kingrat

I can't complain too much about the results of the poll. After all, 11 of the top 13 were on my list, too. I was a little surprised that Random Harvest made the top ten. This is the kind of film a lot of critics don't like, but is popular with many viewers. Would you have predicted that it would wind up higher than Mildred Pierce?

FilmFan, I'm glad you discovered Three Came Home, which I like just as much as you do, as do a number of other posters here. TCM has done a good job of making this film available.

I'm glad to see so much love for The World According to Garp, one of the best films of its era. This would be a great choice for the festival, especially if Glenn Close or John Lithgow could be there.

I'm another huge fan of Jeanine Basinger, especially The Star Machine and A Woman's View. Kevin Brownlow's biography of David Lean is excellent. Very good on what working conditions in the British cinema were like when Lean began his work as an editor. Information about the films and about Lean's messy personal life--like Henry VIII, he had six wives. Richard, thank you for telling us that Todd McCarthy's bio of Hawks isn't auteurist gush. Like you, I tend to question the judgment of critics who gush over Ford's 7 Women. Mark Harris' Pictures at a Revolution is one of the best film books I've ever read, beautifully written and well researched. Harris manages to be fair to all five of the movies nominated for Best Picture in 1967 and to their makers. A great view of the changing scene at the end of the studio era.

To add to the many good examples which have already been mentioned: Red River - The sexual tension is between Montgomery Clift and John Ireland, not Clift and Joanne Dru. The Big Sky - Howard Hawks again. Lots of sexual tension between Dewey Martin and Kirk Douglas. Border Incident - An interesting case where a gay actor, James Mitchell, brings out a gay subtext. He plays a bracero who warns Ricardo Montalban (actually an undercover cop) against going to work at a particular ranch, then goes there himself once it's clear Montalban plans to go there anyway. There's a fabulous shot, very romantic, of the two men in profile looking at each other against the background of a border town. This fine Anthony Mann film ought to be better known. Films where a one-sided same-sex attraction is the emotional center of the film include Johnny Eager and Warlock, both excellent films.

I was also disappointed by Klute. Didn't see it on Jane Fonda Day, but when it was shown not long ago. Some of the reasons have been touched on by other posters. No one else has said this directly, but I loathed the cinematography by Gordon Willis, which damages the film a good bit. Notice how often key scenes, or key parts of scenes, are in darkness. Perhaps he was trying to re-create film noir effects in color, but if so, he failed. The (very few) action scenes, including the big scene where the killer tries to kill Bree, are botched because it's hard to figure out what's going on. The editing tries to add some excitement which isn't there. Similarly, the scene where Klute and Bree sleep together has very little effect because we can't see their faces and therefore don't know what the moment means to either of them. Again, in the scene with the two drug addicts one key shot has both addicts in darkness while we can see the rest of the room clearly enough. I blame all of this on Willis rather than on the director, Alan J. Pakula, who is only making his second movie and seems under the shadow--quite literally--of his cinematographer. Pakula's next film, Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing, looks entirely different, thanks to the brilliance of its cinematographer, Christopher Challis. The part of Klute is seriously underdeveloped, and that's the fault of the script. He's a detective, apparently a rather decent guy, and he's attracted to Bree. That's pretty much all we learn about him. Donald Sutherland does the best he can with what little he's given. Klute had the potential to be a much better film, both a more suspenseful and engaging thriller and a more insightful look at the life of a call girl.

Far too many movies never made the switch from VHS to DVD, including quite a few foreign films. For instance: --The Mother and the ****, which Cahiers du Cinema called the best film of the 1970s --Alain Jessua's excellent 1960s films, Life Upside Down and The Killing Game (Jeu de massacre). Every year at Comic-Con time I'm reminded of how timely The Killing Game is (about a wacko rich guy who tries to act out the adventures of a comic book hero). --Satyajit Ray's Days and Nights in the Forest --Experience Preferred, But Not Essential (a funny British comedy from 1982) --This Special Friendship (Les amities particulieres), which is like Dangerous Liaisons in a French boarding school for boys --Vittorio De Seta's Bandits of Orgosolo, which was highly praised by 1960s critics George Sanders fans would love to have The Private Affairs of Bel Ami on DVD. This Albert Lewin film has never been shown on TCM. Whistle Down the Wind has never been released as a Region 1 DVD.

(Stops gnashing teeth about movies not nominated) Top 20 Oscar Nominees 1940-1949, alphabetically by year 1940: The Grapes of Wrath The Letter Rebecca 1941: Citizen Kane The Maltese Falcon 1942: Kings Row The Magnificent Ambersons 1943: Casablanca In Which We Serve 1944: Double Indemnity 1945: Mildred Pierce 1946: The Best Years of Our Lives Henry V 1947: Crossfire 1948: Johnny Belinda The Red Shoes The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1949: The Heiress A Letter to Three Wives Twelve O’Clock High

I am definitely a fan of this handsome actor. It would be great if TCM could run, say, The Crimson Kimono and Flower Drum Song, as a special tribute. It would have to be in September, after Summer Under the Stars.

Tom, I think the sell-off of the possessions at the end of Silver River is clearly influenced by Kane. This hit me immediately.

As rewrite said, the sports broadcasting rights are considered the plums, according to the NY Times. If the deal went through, Fox might be required to sell off TW's CNN. (The thought of CNN becoming a Fox News station will send shudders through some.) The film festival and the cruise have done a great deal to promote the TCM brand, and they would be strong arguments for Fox to let TCM continue its present course. It's been pointed out that Rupert Murdoch left the Wall Street Journal alone after he bought it, so at least there's some hope that he wouldn't ruin TCM. Still, I hope that Time Warner can fight off this takeover. Obviously the buyout would be anti-competitive, but beginning with the Reagan era, the Justice Department under both Republican and Democratic presidents has done little to enforce antitrust regulations.

I'm glad to see the love for Silver River, which I like very much, despite the weakness of the last quarter hour. (Note the influence of Citizen Kane on this last part of the film, by the way.) Flynn and Ann Sheridan have great chemistry. I often find Raoul Walsh an overrated director--his best work tends to be three stars out of four, not four stars out of four--but White Heat and Silver River are the exceptions.

It's surprising how satisfying the different Miss Marples are, though some are quite far from the character in Christie's novels and stories. Christie's Miss Marple is old, rather fluffy-looking, the picture of a sweet old lady who knows nothing of the seamier side of life. Joan Hickson is closest to this. When Hickson was middle-aged and appearing in one of Christie's plays, Agatha Christie sent her a note saying that she hoped eventually Joan would play Miss Marple. For me, the Hickson versions, mostly an hour long, are too short to convey the full effect of the novels, though I like her a lot. Helen Hayes is also close to the original, though she obviously isn't British. Margaret Rutherford is much more active and funnier, thoroughly enjoyable as long as you don't expect the original. Geraldine McEwan is sharper, showing her strength and intelligence in ways which Christie's Miss Marple hides. The updating of the stories gives a more obvious feminist slant, as the title "Marple" rather than "Miss Marple" suggests. An enjoyable performance on its own terms. McEwan made a fine Jean Brodie in a TV version of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and you can see resemblances between the two characters as McEwan plays them. Angela Lansbury, though too young, was an interesting Miss M, though Miss Marple would never smoke a cigarette, as this one does. I haven't seen Julia McKenzie, who is physically more like Miss Marple than Geraldine McEwan.

I prefer La Cage aux Folles to its American remake, The Birdcage, though that film has its moments, too. The French film is farce all the way, one of the best adaptations of a play ever; the American remake opens out the film with more settings and a slower pace and goes more in the direction of sentiment and political commentary. Giving Christine Baranski a larger role than her French counterpart is a plus. In fact, the American cast is probably stronger. The Long Night, which TCM shows once a year or so, is as good as its original, the French classic Le Jour se leve. TCM just showed Lady Gangster, which turned out to be a remake of the Barbara Stanwyck pre-Code Ladies They Talk About. The pre-Code was better, and a little franker about prison life, though Faye Emerson did her best in the Stanwyck role.

You also get to see what some of the famous tourist sites in Rome look like when there aren't lots of tourists milling around. A fun romantic movie with gorgeous scenery. Although casting Troy Donahue as a talented painter is, shall we say, not too credible.

The idea of Frances Farmer in a love triangle with Edward Arnold and Walter Brennan, as in the first half of the movie, seems distasteful. I don't think this seemed as creepy to 30s audiences as it does now to us. I believe the notion of a man falling in love with the grown daughter of the woman he loved could be powerful, if you think of a character like James Stewart's Scotty Ferguson in Vertigo, but the subject would require careful handling. Edward Arnold as a romantic lead just seems wrong to some of us, but he and Frances Farmer were also paired in The Toast of New York, where she ends up with Cary Grant.

Agreed, rewrite. I'm glad you brought the topic up again. Many people here would enjoy Mark Harris' book.

I don't want to watch this film any more than Dargo does. This is the first film I ever walked out of. Whatever Kubrick thinks he is doing, he is showing that rape, violence, and sadism are "cool" if the "cool" do them. If you identify with the victims, this is not an enjoyable film. Burgess' novel was inspired by the fact that some Nazis enjoyed Beethoven and other classical composers, so that it was possible to enjoy and appreciate great music and yet commit horrific crimes. Through the medium of his prose, he could create the distance needed to explore this conundrum. On the other hand, film is a much more visceral medium, and Kubrick's directorial choices remove that distancing which was available in the novel.

Great child performances? Brigitte Fossey in Forbidden Games is heartbreaking. She's OK as an adult actress (The Man Who Loved Women), but not with the special quality she had as a child. Alan Barnes, the non-professional who plays Hayley Mills' little brother in Whistle Down the Wind, is pretty great, too. And Hayley Mills is not too shabby herself. Among more recent child performances, the little boy abandoned by Julianne Moore in The Hours is also heartbreaking.

Both The Stranger's Return and Her Sister's Secret, two very obscure films, were shown at this year's festival, and it's great that they are appearing so quickly on the regular schedule. The Friday Night Spotlight for the first four Fridays in October will be films set in Africa, and Alex Trebek will probably be the guest host. This was rumored at the festival. Trebek has a special interest in African history. Unfortunately, Zulu, the wonderful film he introduced, is not listed, and neither is Cry, the Beloved Country, another favorite of mine. I'm glad that Zulu Dawn, which I've never seen, will be shown. The series will show some of the ways that Africa has been portrayed in films. For those who have never seen them, what better introduction to early Fellini than a double feature of Nights of Cabiria and La Strada? Various Michael Powell films are scattered throughout the schedule, and maybe I'll be brave enough to try Peeping Tom. Maybe not. I'm curious about Peter Finch as Oscar Wilde in Trials of Oscar Wilde. This isn't exactly typecasting, but I do like Finch's acting. For sheer viewing pleasure, try Oct. 9 and consecutive showings of The Locket, Portrait of Jennie, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and Pandora and the Flying Dutchman.

Richard Brody's review (below) is bizarre. More viewers are likely to agree with J. Hoberman's review, also below. Skimpole, thanks for posting links to them.

I'd like to recommend the Essentials Jr. movie for Saturday, A Kid for Two Farthings. This unusual fable, funny and sad and romantic and wistful in various parts, is a most imaginative choice for the series. During WWII, a boy whose father is away at the war believes that the one-horned goat he finds at the market is a unicorn. Carol Reed is an excellent director of children, as The Fallen Idol demonstrates. The boy is the son of the wonderful character actress Rosalie Crutchley. Celia Johnson plays the boy's mother, and Diana Dors adds some spice to the romantic subplot. This gentle fantasy, firmly set in London's East End, isn't for all tastes, but those who like it may like quite a lot.

I'm a big fan of Seconds. One of the best American films of the 60s. Frankenheimer's direction is sensational. Look at how the opening is framed and cut. Original and unsettling. Many people consider this Rock Hudson's best performance. He seems to be using his own inner turmoil about the perfect image he had to present and the person he really was. I particularly like his scene with Frances Reid, the wife who no longer recognizes him.

Kay, I believe the connections with Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity are largely ironic. Blue = Liberty--the kind no one would want to have, with the sudden loss of husband and child. White = Equality. The very unequal relationship is dominated by the gorgeous wife. The husband then finds a way to get revenge on her. Red = Fraternity. Deals with a man whose only connection with other people is spying on them. I'm so glad TCM showed these great films and that so many people enjoyed them. Blue is definitely my favorite, but they are all remarkable.

For Martha Hyer in a decidedly non-priggish role, check out her redheaded Herodias in THE BIG FISHERMAN. I wish she'd been cast that way more often.