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Post by Ish Kabbible on Mar 1, 2016 15:23:01 GMT -5
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins
Adaptation of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson tale
My first view of this version and very much impressed. Director Robert Mamoulian utilized many innovative techniques during the filming including POV camerawork, the method of Jekyll's transformation via light filters and the heartbeat soundtrack. I was never a particular fan of Fredic March but he was quite good here and in fact won an Oscar for this role-the first horror film that did so. Miriam Hopkins also was spectacular as the blonde tart who was the love slave of Mr. Hyde
It was also the only movie that pronounced the title character's name in the manner that its author intended-Jeekyl. Sounded weird.
Fredric March was hospitalized after filming due to complications from the heavy makeup he wore all day on the set in the Mr. Hyde role. It was the 8th highest grossing movie for the year 1932 but didn't save Paramount Pictures from entering bancrupcy
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Post by Prince Hal on Mar 1, 2016 19:33:25 GMT -5
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins Adaptation of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson tale My first view of this version and very much impressed. Director Robert Mamoulian utilized many innovative techniques during the filming including POV camerawork, the method of Jekyll's transformation via light filters and the heartbeat soundtrack. I was never a particular fan of Fredic March but he was quite good here and in fact won an Oscar for this role-the first horror film that did so. Miriam Hopkins also was spectacular as the blonde tart who was the love slave of Mr. Hyde It was also the only movie that pronounced the title character's name in the manner that its author intended-Jeekyl. Sounded weird. Fredric March was hospitalized after filming due to complications from the heavy makeup he wore all day on the set in the Mr. Hyde role. It was the 8th highest grossing movie for the year 1932 but didn't save Paramount Pictures from entering bancrupcy Great info here, ish! Did not know about the proper pronunciation. And I wonder if March had as bad are action to his makeup as Buddy Ebsen did when he started as the Tin Man in Wizard of Oz but had to be replaced by Jack Haley. IIRC, Margaret Hamilton had some make-up problems, too. Just happened to catch about half of the Spencer Tracy Jekyll last Saturday on TCM. The story always grabs you, and both Tracy and Ingrid Bergman were very good.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 1, 2016 19:47:42 GMT -5
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Post by berkley on Mar 1, 2016 19:50:23 GMT -5
I just finished watching Far from the Madding Crowd (1967). It seemed like a pretty good bet when I DVRed it. I tend to like movies based on 19th-century British novels. I haven't read the book but I did read Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure many years ago. Also, I like a lot of British movies from the 1960s. And also, I knew Julie Christie was in it. At one of movie blogs I frequent, the guy is a big Julie Christie fan and I realized I hadn't really seen many of her movies so I've been keeping an eye on the TCM schedule for Julie Christie movies. I saw her in Billy Liar 20 years ago and she's really good in it. In the last few months I've seen Doctor Zhivago and Don't Look Now. (I still haven't seen Darling.) And it paid off! I didn't know it also featured Alan Bates, Terrence Stamp and Peter Finch! (I hoped he would yell "I'm mad as Hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" at the end. It would have been entirely appropriate.) I knew I would like it in the first few minutes. Very entertaining and worthwhile movie. I recommend it to anybody that likes 1960s British movies about 19th-century British novels. I just read the book last year and thought it was excellent. Wasn't there another adaptation just recently? Might be interesting to compare the two. Julie Christie was one of the most beautiful actresses of her era.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Mar 1, 2016 23:16:31 GMT -5
Passing thought..Do you ever watch a classic movie and think "If they had cell phones back then, this entire scene would be unnecessary, less suspenseful and/or ridiculous.
Or
Every person in this movie including all animals have long been dead
Or both?
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Mar 1, 2016 23:31:52 GMT -5
Fatal Attraction (1987) Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer, Stuart Pankin, Fred Gwynne
Dan Gallagher has a one night affair with Alex Forrest which turns out to be the most un-safe sex you can ever have
Again, I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit this is the first time I've seen the film in its entirety. Just bits and pieces and plenty of parodies and written evaluations made me think I've watched it all before. But it certainly deserves its place in cinema history. Included in the list of 1001 Movies To Watch Before You Die and #8 on AFI's list of greatest cinematic villians
The highest grossing movie of 1987, Michael Douglas filmed this and Wall Street simultaneously. Glenn Close still owns the knife she used in the climatic scene. Fred Gwynne, unfortunately, had a larger role but already with a 2 hour running time, most of it landed on the cutting room floor. Nominated for all the Oscar and Golden Globes major awards but didn't win any.
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Post by Prince Hal on Mar 1, 2016 23:56:12 GMT -5
Passing thought..Do you ever watch a classic movie and think "If they had cell phones back then, this entire scene would be unnecessary, less suspenseful and/or ridiculous. Or Every person in this movie including all animals have long been dead Or both? Definitely to both!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Mar 2, 2016 2:42:16 GMT -5
Footlight Parade (1933) James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Frank McHugh, Guy Kibbee
Talkie motion pictures are all the rage and theatrical musical productions are dying. So Chester Kent (Cagney) a stage producer has the idea of bringing the musical comedies into the movie theaters to be performed in-between the films. A movie and a big,live production, all for 50 cents. Hey, the great depression was in full swing and that was a lot of money
Directed by Lloyd Bacon but the last 40 minutes featured three big Busby Berkeley numbers (By A Waterfall/ Honeymoon Hotel and Shanghai Lil). Thats what makes this film a classic. Sure, I like Jimmy Cagney and Joan Blondell, as much as anyone but the first hour or so was a bit too much with his troubles with his ex-wife and new girlfriend. McHugh and Kibbee are always a plrasure in the supporting roles and Powell and Keeler back in the day were America's Sweethearts.
Released just before the Hayes Censor Board took effect, the film manages to tweak the blue noses around the country. During a rehearsal in the movie, a "concerned censor" warns Cagney that its OK to have cats on stage but the state of Connecticut has a ban on kittens. The costumes in the film are quite revealing. This piece of dialogue between Cagney and Blondell is classic when he introduces Blondell, his assistant to a snooty lady
Chester Kent:Hello, Vivian. This is Miss Rich. My secretary, Miss Prescott.
Nan Prescott: I know Miss Bi... Rich, if you remember.
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Post by Hoosier X on Mar 2, 2016 9:34:38 GMT -5
Footlight Parade (1933) James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Frank McHugh, Guy Kibbee Talkie motion pictures are all the rage and theatrical musical productions are dying. So Chester Kent (Cagney) a stage producer has the idea of bringing the musical comedies into the movie theaters to be performed in-between the films. A movie and a big,live production, all for 50 cents. Hey, the great depression was in full swing and that was a lot of money Directed by Lloyd Bacon but the last 40 minutes featured three big Busby Berkeley numbers (By A Waterfall/ Honeymoon Hotel and Shanghai Lil). Thats what makes this film a classic. Sure, I like Jimmy Cagney and Joan Blondell, as much as anyone but the first hour or so was a bit too much with his troubles with his ex-wife and new girlfriend. McHugh and Kibbee are always a plrasure in the supporting roles and Powell and Keeler back in the day were America's Sweethearts. Released just before the Hayes Censor Board took effect, the film manages to tweak the blue noses around the country. During a rehearsal in the movie, a "concerned censor" warns Cagney that its OK to have cats on stage but the state of Connecticut has a ban on kittens. The costumes in the film are quite revealing. This piece of dialogue between Cagney and Blondell is classic when he introduces Blondell, his assistant to a snooty lady Chester Kent:Hello, Vivian. This is Miss Rich. My secretary, Miss Prescott. Nan Prescott: I know Miss Bi... Rich, if you remember. I love this movie so much! White Heat and Yankee Doodle Dandy are both great movies. But Footlight Parade is my favorite James Cagney movie. And from the same year, 42nd Street is just as good. Ginger Rogers as "Any Time" Annie!
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Post by Prince Hal on Mar 2, 2016 11:33:24 GMT -5
Passing thought..Do you ever watch a classic movie and think "If they had cell phones back then, this entire scene would be unnecessary, less suspenseful and/or ridiculous. Or Every person in this movie including all animals have long been dead Or both? Definitely to both! I also will, when watching a movie, say FTSOA, The Godfather (1972) and think to myself, this movie came out 44 years ago. 44 years before that, it was 1928! And I will again be amazed by how fast time travels.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Mar 2, 2016 11:43:48 GMT -5
I also will, when watching a movie, say FTSOA, The Godfather (1972) and think to myself, this movie came out 44 years ago. 44 years before that, it was 1928! And I will again be amazed by how fast time travels. I do the same thing with movies and music. However old they might be, I then think back to when I was about 21 years of age. So for instance I listened to an album yesterday from 1969. Its 47 years old now. When I was 21 years old that would have placed it in 1918. No one was listening to music that year-too busy digging trenches
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Post by Prince Hal on Mar 2, 2016 11:52:12 GMT -5
I also will, when watching a movie, say FTSOA, The Godfather (1972) and think to myself, this movie came out 44 years ago. 44 years before that, it was 1928! And I will again be amazed by how fast time travels. I do the same thing with movies and music. However old they might be, I then think back to when I was about 21 years of age. So for instance I listened to an album yesterday from 1969. Its 47 years old now. When I was 21 years old that would have placed it in 1918. No one was listening to music that year-too busy digging trenches Exactly! Puts events in perspective. Also a little scary that you can remember as far back as that. It hits me whenever I post in the "50 Years Ago" thread. As you said, Ish, in early 1966, we were just 50 years from World War One, V-J Day was just over 20 years ago, and the frikkin' Spanish-American War happened less than 70 years earlier. All of those events seemed an eternity ago to me as an 11- or 12-year-old kid. Now, those 50 years between today and the day I bought Wolrd's Finest 157 are an eyeblink apart.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 2, 2016 20:31:24 GMT -5
I also will, when watching a movie, say FTSOA, The Godfather (1972) and think to myself, this movie came out 44 years ago. 44 years before that, it was 1928! And I will again be amazed by how fast time travels. I do the same thing with movies and music. However old they might be, I then think back to when I was about 21 years of age. So for instance I listened to an album yesterday from 1969. Its 47 years old now. When I was 21 years old that would have placed it in 1918. No one was listening to music that year-too busy digging trenches I do this as well. Although I do it somewhat more with music. And honestly, it really helps your perspective. Rubber Soul came out over 50 years ago. And yet people find it "shocking" if kids don't know The Beatles. And yet, I don't think a lot of teens in 1965 were listening to "It's a Long Way to Tipperary."
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Mar 3, 2016 2:15:49 GMT -5
Dr. Jekyll And Mr.Hyde (1941) Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, Ingrid Bergman, Donald Crisp
Pretty much the exact same adaptation as the 1931 version with Fredric March but severely watered down due to the Hates code now in enforcement
The DVD I own is a flipper disc with both versions and having watched the earlier version 2 days ago I can say without hesitation that it is far, far superior than the Spencer Tracy one. And I like the cast here. Really do-in other films.
Spencer is fine as Dr.Jekyll but as Mr.Hyde, sad to say, a total disaster. Maybe they were afraid that the heavy makeup used in the Fredric March movie and which hospitalized him was to be avoided but this Mr.Hyde pretty much still looked like Tracy, albeit with uncombed hair, bushy eyebrows and wrinkles around the eyes. He was not monstrous looking at all. Tracy did not even try to act maniacally evil but mostly spoke in a low whispery voice. Sometimes you would think the people in this movie are the same who can't see Clark Kent is Superman with glasses on.
Miriam Hopkins as the hooker-turned-love slave of Mr.Hyde is replaced here by Ingrid Bergman, the classy barmaid. The Hayes code ruined all that innuendo
Lana Turner as Dr.Jekyll's fiancee has a somewhat larger role than the March version and is nice to look at but it doesn't make the film better
The 1941 film has a better sound quality due to the maturing technology and has somewhat classier production values but the 1931 version is much more chilling, campy, raunchy, action filled and has more interesting camera work
I'm not alone in this assessment. The 1941 version was a box office bomb. It was panned by many critics of it;s time. Spencer Tracy thought it was one of his worst films.
Its watchable, you might like it to an extent, but watch the 1931 version and then tell me I'm wrong
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Mar 3, 2016 5:05:14 GMT -5
The Karate Kid, Part III (1989) Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, Thomas Ian Griffith, Martin Kove, Sean Kanan
The disgraced dojo instructor, John Kreese, humiliated in previous films, gets help from his buddy, a Vietnam vet and martial arts expert, along with a up and coming bad boy of karate, in defeating the Karate Kid in another championship tournament
Final Ralph Macchio karate entry after 5 years from the debut. Its run it course by this time and pretty much repeating previous motivations. Audiences agreed by staying away from this movie. It only generated a third of the second film's gross.
Robyn Lively was cast to be a romantic interest but Ralph Macchio was adament that the part should be platonic only since he didn't want his new real-life wife to get jealous.
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