TomJH
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Posts posted by TomJH
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And let's not forget (how could we?) another small but great performance from TOUCH OF EVIL
Dietrich called this the favourite performance of her career
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3 minutes ago, Roy Cronin said:
To me, the question would mean a "star" whose image is as recognizable by the general public today as they were during their period of fame. I think very, very few would meet that standard.
I therefore agree that Chaplin might qualify based upon an iconic image, as would Marilyn. And perhaps John Wayne and James Dean.
And, if only because of The Wizard of Oz, Garland. Who hasn't seen the Oz film, and that includes China. There's even a musical tour of it there.
Wizard of Oz touring 8 Chinese cities
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201906/22/WS5d0d95bfa3103dbf14329a82.html
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Stanwyck would have been good but perhaps Warner thought her too old for Dominique and wanted to promote a younger face on the lot in Neal. Cooper and Stanwyck had already shown what great chemistry they had together in Ball of Fire and Meet John Doe.
And I'll tell you another thing, if Stanwyck had been cast instead, it would have saved both Cooper and Neal a lot of heart ache if they had never met.
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Yellow (1991)
A WWI episode from TV’s Tales of the Crypt often seen as a companion piece to 1957’s Paths of Glory, both starring Kirk Douglas.
In this drama running little more than a half hour Douglas, in contrast to his film role, is cast as a general wanting his troops to take a difficult position on a muddy battleground with German gunfire destroying most of his men. Douglas’s son, Eric, plays his son in this drama, as a man who joined the army for his father’s approval but whose fear of death affects his performance on the battlefield. The word circulating among the troops is that the general’s son is a coward.
The general makes a pact with his son, that he will send him to safety behind the lines if, first, he leads a night patrol on a dangerous mission to repair a broken communications line on the battlefield. I will reveal no more of the story than that.
The battle scenes across a muddy hell of fox holes and gun fire are impressively oppressive with men’s bodies flying in the air from the impact of explosions. At one particularly grisly moment, as a soldier points, you see his hand shot off.
The performances of the Douglas’s, both father and son, are rock solid. Eric’s voice reminds me a bit of brother Michael’s. Eric, by the way, was the actor’s offspring that he would tragically lose to an accidental drug overdose 13 years later.
Lance Henriksen co stars as a sergeant who goes on the night mission, while Dan Ackroyd plays a military assistant to the general. A morality tale about cowardice, family pride and the importance to some of the perception of courage, Yellow is a grim but gripping drama that beautifully builds to a surprising impactful climax that will remain in the memory. Sometimes the greatest monster of all comes in human form.
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1 hour ago, misswonderly3 said:
"I'm little disappointed you chose to not respond to my response to your critique of my comments on The Fountainhead, MissW, but that's your prerogative."
Tom, I'm sorry I did not respond to your earlier post about The Fountainhead. Given how well you defended it (this is in your previous post, not even talking about the more recent one), and how much you like it, it was rude of me to not reply.
What I appreciate about your posts in general, and certainly about the ones you've written about The Fountainhead is, you don't just say, "Well, I disagree with the majority here, I like the film." It's easy to do that. But you explain, in careful detail, why you like it, and why you think it deserves more respect than it generally gets.
I think one poster here - it might have been Lorna, not sure - said, whatever its faults, The Fountainhead is entertaining. But I think they meant in an "it's so bad it's good" way, whereas you make a case for the film in many ways being good, and not in an ironic way. So I'll "take that under advisement" and the next time TCM airs it, I'll try and watch it and give it another chance, keeping in mind the arguments you make in its favour. (I'm pretty sure it's not "blocked" in Canada...you and I both know how frustrating that can be.)
As for my not responding to your earlier post about it, it's simply because I don't think I come to the boards as much as many here do. I did read your defence of the film, and as I said, I should have replied. But I just don't spend as much time on these boards as some do. This is largely because if I do, all of a sudden a couple of hours can go by, hours that I'd intended to spend doing something else. So my discourtesy in not answering you before was not because I didn't think your points were valid, it's just that I didn't want to get into a long discussion, simply because of the time it would take. (In fact, usually, I only check out about 3 threads on these boards, this being one of them.)
I appreciative your flexibility on the subject, MissW, to give The Fountainhead another opportunity some time. You may not change your opinion about the film, in the final analysis but, at least, you're willing to give it a try. That says something about you. The fact that we may have differing opinions about this film is a trivial matter, by comparison.
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On 2/18/2020 at 10:53 AM, misswonderly3 said:
Never mind the controversy over the Ayn Rand stuff, The Fountainhead is just a sub-par movie. ( In my opinion, of course.) Yes, it's got some nice direction and cinematography, and I've no problem with the actors (or their acting) in it. In fact, I like all of them, especially Raymond Massey's performance.
But ! OMG, the thing is so over-wrought and self-important ! It's weighed down with its own message-y earnestness. Words such as "overblown" and "pompous" come to mind. One example: that scene that you seem to admire, where Howard Roark and Dominique Francon see each other for the first time, seems laughably portentous and and over-dramatic to me.
And ...aside from anything else...the script ! (which I assume is based on the dialogue in Rand's novel) ---people just don't talk like that !
I'm little disappointed you chose to not respond to my response to your critique of my comments on The Fountainhead, MissW, but that's your prerogative.
The reason why I am defending this film is that so many posters over the years have taken shots at it on these boards, while few ever comment on the film's considerable virtues. You acknowledge the film's cinematography, acting, etc. but then, as with the others, proceed to denounce the film as "sub par" and talk about its "self importance." Well, I said earlier that I don't pay as much attention to the Ayn Rand message of the virtue selfishness (which I can't agree with), as others do.
There are all kinds of areas where the film can be criticized from a logical standpoint, too, aside from the message. In the rock quarry scene, which I very much appreciate for conveying erotic attraction I also think, "Hey, Roark, hasn't anyone ever told you about the need for safety glasses?"
Then I think, too, of the scene in which Dominique cracks a slab of marble in her home as an excuse to have Roark come there to repair it. And he does show up, but what kind of a coincidence is it that? Especially as she didn't even know his name? What'd she say, "Send me the tall one without glasses?" And Massey's suicide at the end of the film. Why'd he do it? Just to make way for a happy ending for Roark and Dominique?
I could go on but I tend to put that small stuff aside, for the most part, because I still find this bold, in your face film, a strange combination of passion and cold philosophy, to be compelling viewing despite its faults. King Vidor, who had real problems with Roark's rambling trial speech (which the director tried to shorten but almost lost Rand's participation in the film in the process so the studio backed down on the speech cuts) and was also scratching his head about the idea of Roark insanely blowing up Cortland Housing because they changed the design on him, responded to the material with his stylized direction which, in combination with the film's wonderful black and white photography, created some really striking imagery.
As I stated earlier my two favourite scenes in the film are the rock quarry and the open elevator finale but the power of the scene of Roark's assault of Dominque should also not be denied for its visuals, as well as the accompanying music of Max Steiner. I don't advocate this kind of caveman stuff, of course, but, as photographed by Robert Burks and directed by Vidor, I think the scene works. Here's a video clip which is, unfortunately, without audio so we are missing the Steiner music which clearly adds to the drama.
The Fountainhead, after over 70 years and with all its players now gone, remains a film of divisiveness for viewers. You may not like the film for its pretentiousness and the Rand screenplay wordiness, at times, but to simply dismiss the entire film I think is unfair. Not when it has scenes as powerful as the finale (forgive me for the repeat video from before, jump to :55) . . .
As a side issue, this film also started a torrid affair between Cooper and Neal which came close to ending Cooper's marriage. The stress of the affair led to the actor getting an ulcer and, within a couple of years, his features started to age quite noticeably on screen. Contrast Coop's looks in The Fountainhead, filmed in 1948, to those in Bright Leaf, shot just two years later or High Noon in '51. But that, as they say, is another story.
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On 2/17/2020 at 11:31 PM, hamradio said:
Came across this movie by accident on Youtube. Has TCM ever shown it? Never heard of it before.
I recorded As The Earth Turns off TCM probably about ten years ago.
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You want plenty of male beef, ladies, so I`ll give it to you.
Alan Hale, bathing and singing in Dodge City
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Ann Sheridan in COME NEXT SPRING
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23 minutes ago, Dargo said:
Yep, Gf. I've also heard that about Uncle Miltie.
I've heard that Gary Cooper could rival his horse.
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He only has four or five scenes in the film but can anyone forget this face? Alfonso Bedoya as the Gold Hat Bandit in TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE.
"Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!"
A line of film immortality forever associated with this actor. Bedoya brought a child-like quality, at times, to his conniving evil.
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Frank Faylen as Bim, the sadistic male nurse of an alcoholic ward in THE LOST WEEKEND. His face may be smiling but it's from the pleasure he derives at being able to look down upon his screaming alcoholic clients.
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Just now, LawrenceA said:
John Holmes
Only by a foot and a half.
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If lasting fame is the criterion for the "greatest" film star then, as far the studio system day actors are concerned, the answer has to be John Wayne. I still see a lot of Wayne DVDs for sale in Walmart, even of his small B westerns from the '30s.
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1 hour ago, TikiSoo said:
We all know the tired old story.
According to Buster Wiles, a Flynn stunt man and one of his best friends who lived with him for a while, the story is not true. He said he was at the social gathering that suggested carrying out the stunt with Barrymore's body but that cooler heads prevailed and the "joke" didn't happen. But Wiles later wrote that Raoul Walsh was still telling the story at Flynn's funeral and when Wiles spoke to him about it, saying you know it never happened, the director was in denial, saying that it did. Wiles said the old man had come to believe the story was real.
Well, you know what John Ford said about printing the legend.
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Agnes Moorehead's death in Dark Passage. Suicide or accident? It's a debate the posters on this board frequently have.
I strongly suspect it was an accident because her fall through the window after rushing behind the curtain happens so suddenly. Agnes is arrogant towards Bogart but, in the midst of that arrogance and hatred, she is also physically afraid of him as he makes a few moves towards her and she flees behind the curtain, not to die, just to get away.
Please don't forget the fact that she only rushes to the window AFTER Bogart approaches her menacingly. Come on, folks, that was no impulse suicide, it was an accident.
I watched the scene again, by the way, and, sorry, Swithin, there is no way that I could tell that Agnes tore that handle off the desk to break any window.
I also like Bacall's performance in this film, Dargo. She's not bland the way she would be in Key Largo or a bit distant and cold as she was in The Big Sleep. Her performance has warmth in Dark Passage and her scenes with Bogie are memorably romantic, helped to no small degree by the popular hit, Too Marvelous For Words, playing in the background.
Bacall is also believable as she even acts as bit mothering towards Bogie's character. Remember, this was not the same take charge Bogart of To Have and Have Not or The Big Sleep. He's a frightened guy in a corner who has to turn for help from others in order to survive. This is not the "cool" Bogart of '40s legend. In playing a scared man on the run this was one of the actor's first attempts to get away from that cool screen persona. Vincent Parry is a far cry from Rick Blaine.
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Actually, I think Dane Clark was considered a poor man's John Garfield. In fact, Clark was up for the role that Garfield got in Humoresque.
Speaking of which, this performance shouldn't be included here because his role, while supporting, was quite large but I gotta say it: I love Oscar Levant in Humoresque. He brings some much needed dry humour with his great line delivery to the melodramatics.
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3 minutes ago, speedracer5 said:
I used to get Dane Clark and Tom D'Andrea mixed up. Then by sheer coincidence I saw both men in a series of different films all in a row. Now I can tell the two apart.
Clark tended to overact at times but I don't think the same could ever be said of laid back D'Andrea.
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Just now, Dargo said:
How about...
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...Frank Faylen.
Yup, he'd have been a good pick.
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2 minutes ago, Dargo said:
Yep, and Joy was a real cutie alright, although this might have been her only film role as a cabbie.
(...but I was thinkin' of a guy here)
I'm running out of names here. Lionel Barrymore? Maybe not.
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2 minutes ago, Dargo said:
Both good guesses here, but I'm thinkin' of a guy who seemed to quite often play a cabbie in movies.
She didn't do it often but she did it memorably.
Joy Barlow in The Big Sleep
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3 minutes ago, Dargo said:
Yep, good mention here too, Tom. D'Andrea is also quite memorable in his short time on screen as the cabbie who helps Bogart out.
Btw, you know who I'm thinkin' could've also done this role quite well?
(...betcha do)
Kirk Douglas?
Sorry, I got Kirk on the brain lately.
How about Dane Clark or William Bendix?
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2 hours ago, Dargo said:
Houseley Stevenson, who plays the creepy back alley plastic surgeon Dr. Walter Coley in Dark Passage, is one of the best things about this Bogart/Bacall (and often implausible) movie...
A memorably bizarre performance indeed.
But one of my favourite performers in Dark Passage has to be Tom D'Andrea as the cab driver who helps Bogart. His "slippity slop" tale of the passenger with the gold fish in a bowl is the kind of amusingly colourful anecdote that a character actor like this could sink his teeth into and, in this case, did. I only wish that D'Andrea could have more opportunities in his career as effective as this one.
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1 hour ago, misswonderly3 said:
Never mind the controversy over the Ayn Rand stuff, The Fountainhead is just a sub-par movie. ( In my opinion, of course.) Yes, it's got some nice direction and cinematography, and I've no problem with the actors (or their acting) in it. In fact, I like all of them, especially Raymond Massey's performance.
But ! OMG, the thing is so over-wrought and self-important ! It's weighed down with its own message-y earnestness. Words such as "overblown" and "pompous" come to mind. One example: that scene that you seem to admire, where Howard Roark and Dominique Francon see each other for the first time, seems laughably portentous and and over-dramatic to me.
And ...aside from anything else...the script ! (which I assume is based on the dialogue in Rand's novel) ---people just don't talk like that !
I haven't seen The Fountainhead in a few years but I always recall being impressed by the power of a number of scenes in the film. Enough so that I would not dismiss the film the way others do. Yes, the screenplay's over wrought and the dialogue often stilted and unreal. But, and this is a big but, if you can get beyond that and just watch the incredible craftsmanship of this production in a number of scenes I can't help but think you will be impressed. Well, I guess you (among others) weren't that impressed but I, most certainly, was.
I think that in the marble quarry scene which you seem to laugh at, MissW (and you're far from alone in doing that on these boards), when Roark and Dominque first sight one another, he with a very phallic giant drill in his hand, King Vidor does achieve a certain eroticism, at least as much as the production code would allow, in just a few tightly edited shots, including closeups of both their faces. Max Steiner's music plays no small role here in underscoring her feelings of fevered desire.
But, just as much so, take a look at the power of the film's final scene, as Dominique ascends the outside of Roark's latest structure, with the images of the city dwindling in size as the elevator she's on moves skyward. Again, it's the towering majesty and power of Steiner's musical score that makes this sequence a special one, enhancing, as the music builds and soars, the sense of triumph the film is conveying with Roark standing symbolically on top of the world. The compelling visuals of this sequence, combined with the power of Steiner's music, make this finale an emotionally impactful one, in my opinion, and one of the more memorable endings that you will find in '40s films.
Jump to 1:11.
HITS & MISSES: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow on TCM
in General Discussions
Posted
I'm still fascinated by the guy whose head is sticking out of the mail basket.