, it is a fascinating movie, especially when one considers that it came out very shortly before Psycho and, whereas *Peeping Tom* is often credited as effectively bringing Powell's career to an end, *Psycho* enhanced Hitchcock's.
As for Blow-Up, some of my best tennis was played without a ball.