Movies after 1970 on TCM

Discussion of programming on TCM.
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mrsl
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Re: Movies after 1970 on TCM

Post by mrsl »

.
Kingrat:

At one time, I was ferociously against anything post 1960 being shown on TCM, but by doing so, I limited several very good movies offered in the 70's and early 80's. I wouldn't go much further than that however, because suddenly directing and editing seemed to implode. I can't tell you what I would give to see a new romantic movie tagging along inside of a murder mystery. I'm reading books of that type all the time, but only directors on LIfetime (a woman's TV station), seem to be drawing their screenplays from that category. Except for the commercials, made for Lifetime movies offer a lot more quality and performance than nearly anything that comes out of a theater today. As always there are exceptions to this, but for the most part this is true if you just want an old style, cuddle up on the couch movie. If I had held myself to that 1960 lockup, I would have missed The Contender, Tootsie, The Bridges of Madison County, and so many others, but they were few and far between. You have to really look for them. Oddly in the case of Red River, the western channel was playing the remake with Jim Arness as Dunston, which was really quite good, but somebody must have said something, because for the past two months, they are back to playing the original with the Duke. The same thing happened with Cape Fear and Father of the Bride. Every Assistant Director thinks he or she can direct their own movie now because they got experience on their other movies, but it takes years to learn how to read an actor and pull those sensitive emotions out. It has been said that Clint Eastwood never really directs, just says what he wants and lets the actor go. The difference is that he knows his actors. He knows Sean Penn can be rabidly emotional, and Kevin Bacon an iron jawed cop, etc. So he doesn't have much to do as far as directing goes, but he's been around and looking and learning for sixty years now. One of his first directing jobs won him academy attention, so apparently he learned what he needed.

So you see Kingrat, as long as TCM continues its level of quality up to the bar, post 60's are fine with me.
.
Anne


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moira finnie
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Re: Movies after 1970 on TCM

Post by moira finnie »

It's truly odd that the films that feel the most authentically Southern to me were directed by Huston; by a Greek born in Turkey (Kazan's Wild River); and by an Englishman (Michael Apted's Coal Miner's Daughter).
Maybe the reason for the insight into the South was because those directors brought an outsider's fresh eye to the material? I'd no idea that you were originally from the South, king. Please don't take this the wrong way, but you don't write with an accent, though you definitely have a gift for a turn of phrase! Have you ever thought about compiling a list of the worst and best Southern movies as seen through the Hollywood lens?

Regarding movies after 1970 on TCM, I wouldn't watch the network if the majority of films were post-1970, but some from that period are great and should be shared there. Terence Malick's movies, for example, from Badlands to The Thin Red Line and The New World belongs there. I wouldn't want those low budget programmers from the 1930s or 1940s to disappear from the schedule either, which I do have concerns about sometimes because I feel that the network may sometimes be under pressure to make their audience broader and younger by showing big budget films and favorites from the studio era. I love movies like Double Indemnity, The Magnificent Seven, and The Philadelphia Story but don't want to see them rotated too often. I know it is hard for some of us to understand such strange behavior, but I imagine that many people may be put off by a Torchy Blaine marathon or a Donald Meek block of programming.

I'm sure the more orthodox members of the TCM audience will cavil a bit about some of the newer films that will undoubtedly be aired in the coming 31 Days of Oscar, though there should be some interesting choices too.
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mrsl
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Re: Movies after 1970 on TCM

Post by mrsl »

.
Kingrat:

I am one of those people who never heard of Wise Blood. Is that the name of both the book and the movie? Born and raised in Chicago, some parts of The Human Comedy ring 100% true for me. Although I was just a baby, I do remember the parties that were held for my three uncles when they returned from WWII. On the other hand, I remember the tears and anger displayed when my younger brother left for Viet Nam. I remember walking down the street at dusk as well as complete dark with no worries about getting home safely.

As for post 1970, I've already given my opinion, but I would be one of those curled up on the couch to watch a 24 hour marathon of Torchy Blaine, especially when played by Ann Sothern.
.
Anne


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]***********************************************************************
otterhere
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Re: Movies after 1970 on TCM

Post by otterhere »

I'm not a fan of the modern movies. TCM, to me, is all about what you can't find anywhere else. Yes, sometimes that's a new movie such as The Roadbuilder (rarely), but I really do not need to see "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?" three times a month or "Badlands" or any other bad 70s/80s movie I can rent for a dollar at the video store. TCM should be about class AND the past, in my opinion. We should find here what we CAN'T find on AMC or any other channel of mediocrity. Silents, foreign films, art films... The obscure, the lost, the forgotten... And, yes, the (old) classics...

I notice TCM becoming more PC and commercial as time goes on and R.O. growing older, and I do lose sleep over it... :(
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Re: Movies after 1970 on TCM

Post by moira finnie »

Otter!

Thanks for posting your thoughts. Your passion for the old, the obscure and the classics is shared, though I can see that a few post-1970 films are worthwhile, we'll never feel as fond of them as the studio era movies. It's great to see you here.
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otterhere
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Re: Movies after 1970 on TCM

Post by otterhere »

Thanks, Moira; good to be back! FB has kind of taken over my online life, lol, but still have the passion for TCM...
Mr. Arkadin
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Re: Movies after 1970 on TCM

Post by Mr. Arkadin »

Perhaps the best understanding of the Turner network lies in their title. This is not an old movie channel, but one that shows classic films. While you can definitely make a case that classic status is best evaluated through the lens of time (i.e.: older works), we've all seen enough bad movies to know that every pre-1970 film is not a classic.

I agree that the preservation of film history is important and TCM does more than its fair share, but there are many great works of the 70's and beyond that also need restoration, distribution, and a network to champion their cause, or they will also be lost to future generations.

As for TCM becoming more commercial and Osborne's age, this is something that posters bring up every February, yet TCM still continues to find and show OOP films from the American studio era (and the average is pretty much the same from year to year) while also bringing many of these works to DVD. The biggest difference is what they are willing to show in Prime Time, which is understandable since they must attract new fans to replace the old ones (I'd rather not mention what happens to them). Still, all good things must come to an end sometime and it's entirely possible that TCM might disappear or change formats--that's why I'm recording everything I can now.

Nice to see you again Otter. 8) It's been a long time.
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JackFavell
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Re: Movies after 1970 on TCM

Post by JackFavell »

I know what you mean, I certainly would rather watch movies from the 10's, 20's, 30' and 40's, even maybe the 50's, than from the 60's and 70's or up. However, I am starting to appreciate the films of the 50's and 60's thanks to this channel. I alrready liked a lot of the seventies movies, because that was a time in which classic film came back into style and influenced a whole new generation of film-makers.

I'm a big fan of TCM, and one of the reasons I am is their ability to mix it up. They have absolutely the best programming on television. As far as I am concerned, they are the boldest of all the channels in their programming, and if it is a movie from 1917 or 1977, my feeling is, if they show it, there is a reason.

P.S. I don't always want to see "classy", though I am kind of snobby about that. Sometimes I just want to see Wheeler and Woolsey.
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Re: Movies after 1970 on TCM

Post by moira finnie »

JackFavell wrote:P.S. I don't always want to see "classy", though I am kind of snobby about that. Sometimes I just want to see Wheeler and Woolsey.
I know what you mean. I find that I miss the oddball movies from the 20s-50s when TCM devotes 31 Days to Oscar Winning movies. It's like eating prime rib every day. Wonderful, yes--but as a constant diet, uh-uh.
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Re: Movies after 1970 on TCM

Post by JackFavell »

That's it! It's so funny! A couple weeks ago, I was enjoying Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which I think might be each of them's best movie. Yesterday, when it came on, I literally groaned. Too much red meat. :D
otterhere
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Re: Movies after 1970 on TCM

Post by otterhere »

Nice to see you again Otter. It's been a long time.

You, too; miss you guys! Guess we'd better chat all we can before... Well, we won't mention what happens to old fans... :wink:
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Re: Movies after 1970 on TCM

Post by Lzcutter »

David,

Another great 1970s film at the TCM Film Festival was Deliverance. Introduced by Jon Voight (more gracious than I would have ever imagined given his persona the last ten plus years), Ned Beatty (who stole the show with his sense of humor), Burt Reynolds (more frail than we would have wanted but still a presence) and director John Boorman, (whose Irish lilt I could listen to all day). Co-star Ronny Cox was unable to make it due to being on the road in his other capacity as a musician.

Seeing the movie on the big screen reminded both MrCutter and me of how well this movie has aged. If you only saw the movie on its original release (like MrC and me), I cannot encourage you enough to give it another viewing. It has aged very well.

One of the big revelations of seeing it on the big screen was Jon Voight in the latter part of the film when he and Reynolds basically change characters. Voight takes on many of Reynolds characterizations and body movements, all of which I missed the first time around.

And the cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond is absolutely beautiful.

It is definitely worth watching again.
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"For me, John Wayne has only become more impressive over time." Marty Scorsese

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