CaveGirl

Hey, Limey! I just had noted when perusing sites with Sister Rose's name online that she purports to be a film critic, which is why I brought that up. If someone is a film critic only for the Bahai faith, then I would take their comments with a grain of salt. I doubt that this is what she is going to be on TCM for, more probably just to give her take on the meaning of the Legion of Decency rulings. And if that is true, then perhaps she can also give the names of who made up the Legion, since the information does not seem to be anywhere on line. The use the word "legion' inherently I find amusing, due to the "we are legion" biblical connotations.

I vote YES! Love her, she was beautiful, talented, acerbic and special. A real treat to watch on screen and I mostly love her in "A Letter to Three Wives" but she was always excellent. Great choice for SOTM.

I think I heard Paul say something on the tape to his companions that they probably needed to make more hits to be admitted. Hilarious!

Speaking of the Oscars, here are some previous nominees which were condemned by the Legion of Decency. If you were alive when they came out and wanted to be a member in good standing with the church, you would have had to take the following pledge [down below] and also promise not to see the following films or you would have committed a mortal sin: Spartacus, Some Like It Hot, Psycho, Rosemary's Baby, Carrie, Never On Sunday, All That Jazz, The Last Picture Show, Clockwork Orange and 8 1/2. Cardinal Spellman also said that you were sinning if you saw "Baby Doll". Boy, the milk bottle in my Baltimore Catechism, Revised No. 3, had a lot of black spots disfiguring all that white liquid! + In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. I condemn all indecent and immoral motion pictures, and those which glorify crime or criminals. I promise to do all that I can to strengthen public opinion against the production of indecent and immoral films, and to unite with all who protest against them. I acknowledge my obligation to form a right conscience about pictures that are dangerous to my moral life. I pledge myself to remain away from them. I promise, further, to stay away altogether from places of amusement which show them as a matter of policy. * On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception 1938, the U.S. bishops requested that the Pledge of the Legion of Decency be taken by the faithful.

I got that list of films that were condemned by the Legion of Decency from a book at the library on the topic, which I was referencing while using their computer. It showed many more films year by year than I printed, as I expurgated the less well known ones in favor of the more famous fare. I would think you could find similar lists on the Internet, not that I am one who believes all I read there, but go look and see what you can find if you are interested. Sorry I don't remember the title of the book, but it had many chapters on Joseph Breen also, who was one of the watchguards of the faith in terms of what films they were allowed to see, as I recall. The condemnations were concurrent with the release of the films, not revised versions from later years when more sanity might have prevailed. Being that the Legion with Breen was most instrumental in objecting to content in films, for more than just Catholic audiences, the ratings system seems a bit obtuse. Clarifying which ones are "condemned" sounds great. Perhaps we could invite an impartial observer like Richard Dawkins to join in the fun conversation and also to represent the other side of the aisle, even as a layman.

Make that two fans for Buster being a "favorite silent movie star", GPF. And besides, without Buster who would Woody Allen have had to steal stuff from I ask you?

While watching "I Married a Witch" the other day, I was impressed as usual with the very whimsical and clever opening with the little witch doll, with broom and her attempting to escape paramour backing up the title graphics. They seemed to be a lot more imaginative in the olden days of the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's about such things and I miss that in films of today. My favorite opening title sequence is of course, "Vertigo" which is a story in itself and so evocative to watch. Along with the haunting music it definitely sets the stage for the tale which begins totally unrelentingly, with the two hands on the rail and then the chase. But the title sequence, more than most films seems to have a life of its own far beyond the scope even of the Madeleine/Scotty romance. I could write a dissertation on it alone. Any title opening sequences that you always watch for even if you don't watch the whole film following?

Thanks, TB! I have not seen "Bell, Book and Candle" for eons so will definitely be watching. I totally dig the James Wong Howe cinematography and also love the shop of Kim Novak's with all the Oceanic artifacts.

GPF, pardon me for being so nosy but I'm just so curious about why you do not want to read the "other book" as you put it. If I am invading your privacy, please forgive me but if you feel open to explaining this attitude I would love to hear it. I've not read the "other book" either but was a bit intrigued when it came out recently.

Don't you love wandering about in a minefield, Limey? It might sound radical to say, but I am of the opinion that being a nun, particularly of the order of St. Paul, disqualifies one from being a true film critic in a multi-purpose sensibility. Meaning that if one is a good nun, then they will be a bad reviewer and if they are a good film reviewer they will be a bad nun. I say this because any film reviewer worth their salt can see and review all films, not just those which are not diametrically opposed to their belief system. If you can't review "Salo" or "The Devil in Miss Jones" then you can't call yourself a film critic. I hope to be proven wrong when Sister Rose comes aboard with her opinions but I'm not holding my breath. Only by comparison to many types of films, can one form a criteria to evaluate all films.

Can't decide if I like O. P. Heggie more or Gene. It's a real toss-up. Soup, good! Smoke, badddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd!

Hey, Dar! I had not realized the Club Silencio connection to the Ennis, nor that Lynch's "Invitation to Love" was filmed there. Thanks for the info.

Not the same at all. Now if they would just come up with a colorized version of "House on Haunted Hill" I could see my Gunzel and that Frank Lloyd Wright house they used for the mansion. Nice try, Dargo!

Blimey, Limey! We in the colonies all know that spelt tastes yummy with tartar sauce and a cold Guinness.

I totally agree with you, Nip. I've been waiting years to see that adorable Gunzel in living color!

Some of the great surprises in films, are those of uncredited stars appearing in strange places during the movie. Imagine the thrill of being at the film "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" and then finding out at the end that Rita Marlowe's loverboy, who is mentioned during the movie as Georgie Schmidlap, is really...ta da, the one, the only, Groucho! Well it just made the whole film worthwhile. There are lots of reasons for some stars to be uncredited in the cast, for example perhaps they were just embarrassed to be in the movie. Or maybe they wandered onto the set by accident and just shot a scene for fun. Or maybe they are in the cast, but under a previous name like the young starlet who had a name as a child actress but then acquired a new one that was eponymous to a later film title. Or a male star whose name in the film seemed much more appropriate to his personality. Name these two people and prove your credit cred. Well, whatever the reason, uncredited appearances in films are a joy to behold, and I hope you can add some to my list.

Limey, I will guess then that you might be attuned to the Oscar Wilde consensus about books that stated: “There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.” Would you concur that the same is true of movies? I will go out on a limb [but refuse to go to Limbo] and say that the same is true for films. I simply can't wait for Sister Rose Pacatte to give her review of "Last Tango in Paris" and "I Am Curious Yellow" in her TCM debut. By the way, my problem with the Legion of Decency and their pronouncements, "ex cathedra"* is that they take their standards and apply it to situations that are not under their auspices to begin with. For example, they would condemn a film in the 1950's for "acceptance of divorce" totally forgetting that not everyone in the world is Catholic or under their same belief system. Or they would condemn a film like "The Pumpkin Eater" for mentioning the use of birth control. The Legion might have had the right to dictate to their Catholic contingent but not anyone else of different belief systems. I knew that when I was in the third grade so why were they so myopic, that they felt justified to try to control the release of all films. Actually I'm kind of confused as to how any Pauline sister would even be allowed to review any movies, since it was Saint Paul if I recall correctly from my Lives of the Saints info, who said in 1 Timothy 2:12: "I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man, she must be silent." Saint Paul also seemed to have a great antipathy toward homosexuality, and from Romans 1:27 said the following: "In the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error." That would also seem to limit any Pauline reviewer of films from commenting on movies with a gay character, unless it is just to condemn the film? What would Sister Rose Pacatte have to say in a review about "Midnight Cowboy" one wonders? *I know the LOD reviews were not really "ex cathedra"!

Wow, Rayban, and with the name "ban" in your name you should start your own Banned in Boston website for films. We must be opposites. I would consult the Catholic Telegraph movie listings so I could find films which were "Condemned" so I could add them to my HaveToSee List!

Thanks so much, Helen! And yes, the days of them making milk bottles into mission baby collection units for the classroom in their off-hours, seem to be over.

Just got my new TCM guide with Merle Oberon on the cover and was interested to read of the list of films that will be shown under the "Condemned" moniker, which will be hosted by a nun. Can't remember her name, but does anyone here know it? I found the list of films which the Catholic Legion of Decency condemned, to be fascinating. So many of the films are faves of mine. Here are some of them, and by the way, I have to agree, "Ice Castles" should have been condemned!: 1933Baby Face Design for Living Extase -- One of the first foreign films to be condemned. The Emperor Jones Flying Down to Rio I'm No Angel International House Queen Christina Roman Scandals She Done Him Wrong Wild Boys of the Road The Women in His Life 1934[edit]Belle of the Nineties Fashions of 1934 George White's Scandals Madame DuBarry Murder at the Vanities Nana The Scarlet Empress The Trumpet Blows Wonder Bar 1940[edit] Strange Cargo -- Initially condemned, the studio released a cut version.1941[edit]Two-Faced Woman Volpone 1942[edit]White Cargo1943[edit]The Outlaw1945[edit]Mom and Dad The Dolly Sisters 1947[edit]Black Narcissus Forever Amber 1948[edit]Three Daring Daughters1950[edit] Bitter Rice -- Condemned on its initial American release [1] Los Olvidados 1951[edit]M The Miracle 1953[edit] The Moon Is Blue -- Groundbreaking comedy by Otto Preminger. The first studio-produced film to deliberately bypass Production Code approval.1954[edit]The French Line1955[edit] Rififi -- Initially condemned, was re-released with changes for B rating. I Am a Camera 1956[edit]And God Created Woman Baby Doll -- Controversial comedy/drama was approved by the Production Code but condemned by the Legion of Decency. 1957[edit] Love in the Afternoon -- Initially condemned, the studio changed the ending. Untamed Youth 1959[edit]Some Like It Hot1960[edit]Breathless Never on Sunday Psycho Spartacus 1961[edit]A Cold Wind in August Jules and Jim Viridiana 1962[edit]Boccaccio '701963[edit]8½ Contempt 1964[edit]Kiss Me, Stupid From Russia With Love Of Human Bondage 1965[edit]The Pawnbroker1966[edit]Blowup Torn Curtain 1967[edit]Hurry Sundown Reflections in a Golden Eye Valley of the Dolls 1968[edit]Rosemary's Baby The Good, the Bad and the Ugly The Odd Couple The Legend of Lylah Clare Lady in Cement The Magus The Boston Strangler Prudence and the Pill The Sweet Ride The Secret Life of an American Wife The Anniversary The Producers Weekend 1969[edit]I Am Curious (Yellow) Marlowe Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice The April Fools The Killing of Sister George 1971[edit]A Clockwork Orange The Last Picture Show The Devils Sunday Bloody Sunday Billy Jack 1972[edit]The Carey Treatment Pink Flamingos 1973[edit]The Exorcist Last Tango in Paris The Wicker Man High Plains Drifter 1975[edit]Lemora The Rocky Horror Picture Show 1976[edit]Carrie The Omen The Outlaw Josey Wales Taxi Driver 1978[edit] Grease[2] Dawn of the Dead Ice Castles Pretty Baby Same Time, Next Year 1979[edit]All That Jazz Hanover Street 1980[edit]American Gigolo Dressed to Kill Friday the 13th Little Darlings Used Cars The Competition Those Lips, Those Eyes

Dargo, do you like "fronks" and beans with a ice cold beer served up in a "schteen" too?

All great choices, especially Zucco, but I dig the most, good old Herb, oops, I mean Jason Evers in his quest to find a bodacious body to add to his fiancee's head, which remained after the motoring accident. I wonder if he had been texting if anything of her would have rolled out the window. I love when he wraps up her head in his coat and runs off immediately to his lab. Those trips to sleazy bars for B-girls is the best part of the movie and the music is better than a Spice Girls video.

What a cutie! Thanks, Lawrence. I've always found men with the bit of prognathous jaw rather attractive even if H.P.'s own Mama did find him "hideous".

I've been to "Candlesticks Be Us", but not in Camden.

Thanks, Down but I'll stick with my brass knuckles.