The Silver Screen Oasis

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Finally Bluebeard's Eighth Wife in region 1!!!

Universal seems to finally be getting on the ball as of late. Maybe a few of their sets sold well enough to encourage more releases.

I'm a little disappointed that more of them aren't pre-coders (especially considering the fact that one of them, The Egg and I, is already available in R1), but it is nice to see that Claudette is finally getting her own collection, especially given the number of films she made for Paramount during the 1930s and 40s. And it appears that the collection will also feature a documentary about her. Here's hoping we'll see a volume 2!

-S.

Oh, rapture, Three-Cornered Moon. I haven't seen it in many moons, actually. Colbert is wonderful as the exasperated voice of reason amid a family of dream chasers. It's something like You Can't Take It With You, but to me, the best aspects are that it's set in Brooklyn, and it has a very good comic performance by Lyda Roberti as the dizty family's ditzy maid. One of Roberti's few non-glamour, non-femme fatale movie roles. Dang, she was good, and was lost so very young.

I don't know how you all feel: I have never found any performance by Colbert in anything to be less than stellar. She is one of my all-time favorites. I loved her when I was a girl moviegoer, and I love her now as I sprawl in front of the TV screen. I saw Midnight last week, and wonder how any actress could have played Colbert's role better. She and Mary Astor playing off each other are like two ultra-chic and ultra-smart cats trying to stare each other down.

I've never seen Three Cornered Moon but, like you, I have always found Colbert nicely in the middle of fun and elegant. Even while running around in sneakers in "The Egg and I" she is still all class.

I have never found any performance by Colbert in anything to be less than stellar.

I don't necessarily have a problem with Colbert's acting but I often find myself disappointed in her films. I seem to have been one of the few who didn't care for No Time for Love, but the problem with that film stemmed mostly from my strong dislike of the Fred MacMurray character.

My family and I recently watched She Married Her Boss (1935) - it was one I had high hopes for, considering that it was a comedy directed by Gregory La Cava. The dated sexual politics aside (e.g., certain assumptions about women at home and in the workplace will drive today's female viewers bonkers), I nevertheless thought the film had a strong, funny beginning with some good performances (especially Colbert and Jean Dixon), but fell apart about 2/3 of the way through. And it was a shame because until that point I was enjoying myself thoroughly.

However, I would wholeheartedly recommend another La Cava/Colbert collaboration (if you can find it), the drama Private Worlds, for which Claudette earned her second Oscar nod playing a respected doctor who clashes with her chauvinistic supervisor (Charles Boyer). Made the same year as She Married Her Boss, it adopts a totally different attitude toward women who maintain a career - an aspect that's especially intriguing since both films had the same star and director.

-S.

A Colbert dream collection would include Tomorrow is Forever, which I think is from RKO. This past weekend Fox Movie Channel ran Three Came Home. Wow, Colbert is good in that one (and unglamorous, and her face photographed from the right side in some scenes). And if the fates were really kind, they might include Parrish in a collection as well. Colbert ironing Troy Donahue's white pants -- who would have believed it?

Parrish is already included as part of the Warner Bros. Romance Collection (which may as well be titled The Troy Donahue Collection). It's one I still need to see.

My favorite Colbert film is probably The Palm Beach Story.

jdb1 wrote:A Colbert dream collection would include Tomorrow is Forever, which I think is from RKO. This past weekend Fox Movie Channel ran Three Came Home. Wow, Colbert is good in that one (and unglamorous, and her face photographed from the right side in some scenes). And if the fates were really kind, they might include Parrish in a collection as well. Colbert ironing Troy Donahue's white pants -- who would have believed it?

I'm delighted to see that Claudette Colbert is getting her own set. She's one of my all-time favorites. She sparkles. I love her voice. I think she has the lovliest hands on the silver screen. And she had range. I hope to get ahold of Tovarich one day. I saw this tale of expatriate Russian nobility working as domestics in Paris years ago and loved it. Midnight is one of the most delightful comedies around. I've always been curious about Zaza...