I know this is a great debate: visual versus dialogue. In general French film historians are very much in favor of visual only. I certainly disagree with this approach. I too like some films for their scripts even if they are visually not exciting.
As for Joseph Mankiewicz, he is also one of my favourite directors. But, I wouldn't say that his visual style is not interesting. Just look at The Ghost and Mrs Muir, the dialogues between Harrison and Tierney are wonderfully choreographed and certainly not flat. As for camera movements, I read somewhere that he tried to experiment while making The Late George Apley and Zanuck decided to cut it out....
I have mixed feeling towards Preminger. I love his early film noirs (Mark Dixon, Laura) and find his later films really ponderous.
Strangers May Kiss (1931)
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Ann Harding
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Hi:
Just jumping in to add a couple of cents here. I think Miss G knows I adore Norma Shearer, and I seriously think in the beginning, she literally forgot she was in a 'talkie'. Her 'silent movie' mannerisms tamed down quite a bit after a while. The only thing she never got over was tucking her shirt into her skirt or slacks, and that little touching of her hair, but those may have just been her own personal quirks, like we all have. Her popularity however, proves that her audiences overlooked any little idiosyncrasies. No matter what the critics say about some actors, nothing diminishes the love their fans have for them.
Anne
Just jumping in to add a couple of cents here. I think Miss G knows I adore Norma Shearer, and I seriously think in the beginning, she literally forgot she was in a 'talkie'. Her 'silent movie' mannerisms tamed down quite a bit after a while. The only thing she never got over was tucking her shirt into her skirt or slacks, and that little touching of her hair, but those may have just been her own personal quirks, like we all have. Her popularity however, proves that her audiences overlooked any little idiosyncrasies. No matter what the critics say about some actors, nothing diminishes the love their fans have for them.
Anne
Anne
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MissGoddess
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Ann - Agree about JLM---which is why I said he could be stylistically interesting but I do like later Preminger work such as Anatomy of a Murder, The Man with the Golden Arm and Bonjour, Tristess, very much as well. Golden Arm, in particular, is stage-bound in the extreme and is often criticized for this. I disagree with critics who think it would have benefitted from the realism location shooting would have brought. I think the obvious stage set gave the necessary feeling of claustrophobia, of a rat caught in a trap, that was intrinsic to Frankie Machine's predicament.
Anne-spelled-with-an-e: I've always liked Norma and I may add that I like stars that have distinct mannerisms. In fact, I look for these things unconsciously at times. I guess I want to sense something familiar when I see my favorite stars.
Anne-spelled-with-an-e: I've always liked Norma and I may add that I like stars that have distinct mannerisms. In fact, I look for these things unconsciously at times. I guess I want to sense something familiar when I see my favorite stars.