lzcutter

I wonder if GWTW was originally filmed this way, or if the print has faded? It doesn't seem like a mere faded version, the color is still vibrant, but it's got light and shade, instead of just full-on in-your-face color. I love the olive-green and brown tones in some of the scenes. >> Melanie, Here's a post I did last year regarding the prints of GWTW: Regarding GWTW and Technicolor, an archive group that I am a member of, had a long discussion about this very matter awhile back. This group is made up of primarily archivists, film historians and such. The gist I gathered from that conversation is that there are at least 7 different prints of GWTW that have been done over the years. 1 The original nitrate that had the color controlled by Natalie Kalmus at Technicolor. This print might appear with more saturated yellows if not projected on a carbon arc projector which was the norm for projecting back in the day. 2 A 1954 re-release where the color was much more saturated per Selznick's instructions and without Kalmus' input. 3 A 1961 re-release with saturated color and mag sound. The mag sound is now prone to vinegar syndrome. This was the 100th anniversary of the start of the Civil War and a reissue was done to commerate the date according to press releases from that time. Others say it was re-issued because The Ten Commandments had surpassed GWTW as the top box office film of all time and MGM put it back in circulation to maintain its #1 status. Is said to have been made from the 1954 re-issue master neg. 4 A 1967 re-issue in Eastman Color and blown up to 1:85. Was said to be nothing special. Others maintain that it was made from the 1954 re-issue master neg. 5 A circa 1974 reissue. 6 A 1989 50th anniversary reissue that many refer to as "infamous" and "toned down" in terms of color. Is said not to look like any of the other prints. Some say it was intentionally printed that way on orders from higher up the food chain. 7 A 1997 reissue which was Cinemascope and a dye-transferred Technicolor print. The master used for this reissue was the "infamous" 1989 master. 8 The recent WHV DVD boxed set (2005) is said to be the best of the transfers since 1954 but often what happens with artifacts and such are the legacy of previous printing and restoration. As for the color of the print that TCM is showing, I would think it would be from the most recent restoration in 2005.

Welcome back, daddysprimadonna! We have missed you!

We can go on arguing semantics for days, weeks, months, if you like.>> No, I'm done.

The point I was trying to make is that Eastwood was not an unknown actor when he worked for Leone. Leone knew of his work from Rawhide and some of the other films he had made while at Universal. By hiring Eastwood, Leone was hoping to appeal to more than the Italian film goers. He wanted to make films that would be seen by movie goers all over the world. The Dollar series made that possible. Hiring Eastwood helped make that possible. Americans certainly knew who Eastwood was, just as we knew who Steve McQueen, James Garner and Eric Fleming were because of their work on television. Working with Leone made it possible for Eastwood to say good-bye to television work and work in movies. The westerns he made with Leone certainly propelled his career upward and made it possible to work with his mentor, Don Siegel. Message was edited by: lzcutter

BHFan, Western Front is one of the great anti-war films of all time. I am glad that you finally had the chance to see this terrific film. Just curious, what were the other two films that got you crying?

Well he'd certainly have been an unknown to anyone who didn't watch television!>> Well the number of people who watched television back then was huge. Much more so than watches television today and today we have almost 100x the channels.

Just got back from seeing Dreamgirls. Supporting Oscars to Eddie Murphy (it's been sooo long since he had an adult role to sink his teeth into we almost forgot how good he can be in a dramatic role) and Jennifer Hudson. The woman has a wonderful voice and you feel for her every step of the way on her way up and down the ladder. Added bonus: Danny Glover who I did not realize was in the movie.

Kyle, Thanks for posting this. It is one of the regrettable things that has come to pass with the ceremony. I don't understand why it is becoming a popularity contest. "Oh, Oh, I recognize or knew that person." They all helped contribute to film making and should all be recognized equally for their contributions.

Hollis, Another good one is The Americanization of Emily with Julie Andrews and James Garner. And if you haven't seen it, The Great Escape! Also, I know there are those here who don't like it (and it took subsequent viewings for me to appreciate it) but Gladiator is a another. Also, Geronimo with Wes Studi, Robert Duval and Jason Patric. Not John Ford but good.

Cinemascope, When the Autrey Center for the American West did an exhibit on Leone last year, Clint Eastwood was one of the actors most prominently featured in the video interviews that accompanied the exhibit.

Hollis, One of the best films on Vietnam is a little seen but widely acclaimed film starring Burt Lancaster called Go Tell the Spartans.

Hollis, From the 1920s until the late 1940s, each studio owned theaters. There would be a Fox Theater, a Warner'sTheater, a Paramount Theater in cities around the country. In Los Angeles there was a Warner's Theater downtown and one in Hollywood. By owning the theaters and supplying films to the theaters the studios were often able to off-set the cost of productions. The studios would often block book a theater or pre-sell a film. By pre-selling the film, the studios had a practice of collecting up-front money from other theater owners for films not yet in production. Pretty clever, heh? Other theater owners did not like the fact that often the best movies were booked into studio owned theaters and not offered to the other owners until the films had run their course. They would become available in second runs but by then the majority of people had seen them and box office receipts were not as profitable. In 1948, the Supreme Court passed down the ruling that the studios had to get out of the exhibition/theater business because it represented restraint of trade. Some studios such as Paramount, split their business in two. But, because the studios no longer had the profits coming in from their own theaters, there was less money for new films to be produced. Many consider this to be one of the main reasons that the studio system began to decline. I'm sure Cinesage, Kyle, JackBurley and others can add information about this.

Leone's films almost take place in a universe of their own, so in any event anything that Eastwood could have thought of would have had to fit into Leone's vision, wouldn't you say?>> Of course. I'm not trying to argue with you. I'm just trying to say that Eastwood might have had some suggestions for his character. I'm not saying he suggested camera angles or story or directing style to Leone. Just that, like all actors, known and unknown, he might have had some suggestions for his character. Film making is a collaborative effort and a good director is open to ideas from his cast and crew. He can decide to use them or not, that's his prerogative as director.

I didn't think we were arguing semantics. I'm not trying to suggest that Eastwood created his Man With No Name persona. I'm just trying to suggest that, like most actors, he may have had some ideas about the characters motivation, back story and mannerisms. If he had, he likely would have talked with Leone about it. Leone might have agreed or not. All actors I have known over the years have ideas about their characters. Some are valid suggestions and some aren't. It is up to the director to decide whether or not the actor is on the money or not. That's all.

Yes and Yes. Have been watching the yearly ceremony since the mid-1960s and have never missed a year. Don't know if that makes me a dedicated film buff or crazy or both.

Now perhaps it takes longer because those same video masters would no longer seem acceptable, people are getting used to sharper images and restored masters, and many also expect some extras>> It's not so much that the video masters are unacceptable these days as it is that the technology has changed so much since those video masters were made. A good number of those video masters are on analog video masters and today they need to be digital video masters. If done right, should make the new digital masters even better looking than the older analog masters. But, as Cinemascope wrote, it will take time to remaster all these films to digital tape. It is an expensive undertaking and if restoration is involved, it can be very labor intensive as well.

Mr Dash, In the upper right hand corner of every post that you create are two icons. The one to the left is an edit button. You can click on that icon and it will bring your reply up in the message box and allow you to correct any mistakes. When finished, just click save at the bottom of the page and your edited post will reappear as part of the thread.

Is there any chance that The Plow That Broke the Plains will be playing anytime soon? I just finished reading Tim Egan's book "The Worst Hard Time: The Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl". One of the stories in the book is of Bam White and his family. Bam White is the man at the plow in the film. He wasn't paid very much for being in the film but it helped his family survive the Dust Bowl. He was ridiculed by his neighbors for being in the film. He was not really a farmer but a cowboy. But he took the job because he needed the money. He died within a year of making the film probably from dust pneumonia. Would love to see the film.

This is not impossible, but not any more likely than any other unknown actor giving "tips" to any director..>> I don't know that having suggestions about a character that an actor is portraying is giving tips to the director. Most actors have ideas about a character's backstory and how they might react in a scene. Often they will confer with the director and sometimes, the director will agree and film it that way as well as his way. Collaborating with the director in that regard is what I was referring to.

One of the most beautiful but can't recall the last time it was used is the Los Angeles Theater. >> Filmlover, The LA Conservancy each summer co-hosts "Last Remaining Seats" . They show classic films in a series of movie palaces around town. Last summer they were able to screen either "Star is Born" with Garland or "Rebel" at the Los Angeles Theater. The interior of that movie palace has to be seen to be believed. I had the good fortune many years ago to go inside. It's where I learned to always check out the bathrooms of art deco places. The womens bathroom downstairs at the Los Angeles is huge and so ornate! They even had a periscope so that women could go down there and smoke and not miss the movie. They piped the sound of the movie into the bathrooms so moviegoers could keep up with the action. You'd probably love Last Remaining Seats. Besides the Los Angeles, they are able to hold screenings in The Tower, the Orpheum and others.

Filmlover, It's the one theater Mr Cutter and I always go to. I love the customer service, the lack of ads, the ushers staying to make sure the film is projected properly. I love the fact that they came to their senses and kept the Cinerama Dome. I used to enjoy going to the Chinese but traffic around there has gotten so bad that I haven't been there since it all became Hollywood and Highland. I forgot to add that I also like their Filmmaker Series and their AFI series where once a week (I think it's Tuesday evenings) they screen an older film in one of the theaters. Message was edited by: lzcutter

Filmlover, I think that's because of the restoration. I used to love going to the Egyptian in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s because the auditorium (with a balconey) was so large. But when the American Cinemateque took over, they carved the original theater up and added the small performance space in the back where Charles Phoenix does his Holiday and Summer Slide shows. When they added the speakers along the side that also carved up the auditorium. It was a great old theater though it was very run down even thirty years ago. I salute the Cinemateque for restoring it and keeping it open. I just wish they had done a better job on the auditorium.

Mr Dash, I would hope that instead of deleting your posts, you would hang around the boards. Deleting your posts will throw the board into chaos because each thread that you have posted to will go to the top of the list and it will look like you have responded to a new post in those threads. We had a poster here last summer who went through and deleted almost 500 of his posts. It took days and caused a great deal of chaos and grumpiness. I know that you have not been made to feel very welcome here and you have been called names. We aren't always as polite as we should be here but I hope that you will give us a second chance.

Anne, The city going west stretches now almost out to Calico Basin and will likely stretch to Red Rock Canyon before its done. On the eastern side, at night the lights of Green Valley and Henderson can be seen from Sloan (the little place just before you round the bend into Las Vegas on the 15). They are closing Nevada Landing in April to make way for multi-use housing and retail. Someday, I suspect, the city will go all the way to Stateline (Primm). Ben, I agree about Viva Las Vegas! It is a wonderful film filled with places that aren't there anymore.

No, I was just giving you my reason for not including One From the Heart. Artistic renditions or natural looking, all responses are welcome.