JamesJazGuitar
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Posts posted by JamesJazGuitar
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11 minutes ago, txfilmfan said:
You can have blue eyes without having blue-eyed parents.
So you're saying the father was one of the servants.
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11 hours ago, LuckyDan said:
Your jazz analogy supports your position well. Since I read it, I've been thinking musicology can illustrate my position, too.
Think of the classical guitar and it's history and literature. It consists of transcriptions of music written for other instruments; Renaissance music written for the lute or vihuela; Classical era music written by Sor and Carcassi on the smaller bodied baroque guitar; and music written since the advent of the modern classical guitar designed in 1850 by Antonio de Torres and advanced by Francisco Tárrega.
Let Tárrega and his students stand in for what I call the canonical noirs of the 40s and 50s. Yes, Tárrega transcribed centuries-old lute pieces, but he also composed works on the modern guitar and gave the instrument not only borrowed music but it's own literature, which combined elements of the Romantic style of his day with Spanish folk music. He taught a certain playing technique, including posture. Call it the Tarrega school.
As decades passed, we saw the rise of Andrés Segovia, who popularized the guitar like no one before him, and commissioned works that have become standards for the instrument alongside Tárrega's. Julian Bream did the same in my own lifetime.
Can we say then that any music written for the modern classical guitar, including works for Segovia written by Villa-Lobos, or later pieces for Bream by William Walton or Benjamin Britten, are part of the Tárrega school? It's the same instrument. Those works are every bit as musical, as complex, and require the same degree of dexterity and musicianship. What about the earlier lute works and organ works Tárrega himself transcribed?
No. We can't. Tárrega's school is confined not only to its own time and it's own instrument, but to its own style, and it's own members. Later players and composers can borrow from that style, can trace their lineage to it in many cases, can be great interpreters of it - Bream thought himself more understanding of the Spanish style than the Spanish were precisely because as an outsider he saw things they didn't - but they cannot be part of it, any more than we can say Tárrega was a Baroque guitarist because he transcribed Bach, or a classicist because he played Sor.
In film, the techniques of the German expressionists of the 20s and the gangster pictures of the 30s influenced the noirs of the 40s, which themselves were based on a style of contemporary pulp fiction, and were created and shown during a time of great turmoil. Earlier films may have predicted some elements, and later films may imitate them and build upon them, borrow from them with a wink and a nod, even poke a little fun at them, but they cannot be one of them.
Good points here and I find them very interesting. Related to jazz music and the jazz website I frequent there is always a robust discussion of jazz sub-genres; bebop, hard bop, west-coast-swing, etc.... When it comes to new post-period jazz musicians and there recording the questions are "he is playing bebop or hard bop",, most of the time they are playing hybrid; a mix of jazz sub-genres, but strongly rooted in one of them.
As for noir: I still say there are a few color noir films that were made during the "classic" noir cycle; 1941 - 1959 (of course these years are subject to endless debate).
The film I mentioned: Leave Her To Heaven was released in 1945. If I was writing a book on noir of the classic period I would include this film as an example of a film that pushed the boundaries of what is noir, that was made shortly after Laura by 20th Century Fox.
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1 minute ago, LuckyDan said:
I think he is. Woody himself asked in a piece he wrote, where did those blue eyes come from?
Nothing of Woody at all in these features.
Paul Newman?
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Lawrence Harvey - The Magic Christian
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On 2/19/2021 at 7:26 AM, TikiSoo said:
Sorry to bring up a sore subject, but I saw a glimpse of some documentary coming out about Woody Allen. It looks like it's going to air on HBO and centers around the sordid court case since it's titled "Allen Vs Farrow". Disgusting. Can't people squabble or grieve in private?
Is this sponsored \ supported by Farrow? E.g. she agreed to be interviewed for it, etc.... (I highly doubt Allen would do that).
PS: I'm assuming that last sentence means that people should be allowed-to squabble or grieve in private (i.e. that media should leave them alone).
Generally I agree but in this case, as sewhite points out, Farrow wants this to be as public as possible.
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Bette Davis in the movie that made her a major star; What a brave performance. Acting over glamor.
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Last night I watched Alimony (1949), with Martha Vickers, John Beal, and Hillary Brooke. This "B" noir \ crime film was OK. Since I'm a big fan of Martha Vickers I did enjoy the scenes she was in, and felt she did a fine job as a selfish gal out to make it anyway she can. Hillary Brooke was also good as the nice girl. John Beal was the disappointment. He just didn't have enough juice and there were too many scenes were he was the main actor with other supporting players (who were a lot more interesting than he was), such as Leonid Kinskey (bartender in Casablanca). Douglass Dumbrille, know for his slimy character roles was the best actor in the film, playing,,, no surprise a slimy lawyer like he did in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Beal has two playing piano \ singing scenes, and frankly he stunk.
At only 70 minuities it was worth the time, and Martha looked very beautiful.
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1 hour ago, Swithin said:
TCM played Destroy All Monsters a few weeks ago. Godzilla has a leading role.
Yea, and rumor has it he insisted on top billing!
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1 hour ago, kingrat said:
I only knew about Dark Waters because a film noir fanatic friend recommended it. I bought the DVD and enjoyed the film. Noirish photography, set in the Louisiana bayous. Merle Oberon plays a rich heiress who goes to stay with relatives she's never met. What could possibly go wrong?
This is a Merle Oberon film I would really like to see. I wish TCM would lease it! Show me something I haven't seen from a lovey actress I adore.
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51 minutes ago, LuckyDan said:
They're not useful if they have no meaning, and they have no meaning if we all get to decide for ourselves what they mean.
I never said they didn't have any meaning only that any meaning is largely artificial. (in that one can prove their POV is the correct one). Of course a meaning \ definition \ classification can have more "value" when it is accepted by more people, especially experts. (e.g. when discussing jazz I value the opinion of professional jazz musicians over those of myself and my amateur friends).
Eddie Muller considers color films to be "noir" as do most so called experts I have read books from; E.g. the noir book Film Noir (Ward \ Silver), includes Leave it to Heaven.
Again, I'm not saying this POV is the right-one. It is just the one I agree with.
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8 minutes ago, TopBilled said:
The word noir means black, yes...but film noir means a style that denotes shades of darkness (including metaphoric, psychological darkness).
If it was total blackness then you would see no images on screen, because you wouldn't be able to allow any whiteness as that is not blackness.
It is noir not blanc...yeah?
So you'd be left with just a big black screen and only hear audio. This is what happens when people go absolute and apply things too literally, too narrowly.
I agree. Of course everyone can have their own view of what is or what is not "noir", but I don't use such a narrow view for most definitions related to art. E.g. at the jazz website too much time is, IMO, wasted with discussions of; is person a jazz musician, or is this song "jazz".
When it comes to classification and labels (which are artificial to begin with but useful for discussion purposes), Art is about degrees: As for "noir", a film like Leave it to Heaven has noir themes and characters with common noir motives. Ok, the visuals don't "fit' a typical B&W noir film but there is enough of those other degrees-of-noir for me to say it is a noir film. (and also the scene after Gene's father dies and she rides that horse in the desert sunset and the impact on the colors is a noir visual in my book).
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1 hour ago, LuckyDan said:
A more interesting question for me is the proper terminology. Film noir, films noir, films noirs. The confusion can be avoided by just saying noir. A french term applied to American crime stories shot in german expressionist style.
Black and white film. High contrast. Night time city scenes. Cigarettes. And a certain period for style. Trench coats. Fedoras. Clocks with hands. Time is important. Somebody should get killed. A woman. Or two. One good one bad. A hero we may not like all that much. An ironic ending.
Another major factor of "noir" are the themes and associated motives of the protagonist; E.g. obsession, uncontrollable desire, loneliness, the morality (or lack of), of legal authorities, etc... E.g. in a crime film of the 30s, most of the criminals are fairly one dimensional: they commit crimes for basically for financial gain, and after capper is over, think about the next one,,, THE END. In noir films crimes are committed for reasons often related to their ego and how they see their future: the last capper so they can lead a life a more normal life; a score to convince themselves they are not over the hill, etc... Femme Fatales have their own unique set of values and motives, vastly different then female character (who were mostly just there for their pretty faces), in 30s crime films.
Hey, I love the visual aspects of noir films as well as common noir motifs, but what keeps me coming back are the themes and motives of noir character trying to escape a noir world.
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Ann Bancroft - The Pumpkin Eater:
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Fay Bainter always gave a good performance and added something to the films she was in regardless of the size of the role. One interesting film she did for Columbia was The Lady and the Mob with Ida Lupino (right before she signed with WB). It is humorous crime film and a fun romp.
And of course she ended her film career on a very high note in The Children's Hour, being nominated for Best Support Actress. (23 years after her prior nomination in Jezebel).
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9 hours ago, TopBilled said:
I think they started it a few years ago. I remember creating a thread about it. But I wasn't aware they were still conducting the surveys.
Some of us lost interest, to be honest. Though I am glad James and the others still find value in it.
The main reason I stopped participating is because I felt they were using the information to fine-tune their marketing and advertising (the wine club, cruise and festival). Also I felt they were using the info to figure out how to get people to sign up for the Backlot scheme, which I found rather distasteful (seeing if people would pay money for a chance to choose Star of the Month or Summer Under the Stars honorees).
If I believed they were being genuine and using the information to improve the way TCM does business and to bring in more films outside their MGM/WB/RKO/UA library, then I would have continued to support it and would have continued to participate in the surveys.
I hear you, but I look at this differently; E.g. each time I do a survey and they ask for a comment I mention that I would like them to go outside the Turner library of films and include more films from Fox, Paramount, Columbia, Republic, United Artist, Universal, Eagle-Lion etc...
Granted, such lobbying hasn't been very successful, so in that way maybe I am a sucker for continuing to make the same request over and over again.
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48 minutes ago, GGGGerald said:
I've never heard of such a thing. Is this some random thing ? How does one get picked ?
One has to be a member of the TCM Insider group. A few years back I was sent an email (they must of got my email address from this site as part of the log-in), to invite me to be a member. I joined and I get a survey about 6 times a year. NOW, why I was selected, I have no idea. Was it just random or did a mod read my comments and recommend me?
I have no clue. I have never gone to the TCM feasible. Anyhow I view it as an honor since I'm such a fan of studio-era films and TCM's overall content.
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3 hours ago, sagebrush said:
I have to admit the only thing I know about Guy Madison is that he was married to Gail Russell for a short while. Nice face, though.
Guy Madison was in a few very good production but only as a supporting actor. For me his best lead roles are in Till The End of Time (with Mitchum and Dorothy McGuire ), and 5 Against The House with Kim Novak and Brian Keith. He was in a handful of westerns and other films, but frankly I don't recall any of them, except Bullwhip but that was more for Rhonda Fleming.
He did go to Europe where he had a bigger career in Italian adventure films.
As for his looks; When I first saw him I felt for sure he was the brother of the Professor from Gilligan's Island.
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1 hour ago, Konrad said:
I just took the TCM survey and was glad to do it. One question was very unclear, however. I could not tell if the survey was asking if TCM supported or opposed racism and sexism. The wording was confusing to me. I am only concerned because this would be a bad question to answer the wrong way.
My opinion is that TCM takes a very progressive position, but not in a preachy or "cancel culture" way. I think TCM is trying to do the right thing.
I just took the same survey, and that question tripped me up as well. I just picked "3" (the safe middle choice), since I didn't wish to look like I supported sexism and racism!
I agree with your last sentence and answered the few questions related to that to support that POV. I.e. their position is progressive but not preachy or "cancel culture" way. Just more historic and as balanced as one can be with such sensitive topics.
One thing that did worry me were the HBO Max questions: I don't use that service, but I got a little nervous that TCM was asking so much about this because that is the way of the future; I.e. TCM will only be available with a pay-to-play type service agreement.
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1 hour ago, Det Jim McLeod said:
Ram by Paul and Linda McCartney -May 1971
Paul's second solo album, a very good entertaining collection, much better than his first McCartney (which I reviewed back on Jan 12.) The first song is one of the best "Two Many People" with some pointed lyrics and good guitar. John Lennon took some of the lyrics as a dig at him, like "you took your lucky break and broke it in two". "3 Legs" is good bluesy number, also with some lyrics that John may have been hurt by, like "when I thought you was my friend, you let me down, put my heart around the bend". "Uncle Albert, Admiral Halsey" was a #1 hit, an entertaining two part song with a soothing beginning and then energetic second part. Paul seems to be having a good time using a lot of humor. There is the very funny rocker "Smile Away" with great guitar playing and hilarious lyrics. Side 2 starts with my favorite on the record "Heart Of The Country" a fun tune about living on the farm. He does some of his "Oh! Darling" type screaming vocals on "Monkberry Moon Delight". "Eat At Home" is an old school rocker in the style of Buddy Holly or Elvis Presley. The last song is a nice Beach Boys type song "The Back Seat Of My Car". Many songs sound very Beatle-ish, they could have fit right in on the The White Album or Abbey Road.
Nice write up. As for the lyrics of Too Many People: Here is the Howard Stern interview of Paul. Paul says that those lyrics were direct digs at John, since John was doing the same with How Do You Sleep at Night.
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3 hours ago, rockybkip7 said:
Hi, guys! My name is Rocky, and I am new to the TCM forums. Nice to meet all of you.
Joan. Leslie. There is no other face from Hollywood's Golden Age that I would rather gaze upon than Joan Leslie's. I'm Italian on my father's side, so having a thing for Irish girls comes naturally to me. I have watched most of her movies. It's such a shame that her career tanked in the late '40s because she deserved better. Anyway, any other Joan Leslie fans on here? Let's talk!
I'm a Joan Leslie fan. The problem for Joan was that she signed with Warner Bros. and that studio pushed their male actors and associated projects (with the exception of Bette Davis). This impacted the careers of all their female talent like Olivia DeHavilland, Ida Lupino, and Ann Sheridan, as well as newer actresses like Alexis Smith.
Still Joan had some file roles in films like High Sierra (with Bogart), Sergeant York (with Cooper), The Male Animal (with Fonda), and Yankee Doodle Dandy (with Cagney). She was also a secondary leading actress in The Hard Way, with Ida Lupino, The few chances Joan was given as the star of a film where just not good films; E.g. Cinderella Jones and Janie Gets Married.
After taking WB to court and leaving the studio, she was offered only a few solid roles in films like Repeat Performance for Eagle-Lion (her best lead performance IMO) and Born to Be Bad, with Joan Fontaine. She ended her career going to Republic doing mostly second-rate westerns.
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23 minutes ago, Vidor said:
I don't agree with this at all. I think it's clear that Ilsa was admitting she loved Rick and that she expected to stay with him in Casablanca, which is why she's so shocked at the airport.
As to whether Rick and Ilsa had sex the night before, this may be one of the cases in which the Hays Code made for a better movie. Did they? Who knows?
I never said IIsa didn't love Rick. I said she loved both men deeply. Yea, she was surprised by Rick's actions at the airport but that doesn't mean that she wanted to stay with Rick in Casablanca over going with her Husband on the plane to Lisbon and freedom.
Again, my point is that I have no point: I.e. I can see it going many different ways. That it is intentionally ambiguous: . One can't be sure that is how she really felt.
You instead have a definitive POV. Ok, but it doesn't me you don't agree with my POV, since I have none. One can't be sure that is how she really felt.
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8 minutes ago, TopBilled said:
When I watched the end of ODD MAN OUT, honestly I kept thinking to myself "when is this going to end, I need to go to the bathroom!" I just felt like the resolution was being unnecessarily delayed.
Of course film is a highly visual media and therefor we both understand the need to set a mood. To create an atmosphere. In this regard I understand why the scene was set up the way it was, but once that atmosphere is established, and milked just to the right degree, it loses its values if it continues on and on.
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5 hours ago, TopBilled said:
Are you saying they couldn't have edited the music?
When I watched it, that last 30 minute sequence, it felt rather stagey despite the snow and outdoor filming. It was like having him traipse down street after street the same way an actor would have just walked back and forth on a stage to simulate his impending doom before the final curtain. I just found it very theatrical and belabored. (Not Mason's acting but Reed's direction.)
I thought the best part was when the woman secretly called the cops on the accomplices then quickly hurried them out the door, so they would get gunned down by the cops. That sequence was not dragged out and felt like it played in 'real time.' If only Mason's character had been given an equally swift resolution.
I agree with you about the dragged out sequence. It appears Reed did also; 2 years later in the ending of The Third Man, Welles is trapped in a sewer but instead of long sequences, there are quick cuts and edits, and the trapped man meets his fate in a tightly directed scene.
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What Are You Listening To?
in Your Favorites
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"Jealous Guy" as Lennon being tender: Ok, I can see that. My understanding is the song was John's way of saying sorry for having written Run For Your Life.