WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[RedRiver]

I watched a movie that, I assume, has meaning for the previous poster. KING RAT! Not a favorite, I'd seen it once before. But my psychotic roommate had a copy. I watched it in the basement while he and the police chatted upstairs! The movie is OK. It has a grim, almost taunting atmosphere. It's sad and disturbing. But it's hard to follow. I'm never sure who is who. Nor exactly what they're talking about. Of course, there were...distractions in my own situation!

Pretty good POW drama. Could be better.

[charliechaplinfan]

After Niagra I watched another recommended movie The Crime Wave or The City Is Dark as it's publicised on the imdb, recommended because I'd seen Sterling Hayden in The Killing only here he's the good guy if tough guy cop. I loved the use of the camera in this movie so fluid and integral to the city where most of the action takes place, it has a good story the goes along at quite a pace. I'm never very hot on who is who in my film noirs, no mistaking Sterling Hayden, easily recogniseable at 6ft 5 according to the imdb, that's tall. No wonder I took Gene Nelson to be small but he's the 6ft they made him out in the film, I was quite taken with Gene Nelson and wondered if I'd seen him anywhere before but looking at his filmography I don't think I have, very good here in the role of convict goin straight trying not to fall into trouble and not to get killed. Phyllis Kirk another I'm sure I've see before but from the imdb I'm no clearer, very good with a distinctive look. Timothy Carey and Charles Bronson making their appearances in the list of baddies.

According to the imdb, Hayden married and divorced the same woman three times, my goodness, I don't think I've ever heard of that before and Gene Nelson was a dance star, I've never really graduated from Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, I've never heard of him before maybe I should look him up, I was impressed.

[JackFavell]

Gene is in Oklahoma, playing Will, Gloria Grahame's sweetie. He sings Everything's up to date in Kansas City and All er Nothin'. He appeared in several other musicals. I've always liked him a lot, but have never seen him in a serious role.

[RedRiver]

Amazing! Just today, I was thinking of that character in OKLAHOMA, wondering who played the role.

[MikeBSG]

Today I watched "Another Thin Man," from 1939.

I really liked this one. I thought "After the Thin Man" was just too long and too slow. This one moved like greased lightning and had some great spooky atmosphere at the Long Island estate. I really liked the actress who played Smitty. I liked the scene with Powell and Loy at the night club. The appearance of Shemp Howard at the end of the film was a nice (minor) plus. While not as good as the original, I thought it came pretty close.

[JackFavell]

Oh gosh, I love Mr. Lucky! It's one of my favorite movies, and definitely my fave Cary Grant film. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

I love the slightly noir feel to it, the comedy, and most of all, Cary's dark/light performance. The whole thing works perfectly, meshing those disparate elements seamlessly. I think that only Cary could play both those levels and pull it off. You are so right about Charles Bickford! His craggy looks and his voice, the simplicity and underlying warmth - well he probably deserved a best supporting actor nod, just for that scene with Laraine alone. Paul Stewart makes me want to kill him, and I LIKE him as an actor. I love Laraine and Cary's chemistry. Their push/pull and confusion is so well done. You can see Cary's discomfort while falling in love, and his attacks of conscience at the church are subtly played. He's very strong, I completely believe his character, never for one minute do I doubt him. I find the parallel to his own name change interesting. I believe this was Cary's own favorite. I'm also a big Laraine Day fan, mainly because of this movie. You can see why Cary falls for her. She was never better than here, she is so attractive, warm-hearted and just sparkles.

I agree with almost everything you wrote, but I always tear up when Cary cries in Penny Serenade.

[feaito]

For me "Penny Serenade" contain one of Cary's most sincere dramatic performances. "Mr. Lucky" is an exquiste blend of drama, Noir and comedy. Love that film!

[charliechaplinfan]

I've not seen Penny Serenade or My Lucky yet, for a Cary Grant fan it looks like i'm missing out on two of his best performances. I'll have to remedy it soon.

The Man in Grey and Fanny By Gaslight are available as region 2 DVDs as part of a Stewart Granger collection, if that's any help, they are fun, I do love Mason as the villan, even if it doesn't show his range as an actor, I'm not a Granger kind of gal, not when James mason is in the picture playing at his cruel best.

I watched He Walked By Night purely because it had Richard Basehart in, someone who I was intrigued by since watching La Strada. In it he plays a baddie, someone who guns down a police officer and has police all over town looking for him, he's into radios and televisions but it's never satisfactorily explained what he's up to, unless I missed it. It is based on a real case dealt with by the LA police department and I really liked the location shots and feel for LA that this movie gives. It's very low budget but it doesn't detract from the plot line which is good, escaping down the sewers and the celverness of the villan is what keeps it alove. Now to my puzzlement, I'm sure I've never seen this movie before, I've checked our search engine but some of it felt fimiliar, the use of the sewers as a method of escape. Is it possible I've seen a similar scene in another film but can't place it? The rest of the film was fresh to me though, it has me puzzled. Loved Basehart as the killer, he has the fresh face that makes his killings even more chilling.

[ChiO]

Now to my puzzlement, I'm sure I've never seen this movie before, I've checked our search engine but some of it felt fimiliar, the use of the sewers as a method of escape. Is it possible I've seen a similar scene in another film but can't place it?

Does THE THIRD MAN ring a bell (or clang a manhole cover)? HE WALKED BY NIGHT was released a few months ahead of it. As enjoyable as THE THIRD MAN is (Welles' performance and, some say, his direction of his performance are magnificent), I'll take Anthony Mann's and John Alton's work in HE WALKED BY NIGHT every time. Certainly among my 20 or so favorite films noir.

[knitwit45]

That loud clunk you just heard was me hitting the floor....our #1 Welles fan prefers something else????

yipes, my world just tilted.......

[charliechaplinfan]

I know it's unbelievale, both that ChiO would name another film before a Welles film and that I wolud forget that the sewers scene is indeed from The Third Man, I had a real mental block there, I knew I should have known where I'd seen a similar sewer scene, I absolutely love Orson Welles as Harry Lime, he's so unforgettable. I'm still not to grips with Welles as director but as an actor I just love him, he's one of my favourites to watch.

can you shed anymore light onto He Walked By Night, it was made by Eagle and Lion a film company I've never heard of, it mustn't have had many hits to it's name. The star so memorable here and in La Strada but not someone I've seen in anything else, he would have been wonderful as The joker in Batman. Also, what exactly was he up to, I thought at first he might have been trying to develop a bomb or something like that but I either missed it or it wasn't specified, not in terms that I'd understand at least.

[ChiO]

No reason for clunking...THE THIRD MAN is a Carol Reed film. It's just that the best parts have Welles the actor, Welles the writer, and -- perhaps -- Welles the director. So, the choice of an Anthony Mann movie (yes, it's his, even if he didn't get screen credit and a few scenes shot by Alfred Werker were retained) shot by my favorite cinematographer, John Alton, really isn't surprising.

Good ol' Eagle-Lion. In a nutshell, PRC (Producers Distributing Corporation), usually considered the most poverty-stricken studio along Poverty Row -- but it had Edgar G. Ulmer! -- was taken over by a British company, Eagle-Lion, owned by J. Arthur Rank in 1947. That lasted about four years. United Artists then bought it.

Here's a partial list of some of its goodies (the name after the "&" is the cinematographer):

RAILROADED! (Mann & Roe 1947)
T-MEN (Mann & Alton 1947)
BURY ME DEAD (Vorhaus & Alton 1947)
RUTHLESS (Ulmer & Glennon 1948)
BEHIND LOCKED DOORS (Boetticher & Roe 1948)
PAROLE, INC. (Zeisler & Warrenton 1948)
CANON CITY (Wilbur & Alton 1948)
THE AMAZING MR. X (Vorhaus & Alton 1948)
HOLLOW TRIUMPH (Sekely & Alton 1948)
RAW DEAL (Mann & Alton 1948)
HE WALKED BY NIGHT (Werker/Mann & Alton 1948)
REIGN OF TERROR (Mann & Alton 1949)
TRAPPED (Fleischer & Roe 1949)
PORT OF NEW YORK (Benedek & Diskant 1949)

Oh, it didn't release just film noir, but that's how I know the company, and the above are the ones I have and can vouch for. Mighty impressive batch in three years.

[charliechaplinfan]

Thanks for that list, the only other movie I recognise is Raw Deal but I will look out for the others, I like discovering new things in films, this time a new studio.