Latitudes

I'm getting lazy these days, mostly I post here as it's faster than writing a full review. Glad you liked it.

Madame Bovary (2014)

Director: Sophie Barthes
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Ezra Miller, Paul Giamatti
Genre: Literary Drama

Bored with her marriage to a simply country doctor and stifled by life in a small country town, the restless Emma Bovary pursues her dreams of passion and excitement, with lavish spending and affairs.

I liked this, it was slow moving, but never boring. Well done. I need to see more films like this!

Attachments

 

The Black Rose(1950)
Director: Henry Hathaway
Stars: Tyrone Power, Orson Welles, Cécile Aubry, Jack Hawkins, Michael Rennie
Genre: Adventure Drama, Fictional History
Length: 2 Hours

"A disinherited 13th Century Saxon nobleman leaves Norman England with an archer friend to seek his fortune in the Far East."

Geez, this has to be one of the worst older films I've seen in awhile. The scenes of Medieval England, Middle East and the Deserts looked great, but Orson Welles sure didn't! He made a very odd choice for a Mongolian invader. This is one of the worst roles I've seen Tryone Power in...usually he's a component actor. The female lead in the film (Cécile Aubry,) looked like a 10 year old girl, but she was an adult. I've never seen here before.


This was a Technicolor color film by the way. That's a publicity still done for the movie. Sadly though the DVD I seen did not have a restored version and much of the red coloring was gone out of the film.

Attachments

 

I was kind of so-so about seeing "Madame Bovary". Do you think it would be one that I would really enjoy watching?

Whenever I see an actor that I am a big fan of in a role that just wasn't meant for that person, in a movie that isn't even all that tolerable, it always ends up such a disappointment. It is like the combination of the not-too-good movie and poor casting choice makes the actor not as good as they really should be. I never know why that happens - especially to the best of actors - but it does. The odds are very great that I watched the movie for the person in it in the first place. So, when it ends up to my great disliking, I end up feeling it was a waste of time because of the disappointment.

__________________
I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity - Edgar Allan Poe

Well, I know that you like films based on 19th century, classic literature, so that's a plus. And it was directed by a woman director with the focus on the personal limitations of a French 19th century woman, so that might be a plus...But it would depend on if you're OK with a less dramatic and more quiet film? Madame Bovary is simple and under stated. It didn't deeply move me, nor did it try to be highly dramatic. Which for me is what I liked about it. I guess what I'm saying is I'm not sure if you would like it?

It sounds - from what you've just written - that it would be OK. I probably wouldn't mind watching it. But I wasn't sure, from the little bit that I'd seen, if it was a "slow" movie. You know, the kind that drags a little? If you say that it is not that, then I will watch it.

You remember my dislike for the last "Wuthering Heights" film? It is almost like I am unsure about watching any film adaptations of literature after that one. The boredom (and practically different story line) of that one has made me wary of any other adaptations.

Ah...yes it is slow. I never got bored and I so get bored easily, but it definitely kinda of slow.

I'm surprised that The Black Rose is so bad considering the cast. It doesn't sound like my kind of movie, but I would have considered watching it just for some of the actors in it if you had given it a better review.

I was like, so what is this about? The story makes no sense at all, and there's no fighting action scenes or dramatic love scenes either. Everyone is all dressed up with no place to go. I just looked up Cécile Aubry, she was a French Actresses and this was her only English film.

I didn't recognize her name, but I would have watched the movie for Tyrone Power, Orson Welles, or Michael Rennie if it had gotten a better review. I have such a long watchlist for the 1950's movies right now that this one just seems like a waste of time.

Michael Rennie had a small part but I liked him as the Norman King. I watched a couple more 1950s films that I will post about in a bit.

The Lemon Drop Kid (1951)

Director: Sidney Lanfield
Cast: Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell, Lloyd Nolan, Jane Darnell
Genre: Comedy

When the Lemon Drop Kid (Bob Hope) who's a small time con artist talks a mobster's girlfriend into not betting on a winning horse, which ends up winning... He's forced to come up with $10,000 to repay the angry mobster. He's only got 15 days till Christmas to come up with the dough or he's kaput. So off to New York he goes to visit an old girlfriend (Marilyn Maxwell) and to scheme his way to 10 grand.

This was a really fun movie, one of the best Bob Hope films I've seen. This film introduced the Christmas classic Silver Bells which is sung by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. This is also a remake of a 1934 movie of the same name. I laughed out loud at the gags and it was nice to see veteran actresses Jane Darwell.

You should count The Muppets version of A Christmas Carol, and some of the other "character" versions. Those versions are much more fun than the original story.

I watched it. I thought it was decent.. SV, another film you and CR should check out is "The Scandalous Lady W". Based on a true story in the 18th century.

I'd watch the Muppet version. Have you seen the Patrick Stewart version, that's my other favorite. The 1938 version is pretty good too.

Thanks MG, I hadn't heard of that one. I just looked it up and see that it has Natalie Domer in it. I just got through watching all 4 seasons of The Tudors and Natalie was in that and good too. So now I will go to Netflix and hope they have it.

I saw the Patrick Stewart version many years ago, but I haven't seen it recently. I rarely watch A Christmas Carol anymore because I've seen so many versions over the years, and they're all basically the same story. That's why I like the "character" versions. It makes it fun because it gives the characters a whole new side.

Rats! Netflix and my Library don't have The Scandalous Lady W. Perhaps I can find it another way.

Bad Girl (1931)
Director: Frank Borzage
Stars: James Dunn, Sally Eilers, Minna Gombell
Genre: Drama

"A man and woman meet and are skeptical about romance, nonetheless fall in love and are wed, but their lack of confidence in the opposite sex haunts their marriage."

Misleading title, there were no bad girls in this It's a straight up romance drama. At first it starts slow and I wasn't sure I liked it. But by the end of the movie, I felt like I knew these two people and cared about their lives. A very early talkie and surprisingly good. I've never seen a movie quit like this one.

Attachments