MyFavoriteFilms
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> *The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Mixed-Up Zombies*
I hope this wasn't a sequel to WOODSTOCK.
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When I watched DAMES this morning, I thought of this thread. Obviously, Busby Berkeley filmed it on a closed set and did some manipulation with the editing. Yet at the end of the dance numbers, we cut away to a 'live' audience watching the performances, then applauding. There is no way that what we see on screen is something they would see in a live version. Busby's work lends itself to a formalist camera and not to realism on any level.
Now, if the audience were watching it on a movie screen (like a film within the film) then that would be believable.
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http://www.blackclassicmovies.com/index.html
This is a great website. It's devoted to black classic films and television programs.
There are artist profiles, including a recent one on Lena Horne. Plus, an African American Movie Database...
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> [*I Married a Monster From Outer Space*|http://justacineast.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-married-monster-from-outer-space.html]
From the files of Divorce Court, no doubt.
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Yes...I think Lansbury in the 60s would be better. LOL
I still think Judith Anderson's version is best.
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Maybe I didn't make myself clear, and I really don't want to labor on this point too much...but what I was referring to with the blacklistees is that they upset the status quo...their ideas were considered too radical by mainstream politicians and were seen as damaging to American morale as those precodes were. Obviously, these are different eras with different people in power, but the point is that when Hollywood turns out product that makes the conservatives nervous, there is a backlash.
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> Any chance this might show up on TCM? I'd love to see a young Paul Scofield. If it turns up anywhere else, I'll catch it.
Well, I don't see it on TCM in the near future (schedules are up through the first week in March)...but that doesn't mean TCM won't someday air it. Fortunately, as I said in an earlier post, it is available at Netflix. I am eager to see it...seems like a good story, and it's inspired by the biography of a real-life heroine.
I agree that we need more Paul Scofield titles on TCM...great actor.
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Good job, Mark...thanks for the viewer alerts.
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> Oh, and by the way, there is another perfectly valid reason as to maybe why Beverly Hills had an ordinance against outdoor Christmas decorations in residential neighborhoods. The rich folks of all kinds might have thought of our humble decorations as being sort of what the peasants would do.
Yes, it may be more of a socio-economic issue, as opposed to a cultural one.
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Dobbsy,
I understand the humorous nature of your posts. But I wanted to provide some additional insights about the families that have long resided in BH. For the casual reader of this thread, it may be gleaned that it's an intolerant Jewish sect and that is not the case at all. I am sure that there were plenty of homes you and your wife drove by that had decorated trees inside...and some of my Jewish friends in this area do put up Christmas trees, by the way.
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There have been plenty of non-Jewish celebrities who've lived in BH.
James Stewart and his wife were Catholic and attended Good Shepherd Church. The Sinatras also attended that church and lived in BH. William Bell, the creator of soap operas like The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful was Catholic and his widow, Lee Phillip Bell, still lives there.
Lucille Ball spent over 30 years in a home on Rexford Drive, and her kids were raised Catholic, although her second husband was Jewish (Gary Morton). MacDonald Carey, film actor and star of TV's Days of Our Lives had a large brood, lived in BH for over 40 years and they were Catholic.
Cesar Romero was Catholic and lived in BH. Lorenzo Lamas, son of Fernando Lamas, grew up in BH and he has sent some of his kids to the school at Good Shepherd. Keenan Wynn spent practically his entire life in Beverly Hills. His father was Jewish (Ed Wynn) but his mother was an Irish Catholic...his given name reflects that: Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn. LOL
Ann-Margret, a BH resident for many years, is from a Lutheran family.
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And it technically goes into the first few days of March, which is an added bonus (since the Oscars are not telecast till the first week in March 2011).
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There were many factors that brought about the code and just as many that signaled its end. And there are an equal number of reasons people keep debating it today.
I like the notion that cable channels can better market pre-codes by playing up the Legion of Decency angle and making it seem forbidden to view these films now in that context.
When I see the term 'pre-code' it is simply a time designation for me. It tells me something was made during a roughly five year period in the late 20s to mid 30s. Some of the subject matter would still be explored in code films. And some films would have secret violations of the code, especially screenplays written by blacklisted writers. So the concept of pre-code can be stretched forward into later years of Hollywood history...but that time period, before a code was officially enacted is a distinct moment in the industry's history...yet, it does not have an exclusive corner on the market when it comes to steamy envelope-pushing drama (Marilyn's dress blowing up in SEVEN YEAR ITCH was definitely 'code' but it very much resembles something we would see in the pre-code era). Also, the violence in WHITE HEAT is very reminiscent of pre-code gangster films that had just as much murder and mayhem in them.
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That's an interesting dream cast for the 1940s...I think you're on to something. Have Hitchcock direct it. And make sure David Selznick produced it.
Here's how I would cast it in the 1950s (supposing the studio was MGM):
Claythorne...Elizabeth Taylor
Lombard...Montgomery Clift
Blore...Basil Rathbone
Armstrong...Walter Pidgeon
Wargrave...Spencer Tracy
General...Donald Crisp
Brent...Angela Lansbury
Mr. Rogers...Edward Everett Horton
Mrs. Rogers...Connie Gilchrist
Here's how I would cast it in the 1950s (supposing the studio was Universal):
Claythorne...Lauren Bacall
Lombard...Rock Hudson
Blore...Robert Stack
Armstrong...Charlton Heston
Wargrave...Orson Welles (He would also direct it.)
General...Joseph Cotten
Brent...Agnes Moorhead
Mr. Rogers...Akim Tamiroff
Mrs. Rogers...Katina Paxinou
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Yes. And as I said, Lewton died young, so if he had lived into the 50s and 60s, our library of horror classics would've been that much richer. We were robbed.
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I had never heard of this film (a British production). The title caught my interest and now it's at the top of my Netflix queue.
_Synopsis from Netflix:_
When her husband is killed in battle, brave patriot Violette Szabo (Virginia McKenna) joins the British secret service and agrees to spy on the enemy -- even though it means being separated from her child. Eventually captured and tortured by the Nazis, the intrepid agent refuses to betray the Allies. Lewis Gilbert directs this drama based on R.J. Minney's biographical novel about the real-life heroine.
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Yes, the entire atmosphere of BEDLAM is creepy, but not gory. Just a very good horror film with psychological elements and tons of suspense.
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My guess is that the public-domain copies are in poor condition, print-wise. Since these are RKO titles, TCM should have fairly easy access to them.
The recent Boris-a-thon gave me a chance to finally see BEDLAM. Great Val Lewton production...Anna Lee and Boris were superb. After watching this film, I couldn't help but feel that if Lewton hadn't died so prematurely, he would've gotten around to doing a lot of Poe's stories, and I think he would've created the perfect atmosphere for those stories.
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In a perfect world, they should all be on DVD. And my guess is that ten or twenty years from now, they all will be...even the ones that are still in the vaults. But there has to be an on-going market for these films...
There's a market now for classic films, but will kids born today be interested in these films? Or will their idea of a classic film be restricted to titles made in the 80s and 90s? LOL
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That's funny...and of course, your son is absolutely right. However, I'm not against a short movie...as long as it's good. LOL
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I thought the Dick Tracy film was rather good. Now, I want to see the earlier films in the series. Does TCM ever show those?
I agree about YOU'LL FIND OUT. Such a great blend of merriment and music and spookiness. It felt like one of those episodes of the original Scooby Doo cartoon series. My favorite part was Ish Kabibble as the Bad Humor Man. LOL
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Jane Withers' films are seldom available to consumers, except for BRIGHT EYES and SHOOTING HIGH, which she did at Fox with Gene Autry. Then, there are her later roles in GIANT and CAPTAIN NEWMAN, M.D. but she is no longer at the top of the heap. TCM plays THE NORTH STAR sometimes, and that's an interesting transition role for her as a teenager. Netflix mostly has her TV guest work as an adult (no Josephine commercials LOL).
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> . . . I get into hot water with MFF on my own often enough.
Happy Thanksgiving, Turo.
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Great...I can't wait!
Titles that make you want to watch
in General Discussions
Posted
Titles obviously help in the marketing of a film. It seems that some of the best ones are in the horror and film noir genres.