rosebette
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Posts posted by rosebette
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On 9/9/2018 at 8:06 PM, jamesjazzguitar said:
This makes me want to weep.
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On 9/5/2018 at 7:50 PM, TomJH said:
This is my favourite film depiction of the Titanic tragedy, as well.
It's been a few years since I saw this semi-documentary, low key account but one scene remains with me. It occurs when the passengers are being placed in lifeboats, while others must stay behind on the ship. Families are being separated in some cases.
Kenneth More, helping people get into the lifeboats, observes as John Merivale (the same actor who would be the title character in The List of Adrian Messenger a few years later) makes reassuring talk to his wife (Honor Blackman) that everything will be okay as she gets into one of the lifeboats. He must remain behind.
After his wife is in a lifeboat and out of ear shot Merivale turns to his son, who is asleep in his arms. His final words to him, words to the effect, "Oh, my dear son, goodbye." It's apparent the father doesn't think he'll see him again. More says nothing but his eyes subtly convey being moved by this very private moment he just witnessed.
It's that stiff-upper-lip British reserve at it most touching, and it is a little moment that always moved me.
By the way, my grandfather had a ticket for the Titanic but failed to make the trip (along with his brother) because of a traffic jam. They both would have been in third class steerage. I wonder if I would be writing this today if not for that traffic jam.
This is my favorite Titanic movie, too. My feelings about the most recent version -- too long, and it would have been much improved if the song "My Heart Will Go On" were cut, and Leonard DiCaprio drowned in the first scene.
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3 hours ago, TomJH said:
The swear words, whether or not the lady herself uses them in private, does not fit in with the Melanie Wilkes lady-like public persona which the actress adopted for herself many years ago. Olivia is fighting, I suppose, partially to preserve that image. Even at age 102 it obviously still means something to her.
This is a woman who, despite her graciousness and demure appearance, has always had an interior strength of steel. It would be out of character for her to give up this fight in the law courts. I admire her determination and refusal to let an earlier court ruling make her bow in surrender.
She may not win the case if it does get to the Supreme Court but at over a century Olivia de Havilland, if she loses, is going to go down swinging.
I could get political and express my hope that she keeps the Supreme Court busy so that they don't render any catastrophic decisions on other issues!
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12 hours ago, Gershwin fan said:
Yeah, I have to agree with you. Having her character utter a few cuss words hardly seems enough for a defamation case.
Especially if you watch some of those Warner bloopers with Olivia cussing like a little sailor. Olivia's bloopers are at around the 5 minute marker, but I watched the whole thing -- so much **** fun! Errol getting tickled in Gentleman Jim is worth a view, but you get to see all the top actors blowing their lines and cursing.
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The Court Jester in which hypnosis renders court jester Danny Kaye into an expert swordsman.
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Green Light (1937) - A kind of drippy film in which everyone is nauseatingly noble. I'm an Episcopalian, but I go to church on Sunday; I don't need sermons interrupting my views of the young and gorgeous Errol Flynn. Anita Louise is pretty, but pretty characterless. I spent the flick rooting for the feistier Margaret Lindsey. However, if I were heading toward death and my last vision was like Spring Byington's, of good doctor Errol in his scrubs, I'd die a happy woman.
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No, I got the T-Shirt at the Warner Brothers store more than 25 years ago. (They don't have them anymore!) I also have one I bought for my dad with Bogie saying, "I stick my neck out for nobody," a white one with a Warners' logo and faces of many stars, as well as a Perfect Specimen cup with Errol Flynn and Joan Blondell (the handle broke and I can't bear to throw it out). The necks of the T-shirts are all frayed, but I still wear them to bed. However, my husband does say the Bette Davis shirt is a real turn-off.
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If you're all going to the dark side, I own a T-Shirt with Bette Davis' picture and the statement "What a dump!"
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A Town Like Alice - This movie is a gem, not for Peter Finch, who is very good in it, but for the outstanding performance by Virginia McKenna and the ensemble cast of women. I found this movie compelling and moving. I had seen the British miniseries many years ago on public TV and wondered if a film could do this story justice, but I ended up being just as riveted, even though I knew how it would turn out. The movie also had a balanced depiction of the Japanese in the character of the Japanese sergeant who accompanies the women on their trek.
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Ronald Colman's character in Lost Horizon. I feel both his dissatisfaction with the world as it is when he goes on his little bender while he's on the plane, as well as the desire for that ideal world once he's in Shangri-La. Those melancholy eyes are indeed "soulful" when he leaves.
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On 8/18/2018 at 9:28 AM, LornaHansonForbes said:
I watched KONGO (1933) with LUPE VELEZ and WALTER HUSTON on TCM ON DEMAND.
It was NUTS.
Reminded me a lot of HENDERSON THE RAIN KING, only trashy and not boring (although they're neck and neck in the department of condescension.).
although she is second billed Lupe has more of a large supporting part, but she makes the most of it (and apparently made the most of the local supply of baby oil, she is POSITIVELY LUBED in this thing.)
It's a remake of a LON CHANEY pic and HUSTON GOES BANANAS in the part; in the years after CHANEY'S death, it seems as if a few older leading men in HOLLYWOOD tried to pick up the CHANEY MANTLE by tackling some of his former triumphs. It is a RAW, INSANE, UNHINGED performance- at times, he looks more like THE DEVIL HIMSELF than he does in THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER.
VIRGINIA BRUCE is in this, and she is lovely, even (in moments) after her character has become a drug addict (the hair in her later scenes was a major influence on VERONICA LAKE I think)
The second male lead was kind of cute, but not a good actor. i did not recognize him. THE SKELETON FROM THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL has an important early part as well.
THIS THING RUNS AN ASTOUNDING PARALLEL TO THE SHANGHAI GESTURE (1941), also starring Huston- although saying too much else would be a spoiler. although they are both delightfully bad movies.
R a p e is strongly implied. Adultery and prostitution openly discussed. Violence is everywhere. There's drugs galore. Multiple ritual sacrifices and Lupe's head gets sawed off in a REALLY CONVINCING magic trick (the last one is not a spoiler, honest)
I bet they LOVED this one in Pomona!
Saturday, my husband and I debated about whether to watch this one or the premiere of the Churchill bio, Darkest Hour, on HBO. Fearing we might fall asleep during the Churchill film, we decided to climb into the sewer and watch Kongo, especially after reviews stating that it was about the most depraved precode ever. We were rewarded, feeling as if we needed a bath after viewing it (which most of the characters of that movie seemed to need, too!).
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Lawrence, I must assert that you underestimate Funny Face, which I find a delightful film. Perhaps I'm a little prejudiced because I just went to Paris for the first time in my life, and couldn't get "Bonjour Paris!" out of my head. I think Kay Thomson lends great energy to this movie, Audrey Hepburn is charming, the color and clothes are magnificent, as is the Gershwin score, and Astaire's dance with his raincoat is worth as many views as "He Loves and She Loves."
I've always wanted to see Island in the Sun because I've heard it's one of the first movies to depict interracial romances.
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I think Tyrone Power's abilities as an actor were revealing himself in the last 10 years of his career. I believe that he would have continued to get better parts, and as he aged, potentially become Oscar material. After his performance in Witness for the Prosecution, I could easily see him as a lead in a Hitchcock film playing a morally ambiguous character.
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1 hour ago, TomJH said:
But surely, ladies, much of Errol Flynn's attractiveness to you must go beyond just the physique and that rakish smile. There's also the larger-than-life personality of the man, that light hearted charm, certainly in his prime years, and his evident sense of humour. He had the unique ability of playing athletic roles with a physical grace and even elegance that never made him seem over bearingly macho, unlike some other actors associated with action genres.
There is also the matter of Flynn's natural screen talent. Getting away from the looks for a minute, he was an understated actor who could sell at times over-the-top dialogue (making it seem credible in the process) and, by so doing, take viewers along with him on that at times outrageous film ride. Unlike some of the more critically applauded actors of his time, Flynn's acting doesn't date. His naturalism on screen and ability to make it all look so easy resulted in his being underrated as a talent by the critics during his lifetime.
He still seems completely believable as a Captain Blood or Robin Hood or General Custer, and surely nobody ever looked like he was having more fun on screen than when he played that c o c k of the walk boxing dandy in Gentleman Jim. Flynn's best films and performances, I feel, hold up remarkably well. He could have been a great James Bond.
Even some of his lesser, less celebrated later efforts (like Rocky Mountain or Mara Maru) can still contain small pleasures, not the least of them Errol's portrayals, with his light heartedness replaced by a grittier world weariness that makes some of those performances interesting, if only because of their contrast to the earlier screen work in his career.
Well-said, Tom. And unfortunately, his physical beauty may have been a hindrance to getting some of the better roles.
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3 hours ago, speedracer5 said:
That's the one... I'm objectifying...
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4 hours ago, calvinnme said:
This sounded like a remake of 1931's "Criminal Code", so I looked it up and sure enough it was. I don't think there is an easy way to access that precode Columbia film, but if you can I think you'll have a higher opinion of it than this derivative material. Phillips Holmes played the good guy who got in a brawl with a stranger that led to a manslaughter conviction, Walter Huston is the DA/prison warden, Constance Cummings plays the daughter, and Boris Karloff plays the really rotten apple convict. Howard Hawks was the actual director, but for some reason he is uncredited, according to imdb.
I remember seeing Criminal Code a while back, back to back with Convicted, and the early film is far superior.
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7 hours ago, TikiSoo said:
I have a photo from the same session as my desktop pic. It's great because Flynn doesn't seem to be wearing any undergarments, if you know what I mean. Our reaction to Flynn's hotness just goes to show we all respond to physical fitness, but not overly bloated muscles like what bodybuilders have.
Sorry that I always bring this up in discussions of Flynn, but when seeing his costume in a museum exhibit, I was struck by how tall and beautifully proportioned he was. Like perfection.
My Wicked, Wicked Ways is one of the best books written by any Hollywood star. It doesn't matter how much he embellishes a story, it's how HE experienced it, so we get a glimpse of the man's personality. As for his "exploits"... he makes no secret whom he beds, and don't most throw themselves at him? Wouldn't you? Wouldn't I? Wouldn't we?
And since we weren't there, we don't know what really happened. I'd like to think his positive qualities, his artistic endeavors would be what endures through time -more than any negativity- just like his images on film.TikiSoo, where is this photo you speak of? Please share! Or is it "inappropriate" for this site. Now, I'm being really bad. There's one Speedracer has posted with Flynn in bathing trunks on the prow of one of his boats, and when I admired it, my daughter who was looking over my shoulder (she is in her 20s and an ardent feminist) claimed that I was "objectifying him." Well, considering his reputation when he was alive, I'm willing to objectify away!
Vincent Sherman, who directed Flynn in Don Juan, said that no one could wear a costume like he did. Moreover, his walk was sheer grace. The early scenes in Gentleman Jim, in which he's just crossing a street wearing a double-breasted suit, are pure poetry.
Yes, I agree about the way many of today's male (and female stars) look, muscle-bound to the point of looking like cartoon action figures rather than real people.. Many of them undergo grueling fitness and diet regimes that are damaging to their health just to prepare for an action role. Hugh Jackman on Colbert once described what he has to do before he does near-nude scenes -- sometimes limiting both food and water intake for days, as well as working out -- and he said he doesn't advise the ordinary person to do this. When you look at Gable or Flynn shirtless, or even an athlete like Johnny Weismuller in the first Tarzan films, you see fit males, but not unrealistic images of what a body should look like.
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12 minutes ago, calvinnme said:
Just something that I recently found out, maybe everybody else here already knows. Did you know that Curtiz and Flynn were (at different times of course) married to the same woman - Lily Damita. Curtiz was her first husband, Flynn her second. Maybe Curtiz was grateful to Flynn because he didn't have to pay alimony anymore?
While Wikipedia and other sources state that Curtiz and Damita were married, some sources claim that this is "urban legend" that was used to justify Flynn and Curtiz's antipathy towards one another.
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1 hour ago, speedracer5 said:
I don't blame her. They're pretty corny and Olivia doesn't seem the type that would enjoy these cheesecake photos. I'm sure Errol Flynn wasn't asked to pose shirtless while wearing his Captain Blood pants and perched atop a prop treasure chest.
Oh yeah? Check this one out.
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1 minute ago, speedracer5 said:
I love his boots!
You have to be pretty tall to wear thigh-high boots. On me, the boot would be the whole length of my leg and I'd look like I was wearing chaps with shoes attached to the ends.
My sister does ballroom dancing and they did a pirate number where she had to wear high boots like that. She used some of the publicity stills of Olivia to model her costume. Olivia (and my sister and I) was petite, so she had to roll the tops down. Of course, they wanted to show some leg, too. Poor girl, she hated doing these shots.
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25 minutes ago, EricJ said:
Finally got around to The Sea Hawk, and as their featurette critics point out, Flynn seems to be playing it with a game wink to his audience of "Do you believe this either?
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They also point out the story was clearly skewed as a pre-war Britain-vs-Germany metaphor, with Spain "out to conquer the world" (and never once mentioning Elizabeth's parentage), and Flora Robson's Elizabeth I finally coming around to Flynn's idea that maybe Spain can't be appeased and might be building an Armada to attack, after all.
Still, hadn't seen too many vintage studio-water-tank privateer epics, and was struck by just how much a game, jolly Flynn pre-influenced the style of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies--A good transitional for those trying to get their kids into watching B/W.
While The Sea Hawk has better production values, Captain Blood is my favorite Flynn pirate film. There's real energy and pace in the story, while I find The Sea Hawk rather talky and lagging in the middle. Plus, no Olivia or Basil. You can tell from the beginning of Captain Blood that those two are just hot for each other. Basil's bad French accent and great fencing (not too much doubling in the duel scene) also make the movie more interesting. ("Thees eez the rosary of pain.") You can almost catch Flynn wiping the spittle out of his eye every time Baz says, "Mon Capitain!" Watching Basil this time around with my new vision and great HD TV, I could see all the eyeliner and shadow around his eyes -- with the curly wig, swagger, and makeup, he's the model for Johnny Depp's character, makeup and all.
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3 minutes ago, speedracer5 said:
A year or two ago, we got a new 55" UHD 4K TV and it's amazing how great the classics look on this screen. Some of the films look like they were just made yesterday! Captain Blood looks pretty good (well as well as the WB print is), but The Adventures of Robin Hood Blu-Ray looks fantastic. I have many Criterion films that have been obviously restored and they look fantastic on the Hi-Def screen.
I noticed that Errol's teeth changed throughout the film. Perhaps he got his first big paycheck during production and got some of his teeth capped (I read in his autobiography that he was out at a club with a lady and one of his caps fell out onto the table. He had to discreetly put it back into his mouth). I know that the first scenes he shot were a little shaky, and as he gained more confidence, he was asked to re-shoot his earlier scenes. I think Flynn had a gap in his front teeth which he got fixed.
The one scene where I did think he had his usual amount of "smoking hot-ness" was in the slave buying scene:
Then here is Flynn (sans wig), getting fitted for a costume in Captain Blood
Move over guy in the foreground, I'll take his inseam! If only I knew how to sew.
I actually like him later in the film when he's cleaned up a bit. Those pirate hats are tilted at such a nice angle.
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1 minute ago, ChristineHoard said:
I watched only the Flynn scenes in Too Much, Too Soon because I figured those were the scenes worth watching. He was quite good and the Henry V speech was a lovely moment. In reality, Diana Barrymore passed away just two years after this flick came out.
Despite the upbeat ending and her attempts at sobriety, sadly, Diana Barrymore never could overcome the family disease of alcoholism.
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The Secret of Madame Blanche (1933) - This is kind of a Madame X story with Irene Dunne. She actually makes the picture seem better than it really is. She goes from this light musical comedy star to a tragic heroine and later an aging Café-owner, but she's such a fine actress that she is completely believable. I also found Phillip Holmes strangely affecting and haunting. I almost cried three times, which I'm rather ashamed of, because I knew the story was rubbish. The scene with her playing with her baby will melt your heart, yet there's a stiffness and hardness to her in the later scenes that one would hardly believe possible for such a young actress. It's not just as if they stuck a wig and some makeup on a younger actress; she speaks and moves like an older woman. Lionel Atwill is at his best being at his worst -- in this movie, more of a moral monster than anything you'll see in Doctor X or The History of Wax Museum. At least these guys were deranged; this man is allegedly upholding the "decent" values of his social class.
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Actors So Perfect In Their Roles You Cannot Envision Anyone Else
in General Discussions
Posted
There's only one Robin Hood.