We all like GONE WITH THE WIND, STAR WARS, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. But what is it about the other side of the filmmaking coin that's so darned appealling? The quiet, contained story with no grandiosity to speak of. Strong characters, direct storytelling, confined setting. It's like being in the house with these people, riding in the stagecoach, surviving in the lifeboat. The very lack of spectacle simply adds to the experience.
When I make a list of "The Best" movies, these are not the films at the top. Yet sometimes I enjoy them more than the "real classics." Gene Barry in THE ATOMIC CITY. The oddly fascinating THE NEXT VOICE YOU HEAR. And of course, the Jack Arnold fantasy of the guy who gets really, really small, whose title I'm forbidden to ever mention again! We've talked about Ruth Gordon's THE ACTRESS, though that one does feature a big star. Likewise, THE HUSTLER. A name cast, but a delightfully small scale.
The noir world is bouncing with this stuff. DETOUR is the best example. With greater technology and a marketable look, that cult favorite would be long forgotten. THE NARROW MARGIN: look how much better it is than the mainstream remake. The first versions of MALTESE FALCON and GLASS KEY fit this description. Some, though certainly not all, argue they are at least as good as their more famous counterparts.
EDGE OF THE CITY. THE VOICE IN THE MIRROR. STREET SCENE. That adorable thing with David Janssen as a forest ranger abducted by teenage thugs! There's an endless supply of these little gifts. Don't worry that they're not "bigger than a bread basket." Once you unwrap the package, you might be glad!
Big Things/Small Packages
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feaito
Re: Big Things/Small Packages
Excellent post RedRiver. I agree with you in your comparison of grandiosity/super-productions versus low-profile films or films made on a more intimate scale/lower budget.
As much as I like "Ben-Hur" (1959) directed by my number one director Willie Wyler, it can't compare IMO-I know they are absolutely different things- with his 1936 "Dodsworth", a superior film and in my top five list.
The same applies to Lean's "Doctor Zhivago" (1965), "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) or "Ryan's Daughter" (1970) compared to that superb, nuanced, subtle love story depicted in "Brief Encounter" (1945) or "The Passionate Friends" (1949) and "Madeleine" (1950).
As you see I go for big things in small packages
As much as I like "Ben-Hur" (1959) directed by my number one director Willie Wyler, it can't compare IMO-I know they are absolutely different things- with his 1936 "Dodsworth", a superior film and in my top five list.
The same applies to Lean's "Doctor Zhivago" (1965), "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) or "Ryan's Daughter" (1970) compared to that superb, nuanced, subtle love story depicted in "Brief Encounter" (1945) or "The Passionate Friends" (1949) and "Madeleine" (1950).
As you see I go for big things in small packages
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JackFavell
- Posts: 11926
- Joined: April 20th, 2009, 9:56 am
Re: Big Things/Small Packages
Great post, red!
Ring of Fire is the David Janssen movie with the thugs, one of whom is Frank Gorshin. I don't know if I would call it a gift.
my favorite character in the movie is 'green sweater woman', who runs past the screen 6 or 7 times as an extra, fleeing the encroaching fire at the end of the film.
Sometimes the best films are the ones we discover, the little movies, the ones that pack a lot of punch for their cheapie budget or small run time or simple story. I'm thinking of movies like Deadline at Dawn, which boasts a good cast but not A list (at least not at the time), great quirky story by Cornell Woolrich, and competent if not exciting direction.
I am also thinking of Bank Holiday, from England, which MissG recommended, with Margaret Lockwood. A tiny almost insignificant story, about little people and their lives, but so perfectly done!
A Damsel in Distress, the Fred Astaire movie that isn't on everyone's list to see. OK, maybe this one isn't quite the right type of film, because it was made with a little bit bigger budget and a top flight cast, but when was the last time you saw it touted by movie fans? It's a small story and it works, and I like it, it has charm.
Some of my best friends are small movies. For every Lawrence of Arabia, there's an It All Came True. And that's such a good thing.
Ring of Fire is the David Janssen movie with the thugs, one of whom is Frank Gorshin. I don't know if I would call it a gift.
my favorite character in the movie is 'green sweater woman', who runs past the screen 6 or 7 times as an extra, fleeing the encroaching fire at the end of the film. Sometimes the best films are the ones we discover, the little movies, the ones that pack a lot of punch for their cheapie budget or small run time or simple story. I'm thinking of movies like Deadline at Dawn, which boasts a good cast but not A list (at least not at the time), great quirky story by Cornell Woolrich, and competent if not exciting direction.
I am also thinking of Bank Holiday, from England, which MissG recommended, with Margaret Lockwood. A tiny almost insignificant story, about little people and their lives, but so perfectly done!
A Damsel in Distress, the Fred Astaire movie that isn't on everyone's list to see. OK, maybe this one isn't quite the right type of film, because it was made with a little bit bigger budget and a top flight cast, but when was the last time you saw it touted by movie fans? It's a small story and it works, and I like it, it has charm.
Some of my best friends are small movies. For every Lawrence of Arabia, there's an It All Came True. And that's such a good thing.
Re: Big Things/Small Packages
Feaito, you've cited some great movies, and clothed them in a good point. I love BEN-HUR. But other Wyler films are just as effective in a softer way. (See THE LETTER, DETECTIVE STORY.) I don't know all the Lean movies you've named. My way of reinforcing that argument is "the big, colorful epic vs. the Dickens adaptations." I prefer the latter, for reasons obvious to most classic fans.
As Wendy has noted, it's harder than I thought it would be to name perfect examples of this. DEADLINE AT DAWN does feature Susan Hayward. But this was before SMASH-UP, I WANT TO LIVE, THE PRESIDENT'S LADY. As often as not, she was still playing "the other girl." Bill Williams? That merely serves to better define the category! As an adolescent, I actually dubbed this type of film "A Bill Williams Movie"! Two of my own mentions are borderline, due to bankable casting. But that's one of the interesting things about these second tier films. You don't always remember the titles!
As Wendy has noted, it's harder than I thought it would be to name perfect examples of this. DEADLINE AT DAWN does feature Susan Hayward. But this was before SMASH-UP, I WANT TO LIVE, THE PRESIDENT'S LADY. As often as not, she was still playing "the other girl." Bill Williams? That merely serves to better define the category! As an adolescent, I actually dubbed this type of film "A Bill Williams Movie"! Two of my own mentions are borderline, due to bankable casting. But that's one of the interesting things about these second tier films. You don't always remember the titles!
Last edited by RedRiver on October 15th, 2013, 11:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
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JackFavell
- Posts: 11926
- Joined: April 20th, 2009, 9:56 am
Re: Big Things/Small Packages
A Bill Williams movie! Yes, of course, that's almost the definition of the small movie!