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feaito

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Posts posted by feaito

    FRANK BORZAGE

    in Your Favorites

    Posted

    I must admit, that as a teenager my first contacts with the works and films of some of the members, or people who lived during Hollywood's Golden Era, were not, in some cases, the films themselves, but Books about film.

     

    In the case of Frank Borzage, besides "Three Comrades" (1938) and "Smilin' Through" (1941), both of which I saw for the first time as a child, I knew most of his work through the views of some authors, especially people from Spain who hailed him as the epitome of "Romantic Film Directors". This sounded so intriguing, that I had to read more & more....

     

    Then, with the coming years, I've had the opportunity of watching some of the movies that were made by this "Master of Romance".

     

    Well, thanks to TCM I could watch three excellent dramas, directed by him at MGM: "Three Comrades", "The Shining Hour" and "The Mortal Storm", all starring the wonderful, great actress Margaret Sullavan...best known for Lubitsch's masterpiece "The Shop Around The Corner".

     

    Well TCM also shows the excellent-moody "Strange Cargo" with Gable & Crawford and the sentimental remake of "Smilin' Through" with Jeanette MacDonald (as the lovely Moonyean), Gene Raymond and Brian Aherne; "Mannequin" Crawfrod-Tracy; and many others he made in his MGM phase.

     

    Borzage's delicacy & artistry in handling romantic relationships, can be appreciated in such films as the superbly-romantic, sensitive, "A Farewell to Arms", in which (IMHO) both Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes, give excellent performances, as the troubled couple in love. Not even the bad quality of most of the Public Domain copies of this filme can deprive it of its "ethereal" impact.

     

    Then there's the comedy-drama-shipboard-romance "History is Made at Night", with Jean Arthur, in one of her most unlikely romantic (and excellent) portrayals, opposite french heart-throb, Charles Boyer. This sort of offbeat film, was not what I expected in the first place: merely a "sophisticated" comedy. No it wasn't just that, I was totally pleased, because it's much more than that. It's a serious, film about "human" relationships, the misunderstandings, the isolation of human souls, how strangely people fall in love with each other...in some pretty weird circumstamces. For me, a work of art.

     

    There's too, the very good romantic comedy, "Desire", which also, has much of its producer, Ernst Lubitsch (made at Paramount) in which alluring jewel thief, Marlene Dietrich meets "naive" Gary Cooper. An enjoyable romp, which also features the seasoned John Halliday.

     

    Then, there are the films, of which I've heard a lot and long to see: "A Man's Castle" (1933) (Columbia) with Spencer Tracy and Loretta Young; "Seventh Heaven" (1927) and "Street Angel" (FOX), both with Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor; "The River" (FOX) with Farrell and Mary Duncan (I've read this is a real piece of art); "Song O' My Heart" (FOX) with Alice Joyce, John McCormack, Maureen O'Sullivan; the dreamy-ethereal "Secrets" (U.A.) with Leslie Howard and Mary Pickford (I'd kill to see this one); Columbia's "No Greater Glory" and "Little Man What Now?", the latter starring Maggie Sullavan, and more.

     

    Frank Borzage's work is rarely discussed and I think it is time to make justice and note his importance in the North American Cinema History.

    WILLIAM WYLER

    in Your Favorites

    Posted

    Thanks Path.

     

    "Dodsworth" is really an amazing movie in its own "apparent simplicity", because what it is showed or portaryed here, is life itself (a timeless topic), and the grandness of the movie lies much in Huston's understated, sincere, unaffected, great performance and has in Mary Astor's character, its perfect "mirror".

     

    On the other hand, Ruth Chatterton's complex character: wishy-washy, self-centered, selfish, snobbish, is given the "full treatment" by her forgotten talents. She was a great actress and could portray a spoiled b_tch, without falling into the obvious, the "easy" or making a cheap caricaturization out of it.

     

    Again, thanks to all the people who shares his views on this kind of posts, 'cos at least for me, feedback is necessary and I want more and more classic-movie-fans, with whom to exchange points of view.

     

     

    ADRIAN

    in Information, Please!

    Posted

    Adrian was excellent, especially if you think the wonderful period gowns he created for Greta Garbo in "Camille" and "Anna Karenina"...or Jeanette's in "Maytime", ...Jean Louis, did great stuff, such as Gilda's gown?... And yes, Givenchy's gowns for Audrey Hepburn in most of her films are some of the most dead-classy-elegant stuff I've seen, truly great

     

    ....but IMHO, Hollywood's Best, is Travis Banton's work in the 1930's for Paramount, he created some of the most awesome clothing I've ever seen in my whole life (for Marlene Dietrich, Claudette Colbert, Mae West, et al).

    WILLIAM WYLER

    in Your Favorites

    Posted

    Just as it happened to me with the great Fredric March...whose fabulous "Anthony Adverse" (I've read) I have yet to watch...I feel the NEED of saying a couple of things about one of my very favorite Directors: William Wyler, who, IMHO, epitomizes the best of the gone "Golden Era".

     

    Before, being the "William Wyler"...who directed such landmark films as "The Best Years of Our Lives", one of the best american films ever! or "Ben-Hur", maybe the greatest "epic" along with "Spartacus"....he directed excellent films at Universal, I've mentioned before "The Good Fairy" and "Counsellor-at-Law", excellent films...the firts a divine comedy, starring his then wife? Maggie Sullavan , or was she still married to Henry Fonda, well don't remember...anyhow, that comedy is one of the most charming I've ever watched in my life, with great performances, and the skillful direction of this master of masters. "Counsellor-at-Law", showcases top performances by everyone involved, starting from Barrymore...a must!! Somebody also mentioned "The Love Trap", which is of course in my "wish list"..But there also some others not available, not widely known of which I've read wonderful commentaries & opinions: i.e.: "Tom Brown of Culver" (1932), and "The Gay Deception" (1935).

     

    Then come his Goldwyn pictures: the highly amusing "Barbary Coast", although he wasn't credited for it, 'cos Howard Hawks carried on with the picture after Wyler was taken out of it, I "feel" there must be some scenes left which were filmed by him? Maybe I'm wrong, but I sort of have that "feeling" that it has "sth" of him.... with such a great cast: Miriam Hopkins, Joel McCrea, Edward G. Robinson, Walter Brennan, Brian Donlevy, all favorites of mine..sadly an out-of-print DVD...Well Howard Hawks is another fave of mine...so, no big deal for me...just like "One Hour With You"...Lubitsch or Cukor...both are faves of mine...so I don't mind (chuckles).

     

    "These Three", in spite of the censorship problems, IMO, the best version of Hellmann's play, with Oberon, McCrea and Hopkins....AND Bonita Granville, at their very best acting...although Wyler's own "remake" (1963) "The Children's Hour" is great too.

     

    Well, and from here on, classics in a row: "Dodsworth", Walter Huston's performance deserved an Oscar, and the film is one of the best films ever made; "Dead-End", a great, poignant, social drama; "Come and Get It" (this time, sharing credit with Hawks); "Jezebel"; "The Little Foxes"; "The Letter"; (All in which we have our Bette Davis at her best) "Wuthering Heights"; "The Westerner"; "Mrs. Miniver"; "The Heiress"; "Carrie"; "Friendly Persuassion"....all belonging to the top-classis list of films of all-time.

     

    I've been looking for a particular book that analyses this director's career for almost a year now....and I'll get it at any price.

     

    William Wyler...like Wilder, Ford, Hawks, LaCava, Borzage, Hitchcock, Huston, et al...is what Classic Hollywood means for me and is all about.

     

    BRIEF ENCOUNTER

    in Your Favorites

    Posted

    BTW..Isa Miranda acted in some Hollywood movies in the late '30s (remember Hotel Imperial..a remake of Pola Negri's silent?) ....I have tried to buy her 1934 "La Signora di Tutti" on vhs...but it's way too expensive...I also always felt that Isa Miranda, was such an "intriguing" personality...she acted in french, italian, british, american, movies...great forgotten talent.

    BRIEF ENCOUNTER

    in Your Favorites

    Posted

    You're right..."Summertime" is excellent, it's more related to his forties films I Love, well, "Hobson's Choice" is excellent too...

     

    It's really, after "Bridge on the river Kwai" (1957) (which BTW is an excellent War Movie), when Lean went into mega-blockbusters-super-productions ("Lawrence of Arabia", "Ryan's Daughter", "Doctor Zhivago", "Passage to India"), is what I mean, that those kind of films...are not the kind of David Lean's I treasure most...although they're grand too..especially "Lawrence.."

    BRIEF ENCOUNTER

    in Your Favorites

    Posted

    Great Expectations (1946), is not to be missed too...John Mills, Valerie Hobson, Jean Simmons, Finlay Currie, Martita Hunt, Francis L. Sullivan...are all superb!!

     

    IMHO, David Lean filmed his best films, his masterpieces in the 1940's...I like this ones better than "Lawrence of Arabia" or "Bridge on the River Kwai", which are anyway, LANDMARK FILMS....but his forties films, touch-deeper-into-my-heart.

    BRIEF ENCOUNTER

    in Your Favorites

    Posted

    Blithe Spirit is grand entertainment, a hilarious comedy!!...I watched it on "Bravo" (Film & Arts here in my country), a couple of a years ago...I even taped it...but erased it by mistake!!! Rex Harrison, Connie Cummings and Maggie Rutherford are in excellent form!!

    BRIEF ENCOUNTER

    in Your Favorites

    Posted

    Rach's Piano Concerto N? 2 and his Rhapsody on a Paganini Theme, which have been featured also in MGM's "Rhapsody" (1954), with Liz Taylor and Vittorio Gassman and "The Story of Three Loves" (1953) with Moira Shearer, James Mason, Ethel Barrymore, Leslie Caron, etc...both no masterpieces, buth good & entertaining dramas from the MGM factory. Thanks to those movies I "met" Rach, M.L. And I love his music.

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