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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 11, 2015 12:53:14 GMT -5
Here's my Top Five for Cary Grant movies:
1. Suspicion 2. The Awful Truth 3. Bringing Up Baby 4. Notorious 5. His Girl Friday
(#1 and #2 trade places a lot. I'm already thinking of changing them before I post this. I think I will.)
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 11, 2015 13:09:03 GMT -5
Last night I had a French film double feature. It was mostly an accident. Two French films I've been wanting to see were on TCM yesterday and I DVRed them both. I had been planning on watching Eyes Without a Face but I got home earlier than usual so I watched Eyes Without a Face and it wasn't even 9:30 yet so I watched Zazie dans la Metro after.
Both are highly recommended.
I saw Eyes Without a Face for the first time last year and I loved it! I've been hoping all year that TCM would show it during the Halloween season! It was made in 1959 and it's in glorious black and white. It's about a plastic surgeon whose daughter's face has been horribly disfigured in a car accident that was his fault. The daughter (Christiane) runs around the house wearing a very creepy white mask that hides her deformity. The evil plastic surgeon kidnaps girls and cuts off their faces to transplant them onto Christiane, who is not very happy with the great lengths to which he is going to fix her face.
I love the ending! I'm not going to spoil it. You just need to see it!
The other film was Zazie dans la Metro, from 1960, a comedy by Louis Malle. It's hilarious. Zazie is an ornery 11-year-old girl visiting her uncle in Paris. She wants to ride the Metro, but they are on strike. Which makes her SUPER-ORNERY! (Not quite as bad as Rhoda Penmark in The Bad Seed.)
Zazie dans la Metro is out-of-control! Malle was experimenting with numerous techniques to liven up this comedy and the result is kind of like what if a Jacques Tati film and a Jerry Lewis film fell in love and had a baby. (And I mead a GOOD Jerry Lewis film.)
I don't often see two really great films on the same day, so yesterday was a good day.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 11, 2015 13:54:39 GMT -5
Now to check out whats known as "The Gone With The Wind" of Japanese films. A trilogy of movies known as the Samurai Trilogy. First up:
Musashi Miyamoto AKA Samurai I (1954) Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki Toshiro Mifune
Its 1600 AD in Japan and a civil war rages. Takezo (Mifune) and his best bud Matahatchi join one of the armies. Takezo is a brave warrior. Matahatchi is somewhat a mama's boy and leaving his fiancee behind. The join the losing side and after a decimating battle hide out at a home occupied by a mother with daughter. A gang of thieves demand money and Takezo fights them off. However he's betrayed when his friend and mother/daughter leave him behind all alone. Takezo now lives in the woods outside his home town which is occupied by the enemy. He becomes a killer to those who cross his path amongst the trees. A buddhist priest convinces him to surrender and will be treated humanely. Instead Takezo is tied to a tall tree to dangle for several days. He's then locked inside a room for several years with only books to occupy his time. Finally released He goes on his own journey to become a true samurai
A beautifully shot color epic. Is this the first instance where an epic story was planned as a film trilogy? Might be. Mifune was one of the greatest Japanese actors ever. Dosn't quite reach the masterpiece level that a director like Kurosawa can accomplish but its very good. Supposedly based on a real Japanese warrior. Winner of that years' Oscar for Best Foreign Movie. Narrated by William Holden for the American relelease. And , of course, this is a Criterion production so you get a print with the highest quality availabe. Comments on other websites say the balance of the trilogy is just as good or even better. Good news for me
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Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2015 14:01:55 GMT -5
Here's my Top Five for Cary Grant movies: 1. Suspicion2. The Awful Truth3. Bringing Up Baby4. Notorious5. His Girl Friday(#1 and #2 trade places a lot. I'm already thinking of changing them before I post this. I think I will.) Mine looks like this:1. Notorious 2. The Awful Truth 3. Bringing Up Baby 4. Suspicion 5. North by Northwest and His Girl Friday (tied)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2015 14:19:35 GMT -5
My Top 5 Cary Grant movies:
1. Notorious 2. Suspicion 3. Bringing Up Baby 4. Arscenic and OlD Lace (don't understand the naysayers that don't like this movie...Grant 's portrayal may be a little over the top in some instances but it's supposed to be. 5. North by Northwest
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Post by Arthur Gordon Scratch on Oct 11, 2015 18:02:21 GMT -5
Rough watch : I really didn't like Gladiator back in the day when I saw i in the theater. I thought it was too violent for its own sake and way too artsy at times. Irecently discovered there was a director cut of it, and even if I'm pretty sure Scott has final cut in most his movies as he produces those most of the time, I thought I'd give it a shot, some 15 yaers later or something. Sadly, it was still terrible! The story makes no sense most of the time, the hereafter scenes are awefull, the music is atrocious and over present. The only redeemable quality of the flick was Joachim Phoenix, who I must admit anoys me most of the time...
Three hours of my life I'm never gonna get back.
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Post by berkley on Oct 12, 2015 0:57:38 GMT -5
Now to check out whats known as "The Gone With The Wind" of Japanese films. A trilogy of movies known as the Samurai Trilogy. First up:
Musashi Miyamoto AKA Samurai I (1954) Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki Toshiro Mifune
Its 1600 AD in Japan and a civil war rages. Takezo (Mifune) and his best bud Matahatchi join one of the armies. Takezo is a brave warrior. Matahatchi is somewhat a mama's boy and leaving his fiancee behind. The join the losing side and after a decimating battle hide out at a home occupied by a mother with daughter. A gang of thieves demand money and Takezo fights them off. However he's betrayed when his friend and mother/daughter leave him behind all alone. Takezo now lives in the woods outside his home town which is occupied by the enemy. He becomes a killer to those who cross his path amongst the trees. A buddhist priest convinces him to surrender and will be treated humanely. Instead Takezo is tied to a tall tree to dangle for several days. He's then locked inside a room for several years with only books to occupy his time. Finally released He goes on his own journey to become a true samurai
A beautifully shot color epic. Is this the first instance where an epic story was planned as a film trilogy? Might be. Mifune was one of the greatest Japanese actors ever. Dosn't quite reach the masterpiece level that a director like Kurosawa can accomplish but its very good. Supposedly based on a real Japanese warrior. Winner of that years' Oscar for Best Foreign Movie. Narrated by William Holden for the American relelease. And , of course, this is a Criterion production so you get a print with the highest quality availabe. Comments on other websites say the balance of the trilogy is just as good or even better. Good news for me
I didn't know they'd made a film series of this! I highly recommend the book I presume it's based on, Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa, which appeared first as a newspaper serial in the 1930s.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 12, 2015 1:25:54 GMT -5
Now to check out whats known as "The Gone With The Wind" of Japanese films. A trilogy of movies known as the Samurai Trilogy. First up:
Musashi Miyamoto AKA Samurai I (1954) Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki Toshiro Mifune
Its 1600 AD in Japan and a civil war rages. Takezo (Mifune) and his best bud Matahatchi join one of the armies. Takezo is a brave warrior. Matahatchi is somewhat a mama's boy and leaving his fiancee behind. The join the losing side and after a decimating battle hide out at a home occupied by a mother with daughter. A gang of thieves demand money and Takezo fights them off. However he's betrayed when his friend and mother/daughter leave him behind all alone. Takezo now lives in the woods outside his home town which is occupied by the enemy. He becomes a killer to those who cross his path amongst the trees. A buddhist priest convinces him to surrender and will be treated humanely. Instead Takezo is tied to a tall tree to dangle for several days. He's then locked inside a room for several years with only books to occupy his time. Finally released He goes on his own journey to become a true samurai
A beautifully shot color epic. Is this the first instance where an epic story was planned as a film trilogy? Might be. Mifune was one of the greatest Japanese actors ever. Dosn't quite reach the masterpiece level that a director like Kurosawa can accomplish but its very good. Supposedly based on a real Japanese warrior. Winner of that years' Oscar for Best Foreign Movie. Narrated by William Holden for the American relelease. And , of course, this is a Criterion production so you get a print with the highest quality availabe. Comments on other websites say the balance of the trilogy is just as good or even better. Good news for me
I didn't know they'd made a film series of this! I highly recommend the book I presume it's based on, Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa, which appeared first as a newspaper serial in the 1930s. Your presumption is correct, my good man. Arigateu gozaimasu
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Post by henrybrown on Oct 12, 2015 6:41:58 GMT -5
I haven't seen this film yet, and it's one of my must see ... thanks for reminding me henrybrown and welcome to CCF. Thank you very much! Can't resist chat about Cary Grant (who can?) - sorry to say I'm one of those who does think that he's not brilliant in Arsenic and Old Lace. Just not a great vehicle for him. He's supreme in Bringing Up Baby,on the other hand, as is Katherine Hepburn. I just have to think of the words "Mr. Bone" and I'm instantly in a good mood! I'm also a huge fan of Holiday and The Philadelphia Story (Grant, Hepburn, Stewart - what a cast!) Other Grant comedies I like a lot are I Was a Male War Bride and Monkey Business. The Grant film I've yet to see but is on my list is None But the Lonely Heart, as I've read that it meant a lot to him and that he was very disappointed in its lack of success. They Died with Their Boots On (1941)Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland's last movie together. Goes on a bit, and the comedy scenes in the first third or so are a bit laboured, but once it gets going Flynn is a splendid Custer. Looks great on a horse too. He wasn't the greatest actor in the world, but he's very impressive in a couple of intense moments. Acting honours probably go to Arthur Kennedy as the bad guy. No doubt it has very little basis in historical fact, but I was interested in the sympathy that Custer (or the screenwriters) showed to the Indians.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2015 11:21:01 GMT -5
Charade is another great Cary Grant movie with an all star cast...the best Hitchcock film he never made.
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Post by Prince Hal on Oct 12, 2015 13:00:28 GMT -5
Knute Rockne-All American (1940) Pat O'Brien, Ronald Reagan Knute revolutionizes college football and wants to win one for the Gipper. I thought the K was silent with Rockne's first name but not according to this film. It starts with Knute attending college as a student, looking like he's 50 years old as a younger man. Pat O'Brien sleepwalks through the first half of the film. If I was his acting coach I'd bench him and send in the second string replacement. Reagan shows up as George Gipp about a half hour into the movie. 5 minutes later he's coughing. 10 minutes later he's dead. That's all he wrote. The history of football is not my specialty. According to the film, Knute is responsible for the forward pass on offense. Really? There was no rule against it so it was OK to use and no one did it before? Knute goes to see some chorus girls at a stage show and also comes up with the idea of the shift which is basically parts of the offensive line moveing a few feet before the ball is snapped. He trains his players like it's a waltz. Very silly looking. Lots of old football footage is displayed. But the film pretty much sucks. And I'm so sick of the continuous Notre Dame fight song throughout the film
Not going to defend this sentimentalized version of Rockne's life, though it was essentially the standard kind of approach used way back when, but as for the football. The forward pass dates back to 1906, but it was not accepted by many of the Eastern establishment for various reasons, but took hold in the Midwest. One main problem in adopting what might seem in retrospect as a no-brainer was that the ball itself was rounder than today's. When it was thrown, it was often cradled in the elbow and forearm and flung, rather than thrown overhand. The ball we know today didn't appear until the 20's. Throwing was seen as risky, too, because of the dangers of intercepting. Perhaps most important, a dropped pass was considered a free ball (a fumble), so the risk was even greater. However, many schools began to use the pass ASAP, especially in the Midwest. Rockne himself was on the receiving end of many a forward pass when he played at ND, including in the 1913 dismantling of a great Army team. Rockne and QB Dorais undressed the cadets and demonstrated to a wide audience how effective the pass could be. I don't think the dance bit is entirely accurate. However, there may be a germ of truth at least, b/c Rockne was a major theatre fan who always had big roles in college plays and saw the timing and precision involved in choreography and realized how those qualities would add to the effectiveness of the shift. Rockne, as he did with the pass, picked up on and developed more fully a concept that had begun earlier when he devised and perfected the shift. He was akin to Bill Belichick today, a chessmaster, always five moves ahead of his opponents, a student of the rules, just a ground-breaking thinker.
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Post by Prince Hal on Oct 12, 2015 13:12:25 GMT -5
I haven't seen this film yet, and it's one of my must see ... thanks for reminding me henrybrown and welcome to CCF. They Died with Their Boots On (1941)Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland's last movie together. Goes on a bit, and the comedy scenes in the first third or so are a bit laboured, but once it gets going Flynn is a splendid Custer. Looks great on a horse too. He wasn't the greatest actor in the world, but he's very impressive in a couple of intense moments. Acting honours probably go to Arthur Kennedy as the bad guy. No doubt it has very little basis in historical fact, but I was interested in the sympathy that Custer (or the screenwriters) showed to the Indians. Right, it's almost all balderdash, but the dash of Flynn makes up for it if you put your brain on hold. Remember, Custer's death had occurred only 65 years before this movie came out, so his memory was still relatively fresh in America's collective consciousness. It's like a movie about the 1950s today. And it is surprisingly sympathetic to the Indians, unlike many another movie of the time. Excellent script, too, including that poignant scene between Custer and Libby as he heads off for the Little Bighorn, when Custer says to Libby, "Walking through life with you, ma'am, has been a very gracious thing." Flynn's reading of that line is particularly affecting, and even more so when you realize that this is the last scene he and De Havilland ever had on screen together after a stunning partnership in several of the greatest romantic adventure movies.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 12, 2015 19:02:25 GMT -5
Thanks for the football write-up Prince Hal.Much appreciated
Too Many Husbands (1940) Jean Arthur, Fred MacMurray, Melvyn Douglas
An Icon Of Screwball Comedy Selection
Jean gets married for the 2nd time with Melvyn a year after Fred is lost at sea and pronounced officially dead. Fred is dead..That's what I said. Until he shows up again
My favorite of the icon screwballs so far and I like them all. Jean can't decide which husband to keep. She loves the idea of having them both. I'm rooting for Fred especially after what that prick Melvyn did to Irene Dunne in Theodora Goes Wild. In fact I don't like how Melvyn spells his name Melvyn. Cheesy like the thin mustache he has.
Fred went on with an interesting life. He posed for comic artist Beck as a model for Captain Marvel. He bought an insurance policy with a double indemnity clause in case he got shipwrecked again. Later he invented Flubber and raised three sons and a shaggy dog.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 12, 2015 21:59:22 GMT -5
I turned on the TV a little after 7 this morning (I was going to watch last night's Last Man on Earth while drinking my morning coffee before taking the dogs for a walk) and Suspicion had just started! It was just a few minutes into it. I thought about changing my whole morning schedule just to watch Suspicion again because I love it so much! But I've seen it three times in the last two years (including watching it two days in a row in January) and I don't want to wear it out like I've done with some other movies. (And later they were showing Dial M for Murder, another one I've been obsessed with lately.)
I sometimes like to think of Suspicion as a minimalist domestic film noir. It's so stylish! The dramatic use of shadows! Lina is a film noir heroine slowly being consumed by forces she can't control!
The best part is: Johnnie is the femme fatale! Cary Grant is the femme fatale!
I said before I can never decide between Suspicion and The Awful Truth as my favorite Cary Grant film. If it was based on how many times I've seen it, Suspicion would win by a landslide. I love The Awful Truth but I've never been obsessed by it and I've certainly never watched it two days in a row. Every couple of years, I'll feel like it would be fun to sit through The Awful Truth again, and it's always as funny as ever.
But I can always watch Suspicion. I'm starting to regret that I didn't DVR it today. I miss you, Monkey Face!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2015 22:18:18 GMT -5
Suspicion is a favorite of mine too...I wish they would have filmed the original proposed ending for it anyway...I would have loved to see it as an extra. Of course though it wouldn't have fit with Grant's image.
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