Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

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Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
The best part was all the 1000's of brides chasing the bachelor down the street. See his friend puts an add in the paper saying if he marries one of them he will inherit 100 million dollars. I loved the scenes filmed on location in San Francisco, but that's not enough to make the film special.
The scenes you loved were lifted from Buster Keaton's Seven Chances.

__________________
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
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Wow, those do look just like the scenes from The Bachelor. I did see Buster Keaton's Seven Chances at the end of the movie credits, but I had never heard of it before.

We watched it because one of my wife's friends was one of the brides extras. No way to spot her, she was somewhere in the back, she doesn't even know where she was in the crowd.



I noticed in your review you mentioned that Miyoshi Umeki won an Oscar for this film, but did you know that Red Buttons won Best Supporting Actor for this film as well?



Sayonara (1957) -- I thought you'd enjoy this movie, CR. The themes are a bit anachronistic for today's "sophisticated" audiences, but they were titillating in the late '50s. It might be said that this film was a part of a new wave of interracial stories, with white/Asian lovers "not too shocking"; whereas "very shocking" white/black was to follow in the '60s with films such as Patch of Blue and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Of course the wave never crashed, and interracial affairs have morphed into a form of film industry fetishism.

To my taste, 20+ minutes could have been trimmed from the drama to better effect. I enjoyed your comments about Brando, and had never heard the story of his alleged indifference in the part. His might be one of those
typical "20/20 hindsight" explanations. The character did seem a little peculiar, the sensation of which was not uncommon in several of Brando's roles. Still, it mostly worked IMO. Of course Brando was a kook: a self-centered egomaniac who had delusions of grandeur. But when he was right in a role, there was no one better.

Red Buttons turned in a fine performance. But it was the Asian ladies who stole the show.
Miiko Taka was lovely and stoic in her proud adherence to tradition in resisting Brando's wooing. And both men and women adored Miyoshi Umeki's portrayal of the ultra femine and selfless "Katsumi".

A heart-string-plucking melodrama with a social advocacy message. What a Hollywood tradition!..

~Doc



I noticed in your review you mentioned that Miyoshi Umeki won an Oscar for this film, but did you know that Red Buttons won Best Supporting Actor for this film as well?
I did know that, but I thought my review was long enough already! I don't normally do long reviews, but maybe I should have put that in.



Sayonara (1957) -- I thought you'd enjoy this movie, CR. The themes are a bit anachronistic for today's "sophisticated" audiences, but they were titillating in the late '50s. It might be said that this film was a part of a new wave of interracial stories, with white/Asian lovers "not too shocking"; whereas "very shocking" white/black was to follow in the '60s with films such as Patch of Blue and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
You know I kind of thought that to, as a white man with a Japanese women was probably the easiest interracial couple for 50s audiences to digest.

To my taste, 20+ minutes could have been trimmed from the drama to better effect.
I hear you there.

Red Buttons turned in a fine performance. But it was the Asian ladies who stole the show. Miiko Taka was lovely and stoic in her proud adherence to tradition in resisting Brando's wooing. And both men and women adored Miyoshi Umeki's portrayal of the ultra femine and selfless "Katsumi".
So true! I read that Audrey Hepburn was to play a Japense part of Hani-Ogi, Brando's love interest. Luckily she knew she wouldn't work in that role.

A heart-string-plucking melodrama with a social advocacy message. What a Hollywood tradition!..
I'm in the mood for more of these 1950s military melodramas, any recommendations?



...
So true! I read that Audrey Hepburn was to play a Japense part of Hani-Ogi, Brando's love interest. Luckily she knew she wouldn't work in that role.

Thank God for that! I'm a huge AH fan, but here it would have tarnished the film. I doubt that Brando would have participated if she'd accepted.

I'm in the mood for more of these 1950s military melodramas, any recommendations?
There were certainly several good ones. I'd have to think that over. But in re Brando and Asians, a good film from a few years later is The Ugly American. If you haven't seen it (or even if you have), Brando turns in a first rate performance playing against an equally strong performance by Japanese actor Eiji Okada (of Hiroshima Mon Amour fame).

From 1963, it's a highly charged film in the emotional as well as a political sense; a thinly veiled commentary on Viet Nam, as well as other areas that the U.S. sticks its nose in. It's probably one of Brando's finest performances.

~Doc



...
I'm in the mood for more of these 1950s military melodramas, any recommendations?
I'm sure you've seen Bridge on the River Kwai ('57), and Stalag 17 ('53)-- a couple of classics. Even The African Queen ('51) is technically a war picture.

But otherwise From Here to Eternity ('53) and The Caine Mutiny ('54) have to be two of the finest war melodramas from the 1950s.

If you've seen all those, try Run Silent, Run Deep ('58) and The Enemy Below ('57). Both are suspenseful and well done.

~Doc




...
There were certainly several good ones. I'd have to think that over. But in re Brando and Asians, a good film from a few years later is The Ugly American.
Thanks, I added that to my watch list.

I'm sure you've seen Bridge on the River Kwai ('57), and Stalag 17 ('53)-- a couple of classics. Even The African Queen ('51) is technically a war picture.

But otherwise From Here to Eternity ('53) and The Caine Mutiny ('54) have to be two of the finest war melodramas from the 1950s.

If you've seen all those, try Run Silent, Run Deep ('58) and The Enemy Below ('57). Both are suspenseful and well done.

~Doc
All great choices, but I've seen them all. Well one day I will catch them again





River of Grass (1994)
Director: Kelly Reichardt
Writers: Jesse Hartman(story), Kelly Reichardt(screenplay)
Cast: Lisa Bowman, Larry Fessenden, Dick Russell
Genre: Drama


Minimalist director Kelly Reichardt's first feature film. Reichardt forgoes the usual high stakes action and violence that would normally go with her subject matter and instead shows us the dullness of the characters lives. That dullness then turns out to be interesting in and of itself.

The theme of her film is: a bored to tears housewife abandons her baby and husband, and takes to the open road with an aimless drifter. Their incompetence in crime yields some humorous moments...we then follow this odd couples ineptitude as they go on the lam.

Reichardt's budding style is apparent with this introspective look at the lone individual, who's lost due to circumstances. Cozy ( Lisa Bowman) is the lost soul. The director's use of voice over narrative gives us a window into Cozy's mind and forms an intimacy that many bigger films lack. Cozy seems real as does the films world of run down motels and dead end towns with go-nowhere streets.

I'd describe Reichardt's first film as 'garage band, indie film making'...a diamond in the rough. There's inspiration here but some of the editing choices are odd for her style, with abrupt cuts and inter-cuts that at times make it hard to follow the story. Still there's a lot to like.

Kelly Reichardt once described her River of Grass as, A road movie without the road, a love story without the love, and a crime story without the crime.

Indeed it's the moments of boredom when the characters are doing nothing, that the movie is at it's most interesting.



I didn't care for the secondary story of Cozy's dad, who's a cop who's lost his gun. But his story takes up little time, and it's Cozy's story that's important.

The actress Lisa Bowman, has an understated acting style, that is best described as a bored housewife who dreams but doesn't know of what, and has no where in life to go. In other words I liked her, she was the character and that says a lot.

At 76 minutes this is an easy watch.

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I won't dance. Don't ask me...
I read Your opinion about Sayonara. I asked You in "Rate the last movie..." thread about Your opinion and I've already found out We have similar view.




Pork Chop Hill (1959)

Director: Lewis Milestone
Writers: Brig. General Marshall (novel), James R. Webb (screenplay)
Cast: Gregory Peck, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn, Woody Strode
Genre: War, Action

In the last days of the Korean War, U.S. troops are ordered to take a heavily defended hill that has no military value. Against great odds and with heavy casualties they take the hill, only to find the enemy is about to launch a huge counter attack. To make matters worse their own military won't send reinforcements, as the battalion headquarters believe the battle has been won and believe the men are in no danger. All of this is going on as Korean War peace talks are under way and it looks like the bloody war could end at any day.

Based on actual events of one of the last battles of the Korean War. The movie Pork Chop Hill pulls no punches and delivers up a grip look at the wastage of war. There's no heroic Hollywood type war scenes here, it's all reality based and not overly dramatized. We learn little of the men and their lives. There's no fluff, no comic relief, no long speeches...We see enough to know that they do not want to waste their lives on a useless hill. We see the men as tired, near hopeless, afraid, numb and determined to survive.


This feels like a real war movie, as it makes war look like all hell.
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Funny Girl (1968)
Director: William Wyler
Writers: Isobel Lennart (play), Isobel Lennart (screenplay)
Cast: Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, Kay Medford
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Length: 2 hours 31 minutes

I love that photo of Barbra Streisand! It says so much about her and the character she plays. It was her first movie and she scored an Oscar for
Best Actress in a Leading Role. Not too shabby. Before the movie Babs was a Broadway sensation in the stage play Funny Girl. So she when acclaimed director William Wyler decided to make a big budget, sweeping story of the life and times of Fanny Brice, Barbra was a natural. And of course she could sing!



Streisand does sing a few songs in the movie, but it's not thought of as a musical per say. I thought she was great in this. She looked great, she was funny, personable, kooky (but not to much) she had style and the camera really likes her! She paired well with leading man Omar Sharif.

The amount of period piece sets and costumes that went into this 2 1/2 half hour movie, is a thing of wonderment. This is really a top notch production, with great visual appeal and great attention to detail. Lavish! is the best word for it. I enjoyed the personal story to of how Fanny Brice through hard work and self determination became a huge stage star.




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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Pork Chop Hill has been a war film I've always wanted to see and never seemed to have the chance and now I do believe I need to bring it off the back burner and up the watchlist before I completely miss out.

And Funny Girl sounds like a really great movie. I had wondered about that one when we were talking Streisand films in the 70s HoF.



Pork Chop Hill has been a war film I've always wanted to see and never seemed to have the chance and now I do believe I need to bring it off the back burner and up the watchlist before I completely miss out.

And Funny Girl sounds like a really great movie. I had wondered about that one when we were talking Streisand films in the 70s HoF.
Funny Girl is your fault My wife liked What's Up Doc so much that we watched Funny Girl and shortly it will be Funny Lady. She was mentioning wanting to watch other Streisand movies...this is all your fault, Ed!



Think Funny Girl could be a musical i like. I came home once and my gf was watching it, i watched about ten minutes with her in the middle of it and was into it. Should watch the full thing at some point.



Think Funny Girl could be a musical i like. I came home once and my gf was watching it, i watched about ten minutes with her in the middle of it and was into it. Should watch the full thing at some point.
I didn't mention this but on the DVD it's fully restored and looks as good as a brand new film. I was impressed. The story isn't real deep or moving, it's more like a seven course dinner that's about the evening more than the food.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Never have seen Funny Girl, @Citizen, Rules, but was curious and I was waiting on what you thought of it. Rather like that description about an evening being more important than the food. Yentl had a similar feel. Wonderful movie, very relaxed pace to it. Though for Yentl it was about listening to Babs sing, which was pretty amazing.
What other Bab movies was your wife curious to see now?
Oh, and tell her she gets serious reps for liking What's Up, Doc?