WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[mrsl]

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Judith:

I, too watched Elopement and thoroughly enjoyed it. As you said, the best part of it was the coming together of Tommy Rettig and Clifton Webb. Tommy was so adorable, I loved seeing his name appear in movie credits. Actually, I can't and won't try to add anything to your comments since you covered the movie beautifully, but I have come to check FOX as regularly as TCM because I get to see the few actors from studios that TCM doesn't cover, like Alan Ladd and Tyrone Power.

. . . . . "W" . . . . .

This one started at 11:30 p.m. as I was channel surfing so I clicked on it to see what it was like. Since that person is out of my life hopefully, forever, I will say nothing about the subject matter of the movie, but I do want to comment on Josh Brolin who is really a much better actor than his dad ever was. He had the mannerisms both physical, and verbal down to perfection. Richard Dreyfuss, who I always loved like a brother, scared the heck out of me as he was made up to be almost a twin to Dick Cheney, ooohhhh, just the thought gives me shivers :!: But as George H. Sr., James Cromwell, as usual, was perfect. I'm not sure of where Mr. Cromwell is from, but he is definitely an actor, we can be proud of. The man never fails to do an A+ job on any role given to him. One of the funny things is, he barely needs any kind of make-up, as his face fits nearly any part. Ellyn Burstyn, as Mom with the pearls, was cute as a button, but Ellyn is another lady who can never do badly as far as I'm concerned.
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[mrsl]

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GRAN TORINO

Sorry for the triple play but because of two huge German Shepherds who are allowed to walk freely around guests, I declined dinner at my ex-brother-in-laws house. I know they are well trained but they sense my fear and hang around and make the fear worse so. . .

I love Clint Eastwood both as an actor and a director, but this one dulled the shine around him a little. I had heard it was about a guy who fought with the hoodlums who tried to steal his 70's Gran Torino but didn't pay much attention to any other reviews because I figured I would see it anyway with Clint doing it. Although the ending, besides being bittersweet, also ends amazingly well, I found certain aspects of the film hard to take. Some verbal terms, though I heard them in 40's and 50's war movies, just didn't come off the same in a present day situation. Being Italian, I've always taken offense to the term Wop, so when Clint refers to his next door neighbors with a really harsh word, I was pretty taken aback. My late husband was quite prejudiced but around me he watched his words because of my aversion to some slang words. So I'm surprised Clint's wife didn't correct him, and out of reverence to her, watch what he said.

In any case, a young girl lives in the house next door, and through a lot of temerity, and held breath (I'm sure), she finally strikes up a mini-friendship with Clint. Through, and because of that friendship, Clint works with her brother (one of the hoodlums), and forms a like/hate relationship. Both learn from the other and some things become comical, like backyard barbeques. However through it all, Clint continues with the name-calling, but after the friendship begins, even though he uses the same words, they don't sound as harsh, because he is using them in a different tone. Clint always says something in his movies, and this one is definitely tolerance, but he sure goes about it in an unusual way.

I can recommend Gran Torino as a good movie, but although there is no physical violence, there is plenty of mental violence, so if you can accept that it all turns out good in the end, you should like it.
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[Ann Harding]

Yesterday I discovered The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941, Wm Dieterle) with Walter Huston & Edward Arnold and what a discovery! In 1840, farmer Jabez Stone (J. Craig) is having such a streak of bad luck that he calls the devil. Mr Scratch (W. Huston) offers him 7-years good luck in return for his soul... The film is so beautifully edited, light and performed, it's an absolute pleasure to behold. On top, that marvellous actor Walter Huston is on top form as the devil himself. But, beyond that, I can see that Dieterle was warning the free Americans of the dangers of the 'Devil'. This is a 1941 film and as such is deeply rooted in this period before America entered the war. But the language is delightfully old-fashioned and all the actors are doing a marvellous job. Anne Shirley as the farmer's wife, looks like Janet Gaynor in Sunrise (and I am sure it's not a coincidence, but a nice tribute to Murnau). The score is signed by Bernard Herrmann. If you've never seen it, get hold of the Criterion DVD which offers a restored print of the complete film. You won't be disappointed.

[jdb1]

Christine I'm so glad you got to see this wonderful film, which is a fascinating combination of European cinematic techniques and Americana.

Every time I see it, I find something remarkable that I missed the last time. I think every performance here is first-rate. I love the contrasting presentations of Shirley and Simone; the charm and eventual confusion and darkening of James Craig's character, the calm, good-humored authority and acuity of Edward Arnold and Jane Darwell, and the roguish and just-below-the-surface menace of Huston. The only slightly jarring note for me is James Craig's southern speech, which doesn't mesh with the New England setting (don't know if you were able to notice that). But that's a minor quibble.

When I was a young movie fan, I thought of Walter Huston as simply an interesting older man. When I grew up, I began to see how sexy he was -- same goes for Edward Arnold. Huston & Arnold forever!

[feaito]

It's indeed an excellent film! I discovered it in 2007 or 2008. I like it's alternate title though: "All That Money Can Buy". William Dieterle's career definitely deserves to be re-evaluated.

[klondike]

My favorite line from The Devil & Daniel Webster [and it's sure tough choosing from so excellent a script]: "New England was built on hard luck & codfish!"
I guess maybe you have to be a seventh-generation Yankee, or more, to feel that one, down in the bones.

[jdb1]

Did anyone comment on The Secret Fury (1950) (directed by Mel Ferrar), which was shown on TCM this past week? I recorded it, and just got around to watching it. Some spoilers follow

First off, Claudette Colbert and Robert Ryan make for an interesting pairing. Colbert and Ryan are about to get married, when a stranger crashes the wedding and announces that Colbert is already married. She doesn't remember that event, and a large part of the movie deals with finding out whether the claim is true, did Colbert really forget, and if not true, is she being set up for something, like blackmail. A confrontation with the alleged husband leads to violence, there's a trial, and poor Colbert breaks down on the witness stand and is carted off to a mental hospital.

Colbert gives her usual excellent performance, but Ryan, although fine, is wasted here -- any tall-dark-and-handsome could have played the part. He gets the weakest dialogue (and the script isn't very good to begin with). He has to say things like "Don't worry darling, we'll work it out" a lot.

Ferrar keeps things moving along, even as the plot gets more convoluted and less credible. The ending, especially, is pretty far-fetched (but the good ones all live happily ever after). The real treat in this movie is the supporting cast. Philip Ober co-stars in a much larger than usual role; Paul Kelly brings his usual intensity as the District Attorney who breaks Colbert on the stand; veterans Jane Cowl and Elisabeth Risdon are standouts. There's also an uncredited cameo by Jose Ferrer as a jazz musician. You look once -- is that Jose Ferrer? You look again -- yes, it is Jose Ferrer; I wonder what's he's doing here. And then you look again, and he's gone. But maybe the best performance of all, after Colbert, is Mrs. Philip Ober, a/k/a Vivian Vance, in a rare screen role. It was a real pleasure to see her, especially to see her being someone other than Ethel Mertz. She has a small but significant role as a hotel maid with a secret, and she, above all the others, imbues her scenes with the appropriate noirish-ness. I think this one is worth at least one viewing.

[feaito]

Last night I went to the cinema and saw Scorsese's "Shutter Island" (2010). All I can say is that it worked for me on many levels: I didn't figured what was really going on until the very end and it has one of the most complicated plots since the original cut of "The Big Sleep" (1946). There are references to Hitchcock (Vertigo, Spellbound...) and it has a very good supporting cast (Kingsley, Clarkson, Ruffalo, Von Sydow -superb- et al). The location filming and the atmosphere are superb. I was on the verge of my seat for almost the whole film and I was seated in one of the front rows....only drawback: so many people answering ther mobiles and eating popcorn and making noises with those paper bags! Argghh! My sister-in-law figured it all out too early! But after all, the picture is not only about the plot twists, but about Teddy's journey and tragedy. One of the very good films I've seen lately, devoid of those stupid special effects and noises all around (I had to endure previews of three films of sorts "Iron Man 2" et al...such garbage!) BTW, the tickets are getting really expensive.

Thanks to Kevin's kindness I also saw the 2-part documentary on Cecil B. De Mille- An American Epic (2003) by Kevin Brownlow, which is fantastic. An excellent companion to Robert Birchard's detailed Bio on his work. Ver enlightening, excellently done and full of interesting interviews (some of them first seen in Brownlow's "Hollywood" (1980) but very pertinent due to the subject matter), insight and clips.

[Ann Harding]

Yesterday I discovered Since You Went Away (1944, John Cromwell) with Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Shirley temple, Joseph Cotten & Robert Walker. I must say this film was an absolute revelation. I had been looking at pictures of this film for years in my giant D.O. Selznick's volume by Ronald Haver (A must have for any film lover) and now that I have actually seen the film, I know it's one of his best productions. It was obviously a really important project for him as he wrote the script. This is the everyday life of an American family during the war trying to cope with the separation from their loved-ones. The very simplicity of its message makes it immediately accessible to anybody. Claudette Colbert is the mother who keeps going through the war, even when her husband is reported missing. The daughters played by Jennifer Jones and Shirley Temple are both excellent. The film doesn't deliver its message in a heavy-handed way. It's far more subtle, it makes you share the terrible sense of loneliness we feel when you are away from your loved-ones. This is greatly helped by an outstanding cinematography by Stanley Cortez (and also Lee Garmes). He uses shadows, deep focus and chiaroscuro in such a way that the feelings of the characters becomes immediately accessible to us. I can only praise the acting around: from Agnes Moorehead as the nasty gossipy neighbour, Joseph Cotten, as the ever-reliable friend, Monty Wooley as the grumpy old Colonel and so many others. Colbert is just superb as the mother. I was on the verge of tears watching it several times. I will just mention one the last scenes: when Nazimova tells Colbert she feels that she is the perfect image of the American woman as she believed she should be. You can see the tears in Colbert's eyes. After all, she was herself a French immigrant who had become the symbol of the American woman. A really great picture on a par with The Best Years of Our Lives for the post-war period.

[knitwit45]

Christine, that scene with Nazimova, and one other really stand out for me. It's after church, when Colbert turns and walks away from the camera, on her way home. J. Jones says it, but it is superfluous: "She's so lonely" Makes me cry every time. It is one of my most favorite movies, a gift passed down from my Mother. It was her all time favorite, and Claudette Colbert was her favorite actress. (She even modeled her wedding gown after the one worn by C.C. in It Happened One Night)

[MikeBSG]

Glad that you liked "shutter Island." There really did seem to be a gap between that movie and the "coming attractions" shown before it. (I might get fed up with "Iron Man 2" before the movie even opens.)

[mrsl]

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I'm glad you were able to discover Since You Went Away, which I agree is a fine companion piece to The Best Years of Our lives. Those scenes get me every time but, although I know what it is and what is going to happen, when Claudette opens the present and pulls out the music box, as soon as Together starts tinkling away, the tears come for me.

Great movie, I'm always recommending it.
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[feaito]

I am a Scorsese fan and there have been really mixed reviews of this film. Some say it's masterpiece and others did not like it ....as for the coming attractions, one of the things I've come to loathe about current films is the excess of useless, pointless noise all over....I like my Home Theatre and the sound quality of Blu-Rays and all, but to listen to good music, concerts, etc....not to enhance pointless bang, boom, crashs!!! over and over...

[JackFavell]

Ann Harding -

Since You Went Away is a great movie. I really think Claudette Colbert is great in this one, and Jennifer Jones to me is so heartbreaking. I love almost all the scenes in the movie - there are so many standouts. You really nailed it though - every aspect of the film was done well. I'm so glad you got to see it. It is the kind of movie that is often overlooked, because people think it is a typical war-back-home movie, and it's anything but that.

[feaito]

I have to see SYWA again. I saw it many years ago.

I've just watched "Two Lovers" (2008) a touching film with Joaquin Phoenix as a confused guy who falls in love with the wrong person. He gives a very good performance.