|
|
Post by Pharozonk on Apr 14, 2022 15:01:22 GMT -5
Another highlight of 1946 for me is William Wyler's excellent The Best Years of Our Lives.
A beautifully rendered portrait of the struggles of veterans that never feels emotionally manipulative or overly saccharine. Probably has a lot to due with Wyler channeling his own demons from the war to create something honest and authentic.
|
|
|
|
Post by commond on Apr 14, 2022 17:34:23 GMT -5
It's hard to look past It's a Wonderful Life for 1946. However, Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast is a gorgeous film. Rita Hayworth shines in Gilda. Powell and Pressburger score another hit in A Matter of Life or Death, and the Italian neo-realism movement continues to emerge with Rossellini's Paisan and De Sica's Shoeshine. I love me some Burt Lancaster, so I'd have to rate The Killers among the best films of the year. David Lean's Great Expectations is also good if you like literary adaptations in film.
|
|
|
|
Post by Hoosier X on Apr 14, 2022 20:10:09 GMT -5
I couldn’t remember which film I had listed for 1945 on my IMDB “Favorite Movies by Year” List.
Was it Detour or Mildred Pierce?
So I went and looked.
It’s Detour ... and Mildred Pierce! It’s one of the years that has a tie.
I think I’m a little more partial to Detour nowadays. At the start of COVID, I watched it with a friend of mine. We are in different states but sometimes we watch movies at the same time and text each other. He had never seen Detour before. He loves it now! We watched it again about a year ago. Seeing it so much constantly reminds me how amazing it is!
As for 1946 ... yeah. The Big Sleep. I’ve seen it so many times. When I DVR it off TCM, I watch it and then keep it for a couple of weeks to watch it again before I delete it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Apr 15, 2022 14:53:40 GMT -5
1946 Movies“The Best Years of Our Lives” gets better with every viewing. Even the seemingly happy ending is muted and realistic, in some ways even ominous. So many scenes resonate: Myrna Loy realizes her husband has returned from the Pacific; Dana Andrews sees his parents again; March’s son is unimpressed by the souvenirs his father’s brought him and questions the wisdom of dropping the atomic bomb; an angry Andrews goes after Ray Teal in the department store; Homer’s father helps him take off his prosthetic hands as he gets ready for bed; and so many more. William Wyler’s direction, enriched by his service in the Army Air Force and the disability he suffered (deafness) as a result. “The Big Sleep” is such a cool movie. Transgressive, sexy, smart. That bookstore scene with Bogey and Dorothy Malone is the perfect example. Oh, and listen to Bogey and Bacall talk about horse racing in the restaurant and you’ll know why they fell madly in love. Who cares about the plot? Just immerse yourself in it. “Gilda” we’ve talked about elsewhere. Rita Hayworth is gorgeous, the story is intriguing, and the production is exotic. A must-see movie. “Notorious” is as sexy and sensuous as a movie with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman can and should be. The scene-stealer is Madame Konstantin as the nastiest, most possessive mother in movies. Even Mrs. Bates has nothing on her. She keeps Claude Rains’ cojones in her reticule. “The Stranger” was directed by and stars Orson Welles as a mysterious, paranoid teacher in a New England village who has plenty to hide after World War Two. And the dogged Edward G. Robinson is the government agent on his trail. The studio put way too many restrictions on Welles, but the movie manages to overcome them and retain its idiosyncrasies, including its no-holds-barred discussions of Fascism and the concentration camps. “The Time of Their Lives” may be the most adult of the Abbott and Costello movies, an appealing ghost story with time travel thrown in. It’s fun to see Lou get some revenge on Bud for once, too. And of course, there’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Slam_Bradley nailed the reason we root for George Bailey, he last good man standing for what’s right and decent; he's the Jamie Raskin of Bedford Falls. And as I’ve written several times before, the finale only goes so far in helping us forget the realization that the nightmare world of Pottersville is always just that one decent person away from engulfing Bedford Falls. Much more nuanced and realistic than its detractors say it is. Stewart, like Wyler, was changed by his years in the war, and his anxiety and bitterness help to make ths one of his finest performances.
|
|
|
|
Post by commond on Apr 17, 2022 19:07:03 GMT -5
Watched The Best Years of Our Lives. At first, I was apprehensive about the three hour running time, but it was remarkably well produced and never felt "long." It was well-written, well-directed, and full of classic narrative economy (enter late, exit early) that made it a breeze to watch. It wasn't as haunting as films like All Quiet on the Western front, but Wilder handled the material well, and the use of real-life disabled vet, Harold Russell, lent gravitas to the story, especially those scenes where he took his harness off. The romantic subplot between Fred and Peggy was a stretch, but Wilder handled it well. I was particularly impressed with the real life shots of post-war, small town, middle America, and the airplane scrap heap. That's the type of footage that's impossible to recreate in period pieces. Excellent film.
|
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Apr 17, 2022 23:39:20 GMT -5
 I completely forgot to include one of my favorite movies ever, let alone of 1946: David Lean's "Great Expectations," as excellent an adaptaio of Dickens as you will ever eee. No, the entire novel could not be captured epsiode for episode, but it still captures perfectly the tone, the atmosphere, the many powerful emotions stirred up by the story of Pip's growing up. The cinematography (in glorious black and white) is perfect, most especially in the early scenes in the graveyard and the marshes of Kent. The casting is perfect; you'll never imagine another Jaggers (Francis L. Sullivan), Joe Gargery (Bernard Miles, later a kidnapper in "The Man Who Knew Too Much"), Miss Havisham (Martita Hunt) or young Estella (Jean Simmons). Pip is also played so well by Anthony Wagers as a boy and as a young man by John Mills. Pip's great friend herbert Pocket is played by Alec Guinness. The art direction will make you think you have been taken to Victorian England, from the stage ride to London to Joe's forge to the spooky, sepulchral Statis House where Miss Havisham attempts to defy time. I can't recommend this exquisitely acted, written, directed and produced film enough. PS: I do wish, though, that the mini-series made in 1989 for the Disney Channel, with John Rhys-Davies as Joe, Anthony Hopkins as Magwitch and Owen Teale as a most despicable Drummle, and in a neat touch, Jean Simmons as Miss Havisham, would be issued. It is also excellent, though made in color, and covers the full novel. Lovingly made, but sadly never been made available, to my knowledge. |
|
Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,203 
Member is Online
|
Post by Confessor on Apr 21, 2022 11:57:39 GMT -5
Playing catch up again, with my favourite films from 1945 and 46... 1945Brief Encounter – A bit of a British classic this. It often comes up in surveys of British cinema as the best romantic film of all-time. That might be a stretch...but then again, maybe not. The film was written by Noël Coward and centres around an extramarital affair shortly before the outbreak of WW2. The female half of the affair, Laura, is a housewife in her late 30s with a husband and children who falls in love with a married doctor named Alec who she (briefly) encounters at a railway station. The central protagonists, superbly played by Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, wrestle with their desire to be together and the obligations of their everyday lives. Ultimately, nothing much happens, but the joy of the film is in watching the pair strain against the moral conventions of their era and try to decide what they should do with their "immoral" urges. The film is beautifully shot too, in a rather noirish manner, and makes great dramatic use of the swirling clouds of steam that the locomotives at the railway station produce. Sure, Brief Encounter is a bit corny and overacted in places, but at its heart its a genuinely touching story about the chaste beauty of unconsummated illicit love.  1946The Big Sleep – I only saw this for the first time during the pandemic, but although I enjoyed it at the time, I've forgotten an awful lot about it. So, I wouldn't call it the most memorable film ever! But I do recall that it was a very enjoyable watch at the time, although the twists and turns of the plot struck me as kinda hard to follow. Mind you, I found 1941's The Maltese Falcon kinda confusing on first viewing too. I also recall thinking that Bogart and Bacall absolutely sizzled together on screen though, and I can quite see why they are regarded as one of cinema's greatest male/female pairings. As for other 1946 movies, I know its gonna sound like blaspheme to some folks, but I really dislike It's a Wonderful Life. It just does nothing for me. It's over-long, overly sentimental, and overall boring. Also, the alternate reality Bedford Falls – which we the viewers are supposed to deplore – sure looks to me like a much more fun place than the real one!  Also, not to court controversy, but I feel that I should mention Song of the South, which I haven't seen for many, many years, but which I did kinda enjoy as a kid. Of course, these days the film is rightly criticized for its offensive characterisation of its African American characters and the sanitized portrayal of plantation life in the deep South. It's been so long since I last saw it (early 80s at the most recent, I would guess) that I feel under qualified to comment on these controversial aspects, but I'm willing to bet that the quality of the musical numbers and animation almost certainly still holds up. This is prime period Disney, after all! That said, I have no real desire to re-watch the film, except maybe as a historical curiosity with regard its controversial content. |
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 21, 2022 12:29:14 GMT -5
1946The Big Sleep – I only saw this for the first time during the pandemic, but although I enjoyed it at the time, I've forgotten an awful lot about it. So, I wouldn't call it the most memorable film ever! But I do recall that it was a very enjoyable watch at the time, although the twists and turns of the plot struck me as kinda hard to follow. Mind you, I found 1941's The Maltese Falcon kinda confusing on first viewing too. I also recall thinking that Bogart and Bacall absolutely sizzled together on screen though, and I can quite see why they are regarded as one of cinema's greatest male/female pairings. As for other 1946 movies, I know its gonna sound like blaspheme to some folks, but I really dislike It's a Wonderful Life. It just does nothing for me. It's over-long, overly sentimental, and overall boring. Also, the alternate reality Bedford Falls – which we the viewers are supposed to deplore – sure looks to me like a much more fun place than the real one! Also, not to court controversy, but I feel that I should mention Song of the South, which I haven't seen for many, many years, but which I did kinda enjoy as a kid. Of course, these days the film is rightly criticized for its offensive characterisation of its African American characters and the sanitized portrayal of plantation life in the deep South. It's been so long since I last saw it (early 80s at the most recent, I would guess) that I feel under qualified to comment on these controversial aspects, but I'm willing to bet that the quality of the musical numbers and animation almost certainly still holds up. This is prime period Disney, after all! That said, I have no real desire to re-watch the film, except maybe as a historical curiosity with regard its controversial content. I loved Song of the South as a kid. We saw it in the theater on a re-release in the 70s. I've seen it since and it doesn't hold up well, even leaving aside the racial issues. The animated portions are still great, but the live action stuff is just boring. The plot of The Big Sleep is at best labryinthine and at worst makes almost no sense. It's not even anything special visually. Honestly, it's all about the dialogue and the acting. |
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Apr 21, 2022 13:44:21 GMT -5
1946The Big Sleep – I only saw this for the first time during the pandemic, but although I enjoyed it at the time, I've forgotten an awful lot about it. So, I wouldn't call it the most memorable film ever! But I do recall that it was a very enjoyable watch at the time, although the twists and turns of the plot struck me as kinda hard to follow. Mind you, I found 1941's The Maltese Falcon kinda confusing on first viewing too. I also recall thinking that Bogart and Bacall absolutely sizzled together on screen though, and I can quite see why they are regarded as one of cinema's greatest male/female pairings. As for other 1946 movies, I know its gonna sound like blaspheme to some folks, but I really dislike It's a Wonderful Life. It just does nothing for me. It's over-long, overly sentimental, and overall boring. Also, the alternate reality Bedford Falls – which we the viewers are supposed to deplore – sure looks to me like a much more fun place than the real one! Also, not to court controversy, but I feel that I should mention Song of the South, which I haven't seen for many, many years, but which I did kinda enjoy as a kid. Of course, these days the film is rightly criticized for its offensive characterisation of its African American characters and the sanitized portrayal of plantation life in the deep South. It's been so long since I last saw it (early 80s at the most recent, I would guess) that I feel under qualified to comment on these controversial aspects, but I'm willing to bet that the quality of the musical numbers and animation almost certainly still holds up. This is prime period Disney, after all! That said, I have no real desire to re-watch the film, except maybe as a historical curiosity with regard its controversial content. I loved Song of the South as a kid. We saw it in the theater on a re-release in the 70s. I've seen it since and it doesn't hold up well, even leaving aside the racial issues. The animated portions are still great, but the live action stuff is just boring. The plot of The Big Sleep is at best labryinthine and at worst makes almost no sense. It's not even anything special visually. Honestly, it's all about the dialogue and the acting.
I've avoided watching It's a Wonderful Life because I've always been afraid that I'd have much the same reaction you describe. Maybe I'll take a chance on it one day and be pleasantly surprised but it isn't anything I'm in a hurry to see.
Agree with Slam Bradley on teh Big Sleep: no point in worrying too much making sense out of the plot. It<s all about the onscreen charisma of Bogart and Bacall, individually and as a pair, and also the atmosphere of mystery and dark doings, which the incoherence of the narrative enhances in a strange, possibly unintended way.
|
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 21, 2022 13:48:10 GMT -5
I loved Song of the South as a kid. We saw it in the theater on a re-release in the 70s. I've seen it since and it doesn't hold up well, even leaving aside the racial issues. The animated portions are still great, but the live action stuff is just boring. The plot of The Big Sleep is at best labryinthine and at worst makes almost no sense. It's not even anything special visually. Honestly, it's all about the dialogue and the acting.
I've avoided watching It's a Wonderful Life because I've always been afraid that I'd have much the same reaction you describe. Maybe I'll take a chance on it one day and be pleasantly surprised but it isn't anything I'm in a hurry to see.
Agree with Slam Bradley on teh Big Sleep: no point in worrying too much making sense out of the plot. It<s all about the onscreen charisma of Bogart and Bacall, individually and as a pair, and also the atmosphere of mystery and dark doings, which the incoherence of the narrative enhances in a strange, possibly unintended way.
Bogie's chemistry with Martha Vickers, Dorothy Malone and Joy Barlow was almost as good. Honestly it's a pretty sexy movie. |
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Apr 21, 2022 13:50:18 GMT -5
1946The Big Sleep – I only saw this for the first time during the pandemic, but although I enjoyed it at the time, I've forgotten an awful lot about it. So, I wouldn't call it the most memorable film ever! But I do recall that it was a very enjoyable watch at the time, although the twists and turns of the plot struck me as kinda hard to follow. Mind you, I found 1941's The Maltese Falcon kinda confusing on first viewing too. I also recall thinking that Bogart and Bacall absolutely sizzled together on screen though, and I can quite see why they are regarded as one of cinema's greatest male/female pairings. As for other 1946 movies, I know its gonna sound like blaspheme to some folks, but I really dislike It's a Wonderful Life. It just does nothing for me. It's over-long, overly sentimental, and overall boring. Also, the alternate reality Bedford Falls – which we the viewers are supposed to deplore – sure looks to me like a much more fun place than the real one! Also, not to court controversy, but I feel that I should mention Song of the South, which I haven't seen for many, many years, but which I did kinda enjoy as a kid. Of course, these days the film is rightly criticized for its offensive characterisation of its African American characters and the sanitized portrayal of plantation life in the deep South. It's been so long since I last saw it (early 80s at the most recent, I would guess) that I feel under qualified to comment on these controversial aspects, but I'm willing to bet that the quality of the musical numbers and animation almost certainly still holds up. This is prime period Disney, after all! That said, I have no real desire to re-watch the film, except maybe as a historical curiosity with regard its controversial content. I loved Song of the South as a kid. We saw it in the theater on a re-release in the 70s. I've seen it since and it doesn't hold up well, even leaving aside the racial issues. The animated portions are still great, but the live action stuff is just boring. The plot of The Big Sleep is at best labryinthine and at worst makes almost no sense. It's not even anything special visually. Honestly, it's all about the dialogue and the acting. No surprise to some since William Faulkner was one of the screenwriters.  |
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Apr 21, 2022 14:01:08 GMT -5
I've avoided watching It's a Wonderful Life because I've always been afraid that I'd have much the same reaction you describe. Maybe I'll take a chance on it one day and be pleasantly surprised but it isn't anything I'm in a hurry to see.
Agree with Slam Bradley on teh Big Sleep: no point in worrying too much making sense out of the plot. It<s all about the onscreen charisma of Bogart and Bacall, individually and as a pair, and also the atmosphere of mystery and dark doings, which the incoherence of the narrative enhances in a strange, possibly unintended way.
Bogie's chemistry with Martha Vickers, Dorothy Malone and Joy Barlow was almost as good. Honestly it's a pretty sexy movie. I'll have to watch it again some time. The last time I saw it was probably 10-15 years ago if not more. This thread has spurred me to watch a lot of things I haven't seen before or rewatch some that have been so long that I don't remember them much. The Big Sleep is in a bit of a grey zone for me in that it isn't one that I haven't seen since I was a kid, so I do remember it pretty well, but not so well that I can see every scene in my mind's eye.
I don't recall Song of the South at at all and may never have seen it all the way through. I'm pretty sure I'd recognise some of the songs but right now the only one I can think of is Zipadee Doo-dah, which I've never cared for.
|
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 21, 2022 14:15:35 GMT -5
I loved Song of the South as a kid. We saw it in the theater on a re-release in the 70s. I've seen it since and it doesn't hold up well, even leaving aside the racial issues. The animated portions are still great, but the live action stuff is just boring. The plot of The Big Sleep is at best labryinthine and at worst makes almost no sense. It's not even anything special visually. Honestly, it's all about the dialogue and the acting. No surprise to some since William Faulkner was one of the screenwriters.  Chandler's plots, in general, are at least complex. The Big Sleep was definitely complex before Faulkner and Brackett got ahold of it. |
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Apr 21, 2022 16:20:56 GMT -5
No surprise to some since William Faulkner was one of the screenwriters. Chandler's plots, in general, are at least complex. The Big Sleep was definitely complex before Faulkner and Brackett got ahold of it. I've read or heard that even Chandler didn't know who did what to whom in "The Big Sleep," and he was talking about the novel. |
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Apr 21, 2022 21:50:11 GMT -5
Chandler's plots, in general, are at least complex. The Big Sleep was definitely complex before Faulkner and Brackett got ahold of it. I've read or heard that even Chandler didn't know who did what to whom in "The Big Sleep," and he was talking about the novel. Yeah - if I remember, there was one murder that was unaccounted for by the end and, when asked, Chandler couldn't say himself who he'd meant to have done it. I love the Big Sleep but the plot is the last thing you'd admire - or perhaps I should say praise it for, since you could admire it in the sense of being dumb-founded by how mixed up it is. It's the atmosphere, the scene-painting, Marlowe's narration - never successfully captured in any screen version, for me - and the dialogue, so Chandler's way with words in general. I think some of the other novels are more tightly-plotted but The Big Sleep is still one of the best. |
|
