rohanaka

What's on der menu? Huh? Who in the world is your cook? Who? Quiet Gal?" OH SURE... and look's what's on the menu.... your favorite: sawdust: And saurkraut: OH wait... you would LIKE that, wouldn't you????? How about: Chunky Chicken Veggie Stew instead?????? (yum!) Watch your step, buster.... or you might see a REAL "Act of Violence" ha.

Wow ladies... you have a nice list going on for me.. (ha... and I SHOULD have asked you this question MUCH earlier because I missed Casablanca AND The Maltese Falcon AND The Treasure of the Sierra Madre the other day (ha) But I DID intend to watch them... if that counts. :-) I just got busy with other stuff and did not get a chance to see or record any of them. (and all three of those are on my "I'm almost TOO embarrassed to admit I've never seen them" list... HA!! So for NO other reason that THAT I feel I should give them a try.) :-) Fortunately they are all fairly easy to find and will be playing again later this winter... so maybe will EVENTUALLY buckle down and MAKE myself watch them. (No really.. I promise.. ha) I will check out your other recommendations too. You gals have yet to steer my wrong. But do I REALLY have to watch that African Queen movie... (really???) :-) OH... alright.. Tomayto... Tomotto.. I give up.. I will try again.. someday. (ha) Never let it be said that I was a chicken when it comes to trying new foods.. I mean movies.. Ha. (my Grandma would be so proud!) PS: all my East Coast friends.... hang in there... batten down those hatches... bundle up... stay safe... (I'm am running out of encouraging expressions... ha.. but you get the idea.... take care, folks) :-)

Hi there, Miss G. Have you seen him as Roy Earle in HIGH SIERRA yet? That's my favorite Bogart character I have not seen that one. I went in and looked it up and checked out the trailer... it looks pretty intense. (but WHAT about that haircut??? ha) I think I had it marked as one I wanted to watch when it aired earlier this month... and it came on so late (and I am such a DOPE about setting the vcr...ha) I missed it. But I will keep an eye out. can only conclude he never had anyone tell him any different and he was a little on the cuckoo side anyway... Just a LITTLE cuckoo.. ha. (or maybe he was just "eccentric" ha) Anyway.. I think he was one of those who never reached for anything "high" or grand but just let himself be carried along... (but I may be mis-remembering him.. ha) I think you are right that no one ever gave him any reason to feel any different than he did about what he REALLY was worth as a human being. (kinda sad... ) Oh, I wouldn't go back to 20 either. HA!!! Sounds like we both better keep moving forward then... ha. (But if you did go back, at least you wouldnt have nearly so far to go back as I would ..ha.) HIYA Miss Maven and Ms Favell... I LOVED the exchange between the chauffeur and the "other" man. I think there were several really well written side exchanges between all of the extra characters in this film. And I would have liked to see some of them... this one included... played up a bit more even. I think it made the "waiting" game that they got caught up in seem more REAL to me for them that it all seemed to bring out their "true" characters. RE: *The Tomato* :-) He IS getting sweeter.... but The African Queen?? Oh.. I don't know if I can go THAT far yet.. ha. (I did try to watch part of it one time... but that was when I was still in my "denial" stage. Maybe I should try again. (ha) Alright... let's see... so far I LOVED him in The OK Kid... I enjoyed To Have and Have Not (and thought he was FAR better than I expected. I thought he did a VERY good job as DIX (even though I had my "ISSUES" with Dix... ha) in In a Lonely Place... and I also liked him in Dark Victory (although his role is not that big) Golly... I even liked him in Sabrina... :-) I recorded The Big Sleep (but have not had a chance to watch it yet) but I am looking forward to it. And after all I heard about it.... I am HOPING to watch the one with Agnes Moorhead that is coming up in the next few days (is it Dark Passage?) So... to give me the "definitive" HB experience, what OTHER Bogie films would you gals recommend???

Simian!! That's perfect... the way he kept his arms sort of "hanging down". (ha.. I told the QT it looked like his shirt was too tight across the shoulders or something.. HA!!!) But I thought he was VERY menacing and quite intimidating. He makes a pretty believable "bad guy". I liked his role in The Oklahoma Kid. He was a bit "slicker" and "slimier" than in TPF, but still rotten to the core. He is starting to "grow on me" ha... I can't say I am a total out and out FAN yet... but I am starting to keep a more open mind when I see him on the listings. I always hope the same thing, but then Allan's gesture would founder I guess and he might just become an almost pitiable character. He feels he's lived a futile life and this is his chance to be something really fine. What makes it tough is he's too young to feel like that. It was a "grand" sacrifice.. but I just wished for MORE from him. He acted as if the ONLY way for her to have a "future" was for him to get her out of there to go fulfill her dream. He had NO idea that HE could have been her future... and her dream might have actually been BETTER had he been in it. But I guess when life has a person beaten down as far as he was... maybe he just had given up hope of ever feeling "worth" anything in life and he saw this as his shining moment. UGH.. I just wanted to SHAKE him. It's one of the few times she plays a "soft" character, and I have to say they're among my favorites in her career. I just got through watching THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER, which has her in a decidedly supporting role, but a very likable and almost soft, every-day girl type. She does it really well. I love TMWCTD. I missed it tonight, but I have seen it before. VERY entertaining.. and you are right. Her character is very likable and she does do a nice job in it all. As Gabriella she's good at projecting pent up, frustrated energy. There were times I felt like her when I was a kid in Texas I have had a few of those moments myself.. knowing there is SOMETHING out there for you.. but not know HOW or WHEN or maybe even WHAT... oh to be 20 again... nah.. I don't think I could handle it. The last gazillion years have taken their toll on me... HA!! :-) Charley has such an incredible amount of energy in all his characters. I can't believe how much pep he has sometimes. I get tired watching him! It's darling how childlike his enthusiasm is. He plays essentially the same character in JUDGE PRIEST. That's one that is still on my wanna see list. I bet he was a HOOT if his character was like this one. Edited by: rohanaka on Dec 20, 2009 12:09 AM

Oh boy! So, barring the ending, this was a Bogie movie you liked??? YES... including HIM. (ha) Although he was just one HUGE stereotype. ha. But I thought he made a TOTALLY convincing thug. EVERYTHING, I mean everything about this movie "clicked" for me.. right up until the VERY ending. (dagnabbit!!) ha. *HUGE Spoiler alert:* it was a wildly romantic gesture Oh it made me SO mad. ha. And I was as mad at Bogart as I was at him (because I wanted Bogart to redeem himself by just "winging" him and making it LOOK worse... and then Howard just PASSED out... THAT was what I kept WAITING for... but NO!!! (UGH) did I mention how MAD I was about the ending???? ha. I love Bette's Gabriella. She's very sweet It was funny because I had JUST said to the QT (as the movie was getting started) that I did not know WHAT she was going to be like as a character because Bette was more of a "strong" woman type (at least in most of her films that I have seen) and not usually known for playing wide eyed "dreamy" young ladies so much.. and then there she was... all wide eyed and dreamy. And that rich couple.. OH ME.. I LOVE her.. hate him.. ha. And funny old Charley Grapewin. OH my golly.. I loved how he was cheering the bad guys on.. ha.

I know this is a VERY late entry here (considering the fact that this movie aired on TCM the first part of the month (ha.. better late than never) but if I may I just wanted to bring up The Petrified Forest. WOW. I found myself pleasantly suprised by this movie... (and then it ENDED... ha... and I was SO very disappointed instead) NO.. I was M-A-D!!!!!!!!) ha.. Sometimes I am nothing if not emotionally involved with my movies.. ha. But I thought Bette Davis was as young and "fresh faced" as I had EVER seen her. And that DOGGONE Leslie Howard... ha. I loved him.. and then I just wanted to KICK HIS tail. And then there was Bogart... :-)

DO NOT FORSAKE ME O' MY CYBORG... On this our "Judgement Da--aay.... " (HA... in keeping with your "Terminator" theme, I had to add that in there.. it just seemed like the natural "next line" (ha) Wowsa... Watch out guys.. the ladies have just added a whole new layer to this chat. I am really enjoying getting to experience this story, if only vicariously through reading everyone's thoughts and comments. You really have me drawn into this film and I haven't even SEEN it. :-)

The moral dilemma is is Ryan justified by coming to kill Heflin? Is Heflin a coward in both his war time and dealing with Ryan now? Could Heflin be blamed for either instance? Does the end and outcome of the film redeem Heflin and Ryan? OH my golly, Mr. Movieman... inquiring minds wanna know!!! :-) Thanks for taking this film "out for a walk". You and the Grey Guy are doing a bang up job of chatting it up! I have a new addition to my ever increasing, infamous "Wanna See" List. :-)

Hi Cinemafan... I have Amazing Grace on DVD and it is a really powerful and inspirational story. (I just watched it again this past weekend... which is what got me on my "Ioan" kick and made me go looking for HH.. ha). To ,my recollection it is just about the only other thing I have seen him in (except he does have a VERY small role in the film Titanic.. he pulls Kate Winslet out of the icy water) I know he has been in other films, but I am not too familiar with him beyond those. But back to Amazing Grace, it has some really wonderful scenes in it.. (but it does jump around a bit though) William Wilberforce was a very interesting person.... and Gruffudd does a good job in the role. PS: I love the pic of him w/ the baby... TOO gorgeous. :-) PSS: Jackie.. I hope you get to check the HH series out someday. It would be a bit of a time investment to watch them all... but I do recommend them. :-)

Ha.. gals.. just ONE more sign we are long lost sisters... we all share that same WARPED sense of humor. (Let's get Larry King on the phone right away.. I am ready for our interview..ha)

Well, I guess I am gonna have to bring out the big guns for this Christmas showdown HA!! The big guns indeed!! That is game set and match for "Cowboy Christmas Caroling" ha. :-) And what's more is that it reminds me of a cartoon I came across last year.. ha..And now everytime I hear that song... I think of this cartoon, ha. (I am so rotten) It has ruined me forever HA!!. (I know... you always wondered what it was that pushed me over the edge, ha) Rudolph at home..ha. (He's a Peacemaker after my own heart) ha. :-) PS: That is too sweet about you and Alice at the bus stop. :-)

Thanks, little youngun!! What a treat. (I remember going around the house with my brothers singing songs like that when I was a kid.... about a GAZILLION years ago. ha.) There is just something comforting now about that sort of nostalgia! Here is a little Christmas tune by Tex ... going out to you and all my Western friends. :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5RQUHFjqpw&feature=related

Hi there, Ms. Favell.... I hope you will forgive this brief interruption of your thread to share a more "modern" brunette with you.... I just hit the JACKPOT over in youtube land..ha. And I found (I THINK) almost ALL (if not all) of the A & E Horatio Hornblower Series on there. I don't know WHY I never thought to look there before NOW. If you've never seen them, OH ME, I think they are first rate. VERY good stories and nicely told and well acted too. I have never read the book, so I can't compare them to that either. But I will say that they are really well done. I know what I am going to be watching online for the next several weeks. :-) At any rate... it is likely among my all time favorite collection of miniseries' and it stars.... well... how shall I say it, (without sounding like a teenager, ha) a VERY fine brunette as well. (Ioan Gruffudd) I have only seen him in just a handful of films outside of the HH series... and know NEXT to nothing about him as a person either, but I do like him as an actor... (and OK I confess... ha.. he's not so hard to look at either,) Thanks for letting me interrupt you for a moment, young'un. Now back to the classics. :-) Edited by: rohanaka on Dec 14, 2009 6:48 PM

OH MY GOLLY, ladies. This had turned into one GRAND chat. I have REALLY enjoyed our "amble" on the Noir side, ha. TRM has turned into a VERY a nice little stroll. And while I have more that I wish I could say (as I would like to respond to some of your "responses") :-) ha, sadly I must bow out for a while... I have some extra "irons on my fire" right now that need to be dealt with and I am going to be busy for a bit. Believe me, I would MUCH rather be chatting it up with you here... But in the meantime, I say keep it going gals. Thanks again for letting me take a "stroll" with you on this one. :-)

HELLO April... Wowsa, I am still just so bowled over by your posts on TRM and your analysis of the entire story. Your take on everything was very intriguing. I liked the way you broke down the real motivations behind Lucia's actions. I am getting a feel for your reasoning on how Lucia sort of "created" the defiance in Bea (not as much by likely ignoring her bad behavior in the past.. .though we can't be sure about that, but more by still treating her like a child even though she was not a child anymore (although at 17, I still submit she was WAY too young to have the kind of freedom they had allowed her to have, but maybe that was the era) So I don't know if I can wrap myself completely around it all, but I do see your point, and wonder if it might be a combination of both. It is really easy for me to sit here and judge her as a mother in the 21st century looking back on attitudes and thoughts and lifestyles that are more than half a century older, so who's to say what she SHOULD or should not have done. And let's face it, Bea WAS a brat.. (ha... and I am with all you gals... there was a NEED for slapping, ha) but I think Lucia could have more carefully chosen how she confronted her... and what she did to try and lead her (by the hand instead of by the nose). But more on Bea in a moment... We all face a moment where we have to choose. If we make the right choice, it's a moment of magnificence. If we choose wrong, it's a regret we have to live with the rest of our lives." Wow.. now that line SHOULD have been in this movie for sure. And you are right, I think BOTH Lucia and Martin ending up making seperate choices (him for the better, her for the worse) but then again... ultimately BOTH of their choices worked to bring about a result that was for HER good as well as his (although on the surface, it might not have seemed that way in the end.) As a side, note, I have been wondering what everyone thought about whether there was any "reciprocating" affection from her for Martin. I THINK there was at the end... .but I DON'T think she'd have ever acted on it. ALL through the movie I think she shows that she DOES love and need her husband. (but then again.... the point you made about how MUCH they had been apart makes me wonder if she needed to "need him from a distance" as in... if he were to suddenly change jobs and be home all the time and try "running the show", would they be as HAPPY together???) UGH... how did I get so sidetracked?? .ha.. What I REALLY wanted to talk about was: This is one tough dame, we are meant to see, at least when it comes to protecting what that charming Balboa cottage holds inside. She's also a woman who doesn't first try to get all the facts before she makes a decision. I see Lucia as a kind of lioness, protecting her "pride". And yes, pride is part of it. She knows how the world will judge her daughter and proud as she is, she doesn't want her daughter to have to face the world's censure for herself. She's concerned with appearances (how many times does she tell her son to dress properly?). I think she is FAR stronger than she appears (behind those glasses and in that "perfect" homemaker wardrobe. She IS a tough gal... and there is a level of "pride" involved with it. To her (and likely MOST women in her circle of friends, image is IT. And their standing in the community (although they do not really appear to be "high" society) is likely of GREAT importance to her. I think you have her pegged VERY well. Now back to Bea: Lucia issues orders to Bea and is, in a way, somewhat condescending to the girl. She even calls her a "child". Well, the "child"is college aged and had a fling with a seedy grifter. Lucia needs to learn she can't control and protect her forever. She handled that whole thing VERY poorly. I think the time for STERN talk and trying to make her daughter BEHAVE had come and gone. (a long time ago) And I think you are right in that she needed to learn she can't control and protect her forever. But at the same time, the mom in me is saying I CAN tell my child what to do in my own home... and that GIRL was WAY out of line. (ha) I think the key is that Lucia needed to find a BETTER way to communicate... and it although it may have been LONG past the time of "bossing" her around.. but she still needed to be held accountable for her behavior. Bea (for me) was likely the ONE character I wish had been a bit more developed in terms of how she thought and what she really had to do with the story as a whole. One moment she is presented as this mouthy, rather "superior" (hey... do you think she had some of her MOTHER in her?) and yet almost LOOSE sort of "woman" (with her leg hanging over the edge of that chair, etc) and the REST of the movie (after she discovers she was WRONG about her "boyfriend") she is just this over dramatic, wimpy, whiny, panic stricken pile of MUSH. It did not ring as true for me as I wanted it to, I guess. She's, for the moment, in the kind of anxious predicament of needing to get her hands on cash at almost any cost---and this is how Donnelly has probably lived his whole adult life. His compassion for her struggle and torment is what suddenly lifts him above her in character for a while. She doesn't show the same compassion for him until much later. OH WOW, I like how you said that. I think the contrast between them starts out ONE way... and then ends up like you have just described... and then.. eventually... they are drawn together... it is a real "meeting of the minds" for both of them. However, the movie still feels more like Hitchcock than anything else, because of the skewed, psychological angle on the family, a family living a sort of fantasy life in which all unpleasantness is dealt with secretly in order to protect the innocent. In the clash between the two worlds, it reminds me of Shadow of a Doubt. I think you are right about the "Hitch" feeling.. though I know I am nowhere near as "up" on his style or his way of filming as you are. I see how you could draw some comparisons to Shadow of a Doubt, too, especially in the context of her hiding that awful secret from those around her whom she loved most (to protect them from the awful truth). That's very interesting. I do believe Martin had an "awakening", or found redemption, by his encounter with Lucia, and that Lucia, in turn, will be a much more reflective and changed woman after this. She's not going to try to "handle" everyone and everything anymore. In a strange way, I think she was also redeemed, she had her humanity handed back to her when she was in danger of losing it to a devotion to a misplaced ideal. I really appreciate the way you tied them together that way. I mean, HE was obviously "redeemed" and for him it was a "progressive thing all throughout the story. I really liked how that all played out for him. (because, as you know, I LOVE a repentant bad guy theme in almost any movie) And although I had a REALLY hard time finding him "bad" ha... he WAS a blackmailer... and likely worse.. so I do think he had led a less than honorable life and it was very moving to see the change come over him. Now the idea of her "redemption" is more subtle, but I do think you have it right. Because, although HER life had likely been "sterling" next to his.. at least outwardly, perhaps on the INSIDE she did have issues of her own that were NOT the way they should be. So I think you were right. Due to her thoughts and attitudes (such as her controling and superior "better than you" mindset, if nothing else) she needed a touch of "humanity" placed back into her. Among other things, I think that while she will still be devoted to caring for her family... maybe she will "loosen up" a bit, and just maybe get a little closer to that "tolerant" mother that she wanted to be in the letter she wrote to her husband. But I wonder HOW much this whole incident will affect her later on. I have been wondering WHAT her life will be like having gone THROUGH all that so privately. Will she ever tell her husband what she did.... and did not do? I am thinking she won't... but I am also thinking... she may be a different LUCIA when he gets home (maybe for the better, maybe not). But I don't think she will go back to being just her "normal" self. PS: Bronxgirl: Martin actually calls Lucia "Lucy" at one point (ironically as he's telling her to be strong not for herself, but for the family) Wasn't that just a "moment" for him? OH ME. The simple affection he had for her was almost heartbreaking. (like when he told her not to smoke so much, and then secretly bought her the filters, etc) It was not the MAD ROMANTIC LOVE thing that so often happens in films where a leading man is drawn to another man's wife but something a bit more. I think he was drawn to her FOR the life she had (and her role in the family) as much as he was drawn to HER as a person. I imagine him like a little boy outside the window looking in at the Harper family "candy store of life" (ha), and he'd have LOVED to be the "dad" in a family setting like that.. with her to bring him his pipe and slippers and take comfort in knowing he had a devoted woman by his side. I think he was drawn to the ideal of "her" as much as he was just to Lucia herself. Anyway, that's how it seemed. He more or less just seemed HUNGRY for that sort of idealistic home setting. But I do believe he was also very much drawn to Lucia as well.

Miss Maven says: *Ms.G., Ms.G., Ms.G. WoW! More later...* Rohanaka says: YEAH, what SHE said. (ha) PS: Helloooooooo there Bronxie. VERY nice to see you here too, youngun!!! I will hopefully be back later on SOMETIME today with a bit more to add as I want to respond to April and to Barb's comments. VERY nice chat going on here gals!!

I'd call and tell my husband. After all, it wasn't me who had an affair so he shouldn't be mad at me. THAT was something I kept WAITING AND WAITING for her to do. It really was such a SAD commentary on what her life must really be like as "MRS. Harper" Because I think it was her perceived duty or perhaps her perceived calling in life, or her role in the family to just make life easy for him, and everyone else for that matter (as any "good" wife and mother would or should). But in reality it is a flawed system. Now don't misunderstand. I am the LAST person to be considered a modern day version of a"feminist" by any stretch of the imagination. But having said that... LOVE for one another in a marriage includes MUTUAL respect, and trust. And THOSE values have been around a LONG time. And if you can't confide in or trust, or go to the ONE person you should be closest to in life when there is THAT sort of trouble going on, it is a sad thing to see. I have a very specific role in my family as a wife and mother, and my husband has a very different and completely seperate role that he fulfills as well, but still we both work TOGETHER (and complement one another in those roles) in order to keep our home and our family running the way we feel is best. Maybe that is just the difference 50 plus year have made in our society, or not, but "Never bother father" is a POOR way to run a household and lead a family life and yet it seemed to be the "natural order" of things in the Harper home. Never talking about your problems, or only relying on one another to do MORE than just the "status quo" in a family or to never do anything other than live out a certain "stereotype" to me is a SAD way to live. (Ha.. I just realized something... the only one who was NOT a stereotype for the late 40's early 50's mindset in that family WAS Sybil, the maid. (ha) Go figure.) For Lucia, I suspect she saw it all as part of the "natural" order of things. (As in: Her husband worked all day in the stress of the "real world" and deserved to have as few worries as possible at home) I suspect she felt her husband was FAR too important to be bothered with any of her "minor" worries. (you know, like a dead body in the back yard and a blackmailer at the door) ha. Maybe I am judging Mr. Harper too harshly (since we never REALLY see him or hear anything from him except the onesided phone conversations), but I imagine, there probably was little concern being shown from him whatsover for a REAL answer from Lucia to: "Honey how was YOUR day?" Because her day was always supposed to just be centered on making HIS life better. Because in her world, women did "women's work" (which was a combination of making her "man's home" his castle by keeping and running ALL the household affairs, budgeting the money her husband "allowed" her in a responsible way, and making sure the children made the family look GOOD to the outside world.) And to keep something SO important (as all the STUFF she was going through in this story) from her husband to me would be a sign of either A) her GUILT (and we KNOW she was NOT guilty of any of the crimes she THOUGHT she had to cover up for) or some sort of WRONG and out of whack thinking that she had to protect or spare her husband from such a situation because he was working hard for the family and she just needed to "suck it in" and do her part so he didn't have to be troubled by such things. (and of course.... as far as I can tell... the answer would be B. So, did I mention WHAT a sad way that would be to live??) I wonder what he would have said or done if she HAD told him. (because THAT would have told us what measure of a man he really was instead of just being left to speculate on it all) And I also wonder what she'd have done or said HAD he not been away? Would she have STILL tried to cover everything up and keep it from him? Inquiring minds wanna know. Ha. PS April... I will look forward to your post AND those screencaps. (OH I hope you get some good ones of James Mason... He always looked good no matter WHAT movie he played in, but was he EVER quite so (almost) boyish, yet ruggedly "gorgeous" as he appeared in THIS movie?? ha. Edited by: rohanaka on Dec 3, 2009 11:21 AM

CineMaven says: Poor lady, couldn't get access to anything b'cuz being married back then meant your husband had financial control over everything. The house was such a maze and a series of boxes. Even the outfits Bennett & Brooks wore also had that 'boxy' look. It brought back a vaue sense of familiarity of clothes my Mother wore in the 50's Jack Favell says: I really liked Joan in this one. She is a revelation to me in these noirs. She became a pretty great actress over time. I loved her in glasses - they seemed to define her, cage her in You know, I was struck by her appearance. She looked so... well.. for lack of a better word... repressed. And yet she truly had some strength and backbone hidden behind those big glasses and that "boxy" (to borrow from you) wardrobe. James Mason looked great, and did such a fine touching job of walking that fine line between good and bad. And Bennett and Mason did a great job of moving towards each other but not crossing any boundaries. Mason was very soft and tender here. I love the way he unfolded his character for us. He starts out one way, (sort of a "gentleman thug") and then he goes further and further and further... until he had me BLUBBERING by the end of the movie (ha) But then... I am an "easy" blubber-er" ha. But still, (MINI spoiler alert) I just was so very PROUD of him for the way he gave EVERYTHING to help her in the end. The way that he even talked about his own mother and just sort of bared his soul for her about who he really was and how he was not going to let her ruin the GOOD life she had for the likes of him. It made me love him all the more. CineMaven says: Sybil, the maid, was so refreshing. They let her be a real person, and I must say my jaw dropped when she took the wheel of the car I love that even though she was in a "sterotypical" role, they let her be ANYTHING but a stereotype. WHAT a gal. Refreshing indeed. And I love how she even put herself in some sort of possible jeopardy for Lucia... She seemed "all knowing" watching out for each part of the family in a very strong, yet unassuming way. And she and Lucia must have had a friendship of sorts that made Sybil MORE than just the family maid and despite the employer/employee relationship. Maybe they felt close because they BOTH were there to serve the "family". And although Lucia was the "mistress of the house" she really was Sybil's "co-worker" as well. (at least is seemed that way to me) Anyway, I liked the character very much, and I really enjoyed the way she was played, right down to her voice and the way she spoke. She was a nice little extra "gem" in this film to be sure. Miss Favell says: The only things I didn't like were small and had to do with character and plot - I didn't see her leaving him behind like that - with the truth untold. I for sure thought she would make Sybil turn that car around and go back, although it ends better this way. POSSIBLE spoilage: I had some issues with a few ?plot? lines, and also the way the daughter seemed to literally just turn to mush after she realizes how WRONG she was not to listen to her mom, ha, but I did not have any issues with the final scenes w/ Mason and Bennet together and how her leaving him there all played out. If she had stayed, or turned back, his GIFT to her would have been lost. And to me, it was ALL about him giving her the ONE thing she needed most, a way out. It was a HUGE sacrifice on his part, (obviously) and it was the last act of repentant man who KNEW his life had been wasted, save but this ONE good thing he was now trying to do, just for HER. (UGH, I am gonna start bawlin? here ANY moment) ha. And PS, Miss G: More later Is it LATER yet, Ha! I am really interested in your take on ALL of this, ma?am. DO chime in soon, if you can. Miss Maven says: Now. I will shortly amble along this noir side walk with a man whose voice so distinctive, you can tell who it is...even in the dark What? Are you going to talk about the kid brother's voice TOO????????????????? HA!!!! Edited by: rohanaka on Dec 2, 2009 10:41 PM

I have to say I am with Jackie on this one as far as NOT touching or hiding that body. I think it could CLEARLY be proven that there was more than one possible way for that man to have died ( or at the VERY least, a case could have been made for self defense... given HIS age and the daughter's) so no... I wouldn't have done a cover up... but , I'd have walked with my daughter all the way through the process. I think this film reminded me just a little of Mildred Pierce (not entirely but just somewhat) because in my mind, all the REAL trouble started WAY before Mr. So and So took a dive off that walk way. Did you HEAR the way that gal talked to her mother? Did you HEAR the things coming out of her mouth? Those things don't usually just HAPPEN. I think she had been given FAR too much freedom at FAR too young an age (she was only seventeen) and even though it was a different era back then, seventeen year olds that are THAT mouthy at their moms did not just wake up one day and decide to be that way. But what I found interesting (by way of comparison between Bea and Veda) was that Bea at least seemed to feel BADLY for the way she treated her mother later and she trusted and relied on her mother to help her (and she didn't even really KNOW what it was that Lucia was covering up for her) So I don't think Bea was as AWFUL as Veda... and maybe Lucia wasn't even as weak of a mother as Mildred, but I am just saying I saw some comparisons. Anyway... going back to my original thought (ha... because there IS a point to all I am sayin) I think the trouble started WAY back somewhere before the movie started. I think allowing Bea to be off at "art school" at such a young and impressionable age and possibly not keeping her accountable for her attitude and the way she spoke to her mother, and maybe not even keeping her accountable when it came to dealing with choices for the "opposite sex" issues, etc were all signs of things that had been going on a lot longer than the point where the movie gets started. So it was no surprise that things ended up the way they did for Bea. But that's not to say that even after doing one's best to teach them, a child will ALWAYS follow a parent's guidance. Like it or not, kids DO have their own mind. And sometimes even the best of kids will go astray. But I guess what I am saying is that it seemed to me (by the way Lucia responded.. or rather didn't respond to some of the stuff that came out of that girl's mouth during their earlier conversations) that there had been some "lax" attitides in terms of allowing her too much freedom to behave disrespectfully... .and in a case like that... you often reap what you sow. Now having said ALL that... if my child were to come to me... saying she hit some man over the head.. and then I later found him dead outside our house... well... the mother hen in me would fall to pieces... HOW can I protect my baby.. etc. But the black and white gal in me would say..... call the police... DON'T touch anything... and no matter what... stand by my child while all this gets worked out... Ha... and Jackie.. I am with you on one more thing...ha...If that guy had EVER talked to me about my daughter the way he talked to Lucia in that bar... He wouldn't have LIVED long enough to fall to his death later on.

OH MY GOLLY..... I stayed up late and got in the rest of the story. I just got to the end of it... so CHAT away, young'un. All I can say for now is... "Sigh..sniff." and perhaps... "SOB!!!!"( and I mean that as a WORD and not as initials for anything, ha.) OH, and WOW, I have a NEW fave character for James Mason now. (Did I mention "SOB???????????????") Oh me

Ha, Jackie... that kid had quite the distinctive "tone" didn't he? Every time he said "MOTHER" I just wanted to plug my ears. HA! When he said something about needing his sleep because he was a "growing boy"... ALL I could think of was HURRY up and grow already, maybe your VOICE will finish changing!! (I had to look up Henry... I think he comes in a close second to the kid in this movie, ha) I can't talk about it till Ro comes back..... Hey, that is nice of you.... but DON'T wait on me... I have some "stuff" going on this week and even if I do get it finished (as far as watching) I don't know how much time I can spend on here until later in the week. So chat away gals, and I will just try to resist the urge to "peek" at your chat until I can come back and chime in too.

April, I am through the first four parts... and I 'm HOOKED.I hope to get to finish the rest of it, maybe by tomorrow sometime (I'm pretty busy the rest of the day) I will look forward to seeing how it all comes together. (But BOY oh boy. That kid's voice... in the same FILM w/ James Mason (let alone the same scene!!) ha. WHAT a sad comparison). I don't know if my EARS can take it, ha.

Jackie what a little TREASURE hunter you are!! As I read your post I said, "The Reckless Moment"? Isn't that the one April told me about... with JAMES MASON?????? And then... it WAS!! ha. (WOO HOO) Thanks for the find!!

George fit into the cad description. A jerk with class Ha, Jackie that is a great way to say it. And despite my "Jerk" reaction... I do think he was a talent and I always enjoy his performances (I LOVE to hate the bad guy, ha) PS Ms. Cinemafan... Ryan is one I have to learn a bit more about myself, sometime. PSS Miss G... Sher Khan!! Duh.. how could I have not put that voice w/ the name. I can hear him in my head even now... perfectly ROTTEN. (or is that "purrrfectly" rotten? ha)

Hello Ms. Favell What a nice tribute you have going on here to Mr. Sanders. I can't say I am ANYWHERE as familiar w/ his work as you (and many of the other folks who have posted here) but I DO like the films I have seen him in. Although I have to confess that I always think JERK when I think of him.... or if I see him in a film.. .ha. I KNOW... forgive me. ha. But he really was either REALLY a jerk, ha, or just a VERY good actor who knew how to play one...ha. because to me, that is how I ALWAYS think of him. (the kind of guy you just want to SLAP to try and get that smug and slimy look off of his face) ha. But I am likely MISjudging him. I am sure he played other roles too, ha. If I recall his part in Hangover Square was a GOOD guy, but most of the films I have seen for him he was FAR from good. (but BOY was he good at being BAD, ha) Though I can't think of them all right now,I know I have seen him in serveral films, but the two roles where he TOTALLY stands out for me would be Rebecca (where he played your namesake... BOY talk about a slippery character) and Moonfleet. (UGH, he was utterly SLIMY in his flashy purple embroidered topcoat in THAT film) But again, I mean that in a good way, ha. Edited by: rohanaka on Nov 29, 2009 3:46 PM