laffite

*407*

Trapeze under a spell

Tony Randall, nostalgia for me, not so much the movies (although I liked him) but his appearances on the talk shows in the 70s. He loved opera and was an amateur singer and sometimes sang a little; not that good, not that bad. He once told a story about Gustav Mahler conducting Wagner's Liebestod which is pretty "racy" for an opera and that after the big crescendo (signifying you-know-what) he had the "ultimate experience" as he put it. Dick Cavett going, "WOW!", the audience laughing out loud. Pretty racy for TV at that time, actually. (Hope it's all right for a 'dirty' story once in a while, Mongo Randall was immensely entertaining on those shows.

*SMART MONEY* (1931) Hello Jimmy, where are you? I kept wondering that. They had equal billing and I?m surprised the screen time was so unbalanced. I gather that Cagney was more in a Rising Star category and EGB was ahead of him in that regard. I was disappointed that they didn?t share the story line more fully. Cagney certainly had at least as much screen presence (no surprise) in the one way of looking at it if not the other. But despite disappointments I have to admit there?s still a certain thrill to seeing these two together on screen, however fleeting, considering the illustrious careers that were to follow, careers that followed a similar path and similar personas. Jack (Cagney) didn?t have that weakness for the ?dames? but he wasn?t as lucky as Nick either (Eddie). I love that pantomime scene they did. All their scenes together were good ... *Evalyn Knapp* made Irene so regular and genuinely nice and on the up and up in that first scene with Nick in the hotel lobby and I was surprised that she turned out to be a bad girl. Sometime we are given a foreshadowing, an inkling that there is dirty work afoot but I didn?t see it. I thought she was sweet and completely trustworthy. And yet here she is slamming the door and saying, "Your?re in the big city now." Conversely, *Noel Francis* playing Marie has a few frames of film where she is shown flashing a false smile at Nick and I thought, look out Nick, but he had less to worry about with Marie, in theory anyway, than with Irene. Marie was the better of the two. She just got bullied. Jack (Cagney) suggested she was a DA plant but if that?s true, then that interview with the DA later on doesn?t seem to ring true. Both girls were really good. I?m no fashion expert but Noel Francis really looked sweet in that dress. She had a foxy way of talking that I sort of liked (Okay, laffite, back to the movie, please ... ... *Edward G Robinson* is amazing! What a mug! Sometime I like to use the word, lugubrious (at least as he got older). And what versatility, he can be the quintessential tough guy Little Cesear or the sweet and gentle soul, Chris Cross. Here he was a little of both. He was immensely likeable but I have to admit that at the end I had become wary of the endless repetition of sayings, gestures, and mistakes. Don?t know why that, actually. But he was still good throughout. I like it when they had him say, ?That?s all right, dear? (to Irene), ?I?ve always had a weakness for Dames.? Obvious, but it was good to show that he had accepted his fate and that he knew the reason why ... Some rough spots regarding sexism and racism have to be endured in some of these old films, I guess, but not without a grimace or two (or three ...) This was before the Code but it seems that the authorities looked down on gambling to make poor Nick pay so handsomely. Gambling was illegal, yes, but why the manslaughter thing? It was tacked on to make his punishment more severe, I guess, but gosh I don?t think he deserved that. He manages good cheer to the very end, though, chiding the girls, handing out C notes and cigars. Hey Nick, I'll take one of those cigars, anyone who has a guy in Havana that makes them?(means they?re good enough for me ) ... Frank, I consulted one of your prior lists on this thread, I think the one that eventually became the juice for that marvelous post you did with the screen caps and the capsule reviews. Just for kicks I ran them through the Netflix search engine, though sadly, only a precious few were to be found, six or seven out of 36. This is where Smart Money came from. About half of those found have WAIT tags on them so they are not at present available but will be shortly, one hopes. I think I have Thunder Road coming, which should be interesting because I think you have that dead last. Anyway, if you don?t mind, if I get my eyes feasting on any of these films I may be back with some of my dubious little rambles to torture you with. After all, isn?t this what this what this thread is all about *A WOMAN?S FACE* Frank wrote: >A Woman's Face does have a dark finish in that a child is the target of murder. That's dark. This is what made me feel that the movie was so ?unpopular? but I should know better with all you here, you can take it. Shucks, I can?t believe now that I would actually throw this "well, I better not post this," at you because what does it matter. So what, for instance, if it should happen that I liked a certain film and no one else, or vice versa among us, what are you going to do, hate me? Never happen. And besides, I evidently drew a wrong conclusion. But the matter IS dark, I?m surprised even that the subject of child-killing did not have an unwritten taboo, so repugnant it is to any sane person. But there it is. We all knew that it wasn?t going to happen and consequently the scene in the tram car was not as suspenseful as it might have been, especially with the good doctor in tow with his prying eyes. Still, there were some good stuff in this latter half of the film. Frank you said she lost her torture and I was thinking that perhaps, having lost one torture, that she had in fact still another to deal with, that other being Torsten Barring (I love that name). And I like Jackie?s ?twisted symbiotic relationship? it is certainly apt. He wanted her to do his evil which is his part of the equation and is simpler in comparison than her somewhat more complicated psychological attachment to him. It seemed to me that there was something almost Svengali-like about it, which by definition implies an ominous intangible force, but it was also tied to their relationship prior to the operation when Torsting was the only man in her life who recognized her as a woman. Despite that, I don?t think she was in love with him in the conventional sense. There may also be some guilt in there that made her feel she owes him and she can?t quite deal with it. I love the way they crafted this recognition that she no longer has the scar. They have him approach her with this huge bouquet of flowers, glancing at her at odd angles, doing double takes all the while as the realization dawns on him. I loved that. There is a sudden gaiety as they burst out laughing. How ironic that they should appear so happy and normal. Not very, as by scenes end he has convinced to her to do this dastardly and unspeakably repugnant deed and in his twisted way made it seem as if it was her idea. There?s no cajoling, no persuasion, she simply capitulates and there is something abject about that. Not that she?s a bad person, hard as that may be able to believe after she assents, but then again, there is something twisted there, like she is under a spell. It happens again with this evil song and dance in the attic. If this were an opera, here is the big aria, the villain's revelation of the true self.. A wonderfully, wicked, little speech, pulled off with style. I thought it more high end as opposed to sheer melodrama, whatever it was though, it seemed to me in the least a minor tour-de-force Despite all the darkness it is a wonderful moment in the film. I was not that familiar with Conrad Veidt before all this but I now consider myself a fan (I hope that doesn?t make me sound morbid . The end dialogue in the attic is when she (apparently) decides to kill herself. I was surprised they had her do that because it does such damage to the redemption part of the story to find that she is to simply ready to give it all up here at the eleventh hour. She snaps out of it of course and the suicide note is what helps her get the upper hand on the court proceedings. The script is really crafty as we the audience are led to optimism with regard to acquittal, giving us a "happy ending" when in fact a verdict has not even been rendered before movie?s end. The Code is thwarted and we go home happy (or so MGM hopes). Edited by: laffite on Feb 26, 2014 1:54 PM

I'm watching *Green Dolphin Street* and I seem to be noticing a lot of this going on here. Some of the scenic splendor is certainly not "real." It's happening quite a lot and I kind of like it.

I REMEMBER MAMA ALL MY SONS or ALL THE YOUNG MEN

Pickpocket (Bresson, 1959) devil-may-care

>I did hear Netflix was cutting back on that aspect and looking to go stronger into streaming since that's where the majority of the money is. They're aiming for that but they have a long way to go, so I believe. The streaming option has limits on inventory, and until they can solve that problem they'll have to retain the DVD option. It could take years, and that doesn't bother me because I prefer this latter option. >All of this makes me feel better about my DVD ownership. I've had friends question my wasting money on DVDs when I could just watch movies by paying a monthly fee. But one of my biggest fears with that is the lack of availability of films. It seems like the Netflix catalog could be shrinking. You can continue to feel better, Frank. DVDs come and go, I am continually confronted with wanting movies that are no longer available, The Fanny Trilogy is an example. But I do like NetFlix, they have a great inventory, the movement is fast, and they have fabulous customer service. Since I am not a collector this really works for me. *Chris* I hope you don't mind if I jumped in like this, I just saw this and wanted to respond. And I know what you mean about the waiting alert thing. I have learned, sadly, that if it says VERY LONG WAIT, you can almost forget it. They generally disappear after that. Thanks again, Chris.

Diane Baker, so pretty. Tom Courtney, he was great in the BBC's Little Dorrit a few years ago. I ADORE Brenda Joyce. She was rather good, and lovely as ever in The Rains Came. I wish she had had a more extended career.

Our Town

Hurstwood, George in Carrie (1952) (Lawrence Olivier)

Man With a Horn for the umpteenth time

Frank wrote: >I thought that once Joan lost her torture the film lost its power. I also thought the angel (Melvyn Douglas) character was too bland. But the first part of the film was really good. I thought Joan was terrific in playing the scarred woman looking for love and acceptance. She really did a wonderful job of bouncing between self-hatred and bitterness to hopeful romanticism. That's what's best about the film, for me. Jackie wrote: >For me too. I guess maybe I wished that the film, if she had to lose her torture as you put it, had gone in a little bit different direction. I thought she and Veidt had a really wonderful twisted symbiotic relationship. Miss Goddess wrote: >I agree with what has been said about how this movie starts out great and then plummets. I?ve had a write up on this but I don?t think I should post it. This film is SO unpopular here I liked it very much in spite of its darker elements. I was not that familiar with Conrad Veidt and I think he's a great actor. The scenes with Joan and Conrad were excellent, especially in the second half of the film. But I would like to say a word about, Osa Massen, who played Vera Segert, Dr Segert's wife (Melvyn Douglas). I liked her and I thought her funny. Her precious, refined, accented speech comes across to me like a satire of herself. When her husband the doctor joins Vera and Anna during their negotiation scene, Vera is practically falling over (literally) for fear that Anna is going to blow her cover on her lovers and there are some funny starts and stops as well as a few gasps. Then later at the end of the film she tries, vainly, to save her marriage. Please indulge these (approximate) quotes: "Oh Gustave, she is ruining our marriage." "What about Tom and Eric?" "Oh Gustave, I don?t even like Eric any more?" ... "Well, you?ll have to forgive her if you ever want me to forgive you" "Oh Gustave, our anniversary is next week." I thought his amusing although I can imagine that anyone not finding her funny might go in the other direction and find her irritating as all get out. Another really funny line came from the housekeeper, played by Marjorie Maine, when she says, " ... and I'm going back home where I have been for 32 years and minded my own business for 32 years.? lol

>I'd have to watch the film again to see if Velma (Joan Leslie) was really leading Roy (Humphrey Bogart) on or not. I know Roy was placing a great deal of his hopes on her. The older, protective male looking for young, appreciative love. It's as if he could be her "savior." >She was his "second chance." The delusions of love. No, she wasn't. I remember being sort of proud of her for sticking to her guns about saying no to him, especially after the success of the operation when she might have felt guilty about saying no as firmly she did. She admitted to her parents, "I don't love him." More importantly, I'm quite sure there was no innuendo or mixed messages that she might have been feeding Roy for the sport or tease of it. That's how I remember it. We only saw what Jackie so aptly termed the "low rent" or "tramp in training" Velma in her last scene with the boyfriend where she turns him down again. I think she was straight with him all the way. So, you were right in your original comment to the effect that she wasn't really in the story enough to termed a femme fatale. My designation "pre-femme fatale" was a jest meaning would-be femme fatale (but not quite) , or perhaps you knew that. *Frank* >I absolutely love that scene. It explains Dave and Ginnie and their desires. Dave's ego is craving an intellectual response to his writing. That's Gwen. But Ginnie doesn't give one hoot about his writings. She loves him, not his writing or any other kind of brilliance. She's the puppy dog that is going to leap on Dave when he comes home. But is that enough?......It's kind of like telling a woman she is beautiful all the time but nothing else. For some women, that's enough. But there are many others that crave something more. *laffite* >David says too (DeanM) "I'm tired of being lonely, that's all. And the way she feels about me, well, no body ever felt that way about me before, besides maybe I can help her. I sure can't help myself." But it?s hard to think that this marriage would have lasted if they were real people. *Frank* >I completely agree with you. There is pity with Dave's words. Dave is attempting to fool himself into thinking he doesn't need the intellectual/ego stimulation. What would end up happening is that Dave would start to hate Ginnie's pure love for him. His own guilt would fuel this hate......Can you love someone you don't respect? Maybe he experienced an epiphany. He suddenly realized that love is not predicated in what you know, what you can do, or even in what you can understand. He suddenly saw things they way she saw things and wanted the same thing. Love is something you can't understand, but perhaps only what you can know inwardly and feel. He can get his intellectual/ego stimulation elsewhere, he doesn't need to get it from her because he loves her the way she is. Maybe he doesn't see her as a puppy dog Edited by: laffite on Feb 24, 2014 12:32 AM

Karen, cute subject. James, you mean it took acting to kiss Liz, even for a gay guy? Okay, probably

Girl: "Okay, so why don't you move the parasol so I can see your face."

Fast Times At Ridgemont High telephone call

Babette's Feast BETTE or JOAN

High Sierra violin and piano duet

>I remember the dog now! Yes, thank you. I wonder if the dog symbolized Marcello's own, un-loved, un-owned mongrel status? Why not? I was going to say that myself but thought I might be reading too much. But if not, that idea might tie in with the finale ... >Isn't it odd? I'm finding a lot of comparison and connections between High Sierra and Le Notti Bianche and Some Came Running. Characters who build up dreams of a life, someone to share it with... but are those dreams even true? Are the people even worth the effort? Spiritual teachers and religious leaders are always saying that all desire inevitably leads to disappointment. They say, practice detachment, don't want anything too much. Then if you get it, it will come as a gift and you will be happy because you won't be afraid to lose it, easy come, easy go. Have those dreams if you must be keep some distance. Don't grasp, don't be in a state of want. Trouble is, if movies were made with characters like this, the stories might be boring. I read something recently that Paddy Cheyefsky said, to the effect that movies are what people want and what they are willing to do to get it. Simple, but so true. Okay lecture, over; now, back to those delusions... >We have also been talking about Letter from an Unknown Woman at the other site,,,which also deals with these kinds of romantic thoughts or delusions. Or are they delusions? Perhaps they get us through life? Help us to strive for something better? I don't know. That would be good one to revisit. Great story. There is an Asian version of this that was made much more recently. I remember one scene in particular that really grabbed me. I remember reading reviews at the time and there was overwhelming preference for the Ophuls, but I remember liking the other as well. Edited by: laffite on Feb 21, 2014 11:42 AM

>The version of the film that I have is public domain and the colors are nearly washed away, alas. But here's your petrified Annie (Heather Wilde): Thank you, Frank! Miss Heather Wilde! That was quite a good frame you chose. What does public domain mean, it's from a local public library perhaps? Anyway, thank you.

Jackie, you wrote: >I didn't even remember a dog in Le Notti Bianche! Just briefly, as I recall, there was a dog lapping at the heels of Marcello in the beginning as he ambled about, very early on, prior to even meeting the girl. And the very end the long shot just before the closing credits, Marcello in the distance after his disappointment, idly playing around with the dog. I had an idea that the movie wanted to indicate that Marcello was not completely crushed by losing the girl to the returning lodger and was able to at least lavish a little attention to the dog, but I doubt Visconti had that in mind. >I think TCM programmer should take note of your idea, and schedule a day of Chiennes Fatales! It's a wonderful sub-category. I?ll let them know No, not really. You know, I wouldn't be surprised if they've done something like that already, something with animals, etc. >The sad thing about Velma is that she's just a flesh and blood girl, actually kind of low rent. Because of her youth, she symbolized something clean and pure to Roy, he built her up in his mind into something far different than the reality. He's lucky he didn't actually marry her. She reminds me of Virginia Mayo in Best Years of Our Lives, only a little less so, like a tramp in training. Velma just wants to make up for lost time, which we can understand, and her parents just don't have the ability to discipline her..in fact they can't even see her flaws after all they've been through. One could say the operation actually ruined her character, though I suspect her character was malformed from the beginning,... we can only see it after her body is fixed. It's quite a spin on the traditional crippled character. It's such a pathetic situation though - just as in Chaplin's City Lights, Roy's goodwill and help only manage to point out Velma's flaws while taking Velma right out of his league. I love the spin that Walsh gives it, by making Velma so inferior in every way on closer examination. Wonderful in-depth Velma, you did a better job of covering Velma than the movie does. I was shocked to see the AFTER version of Velma. I was doing double takes. Does the movie want me to really believe that this is Velma? Boy, she sure learned how to dance in a hurry. Picking up grease-balls at the Dance Hall. What happened to that sweet girl? No trace. And Roy hardly seemed to notice.

>Well hello there, Monsieur Laffite, Nice to see you around these parts again, sir. Thank you so much, Ro. Hope to see more of you around here too. I know how it is, life starts happening and says, no you can't do that right now. (sigh) >It's been fun to pop in here and read your comments on all your recently watched movies. I am enjoying the conversation you have going on and am happy to say I have even seen a few of the movies you mentioned. You probably do better than me with that. Everyone publishes lists around here and I generally find there are only few I've seen. I'll never catch up. >I especially like Life With Father (I am with Jackie.. I can't help but watch it anytime it is on) it is about as funny as any movie of that style I can think of.. and I love the way HE thinks he is the head of his household.. but, ha. everyone else, (especially mom) is working behind the scenes to get what they want too. This was a dark horse for me. I'm surprised I liked it so much. I don't watch a lot of family films, per se. Thanks for checking in on this one, I'm betting that MissGreer likes it as well. Well, of course, you laidies _would_ like it. I'm beginning to feel like a traitor to the so-called stronger sex for even liking this movie. You won't tell anyone, will you. >And I really enjoyed High Sierra when I saw it a couple of years ago.. but have not got as good a mental picture of it anymore to be able to say a WHOLE lot.. ha. (except I DO remember that dog!) That dog should get a high billing. Gee, I wonder if he's even credited. >She is all you say and MORE in this film. And that (for me) is saying a lot because to be honest.. I am no huge Shirley fan. But wowsa.. she is truly a stand-out in this movie. UTTERLY charming (in such an annoying sort of way) and totally heartbreaking there at the end. (oh me.. ) Truly wonderful, she was! It was probably overkill to print out that whole conversation at the end but it was entertaining and she did so well. And what happened right after that was quite touching. Gosh, I've really gotten sappy lately, what's happened to me. I'd better start practicing my swordsmanship again, maybe I can get out out of this rut?

The Governess (1998) the importance of a dog to the plot

Gipper, thank you for giving sweet Lillian a little visibility here Zellweger, Renee