1940's Hall of Fame II [Archive] - Page 2

cricket

06-05-17, 06:46 PM

His Girl Friday

http://splitsider.awlnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/01/hisgirlfriday.jpg

This was my second time watching this movie and I feel the same way. It's a strong case of a movie I don't find much fault in, but one I just don't love in any way. There's not a whole lot of old comedy that I love besides Some Like it Hot, yet I think the comedy it has is reasonably effective. I feel like the movie is trying to be too many things in a short amount of time. If it were largely a love story with a touch of comedy, or a love story mixed with the story of the inmate, I may have loved this movie. Each option has the love story, so obviously that's where I find the most promise. The two leads have plenty of chemistry. I always like watching Cary Grant, even if this particular character was not his most likable. I'm not otherwise familiar with Rosalind Russell, but I thought she was fantastic. I didn't really think any of the supporting characters stood out. So yea, I think every aspect of the movie is solid, but I would have liked to have seen more focus. Just as an aside, Howard Hawks is some director to have such a wide variety of excellent films. The Big Sky, which is not one of his most well known, happens to be my favorite, with Sergeant York, Red River, and To Have and Have Not close behind.

3.5-

CosmicRunaway

06-05-17, 07:17 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31118

His Girl Friday (1940)
Dir. Howard Hawks
Starring: Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy

His Girl Friday is filled to the brim with very clever, quick-fire dialogue. Being from a region known for its hurried-sounding speech, it almost feels as if I've been training my whole life to easily follow and understand this film. The performances and delivery of those lines really drew me in, and while I didn't like Walter Burns very much during his first scene, he did grow on me very quickly afterwards. I laughed out loud numerous times throughout the film, and didn't even notice how ridiculous and nonsensical the plot was at times until I was thinking about it later. It didn't bother me at all because I was completely on board with it.

The film is a not-so-subtle commentary on journalism, and while that's a topic that is not quite new or unique, I thought it was very well done, and thoroughly engaging. Some of the subjects it touches upon were definitely a bold choice for a screwball comedy, but I think that just adds to the film's charm and helps it to stand out. The film had a kind of rudeness about it that I found strangely endearing, much like its main characters. Unfortunately I don't have anything else to say, since I was too enamoured with the dialogue and performances to notice much about the cinematography, and that's certainly a compliment.

CosmicRunaway

06-05-17, 07:24 PM

Funnily enough, I don't think I had never heard the term "girl Friday" before, and thus did not understand the relevance of the film's title to the plot until I looked it up afterwards. :lol:

mark f

06-05-17, 07:27 PM

Everybody understands that His Girl Friday is a version of The Front Page with Hildy getting a sex change, n'est-ce pas?

edarsenal

06-05-17, 07:32 PM

Wanna hear a mind-blowing fact ? William Conrad, an actor who played Quinn in "Body and Soul" was only 26 year old at the time of shooting. I was shocked when I found that out. He looked like he could legitimately pass for a fifty.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/d1/cb/14/d1cb146d54869eaa91689be68bcbcfe1.jpg

So was that make-up or just what he looked like?
I do remember, way back, that they would use like talcum powder or baby powder to make hair whiter, to make someone look much older.
Not sure if that's true or not, though.

Citizen Rules

06-05-17, 11:24 PM

I guess Cricket is my rival in this HOF. Two very different movies though, top shelf noir vs whizbang crowd-pleaser. I do believe there's at least one Errol Flynn fan here;), probably a bunch more:p I really liked Gentlemen Jim when I watched it last, but that was years ago so I'm looking forward to watching it again.

Wanna hear a mind-blowing fact ? William Conrad, an actor who played Quinn in "Body and Soul" was only 26 year old at the time of shooting. I was shocked when I found that out. He looked like he could legitimately pass for a fifty.
Only 26:eek: Now that's acting!;)

He looked like this in The Killers which was a year earlier. He and Charles McGraw were the title characters. The problem with Conrad in his early movies is he almost always had a hat on, but he did normally have dark (black) hair.
I thought I was imaging things when I seen Conrad with blonde hair.

Seeing how everyone is watching His Girl Friday, I'll give that a go. It will be a second watch for me, or maybe it's a third watch...anyway it's been awhile.

Citizen Rules

06-05-17, 11:59 PM

http://seance.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/dreyer4.jpg

Day of Wrath (1943)

It's 7:48 PM PST....and I'm going to write this really, really fast, as dinner is on the stove and spaghetti doesn't take long to boil.

Bravo! I'm impressed...I starting watching this late at night and wasn't in the mood for a movie, but right from the start the movie hooked me and drew me into it's dark netherworld of religious zealots and witch hunts.

The film has this air about it, like time standing still. The people speak in slow weighted speech, as if their entire world is dark and bleak and each second is an entirety. Only when Anne falls in love with Martin does the tone lighten some...but even then it's a forbidden happiness and the heady atmosphere of despair fills each scene, layered on top of her joy.

Besides the dramatic opening act, the film is subdued. There's something about the stillness and lack of action that speaks louder than words. This is sublime film making, it says a lot with little dialogue and less action.

All of the cast was well suited to fitting their archetypes. I scarely even thought of them as actors. I took them for the real thing as if I had a telescope that could see back to the 17th century. I especially was intrigued by Lisbeth Movin, Ann who was the young wife of the Reverend. She had both a sincere and otherworldly quality about her, that made her seem alive....while the Reverend and his mother seemed to be the walking dead.

I thought this was amazing and I would hope it makes the Top 40s Countdown. I hope all of our noms, make the Countdown.

7:59 PM PST...done. Not bad for 11 minutes:p

edarsenal

06-06-17, 12:05 AM

that is some SERIOUS speed writing, CR!!
enjoyed the write up. Referring to the "stillness and lack of action that speaks louder than words." Rather liked that.

I just finished His Girl Friday, but I won't be able to speed write a review. It'll be tomorrow

Citizen Rules

06-06-17, 12:09 AM

Thanks Ed, time to for dinner and a movie, see ya:D

Camo

06-06-17, 12:11 AM

Camo

06-06-17, 12:14 AM

Being from a region known for its hurried-sounding speech,

Yeah.

Glad you liked it.

gbgoodies

06-06-17, 03:41 AM

Body and Soul

Like Cosmic, I hate boxing, (in fact, I think it's barbaric, and I don't consider it a "sport"), so when I read the description of this movie, I didn't think I would like it. But I gave it the benefit of the doubt for two reasons.

1) Because I like the 1979 movie The Champ, even though that movie is about a boxer (and his son), and
2) Because this movie was mentioned in an episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show", which is one of my all-time favorite TV shows. (I always thought he wasn't talking about a real movie, but the episode is about boxing, and I remembered the line "You're no Lilli Palmer", so when I saw this movie was about boxing, and one of the stars was Lilli Palmer, I realized this was the movie he was talking about in that episode.)

Fortunately, this movie isn't focused on boxing, but it's more about the characters, money, greed, and how the pursuit of success can affect people, so it turned out to be a good movie, and I'm glad I watched it.

However, there were minor issues that I had with the movie, the one that bothered me the most was the ending.

Charlie Davis was paid off the throw the fight, but he didn't, and then he expects to just walk away, without the guys who paid him coming after him?! That just doesn't make sense. There would be consequences to his actions, and most likely, they would come after him and kill him. So basically, him trying to redeem himself at the end would just be worthless.

But overall, I liked the movie, but the ending just didn't work for me.

gbgoodies

06-06-17, 03:48 AM

Is anybody having a hard time finding Mr. Lucky (1943)? I had a hard time finding a link but did find one. Also it's available on iTunes, YouTube, VuDu, and Google Play. Let me know if you can't find it.

I could use that link. I tried yesterday morning for a short time but didn't find one. If it doesn't work for me, I'll watch it on iTunes.

I didn't think Mr. Lucky would be hard to find links for because when I searched it, it seemed to be available on several streaming sites, (iTunes, YouTube, VuDu, and Google Play), but if it turns out to be a problem for most people to find this movie, let Citizen Rules know ASAP, and if necessary, we can switch back to my second choice movie, (Unfaithfully Yours).

mark f

06-06-17, 03:56 AM

Mr. Lucky is next on TCM on SATURDAY, JULY 1 @ 10:00 PM (ET).

Camo

06-06-17, 03:56 AM

I didn't think Mr. Lucky would be hard to find links for because when I searched it, it seemed to be available on several streaming sites, (iTunes, YouTube, VuDu, and Google Play), but if it turns out to be a problem for most people to find this movie, let Citizen Rules know ASAP, and if necessary, we can switch back to my second choice movie, (Unfaithfully Yours).

If anyone can't find it elsewhere and has no problem watching it online, PM me.

Jeff Costello

06-06-17, 04:02 AM

However, there were minor issues that I had with the movie, the one that bothered me the most was the ending.

I generally didn't have a problem with the ending. However I thought it was a bit unrealistic and abrupt.

After being paid to throw the fight and failing to do so, like you I was anticipating consequences for Charlie's actions. That's why I mentioned in my review, that I was expecting a much gloomier ending. Perhaps it was left like that on purpose, giving the final scene a bit of a bittersweet feel, with the viewer knowing Charlie would most likely get killed and that his involvement with the mafia won't magically dissapear.

Also I like "The Champ" as well. Rick Schroder gave one of the best child perfromances I've ever seen in it.

Camo

06-06-17, 04:23 AM

It's funny that you guys are talking about The Champ right now. Me, my friend and my mum ended up talking about false memories after my friend brought up something last week about something another friend of ours believes he was there for when he wasn't (he's heard us talk about it that much that he's convinced himself he was there because it was that long ago and has started using it as his own anecdote, it's a really weird thing to observe), we were all bringing up examples later. Our main family one was my older sister believing she was there when we gave our dog away when i was about 8 years old; she honestly wasn't there but she has been a part of the conversation so much that she believes she was and she was so close to the dog (it was basically hers) that we haven't corrected her.

My mum ended up blowing my mind when she mentioned that i didn't watch the Jon Voight The Champ film with them even though i honestly have that memory. What happened was i was about 7 or 8 years old and i've mentioned here alot that i watched The Exorcist around then for the first time and had nightmares for months, well after that she didn't (my mum absolutely didn't allow me to watch The Exorcist then for the record, it was my oldest sister when my parents weren't around) want me getting messed up by a really sad film but my (older by 3 years, not my oldest sister who showed me The Exorcist) sister wantedt to watch it because her friend had mentioned it to her. Anyway, she basically tricked my stupid 7 year old brain to go and do whatever i would have done if i didn't want to watch this film because my sister did, and after they watched it my sister told me what happened at the end and my mum said over the years she has seen that morph into me having watched it with them which never happened. There's every chance i watched it myself or with someone on tv or whatever but that memory i have of watching it with my dad, mum and sister never happened.

So yeah, that blew my mind. Sorry if that was really boring haha.

Blix the Goblin

06-06-17, 04:57 AM

Like Cosmic, I hate boxing, (in fact, I think it's barbaric, and I don't consider it a "sport"), so when I read the description of this movie, I didn't think I would like it.I guess it's different for other people but I make a big distinction between sports and sports movies. One is a competition, the other is a story with characters.

I hate sports. I mean I can't stand watching sports of any kind, period. They bore me to tears. At family gatherings such as Thanksgiving, as soon as it's "sports watching time" I have to leave. Sorry, but I promised my friend so-and-so I'd meet up with him at the bar at such-and-such time, enjoy the game. Some of my relatives think I'm an ass because of this, but I just can't sit in a room watching and talking about some dumb contest for hours, I'd sooner drink bleach.

However, I love movies about sports, especially older ones. I find them immensely charming and often inspiring. What matters is the context. I get to know a character, and I care about his struggle, I then care about him winning a match and triumphing against all odds. With any old game, there is no context. I don't know these people, so why should I care if they win or lose?

Anyway, just my two cents.

Camo

06-06-17, 05:29 AM

Don't feel the same as Blix about sports but i like films about sports i don't like or other things i have no interest in, so i agree with him there in being able to separate the two.

Boxing is so great for the record :cool:

cricket

06-06-17, 09:16 AM

However, there were minor issues that I had with the movie, the one that bothered me the most was the ending.

Charlie Davis was paid off the throw the fight, but he didn't, and then he expects to just walk away, without the guys who paid him coming after him?! That just doesn't make sense. There would be consequences to his actions, and most likely, they would come after him and kill him. So basically, him trying to redeem himself at the end would just be worthless.

I think Charlie is a pretty fearless guy, and I thought he just decided to stand up and call their bluff. Nothing was going to happen there anyway with all those people around. To elongate the movie in a further direction would have changed the movie completely. I also think part of his decision had to do with Ben.

After being paid to throw the fight and failing to do so, like you I was anticipating consequences for Charlie's actions. That's why I mentioned in my review, that I was expecting a much gloomier ending. Perhaps it was left like that on purpose, giving the final scene a bit of a bittersweet feel, with the viewer knowing Charlie would most likely get killed and that his involvement with the mafia won't magically dissapear.

That's how I felt.

cricket

06-06-17, 11:01 AM

Beauty and the Beast

http://ilarge.lisimg.com/image/9998839/900full-beauty-and-the-beast-screenshot.jpg

When I first saw all the nominations, it was easily Beauty and the Beast that had the best odds to be my least favorite. As some of you know, I have a hard time getting into fantasy. I didn't care for the only Lord of the Rings movie I saw, I haven't seen any Harry Potter movies, I didn't care for Avatar, I don't like the Star Wars movies the way I used to, and the list goes on and on. I think it's the reason I'm not a big Sci-Fi fan, and even as a horror fan I strongly prefer violent maniac stuff over the supernatural. On top of that, I didn't like Disney's version of Beauty and the Beast at all. Suffice it to say, this nomination was up against it with me.

I was captivated by it right from the start. I think that was from a combination of the look of the film and the characters. It's not that all the characters were likable, far from it, but they all brought something to the table. As soon as the father got lost in the forest, I was able to get lost in my imagination. This is something that never happens with me and for that I am very grateful that this movie was nominated. I felt like I was able to break a new barrier as a viewer, even though the reality is that I think it's probably just this particular movie. I thought the atmosphere, effects, and musical score were absolutely amazing. The dialogue was surprisingly simple, and I think that's another thing that helped me. It also helped that it's an adult friendly fantasy. As much as I loved the beast, he was no saint. I mean his method to get Belle to his place wasn't very nice, and from there he did place a bit of pressure on her. But hey, if you're a hideous beast, you've got to do what you've got to do. I didn't think it was a flawless movie. Sometimes the editing from scene to scene was so abrupt it was startling. That did not hurt my enjoyment at all, but it is something I noticed. The only thing I didn't like was the transformation scene at the end. I thought it was weak. If it were another wow scene, I probably would have added an extra half popcorn to my rating. It's ok because I loved the rest of it, and that's a lot more than I expected.

4

CosmicRunaway

06-06-17, 11:31 AM

I'm pleasantly surprised that you enjoyed Beauty and the Beast, Cricket, especially since I knew you don't typically care for Fantasy. I still need to rewatch the film (I might watch it next I think), but based on what I remember, I agree with everything you said. :up:

Citizen Rules

06-06-17, 02:01 PM

....I hate sports. I mean I can't stand watching sports of any kind, period. They bore me to tears...

However, I love movies about sports, especially older ones. I find them immensely charming and often inspiring. What matters is the context. I get to know a character, and I care about his struggle, I then care about him winning a match and triumphing against all odds...
That's me too. I've never watched sports events, live or on TV, they bore me...except the Olympics I like those.

I do for some strange reason really like sports theme movies. I did like Body and Soul too, but it didn't really feel to me like a sports movie, it was more about a man coming to grips with what is and isn't important in life.

Citizen Rules

06-06-17, 02:10 PM

Body and Soul
...
However, there were minor issues that I had with the movie, the one that bothered me the most was the ending.

Charlie Davis was paid off the throw the fight, but he didn't, and then he expects to just walk away, without the guys who paid him coming after him?! That just doesn't make sense. There would be consequences to his actions, and most likely, they would come after him and kill him. So basically, him trying to redeem himself at the end would just be worthless.

But overall, I liked the movie, but the ending just didn't work for me. That's a good point and I actually thought about that too, so I can see what you're saying. The conclusion I came to was that the head guy who controlled boxing and fixed the matches (can't remember his name) was indeed a bad guy, but...not like the cut throat mafia characters in most movies, so it was unclear if he would resort to murder or what. Remember when the black boxer played by Canada Lee wanted to quit because of the blood clot, the head guy didn't try to stop him by force, but did say his manager owned him money and would have to pay. I actually kept expected in the movie for it to become a murder mafia type film, but it never did and I think that was a plus for the movie.

Thursday Next

06-06-17, 05:37 PM

Ride the Pink Horse

This was a strange film and I kind of liked that. I liked the start, with the mysterious man turning up at the hotel. Who is he? What does he want? How far will he go to get it? To be honest, although these questions are answered to a certain extent, the characters and their motivations remain something of a mystery all the way through. But that all just adds a sort of enigmatic charm to the proceedings. I particularly liked the scene with the carousel. There’s a sort of fatalistic sense to the whole thing and I expected more a downbeat ending.

I’d be interested to know what other people thought of the character of Pilar. I wasn’t completely convinced by her, but she made an interesting counterpoint to your usual noir femme fatale.

edarsenal

06-06-17, 08:43 PM

I'm pretty surprised you enjoyed Beauty and the Beast, as well, cricket. VERY cool. It's a rendition I've never seen, so, should be pretty d@mn cool.

I kept thinking: you'll be dead within the week, pal. Or simply making his life complete and utter hell.
But I do appreciate HOW they did it and the reasons why.

and to join in, not much for sports, though I would always watch Hockey (white guys with sticks, beating the hell out of each other. . . not THAT'S entertainment) Though I got bored when they made it more family friendly for the extra cash of having kids there to insist on their parents buying stupid paraphernalia. Couldn't watch it after that.
But, yeah, a good sports film ABOUT someone or team can be quite entertaining.

cricket

06-06-17, 10:03 PM

Odd Man Out

http://i.onionstatic.com/avclub/5396/27/16x9/960.jpg

I first watched this movie about 6 months ago. I feel much the same after watching it again, but I'd say my favorability has gone up slightly. The movie grabs me quick with the planning of a heist, the heist itself, and then the direct aftermath which sets the stage for the rest of the movie. I think the first half of the movie is brilliant as a sort of exciting yet fairly subtle thriller. I think the second half slows down, becomes more contemplative, and for me at least, less interesting. It does have a fantastic finale, and it continues some of the great characteristics of the first half including superior acting and visuals. I also think the movie gives an interesting look at the community, and it seems very modern for it's age. I feel like it's almost a great movie, and it would have been for me if the whole movie was like the first hour and the last five minutes.

3.5

cricket

06-06-17, 10:16 PM

Regarding the ending to Body and Soul, I found it very believable. I was in a lot of trouble to crooked people, several times having a gambling debt of 20k or more that I couldn't pay. Sometimes you can feel like you have very limited options and nothing to lose. Now, I've never in my life not paid everything I owed to anyone, but if I was that kind of guy, I might have just not paid and hoped for the best. After all, it took a miracle for me to find a way to get myself out of my mess. Still, while it sometimes felt like my life was in danger, I was never 100% sure that it was. I can easily see a guy like Charlie getting pissed off and taking a stand. There were times that I got pissed off myself. It's not that hard to get to the point where you need to take a risk in order to save what you love.

edarsenal

06-06-17, 11:18 PM

It's not that hard to get to the point where you need to take a risk in order to save what you love.
Heard that!

Jeff Costello

06-07-17, 06:37 PM

Gentleman Jim (1942) - Raoul Walsh

WHAT AN AMAZING FILM ! I cannot transfuse to words, how much I enjoyed and cherished this film. To a boxing history buff like me, this was certainly a real treat. The film was set in late 19th century, the time when boxing was dealing with a lot of structural changes and when the competion was at its best. One of the heroes of that era was James J. Corbett or otherwise simply known as "Gentleman Jim". And a story of his was definitely a story to tell. The story of a man who revolutionized boxing, with his supreme footwork and a stick&move technique, the man who defeated the great John L. Sullivan and was a great influence on future heavyweight champions like Gene Tunney. The man who played Corbett was none other than Errol Flynn. I personally haven't seen much of Flynn's films expect Robin Hood maybe, but I was really impressed with his performance. He had that perfect blend of charisma, charm and confidence, which suited his character extremely well. From the beggining I was just astounded by the film's authenticity and a great humour. There were just so many scenes I loved. My personal favourite was Corbett's first big fight at the harbor. It was just an amazingly atmospheric scene. From an aroused masses going mental to Corbett's friends mimicking his every punch, while the two fighters are going back and forth ... Brilliant! Also I have to point out the genius behind the final scene, between Corbett and Sullivan, with the two champions acknowledging each other and a shot of a reflexion in the mirror of a defeated and visibly lost Sullivan leaving the room. I found that scene incredibly touching and sincere and a manifest of great acting by Errol Flynn and Ward Bond. Watching this film has really put me in the mood for watching some classic greats like Johnson, Tunney and Dempsey. It's been a while since I daily enjoyed watching those great fights on ESPN Classic and I feel like "Gentleman Jim" has kind of restored my love for boxing and its history. I can comfortably say that this film is now at the top of my favourite boxing films, alongside "Cinderella Man".

http://www.theerrolflynnblog.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/gentleman-jim-flynn.jpg

Errol Flynn as Gentleman Jim

http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/images/JimCorbett-2.jpg

Real Gentleman Jim

Great, great nomination Blix !

Blix the Goblin

06-07-17, 08:07 PM

I'm so happy you loved it!

Even though none of them are about boxing, I think that if you enjoy Gentleman Jim that much you should look at the rest of the Errol Flynn filmography. His movies are nothing if not exuberant pictures that use his natural charisma to full advantage.

rauldc14

06-07-17, 08:08 PM

Damnit I better get going. I'm behind everyone already :laugh:

Blix the Goblin

06-07-17, 08:19 PM

Damnit I better get going. I'm behind everyone already :laugh:You and me both!

Right now I need to primarily focus on the 13th HOF though, because several of those are movies outside of my comfort zone and require more mental preparation.

But forties movies? Especially the Hollywood ones? It's been harder to force myself not to watch them.

Citizen Rules

06-07-17, 10:49 PM

edarsenal

06-07-17, 11:03 PM

What other Errol Fynn movies have you seen that you recommend?
ALL OF THEM

;)

Citizen Rules

06-07-17, 11:08 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31222&stc=1&d=1496887228

His Girl Friday (1940)

What color do you think the hat and blazer that Rosalind Russell is wearing is? On the DVD cover it was purple with stripes. I suspect it wasn't as gaudy looking as it's been colored to be, and was probably gray with black stripes. It's a very odd looking outfit, but it wasn't chose randomly, they never do that in movies. It was selected for a reason and I'd venture a guess that it was the 1940's version of a 'power suit'. Rosalind certainly looks commanding in it and it gives her a sense of showmanship....and that's what this film is about, showmanship!

The title His Girl Friday sounds somewhat demeaning to Hilda (Rosalind Russell), it sounds like Hilda is just a skirt in an office full of old crusty newspaper men and her only job is to powder her nose and make coffee for the boys. Uh uh...not true, Hilda is a self made woman. Make no mistake about it, she's in control of the situation and not Walther (Cary Grant). She knows her mind and knows how to write a news story that cooks! All the boys in the newsroom are in awe of her gutsy anything-for-a-story journalist skills. Hilda's a power house and if anything this is a movie that empowers women. So the title is kind of funny, cause Hilda's nobody's lackey.

I read that this has some of the fastest dialogue spoken in a film at 240 words a minute! Add to that, this early example of actors deliberately speaking over each others lines, all while ad libbing over an already fast paced script and you get one helluva a unique film that takes one's full attention to fully follow it. I read that Quentin Tarantino is a fan of this movie, I can see why.

There's two things that makes this movie special: the witty banter and intense chemistry from Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. Oh and Ralph Bellamy plays the straight man to a tee.

His Girl Friday is so complex in it's dialogue that I feel I missed some of the more subtle witticisms. The first witty word play comes during the title credits...did you spot it?

This was one of the 77 movies I had consider nominating, so I'm glad to see it here. Oh...I plan on watching this one again before the Hof is over.

rauldc14

06-07-17, 11:12 PM

I hope I like it more the second time around. I mean, I like it, but I didn't love it.

Citizen Rules

06-07-17, 11:18 PM

I hope I like it more the second time around. I mean, I like it, but I didn't love it. I was a bit distracted during the last watch and felt I missed so much of the cleverness, that I will watch it again.

Citizen Rules

06-08-17, 01:39 PM

http://p7.storage.canalblog.com/79/30/110219/10760148.jpg

Gentleman Jim (1942)

This was one fun movie! Errol Flynn was one of the great on-screen personalities. Come to think of it, he was one of the great off-screen personalities too. And this is a star powered movie....it frames Errol and his likeable roguishness to a tee. Errol gives the movie that same roguish charm as the son of a poor Irish family, headed by one of the hardest working character actors in the biz, Alan Hale. Hale of course being the real life father of Alan Hale Jr,...The Skipper on Gilligan's Island. That's two reviews here where I've mentioned Gilligan's Island, hmm I wonder if I can do a third one?

Anyway it's the cast that makes this film fun...one of my favorites was Ward Bond as the aging heavy weight boxing champion who Gentleman Jim goes up against. Ward Bond almost always gives a heart felt performance, as he does here at the party scene when he gives Jim a gift, thus teaching Gentleman Jim a lesson in humility...a touching scene and my favorite.

Jack Carson as the non to bright friend was a strong point in the movie, Jack's always good for laughs. Oh and I liked the actress who played the mom too, Dorothy Vaughan. Alexis Smith was decent as the rich girl that Jim chases around, though she wasn't a favorite. I did like their on-off again...love-hate-love relationship.

Good nom Blix!

rauldc14

06-08-17, 02:05 PM

La Belle et la Bete

http://stuartfernie.org/belleetbete4.jpg

This film does a lot of things well. First off, the cinematography is very brilliant for it's time. It's a beautifully shot black and white film. I liked the look of the Beast and it does a pretty good job of storytelling for the most part. You can certainly tell that Cocteau has a lot of imaginative talent. The costume design was solid and the music that accompanied the film was real nice. That being said, it has things that held it back for me as well. I didn't really care for the actress who played Belle. She was a rather bland pick for a casting choice in my opinion, and she really wasn't that believable as to be falling for the Beast. The sisters also were kind of bland to me and didn't add much to the film in my opinion. I also thought some of the fantasy elements came off as cheesy, certainly to be expected for a film made so long ago. But the glove being able to transport her just kind of made me chuckle for some reason. And then the editing at the ending scenes was just below average to me. Kind of also wish the castle was more badass or that we would get to see more off it if there actually was more to it. Overall, I feel it's an important film as I'm pretty sure this is the first time this tale was told on the screen, but it's overall enjoyment from me was rather lower than I expected it to be.

3

Citizen Rules

06-08-17, 07:48 PM

Some Fun Stats:)

We now have reviews from: 9 Members posted.

6 Members are 1/4 or more of the way done.

and 4 Members are 1/3 of the way done.

Way to go guy!

Camo

06-08-17, 08:26 PM

As i told Citizen i've had basically no time for movies recently (actually just watched my first two of this month today) so it still might be a bit before i get started. I'm already a third of the way through anyway though haha.

Also of course Cricket loves Beauty and the Beast. Think he should just give up and accept that i know him better than he knows himself :D

Nestorio_Miklos

06-09-17, 02:28 PM

sorry guys for not being so engaged in the thread. I was quite busy lately. I just watched I Remember Mama and gathering my thoughts. It is a fine fine movie.

Citizen Rules

06-09-17, 02:32 PM

Welcome aboard Nesto:p Glad you enjoyed my nom.

rauldc14

06-09-17, 02:47 PM

How many of these nominations will actually make the top 100 40s countdown? Predictions now! :p

Citizen Rules

06-09-17, 02:55 PM

I don't see a bad film in the bunch! So I think all the noms are worthy:p

But some of them are pretty obscure titles, so if they make anyone's 40s Countdown list, it will mostly be us in this Hof. There is 12 of us, so our list should have an impact on the final countdown.

Camo

06-09-17, 03:01 PM

I think His Girl Friday, Double Indemnity, Day of Wrath and maybe Beauty and the Beast and The Ghost of Mrs. Muir were locks without this HOF. Of the others i think only the ones that do very well; maybe top four will make the countdown because of how obscure they are i think they'd need a decent bit of help from the members here.

Don't know about Gentleman Jim is that well known?

Camo

06-09-17, 03:05 PM

There is 12 of us, so our list should have an impact on the final countdown.

It will probably take alot to make some of our lists though. Me (way less than everyone else i'm mentioning but i do already have 40+ i'd vote for and a very strong list), you, gbg, Vamp, Cricket, Blix, Ed and Thursday will probably end up with alot of films we'd want to vote for but have no room, odds are we won't find more than a couple of strong potentials and they might not be the same ones.

CosmicRunaway

06-09-17, 03:39 PM

Thanks for reminding me that I'm nowhere near being prepared to make a list for the 40s Countdown. :tsk:

For the Sci-Fi list I easily had 100 films and the issue was cutting that down. Here, I need to watch and rewatch so many films I'm basically building my list from the ground up. We'll see which approach works out better haha.

On the plus side I've rewatched Beauty and the Beast. Not sure if I'll get my write-up done this evening or not, since I might have other plans. I'd like to get to rewatching Odd Man Out (or perhaps watch a different film depending on my mood) this weekend as well.

Blix the Goblin

06-09-17, 07:01 PM

What other Errol Fynn movies have you seen that you recommend?Here are my top fifteen Flynn features:

1) The Adventures of Robin Hood
2) Objective, Burma!
3) Gentleman Jim
4) Dodge City
5) Captain Blood
6) The Dawn Patrol
7) The Sea Hawk
8) They Died With Their Boots On
9) Santa Fe Trail
10) Rocky Mountain
11) Desperate Journey
12) Northern Pursuit
13) The Charge of the Light Brigade
14) The Adventures of Don Juan
15) Dive Bomber

I would recommend all of these.ALL OF THEM

;)I could watch Errol Flynn all day, but there are some of his movies that haven't connected with me. The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex bored me to tears, and I say that as someone who finds the history of English Royalty quite fascinating

SilentVamp

06-09-17, 07:12 PM

How many of these nominations will actually make the top 100 40s countdown? Predictions now! :p
I would say that I expect 3 of these films to definitely make it. Also, there are 3 films that I think should make it (they definitely deserve to be on a list like this).

I will start this this weekend. I picked up Double Indemnity, Gentleman Jim, Beauty and the Beast, Day of Wrath and Body and Soul from the library today. And as it is going to be brutally hot out (90 degrees is just too much for me), I will definitely plan on this being what I do this weekend. In that kind of heat, I don't have much energy to do anything else, anyway.

SilentVamp

06-09-17, 07:15 PM

The Adventures of Robin Hood
Objective, Burma!
Dodge City
The Dawn Patrol
They Died With Their Boots On
Santa Fe Trail
The Charge of the Light Brigade

:up::up::up:

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex bored me to tears, and I say that as someone who finds the history of English Royalty quite fascinating
I thought this was OK. I don't think it is one of his best either, but I thought it was OK.

edarsenal

06-09-17, 07:36 PM

Here are my top fifteen Flynn features:

1) The Adventures of Robin Hood
2) Objective, Burma!
3) Gentleman Jim
4) Dodge City
5) Captain Blood
6) The Dawn Patrol
7) The Sea Hawk
8) They Died With Their Boots On
9) Santa Fe Trail
10) Rocky Mountain
11) Desperate Journey
12) Northern Pursuit
13) The Charge of the Light Brigade
14) The Adventures of Don Juan
15) Dive Bomber

I would recommend all of these.I could watch Errol Flynn all day, but there are some of his movies that haven't connected with me. The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex bored me to tears, and I say that as someone who finds the history of English Royalty quite fascinating
Essex IS a bit slow. Enjoyable. But slow.
Bold all my all time favorites that i've seen over and over. And like you, Robin Hood IS at the top of that list. Haven't seen Dodge City (shame on me) and very glad that Gentleman Jim was nominated since it was one of his I've been wanting to see.

cricket

06-09-17, 08:00 PM

How many of these nominations will actually make the top 100 40s countdown? Predictions now! :p

I'm not sure, but I think there's a chance that more make it than they would normally. My guess would be that there will be a little downturn in the amount of lists submitted for the 40's countdown. Our group of 12 will have more influence on 55 lists than if there were the usual 70 or so.

Jeff Costello

06-09-17, 08:39 PM

Nice of you to list your favourite Flynn flicks, Blix . I'll make sure to check out some of them in the near future.

edarsenal

06-09-17, 09:19 PM

https://media1.britannica.com/eb-media/32/90732-004-F2B3A48A.jpg

His Girl Friday

Don't blink, or you WILL miss dialogue!! :)

It's kinda funny that the SPEED of the words being said out weighs almost everything else that this movie has to offer.
And it DOES have a lot to offer. Which, to keep up with the dialogue does go at a break-neck speed.
The speed never really bothered me. Just as long as there were no distractions around me so that I could keep my full attention to this movie and truly enjoy all that it had to offer.

There are some great comedic bits in this. In particular, the side remarks among the other reporters stationed out at the prison. While at the same time it WAS a bit of a scary mirror to hold up to what the news was allowed to do without little to no responsibility or repercussions. But dwelling on such things is a bit counter productive for the film itself and its wit and speedy deliveries. So, enough of that.

This is one of the few films that I've been able to see a young Rosalind Russell and always knew her as Auntie Mame which she is truly great in; so it was a great pleasure to see her in this. Going toe to toe with Cary Grant for savvy and quick thinking. Making a great and very diabolical team.
I must say, I really felt sorry for Bellamy's character who played the nice, understanding guy very well.

Another stand out enjoyment was this rotund messenger in the photo above. LOVED his scenes.

A very, very fun film and so glad I FINALLY got to see it!
EXCELLENT call SilentVamp!

CosmicRunaway

06-09-17, 09:31 PM

I just noticed that I still had my half-finished Beauty and the Beast write-up open. I decide to take a quick look at it before heading off and in between my two complete paragraphs, among a number of sentence fragments and ideas, I have written this:

"Outside is real."

...okay. Thanks me, that's really helpful. You guys ever write something, go back to it later, and have no idea what you were on about? :lol:

There are some great comedic bits in this. In particular, the side remarks among the other reporters stationed out at the prison.
I think I forgot to mention them in my review, but I also particularly enjoyed those guys. I also found it amusing to see how each of them spun news stories to their editors, or whoever was on the other side of those phone calls.

edarsenal

06-09-17, 09:46 PM

I just noticed that I still had my half-finished Beauty and the Beast write-up open. I decide to take a quick look at it before heading off and in between my two complete paragraphs, among a number of sentence fragments and ideas, I have written this:

"Outside is real."

...okay. Thanks me, that's really helpful. You guys ever write something, go back to it later, and have no idea what you were on about? :lol:

I think I forgot to mention them in my review, but I also particularly enjoyed those guys. I also found it amusing to see how each of them spun news stories to their editors, or whoever was on the other side of those phone calls.

I've done that, A LOT. Go back and have NO IDEA

something else I found funny, was HOW FAST people answered when they called their newspaper. Like they were holding the phone and waiting LOL. And considering HOW OFTEN they'd call "Copy" there must be a small team dedicated to answering the phone.

Nestorio_Miklos

06-10-17, 05:39 AM

I Remember Mama
:):):):):):):)
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31287
Just a tiny detail how they presented mama calling her child down for dinner. Then the camera looks at the daughter being by herself. All we see is respect, love and obedience. Then she goes to dining room right away and still gets reproach as to why she didn't come down immediately but only after two times calling. It was very nice scene and a good lecture. In nowadays movies the most common reaction of child would be rolling eyes, annoyance even some f word would come out. Of course I don't wanna compare but it was refreshing to see it throughout the movie.

We see an ordinary movie with ordinary people that are presented to us as an immigrant family from Norway now living in San Francisco. Papa is the head of the family and mama respects him however she's the one running things around. But not without effort as she's always busy working hard around the house. Nice touch also, the whole family counting the budget with kids to make the ends meet. And Oskar Homolka - uncle Chris is the boss :D:D:D making a drinking party out of dying. As soon as he finishes his last drink he departs in tranquility.

The whole family has all kinds of troubles, issues that they are trying to resolve. It may seem trivial nowadays and would be most probably waved off. It is simply nice to see how they all discuss within family and respect one another. However naive it may seem I think these kind of movies are important to exist and I consider it for a great nom. We can see that mama loves her children and her husband but it is not a love in a puppy way or a blind one. There is a very good balance between love and justice and strictness. They are much richer than any other family that don't have to count their budgets. I'm glad I could see it. :)
:):):):):):):)

Nestorio_Miklos

06-10-17, 05:40 AM

well nothing to read as i am the first one to comment on this nom :)

Nestorio_Miklos

06-10-17, 05:45 AM

His Girl Friday next. Maybe i even watch it tonight.

CosmicRunaway

06-10-17, 09:45 AM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31289

Beauty and the Beast/La Belle et la Bête (1946)
Dir. Jean Cocteau
Starring: Josette Day, Jean Marais, Marcel André

I absolutely love the aesthetic style of Beauty and the Beast and think it's a shame that we couldn't have seen more of its most spectacular set pieces, particularly the interior of the Beast's castle. However considering the circumstances in which the film was made and the lack of resources available in France at the time, I'm surprised it managed to be as visually impressive as it was. This is a film that was made for the people of France who were suffering in the wake of World War II. Their cities were destroyed, food rationing would continue for years to come, and many were still terrified for their future.

The film starts with a message from Cocteau asking the audience to remember a time when they were children, when magic could be as real to them as anything else. The point was not to question what was presented on screen, but to allow oneself to get caught up in the fantasy. But that doesn't mean that the film is pure escapism. It contains a number of themes intended to appeal to adults, with a final moral message that man and beast are essentially the same. Due to an abundance of Freudian symbolism, it is possible to interpret the film as Belle's journey into adulthood and sexual awakening, however I believe the intended idea was that love can turn a beastly man into a good one, while greed can corrupt a good man into becoming beastly.

The prosthetics Jean Marrais wore as the Beast were a great accomplishment at the time, however they were incredibly restrictive and greatly limited his ability to express emotions. Marrais' vocal performance in those scenes had to be rerecorded during post production since he couldn't even speak clearly under the make-up. As such, the film relies on gestures, music, and visual imagery to convey the Beast's feelings. While not everyone is going to be a fan of this highly dramatic type of performance, I personally think it works well with the way the rest of the film is presented. Belle was also prone to exaggerated body language, but it was her graceful and effortless gliding down the castle's corridors that really stood out to me, as her movements (likely the result of her former years as a ballet dancer) really complemented the strange dreamlike qualities of the Beast's world.

While I haven't read the original story by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, I've been lead to believe by others that this film is a much closer adaptation than many of the more recent and popular films. Whether or not that is actually true, it's certainly a unique and well-crafted film with an abundance of practical effects and visual trickery. The castle is eerily beautiful, and the costumes are beyond impressive. It likely won't be to everyone's taste, but I hope the experience will at least be appreciated to some degree.

Thursday Next

06-10-17, 01:02 PM

It will probably take alot to make some of our lists though. Me (way less than everyone else i'm mentioning but i do already have 40+ i'd vote for and a very strong list), you, gbg, Vamp, Cricket, Blix, Ed and Thursday will probably end up with alot of films we'd want to vote for but have no room, odds are we won't find more than a couple of strong potentials and they might not be the same ones.

I've got plenty of space on my list :) Two of the nominated films (mine plus one other) will definitely be there, but there's still room for anything else that knocks my socks off in the meantime.

Citizen Rules

06-10-17, 02:09 PM

Blix the Goblin

1) The Adventures of Robin Hood
2) Objective, Burma!
3) Gentleman Jim
4) Dodge City
5) Captain Blood
6) The Dawn Patrol
7) The Sea Hawk
8) They Died With Their Boots On
9) Santa Fe Trail
10) Rocky Mountain
11) Desperate Journey
12) Northern Pursuit
13) The Charge of the Light Brigade
14) The Adventures of Don Juan
15) Dive Bomber
Sweet! I've seen most of those and every one I've seen is a good one. I don't think I've ever seen the ones in red

Besides the one's you have listed I've seen and really liked:

Four's a Crowd (1938) (which also has Rosalind Russell in it)
Virginia City (1940)
Against All Flags (1952)
The Sun Also Rises (1957)

Blix the Goblin

06-10-17, 08:03 PM

Four's a Crowd (1938) (which also has Rosalind Russell in it)
Virginia City (1940)
Against All Flags (1952)
The Sun Also Rises (1957)
I enjoyed those but not enough to be a favorite. Four's a Crowd is certainly underrated though I'll admitI don't think I've ever seen the ones in redRocky Mountain is my favorite later-era Errol Flynn movie. A very straightforward but highly entertaining western that also features the always lovable Slim Pickens. Watch it!

rauldc14

06-10-17, 09:52 PM

I'll probably go with Odd Man Out next. My eta for watching it is Thursday.

CosmicRunaway

06-11-17, 02:55 PM

I just finished rewatching Odd Man Out. It wasn't quite like I remembered, so I think I had parts of it mixed up with another film. Now I'm trying to think what that other movie might have been. :suspicious:

Citizen Rules

06-11-17, 02:56 PM

Maybe The Third Man?

CosmicRunaway

06-11-17, 03:04 PM

You might be onto something there. They do both have "Man" in the titles haha.

Citizen Rules

06-11-17, 03:17 PM

Well there both from the same director, so who knows. I haven't ever seen Odd Man Out but I liked The Third Man. Well, I hope to able to watch another nom in a day or two.

Oh...I started watching His Girl Friday again...last night. I like it even better the second time around as I know what each scene is about so I can focus more on the dialogue and inflections.

mark f

06-11-17, 04:03 PM

They both have Carol Reed's abundance of Dutch angles and shadowy cinematography.

Thursday Next

06-11-17, 05:23 PM

I Remember Mama

“What do you have to do that’s so important?”
“I have to chloroform a cat!”

(Spoilers, I suppose)

This movie reminded me of two things. The first is the TV show The Waltons. I don’t mean this as a pejorative comparison at all: I grew up with the Waltons and when it was good it was good. There’s the large, poor but good family, the eldest, a writer looking back on their childhood with all its quirks and life lessons (there’s even Ellen Corby who played the Walton Grandma as a timid aunt). As a film this doesn’t have time to get tiresome and this slice of nostalgic life is heartwarming and heartrending, sentimental perhaps but never sickly sweet. The second is Meet Me In St. Louis - a similar nostalgic look back to a simpler time. But while that is a lush, colourful musical version, this is much plainer, quieter, focusing on poorer people but still with that same emphasis on family.

A couple of my favourite things: that the cat is called Uncle Elizabeth! Mama’s concern that, “It’s not good for her to grow up believing I can fix everything.” Uncle Chris introducing Mama to his wife on his deathbed.

The only thing I didn’t like so much was Mama approaching the famous author, as it made me cringe a little. Although even here, the humour levels it out with Mama finding the recipe for goulash. Throughout, the tone shifts deftly between humour and sadness: Uncle Chris’s account book throws a new light on his earlier, humourous claim to be a better physician than any doctor. It’s also very quiet in its triumphant moments, no big melodramatic moments.

There are more visually impressive films out there, but I could have easily watched another hour of this family just living their lives. I can’t believe I’d never heard of it before, although I’ve since noticed it on a couple of ‘best of’ lists out there. A wonderful film.

cricket

06-11-17, 05:36 PM

Not reading that^^yet as I'm actually on a smoke break halfway through.

Citizen Rules

06-11-17, 06:14 PM

I Remember Mama

...I can’t believe I’d never heard of it before, although I’ve since noticed it on a couple of ‘best of’ lists out there. A wonderful film. Good! that was my goal to find a lesser known 1940's movie that I loved, and thought worthy of an Hof...Hopefully a few members will remember, I Remember Mama for the 1940's Top 100 Countdown.

Glad you liked it Thursday, I liked The Waltons too.

cricket

06-11-17, 09:34 PM

I Remember Mama (1948)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-snEJs9jBPhk/Vp0AoATP8DI/AAAAAAAAMsk/7GAIH8h1MtY/s1600/I%2BRemember%2BMama.jpg

I've heard of this movie all my life, but it never actually occured to me to look it up until it was nominated in this Hall of Fame. I was surprised to see how highly rated it actually is. I found it quite funny to just read Thursday's thoughts on the movie, because I was also thinking of The Waltons. The funny part about that is that I've never seen that TV show. The movie actually reminded me of the previously nominated How Green Was My Valley, and I remember people comparing that to The Waltons. Basically, this movie reminded me of what I perceive The Waltons to be.

I liked everything about this movie but didn't absolutely love anything. It started and ended well, and everything in between was just as good. I would describe it as warm, touching, and pleasant. It had more humor than I expected, and I thought it was used in a very appropriate and effective manner. I liked all of the characters. I didn't think I was going to like the uncle at first, but he ended up being one of my favorites. I'm not sure what else to say about it. Like Thursday said, it doesn't especially stand out as far as how it looked, but I don't think of that as a weakness. When a movie looks great, depending on what type of movie it is, I'll often look at that as an added bonus. This movie was just a very nice watch with characters I cared about.

3.5

Citizen Rules

06-11-17, 09:42 PM

I need to get my movie watching butt in gear and watch that one. I don't actually remember much about I Remember Mama, except I really liked it. OK soon...

edarsenal

06-11-17, 11:41 PM

holding off reading the reviews for I remember Mama until I watch it, but reps all the same

Citizen Rules

06-11-17, 11:49 PM

holding off reading the reviews for I remember Mama until I watch it, but reps all the samehint....The Waltons...:)

OK, I'm off to watch some movie, maybe even my own nom:p

edarsenal

06-12-17, 04:12 PM

hint....The Waltons...:)

half a mo'! Didn't we compare How Green Was My Valley to the Waltons? lol

CosmicRunaway

06-12-17, 07:19 PM

I meant to finish my Odd Man Out write-up this afternoon but, I don't know what happened. The day just flew by and I don't even know what I did to pass the time.

I think this is a sign that I'm getting old. :lol:

Camo

06-13-17, 04:44 AM

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

https://s17.postimg.org/i7iylacxr/muir.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/twmy993wb/)

Thought this was pretty great. Watched it late at night when i was slightly tired and it was a great movie to relax to. Wasn't really what i was expecting, i thought it would be a slapstick film about Mrs Muir and her husband (Thought this is who Rex Harrison would be) and her kids dealing with a ghost in a lighthearded and silly way. Didn't expect to actually see the ghost nevermind him being the co-lead. Think my ignorance going in was for the best as i would've been very skeptical of how a comedic romance between a living person and a ghost could work, i think it did tho. Outside of the twist in the premise it wasn't really original; it was basically a variation on a gruff, grumpy man and strong-willed woman having to spend time together and eventually developing feelings for each other. It stood up well on its own on the back of good performances and dialogue, it was also pretty funny. I'm not sure i bought into their relationship that much, i mean what was the benefit in him keeping her around when he tells her to stay during her sister and mothers visit? Up to that point he had had two fairly hostile arguments with her. I suppose the simplest answer is loneliness but then why not any of the former occupants? Surely this means that he came to enjoy her company for some reason where he didn't the others and i don't think that was shown up to that point. Felt more like an empty way to force the relationship on the audience, from this point on they were making it clear to us that he liked her without actually showing why. The only other explanation i can think of is it was because she stood up to him and that cliche bothers me more than no explanation at all. Not a big deal, it's just that this could have approached favourite territory with more effort put into their relationship as i thought it was a great idea to have them fall in love over recounting his life for the book. In the end i liked it alot anyway. The last scene in particular was really beautiful, it made up for a few of my earlier problems.

Don't think it is important but i was just wondering was it explained why Mrs Muir could see him and others couldn't (it's later revealed Anna could too but that isn't explained at all and i think of it more as a convenient plot device so i'm not even counting that, and even if i did it doesn't change anything i'm saying here)? I probably missed it, was it just because she was the owner of the house or because he decided to show himself? It was mentioned later on that he's there because she believes he is but that doesn't actually work at all, she felt his presence in the home before she had any clue that it was supposed to be haunted; at that point it was clear that she didn't believe there was a ghost there was no reason for her to yet she still sensed his presence, she was only told afterwards. It also doesn't really work if he was referring to him appearing as an actual person because surely all of the former homeowners who were chased out believed he was there too or they wouldn't have been chased out. Not bothered either way as i loved Daniels interruptions and meddling when others were around, i just don't think it works as an explanation.

This is basically just all of my complaints, that's because this is one of those films i'm not really sure how to go into the things i enjoyed without being really boring. I did have a really good time watching it though.

Jeff Costello

06-13-17, 08:30 AM

Beauty and the Beast (1946) - Jean Cocteau

To be completely honest, I didn't particularly like it, despite having a big admiration for Cocteau's artistic vision. From a technical standpoint, this film was near perfect and some of the shots were truly breathtaking. I really liked the settings, especially richly textured Beast's castle, full of Baroque features and fancy antiques. The phantasmagorical visuals that Cocteau and cinematographer Henri Alekan managed to create, with the methodical use of settings and some inovative special effects, were truly fascinating and in my opinion by far the best ascpect of the film. I thought the soundtrack was really good and representative of the established mood and the costume designs were on point as well. I guess my main complaint is ,I couldn't really fulfill the director's plead at the beggining and transfer myself into this world of magical and surreal. I just couldn't connect with the story, nor the characters. I pretty much disliked the performances and wasn't really a fan of their theatrical delievery of lines, which sounded more like a recitation than actual delievery at times. Despite how lovely Jossette Day looked as Beauty, I thought her performance was very bland and not convincing. I didn't really feel her gradual falling for the Beast, which was partly director's fault. At no time did I believe that they were actually falling in love and that was a big problem for me. The Beauty's transition from complete apathy to caring for Beast wasn't very believable and should've been much more sharply and delicately excecuted. Another problem was how uninteresting and nondimensional the characters was. They completely lacked any depth and were painted overly cartoonish, especially the sisters and Avenant. My guess is they were intended to provide comic relief, but instead I mostly find them annoying. All of this contributed to me not caring for the characters at all. In the end I'm glad I saw this for its beautiful cinematography, but sadly I struggled to get anything more out of it.

https://media.giphy.com/media/138jeGrdY3JzyM/giphy.gif

Thursday Next

06-13-17, 10:01 AM

The Ghost and Mrs Muir

https://hollywoodrevue.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/ghostandmrsmuir.jpg

“You can be much more alone with other people than you are by yourself, even if it's people you love.”

This is a lovely film. The widowed Mrs Muir, played by the lovely Gene Tierney (notable from previous hall of fame favourites Laura and Leave Her to Heaven), rents a cottage haunted by the ghost of a grumpy Captain, played by Rex Harrison on fine grumpy form. Naturally they fall in love. But he’s dead, so things don’t work out for the best.

It’s a charming story, charmingly played - not too sweet or sentimental, with some amusing dialogue. It’s romantic but also haunting, humorous but also serious. As much as it’s a fantasy love story it’s also a story about loneliness and independence and it has some things to say about the expectations and role of a widowed woman in relation to her family and in-laws, society etc. in the time period.

I was thinking about what Camo said about why he wants her to stay - I think there are a number of possible explanations: that he's already attracted to her, that he feels sorry for her and wants her to stay in the house rather than having to move back with her family, that he recognises some kind of similarity in her. Liking her because she stands up to him might seem like a cliche, but when you're a ghost, finding someone who'll argue back rather than run screaming to the exorcist must be a challenge! I wonder if the explanations for why she can see him and others can't could be similar. Perhaps it's loneliness - on both sides - that makes the connection possible.

Camo

06-13-17, 10:22 AM

I was thinking about what Camo said about why he wants her to stay - I think there are a number of possible explanations: that he's already attracted to her, that he feels sorry for her and wants her to stay in the house rather than having to move back with her family, that he recognises some kind of similarity in her. Liking her because she stands up to him might seem like a cliche, but when you're a ghost, finding someone who'll argue back rather than run screaming to the exorcist must be a challenge! I wonder if the explanations for why she can see him and others can't could be similar. Perhaps it's loneliness - on both sides - that makes the connection possible.

I think these are all good possible explanations but i don't think the writers were thinking of any of it or there'd be some indications. I certainly don't think every thing in a movie needs to be explained but i think this film would've benefited from it (in my case at least, it probably won't bother anyone else) as it could have helped create a more meaningful relationship. Quite a large problem for me in a number of 40's Hollywood films has been in what i believe at least are shortcuts towards building a relationship, i think a big part of it may be that alot of the films i'm watching were the blockbusters of their time: watched by all sorts of people so there may have not been the need to properly build a relationship and the writers drew from a number of shortcuts like the 'love at first sight' cliche (which i've moaned about a number of times) and the montage skipping through the early stages of the relationship (this bothered me in particular in The Suspect). To me him suddenly wanting her to stay coupled with the abrupt change in his demeanor and the romantic music cheapened the whole thing for me, felt like they no longer had to develop the relationship as they had established in one quick moment (that to me felt empty) that Daniel likes her and there's the potential for romance here, their scenes following this had a different tone that i didn't think was earned nor felt natural.

In general i don't think the 40's are anymore guilty of this than any other decade, i just think a large amount of films i want to watch from then are. Also it's just me it probably doesn't bother anyone else.

CosmicRunaway

06-13-17, 11:10 AM

In the end I'm glad I saw this for its beautiful cinematography, but sadly I struggled to get anything more out of it.
Much like my nomination in the 13th HoF, Beauty and the Beast is one of those films that I think a lot of people will find difficult to get into. At least you appreciated the visuals, which are the main reason why I nominated the film. :up:

Jeff Costello

06-13-17, 12:26 PM

Nice start for "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" !

It seems to be a trending film at the moment, so I'll probly rewatch it next, when I catch time. I cannot wait !

Afterwards, I'll focus more on the nominations I have left for 13th HoF.

CosmicRunaway

06-13-17, 01:08 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31408

Odd Man Out (1947)
Dir. Carol Reed)
Starring: James Mason, Kathleen Ryan, Robert Beatty

Even though the unnamed organization in Odd Man Out is clearly understood to be the IRA, the film doesn't get into any political issues. It instead uses the social unrest in the city to focus on the reactions of ordinary citizens to the situation at hand. Throughout the events of the film, every person Johnny comes into contact with has to decide whether helping him is worth being caught by the police, or if turning him in is worth the ire of the IRA. Each of the characters have their own motivations, with most of them falling into realistically self-centred behaviour.

However even with the kindest strangers, there is very little compassion for Johnny once his identity is revealed to each passer-by, with the exception of Kathleen, and any sympathy garnered for him by the audience. It's a race against time that doesn't need to focus on a clock, because we can see the dangers of each lost hour on Johnny's exhausted face as the manhunt continues. James Mason gives a great performance despite his lack of dialogue, and the film's slow, almost contemplative pace gives plenty of time to appreciate the spectacular cinematography.

Though gloomy, the photography is really beautiful, particularly the night time shots along the air raid shelters or down the empty city streets. There's a distorted perspective throughout most of the film, with an abundance of angled shots, and a lot of interesting camera work during the scenes when Johnny is mentally unstable. The sequence where he sees the faces of each character he's come into contact with over the course of the film in the spilt beer was especially interesting as well. While I didn't find the characters or story quite as engaging as I would have liked, I did thoroughly enjoy the visual style of the film, and the almost episodic nature of Johnny's encounters.

SilentVamp

06-13-17, 01:31 PM

Camo

06-13-17, 01:55 PM

In regards to The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, I always assumed that he allowed her to see him. And that he did so because he liked her and he trusted her.

I could be wrong, and even though I have seen it a few times, my last viewing was a long time ago now (at least I can't remember when that was). So I just may be remembering it all a little differently than it really is.

I think it is, i guess i just don't find that explanation satisfying. Feels like a kind of cop-out Disney-esque waving of the wand reason to me. That also joins up with my problems with him asking for her to stay and how i thought was was a lazy shortcut, as there was also no reason to believe he liked her when he first revealed himself. Of course the latter is more understandable as it's a film about ghosts so even if i think it was lazy and not executed well you can just put it down to a spiritual connection. Then we also have him erasing her memory of him earlier which was the only reason it was mentioned that he only exists if she believes in him, and then we have her daughter randomly having talked to him when she was a child. Just think there was a fair amount of emptiness/laziness.
:shrug:

I say again i liked this film alot i just think for me at least it could have been alot better.

Citizen Rules

06-13-17, 02:34 PM

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a6/b7/04/a6b704d0d080cd8f55160bf1c3b66051.jpg
Beauty and the Beast (1946)

I liked it! I didn't think I would, but I did...It was a simple tale and sometimes those are the best. I'd never seen any version of Beauty and the Beast before. What struck me about this story is how similar it is to Cinderella. Does anybody know if one tale, lead to the other?

After the movie I watched a 26 minute documentary from 1997 with the two lead actors, Jean Marais, Josette Day and the cinematographer Henri Alekan. It was neat because they talked about the spectral effects that gives the film it's other-worldly feel...and to me that's one of the highlights of the movie, the way it made me feel I was in this magic place that existed outside of time. I liked the way the Beast's kingdom was both paradise and nightmarish. A neat juxtaposition of heaven and hell on earth.

The sets in the movie, both Belle's house and the Beast's hidden kingdom, were amazing, because they weren't sets at all (at least not the exterior shots). I learned in the documentary they were real places that the director and cinematographer had found in France. The costumes and set decorations were a feast for the eyes and that's important to me.

And what can I say about Belle (Josette Day) she was very lovely! nice eyebrows too... (I don't know why I noticed that about her but I did)....The Beast was played by an actor who looked rather animistic, Jean Marais. He was well cast in his duel role in the movie. As the Beast I liked the look they gave him, the stripes on the forehead were a nice touch too. Kudos to the makeup artist.

Geez I didn't mean to write this much...just one more thing, the director decided he wanted his film to look like a Dutch painting by Vermeer in the way the lighting and shadows looked. I think he succeed in that too. The score was perfect for the film as well.

I was never quite sure how Belle went from expecting to be killed by the Beast after she arrived, to coming to the living arrangement she had? It seemed like a scene was missing and should have came right after she arrives on the white horse.

Neat nom! and something I would have never seen it if wasn't for Cosmic.

CosmicRunaway

06-13-17, 03:33 PM

And what can I say about Belle (Josette Day) she was very lovely! nice eyebrows too... (I don't know why I noticed that about her but I did)
I don't really notice nice eyebrows very often, but I certainly notice bad or oddly shaped ones, so I don't think pointing that out is too weird haha.

I'm glad you liked the film! As for your question regarding a potentially missing scene, I noticed on a couple of occasions that there were some abrupt cuts, so I had wondered if some footage might have gone missing as well, though I didn't find anything about it online. For the scene you mention in particular, I only know very little French so I'm not sure if the situation was more clearly explained in the French dialogue or not.

What struck me about this story is how similar it is to Cinderella. Does anybody know if one tale, lead to the other?
The wicked sisters definitely made me think of Cinderella, especially since they aren't in any other film adaptation of Beauty and the Beast that I've seen. I think that similarity is really just a coincidence, and don't see many parallels beyond them though.

This particular film was based on Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's abridged version Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's Beauty and the Beast, which was originally published in 1740. The popular version of Cinderella was published by Charles Perrault in 1697, though some similar folk tales are much older. So if there was any borrowing of ideas between the two stories, Cinderella did actually come first.

Nestorio_Miklos

06-14-17, 12:55 PM

Citizen Rules

06-14-17, 01:33 PM

I watched Ride the Pink Horse last night but it got late so I didn't post any thoughts on this. All I can say right away it wasn't bad and it has a cult movie character to it, even though sometimes incomprehensible. :) Since the reveal of the noms, that has been the movie I'm most curious about, now even more so.

Nestorio_Miklos

06-14-17, 04:19 PM

Ride the Pink Horse
SPOILERS BELOW

There's yet so much to discover in this period of time cinema. I've seen only the essential movies and of course I've skipped so many. That is why I'm only glad to join this HOF to discover some hidden gems.

We see this tough character, Mr Gagin, (excellently played by Robert Montgomery, actor and director) in search of Mr. Hugo encountering all kinds of colourful characters throughout, a federal copper, Marjorie, Pila, Pancho etc. Some of them want to help and some want to harm him. He's got a good life over there in San Pablo, drinking with locals, followed by a beautiful girl giving him a lucky charm to protect him and sleeping in Pancho's palace. (is this a fictitious town? I couldn't find it on Google maps - at least not near to Mexican border - I'm presuming this town is in US somewhere since Greyhound bus brought him there). Montgomery was great to play this tough, straightforward and sometimes rude character. He's looking for Mr. Hugo to revenge his friend Shorty that was killed by this rude and cruel mobster Mr. Hugo. At the same time a federal cop (or FBI agent) is also looking for him and trying to convince Gagin to drop his cause and let the justice prevail.

So even story is pretty straightforward and the movie might be pretty boring if not for very engaging dialog and the way it was performed. The movie also is more into the characters rather than into the story. We see Gagin that is tough but manages to be human, drinking and befriending locals, smiles and it is not at all that invincible how it may seem from the beginning of the movie. He got smashed up by Hugo's lackeys pretty badly. He was like a terminator at the beginning with no emotions or feelings, but then later able even to invite Pila for dinner.

The movie on the first viewing may seem a bit chaotic as my thought here are but I see a great potential. I feel this cult-ish touch to it. As if someone would watch some of the Jarmush's movies in 2050. It is a decent nom and definitely has widened my knowledge of 1940s cinema. Good nom @rauldc14 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=60169) !

Nestorio_Miklos

06-14-17, 04:24 PM

now this is interesting. I watched I Remember Mama and nobody commented on that yet. Now I watched Ride Pink Horse and I don't see any comments either :D:D:D Still nothing to read for me here :D:D:D

Citizen Rules

06-14-17, 09:31 PM

edarsenal

06-15-17, 12:48 AM

now this is interesting. I watched I Remember Mama and nobody commented on that yet. Now I watched Ride Pink Horse and I don't see any comments either :D:D:D Still nothing to read for me here :D:D:D

from reading past reviews of yours, I've enjoyed your insights and occasional personal story, and, specifically, since I've seen neither and don't want to read spoilers, I have to hold off until I see them.
Which is terrible since it's much, much later when I get to go back and read your reviews.

Hell, I need to find and watch The Ghost and Mrs. Muir so that I can join in on the question Camo posed. lol

Also looking forward to seeing Beauty and the Beast after stealing peeks at the reviews since I the story is a well known one and I'm pretty sure I'll be enjoying it when I do.

Also, also, enjoyed your write up of Odd Man Out, CosmicRunaway and a lot of the imagery WAS really great to see in this movie - watched it last night. The faces in the beer suds was very well done.
I'll go into more detail when I write me review in the next day or so.

Camo

06-15-17, 02:17 AM

Beauty and the Beast

https://s1.postimg.org/p6rxtsd27/beast.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/c2mdh3l0b/)

Thought i was on my way to feeling similarly to Jeff about this. Before the Beast comes into it i found it dull, i was finding it hard to stay interested and because of that i was overcompensating and focusing really hard on the subtitles so my mind didn't wander haha. It completely changed there though as it was like entering another world, i liked it quite a bit.

Visually it was amazing, i've said many times here that i'm not very good at explaining why something works for me visually but alot of the imagery had a strong effect on me here. It is hard to believe this is a 40's film and i'm not just saying that, the costumes, effects, sets (Citizen pointed out they weren't sets but i didn't know that while watching so i may as well keep this in), everything was glorious. Early i praised Day of Wrath visually creating a realistic feeling medieval setting, this definitely surpassed it in terms of vision and execution. Also with this being a fantasy they were able to explore more extraordinary things too. It had both a realistic feeling town and people then the as Citizen put it the otherworldly world Beast inhabited. Great stuff. Speaking of effects either i was tripping or during the scene when Belle first enters the castle she is walking along a long corridor where the curtains are blowing, did she look like she was not floating but not walking either, as if she was on an invisible conveyor belt? haha, it was the weirdest thing, i played the scene again and that's how it looked to me anyway. My biggest surprise may have been The Beasts design, from the posters i thought he was going to look really cheap and ridiculous; i kind of expected me not being able to take him seriously ruining alot of scenes, but not only was that not the case i actually think his look added to the film. He is a big hairy animal-human hybrid basically so he of course looks menacing, but he also had a sympathetic look which obviously was vital for the story to work. I first noticed it when the father was running home and the beast pops out at a tree to watch him go, i couldn't put my finger on what it was at first then i thought while all of his facial features played a part more than anything for me oddly it was his teeth. I'm not sure if i can explain properly why as of course sharp fangs shouldn't indicate warmth but they did for me, and i think the Disney version may have taken from this as i remember his fangs playing a big part in endearing me to him once he started trying to endear himself to Belle. Very odd thing i know, it may have been because it gave off the impression that he was biting his bottom lip. As well as that the actors passionate delivery and just the french language played a major part in his transformation.

Loved the music as well, although i did think a few times it was innappropriately placed; the scene with Belle's father walking around outside the Beasts castle has this big booming score; sounds like something you'd hear at the end of an old film before the credits come up. I thought the music in that scene was great i just don't think it actually suited the scene. Similarly Belle first riding towards The Beasts castle had triumphant sounding music that made no sense at all, it only lasted maybe 10-20 seconds but surely it should have been creepy or something as at this point The Beast is evil and Belle is going to become his prisoner, odd choice using music that sounds like she just won a battle haha. I'm not really complaining here for the record when it happened i found it funny more than anything and it was only a couple of times (maybe just those two i don't remember), the majority of the time it perfectly suited and often made the scenes.

My biggest problem was actually the acting, it was a bit too threatical for me at times. My favourite was actually The Beast because he is a straight up impossible fantasy character so i think it was easier for me to accept and in some way i expected him to be over the top, the others were a bit too much for me at times though. During the more low-key calmer scenes they were fine often good but anything dramatic usually didn't work well for me and often brought scenes down a bit. For example: the scene where Belle first meets The Beast, i thought that was great she was winding around the castle then the grounds everything was pretty creepy and tense then The Beasts entrance was great, Belle fainting the way she did was too much for me though, kind of took me out of it. There was a fair amount of that sadly, i do think it suits this big fantasy film so it's more of a problem of mine than the films i feel.

The acting and the first 30 minutes or however long it was before The Beast turned up stopped this from becoming a favourite, i also think the visuals, music, and just general feel of the film was far above the story or the characters chemistry, but that's not a bad thing as those elements were spectacular. I do think this was a better film than how much i liked it, i did like it quite a bit though. Thanks for nominating Cosmic.

Citizen Rules

06-15-17, 12:44 PM

Speaking of effects either i was tripping or during the scene when Belle first enters the castle she is walking along a long corridor where the curtains are blowing, did she look like she was not floating but not walking either, as if she was on an invisible conveyor belt? haha, it was the weirdest thing, i played the scene again and that's how it looked to me anyway. I did the exact same thing! I watched that scene over several times, looking for a rope as it looked like she was on a wheeled platform. But I didn't see a rope.

Very cool looking scene, she just floats right down the hall.

CosmicRunaway

06-15-17, 02:04 PM

I'm not sure if that smooth glide down the hallway was some sort of dance technique (Josette Day was a ballet dancer), or if she was standing on something unseen. When she stops moving, I noticed a slight dip downwards, as if she had been en pointe and changed to standing flat, or had stepped off a device hidden under her long dress.

Citizen Rules

06-15-17, 03:10 PM

I didn't know she was a ballet dancer, but I think what you said explained it (the ballet part). I wonder if she could have been walking on her toes...Dégagé Dégagé...no I didn't know that term I googled it.

CosmicRunaway

06-15-17, 03:27 PM

Someone clearly didn't read my write-up for the film then. :tsk:

(Though really it was just a small line in parenthesis so even if you did read it, that info could easily be missed haha.)

rauldc14

06-15-17, 03:43 PM

I agree with Camo about the acting. A big part that didn't make it great for me. I still appreciate certain aspects though, like the cinematography.

Citizen Rules

06-15-17, 03:57 PM

Nope, I hadn't read your review yet on Beauty and the Beast. I do read them all eventually...and so I just did and see you also mentioned the gliding down the corridor scene. Gosh, I know I seen that same thing in a fairly new period piece film and it really caught my attention. It might have been Belle (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404181/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (2013).

I have a question, if the theme was love can turn a beast into a man, and a man into a beast, what was it that her boyfriend did that was so horrible that he should turn into a beast? That scene bugged me some.

Nestorio_Miklos

06-15-17, 03:57 PM

Citizen Rules

06-15-17, 04:00 PM

:)Half way thru the Day of Wrath. So far so good:):up:

First I thought I'd be watching noms by the list on page 1, but once I learned the second nom (His Girl Friday) is actually a comedy I started to watch noms with no particular order. I'm very skeptic about comedies. They supposed to make me laugh however there's so little that actually make me to do so. Most of the comedy in His Girl Friday comes from satirizing greedy corrupt politicians and do anything for a buck newsmen. I rewatched it just a few days ago (and had seen it also at the start of this Hof) I got much more out of it on the second watch.

I will be watching my own nom I Remember Mama tonight so then I can read your review on it.:)

Nestorio_Miklos

06-15-17, 04:02 PM

Most of the comedy in His Girl Friday comes from satirizing greedy corrupt politicians and do anything for a buck newsmen. I rewatched it just a few days ago (and had seen it also at the start of this Hof) I got much more out of it on the second watch.

I will be watching my own nom I Remember Mama tonight so then I can read your review on it.:)
i wonder what you got to say about your nom. When was it you saw it last time?

Citizen Rules

06-15-17, 04:09 PM

I've only seen it once and years ago, I don't remember a thing about it, except I really liked it.

Jeff Costello

06-15-17, 05:15 PM

I have a question, if the theme was love can turn a beast into a man, and a man into a beast, what was it that her boyfriend did that was so horrible that he should turn into a beast? That scene bugged me some.

Yeah, the ending was a bit messy. And the reasoning why someone is transformed to beast was definitely left unclear.

When La Bete was transformed into Prince Ardent , he said he was transformed into beast because his parents didn't believe in spirits, but Avenant was transformed into one for trespassing in Diana's pavilion. That left me with the impression that La Bete was perhaps lying about his story and had actually broken into pavilion himself as a human ?

Citizen Rules

06-15-17, 05:18 PM

I wish Avenant, had been shown to be more of a brute who's full of rage and jealousy...and who mistreated Belle. Then the transformation seen would have worked for me.

Jeff Costello

06-15-17, 05:37 PM

I wish Avenant, had been shown to be more of a brute who's full of rage and jealousy...and who mistreated Belle. Then the transformation seen would have worked for me.

But wasn't he though? He tried to forcefully kiss La Belle, he punched his best friend, slapped a woman, stole and ultimately attempted a murder because of jealousy. I think he was definitely supposed to be shown as scoundrel and shallow, basically as a contrast to good-hearted Beast.

CosmicRunaway

06-15-17, 05:59 PM

I have a question, if the theme was love can turn a beast into a man, and a man into a beast, what was it that her boyfriend did that was so horrible that he should turn into a beast? That scene bugged me some.
For me, the biggest theme at the end of the film was that man and beast are essentially the same, which is supported by Jean Marais playing Avenant, the Beast, and the Prince. Belle has dialogue earlier in the film where she repeatedly tells the Beast that he's not as bad as he thinks, and that there are men out there who are much more beastly than he is. The point is that it is how we behave that determines whether someone is a monster or not.

While I said that love could redeem someone, I mentioned greed specifically as a corrupting influence that would turn an otherwise decent man beastly because that was what Avenant's main crime was. Early in the film it is just Belle that he wants for himself, however when the family finds out about the Beast's treasure, he devices a plan to steal it. Avenant is cocky, and thinks he has everything figured out. He doesn't care about Belle's feelings, and is too tempted by an easy score. Thus his true nature is revealed.

rauldc14

06-15-17, 08:24 PM

His Girl Friday

https://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2009/2/19/1235046407940/Cary-Grant-and-Rosalind-R-001.jpg

My second watch of this film. I think I was able to process a bit more of the laughs this time around. I've always liked Cary Grant. The first time I couldn't get into his character but I could a but this time. The first time I saw this I didn't care for Rosalind Russell. I felt she was pretty good this time though. I like the quick witty banter between the two of them. The story isn't a sensational one, but it's still interesting to see where it all leads. Hawks has a lot of talent and is able to use his talents in a variety of ways. This won't be a film that will probably ever become a favorite, but it is one that I will have respect for. I just seem to like other screwball comedies a tad bit more though.

3.5-

Citizen Rules

06-15-17, 11:10 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31475&stc=1&d=1497578141

The Ghost and Mrs Muir (1947)

I'm super tired so this might not make much sense...or does it? I've only seen this once before some years ago and had liked it at the time, enough to have it on my list of 77 possible movies for this Hof. It was a big list!

This time around, I enjoyed the film even more. I'm not going all analytical, because like I said, I'm tired.

The two things I didn't like, and these are not a deal breaker are: Right after Gene Tierney meets George Sanders' wife and realizes he's married, this really dramatic music comes up....like we didn't know this was a shock to her. I wish they would have held off on that music for like 3 seconds, so that we could feel the emotion of hurt that Gene was feeling. For me that music washed away the climax of the scene.

The other thing is towards the end of the film when it seems the story is over and she's resting in a chair and looks at the painting of the captain, she says something about it all being like a dream. I wish they had ended the movie right there. But then we get an epilogue that ends in a fantasy scene where she goes off into the afterlife with the ghost of the captain. I wish they hadn't done the epilogue, it felt anti-climatic.

But...I did really enjoy the movie, I just decided to write about a couple things that I wish was different. I thought Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison were really good. I loved the setting on the seaside and the house made a really cool background for a nice story to be told.

SilentVamp

06-16-17, 01:31 PM

But then we get an epilogue that ends in a fantasy scene where she goes off into the afterlife with the ghost of the captain. I wish they hadn't done the epilogue, it felt anti-climatic.
OK. Hmmm.....
Now I will have to write something about that scene in my review. :yup: I was debating over whether or not I would say something or not, but I suppose I will now. It won't be any big deal, but now I will have to go on about it just because. :)

Camo

06-16-17, 02:43 PM

I loved that scene.

Jeff Costello

06-16-17, 07:15 PM

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) - Joseph L. Mankiewicz

For whatever reason, I always find it much harder to write about the films I really really love, perhaps because I want to say so much but am not articulate enough in English to properly express myself. Therefore I'll try to keep this short and sweet.

I simply adore every aspect of this film ! To be perfectly honest, fantasy romance is not at the top of the genres I usually enjoy, but I found this story to be so incredibly captivating and charming.

The heart and soul of this film is Gene Tierney and her portrayal of Lucy Moir, a freshly widowed young woman, who's desperate to finally claim her own independence. Ultimately she ends up starting a new life in a cottage by the sea with her young daughter and a faithful housekeeper, only to discover that the cottage is haunted by the ghost of a seemingly harsh and frightening sea captain Daniel Gregg. The way Mrs. Muir and Captain Gregg, learn to co-exist and how their relationships evolves over the months spent together is a simply joy to watch. And in my opinion, Gene Tierney was masterful in her performance. It's fascinating to me, how with only 27-years of age, she possessed such dose of elegance and maturity to pull of such demanding role. She truly is one of the most underrated actresses of her generation.

https://68.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxne8eclNl1qd4n74o1_500.gif

Joining Gene as her leading partner was Rex Harrison, who was pretty great himself. I thought that chemistry between him and Gene was amazing. I liked how his character was so reluctant to let Mrs. Muir stay in the cottage, but ultimately decided to do so after he realized how strong-willed and visibly lost Mrs. Muir really is. I guess it was a combination of pity and sympathy that Captain Gregg initially felt towards her, however as the two started to live together he sort of became Mrs. Muir's guardian angel (ghost) who deeply cared and watched out for her. It was like their loneliness blended together and created a love story larger than life. But despite how touching and heartfelt their relationship was their interactions provided some great comedy as well, mainly manifested through contast of Captain Gregg's rough seamen (not sailor, haha) vocabulary and Mrs. Muir's dignified manners. I found it funny how Mrs. Muir was eventually so consumed by Gregg's vocabulary that she started to use some of it herself.

Lastly regarding performances, I'll mention George Sanders, who was effective as a sweet-talking and scoundrel child author and a love interest for Mrs. Muir. Edna Best was also great as Martha. I especially liked how direct her character was with her dislike for Uncle Neddy (child author).

http://68.media.tumblr.com/789fab4a770dd21075b3fcb254d61b6f/tumblr_ncxd3o8sdg1qcgwn4o1_500.gif

One of the aspects, I hold high in regard with this film is its exquisitely delicate musical score by a famed composer Bernard Herrmann. It really set the mood for this fantasy romance and perfectly captured the enchanting atmosphere of the cottage by the sea. Even Herrmann himself stated, he considers his score for "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" his finest work. Another instrumental segment was the location, which perfectly embodied the sense of isolation and romantic atmosphere, which film was trying to create. Despite being set in England, the film was actually shot in California and along the central Pacific coastline.

Also I need to mention the film's ending. It was so beautifully orchestrated and fitting, even though I didn't expect it the first time I saw it, for some reason. Nonetheless it was still very powerful on a rewatch and I even thought it may have served as an inspiration for the ending of Titanic (1997). If I were to nitpick, I'd say that the only thing I didn't really like was that the last exchange between Mrs. Muir and Martha was unpleasant one. I felt bad for Martha, who was visibly upset because of their altercation.

But still I consider this film to be virtually flawless and one of my definite favourites.

edarsenal

06-16-17, 07:24 PM

A very wonderful review, Jeff Costello. Some really great movies in this HoF I am so excited to see. Actually went looking for this one today. We'll see how my luck runs for it. :)

CosmicRunaway

06-16-17, 08:25 PM

Damn it. I knew I should have rewatched The Ghost and Mrs. Muir like I intended to, instead of rewatching Prometheus with my room mate. I don't remember enough about it to read the reviews and discussion about it.

rauldc14

06-16-17, 08:33 PM

The Sea Wolf SPOILERS

https://assets.mubi.com/images/film/32483/image-w1280.jpg?1445878758

The story of a crew and it's ruthless captain, played to a T by Edward Robinson. He is the captain of the ship who picked up two people whom survived a ship collision. I love the atmosphere of the dark story of these characters set at sea. The visuals were pretty good for their time. I thought other than Robinson, the acting was just ok. I really liked Barry Fitzgerald but he plays quite a minor role in the film. How evil is this captain though? He pretty much contributes to someone giving up and risking their life with a blood transfusion and is directly reliable for another getting it's leg bitten off by a shark. He is also responsible for the ending fate of the ship and Van Weydens ending fate. It has a pretty grim ending, but sometimes, it's just great to see how it plays out. He basically takes on the personality of the ship, that the world is in his way and if he goes down they all go down. Had the acting been a tad bit better from a few of the others I would have rated this higher. Films set at sea are always something I have enjoyed.

3+

Camo

06-16-17, 09:11 PM

Really great review Jeff, you put into words alot of the stuff i liked about it which i couldn't be bothered to haha.

This is the only part i disagree with:

I liked how his character was so reluctant to let Mrs. Muir stay in the cottage,

Did this actually happen? Did i miss it? I think my biggest problem was that there was next to no reluctance, he had fell for and started telling her she should stay pretty much right away out of nowhere. There was two argument scenes but that was the extent of their interactions before he apparently wanted her there and it didn't feel earned to me.

edarsenal

06-17-17, 12:49 AM

great lil review, rauldc14. Loved Fitzgerald in this as well.

Comparing the captain's callous indifference to his crew, to the ship was pretty spot on and something I didn't consider when I first saw this.

rauldc14

06-17-17, 01:19 AM

gbgoodies

06-17-17, 01:34 AM

Citizen Rules

06-17-17, 02:09 PM

I just want to apologize for not being more active in this HoF recently. I've had a rough couple of weeks. (Just keeping up with the current song tournament has been hard for me this week.)

But I've been watching the movies, and starting next week, things should be almost back to normal, (hopefully), and I should be able to post about them. (There was only one movie that I didn't like, and it probably won't surprise anyone who knows my taste in movies.) Sorry to hear you've had some rough weeks, hopefully the future will be brighter:)

No big deal on not posting here much, I know you're solid and will finish...Hmmm, only one movie you didn't like. Now I'm curious...I'll have to see if I guess which one it is. I haven't seen them all myself yet, so I'm not sure...

Oh I seen your nom Mr Lucky, loved it....and...remember I accidentally posted your second choice Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040919/) as you nom? Well that DVD came in from the library so I watched that too, I hated it! Kind of surprised that you would like such a dark comedy. But, I bet a lot of people would have liked it.

Nestorio_Miklos

06-17-17, 03:14 PM

Day of Wrath

some spoilers below

We get to watch the family of Rev. Absalon Pederssøn in 17th century of Denmark with protestant reform already established. Absalon is a Lutheran pastor in a small Danish village and beside he is part of the inquisition trials. He saved his second wife's mother from burning at the stake only to marry Anne who didn't love him and married him out of gratitude. We see his second wife Anne, much younger than Absalon who is seemingly meek, humble, obedient but in reality she is very unhappy in marriage and her soul is screaming help. Then Absalon's mother who hates the guts of Anne and she can see her true colours. In the end Martin, Absalon's son, easy to be manipulated and lured into the tragedy.

Anne is enjoying the little moments with her husband's son Martin. She falls in love with him and she is very happy and doesn't want to think about the consequences of her relationship. We can clearly see she is avoiding the issue:

Anne, how will this all end?
Kiss me.

or

Why are you so quiet?
Say something.
Did he know?
What do you mean?
Did he know that you and I...
You told him.
He knew.That's why he called out to me.
I am cold! Keep me warm!
I still hear his voice.
Father. Father.
Are you weeping for him?
Or me?

We observe this tragedy in the shadows of inquisition trial of old woman and her death by burning and the death of an old man that is receiving Anointing of the Sick from Absalon. As if to say how all this situation leads to death and disaster. And indeed, after Anne reveals the bitter truth to her husband he dies right then and there.

I don't think this all was Anne's fault considering the circumstances and how her personality was constituted. Martin was also weak and could stop the disaster however was already too deep in lust and love. Mother was right but her transparent hate towards Anne only accelerated the event. Absolon was too busy with serving church to actually realize something.

I love this film with its truth and relentless look into a human's soul. I will definitely rewatch it and it is a keeper for me. Great nom Thursday Next !

Citizen Rules

06-17-17, 03:20 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31524&stc=1&d=1497721769
I Remember Mama (1948)

I didn't remember mama, ha;)...I didn't remember a thing about this movie. But I did remember that it was a really charming, slice of life film...and like Cricket and Thursday said: it seemed like The Waltons. I loved The Waltons too.

You know it doesn't have any big kick in the groin scenes in it or super dramatized stuff. And even the scenes that could have been played on your heart strings, weren't...like Uncle Chris dying which could have been over dramatized but wasn't, and I love that about this film.

I Remember Mama keeps it all grounded so that you feel like you're actually transported back to the 1900s San Francisco. It does 'world building' perfectly, even the musci score and cinematography fits the style of the film... and that's key to believing what you're seeing.

The entire cast and crew, a total of 178 people took a train to shoot on location in San Francisco. That was basically unheard of in Hollywood at the time, and the cost was very expensive. The effect is we just don't see a few seconds of stock footage from San Francisco, we see the cast on Telegraph hill and on the actually streets of the city. San Francisco becomes part of the movie.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31526&stc=1&d=1497722990

I thought the cast was stand out, especially Irene Dunn (Mama), Ellen Corby (Trinia), Barbara Bel Gedded (Katrin) and Oskar Homolka (Uncle Chris)...all who were nominated for an Academy Awards. I really like Irene Dunn in this as she embodies the frugal, hard working, family dedicated Norwegian woman who's moved to America and has made it her home.

At first I thought Uncle Chris was going to be a silly caricature and too over the top. But I grew to like him and understand him too. And even though he was loud he was believable in his actions.

Don't we all have an uncle like that? I did! A big tall 'black' Irishman with a shock of jet black hair and even a black mustache. He was colorful too! I liked him, but he also kind of scared me as a kid. When I was 12 he said he would teach me to swim. So we go out to this lake and walk to the end of the dock...and he picks me up and throws me into the lake in deep water and says swim! No kidding. He also jumped into the lake so I was in no real danger, and I did indeed learn to swim:eek:

And that seems like something Uncle Chris would do in the movie too, so yeah I think there are uncles like Uncle Chris in the world.

OK that's enough, I hope you guys like the movie:)

Nestorio_Miklos

06-17-17, 03:21 PM

Good write up on Day of Wrath Camo and you too Citizen Rules . I hope your spaghetti was al dente and you had a good dinner :)

Camo

06-17-17, 03:24 PM

I Remember Mama is next for me, think most have already watched it so it'll be interesting to go through the posts.

Nestorio_Miklos

06-17-17, 03:33 PM

what did i just do ?? sorry it's probably because i kept clicking on that multi quote option :D

Jeff Costello

06-17-17, 03:41 PM

Nestorio_Miklos

To quote a certain paragraph or a random sentence, you just have to delete redundant text and leave out the part you want to quote.

Camo

06-17-17, 03:49 PM

what did i just do ?? sorry it's probably because i kept clicking on that multi quote option :D

Who taught you how to use multi-quote out of interest? :D

You, Citizen, Cricket and Thursday have reviewed I Remember Mama.

Camo

06-17-17, 03:51 PM

Nestorio_Miklos

To quote a certain paragraph or a random sentence, you just have to delete redundant text and leave out the part you want to quote.

That's not what happened i don't think. Think he used multi-quote then forgot about it.

Multi-quote stays on until you use it or turn it off, you can go to different threads with the posts you have quoted.

Citizen Rules

06-17-17, 04:01 PM

Did I miss anybodies reviews?

Blix

Camo - 5/12
Day of Wrath (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1711052#post1711052)
Odd Man Out (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1711054#post1711054)
His Girl Friday (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1711078#post1711078)
The Ghost and Mrs Muir (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1717976#post1717976)
Beauty and the Beast (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1719061#post1719061)

Citizen Rules - 8/12
Double Indemnity (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1711099#post1711099)
Body and Soul (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1712155#post1712155)
Day of Wrath (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1713426#post1713426)
His Girl Friday (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1714831#post1714831)
Gentleman Jim (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1715096#post1715096)
Beauty and the Beast (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1718150#post1718150)
The Ghost and Mrs Muir (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1719593#post1719593)
I Remember Mama (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1720423#post1720423)

CosmicRunaway - 5/12
Double Indemnity (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1711462#post1711462)
Body And Soul (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1712488#post1712488)
His Girl Friday (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1713274#post1713274)
Beauty and the Beast (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1716290#post1716290)
Odd Man Out (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1718105#post1718105)

Cricket- 5/12
Double Indemnity (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1712274#post1712274)
His Girl Friday (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1713225#post1713225)
Beauty and the Beast (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1713605#post1713605)
Odd Man Out (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1714062#post1714062)
I Remember Mama (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1717230#post1717230)

Edarsenal - 2/12
Body and Soul (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1712289#post1712289)
His Girl Friday (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1716020#post1716020)

Gbgoodies - 1/12
Body and Soul (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1713463#post1713463)

Jeff Costello - 5/12
Double Indemnity (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1711058#post1711058)
Body and Soul (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1712190#post1712190)
Gentleman Jim (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1714663#post1714663)
Beauty and the Beast (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1717998#post1717998)
The Ghost and Mrs Muir (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1720071#post1720071)

Nestorio_Miklos - 3/12
I Remember Mama (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1716207#post1716207)
Ride The Pink Horse (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1718810#post1718810)
Day of Wrath (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1720422#post1720422)

Raul - 3/12
Beauty and the Beast (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1715113#post1715113)
His Girl Friday (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1719499#post1719499)
The Sea Wolf (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1720117#post1720117)

Silent Vamp

Thursday Next - 6/12
Double Indemnity (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1712061#post1712061)
Beauty and the Beast (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1712064#post1712064)
His Girl Friday (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1712926#post1712926)
Ride the Pink Horse (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1713920#post1713920)
I Remember Mama (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1717084#post1717084)
The Ghost and Mrs Muir (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1718015#post1718015)

Camo

06-17-17, 04:06 PM

[B]Did I miss anybodies reviews?

Not mine. Although, you may as well put 6/12 for me as i doubt i'll rewatch Double Indemnity for this. It's one of my favourite films, i doubt my opinion would change and i remember it well so there's no real reason for me to see it again. If you guys think i should post something about it i will but it would just be stuff everyone else has said, while i love it i don't have any unique insights into it.

Jeff Costello

06-17-17, 04:06 PM

That's not what happened i don't think. Think he used multi-quote then forgot about it.

Multi-quote stays on until you use it or turn it off, you can go to different threads with the posts you have quoted.

Yeah, he'll have to turn off the multi-quote option in order to quote normally again. I just thought he wanted to quote a certain fragment, at first.

Camo

06-17-17, 04:11 PM

Nestorio_Miklos

06-17-17, 04:13 PM

Who taught you how to use multi-quote out of interest? :D

You, Citizen, Cricket and Thursday have reviewed I Remember Mama.
you explained it to me and i think citizen too and some one else .. :D:D:D and i still didn't get it :D

Camo

06-17-17, 04:16 PM

you explained it to me and i think citizen too and some one else .. :D:D:D and i still didn't get it :D

No offence to him, but Citizen completely failed :laugh:

You got what i meant and have used it since then. I just forgot to tell you that it carries on if you don't use it.

Jeff Costello

06-17-17, 04:17 PM

The review count should be corrected for Raul and me. Otherwise, I think all the reviews are in place.

Citizen Rules

06-17-17, 04:24 PM

I think Citizen's early strategy of holding back the nominators seriously got to me. I couldn't for the life of me remember who nominated Double Indemnity and i actually thought of Nesto before telling myself: nah, he nominated something else. Yeah, that hidden nominator thing got me too.

I requested all the DVDs for the noms before the Hof started, why not? So they arrive at my library and I pick them up and I have this big old stack of DVDs next to my TV, which I watch over the next weeks.

I get down to just a couple left and I see one that I can't remember who nominated it? So I think that's because I didn't pay attention who nominated what in the first place.

So I watch it and hated it. I'm thinking, oh damn! now I got to disappoint somebody, I wonder who? Then I check the thread and see the nom wasn't even for this Hof. So I'm scratching my head trying to figure out why I have this DVD... then I realize it was GBGs second choice nom, Unfaithfully Yours, which I had thought was her 1st choice and so requested it...Oh well, at least I can I watched it.

rauldc14

06-17-17, 04:36 PM

Not mine. Although, you may as well put 6/12 for me as i doubt i'll rewatch Double Indemnity for this. It's one of my favourite films, i doubt my opinion would change and i remember it well so there's no real reason for me to see it again. If you guys think i should post something about it i will but it would just be stuff everyone else has said, while i love it i don't have any unique insights into it.

There is a reason to see Double Indemnity again. Because it's fricken great!!!

Nestorio_Miklos

06-17-17, 04:38 PM

rauldc14

06-17-17, 04:42 PM

Probably Odd Man Out for me too, but it won't be until late next week.

CosmicRunaway

06-17-17, 07:21 PM

I finally managed to sit down and rewatch The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. I was laughing so loudly in places that my room mate came and closed the door. :lol:

edarsenal

06-17-17, 08:28 PM

Odd Man Out next for me. At least I think so. I'm rather skeptic about IRA movies, the topic that is so distant and uninteresting for me. There are many movies about IRA and I remember them only to be always heavy, aggressive and negative. So I was always avoiding these and am pretty curious how I will like this one.
Saw this last week, HOPEFULLY will get my review in tonight. Really enjoyed it. This is not a political film, so that aspect won't drag you down.

Citizen Rules

06-17-17, 10:39 PM

https://dancinglady39.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/image121.jpeg?w=510

Mr Lucky (1943)

I'd never seen this before, though I had seen a clip from it in the Warner Home Archives promo that plays every time I get one of their movies on DVD. "Never give a sucker an even break!"...That's the line I've heard from this movie and it aptly described what Mr Lucky aka Cary Grant is all about.

Cary is a Boss Gambler, which means he runs the rackets. Grant is way too cool in this movie. Hell, forget James Bond, Grant did it better and first, right here in this movie. It's part comedy, part drama and a whole lot of fun, thanks to the wonderful cast.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31534&stc=1&d=1497750272

Besides Cary Grant who's always good...Laraine Day was a perfect balance for the film and much more than just another ice cream flavor of the week. I've seen her in a couple of things before and always liked her.

The little old ladies who ran the women's auxiliary for war relief were perfect too and gave a lot of memorable moments. I especially like Gladys George (isn't she in another one of our noms?) and Florence Bates who I've seen many times before. And Charles Bickford is always fun to see, though he doesn't have much screen time.

Mr Lucky pulled me into the film and kept me interested. Thoroughly enjoyed it, Good nom!

cricket

06-17-17, 10:46 PM

I had a busy week but will be watching Ghost and Mrs. Muir next.

Citizen Rules

06-17-17, 10:49 PM

I had a busy week but will be watching Ghost and Mrs. Muir next.Geez, my mind must be wandering, I thought you'd already reviewed it....Will this be a first watch?

edarsenal

06-17-17, 10:51 PM

great review, CR! Sounds like Mr. Lucky is a film I'll fully enjoy - sweet!

cricket

06-17-17, 10:52 PM

Geez, my mind must be wandering, I thought you'd already reviewed it....Will this be a first watch?

I think so, but I'm not certain.

Citizen Rules

06-17-17, 10:54 PM

I think so, but I'm not certain. I know what you mean:p

gbgoodies

06-18-17, 01:25 AM

Sorry to hear you've had some rough weeks, hopefully the future will be brighter:)

No big deal on not posting here much, I know you're solid and will finish...Hmmm, only one movie you didn't like. Now I'm curious...I'll have to see if I guess which one it is. I haven't seen them all myself yet, so I'm not sure...

Oh I seen your nom Mr Lucky, loved it....and...remember I accidentally posted your second choice Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040919/) as you nom? Well that DVD came in from the library so I watched that too, I hated it! Kind of surprised that you would like such a dark comedy. But, I bet a lot of people would have liked it.

Thanks. I've been having some trouble typing because of my finger injury, but I'm doing the best that I can with only 9 working fingers.

I'm glad you liked Mr. Lucky so much, but I'm surprised that you hated Unfaithfully Yours. I didn't expect you to love it, but I didn't think you would hate it either. I actually saw the remake of Unfaithfully Yours before I saw the original, so I pretty much knew a lot about the movie before I saw it. Maybe that skewed my opinion of it, but I think the original is much better than the remake.

CosmicRunaway

06-18-17, 12:51 PM

I've been having some trouble typing because of my finger injury, but I'm doing the best that I can with only 9 working fingers.
Coincidentally, I was just cutting bread and the knife slipped. I sliced the pointer finger on my right hand open pretty badly. I was just googling how to determine if it's deep enough to require stitches. So I know exactly how you feel.

I'm currently typing with just my left hand as I rest my right on the tower with my bandaged finger sticking straight up. So I likely won't get around to writing my Ghost and Mrs. Muir review today. :down:

I haven't used a mouse with my left hand in a few years, but it wouldn't be too bad if the cord was a bit longer. :suspicious:

Citizen Rules

06-18-17, 01:17 PM

Oh my god! Finger injuries galore:eek:...Sounds like Cosmic wins or is that losses? Ouch that sounds painfully:( I'm no expert but I think if a cut won't close and keeps bleeding, then you might need stitches.

GBG, cheer up:) you still have 9 fingers to type with. That should still result in 90% typing efficiency;)

Nah, it's cool, no rush to write reviews or anything. I actually have a finger injury myself. For the last few days my left pinky finger's middle joint has been locking up and it hurts like hell to straighten it:sick:. Though typing doesn't hurt it:)

CosmicRunaway

06-18-17, 01:24 PM

It didn't look like it was going to stop bleeding but I think it might've clotted a bit now. If I put any pressure on the bottom of my finger tip though (the cut is just below the nail), it starts up again. I have a really tight band-aid on now, and it seems mostly fine (except the pain and throbbing sensation), so I don't think it's quite bad enough for stitches, luckily.

If three of us have finger injuries, perhaps this HoF is cursed? :eek:

Citizen Rules

06-18-17, 01:29 PM

CosmicRunaway

06-18-17, 01:48 PM

edarsenal

06-18-17, 01:53 PM

CosmicRunaway

06-18-17, 01:54 PM

I only have hot glue. I don't think it's a good idea to add a burn to the injury as well. :lol:

edarsenal

06-18-17, 01:56 PM

Hang in there!...I once was holding a spring out of the front suspension of a car, and a friend was cutting it with a hacksaw...I wanted to lower the car. Instead he slipped and cut my finger to the bone with a hacksaw. Needlessly to say that hurt. It healed pretty fast but for years after I swear I could predict a storm cold front :p
DAMN!
and I don't have story to top that one, either - rats!
Did slice a small of the tip of my thumb with a razor when I was young. Several stitches and a very hard scar to see. That's the extent of hand related for me.

edarsenal

06-18-17, 01:56 PM

I only have hot glue. I don't think it's a good idea to add a burn to the injury as well. :lol:

no, not really lol

Citizen Rules

06-18-17, 02:00 PM

That sounds horrible! My cut is nothing in comparison to that.

Now that I don't have to keep my finger quite as elevated, I think I can use both hands to type as long as I keep that finger up and use my middle finger to press whatever keys I would normally use that one for. I'm testing that method typing this, and it seems to work pretty well. Definitely need to keep using the mouse with my other hand though. You'll get use to using the mouse in your left hand. You're right handed I take it?

I use to do so much computer photo editing that I developed a tendon problem in my right hand and had to switch the mouse to the left hand. At first it was hard, but now I prefer it that way. I'm right handed and it's much faster for me to have the mouse in my left hand.

my god, I don't know if it's SAFE to join in this conversation. I might walk away and smash a digit somehow :eek: ;)

since I'm a guy, I'll make a Guy Suggestion about the bleeding, Cosmic. "put some super glue on it," :D
Since that was how super glue came to be. Quick triage during, I think, World War II.
Of course, I have NO IDEA how to get the stuff back off once the cut seals up, though lolWow! really, damn I didn't know they used super glue for wounds in WWII, that's wild. I swear I learn something new every day. Ed have you ever super glued a cut?

Nestorio_Miklos

06-18-17, 02:08 PM

my god, I don't know if it's SAFE to join in this conversation. I might walk away and smash a digit somehow :eek: ;)

since I'm a guy, I'll make a Guy Suggestion about the bleeding, Cosmic. "put some super glue on it," :D
Since that was how super glue came to be. Quick triage during, I think, World War II.
Of course, I have NO IDEA how to get the stuff back off once the cut seals up, though lol
No way Ed :D:D:D I don't wanna see no super glue. I once glued all my 10 fingers with some paper, trying to rub off a few drops of it. Then trying to divide them under running water i ripped bits of skin and it didn't look pretty.

CosmicRunaway

06-18-17, 02:11 PM

You'll get use to using the mouse in your left hand. You're right handed I take it?
I'm left-handed (that's how I nearly chopped my right finger off haha). I use a mouse with my right hand, since any game I'd pay with a keyboard and mouse is not designed with left-handed players in mind. Also, all the computers back in school were set up in such a way that you couldn't move the mouse to the other side of the keyboard (the cord was super short), so I originally used my right hand anyway. When I got my own computer I did have a left-handed set-up for awhile, but switched it back due to the aforementioned gaming problem haha.

Nestorio_Miklos

06-18-17, 02:12 PM

Sorry guys for your finger injuries. I hope you are well now and able using them

edarsenal

06-18-17, 02:18 PM

Wow! really, damn I didn't know they used super glue for wounds in WWII, that's wild. I swear I learn something new every day. Ed have you ever super glued a cut?
Forgot where I heard that. But, allegedly, they were looking for a quick way to close up wounds in the field and the end result was the birth of super glue. Or something along that lines. . .
And I have done it in my late teens when I was a factory rat. If I remember right, I simply picked off during the course of the next few weeks. lol
No way Ed :D:D:D I don't wanna see no super glue. I once glued all my 10 fingers with some paper, trying to rub off a few drops of it. Then trying to divide them under running water i ripped bits of skin and it didn't look pretty.
YOUCH!! :eek: That had to suck
I do believe that definitely ties, or possibly beats CR's cut to the bone story.

cricket

06-20-17, 10:17 PM

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

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I might watch this one again. I had a hard time in the beginning buying into the story, and that kept me from becoming completely engaged for over half the movie. I still thoroughly enjoyed it, but my appreciation for it has grown more upon reflection to the point that I now think it's a great movie that could become a personal favorite if I saw it again.

I became interested immediately with Lucy telling her mother-in-law and sister-in-law that she was leaving. What really had me curious here was the reasoning behind the harsh feelings of the sister-in-law. This character reminded me of the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz. Unless I missed it, there never seemed to be a reason given for her apparent disdain or lack of understanding for Lucy's decision. So she moves away, and it seemed a bit cliched with the agent trying to talk her out of the house since he knew it's history. What wasn't cliched was Lucy wanting the house even though she knew it was haunted. This seemed a bit far fetched to me. When Daniel appeared in human form, this was when I started really having a hard time believing in everything. From there it was just the two main wonderful characters and performances that warmed me up and won me over. Just to be clear, I loved Tierney from the start. I mean, I thought she was special in this playing a woman that any man could fall in love with. It actually wasn't until George Sanders came into
the picture that I started to fall in love with the movie as a whole. I find him to be a very charismatic performer, and the unlikely love triangle was a huge plus for me.

This is an incredibly charming movie that is both moving and humorous, and the timing of these characteristics are impeccable. The lead and supporting performances are all exceptional, and it is visually and aurally beautiful. I thought the ending was amazing. My rating reflects this one viewing which started off shaky, but I feel it is better than that.

4+

edarsenal

06-20-17, 11:51 PM

enjoyed the review, (read the first and last paragraph and half of the second about plot, since I haven't seen it yet) but I'll be thinking about the wicked witch when comparing the sister when I do.

Citizen Rules

06-21-17, 12:02 AM

gbgoodies

06-21-17, 12:06 AM

Wicked witch? I thought of the step sister and mother in law as the step sisters from Cinderella. That's what they reminded me of, especially the step sister.

Come to think of it I'd said the same thing about Beauty and the Beast:p Wicked inlaws must be a common theme for this Hof!

When I watched Beauty and the Beast, for a while, I thought I was watching the wrong movie. With the wicked step-sisters and the wicked step-mother, it felt more like Cinderella than Beauty and the Beast.

Citizen Rules

06-21-17, 12:09 AM

When I watched Beauty and the Beast, for a while, I thought I was watching the wrong movie. With the wicked step-sisters and the wicked step-mother, it felt more like Cinderella than Beauty and the Beast. You too! good:p I thought I was the only one.

gbgoodies

06-21-17, 12:19 AM

You too! good:p I thought I was the only one.

I even restarted the movie the first time I watched it to double-check the credits and make sure that it was the right movie. The first part of the movie didn't feel anything like any version of Beauty and the Beast that I've ever seen before.

But it got better as it went along, and I ended up liking the movie a lot. :)

CosmicRunaway

06-21-17, 06:06 AM

I guess the wicked step sister were removed from subsequent adaptations of Beauty and the Beast since they're apparently too common a theme haha.

It's been like, a week now, but I actually do have a bit written for the Ghost and Mrs. Muir. I can type fine in short bursts, but I find my hand cramps up a lot when I try to type too much or too fast. I don't really even have that much to say, but it's still taking a long time to get it out.

Working double shifts like I did yesterday doesn't help give me time to finish it either. :lol:

CosmicRunaway

06-21-17, 07:15 AM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31678

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
Dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring: Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, Edna Best

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir almost effortlessly blends fantasy elements, romance, comedy, and drama without coming across as uneven or directionless. Up until the final act, I found the film to be quite hilarious, and as such I enjoyed the first half of the film quite a bit more than the second, since much of the witty, amusing dialogue is swept aside for a more dramatic conclusion. Because of that change in focus, I would've preferred if there had been a high level of uncertainty throughout the film regarding whether or not the ghost was real. Despite that preference for ambiguity, I was still pleased by the film as it was, and found it highly entertaining.

The banter between Mrs. Muir and the Captain is really what made this film for me. Both characters are incredibly stubborn, with Lucy refusing to be intimated since she finally gets to be her own person after a lifetime of doing what society expected of her. While Daniel is rather crude and headstrong, he does have a weakness that works to Lucy's advantage. The dialogue between Lucy and Miles Fairly is also well written, with Sanders doing a great job infusing the character with charm while he walks a fine line between being suave and overly assertive.

The musical score complements the mood of each scene quite beautifully, and the cinematography is great as well. I particularly liked how the interiors of the cottage were filmed when Lucy first arrives with the real estate agent. There were these shadows that loomed over everything without obscuring the rooms, giving it this sense of loneliness at its core instead of coming across as menacing. I had actually forgotten much about this film, so I'm really glad it was nominated.

Citizen Rules

06-21-17, 01:54 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31688&stc=1&d=1498063263
The Sea Wolf (1941)

I love a good seafaring movie. There's just something about a ship on the sea, that sends the imagination soaring. In a way the ocean is like the vastness of the universe and a sailing ship is adrift in a strange world, where nature and not man commands.

Edward G. Robinson is one of the greats! He's equally at home playing a sadistic power mad sea captain or a more, quiet reflective man, which was closer to his true personality. Eddie makes this movie, he was my favorite by far. He showed a complexity to the Captain that made him much more compelling than had he just been a purely evil man.

I'm not the biggest fan of John Garfield, I think he's limited in his acting range, sometimes he's cast in a film where his abilities can soar, but not here. I found him two-dimensional and the script doesn't help him either, as we never learn why he's so angry!...well except that he's John Garfield and he's always angry!

I didn't really care for Ida Lupino here either. Maybe it's the script but she doesn't add much and her romance with Garfield seemed to come out of the blue. I read that Ida Lupino urged the screen writer to include romance scenes for her with Garfield, perhaps that's why they seem not to fit the movie.

I did like Alexander Knox who looked like Humphrey Bogart, so I was amused when I learned his characters first name was indeed Humphrey. He looked like Boogie but reminded me of Leslie Howard.

But..besides all of this I still liked the movie as it had the great Eddie Robinson and the ship scenes really looked good. I did enjoy it. Thanks Ed!

edarsenal

06-21-17, 04:12 PM

I had a good feeling you'd enjoy The Sea Wolf, Citizen Rules. And yes, Garfield does seem to be angry in anything he plays, doesn't he? LOL
This is becoming my favorite of Robinson's along with Key Largo. He definitely had a lot to work with an such a wider parameter for a character.

Really enjoyed your review of The Ghost and Mrs Muir, CosmicRunaway. All these great reviews of this movie is bringing more and more anticipation to seeing it.

For myself, I STILL haven't written up my review of Odd Man Out - as stated before, a really great film for me. And last night I watched Gentleman Jim and didn't see the final 10 minutes, so I'll have to wrap that up. Another film I really enjoyed.

Jeff Costello

06-21-17, 04:20 PM

edarsenal

06-21-17, 11:29 PM

I'm glad you enjoyed "Gentleman Jim". Superb film!

Will this be your first time seeing "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir"?

Yep, first time!

and yes, Gentleman Jim was fun and charming film. Big fan of Errol Flynn and his swashbuckling films.

Citizen Rules

06-22-17, 11:20 PM

http://www.top10films.co.uk/img/Odd_Man_Out_1947.jpg

Odd Man Out (1947)

I really liked this from the start. I've never seen an older movie set in Ireland about the IRA. Even if they weren't named, we know that's who they are. I loved the care that went into the cinematography. The composition, the angles and the shadows...all of that was top notch.

I'm a big fan of James Mason and I thought the British actor did a pretty good Irish accent too. In fact I really liked him in this movie.

I thought it was interesting how we see the robbery at the start of the film and then it goes wrong...then it's about James Mason who's been wounded trying to get back to a safe place. Each time he thinks he's found safe harbor he's turned out again into the cold, wet night. That reminded me of the Edgar Allen Poe story, The Pit and the Pendulum.

I was really liking this film until the last 40 minutes. Then I got tired of the ever changing situation for Mason. There's only so many situations that you can put him in before it gets old. And by the time they got to the crazy guy with all the birds and the equally crazy artist who only wanted to paint him, I had gotten tired of the film, as then it began to feel farcical. By the time Mason's journey was concluded, the film had lost a lot of it's punch.

edarsenal

06-22-17, 11:54 PM

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Odd Man Out

Where the question of morality is placed upon those whom James Mason meets, far more than the wounded individual himself.

Directed by the same who did The Third Man, the imagery, though not as artistically inspiring as TTM, is quite something to see, all the same. Some truly beautiful and stark imagery which are coupled by the story and all of the secondary actors within this movie.

For me, it was those characters that really peaked and kept my interest. For some odd reason I kept thinking about my #1 favorite; The Great Escape as everyone split up and tried to make it out of a bad situation. I think it may have been the underlying subterfuge as, with each encounter, you REALLY did not know if it was a haven or a pitfall that would engulf, not only Mason, but the others who were with him in the attempted robbery.

I can't, honestly, make a list, since I thoroughly enjoyed them all. From the one aunt that the two men sought out only to be betrayed, to the two older women who come across Mason's character, to the older man with the birds. His little "conversation" with the priest was quite enjoyable.
My favorite, and whom I was waiting for, from the moment I saw his name in the opening credits, was Robert Newton as the brawling artist. And it was excellent to watch him let loose.

And, finally, the ending, I won't spoil it, but will say: I loved it. And will go into more detail as others watch this and talk about it.

edarsenal

06-23-17, 12:19 AM

well, I was gonna tack on the review of Gentleman Jim as well, but, after writing it up, I lost it. . . .:rolleyes: :facepalm:
so it looks like I will be trying again later.

Citizen Rules

06-23-17, 03:02 AM

well, I was gonna tack on the review of Gentleman Jim as well, but, after writing it up, I lost it. . . .:rolleyes: :facepalm:
so it looks like I will be trying again later. Ugh that sucks, I hate it when a review gets lost, right before posting it! If it makes you feel any better;) I was just about done with The Sea Wolf when I added the picture last and somehow lost the entire post:eek: I'm trying to be more careful with saving the review on my clipboard.

Nestorio_Miklos

06-23-17, 01:43 PM

I'm half way thru Odd Man Out and everything is so sluggish including myself. The whole week is 35 Celsius degrees heat and an apparent temperature is 40 (104 F). They keep promising heavy precipitations but nothing. I should post some thoughts on Odd Man Out by this Sunday.

Nestorio_Miklos

06-23-17, 01:46 PM

well, I was gonna tack on the review of Gentleman Jim as well, but, after writing it up, I lost it. . . .:rolleyes: :facepalm:
so it looks like I will be trying again later.
so sorry ed, it happened to me once and since then i always write it in Word first and then just paste it to the thread

edarsenal

06-23-17, 02:47 PM

we have a saying at our house when we lose some artwork/writing, what have you. . . "It's one for the gods." A sacrifice to the Realm of Muse, as it were. And take a moment to vent and try to accept that, that wasn't THE one and The One is a-coming. Hopefully. lol

A 104F, Nestorio?!? UGH! That is hell.
Where I live it is VERY humid, so even when it rains, it doesn't really cool down, it seems makes it muggy.
But, still, 104. . . I'm sweating just THINKING about it lol

rauldc14

06-23-17, 04:24 PM

Body and Soul

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I didn't really care for the film too much to be honest. It seemed long and I didn't care for many of the characters. I thought that John Garfield overall did a good job but I didn't care for his chemistry with Lilli Palmer, who I admittedly didn't care for much at all. I'm actually a pretty big fan of other boxing movies, heck some boxing movies are among my favorite films. But call me crazy, I think the film lacked what is in it's title: soul. I just didn't care for what was going on enough to be too invested in the story. Things that happened should have hit me harder than they did but they didn't for some reason. Even the boxing ending scenes seemed a little too corny of an ending for me. Sorry to be the Debbie downer on this but it's not something I thoroughly enjoyed if I am to be honest about it. Bad? No. But quite Vanilla in a world where Mint Chocolate Chip reigns supreme.

2.5

cricket

06-23-17, 09:31 PM

rauldc14

06-23-17, 10:52 PM

Day of Wrath

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This one really did it for me. I often like dark tales for whatever reason and with the background of this film being about witches and witch trials it was right up my alley. I had seen one film from Dreyer previously in Ordet. I wasn't a huge fan of it but I did like his directing in it. His directing in this is even better and the way he weaved his story is fantastic. He makes us feel as if we are brought back in time and keeps us on our toes with the characters. You feel as if you are a part of this historical period while watching it. I personally thought the pace was fine. I really was impressed by the acting from pretty much everyone, but especially Anne played by Lisbeth Moving and also Herlofs Marte which was played by Anna Svierkier. Marte being accused and then eventually burned was such a good part of the movie. It sounds weird to say as in reality it was brutal but it really set the dark tone for the film. I kind of had a feeling that more witchery would follow and obviously that was the case. One could have felt the bond being weird between Anne and Martin but I grew past it as it was a film made in the 1600s and stuff like this assuredly popped up all the time. How powerful was it that Anne wished death on Absolon and it actually happened. Would it have been more powerful had she not admitted to murdering him? Possibly, but it made the themes of darkness continue. Also, the cinematography was excellent and the use of shadows gave the film a chilling vibe. I don't see how this wouldn't make the 40s list. Very solid nomination from Thursday!

4+

Citizen Rules

06-23-17, 11:11 PM

Day of Wrath

....How powerful was it that Anne wished death on Absolon and it actually happened. Would it have been more powerful had she not admitted to murdering him? Possibly, but it made the themes of darkness continue...

rating_4+ That was one of the most interesting aspects, that Anne seems to believe she is a witch. Which gave the film an adding extra dimension. Glad you liked it, so did I.

rauldc14

06-23-17, 11:28 PM

Citizen have you seen my nomination yet?

Citizen Rules

06-23-17, 11:48 PM

Citizen have you seen my nomination yet? Nope, I'm saving the best for last:) I have one more nom to watch and it's yours...Ride the Pink Horse. I'm looking forward to it.

rauldc14

06-23-17, 11:51 PM

Had you in mind when I nominated it. I think you will dig it.

Citizen Rules

06-23-17, 11:53 PM

I dig most noirs, so I'm excited. Even the small budget noirs have their own kind of charm. You know I've never heard of it either, so this will be a first watch. I'll probably catch it within a week.

gbgoodies

06-24-17, 01:02 AM

I'm going to try to post some thoughts on these movies, but these will probably be very short write-ups.

I Remember Mama (1948)

This is a nice movie, but maybe a bit too sweet. I like the way every member of the family sacrifices something to help the other members of the family, and maybe families were like that back then, but nowadays, I don't think many families would do that anymore, so it didn't feel very realistic to me. That didn't affect my enjoyment of the movie, but it was just something that I thought about each time someone sacrificed something they really wanted.

Another thing that wasn't very realistic was the way every bad thing that happened to them was so easily turned around into a good thing.

When the cat was so sick that they had to euthanize it, somehow it miraculously survives. When their boarder leaves, and his check is worthless, Mama says that his gift of literature was enough that it's okay that he didn't pay. When Uncle Chris dies and leaves them no money, it turns out that he was donating it to charity. It's just so much that it's too sweet.

On the plus side, the acting was excellent. Irene Dunne was amazing, and I don't think there was a bad, or even mediocre performance by anyone. Also, I don't always like narration in movies, but it worked well in this movie. And I loved the ending.

gbgoodies

06-24-17, 01:26 AM

His Girl Friday (1940)

I've seen three versions of this movie, (this movie, and both the 1931 and 1974 versions of The Front Page), and this is easily my favorite version of the three. The biggest difference between the three versions is that in this version Hildy is a woman, and that makes the movie much better because it adds another level to the relationship between Hildy and Walter.

This is a fast-paced movie, and if you turn away for just a second, you could miss something. Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell play off each other wonderfully, and while I love Cary Grant, I think Rosalind Russell easily steals the movie. She's brilliant in this, and she holds her own in a cast of almost entirely men, and outshines all of them.

The only thing that bugged me a little bit was that the murderer Earl Williams seemed like such a quiet, almost shy, person the first time we meet him, so it seemed kind of out of character for him to even try to escape, and unlikely that he would have gotten away with it.

The dialogue is terrific, and there were a couple of lines, (both spoken by Cary Grant), that were very clever, if you're paying attention.

When the mayor tells Walter that he's done, and he's going to jail, Grant replies "Listen, the last man that said that to me was Archie Leach, just a week before he cut his throat." (For those of you who don't know, Cary Grant's real name was Archibald Leach.)

When Walter is describing Hildy's fiancé, he says "He looks like that fellow in the movies, Ralph Bellamy." (Bruce was played by Ralph Bellamy in this movie.)

The ending was a bit predictable, but it works anyway. Great movie. :)

gbgoodies

06-24-17, 01:46 AM

Double Indemnity (1944)

I've seen this movie several times before, and it's a great movie with a terrific cast, but it has a couple of minor issues that seem to bug me every time I watch the movie.

I still don't find it believable that Walter Neff falls in love with Phyllis so quickly. He pretty much just met her, and he's already willing to help her kill her husband? I would have liked to see a little bit more of them together before they start plotting his murder. (I think we discussed this at length in the first Noir HoF.)

And when they use a signal when Neff was hiding in the car, why would they use three horn honks that would just risk drawing attention to the car, when they could have just as easily used something quieter instead?

These minor issues don't really take much away from the movie, but I just thought they should have been done better. But this is still one of the best noir movies.

gbgoodies

06-24-17, 01:59 AM

Odd Man Out (1947)

This movie was okay, but I never really got into it enough to really care what happened to Johnny, (James Mason), or any of the other characters. It was interesting to watch how different people reacted to him when they found out who he was, and realized that he was a fugitive, but it seemed to drag on a bit, and I kind of got bored with it after a while.

I wasn't really surprised by the way it ended, but I wouldn't have predicted that ending either.

gbgoodies

06-24-17, 02:12 AM

Gentleman Jim (1942)

This was another movie that was just okay for me, but probably because I don't like boxing, so it never really held my interest. The other boxing movie in this HoF, (Body and Soul) seemed to be more about the characters than boxing itself, while this movie seemed to be more about boxing, and the way Corbett (Errol Flynn) changed the sport for the better.

I know that I haven't seen enough of Errol Flynn's movies, but from what I've seen, I prefer his swashbuckling movies to this movie. And I like Jack Carson, but I prefer most of his other movies that I've seen.

I didn't dislike this movie, but it just isn't my type of movie. And it's not just because it's about boxing, because I love the 1979 movie The Champ, but this movie just focuses too much on the boxing and not enough about the characters. I'm sure that boxing fans will get a lot more out of this movie than I did.

gbgoodies

06-24-17, 02:29 AM

Beauty and the Beast (1946)

I've heard a lot of good things about this movie, so even though it's subtitled, I was still looking forward to seeing it. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, but I still prefer the 1991 animated movie.

At first, I thought I was watching the wrong movie because the mean step-sisters and step-mother made me think I was actually watching Cinderella, but after I restarted the movie and double-checked the credits, I knew that it was the right movie, even though it didn't feel like it.

Overall, the story was great, but again, there were some little things that bothered me. When they said that Belle was going to take her father's place in the Beast's castle, they made it sound like she was going there to die. Inside the castle, the hands holding candles and stuff was kind of creepy. I thought the idea that the horse knew where to go just by saying some magic words to it was kind of corny. And Belle falling in love with the Beast seemed to come out of nowhere. I would have liked to see a bit more of their romance to make it more believable.

I kind of have mixed feelings about the ending. Obviously Belle and the Beast were going to end up together, with him transformed back into a prince, but I didn't really like that someone else had to take his place for that to happen.

gbgoodies

06-24-17, 02:46 AM

The Ghost and Mrs Muir (1947)

I love this movie, so I was thrilled to see it was nominated in this HoF. (It was on my shortlist of movies that I was considering nominating.) Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison were terrific in this movie.

The cottage and the scenery were beautiful, and it's easy to see why Lucy was so stubborn about wanting to live there. I love the way she stood up against the realtor who doesn't even want to show it to her. I love Rex Harrison as Captain Gregg. He's just the right blend of mean to the people he wants to get rid of, and nice to those he allows to stay. (Although it kind of bugs me that we can see his shadow throughout the movie.) And somehow, no matter how many times I watch this movie, I always seem to forget that Natalie Wood plays young Anna, but the minute I hear her voice, I always recognize it immediately.

As much as I love this movie, even this movie has a minor issue that bugs me. In most movies that feature intelligent ghosts, (not horror movie type of ghosts), the ghost usually knows things that the people in the movie don't know, so it bugs me that Captain Gregg didn't know that Miles Fairley was married. If he did, I don't think he would have left Lucy, and she wouldn't have led such a lonely life.

But having said that, this is a wonderful movie, and I love the ending, when Anna comes back as an adult, and she and her mother talk about her childhood days.

gbgoodies

06-24-17, 02:54 AM

Day of Wrath (1943)

This was probably my least favorite movie in this HoF, (although that probably won't surprise anyone who knows my taste in movies). I think I would have enjoyed it more if they left out the part about the witches, and just focused on the romance, (or lack of romance), between Anne, the pastor, and his son.

The witches part of the movie made the ending too predictable. I realize that Anne's mother being a witch who was saved by the pastor was the reason that she was with him, but I think I would have liked the movie more if they found a different reason for her to be with him. It just made the movie feel too religious or preachy for me.

gbgoodies

06-24-17, 03:07 AM

Ride the Pink Horse (1947)

This was an interesting movie, but not really my type of movie. I thought it was kind of strange that the young girl, Pila, was hanging out with Gagin. It was just an odd relationship, but I guess it worked in the movie because we can easily see the change in her character from the beginning of the movie to the end of the movie.

I liked the FBI agent Retz. He seemed to know everything that was going on, but I was surprised that he seemed to work alone. There were times when it would have made more sense if he had some backup. I also like Pancho, but the scene when he gets beat up by the carousel with all the kids watching was very tough to watch.

I liked the ending, but it wasn't what I expected, (or maybe because it wasn't what I expected.)

rauldc14

06-24-17, 03:17 AM

Disappointed in some of those reviews :(

gbgoodies

06-24-17, 03:19 AM

The Sea Wolf (1941)

This was another interesting movie, but I think it might have been better without the romance between Ruth and George. I didn't think Ida Lupino and John Garfield had much chemistry together, so the romance part didn't work for me. I'm not sure, but it might have worked better if the romance was between Ruth and Humphrey, because they seemed to have much better chemistry together.

Edward G. Robinson was great as Wolf Larsen. He seemed to be just the right blend of sadistic and crazy, and he just got better and better as the movie went on.

gbgoodies

06-24-17, 03:22 AM

Disappointed in some of those reviews :(

Sorry, but some of these movies just aren't my type of movies. They're not bad movies, and I didn't really dislike any of them. They're just not the type of movies that I would normally go out of my way to watch.

When you (eventually) see my list for the 1940's countdown, (which I haven't even started yet), I'm sure it will be filled with mostly romance and musicals.

gbgoodies

06-24-17, 03:26 AM

I think that's all the movies except my own nom. I'll try to post about that soon, but my finger can't take any more typing tonight.

Citizen Rules

06-24-17, 03:30 AM

gbgoodies, I think I see a trend in your reviews...if you don't like the film it's unbelievable, if you like it it's believable:shrug:

Thanks for posting those. I will add them to the 1st post tomorrow as it's bedtime for me:p

gbgoodies

06-24-17, 03:45 AM

CosmicRunaway

06-24-17, 06:22 AM

Wow GBG, you really flew through those films. Were you just waiting to post your reviews together, or did you have a giant marathon?

I haven't watched anything else since my last update. It's been a busy, stressful week. I should be able to watch The Sea Wolf sometime today or tomorrow though. Hopefully it doesn't take nearly a week to get my review up like it did for The Ghost and Mrs. Muir haha.

rauldc14

06-24-17, 07:15 AM

Odd Man Out will be next. There's a chance it will be not until next week though.

cricket

06-24-17, 09:56 AM

The Sea Wolf

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ee/83/6f/ee836f84e14f6e14af1cc77dc48fe091.jpg

Although I can't think of any I'm a big fan of, I love the idea of movies set at sea. This movie starts out nicely as we quickly get aboard The Ghost, with an air of mystery already created. We meet the character played by John Garfield early. He is an actor I like a lot, and while he had some great lines, I didn't think he had a lot to work with overall. As soon as Edward G. Robinson enters the film, it is clear that this is his movie, and I'm still yet to be disappointed by one of his performances. If anybody came close to matching Robinson, it was Alexander Knox, an actor I wasn't previously familiar with. A couple of the other characters on the ship were effective as well. I could have done without Ida Lupino's character altogether, and instead had the movie's sole focus be on the struggles between the men. I did appreciate that the romance wasn't a bigger part of the movie, and that they didn't go for more of an action type of film. I could have done without the captain's headache problem which seemed to me like a lazy add on. I enjoyed the movie and thought it was pretty solid. I didn't think it reached it's full potential given the setting and variety of characters. I really think the girl held it back a little.

3+

edarsenal

06-24-17, 12:40 PM

quite the marathon of reviews, gbg! Did not catch the fact that, in His Girl Friday that Grant's real name was Archibald Leach though I did catch the one about how the fiance looked like Bellamy. Rather liked that bit.

and I thought you'd enjoy Edward G Robinson in Sea Wolf, cricket. I could have done without the romance as well.

SilentVamp

06-24-17, 01:37 PM

I Remember Mama (1948)

I like the way every member of the family sacrifices something to help the other members of the family, and maybe families were like that back then, but nowadays, I don't think many families would do that anymore, so it didn't feel very realistic to me.
I like to see that sort of thing. And whether or not it would've been realistic in that era to be that sort of family, I don't know for sure. All I know is, I don't have a family even slightly like that now. It gets hard to be a part of such a truly selfish group of people. It really does. It is almost unreal, to be honest. So I think that maybe that is why I don't mind seeing families portrayed this way. It is nice to see people actually like each other enough to sacrifice and help each other out. It is nice, for me, to think that are people like that in the world. If not now, at least in the past.

Beauty and the Beast (1946)

I kind of have mixed feelings about the ending. Obviously Belle and the Beast were going to end up together, with him transformed back into a prince, but I didn't really like that someone else had to take his place for that to happen.
You're talking about the fact that he transformed into Avenant rather his own person, right? I have to agree with this. I'd forgotten that part of the movie when I saw it before. Even in the original story - and this is very much like that story - he doesn't transform into another person. While I fully comprehended why they turned Avenant into a beast, I didn't think they should've turned the Beast into Avenant. Of course, it wasn't the man himself, but it LOOKED like him. I didn't think that helped the whole point of that part of the story - loving beyond appearances.

Did not catch the fact that, in His Girl Friday that Grant's real name was Archibald Leach though I did catch the one about how the fiance looked like Bellamy. Rather liked that bit.
I haven't seen this in years, but I remember the Archie Leach comment. I don't know if I remember the Ralph Bellamy one. I will have to pay extra attention when I watch it, which I should be doing this weekend.

I could have done without the romance as well.
I could do without the romance in most movies (i.e. Dances With Wolves :rolleyes:). I often think that if they don't directly pertain to the story, then why are they wasting the time with them? Of course, I shouldn't be commenting. I haven't watched The Sea Wolf yet. :)

I will have all of the movies watched by the end of this weekend except for two of them, but they will be on TV at the beginning of July. Then I will write something about each of them after I have seen them all.

edarsenal

06-24-17, 09:07 PM

I could do without the romance in most movies (i.e. Dances With Wolves :rolleyes:). I often think that if they don't directly pertain to the story, then why are they wasting the time with them? Of course, I shouldn't be commenting. I haven't watched The Sea Wolf yet. :).
I have a pretty good feeling you'll be sticking with this feeling. ;)

edarsenal

06-24-17, 09:50 PM

http://p7.storage.canalblog.com/79/30/110219/10760148.jpg

Gentleman Jim

"The Corbetts are at it, again!"

Being a fan of Errol Flynn, particularly for his many swashbuckling roles (the man IS Robin Hood) it was rather fun to see him in this movie about a forgotten legendary boxer. And it seems to be, he was quite ideal for the role. Definitely for playing a suave/cocky pugilist with concerns about his hair and his tie. I enjoyed the combative relationship he had with his costar, quite a lot.

For me, there were even more enjoyable scenes by the secondary actors. Jack Carson does as Jack Carson does and he did it very well in this.
The stand out for me, or perhaps its the scene itself, was with Alan Hale Sr as the boisterous father of the Corbett clan. Near the very end, in the athletic club, sharing an argument with his wife, there is a tender pause when she tells him his tie is crooked and he tells her, "thank you, dear," before jumping back into the argument. It's just a wonderful married couple moment that I carried away from the film. That and the clever balancing of a bottle in the nook of his arm, to refill his glass. The whole thing just made me smile.

This was a charming film and it seemed that EVERYONE, deep down had a good heart. Hell, even when bets were lost, people lined up to pay their debts. Extraordinary! lol
Another great example is John L Sullivan. For all his boasting, the man WAS, very much, a gentleman.

I think the only complaint, and its very minimal, is that the boxing seemed more staged, then executed. And they did seem to focus far more on Jim's footwork. Made me wonder if that type of footwork was a trademark or perhaps something new that Jim Corbett brought to the ring. My limited research didn't seem to find anything on it.

Regardless, I was VERY happy to watch this and have added it to the movies of Errol Flynn I truly enjoy.
Thank you, so much, blix, for nominating it!!

Citizen Rules

06-24-17, 09:54 PM

edarsenal Glad you liked Gentleman Jim, it seems to be doing pretty well. But now I hope Blix completes the Hof. So far he hasn't posted any reviews.

edarsenal

06-24-17, 10:38 PM

well, he seems to be doing pretty good in the 13th, so, fingers crossed, he should still be in

Nestorio_Miklos

06-25-17, 06:55 AM

Odd Man Out

spoilers below

I was very skeptic before watching this movie. I thought it is yet another heavy IRA political drama movie. But I was pleasantly surprised after actually watching it. I started to watch it 5 times thinking dividing movie to more parts then ending up watching it all on one sitting. Odd Man Out was beautifully odd movie. I felt like buying a trip to Belfast through some extreme adrenaline travel agency offering underground sightseeing. I mean all those weird characters throughout the movie. It all started with an armed robbery performed by IRA members. Johnny McQueen is the leader but becoming soft probably thinking to settle up and have a family with Kathleen. Even IRA needs funds to support their political ambitions so the mill packed with money comes handy. However the robbery fails and Johnny's men escaping are forced to leave Johnny behind.

And suddenly Johnny's companions are not that important any more and we need to get rid of them. What to do? Let's Theresa O'Brien take care of the business. Why not to call police and kill the characters. We don't need those clowns because we need to continue the sightseeing of bizarre characters of Belfast. We need to give the space to Lukey, Shell, Father Tom or to these little brats mob. And they keep entering the screen out of the blue. Shell is strange fella with birds and coded language. Lukey is washed up painter willing to do anything to paint perfect pair of eyes for St. Francis of Assisi dying. At least I think it was him. He even put agonized Johnny to his chair only to quickly paint those eyes facing death. That was hilarious. And Father Tom knows them all and sets up for mission to save Johnny's soul. Meantime Kathleen arranged a perfect plan for escape that goes awry. There's also so many characters that trying to fix Johnny's wound but succeeded little. Basically it all end up as if the whole IRA organization extincted and the summer holiday was over. Back to airport and go home. Sightseeing is over, nothing else to see.

Honestly, I found this movie interesting and never seen a similar movie before. All that dreamlike journey to human soul with dark streets, rain, ugly buildings give the movie this odd feel. I don't know where did you find this movie @Camo (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=75103) but if not you I would never see it and that would be pity.👍:)

Nestorio_Miklos

06-25-17, 07:13 AM

Reading your Odd Man Out reviews looks like most of you didn't like when the story takes completely different direction and those strange characters keeps arriving on the screen. For me it was opposite. I liked how a simple robbery interacts with lives of different people and their reactions. Without it this movie would be just another average thriller that nobody would watch. Very unusual and interesting movie.

edarsenal

06-25-17, 12:51 PM

i was of the same feeling, Nestorio_Miklos. The interactions as they, then he, dealt with, and even more so, how those he came into contact, acted, set the movie apart.
I had remarked that it set me in mind of my #1 favorite movie; The Great Escape, in that aspect.

I was a very young man I would focus on the leading characters and never paid the rest of any given cast much mind - unless its a mystery movie and then EVERYONE IS SUSPECT.
But, over the years, and more recently with classic movies I have really spent more time on those sharing the screen, and Odd Man Out of not only creating so many great secondary characters, but delving into them so much more than usual.

Citizen Rules

06-25-17, 01:21 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31872&stc=1&d=1498405946
Ride the Pink Horse (1947)

What a uniquely different noir this is! I don't even know how to describe this? It's one of a kind, that's for sure. I do know I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish.

It works quite well as a mystery, but it's not the more usual who-done-it mystery...The mystery is, why the characters are so enigmatic. I've never seen characters like this before and that was refreshing.

Gagin (Robert Montgomery) seem to be in another world. Is Gagin a tough ex G.I on a mission of revenge? Or was he shell shocked from the war? He's a mystery...the walking wounded.

Pila (Wanda Hendrix) was a complete mystery to me. Her behavior was so odd that we're left wondering if she is mentally slow or what? She too was very ambiguous and that made her character fascinating.

I love the dialog in this, it's so clever and so odd. This was one of my favorite scenes, when Gagin tells Pila goodbye for the first time.

Gagin: Why do you have to look like that?
Pila: Like what?
Gagin: Like you come out of a sideshow.
Pila: What's a sideshow?
Gagin: Place where they keep freaks.
Pila: I look like a freak?
Gagin: You look like zip-what-is-it?
Pila: Why do I look like that?
Gagin: Well, I don't know. Maybe it's the dress.
Pila: This is my granmother's dress. She gave it to me when
I come to the fiesta. I never had a dress so nice as this.
Gagin: Well, it might be all right if you took some of them spangles off.
Pila: I take them off.
Gagin: You might also comb your hair.
Pila: My hair? Is not right?
Gagin: All right for mice to sleep in. Here go get yourself a permanent wave or something.
Pila: No, I can't take the money.
Gagin: Why not?
Pila: Is too much.
Gagin: You can count, that's something, huh? Go on, take it, make
yourself look human.
Pila: You like me if I look human?

Hot damn! I actually laughed out loud at that. I mean that in a good way too. It just struck me as odd and yet so natural for them to say that it to each other.

Robert Montgomery not only stars but directed and he does one helluva job here. The movie flows seamlessly and never seems formulatic. The scene where Pancho is beaten by two thugs is shows Montgomery's skill as a director.

Instead of going with close ups, we see the beating from the viewpoint of the children who are on the carousel. We see their little faces turn to horror as they watch the helpless Pancho be brutally beaten...then the carousel stops and they run screaming away. Brilliant.

The ending of the movie was something I never expected and I'm so glad it wasn't the typical Hollywood ending, instead like the characters the film ended on a enigmatic note.

A fine film, thanks Raul for nominating it.

rauldc14

06-25-17, 01:29 PM

Thought you would love it, and I'm glad you did!

Citizen Rules

06-25-17, 01:39 PM

Thought you would love it, and I'm glad you did! Very cool nom, I'm glad I saved it tell last.

Oh, I just added this paragraph to my review, I don't know if you seen it:
The ending of the movie was something I never expected and I'm so glad it wasn't the typical Hollywood ending, instead like the characters the film ended on a enigmatic note.

I could have wrote a ton more about it. I didn't even say how much I liked Hugo (the bad guy) who actually seemed the most down to earth of all the characters. I thought he added a lot to the movie. Loved the idea of the hearing aid device and the loud tie too.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31873&stc=1&d=1498408517

Oh and the femme fatale was nicely done by Andrea King. Damn she looked pretty hot too. Loved the BIG shoulder pads, ha.

https://filmnoirreport.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/andreaking.jpg?w=432&h=421

And Pancho (Thomas Gomez) was the first Latino actor to receive a nomination for his role here. He was really good too.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/reviews/290/full/1425951010_1.jpg

rauldc14

06-25-17, 01:41 PM

Ah, the acting quite surprised me. I know a lot of people didn't like Pila, but I enjoyed her in it too.

Citizen Rules

06-25-17, 01:47 PM

Pila was like the best part...Did you notice she kind of looked like a young Gene Tierney?

http://st-listas.20minutos.es/images/2016-09/414519/5044711_249px.jpg?1473262934
Wanda Hendrix

gbgoodies

06-26-17, 02:44 AM

Wow GBG, you really flew through those films. Were you just waiting to post your reviews together, or did you have a giant marathon?

I started watching the movies a few days after this HoF started, and I just kept watching a few movies every day until I finished all of them. I would have posted about them earlier, (as I watched them), but I wasn't able to at the time.

Whenever I join a HoF, I usually try to watch all the noms as soon as possible so I can read the reviews as they're posted without worrying about spoilers. I don't always write about them right away, and I usually rewatch any movies that were first time watches again before I submit my list.

You're talking about the fact that he transformed into Avenant rather his own person, right? I have to agree with this. I'd forgotten that part of the movie when I saw it before. Even in the original story - and this is very much like that story - he doesn't transform into another person. While I fully comprehended why they turned Avenant into a beast, I didn't think they should've turned the Beast into Avenant. Of course, it wasn't the man himself, but it LOOKED like him. I didn't think that helped the whole point of that part of the story - loving beyond appearances.

Yes, I'm talking about the transformation, but not just the Beast turning into a prince who looks like Avenant, but also that Avenant was transformed into a beast too. The Beast should have turned into whoever he was before his original transformation, not into Avenant, and his transformation should have been able to happen based solely on what happened between Belle and the Beast, without Avenant having to also go through his own transformation. It makes it seem like the Beast's transformation into a prince couldn't happen just based on what happened between him and Belle, and if Avenant hadn't done something wrong to be transformed into a Beast, then the Beast would have died. (Does that make sense?)

gbgoodies

06-26-17, 02:58 AM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31872&stc=1&d=1498405946
Ride the Pink Horse (1947)

Pila (Wanda Hendrix) was a complete mystery to me. Her behavior was so odd that we're left wondering if she is mentally slow or what? She too was very ambiguous and that made her character fascinating.

I never got the feeling that Pila was mentally slow. I thought she was more of a young social outcast, but I liked how her character came out of her shell at the end of the movie when we see her talking with the other girls her age.

Thursday Next

06-26-17, 06:53 AM

Odd Man Out

http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/sites/default/files/styles/slideshow_-_non-scaled_full_width/public/odd-man-out-320.jpg?itok=Lfnt9Ewy

Liked this one.

Excellent black and white cinematography, all kinds of light and shadow, looks really good - especially the snow towards the end.

Fascinating how he gets weaker and weaker while the supporting characters come out of the woodwork and start becoming a bigger part of the film and exercising their strength over him, on his last journey into night

Interesting the different characters and their points of view. I was a bit dubious about the concept of the film when I read about it, I thought it would be difficult to muster up any sympathy for the IRA characters. But it’s not really about the rights or wrongs of the IRA, or even the murder, it’s about how people use this situation of the man on the run to their own advantage, or attempt to wash their hands of it. The priest wondering if there might be a little mercy, the man willing to sell him to the highest bidder, the cabbie, the publican, the would-be doctor.

The artist - a strange exaggerated performance, but it made me think of the film itself, which is more about the artistic value rather than taking a moral position.

On the surface it might be more like The Third Man than Oliver perhaps, but I think there were shades of Fagin, Sykes and Nancy in some of these characters.

Only didn’t like the bit towards the end when he quotes from the bible and there’s all the swelling music, that seemed a little heavy-handed, also Johnny’s reunion with Kathleen, likewise afflicted by swelling music. I also felt it was a little bit longer than it really needed to be.

Thursday Next

06-26-17, 09:02 AM

Day of Wrath

http://www.classicartfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Day-of-Wrath-3.jpg

Right from the start the ominous music and the shadow of the cross in the background set the tone for the movie. The look on the face of the old woman at the start as you can start to hear the people chanting for death outside gave me chills.

The starkness of the black and white perfectly illuminate the starkness of the climate these people live in, but it illuminates the beauty too, of Anne (the light seems to follow her), of the moments of light in her growing love for Martin. Scenes are beautifully framed, and the slow pace allows time to appreciate them. The shadows are incredibly effective and it looks really clear.

It doesn’t shy away from the cruelty and suffering caused by the witch hunts with the haunting off-screen screams of Herlof’s Marte at her arrest cutting through the quiet stillness. We don’t see her torture in any graphic detail but the suggestion is enough, the winding of the rack - we see her hunched over and topless at her interrogation and it is shocking to see an old woman treated this way.

This is a film about religious intolerance and abuse of power (Absalon does have the power to save people from the stake as he did Anne’s mother, but he won’t). It’s about suspicion and life in a suspicious climate - one denunciation, of jealousy or revenge, is enough to condemn a person to death. In some ways it’s also a film about the powerlessness of women in this male-controlled society, but one of the people who wields the most power and cruelty is Anne’s mother in law. It’s this idea of complicity that makes it really interesting. Martin, too, a good man who cannot stand to watch Herlof’s Marte burn, eventually turns and believes that Anne has ‘bewitched’ him, lays the blame on her for his father’s death and joins his grandmother in accusing her. But the most powerful thing about it for me is that this is so pervasive that Anne, guilty over her actions, actually comes to believe that she is a witch, that’s how deeply the idea of witchcraft has taken hold of this community.

There’s a lighter side to contrast with the witch hunt, Anne’s romance with Martin, although it’s clear from the start that this can’t end happily and the hopelessness of the forbidden romance adds a layer of tension. Right from the start when he wants to trick his father by hiding and gets her to help, you can see a sense of joy which they share but is missing from those around them. There are small moments of foreshadowing - like Absalon asking Martin to give his ‘mother’ a kiss. With the love story we get to see a contrast in scenery - outside in the sun in the fields, on the water as opposed to the dungeons in which Herlof’s Marte is tortured or the austere, loveless house in which Absalon and his mother live. Anne asking Absalon to hold her and him pushing her away is a kind of turning point - it’s also the time she starts imagining what it would be like to have the power to call the living and the dead as she believes her mother had. She starts to believe that she can have power and be happy, and in the environment she lives in that is a dangerous thing. Her sins of passion and witchcraft, real or imagined, are inextricably linked.

https://39escalones.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/vredens_dag2_1.jpg

Particularly haunting moments include Anne watching Herlof’s Marte being dragged to the pyre from a window then when Martin finds her crying. The time that Anne laughs and Absalon says it is the first time he has heard her laugh. Martin kissing Anne’s hands in the boat. Anne and Martin outside after Absalon’s death.

The end is almost thriller-like in its tension. There’s a certain amount of ambiguity. You could see it as a twist ending in which Anne was a witch all along. I think that she probably believes she has powers from the time when Absalon tells her about her mother, and she calls Martin to her, although I think her belief in thse powers is uncertain. I don’t think that she suddenly confesses due to being faced with taking an oath over Absalon’s body, she’s already been asked to do that by Martin. I think it’s more the shock of his betrayal and knowing that not only can she not win, but has nothing left to lose, she gives in.

The use of sound is great - the singing of ‘Day of Wrath’ - children practising to sing at a burning! - is haunting and terrible, and the chanting of the villagers and Anne’s singing to herself which arouses her mother-in-law’s suspicion and becomes a small act of defiance. The howling of the wind, too, while Absalon is out visiting the dying man, is ominous and adds to the idea of witchcraft.

In some ways I think this film has a timeless quality - I wouldn’t necessarily guess it was made in 1943 if I didn’t know - but it’s also interesting to see it in terms of the time it was made, with Denmark under Nazi occupation.

Altogether I just think this is a really, really great film. It’s bleak and chilling but I love it.

Citizen Rules

06-26-17, 02:30 PM

Two excellent reviews Thursday. That's one helluva fine analysis of Day of Wrath.

Day of Wrath
Right from the start the ominous music and the shadow of the cross in the background set the tone for the movie. The look on the face of the old woman at the start as you can start to hear the people chanting for death outside gave me chills.The opening scene is so ominous that I scarcely breathed. And the chanting as they burn her, damn powerful stuff. I don't even want to think of the realities of the witch burnings. How people could do that to other people is beyond me...and yet they did.

It doesn’t shy away from the cruelty and suffering caused by the witch hunts with the haunting off-screen screams of Herlof’s Marte at her arrest cutting through the quiet stillness. We don’t see her torture in any graphic detail but the suggestion is enough, the winding of the rack - we see her hunched over and topless at her interrogation and it is shocking to see an old woman treated this way. So true, we don't see the actual torture but we see more than enough for our own minds to fill in the details. The mind can make much more horrific images than any movie ever can. That scene was done to perfection.

The use of sound is great - the singing of ‘Day of Wrath’ - children practising to sing at a burning! - is haunting and terrible. Like you said, such a great use of sound (effects, score and song) to convey the emotions of the scene. The kids singing at the burning...that was powerful!

The end is almost thriller-like in its tension. There’s a certain amount of ambiguity. So many movies, IMO have a great start but a weaker ending. Day of Wrath starts strong and ends on a very though provoking note. It's an intelligent and well written ending. Heck it's an intelligent and well written movie!

I hope Day of Wrath makes the Top 40s Countdown. Enjoyed your review and your nom too:)

edarsenal

06-26-17, 03:48 PM

Odd Man Out

http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/sites/default/files/styles/slideshow_-_non-scaled_full_width/public/odd-man-out-320.jpg?itok=Lfnt9Ewy

On the surface it might be more like The Third Man than Oliver perhaps, but I think there were shades of Fagin, Sykes and Nancy in some of these characters.
I was seeing a little bit of the more streetwise characters in Oliver! myself. Wasn't too sure if I was reading too much into it or not.
Kinda cool I wasn't the only one.

Gonna hold off reading the majority of your review of Days of Wrath until I see it, but rather enjoyed the first descriptive paragraph of the opening to the movie.

edarsenal

06-26-17, 09:41 PM

Didn't have the time, but really enjoyed your review for Ride the Pink Horse, Citizen Rules
Sounds like one I'm definitely going to enjoy!!

And yes, Hendicks DOES look like a young Teirney

Citizen Rules

06-26-17, 10:22 PM

Didn't have the time, but really enjoyed your review for Ride the Pink Horse, @Citizen Rules (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=84637)
Sounds like one I'm definitely going to enjoy!!

And yes, Hendicks DOES look like a young Teirney edarsenal have you seen Ride the Pink Horse yet?

cricket

06-26-17, 10:30 PM

Thank you to Mark for originally pointing it out, and I'm just reminding everyone that Mr. Lucky is on TCM this coming Saturday night.

Citizen Rules

06-26-17, 10:41 PM

If I only had TCM, do you guys who do have TCM save the movies until later? Or do you have to watch them as they play?

cricket

06-26-17, 10:46 PM

If I only had TCM, do you guys who do have TCM save the movies until later? Or do you have to watch them as they play?

I think it depends on the service you have. With mine, it'll be On Demand for a while after it shows, but I'm recording it on the DVR anyway.

gbgoodies

06-27-17, 01:34 AM

If I only had TCM, do you guys who do have TCM save the movies until later? Or do you have to watch them as they play?

I always DVR movies on TCM so I can watch them later. (Up to about two weeks before they air, I can schedule them to record so I don't have to worry about missing them.)

I also record many of them to DVD-R discs so I can watch them again later without them taking up space on my DVR.

edarsenal

06-27-17, 03:56 PM

Haven't even HEARD of Ride The Pink Horse, Citizen Rules before this, and skimming through some of the reviews, and even more so with your recent one, I'm pretty d@mn excited about seeing it. Been finding some truly great old films that I've completely missed out on with these 40's HoFs. So it seems I'm pretty excited about all of them, it seems and really enjoyed the ones I've seen so far. The only ones that are even complete re-watches are Double Indemnity and mine, The Sea Wolf.

As for TCM, I used to DVR them as well. It was was where I got a copy of The Young Girls of Rochefort. We'd ALWAYS have a couple of films from there on DVR, ready to go.
We recently got rid of our cable in place of streaming that last time they jacked up the price. SOOOO much cheaper lol

Citizen Rules

06-27-17, 04:14 PM

Anybody saving those DVR files onto your computer? I'm looking for a few movies that are only on TCM and could use some help.

cricket

06-27-17, 04:25 PM

Anybody saving those DVR files onto your computer? I'm looking for a few movies that are only on TCM and could use some help.

I don't have a computer

SilentVamp

06-27-17, 05:58 PM

Yes, I'm talking about the transformation, but not just the Beast turning into a prince who looks like Avenant, but also that Avenant was transformed into a beast too. The Beast should have turned into whoever he was before his original transformation, not into Avenant, and his transformation should have been able to happen based solely on what happened between Belle and the Beast, without Avenant having to also go through his own transformation. It makes it seem like the Beast's transformation into a prince couldn't happen just based on what happened between him and Belle, and if Avenant hadn't done something wrong to be transformed into a Beast, then the Beast would have died. (Does that make sense?)
It makes sense what you are saying. I can see your point about how it seems like the Beast transformed only when Avenant turned into the Beast. I didn't really think about it that way before. I do completely agree with you about the Beast's transformation. That took away from the film a little bit. And with a story like this, I want a stronger ending, but that disappointed me. I just can't believe that I didn't remember that it ended that way - with his transforming into a man that looked like Avenant.

Pila was like the best part...Did you notice she kind of looked like a young Gene Tierney?

http://st-listas.20minutos.es/images/2016-09/414519/5044711_249px.jpg?1473262934
Wanda Hendrix

I don't think she looks anything like her. :nope: I was watching it last night wondering who it was that I saw you mention and now I know it was her. I just don't see it. :nope:

Thank you to Mark for originally pointing it out, and I'm just reminding everyone that Mr. Lucky is on TCM this coming Saturday night.
I already had my Saturday night planned. It will consist of this:
Turn: Washington's Spies (8:00 - AMC)
Mr. Lucky (9:00 - TCM)
Ghost Adventures (11:00 - Travel Channel)
I will be set for the night. :D It should be a good one for me. :)

And in case anyone else needs to know, I Remember Mama will be on TCM next Monday night, July 3rd.

If I only had TCM, do you guys who do have TCM save the movies until later? Or do you have to watch them as they play?
Well, I no longer have my VCR, and I don't have DVR, so I HAVE to watch them when they are shown. Sometimes they will be On Demand, but not always. I think it was with Casablanca where it happened to be on TCM when the HoF was happening, but I decided to NOT watch it (I don't remember why anymore), and I just assumed that they would put that On Demand, but they never did and I had to get the DVD from the library, anyway. So it is a case, at the moment, where I have to watch it when it is shown if I know I can't obtain the film another way.

Also, I know that I said that I'd considered nominating The Picture of Dorian Gray with the last 40's HoF. Even though I didn't with this one, I still recommend the movie to anyone who hasn't seen it. I found out today that it will be on TCM on Tuesday, July 18th and again on Wednesday, August 30th, if anyone is interested.

See, Citizen Rules. We were just talking about it and now I can watch this movie that I have really been in the mood to watch again before the countdown. It made me very happy to find this out. :D Although, I know it is one of my biggest contenders for my list, I still want to watch it again just to watch it. It has been a very long time since I have seen it.