kingrat
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Posts posted by kingrat
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Speedracer picks Errol Flynn as best actor and THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD as best film? I am shocked, shocked.
1938 film I'd like very much to see: WHITE BANNERS. 1938 film I ought to man up, grit my teeth, and see: BOYS TOWN.
I came close to having a three-way tie for best supporting actress, but settled on the one who had two quite different performances, both very good.
Best Actor of 1938:
Charles Laughton, SIDEWALKS OF LONDON (ST. MARTIN'S LANE)*
Jean Gabin, PORT OF SHADOWS
Jean Gabin, LA BETE HUMAINE
Leslie Howard, PYGMALION
Errol Flynn, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD
Errol Flynn, FOUR'S A CROWD
Cary Grant, BRINGING UP BABY
Honorable mention: Brian Aherne, MERRILY WE LIVE; Charles Boyer, ALGIERS; Frank Morgan, PARADISE FOR THREE
Best Actress of 1938:
Vivien Leigh, SIDEWALKS OF LONDON (ST. MARTIN'S LANE)*
Bette Davis, JEZEBEL
Wendy Hiller, PYGMALION
Katharine Hepburn, BRINGING UP BABY
Katharine Hepburn, HOLIDAY
Rosalind Russell, FOUR'S A CROWD
Honorable mention: Annabella, SUEZ; Mary Astor, PARADISE FOR THREE; Michele Morgan, PORT OF SHADOWS; Simone Simon, LA BETE HUMAINE; Margaret Sullavan, THE SHOPWORN ANGEL; Margaret Sullavan, THREE COMRADES
Best Supporting Actor of 1938:
David Niven, THE DAWN PATROL*
Michel Simon, PORT OF SHADOWS
Basil Rathbone, THE DAWN PATROL
Edward Everett Horton, HOLIDAY
John Garfield, FOUR DAUGHTERS
Honorable mention: Ralph Bellamy, TRADE WINDS; Robert Morley, MARIE ANTOINETTE; Claude Rains, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD; Claude Rains, FOUR DAUGHTERS
Best Supporting Actress of 1938:
Fay Bainter, JEZEBEL
Fay Bainter, THE SHINING HOUR
Margaret Sullavan, THE SHINING HOUR
Dame May Whitty, THE LADY VANISHES
Ann Sothern, TRADE WINDS
Binnie Barnes, HOLIDAY
Honorable mention: Binnie Barnes, HOLIDAY; Beulah Bondi, VIVACIOUS LADY; Billie Burke, MERRILY WE LIVE; Gladys George, MARIE ANTOINETTE; Edna May Oliver, PARADISE FOR THREE
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A couple of special awards:
The "Who You Callin' a Sissy?" Award to EDWARD EVERETT HORTON, for believably playing the husband of Binnie Barnes in HOLIDAY. They make a charming couple.
The Bizarro Award, combined this year with the "Mine Is Bigger Than Yours" Award, to LORETTA YOUNG in SUEZ. Realizing that Annabella had a much better role (especially since Miss Loretta didn't get into the sexy/evil potential of her own character), Miss Young only agreed to take the part if she had final say over her costumes. In one scene she wears a gown approximately the size of Rhode Island. They had to widen the door of the set for her to get through. That's one way of getting attention.
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Leading vs. Supporting Categories…
In 1938, Oscar put Beulah Bondi in the Supporting Actress category for Of Human Hearts. I think she was clearly the leading actress in this film and this is again a case of putting a character actor in the lesser category.
And I think Meliza Korjus belongs in the lead actress category for The Great Waltz.
Thanks, Bogie. But what about Mary Astor in PARADISE FOR THREE? I tentatively have her in the lead category.
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Now that we have our passes (mine arrived yesterday), do you think we'll be seeing a complete schedule by the end of next week?
It seems that over half of the films have yet to be announced. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that some of your favorites will be there.
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The nominees: IVANHOE and THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH don't belong in the top five, though both have their entertaining moments. Many love THE QUIET MAN, though I'm one of the dissenters who doesn't much like stage Irish charm. MOULIN ROUGE, just shown on TCM, is gorgeous to look at, with sublime color cinematography from Oswald Morris, the real star of the film. HIGH NOON is a really solid film. Could someone please scrape off about two-thirds of Dmitri Tiomkin's score so that the images, script, and performances can stand on their own?
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN would certainly have my vote as the best film of the year. I'm glad to see the love for FIVE FINGERS. Some others I like include:
THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Possibly the best-looking B&W film of the year (but see below), with outstanding direction from Vincente Minnelli. Cinematography, art direction, and costumes are all noteworthy, too. This looks really good on the big screen. Easily top five for me.
VIVA ZAPATA! - Excellent script by John Steinbeck, matched by Kazan's direction and Joe MacDonald's B&W cinematography. That Brando guy isn't too shabby, either.
ANGEL FACE - If you like noir, Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons deliver it.
THE LUSTY MEN - Susan Hayward is somewhat miscast and Arthur Kennedy is too old for his part, but both act very well, and Robert Mitchum is terrific in the lead role. That makes two winners for Mitchum this year. One of Nicholas Ray's best films.
THE LONG MEMORY - Not sure if this Brit noir was eligible for the Oscars in 1952, but it's very good, with John Mills as a man released from prison for a crime he didn't commit.
THE BIG SKY - One of my favorite Howard Hawks bromances.
"The Last Leaf" from O. HENRY'S FULL HOUSE - Does one-fifth of a film count? Jean Negulesco turns a story which could easily have been sentimental into a very moving short film. Jean Peters and Gregory Ratoff were never better.
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Debra, these questions always arise at the "Meet TCM" panel at the annual film festival. If TCM doesn't show a film, it is probably for one of these reasons:
1. The film is lost or is not available in a complete format.
2. The film has not been made available in a digital format, which is necessary for TCM to show it.
3. TCM has not been able to obtain the rights to show it. The TCM legal department has been able to unravel a number of complicated situations and show films it was once believed impossible to obtain; THE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE and HOME BEFORE DARK come to mind. They are still working on other "impossible dreams" like LETTY LYNTON.
4. TCM must rent all of the films it shows. At one time, TCM owned the rights to films from certain studios, but this is no longer the case. It is relatively easy for TCM to show most of the studio era films of MGM, Columbia, Warner Brothers, and RKO, but these films must be rented. Fox movies used to be harder to get because of Fox Movie Classics, and they were unwilling to rent some of their most cherished titles like LAURA, THE RAZOR'S EDGE, and THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR. This is no longer the case, and over the last two or three years more Fox films have made their way to TCM. Most of the Paramount and Universal pictures are now owned by Universal, which has not done a very good job of getting them out on DVD, renting them to TCM, or otherwise making them available. Most longtime TCM viewers are very eager to see more of these.
5. When films can be rented from, say, Fox or Universal, the owner would much rather sell TCM the right to show one film 12 times in the next year rather than 12 films once. If you wonder why some films which were never seen suddenly pop up regularly on the schedule, this is why.
6. Like every other organization, TCM has budget constraints. Every schedule is also a balancing act for the budget.
7. TCM prefers to arrange films by theme rather than just showing random movies, and the choice of theme sometimes leads to one kind of film rather than another.
There is no question that the people running TCM want to show as many films as possible, and they have done a remarkable job of doing just that. It never hurts to ask for the films you'd like to see, because if you want to see something, it's a good bet others will, too.
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ST. MARTIN'S LANE was the original English title. SIDEWALKS OF LONDON was the American title, and a great one, because Americans would not know that St. Martin's Lane was where the street performers worked.
PORT OF SHADOWS (QUAI DES BRUMES) is a French ancestor of film noir. The style is usually called "poetic realism" and it was brought to perfection by the team of Marcel Carne (director) and Jacques Prevert (writer). Shadows, mist, atmospheric lighting, doomed lovers fighting against their fate, colorful characters who are down and out on their luck. Jean Gabin is the hero, Michele Morgan is the young girl he meets and falls in love with, and Michel Simon is cast against type as the guardian who wants to despoil the innocence of the young girl. TCM showed this as part of the Jean Gabin day. You'll immediately see the link between German Expressionism and American film noir. If another top film of 1938, THE DAWN PATROL, remembers WWI, PORT OF SHADOWS seems to feel the shadow of the impending next world war.
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1938 Top 10:
Port of Shadows
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Jezebel
Alexander Nevsky
St. Martin's Lane (Sidewalks of London)
The Lady Vanishes
Bringing Up Baby
Pygmalion
Four's a Crowd
Four Daughters
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I'd like to see the Film Noir The Man I Love (1947), has TCM ever shown it?
Joe, it's been shown at least once. Not exactly a noir, but Ida's fans will probably enjoy it. Not one of her top films, but still interesting.
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Many thanks for all the recommendations for musicals. They really sound like fun. 1937 was an amazing year for songs. INSIDE OSCAR has a list of some of the songs not nominated, as well as the five that were. I'm not familiar with two of the nominated songs, "Remember Me" from MR. DODD TAKES THE AIR and "Whispers in the Dark" from ARTISTS AND MODELS, but these are the ones I do know:
"Sweet Leilani" from WAIKIKI WEDDING (winner)
"That Old Feeling" from VOGUES OF 1938 (nominee)
"They Can't Take That Away From Me" from SHALL WE DANCE (nominee)
"A Foggy Day" from A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS
"The Folks Who Live on the Hill" from HIGH, WIDE, AND HANDSOME
"Hooray for Hollywood" from HONEYMOON HOTEL
"I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" from ON THE AVENUE
"In the Still of the Night" from ROSALIE
"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" from SHALL WE DANCE
"Nice Work If You Can Get It" from A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS
"September in the Rain" from MELODY FOR TWO
"Someday My Prince Will Come" from SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
"They All Laughed" from SHALL WE DANCE
"Too Marvelous for Words" from READY, WILLING, AND ABLE
"Whistle While You Work" from SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
Cole Porter's "In the Still of the Night" is not to be confused with the 1950s song of the same name.
My favorite would probably have to be "They Can't Take That Away from Me," but then there's "September in the Rain" and "A Foggy Day" and . . . .
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Bogie, it's interesting to hear that ALGIERS is a shot-by-shot remake. I've seen it, and enjoyed Boyer and Lamarr, and would like to see PEPE LE MOKO, since I'm a fan of Jean Gabin. His GUEULE D'AMOUR (LADY KILLER) was shown during the Jean Gabin day for Summer Under the Stars. Gabin is a happy-go-lucky soldier, quite a lady's man, until he meets the wrong woman (the lovely Mireille Balin). The director is the gifted but not well known Jean Gremillon.
HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT changes genres almost as often as it changes scenes, from screwball comedy to domestic drama to ocean liners hitting icebergs, but Charles Boyer and Jean Arthur make an appealing couple no matter what strange turns the script takes.
IT'S LOVE I'M AFTER gives Bette Davis and Leslie Howard the chance to play comedy. They play actors (actors with big egos, if you can believe that), Olivia De Havilland is a rich fan with a crush on Howard, Eric Blore is Howard's valet, and Bonita Granville is a sassy and nosy girl.
EASY LIVING: A poor girl riding on a double decker bus suddenly finds a fur coat falling into her lap. How's that for a great start for a screwball comedy? Edward Arnold is the married millionaire who bought the coat, Jean Arthur is the girl, and everyone assumes she is his mistress. Mayhem, hilarity, and an appropriate young man for Jean all follow.
THE BRIDE WORE RED: I won't call this a must-see, but Joan Crawford fans will probably relish this romantic comedy. Joan's a poor girl (the script can only hint that she's been selling her favors), but she gets the chance to play a rich girl at a mountain resort in the Alps where she hopes to snag a rich husband. She meets Franchot Tone, but he only works there and is not at all rich. Adrian outdoes himself with Joan's costumes, leaving the boundaries of good taste far behind.
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I do like much of Seberg's St. Joan. Not in the class of Falconetti, but much better than Ingrid Bergman, who would have been better cast as Joan's mother by the time she played the part.
As for BONJOUR TRISTESSE, this is one of my favorite films. A perfect screenplay, great direction, solid acting, excellent visual design.
IN THE FRENCH STYLE is another film worth getting to know. Add BREATHLESS and LILITH and you have a better career than many actresses who have made many more films.
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I think that it would be in 1938's St. Martin's Lane (aka Sidewalks of London) that Vivien Leigh first really shows signs of blossoming as an actress, as a street busker to turn sensational stage performer, while leaving mentor Charles Laughton still busking on the streets.
You might be right, Tom. We'll have to see what happens next year. This is one of the many films I was thrilled to discover on TCM.
GregoryPeckfan--According to Miriam Hopkins' TCM webpage, she had four movies released in 1937: "The Woman I Love", "Men Are Not Gods", "Woman Chases Man" & "Wise Girl".
Thanks for the info! The fact that these titles are so unfamiliar suggests the downhill trajectory of her career. It's a vicious cycle. If the movies aren't hits, then the studio concludes that the public doesn't want to see her, so she doesn't get starring roles in good projects. The enforcement of the Code didn't help an actress who had projected her sexuality so strongly.
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One of the interesting things about 1937 is that Cary Grant has now officially established himself as "Cary Grant," the persona so familiar to all classic movie buffs. As he was in TOPPER and THE AWFUL TRUTH, so shall he be in many more films to come. SYLVIA SCARLETT is interesting for the very reason that he hadn't quite become the sophisticated "Cary Grant," and his character has some guttersnipe qualities that might have belonged to the boy who grew up as Archie Leach. In the even earlier HOT SATURDAY you can see the beginnings of the persona, but his look isn't right. Maybe it's the haircut or hairline, maybe the cameraman hasn't learned the best angles for his face, maybe Cary doesn't have the attitude just right.
In similar fashion, I would not have imagined a Scarlett O'Hara coming from the Vivien Leigh of FIRE OVER ENGLAND. The look isn't right, she's somewhat lacking in screen presence (to my taste), and she doesn't seem a strong enough actress (again, to my taste). I have a hunch this will change radically in 1938. Laurence Olivier doesn't have the look that we'll discover two years later in WUTHERING HEIGHTS. It's difficult for me to see FIRE OVER ENGLAND without later films in mind, but that's also part of the interest.
One of the sadder aspects of 1937 is that Miriam Hopkins doesn't appear on our lists of top actresses for the year. I'd never fully appreciated how strong her career was in the early to middle 1930s until we started this exercise. She was getting a variety of interesting characters to play and was working with top directors like Lubitsch, Mamoulian, Hawks, and Wyler.
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I remember when TCM published their list of the 15 most influential films. The context was movie history, although it would be interesting to follow DGF's suggestion of films influencing real world behavior.
Except for THE SEARCHERS, the TCM list of fifteen is pretty darn good in terms of filmmakers influencing filmmakers. I do agree with Spence that A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (Method acting) and JAWS (summer blockbuster and, even more importantly, the mainstreaming of the horror film) are other good candidates.
Not yet mentioned: AMERICAN GRAFFITI - the use of the pre-existing soundtrack of pop songs. For composers of original film music, this is the worst trend ever. Other movies had used rock music, usually in the context of someone performing a song. This is new, different, and, in my opinion, disastrous for creativity.
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA - Huge influence on directors of large-scale films.
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With Monday's email from TCM that the festival passes are in the mail, I'm checking the mailbox every day. It all begins four weeks from tomorrow.
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A recommendation for Tuesday:
LILITH (1964) - Jean Seberg is the beautiful and mysterious mental patient; Warren Beatty is the attendant who falls in love with her. Can he save her or will she destroy him? (I prefer Beatty's early performances like this one when he was a hungry and ambitious young actor.) Robert Rossen's direction is on the arty side, and not everyone likes it, but to me it seems mostly appropriate for the subject. Look for Gene Hackman in a small role.
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Dustin Hoffman, Carl Bernstein, Bob Woodward, and Robert Redford would be the dream team of presenters for this year's Gala screening of "All The President's Men." And Jane Alexander, too!
(Alexander has recently been starring on episodes of "The Good Wife" as Judge Suzanne Morris.)
A little birdy told Sue Sue that Redford was spotted recently in Santa Monica...
Here's a link to the 2016 Sundance stats and a few RR sound bytes: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865645939/Redford-at-Sundance-6Film-is-not-in-a-good-place.html?pg=all
SueSue, if Redford will show up wearing that outfit, I will, too!
We're probably no more than a week or two from the release of the complete schedule. I know we're all looking forward to that!
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Slayton, thank you for discussing your reaction to NIGHT SONG in depth. The movie should not work, but Merle Oberon and Dana Andrews are so committed to their roles that it does. It raised my opinion of both stars, and of director John Cromwell, too.
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Dirk Bogarde day tomorrow. I'll be taping three I haven't seen:
Cast a Dark Shadow (1955)
The Password Is Courage (1962)
Death In Venice (1971)
CAST A DARK SHADOW may be the first film where Dirk Bogarde showed he had serious acting chops. This is basically a filmed play about a man who marries for money and is willing to kill for it, but with Bogarde, Mona Washbourne, Margaret Lockwood, and Kay Walsh, we are in very good hands. Directed by Lewis Gilbert, who went on to make films like ALFIE and THE SEVENTH DAWN.
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It's 1937, the calla lilies are in bloom, and once again I had to scramble for choices in the supporting actor category.
Best Actor for 1937:
Cary Grant, THE AWFUL TRUTH*
Ronald Colman, LOST HORIZON
Jean Gabin, GRAND ILLUSION
Jean Gabin, GUEULE D'AMOUR
Robert Donat, KNIGHT WITHOUT ARMOUR
Charles Boyer, HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT
Honorable mention: Leslie Howard, IT'S LOVE I'M AFTER; Fredric March, A STAR IS BORN; Robert Montgomery, NIGHT MUST FALL
Best Actress for 1937:
Irene Dunne, THE AWFUL TRUTH*
Ginger Rogers, STAGE DOOR
Jean Arthur, EASY LIVING
Bette Davis, MARKED WOMAN
Mireille Balin, GUEULE D'AMOUR
Honorable Mention: Jean Arthur, HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT; Beulah Bondi, MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW; Bette Davis, IT'S LOVE I'M AFTER; Marlene Dietrich, KNIGHT WITHOUT ARMOUR; Janet Gaynor, A STAR IS BORN; Katharine Hepburn, STAGE DOOR; Sylvia Sidney, DEAD END
Best Supporting Actor for 1937:
Erich von Stroheim, GRAND ILLUSION*
Eric Blore, IT'S LOVE I'M AFTER
Adolphe Menjou, STAGE DOOR
Ralph Bellamy, THE AWFUL TRUTH
Best Supporting Actress for 1937:
Alice Brady, IN OLD CHICAGO*
Marjorie Main, DEAD END
Dame May Whitty, NIGHT MUST FALL
Flora Robson, FIRE OVER ENGLAND
Eve Arden, STAGE DOOR
Honorable mention: Fay Bainter, MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW; Constance Collier, STAGE DOOR; Lola Lane, MARKED WOMAN
Outlandish Costume Design Award: Adrian for THE BRIDE WORE RED, for Joan Crawford's outfits, especially the creation she eventually gives to her maid.
Best Prop: the fur coat which falls into Jean Arthur's lap in EASY LIVING
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Two brilliantly directed scenes that make excellent use of mirrors: 1) the ladies' room scene in THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES as Virginia Mayo has it out with Teresa Wright; 2) the big confrontation between James Dean and Jo Van Fleet in EAST OF EDEN begins as she notices him as a small figure in a mirror.
Lots of mirrors: great scene in A WOMAN'S FACE with Joan Crawford reflected in many mirrors in a hallway.
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Like Tom, I prefer Robert Taylor in his later roles. Haven't seen THE LAST HUNT, but I recommend DEVIL'S DOORWAY and WESTWARD THE WOMEN. Good films, whether you like RT or not. And in the earlier films, WATERLOO BRIDGE is indeed one of his more appealing roles.
MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION made the young Robert Taylor a big star of women's films, with CAMILLE another big hit. When filmlover did his 1939 day by day thread a few years back, there was a surprisingly snarky review of a Taylor western (in the Minneapolis paper, if I remember correctly) that talked about MGM's attempt to "defeminize" Taylor.
About those really short supporting roles: Jo Van Fleet has one scene in COOL HAND LUKE, and I would have given her the Oscar and every other acting award for that one scene.
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Richard, thank you for posting this list. It's always interesting to see what audiences of the times responded to most strongly.
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Your Favourite Performances from 1929 to present are...
in Your Favorites
Posted
Life Imitates Art Award: In TRADE WINDS Joan Bennett goes from platinum blonde to brunette because she's on the lam from a murder rap. She looked so good as a brunette that she remained one for the rest of her career.
We Wuz Robbed Award: To us, the viewing public, because Errol Flynn didn't get the chance to make more screwball comedies.
What Movie Is This, Anyway?: Rosalind Russell plays a tough gal newspaper reporter who has a love-hate relationship with her boss, but she almost marries a less interesting nice guy. Since this is 1938, the answer has to be FOUR'S A CROWD. In a couple of years Howard Hawks will re-fashion THE FRONT PAGE as HIS GIRL FRIDAY, making reporter Hildy Johnson a dame, and casting Rosalind Russell. Gee, where did he ever get that idea?