Hi Michigan!!
I agree with you with the choice of "Garden of Eden" and "The Gay Desperado", two unknown little gems
Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
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MissGoddess
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Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
Lzcutter wrote:Five Classics I haven't seen (or heard much about) in forty years:
Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie (1952) directed by Henry King and starring David Wayne and Jean Peters. About a family that has a front row seat to the growth of their small town. Ben (David Wayne) tries to keep his wife from being aware of any financial problems and such. She ultimately rebels against his controlling manner.
I never heard of this film, Lynn!
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960) directed by Delbert Mann and starring Robert Preston and Dorothy McGuire. An unhappy family who can't communicate bring despair and ruin to their lives.
I have heard of this one, but never saw it.
The Sundowners directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr. A family of sheep drovers in Australia deal with changing times and family. A really wonderful film that rarely gets played (even on TCM). Mitchum and Kerr are terrific.
Oh, I so agree, Stupdenous, adult performances by Mitchum and Deborah.
The Light That Failed (1939) directed by William "Wild Bill" Wellman and starring Ronald Coleman. Walter Huston and Ida Lupino. A painter struggles to finish his masterpiece before he looses his sight.
This movie has long been on my wish-to-see list, I wonder if it's on YouTube? I despair of TCM ever showing it.
Has Ronald Colman ever been Star of the Month?
"There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education."
-- Will Rogers
-- Will Rogers
Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
THE LIGHT THAT FAILED. MissG, send me a reminder because there is a most wonderful person, practically a chanson française in my heart, who gave me this delight.
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Lzcutter
- Administrator
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Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
Chris,
We forgot one! Streets of Fires "Tonight is what it means to be young!"
We forgot one! Streets of Fires "Tonight is what it means to be young!"
Lynn in Lake Balboa
"Film is history. With every foot of film lost, we lose a link to our culture, to the world around us, to each other and to ourselves."
"For me, John Wayne has only become more impressive over time." Marty Scorsese
Avatar-Warner Bros Water Tower
"Film is history. With every foot of film lost, we lose a link to our culture, to the world around us, to each other and to ourselves."
"For me, John Wayne has only become more impressive over time." Marty Scorsese
Avatar-Warner Bros Water Tower
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feaito
Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
That's one of my favorite songs from the 1980s Lynn, along with "Nowhere Fast", both by Fire Inc, both prominently featured in my MP3 songlist. I love that film's soundtrack and Diane Lane, Amy Madigan, Michael Paré and Willem Dafoe rock!! Back to my young days!! I prefer this film over Footloose, Flashdance, Two of a Kind, Xanadu, Grease et al...Lzcutter wrote:Chris,
We forgot one! Streets of Fires "Tonight is what it means to be young!"
And Amy's husband (Ed Harris) "The Abyss" too! Another great film from the late 1980s... Well I love the aliens stuff, especially if they are friendly and want to help us doomed humans....
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charliechaplinfan
- Posts: 9040
- Joined: January 15th, 2008, 9:49 am
Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
The Sundowners is one film I have long wanted to watch. Heaven Knows Mr Allison has to go on my list of films needing rediscovery.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
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Mr. Arkadin
- Posts: 2645
- Joined: April 14th, 2007, 3:00 pm
Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
With all the films that have been made, it's difficult to choose only five, but I'll toss out a hand:
Europa 51 (1952)
The best Ingrid Bergman film you've probably never seen. Filmed by husband Roberto Rossellini, Bergman plays a rich woman whose personal tragedy drives her to love the unloveable. Misunderstood by family and friends, she is sent to a mental institution, but her love still reaches out to others. This clip where she comforts a woman who attempts suicide has no subtitles or English track, but you really don't need them. Everything can be read in Ingrid's eyes.
[youtube][/youtube]
Deep Red (1975)
While Dario Argento is best known for the horror film Suspiria (1977), Deep Red is the film where he (and we) put the all pieces together. David Hemmings search for a serial killer is really a journey of self discovery, where he learns that sight perception and true vision can be very different things. Here, he searches an old house where the killer might have lived, looking for clues.
[youtube][/youtube]
Ju Dou (1990)
Zhang Yimou is well known for his commercial successes, but the groundbreaking early work with Gong Li still languishes in obscurity. Ju Dou is perhaps best described as a Postman Rings Twice in a 1920's Chinese cloth dyeing mill. Unlike Cain's novel, this film has many twists and turns, working its magic in wheel within wheel relationships which contrast with beautiful primary colors. Again, no subtitles here, but a picture is worth a thousand words.
[youtube][/youtube]
The Shout (1978)
My primary-care physician (who also happens to be a film buff) introduced me to The Shout. In retrospect, I wonder if she was trying to tell me something. This bizarre UK film about a man with the power to kill using only his vocal chords, is shot mainly in flashback, leaving us to decipher what is reality.
[youtube][/youtube]
The Funeral (1996)
I was not a Abel Ferrara fan until stumbling on to this masterpiece.
I am currently on a mission to see the rest of his work.
What begins as a simple gangster film about revenge, slowly evolves into a discourse on morality as two siblings search for their brother's killer. The film is perfectly cast with great cinematography, allowing Ferrara to pay homage to the classics (the opening shot is a showing of The Petrified Forest [1936]), while bringing his own vision of redemption and damnation to the gangster genre.
[youtube][/youtube]
Europa 51 (1952)
The best Ingrid Bergman film you've probably never seen. Filmed by husband Roberto Rossellini, Bergman plays a rich woman whose personal tragedy drives her to love the unloveable. Misunderstood by family and friends, she is sent to a mental institution, but her love still reaches out to others. This clip where she comforts a woman who attempts suicide has no subtitles or English track, but you really don't need them. Everything can be read in Ingrid's eyes.
[youtube][/youtube]
Deep Red (1975)
While Dario Argento is best known for the horror film Suspiria (1977), Deep Red is the film where he (and we) put the all pieces together. David Hemmings search for a serial killer is really a journey of self discovery, where he learns that sight perception and true vision can be very different things. Here, he searches an old house where the killer might have lived, looking for clues.
[youtube][/youtube]
Ju Dou (1990)
Zhang Yimou is well known for his commercial successes, but the groundbreaking early work with Gong Li still languishes in obscurity. Ju Dou is perhaps best described as a Postman Rings Twice in a 1920's Chinese cloth dyeing mill. Unlike Cain's novel, this film has many twists and turns, working its magic in wheel within wheel relationships which contrast with beautiful primary colors. Again, no subtitles here, but a picture is worth a thousand words.
[youtube][/youtube]
The Shout (1978)
My primary-care physician (who also happens to be a film buff) introduced me to The Shout. In retrospect, I wonder if she was trying to tell me something. This bizarre UK film about a man with the power to kill using only his vocal chords, is shot mainly in flashback, leaving us to decipher what is reality.
[youtube][/youtube]
The Funeral (1996)
I was not a Abel Ferrara fan until stumbling on to this masterpiece.
I am currently on a mission to see the rest of his work.
What begins as a simple gangster film about revenge, slowly evolves into a discourse on morality as two siblings search for their brother's killer. The film is perfectly cast with great cinematography, allowing Ferrara to pay homage to the classics (the opening shot is a showing of The Petrified Forest [1936]), while bringing his own vision of redemption and damnation to the gangster genre.
[youtube][/youtube]
Last edited by Mr. Arkadin on January 10th, 2010, 8:26 am, edited 2 times in total.
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charliechaplinfan
- Posts: 9040
- Joined: January 15th, 2008, 9:49 am
Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
Europa '51 is a film I've waited to be released for a long time. You've also jogged my memory about Ju Dou, I ordered this a while back and the order was cancelled, I must find another outlet. I'll keep my eyes out for the other recommends too.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
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Mr. Arkadin
- Posts: 2645
- Joined: April 14th, 2007, 3:00 pm
Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
You can still find Ju Dou on VHS. The print is fullscreen (which is what's shown in the clip), but it's a much better transfer than anything else I've seen. This DVD print is the same transfer (I think):
http://tinyurl.com/lkyzd2
Obviously, I'd recommend buying used.
Europa 51 shows on TCM about once every other year.
http://tinyurl.com/lkyzd2
Obviously, I'd recommend buying used.
Europa 51 shows on TCM about once every other year.
Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
In the last three months I've discovered, thanks to TCM, quite a few films that are seriously undervalued: THE HILL, THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS, ALL FALL DOWN, MIDNIGHT. These films are either masterpieces or darn close. The first three have moments of moviemaking that took my breath away, and MIDNIGHT shows a remarkable control of tone. I SEE A DARK STRANGER (aka THE ADVENTURESS) is on a par with the general run of Hitchcock's 1930s films. THE RAINS CAME and JUAREZ would be memorable for their music alone, but completely exceed their reputations.
A couple of underrated films from the post-TCM era are BREACH (2007), with Chris Cooper unbelievably good as the real-life spy Robert Hanssen, a devout Catholic who sold secrets to the Soviet Union, and the almost unknown QUEENS LOGIC (1991), a film about a group of friends from Queens, recommended to anyone who likes Kevin Bacon, John Malkovich, or THE BIG CHILL.
I'd like to second the recommendation for ABOUT MRS. LESLIE. You can't imagine Shirley Booth and Robert Ryan as a romantic couple, yet it works. THE SUNDOWNERS and THE LIGHT THAT FAILED are fine films I'd love to see again. Great choices, lzcutter!
And five more underrated films, the first of which will be shown a couple of times on TCM in the next few months:
1. FOUL PLAY (1978) - This one has been shown on various other channels and has been enjoyed by many people, yet it has received little critical appreciation, probably because it stars Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. I'm not a huge fan of either, and I'm terrified of snakes, but I love this film the way French critics of the 1950s loved Jerry Lewis. The story has parallels to the underrated THE MAD MISS MANTON: Woman sees murder, the body vanishes, the cop doesn't believe her, woman and cop fall in love as they solve the mystery. Not many films can match FOUL PLAY for sheer comic invention: Marilyn Sokol as a paranoid feminist, the old ladies playing Scrabble, Dudley Moore's swinging bachelor pad, Dudley at a massage parlor, Goldie and the little man who claims to be a Bible salesman, the face-off between Rachel Roberts and Burgess Meredith, the visiting Japanese couple. To quote the Texan whose truck gets commandeered: "Far out!" Dudley Moore is sublime.
2. THEY CAME TO CORDURA (1959): A brooding, autumnal western set in the WWI era that's a meditation on the meaning of courage. Good roles for Gary Cooper and Rita Hayworth. Another 1950s western that has aged extremely well.
3. MIRAGE (1965) - One of the best thrillers of the decade. Gregory Peck in one of his strongest roles, plus Diane Baker and three actors who were then little known: Walter Matthau, George Kennedy, and Jack Weston. Maybe the best use of the amnesia plot ever. Director Edward Dmytryk's use of quick cuts to represent flashes of memory has been copied by, basically, everybody. Smart, stylish, and satisfying.
4. NORTH DALLAS FORTY (1979) - Do you hate those inspirational sports movies where the underdogs always come through at the end? Then you'll love this film. NORTH DALLAS FORTY is about the business that is pro football; it ain't THE BAD NEWS BEARS. Nick Nolte is perfectly cast as the smart rebel who doesn't fall for the coaches' manipulations. Sports fans will recognize Tom Landry as the model for the coach and Don Meredith as the model for the party-hearty quarterback delightfully played by Mac Davis. Top-notch character actors, a script sharp and cynical enough to have been written by Billy Wilder--what's not to like?
5. EXPERIENCE PREFERRED...BUT NOT ESSENTIAL (1982) - Originally made for British TV but given theatrical release. College student Annie works for the summer in a seaside hotel with a group of quirky locals. An alarming sleepwalker, a howlingly bad Elvis imitator, and a not very handsome but adorably funny suitor provide some of the highlights. Underlying the fun is the sobering recognition that what is only an episode for Annie is the only life her co-workers will ever know.
A couple of underrated films from the post-TCM era are BREACH (2007), with Chris Cooper unbelievably good as the real-life spy Robert Hanssen, a devout Catholic who sold secrets to the Soviet Union, and the almost unknown QUEENS LOGIC (1991), a film about a group of friends from Queens, recommended to anyone who likes Kevin Bacon, John Malkovich, or THE BIG CHILL.
I'd like to second the recommendation for ABOUT MRS. LESLIE. You can't imagine Shirley Booth and Robert Ryan as a romantic couple, yet it works. THE SUNDOWNERS and THE LIGHT THAT FAILED are fine films I'd love to see again. Great choices, lzcutter!
And five more underrated films, the first of which will be shown a couple of times on TCM in the next few months:
1. FOUL PLAY (1978) - This one has been shown on various other channels and has been enjoyed by many people, yet it has received little critical appreciation, probably because it stars Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. I'm not a huge fan of either, and I'm terrified of snakes, but I love this film the way French critics of the 1950s loved Jerry Lewis. The story has parallels to the underrated THE MAD MISS MANTON: Woman sees murder, the body vanishes, the cop doesn't believe her, woman and cop fall in love as they solve the mystery. Not many films can match FOUL PLAY for sheer comic invention: Marilyn Sokol as a paranoid feminist, the old ladies playing Scrabble, Dudley Moore's swinging bachelor pad, Dudley at a massage parlor, Goldie and the little man who claims to be a Bible salesman, the face-off between Rachel Roberts and Burgess Meredith, the visiting Japanese couple. To quote the Texan whose truck gets commandeered: "Far out!" Dudley Moore is sublime.
2. THEY CAME TO CORDURA (1959): A brooding, autumnal western set in the WWI era that's a meditation on the meaning of courage. Good roles for Gary Cooper and Rita Hayworth. Another 1950s western that has aged extremely well.
3. MIRAGE (1965) - One of the best thrillers of the decade. Gregory Peck in one of his strongest roles, plus Diane Baker and three actors who were then little known: Walter Matthau, George Kennedy, and Jack Weston. Maybe the best use of the amnesia plot ever. Director Edward Dmytryk's use of quick cuts to represent flashes of memory has been copied by, basically, everybody. Smart, stylish, and satisfying.
4. NORTH DALLAS FORTY (1979) - Do you hate those inspirational sports movies where the underdogs always come through at the end? Then you'll love this film. NORTH DALLAS FORTY is about the business that is pro football; it ain't THE BAD NEWS BEARS. Nick Nolte is perfectly cast as the smart rebel who doesn't fall for the coaches' manipulations. Sports fans will recognize Tom Landry as the model for the coach and Don Meredith as the model for the party-hearty quarterback delightfully played by Mac Davis. Top-notch character actors, a script sharp and cynical enough to have been written by Billy Wilder--what's not to like?
5. EXPERIENCE PREFERRED...BUT NOT ESSENTIAL (1982) - Originally made for British TV but given theatrical release. College student Annie works for the summer in a seaside hotel with a group of quirky locals. An alarming sleepwalker, a howlingly bad Elvis imitator, and a not very handsome but adorably funny suitor provide some of the highlights. Underlying the fun is the sobering recognition that what is only an episode for Annie is the only life her co-workers will ever know.
Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
Gosh, I must have killed this thread way back in August 2009. However, I invite anyone who wants to play to name five or fewer or maybe even more films worthy of rediscovery.
Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
I don't think it's a question of your killing this thread. Most of us weren't here then, and, since our arrival in October 2022, we haven't all been scouring ancient threads (although I actually like doing that).
Then there is the question of, what does rediscovery exactly mean? Not underrated, necessarily.
But here's one:
Three in the Attic (1968)
I think this film deserves to be rediscovered. It's about Paxton Quigley, played by Christopher Jones, who has three girlfriends. When the girls find out that they're part of a trio, they lock him in the attic and force him to make love to them (separately).
Now if you google "Paxton Quigley," you will discover the webpage of a female author who wrote a women's gun book! So the movie had an impact. This is Ms. Quigley's website:
"Paxton Quigley is the author of the best-selling women’s gun self-defense book series ARMED & FEMALE (hard cover, E.P Dutton; paperbacks, St. Martin’s Press), NOT AN EASY TARGET (Fireside), STAYING ALIVE: ARMED & FEMALE IN AN UNSAFE WORLD (Merril Press) and ARMED & FEMALE: TAKING CONTROL (Merril Press). She has taught personal protection strategies to more than 7,000 women in the U.S. and abroad."
And here's a trailer for the movie. It's a good movie, deserving rediscovery. It positively reeks of the 1960s, which is when I saw it, as a teenager.
Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
Any post that includes North Dallas Forty (1979) can not be construed as a thread killer! In my opinion, second only to the original Brian's Song (1971) when it comes to football-themed movies.
Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
Hey, Swithin, are you sure that "positively reeks of the 1960s" is a recommendation? Redolent of pot and patchouli? But thanks for the recommendation. I'd never seen the film but assumed it would be a stinker.
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dianedebuda
- Posts: 61
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Re: Name Five Films Worthy of Rediscovery
I'm a fan of Foul Play (1978). Think it is the only film that I can recall where I've actually liked Chevy Chase; Goldie was a delight. Burgess and 
Esme, oh my! 
Only time I can remember getting free preview tickets and the movie pair was Foul Play and supposedly the BIG movie, Pretty Baby. Walked out on Pretty Baby.
Esme, oh my! 
Only time I can remember getting free preview tickets and the movie pair was Foul Play and supposedly the BIG movie, Pretty Baby. Walked out on Pretty Baby.