JackFavell
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Posts posted by JackFavell
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I wanted to capture both father and son's viewpoints because they go together - I loved Rufus, I just wasn't able to write about his side of it very well like you did. You said it beautifully.
I saw a lot in both characters, thanks to the really great acting of Ives and Connors. It would be easy to play Buck without any sympathy at all, but this performance impressed me for being so true and actually had depth, even when Buck didn't. That's so hard to do, and I never expected Connors to pull something like this off. I've frankly never seen him in anything but The Rifleman, which is straightforward simple and direct. He just blew my mind here.
This is my favorite role for Ives. It's pretty much my favorite role for Peck. I think it might be my favorite for Simmons and Heston too.
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I love MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING. It taught me to use windex for everything. "What do you mean he don't _eat no meat?_"
I love THE LAST OF MRS> CHEYNEY even more.
I saw Great Catherine before and it was pretty terrible in a fascinating way, like being hypnotized by a cobra who will kill you, but you can't look away.
Edited by: JackFavell on Jan 11, 2012 9:11 PM
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It is Shakespearean, or greek tragedy or something. It's BIG! It's the BIG Country! I like the comparison to *The Furies*. This one had the benefit of color, and I don't say that lightly, since I usually like black and white better.
I just felt so sorry for Buck. He was the true opposite of Peck's character, although you think Heston is.
They presented both sides of the father/son dilemma so well. I felt very sorry for Hennessey (Burl Ives) as well, he wanted a son like McKay and he got Buck, partially through his own fault. Things just didn't work out for him at all. He never wanted to become the man he did, and he was not the evil guy I thought he would be. In the end, he needed to reclaim his honor. Buck was just all gangly trouble, and this disappointment ate at Hennessey as well as his knowledge of Terril's power and corruption. But in his hate of Terril, he became just like him. Another mirror.
Buck was all instinct, no thought. Brought up by a dad who was always so much stronger and smarter than he, he just wanted to prove himself, but he never could and so he would give up for a while and carouse around. Then he would come back to dad when he got into trouble. He was always a disappointment, so he got mean, but stayed as dumb. All he saw was the power that he wanted. He couldn't garner it by his behavior, so he took it like a big beast. He only learned to feed his ego. Buck was never going to measure up, he was a 10 year old in a man's body. He followed his whims and animal lusts because he really wasn't capable of any thought but that of the moment. His dad brought him up to take charge, and take what he wanted, to think highly of himself, but he really wasn't a man, so he wasn't able to handle that responsibility... He was horrible but I felt terribly sorry for him at the end, because he simply couldn't control himself - he forgot completely what his dad had said to him so when the end came, he just didn't understand... like a dog doesn't understand when he is put out of his misery.
In their last scene, it was heartbreaking to see that horrible betrayed look on Buck's face, just standing there, wounded, waiting for his dad to say something to him, and all Hennessey could do was yell at him, "I told you I'd do it...." . I wanted him to say something nice to Buck, but he couldn't because he was so upset, because he knew deep down it would come to this, and he would have done anything to prevent it, but he couldn't. Parents are at their lowest when they can't stop something bad from happening to their kids. This scene was flawless to me - holding his son's head, cradling him in his arms only after he was dead. To kill your own son... the look on his face was awful. There was something grandiose about the whole thing, and yet so small and human - it captured something in every parent child relationship. Do we always kill a little bit of our children's soul? Do they drive us to do it? That's where it felt the most Shakespearean to me, and the most tragic, kind of like The Furies, where a child essentially kills her father. It brings up issues that are far deeper than the story being told.
I liked that they gave Connors and Ives their moment, even though it was Peck's story.
I promise I will get to the other characters eventually. It's a BIG story, after all.
Edited by: JackFavell on Jan 11, 2012 8:32 PM
Edited by: JackFavell on Jan 11, 2012 8:37 PM
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Oh I love that one! need it on a continuous loop when I am doing housework! Such happy energy!
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> {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote}
> > love your mom! She's so practical. I'm surprised I never ever thought of that!
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> I think she's too practical for her own good, lol. I'm ashamed to admit I also thought Paulette should have been shod.
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> Wasn't Diana Lewis from HE COULDN'T SAY NO Bill Powell's wife, his last marriage? I remember reading that he used to call her "Mousie".
Yes, I think that's her. I'll have to go back and watch again to be sure.
I missed Rod.
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I couldn't find any pictures of Will Wright in westerns, though he did a slew of them. I also couldn't find any really good ones of Francis Ford.
I actually saw Will Wright in an *I Love Lucy* episode this week, and that'[s why he was on my mind.
Harry Morgan has been on my mind a lot lately, too, he was in that recent *Yellow Sky* showing.
Edited by: JackFavell on Jan 11, 2012 4:05 PM
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I liked everything about the movie, the look of it, and the music.
Peck was a man who knew exactly who he was. He didn't worry about what anyone thought of him. He only concentrated on what he was inside. No proving himself. I wish I were more like that. You have to think to adapt, and no one was going to let him take the time to do so. He did it on his own terms, he wouldn't be bullied or shamed. A much stronger man than Heston or Bickford, but Baker couldn't see it till it was too late. I did see her point of how he didn't confide in her, but she should have loved him enough to trust him. She would have turned a lesser man into a weakling, and then have been miserable with him. There's a lot of depth to the story.
It was weird seeing Heston as an underling, how he kind of bridled at it, but felt comfortable there until he saw Peck. Heston really changed throughout the movie and I have to say I liked his performance. It almost seemed a relief to him not to have the whole movie on his own shoulders.
It's funny how Carroll Baker and he were perfect for each other but she couldn't see it through sheer stubbornness.
He's the kind of man she wanted, but couldn't see beyond the tip of her nose, she was so busy getting the best of everything, including the man she thought she could buy from back East. It wasn't her fault, she needed someone who was full tilt western, what you see is what you get....not internal like Peck. I can't believe I didn't mention Chuck Connors already! He was excellent - he really blew me away! I mean, here he is in this picture with 5 greats, and he's the one I just couldn't get over! Oh, he had everything. What a great performance. He wasn't so much a bad guy as a sort of wounded, beligerent, stupid, foolish animal. He was almost like one of the Clegg sons, so wrong, so inbred, but there was still something good natured about him... even though he was a rapist and a murderer. I felt like he was a representation of a mythological character - hubristic, like Phaeton, too headstrong, without the brains to handle it: fated to be rejected in love and especially by his father, and die without ever knowing why. He made me bawl like a baby at the end. I wonder if this was after he was a TV star, or before, because this movie should have led to a much bigger career. He was superb, I can't praise him enough, especially his scenes with Burl Ives who was also superb.
MissG, I can see why you would have liked this one when you were a kid. I really struggled against watching it...I have had the movie for a while. I was kind of stubborn like Old Thunder under the bridle. I didn't want to see it and even worse, I liked it when I did.
I really enjoyed the parallels in the film, the two old men are what Peck and Heston could have been late in life had they been more stubborn and unruly, and the women also sort of mirrored the male conflicts.
Edited by: JackFavell on Jan 11, 2012 3:40 PM
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I really liked the movie! Who would have thought that with three actors I don't care much for, I would end up liking it so much! Even Charlton Heston was good. This is one of my favorite Gregory Peck roles, it fit him like a glove. I wonder if this was his idea, or Wyler's. It seemed tailored to him. I know it was based on a book, or so it said at the beginning credits. And Jean Simmons was very good. I liked her very much here. They were all toned down to the essence of their screen personas here, no show offy "acting" (not that Simmons does that ever). And Carroll Baker, though she was a high spirited girl, you could see a reality to the character when she was acting a bit spoiled. It fascinated me that two people so totally wrong for one another could have fallen in love.... but you do see how it happened. Wyler worked his magic once again.
The scenes are long and drawn out a bit, but there is a reason for the stretching of time. We need to realize that Peck is a thoughtful man, first and foremost. He eyes the horse, Old Thunder for what seems like ages before attempting to ride him. He eyes the Hennesseys and the men of the posse the same way, looking first for a long time to find the common ground, but also to find their weaknesses as well.
I liked the way the camera would drift over the land, shooting from far away, almost never in closeup. At first, it bothered me a little, I forgot that most of the directors of Wyler's time shot films with few closeups. But he knew what he was doing. It made the "Big Country" seem even bigger, and pointed up how foolish the men in it were, and the fighting was.
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is that the fairly new Los Lobos song, Scottman? I hear a newer song on the radio once in a while, but now they are all so familiar, I can't remember which one is the new one.
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On the contrary, he liked it.
No, my veiled reference was to Frank's saying that it was my kind of movie.
h5. I hate it when he's right! arrrrggh!
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Did someone say *Ben?*
Oh, you KNOW this is my kind o' thread.
You all know I love Ben best. He could play anything, once he got his sea legs, and I especially love his more dark supporting characters, like Bob Amory in *One Eyed Jacks.* Couldn't trust him any further you could throw him, the snake.
I would put dear *Wardy* wayyyy up high at the top of the list. I just saw him in *Joan of Arc* the other night, and he was just great, you wouldn't think he would fit in in that kind of movie, but he did, exceptionally well. Another performance of his that gives me the heebee jeebees is his turn in *The Mortal Storm.* A more evil, representative Nazi factotum you will never see. But the west fits him like a second skin. Speaking of *Wagon Master*, watching Ward on the big screen gave me a new appreciation of his depth, and ability to convey subtle things with his eyes and face. One thing people usually don't accuse Ward of is subtlety, but as in *On Dangerous Ground*, he is able to present more than meets the eye, when he's given the chance to stop blustering.
Here are some of my other favorites:
*Will Wright* is another of those actors, like Brennan, who had a rich life before turning to acting in films. He started out as a newspaper reporter (can't you picture it?) and actually became a producer on Boradway before he became the quintessential crusty old codger for the movies. He always gives the hint of something a little bit darker in his serious roles. I just love him, When he turns up it's always good.
*Burl Ives* and I have had a love-hate relationship since I was a little kid - loved Jimmy Crack Corn and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, but he scared me as Big Daddy and in his TV appearances in the 1960's, usually as a big, blustery bad guy. I just finished watching him in *The Big Country* and he broke my heart as a good bad man forced to realize his own corruption and wasted life. He was brilliant and arguably gave the best performance in the movie. Another of my favorite characterizations has Burl walking that fine line again between sweetness and corruption....he's exceptionally fine as the German Dr. Hasselbacker in *Our Man in Havana*, a very disconcerting role because we like him so much. As much as i love him in this one, Burl seems at his best in those western landscapes.
Here are a few men of the west, supporting actors, a couple of whom were leading men long before they were known as supporting players, but whose faces tell their story better than any words about them could:
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> {quote:title=movieman1957 wrote:}{quote}*Yellow Sky* is on my shelf so anytime you want to chat just say the word.
I stupidly forgot to move *Yellow Sky* up to 1st place in my Netflix queue, so I won't be getting it for a day or two. But I did watch *The Big Country.*
I am afraid Frank Grimes is right (she said cryptically).
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Maven, watch out for that pothole!
Maybe I misjudged that Marilyn film.
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I guess I shouldn't really choose between them, I do sympathize with both of them. I should probably watch again just for Kathi's story.
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Oh I'm so glad you liked it! find it so interesting that you felt more for Kathi. I felt for her, but I also knew that she had a strength of character and inner resources to carry on her life, friends and family to lean on. I am sure she lived unhappily ever after, but she seemed more able to take sorrow. I felt so sorry for Karl Heinrich, he had no one to help him, and no inner resources. He had always been doubtful, needed someone to bolster him, since he was torn from the world so early. I did get the feeling that his deep sorrow made him a man, though, instead of a boy at the very end.
I saw the Prince as so innocent, so pure, that he simply couldn't make any other decision than the one he did. What was he to do? Take her as a lover? No... it was unthinkable, to take his pure love and turn it into something hidden and ugly. I don't know that he even thought of it. Abdicate? I think they both knew that that could not happen.
I felt he did not fight, because all along they knew the battle was already over, and had been years before they met. King Karl set it all in motion that day when young Karl Heinrich stepped off the train and hid in his nanny's skirts. He was not the type to rebel, not strong enough to stand on his own against such a long and ironclad tradition. I felt that emotionally, he was still that young boy, without a friend in the world or a mother to instill in him the strength to battle them all.
I do like to think that Karl Heinrich became a kinder, more knowledgeable and benevolent king, well loved by his people because of his experience in the real world. More than any in his family before, one who truly knew what it was to suffer, but one who knew what it was to live. Smart man, Dr. Juttner. He knew that a king must know his people - even if all he was trying to do was help this poor boy live a small lifetime in the few precious moments outside the palace.
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Don't you love making those discoveries, Mimi?
I have realized recently that black and white for me is one of the draws of classic film. It can be so beautifully textured and rich, or so gritty and stark. A film photographed well in black and white will usually trump a film photographed well in color (except for Jack Cardiff - he trumps everything).
George Sanders is one of my all time favorites, as you may have guessed from my name.
I can't get my head around the fact that Lloyd Bridges and Warren William were in the same movie - I can't honestly even picture them inhabiting the same world.Edited by: JackFavell on Jan 9, 2012 9:39 AM
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> {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote}Saw a smidgeon of HE COULDN'T SAY NO. Poor Lambert, saddled with that W. C. Fields-like family, lol. (and why did early Jane Wyman sound like Ann Sheridan?) But darned if even in this low-budget trifle, your boy Frankie really shines -- the genuine emotion intermingling with the humor.
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> Mom loves Charlie Chaplin (especially CITY LIGHTS) but here is what she thinks of MODERN TIMES: "Why doesn't Paulette Goddard wear shoes? You'd think when they're at that department store, he would have picked her up a pair".
I love your mom! She's so practical. I'm surprised I never ever thought of that!
Frankie was great wasn't he? He had so many good moments in this movie, though the movie itself was sorely lacking. Without his charm and thoughtful portrayal, the movie would have folded completely. I really felt for him when he had to tell the senator that he wanted the 150 grand, disappointing his girl. I could have killed those wicked crooks barehanded for forcing sweet Frankie into such a situation!
Edited by: JackFavell on Jan 9, 2012 9:30 AM
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Yikes! I wish I could get that thought out of my head now that you mentioned it. I won't be sleeping tonight!
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That is such a beautiful story, sansfin. It reminds me of a couple of stories I liked as a child.
I really like spiders, actually . I always take them outside instead of smushing them. I used to be afraid of them when I was little, but now I like them, as long as they aren't huge, or hanging above my head suddenly.
My daughter picked up the tiniest bright lime green spider once at pre-school, and ran over to show her friends. It was no larger than the head of a pin. She said, "Look at what I found! A cute little SPIDER!" Imagine 15 little girls running shrieking from my daughter, around in circles all in an instant and you'll get the idea of the mayhem Alice's discovery caused.
If I ever inherit a fortune, I will get one of those fireplaces for my house. I love those Scandinavian ones, I've seen them before, usually white porcelain or blue, and so lovely. I wouldn't mind having one even if it was only for holding candles!
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ugaarte has posted in the family recipes thread, I thought it was recently. It was the holidays after all, so maybe she was busy or went on vacation.
I don't remember where I got the Corinne still, I usually try to label them from the movie they're from, but this one wasn't labeled.
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Those are really cool Jeff!
h1. Happy Birthday!
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Oh Sansfin, I can imagine how wonderful it was for you, being picked to be the Snow Maiden!
I grew up believing the world was made of plastic and mid-century modern scandinavian furniture.
I would love to install a tall fireplace shaped like that one in my house. It will never happen, but I can dream.
The Annual FrankGrimes Torture Thread
in Your Favorites
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I must have missed your comments on *After the Thin Man.* It starts off slow with all that family stuff of Myrna's, then there's the stupid dance number with brunette Penny Singleton. After that it gets good, and my man Joe Calleia is great!
I think *The Thin Man series* is quite good all the way through, it and the *Sherlock Holmes* series are my favorite series ever made, as a whole. They hold up well, and if you can get it out of your head that anything will ever come close to the original Thin Man, you will enjoy the rest of the series.
I'm so glad you liked *Desk Set.* I never thought about the old research system as being ludicrous, but I guess it is to those of us now. There is something so charming about it, maybe because it's a slice out of a time that no longer exists, portrayed as all very modern. I love Neva Patterson in this one as Miss Warriner. And Joan is still a knockout - she and Kate have such a great relationship! You'd never think the two would work so well together. And I love Spence in this one. *Pat and Mike* is one of my other favorites. I hope you like it. Some of it is patently unbelievable, but Aldo Ray is priceless, and I love watching Kate do sports. There's a golf scene that always thrills me. I really love Spence in this one, he's so far off from his usual roles. And Charles Bronson is in it too.
My favorite *Marx Bros*. movies are the early ones. I am assuming you have all the MGM ones. There is something to like in every picture they made, but the later ones lose the spark a little. For me, the more plot there is, the less I like it. I even like the *Cocoanuts,* their first, because it has such verve and crackle - the bros. are literally all over the place. Fast forward through the incredibly annoying Mary Eaton and Oscar Shaw.
Speaking of annoying, Jimmy Stewart in *Wife vs. Secretary* is as close to a terrible performance as I've ever seen Jimmy do. Ack!
Ooh, I am most excited that you liked Jean! *China Seas* is a good adventure. Tell me, have you seen *Dinner at Eight* yet? She and Wallace Beery again - I think Jean is hilarious in it, probably her finest work comedy wise. I'd love for you to watch it if you haven't.
The dance you liked in *Gay Divorcee*, was it Night and Day?
I don't like Roz in her early films - they tried to make her British and dull. Except for *Night Must Fall* in which she's British, but great. They didn't know what to do with her, she had presence, so they immediately thought "upper class". She works much better as Hildy.
I'm glad you liked *Lady of Burlesque.* It's nothing special, just fun. I like the milieu, but really it's all Barbara's show, and I love the fact that she does these provocative numbers! I had the same feeling about what's his name, the comic. Pinky Lee and Iris Adrian were the best of the supporting cast.
Are you taking any suggestions for future films?
I also wanted to know if you made your quota at the end of the year - did you sneak in 8 more movies?
Edited by: JackFavell on Jan 12, 2012 8:18 AM