JonasEB

> {quote:title=MyFavoriteFilms wrote:}{quote} > Excuses versus solutions. Which is it going to be...? A fact isn't an excuse: There's no evidence that TCM deliberately cuts and crops the films they show. As for solutions, the solution some are seeking is kind of unfeasible: Can one person watch or sift through 300+ films each month to make sure everything is in working order? It's one thing to check for the aspect ratio but a brief look at a film isn't adequate. There could be serious errors in the last quarter of the film. Can TCM afford to pay people simply to do this? The original version of A Star is Born: TCM has shown this with no problems in the past but recently (apparently, I didn't watch at the time) the aforementioned anomalies. You wouldn't expect those things to happen with a film frequently shown on the channel. These occurrences actually don't happen too often. Criticism is fine and expected (and I'm sure it's welcome) in the cases in which they do but we shouldn't act as if TCM has suddenly become a Chinese toy factory. (My own personal quality control request for TCM: Earlier this year in March you showed a terrible print of Jean-Luc Godard's Contempt. Duplicated quality print, cropped, and worst of all, particularly for the content of this film, dubbed. This was apparently the second time this version showed up on TCM after the initial airing and the follow up/make up from a proper Criterion source. Throw that crap copy out, get rid of it so that it never happens again, even by accident. I wouldn't want anyone to be introduced to that masterpiece that way.)

The full Night of the Demon was also on in 2009. Intolerance: Some restorations of Intolerance use different source materials. The most complete version of the film, The Killiam Shows edition, is from a 16mm copy. Others, such as the Kino version that recently aired or the Thames Silents/Photoplay Productions edition are from 35mm but are missing a couple of scenes. So the trade off is length/completeness vs. image quality.

When TCM says uncut and commercial free they mean that THEY don't cut anything out of the film that is delivered to them. TCM itself doesn't deliberately cut, edit, or crop a film. The latter occasionally happens on accident (whenever Buster Keaton's The General airs, on TCM HD the picture is distorted, on regular TCM it's fine.) It all depends on what they get from a studio. If the studio only ever made a transfer of an edited version of a film, money would have to be spent to make a new master, and most studios don't care to spend the time and money to do this, particularly on a title like Perils of Pauline (a minor film and in the public domain.)

> {quote:title=musicalnovelty wrote:}{quote} > > {quote:title=JonasEB wrote:}{quote} > > Not to mention the way he treated his older brother Francis. Then you have his relationship to Maureen O'Hara... > > > What was it? You say that as if we're supposed to know... Ford was in love with Maureen O'Hara, an unrequited love. It got to the point that Ford was sending her bizarre love letters and it had quite an effect on their professional relationship; Ford's manipulative behavior led to increasingly passive-aggressive communication between the two on set. They remained friends over the years but it's an ugly story nonetheless. At least that's how O'Hara tells it (from her memoirs, sourced in Tag Gallagher's book on Ford.)

Actually, when TCM showed Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata last summer, I recall seeing a screen mentioning that a commentary track was available through SAP. I don't believe I've seen that on any other film.

Everyone knows about the ridiculous foreign film stereotype but how in the hell do you push silent films into that framework? Makes absolutely no sense.

Vincente Minnelli reportedly wanted Alain Delon to play the lead in his remake of Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Instead we have Glenn Ford, which makes very little sense.

> {quote:title=TheCid wrote:}{quote} > I think not. First, it is a disservice to those of us who may not like that actor or genre. Second, who has the time to watch 8, 10, 24 hours or one actor or genre? I ha ve heard complaints from others about this same programming problem. > PLEASE TCM, have some variety to programing every day! Well, it's a major service to some people. Get over it. Don't be selfish. As for problem #2, we do have DVRs in this day and age, so no one HAS to watch every single film as it airs on TCM. Can't you do something else for one day? Is it that hard?

*Martin Scorsese's great documentary Italianamerican!!!* - Now that made my night! *Some of my choice highlights:* Federico Fellini's Ginger and Fred John Ford's Wagon Master Douglas Sirk's Imitation of Life A night of Joan of Arc films including: Otto Preminger's Saint Joan Carl Th. Dreyer's Passion Robert Bresson's The Trial of Joan of Arc Budd Boetticher's The Tall T More silent William Wellman as well as the pre-codes More Jean-Luc Godard (unfortunately no post 70s films though) Max Ophuls' Caught Yasujiro Ozu's Good Morning Joseph Losey's Accident Michael Curtiz' Noah's Ark Roberto Rossellini's Open City Louis Malle's Elevator to the Gallows And much more to enjoy this month. A great schedule. Edit: It appears that Restaurant (1965) is the Andy Warhol film. I've yet to see a Warhol film so this will be interesting. Edited by: JonasEB on Dec 17, 2010 4:41 AM

The most important and interesting March Criterion wasn't mentioned - Eclipse Series 26 - Silent Naruse. Criterion have been criticized for holding back on some of their most important Japanese holdings, particularly Mikio Naruse and Kenji Mizoguchi films. This was completely unexpected. It includes all five of Naruse's existing silent films. This set is a definite must buy for me. Great to hear King of Kings is coming to Blu-ray soon!

I enjoyed the series, it tells a good story. I still would have preferred two hour long episodes but I must say overall I was satisfied. An extensive documentary that I would like to see is one strictly about the crumbling of the old studio system. We always hear a lot about New Hollywood but the dire situation of the studios in the late 50s and throughout the 60s is simply fascinating.

I think 1958 may have been Vincente's peak year: Gigi and Some Came Running - Both of his principle modes, the musical and the melodrama, strongly evoking his most important themes and ideas, one a a happy ending, the other not so much, and all shot in some of the most glorious Cinemascope ever. The more I look at Vincente Minnelli's work the more I love it.

Oh, Jesus... You can't be serious.

Ahh, it was the Kino version. Synthesized scores really don't need to sound this bad. The score itself isn't at all interesting but Joseph Turrin's synth brass in particular is awful.

I haven't watched IFC in many, many months, the repetition of the same movies over and over drove me away. I still check the schedule to see what's on but...nothing new. So the films are now interrupted with commercial breaks? I knew it was going to happen this year, I could see it coming. The Sundance Channel will likely follow very soon, it's following the same course - repetitious programming, a flood of TV shows, obnoxious advertising over the channel logo during movies. Yep, just tuned in to IFC and left it on to see what would happen: commercial breaks during programs.

> {quote:title=MyFavoriteFilms wrote:}{quote} > So for the programmers to select him for SOTM is really a bad way to fill up the schedule for a month in lieu of something better. This channel should not be about time fillers. It should be about the presentation of quality classic films. Well, Mickey Rooney does have a great deal of family appeal and this is December which is understandably a "lull" month on TCM. Not everyone liked the bevy of silent films in November (in fact it's in this very thread) but I did, far and away the most "serious" piece of programming on TCM the past few months. Other people like seeing Mickey Rooney and the Andy Hardy movies again. No big deal, it's appropriate for this time of year. > When they go from a month of serious film series, like the month where they had all those guest critics, to something a bit shlocky like this, it shows the channel is not consistent. The entire essence of TCM means that the programming will naturally be inconsistent and there's nothing wrong with that. The basic idea of the channel is simply to give older films of any kind a presence on TV. It caters to a wide variety of people.

Nicholas Ray's King of Kings for me. It is flawed but I still think it's the best Jesus film, if only for the sermon on the mount. The crucifixion always takes precedence in other films about Jesus but in this movie the sermon is the centerpiece. I also like how its positioned largely from the P.O.V. of a skeptic. The Roman general, alienated from his own culture, struggling to find a place in this new one, confronted with socio-political radicals. Where the film succeeds is in its fatalistic yearning for a new life, a transformational life, a rebirth. In this regard it's very much like Nicholas Ray's other films and he nails that tone and mood. Even though it isn't a strictly biblical film, to me it's the most Christian of them. Also, being a 70mm SuperTechnirama film, with some of the most extraordinary cinematography, it would translate brilliantly to Blu-ray. But I would also welcome seeing the DeMille version on BD.

Rebel Without a Cause Johnny Guitar In a Lonely Place They Live By Night King of Kings The Savage Innocents Bitter Victory

> {quote:title=gagman66 wrote:}{quote} > Although, allot of that might have had to do with what I consider to be an extremely lack-luster musical score That slow brooding Piano just didn't cut it for me. This film needed a much richer accompaniment in my estimation. It's to bad, because the print is stunning with very little ware and tear. I also thought the score was dreadful. It's too bad Sunrise, 7th Heaven, and Street Angel aren't available in prints so pristine. Erich von Stroheim called Rex Ingram the world's greatest director but it just doesn't follow. We were knee deep in Classical Hollywood cinematography by this point but Ingram's film is only basically composed, indebted to stage bound framing, ineffectually cut, etc. All of the references to The Odyssey are ridiculous in this context, they add nothing to the story. The only great scene in the whole film was the execution sequence (and what a shame it is that the film didn't end here...)

Unfortunately, it's probably going to be the remake; Fox didn't produce the original but they did do the 1951 version. It doesn't seem likely that they would show a public domain RKO film. Someone probably mixed the two up and typed in the details of the original.

> {quote:title=hlywdkjk wrote:}{quote} > And he seemed very committed when he declared no one would ever be allowed to remake *All About Eve* - though people have asked numerous times. Gotta give him credit for that. I don't know that anyone at Time-Warner would say the same about *Casablanca*. > > Kyle In Hollywood Well, Fox isn't totally immune to this, they did do the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. But I think it has more to do with the fact that 20th Century Fox doesn't even make films like All About Eve anymore so remaking Eve is practically a non-issue for them. All of their own productions are generic CGI animated films, kid oriented fare, action/sci-fi films, low-brow comedy, etc. This year among Oscar contenders they have Black Swan, 127 Hours, and Love and Other Drugs, all independently produced, only distributed by Fox Searchlight, and with zero involvement from Rothman. All of their serious projects are only distribution deals, they have nothing or very little to do with making them. It is unfair of me to say Rothman doesn't personally care about good movies but his own work at Fox doesn't indicate that he's willing to work towards the same principles that William Fox pushed for.

I'm not interested in Cher at all so I didn't bother clicking on this thread until I noticed the number of responses... If this is true...it's simply a terrible idea. Can't say anything more about that. How about Silent Saturday instead? Leonard Maltin - When Robert Osborne retires Maltin would actually be a logical and fitting choice to do the intros, it's the kind of thing he's known for. He isn't much as a critic but the personality and propensity for trivia and background history makes him perfect for the job. Tom Rothman & FMC - I don't think it makes "more sense" to have modern studio executives introduce the studio's old films. Modern studio execs have no interest in film, film history, and art. They don't eat, breathe, and sleep it 24/7. The record speaks for itself. People like Rothman are only interested in the business. He may be the top executive and he might have a long history with Fox but he and 20th Century Fox today have absolutely nothing in common with the studio of the 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. If he cared about the prestige of his studio Fox wouldn't be in the shape it is right now. If anything, Rothman is among the least qualified people to talk about films.

Not to mention the way he treated his older brother Francis. Then you have his relationship to Maureen O'Hara... Another great book on Ford: Tag Gallagher's John Ford: The Man and His Films. This is more for those interested in analysis of Ford's work but it features a lot of biographical information which is pertinent to the subject. Gallagher has posted the entire revised edition for free on his website: http://home.sprynet.com/~tag/tag/

Ordet Hallelujah A Man Escaped The Burmese Harp Tabu

Just because people don't or rarely go to _movie theaters_ these days doesn't mean that they don't watch new movies. I get my fill from my brother, who mostly only watches and buys the new, or when things show up on TV. I would gladly go to the theaters if they showed the films I wanted to see, such as Abbas Kiarostami's newest film Certified Copy, but we don't get those in Colorado Springs.