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Post by Ish Kabbible on Apr 14, 2017 18:27:33 GMT -5
War And Peace (1956) Henry Fonda, Audrey Hepburn, Mel Ferrer, Herbert Lom, Oskar Homolka, Anita Eckberg, Helmut Dantine
The Tolstoy epic saga of Russia during the Napoleonic invasion. One of the biggest cinema spectacles of the 1950's. It runs 205 minutes. The first half mostly deals with the soap opera antics of the many suitors for Audrey Hepburn and the horrible marriage between Fonda and Eckberg. The ction really kicks in with the French invasion and take over of Moscow and their subsequent retreat. Herbert Lom portrays Napoleon splendidly. A cast of thousands re-enact the battle scenes and the French withdrawal during the Russian winter will chill your bones
On tap for this week's viewing are these recent DVD releases
Patriots Day w/ Mark Wahlberg Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them The Monster
Classics to watch include the 2 Richard Lester versions of
The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974) both starring Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York, Christopher Lee and Geraldine Chaplin
Speedy (1928) Harold Lloyd South Of St. Louis (1949) Joel McCrea, Dorothy Malone, Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott Slightly Dangerous (1943) Lana Turner, Robert Young Something Big (1971) Dean Martin, Brian Keith Somewhere I'll Find You (1942) Clark Gable, Lana Turner Solaris (1972)- The original Russian SF film
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Post by berkley on Apr 14, 2017 18:40:27 GMT -5
I haven't seen the War and Peace movie but after reading the book a few years ago I think Audrey Hepburn and Anita Ekberg are almost perfect casting for their roles, as the characters are described by Tolstoy. Not so sure about the male cast members though.
OTOH, I like Oliver Reed a lot, but he was totally miscast as Athos in the Three Musketeers. But they never seem to pay much attention to Dumas's characters in the any of the Musketeers movies, which is too bad because they're a huge part of what makes the books so much fun.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Apr 14, 2017 19:19:10 GMT -5
I haven't seen the War and Peace movie but after reading the book a few years ago I think Audrey Hepburn and Anita Ekberg are almost perfect casting for their roles, as the characters are described by Tolstoy. Not so sure about the male cast members though. OTOH, I like Oliver Reed a lot, but he was totally miscast as Athos in the Three Musketeers. But they never seem to pay much attention to Dumas's characters in the any of the Musketeers movies, which is too bad because they're a huge part of what makes the books so much fun. You deserve a standing ovation for reading War And Peace. From what I see, it's a 1,300 page book. I did match that many years ago when I read The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich
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Post by berkley on Apr 14, 2017 19:40:47 GMT -5
I haven't seen the War and Peace movie but after reading the book a few years ago I think Audrey Hepburn and Anita Ekberg are almost perfect casting for their roles, as the characters are described by Tolstoy. Not so sure about the male cast members though. OTOH, I like Oliver Reed a lot, but he was totally miscast as Athos in the Three Musketeers. But they never seem to pay much attention to Dumas's characters in the any of the Musketeers movies, which is too bad because they're a huge part of what makes the books so much fun. You deserve a standing ovation for reading War And Peace. From what I see, it's a 1,300 page book. I did match that many years ago when I read The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich It's divided into 4 books plus an epilogue, so you can read it as a series, which doesn't seem so intimidatingly huge - I'm a bit surprised they don't publish it that way to make it more attractive to modern tastes, but I suppose it's traditional to see it as a single volume. But lots of SF or fantasy series are as long or longer if you add all the individual books together. Come to think of it, if you add up all the Musketeer books it would be probably 2 or 3 times longer than W&P.
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 14, 2017 19:54:41 GMT -5
I took my time with the book War and Peace, starting in the fall of 2015 and finishing it in late summer 2016.
Great book!
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 14, 2017 20:27:43 GMT -5
I haven't seen the War and Peace movie but after reading the book a few years ago I think Audrey Hepburn and Anita Ekberg are almost perfect casting for their roles, as the characters are described by Tolstoy. Not so sure about the male cast members though. OTOH, I like Oliver Reed a lot, but he was totally miscast as Athos in the Three Musketeers. But they never seem to pay much attention to Dumas's characters in the any of the Musketeers movies, which is too bad because they're a huge part of what makes the books so much fun. Oh, I don't know about that. They ramp up the drunkard to match Reed's rep; but, he captures the pathos quite. If you ask me, it's Aramis that they don't really get, though I like Richard Chamberlain in the role. Return of the musketeers (based on The Twenty Years After) gets a little into Aramis, as a plotter and schemer; but, more in conjunction with other things. I would say no one has gotten his role in The Man in the Iron Mask correct. Worst Musketeer casting, aside from the Ritz Brothers and Charlie Sheen (in separate films, obviously) is in The 5th Musketeer, with Lloyd Bridges as Aramis. Even Alan Hale Jr, as Porthos, is more appropriate. He and Cornel Wilde sort of reprise their roles from At Swords Point (though they are the sons of D'Artagnan and Porthos, rather than the characters themselves, in the earlier film).
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Post by berkley on Apr 14, 2017 21:48:50 GMT -5
I haven't seen the War and Peace movie but after reading the book a few years ago I think Audrey Hepburn and Anita Ekberg are almost perfect casting for their roles, as the characters are described by Tolstoy. Not so sure about the male cast members though. OTOH, I like Oliver Reed a lot, but he was totally miscast as Athos in the Three Musketeers. But they never seem to pay much attention to Dumas's characters in the any of the Musketeers movies, which is too bad because they're a huge part of what makes the books so much fun. Oh, I don't know about that. They ramp up the drunkard to match Reed's rep; but, he captures the pathos quite. If you ask me, it's Aramis that they don't really get, though I like Richard Chamberlain in the role. Return of the musketeers (based on The Twenty Years After) gets a little into Aramis, as a plotter and schemer; but, more in conjunction with other things. I would say no one has gotten his role in The Man in the Iron Mask correct. Worst Musketeer casting, aside from the Ritz Brothers and Charlie Sheen (in separate films, obviously) is in The 5th Musketeer, with Lloyd Bridges as Aramis. Even Alan Hale Jr, as Porthos, is more appropriate. He and Cornel Wilde sort of reprise their roles from At Swords Point (though they are the sons of D'Artagnan and Porthos, rather than the characters themselves, in the earlier film). Well, that's the thing: I don't think Athos is a drunkard, i.e. I don't think his penchant for getting drunk is what defines his character. He's the quintessential aristocrat, one who happens to get drunk occasionally when he's bored (yes, I remember the part where Dumas says he would have become a drunkard out of boredom if he hadn't had his son). Reed's is more of a working-class stage or screen persona,and about as English as you can get. Also the wrong physical type. Maybe you're right about Aramis and Porthos, though - it's been a long time since I've seen these films. In fact, I don' think I've ever really seen them properly, just parts here and there on tv. Also, I tend to focus on Athos because I think that's the one they get so completely wrong. I think the reason is that his archetype is one that doesn't mean much to late 20th/early 21st-century audiences in general and American audiences in particular. We don't really have a mental image of the aristocratic ideal today, fictional or otherwise, unless it's in the negative sense of foppish, effete good-for-nothings. So I the people who adapt the books to the screen don't really have any feeling for the character and just latch onto something thatM's easy to grasp, like the drinking. I haven't seen the more recent Musketeers movies, though - anyone have an opinion on how Athos and the others are handled in those?
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 15, 2017 11:52:45 GMT -5
Oh, I don't know about that. They ramp up the drunkard to match Reed's rep; but, he captures the pathos quite. If you ask me, it's Aramis that they don't really get, though I like Richard Chamberlain in the role. Return of the musketeers (based on The Twenty Years After) gets a little into Aramis, as a plotter and schemer; but, more in conjunction with other things. I would say no one has gotten his role in The Man in the Iron Mask correct. Worst Musketeer casting, aside from the Ritz Brothers and Charlie Sheen (in separate films, obviously) is in The 5th Musketeer, with Lloyd Bridges as Aramis. Even Alan Hale Jr, as Porthos, is more appropriate. He and Cornel Wilde sort of reprise their roles from At Swords Point (though they are the sons of D'Artagnan and Porthos, rather than the characters themselves, in the earlier film). Well, that's the thing: I don't think Athos is a drunkard, i.e. I don't think his penchant for getting drunk is what defines his character. He's the quintessential aristocrat, one who happens to get drunk occasionally when he's bored (yes, I remember the part where Dumas says he would have become a drunkard out of boredom if he hadn't had his son). Reed's is more of a working-class stage or screen persona,and about as English as you can get. Also the wrong physical type. Maybe you're right about Aramis and Porthos, though - it's been a long time since I've seen these films. In fact, I don' think I've ever really seen them properly, just parts here and there on tv. Also, I tend to focus on Athos because I think that's the one they get so completely wrong. I think the reason is that his archetype is one that doesn't mean much to late 20th/early 21st-century audiences in general and American audiences in particular. We don't really have a mental image of the aristocratic ideal today, fictional or otherwise, unless it's in the negative sense of foppish, effete good-for-nothings. So I the people who adapt the books to the screen don't really have any feeling for the character and just latch onto something thatM's easy to grasp, like the drinking. I haven't seen the more recent Musketeers movies, though - anyone have an opinion on how Athos and the others are handled in those? The last modern ones I saw were the Charlie Sheen fiasco, where Kiefer Sutherland is Athos, the Randall Wallace Man in the Iron mask, and Bertrand Tavernier's Revenge of the Musketeers. The Sheen/Sutherland/O'Donnel film gets everything wrong. Well, it pretty much jettisons Dumas and somehow throws in car chases and explosions (via wagons and barrels of gunpowder). That films sins are numerous. Athos isn't much, not so much a drunkard, not an aristocrat. He is a bit of a mentor, but barely. Oliver Platt, as Porthos is at least fun, if not the character of the novel. he's known as "Porthos the Pirate," and greatly feared. I don't think the writers of that one even watched the Hanna-Barbera cartoons (from the Banana Splits Show), let alone read Dumas. Randall Wallace was too busy manufacturing a romance between D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne) and Queen Anne (Anne Parillaud) and the rest of the Musketeers are mainly scene filler, with a few moments. Gerard Depardieu is a decent Porthos and acts like he has read Dumas (I would hope so, as a Frenchman), though the character is played as more debauched. Athos and Aramis are fine. Quite frankly, I found nothing memorable in that film. Tavernier's film is French, with Sophie Marceau as the daughter of D'Artagnan and Phillipe Noiret as the elder D'Artagnan (Noiret played Cardinal Mazarin in Richard Lester's Return of the Musketeers). There is a plot involving slave trading that Marceau witnesses, while at a convent school and she takes off. It's a fun film, similar to At Sword's Point, though with the original Musketeers. I can't remember if it is Athos or Aramis who acts as a spy in it. Those roles are lesser, anyway. It segues into protecting young Prince Louis from a plot. There is an interesting "curtain call" at the end, with all of the actors. not an epic; but, entertaining.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 15, 2017 12:56:35 GMT -5
The 5th Musketeer cast Jose Ferrer as a more studious Athos. He doesn't get a whole lot to do in the film; but, he is definitely more aristocratic, in bearing.
I love Frank Finlay's Porthos, in the Lester films. He captures the braggart, though not exactly the physical size.
Regardless of any alterations from Dumas, the Lester films are by far my favorite and, for my money, the most entertaining adaptations of Dumas. They get enough right and then give it a modern flair and some great dialogue, as well as a terrific cast. The duels are especially good, as they more closely resemble actual fighting, rather than stage duelling (apart from the comedy spots).
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 15, 2017 13:32:30 GMT -5
I've seen so many versions of The Three Musketeers - including the silent version, the 1935 version, and the recent one with Milla Jovovich as Lady De Winter (who appears to be a ninja for some reason) - and they all have their pluses and minuses. I found the one with ninja Lady De Winter to be very entertaining and I also liked the way they modified the queen's motivations so that they made sense. The one I like the least is the one from the 1990s with Kiefer Sutherland, although the one with the Ritz Brothers is pretty dismal.
But my favorite is the 1948 version with Gene Kelly. The high point is Lana Turner as Lady De Winter. She's the best Lady De Winter, and the 1948 version shows that if you get Lady De Winter right, the rest is easy.
The book is great too! I had a great time reading it!
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Post by berkley on Apr 15, 2017 15:47:07 GMT -5
I've seen so many versions of The Three Musketeers - including the silent version, the 1935 version, and the recent on with Milla Jovovich as Lady De Winter (who appears to be a ninja for some reason) - and they all have their pluses and minuses. I found the one with ninja Lady De Winter to be very entertaining and I also liked the way they modified the queen's motivations so that they made sense. The one I like the least is the one from the 1990s with Kiefer Sutherland, although the one with the Ritz Brothers is pretty dismal. But my favorite is the 1948 version with Gene Kelly. The high point is Lana Turner as Lady De Winter. She's the best Lady De Winter, and the 1948 version shows that if you get Lady De Winter right, the rest is easy. The book is great too! I had a great time reading it! She's one of the great villainesses and great characters period of world literature, IMO. I believe she's used as a protagonist in a recent alternate-history-fantasy book that came out recently, which I think could be agreat idea if the author gets it right.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2017 16:32:44 GMT -5
My favorite version of the Three Musketeers is the 1973 version starring Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York, Faye Dunaway, Raquel Welch, and others. Directed by Richard Lester. Internet Movie Database
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 15, 2017 18:32:48 GMT -5
My favorite version of the Three Musketeers is the 1973 version starring Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York, Faye Dunaway, Raquel Welch, and others. Directed by Richard Lester. Internet Movie DatabaseI like the 1970s Three Musketeers films as well. Heck, I saw the first one in a theater when it first came out.
I wonder what Dumas would have thought had he known his creation would achieve its greatest fame as a candy bar?
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Post by berkley on Apr 15, 2017 20:10:59 GMT -5
My favorite version of the Three Musketeers is the 1973 version starring Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York, Faye Dunaway, Raquel Welch, and others. Directed by Richard Lester. Internet Movie DatabaseI like the 1970s Three Musketeers films as well. Heck, I saw the first one in a theater when it first came out.
I wonder what Dumas would have thought had he known his creation would achieve its greatest fame as a candy bar?
he'd have taken the money, I'm pretty sure about that!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2017 22:06:23 GMT -5
My favorite version of the Three Musketeers is the 1973 version starring Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York, Faye Dunaway, Raquel Welch, and others. Directed by Richard Lester. Internet Movie DatabaseI like the 1970s Three Musketeers films as well. Heck, I saw the first one in a theater when it first came out.
I wonder what Dumas would have thought had he known his creation would achieve its greatest fame as a candy bar?
I thought so too!
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