rohanaka
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Posts posted by rohanaka
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Well, turn out that it was the result of the Alaska earthquake. We had no tsunami, but a big wave in the ocean traveled around the world, around the tip of South America I suppose, and then came up the Atlantic ocean and into the Gulf of Mexico, and that caused the water to go up and then down in the Industrial Canal. I didn't find that out until years later.
Oh my golly, Mr. Dobbs... That sounds like something off of the National Geographic Channel... that is an amazing story. It really makes you stop and think about how the things that happen in one area during a quake can have implications far off in a completely different location. And also about how we are more or less just left to look and wonder.
The more science works to solve the mystery behind how and when and where earthquakes (and their resulting side effects) all happen... the more they seem to find that they still just have so much to learn. Just this weekend we watched a program on the History Channel about a study that is being done along the San Andreas Fault and part of it centered on a couple of towns that are right along the fault but seem to suffer very little in the way of big quakes like the ones that have hit other areas in California. They were able to drill way down and took some core samples in one of those areas, and one of the things they discovered was a "talc" substance in the rock that would allow the plates to move more fluidly w/out so much "shock" and so they believe that what these areas get as a result is a lot of smaller less discernable movement instead.
Earthquake study is a big deal here in the midwest too, oddly enough, because of the New Madrid fault in southern Missouri. I am no big student of all of this, but I have read that the series of quakes that hit that area in the early 1800's were among the more powerful ever felt in US history, and were even supposed to have been felt as far away as Washington DC (due to the geology of the midwest allowing the tremors to travel greater distance... if my limited understanding is correct)
I have always been interested in the news reports and articles I see on this topic because that whole area is one big seismic disaster waiting to happen. I live about 400 miles north of there, so around here in KC, there would not likely be so much of a catastrophe, but cities like St Louis and even all the numerous smaller cities and towns could be devastated. Especially when you think of the huge increase in population and how old some of the structures are around that area (many dating back to the mid 1800's and early 1900's) and how virtually NO updates have been done to these buildings to make them more "earthquake" proof.
Yeeesh... I am starting to sound like a prophet of gloom and doom... sorry. This is far beyond the topic now from where we first started, but you really got me to thinking of all this by the interesting insight you have given to the whole "earthquake" conversation here. I think that nature in general, but specifically the way nature can wreak havoc on puny little man (who is just arrogant enough to believe he can outsmart it w/ all his technology) has always been a topic of interest for me. Which probably explains why I enjoyed these films so much. NOT because I wanted to see the devastation and destruction or enjoy the thought of all that "mayhem" as much as it just makes me appreciate even more how MUCH we really are bound by the laws of nature... no matter what we may or may not do to try and resist them. Ok... again I am saying "yeesh". Stepping down from my little "soapbox" now. Thanks for letting me spout. :-)
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I have always enjoyed Ben Johnson in just about any film I have seen him in... (I really like him for his voice...but also think he just has the most hones looking smile too)
My absolute favorite film for him though is not a western... (though he DOES play a cowboy sort of character) *Mighty Joe Young*.
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But Northridge was different. It was like Godzilla was playing jump-rope just outside my apartment in Hollywood
Ha... I am getting a mental image here that is quite comical.. but I imagine it was anything but that at the time. I still remember watching the news that morning and it was such a shock to see everything that had happened... and if I was so surprised all the way out here in the midwest... I am sure you folks out there had quite the rude awakening.
One of the things that got my attention in watching SF yesterday (and it HAD been a few years since I last saw it) was the dazed and confused look on poor "****'s" face... especially early on. And then how he went from place to place...witnessing all the devastation and tragedy mixed with scenes of great joy as well as various people were reunited w/ their loved ones. I think Gable did a good job of portraying the various aspects of all this emotion all with saying only very little.
Again... I think this film (of the three yesterday) is sentimental favorite of mine... The stories in the other two films go on much further following all the action of the earthquakes, etc... but in San Francisco... this is more or less the ending of the film and the inspiration factor (in the scenes that Fred brought up especially) just makes it a bit more emotional for me.
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Thanks again, Mr. Dobbs for your insight... and WAY cool on those artifacts you found. You mentioned that you have them stored in your garage... I am sure that in S.F. there are plenty of fine examples of such things, but have you ever thought of seeing if a local museum or perhaps a university closer to where you are now would be interested in some of that stuff? Not trying to tell you what to do... I just think it's cool. :-)
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THANKS, Ms. Cutter for the info on Vorkapic. Was he still around when you attended school there? I am sure (if he was still alive) he would have been getting way up there in years by then. I don't know for sure how the things he revolutionized early on are still applied today, but it is always interesting to see how the early days of filming have gone on to influence films later on.
PS... I have never been in a major earthquake... but I am sure it would be terrifying. We lived near Anchorage Alaska when I was a kid (early 70's) (my dad was in the military) so the big Alaska quake from the 1960's was still pretty fresh in many people's minds... We had a few noticable tremors when I was there, but nothing too scary like that. I remember there was a park in Anchorage near the ocean where they had left things "as they were" following the big quake, so to speak. More or less the whole area had just dropped maybe hundreds of feet and you could look out and see parts of cars and rooftops from buildings and houses and such in among the trees and things down below... It really brought home the way a major disaster like that can alter the course of your entire life.
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Whoo Hoo!!! Thanks Mr. Dobbs for filling in a lot of the gaps in my poor attempt at detailing the work that went into the filming of these sequences. (especially the way the streets and water pipe scenes were filmed) I was hoping someone would come along who had a lot more knowledge about it than I.
I think it is fun to also hear about your personal recollections too, after having lived in that area and having more familiarity with the history and locations that were shown in the movie. I bet that made it all the more interesting getting to see these places for yourself.
Thanks for those links... and for the info on the directors too. I had come across some of the other names as you did... but was not smart enough to go to the IMDB thingie and put it all together (I am NOT that good at searching.) :-)
When I went into youtube looking for the scene from the film that I posted, I also found some clips from actual film footage of the area that was taken shortly after the quake... and you are right... the re-created buildings were very close in many instances. But none of what I found was nearly so clear as the images you posted... so I hesitated to put them in.
Thanks again for your input!
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Wow.... just blowing the dust off this old thread here... yesterday was such a red letter day on TCM for special effects "junkies" (Ha) I thought I would just post a little "admiration" for all the DISASTERS and the mayhem...
But before I get to all the destruction and devastation... First I want to mention.... THE GOLDRUSH (which also aired yesterday) Now in all honesty.. I MISSED this film yesterday (I didn't even get it taped because of the early hour and my own poor planning) but I got to watch it back a few months ago, and just want to salute all the technical skill that must have gone into the numerous "physical" parts of this film... ESPECIALLY the tipping house (inside and out) OH my golly.. that is my favorite "comic" portion of the film... but also I am writing in praise of all that SNOW. Some of those winter scenes looked very real given the time frame this was filmed... one of my other favorite "comedy" parts was when he is hiring himself out to shovel snow and the way he end up removing it from in front of one door only to pile it up in front of another. Charlie Chaplin is just a master... such a brief little nod to him here... but I really enjoy this film.
Ok... Now on to the DISASTERS...
I very much enjoyed getting to watch San Francisco yesterday. This is a film I have seen a couple of times before and have always appreciated for its amazing scenes from the historic 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. But more on that in a moment, as I want to discuss a couple of other films first...
First, I want to give a nod to two early Oscar winners in the category of Special Effects... Now (to my limited understanding of such things as I am NO expert on the matter) I believe the category of special effects was created in 1939 and was to be given for both sound and visual effects all under one heading... "special effects". And both of the following films won in that category ( And then later on the category was split in two for visual and sound) Though I am CERTAINLY no expert, both of the following films were winners in visuals AND sound as far as I am concerned:
*Green Dolphin Street (1947)*
I did not see this entire film... but by chance, I caught just the right moments (for an FX junkie anyway) of Green Dolphin Street... I missed the beginning altogether, but the big earthquake, landslide, falling trees, geysers, and tidal wave/ flood were FASCINATING. (and very frightening too) since I did not have any idea who these characters were or even where they were (New Zealand, I later found out) and what might happen to the storyline depending on the outcome of the events... and in a completely separate part of the storyline, I also got to see Donna Reed climb hand over fist up this huge rocky tunnel in order to escape the rising tide... VERY dramatic and suspenseful. Someday I hope to go back and watch this film from beginning to end and get a better feel for how all these events play into the story as a whole.
*The Rains Came (1939)*
I was very happy to get to tape and also watched The Rains Came yesterday... It was a very unusual film for a lot of reasons... both in story line and in characters... but also on the grand scale it was filmed regarding the multiple disasters of the huge earthquake, the monsoon-like rains, the giant flood, and the fires. From what I have read, this is the first film to ever win the academy award in the category of "special effects". I enjoyed it very much and the quake and flood scenes were VERY intense and extremely well put together. Also well done were the scenes later on as the waters kept rising due to the rain. It was very believable watching the little canoe get swamped and seeing poor George Brent have to swim for it. And the scenes like the one where the elephants are used to carry the orphan children to safety were just such a nice extra as well. This film was a very pleasant surprise for me on a lot of levels and I am glad to have gotten a chance to watch.
Now.. back to *San Francisco (1936)* ...
I must confess, this film is my sentimental favorite among the these three "disaster" tales... Maybe because I am most familiar with it having seen it at least a couple of times before. I have had longer to think about and appreciate all the work that went into it. This film was made before the creation of that Special Effects award.... but would CLEARLY have been equally as deserving given the scale and the task involved in telling such a tale...
There is just so much to appreciate about the work that went into this film...You have all the scenes w/ the movement of the quake (and aftershocks) plus there is falling brick and glass and stone EVERYWHERE you look... people running in the streets and mayhem happening all over. Then there is the whole aspect of watermains breaking and fires breaking out and all the numerous side effects of such a cataclysmic event happening all at once. VERY well done for it's time and extremely realistic looking.
I did a little googling (and if I were a better researcher I am sure I could have come up w/ more) but all I really was able to find about the whole process of how this was all done was just a few bits and pieces, but one name that kept popping up was Slavko Vorkapich who is (again, from my limited understanding of such things) apparently a pioneer in the use of montage sequences in filming and was instrumental if the filming of the earthquake montage sequence in this film as well.
Here is a youtube of the big shake up from the film San Francisco.... even by today's standards... still VERY impressive:
Wow...
Now again...I do not have any sort of film background and all this has been written more or less from a "this is what I saw...this is how I felt about it" perspective, so please understand that I KNOW there is a lot I could have said better as I am NO expert on this sort of thing. But I know SOME of you out there ARE experts... So if any of you have any sort of comments regarding how these films were made or your thoughts on the way they were all put together, I hope you will chime in. (or if you are just like me and really enjoyed these films and want to comment, I hope you will feel free) :-)
Thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you, folks. And if anyone missed these "FX/disaster junkie treats" I hope you will get a chance to check them out sometime. I am sure the stories themselves make these films entertaining enough to watch... but the special effects really make them exceptional films to enjoy even more.
Message was edited by: rohanaka (because aside from my technophobic tendencies... I am also often a very poor typist. I am sure if I keep looking I will find a few more typos... so please don't read TOO closely) ha. :-)
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implanting Fur Elise in my head
I wish it WERE just the song that got implanted in my head... because now since I looked that silly commercial back up after all this time, all I seem to be able to think about is getting a "big chocolate shake, a cheesburger, and also (whoops) and also fries" Ha. :-)
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Hello Reyman
I would also like to voice my appreciation for your comments and for all the leg work in putting these facts together for us... I think it's been a very nice addition to the whole discussion as it frames the whole point for making the film... and gives us a much deeper insight into the intent behind the filmmaker as well as some of the motivations of the individual characters.
My husband is an amature "history buff" and has a lot of interest in WWII and the significance certain battles and strategies played in our nation's part in the war... and in our nation's history as well... and I hope you won't mind if I print your posts off for him to read as I am sure he would enjoy them as well
it is a story that probably is not told in high school history classes. Possibly college students have read about MTB squadron 3's exploits, but I rather doubt it.
I think you have hit the nail on the head, there. American History in general but specifically as it pertains to war and the conflicts we have been involved in as a nation are among the most undertaught and misrepresented subject matters placed before our school children today. Of all things, history should be among the least "subjective" subjects taught to kids today because there are enough documents, records and facts in place that clearly indicate the events leading up to as well as the outcome of numerous historical events in our nation's story; and they offer up a very clear picture for those seeking how and why things happened the way they did. But sadly it is often a subject that comes under the most influence of individual "opinion" based on the teacher (and/or the textbook) and their individual bias or personal points of view.
History, when exposed to the clear light of day, would be better taught w/out such "spin". It was what it was... and it should be held up for review without the "window dressing" of political opinion and personal bias that so often influences the teaching of such subjects...
Oh.. how did I get here?? Sorry... stepping down from my soapbox .. QUICKLY.
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A little variation on Beethoven's
I love it!! :-) Chris... If you want to improve your "classical" maybe you just need a little motivation. That youtube made me think of the following "variation" of a Beethoven classic.... Maybe you just need to think about going to McDonalds....
http://tvadsview.com/mcdonalds-recital-commercial-circa-1986/
(In order to find this..I "googled" the phrase "I will eat the fries myself and not give any to my dumb brother" because if I EVER hear Fur Elise... that is what I start singing when it gets to that part of the melody.. I am sure Ludwig would just be so happy to hear that.)
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won't attempt to go into as much detail as the rest of you guys about They
Were Expendable, so I'll mostly just show screencaps of a scene I love
Oh sure April... I have purposely been avoiding commenting on THIS aspect of the film simply because all the OTHER stuff we have all been bringing up about it has already made me so "whooshy" eyed. :-)
I think you brought out one of the most endearing parts of the film here... and you are right about making the comparisons to Rio Grande.
Mini-spoiler:
The "unresolved" love story in this really is an "untraditional" take on that sort of detail in a war film... usually they either get together... or break up... OR one of them is killed... This one really leaves things the way I imagine a LOT of war time romances may have been... I know it was mentioned earlier too (maybe by Jackie) and it really is a very touching part of the whole story... DID they ever find one another again? Were they ever reunited?? When the Duke gets up and starts to leave that airplane (and Montgomery calls him back) you know just what he is thinking... Very emotional.
AGHH... I need to invest in Kleenex stock if I am going to keep up w/ all these emotional ramblings. Ha
. Ramblers Behaving Badly
I would probably have to be the "poster child" for that.
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Here... no need to wreck your own boxes... some of the ones in this arsenal look like they may have already seen some "action" Ha. :-)
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I just do a little angry dance. It must be very silly looking. Once I got mad and spent some time deciding to break dish in the sink (because I didn't want to make a mess), but then I had to clean it up after, so it wasn't very satisfying in the long run. There is nothing more sobering than having to clean up after yourself
My sister again!!! Ha. I did not see your post until after I had made mine!! (if we had only met sooner, you could have taught me your angry dance and card board boxes the world over would have been spared!)
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It's one of my worst defects and I try not to do it when others are around, but it isn't always easy
Oh my sister...
Way back a gazillion years ago when I was a shoe store manager... I used to get what I jokingly referred to as "retail stress syndrome" Ha. And on particularly "stressful" days, I would go back to my stockroom (all alone) and if I was really "agitated"... the shoe boxes would fly!! Ha.
It was self-defeating because after I did my big toss... (usually straight up in the air like a salad) I always had to pick them back up and repackage them, thus creating more work (and stress) for myself. But I STILL could not resist the temptation sometimes. ONE TIME I was so angry at a less than cordial customer, that after they left (though I had been the very essence of cool calm and collected on the salesfloor) I threw a box so hard at the stockroom wall that I actually BUSTED it! Ha. Fortunately the shoes were not damaged... but the BOX... uh.. well... The box had to be replaced... after that... I learned to do my "box tossing" a little less vigorously and stuck to the "salad toss" manuever instead. Ha. :-)
Girls will be ...GALS :-)
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Hiya Chris... you are right about both themes being there in these films... (though I haven't seen Pork Chop Hill, but I am sure you are right!)
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I loved the little dig at the Naval brass in the beginning of the film.
April, I had forgotten about that part at the beginning... (and forgive me because since I was TOO lazy to put in a tape when I watched this... my memory is already starting to fade) but somewhere along the line.. as a result of the same sort of mindset by the "higher ups" they get put on a detail that seems less than "glorious" to them... and the Duke gets so mad that after he and Montgomery have a little chat about it, he acts like a little kid and kicks stuff out of his way... and Montgomery yells at him (in a very "fatherly" tone) "Does that help?" and the Duke says "yes" and storms out... and then Montgomery then proceeds to see for himself and starts kicking stuff around too... but you can tell by his expression he wanted to shout back at Duke... "No it doesn't!"
Ha. Men will be boys. :-)
PS... just a passing comment (because we haven't brought up enough different movie title comparisons here) :-) but the whole "wanting to get into the thick of it' mindset these guys had really put me in mind of the film "Glory"... the men of the 54th just feeling like they were left marking time doing "busy" work until they could be taken seriously...
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Oh golly... Now I need to go out and buy some more cassette tapes.. I was already looking forward to taping The Gold Rush AND San Francisco tomorrow... for some reason I thought I had already missed The Rains Came... must have gotten my schedule outta whack. :-) NOW I can look forward to getting that one on tape too! Thanks for the tip, Ms. Cutter!
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Why anyone would want to say anything hurtful about you or RO is beyond me. You are both sweeties
Well, my sister, I feel certain you are right about MR. RO... But as for me... Well that is nice of you to say...but you just don't know me as well as I do. :-) I can think of a list a mile long of the peolpe who might want to say things... and probably an even longer list of the things they might want to say... Ha. I am sure that I am a work in progress. :-)
Message was edited by: rohanaka
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I hope to reply to your words, later tonight.
Whoo Hoo!! Wendy... this is putting me on the edge of my seat, now...
Yeah, I know, "promises, promises."
PS... Wendy... I have some rope...
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think every year that the first day of school is really harder for us than it is for her......
Again... I am saying... "sigh and sob!!" :-) (pass the Kleenex, if you please)
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Hello there Coopsgirl! I was HOPING you would show up and fill in some "Gary" details for me! :-) I love hearing lesser known details like the whole "coulda been Ingrid" and "Gary almost sang" stuff... It just makes the film even more fun.
I have to agree w/ Jack... as much as I like Ingrid Bergman as an actress... I think I would have a hard time picturing her in this role.... Ms. McGuire just did a perfect job for me... and maybe if I had never seen HER performance, I could imagine someone else in the part... but not now after viewing this film several times... she is Eliza for me...
PS... OH... the "woodchopping" scene... Ha! (But honestly... It's his FACIAL expressions that get me more than anything... always have.. He can go from "boyishly cute... to dark and brooding.... and everything else in between all with a smile, a glance, and movement of the brow... he just seemed to have that way about him.
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The point about the parent/child relationship is ever so true. I have a 21 year old and an 18 year old and certain things are beyond my control. As you pointed out I may not be their director anymore but I will always be their father. That carries long term responsibilites no matter how old we get.
And how's the YUCK factor???? I have older stepsons (one is married now and has kids of his own) but they were still "boys" when the QT and I got married..so I already have a LITTLE experience in "letting" go... but not on the same level... Does it get even a little less "yucky" to think of as they get older??????? :-)
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Hey there, Chris!
Shenandoah" echos this film in that, try as they may to avoid it, the war still finds the family. However unintended they may be they become more than caught in it as soon they become part of it. Their gentle life is no longer gentle. Perkins wants to go partly as he is called to do it but I think mostly for the adventure. I think he envies Maddie's beau if only for the imagined excitement.
You must be reading my mind! (Ha... i know.. short book... but at least there's lots of pictures. ha.) I was thinking as I was watching about some of the conversation we had way back in the summer over Shenandoah. (I need to watch that one again sometime)
And I think you are right about Perkins' character maybe looking for adventure.. but I also think this was one of those "early adult" moments... where he needed to take what he'd been taught about things in life and do a compare/contrast w/ the situation around him to make his first real "grown up" decision... I liked how he comes down the stairs and the mom says "But I thought you prayed about it" and he says something like... "I did pray" w/ the implication being he had worked THIS decision out with his OWN faith... despite the faith and beliefs his parents had planted in him earlier on. And ultimately.. that is what all people of a certain age end up having to do... eventually. ( I like Coop's comment... when his wife tells him to do something about it... "I'm his father, not his conscience".) Sooner or later... even with great respect and love... a child may have to go against his parent's wishes or plans for them... and the parent will have to step back and let them do it..
As a mom... to that I can only say YUCK!! But as a daughter... I am grateful that (at just the right time) my parents reached that point in life when I needed them to and became (and still are) my "supporters" but not really my "directors" any more... An adult kid eventually has to learn to do and think for themself in life... even if the parents may not always agree. (oh... did I mention that as a mom I say... YUCK! to that! ) ha. :-)
But having said all that... I like how Cooper's character went looking for Perkins when the horse came back w/out him... and I liked how he stood there in front of his "gun closet" even if only just a moment.. thinking and taking in all that carrying that gun with him COULD possibly mean for him and anyone else who might get in his way.. and as a result...he was prepared for the situation when he had to make the choice... It was a very inspiring moment.
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I see we have a few rambles that can be replied to now. I wanted to watch
They Were Expendable for the very first time last night but...
Ramble on, "Lousy Guy"...
Classic Film FX (how'd they do that?)
in Films and Filmmakers
Posted
In February of 1812, the devastating earthquake hit southern Missouri. It was reportedly felt over 50,000 square miles. Church bells began ringing in Boston because of it and chimneys toppled in Maine because of the movement
Ms. Cutter, you do know your earthquakes! :-) I haven't read up on this one in some time, but I do recall these details now that you bring them up. It is an intimidating thing to think that this sort of situation could happen again in the present day with very little notice.
I think one reason we respond so much to San Francisco (the movie) is because of the earthquake sequence and its historical accuracy.
I think you and Mr. Dobbs are right on target as to how accurate the portrayal of these events was. And if you stop and think about it, the film was only made 30 years after the actual event... so there was likely even access to a lot of first hand accounts as well as historical photgraphs and early film footage for them to go by. I wonder (though I have NO idea if I am right) if there may even still have been areas of the city that had not yet completely recovered by then, (even though the vision of the "new and improved" San Francisco is shown at the end of the movie over top of the rubble). It never ceases to amaze me the deteremination those folks must have had to pick up and start over that way.