The Silver Screen Oasis

kingrat wrote:I really like Arthur O'Connell in Picnic--or maybe I'm just at the right age to appreciate him and to shudder at his fate.

Yes, he was like a lamb led to the slaughter, he could see his fate and could do nothing to stop it, he felt powerless in front of the force of Roz's desperation.

Anyone see Carmageddon? Was it as scary as the trailers indicated? Any chance it might play in the midwest? Say, Chicago?

From what little I read it was a bust.

Overplayed and overblown were some readers comments on the CNN website.

Yesterday I went to see on a big screen Curtiz's The Breaking Point (1950) with John Garfield, Phyllis Thaxter and Patricia Neal. This adaptation of Hemingway's To Have and Have Not is quite different from the 1944 Hawks version scripted by Faulkner. According to Patricia Neal, Faulkner modified the original a lot whereas the Ranald MacDougal's screenplay is more faithful. Apparently it was Hemingway's favourite film from his novels (he said so to Patricia Neal). I was very interested by the depiction of Harry Morgan's life. John Garfield portrays a man struggling to make both ends meet. He has a mousy wife (P. Thaxter) and two daughters. He earns a living by taking rich tourist to fish in the high seas. His partner is a black man and they seem to enjoy a real friendship. Things go from bad to worse when one of his clients drops him in Mexico without paying his fee. Desperate to go back to Newport, he accepts to take some Chinese illegal immigrants to the US. It's a disaster resulting in the death of the smuggler. Harry, once back in Newport, has to accept again to carry some gangsters. I was surprised by the tone and atmosphere of the film. It's nearly like a neo-realistic film, and not at all like a film noir. The film is shot nearly entirely on locations unlike the Hawks film. On top, it's much darker and desperate. It might be the reason why Hemingway liked it so much. Patricia Neal's part is quite short but effective. She is an interesting counterpoint to Phyllis Thaxter. The sparkling blonde against the mousy girl. So much so that Thaxter dyes her hair blond to regain her husband's attention. I thought Garfield gave a great performance. The end of the film is far more violent than in the Hawks one. And Bogart is just too relaxed and sure of himself compared with Garfield. A film that deserves to be investigated.

I've always heard good things about "The Breaking Point." It never seems to come up in a place or time convenient for me.

It's coming out on Warner Archive. You'll be able to check it.

THE BREAKING POINT is going to be screened once again (after about seven years!) on TCM August 5th for Garfield's Summer Under the Stars day. I was also quite impressed when I saw this film that time around, and agree that Pat Neal's role is short but very effective - I found the chemistry between her and Garfield quite strong. Can't wait to see it again.

I watched The Big Combo today, a film noir from Joseph H Lewis starring Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace and Richard Conte. Richard Conte as Mr Brown is one scary villan but the police can't pin anything on him. Unluckily for him Diamond seems to be obsessed with his girl and putting him away. An uphill slog but he alights on something when he hears a lady's name as he goes to interview Brown's overdosed girl. One of the better film noirs, a genre of which I'm getting fonder.

Just got back home from Harry Pottter. It's quite a ride, even knowing how it all turns out. Some tears, some laughter, pretty good finish to an astounding series.

Chris is taking Libby this week, Joe doesn't want to see it so I'll entertain him. We watched the last one together but it wasn't Joe's cup of tea or mine either. Libby is excited though.

Did anyone see Burlesque with Cher and Christina Aguilera? It is an old fashioned musical with Aguilera doing a superb job for her 1st film. She can really sing with power. I like this movie very much despite the awful critic reviews. If it doesn't contain a murder or a crime theme the critics turn it down. It has been playing on Starz lately. Watch it through and enjoy it.

I watched The End of the Affair today starring Deborah Kerr and Van Johnson, the film version of Graham Greene's novel, remade years later with Ralph Fiennes. This one captured some lovely British countryside and London streets, Deborah was ideally cast as the flighty Sarah, unhappy with a stuffy civil servant yet discontent although we don't realise her motives for her actions until the end. Van Johnson's Maurice is smitten with her but hates the deceit and how easily Sarah can slip into their hidden life. Peter Cushing is the husband and John Mills, is scene stealing as the private detective. It's Deborah/Sarah's film, thankfully not too censored for the time, her conversion to faith not being along the conventional route. It's my favorite adaptation of a Graham Greene novel.

Just got back from seeing the final "Harry Potter" film.

I liked it a lot, and it ended the series on the right note. Daniel Radcliffe did a fine job here, and I especially liked Ralph Finnes. Previously I thought he was just letting the 'nosferatu' makeup do the work, but he had more screen time in this version, and he really impressed me. Alan Rickman, as usual, was wonderful as Snape, and Maggie Smith showed real steel as McGonigle under pressure.

A real accomplishment for all concerned.

Mike, didn't you feel a bit depressed when you walked out of the movie? I did, not because of the movie, but because there won't be any more. I've been moping around since Monday, had to dig out the books and start over. It was great that Lifetime showed a "biography" of J.K. Rowling, starring Poppy Montgomery, last night.

I've almost finished "Sorcerer's Stone"..on the "Chamber of Secrets".

knitwit45 wrote:Mike, didn't you feel a bit depressed when you walked out of the movie? I did, not because of the movie, but because there won't be any more. I've been moping around since Monday, had to dig out the books and start over. It was great that Lifetime showed a "biography" of J.K. Rowling, starring Poppy Montgomery, last night.

I've almost finished "Sorcerer's Stone"..on the "Chamber of Secrets".

I love your new avatar, Harriet Potter.