I Just Watched...

[Janet0312]

Son of Frankenstein. This picture was supposed to be filmed in color, until the new executives moved in and put the kibash on it. (For crying out loud, don't mention this to NipKowColorizationFiend)

But I can see Son in color. Glorious Technicolor. 

Anyway, I know that Hollywood would never give an academy award to a Universal horror flick, but if they did, I would expect Bela Lugosi to win accolades for his portrayal of Ygor. You know, I often think about getting up in the morning and heading off to work, as many of us do. But I can't fathom getting up and remembering a script over my coffee. Anyway, Lugosi is amazing as Ygor. And my fave hello comes from Donnie Dunnigan. "Well, Hello!!!

[LornaHansonForbes]

1 hour ago, Hibi said:

Yes, it's worth watching till the end for Peter Finch and Glenda. I may be in the minority, but I always found Glenda Jackson attractive (not in a Hollywood way); but I thought she looked better in the first half then the second after she gets a new "doo". This was a trailblazing film at the time and Finch was robbed of an Oscar (Gene Hackman in The French Connection) imo. The film is downbeat for the most part. The only weak link was Murray Head (who never went on to much of anything, except to record Jesus Christ, Superstar). Hard to see what they both saw in him to put up with the situation.......(must've been great in bed!)

Bessie Love has a bit part as the telephone operator and Peggy Ashcroft as Glenda's mom.

 

So the sex scenes were not edited out? (I havent watched it yet).

I would not say the sex scenes in the first half were graphic, there is a scrnebetween Murray Head and Peter French, which focuses largely on Finchs hands over his bare  back. That seems to be something of a leitmotif  throughout the film as the exact same image appears in his scene with Glenda Jackson.

I absolutely love the bit with the telephone operator and the long shots of lines and connections, there's a very classic movie sensibility to this film. I think John SCHLESINGER really had seen and understood his classic movies. The operator bit is straight out of GRAND HOTEL  and FIVE STAR FINAL...but I did not know that that was Bessie love until Imd'd the film.

I really like Peter Finch in (what I saw of) the film a lot, in fact I really wish the first half had  focused more on him. In the 54 minutes I saw , he was more like a supporting role and most of the time is dedicated to Jackson.

[LornaHansonForbes]

?ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK AND THE WORLD's YOUR OYSTER...?

[Hibi]

10 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

I would not say the sex scenes in the first half were graphic, there is a scrnebetween Murray Head and Peter French, which focuses largely on Finchs hands over his bare  back. That seems to be something of a leitmotif  throughout the film as the exact same image appears in his scene with Glenda Jackson.

I absolutely love the bit with the telephone operator and the long shots of lines and connections, there's a very classic movie sensibility to this film. I think John SCHLESINGER really had seen and understood his classic movies. The operator bit is straight out of GRAND HOTEL  and FIVE STAR FINAL...but I did not know that that was Bessie love until Imd'd the film.

I really like Peter Finch in (what I saw of) the film a lot, in fact I really wish the first half had  focused more on him. In the 54 minutes I saw , he was more like a supporting role and most of the time is dedicated to Jackson.

He has more to do in the 2nd half........

 

The sex wasnt graphic, but there was NONE in the edited version! LOL.

[Bethluvsfilms]

40 minutes ago, Janet0312 said:

Son of Frankenstein. This picture was supposed to be filmed in color, until the new executives moved in and put the kibash on it. (For crying out loud, don't mention this to NipKowColorizationFiend)

But I can see Son in color. Glorious Technicolor. 

Anyway, I know that Hollywood would never give an academy award to a Universal horror flick, but if they did, I would expect Bela Lugosi to win accolades for his portrayal of Ygor. You know, I often think about getting up in the morning and heading off to work, as many of us do. But I can't fathom getting up and remembering a script over my coffee. Anyway, Lugosi is amazing as Ygor. And my fave hello comes from Donnie Dunnigan. "Well, Hello!!!

I agree, Lugosi was just terrific as Ygor, and proved that he could be so much more than just Count Dracula.

Unfortunately, he would never again get either a good opportunity or a good part to prove he could be such a fine actor, not just a horror actor, but a great actor when given some great material. 

[Fedya]

4 hours ago, Swithin said:

She did after all do a lot of nasty stuff, particularly to the miners in the north and midlands.

You might want to talk to people from that neck of the woods who didn't agree with Arthur Scargill http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3503545.stm

Quote

 

I went to cabinet suggesting a package for the miners which, if approved, I thought would mean there could be no way he could ever get a strike ballot.

It included: no compulsory redundancies; early retirement if they wished it at the age of 50 on incredibly generous terms; expanded mobility allowances if they moved to another pit; a good pay increase; and an £800m capital investment programme for the coal industry.

My colleagues agreed, so I presumed Scargill would never win a ballot. Where I got it wrong was that he managed to get a strike for the first time in the history of the NUM without a ballot.

The important thing is that nine coal fields, against his wishes, held a ballot and eight of them voted overwhelmingly against strike action. Only one voted for strike action - by a majority of just 2%.

Then he used violent picketing to cause a strike. Not a single union in the country supported the strike and Scargill didn't have the Labour Party's support.

 

[/blockquote]

Those who supported the strike quite literally tried to kill miners who opposed it and wanted to keep working, resulting in the murder of a taxi driver when strikers threw rocks off an overpass at a car below carrying miners who weren't striking.

Scargill was (well, still is since he's still alive) a profoundly wicked man.

[Dargo]

30 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

?ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK AND THE WORLD's YOUR OYSTER...?

LOL

Still got the earworm goin' there, eh Lorna?!

(...I feel for ya...had the same thing about a month ago when I couldn't get the opening riff to The Beach Boys' "California Girls" out of my head for a few days) 

[Princess of Tap]

5 hours ago, Swithin said:

I know you want to see Glenda Jackson dissing Margaret Thatcher, after Thatcher died. Jackson felt obliged to attend the tribute session for Thatcher "to tell the truth about her."

 

Swith--I watched the funeral of prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

I always watch live procedural parades and ceremonies from England because they're so well organized and colorful.

 I was truly surprised if not shocked to see large groups of people who were protesting Margaret Thatcher's political policy even on the day of her funeral.

 There was particularly a large group of people protesting something about how she had kept school children from getting milk.

If this was a French president I would know the answer; but since you're the authority on all things English I'm going to ask you what are they talking about with her keeping the kiddies from getting milk in kindergarten?

 And I'm just guessing whatever it was,  it must have happened close to 40 or 50 years ago. Why still all the rancor?

[Princess of Tap]

Darg--

 I just want to share with you what I did the other evening.

I listened to about 35 outtakes of Brian Wilson trying to get The Wrecking Crew to instrumentally play "California Girls" just right before he had the boys lay down the vocal tracks.

That Brian was a perfectionist.

 And what a fun way to spend an evening. LOL

 

14 minutes ago, Dargo said:

LOL

Still got the earworm goin' there, eh Lorna?!

(...I feel for ya...had the same thing about a month ago when I couldn't get the opening riff to The Beach Boys' "California Girls" out of my head for a few days) 

 

[TomJH]

Private Worlds (1935)

Intriguing medical drama from Paramount, benefiting from the participation of a first rate cast.

Set in a progressive psychiatric hospital, Claudette Colbert, with carefully manicured eyebrows, a suit and usually wearing a tie, plays a dedicated psychiatrist in charge of the male patients. Her co worker is Joel McCrea, another professional with whom she has a close friendship but no romance. He is married to Joan Bennett, a trusting, naive soul who will do anything for her husband and regards Colbert as a friend.

Dramatic tension occurs, however, with the arrival of Charles Boyer as the new head of the hospital. A conservative who does not believe in women working in the upper echelons of hospitals, he immediately demotes Colbert to being in charge of male out patients. The even tempered Colbert acquiesces to his decision while McCrea is outraged by his old fashioned attitude.

Arriving with Boyer at the hospital is his sister (Helen Vinson), an empty headed, bored man trap and it isn't long before she has the disgruntled McCrea as her not so secretive playmate.

It may sound like the makings of a hospital soaper and, to a small degree, it is, but the film thankfully largely rises above that level with moments of unexpected sensitivity.

The best scene in the film, to my liking, at least, occurs at about the half way point. One of the patients in the hospital ward is an old man known only as "the Arab." He lies in a bed, talking softly to himself but no one understands his language. On seeing him, however, Boyer, who does speak Arabic, says that the man is dying and wants someone to pray with him.

Boyer orders screens to be placed around the old man's bed out of respect for his privacy. He then sits with him, holds his hand and joins him in prayer. Colbert watches silently as a light on the old man's face finally turns to darkness, signalling to the audience he has passed away.

Suddenly another patient ("Big Boy" Guinn Williams) wakes up. He is a strong, burly man who has a pathological need to see the entire ward room at all times. When he sees the screens around the old man's bed he is driven to sudden violence, knocking down the screens, as well as Boyer.

That is followed by a fast edited sequence of orderlies trying to subdue Williams who knocks them aside. Intermingled with these shots are closeups of other patients, some afraid, some laughing and excited, cheering Williams on. Director Gregory La Cava has one shot of the shadows on a wall of the men struggling. Finally Colbert, who had also been knocked down by Williams, rushes forward once again and reasons with him. Williams, relaxing with her words of reassurance and suddenly overcome with remorse over his own behaviour, begins to weep. The crisis is over.

Aside from the impressive visual execution of the sequence, it is a scene that reaffirms Colbert's cool professionalism in a stressful situation while also, with its demonstration of Boyer's sensitivity towards a dying man, softening his character to make him appear far more human. And the scene ends on a touching note, with a closeup Big Boy Williams' tears flowing in a surprisingly affecting performance from an actor known more for his brawn than acting skills, perhaps best remembered today as a muscular, comical sidekick to Errol Flynn in a few big budget westerns.

The later portion of the film, primarily involving Joan Bennett's character, turns rather predictably melodramatic. Audiences anticipating a romance between Colbert and Boyer may be surprised that it occupies so little screen time. I think the film is stronger, too, for largely avoiding that cliche.

Colbert, who received an Oscar nomination for her portrayal, delivers a mature, intelligent performance. That her character is a little too caring, a little too emotionally well balanced, a little too perfect, is really only to be expected from the screenplay of a film from this period. A flaw in her character might have made her a little more interesting but that's a minor complaint.

For years Private Worlds was one of a large number of Paramount productions that became a challenge to find after becoming the property of Universal Studios. It has now been released on DVD as part of the Universal Vault Series in a decent looking print.

2.5 out of 4

 

[laffite]

5 minutes ago, TomJH said:

Private Worlds (1935)

The thematic affinity between the title and the Arab sequence is satisfying to contemplate. I haven't seen the film. Maybe the sequence is a catalyst of the film. It sure causes a hullabaloo.

[TomJH]

8 minutes ago, laffite said:

The thematic affinity between the title and the Arab sequence is satisfying to contemplate. I haven't seen the film. Maybe the sequence is a catalyst of the film. It sure causes a hullabaloo.

What made the sequence especially interesting, especially in view of today's political climate, is the sensitivity that a 1930s film showed toward a character who was Arab, and very much a foreigner in the hospital. It's a rather sad little scene, but at the end the man finds peace because someone is there to share his final moments with him.

Then, of course, all hell breaks loose.

[Swithin]

2 hours ago, Fedya said:

You might want to talk to people from that neck of the woods who didn't agree with Arthur Scargill

The legacy of what Thatcher did to the country (which transcends the issues of the miners) is with the UK now. It has turned the North and Midlands against London. Brexit was passed largely by working class voters in places like Sunderland. When the Sunderland overwhelmingly pro-Brexit vote was declared, it was pretty well known that Brexit would win.

 

 

[scsu1975]

Famous Boners

Short subject which played just before Funny Girl showing alleged mistakes throughout history. The dumbest depiction features Ian Wolfe as Sir Isaac Newton, who used to boil an egg every day for exactly three minutes (I've never heard this story, and I've heard some beauts about him). Then one day, he accidentally boils his timepiece instead ... while holding onto its chain. Apparently back then, heat did not travel along metal .... otherwise he would have discovered his ***** sooner. The other three stories are about as dull and stupid. The real ***** was in creating this short.

[Vautrin]

Glenda giving it to the Iron Bag Lady. Priceless. Ding dong...

 

[EricJ]

3 hours ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

?ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK AND THE WORLD's YOUR OYSTER...?

You do know that the song has absolutely nothing to do with sex or the Bangkok trade, don't you?  ? (Hint:  It's sung by an int'l chess champion in the Abba musical, and the queens he uses would not excite you.)

2 hours ago, Princess of Tap said:

Swith--I watched the funeral of prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

I was truly surprised if not shocked to see large groups of people who were protesting Margaret Thatcher's political policy even on the day of her funeral.

When?--I wasn't aware she was sick.  

Although I remember a BBC series analyzing Shakespeare, that paralleled the weak "God shall defend his king!" inaction of Shakespeare's Richard II with Margaret Thatcher's stay-the-course belief that loyal England would rally to her side during the Vote of No Confidence that drove her out.

(How Meryl Streep handled it, I haven't got around to renting.)

[kingrat]

22 hours ago, LawrenceA said:

I started my stack of movies from 1957 yesterday:

Abandon Ship - Powerful, emotionally grueling survival drama starring Tyrone Power as a ship's officer put in charge of a lifeboat of survivors after their passenger ship sinks in the Atlantic. The small lifeboat, designed for 9 people, is instead holding over 20, and it isn't long before Power is forced to make hard decisions to ensure the survival of the majority. Also featuring Mai Zetterling, Stephen Boyd, and Lloyd Nolan. I thought Power was outstanding, giving one of his best dramatic performances. The situation the film presents is a fascinating moral dilemma, and it made for some tough viewing. Recommended.   (8/10)

The Accursed - British mystery about a group of former German resistance fighters who reunite every year to honor their fallen leader. This year things are different, as the identity of the man who betrayed their leader has been discovered, and it's one of the men in attendance, only the person with said knowledge is killed before divulging who it is, leaving the men to suspect one another as the killings continue. Starring Donald Wolfit, Robert Bray, Jane Griffiths, Anton Diffring, and Christopher Lee. This one has its moments, but it's hemmed in a bit by static staging and uninspired direction.   (6/10)

T

 

Lawrence, like you and Tom JH I think that Abandon Ship is a fine film. It's great that TCM gives us the chance to see deserving but little-known films such as this.

The Accursed apparently has a plot similar to the French film Marie-Octobre (1959), directed by Julien Duvivier, although imdb doesn't show any connection between the two films. The Duvivier film also resembles a play, but it has a superb French cast headed by Danielle Darrieux. Again, a group of Resistance workers meets to discover a decade after the war who among them was a traitor.

[LawrenceA]

I watched a few more from 1957:

Crime of Passion - Newspaper reporter-turned-housewife Barbara Stanwyck starts going stir crazy with boredom in the suburbs, resulting in much tumult with her cop husband Sterling Hayden and his boss Raymond Burr. Also with Fay Wray and Royal Dano. I liked this unpredictable psychological crime drama, and I thought Stanwyck did a good job with a complicated character.   (7/10)

Decision Against Time aka The Man in the Sky - British aviation drama starring Jack Hawkins as a commercial test pilot who is forced into a tough situation when his company's new aircraft has mechanical problems during a test flight. He can't ditch the plane as it's over a populated area, and even if he made it to the water, they wouldn't be able to salvage the aircraft to learn what went wrong, and his company would be forced to go under. So Hawkins must find a way to land the plane safely. Also featuring Elizabeth Sellars, Lionel Jeffries, and Donald Pleasence. This was pretty good, with an interesting conundrum in the story, and a very good performance from Hawkins.    (7/10)

Edge of the City - Gritty drama starring John Cassavetes as an army deserter hiding out under an assumed name and working in a shipping yard. He makes friends with co-worker Sidney Poitier, which infuriates resident jerk Jack Warden. Also featuring Ruby Dee and Kathleen Maguire. Poitier is outstanding as the easygoing friend, radiating tons of screen charisma. Warden is particularly loathsome as the racist bully. Cassavetes manages to keep his occasionally overblown acting choices in check. A solid, if minor, drama.   (7/10)

Escapade in Japan - Wholesome family fare about American boy Jon Provost surviving a plane crash off the coast of Japan, after which he begins an unlikely odyssey across the Japanese countryside with a helpful, bilingual local boy. The two get into various mild situations, while Provost's parents Teresa Wright and Cameron Mitchell head up the search for the duo. This is more like a Japanese travelogue than a plot-driven movie, coming across like an appeal to American tourists to come and visit, and that wartime animosities and destruction are a thing of the past. I watched it for Clint Eastwood, who has a very brief cameo as an Air Force pilot.   (6/10)

I also broke my routine to watch a newer movie on FilmStruck before its scheduled removal by midnight tonight:

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) - Bizarre arthouse fare from writer-director Peter Greenaway about obnoxious London gangster Michael Gambon, who holds court every night in the French restaurant that he owns. He lords it over the head chef (Richard Bohringer), and routinely abuses his own wife Georgina (Helen Mirren). Georgina begins an affair with an unassuming patron of the restaurant (Alan Howard), which can only lead to trouble. Also featuring Tim Roth, Alex Kingston, Ciaran Hinds, and Ian Dury.

This notorious cult flick caused a stir when it was released, and was partially responsible for the creation of the NC-17 rating. The movie is a mixed bag, gorgeously art directed to the point of distraction, and featuring a lot of camera and lighting tricks. At the same time it revels in sadistic behavior, with much bloody violence, as well as discussion of various bodily functions, and that's the more reserved scenes. Mirren gets the acting honors, although Gambon excels at playing one of the more reprehensible film characters that I can recall. The fanbase for this will be very limited, I would imagine: it's very graphic and grotesque, too much so for most arthouse crowds, while it's too pretentious and esoteric for your general exploitation audience. I liked it, but not as much as I'd hoped. I felt it went on a bit too long, and the camera tricks ended up alienating me from the characters a bit too much. Still, I'm glad I've finally seen this.    (7/10)

[Tikisoo]

Great well rounded description of The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, Lawrence. I search the library & upcoming schedule of titles that sound interesting from this thread. I just added ABANDON SHIP & PRIVATE WORLDS to my list!

I do have a question about this lobby card, posted earlier though:

After reading the description of this movie, WHY is Colbert-pictured in the bottom left corner-surrounded by stars & planets? Even the lettering of "Private Worlds" with the credits is pretty futuristic.
As a movie poster collector, I'll often find weird juxtapositions in the designs, but this one is truly perplexing to me after hearing what the movie is actually about. It just looks at odds next to the dramatic still of the main charactors. Any opinions?

[TomJH]

31 minutes ago, TikiSoo said:

After reading the description of this movie, WHY is Colbert-pictured in the bottom left corner-surrounded by stars & planets? Even the lettering of "Private Worlds" with the credits is pretty futuristic.
As a movie poster collector, I'll often find weird juxtapositions in the designs, but this one is truly perplexing to me after hearing what the movie is actually about. It just looks at odds next to the dramatic still of the main charactors. Any opinions?

Because Colbert's performance was out of this world?

Nice pickup on the poster art which I hadn't noticed, Tiki. I assume it has something to do with the film's title, though the private worlds referred to in the film are within people's minds. It sure doesn't have anything to do with astronomy.

That poster would probably have pleased Star Hustler's Jack Horkheimer, though.

"Greetings, greetings, fellow star gazers!"

[LornaHansonForbes]

I watched KONGO (1933) with LUPE VELEZ and WALTER HUSTON on TCM ON DEMAND.

It was NUTS.

Reminded me a lot of HENDERSON THE RAIN KING, only trashy and not boring (although they're neck and neck in the department of condescension.).

although she is second billed Lupe has more of a large supporting part, but she makes the most of it (and apparently made the most of the local supply of baby oil, she is POSITIVELY LUBED in this thing.)

It's a remake of a LON CHANEY pic and HUSTON GOES BANANAS in the part; in the years after CHANEY'S death, it seems as if a few older leading men in HOLLYWOOD tried to pick up the CHANEY MANTLE by tackling some of his former triumphs. It is a RAW, INSANE, UNHINGED performance- at times, he looks more like THE DEVIL HIMSELF than he does in THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER.

VIRGINIA BRUCE is in this, and she is lovely, even (in moments) after her character has become a drug addict (the hair in her later scenes was a major influence on VERONICA LAKE I think)

The second male lead was kind of cute, but not a good actor. i did not recognize him. THE SKELETON FROM THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL has an important early part as well.

THIS THING RUNS AN ASTOUNDING PARALLEL TO THE SHANGHAI GESTURE (1941), also starring Huston- although saying too much else would be a spoiler. although they are both delightfully bad movies.

R a p e  is strongly implied. Adultery and prostitution openly discussed. Violence is everywhere. There's drugs galore. Multiple ritual sacrifices and Lupe's head gets sawed off in a REALLY CONVINCING magic trick (the last one is not a spoiler, honest)

I bet they LOVED this one in Pomona!

[Swithin]

1 minute ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

I watched KONGO (1933) with LUPE VELEZ and WALTER HUSTON on TCM ON DEMAND.

It was NUTS.

I haven't seen Kongo in years, but I remember vividly that IT WAS NUTS! I enjoyed it, perhaps for that reason.

[LornaHansonForbes]

1 minute ago, Swithin said:

I haven't seen Kongo in years, but I remember vividly that IT WAS NUTS! I enjoyed it, perhaps for that reason.

it may truly be the most shocking PRECODE i have ever seen.

it was the MANDINGO of its time.

[Polly of the Precodes]

50 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

it may truly be the most shocking PRECODE i have ever seen.

it was the MANDINGO of its time.

I think it is the ultimate precode (even over Baby Face or The Story of Temple Drake), because I'm having a hard time thinking of how it could be topped. The censors must have had massive coronaries when they saw this.

Also, while Lon Chaney did make a silent version, it was originally a play...starring Walter Huston.

[scsu1975]

1 hour ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

I watched KONGO (1933) with LUPE VELEZ and WALTER HUSTON on TCM ON DEMAND.

It was NUTS.

Reminded me a lot of HENDERSON THE RAIN KING, only trashy and not boring (although they're neck and neck in the department of condescension.).

although she is second billed Lupe has more of a large supporting part, but she makes the most of it (and apparently made the most of the local supply of baby oil, she is POSITIVELY LUBED in this thing.)

It's a remake of a LON CHANEY pic and HUSTON GOES BANANAS in the part; in the years after CHANEY'S death, it seems as if a few older leading men in HOLLYWOOD tried to pick up the CHANEY MANTLE by tackling some of his former triumphs. It is a RAW, INSANE, UNHINGED performance- at times, he looks more like THE DEVIL HIMSELF than he does in THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER.

VIRGINIA BRUCE is in this, and she is lovely, even (in moments) after her character has become a drug addict (the hair in her later scenes was a major influence on VERONICA LAKE I think)

The second male lead was kind of cute, but not a good actor. 

Conrad Nagel. And you are right, he was not a good actor, but managed to have a decent career.