I Just Watched...

[jimimac71]

I could never get into Cabaret. Liza is more my speed in Arthur.
I think what Bagel On A Plate is saying makes sense.
In one breath, someone is talking. Next think you know, it's a song.
I have the DVD of Victor/Victoria on Broadway.
Don't believe TCM has ever shown it.
I think Swithin could enjoy that version more.
It may help that I am nuts about Julie Andrews.
While I'm not crazy about the The Americanization of Emily, it is still Julie Andrews.
TCM has my permission to include it more frequently.
Love Judi Dench too.
Got a thing about folks from the other side of the pond.

[Allhallowsday]

...HEY! That wouldn't have been Gutman's Mongolian Theater in Passaic, would IT?!

(...I've heard it could rival Grauman's in Hollywood for splendor, but that its concession stand never stocked enough Jujubes)

Nope, but I think I may have been in that theater a few years later...?

[Swithin]

My two favorite movies are Cabaret and Victor/Victoria. Both movies are diegetic musicals, where the songs are sung by characters in the context of a performance rather than sung dialogue that you'll find in a traditional musical (like Camelot or Funny Girl).

That's actually considered the old-fashioned way of making musicals (although I never knew it was called "diegetic"). It was the traditional way to create musicals, before the more modern method ushered in partly by Show Boat, then fully with Oklahoma! Cabaret is actually a combo, having some songs sung as part of communication between characters, e.g. the songs between Lotte Lenya and Jack Gilford in the original Broadway cast. The more modern method enables the plot to extend beyond plots related to performers.

Btw, I saw Victor/Victoria when it was released. I thought I would love it. I just felt: ho-hum.

In the stage musical Cabaret, there are both diegetic and non-diegetic songs. The diegetic songs are all performed at the Kit Kat Club with the exception of "Tomorrow Belongs To Me" (sung by Fraulein Kost) and "Meeskite" (sung by Herr Schultz). In the non-diegetic numbers, the characters are communicating through song but are not meant to be aware that they are singing. In other words, they don't know they are in a musical.

In his movie adaptation of Cabaret, Bob Fosse chose to eliminate all non-diegetic songs so that all performances in the movie are diegetic. The song "Married," which was a non-diegetic number in the stage musical (a duet between Fräulein Schneider and Herr Schultz) is heard as a song played on the radio ("Heirat" which is sung in German).

In the movie Victor/Victoria all the songs are diegetic, with the characters singing as a part of a performance. The movie was later adapted into a stage musical (with Julie Andrews reprising the title role) that included both diegetic and non-diegetic numbers.

I recently saw a great production of Guys and Dolls in London (well, as great as a British production of a Broadway musical can be). It too has diegetic songs and non-diegetic songs (maybe my favorite new words). Miss Adelaide is a performer at the Hot Box Club. Her big production numbers are "Take Back Your Mink" and "A Bushel and a Peck," sung in performance. Her other songs are non-diegetic as are almost all of the other songs in the show.

[dianedebuda]

I could never get into Cabaret.

Me either.

I have the DVD of Victor/Victoria on Broadway. ... It may help that I am nuts about Julie Andrews.

I'm a fan too. Just frosting on the cake that the movie has James Garner and Robert Preston too. Wonder if I'd miss them too much in the Broadway version.

While I'm not crazy about the The Americanization of Emily, it is still Julie Andrews.

I'll take up the slack in your lower level of enthusiasm for that one. And love the title song.

Love Judi Dench too.

Have you ever seen The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000)? One of my favorites and I'd bet it'd be right up your alley.

[Allhallowsday]

CROSSING DELANCEY (1988) For the 5th or 6th time on TCM. I love this movie.



One of my favorite movie moments:

[jimimac71]

I could never get into Cabaret.

Me either.

I have the DVD of Victor/Victoria on Broadway. ... It may help that I am nuts about Julie Andrews.

I'm a fan too. Just frosting on the cake that the movie has James Garner and Robert Preston too. Wonder if I'd miss them too much in the Broadway version.

While I'm not crazy about the The Americanization of Emily, it is still Julie Andrews.

I'll take up the slack in your lower level of enthusiasm for that one. And love the title song.

Love Judi Dench too.

Have you ever seen The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000)? One of my favorites and I'd bet it'd be right up your alley.

No, I don't know the movie you mentioned.
My favorite is "As Time Goes By."
I've seen "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and "Philomena."
If you can stomach the advertising, "A Fine Romance" is on the Amazon service Freevee.
In 1967, we played tourists in San Francisco.
Saw "Thoroughly Modern Millie" in Panavision on a curved screen.

[jamesjazzguitar]

"Hell Drivers", 1957, Rank Organization, Cy Enfield Director. A British noir which is actually very well made and acted by a cast of nascent British big-name actors like Sean Connery. Stanley Baker is in the leading role and he's typically intense and pugilistic. Geoffrey Unsworth cinematographer provides the look of the film, but the editing is absolutely superb:

Good to see this solid British noir getting exposure. The leading actress is Peggy Cummins, well known for Gun Crazy, back making films in her homeland.

The film also has David McCallum and Jill Ireland in minor roles. They met on the set are got married shortly thereafter. That marriage lasted 10 years. Ireland would go on to marry Charles Bronson, and made many American films with him.

[Allhallowsday]

...Good to see this solid British noir getting exposure. The leading actress is Peggy Cummins, well known for Gun Crazy, back making films in her homeland...

She also stars in a favorite which I watched recently on Svenghoulie: CURSE OF THE DEMON (1957)

[Detective Jim McLeod]

Contempt (1963) Theater 7/10

A writer (Michel Piccoli) and his wife (Brigette Bardot) have marital problems while he works on the script for a movie version of Homer's Odyssey.

First time viewing for me, in a NY revival theater on the big screen. I liked it, though it was bit talky. One dialogue scene of Piccoli and Bardot lasts 34 minutes of the 103 min running time. But there is much for a film buff to enjoy. Jack Palance plays a boorish American movie producer. Fritz Lang (playing himself) is the director of the film within a film. One character talks to him about the Western he did with Dietrich, he says "I prefer M".
Piccoli wears his hat while in the bath, saying he wants to be like Dean Martin in Some Came Running. The scenery and color are beautiful here and gorgeous Bardot has a couple of nude scenes.

[Belle]

"Pitfall", 1948, Andre De Toth. Dick Powell, Lizabeth Scott, Jane Wyatt

It's a good film and Dick's 'everyman' is a totally surprising 'victim' in this noir.



So glad to be able to discuss these films here. I sent my sister a Youtube link of "Pick Up on South Street" last week and she replied that she laughed all the way through it!! Apparently it was just too dated, and she even found Richard Widmark's hat very amusing!!

[Swithin]

Contempt (1963) Theater 7/10

A writer (Michel Piccoli) and his wife (Brigette Bardot) have marital problems while he works on the script for a movie version of Homer's Odyssey.

First time viewing for me, in a NY revival theater on the big screen. I liked it, though it was bit talky. One dialogue scene of Piccoli and Bardot lasts 34 minutes of the 103 min running time. But there is much for a film buff to enjoy. Jack Palance plays a boorish American movie producer. Fritz Lang (playing himself) is the director of the film within a film. One character talks to him about the Western he did with Dietrich, he says "I prefer M".
Piccoli wears his hat while in the bath, saying he wants to be like Dean Martin in Some Came Running. The scenery and color are beautiful here and gorgeous Bardot has a couple of nude scenes.

Which revival theater? Elgin? Thalia? Theater 80?

[Detective Jim McLeod]

Which revival theater? Elgin? Thalia? Theater 80?

The Film Forum on Houston Street.

[Swithin]

Which revival theater? Elgin? Thalia? Theater 80?

The Film Forum on Houston Street.

Ah, although they certainly do revivals, I don't think of them as a revival house, since they do a lot of contemporary and independent films as well. The last show I saw there was a double bill in the 2019 Scorsese/Cocks series: Kings Row and The Maze. It's nice to see I can use the name of Scorsese's co-programmer here; it was censored on the TCM board!

[Belle]

"Outside the Wall", 1950 noir starring Richard Basehart. A good tale!! An under-rated actor.