lzcutter
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Posts posted by lzcutter
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Path,
You can email the folks at the UCLA Archives to see if the print and elements do exist!
archive@ucla.edu
Hope this helps!
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Larry,
Wanted to let you know that I visited the Autry Museum in Griffith Park yesterday. They had a terific exhibit honoring Sergio Leone. Did you or Mongo know that the dusters the bad guys (Jack Elam, Woody Strode and the other guy) wear in the opening sequence to "Once Upon A Time in the West" were the same ones worn in "Liberty Valence"?
Leone found them on a rack at Western Costume (back when WC used to be in Hollywood).
Anyways, the real point of my post is this:
One of the regular exhibits has the piano from the Doheny Mansion. The upright with the Indian Scene painted on the front. It is a beautiful piece and the display they have it with compliments it very well.
Just wanted to let you know!
Lynn in Sherman Oaks
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Laura,
There are many reasons why Fort Apache is considered an Essential.
It is the first of three films that became known as Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy". The other two are "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" and "Rio Grande" and it is here with Fort Apache that he sets some of the basic themes and frameworks that will play out in the other two and in his other westerns..
Also, this film allows Henry Fonda a rare role of being the antagonist and he plays it with his customary expertise. Also, SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Given that Thursday's character has hubris, arrogance and pride the ending is not the customary "happy ending" that is typical of many films from that era. Also, it allows Ford to explore the themes of men versus orders.
The end scene with Wayne and the reporters will be visited again in "The Man Who Shot Libery Valence" with the coda "When legend becames fact, print the legend."
Finally, the supporting roles are filled with those who will make up the Ford Stock Company in his films throughout the 1950s and Ford gives George O'Brien (a old friend who had a falling out with Ford years before) a wonderful role.
"Fort Apache" shows a maturity on Ford's part after his experiences in WW2. Ford began his love with westerns and a common thread runs through his westerns from his silent epic "The Iron Horse" through to "Cheyenne Autumn". He begins with the western frontier and in each film shows how the West was changed with advancing pioneers, the military who braved the unknown often in hostile territory, the toll it takes on their families and how often it humanizes them to the very enemy they have taken a vow to defeat, the brave men and women who lived on the edge of civilization and ultimately the cost of that progress on the Indian tribes and always the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil.
Having made the mythic westerns, he shows us in"Liberty Valence" what happens when myth and reality collide and the picture behind that collision is heartbreaking.
Each step of the way, Ford became more assured as a filmmaker and reached the top of the pyramid in terms of being a filmmaker. "Fort Apache" is a essential stop along that story.
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Ralph,
In addition to his fine work on TCM, Robert Osborne has long been a writer of the film scene here in the states.
He has a distinquished career as a film critic and writer.
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Ralph,
Thanks for thinking of me. I posted about Tony and Shelley on Mongo's "Gone Without Fanfare" (as Larry so sweetly pointed out).
I've been laying low due to all the animosity that has sprung up on the boards over the Miyazaki films, anime in general and the constant TCM is turning into AMC posts.
As for where is the tribute to Shelley that one poster below asked about. TCM has rescheduled this Monday for their day long tribute to our beloved Shelley.
She'd probably say "Why go to the trouble for me" but I would hope we would all reply because we want to thank you for all the wonderful roles you gave us over the years.
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Fred,
RE: The Fifth Element and why it was filmed at a historic bank in South Dakota. Star of the movie, Bruce Willis, at the time lived in Idaho and that may have had something to do with the choice of location.
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Boy, is this a strange coincidence. Imagine Shelley Winters and now Anthony Franciosa dying within a few days of each other.>>
Larry,
As I recall they had a very stormy, short marriage. Do you suppose they ever kissed and made up and are now sharing a drink with James Mason?
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Larry,
I think there may be you and me and maybe three other people here that remember the Cabot Lodge family.
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Lone Pine is a moderate size town up towards Bishop. The Alabama Hills were a favorite of directors. They are talked about in the recent Boetticher documentary that ran last month. For a long time folks didn't realize Lone Pine's rich movie history. About 20 years ago, Lone Pine realized people would visit the old movie locations if they knew about them.
So, the local boosters started publicizing Lone Pine's connection with the movies.
There was another movie ranch out near Chatsworth as well. I think it might have been Crash Corrigan's. It closed down about 15 years ago and much of the back lot is now a housing development. You can visit the famous outcropping but you have to know exactly where to look.
There's also a few famous movie locations up in the Newhall Pass (dating back to silent days) as well as downtown Los Angeles, Edendale, Glendale and the Los Feliz area.
The San Fernando Valley as well.
Where the silent Ben Hur chariot race was filmed down in Culver City is now, what else, a housing development. The old MGM backlot is all apartments, condos and houses. Though the developler did name some of the streets after famous MGM movies.
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John Lodge and his brother, Henry, were friends of my family and I knew them as Easterners not Westerners!!>>
Larry,
So John Lodge would be from the Cabot Lodge family tree?
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Lone Pine, California? Near Death Valley? I thought it was filmed at Chatsworth. The rocks look like the rocks in North Chatsworth.>>
Fred, are you thinking of the Santa Susanna Pass area?
Din really was filmed in Lone Pine. They have a film festival every October where they celebrate and show films that were filmed in that area.
The Chamber of Commerce (I think it is) even has a pamphlet available for movie buffs with sites listed that folks can visit.
I also think "Bad Day at Black Rock" was filmed up in that area.
Message was edited by:
lzcutter
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Lone Pine and the famous Alabama Hills where Gunga Din and countless westerns have been filmed is a few hours drive up the freeway from here.
Closer to home, in many ways the County of Los Angeles is one back lot with some famous landmarks still around.
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Fred,
Are you speaking specifically of the Miyazki films? I've not seen the jerkiness and other elements you wrote about in his specific films. His remind me a great deal of the animation of Disney in the old days.
Other Japanese anime does have the very elements you wrote about.
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The Montgomery films being shown may be in the TCM library and thus more readily available for airing or if they are renting the titles, they may be able to shift the dates around a little easier.
The Miyazaki films may have been rented with certain limitations on the contract or may have been much more difficult to get for broadcasting at another time.
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BTW: The Bill Murray re-make of "The Razor's Edge" is one of my top five "Movies Most Everybody Hates Except Me". I like it...I really like it.>>
Rusty,
I think we may be the only two that do but that's okay. Love the soundtrack for that film as well.
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That's fine. As I've said, I like the Miyazaki movies and I like movies from any era, but unlike some, I can separate what I like from what the general consensus of a channel's fundamental theme is.>>
But that's my whole point, who decides what the consensus of a channel's fundamental theme is? Turner Classic Movies. What films are classics? Films have the ability to tell us about who we were as a society, our likes and dislikes, what we stood for in any given era and remind us that there is good and evil in the world no matter what the decade.
There are those who believe that no good films were made after 1959, those that believe that silents are boring, those who believe no good films were made after the demise of the studio system and those that believe that "classic" only pertains to the black and white films.
Instead of bowing to any one group, TCM takes the big tent approach and tries to include programming for everyone that watches the channel. I prefer the big tent approach to a small niche definition of what films should only be shown.
My definition is likely not your definition and yours is likely not Mongo's whose definition is likely not Leo's, whose definiton is likely not Larry's whose definition is likely not Stoney's, whose definition is likely not Melanie's.
Do I like all the programming TCM does? No, but I always figure that there is someone who is watching and appreciates the movies that I'm not watching.
I doubt there's any way to keep everyone happy all the time but TCM does try and I appreciate that in their programming choices they are trying to include all of us.
Message was edited by:
lzcutter
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but do you mean to tell us that TCM doesn't care about the general consensus of its core audience? >>
Matt,
What if the majority of the core audience of TCM likes the Miyazaki festival, enjoys the films from the 70s and 80s and is okay with the programming on TCM?
Just a thought.....
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Is this a new promo or the TCM remembers motel room spot?
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Fred,
You really need a Tivo or other name brand of DVR. DirectTV often has offers with rebates putting the price for one at about $50.
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But this is a poll for information as opposed to a "vote" to give them an indication to go on. Even if there were dishonest people submitting multiple entries, I think TCM would know if there were an unusually high amount of people who'd like to see anime, recent movies, etc., based on the number of how many programs that fit those criteria. That stuff is probably less than .01% of their scheduling, as opposed to the 99.99% of their consistent programming. There are always margins for errors in polls to account for anomalies. >>
Matt,
Thanks for the response. I was actually more concerned about guys like Leo who hate silent films and wish that TCM would not run them.
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But if there were a poll taken on their homepage and advertised between movies, I'm sure people would participate. That's the only fair way to go about it.>>
Matt,
One quick question:
How do you prevent the inevitable ballot stuffing that would probably ensue?
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Shearerchic,
It's a wonderful idea but the realities of film restoration would make it next to impossible. Depending upon the condition of the elements being used for the DVD, it can take sometimes take a few years to bring a film to dvd. Warners Home Video tries to put out the best quality possible and they tend to spend the time and money to do it properly.
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Dean,
There's a thread on one of these forums with info about "South" and its coming to DVD. I can't remember which forum its in. But I think you can do a search within each forum and find it.
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After seeing the promos for Miyazaki's films last night before "Airport" (a 1970s film, I know but with such classic stars as Helen Hayes, Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin) and the John Lassiter interview about Miyazaki's films, I still don't understand how anyone can look at those films or those promos and think the films should be shown on a cartoon network.
The high quality of work I saw was reminiscent of Disney's finest work and while it may not be everyone's cup of tea, I applaud TCM for running these movies and still don't think it ushers in the demise of TCM as we know it.
Larry's Classic Star Reminiscences
in General Discussions
Posted
Larry,
Next time you make it down here to Southern California, I hope you will let me know. Would love to get together with you for lunch, dinner or drinks (or all three!) and share our love of old Hollywood and movies!
Your pal,
Lynn