Carrie Fisher as Co - Hostess of The Essentials

[ken123]

What is your opinion of Ms Fisher, so far, as co - hostess of The Essentials. My opinion is that she was been terrible.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Well, Ken, I obviously had high hopes for her at the beginning. I didn't see the intro/conclusion for The Adventures of Robin Hood, but others on the TCM boards were displeased. I guess I was hoping she would add more to the soup, but there's no stock there.

It's schmoozy party chat, and I thought she would offer more personal insight. Just disappointed. I could have phoned it in, but I'm not Debbie's
daughter.

[Moraldo Rubini]

I've only seen a couple of the chats with Robert Osborne and Carrie Fisher; but each time I was disappointed that so little time was devoted to their discussion, and that so little information was forthcoming. I was hoping that Fisher would be able to give us some insight, given her inside view of Hollywood and its history. I don't think this is necessarily Fisher's fault, but actually the achille's heel of The Essentials in general. TCM doesn't seem interested in educating their viewers on why their chosen film are "Essential", as much as creating a cozy feeling that we're nestled on the couch to watch the movie with two other film fans.

I'd like to see more time devoted to the pre- and post-film discussions, and would enjoy hearing ideas and tidbits from the inside view that both Osborne and Fisher have enjoyed.

[Ayres]

Can anyone shed any light on the films she's passing judgment upon in the promos for "The Essentials"? Which does she think is "so overrated"? I can't remember her other reactions, but I do keep wondering to what each one refers!

[Moraldo Rubini]

Can anyone shed any light on the films she's passing judgment upon in the promos for "The Essentials"? Which does she think is "so overrated"? I can't remember her other reactions, but I do keep wondering to what each one refers!

For some reason that I don't remember, I thought she was referring to Breakfast at Tiffany...

[benwhowell]

I don't think that "Essential" has aired yet?
It wasn't "Breakfast At Tiffany's," Marco-she loved that more than Robert O. BTW, are you in Manhattan? Did you remember to pack a DVD player?

[Moraldo Rubini]

It was one of the earlier ones though, wasn't it? Maybe it was that Doris Day Mink movie? Carrie says "its' cute, but it's not a classic"....

My portable DVD player died on my last trip, Ben. So I haven't packed any movies, and fear the withdrawal symptoms will soon affect me. This is probably my last post in SF, as I head to the airport soon...

Enjoy!

[Hollis]

I still maintain that "The Essentials" hasn't been anything special since Sydney Pollack hosted the series. I got the feeling that he picked the movie himself and then did a superb job of explaining why it was "essential." Peter Bogdanovich was barely tolerable with his impressions of other directors and actors. If Mr. Osborne didn't have to share the set with a co-host, there might be more time for him to say why he thought the film was an essential.

[Lzcutter]

The Essentials is a tough nut to crack. Among film lovers it is films that are considered classics.

However, TCM tends to view Essentials as those films that will entice new viewers to consider watching classic films.

These are two very different eggs and they don't mix well.

I agree with Marco that the Achilles heel of the concept is the talking about it.

Sidney Pollack probably did the best but his choices were geared more for fans that were already classic film lovers.

The Essentials has evolved into films that might entice novice viewers to watch not only the film of the week but others as well. Thus, we have Molly Haskell and Carrie Fisher talking with Robert O about film.

We, the converted, are already there.

Perhaps, by having Carrie Fisher, though incredibly innocuous by our standards, might help lure more novices into the fold.

It's a hard nut to crack, trying to convert the rest of the world to a love of their cinematic history.

[benwhowell]

Marco, I can't imagine where the closest Target would be to Manhattan...but I bought a Polaroid DVD player last night, at Target, for $22! For that price, you wouldn't even have to concern yourself with taking it back to San Francisco...I'm sure you'll find lots of movies to add to your collection during your stay in the Big Apple...

[moira finnie]

Whenever I catch myself having really uncharitable thoughts about Carrie Fisher's ability to think, speak, choose something other than those ugly duds she appears in, or analyze film, I try to remember that she:

a.) probably doesn't write her own words on The Essentials,
b.) probably doesn't choose her own clothes on The Essentials, and
c.) most importantly, has had a pretty tough life in many ways and probably hasn't had the ability or time to concentrate for long on the study of movies, despite the fact that she was born in the one-time epicenter of that industry/art/craft to industry insiders, (both of whom had their own problems).

Then I just hit the mute button or turn the channel or, better yet, take a walk.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

I just reread my earlier comments, and they sound so snippy. Didn't mean to denigrate Carrie like that and be so negative. I thought about adding a , but everybody seems so shell-shocked from emoticon abuse, I just hesitate to add one. What the heck.

When I wrote it, I think I was trying to be funny , but it just seems so negative now. (I learned about one of my new job assigments Monday. )

I do want more folks to tune in and learn about the joys of classic cinema, and I hope Carrie gets asked back again. I think a casual atmosphere is more inviting , and I like the setting , but I just wish we had learned more information and had more analysis than we did.