lzcutter
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Posts posted by lzcutter
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Anyone think it is a big hole in the schedule that "The Searchers" isn't part of the schedule this month? (Still love ya tcmprogrammr!)>>
Kyle,
CSJ posted in the Films and Filmmakers forum that "The Searchers" current restoration is getting a great deal of thumbs down and that it is slated for another makeover.
That may be a reason why the film isn't being shown this month.
I, too, loved the PBS doc on Wayne and Ford that aired earlier this summer (and is in the Wayne/Ford box set) and the two of them make good companion pieces.
Indifferent to westerns? YIKES!!!
What I learned from westerns:
Honor, that your word is your bond and doing the right thing is more important than being right.
Message was edited by:
lzcutter
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That's it!
Very reminiscent of Tim Burton and "Vincent".
Not sure why they called it "Pilot" but I stayed up for it.
Really liked RZ' s intro to "Freaks" and "Mark of the Vampire".
Say what you (the univeral you) will about his appearance but the guy comes off as knowing his stuff.
The set is straight out of the TCM set department.
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Kyle,
Excellent question. I cannot watch a film that was shot in Monument Valley post-Ford and not see those images.
So, I would think it would be hard for any director to shoot in Monument Valley without asking for comparisons to the Master.
Yet, directors have shot there since Ford established it as his domain. Some have been succesful and others have not.
Sergio Leone went all the way to Spain to find a similar terrain when he began his spaghetti westerns.
So it makes me think there was a cosmic synergy between Ford and MV that expressed itself not only visually but through every frame as if by shooting in MV it added to each character and was a character of its own.
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Good news! Especially for all of us who love Westerns!
Thanks to Martin Scorcese and the Italian Film Community, a restored version of Once Upon in the West is coming:
From the Associated Press
Italian director Sergio Leone's 1968 western classic "Once Upon a Time in the West," like so many films stashed away in storerooms for decades, has not aged well. The common signs: scratches, fading colors and a generalized reddish hue.
But by next fall, the film ? starring Henry Fonda and Claudia Cardinale ? will be restored to its desert blazing glory and ready to be shown at the second Rome Film Festival.
It will be a fitting venue to unveil the rejuvenated western, the first chosen for restoration under a three-year initiative launched this year by the film festival organizers and director Martin Scorsese, an ardent film conservationist, to preserve Italian films. The scope of the initiative, as well as the other films in line for the restoration, were still being worked out.
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The schedule shows that at 12:10am they're going to show Pilot. What is it? A short subject? It only takes 5 minutes and is given the date "2006". No other shorts are shown on the schedule...
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Looked like trailers for TCM Imports, the November overall trailer (which features faith, justice, democracy and bad boys) but not a Pilot or a trailer for a Pilot.
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Or are there some rake-ish Gary Cooper characters with which I am unfamiliar?>>
Kyle,
Probably "The Fountainhead" where you could feel the chemistry between him and Patricia Neal. They had a torrid affair while making the film but Coop decided ultimately to return to his wife Rocky and daughter. The daughter talks about it in the TCM documentary about Cooper's life.
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...go to a movie at whatever time you could and watch it from somewhere in the middle and then stay through the next show to see what you missed.
Yes, wasn't that delightful??
It drove me nuts. I wasn't around in the U.S. when this was the custom, but lived in Italy where it was (and probably still is) the custom to come and go whenever they please. I was appalled at people who would walk in during the last 15 minutes of a movie -- seeing the end before the beginning?>>
Jack,
When I was much younger (has it been almost 40 years now, yes it has), I had no problem with going to a movie and seeing the last few minutes, then watching the second movie on the double bill and then the main feature all the way through even though I had already seen the ending.
When I hit my early twenties I stopped doing that. Now, if there is a movie I really want to see I have to see it from the beginning. With cable and satellite, I often have the option of seeing a film from somewhere in the middle but more often than not, I just can't watch it that way.
"Wonderland" with Val Kilmer about a bloody murder in Laurel Canyon here in LA in the late 1970s is one of the rare exceptions. I caught the movie about a third of the way in was fascinated and then had to turn it off because we were going out. Took about three screenings on satellite, but I finally saw the film from start to finish.
But that is the exception to the rule.
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f she had made it as a big screen star, then perhaps she would never have come to the small screen...?>>
If she had made it as a big screen star, then she might not have married Desi. Which meant there would be Lucy, Jr or Desi, Jr.
There would be no "I Love Lucy", "The Untouchables", "The Danny Thomas Show" and "The Andy Griffith Show" because there would have been no Desilu.
Without Desilu, the evolution of the three camera sitcom performed before a live audience would not have happened when it did, which means Sid Caesar would not have had a show or the career he had. Without Sid Caesar, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, Danny Simon and other writers would have had a harder time breaking into television and ultimately films. Without Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca would not have had the career she had.
Without Desilu, what we consider the first Golden Age of Television would be very different and likely not as memorable.
Without Lucy as a comedic television star there would not be Carol Burnett.
Without "I Love Lucy", would Lucille Ball have been able to sustain the career that Lucy did and mentor and inspire the comedians who came after her?
So, like George Bailey, had Lucille Ball been a big screen star, our ideas of comedy and what is funny would be different, Hollywood history would be different and television history would be very different.
Sometimes, the path that we want so very much is not the path that will lead to a better life and success.
Thankfully, Lucille Ball chose the path, however unwittingly, that led to a better life for all involved.
Message was edited by:
lzcutter because life and live are two different words.
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The two are forever linked in our collective memory.
Last week I watched Electra Glide in Blue and parts of it were shot in Monument Valley and it got me thinking.
Monument Valley is a place of beauty and awe all on its own. However, whenever I see those magnificent spires of nature , it is as if the frames of all films shot there hold the ghosts of Ford's (and the writers) characters.
I can not see those beautiful mesa and spires and NOT see the Stage to Lordsburg with the Ringo Kid (and hear Andy Devine's froggy voice), Nathan Brittles, Ethan Edwards, the look on Martha's face when she realizes it is Ethan coming up the road, Lt. Col Owen Thursday and his ride into history, Mulcahy, Collingwood, O'Rourke, Sgt Tyree, Pony Who Walks, Old Iron Pants and the scene of the Army in the lightning and rain.
Few places in cinema hold so many memories in one location as Monument Valley.
Without Monument Valley, would Ford's westerns be as memorable or did the location help make the westerns so memorable?
"She said she wore it for her sweetheart who was in the Cavalry. Cavalry!"
"Lest we forget"
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Anne,
Old Yeller was a farm dog, but he was raised by Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran. Dorothy McGuire and Fess Parker played the parents.
Old Yeller was very protective of the family, especially when Fess Parker wasn't around.
One day Yeller got into a fight with bear that was rabid. Yeller was trying to protect Kevin Corcoran from being mauled by the bear. The bear mauled Yeller pretty bad but Yeller would have survived his injuries. But not the rabies.
It wasn't because the family didn't take good care of Yeller. I don't remember what era the film was set in (I want to say the late 1880s) but whatever era it was, I don't think rabies vaccines were available.
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the reminders to visit the concession stand, >>
"Let's go out to the lobby, let's go out to the lobby!"
"Let's go out to the lobby and get a bite to eat"
was my favorite with the dancing hot dog, box of popcorn and soda drink.
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Count me as a subtitle fan. Whether it's silents or foreign films, I don't mind reading the subtitles. Much prefer the subtitles in foreign films to the dubbed versions.
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Well, he doesn't have much to say about sophistication and style>>
I'm confused. I thought this one was about how a guy named James Bond became JAMES BOND, Agent 007.
If that's the case, then he shouldn't be stylish and sophisticated right out of the gate. Heck, even JAMES BOND had to learn a few things.
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Does anyone know what or who this might have been, perhaps on AMC?: A man hosting movies from a trailer in an old western setting? I think his name was Billy or Bob something. >>
I believe you are thinking of Joe Bob Briggs. Joe Bob became a pretty good film critic with a couple of books to his credit as well. He used to host movies for the The Movie Channel or Cinemax, as I recall.
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Unfortunately There are no theaters around that show that>>
DrD,
I'm not sure where you live but there are still movie palaces that are showing films. The Catalina Theatre in the Casino building on Catalina Island comes complete with a organ and organist for the before movie entertainment.
Here in Los Angeles, we have the Hollywood Egyptian (belonged to Sid Grauman back in the day), the Aero in Santa Monica, the Warner Theatre down in San Pedro, the Warner Theatre here in Hollywood occasionally opens its door for screenings.
And, of course, the Cinerama Dome.
We still have movie palaces in downtown Los Angeles that open every summer for the Last Remaining Seats film program.
I have seen old movie palaces in San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, San Diego and other cities in California as well.
I saw one in New York City last year as well. So, they do exist. Just not in the numbers they used to. Many have been lovingly restored by volunteer workers and restoration experts.
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How many talented, unemployed American actors can do drama, light comedy, play gay, and get great reviews on Broadway? Tons. At present Nathan Lane came to mind. >>
But Nathan Lane is not likely to get offered the movies that Hugh Jackman does not because Jackman is a foreigner but because Nathan Lane is older than Jackman. Nathan Lane is not going to get offered Jackman's role in "The Prestige" or "X-Men".
On the other hand, Jackman is not going to get offered a movie like "Birdcage".
It's not that Hollywood prefers foreign actors over home grown. Box office, as always, runs Hollywood and who the audience will pay to see on opening weekend often decides who gets the role.
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What's even worse than the troll is the regular members who think it's ok to have fights with each other in damn near every thread. This thread is fine, but I wish they'd leave the rest of the board alone and stop claiming they have "free speech" rights to act like jerks to each other.>>
JonParker,
I totally agree with you. I would go one step further and say that even though this thread is for "Ranting", there should be NO thread where it is okay to call each other names. By excusing one thread as okay to do that in, it then gives people to opportunity to make exceptions in other threads.
I will say it again (it's getting to the point where I am saying this almost as often as I have to say why TCM can't run every film ever made), our continual behavior of treating each other in a mean and derogatory manner is killing this board.
>>Until everyone agrees to curtail the name calling and being so defensive we'll never get anywhere.>>
At the rate we are going, there will be no one left here by the end of the year.
Is this really what we want?
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Jude Law making 6 movies a year,>>
Jude Law did not make 6 movies in a year. He has not had six films released this year. But that is not my point. My point is that an actor can make a film and it can take anywhere from six months to a year for that film to be ready for release.
Then depending upon the studio's release schedule, the other studios' release schedules, and the always present, but rarely informative focus groups, a film can sit on the shelf for two months to two years or be released on time.
The bottom line, the actor has little control over the release date. Factors in an actors life (good publicity vs bad publicity) can cause a studio to rush a film into release or put it on the shelf. But the actor, himself/herself, has little control over that.
As for English actors playing Southern parts, there is the thinking in Hollywood that English actors are better at southern accents than non-Southern born actors. There is also the tendency here in America not to take a someone with a real Southern accent very seriously. American actors spend quite a bit of time and training to lose any sound of accent.
Who hires the actors? The studio has a say in who gets hired, the producers have a say in who gets hired, the director has a say in who gets hired and the focus groups have a very big say in who gets hired.
Americans like British actors . We always have. There are those who believe we go overboard in our love for all things British because we love their culture and their very "British'" attitudes as if that bestows some sort of class upon us.
If British actors stopped being popular, Hollywood would stop hiring them.
Perhaps the problem Sam Rockwell has is with his agent and those who chose his scripts.
As an example, I think Lawrence Fishburn is a great actor but the scripts he chooses often don't live up to the talent of the man himself.
<>
This is not just a problem for actors. Ever since movies became less expensive to make outside of Hollywood and California every one that works on movies has found it harder to get work.
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Thankfully, she who tried to control this board's thoughts is gone>>
This may be a dangerous question to ask, stoney, but who are you referring to with this one?
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I sent an email to TCM WebAdmin on late last week inquiring if Jive Software could do an "Ignore this Poster" button on each post giving us the option of hitting that button and no longer seeing any posts from a particular poster. It also comes with the option of hitting it again should you decide you want to see posts from him/her again.
Also, the Report the Post button on each post which would allow us to click on that button if a post is confrontational, threatening or just over the top in profanity or wording. The post is then sent to the WebAdmin to deal with.
I would prefer to try these two options if Jive Software can implement them before having a moderated board.
Either way, I agree something has to be done. Not only to keep the troll(s) at bay but also to keep the crusaders from hijacking every thread in their efforts to unmask the troll(s).
Yes, he is here but hijacking other threads to make the point only adds to the chaos and plays into his hand.
There has to be a better way.
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CSJ,
That is one of the best, most concise lessons in the history of film stocks and Technicolor that I have read in quite some time!
I'm sorry that I missed the beginning of this thread in mid-August (but we were in the midst of the big move).
Wonderful cinematographers I would recommend:
William Daniels (said to be Garbo's favorite cameraman)
James Wong Howe (the top of the pyramid in my book)
Gregg Toland (most people cite Citizen Kane but to me, Grapes of Wrath is his best black and white work. I love the scene in the house between Fonda and Carradine and Fonda lights the cigarette, I love the scene, hell, I love the whole movie).
For some reason I can no longer recall (because I am middle aged and my memory is fading, grrr), I learned about James Wong Howe early on when I was a teenaged film buff
and I will go out of my way to watch a film he shot.
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Anne,
Tom Petty did a wonderful song back in the 1980s called "Southern Accents' which you may be able to find on Itunes.
I think if you listen to one of his songs you will recognize the voice in the promo as his.
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It sounds as though it might just be time for another faculty meeting to explore the reshuffling of positions within the always turbulent world of the Film Restoration Dept. There are several questions to be answered, to wit: What's this expense account report about a Chinese restaurant or a lamp restoration? In the meantime...>>
Dear Dean Finnie6,
We here in the Film Restoration Department are looking forward to the next faculty meeting. As we like to say here in the Department, "people come and go so quickly here".
We think there are a few reasons for our popularity with the faculty and why they like to be guest professors (or as they like to refer to themselves, guest programmers) for our classes.
1) There is something about sitting in a darkened room watching movies that speaks to students and professors on some primal level. Something about those rich shades of black and white and glorious technicolor. The images up there move people to cheer or cry.
Here in FR, we may get jaded over time about the constant cry from the students to show a more varied fare but we try to remain pleasant as we remind each in coming class that the reason for our department is because not every film every made is available right now for screening.
2) There is something about those wonderful images that allow the faculty to speak almost in poetry about the subject. Prof. Gloria Swanson held a class in the palm of her hand as she talked dreamily about the time wwhen "We didn't need dialogue. We had faces! "
While we try to accomodate all the wonderful faculty here at the college, our waiting list for Guest Programmers, er, Guest Lectures is full and running over.
We look forward to talking about this very problem at the next Faculty meeting. Because we are known throughout the region for our open policy, Prof. Jimmy Stewart has graciously agreed to bring the drinks (he says his pal Harvey knows a good a distiller of spirits) and Prof. Cary Grant is bring some wonderful elderberry wine that his two aunts are famous for in Brooklyn.
We look forward to hearing ideas of how to curb the continued cries of students and faculty about our films and while there are some on campus who believe that our work "does not amount to a hill of beans" we look forward to enlightening one and all about how labor intensive and lovingly we do our work.
As for the expense accounts, I am pleased to announce that as of yet, there have been no broken lamps and we have been assured by Prof. McGavin that the dinner is well within budget.
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lzcutter - do you think it could be Kevin Costner on the promo?>>
Anne,
Welcome back!
I'm not sure if it was this a thread or another, but I watched it with just the sound and I believe it is Tom Petty.
A little less of his usual southern drawl but Tommy Petty nonetheless!
"I LOVE LUCY"
in General Discussions
Posted
So The Amazing Race has Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and the studio system to thank.>>
Delores,
The Amazing Race and the current state of television is more the fault of us the consumers than Lucy and Desi. Desi pioneered the way but what we do with it is our responsibility.
If we the consumers stopped watching reality shows, true crime shows, and all the other stuff that passes for entertainment then the networks would find something else to fill those hours with.
But the reality is that we the consumers are the ones watching those shows in droves and so the networks keep making them.
The fault lies not in Lucy and Desi but in ourselves.