The Shining (1980) directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall.
Not my favorite movie. First, I've heard that the book is far better, and that Kubrick didn't actually read the book before making this movie. I understand when movies deviate from books, but to not actually be bothered to read the book. That miffs me. Shelley Duvall I find incredibly annoying. If I was Torrance, I'd kill her too. I wonder if Kubrick's purpose in having Duvall read her lines in that shrill, horrific voice was to generate sympathy for Torrance. That said, it is an interesting bit of film-making, but, to me at least, is not scary in the least.
Airplane! (1980) directed by Jim Abrams, David and Jerry Zucker, starring Robert Hays, Julie Haggerty, Leslie Nielson, among others.
A great piece of satirical film-making that never fails to make me laugh. The cameos and one-liners are priceless. There are too many actors in this movie to name, and way to many inside jokes. Here are a few of my favorite one-liners:
Captian Oveur- Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?
Mrs. Geline- I haven't felt this awful since we saw that Ronald Reagan film.
Steve McCroskey- Ease off him, Rex. He hasn't flown for years, it's not his fault. Could happen to any pilot.
Johnny- It happened to Barbara Stanwyck.
Excalibur (1981) directed by John Boorman, starring Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicol Williamson, Liam Neeson (his first film) and Patrick Stewart.
Wonderful movie that has an old feel to it. The relatively unknown actors, all of them English or Irish, help to focus attention on the story, although many of the actors became famous later. One thing to remember when watching Excalibur is that Mirren and Williamson actually had a great dislike of each other, having worked together before. The skill of the actors is such that they are able to translate that enmity into a charged performance. The chemistry between them is unique, not romantic, but definitely sexual and very interesting to watch.
Boorman had wanted to make a film version of The Lord of the Rings; unable to obtain the rights, he decided to make a movie about English legend instead. The special effects are clumsy, but effective. The actors are effective, though at times cheesy. It is a romance, a look at a more magical time, a more honorable time, and how that time came to unravel. If we remember that "fair time," maybe it will come again. "For it is the doom of men that they forget."
Merlin- That's it... and look upon this moment. Savor it! Rejoice with great gladness! Great gladness! Remember it always, for you are joined by it. You are One, under the stars. Remember it well, then... this night, this great victory. So that in the years ahead, you can say, "I was there that night, with Arthur, the King!" For it is the doom of men that they forget.
Arthur- I have often thought that in the hereafter of our lives, when I owe no more to the future and can be just a man, that we may meet, and you will come to me and claim me as yours, and know that I am your husband. It is a dream I have.
Pink Floyd The Wall (1982) directed by Alan Parker, starring Bob Geldhof.
A very interesting, albeit depressing film. I like to watch it for the songs, but it comes off feeling very "art-film" at times, obscure for the sake of being obscure. So, while I like it, I have no idea why. Maybe I like seeing someone crazier than me, makes me feel more sane.
Dune (1984) directed by David Lynch, starring Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, Brad Dourif, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Max von Sydow, Alicia Witt, Jurgen Prochnow.
I love these books by Frank Herbert, but they are very difficult to translate to a movie. They either try to include everything and become way too long like the 2000 mini-series version, or they leave things out, like this version. I think this version did a good job with the Voice, and the voice-over helps address things the book explains very easily. It is a little stylized (see: Sting) but overall very effective. My only criticism: I am not fond of Kyle MacLachlan as Paul or Sean Young as Chani.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Movie Marathon: The '70s
The Way We Were (1973) directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Barbara Streisand, Robert Redford, James Woods.
Very moving story, about a driven girl named Katie and laid-back Hubbell, total opposites who fall in love and try to make a life together. The movie follows the story of their romance, from college to New York City during World War II, to Hollywood in the '50s. When Katie becomes embroiled in the McCarthy trials, she and Hubbell have to decide whether they can make their tumultuous marriage work.
I like Streisand's Katie, a fiery activist, and a political woman, something of a rarety in films of the time. Katie's trademark call on the streets, handing out fliers: "Do something about it!" is a message to the audience as well as more withdrawn Hubbell. If "people are their principles," as Katie asserts, then we wonder what to make of Hubbell, who seems to take the peaceful protest approach to politics. He is put off by Katie's constant need to philosophize, and seems to detect a desire to cause trouble. There is something mischevious in Katie's non-stop political uproar, but it is tempered by the earnestness of her beliefs.
Hubbell- Maybe something terrible will happen- maybe you'll have a good time.
Hubbell- You think you're easy? Compared to what, the Hundred Years' War?
Katie- Your girl is lovely, Hubbell.
All the President's Men (1976) directed by Alan Pakula, starring Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman.
My favorite political thriller. Redford and Hoffman are razor-sharp, pulling the Watergate thread, with no idea where it will take them. The Watergate story is considered the first piece of modern investigate journalism, and the model for the genre. Watergate was also immensely important in shaping the presidency and how the public views the President.
I love this movie also for it's look at journalism, sources and the amount of work that went into research in the 70s. With no internet or electronic databases, all research is done "on foot," so to speak, whether it's leafing through the checkout slips at the Library of Congress, or the library research aide who tracked down the picture of Kenneth H. Dalberg, journalism has sped up considerably. Even the scene where Woodward asks one of the editors who Charles Colson is, and Rosenfeld replies "You know I'm glad you asked me that question. The reason I'm glad you asked me, is because if you had asked Simons or Bradlee they woulda said, "you know we're gonna have to fire this schmuck at once because he's so dumb." Nowadays, Woodward would have Googled it, rather than look like a fool in front of his editor. It's good to remember, from time to time, how easy we have it nowadays.
Harry Rosenfeld- Howard, they're hungry. You remember when you were hungry?
Bernstein- All these neat little houses and all these neat little streets. It's hard to believe that something's wrong with some of those little houses.
Woodward- No it isn't.
Bernstein- Boy, that woman was paranoid! At one point I - I suddenly wondered how high up this thing goes, and her paranoia finally got to me, and I thought what we had was so hot that any minute CBS or NBC were going to come in through the windows and take the story away.
Woodward- You're both paranoid. She's afraid of John Mitchell and you're afraid of Walter Cronkite.
Ben Bradlee- All non-denial denials. They doubt our ancestory, but they don't say the story isn't accurate.
Very moving story, about a driven girl named Katie and laid-back Hubbell, total opposites who fall in love and try to make a life together. The movie follows the story of their romance, from college to New York City during World War II, to Hollywood in the '50s. When Katie becomes embroiled in the McCarthy trials, she and Hubbell have to decide whether they can make their tumultuous marriage work.
I like Streisand's Katie, a fiery activist, and a political woman, something of a rarety in films of the time. Katie's trademark call on the streets, handing out fliers: "Do something about it!" is a message to the audience as well as more withdrawn Hubbell. If "people are their principles," as Katie asserts, then we wonder what to make of Hubbell, who seems to take the peaceful protest approach to politics. He is put off by Katie's constant need to philosophize, and seems to detect a desire to cause trouble. There is something mischevious in Katie's non-stop political uproar, but it is tempered by the earnestness of her beliefs.
Hubbell- Maybe something terrible will happen- maybe you'll have a good time.
Hubbell- You think you're easy? Compared to what, the Hundred Years' War?
Katie- Your girl is lovely, Hubbell.
All the President's Men (1976) directed by Alan Pakula, starring Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman.
My favorite political thriller. Redford and Hoffman are razor-sharp, pulling the Watergate thread, with no idea where it will take them. The Watergate story is considered the first piece of modern investigate journalism, and the model for the genre. Watergate was also immensely important in shaping the presidency and how the public views the President.
I love this movie also for it's look at journalism, sources and the amount of work that went into research in the 70s. With no internet or electronic databases, all research is done "on foot," so to speak, whether it's leafing through the checkout slips at the Library of Congress, or the library research aide who tracked down the picture of Kenneth H. Dalberg, journalism has sped up considerably. Even the scene where Woodward asks one of the editors who Charles Colson is, and Rosenfeld replies "You know I'm glad you asked me that question. The reason I'm glad you asked me, is because if you had asked Simons or Bradlee they woulda said, "you know we're gonna have to fire this schmuck at once because he's so dumb." Nowadays, Woodward would have Googled it, rather than look like a fool in front of his editor. It's good to remember, from time to time, how easy we have it nowadays.
Harry Rosenfeld- Howard, they're hungry. You remember when you were hungry?
Bernstein- All these neat little houses and all these neat little streets. It's hard to believe that something's wrong with some of those little houses.
Woodward- No it isn't.
Bernstein- Boy, that woman was paranoid! At one point I - I suddenly wondered how high up this thing goes, and her paranoia finally got to me, and I thought what we had was so hot that any minute CBS or NBC were going to come in through the windows and take the story away.
Woodward- You're both paranoid. She's afraid of John Mitchell and you're afraid of Walter Cronkite.
Ben Bradlee- All non-denial denials. They doubt our ancestory, but they don't say the story isn't accurate.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Movie Marathon: The '60s
Breakfast at Tiffany's, directed by Blake Edwards, starring Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Mickey Rooney. Released in 1961.
Despite numerous changes made to the novella by Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany's remains a classic film about a vulnerable call girl and her sensitive writer neighbor, who is a call boy in his own way. Patricia Neal plays his benefactress, Mickey Rooney is the often-irked neighbor.
Hepburn is incandescent as always, stunningly beautiful. Her performance of "Moon River" accounts for its vast popularity. Peppard is not to be overlooked as Paul, or "Fred baby". The "sensitive bookish type" also shows a lot of spirit and strength, most notably in his final speech to Holly, when he tells her, "You're afraid to stick out your chin and say, 'Ok, life's a fact. People do fall in love. People do belong to each other. Because that's the only chance anybody's got for real happiness.' "
Holly Golightly- I've just got to do something about the way I look. A girl just can't go to Sing-Sing with a green face.
Holly- You can always tell what kind of person a man really thinks you are by the earrings he gives you. I must say, the mind reels.
Paul Varjak- And I've always heard people in New York never get to meet their neighbors.
Holly- It's useful being top banana in the shock department.
Holly- You know the terrible thing of it all, Fred? I am still Lula Mae. 13 years old, stealing turkey eggs and running through a briar patch. Only know I call it having the "mean reds".
Holly- It should take you exactly four seconds to cross from here to that door. I'll give you two.
Paul- I don't think I've ever drunk champagne before breakfast before. With breakfast on several occasions, but never before, before.
Holly- I'm like cat here, a no-name slob. We belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to us. We don't even belong to each other.
West Side Story directed by Jerome Robbins released in 1961. Starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno
Far and away my favorite musical. The songs are excellent, the story, of course, is wonderful, being based on a Shakespearean play, and all. The highest compliment I can probably pay West Side Story is to confess that I saw it many, many times throughout my childhood, but it wasn't until college that I actually realized the story is taken from "Romeo and Juliet". Even after I read the play in high school, it never really occured to me. I give this as a great compliment, because it means the story is bigger than its big-name benefactor. The characters and the situation, the slang and the songs transform it into something new and exciting, but with a story that feels so familiar and timeless.
Riff- Boy, am I a victim of disappointment in you.
Action- When you was my age? When my old man was my age, when my borther was my age. . . You was never my age, none of ya! And the sooner you creeps get hip to that, the sooner you'll dig us!
Casino Royale, directed by Val Guest, released in 1967. Starring Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Deborah Kerr, William Holden, lots of cameos.
I wouldn't recommend this spoof on the Bond movies. Not that it isn't funny. I found it hilarious, also long, convoluted and drenched in Bert Bacharach songs. Which means you have to really be in the mood for it. But, if you ever are, you'll find a gem of one-liners, big-star cameos, beautiful girls, and that cheeky seductive quality that only flies in '60s flicks.
Piper- Are you Richard Burton?
Evelyn Tremble- No, I'm Peter O'Toole!
Piper- Than you're the greatest man that ever breathed!
Sir James- It's depressing that the words "secret agent" have become synonymous with "sex maniac."
Miss Moneypenny- I have to note your qualifications.
Cooper- Height, six feet and two inches, 184 lbs. Trophies for karate and judo, holder of the Kama Sutra black belt.
Vesper Lynd- Mr. Evelyn Tremble?
Evelyn- Yes, that's right.
Vesper- Isn't Evelyn a girl's name?
Evelyn- No, it's mine, actually.
The Lion in Winter, directed by Anthony Harvey, released in 1968. Starring Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, Nigel Terry, Timothy Dalton, Jane Merrow
There simply are not words to describe the excellence of this film. The writing is superb, on a level I like to call Shakespeare, simply because I cannot imagine a human being actually having the talent to write it. The performances are excellent, not just from O'Toole and Hepburn, but new-comer Hopkins (in his first movie role) and relative new-comers Dalton, Castle and Terry. The emotions are so hidden, the motivations so veiled, that you spend the movie wondering how each character really feels about the others, and why they behave as they do. A wonderful film that should be watched much more than it usually is.
Eleanor- In a world where carpenters get resurrected, everything is possible.
John- "Poor John." Who says "poor John"? Don't everybody sob at once! My God, if I went up in flames, there's not a living soul who'd piss on me to put the fire out.
Richard- Let's strike a flint and see.
Eleanor- I even made poor Louis take me on Crusade. How's that for blasphemy. I dressed my maids as Amazons and rode bare-breasted halfway to Damascus. Louis had a seizure and I damn near died of windburn. . .but the troops were dazzled.
Eleanor- One son is all I've got and you can blot him out and call me cruel? For these ten years you've lived with everything I've lost and I am cruel? I could peel you like a pear and God himself would call it justice.
John- A knife! He's got a knife!
Eleanor- Of course he has a knife, he always has a knife, we all have knives. It's 1183 and we're barbarians.
Eleanor- Shoulder it yourself. Don't put it on my back. Pick it up and carry it. I can. My losses are my work.
Henry- What losses? I'm the one with nothing.
Eleanor- Lost your life's work, have you? Provinces are nothing. Land is dirt. I could take defeats like yours and laught, I've done it. If you're broken it's because you're brittle.
Eleanor- There's everything in life but hope.
Henry- We're both alive. And for all I know that's what hope is.
Eleanor- We're jungle creatures, Henry, and the dark is all around us. See them, in the corners? you can see the eyes.
Henry- And they can see ours.
Henry- You know, I hope we never die.
Eleanor- So do I.
Henry- Do you think there's any chance of it?
Despite numerous changes made to the novella by Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany's remains a classic film about a vulnerable call girl and her sensitive writer neighbor, who is a call boy in his own way. Patricia Neal plays his benefactress, Mickey Rooney is the often-irked neighbor.
Hepburn is incandescent as always, stunningly beautiful. Her performance of "Moon River" accounts for its vast popularity. Peppard is not to be overlooked as Paul, or "Fred baby". The "sensitive bookish type" also shows a lot of spirit and strength, most notably in his final speech to Holly, when he tells her, "You're afraid to stick out your chin and say, 'Ok, life's a fact. People do fall in love. People do belong to each other. Because that's the only chance anybody's got for real happiness.' "
Holly Golightly- I've just got to do something about the way I look. A girl just can't go to Sing-Sing with a green face.
Holly- You can always tell what kind of person a man really thinks you are by the earrings he gives you. I must say, the mind reels.
Paul Varjak- And I've always heard people in New York never get to meet their neighbors.
Holly- It's useful being top banana in the shock department.
Holly- You know the terrible thing of it all, Fred? I am still Lula Mae. 13 years old, stealing turkey eggs and running through a briar patch. Only know I call it having the "mean reds".
Holly- It should take you exactly four seconds to cross from here to that door. I'll give you two.
Paul- I don't think I've ever drunk champagne before breakfast before. With breakfast on several occasions, but never before, before.
Holly- I'm like cat here, a no-name slob. We belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to us. We don't even belong to each other.
West Side Story directed by Jerome Robbins released in 1961. Starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno
Far and away my favorite musical. The songs are excellent, the story, of course, is wonderful, being based on a Shakespearean play, and all. The highest compliment I can probably pay West Side Story is to confess that I saw it many, many times throughout my childhood, but it wasn't until college that I actually realized the story is taken from "Romeo and Juliet". Even after I read the play in high school, it never really occured to me. I give this as a great compliment, because it means the story is bigger than its big-name benefactor. The characters and the situation, the slang and the songs transform it into something new and exciting, but with a story that feels so familiar and timeless.
Riff- Boy, am I a victim of disappointment in you.
Action- When you was my age? When my old man was my age, when my borther was my age. . . You was never my age, none of ya! And the sooner you creeps get hip to that, the sooner you'll dig us!
Casino Royale, directed by Val Guest, released in 1967. Starring Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Deborah Kerr, William Holden, lots of cameos.
I wouldn't recommend this spoof on the Bond movies. Not that it isn't funny. I found it hilarious, also long, convoluted and drenched in Bert Bacharach songs. Which means you have to really be in the mood for it. But, if you ever are, you'll find a gem of one-liners, big-star cameos, beautiful girls, and that cheeky seductive quality that only flies in '60s flicks.
Piper- Are you Richard Burton?
Evelyn Tremble- No, I'm Peter O'Toole!
Piper- Than you're the greatest man that ever breathed!
Sir James- It's depressing that the words "secret agent" have become synonymous with "sex maniac."
Miss Moneypenny- I have to note your qualifications.
Cooper- Height, six feet and two inches, 184 lbs. Trophies for karate and judo, holder of the Kama Sutra black belt.
Vesper Lynd- Mr. Evelyn Tremble?
Evelyn- Yes, that's right.
Vesper- Isn't Evelyn a girl's name?
Evelyn- No, it's mine, actually.
The Lion in Winter, directed by Anthony Harvey, released in 1968. Starring Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, Nigel Terry, Timothy Dalton, Jane Merrow
There simply are not words to describe the excellence of this film. The writing is superb, on a level I like to call Shakespeare, simply because I cannot imagine a human being actually having the talent to write it. The performances are excellent, not just from O'Toole and Hepburn, but new-comer Hopkins (in his first movie role) and relative new-comers Dalton, Castle and Terry. The emotions are so hidden, the motivations so veiled, that you spend the movie wondering how each character really feels about the others, and why they behave as they do. A wonderful film that should be watched much more than it usually is.
Eleanor- In a world where carpenters get resurrected, everything is possible.
John- "Poor John." Who says "poor John"? Don't everybody sob at once! My God, if I went up in flames, there's not a living soul who'd piss on me to put the fire out.
Richard- Let's strike a flint and see.
Eleanor- I even made poor Louis take me on Crusade. How's that for blasphemy. I dressed my maids as Amazons and rode bare-breasted halfway to Damascus. Louis had a seizure and I damn near died of windburn. . .but the troops were dazzled.
Eleanor- One son is all I've got and you can blot him out and call me cruel? For these ten years you've lived with everything I've lost and I am cruel? I could peel you like a pear and God himself would call it justice.
John- A knife! He's got a knife!
Eleanor- Of course he has a knife, he always has a knife, we all have knives. It's 1183 and we're barbarians.
Eleanor- Shoulder it yourself. Don't put it on my back. Pick it up and carry it. I can. My losses are my work.
Henry- What losses? I'm the one with nothing.
Eleanor- Lost your life's work, have you? Provinces are nothing. Land is dirt. I could take defeats like yours and laught, I've done it. If you're broken it's because you're brittle.
Eleanor- There's everything in life but hope.
Henry- We're both alive. And for all I know that's what hope is.
Eleanor- We're jungle creatures, Henry, and the dark is all around us. See them, in the corners? you can see the eyes.
Henry- And they can see ours.
Henry- You know, I hope we never die.
Eleanor- So do I.
Henry- Do you think there's any chance of it?
Monday, May 10, 2010
Movie Marathon: The '50s
Sabrina (1954) and Funny Face (1957), both starring Audrey Hepburn.
Sabrina directed by Billy Wilder, released in 1954. Stars Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. I love this movie! It is romantic in the best sense of the word. I love when Audrey Hepburn sings "La Vie En Rose".
The songs featured could stand for the three characters: Sabrina is "La Vie En Rose," moody and low, delicate. David is "Isn't It Romantic?" boldly wooing, broad, with gusto. Linus is partly "Yes, We Have No Bananas," because on the surface he is old-fashioned and slightly ridiculous, a tune that gets under Sabrina's skin, when she sings it to herself at the end of the boat outing with Linus. The melody is also reincarnated in parts of the score towards the end of the film. My only complaint is that I never entirely find Humphrey Bogart a convincing lover for Audrey Hepburn, but he is so easy to watch and identify with that I never mind much.
Favorite quotes:
Sabrina- Once upon a time on the north shore of Long Island, some fifty miles from New York, there lived a small girl on a large estate.
Sabrina- I have learnt how to live... How to be in the world and of the world, and not just to stand aside and watch. And i will never, never again run away from life. Or from love, either.
Thomas Fairchild- He's still David Larrabee, and you're still the chauffeur's daughter. And you're still reaching for the moon.
Sabrina- No Father. The moon is reaching for me.
Oliver Larrabee- All columnists should be beaten to a pulp and converted back into paper.
Funny Face directed by Stanley Donen, starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. A classic musical. Songs: Think Pink; How Long Has This Been Going On?; Bonjour, Paris!; Let's Kiss and Make Up; He Loves and She Loves; On How to Be Lovely; Clap Yo' Hands; 'S Wonderful.
A fun little musical, light fare, perhaps. Audrey, of course, is wonderful, and has a nice little voice. There is a slight ick-factor in the romance between her and Fred Astaire, considering Astaire is quite a bit older than her, but if you can get past that, the rest of the movie is a delight. Audrey is a good, albeit quirky dancer, and also has a lovely voice. My favorite song is either "How Long Has This Been Going On," which features her solo, or "Bonjour, Paris" featuring all three main characters.
Dick Avery- You are mad, aren't you?
Jo Stockton- I'm not mad. I'm hurt and disappointed, and. . . and mad.
Jo- Isn't it time you realized that dancing's nothing more than a form of expression, of release? There's no need to be formal or cute about it. As a matter of fact, I rather feel like expressing myself now. And I could certainly use the release!
Sabrina directed by Billy Wilder, released in 1954. Stars Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. I love this movie! It is romantic in the best sense of the word. I love when Audrey Hepburn sings "La Vie En Rose".
The songs featured could stand for the three characters: Sabrina is "La Vie En Rose," moody and low, delicate. David is "Isn't It Romantic?" boldly wooing, broad, with gusto. Linus is partly "Yes, We Have No Bananas," because on the surface he is old-fashioned and slightly ridiculous, a tune that gets under Sabrina's skin, when she sings it to herself at the end of the boat outing with Linus. The melody is also reincarnated in parts of the score towards the end of the film. My only complaint is that I never entirely find Humphrey Bogart a convincing lover for Audrey Hepburn, but he is so easy to watch and identify with that I never mind much.
Favorite quotes:
Sabrina- Once upon a time on the north shore of Long Island, some fifty miles from New York, there lived a small girl on a large estate.
Sabrina- I have learnt how to live... How to be in the world and of the world, and not just to stand aside and watch. And i will never, never again run away from life. Or from love, either.
Thomas Fairchild- He's still David Larrabee, and you're still the chauffeur's daughter. And you're still reaching for the moon.
Sabrina- No Father. The moon is reaching for me.
Oliver Larrabee- All columnists should be beaten to a pulp and converted back into paper.
Funny Face directed by Stanley Donen, starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. A classic musical. Songs: Think Pink; How Long Has This Been Going On?; Bonjour, Paris!; Let's Kiss and Make Up; He Loves and She Loves; On How to Be Lovely; Clap Yo' Hands; 'S Wonderful.
A fun little musical, light fare, perhaps. Audrey, of course, is wonderful, and has a nice little voice. There is a slight ick-factor in the romance between her and Fred Astaire, considering Astaire is quite a bit older than her, but if you can get past that, the rest of the movie is a delight. Audrey is a good, albeit quirky dancer, and also has a lovely voice. My favorite song is either "How Long Has This Been Going On," which features her solo, or "Bonjour, Paris" featuring all three main characters.
Dick Avery- You are mad, aren't you?
Jo Stockton- I'm not mad. I'm hurt and disappointed, and. . . and mad.
Jo- Isn't it time you realized that dancing's nothing more than a form of expression, of release? There's no need to be formal or cute about it. As a matter of fact, I rather feel like expressing myself now. And I could certainly use the release!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Movie Marathon: The '40's
Again, two movies from the 1940s, both made in 1940, both starring Jimmy Stewart: The Shop around the Corner and The Philadelphia Story.
The Shop around the Corner premiered January 12th, 1940 and was directed by Ernst Lubitsch. It starred Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullavan and Frank Morgan, and is one of my favorite movies. The one-liners are priceless, and Jimmy Stewart's performance is warm and memorable, one of his best. There's something about his voice when he does love scenes. It's soft, gentle strength stands in direct contrast to previous scenes when he bellows and blusters. I am not as fond of Margaret Sullavan. I think she tries to hard to compete with Stuart, to be a strong female character, but it comes off a little shrill, her voice especially. To me she lacks the real strength of Katharine Hepburn, or even actresses like Elizabeth Taylor or Ginger Rogers.
My favorite little scene, a perfect sample of the witty pace of the movie:
Customer- Excuse me. How much is that belt in the window, the one that says 2.95.
Kralick- 2.95.
Customer- Oh no!
The Philadelphia Story, released December 26th, 1940, directed by George Cukor, starred Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. The story of a wealthy young heiress, Tracy, embarking on her second marriage to a self-made "man of the people," her first marriage to well-to-do alcoholic Dexter played by Cary Grant having dissolved not too long before. Added to the mix is a tabloid journalist, Mike played by Stewart, an aspiring writer who stoops to trashy gossip column pieces to pay the rent, accompainied by his girlfriend, a painter who photographs stars to make a living. This is a movie about the rich and the working-class, about the happy and unhappy. Most of all it is about discovering yourself, about breaking through first impressions to find the heart of a person, and loving them for that person.
Hepburn is stunning in the beginning, haughty and cool, stern and unforgiving. She is sharp and crisp, the perfect snooty, rich princess Hollywood vilifies. Then a change comes over Tracy, partly precipitated by her father's reprimand, and partly by Mike. She knows Mike's true reason for crashing her wedding, to turn in a story to a tabloid, and judges him based on this knowledge. When she finds out he's a writer, she begins to question other things about her life: were Dexter's faults really enough to wreck their true love? Is her new fiance's spotless image enough to make her happy? The transformation Tracy takes, from a shining, sneering queen to a humble, fragile woman is the true heart of the film. To be perfectly honest, however, I prefer Hepburn as the queen.
Tracy- I'm going crazy. I'm standing here solidly on my own two hands and going crazy.
Tracy- The time to make up your mind about people is never.
The Shop around the Corner premiered January 12th, 1940 and was directed by Ernst Lubitsch. It starred Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullavan and Frank Morgan, and is one of my favorite movies. The one-liners are priceless, and Jimmy Stewart's performance is warm and memorable, one of his best. There's something about his voice when he does love scenes. It's soft, gentle strength stands in direct contrast to previous scenes when he bellows and blusters. I am not as fond of Margaret Sullavan. I think she tries to hard to compete with Stuart, to be a strong female character, but it comes off a little shrill, her voice especially. To me she lacks the real strength of Katharine Hepburn, or even actresses like Elizabeth Taylor or Ginger Rogers.
My favorite little scene, a perfect sample of the witty pace of the movie:
Customer- Excuse me. How much is that belt in the window, the one that says 2.95.
Kralick- 2.95.
Customer- Oh no!
The Philadelphia Story, released December 26th, 1940, directed by George Cukor, starred Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. The story of a wealthy young heiress, Tracy, embarking on her second marriage to a self-made "man of the people," her first marriage to well-to-do alcoholic Dexter played by Cary Grant having dissolved not too long before. Added to the mix is a tabloid journalist, Mike played by Stewart, an aspiring writer who stoops to trashy gossip column pieces to pay the rent, accompainied by his girlfriend, a painter who photographs stars to make a living. This is a movie about the rich and the working-class, about the happy and unhappy. Most of all it is about discovering yourself, about breaking through first impressions to find the heart of a person, and loving them for that person.
Hepburn is stunning in the beginning, haughty and cool, stern and unforgiving. She is sharp and crisp, the perfect snooty, rich princess Hollywood vilifies. Then a change comes over Tracy, partly precipitated by her father's reprimand, and partly by Mike. She knows Mike's true reason for crashing her wedding, to turn in a story to a tabloid, and judges him based on this knowledge. When she finds out he's a writer, she begins to question other things about her life: were Dexter's faults really enough to wreck their true love? Is her new fiance's spotless image enough to make her happy? The transformation Tracy takes, from a shining, sneering queen to a humble, fragile woman is the true heart of the film. To be perfectly honest, however, I prefer Hepburn as the queen.
Dexter- Sometimes, for your own sake, Red, I think you should have stuck to me longer.
Tracy- I thought it was for life, but the nice judge gave me a full pardon.
Dexter- Aaah, that's the old redhead. No bitterness, no recrimination, just a good swift left to the jaw.
Mike- Champagne's funny stuff. I'm used to whiskey. Whiskey is a slap on the back, and champagne's heavy mist before my eyes.
Tracy- The time to make up your mind about people is never.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)