WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

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mrsl
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Post by mrsl »

Thanks for the news that Major Dundee was not greatly admired by all. I always thought that maybe there was something there that I, being a female, had missed and therefore lost something in the movie. Mr L and his best friend used to laugh at each others unfinished comments, and when I would ask, my darlin said "it's a guy thing". Unfortunately often watching what I consider men's flicks, he would laugh and I would wonder why, so I do imagine there are certain things only men 'get' that women don't. As a rule, with a cast like Dundee, I would be glued to the TV but that movie allowed me to cook dinner because there were such long, boring sections.

Anne :twisted:
Anne


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feaito

Post by feaito »

Last Sunday I watched a long sought-after movie; one I had been looking for, for many years, since I saw it as a kid: the 1951 Fox film "Bird of Paradise" (1951), starring Louis Jourdan, Debra Paget and Jeff Chandler. A South Seas Romance adventure film, which due to its totally unexplainable **spoilers** ending -from a kid's point of view- : a lovely girl in love, jumping into a volcanoe, left an everlasting bittersweet impression on me. After watching this film, I realized that its story-line is extremely different from the 1932 movie of the same title.

It's kind of funny in a way, because in the Citadel Press book "Films of the '30s" the 1932 King Vidor original version is discussed as a never-seen again vintage movie, due to the existence of the 1951 remake, which was apparently aired regularly on American TV during the 1960s and 1970s. But with the advent of VHS and DVD, the 1932 became largely available (since it is on the Public Domain) and the 1951 version, at least in my country, became the extremely elusive, rare film.

I bought the DVD edition of the Roan Group of this 1932 Exotic tale, which includes the movie in its original sepia tone and also has the nude diving scene featuring Dolores Del Río (or a body double) restored into it. Well, I had to watch this vintage 1932 film after watching the 1951 remake, to make comparisons.

I must say that I liked the 1951 film and it did not disappoint me, from an entertainment point of view. This version is pretty much a product of its time, the more conservative 1950s. All the raw sexual tension between the two main characters, which is profusely evident in the 1932 Vidor film is gone in the 1951 totally tame version. It's a story with "civilized" natives. The plot has been totally changed in many ways and some new characters have been thrown in: Jeff Chandler is the son of the Island's Chief, who's coming back to his native land after studying at an American University where he has befriended a suave, very rich French student, elegantly played by Louis Jourdan, who travels with him. Chandler explains that he's the grandson of an Amerivan white man, thus the subsequent romance between caucasic Jourdan and Chandler's very caucasic sister, will become more acceptable under the Hays Code. In the 1932 film Dolores Del Río was 100% native and she had no white relatives or brother, though compared with the other natives featured in the film, she looked considerably different anyhow.

Chandler's grandfather conveniently taught the natives how to speak in English, so most of them undertsand perfectly when Jourdan speaks (with French accent of course) -quite implausible- Chandler's sister (beautifully played by an ethereal Debra Paget), as I said before, is very caucasic, which appears quite strange since both of her parents look very ethnic (It's not clear if the White Man was the father of her mother or father).

Another difference with the 1932 film is that the 1951 has lots of dialogue. The 1932 film, not taking account the scenes on board the yacht is almost devoid of "civilized" dialogue. In the 1951 movie there is another white man; an outcast (played by Everett Sloane) who's evil in the natives' eyes and has been banished from the Island and who lives in a nearby, smaller Isle.

The 1932 film is much simpler and earthier. Dolores Del Río's character lusts after Joel McCrea's white man. He likes her and wants her too -there's some hanky-panky between them and many sexy scenes. Their story has a more real, naturalistic approach and everything seems more natural in this film (save for Dolores' make-up and polished nails), especially the mutual attraction and attitude of its very attractive lead characters.

In the 1932 version, the natives do not speak English at all. They look more real and are much "wilder" than their 1951 counterparts. The film has lots of Pre-Code apects and one wishes that this Fantasy could be more extensively restored to appreciate it in its full glory. Dolores and Joel look like our idea of Adam & Eve in Paradise. Louis Jourdan and Debra Paget's relationship plays more like that of a bourgeois romantic couple within a tropical background.

As I stated before, the 1932 film, except for the dialogue aboard the yacht between Joel and his travelling friends, there are almost not dialogue or explanations at all and the story just flows. Dolores is also the chief's daughter, but their relationship and the behaviour between father an daughter is much more "less civilized" than in the 1951 film. We don't get to see a "mother" here and the chief even lashes alluring Dolores! Dolores is also "tapu" or taboo for other men, but for the native of a higher tribal-rank whom she is going to "marry". One also understands that because of being the Chief's daughter, she is the only one who can calm the volcano's wrath, in accordance with tribal traditions and superstitions. Dolores looks appropriately exotic and erotic. The settings and her role suits her limited (then) acting talents. She's very sensuous.

On the other hand, in the 1951 film, Debra Paget is virginal and "nice". Dolores straightly wants Joel. Their relationship is purely physical at first, then come love and sentiments. Jourdan's and Paget's attachement is more platonic, ethereal and romantic, from the very beginning.

In all, both films have their merits, but I think that the 1932 Vidor movie is superior.
feaito

Post by feaito »

Thanks to Alison I got to see the excellent "And Then There Were None" (1945), based upon an Agatha Christie story. A spectacular ensemble cast, if I ever saw one, with such seasoned pros as Judith Anderson, Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Judith Anderson et al. It keeps the suspense until the end and it's misleading, because from the beginning I figured wrongly who was the murderer. :wink: A good choice for Halloween night.

I also re-watched "It Started with Eve" (1941), a totally charming Deanna Durbin vehicle in which she stars opposite Charles Laughton and Robert Cummings. Delightful from start to finish. Ms. Durbin's film deserve to be better known. She's simply divine.

Last but not least, yesterday in the morning I had a binge of Astaire-Rogers dancing. Since I have their DVD Collection, I put one disk after another and watched many of their dancing routines, from most of their films. Utterly enjoyable. Once more, I was impressed to discover how "naughty" and "Pre-Codish" the Carioca dance (from "Flying Down to Rio" (1933)) was! It was kind of a precursor of the daring Lambada dance. I could not picture my great grandparents dancing a dance of this kind, back in 1933!....Well, after all the original Tango, was very, very daring before it became an acknowledged ballroom dance.
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charliechaplinfan
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Post by charliechaplinfan »

Fernando, that's spoiling yourself, watching all the dances back to back. Sheer escapism. I'm glad you liked And Then There Were None.

Thanks to Fernando, I've watched Duel in the Sun. I'm not a huge fan of Westerns but I found this quite enjoyable. It has an absolute stellar cast, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Gregory Peck, Lillian Gish, Lionel Barrymore, Herbert Marshall, Walter Huston. I can imagine it was quite racy fare in it's day, a story of passion and possession. I'm not sure I completely got Lewt turning 'nice' in the end. I've only ever seen Gregory Peck in good roles. He's a very good actor but I'm not sure my mind is willing to accept him as a baddie. Very enjoyable.

I also watched The Red Balloon, a French film made in 1956. Very simple in concept, the story of a Red Balloon and a little boy who finds it. Of course with simple films there is often a moral or a deeper meaning. It is a very uplifting film (excuse the pun). I also love the look at the backstreets and shops in the outskirts of Paris.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
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movieman1957
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Post by movieman1957 »

Had a Gary Cooper two-fer. "Design For Living" is a movie I thought got better as it went on and finished quite well. The first part I found a bit slow but had some fun lines in it. The cast is fine. I kept thinking I wanted Melvyn Douglas rather than March but it was probably too early. I'm not sure in the early part March couldn't have made his part a little lighter. (But silly of me to question Lubitsch.) A bit casual in the morality department and friends are easily reconciled but it was a fun 90 minutes.

Also watched "Peter Ibbetson." Very melodramatic plot until the movie takes a turn a little beyond half way. You can get away with a lot when you are dreaming. Put it squarely in the fantasy column and it plays better. Nice description of heaven at the end.

Cooper and Harding make a wonderful pair. Oddly, looking at Harding's credits it seems odd she didn't have more of a movie career. Lots of TV credits but not many memorable movie credits.
Chris

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Mr. Arkadin
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Post by Mr. Arkadin »

charliechaplinfan wrote:I also watched The Red Balloon, a French film made in 1956. Very simple in concept, the story of a Red Balloon and a little boy who finds it. Of course with simple films there is often a moral or a deeper meaning. It is a very uplifting film (excuse the pun). I also love the look at the backstreets and shops in the outskirts of Paris.
The Red Balloon is a great little film. If you liked this, you might check out some of the other works Criterion has released for children. My personal favorite is Paddle to the Sea (1966), which is a story about a hand-carved Indian in a canoe traveling from Canada through the great lakes to (you guessed it) the Atlantic ocean. Like The Red Balloon, it's beautifully shot and enjoyable for any age.

Here's the opening (try to ignore the obvious fact that no kid should be melting lead--much less in their living room!):

[youtube][/youtube]
klondike

Post by klondike »

Mr. A, you've done it again!
Thank you so much for embedding the link for Paddle to the Sea!
All the time my kids were growing up, and were still "little", the book "Paddle to the Sea" was a particular favorite of theirs, for storytime, before they nodded off to Dreamland; of course, it was just long enough to take four or five evenings to finish, and most years, it was a mid-Summer, mid-week treat they actually looked forward to.
A favorite of theirs to hear, a favorite of mine to read aloud.
And I never had an inkling that it had ever been "filmed", so to speak; trust those Canayjuns, eh?
What a beautigul gift of a Sunday morning . . and now I'm inspired to dig out my old copy, and share it with my littler grandkids!
Trivia point: Not only did the name of this book's author inspre the character-name of Holling Vincouer on the "Northern Exposure" TV series, but in one episode thereof, Chris the DJ actually entertained his Cicely listeners with on-air readings from "Paddle to the Sea"!
feaito

Post by feaito »

Thanks to Christine, yesterday I watched the very interesting Max Ophüls film "Madame De...". Excellent use of cinematography, perfect settings and full of symbolism. I could not warm towards the characters though, because I felt that the impersonations, for most of the film were in a way detached and cold. It was kind of strange, because I realized that the three leads were giving great performances. Danielle Darrieux's transformation from the superficial, childish, frivolous Comtesse of the beginning of the movie to the doomed woman desperately and hopelessly in love at the end of the film is remarkable. "Letter from an Unknown Woman" (1948) continues to be my favorite Ophüls film, but maybe that is because I'm a sentimental :wink:
Mr. Arkadin
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Post by Mr. Arkadin »

klondike wrote:Mr. A, you've done it again!
Thank you so much for embedding the link for Paddle to the Sea!
All the time my kids were growing up, and were still "little", the book "Paddle to the Sea" was a particular favorite of theirs, for storytime, before they nodded off to Dreamland; of course, it was just long enough to take four or five evenings to finish, and most years, it was a mid-Summer, mid-week treat they actually looked forward to.
A favorite of theirs to hear, a favorite of mine to read aloud.
And I never had an inkling that it had ever been "filmed", so to speak; trust those Canayjuns, eh?
What a beautigul gift of a Sunday morning . . and now I'm inspired to dig out my old copy, and share it with my littler grandkids!
Trivia point: Not only did the name of this book's author inspre the character-name of Holling Vincouer on the "Northern Exposure" TV series, but in one episode thereof, Chris the DJ actually entertained his Cicely listeners with on-air readings from "Paddle to the Sea"!
Klondike, The Criterion print looks great. I remember seeing this in grade school in the early 70's and never forgot it (we had the book on our reading list). I recently picked up a used copy and loved re-visiting the film. The rest of it is on youtube as well:

Part 2
[youtube][/youtube]

Part3
[youtube][/youtube]

The shot of Paddle going over over Niagara Falls is amazing. It was also pretty dangerous. They actually got really close and physically dropped a camera 100 feet with a cable attached!
Synnove
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Post by Synnove »

Yesterday I saw Grapes of Wrath. I've seen it once before, some time ago. This time my first impression of it was reinforced: it isn't a flawless film, but the overall feeling you have from watching it is emotional exhaustion because of how cruelly people treat each other and how willing they are to exploit one another because of money. Spoilers here: At the end of the movie (note, I haven't read the book, although I think I will soon) you're not sure of if the family is going to make it. They're off to get work, but it's only for 20 days, and they're not even sure if they're going to get it. It's grim, and in some ways it's astonishing to me that they could make it so in 1940. The extras also look as if they really starve. The acting is a bit melodramatic, especially in the beginning, but during the second half of the film it improves. I'm sorry about how incoherent this review is. Anyway, I can recommend this movie.
feaito

Post by feaito »

I watched a long-time favorite: "Murder by Decree" (1978), one of the best and most suspenseful Sherlock Holmes films I've ever seen. Loved it!
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moira finnie
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Post by moira finnie »

feaito wrote:I watched a long-time favorite: "Murder by Decree" (1978), one of the best and most suspenseful Sherlock Holmes films I've ever seen. Loved it!
Oh, Fernando, don't you wish that Christopher Plummer and James Mason could have played Holmes & Watson again? I went to the movies to see that movie and loved it. I think that Mason did a splendid job of creating a tentative, slightly truculent Watson, so different from Nigel Bruce, though somewhat similar in his bewilderment. I hope to have a chance to read Plummer's autobiography, "In Spite of Myself" soon, as it is being published later this month. If you're interested, you can see him speak about his book here.
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feaito

Post by feaito »

Yes indeed Moira. I wished they had played Holmes & Watson again. They did a splendid job. I was quite surprised to read that originally the roles were intended for Peter O'Toole (Holmes) and Laurence Olivier (Watson). I think that Plummer gave a more human dimension to the character. The scene where his eyes are full teardrops after talking to Annie Crook (Genevieve Bujold) is heart-wrenching. And the final confrontation scene, WOW :shock:

Thanks for the link :D
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Ann Harding
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Post by Ann Harding »

Yesterday I watched a B-movie, Bruce Humberstone's I Wake Up Screaming (1941) with Victor Mature, Betty Grable, Laird Cregar and Carole Landis. Vicky Lynn (C. Landis), a waitress, is hoping to become a Hollywood starlet thanks to some publicity stunts arranged by master-PR Frankie Christopher (V. Mature). But she is found murdered at home. The police starts inquiring about her....
This film noir turned out to be very enjoyable thanks to the wonderful cast of character actors scattered throughout. The script offered a massive amount of possibilities not always completely realised, but still, there isn't a single moment of boredom in sight. From Laird Cregar as the creepy policeman to Elisha Cook jr as the neurotic janitor, the film had bags of atmosphere. Check it out someday! The cinematography by Edward Cronjager is beautiful. :)
jdb1

Post by jdb1 »

This past weekend I saw the Australian film The Last Wave (1977), which I like more each time I see it. IFC had broadcast this film last month as well, and at that time I was watching it with the thought in my mind that it reminded me of some other movie. This time I think I put my finger on it: this Peter Weir work, in plot, mise-en-scene and slowly unfolding pace, brings to mind many of the films of M. Night Shyamalan, especially Signs and The Sixth Sense.

Wonder if M. Night took a course in Weir's films in film school.

If you haven't ever seen this one, give it a look - it will grow on you.
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