film lover 293

TopBilled--Black Sunday was Mario Bavas' third film--it's based on the Russian novel The Vij by Gogol (am not certain of the novel, Am certain of the author. Film opens as three witches are about to be dispatched; the film is a masterpiece of mood and atmosphere; film has 84% "fresh" rating on rottentomatoes.com. Film is an Essential for horror film lovers, IMHO. LawrenceA--"Bells Are Ringing" is Judy Hollidays last film musical. It's based on her 1956 Broadway hit of the same name. The soundtrack should be available for free listening on YT & other sources. That listing is purely emotional; film starts out well but is uneven: like the Broadway play, it depends on Hollidays' energy & humor to get to the finish line. "Comanche Station" is a Budd Boetticher western with Randolph Scott; the plot has to do with recovering a captive from Indians. It's a good film--most of BBs' are.

1960: Most choices need no explanation 1.) "Psycho" 2.) "The Apartment" 3.) "Black Sunday"--Maybe Barbara Steele's best performance; she's in a dual role here. 4.) "The Unforgiven"--John Huston film about prejudice tries to be a Social Statement and a good old western. I understand Huston hated the film but he succeeds on both counts; Audrey Hepburn is cast against type in her only Western. If TCM hasn't shown it, a film worth searching out and seeing. 5.) "Elmer Gantry"--Burt Lancaster won an Oscar. 6.) "Village of the Damned"--understated British horror film. Very good. 7,) "Spartacus" 8.) "Two Women" 9.) "Comanche Station" 10.) "Bells Are Ringing"--Judy Hollidays' last film.

The 1950's favorite films: 1.) "Some Like It Hot" 2.) "Singin' In The Rain" 3.) "The Bandwagon" 4.) " North By Northwest" 5.) "To Catch a Thief" 6.) "The African Queen" 7.) "The Man Who Knew Too Much" 8.) "The Nuns' Story" 9.) "Funny Face" 10.) "Kiss Me Deadly"

1959--A mixed bag: 1.) "Some Like It Hot--perfect farce, down to Marilyn Monroes' high heels. 2.) "North By Northwest"--Hitchcock pours all the magic of his lighter films into a bottle, and NBN explodes the bottle--darn near perfect film. 3.) "On The Beach"--beautiful performances all around, especially Ava Gardner; Fred Astaire is a revelation. Cast seems convinced they are making a Statement, & for once that attitude works. 4.) "The Nuns' Story"--Long film, but every inch works; possibly has Audrey Hepburns' finest, certainly most thoughtful performance. 5.) "Anatomy of a Murder"-- Remarkably explicit (they actually discuss panties as evidence, plus the womans' lifestyle) lawyer, trial film. Career performances from Lee Remick & James Stewart. 6.) "The Hanging Tree"--Gary Cooper's final great western: aside from a theme song with lousy lyrics, nothing to complain about in this film. 7.) "The Mouse That Roared"-- Wonderful political satire, with Peter Sellers in three roles. A delight. 8.) "Suddenly, Last Summer"--Tennessee Williams interpreted by an expert cast. 9.) "Ben-Hur 10.) "Operation Petticoat"--Cary Grant could play his part asleep, but it's wonderful to see Tony Curtis' talents as a farceur--enjoyable watch.

"War of The Worlds" (1953)--Oscar winning Special Effects claim pride of place in this George Pal produced film. After them are the score, the films' pace, then the actors. They are competent enough to give the script believability, and that's all that's required. The film is a grand show; one of the best sci-fi movies of the 1950's. 9/10 stars.

LawrenceA-- "A Night to Remember" is based on the Walter Lord book about the sinking of the Titanic. The film is not Special Effects driven (it doesn't let them get in the way of the story). Is almost in a documentary style, as it follows passengers and crew from embarking on a train to take them to the ship, to their fates. "The Reluctant Debutante"--A Vincente Minnelli comedy where British parents Kay Kendall & Rex Harrison are preparing their Americanized daughter, Sandra Dee, for formal introduction to Society. Angela Lansbury & Kay Kendall are standouts in this film. "Party Girl"--Was featured on last weekend of "Summer of Darkness". Robert Taylor as a crippled, crooked lawyer who works for the Mob, and Cyd Charisses' showgirl fall in love & try to go "clean". "Damn Yankees" is a musical with Tab Hunter and Gwen Verdon about a baseball player who sells his soul to the Devil for a championship season. This is the musical featuring the song "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets". Stars Ray Walston as the Devil. Fun watch.

TopBilled--"The Big Country" is overlong, IMHO--but the Jerome Moross score is fine, and Burl Ives is excellent.

1958: 1.) "Vertigo" 2.) "A Night To Remember" 3.) "I Want To Live" 4.) "Man of The West" 5.) "Gigi" 6.) "The Reluctant Debutante" 7.) "Party Girl"--Noir with Robert Taylor & Cyd Charisse both doing a good job. 8.) "The Horror of Dracula" 9.) "Damn Yankees" 10.) "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" 11.) "The Big Country--Love Jerome Moross score, and Burl Ives won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, but TBC badly needs editing--but couldn't leave this film unlisted.

1957: 1.) "Paths of Glory" 2.) "Sweet Smell of Success" 3.) "Witness For The Prosecution" 4.) "A Face in The Crowd" 5.) "Night/Curse of the Demon" 6.) "Funny Face" 7.) "Fear Strikes Out" 8.) "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison"--Deborah Kerr as a nun and Robert Mitchum as a marine are shipwrecked on a Japanese-held Pacific island during WW II. 9.) "The Wrong Man" 10.) tie; "The Pajama Game" & "Silk Stockings"--The first is another well sung musical, but with a good script; the second is Cole Porters' last really good score (with the exception of a parody of rock and roll, well sung by all, with some wonderful dancing by Astaire & Cyd Charisse, IMHO.

The first and Best (IMHO) James Bond--Sean Connery. I wish he'd come back and make another film or two.

speedracer5--You missed one similarity. Both My Fair Lady & Gigi have at least one main character speaking his songs instead of singing them: Rex Harrison as Professor Higgins (in stage musical & film of MFL, and Maurice Chevalier as Lachaille Sr. & Louis Jourdan as Gaston in Gigi. Plotwise, you've hit the nail on the head. Both Eliza and Gigi are being taught "manners"; that's the centerpiece of the plot in both films, although TikiSoo is correct, IMHO, in the major distinction of language. That's all I can be certain of without seeing Gigi (1958) again

"Cat-Women of the Moon" (1953)--Film is just over an hour long, & is still too long. Film is notable for another early Elmer Bernstein score, & he was improving fast. Score fits the mood of the scene now, doesn't dominate it. Film has too many stupidities to list, but a few: gravity in the spaceship and on the moon; crew of the space ship goes around the moon minus space suits in regular clothing; One intentionally (I Think) amusing note: shots of spaceship traveling across the screen are animation, of some sort. 4/10 stars.

1956: 1.) "The Searchers"--John Waynes' best performance. 2.) "The Man Who Knew Too Much"--Hitchcocks' remake of his own film. 3.)" Bhowani Junction"--George Cukor directed this Ava Gardner film,and Gardner gave one of her best performances in this; the Code and MGM ripped film apart in the editing room. Despite the interference, film is still very good and worth searching out if TCM hasn't shown it. 4.) "The Killing"--Lean, taut, noir from Stanley Kubrick. 5.) "The Harder They Fall"--Fast moving, hopeful noir; Bogarts' last film, & he exited with style. 6.) "Bus Stop"--Marilyn Monroe is pitch perfect as a Ozarks girl who sings at a run-down bar who wants to go to Hollywood. 7.) "High Society"; Sinatra, Crosby, & Louis Armstrong sing a Cole Porter score. 8.) "The Rainmaker"--Katharine Hepburn & Burt Lancaster strike sparks in this drama set during a drought. 9. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers--classic sci-fi/anti McCarthyism film 10.) "The King and I"--Rodgers & Hammerstein film I love. An oddity-- "Invitation to the Dance--film is divided into 3 stories. There is no dialogue in the film;emotions are conveyed by dance and music The first has nothing wrong--when Kelly's off-screen. His attempts at pathos via yanking the tears out of the tear ducts don't work--at least for me. I started counting the dance moves I had previously seen and thought about what film they were from. Second section is okay, except for a section with Kelly and a girl outside; That's the first section of the film to really take off and work. Third section has him dancing with kids and cartoons; Finally, the film leaves the ground and works, for the final 20 minutes. Film is flawed, but is nowhere near as bad as its reputation.

1955: 1.) "The Night of the Hunter" 2.) "Kiss Me Deadly" 3.) "The Big Knife" 4.) "Lady and the Tramp" 5.) "I'll Cry Tomorrow--Susan Hayward did her own singing, if I remember correctly; & the drama is very well done. 6.) "To Catch a Thief"--Hitchcock fluff that is just as funny the 15th time as the 1st time I've seen it. 7.) "Love Me or Leave Me"--Arguably Doris Days' best performance, and James Cagney matches her. 8.) "The Quatermass Xperiment/The Creeping Unknown--nifty little horror item from Britain; TQX is the British title, TCU the U.S. title, according to YT. According to TCM credits, Jack Warner (of Warner Bros. Studio) played one of the leading parts, by arrangement with J. Arthur Rank Org. 9.) "Untamed"--Susan Hayward & Tyrone Power in what was intended to be the GWTW of South Africa. 10.) 3 way tie: "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing", "Marty", & "The Big Combo.

LawrenceA, about three of your 'not seens": "Dangerous When Wet--Is an Esther Williams underwater musical--you might enjoy the live action/cartoon number where she's partnered with Tom & Jerry. "Deep In My Heart--a biography of Sigmund Romberg, a composer who wrote operettas (possibly his best known is Maytime); Ann Miller does a frenetic Charleston in this. White Christmas--cliched film with a wonderful Irving Berlin score. If you want to hear first rendition of White Christmas, see "Holiday Inn (1942)--As far as I know, the motel chain was named after the film, for some unknown (to me) reason.

LornaHansonForbes--TBC sounds worse than "Madame X (1966), where Lanas' Mother-In-Law looks like a teenager in the first long shots, and then gets next to Lana, and STILL looks younger than La Lana (Constance Bennett, who played MIL, died of a stroke before Madame X was released).

1954: 1.) Rear Window--If possible, see on a theatre screen; it's like watching a different movie. I caught the 1999 re-release and Still remember scenes! 2.) Seven Brides for Seven Brothers--one of the best musicals that uses dance as storytelling. 3.) The Court Jester--"the chalice from the palace"... 4.) Beat the Devil--Jennifer Jones as a compulsive liar is hysterically funny--so is the film. 5.) Johnny Guitar--Talk about subtext! 6.) The Naked Jungle--Charlton Heston snarls, Eleanor Parker plays piano, but stick it out for the last 50 minutes, because Then film takes off. 7.) Sabrina 8.) The Caine Mutiny 9.) Them! 10.) Deep In My Heart--biography of Sigmund Romberg. Those who dislike operettas/non PC material are Warned. Finally, a question: Do we rate the "A Star Is Born version that was released in 1954, or the restored version?? I wasn't sure, so left it off my list. Thanks for answering.

1953: 1.) "The Bandwagon" 2.) "From Here To Eternity" 3.) "The Big Heat" 4.) "The War of the Worlds" 5.) "The Naked Spur" 6.) "Roman Holiday" 7.) "Kiss Me Kate" 8.) "House of Wax" 9.) "Stalag 17" 10.) "Angel Face" 1953 Finds--all available on YT: Cartoon version of "The Tell-Tale Heart", narrated by James Mason. The Disney cartoon "For Whom The Bull Toils"--Goofy becomes a matador. William Cameron Menzies film "The Maze"; Marvelous low-budget thriller with high- budget camerawork: you decide what to think of ending. Read TCM's credits before seeing; TM was released in 3-D, and credits are almost unreadable.

"The Blue Lagoon" (1949) versus 1981 version: 1949's has lovely Jean Simmons, & Donald Houston, both of whom could act. 1981's has Brooke Shields (who was learning), & Christopher Atkins, who couldn't. "Tarzan, The Ape Man" (1932), with Johnny Weissmuller & Maureen O'Sullivan vs. 1981's version, with Miles O'Keeffe & Bo Derek--Eye candy aplenty in both, but Maureen could act & Bo couldn't--1981's version is BOring. "The Wicker Man" (1973), with Christopher Lee, vs. 2006, with Nicholas Cage--1973's version is elegant and musical; the horror aspect gradually creeps up on the viewer. 2006's version is anything but elegant. "The Haunting" (1963) vs. 1999's remake of the same name. 1963's film is maybe The best ever haunted house story ever put on film (arguable point, I know); 1999's remake is one of the Worst remakes ever (and one of the Noisiest). Ugh! (I paid money to see it, unfortunately). "The House on Haunted Hill" (1958), with Vincent Price vs, 1999 abomination of the same name. Vincent Price wins, in a stroll: 1999 version (again, which I paid to see--ARRRGGHHH!!!) is the NoIsiest ******* remake of all Time--my ears rang for a week after this film ended!

April 2nd--"Valley of the Kings" (1954)--Robert Taylor film I've missed April 3rd--Two Oscar Micheaux silents that show a black mans' view of Reconstruction and its events--and the organization swathed in white sheets (AutoCensor won't let me use the actual name), April 6th--Arturo de Cordova night--"New Orleans (1947, Billie Holliday and Louis Armstrong & Woody Strode & I don't know how many other Jazz Greats are in the film) & "Incendiary Blonde" (1945, Betty Hutton as Texas Guinan) in particular. April 10th--"The Glass Slipper(1955)--a musical I missed. April 13th--"It's Always Fair Weather"(1955) April 14th "The Big Cube"--Lana + LSD. Have never found this. April 24th--"Picnic at Hanging Rock" (1975)--Victorian Gothic I have never found--hope it's as fascinating as I've read/heard it is. April 26th-- The Bat (1930) & Her Majesty, Love 1931--both get a Maltin rating of One and a half stars, so I Have to see them; TB because Vincent Price was in the 1959 remake, HML because it's one of the few films Marilyn Miller made (I believe Judy Garland played her in "Till the Clouds Roll By" (1946). The selection of Garland as SOTM just means I'll be up all night a few nights to catch her films I've seen less than 20 times, LOL.

The restoration of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1919) TCM showed in Sept. 2015 was put together from EIGHT different prints: this film introduced surrealism and the idea that the camerawork, settings (and actual sets) could be used to evoke a sense of disproportion/feeling the insanity of the characters. This film won't be in viewable condition forever. See it while it's available. This is the granddaddy of surrealism and horror film (that lasts over an hour).

LawrenceA--replying to your post about "10.000 Films To See Before You Die"; Yes, I care. It lets people with more than a passing interest in film know which films to see in genre(s) they have next -to-no-clue about ; using Myself as example, that would be foreign films, excepting Alfred Hitchcock's British films; and SansFin--that's why I want your foreign film picks. I'd never have thought of "The Inspector General" as anything but a 1949 Danny Kaye film if I hadn't seen your pick in an earlier post. And, I, for one appreciate All help in sorting through Must See foreign film and can wait till later foreign film. I hope this post makes sense.

1952: 1.) "Singin' In The Rain" 2.) "The Quiet Man" 3.) " Pat and Mike" 4.) "Ivanhoe" 5.) "High Noon" 6.) "Son of Paleface"--Bob Hope & Jane Russell teamed again, & they're even funnier than in the first film (The Paleface, 1948). Plus they get to sing the Oscar winning "Buttons and Bows" again. One of Hopes' last Really funny films; Russell was underrated as a comedienne, IMHO. 7.) "With a Song in My Heart"--soaper with songs, but enormously effective. 8.) "Five Fingers"--A very effective James Mason movie. 9.) "The Narrow Margin" 10.) Tie--"The Crimson Pirate" (great put-on of pirate dramas--Burt Lancaster does all his own stunts--Wonderful fun; and "We're Not Married!" (multiple story comedy that's better than I remembered it-are multiple copies of WNM on YT. Guilty Pleasure--Macao.

"Robot Monster" (1953)--This film is notable for two things: it has one of Elmer Bernsteins' first scores (which is a Lot better than the film deserves) and there is a "Billion Bubble Machine" in the villains' ( a man in a gorilla suit with a diving helmet over his head) cave. Film is unbelievably dumb. I was grateful for the ten minutes or so of stock footage of various dinosaurs fighting; that left only fifty minutes for the original(?) footage. Is supposed to be funny (and the bubble machine/death ray is), but otherwise film is a pain in the *** to watch. 3/10 stars; One for Bernsteins' score, one for the "Billion Bubble Machine", & one for the ten minutes of dinosaurs fighting. Are multiple copies on YT.

Thanks for the correction, jamesjazzguitar, Yes I meant Cronyn.