San Francisco

[mrsl]

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Duh . . . Crown me with the stupid dunce cap and sit me in the corner for a while. Do you have any idea how many times I've watched and enjoyed San Francisco? I don't know how many, but it is definitely past normal. Last night I checked Encore Western, and the networks and found nothing worth bothering with, so I settled down to San Fran happily with my apple and peanut butter snack. As the movie continued, and I mouthed the dialog with the actors, I realized for the first time, in my dense mind what a true example of good over evil this movie is. And how you could use the earthquake as an example of punishment for greed and avarice. Plus it's not just one example of Blackie Norton and Father Tim, it's Blackie and the City Council, even little Mary gets her shakes in there bouncing back and forth between the Operahouse and the Paradise. Sometimes I get angry at Mary for not making up her mind. I understand her wanting to use her voice for what it was intended, but Blackie wasn't the only one using more than a smile to get what he wanted. Of course there wouldn't have been a movie but Father Tim should have talked to Blackie in the beginning. He knew that Mary was out of Blackies league, but neither Mary nor Blackie did. Mary was entirely different from any other woman he had known. Actually he never knew a lady before.

It's a shame Mrs. Burley never had a chance to take Blackie under her wing and teach him a thing or two. Her own son was such a wuss, Blackie would have given her some life. She was a tough old bird though, and I always liked her.

The time between Blackie praying and the end was a little overdone but in all it was a fair ending for the movie made in 1936. I did however, love the final end with the camera blurring and clearing up as the modern San Francisco. Does anyone know when the Golden Gate Bridge was built? It wasn't in the modern picture, so I assume it was installed later than 1936 - any ideas?
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[Fossy]

For many years before the Golden Gate Bridge was built, the only way to get across San Francisco Bay was by ferry, and by the early twentieth century the Bay was clogged with them. In the 1920s, engineer and bridge-builder Joseph Strauss became convinced that a bridge should be constructed across the Golden Gate.

The now-familiar art deco design and International Red color were chosen, and construction began in 1933. The Golden Gate Bridge project was completed in 1937, a prominent date in San Francisco history. Strauss was a pioneer in building safety, making history with innovations including hard hats and daily sobriety tests. The Bay Bridge (which was being built at the same time) lost 24 lives while the Golden Gate Bridge lost only 12, an outstanding accomplishment in an era when one man was killed on most construction projects for every million spent.

[Uncle Stevie]

I too loved this movie and was totally impressed with the special effects photography used in 1936. It is hard to imagine all the breakthrough techniques and machine development that helped create all the illusions. I know something of projection technology and little things like wide screen was considered a breakthrough science. Here is some info I picked up from the internet:

Production
The earthquake montage sequence was created by montage expert Slavko Vorkapich. The Barbary Coast barroom set was built on a special platform that rocked and shook to simulate the historical temblor. (Similar sets were built for the 1974 disaster film Earthquake).

There are two versions of the ending. The original release features a stylish montage of then-current (1936) scenes of a bustling San Francisco, including Market Street and the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. When the film was re-released in 1948, it was thought these scenes were dated and the film fades out on a single long shot of the modern business district. However, the TV and 16mm versions of the film seen in the 1950s and 60s were struck from the original version which includes the montage. The current DVD and cable version features the shorter, 1948 version.[3]



Uncle Stevie

[ken123]

San Francisco is another great film directed by W.S. ( Woody ) VanDyke.