kingrat
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Posts posted by kingrat
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Other than the fact that four of the previously announced movies which I wanted to see have been scheduled at the same time, I think it's a fantastic schedule. There's definitely something for everyone. Charlie Tabesh & Co. have done a great job. I will have to remember to schedule meals and a little down time. For my taste, this collection of films is more interesting than the previous two years.
Where else do you have to choose between THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, with live accompaniment, and Adam West's BATMAN poolside? Both sound great.
James Cromwell had not previously been announced as a guest. Such a wonderful actor. May we hope that his introducing one of his father's films becomes a tradition at the festival?
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I love THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR and A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, and I'm glad GPFan mentioned BETWEEN TWO WORLDS, another outstanding film. It's based on Sutton Vane's play OUTWARD BOUND, a hit on the London stage and also on Broadway. Sutton Vane served in WWI and suffered from what we now call post-traumatic stress syndrome. OUTWARD BOUND came out of those experiences. The film of that name, starring Leslie Howard, is good, but I like the Warner Brothers remake, BETWEEN TWO WORLDS, which updates the setting to WWII, even better. Having the Warner Brothers stock company on hand is a big plus.
BETWEEN TWO WORLDS touches upon the subject of how people make heavens and hells for themselves in their own earthly lives. The style is atmospheric, with some scenes that could have come from film noir. The director, Edward A. Blatt, is very obscure, but I have no complaints.
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Having just re-watched THE LIGHT THAT FAILED, I agree with everyone who put performances from this film on their best of 1939 list. I particularly love the scenes with Ronald Colman and Walter Huston together. These two old pros know how to make the most of their scenes without hamming it up, trying to upstage each other, or violating the confines of what a well-bred Englishman (or American living in London) could express. Ida Lupino's scenes with Colman are outstanding, too.
All in all, I'd have to put THE LIGHT THAT FAILED in the top ten for 1939, possibly the top five. William Wellman is probably at his best as a director in the 1930s, despite a number of fine later films like THE STORY OF G.I. JOE, BATTLEGROUND, and WESTWARD THE WOMEN. The genre of THE LIGHT THAT FAILED is what a friend of mine called a "failure fantasy," like Thomas Hardy's great novel JUDE THE OBSCURE or a seriously underrated film, THE COMPETITION. What if you have a great talent but somewhere along the way fail to fulfill your promise?
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Did any of you see a Russian film called, in English, PEACE TO HIM WHO ENTERS (1961), directed by Aleksandr Alov and Vladimir Naumov? I saw this movie at a college film society and liked it very much. For years I've been trying to recall the title, but found it while looking over lists of films for our Favorite Performances thread. The imdb rating is 7.5/10, but there are no reviews posted.
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I'm also a great admirer of Jane Wyman's performance in THE YEARLING. It's interesting to see her in comic best friend roles before she gets the opportunity to play dramatic roles like THE YEARLING and JOHNNY BELINDA. Another favorite is MIRACLE IN THE RAIN, not to all tastes, but the realism of the early scenes with her office job and her demanding mother at home helps me accept the rest of the film.
Most actresses don't have the kind of delayed success that Wyman had. Ellen Burstyn's career is somewhat comparable.
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Tom and Bogie, thanks for all the love directed to Claude Rains. Peering into my crystal ball, I get the definite impression his name will be mentioned frequently as we visit the films of the forties. DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS is a film worth seeing, for all the reasons mentioned by Tom in his excellent review.
Tom, I also really enjoyed your discussion of the resurgence of the western in 1939. Most of us have seen westerns we liked a lot more than JESSE JAMES, but it's hardly a surprise that the 1939 audience liked Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda in Technicolor.
Bogie mentioned a film I'd like to see, THE STARS LOOK DOWN, and several of you have mentioned one I saw on TV several decades ago, THE LIGHT THAT FAILED, and would love to see again.
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Since we're up to 1939 in the Favorite Performances thread, here a couple from GONE WITH THE WIND which some of my friends used to love:
Aunt Pittypat: "Yankees in Georgia! How did they evah get in?"
Mrs. Meade (very excitedly, on learning that her husband has visited Belle Watling's house of ill repute): "Were you really there? Does she have cut glass chandeliers and plush curtains and dozens of gilt mirrors? And are there girls?"
Dr. Meade: "Good heavens, Mrs. Meade! Remember yourself!"
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James Stewart in THE MORTAL STORM
John Wayne in THE SEA CHASE
Spencer Tracy in THE SEVENTH CROSS
All play Germans, all sound exactly like themselves without an attempt at an accent.
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While it's widely regarded as the greatest movie year of all time, 1939 falls short when it comes to my purposes in this thread. Everyone has made very interesting choices, but unfortunately I have seen 90% of them already. Out of those few that I haven't, I have a few taped already to watch, which only leaves 2 or 3 to look for, such as The Light That Failed. And that one was already on my radar from the Top Ten Films thread. The only one so far that I haven't seen or haven't heard of is Sweepstakes Winner submitted by Kay. So extra kudos to Kay!
Lawrence, I was thinking the same thing, that we are mainly citing the same group of films, which has not been true in previous years. Is it because the 1939 mystique has led to the showing of more films from that year? Even a film like MIDNIGHT, unknown to me as I was growing up, has had a fair amount of exposure on TCM and elsewhere.
Some of the less celebrated films I jotted down but didn't include in the final lists:
THE CAT AND THE CANARY - Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard are a surprisingly good couple in this comedy/mystery.
CONFESSIONS OF A NAZI SPY
FIFTH AVENUE GIRL - Ginger Rogers stars as the young woman who pretends to be rich man Walter Connolly's mistress and turns his household upside down. Gregory La Cava directs.
LET US LIVE - Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Sullivan star in this proto-noir, strikingly directed by John Brahm. If you like, say, THEY LIVE BY NIGHT, you should check this one out.
All of the actors named perhaps should be added to the honorable mention list.
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My college Shakespeare professor said that the Olivier HAMLET was recommendable only to those interested in castle architecture.
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The top five in the Best Actor category are pretty much a dead heat. There are many fine performances in the Actress and Supporting Actress categories, but the winners lap the field. Once again the Supporting Actor category is the weakest, though this year there are many enjoyable performances.
Best Actor of 1938:
Clark Gable, GONE WITH THE WIND*
Jean Gabin, LE JOUR SE LEVE (DAYBREAK)
James Stewart, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
Robert Donat, GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS
Charles Laughton, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
Honorable mention: Brian Aherne, JUAREZ; Charles Boyer, LOVE AFFAIR; Paul Muni, JUAREZ; Laurence Olivier, WUTHERING HEIGHTS; Claude Rains, DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS; Tyrone Power, THE RAINS CAME
Best Actress of 1938:
Vivien Leigh, GONE WITH THE WIND*
Bette Davis, DARK VICTORY
Arletty, LE JOUR SE LEVE (DAYBREAK)
Greta Garbo, NINOTCHKA
Claudette Colbert, MIDNIGHT
Honorable mention: Irene Dunne, LOVE AFFAIR; Judy Garland, THE WIZARD OF OZ; Claire Trevor, STAGECOACH
Best Supporting Actor of 1938:
Bert Lahr, THE WIZARD OF OZ*
Pierre Brasseur, LE JOUR SE LEVE (DAYBREAK)
Brian Donlevy, BEAU GESTE
John Barrymore, MIDNIGHT
Claude Rains, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
Honorable mention:
Ray Bolger, THE WIZARD OF OZ; Thomas Mitchell, STAGECOACH; Thomas Mitchell, GONE WITH THE WIND
Best Supporting Actress of 1938:
Olivia De Havilland, GONE WITH THE WIND*
Maria Ouspenskaya, THE RAINS CAME
Hattie McDaniel, GONE WITH THE WIND
Margaret Hamilton, THE WIZARD OF OZ
Greer Garson, GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS
Honorable mention: Mary Astor, MIDNIGHT; Mary Boland, THE WOMEN; Joan Crawford, THE WOMEN; Geraldine Fitzgerald, DARK VICTORY; Geraldine Fitzgerald, WUTHERING HEIGHTS; Gladys George, THE ROARING TWENTIES; Ona Munson, GONE WITH THE WIND; Edna May Oliver, DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK; Rosalind Russell, THE WOMEN
It Ain't What I'd Call Romantic Award to Cary Grant in ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS, who only asks Jean Arthur to stay with him after the death of his buddy, Thomas Mitchell, who seems to have been looking after him in a quasi-spousal capacity. Run, Jean, Run!
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We're certainly going to miss Robert Osborne this year. His warmth and his presence mean so much to TCM fans. In the early festivals he went out of his way to greet fans, shake hands, pose for pictures, and make himself available in Club TCM, and those who attended cherish those memories. He put himself through an exhausting schedule. We'll hope that he recovers quickly and is able to participate next year.
I had wondered if the festival was going to make a SPOTLIGHT/ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN connection, and it's good news (pun intended) that that's going to happen. That panel discussion will probably be packed out.
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Some of us thought the schedule might be out today, but it is not. However, two films have definitely been added, and the write-ups are available on the festival website:
BRIAN'S SONG, with Billy Dee Williams in attendance
THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, with Angela Lansbury in attendance
With only two films being added, I'd guess that the schedule will not be ready before Monday. But I've been wrong before. There may be more added tomorrow, like the two today.
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The most obvious example of a great performance not winning an Oscar: Peter O'Toole in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. It's perfectly understandable why the Academy chose Gregory Peck instead. There were many strong performances by lead actors that year.
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1939 is not my favorite year--1947, 1950, 1962, and possibly some other years in the 40s would rank higher--but it was a very good year.
Top 10 Films of 1939:
GONE WITH THE WIND
LE JOUR SE LEVE
THE RAINS CAME
THE WIZARD OF OZ
MIDNIGHT
JUAREZ
DARK VICTORY
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
BEAU GESTE
STAGECOACH
Honorable mention:
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
THE ROARING TWENTIES
THE RULES OF THE GAME
NINOTCHKA
GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS
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Port of Shadows is airing later this month? When? I would look it up on the schedule, but I am not a big fan of the new look.
PORT OF SHADOWS (QUAI DES BRUMES) will be on the evening of April 17.
I haven't seen it, and as you can see by my lack of extensive juvenile winners or even nominees, I seldom choose to watch films centered around kids. There are some good ones, though, and this may be one.
Lawrence, we are alike on this subject. Brigitte Fossey in FORBIDDEN GAMES (1952) is an amazing exception.
Since several of you have indicated that you don't know PARADISE FOR THREE: A poor guy (Robert Young) enters a slogan contest and wins. The rich owner (Frank Morgan) enters under an assumed name and also wins. The prize is a vacation at a ski resort. Edna May Oliver calls ahead to tip off the resort that one of the winners is the boss man. Wait, you've all seen comedies before: you know they're going to get it wrong about who's rich and who's poor. Mary Astor is a gold digger after a rich husband; Florence Rice is the rich guy's daughter (three guesses who she falls for). Edna May Oliver shows up to try to set everything right and of course she gets on a pair of skis and . . . . Nothing new or surprising, but capably done. The weird thing is that this is based on a German novel, and the movie's high jinks take place in Austria. In 1938.
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Kingrat, you have a few I haven't seen:
Il Grido
Early Summer
The Life of Oharu
Monsieur Ripois
Touchez pas au Grisbi
Gervaise
A Pig Across Paris
Odd Obsession
I believe that A PIG ACROSS PARIS (LA TRAVERSEE DE PARIS) is scheduled in the next couple of months on TCM. There's a restoration and, I think, new subtitles (badly needed; when I can spot mistakes in French, we're in real trouble).
TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI has turned up two or three times on TCM. MONSIEUR RIPOIS, GERVAISE, and ODD OBSESSION were seen on VHS. EARLY SUMMER can probably be found in one of the Criterion Ozu sets; I think I saw it on TCM, but am not sure. THE LIFE OF OHARU was also seen on TCM, I think. I'm not sure if TCM has ever shown IL GRIDO; I saw this many years ago.
Knowing your tastes a little, Lawrence, I'm pretty sure you will like TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI, with an aging Jean Gabin as an aging crook going after one more score. This one improved on second viewing, once I realized that it was as much about the way of life as it was a thriller.
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Kingrat's Sweet Sixteen of 1950s Foreign Films (more or less chronological):
Forbidden Games
Umberto D.
The Wages of Fear
The Earrings of Madame de . . .
Sawdust and Tinsel
Tokyo Story
La Strada
Rififi
Seven Samurai
Pather Panchali
A Man Escaped
The Burmese Harp
Nights of Cabiria
Il Grido
The Seventh Seal
Ashes and Diamonds
Another Sweet Sixteen:
Early Summer
Diary of a Country Priest
Ikiru
The Life of Oharu
I Vitelloni
Monsieur Ripois (Knave of Hearts)
Touchez pas au grisbi
Smiles of a Summer Night
Gervaise
La Traversee de Paris (A Pig Across Paris; Four Bags Full)
Throne of Blood
Wild Strawberries
Kanal
The Cranes Are Flying
Odd Obsession (Kagi; The Key)
The World of Apu
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PORT OF SHADOWS will be on TCM later this month.
THE BAKER'S WIFE is definitely on my list of must-see films.
About some of the other less familiar titles: SUEZ has little relationship to the actual building of the Suez Canal, but it's a fun film if you like Tyrone Power and Loretta's big dress, and Annabella is quite charming. If you like Errol Flynn or Bette Davis, THE SISTERS is very enjoyable, too.
TRADE WINDS has a story written around home movies Tay Garnett took of his trip to the South Pacific. Joan Bennett as a murder suspect on the lam, Fredric March as the detective chasing her, Ann Sothern and Ralph Bellamy providing plenty of comedy.
THE SHINING HOUR is a "domestic melodrama," aka a woman's picture, directed by Frank Borzage. Joan Crawford is a nightclub dancer who jumps at the chance to marry a nice Midwesterner (Melvyn Douglas) and quit the theatrical profession. Joan's new brother-in-law (Robert Young) falls for her, even though he's married to Margaret Sullavan. As for Joan's new sister-in-law, well, Fay Bainter simply loathes Joan. Joan Crawford insisted that Margaret Sullavan be cast, even though she knew that Sullavan might steal the film. If you like the genre and the stars, it's well done.
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Tom, thank you for writing about the English THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT, which I had never heard of. Emlyn Williams is an actor I'd like to see more of. He is terrific in a creepy role in THE WALKING STICK many years later. He had a much larger career on stage, and wrote plays as a vehicle for himself. We've already had occasion to note NIGHT MUST FALL, and THE CORN IS GREEN will be turning up in a few years. In his later years he wrote a two-volume autobiography, GEORGE (his real first name) and EMLYN, in which he frankly talked about his relationships with other men and then, after a destructive involvement with a young man who blackmailed him, he married a nice woman and was apparently very happy with her.
Walter Brennan will show up two or three times in the 1940s on my supporting actor lists when he is not playing lovable old coots. I would not want to see two or three of his lovable old coot movies back to back.
SIDEWALKS OF LONDON has been shown on TCM, as Bogie noted. Tom mentioned the three-dimensional relationship between the street busker played by Charles Laughton and the young pickpocket played by Vivien Leigh, and that's what makes this movie so good. These are complex characters. He trains her to be part of his act, and then she has a chance to go on the legitimate stage. A young man with money (Rex Harrison) falls for her, but are we rooting for Laughton and Leigh as a possible romantic couple?
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Glad to see the love for THE MACOMBER AFFAIR, an outstanding movie, and NATIONAL TREASURE, which is definitely one of my guilty pleasures.
SIXTEEN CANDLES certainly made me laugh at times, but I wouldn't want to see it again. Molly Ringwald is adorable, Anthony Michael Hall does the nerdy thing well (and he'll be even better in a better movie, SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION). Personally, I thought Molly would have been better off with him or the Korean student than the good-looking jock, who will dump her in three weeks.
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Greer Garson in CHIPS is one of those right on the cusp, like Eva Marie Saint in ON THE WATERFRONT or Patricia Neal in HUD. Definitely the largest female role, but substantially less screen time than the male star. I can see solid arguments either way. Garson is very good in the role, and her influence remains after she's no longer on screen.
Because GWTW is such a long movie, Olivia De Havilland has lots more screen time, but Melanie is second fiddle to Scarlett. Scarlett, Rhett, and Ashley are the starring roles (even though Melanie probably has more screen time than Rhett). For me, Garson would lose to Leigh in the lead category or lose to De Havilland in the supporting category.
It hadn't occurred to me that David Niven's role in THE DAWN PATROL might be considered a lead, or Billie Burke in MERRILY WE LIVE, but those arguments could be made, too. So far in our 1938 polls, Mr. Niven has won a supporting actor award and a couple of lead actor awards.
By the way, I read recently that JUAREZ got that title because Paul Muni insisted on it and had the star power to make that happen. That inspired Bette Davis to get WB to change the title of the movie THE KNIGHT AND THE LADY, which eventually became THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX. If Brian Aherne had had the clout, JUAREZ might have been MAXIMILIAN or EMPEROR OF MEXICO or some such title.
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With so much love going to Michael Curtiz, Errol, Basil, and everyone else connected with The Adventures of Robin Hood, I checked to see if Curtiz was nominated for Best Director. He was, but for two other films: Angels with Dirty Faces and Four Daughters. The rules were subsequently changed to prevent directors from having to compete against themselves. Curtiz had five films released in 1938, Four's a Crowd and Gold Is Where You Find It being the other two.
The other three nominated directors were the winner, Frank Capra for You Can't Take It With You; King Vidor for The Citadel; and Norman Taurog for Boys Town.
Setting aside foreign films like Port of Shadows, La Bete Humaine, and Alexander Nevsky, and also Sidewalks of London, not released in America until after GWTW, I'm pretty sure that a consensus of film buffs today would nominate these four directors: Curtiz, for The Adventures of Robin Hood; Howard Hawks, Bringing Up Baby; Alfred Hitchcock, The Lady Vanishes; and William Wyler, Jezebel.
Tom, I really enjoyed your tribute to Basil Rathbone.
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the main reason the Granger/Simmons pairing raises my brow is that it seems to me as if she could do a lot better. I mean, he cute and all, but he seem kinda like a tool.
and i dunno- again, this may seem tacky as hell and i'll shut up about it if you want, but Jean Simmons just causes a notable movement into the "Lipstick" range of my Lesbi-o-Meter- AND THAT'S OKAY, maybe I'm wrong, maybe i'm right- either way it was her business and there's no arguing she was, as one critic once wrote of Vivien Leigh "so lovely she need not be so talented, and so talented she need not be so lovely."
Lorna, because inquiring minds want to know: check out William J. Mann's bio of Elizabeth Taylor. Hedda Hopper, a good friend of Elizabeth Taylor's mother, was upset at the idea of Elizabeth marrying Michael Wilding because he was reportedly having an affair with Stewart Granger. To Hedda, the notion of Wilding and Granger both marrying significantly younger women seemed like looking for spouses too naive to realize what was going on. When she got around to writing her memoirs, Hedda mentioned this. Michael Wilding sued her for libel. Hedda expected the gay guys who had given her the lowdown about Wilding's down low to testify for her. They did not. She lost the case, and Wilding got most of the money she had anticipated from the book. Nothing about Jean Simmons, however, except as the young bride of yet another "snails and oysters" guy.
Back to 1952: I am glad to see the mention of THE MARRYING KIND, another worthy film. I also completely agree with filmlover than John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara are the best part of THE QUIET MAN and with TZ that Joseph Wiseman is great in VIVA ZAPATA.
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Your Favourite Performances from 1929 to present are...
in Your Favorites
Posted
A few thoughts about GWTW from the perspective of 2016: We're going to be much more aware of the racial attitudes than most of the original viewers. It's said that some were upset that Hattie McDaniel wasn't more respectful of the white people in the movie. Lawrence is certainly right that GWTW represents an apex of contemporary craft, and we all seem to be enjoying the actors. Vivien Leigh has the unfair advantage of having one of the greatest roles any actor has played in any movie, with plenty of time to develop different aspects of the character. The script has an astonishing number of memorable lines that define character; I'm not sure how many of these come directly from the novel.
GWTW was attacked by the auteurist critics on the simple grounds that it had more than one director, which automatically downgraded it in their eyes. In fact, it represents the vision of one creator to a much greater extent than almost any other film of its time. That happens to be David O. Selznick, not any of the directors.
Gable was afraid that GWTW would turn out to be a "woman's picture," and got rid of Cukor, already identified as a "woman's director." In a way, Gable's fears were magnificently realized, for GWTW offers a rich gallery of female characters, each of whom tells us something about the position of women in their society. Scarlett, Melanie, Mrs. O'Hara, the younger sisters ("She's had two husbands already, and I'm going to die an old maid!"), Aunt Pittypat, India Wilkes, Mrs. Meade, Mammy, Prissy, and, of course, Belle Watling. Between them, they show us the possibilities for women in their society. Notice the very different attitudes Prissy and Mammy have toward being slaves. Prissy is passive-aggressive, doing just as little as she can to get by. Mammy chooses to love Scarlett and some of the other white people (notably Melanie and Rhett), even if she is a slave.
One of the continuing fascinations of Scarlett is that she almost completely lacks self-knowledge. This is her greatest weakness and, in a way, her greatest strength.
For me, the continuing fascination of GWTW is the complexity of the characters. If contemporary critics don't value this, they have missed something important.