What little I've seen of Madeline Carroll has impressed me. She's outstanding in 39 STEPS. The Hope film is cute; love the penguin! But MY FAVORITE BRUNETTE is the big winner of the "Favorite" films. Sharply written and frantically paced, it's a comedy classic.
I have a hard time with THE BIG TRAIL, though I didn't see the widescreen version. I appreciate that it was ground breaking. It does contain some spectacular visuals. But the acting is pretty awkward. Characterizations are thin. It's a young movie that hasn't grown up yet!
WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Last edited by RedRiver on June 20th, 2012, 12:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
feaito
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
RR, "My Favorite Brunette" and "My Favorite Spy" are next in line. I want to watch all of Bob's "Favorites". Thanks for your input.
Regarding "The Big Trail" (1930), of which I'm very fond due to its "natural" quality and awesome cinematography, it has been discussed here, in case you are interested:
http://silverscreenoasis.com/oasis3/vie ... f=3&t=3683
Regarding "The Big Trail" (1930), of which I'm very fond due to its "natural" quality and awesome cinematography, it has been discussed here, in case you are interested:
http://silverscreenoasis.com/oasis3/vie ... f=3&t=3683
-
feaito
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Last night I saw Ophüls' "The Exile" (1947). The film was released by Firecreek on a DVD-R which is quite pricey (20 dollars) and its quality is just so-so, so I could not fully appreciate it's cinematography. I did enjoy the movie and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. performance as a likable and devil-may-care Charles Stuart exiled in Holland. Beautiful and sensitive actress Paule Croset (aka Rita Corday) plays a Dutch farm-girl with whom his Majesty falls in love (a doomed relationship) and their scenes together are quite sensitively handled by Ophüls and end being the more poignant sequences of the whole film. Fairbanks Jr.'s skills at sword-fighting and acrobatics are in full display. Henry Daniell plays an unpleasant Puritan villain and Nigel Bruce is a subject faithful to Charles. Robert Coote is quite hilarious as an actor pretending to be Charles himself. María Montez has a rather small role as a flirtatious French Comtesse who visits the inn in which Charles is hiding; she's fine and I especially liked when she was taking a bath in a copper bathtub while chatting with Charles. A good film, but a disappointing print.
-
JackFavell
- Posts: 11926
- Joined: April 20th, 2009, 9:56 am
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Oh this one sounds wonderful, just for the cast, if not for the director. I'm sorry the print was bad. I can't remember if I recorded this one some time back when it was on TCM, but I need to go look. I believe I did. I am a big fan of Jr. and also of Robert Coote who is sublimely versatile and Henry Daniell, when did he NOT play an unpleasant villain? 
-
feaito
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Thanks Wen. I can't recall one pleasant role played by DaniellJackFavell wrote:Oh this one sounds wonderful, just for the cast, if not for the director. I'm sorry the print was bad. I can't remember if I recorded this one some time back when it was on TCM, but I need to go look. I believe I did. I am a big fan of Jr. and also of Robert Coote who is sublimely versatile and Henry Daniell, when did he NOT play an unpleasant villain?
-
feaito
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
I saw another René Clair film: "The Ghost Goes West" (1936), filmed in England with a British and American cast: Robert Donat, Jean Parker, Eugene Pallette, Elsa Lanchester, etc. Donat plays a dual role, that of the 18th Century Scottish ghost -who died cowardly while in battle and who is doomed to wander through his family's castle until he fulfill's a promise he made to his father before dying- and also the family's last descendant, absolutely indebted and owning a castle in ruins. Parker is the young daughter of a rich American businessman (Pallette, playing the funniest character of the story), who falls in love with the castle and urges his dad to buy it. I liked the script and its sarcastic quality, especially concerning the American businessman's commercial approach when he buys the castle and rebuilds it in Florida, with all types of tacky artifacts; the sequence in which the American Congress and the British Parliament discuss the purchase of the castle and its transfer to the States is also priceless. A very fine film.
-
JackFavell
- Posts: 11926
- Joined: April 20th, 2009, 9:56 am
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
This is probably a lesser Clement film, but lesser Clement is still great!
Very funny! I really enjoyed the film too, fer, another hidden treasure. I found the whole thing charming and loved the satire on business and Americans thinking they could buy everything and make it better, which is a very modern theme. I was intrigued very much by the possibilities of a girl wooed by the modern day man and his lookalike ghostly forefather, though I think it wasn't his forefather at all now I remember it, I think he was from the other side of the family feud. There is an unearthly creepiness as well as a sexy humor to the scene where Donat the ghost meets the girl on the castle roof and pulls his same old maneuvers on her. At first I was disappointed that they moved the setting from Scotland to Florida, but luckily the script and everything else was still witty and fun to watch. Donat is marvelous as is Pallette.
Very funny! I really enjoyed the film too, fer, another hidden treasure. I found the whole thing charming and loved the satire on business and Americans thinking they could buy everything and make it better, which is a very modern theme. I was intrigued very much by the possibilities of a girl wooed by the modern day man and his lookalike ghostly forefather, though I think it wasn't his forefather at all now I remember it, I think he was from the other side of the family feud. There is an unearthly creepiness as well as a sexy humor to the scene where Donat the ghost meets the girl on the castle roof and pulls his same old maneuvers on her. At first I was disappointed that they moved the setting from Scotland to Florida, but luckily the script and everything else was still witty and fun to watch. Donat is marvelous as is Pallette.
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Cute little comedy. My mother remembered it after some 70 years. That's pretty darn good!
-
feaito
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Wendy,
Since Murdoch Glourie died unmarried I think that he was no direct ancestor of Donald Glourie, but they belonged to the same family. Donald must have descended from a cousin of the Ghost. It's a very witty film. Elsa Lanchester, who looked quite beautiful, had very little screen time. I'm getting fond of Mr. René Clair
RR, You should show this wonderful film to your mother again
Since Murdoch Glourie died unmarried I think that he was no direct ancestor of Donald Glourie, but they belonged to the same family. Donald must have descended from a cousin of the Ghost. It's a very witty film. Elsa Lanchester, who looked quite beautiful, had very little screen time. I'm getting fond of Mr. René Clair
RR, You should show this wonderful film to your mother again
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
That Elsa Lanchester. One of the most imaginative actors in movies. Always a delight!
-
JackFavell
- Posts: 11926
- Joined: April 20th, 2009, 9:56 am
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Oops! I meant Rene Clair, I don't know why I came out with Clement, it's not like the directors are alike...I knew who I meant. Too much mention of Forbidden Games at this site I guess. I had a brain blip, since Rene Clair is one of my favorite directors!
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Watched "Where the Sidewalk Ends" (dir. Otto Preminger) this weekend.
An interesting film. Would make a nice contrast with "Dirty Harry" or some other vigilante cop film, because here Dana Andrews play a tough cop who beats a suspect to death and tries to cover it up.
However, I found it only a mediocre film noir. Andrews was very good, and Gene Tierney was surprisingly good as the woman who leads to his redemption. However, the supporting cast beyond the two stars seemed only so-so. And the movie just seemed to lack urgency. Also (and this is odd) man of the the supporting characters in the cast who were supposed to be Italian were very much WASPy. (Which took away from the film's believability.) Did "Cry of the City" get people upset so you had random ethnic casting for this film? Because here are two 20 Century Fox films and the earlier one is very precise about the ethnicity of its characters and the later film seems like the roles were handed out by lot.
When the film stayed close to Andrews and Tierney, it worked. The more other people intruded on the story, the weaker the film became.
An interesting film. Would make a nice contrast with "Dirty Harry" or some other vigilante cop film, because here Dana Andrews play a tough cop who beats a suspect to death and tries to cover it up.
However, I found it only a mediocre film noir. Andrews was very good, and Gene Tierney was surprisingly good as the woman who leads to his redemption. However, the supporting cast beyond the two stars seemed only so-so. And the movie just seemed to lack urgency. Also (and this is odd) man of the the supporting characters in the cast who were supposed to be Italian were very much WASPy. (Which took away from the film's believability.) Did "Cry of the City" get people upset so you had random ethnic casting for this film? Because here are two 20 Century Fox films and the earlier one is very precise about the ethnicity of its characters and the later film seems like the roles were handed out by lot.
When the film stayed close to Andrews and Tierney, it worked. The more other people intruded on the story, the weaker the film became.
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
I have to agree, this is a good crime story, not a great one. I like it just fine. But I watched it hoping for more. What are you gonna do? They can't all be great! There are several Preminger psycho-dramas that are intriguing, challenging, but not as satisfying dramatically as they could be. ANGEL FACE, WHIRLPOOL. I like "Anatomy," but it has its critics.
-
feaito
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
In the wee hours of the morning of last Sunday, I revisited Esther William's "Pagan Love Song" (1950), a lightweight movie with MGM's mermaid in a polynesian setting. Esther makes a handsome couple with Howard Keel and the scenery, the story and the music flow pleasantly. Harmless, "wholesome" entertainment.
On Sunday afternoon I saw a Marc Allégret film made in England: "Blanche Fury" (1947) with Valerie Hobson, Stewart Granger and Michael Gough. An eerie Victorian Gothic story in which Hobson plays an ambitious -and impoverished- woman looking for social standing and security when she goes to live with her rich uncle. Granger plays the illegitimate son of the previous owner of the estate inherited by Hobson's uncle; Gough plays her cousin. The steamy scenes between the bold, jealous and determined Philip Thorn (Granger) and Blanche (Hobson) are very well handled. A very absorbing melodrama.
On Sunday night I saw the excellent Argentinian film "Un Cuento Chino" (A Chinese Tale) (2011), in which Ricrado Darín gives a great performance as neurotic, solitary man whose life is completely changed due to the "arrival" of an unexpected Chinese guest, who does not speak one word of Spanish. A poignant film and a great discovery.
On Sunday afternoon I saw a Marc Allégret film made in England: "Blanche Fury" (1947) with Valerie Hobson, Stewart Granger and Michael Gough. An eerie Victorian Gothic story in which Hobson plays an ambitious -and impoverished- woman looking for social standing and security when she goes to live with her rich uncle. Granger plays the illegitimate son of the previous owner of the estate inherited by Hobson's uncle; Gough plays her cousin. The steamy scenes between the bold, jealous and determined Philip Thorn (Granger) and Blanche (Hobson) are very well handled. A very absorbing melodrama.
On Sunday night I saw the excellent Argentinian film "Un Cuento Chino" (A Chinese Tale) (2011), in which Ricrado Darín gives a great performance as neurotic, solitary man whose life is completely changed due to the "arrival" of an unexpected Chinese guest, who does not speak one word of Spanish. A poignant film and a great discovery.
Last edited by feaito on June 27th, 2012, 2:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Well...I had looked forward to ABRAHAM LINCOLN, VAMPIRE HUNTER, due to the extremely well written book. I didn't expect the movie to be that good. But maybe thoughtful, somewhat literate. I'm afraid not. This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It falls into every trap there is. Where the book's strength is in choices, character and dark suspense, the movie is non-stop violence. I'm not exaggerating. There's almost nothing going on other than ax wielding and heads rolling. The intelligent parts of the story have been conveniently excised. All that's left is the blood. And believe me, there's a lot of it!
Anyone who sees this terrible travesty will not want to read the book. I assure you, this is a case of apples and oranges. Raymond Massey, where are you?
Anyone who sees this terrible travesty will not want to read the book. I assure you, this is a case of apples and oranges. Raymond Massey, where are you?