path40a Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 It's been said that the present is no time to judge a movie's quality or importance. Indeed, there have been many films which have suffered from (e.g.) bad timing that have not done well or have gone unnoticed until years later. And, many films that "bomb" at the box office (most notably Citizen Kane) are regarded as great movies of their time or of all time. There a lot of terrific films I know that I would have never seen were they not shown in primetime on TCM. Here is a list of some of those films which I don't believe were well known or well respected at the time of their release, but which over the course of time have come to be regarded as very good and/or important films, at least according to Robert Osborne. And, I enjoyed them ... if that counts for anything;-) The Killing (1956) - very early Kubrick which is actually now listed in imdb's top 200! The Hill (1965) - an unusual film for Sean Connery, directed by Sidney Lumet, about a British disciplanary camp during WW II. Point Blank (1967) - Lee Marvin/Angie Dickinson film later redone as Payback (1999) by Mel Gibson Fail-Safe (1964) - a film which was unfortunately overshadowed by a spoof, with a similar plot, by Stanley Kubrick Crossfire (1947) - a thriller with a hard look at anti-Sematism (sp?) and a great cast Scaramouche (1952) - a terrific swashbuckling film featuring Stewart Granger and the longest screen sword battle up to that time (I have no idea if, e.g. Star Wars fights count or are longer) The Man Who Would Be King (1975) - I've always loved this film which was initially panned and yet now is listed in imdb's top 250 movies of all time (FWIW;-) The Train (1964) - underrated war film starring Burt Lancaster and directed by John Frankenheimer and Arthur Penn The Clock (1945) - see Judy Garland act! Narrow Margin (1952) - no one you've ever heard of is in it, but it did receive a Best Writing Oscar nomination Edge of the City (1957) - early John Cassavetes & Sidney Poitier Can you name some other films like these, particularly under the Academy Awards "radar", that TCM introduced to you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicsfan1119 Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 This will be an excellent thread, Mongo...and when I've had time to give it some intelligent thought, I'll come back with something to add to your list. For now, I definitely have a deeper appreciation for "Point Blank", and some of the techniques use in it's filming, along with Lee Marvin's performance. But then, I can't think of any movies that Marvin did that I didn't like his performance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicsfan1119 Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 I'm sorry, Path...I got you and Mongo confused there. I can think of one movie in particular that I've always felt didn't receive the recognition it deserved, nor did the actors in it...but I'm not sure if it is the kind of movie you're looking for in this thread. I'm talking about "The Color Purple". I "think" that there were something like six Oscar nominations, but only one Oscar awarded by the Academy, and that one didn't go to the actors who were nominated, nor the movie itself. I still love to watch this movie, and my respect for the level of acting in it is still very high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
path40a Posted December 5, 2003 Author Share Posted December 5, 2003 No problem re: my identity, I thought of it as a compliment for you to confuse me with him;-) Actually, The Color Purple (1985) shares a dubious distinction with The Turning Point (1977) as the films that received the most Oscar nominations (eleven!) without receiving a single award. I'm not sure what the story behind the latter film was, but The Color Purple suffered from its association (and the envy at the time) with Stephen Speilberg, it's director, who DIDN'T even get one of the 11 nominations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinemetal Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 I am too well-versed at this point to have any movies "introduced" to me by TCM, but the channel certainly does help me to track them down easier! But all of the movies listed are great choices, and now let me add a few of my own, featured here or on the once-great AMC: Scandal Sheet (1952, Phil Karlson), a taut little crime drama about oily newspaper hacks and the people around em. Written by Sam Fuller, starring John Derek, Broderick Crawford and Donna Reed. The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933, Frank Capra), a bizarre little melodrama starring Barbara Stanwyck, prisoner to a strangely alluring warlord played by Nils Asther. Gorgeous cinematography and possibly the sexiest Stanwyck I've seen. Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (1948, Norman Foster). Burt Lancaster and Joan Fontaine in a quasi-noir melodrama about an ex-con trying to go straight with the help of a young woman's love, even as the pressures of the world around him conspire to keep him desperate and corrupt. The Black Swan (1942, Henry King). One of the lesser-sung Tyrone Power swashbucklers, but to my estimation, one of the best, with outstanding Technicolor photography and a terrifically villainous George Sanders. Fear Strikes Out (1957, Robert Mulligan). A true-life story of a baseball player pressured into submission and mental anguish by an overbearing father. Anthony Perkins and Karl Malden are both heartbreaking. Forbidden Games (1951; Rene Clement). A deeply sad meditation on pre-adolescence and death, set in WWII France, where a young boy and a young orphan in his care build a cemetery for dead animals as a means of grasping the horrors around them. The Front (1976; Martin Ritt). Starring Woody Allen and Zero Mostel. The only movie about the Hollywood blacklist that is truly necessary. Written by, directed by and featuring many actually blacklisted players, this drama (foolishly marketed and approached by '76 critics as a comedy) captured the heartbreaking atmosphere of fear and betrayal which pervaded the era. History Is Made at Night (1937, Frank Borzage). Starring Charles Boyer and Jean Arthur, this presages all onscreen depictions of the Titanic disaster by several years (though the ship in this film is not named, the correlation is unmistakable). Wonderfully romantic. Love Me Tonight (1932, Rouben Mamoulian). Plainly stated, this is one of the best musicals of all time. Why it is not better known today eludes me completely (though the standard "Isn't It Romantic?" lives on in Paramount films to this day). The best Chevalier/McDonald pairing (and the last), this film's camera movement and sparkling dialogue remind one of Lubitsch and Clair, the two other Continental charmers of the early sound era. I don't know how many other superlatives I can use for this film. Find it! Sunny Side Up (1929, David Butler). Janet Gaynor acquitting herself capably in a singing role. One of the few artistically successful pre-1930 musicals, with beautiful and uplifting songs ("I'm a dreamer...aren't we all?") and a love story so charming that even the insufferable Swedish "comedian" El Brendel can't ruin it. Quills (2000, Philip Kaufman). A startingly frank, mature treatise on sexual perversity and censorship as evinced by the Marquis de Sade spending his last days in an insane asylum. As played by Geoffrey Rush, the Marquis is mad, to be sure, but also caustic, witty, verbose, sexy and appealing as he devises new and clever means of ducking the authorities who would deny him the chance to publish his works. Brilliant supporting work by Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine...need I say more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catcarson123 Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 cinemetal, Chevalier & MacDonald's final film together was THE MERRY WIDOW in 1934 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinemetal Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 I'll be damned, you're right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Theres a little comedy called "The Jackpot" (1950)starring James Stewart, Barbara Hale and Natalie Wood. It's about Stewart winning a radio contest getting lots of goodies however he can't afford to pay the taxes on the merchandise and the situation gets wild and wacky. A fun film. Also the movie "Let No Man Write My Epitaph" (1960) starring Shelley Winters and Burl Ives. Its a strong drama about drug addition with an assortment of down and out souls. Theres a harrowing scene when Winters sitting on the john with a rubber tube tied around her arm about to shoot up when her son walks in on her and she screams bloody murder since she needs the fix desperately. Mongo Mongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bggalaxy Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 The Jackpot, huh? I never heard of this movie and it sounds fun! That's why I come here. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosinryanz Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 TCM introduced me to one of my favorites, "The Young Savages", with Burt Lancaster. It is underrated and is a must-see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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