WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

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jdb1

Post by jdb1 »

Brynner had hair in The Sound and The Fury, did he not? I'm sure I've seen him with hair in other films as well.
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knitwit45
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Post by knitwit45 »

was he bald in Magnificent Seven? He had a full head of hair in "The Sound and the Fury". I saw him late in his life, in a road show of "The King and I", and he was simply incredible.
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movieman1957
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Post by movieman1957 »

He was bald in "Mag. Seven."
Chris

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Bogie
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Post by Bogie »

Well as promised I watched a few movies last night.

First up was Tennessee Johnson. This movie was loosely based on the life and career of President Andrew Johnson. I have to say that coming into the film knowing the history of the man that I found the storytelling LAUGHABLE. That's not to say the actual story, acting and drama was bad because it was quite a good film but boy oh boy Classic Hollywood can sure whitewash the very real faults of public people for the sake of heroism and a good story!

I will say that Lionel Barrymore was very good in this movie. He didn't resort to some of his more over the top acting style except for a bit towards the end. He was excellent at being the evil and oily Thaddeus Stevens. (tho in real life he wasn't nearly as overtly "bad") If there was one thing the movie got right it was the love affair and marriage of Johnson and his wife. They really took great care to show how that relationship grew and became truly great. It is often said that their love is one of the great love stories of American public life.


and then.....

We now go to a movie i've been dying to see since some of you have talked about it. A movie that has been on my radar for so long and i've been so wanting to see. Yes folks, Gabriel over the White House was finally viewed by me and what a doozy it was!

This has to be one of the more offbeat and quite frankly, chilling movies i've seen recently. As is custom before I watch a movie I did some research. Apparently the movie was produced by William Randolph Hearst's company and released through MGM. Hearst had been an anti-Hoover guy and leaned more toward fascism of all things. This is where the movie gets its viewpoint as it shows the virtues of fascism through the almost unbelievable spiritual take over of the president Jud Hammond. (played very well by Walter Huston) The movie opens with his innaugaration and let's just say he's a very brash, tow the party line, do nothing president who'd rather play with his nephew and be with his lover who he hires as an aide!

Anyways at one point Jud is driving the presidential car at breakneck speed and crashes giving himself a concussion and coma. That's when it seems the Angel Gabriel has spared his life and entered his body. This is where the movie gets very weird. Jud basically becomes a new man and wants to help the unemployment army that's marching to Washington (said group is based on the real life "Bonus" Army that got hosed down and beaten up by Gen. MacArthur) and he actually goes to Baltimore to announce the creation of a work army that will create jobs etc etc.

There are pretty scary scenes when you think about just how much it predicted things to come in Germany. Jud goes to congress and more or less adjourns it to become dictator of the US. The speech he makes is powerful and good but there's that eerie feeling and knowledge of hindsight that scared the crap out of me. There's also the scenes having to do with the creation of the Federal police who are basically more overt Gestapo and these guys arrest, court martial and kill (execution style) gangsters!

The movie basically presents fascism as a great cleanser of all evil when in fact less then 10 years later everyone would know how terrible it really was. I dunno, i'm sure this movie played well when it was released (1933) but boy did it ever send shivers up my spine to think that a Hollywood mogul thought that a fascist dictatorship is the way America should go.

Tennessee Johnson gets 2 1/2 stars
Gabriel over the White House gets 2 stars
klondike

Post by klondike »

Bogie wrote:I dunno, i'm sure this movie played well when it was released (1933) but boy did it ever send shivers up my spine to think that a Hollywood mogul thought that a fascist dictatorship is the way America should go.
Sadly, he had company among his fellow "Big Wheels", most conspicuous of which had to have been Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company, inventor of the assembly line, FDR's arch-nemesis, and lifelong opponent of organized American labor.
Ford repeatedly announced that Adolph Hitler was the USA's best friend in all Europe, and that he felt that all of Hitler's governmental policies, and social philosophies, were progressive & highly admirable; Hitler called Henry Ford his "greatest inspiration."
[br-r-r-r]
The Ford Foundation continued donating vast sums of money to the Third Reich's National Party even after the attack on Pearl Harbor!
:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
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Post by Bogie »

klondike wrote:
Bogie wrote:I dunno, i'm sure this movie played well when it was released (1933) but boy did it ever send shivers up my spine to think that a Hollywood mogul thought that a fascist dictatorship is the way America should go.
Sadly, he had company among his fellow "Big Wheels", most conspicuous of which had to have been Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company, inventor of the assembly line, FDR's arch-nemesis, and lifelong opponent of organized American labor.
Ford repeatedly announced that Adolph Hitler was the USA's best friend in all Europe, and that he felt that all of Hitler's governmental policies, and social philosophies, were progressive & highly admirable; Hitler called Henry Ford his "greatest inspiration."
[br-r-r-r]
The Ford Foundation continued donating vast sums of money to the Third Reich's National Party even after the attack on Pearl Harbor!
:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
Yeah I knew that about Ford but that leads to a question (sorry for thread hijack) How did Ford Motor Company come out of this relatively clean?

Is there a good book on Henry Ford or the Ford Motor Company's history that you can suggest?
klondike

Post by klondike »

knitwit45 wrote:was he bald in Magnificent Seven? He had a full head of hair in "The Sound and the Fury".
Think an unshorn Yul is jarring?
Check out Telly Savalas in the original Cape Fear ('62) . . for me, it was almost cathartic, like being waved past a brand new car wreck - I found it disturbing, yet could not look away! :shock:
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ken123
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Post by ken123 »

I recommand The American Axis Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh and the Rise of The Third Reich by Max Wallace
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Bogie
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Post by Bogie »

Thanks Ken i'll see if my library has it, if not i'll buy it off Amazon.
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Post by MikeBSG »

I just watched "Island in the Sky" on DVD.

This was a very interesting movie on several levels. John Wayne played the pilot of an airplane stranded in a remote part of Canada during WWII. (Think of "Flight of the Phoenix" with snow instead of sand.) The movie had been out of circulation for years, and I wonder what we would think of John Wayne had it been more available. Wayne seemed far more vulnerable and on-edge here than in most other films of his I'd seen. In some ways, this was a precursor of Ethan Edwards.

Visually, with the many shots of airplanes flying over trees and snow, this reminded me of Dr. Strangelove.

I was surprised that the Lord's Prayer was said twice during this film. (Maybe if someone tried that today, a court injunction would be filed against the movie.) This was directed by William Wellman, who had just made a religious movie ("The Next Voice You Hear"?) around this time. Does anyone know why Wellman should be so religious around this time, or was it just the spirit of the early 50s?

Two terrific scenes stood out for me. One was when Lloyd Nolan gets a phone call from the wife of one of the stranded men. The other was about a guy who gets lost in the snow and freezes to death. Both packed a real emotional punch.
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Post by moira finnie »

I was surprised that the Lord's Prayer was said twice during this film. (Maybe if someone tried that today, a court injunction would be filed against the movie.) This was directed by William Wellman, who had just made a religious movie ("The Next Voice You Hear"?) around this time. Does anyone know why Wellman should be so religious around this time, or was it just the spirit of the early 50s?

Hi Mike,
If you think the religious overtones in a few scenes of Island in the Sky were pretty interesting, check out Gallant Journey (1946) sometime. The movie, which was written in part by Wellman, stars Glenn Ford as one of the first successful inventors of gliders, John J. Montgomery, whom some feel pre-dated the Wright brothers in conquering the air. Wellman blended some gorgeous shots of the sky and infused the film with an almost spiritual approach to flying, which was underlined in the scenes set in a Catholic college where Montgomery worked for several years. It's an excellent role for Ford too.

I'm just guessing, but from what I've read about Wellman, and from his public comments on such talk shows as Merv Griffin, which I saw as a kid, his mother was from Ireland, and I wonder if he was probably raised a Catholic, which you can spend a lifetime trying to shake.

He was one legendary hell-raiser before marrying his sixth and last wife, Dorothy Coonan Wellman, with whom he had 7 children during their 41 year union. He publicly credited her with "saving him", as he put it. His post-WWII movies often had an overtly religious moment or two, as noted, and other examples include Ricardo Montalban's character touches in Battleground, the landing scene of The High and the Mighty, and a few comments in The Iron Curtain by the "godless communists", especially the disillusioned character well played by Eduard Franz. I think his best films, such as The Ox-Bow Incident, Heroes for Sale and Wild Boys of the Road don't have overtly religious moments, but often linger over moments of conflict between idealism and reality. I love his rather entertainingly cynical bad boy & girl type of movies, from Safe in Hell, Frisco Jennie, to Nothing Sacred, Roxie Hart and Lady of Burlesque a great deal!
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Bogie
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Post by Bogie »

Here's a rare theatrical movie review:

Well I have returned from Righteous Kill and I gotta say it's a pretty good movie. I think a lot of people came away disappointed because they expected more out of it then they should've. This is a cop thriller it's not supposed to be the Holy Grail.

The movie really focuses on the De Niro and Pacino characters as it should and I gotta say that it was a tour de force. I've seen some say that Pacino seemed like he mailed it in but I think on the contrary. His character is supposed to be weary and at the end of his rope in some respects. His character didn't seem all that deep and complex but the twist in the plot does add the context to the Pacino character quite well. De Niro was fabulous with his character who didn't seem like the way the movie wanted you to. (that's all i'll say because of the twist) Bob was great in especially in the scenes where he came off as a loose cannon ready to blow up.

There is some good supporting work in the film as well but the actual characters are nothing more then cardboard. That being said Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg turned in good performances. De Niro's girlfriend in the movie (Carla Gugino) was pretty sexy and played her part quite well.

All in all I thought it was a good film. Some movie mavens might spot the twist early on but that doesn't matter because the acting is so good between De Niro and Pacino.

I give this a weak 3 out of 5 stars. The story could've used some punching up and 50 cent was a waste of celluloid.
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Post by jdb1 »

I finally got to see Merrily We Live this morning on TCM and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's another winner screwball from Hal Roach Studios.

In tone and level of dialog, this reminded me a lot of Bringing Up Baby, although the plot is quite different. According to IMDb, this movie is based on a 1930 opus called What a Man, but I'm guessing Merrily is a whole lot better.

The cast was uniformly wonderful: Brian Aherne as the handsome mysterious drifter everyone assumes is a tramp, but who is really a famous writer; Constance Bennet as the madcap older daughter of the family and Bonita Granville as the wisecracking teen sister, the kind of role associated with Virginia Weidler or Diana Lynn. Billie Burke really outdoes herself as the ditzy mother, and I think she gets some of the funniest lines in the thing. Alan Mowbray is really good as the butler, here giving an Arthur Treacher-esque performance of exasperation and snide remarks.

I thought the real star of the show this time was the great Clarence Kolb, as the father of the wacky rich family. (Why did Hollywood try to convince us that all rich people are so wacky and fun-loving? In my long experience of dealing with the very rich (our lawfirm clients), I've found them to be among the dullest people in the world.) Anyway, Kolb is really funny here, and apparently did his own stunts, pratfalls and such. In one scene especially, he was hilarious. Coming home roaring drunk one night, he attempts to make his tipsy way up a double staircase, rolling and tripping up on side, and then lurching, backwards, down the other. Since the room was dark, I assumed it was a stuntman, but no, on the backwards way down, he turns to show his face, and it's Kolb, all the way.

A very funny and entertaining movie.
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Post by MikeBSG »

I watched "Friendly Persuasion" for the first time recently, and I found I really enjoyed the movie.

It surprised me in several ways. It was one of the few movies I've seen from the classic era that addressed the issue of how to keep kids in line with one's religious traditions when they get messages from the culture in general to go the other way. This wasn't just the "will Anthony Perkins join the Home Guard" issue, but it was through all the (mostly comic) action during the County Fair scene.

Also, I was a bit surprised that the movie was as frank about what went on in the barn between Cooper and McGuire. Admittedly, it isn't "frank" by the standards of today, but just in case no one drew the right conclusion from the straw all over Cooper's back, the neighbor showed up to point it out and laugh about it.

It's funny. I don't consider myself a big fan of William Wyler, yet I end up liking a lot of his movies: "The Good Fairy," "Roman Holiday," "Dead End," "The Little Foxes," "The Collector." Of course, I like them, but I don't especially seek them out to watch over again.
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Post by feaito »

I've seen quite a few films lately:

"The Oxford Murders" (2008). An amusing thriller directed by Alex de la Iglesia. Not up to the level of the offbeat Black Comedies he directed in his native Spain, but enjoyable. Julie Cox is very good.

"Everybody's Baby" (1938). A Fox programmer which is only redeemed by Hattie McDaniel's supporting performance. Quite a bad "C" film, with annoying clichéd characters and situations.

"An Ideal Husband" (1947). Beautiful British production of Wilde's famous play, in glorious Technicolor with Paulette Goddard as the scheming, amoral Mrs. Cheveley. Although she was criticized for not being right for the role I enjoyed her perfomance immensely. Very good British cast. Good film.

"Day-Time Wife" (1939). Ty Power and Linda Darnell are defintely no Powell-Loy nor Grant-Hepburn, but they are quite effective in this marital, screwy comedy. Besides they must be on the handsomest couples ever to grace the screen. They look stunning together and Linda was only like 16 years old when she made this film! Amiable farce if not altogether successful. Warren William is always a plus to any film. Wendy Barrie and Binnie Barnes are also in the cast.

"Death at a Funeral" (2007). One of the most hilariously funny films I've seen in the last decade. Simply superb!! British contemporary black comedy at its best. I almost rolled on the floor laughing. Non-stop fun. Clever script.

"Gentleman Jim" (1942). One of Errol Flynn's best films. My wife commented to me that it's the first time he's seen Errol in an absolutely different role and that he succeeds completely. She loved the film. I also was favorably impressed by the film and Flynn's deft performance. A true discovery.

"Love is News" (1937). Funny screwball comedy starring Ty Power and Loretta Young. They are very good in this farce of a newspaperman who gets mixed-up with an heiress. Funny situations and both performers, besides being good looking, demonstrate a flair for comedy. Don Ameche, George Sanders and Walter Cattlet also co-star.

"Fuga" (2006). A very interesting Chilean film that was unfairly panned by Chilean critics. No masterpiece by any means, but it's quite engrossing, it has some very good points, especially an impressive performance by Alfredo Castro, who's been scoring some success at some International Film Festivals in his latest movie "Tony Manero" (2008). Allegorical, disturbing movie, with some narrative problems, but which is not the totallly bad film some critics have stated.
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