misswonderly3
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Posts posted by misswonderly3
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*Woman in the Dunes* is all the good things that have been said about it, but I feel as though I ought
to like it, rather than genuinely liking it. I know it's not supposed to be taken literally, but still, it makes me feel so damn claustrophobic, both physically and psychologically. It's depressing, and I remember being soo relieved when it was over.
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What's amusing about that performance is, you can kind of tell that they weren't quite sure where they were going with it...probably because, by all accounts, they couldn't hear themselves and often in live performances were a little confused as to where they were in the song (any song they were playing, not just "I'm Down". ) The screaming fans, the poor acoustics of the venues where they played, and the old school sound equipment all contributed to this phenomenon. Funny thing, it didn't matter, nobody seemed to notice. Except the Beatles themselves, which is one reason they finally quit playing live (not the only reason though, or even the main one.)
Edited by: misswonderly on Feb 9, 2011 4:40 PM
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Hey, Valentine, I recorded a bunch of Kurosawa films almost a year ago, when tcm was having that month (March? ) celebrating the great Japanese director. Anyway, one of them was *Stray Dog*, and I finally got around to watching it the other day. Did it ever deliver ! I can't believe how good it was, and also how noirish it was. I loved everything about it - the story, the noirish settings (who knew 1950 Japan was so noir looking?) , of course the acting.
Japanese noir? Oh yeah !
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> {quote:title=jamesjazzguitar wrote:}{quote}
> ... Ok, I can understand that a western is very "American" and thus why there are more of them than other periods in US History, but the sheer number of them, during their *hay-day* is a little too much.
Is that a pun?
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Heard the other day that the White Stripes had officially broken up. They were an interesting band and will be missed. Here's a charming little song from their "White Blood Cells" album. I remember driving through Detroit on my "road trip" last fall and being amazed and delighted to see that there actually was a "Hotel Yorba", although it looked like it had seen better days. But then I like seedy old buildings, they're so film noirish. Anyway, here's to The White Stripes and the Hotel Yorba :
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What do those terms "A" film or "B" picture signify? I always thought it had something to do with budget.
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Sounds like a dog to me.
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Good thing the Midnight Plowboy didn't try out that same bad cafe, otherwise all those wilted greens might have affected his, shall we say, performance.
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It's a lead role, the most important in the film. For that matter, there are many movies in which the main character doesn't appear until halfway through the movie (how about Harry Lime in *The Third Man* ? )
And just because the man who meets Marge and kind of falls apart emotionally is Asian-American does not make it a racist scene. Why is it racist just because the guy happens to be Asian-American?
There's no allusion to his ethnicity, just to how he's messed up his life - it could have been anybody, white, black, pink, or blue. (from the cold)
ps -kinokima, thanks for your positive opinion on the film. It is here, on this tcm fansite, that I have read negative comments about *Fargo*.
Edited by: misswonderly on Feb 7, 2011 3:26 PM
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Hmm, I'm trying to think of a film that I regard as a Western that doesn't have horses in it. I'm sure there must be at least one.
Anyway, *here's a list of Westerns for people who don't like Westerns:* (in no particular order):
*Destry Rides Again* - as much a comedy as a Western, plus fun bantering between Jimmy Stewart and Marlene Dietrich (who sings "Boys in the Backroom" )
*Johnny Guitar* -a Western for the film noir lover. Also a Joan-o-drama, with Joan flashing her eyes at Sterling Hayden and Mercedes McCambridge all mixed-up and overwrought over both of them.
*Rauncho Notorious* -more Western comedy/noir, more Marlene Dietrich
*Pursued* -you don't have to be a Western fan, just a Robert Mitchum fan, to enjoy this
*Red River* -one of John Wayne's better performances (IMHO) , with Monty Clift giving as good as he gets from the Duke. John Ireland hangs around to see what will happen next. My only quibble is when Joanne Dru slows things down a little.
*The Naked Spur* - as much a character study as a Western; four very different and interesting characters in conflict; James Stewart wants to turn in Robert Ryan for a bounty, with Janet Leigh and Ralph Meeker along for the ride.
*The Outlaw Josey Wales* - believe it or not, this is kind of a "nice" story, with Clint Eastwood somewhat unwillingly helping people he encounters as he flees some post Civil War Union soldiers. It actually is a kind of "feel good" Western, as he finds himself and his mongrel friends setting up a little community.
*The Treasure of the Sierra Madre* -I'm kind of stretching things here, calling this a Western. But it's certainly got a Western setting, and a fascinating story about how the lust for gold can drive a person insane. It's also got one of the most memorable endings in all moviedom.
that's all for now, folks.
Edited by: misswonderly on Feb 7, 2011 3:30 PM
Edited by: misswonderly on Feb 7, 2011 7:02 PM
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> {quote:title=JonnyGeetar wrote:}{quote}
and Fargo may actually be my least favorite movie of _ALL TIME_ (I know I stand alone on that, but it is just a one-note, one-joke film, and that joke is "boy, aren't common, everyday, non-intellectual people stupid ?!! LAUGH DAMMIT+
This is a commonly -held misconception about *Fargo*; ie, that it was made as just one big nasty joke, its sole purpose to make fun of people from the mid-west. It's an easy way to dismiss a movie -just write it off as a "one joke" film.
In fact, there is a lot to *Fargo*; if you look beyond the mid-western accents and goofy "oh yah"s, you'll see that it's a very well-crafted crime film, a beautifully executed work of cinematography, a philosophical musing on how the best-laid plans can go wrong and often do, and yes,an affectionate and gently mocking tribute to those no-nonsense cheese-eaters. The Coen brothers themselves hail from Minneapolis, Minnesota, so if they're laughing at "common everyday non-intellectual people" they're laughing at themselves.
The female police officer, Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) may be full of "non-intellectual" utterances, but don't let that fool you. She is the smartest person in the film, and the most moral.The lecture she gives to the killer she has captured at the film's conclusion may be a funny scene -and it is, mainly because of the incongruity of this supposedly unsophisticated lady cop scolding the brutal and somewhat dim murderer and half-expecting him to heed her reproaches -but it's also a basic moral truth she's stating, and its meant to be listened to by the audience.
*Fargo* is not the shallow, insultingly smug film that many seem to think it is. As I said, it's easy to relegate it to "the Coens are just making a cheap joke" if you're not paying attention to the film. Personally, it's one of my favourite movies, and I'm starting to get tired of people knocking it.
Edited by: misswonderly on Feb 7, 2011 2:54 PM
Edited by: misswonderly on Feb 7, 2011 2:55 PM
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> {quote:title=TikiSoo wrote:}{quote}
> Well herein lies the problem with this discussion. A "Western" means different things to different people. Many films fall short of any general criteria while still considered Westerns as has been stated in earlier posts.
> There are cowboy films set in the wild west that are not considered westerns like ANNIE GET YOUR GUN. And the previously discussed MISFITS, BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK, heck BLAZING SADDLES & SON OF PALEFACE kind of defy definitions.
> Do Westerns only take place in the past? In America? Do they need gunfights & horses?
> I'd rather include all aforementioned films into Westerns rather than eliminate them because they don't fall in a narrow definition....
Very good point, TikiSoo. And therein lies the problem with not only a discussion of "The Western", but also of any "genre". Film Noir, for instance, probably the most problematic genre of all, certainly when it come to any kind of consensus on what it is, exactly, has generated endless discussions, sometimes bordering on arguments, on its definition, what its parametres are, what is and is not a film noir. And, as you say, the same thing applies to Westerns - or should I say, "The Western".
"On the other hand" , discussing what criteria apply to a genre is fun; part of what makes it interesting is the examination of themes and other elements and the variety of opinions on the definition of any genre. I suspect that most of the people on these boards are not only hard core cinephiles, but also pretty knowledgeable about genres and their definitions, and that most are fairly open and flexible about just what constitutes a "Western" or any other genre.
Any discussion of any film genre is going to end up with the acknowledgment that it is impossible to come up with a definitive statement on its definition, and that in any case, it is constantly changing and re-defining itself.
Edited by: misswonderly on Feb 6, 2011 5:38 PM
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I've always kind of wanted to learn German.
I saw *Pandora's Box* the other night, and wondered what Louise Brooks made of it all. Did she speak or understand German? I kind of doubt it. But it doesn't matter, she comes across exactly the way she should anyway.
Yeah, maybe the title cards in German silent movies had more text and took longer to read than American or other English-language silents. English is such an economical language !
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Yes, james, but the odd title card, usually with very little text, and appearing on the screen for abouat 30 seconds once in a while, is very different from dubbed-in dialogue for an entire (previously) silent movie. The title cards just gave the audience the gist of what was going on, and that was usually all that was necessary. They were not intrusive or a distraction - at least, I have never found them to be so. Also, I believe they were part of the original film, they were edited in before the film would be released to the viewing public. So they weren't artificial add-ons, they were conceived to be there to help tell the story from the beginning.
The way silent movies were filmed, the way the stories were planned and the actors performed, very few words, be they spoken or supplied on title cards, were needed for the audience to understand what was happening on screen. And I will say again, the titles were few and far between, usually with a minimal amount of text, and very un-obtrusive.
One more thing: you say the elimination of the cards, to be replaced with voice-over, would "keep the action flowing". But again, since silent movies were made knowing that title cards would be inserted now and then, they were filmed on purpose for the cards to fit in with the movie as a whole. And in the "action" scenes, there usually is no dialogue anyway, so the camera keeps rolling and the action keeps flowing (like in *Intolerance* , or the famous baby carriage scene in *Battleship Potemkin* .)
Edited by: misswonderly on Feb 6, 2011 3:33 PM
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Thanks for all the cool film noir quotes, errol. If you know all these by heart, you have an amazing memory and an impressive love of film noir. If you look them up first, you at least have the latter. Either way, they're fun to read.
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Perhaps we're done with this controversial topic, in which case, to borrow/mispell from Shakespeare,
"The rest is silents. "
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Interesting post, Valentine, and very nicely written, as usual. I'm humbled to say that of the Westerns you list, I have only seen *One Eyed Jacks* . It's what I would classify as a "psychological Western", although there certainly is action in it as well. But it's more about the Brando/Maldon characters and their relationship. This makes it a more interesting Western, for me.
I love Sam Fuller, but have mostly seen his noir work. Now that I'm more aware that he made a number of Westerns I'll be on the look-out for them.
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Another shameless bump! This should be one page one.
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Can anyone answer my question? I honestly want to know the answer.
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They sure did -way more than Canada, no doubt about that.
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What's up with winter this year? Everywhere - not just in Ontario, or Canada. You Americans are getting more than your usual share of snow and cold too.
Here's a little "indie" song by a native Haligonian (believe that's the odd but correct word for someone from Halifax -Nova Scotia, anyway; don't know about the one in Yorkshire or wherever it is.)
It's clearly winter and snowy in this funny little video. It's very home-made looking, but I like all the people sort of jumping around in the snowy streets with their mitts and winter coats and boots. The song's not bad either.
Jenn Grant, "Getcha Good" :
Edited by: misswonderly on Feb 5, 2011 6:33 PM
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> {quote:title=MyFavoriteFilms wrote:}{quote}
> No, MissWonderly, you explain it. We'll wait for you to get back to us. LOL
Gentle tcm forum friend, why should I explain it? You're the one who said it. I assume you were just making a quiet joke.
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I'm beaming.
By the way, I'm assuming that most even luke-warm Western fans know that many American -made Westerns, cast, crew, story etc. American, were filmed in Canada's West, usually Alberta (which is very similar in its terrain to many U.S. states. )
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So, is Alec Baldwin going to be The Essentials co-host for the third year in a row?
Not that I mind, I guess, I don't have a problem with him. But just for variety's sake, it might be interesting to have someone else.
"BALL of FIRE" and other flames
in General Discussions
Posted
Just saw Howard Hawks' *Ball of Fire*. I hadn't seen it in years, and had almost forgotten how good it was. In fact, I enjoyed it more this time around than the first time I saw it.
It's a flawless little comedy, not a thing wrong with it. The cast is wonderful, everyone is note perfect in their role. Gary Cooper gives one of his most likable performances, and proves that he can do comedy. The seven academic gentlemen are all a hoot (hoots?) , special mention to Oscar Homolka, S.Z. Sakall ("Cuddles" ) and whoever played the widowed professor, the one who gives dubious connubial advice to Gary Cooper (anyone knows his name, please let me know -he was hilarious ! )
I also got a kick, as usual, out of Dan Duryea's characterization as Andrews' top thug. And Dana Andrews himself in a somewhat unexpected role for him, makes it work as Joe Lilac the hearltess gangster.
But the icing on the cake has got to be Barbara Stanwyck, delightful as always, putting in a fine comic and sexy performance as "Sugarpuss O'Shea".
This is my idea of a really good comedy from that era - it's funny, it's sweet, it's got gangsters, dancing, encyclopaedia scholars, and newly-discovered love. And while it pushes those disbelief boundaries a little -as most comedies do, nothing wrong with that - it never shows the characters doing dumb things just to set up something in the plot (a pet loathing of mine in many older comedies).
Bonus treat: Gene Krupa and his band setting the place on fire with "Drum Bogie". I'm including it here for anyone who wants to take five minutes to watch Babs and everyone else having a ball with this number:
*Ball of Fire* also got me thinking; there are a lot of movies, usually comedies, with a similar theme. ie, stodgy, straight, inexperienced person thinks they are married to their duty, only to fall in love and be seduced, not only with the beloved, but also by all the pleasures of life they have been hitherto ignoring (pretty clothes, dancing, wine, etc.) One example is *Ninotchka,* but there are many others. It's a fun theme.
Edited by: misswonderly on Feb 9, 2011 4:46 PM
Edited by: misswonderly on Feb 9, 2011 4:48 PM
sorry about all the editing -that's what happens in a long post
Edited by: misswonderly on Feb 9, 2011 4:57 PM