MyFavoriteFilms
-
Posts
3,069 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Never
Posts posted by MyFavoriteFilms
-
-
Maybe you can provide a link if there's a thread on banning. I bet there were a lot of people who had plenty to say on the subject.
But I do see the original poster of this thread implying that the film should be abolished. That would be a form of banning.
-
Sounds like this could become a thread about the b-word. LOL
Banning.
Maybe a not-so-perfect analogy is the case of Hitler, if you act like he didn't exist, then that is turning a blind eye on history and possibly allowing it to happen again.
-
> They haven't been separate for a long time, since there are never enough b&w films these days to make a whole category, so they just group them together
Thanks for the reply. That's what I figured. I wonder when the practice of separating them was discontinued...
-
Thanks Jayo (good idea). And thanks everyone for sharing your favorite Italian-themed films.
When I watched THREE COINS, I found myself itching to call a travel agent.
-
While researching THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN, I learned that it won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Color. I am assuming that back in 1954 there was a separate award bestowed for black-and-white cinematography.
Does this practice still continue today? Or do b&w films, like SCHINDLER'S LIST, compete against color films?
-
I rented THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN thru Netflix. I truly enjoyed it.
There was a trend in the 50s and 60s to show more American people visiting Italy (Rome in particular). Rosanno Brazzi seems to appear in a lot of these productions. In addition to this title, we see him again in SUMMERTIME with Kate Hepburn and later in ROME ADVENTURE with Troy Donahue and Suzanne Pleshette. I think he also appears with Olivia de Havilland in LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA.
In another genre, we have the war thriller OPERATION CROSSBOW which costars George Peppard and Sophia Loren (a favorite of mine).
But, of course, this trend continues into the modern era. ENCHANTED APRIL is a British production that goes to a secluded castle in Italy. Kenneth Branagh's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING makes gorgeous use of lush Italian countryside. And there is also A ROOM WITH A VIEW and UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN. Plus, the wonderful TEA WITH MUSSOLINI by Zefferelli.
I am sure there are many others...
-
I watched 5 AGAINST THE HOUSE today. It was produced by Columbia in 1955 and it begins with credits that include stars' names and footage of them from the movie. I think VICTOR/VICTORIA from 1982 does it at the end. It's not a practice just limited to the 1930s.
-
I think we will disagree on this particular issue. It just seems funny that you have to keep emphasizing another poster's credentials. In my estimation, we are all fans and we all pull equal weight on these boards. Even the "experts."
What I really see in this thread is an original poster and supporters who care a lot about this film and want to be sure cable television audiences have the chance to see it and appreciate whatever version is being (accurately) presented.
So for us to denigrate such noble aims by comparing poster's resumes seems ludicrous at best.
-
Glad you mentioned MOTHERS-IN-LAW. I've been meaning to look for this show on ioffer or ebay. From what I read, Desi's first choice was Eve Arden and Ann Sothern. But NBC felt their styles were too similar, so Ann was replaced with Kaye, who provided much more contrast. Ann continued to make movies for television and the big screen, eventually copping an Oscar nomination for WHALES OF AUGUST.
-
I have SHEBA on my Netflix queue. This one and another Shirley Booth picture, THE MATCHMAKER.
-
Yeah, Frawley was probably upset about losing the chance to co-headline his own TV show. However, he did get another chance a few years later (sans Viv) with My Three Sons.
Viv and Lucy had great chemistry together. In fact, I think they were much better in the second sitcom. It was just these two dames with kids and a mess load of domestic problems. The first three seasons of The Lucy Show are my favorite, better than anything they did before or after (Viv continued appearing as an occasional guest star on Lucy's programs).
Back to the topic of this thread...someone said they didn't like the Bob Hope episode of I Love Lucy. But I really enjoyed it. In fact, I sort of wish Lucy and Bob had done a baseball comedy movie.
-
I have a feeling that Vivian Vance is the one that suffered when Frawley took off those two episodes. She probably was given all Fred's dialogue in addition to Ethel's. Then again, considering her difficult relationship with him in real life, maybe she was glad when he did not appear on the set.
Supposedly, she turned down an offer by Desi and Lucy to do a spinoff. Remember when the Ricardos move to Connecticut? There are a few episodes where Ethel and Fred are still back in NYC. The plan was to keep the apartment house set and use it for a spinoff that focused on the Mertzes and their other tenants.
But Vance balked at doing a weekly show exclusively with Frawley. Thus, Fred and Ethel soon moved out to the country and stayed on the original show with the Ricardos.
When Frawley died in the mid-60s, the story is that Vance was back east doing a stage show. When she heard the news, she bought champagne for everyone. She did not like Frawley at all. How sad. They were so great in those roles that made them very famous. I think a spinoff with the Mertzes may have been another classic, too.
-
I agree that THE KILLERS starts off well, then it sort of drags...but the ending is very interesting, and I think it's the final impression it gives viewers that makes it a classic people like to mention and recommend to others.
Personally, I like BRUTE FORCE better. It seems to be a more engaging film and retains viewer interest throughout the narrative.
SORRY WRONG NUMBER is a film I would like to see discussed in one of these threads, because I think its dialogue is very problematic and it does not stand the test of time, like BRUTE FORCE, THE KILLERS or CRISS-CROSS.
-
Arturo,
If you only knew about my family's ethnic make-up, you would see how ridiculous your statement is, when you don't know me in real life at all. LOL
If I was racist, I would've said something much harsher, or even something like Mexican immigrants, instead of Latin American immigrants. When I wrote that phrase, I was actually thinking of Fernando Lamas, an immigrant from Argentina. I do agree that European-Americans are originally immigrants, too.
Perhaps people are a bit touchy because of the negativity in the recent elections. But please don't lump me into your preconceived notions about Arizona. That is not fair.
-
How many baseball flicks did veteran character actor Bill Frawley do?
I watched him in ALIBI IKE and was wondering...he's also in THE BABE RUTH STORY, KILL THE UMPIRE and IT HAPPENED IN FLATBUSH.
There...did I get them all? LOL
Incidentally, there are two episodes of I Love Lucy that he does not appear in, because he had it stipulated in his contract that he would not work if his favorite team, the Yankees, made it to the world series.
-
I did read Ray's comments, but I also read some of the other ones that followed. And I don't think Ray has it entirely correct.
I don't think it benefits us to keep cutting R.O. slack on the countless errors he has made in the past year alone.
I am not bashing him. If I was, I would be calling him senile and saying other mean things about him.
But one thing I am going to say, and this applies to e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e: when you put yourself out there in the public eye as a so-called expert on something, then criticism goes with the territory. It does not have to be construed as negative criticism, but can be very constructive.
-
*THE LONE HAND (1953)*
Viewed: Encore Western Channel
Sometimes there are films that deliberately lead the viewers and several of the main characters in the wrong direction. When we reach the story's climax and denouement, we get a cheap excuse of an ending. Then, we replay the events of the story in our mind or we watch it again. But we realize just what a phony bill of goods we've been sold.
There's one film in particular that did this to me when I watched it recently. I am fascinated by this film, but I don't think I can ultimately buy the story. And that's a shame, because really want to believe in these characters and the story.
The film is 1953's THE LONE HAND, starring Joel McCrea as a western father who may not be all that he seems (and indeed, he isn't). I will have to give away details of the plot, so continue reading at your own risk...
The first twenty minutes or so of the film details his loving relationship with his son and his work as a struggling farmer in Colorado. But then, his crop is destroyed and he falls on hard times. Next thing we know, he has joined a group of outlaws and is now robbing stagecoaches. His young, impressionable son witnesses one of the robberies but is unable to turn dear old pa into the law.
Meanwhile, there is a new woman in their lives (played by Barbara Hale). She marries McCrea's widowed character and helps provide a home for the boy. But she is being lied to about her husband's criminal activity. When she finds out, she leaves him.
Near the end of the story, we learn that McCrea was not really an outlaw (what???) and that he was-- wait for it-- a federal agent. Yes, he's a good guy after all. He was only pretending to go along with the robberies to help catch the mastermind of the gang. However, this plot resolution does not work, because we have seen him repeatedly clobber stagecoach drivers over the head and he has been involved in a series of killings. Would a government man actually have to go through with murder in order to convince outlaws he is one of them? Also, as Hale's character says, why did he have to put his son through such gut-wrenching conflict about having a pa who was a bad man?
While I like the twists and turns of the story, I think the screen writer is asking the audience to accept TOO much. We also know that McCrea cannot really be bad, because it goes against his typical western movie persona to be anything but the wholesome hero.
There were other problems with the production of the film. In one scene, the boy's wagon turns over and it is obvious that an adult stuntman was used. Were there no short stuntmen or nearly teenaged stuntmen to pull that scene off more realistically? There is also another sequence where the boy mistakes another gangmember for his father and leads him into a gorge and causes the man to fall to his death. It has been assumed that the boy did not get a good look at the man's face and thought it was his father in usual clothing. But in earlier scenes featuring the outlaw (played by James Arness) he clearly has only one outfit, and it is nothing like the one outfit that McCrea wears throughout the picture.
Despite these flaws, THE LONE HAND is a picture I still happen to like. The beautiful on-location cinematography in Durango, Colorado is must-see. And McCrea's chemistry with Hale is enjoyable to watch. Hale's career was much more than her Della Street role on TV's Perry Mason. Then, there's the boy himself...child actor Jimmy Hunt, known for appearances in the original CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN movies, is a very naturalistic young performer. And his voice-over narration really draws us into the story and its relative innocence.
-
I think we both made our point.
And that is what a forum like this allows. I look forward to reading more of your posts about Canadian artists, and I await the chance to add my on-going thoughts on the subject.
-
Thanks for the corrections...when/if I repost these next year, the list will be more accurate and comprehensive.
-
That was actually the next part of this 'argument.' If I was mapping this out like a term paper, I would get to paragraphs about the European ex-patriots. And then the immigrant actors from Latin America. So we are definitely not picking on Canada. LOL
The idea is that many of these countries (including Canada) had artists who defected.
A country of origin does not have a claim on them after a point.
-
I am going to agree with you on this. Robert Osborne does bill himself as a film historian and it's his reputation that suffers when his scripted comments are not completely accurate or clear.
Personally, I don't consider him or Leonard Maltin historians. I consider them specialists. To be a true historian, you have to know the history of everything in Hollywood, and that is not possible. They are fans (like us) who specialized in sharing their acquired knowledge about film.
However, one should never excuse sloppiness or errors that would've been prevented by doing more careful research.
-
I don't think a birth place is as important as where you make your life and conduct your career.
Now, as for you to say I am demoting Canada. I am not. I do not have anything against Canada itself. I think the film business it attracts is usually by offering discount rates to U.S. film production companies. Right?
I would much rather discuss the Canadian film industry on its own, directors like Denys Arcand who make beautiful films that are not trying to go Hollywood.
-
A lot of Canadian actors in Hollywood did not really go back to Canada. David Manners is one example. They lived the rest of their lives in the U.S. or other parts of the world and were not even buried in Canada.
But when I think about truly Canadian movie stars, I think of the Dionne quints...they never even had to come to Hollywood...all their scenes were filmed in Canada by Fox film crews.
-
I think HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY would've been great in Technicolor. But the finished product is pretty darn good.
And that is what a forum like this allows.
Watched PHANTOM OF THE OPERA last night, Robert Osborne got it wrong again.
in Hot Topics
Posted
Thanks Jonas...for reminding me...to put the word _historian_ with the word _vault_ as among those most over-used by enthusiasts. I am allergic to both words. Please pass the kleenex.