faceinthecrowd
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Posts posted by faceinthecrowd
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That's a good point about Brando -- he's definitely a polarizing type of actor. My opinion is that at his best he's brilliant, but I can understand that many people can't abide him.
I've noticed that Barbara Stanwyck appears on many top five lists, and she's on mine too.
But getting back to polarizers, what about Orson Welles? I'll watch anything he's in or directs, yet his masterpieces, CITIZEN KANE and THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, put some people to sleep.
Maybe what Welles and Brando have in common is that they don't play it safe. Think of Brando in MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY. Where Gable was unrelentingly noble, Brando started out as a snob and a fop, which made his later transformation much more moving.
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First, I want to mention an actor I neglected: Howard da Silva is very good in THE BLUE DAHLIA.
Having said that, I'd like to point out that there is no similarity to the Jack the Ripper murders -- there were at least six of them. And the Black Dahlia murder was notable for the savagery with which the victim was treated. In THE BLUE DAHLIA there was only one murder, and it couldn't be compared to the Black Dahlia case.
Two fictional treatments of the Black Dahlia case are James Ellroy's novel, called, not surprisingly, "The Black Dahlia." John Gregory Dunne wrote "True Confessions," which is a very serious book, dealing with moral choices, and also a very funny book -- a combination that's almost impossible to bring off, but he does it. It was made into an excellent film starring Robert Duvall and Robert DeNiro.
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Congratulations, visualfeast. My next clue was going to be, a brunette actress who was actually a natural blonde, but you got it first.
Your turn . . .
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I think BONNIE AND CLYDE caused such outrage -- although it's very well made -- because of its light-hearted tone -- the humor, and the jolly banjo music. It would be more enjoyable if one could forget that these two were murdering anyone who got in their way.
The slow-motion ambush at the climax of the picture is justly celebrated, as are many other moments. B & C is a perfect example of how a film can be cinematically brilliant and morally repulsive at the same time -- one thing has nothing to do with the other. Just think of TRIUMPH OF THE WILL, and the second half of THE BIRTH OF A NATION.
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The BD movie in which Paul Henreid is a cellist is DECEPTION. It also features Claude Rains in one of his juiciest roles as a composer named Hollenius (reportedly based on Jean Sibelius).
DECEPTION is available on a DVD set titled "Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 3." This set also includes THE GREAT LIE -- six films in all.
You may already be aware of amazon.com -- a great source of DVDs, CDs, books, and many other things. If something is out of print they can often locate a used copy for you. And if a movie has never been released on DVD, they may be able to find a VHS of that film. I've found that their advanced search is the easiest way to find what you're looking for. And usually you don't have to pay the list price -- check all of the buying options before you place your order.
Message was edited by: faceinthecrowd
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Whether THE BLUE DAHLIA qualifies as noir or not, it's a good film. William Bendix is memorable, ranting about "monkey music" and preparing to light a match by shooting at it -- while Ladd is holding it.
Doris Dowling is very effective as the wife -- she was also the bar girl, Gloria, in THE LOST WEEKEND.
Veronica Lake is, well, Veronica Lake, in her short-lived prime.
And when someone says to house dick Will Wright, "Your umbrella must have gotten wet," he says, "That's what I bought it for." Good line -- and good movie.
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Welcome to this site, and here's my suggestion: Google. Type the name of the song in the search box, followed by the word "lyrics."
Based on my past experience, I think it's a good idea to go to at least three websites for each song. The sites often make mistakes, so it's wise to check them against each other. And you won't have to pay for the lyrics.
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I certainly agree with those who say it's a tough choice. On another site I picked Gene because, I said, "Astaire is, paradoxically, too good, too perfect." But thinking it over, I'll choose Fred for his humor and his charisma. And when he sings "Night and Day," well, I can't imagine anyone doing that great song better.
Remember the studio talent scout who reported, "Dances a little"? He sure does. Gene is very, very good. Fred is great.
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As Bette Davis said in ALL ABOUT EVE, "It gets better!" Seems Anthony Ray was 13 when his, um, relationship with our Gloria began.
LiveFastDieYoungBook.com has the details. Click Book Excerpt.
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No, she bedded Anthony Ray while married to HIS father. What kind of woman do you think she was?
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YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU?
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Negatory. Next clue:
The best friend/ex-lover is played by an actor whose previous film roles included Julius Caesar and a famous private eye.
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"I didn't know that about Gloria."
I knew it, and it added immeasurably to her appeal. Later she married Anthony Ray, and had children by both father and son.
OK, guys, let's have a show of hands: who would like to have been Anthony Ray? If only because it must have been fun . . . having a famous father, that is.
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Welcome to both of the previous posters. I've been here less than a month, and I love this site. Now:
Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy thread. (Obvious, I know, but I couldn't help it.)
ALL ABOUT EVE came after the 1945 cutoff date, but it has to be mentioned. One of the greats.
JEZEBEL showed what BD could have done as Scarlett O'Hara. Her Oscar was certainly well deserved.
THE LETTER -- "With all my heart, I still love the man I killed." And I love this movie.
THE BRIDE CAME C. O. D. -- "Mustard!"
THE CORN IS GREEN -- yet another wonderful performance.
BEYOND THE FOREST -- "What a dump!" Only Bette could do justice to that line.
NOW, VOYAGER -- "Let's not ask for the moon; we have the stars." And so do we lucky movie watchers.
I could go on and on, but let's just say that Bette almost never made a movie that wasn't worth watching. Her presence in a film was enough.
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"I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. I'm saying ten to twenty million dead, tops -- depending on the breaks."
---George C. Scott as Gen. Buck Turgidson in DR. STRANGELOVE
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Re: FAIL SAFE
I think the "Twilight Zone" atmosphere comes from the dream sequence that begins (and, if I recall, ends) the film, which is surprisingly and uncompromisingly faithful to the book by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler.
The novel goes into Groetschele's (Matthau's) life story, and that could make a good film in itself.
One of the things that struck me about the film was Ilsa (Nancy Berg). She was really turned on by Groetschele's talk of a nuclear war that would kill tens of millions of people. Well, that's one approach.
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ADAMS
Mae and Ken
BTW: Claude Rains and Ella Raines don't count -- the rules are that the last names have to be spelled the same.
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Re: their/there:
You have to make allowances for hlywdkjk. This person lives in L.A.
Anyway, it's not "cold" in NYC in January. It's bracing! It's invigorating!
But that's all for now. It's hard to type with frostbitten fingers. ;-)
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No, not JACK LONDON.
Next clue: He learns that his wife was once in love with his best friend.
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Nope, neither A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT nor FIRST BLOOD.
Next clue: He marries a dance hall girl, and his wanderlust starts to fade away.
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A young man travels around the Pacific Northwest. Restless, he moves from job to job.
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ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD
In this thread I don't know if I'm supposed to wait for confirmation, but I'd better do it anyway, because I'm not that sure I'm right.
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Thank you, mr6666. There seems to have been some confusion here (possibly started by me!). I wonder if it would be a good idea for someone giving an answer to wait for a confirmation from the one who posted the question -- just in case the answer was wrong.
Anyway, I'll repeat the line I gave (and I just love this one):
"I know you like a book, you little tramp. You'd sell your own mother for a piece of fudge."
Message was edited by: faceinthecrowd
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AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
"I've been to Paris, France, and I've been to Paris, Paramount. I prefer Paris, Paramount."
---Attributed to Billy Wilder
A Paris that probably never was, where expatriate Americans could live a life that was Bohemian and comfortable at the same time. A place where a young man has his choice of Leslie Caron or Nina Foch, with Oscar Levant supplying the wisecracks, and music by George Gershwin. A place, in short, where good Americans go when they die.
The Third Man and Carol Reed
in Films and Filmmakers
Posted
I just did some Googling, and I found the "cuckoo" quote in Gretchen Rubin's "Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill." I'm going to try to find more verifications. He also said:
"People talked a lot of nonsense when they said war never settled anything. Nothing in history was ever settled except by war."
Now there's a quote to get arguments started.