moviefan1951

> Never read book, so not sure how 'faithful', but sure glad for a chance to see it. Not having read the book myself (or even the Cliff Notes), I am not sure how faithful it is to the Dickens novel, either. But I'm sure it was as close to it as they could possibly get, given the thematic restrictions that were in place at that time. And it's certainly a lot closer than the updated 90's version, which takes place in present-day New York City (the one starring Ethan Hawke, if you remember it).

Mine isn't supposed to get here until the 30th or so. However, I did read someplace that it is not clear whether all titles will have closed-captioning and/or English subtitles for the hard of hearing. One can only hope this will not affect all the titles, since at least some of them have been shown on TCM with CC.

I hope nobody will mind my bringing up this old thread, because even though it hasn't been active for nearly two years it may still provide some interesting points to add to the discussion of "Shadow of a Doubt" that is currently ongoing in the Noir Gallery. Kirk, I think you have made a very good point of Joseph Cotten's brilliant acting allowing us to feel and understand both sides of Charlie. It isn't as though he has kept some of his darker thoughts completely hidden from the Newtons, as in that rather chilling dinnertime speech of his in which he speaks his mind about the "lazy rich widows" or something. I'm also glad to see several people here thought the movie improves with repeat viewings, as this is one Hitchcock movie I had not seen in a long time but hope to watch again a few more times in the near future, if time allows. The best classics are the ones that seem to get better the more times you watch them. And I also totally agree with the "murder talk" between Travers and Cronyn, I am sure Hitchcock must have relished those scenes and would himself have liked to take part in their conversations if he'd been able to write himself into the movie.

Those are some very good points regarding Uncle Charlie's formative years. I'd like to watch that part of the movie again. Now, if nobody here minds, there is an earlier thread about "Shadow of a Doubt" that I found last night and was going to post to, because the people who posted there also made some good points that I found interesting. Or you can just follow this link: http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/thread.jspa?threadID=73143&tstart=255

"Not great but OK" would seem to describe a lot of the movies directed by Andr? De Toth, I guess. Still, sounds intriguing and at least it is available on regular DVD (no special-order-from-the-archives nonsense!) so I should like to watch this one, too, eventually.

Ain't that the truth.

ChiO, I guess you said it better than I ever could have. Maybe I just didn't want to use the p-word, but I guess we're all adults here, hee hee. Anyway, it wasn't just the fact that it was a phallic symbol, but one that brought darkness with it. In the DVD documentary, Theresa Wright comments on it as well:

I happen to like Joseph Cotten's demise in Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt", which I've just revisited. Let's just say, he showed a great way _not_ to miss the train!

Took me a bit longer than I had hoped, but I finally managed to revisit "Shadow of a Doubt" and enjoyed it just as much as I remembered. I actually had forgotten I have the DVD from Universal, which happens to have a very nice documentary called "Beyond Doubt: The Making of Hitchcock's Favorite Film". I haven't watched all of the documentary yet, but there is a great soundbite where Peter Bogdanovich explains why he considers this one to be the first truly American movie made by Hitchcock, in the sense that it takes place in a setting that is palpably all-American (Santa Rosa), as opposed to other movies he'd made in America earlier which, he says, didn't really feel like they were taking place in a distinctly American milieu. It is also interesting in that it may (for all I remember) mark the beginning of Hitchcock's fascination with Bay Area settings, which would later on include the very memorable locations of "Vertigo" and "The Birds". I apologize because I've not yet had a chance to revisit all of the comments that had previously been posted here, and which I had hoped to read more closely after a fresh viewing. However on the suggestion that trains always represented a harbinger of evil in Hitchcock's films, I wonder whether that was the intended suggestion in the way Hitchcock used the train at the end of "North by Northwest". It certainly does seem to suggest something that isn't always necessarily evil. But that's just my interpretation.

This sounds like a very exciting event to have attended. You're very lucky you were able to make it there for "The Iron Mask". While I like quite a few MGM movies, I am not a huge fan of its adaptation of "The Three Musketeers", even with a talented cast it doesn't quite have the same wonderful qualities that make Lester's versions so much fun through repeat viewings. In fact, I'd probably have to rate Lester's adaptations as the very best of the sound era.

That's a great lobby card, filmlover! Congrats on your find. I'm very excited that TCM is going to be showing this on Sunday.

> That's an awesome photo, moviefan! I don't know if it's from a movie or just a publicity shot, but she looks stunning. Thank you, I just googled it. But from the way she posed, I am sure it has to be a publicity shot, and not necessarily a still linked to any particular motion picture. Here is another one: Now, where is that Ann Sheridan thread somebody was supposed to start?

A very interesting idea for a noir, redriver. I've to confess I wasn't really familiar with Robert De Grasse's work as DP, but looking at his filmography convinced me that you must have thought long and hard before selecting him. I think he could have made a really great-looking noir out of "Fright!".

Well, when you all decide who's going to start the thread, you let us know. Message was edited by: moviefan1951

That is a great gallery, Arkadin! Thanks for sharing. Won't you do us the honor and start the Ann Sheridan thread? It seems to me you know as much about her as anyone else here in the forums, if not more.

*No one character delights me more than Pepe Le Pew. He is the perfect lover.* He is one unforgettable character, I suppose. I've just watched the Chuck Jones tribute, which is very touching, really, and was surprised to see the real-life source of inspiration behind some of the more memorable characters he created. Like Daffy Duck being sort of the opposite of what we're taught we should be like (not greedy) when we are growing up, or Pepe le Pew being the complete opposite of what Chuck felt like when he was around girls. I don't know why it took such a long time for them to edit this material together, given that Chuck passed away in 2002, but I'm glad that they did, and I'm also glad TCM got to show it to us first. Now I'll just go on and watch all of the cartoons they've shown tonight. Some of them I haven't seen.... well for a very long time.

> This topic might be better discussed on a separate thread as this is The Noir Gallery. As far as noir films, Ann did very little in the genre: On this, I agree with you completely, Arkadin. Maybe someone would like to start a separate Ann Sheridan thread either here or in the "Your Favorites" forum?

That is a wonderful write-up on "Shadow of a Doubt", Rickspade, it's very nice of you to share your thoughts with others. I have to catch up with everyone else and hope to be doing so just as soon as I've had a chance to watch my recording of this great movie. And I do agree that it's nice to have a place where you can have long conversations about the greatest movies of all time - most of which we end up watching on TCM! B-)

Talk about false advertising. I hope they bring "Bright Leaf" back, pronto! And I hope they will soon get around to offering "The Hanging Tree", as well.

Lionel Stander? A good choice. Mark Hellinger - possibly an even better choice!

Doesn't WB own the rights to "Green Mansions"? I am surprised they haven't included it in the Warner Archives, it's one of the most sought-after movies not yet on DVD.

I admire Vivian Leigh very, very much, but for the life of me, I cannot imagine her in a film noir. She's very good in "Gone with the Wind", of course, and also "A Streetcar Named Desire". But noir? I don't know about that

I hope this one will be out soon, and it's good to know it will most probably include another 10 titles from the WB/RKO/MGM library. Maybe some Monogram Pictures, too. Message was edited by: moviefan1951

Good luck, rohonaka, hope you find it at the library.

Vertigo22, you're essentially correct regarding Hitchcock's "Champagne" (1928). I haven't seen it, but most Hitchcock buffs consider it one of his least successful films. And Hitchcock himself was obviously not in a hurry to make another musical.