Casablanca100views
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Posts posted by Casablanca100views
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okay, call me unoriginal, but this is my favorite..
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I would substitute Incense and Peppermint for
Gene Pitney's
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Robert Plant
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What does?
Well, tonight, right after the news ended at 10, I idly switched the remote to TCM, just to see what was going on.
The lovely Astaire/Rogers musical "Swingtime" was just beginning. At first I meant to just watch the first few minutes, maybe til after the "Pick Myself Up" number. But I couldn't stop. The film is so delightful, such a sweet and innocent escape from my stressed-filled world to the enchanting art deco world filled with beautiful melodies and perfect dancing, that I had to stay there right to the end.
It's got such great songs, like all the F and G movies. And the final number, "Never Gonna Dance", so moving, as Fred and Ginger dance wordlessly and wistfully together, for what they think is the last time.
So, it felt kind of lonely, like I was one of a tiny handful of people who enjoys a film like "Swingtime", and that even my own family has no interest in such pieces of sublime cinematic fluff.
Things we appreciate (I guess for a long time).are the Classic Movies. While I don't mind others having their own interests, I do get discouraged that my interests seem orphaned by the general public. The public's taste has become less refined in entertainment of all forms, considering how many CIS crime shows there are, I fear a time will come when, in spite of all the channels out there, we find less and less actual variety of choice.
Maybe we are going through a sea change again.
I am glad you're here, mw, and you can vent with like-minded folks. I love Swingtime too.
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Hey, Char, how's every little thang? I've missed you here.
Pretty good. Left you a pm.. -
Yes, I do think that, as much as possible, one should watch a movie without making comparisons etc. to what came before.
Now, if the film is "derivative", as you suggest is sometimes the case , then it probably won't be that good anyway. If it is, then indeed it will "stand on its own", regardless of whatever earlier film it's based on.
If, as is more likely, it's not particularly good, and the original is better, then it will "stand on its own" all right, but as a crummy film. The fact that it's imitating an earlier, better, movie, should still be information that doesn't directly affect my opinion of it.
No, true, films are not "made in a vacuum". Nothing is. But as much as possible, I try and watch a movie without making constant references to outside factors in the making of it.
This is actually a complaint I have about Robert Osborne and, in fact, all the hosts for TCM. In their "wraparounds" before and after a movie's airing, they hardly ever talk about the actual movie. Instead, they talk around the movie, supplying facts or anecdotes about what other movies the stars were in, or how they got along, stuff like that.
I'd much rather they talked about the actual movie I've just seen.
Amen, sister. But then, outside of a few caring posters here, almost no discussions of story and plot and it's origins in myth or validity is discussed here either. Maybe that's why I am not here very much.
I like context as much as the next person, but to only talk around the movie, usually a minute or two, doesn't provide much context. I have been reading "Five Came Back: ..." by Mark Harris, and focusing on the lives of five directors and their history of WW2 has been an active pursuit of how they did the chronicling of the war for the OWI, and their take on the concept of story and perspective of the world crisis and how to tell it. I have not completed it, so I cannot speak about how the war had changed Capra, Ford, Huston, Stevens, or Wyler... We know what they produced after, but how it affects them--that's what I hope I will learn.
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The average rom-com is a giant cliche.
-Boy and girl meet. They do not hit it off and are repulsed by one another.
-Boy and girl meet again. This may have happened because they were forced to work together on a project, one of them answers the other's personal ad, etc. Somehow, they run across each other a second time and decide that the other isn't so bad after all.
-Cue the montage of boy and girl spending countless dates together, showing the progression of their relationship.
-Boy and girl end up fighting and part ways. It appears to be curtains for the relationship.
-Boy or girl meet with friends to discuss the relationship and how it went awry. Boy or girl's friends convince him/her to make up with the other-- because they are meant to be together. Boy or girl realize the error of his/her ways.
-Meanwhile, the other half of the couple (the one not with friends) has decided to take a job out of the state/country, or is moving away randomly, whatever. They've decided to make a step that will take them away from the remnants of their failed relationship.
-The half of the couple with the aforementioned friends, finds out about the other's plans to move away.
-Cue the boy or girl racing to the airport/train station/bus station/etc. and the other walking through said airport/train station/bus station.
-As the departing party is about to get onto the plane/train/bus/etc. the other half finds them. They apologize. Proclaim their love for one another. Kiss in front of nosy onlookers.
...They Lived Happily Ever After...
Ha! Have you got that right! I have written two (count 'em 2!) rom-com specs that avoids all these tropes, and they call my specs "charming -- but too much based in reality"
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Oh yeah! I remember seein' this aftermath of your violent post-it spree on the evening news a while back, didn't I dark???...
(...oh the humanity!!!)
DownGoesFrazier (finance) is looking for you. Apparently he can't see you for all the Post-its..
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So often that was the case. I think the saddest was that of Consuelo Vanderbilt, whose tyrannical mother forced her into marriage to the Duke of Marlborough by threatening that she would kill Consuelo's true love if she didn't. Consuelo believed her, with good reason, and went through with the marriage to the Duke, although according to witnesses she was white as a sheet and tear-stained coming into the church. The duke needed the American money for Blenheim Palace; Mrs. Vanderbilt wanted the title for Consuelo (and herself). Several years and a couple of children later, Consuelo worked up the nerve to leave the Duke, with his consent (he had found someone else), and obtained both a civil divorce and a Roman Catholic church annulment in order to marry a Col. Jacques Balsan, an esteemed pilot, to whom she remained married until his death. Her mother, Alva, testified for her in the annulment, saying she had forced Consuelo to marry the duke, as "I have always had absolute power over my daughter."
I will remember this story whenever I tour the Biltmore. Her uncle I think built it.
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Edith Head's sense of humor comes out in WHAT A WAY TO GO:
Especially in this pink chincilla coat and wig (Gene Kelly's name was Pinkie so they only wore pink). Here's another look:
Paul Newman was an artist who designed crazy modern art-inspired clothes for her:Robert Mitchum's millions inspired many exaggerations of 1960s fashions:
..............just to name a few
I loved that movie too!
I wish we could just keep up the '60s couture , Here's WOMAN TIMES SEVEN :
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Beautiful . Another is Gene Tierney in Laura.
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I am watching The Roosevelts too. Excellent. I enjoy just about all the Burns docs. And I agree, Peter Coyote is a terrific narrator.
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Clothes that make the woman.
A Letter to Three Wives (1949), a longtime favorite uses evening dresses to define a character's background the way a writer uses vocabulary to define a character level of education.
First, the evolution of sophistication of Deborah Bishop (Jeanne Crain) - from farm girl to New York Lady of the house.
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One more trip back (17th Century) before looking forward.
Forever Amber.
The Man in the Iron Mask
recently, with Leo and gang..
Then, an earlier version with costuming that was amazing.. A TV movie version, no less.
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Maid Marian, who had more costume changes. But then, how best to show how time passes?
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The Adventures of Robin Hood
It seems Prince John was a inspiration for Game of Thrones. hehe.
Notice the Men of Sherwood adopt the green-man camouflage like Robin. More green as the Merry men join forces.
Peek a boo moment with Robin's costume (maybe Jame's observation was the correct one)- Flynn's tunic has another long tunic covering his leggings.
Maid Marion coming.
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One of the reasons I love musicals (actually, I really love the ones that feature dancing the most... the all singing ones are hit and miss for me), is that they usually feature amazing costumes in vibrant bright colors (okay, at least the Technicolor ones do). The costumes and colors combined with the dancing and music really add to the over all experience of watching a musical film.
Anyway, the musical There's No Business Like Show Business, while not the greatest musical I've ever seen, features a ton of great costumes and music.
Case in point, the finale number:
I absolutely love Mitzi Gaynor's red strapless gown. The color is gorgeous and fits her amazing figure perfectly. Every time I see this film, I'm always envious of how Gaynor looks in her costumes. **Sigh** much work is needed on my part to even have a shot at fitting a gown like that as beautifully as she does.
Ethel Merman's dress doesn't do much for me, but I love that she is wearing a vibrant white ball gown amongst the two tight fitting dresses sported by Gaynor and Monroe. The white really makes her standout, which I suppose is the whole point as Merman is the star of this film.
Mitzi does do something special for the costumes, Dancer's sleekness
Here some shots of Mitzi in one of my favorites, Les Girls,
I gotta tell ya, I searched high and low for a pic of the back of these costumes, alas couldn't find it.
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How to Marry a Millionaire
I can't begin to tell you how disillusioned I felt when I first learn (at age 6) that I couldn't just grow up and just find a job as a model in a store.
Always liked Bacall's wedding dress.
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...and speaking of Yul Brynner...
The King and I (1956)
I love the costumes for this production for it's perceptions of culture clash.
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Can I just say, in the case of Ancient Egypt, I am so GLAD the costumes are inaccurate
Speaking of incredibly sexy male costumes:
absolutely loved the costuming in Much Ado About Nothing. The women were from another time and era, and, well, it's Shakespeare and I almost always cut slack for that playwright.
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If you want to see the house, you still can. It's up in the Malibu Creek State Park, and it is used as a administrative building. Not much to see inside, but the outside is still recognizable.
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Excalibur
Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart.. Helen Mirren .. Ciaran Hinds --who knew then how far they would go?
And Wagner themes.. thank you, John Boorman and costume designer Bob Ringwood
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Cecil B DeMille was a showman, not a historian. But he tried to bring us ancient Egypt with The Ten Commandments.
I watch Ann Baxter chewing up the scenery with her Betty Page hair and custom Princess frocks, it's just so wonderfully 50s sword and sandal about it..
I have never seen better body armor on men until.....
Stay tuned.
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I didn't say I couldn't suspend my disbelief, I said I kept being jarred out of the film. That doesn't mean I turn the movie off. Many of my favorite movies have wildly inaccurate costumes, but usually it takes a few viewings to "get used to" the wild inaccuracies. I know, I'm what Katherine Hepburn called "an intellectual snob", but I was raised by a professional costumer. I can't help it. If I was raised by a professional lighting designer I'd be distracted by bad lighting. If I was raised by a horse trainer I'd be mad at bad horse riding. Etc, etc, etc.
Going back to favorites, love this little number from BALL OF FIRE (huge pic for some reason, sorry):
I LIKE BIG PICS and I CANNOT LIE!!
(I think the song goes something like that)
You notice costumes, James notices guitar music, I focus on sound in general for that is what my son works on in post. Sound designs are very layered for the right effect.
I loved the pics from The Egyptian as well, though for accuracy their clothing would be too sheer for Legion of Decency.
Pretty good. Left you a pm..
Off Topic: Favorite Music?
in Your Favorites
Posted
Thanks, GayDivorcee. You helped me make a connection I had wondered about for years..Note the :55 mark..
Funny Bones