LornaHansonForbes

TSAR is the SEINFELD of its time. they're both about nothing.

and I think I mentioned this to you the last time you brought it up, but THE BREAKiNG POiNT is an excellent movie. Do not miss it.

I v never e s o much as even seen a Nazi! Well, you might without your even realizing it. They look like other people and act like other people- when its to their benefit. HE WAS AN OBSCENITY ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH! THE STENCH OF BURN ING FLESH WAS ONHIS CLOTHES!! KillMe,Killme Iwant you to!! Franz Kindler Icouldn't face life knowing what I've been to you and what i've done To Noah!But when you kill me,don'tyou you dare put your hands on me! Here! Use this! Tricks, that's All you know is tricks! I don't need any tricks!! And no matter what happens to me, tricks won't do YOU any good. You're finished HERR FRANZ KINDLER!! Who would think to look for the notorious Franz Kindler in the sacred precincts of the Harper School,surrounded by the sons of America's First Families?And I'll stay hidden - til the day we strikeagain.Mankind is waiting forthe Messiah,but forthe German,the Messiah isntthe Prince of Peace No,he's... ANOTHER HITLER. Mrs. Rankin, have you ever heard of a man named Franz Kindler? Oh, Mrs. Rankin?...pleasant dreams orson welles loretta young edward g. robinson in the stranger an Orson Welles film.

It's actually GAY LAW you know, Article III, Paragraph IV: Should CONTRACTEE encounter, at any time, one LIZA MINELLI, who in turn, requests sexual services from CONTRACTEE, CONTRACTEE is legally bound to provide sexual services for the duration of time requested by Miss Minelli, not exceeding a period of eighteen (18) months. (They can kick you out if you don't comply.)

Muller gave CRISS-CROSS a good sell, and I liked it (and want to see it again) but it tested my patience with the hospital scene...and I have to say, I'm not as big a fan of Robert Siodmak as Muller is ( and by this, I mean his resume on a whole, I do think CRISS CROSS was a well-directed film with some nice directotial flourishes as is THE KILLERS.) I do think it pulled everything together really well for the ending though- although, overall, it has a touch of a Radio Suspense drama to it- a set-up where you know from the start that it's going to end bad for the protagonist, the only mystery element being just a matter of how they're gonna get it....Like THE KILLERS, there's kind of a "snuff" quality to it. Muller gives a more critical look at CRISS CROSS in his book DARK CITY, devoting two pages to it and acknowledging its flaws (mainly with concern to suspension of disbelief about some of the harder-to-swallow elements of the film) but he does an interesting comparison of the film to its 1995 remake THE UNDERNEATH, which according to him, explored the motivations of the characters to death and tried too hard to bring the story "down to earth" and mentally digestable for a modern audience.

...although I will tack on that not only did Gene Tierney not have enough screen time, neither (at least in the first half) did Jean Simmons (who was maybe top-billed in this thing?) it was very frustrating that the two weakest actors of the lot by a good margin (Darvi and Wilding) had so much screen time when pretty much everyone else was on point- right down to the supporting players (Carradine, Daniell, Ustinov etc.)

It is one of the many sad facts in the life of Gene Tierney that, while she was still doing big movies into the 1950's, her presence in many of them is distractingly minimal. Besides THE EGYPTIAN, I can think of two other films- NIGHT AND THE CITY (which is terrific) and BLACK WIDOW (which is not)- where she appears for less than 20 minutes in each. I know this was due to her mental problems, and in many ways it was (allegedly) Zanuck trying to help her out by keeping her semi-occupied, but in many cases it is maddening- because when Gene Tierney is in a film, you want to look at Gene Tierney. But- back to THE EGYPTIAN, I was dogsitting this past week and staying at an employer's house, which i HAD to get straight as they were coming back that afternoon, so I was forced to walk away from THE EGYPTIAN after an hour and some time- but I kept it on the television. Later on, I was walking past the screen and a woman was talking to Victor Mature- and her voice was so HARD and commanding, I stopped and listened and wondered "who is that?" on looking in close, I saw it was Gene Tierney.....and is there any higher compliment you can pay an actor than you did not at first recognize them in a role? i'm sorry i couldn't stick around for the ending. ps- it's worth noting that Mature and Tierney worked together before in 1941 on THE SHANGHAI GESTURE, which is a deliciously bad movie in which Tierney gives a fascinating failure of a performance. Mature isn't very good in it either, but- y'know- I don't think he was as bad an actor as he did. There's a lot of films where I think he's downright good.

By the way, has anyone mentioned the UTTERLY STUNNING** news that Joel Grey dropped on the world a few months back by coming out of the closet??? ** and "UTTERLY STUNNING" I mean "UTTERLY STUNNING to anyone who hasn't seen him for about a minute in CABARET."

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Are we talking Burt Lancaster or Fred Gwynne?

FROM IMDB TRIVIA SECTION: Marlon Brando was initially signed to appear opposite Bella Darvi in the film. From the time of the first script read-through, the pair disliked each other. Darvi, cast as the courtesan Nefer, was also jeered by more experienced star Jean Simmons, who laughed with other cast members that Darvi was "an actress who 'nefer' was." Just as filming was to start, Brando refused to make the film, his agent telling studio head Darryl F. Zanuck: "He doesn't like the director, he doesn't like the role. And he can't stand Bella Darvi!" Dirk Bogarde was offered the role, but turned it down. Edmund Purdom was finally cast in role of Sinuhe, the physician. Burn.

And Tierney was a revelation, totally different from anything I've seen her do before. please encore this one soon TCM.

btw, thanks for starting this thread. i have ten million things i need to be doing today and instead, I watched a good part of THE EGYPTIAN before I JUST HAD to start getting some work done. I have to admit I am not terribly partial to a lot of the technicolor religious EPICS of the fifties, but this one hooked me in. Aside from the weakness of the male lead**...who I didnt recognize, it was a big, bright Jolly Rancher candy cube of a movie- just brilliant colors everywhere and pretty fun to watch...Michael Curtiz didn't always make great films, but with rare exception, they are by and large not boring- things are always moving moving moving in a Curtiz film. John Carradine was wonderful in a small part in a wonderful scene, talking grains of sand outliving us all, shatterng the superstitious faith of the Hero who- correct me if I am wrong- is Moses? (Like I said I couldn't finish it. And I don't have DVR.) ** i IMDB'D it. It's Michael Wilding. Makes sense.

SWITHIN: "although in the context of this week's news I'm not sure the lion scenes would be appreciated, though that wicked lion near the beginning of the film was about to attack Pharaoh. (end quote) I know right! This Lion also seemed to have a black mane as well. Eerie. I will, however add that that scene was really well done and far better nad more believable than the scene where Victor Mature has to make like Bela Lugosi with the Octopus with a lion skin rug in SAMSON AND DELILILAH.

an outtake from Joan's Guest Programmer interview with Bob: You don't talk smack about June Allyson in front of Bob. You just don't.

I'm just thrilled to know what a PITA is now.

Ah, of course.

She kind of looks like a hammerhead shark to me (the eyes are real far apart.)

1999 -- Dustin Hoffman. 2000 -- Harrison Ford. 2001 -- Barbra Streisand. 2003 -- Robert De Niro. 2005 -- George Lucas. 2006 -- Sir Sean Connery. 2007 -- Al Pacino. 2008 -- Warren Beatty the 1999-2008 inductees are a dubious lot, and with the exception of Hoffman- I think I see a trend in honoring actors and filmmakers who NO ONE WANTED TO WORK WITH ANYMORE* and whose output in the years surrounding the induction was poor to non-existant. Salve for the wounds anyone? *- I'm looking at you, Barbra and Warren. .

Katharine Hepburn was never inducted?!

M EL TING I'MMEL TING.OH WHATAWORLD WHATTAWORLD! WHO WOULD'VE EVER THOUGHT A GOOD LITTLE GIRL LIKE YOU COULD DESTROY MYBEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL WICKED NESS !!! L LOOKOUTLOOKO L O O LOOK OUT! LOOK OUT! O O K OUT! I'M GOING! I'M GOING! K OUT !!! I'MGOING I'M GOING! !!! YOU CURSED BRAT! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! I'M MELTING MELLLLLTING!!! OHWHATAWORLDWHATAWORLDWHATAWORLDWHATAWORLD WHATAWORLDWHATAWORLDWHATAWORLDWHATAWORLDWHATAWORLD WHATAWORLDWHATAWORLDWHATAWORLDWHATAWORLDWHATAWORLDWHATAWORLD

And don't forget THE PINK PANTHER and CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN...and vicariously CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN 2: THE UN-CALLED FOR.

and as a side note, i have noticed it makes a big difference whether you're viewing these images on a big computer screen or a small phone screen- the small phone screen makes the ones shaped like things turn out not right, but the abstract pieces actually look better on a phone screen.

D A R K CITY TooLateForTears! thestrangeloveof MARTHA IVERS THE ASPHALT JUNGLE Possessed THE SUSPECT THE STRANGER touch of evil IS THE FACE ON THE TRAIN SHE GAVE YOUR VERY FIRST KISS SUDDEN FEAR! THE NAKED CITY CRIME WAVE MANHANDLED The Accused THE THIRD MAN the dark corner cause for DOUBLE INDEMNITY ACE IN THE HOLEshadowofadoubt THE LETTER KEY LARGO KISS ME DEADLY GILDAwhiteheat farewell my lovely out of the past mildred pierce NOTORIOUS THE BIG SLEEP DARK PASSAGE THE BIG HEAT FORCE OF EVIL the hard way the harder Beyond a reason they Fall HE RAN ALL THE WAY BODY AND able Doubt kiss the blood off of my hands I DIED ATHOUSANDTIMES! **** T H E M A L T E S E F A L C O N ***** THE DAMNED DONT ALL RIGHT, I ADMIT IT- THIS ONE DIDN'T TURN OUT QUITE RIGHT, BUT IT TICKLES ME THAT IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A MELTING HERSHEY'S KISS, SO i'M'A'Gonna leave it for now.

It's hard to believe Shirley MacLaine was not inducted until just a few years ago.