28 November 2010

You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how.

Gone With the Wind, 1939

I remember the first time I watched Gone With the Wind. I was sixteen years old, had just come out of tenth grade, and had recently fallen in love with TCM and all things classic Hollywood. So when TCM showed Gone With the Wind as its Essential for that week, I was excited beyond belief. I found out about a week in advance that it would be coming on, and I literally planned my whole Saturday around it. I remember eating dinner super early that night, as the film would be airing at 8:00 and I was not going to be missing it for anything.

Well, by the time about 7:45 rolled around, I had a burger on a plate and some fries, and a drink. Settling down on my basement sofa, I flipped to TCM and waited for the film to start. From the opening music, I was hooked. For the next four hours I didn't move off my sofa, except to run to the freezer quickly to cram another creamsicle. I eventually polished off the whole box by the end of the movie.

Gone With the Wind was my first foray into the epic film. It also taught me not to finish a drink within the first twenty minutes of the film, because you're not going to be leaving the sofa for another three hours.  It also introduced me to Vivien Leigh, who has since become my favorite actress and one of my favorite people. It was also the first Clark Gable film I saw, and I kind of went "Oh. So THAT's Clark Gable. I get it now, his appeal."

I think you really need to see Gone With the Wind if you are really into films. There's really amazing performances, I think the cinematography is brilliant, the score is beautiful, and it's a prime example of the Hollywood epic that they just can't make anymore. And I think that it's pretty safe to say that it's the most famous film of all time.


PS: Even when you adjust for inflation/deflation, when you add up all the numbers, Gone With the Wind is still the highest grossing film of all time. Take that, Avatar!

27 November 2010

Well, bust my buttons! That's a horse of a different color!

The Wizard of Oz, 1939
 





As usual, it's going to be a little difficult for me to write this without being all gushy and sentimental and saying that I love this movie simply because, well, I always have.


The Wizard of Oz was my first taste of classic cinema I suppose. I've been watching it literally as long as I can remember. It became a full-blown obsession when I was in the fifth grade, and it's stayed that way ever since. The VHS that Ihad included a documentary titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic. I used to watch this all the time and because of it, I was able to drop names like nobody's business. Never mind that I had no idea what I was talking about, but I knew Luis B. Mayer, Victor Flemming, George Cukor, David Selznick, Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Mervyn LeRoy, Gale Sondergaard, Liza Minnelli and even Adrian. Like I said, I probably couldn't have told you who most of those people really were, but I'm sure that I sounded very pretentious rattling off names like that at ten years old. 

It was also the film that introduced me to Judy Garland, who I've always adored.  In the fifth grade, I would have listed her as my favorite actress. She remains among them today. 

I guess I really need to give credit to the Wizard of Oz for introducing me to classic film. I didn't even know it at the time, but it was my first viewing of classic films and so I guess that Citizen Kane needs to move over and give The Wizard of Oz that title.

20 November 2010

How could I have known that murder can sometimes smell like honeysuckle?

Double Indemnity, 1944

I think that Double Indemnity is the best example of film noir, if not my favorite. Fred MacMurray plays an insurance salesman who finds himself first falling for Barbara Stanwyck and then murdering her husband, only to be betrayed by her later on. It's the classic noir film, filled with tough-talking guys and rotten dames, and plenty of cigarette smoke and shadows. 


What really stands out to me in this film is Barbara Stanwyck. I've read that she took on the role of Phyllis Dietrichson after Billy Wilder bet her to. I think that she really makes a kind of trite character into something really extraordinary. I think she's just fantastic in this role.

15 November 2010

Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win.


Casablanca, 1942


My list of 15 films continues with Casablanca. I was first shown this film in my tenth grade film class and I was instantly in love with it. I got so lost in the story and completely swept away and involved in the love triangle. I honestly had no idea who Ilsa was going to end up with, and I totally felt for her, because I had fallen for both men as well.I was drawn to Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and his smart-ass remarks, and I thought that Victor (Paul Henried) was such a good, brave man. By the end of the picture, I had to quickly wipe my eyes and pretend that I hadn't been crying.


Also, I remember thinking that the girl in the movie was very pretty. Only later did I learn her name was Ingrid Bergman and that she was an Academy Award winning Swedish actress. (She's now one of my favorite actresses). I think she's especially beautiful in this film. She's absolutely luminous- especially when Rick sees her again for the first time in years:


The part that stands out to me the most isn't the famous goodbye scene, but when Victor leads all the people in a chorus of La Marseillaise, much to the annoyance of the German soldiers. In this scene, Paul Henried is so brave, and so handsome, and Ilsa is so proud of him. It's such a beautiful scene. Observe:








Casablanca is true escapist cinema, and I can just imagine what it did for people during World War II. I've always wanted to talk to someone who was around during that time and ask them what it was like seeing that film back in 1942, and how they reacted to it.

With its great story, love triangle, endlessly quotable lines, and great performances by all involved, Casablanca is s treasure of a movie that everyone really should see.

PS- I'm sorry about the video, I didn't realize that it couldn't be embedded. It's going to take you straight to the youtube page.

12 November 2010

15 Films

 So has anyone seen that thing on Facebook where you randomly list 15 movies that you'll always remember or affected your life significantly? Well, I'm going to make a post every day for each of the 15 films that I selected. I'll also write a little bit about why I chose that particular film. So, here goes. (This is in no particular order, just the order of how they went down)


Citizen Kane, 1941


































I'm going to start by saying that Citizen Kane isn't necessarily one of my favorite movies. It's not that I think it wasn't good, or it was boring or anything like that, but I don't know, it's just not really my cup of tea. I think it's one of those films that you need to watch a couple of times to really appreciate. 

As the movie opens, we come across an old, lonely manor house on top of a mountain. Ignoring the No Trespassing sign, we enter the house and make our way into a bedroom. A silhouette of a man lays on the bed, clutching a snow globe in his hand. He whispers the word "rosebud" and drops the snow globe. As it shatters on the floor, a woman rushes in and pulls the bed sheet over the dead man's face.  So ends the life of Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles).

The rest of the story is told in flashbacks. Kane becomes an unscrupulous newspaper tycoon (the character was apparently based on William Randolph Hearst and as the story goes, he was none too happy about it). As his luck would have it though, he finds out that money really doesn't buy happiness, and he is left a broken bitter old man.

This is one of those essential films that is requisite viewing in any film class. I think Citizen Kane is one of the best films ever made from a technical point of view.  In fact, I think that the cinematography is my favorite thing about Citizen Kane. The opening scene alone is absolutely brilliant. It's perfectly moody, Gothic, and almost brooding. You feel the chill in the air, and the mist sticks to you. Observe, the opening of Citizen Kane.





















 Citizen Kane was one of the first black-and-white/classic viewings that I can remember. Actually, I think it was the second classic film I'd ever seen, the first being It's a Wonderful Life. I remember sitting in my tenth grade film class and being totally absorbed in this film. I jotted down notes so fast I was slightly surprised my pencil didn't spark. I was totally impressed with the film, and I still am. When I took a college film course, the professor, Faye Dunaway- I mean, Dr. Rebecca Dean- showed this film first. As I said before, it's one of those films that you just need to see if you want anything to do with film. It was groundbreaking, astounding, and somewhat shocking on so many levels, and it none of that has diminished yet.

08 November 2010

A Vivien Leigh birthday tribute.

Day 01 — Your favorite song
Day 02 — Your favorite movie

Day 03 — Your favorite television program

Day 04 — Your favorite book

Day 05 — Your favorite quote

Day 06 — Whatever tickles your fancy

Day 07 — A photo that makes you happy

Day 08 — A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 — A photo you took
Day 10 — A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 — A fictional book
Day 14 — A non-fictional book
Day 15 — A fanfic
Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 — A talent of yours
Day 20 — A hobby of yours
Day 21 — A recipe
Day 22 — A website
Day 23 — A YouTube video
Day 24 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 — Your day, in great detail
Day 26 — Your week, in great detail
Day 27 — This month, in great detail
Day 28 — This year, in great detail
Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 — Whatever tickles your fancy
 
I'm sorry that I didn't get to post this when I really wanted to. Three days ago (November 5th) was Vivien Leigh's 97th birthday. And so I wanted to do a photo tribute to her on that day, but since I worked all day, I didn't get to then, so I'm doing it now. All images courtesy of vivandlarry.com




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Vivien Leigh
November 5, 1913-July 7, 1967 
 
 

03 November 2010

I think you're overreacting, Miss Crawford.



Day 01 — Your favorite song
Day 02 — Your favorite movie

Day 03 — Your favorite television program

Day 04 — Your favorite book

Day 05 — Your favorite quote

Day 06 — Whatever tickles your fancy

Day 07 — A photo that makes you happy

Day 08 — A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 — A photo you took
Day 10 — A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 — A fictional book
Day 14 — A non-fictional book
Day 15 — A fanfic
Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 — A talent of yours
Day 20 — A hobby of yours
Day 21 — A recipe
Day 22 — A website
Day 23 — A YouTube video
Day 24 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 — Your day, in great detail
Day 26 — Your week, in great detail
Day 27 — This month, in great detail
Day 28 — This year, in great detail
Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 — Whatever tickles your fancy


This has got to be one of the most brilliant videos I've ever seen. It's a mash up of one of my favorite movies- Mommie Dearest- and a song that I really like quite a lot- Mama Mia by ABBA. 

I was first introduced to Mommie Dearest about three years ago when my uncle gave me a copy for Christmas. It instantly became one of my favorite movies. And you know what? I think it's actually a pretty well-made film. Yeah, there are some parts that go a little overboard, but for the most part, I don't think it's as bad as it's been made out to be. And I think for the most part, Faye Dunaway did an amazing job as Joan Crawford. Again, she has her moments of going over the top, and she does get a little cross-eyed when she yells, but all in all, I don't think it's a performance she should be ashamed of. I think she should lighten up and accept the movie for what it is. 

See what I mean about the slight cross-eyes?

 Anyway, back to the video. I think it's hilarious and totally brilliant. The editing and cutting syncs perfectly with the music and it's totally entertaining, fan of Mommie Dearest and/or ABBA or not.