kingrat

I don't believe anyone has mentioned MANHATTA (1920), the beautiful film about 10 minutes long that was recently shown on TCM. The painter Charles Sheeler, noted for his use of industrial buildings as subjects for his paintings, co-directed with Paul Strand. The film, suggested by a Walt Whitman poem, has documentary interest with its glimpses of 1920 Manhattan, and the painter's eye gives us some dazzling images. MANHATTA has been lovingly restored, and TCM is one of the parties mentioned in the credits for the restoration. If TCM shows this film again, and I hope they will, please give it ten minutes of your time.

John Schlesinger's DARLING (1965) will be shown tonight at midnight EST. When first released, it made Julie Christie a star and because it dealt more frankly with sex than almost all American films of the time did, it became an icon of "swinging London." As far as I know, DARLING is the first film whose attitudes toward homosexuality could come from the world of 2010. The main gay character, Malcolm, who's a confidante of fashion model Diana (Christie), is neither better nor worse than any of the other characters in the film. His sexual orientation isn't a scandal, a sin, or a problem. It just is. He flirts with a good-looking Italian waiter and later rides off with him on a motorcycle. Again, this may be a first. In the Capri sequence, we see a man who's walking with a woman but turns around to gaze at another man. This has nothing to do with the story, but Schlesinger obviously wants to include this. A "man on the street" interview features a man who says the thing he's most ashamed of in England is all the homosexuals in London. The viewer is encouraged to regard this person as a fool. Although there are gay men in the scenes of debauchery in Paris, again they are not portrayed as any better of worse than the straight characters present. The other really remarkable feature of the film to me is Dirk Bogarde's portrayal of a TV interviewer who leaves his family for the young and beautiful Julie Christie. We don't see the impact on his family, but we do see the impact on himself. There's no moralizing, only an honest, unsparing look at what happens, and this couldn't be more moral. Bogarde won the BAFTA (British Oscar), deservedly so.

Clore, if TCM is showing a few made for TV movies, I'd love to see JOURNEY TO SHILOH with James Caan, Michael Sarrazin, and the young Harrison Ford.

I'm sure TCM has thought of this, but Diane Baker would be a fine choice for a Private Screenings or a guest appearance on the Essentials.

I'm with you, libradoll. As Mr. 6666 commented in the Midlife Crisis thread, "A script wouldn't hurt." However, the film does have its passionate admirers, who are usually men from the large cities of the Northeast or Midwest.

Just to clarify: no limitation on dates of films except that they must be found within the allowable databases?

The combination of Rainer, Garbo, Stanwyck, and Dunne in the same Oscar field gives us an interesting mix of acting styles. Stanwyck and Dunne are great sound era actresses, with good voices, attention to verbal nuance, the ability to listen and react convincingly, comic timing, and the chops to do the big emotional scenes. Garbo adapts her silent era style to talkies. She knows exactly how to project a remote beauty, how to be one of the most glorious subjects a movie camera could hope to find. I'm not familiar with the Austrian and German stage traditions Rainer would have known or with how much silent era acting she did, but her work in THE GOOD EARTH feels like silent star acting. She hits one emotion strongly in each scene, like the serious version of Marion Davies' different faces in the handkerchief scene in SHOW PEOPLE. Arguably, this technique fits for playing a Chinese peasant, where you wouldn't want the nuances appropriate for an urban heroine like the ones characteristically played by Stanwyck and Dunne--or would you?

Hi, charliechaplin 101. Boyer was fabulous in ALGIERS, just shown.

Groucho Marx was in A NIGHT AT THE OPERA with Allan Jones Allan Jones was in SHOW BOAT with Irene Dunne Irene Dunne was in THE AWFUL TRUTH with Ralph Bellamy Ralph Bellamy was in BROTHER ORCHID with Bogart Next: let's try JonnyGeetar's suggestion: Emil Jannings

I must be a glutton for punishment because I'm definitely looking forward to it.

Clore, I share some of your reservations about Billy Wilder's THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, but would love for some of the film's champions to write about it. To me the real stars are Miklos Rosza for his glorious music and Christopher Challis for the beautiful cinematography. The acting is good, but the combination of leisurely pacing and low star wattage doesn't work to the film's advantage. Would the additional 40 minutes cut from the film really make it a better film? As with many directors, Wilder's earlier work is tauter, and the closest comparison in genre is WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, which has more forward momentum. I do like THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, a very amiable film, with Colin Blakely a charming Watson. Robert Stephens is a fine ensemble actor, but shouldn't Holmes stand out more? Holmes and Watson seem more like equals, which has both pluses and minuses. Wilder's first choices for Holmes and Watson, Peter O'Toole and Peter Sellers, could have been much better or much worse, if O'Toole had been allowed to ham it up and if Sellers had been given the kind of free rein he had in LOLITA. Some viewers see THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES as being a very personal film for Wilder, and I'd love to see someone explain, because to me that's not apparent.

How about Lee Remick as the wife? Remick, Poitier, Jeff Chandler.

Sidney Poitier for the Dennis Haysbert role is an easy choice. Most gay/bi actors would have shied away from the Dennis Quaid role, but it's intriguing to wonder if Rock Hudson could have relaxed enough to play the husband. Let's cast the husband against type: Jeff Chandler. So who does the Julianne Moore role?

We usually watch it once every year. Watching it as often as you do qualifies you for a Major Award.

Rey, I'm glad to see the love for Thirteen Days, a much underrated film. That makes me interested in checking out the films on your list I don't know. Your choice of Master and Commander, a really smart and exciting adventure movie, reminds me of how much we missed when Russell Crowe screwed up his career with his personal behavior.

Some of the Sherlock Holmes films to be shown soon on TCM are in a Mystery Classics 50 Pack which Amazon.com has discounted to $10.99. I know nothing about the quality of the prints but wanted to be sure that fans were aware of this.

But Jonny, if you shut down the thread we'll miss the sweetness and light you unfailingly provide! And I was wondering if someone would say something tacky about Diane Keaton in ANNIE HALL (like I didn't luv luv luv her as much as Woody thought we oughta), though she also starred in LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR that year, so her award was partly for that. For the Best Actor thread someone (well, one person, anyway) might nominate Brando in THE GODFATHER (gasp!) as one of the worst choices, though he had weak competition and Al Pacino got dumped into the supporting category. For worst Best Pictures, BRAVEHEART was much weaker than its four rivals: APOLLO 13, BABE, IL POSTINO, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. On the other hand, BRAVEHEART was almost as historically accurate as THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON, and Mel Gibson did have the worst haircut in the history of cinema, so it had something going for it. On a more positive and uplifting note, I also have enjoyed Danny Peary's ALTERNATE OSCARS, and it's fun to argue with his choices.

I must have enjoyed the December programming because I now have a big backlog of tapes to watch. Most posters have really appreciated the Bogart tribute and the Capra retrospective. Though I usually prefer for TCM not to show relatively recent films, I'm going to have to turn in my Grinch button and say a few kind words about FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL, which did receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. To me, it's funnier than many golden age comedies, and less contrived than almost all of them. Many TCM viewers will recognize that Hugh Grant's comic delivery--the hesitations, the pauses, the stammerings--is based on James Stewart's performing style. As for DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and CHARIOTS OF FIRE, I'd say a few kind words about them, too. Where's that Grinch button???

For many years, the Best Supporting Actor award always went to an older actor who'd never won an Oscar: Jack Albertson, Don Ameche, George Burns, etc. Kevin Kline's win for A Fish Called Wanda broke the spell. This still happens occasionally, as with Morgan Freeman. Timing and momentum matter if you're trying to mount an Oscar campaign against an obvious frontrunner. Shakespeare in Love and Crash timed their runs for Best Picture just right. Timing also means everything for Best Actor and Actress. Try to be nominated against people who've already won or who aren't well known yet. Case in point: in 1940 Joan Fontaine was still a newcomer, Katharine Hepburn had won an Oscar, and Bette Davis had won two. Perfect timing for Ginger Rogers to win for Kitty Foyle. In general, female newcomers (Audrey Hepburn, for instance) had a better shot at Best Actress than male newcomers (Peter O'Toole) at Best Actor. Your chances for an acting award increase if you appear in a picture that gets lots of nominations.

CK, I'd love to see Burton as Star of the Month, especially if they can get his earlier films. You know that in addition to his finest efforts, lots of people would love to watch SEA WIFE with Joan Collins as a nun.

Laffite, I'd love to see the earlier thread with the screen caps about coded references to sex. The log that blazes up in the fireplace...the fireworks display...the faithful viewer learns what these mean. The thread about the original version of MARTY, which morphed into a discussion of MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, has some additional posts about the coded Jewish references in MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

I was predicting that Elizabeth Taylor's 1960 win for BUTTERFIELD 8 would make your list. Taylor has always said that Shirley MacLaine should have won for THE APARTMENT, and you could also make a case for Deborah Kerr's quieter performance in THE SUNDOWNERS or perhaps Melina Mercouri in NEVER ON SUNDAY. 1940: Although Ginger Rogers does give an appealing performance in KITTY FOYLE and has to carry the whole film on her shoulders, would you vote for her over Bette Davis in THE LETTER, Katharine Hepburn in THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, and Joan Fontaine in REBECCA? 1941: Again, though Joan Fontaine is effective in SUSPICION, would you vote for her over Bette Davis in THE LITTLE FOXES and Barbara Stanwyck in BALL OF FIRE? 1950: Continuing with the "Some performances are iconic" theme, Bette Davis in ALL ABOUT EVE and Gloria Swanson in SUNSET BOULEVARD are exactly that. Judy Holliday is merely good, and maybe a bit overrehearsed, in BORN YESTERDAY. 1954: If the voting were today, Judy Garland's A STAR IS BORN wins by a landslide. Though I like Grace Kelly, especially in Hitchcock films, THE COUNTRY GIRL leaves me cold. Kelly is the Country Club Girl, not effectively cast as naive and provincial. 1959: Simone Signoret burns up the screen in ROOM AT THE TOP, but as you mentioned, it's arguably a supporting role. Audrey Hepburn in THE NUN'S STORY carries the whole film. The whole question of lead role vs. supporting role could be an entirely separate thread. I've never seen A TOUCH OF CLASS, either, but a lot of people thought Ali McGraw would win for LOVE STORY. Maybe it wasn't such a good year.

Jonny, you mean like 1967 when it was hard to choose between Faye Dunaway in BONNIE AND CLYDE, Anne Bancroft in THE GRADUATE, Edith Evans in THE WHISPERERS, and Audrey Hepburn in WAIT UNTIL DARK, all memorable, so the voters got all mushy and sentimental and picked Katharine Hepburn for a routine performance (decent work, but no stretch and way less interesting than the competition) in GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER? Another thought-provoking--and just provoking--topic. The claws are gonna come out!

Well, there's A CHRISTMAS STORY and then there's everything else. Glad to see the love for Alastair Sim's Scrooge, too. We watched part of ELF on Thanksgiving Day and found it surprisingly funny. Maybe it's the thought of what would happen if I answered the phone at work, "Buddy the Elf speaking. What's your favorite color?" DONOVAN'S REEF has a funny Christmas sequence with Lee Marvin as a wise man.

We all seem to agree that JOHNNY EAGER is a much better film than we expected, one that deserves a larger reputation. Like DODSWORTH, it's a great topic for a ramble. Did anyone else notice that when at the end Robert Taylor uses his friend Van Heflin's words about going away to the mountains, that connects back to the reference to CYRANO DE BERGERAC in the early scene where Lana Turner talks about homework with Taylor's niece? The script is that good. Another note about "coded" references: The classic era Hollywood films had coded Jewish references as well as coded gay references. When as a youngster I saw WEST SIDE STORY it didn't occur to me that Doc, the kindly candy store owner, was Jewish. When I saw the film years later, oy, was Doc Jewish! Or take MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT: garment industry in NYC in 1950s, parents immigrated from Europe. To part of the audience, especially the New Yorkers, that automatically suggests the family is Jewish, even though Frederic March plays the father. The film gives mixed messages on the subject--something Hollywood does very well. Though we don't want to impose our knowledge onto the films of the past, neither should we forget that the filmmakers had experience in smuggling all kinds of taboo subjects past the censors and that the filmmakers understood--may even have preferred--that not everyone would get every reference or joke or implication. Officially, Hollywood was shocked, shocked that homosexuality existed, though all the writers and directors and actors knew that they worked with gay colleagues. The movie version of REBECCA actually suggests much more strongly than the novel did than Mrs. Danvers is a lesbian. Of the films I've seen randomly in the last few days, no fewer than three--PLATINUM BLONDE, LOST HORIZON and SUSAN SLEPT HERE--all had some variety of prissy/sissy/swishy or "masculine guy doing something unmasculine" humor. Classic films are less innocent in that respect that you might think.