kingrat
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Posts posted by kingrat
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Kyle, I also thought that Cher did an excellent job as Guest Programmer. Would anyone have guessed that she would pick HOBSON'S CHOICE and begin talking about the great image that opens that film (which I, unlike Cher, had forgotten)? There are some well-known critics (Andrew Sarris, for one) who never said anything as intelligent about David Lean as Cher did.
The selections for films about women include some predictable choices, but also THREE CAME HOME and TENDER COMRADE, which are almost completely unknown to the average fan of classic films. TCM has shown these movies, and many of the people who post here have discovered them, but perhaps they will find some new fans thanks to this series.
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OF HUMAN BONDAGE (1964) was shown the same night as the interview. Kim Novak takes a much more subtle approach to Mildred than Bette Davis did. She's more like Eleanor Parker in this respect. Bette's buzzsaw approach is memorable, but it's more believable than men would be drawn to Eleanor or Kim.
The 1964 version had three directors. Henry Hathaway began but left. The project doesn't seem like a good fit for him. Bryan Forbes filled in for a bit, then Ken Hughes finished it. The photography by the great Oswald Morris, the sets, and the surprisingly romantic music are all pluses. Apparently Kim Novak and Laurence Harvey hated each other, but that doesn't hurt the film. Siobhan McKenna, Robert Morley, and Roger Livesey are excellent in supporting roles. Contemporary critics hated the film--you can read a few excerpts at the Wikipedia article--but you'll find many positive reviews on imdb, and I agree with them.
Kim Novak should be proud of her performance as Mildred. It may be the best thing she did.
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Richard Widmark would make a great star of the month, and the more Fox films we see on TCM, the likelier this is to happen. Considering the Tyrone Power films which have been shown on TCM in the last year, he may be the first of the Fox stars to be SOTM.
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Fred, you've made a great point about the difference between GWTW and some later films of the same length. GWTW is always story-driven and character-driven, and this is generally true of classic films. This relates to Sepiatone's point about the difference in modern remakes, which tend to focus on action and sensation and effects rather than story and character. Selznick spent a great deal of time overseeing the writing of GWTW, and it shows.
I've always avoided HEAVEN'S GATE for two reasons: the brown-tone photography of the 70s doesn't appeal to me, and if the wedding scene and several others in THE DEER HUNTER went on way too long for my taste, HEAVEN'S GATE is unlikely to appeal. Part of the 70s aesthetic generally is a rejection of the neat plots of the classic era, and a greater approval of more rambling structure (or lack of structure).
If you've taken lots of film of the wedding in THE DEER HUNTER, you're invested in using lots of it in the final cut, and are unlikely to take a more disciplined approach in the editing room.
One day I'll man up and watch HEAVEN'S GATE.
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Erich von Stroheim's version of THE MERRY WIDOW. He makes clear that one of the elderly aristocrats has a foot fetish.
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I missed most of the show, but must say I thought the Academy made some thoughtful decisions in its voting. Yikes, I can't believe I said that. LIFE OF PI's wins for Visual Effects, Cinematography, and Music were richly deserved, and I jumped up applauding when Ang Lee won Best Director. ARGO was a great choice for Editing, and a reasonable Best Picture choice, with a strong story, outstanding craft, and accessibility to mainstream audiences.
Most of the gowns I saw looked very beautiful, and plenty of people were behaving with class in their appearances and their acceptance speeches.
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Great choices, Nora! Since Dame Maggie is popular again these days, she would be an excellent choice for the contemporary star. I appreciate the way you've included stars from different decades, because that's how TCM does it. They work about six months in advance, so if they haven't chosen their 31 stars for this year, they will soon.
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Although the CHECKMATE series lasted only two years in the early 1960s, almost every episode starred multiple stars from the classic movie era. A few who appeared were Peter Lorre, Anne Baxter, Joan Fontaine, Cyd Charisse, Joseph Cotten, Keenan Wynn, Charles Bickford, Barbara Rush, Jack Benny--the list goes on and on. You'll catch a young Mary Tyler Moore in one episode, too.
These shows have been collected on DVD and are sometimes on sale for a very reasonable price.
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GREAT schedule, Swithin. Aren't you glad you entered? Would love to see some of these films together. So we have four excellent schedules already.
And it's hilarious that you found a new use for NORTH BY NORTHWEST.
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Maybe they could re-boot DIE HARD for a new generation:
DIE HARD, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: TEAM EDWARD vs. TEAM JACOB
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Flaemchen is a nickname. "-chen" is a German diminutive, like "-ito" or "-ita" in Spanish.
GRAND HOTEL is set in Berlin because the author, Vicki Baum, was German and had sent her novel and later her play there.
Though I haven't seen GRAND HOTEL in a long time, I remember liking Garbo quite a lot and being less fond of Lionel Barrymore than most of you. This was the first time I'd seen the youthful Crawford, who's outstanding. If you've seen her even earlier, in OUR DANCING DAUGHTERS, you understand why she became a star.
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Three great schedules! Lydecker, thank you for joining the fray. It's fun, and you might get to see some of your ideas used.
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The list tells much more about critical fashions than about anything else. I expect that others, like me, will see films they consider great alongside films they love, films they like, some very meh choices, a few snoozefests, and the occasional film they actively loathe (in my case, that would be HUSBANDS). Of course, we wouldn't agree on which were which!
That being said, it's a starting point, and most of us will find recommendations for films we haven't seen. It's also a big improvement over the AFI bias toward more recent films.
And skimpole, thank you for recommending THE ORGANIZER, which would definitely make my list of the greatest 1000 films ever made.
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Diana, so glad that you and Matt are taking this journey! I hope you got to see DECISION BEFORE DAWN, shown last year, which is one of the least known Best Picture nominees, but quite good. If you missed it, look for it next time around.
My favorite this year is LIFE OF PI, which deserves Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, and Best Music, at the least. Academy voters tend to be trend followers, so I'm expecting an ARGO win, and since Ben Affleck didn't get a Best Director nod, that will go to Spielberg for LINCOLN. Ang Lee would be my choice.
February will be a great month for you, with so many Oscar-nominated films for you to check out. Have fun!
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Two I'd love to buy have already been named, CLUNY BROWN and THE PRIVATE AFFAIRS OF BEL AMI. Also,
FRENCHMAN'S CREEK
THE MOTHER AND THE ****
LES AMITIES PARTICULIERES (THIS SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP)
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND - Region 1
THE L-SHAPED ROOM
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Thank you for your hard work, calvin. The Satyajit Ray films are very exciting, especially as some of them have gone out of print on DVD and are hard to find. THERE'S ALWAYS TOMORROW may be a premiere, and one I want to see.
Although I've seen LE JOUR SE LEVE, THE WAY TO THE STARS, and THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS, I'm hopeful that more people can discover these fine films.
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{font:Calibri}56 UP continues the series begun by Paul Almond as a short film, 7 UP, and continued by Michael Apted as full-length documentaries. Every seven years the same subjects are interviewed, and each film is a look at how people have changed or not and how life in Britain has been experienced by this group. 7 UP showed us Charles, John, and Andrew, three posh lads (I have trouble distinguishing them) whose parents have already set them down for the best schools and picked out their universities; Tony, an engaging East End orphan who wants to be a jockey and doesn’t know what a university is; Neil and Peter, two middle-class boys; Bruce, whose father is away in Africa; Nick, who lives on a farm in Yorkshire; Paul, a shy orphan; and Symon, a mixed-race boy from the East End. Unfortunately, only four girls were included: Suzy, from a posh family, and three East End girls, Jackie, Lynn, and Sue. {font}
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{font:Calibri}If you haven’t seen any of the films, 28 UP is the place to start. It includes 7 UP. At 14 everyone is tongue-tied and sullen, sporting bad haircuts, and although things have improved by 21, at 28 the sullenness is gone and we begin to see how people’s adult lives are taking shape. Most have married and some have children. One boy has emigrated to America, another to Australia. Tony’s career as a jockey didn’t succeed, but he’s learning “the knowledge” to become a London cabbie. One boy, the most adorable 7-year-old, has become a homeless drifter with mental problems. This film is richly satisfying on its own. (Each installment includes clips from earlier films so that the audience can follow the stories.){font}
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{font:Calibri}I saw 35 UP in the theater, 42 UP on PBS, and missed 49 UP. 56 UP was shown in a small art house; only the larger cities in the U.S. are likely to have it, but eventually it will make its way to DVD, as the others have. If 7 UP and 28 UP showed the divisions in British society, 56 UP shows how similarities have begun to emerge. Everyone seems to have more in common than they used to. 56 is a happier age than 14 or 21 for almost everyone, and a common theme is love of family, for most of the people have children and some have grandchildren. Several had first marriages which ended in divorce but now have happier second marriages. Cutbacks in jobs and budgets have affected several; the farmer’s son who became a physicist laments that he had to get a teaching job in America when he would have loved teaching in England; and one of the well-off has experienced the takeover of the firm he worked for by a German competitor. Service to others also emerges as a unifying theme. Questions about the reality of the series are raised. The very intelligent Nick says that the clips from his interviews do not represent him, yet they do show one man’s life, even if he is not that person, and this is valuable. Several people had dropped out along the way, but at 56 they are all on board again, one to promote his charity in Bulgaria, another to promote his rock band. Although the participants generally seem to be in good health, one woman now has rheumatoid arthritis. {font}
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{font:Calibri}Not surprisingly, the series is better known in Britain than here. Tony the cabbie recounts how Buzz Aldrin, the astronaut, had just gotten into his cab when another driver asked if he could get an autograph. Tony assumed the man meant Buzz Aldrin’s autograph, but no, the driver wanted Tony’s autograph. The participants have been mentioned in the British tabloids, as you might expect.{font}
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{font:Calibri}The films through 49 UP are available in a DVD collection. {font}
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Yes, I have exactly the same problem since the "upgrade" to Windows 7. Must click on plain text, can't use bold or italic any more.
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Yes, VIOLENT SATURDAY has been shown.
I'm very pleased at the outstanding foreign films which have been shown recently on TCM, not all of them obvious choices. The way that foreign films were integrated into the series of heist films this month has been particularly nice.
Two or three years ago a number of posters here were asking for more pre-Code films, and that wish has most definitely been granted.
I also love the days when several films by an obscure director are shown back to back, or less familiar actors are honored with a tribute, like the one to Paul Lukas tomorrow morning.
Eddie Muller's noir night was a big hit, too.
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Since there's nothing easier than spending someone else's money, what about having Donald Bogle introduce some of the films from the past, with an emphasis on African-American actors less known today? For instance, wouldn't you love to see Mr. Bogle introduce Nina Mae McKinney in SAFE IN HELL, where she's clearly the smartest person in the film?
INTRUDER IN THE DUST has already been mentioned, and it's a great choice, with an outstanding performance by Juano Hernandez. He also has a key role in STARS IN MY CROWN, which would fit MLK Day because the main character, played by Joel McCrea, is, like Dr. King, a Protestant minister, and tolerance is a main theme of the film.
CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY has the major film performance of Canada Lee, perhaps the most respected African-American actor of his day, as well as a supporting role by the young Sidney Poitier. (This may have been shown last year on MLK Day, because this great film was shown two or three times last year.)
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Agreed, darryl. BADLANDS on the big screen should be awesome. Thanks for posting this, filmlover.
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Thanks, filmlover! If technology doesn't fail, I'm recording MALTA STORY, THE DETECTIVE, and THE PRISONER. Looking forward to all three.
Though they aren't on today, anyone who likes Alec Guinness should be sure to see THE HORSE'S MOUTH, TUNES OF GLORY, THE CAPTAIN'S PARADISE . . . well, the list could go on.
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Kyle, I saw just a little of it, which included extended clips of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (the attack on Aqaba) and the party scene in CARNAL KNOWLEDGE where Art Garfunkel and Jack Nicholson meet Candice Bergen. Zemeckis talked about how the camera becomes another character in the party scene, as we follow the long tracking shot.
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I'm a big fan of I VITELLONI.
Vast majority of the June 2013 schedule
in General Discussions
Posted
I'm especially interested in LOSS OF INNOCENCE (aka THE GREENGAGE SUMMER) with Susannah York and Kenneth More, which might be a TCM premiere, and SALVATORE GUILIANO.
Eleanor Parker will be a fine choice for Star of the Month, and THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU is the film of hers I'm most interested in seeing.