1940's Hall Of Fame Part I

Don't read this if you haven't watched it yet.

I first watched this movie back when I was 22. Yep, 25 years ago. I love it just as much now, as I did way back then.

It's a full of emotion script. You love the sweet family, the very humorous scenes where Herbie Hawkins (Played by Hume Cronyn) and Charlie's father are forever trying to come up with the perfect murder, the sad feelings Uncle Charlie's sister always had over missing him, and having to see him leave once again at the end. Mind you, I'd sooner think the person died an accidental death, instead of knowing he's a murderer, that just failed three times at trying to kill my daughter.

Only one scene bothered my now, that I don't believe I even noticed, way back when. It was when Charlie was on her evening out with Jack Graham, and she went from smiling and having a really nice time, to very suddenly being suspicious about his intentions. She very suddenly believed that he was out to discover something awful about her Uncle Charlie. She suddenly figured that he was a detective, or whatnot. I can't remember the exact word she used. Anyways, it's no big deal at all. It just caught my attention this time, and I don't recall ever thinking anything about it way back when. I do love how these two men showed up with their surveys and such, just to track down Uncle Charlie.

Once again, it's a great movie, that I will always love.

__________________

very good review. For me, this was a first watch and won't be the last. Speaking of little "looks" that was one of the things I really loved. What went on beneath the conversations that played along the fringes of their expressions. VERY well done.

__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

Rope

This was a rewatch and, I did get to watch the short doc "Rope Unleashed" beforehand which was kinda fun to see and then take note of things that were mentioned.

For me, beyond the technical aspects, this was a very good movie. Enjoying everyone's character and truly loving the "twists" of every single conversation and being "in" on it, knowing from the very beginning that a murder DID occur really made the double meanings really -- well, meaningful.
This movie has all the trappings of a very enjoyable Hitchcock movie: moments of suspense, a dark aspect of having dinner on the chest containing David, the dry humor sprinkled throughout and the detail to camerawork that can be easily over looked because it is rather flawless. Having watched the "behind the scenes" and how the set was entirely on rollers and things moved about as necessary I did enjoy watching for such things and appreciating them.
While I have heard that this is not one of Hitchcock's best, for me it is still very memorable and very, very enjoyable.

excellent nom, Neiba

The Little Foxes

I really liked this one. Bette Davis did such a great job of playing her cold and heartless character. They just don't act the way they used to! In fact, all of the acting was good for me. I said this before but Teresa Wright is becoming a favorite for me. I liked her in Pursued and I think she was even better in this one. She has such a charm to her and I still have Shadow of a Doubt to watch from her. The script is what puts this movie on a high level. The dialogue and the story are both very intriguing for me. A lot has been said about that ending, but I think it was really well done as it leaves the viewer to ponder just how desperate and lonesome Davis' character is at the end. And that camera work is a thing of beauty for me. Wyler was already a favorite for me and he adds to his resume with me here. I'll look forward to seeing this again in the future.

both camerawork and dialogue is top notch on this one

You'll be in for a treat with Teresa Wright's performance in Shadow of a Doubt. I liked her in all three of the noms, but Shadow of a Doubt was by far my favorite work of hers.

Really looking forward to it!

I'm going with my Thief of Bagdad rewatch next. Potentially getting to it tomorrow.

Have you seen Teresa Wright in anything else besides Pursued and The Little Foxes?

Best Years of Our Lives. One of my favorite movies

I should have known that it was Vamps nom and it won the Hof too. Who knows maybe she will turn up in another nom next time around

I'm gonna read that as "Hint, hint," lol and I think I know which one


EDIT:: I was WAAAAY off!! Didn't even have the right actress for christ sake
What a butti-oh-foon I am

Comcast On Demand has . . .

Shadow of a Doubt and Rope until the 9th at midnight.

Arsenic and Old Lace until the 4th at midnight. Eleven and a half hours to go, on this movie.

i'm not a part of this hall of fame, but i just happened to watch waterloo bridge without realizing that it was in this round. it was really good and beautiful, despite some pretty obvious plot contrivances, but those are fairly negligible when you take in the work as a whole. leigh is obviously the standout and she is great at playing adorable and distraught at the same time, and taylor has everything you need in a leading man. i recommend everybody watch nicholas ray's party girl (1958) if you want to see another great robert taylor performance. society places all of these restrictions on these characters' lives in this movie, yet even when they manage to evade the rules, there is no guaranteed benefit to their actions, but to love within them is simply impossible, which is what drives leigh to her final act of defiance.

also, that scene when they first dance together is sublime.

__________________
letterboxd
criticker

Alright, time to get to my Thief of Bagdad rewatch. Thanks to Camo for finding a solid link!

Thief of Bagdad

This was my nomination, and I only saw it once before, so it was a bit of a risk in nominating it. First, I love how a film like this sets up one of my favorite Disney films in Aladdin (along with the 1924 version). I love the sets that this movie has and I'm a really big fan of its costume designs. Basra is beautiful as many of you have commented, and the palace looks magnificent. Fairly interesting that this was one of the first films that used the bluescreen technique. While some may feel the effects were out of date I thought that they were pretty spectacular for their time. Remember this was over 70 years ago that we are talking about.

As for the acting, Conrad Veidt steals the show. He's a very menacing and dark character who commands the screen with his evilness.
Also loved the casting choice of June Duprez, I thought she made a really great princess. Remember it was almost Vivien Leigh who got the part until they changed their mind. I didn't mind Sabu, and John Justin was adequate as Ahmad. Perhaps a better Ahmad would have made for an even better film.

In all, there are certainly pulls in the film but not enough for me to downgrade it all to much. I will agree with everyone who says the vocal songs are horrendous, because they are, but I thought the score was pretty well done. Lastly, I enjoyed the darkness of the FM such as parts like the death of the sultan and the spider scene (sorry about that GBG, I honestly forgot about that part when nominating). Overall, a fun film that I enjoyed watching again.

-

Good review, Raul!
I try to judge films by the time frame that they were made in, and for a 70 year old film, the special effects were great. This might have some of the most beautiful matte work (Barisa) ever done.

We need more Conrad Veidt in the Hofs He makes an awesome bad guy.

That makes three left for me. I will probably rewatch Rope early next week next.

It ends at midnight Monday night, on On Demand. I own roughly 30 Alfred Hitchcock films, but unfortunately for me, Rope is not one of them, and I do love it so.

I'm about out of time, so I'm going to go watch Arsenic and Old Lace.

I still need to find some legal links to the other films. I'd sooner do that, than to buy them right now. Thank God I have until February 20 to finish, just in case I do need to buy them.

This is what I have left to watch . . .

Pursued
Murderers are Among Us
The Suspect
The Little Foxes
The Thief Of Bagdad
Waterloo Bridge
How Green Was My Valley

I think there's an unwritten rule somewhere that says that every HoF that I join must have at least one scene with a spider in it.

__________________
.
If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.

You probably don't believe me but I really didn't remember.