+4
In the last year or two, I've delved into Bergman and, more importantly, appreciated the man. The usual journey of anyone new to his films. My last film and Top of the List for me is Wild Strawberry. The Seventh Seal always daunted me as the Mt. Everest of Bergman Arthouse dirge. Though reading Cosmic: --it also has a very dry sense of humour that I rather appreciated. Most of that came from the indifferent squire, who - misogyny aside - was almost always amusing. and Phoenix: It is surprisingly light-hearted for a film about death and is never ponderous or pretentious. It may not be so daunting anymore. Yay,
I've been curious about Fail Safe. And don't feel bad about the Strangelove vibe, Frederick. I read this on IMDb:
Columbia Pictures produced both this movie and Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). Director Stanley Kubrick insisted his movie be released first, and it was, in January 1964. When Fail-Safe was released, it garnered excellent reviews, but audiences found it unintentionally funny because of "Strangelove" and stayed away. Henry Fonda later said he would never have made this movie if he had seen "Strangelove" first because he would have laughed, too.
This is what I wrote in the Best Picture HoF regarding Moonlight:
Was pleasantly surprised with the "father figure" Juan; finding such a person in such an unlikely circumstance had a wonderfully "out of real life" aspect to it. The same can go for Teresa; what a truly wonderful "home" that they had together.
The romantic scenes were just that, romantic.
The time with Kevin was done beautifully, especially with the shot from behind the two of them. There was a balanced portrayal of vulnerability and pleasure.
And that closing scene with the two of them and a quick shot of him as a child standing before the ocean was a very beautiful moment.
As always, I do love seeing the pageantry of all these films in these HoFs.