Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery

[feaito]

"The Lost Moment" (1947). I'm not sure if this one's been really underrated or if t's been more properly overlooked , because I discovered it recently thanks to a Premium Cable TV Channel. An eerie, atmospheric film with a dazzling performance by Susan Hayward. A must-see.

I enjoy The Lost Moment also, but for Agnes Moorehead's performance (surprise!) In this film Agnes plays a 105 year old woman. Here is the transformation of Agnes from her 46 year old self into the 105 year old Juliana Bordereau:

http://www.themakeupgallery.org.uk/age/1940s/moment.htm
http://www.themakeupgallery.org.uk/age/ ... omentm.htm

Agnes spent four hours in makeup each morning, and yet, when I watched the movie on YouTube (when it had been uploaded back in January) it seemed like Juliana was in shadow, in a darkened room, most of the time. Her hands are featured, but we don't really see much of her face. Given this tactic, the hand makeup was very important, but it seems that they may not have needed to do such an extensive, authentic job on the face -- especially given how uncomfortable that mask was for Agnes to wear all day.

Since Juliana is seen very little and is mostly immobile, this impresses me as primarily a vocal characterization for Agnes, which draws from her extensive experience on radio. And what a vocal characterization this is -- the voice is so unlike her own that it's as though she's stepping completely outside of herself. It has to be heard to be believed. What a performance!

The videos have since been taken down from YouTube. If anyone who doesn't have a copy of this film would like to see it, I've uploaded the MP4 files, compressed into one .zip file. Unzip and enjoy!

Hi PT, Sorry for not mentioning Agnes pivotal performance. I have a quite decent copy of the film I recorded off this Premium Cable Channel I mentioned, that I'm willing to share. The only flaw for native English speakers is that it has fixed subtitles in Spanish.

[moira finnie]

Woe is me. Five Graves to Cairo never seems to air, and I don't think I've ever seen it. Wouldn't you think that a dvd of any Billy Wilder movie would be commercially viable for the home video market in America too?

Lynn and Chris, you have now whetted my appetite to go hunt down this movie. Thanks. I think.

[Dewey1960]

The vastness of possibilities offered by this thread is almost too unbearable to deal with, but I’ll do my best:

DOWNSTAIRS (1932) Written by and starring John Gilbert, this Monta Bell-directed pre-code comedy of manners is a marvel to behold. Alternately hilarious and horrifying, it presents the star in the most aggressively unattractive imaginable way: as an egocentric, hedonistic boor determined to destroy everyone in his path, Gilbert delivers the performance of his lifetime and also serves to remind us that the ludicrous assumption that his career was ruined by the advent of sound was pure, unadulterated fabrication. His ultimate comeuppance at the hands of his emotionally ravaged victims rivals the finale of Tod Browning’s FREAKS. TCM has played this MGM film a few times over the past several years but it has yet to find a home on DVD. Which is a shame; this is one incredible film!!

THE WHISTLER series (1944 – 1948) Columbia Pictures produced eight or nine of these low-budget B noirs and they’re all outstanding examples of zesty, highly imaginative filmmaking. William Castle directed a number of them and at least two were adapted from stories by Cornell Woolrich; personally I can’t imagine a more impressive cinematic pedigree. My personal favorites from this series are: THE WHISTLER (1944), MARK OF THE WHISTLER (1944), POWER OF THE WHISTLER (1945), VOICE OF THE WHISTLER (1945) and THE MYSTERIOUS INTRUDER (1946). These films would make an outstanding box set; the fact that they’ve never enjoyed a home video release is a staggering omission in the noir universe.

TRY AND GET ME! (aka THE SOUND OF FURY) (1950) Blacklisted director Cy Endfield made what is possibly the most un-American American film ever made, a caustic and almost unbearably toxic denouncement of everything phony and venal about the so-called American Dream. Frank Lovejoy stars as a frustrated World War II veteran, incapable of providing his family with what he mistakenly feels they need. He hooks up with a petty hood (brilliantly played by Lloyd Bridges) and before long his American Dream is transformed into an American Nightmare. A stunning example of what happens when serious content merges with cinematic bravura. Watch it if you dare.

AMERICAN HOT WAX (1978) Floyd Mutrux directed this lovingly made paean to the early days of rock and roll and, specifically to the life and career of New York (by way of Cleveland) disc jockey Alan Freed (see my avatar). Freed was brought down by the Payola Scandal of 1959, but until that time he was the uncontested King of Rock and Roll (he even allegedly coined the term). The film makes no claim at historical accuracy (to its credit) but rather paints a largely impressionistic view of Freed's colorful life and his undeniable contributions to our popular culture. The late Tim McIntyre (rumored to be the illegitimate son of actress Jeanette Nolan and Hollywood kingpin Orson Welles) stars as Freed and his performance is an absolute joy to behold. Laraine Newman is wonderful as a Carole King-like songwriter as are the Impossibly funny Fran Drescher and Jay Leno (!) in memorable supporting roles. This film has never had an “official” home video release due to the enormously complicated music rights issues created by its exhaustively wonderful soundtrack. For now it lingers in the limbo of the lost, waiting ever so patiently to be found and appreciated.

NOTE: Congrats to ChiO for listing THE BURGLAR. Happy that is was he who beat me to that punch!!

[Lzcutter]

Dewey,

Thanks so much for bringing up another one of my favorite but very obscure 70's films, American Hot Wax. It's been years since I've seen it but I still remember pivotal scenes.

[Professional Tourist]

.

[Mr. Arkadin]

Lesson I learned while trying to compile a list, do it quickly or someone beats you to it. That said, hat said, the repeat is worth repeating! While most of y'all concentrated on classic films, I went a bit more far of field to modern classics that deserve some love.

Five Graves to Cairo (1943) Franchot Tone, Erich Von Stroheim
The fate of Britian's campaign in Egypt hinges on a cat and mouse game played by Cpl. John Bramble (the lone Brit left behind during the British retreat) and Field Marshal Rommel. Rarely seen, great war film directed by Billy Wilder.

The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970) Sam Peckinpah's first western after The Wild Bunch may actually be his most gentle film of all. Jason Robards plays Cable, a man betrayed and left for dead but who finds water in the desert and prospers. He falls in love with a goodhearted "gal" (it is Peckinpah after all) but can't forget the wrong done him and how it has to be avenged. Wonderful support from LQ Jones, Strother Martin, David Warner and a radiant Stella Stevens. When most people think of Sam, they think of every film but this one.

Night Moves (1975) Gene Hackman plays Harry Moseby, a private investigator who takes what looks like an easy missing persons case for a former Hollywood star. He's to find the star's missing stepdaughter and return her. Along the way, Harry gets mixed up in Hollywood politics and murder. Co-stars Jennifer Warren and Susan Clarke. Very under-rated film from the 1970s.

Cutter's Way (1981) Political thriller involving disabled Vietnam vet Alex Cutter (John Heard in what should have been a star-making turn), his disillusioned wife (the sublime Lisa Eichorn) and his best friend, womanizer Richard Bone who stumble on what could be a murder, could be a conspiracy or could not be. The performances are top-rate. Heard as Cutter the angry vet who left an eye, an arm and a leg in Southeast Vietnam is just amazing in an era before CGI and airbrushing. Lisa Eichorn will break your heart and Jeff Bridges, well he's Jeff Bridges, turning in another great performance. A victim of studio politics.

Matewan (1987) John Sayles look at the hard life of coal miners in West Virginia in the 1920s. Chris Cooper plays a union organizer trying to help the miners to have a better life. Based on a real life event the film also stars David Strathairn, Mary McDonnell and James Earl Jones.

Runners Up:

Sneakers (1992) Lighthearted but complex thriller about a misfit group of hackers who test security systems for safety. The group includes a 60s radical with outstanding warrants (Robert Redford), a blind man (David Straithairn), a young kid (River Phoenix) and Sidney Poitier, Mary McDonnell and Dan Ackroyd. They get caught up in trying to hack into a company owned by a former friend and colleague. Witty, intelligent script by Phil Alden Robinson following his success with Field of Dreams

October Sky (1999) Wonderful, nostalgic look back at the late 1950s when Sputnik went into orbit and its impact on a group of young boys in a coal mining town in West Virginia. The boys know that their lives are pre-ordained to go into the mines but they have a dream of meeting Werhner von Braun and becoming rocket engineers. Stars Jake Gyllenhaal as main dreamer Homer Hickam and Chris Cooper as his disapproving, union hating, coal miner father. Based on a true story. Wonderful, evocative slice of life film.

All great movies. Cutter's Way is one of my all-time favorite films. Wonderful soundtrack, lighting, cinematography, story, and three powerhouse performances. Glad you mentioned that one, just sorry you beat me to it.

[Mr. Arkadin]

TRY AND GET ME! (aka THE SOUND OF FURY) (1950) Blacklisted director Cy Endfield made what is possibly the most un-American American film ever made, a caustic and almost unbearably toxic denouncement of everything phony and venal about the so-called American Dream. Frank Lovejoy stars as a frustrated World War II veteran, incapable of providing his family with what he mistakenly feels they need. He hooks up with a petty hood (brilliantly played by Lloyd Bridges) and before long his American Dream is transformed into an American Nightmare. A stunning example of what happens when serious content merges with cinematic bravura. Watch it if you dare.

Mr. D turned me on to this one and his review is devastatingly accurate. Probably what's most amazing about this unheralded classic is the fact that it was made in 1950, but the cinematography and acting look surprisingly modern. A very unique film and staggering achievement under the production code.

[Lzcutter]

Mr A,

Glad to find another Cutter's Way fan. I love the music from the film and wish the soundtrack had been released.

State of Grace directed by Phil Joanou some 10 years later ripped off the camera work in the wonderful Santa Barbara California days parade.

Another 1980s film that deserves some love and more recognition is Wolfen with Albert Finney and Edward James Olmos.

[moira finnie]

TRY AND GET ME! (aka THE SOUND OF FURY) (1950)

Oh, great. Now I'm hooked by two movies, both of which I've heard so much about but have failed to see, somehow. And you know I just can't resist a Frank Lovejoy movie!

Say, Dewey, yeah, you! When you get through showing the world the Columbia Noirs at the Roxie, how about doing a program of Films by Blacklisted Actors, Writers, and Directors? Just a thought.

[Dewey1960]

Moira sez: how about doing a program of Films by Blacklisted Actors, Writers, and Directors? Just a thought.
That's a fantastic idea, Moira! In fact, the wheels are beginning to spin already...

[feaito]

Woe is me. Five Graves to Cairo never seems to air, and I don't think I've ever seen it. Wouldn't you think that a dvd of any Billy Wilder movie would be commercially viable for the home video market in America too?

Lynn and Chris, you have now whetted my appetite to go hunt down this movie. Thanks. I think.

Isn't it odd? -Concerning TCM's rights to show certain films in different countries, I mean- "5 Graves to Cairo" has been aired at least twice by TCM Latin...with fixed Spanish subtitles I seem to recall. It's a great film.

[MissGoddess]

Hi Blondie!

ChiO wrote:
I’ve used 1959 as my arbitrary last year of “classic” and limited it to U.S. movies (otherwise the entire filmography of Ozu, Mizoguchi, Bresson, Ophuls & Dreyer would be here).

I'll take Ophuls.

COP HATER (William Berke, 1958): One of the sleaziest, nastiest movies I’ve ever seen. Viciousness abounds during a search for a cop killer. Late ‘50s B-noir at its finest. Robert Loggia stars as a cop, and Vincent Gardenia (a grungy tipster) and Jerry Orbach (a JD gang leader) shine.

Boy, that's really selling it, ChiO!

THE BURGLAR (Paul Wendkos, 1957): The highlight of I Wake Up Dreaming: The Haunted World of the B Film Noir for me at the Roxie last spring. Stolen jewels, double-crossing, two-timing thieves and a cop on-the-make. Dan Duryea is a thief that becomes an almost sympathetic character and Jayne Mansfield, with a superb performance, is his shapely girlfriend.

This one I'd like to see.

RUN OF THE ARROW (Samuel Fuller, 1957): From the last bullet fired in the Civil War to its reuse to end the suffering of its same victim, Fuller expounds on pride, patriotism, and racism with his usual vigor. With Rod Steiger, Ralph Meeker, Jay C. Flippen, Charles Bronson and Brian Keith. Where’s your pride, Ma?

I really want to see this one, too---it's going to be in the box set, isn't it?

THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE (Felix Feist, 1947): Just over an hour of drinking, lies, cons, sexual assault, murder and other assorted depravity in the American Nightmare. Oh, and it stars Lawrence Tierney. He’s not the Good Guy.

I think I saw this one---it was scarey. I still think Tierney was scariest in
Born to Kill, but I haven't seen that many of this films.

CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles, 1941): How can the movie that is probably the most critically acclaimed and analyzed movie in history be on this list? Easy: as long as there is one person who hasn’t seen it, it is underseen; as long as there is one person who has seen it and doesn’t think that it is one of the towering achievements in film (and I know there are such people), it is underappreciated and underrated. From the first time I saw it on a little TV after school on Frances Farmer Presents in the late-‘50s/early ‘60s, to when I first saw it on a big screen in the early-‘80s, to when I watch it at least twice a year now, I am in absolute awe. And there's always something new. The cinematography (Gregg Toland), the script (H. Mankiewicz/Welles), the editing (Robert Wise), the acting (Welles, Comingore, Cotten, Stewart, Moorehead, Warrick, Sloane, Collins...), the score (Bernard Hermann) – everything about the film is breathtaking. No film is flawless, so I’m going to continue watching CITIZEN KANE until I find its flaw.

I do admire your enthusiasm for this movie! Everyone should feel so about their
favorites.

Thanks very much for including CK and your post '59 choices. I have only seen
one of those (Blast of Silence).

[MissGoddess]

Are these movies that haven't been released on DVD or just movies that don't hit the top of the lists but are actually little gems, in that case I nominate

Hi CCFan! I left it pretty open as to criteria; but mostly I want to hear about movies that don't typically
get the lions share of critical and popular attention and deserve some special attention.

Thanks for your two suggestions; if you can come up with more please do!

By the way, can you think of any Chaplin movies that tend to get overlooked but which you really like?

[MissGoddess]

Hola, Feo!

Grand topic April, but how difficult! There are so many to choose...Mmmm

I know! I'm having a hard time narrowing down my own list!

"The Mad Miss Manton" (1938)- From what I had read I had been led to believe that this wonderful screwball comedy was quite average and worthless and I found it one of the funniest films I've seen in the last months. Stany playing a dizzy socialite and her troupe of friends are a hoot!

Boy am I ever with you on this one! I know it could get rocks thrown at me, but I find it much funnier
and more enjoyable than The Lady Eve. Maybe because Fonda's character is a less of an annoying wuss.

"Evangeline" (1929)- This was one of the first Silents I ever watched and one of which made me literally "fall in love" with the Silent Era. A beautifully filmed doomed love story, full of saudade. Perhaps Dolores Del Río finest moment on screen.

You make it sound like one I'd love. I still haven't gotten around to watching it. My list seems endless now.

"The Shining Hour" (1938). I don't agree with the critics here -how odd-. Every time I've watched this film I've enjoyed it thoroughly and I think that Misses Crawford's and Sullavan's contrasting acting talents are joy to watch together in one film. Fay Bainter is superb as the jealous sister.

Wow! I don't think I ever saw this one! And I'm sure I hadn't realized Joan Crawford and Margaret Sullavan
were both in it! Another one I have to get to.

"The Lost Moment" (1947). I'm not sure if this one's been really underrated or if t's been more properly overlooked , because I discovered it recently thanks to a Premium Cable TV Channel. An eerie, atmospheric film with a dazzling performance by Susan Hayward. A must-see.

I can't thank you enough for turning me onto this one. It is a wonderful movie.

"Girls' Dormitory" (1936). Another very fine little film about a young student's infatuation with an older teacher and the effect it has in their lives and that of the woman who loves him. Beautiful and senstive performances by Ruth Chatterton, Simone Simon et al. Fine European flavor and setting.

Gosh, the title sure is misleading. I would love to see it, anything with Simone....

May I add two more?

Pero por supuesto.

"The Wedding Night" (1935). One of the most beautiful, adult and romantic films I have ever seen. Gary Cooper, Anna Sten and Helen Vinson shine in this wonderful, unfairly underrated masterpiece by Master Vidor.

AGREED. I was very surprised by this movie when I first saw it. Very.

"Girls about Town" (1931). One of the brightest and wittiest Pre-Codes I have ever seen with Lilyan Tashman at her very best! Full of zest!

I'd love to see this one, too. I don't know Lilyan Tashman, just have heard of her.

[MissGoddess]

Thanks for you list, Lynn! I thought for a minute that Cutters Way must
be about you.

That's two for Wilder's Five Graves to Cairo.