The Big Parade

The Cameraman - 1928 Film #12

2011-05-30T06:19:00.000-07:00

Buster Keaton's The Cameraman, I don't feel like I need to say anything more than that! But I guess a few words are necessary.

After 11 years of putting his creativity to the screen Buster Keaton was forced to shut up Buster Keaton Productions due to money woes after a few unsuccessful costly films that included Steamboat Bill Jr and The General. He regretfully accepted a position at the MGM lot. He became one of MGM's pampered performers at the assembly line, a position that is hard to associate with Buster Keaton, the daredevil of silent comedy. However his move to MGM produced one film that you could place on a pedestal next to his previous amazing films. That is The Cameraman of course, and it is classic Buster. This film marked the end of his glory years, its fitting to as I haven't seen a Buster Keaton film quite as emotional as this. I suppose just knowing that his career fizzled out after this production makes it an emotional watch for a fan. Although he wasn't given complete control, because the directing duty was passed over to Edward Sedgwick (who would also direct his last silent film Spite Marriage), for the most part he was allowed to do his thing and he did partially direct (although uncredited), if only MGM allowed him to carry on doing it!.

Buster Keaton plays a tintype portrait photographer who falls hopelessly and hard for Sally (Marceline Day), a lovely young thing who works at MGM's newsreel offices. Enraptured and in typical Buster fashion he plays out the whole film whole heartedly but modestly trying to please her and win her over, its not easy as he finds competition wherever he goes. He wants a job at the newsreels to impress Sally, so he sells his photo camera for a stodgy looking film camera. Sally helps out Buster, he had previously attempted to film a fire, but had trouble getting to it, she gives him a tip off about a job in gangwar Chinatown. He films all this amazing footage, whilst fending off Chinese gangsters trying to kill him. Thanks to Buster's new trustful monkey friend (Josephine the monkey) he comes out alive. Buster leaves us dumbfounded when he returns to the offices to show off his work only to find he had forgotten to put the film in the camera! But never fear he brings us back again. That's what's great about Buster Keaton's movie's he always falls on his butt but he eventually comes back fighting and in the most unimaginable of circumstances. During the crazy Chinatown sequence is where the film moves on a whole other level, this occurs half way through the movie. In the first half Keaton delivers wondrously funny sight gags. In one he travels to a stadium and ends up pantomiming a baseball match on an empty field, when he learns the game he hoped to film is being played elsewhere.

To me The Cameraman is Buster Keaton's most romantic movie, all his films are romantic as hell but this film just has many fleeting romantic moments between Keaton and Day that are truly priceless and beautifully done. Buster scrounges up some money to take Sally on a date, they take an adventurous bus ride (to say the least) to the cities public pool. Poor Buster just can't catch a break, really spectacular gags occur at the pool. Whilst Buster and another man attempt to change into their swimwear in a tiny changing room built for one, Sally is being swarm by a pack of wet males, but just in a knick of time Buster appears in an extremely loose fitting swimsuit looking a sorry sight (but so adorable!). When he retrieves his queen he attempts to show off some high dives only to have his swimsuit fall off!! How he recovers from this hilarious, nightmarish circumstance will be left a mystery....

As a whole the film feels different to his previous achievements, because of the lack of stunts, but it shouldn't be missed, it's still really fun filled and quite touching. The Cameraman features on TCM quite a bit, so stay tuned.

"I'll Wait"
Buster Keaton and Marceline Day
(that dreamy gif, is from here, she is like the queen bee of gifs).

Say it ain't so's:

This movie was thought to be lost forever until a print was found in Paris in 1968. And another print of almost the entire film was found in 1991. Both prints can be seen today, the latter is of much higher quality.

This film was used for many years by MGM as an example of a perfect comedy. The studio would get all its directors and producers to watch it and learn. Only two scenes were improvised on the spot by Buster Keaton: one was the baseball scene, and the other is the piggybank scene.

According to Rudi Blesch's biography of Buster Keaton, he came on the set the first day of shooting and, unaware of his reduced status as actor-only, began to "feel" for comedy bits and request props and characters, as he had with his own company. Director Edward Sedgwick took him aside and told Buster that he was undermining his directorial authority. Buster genuinely apologized and faded into the background. Sedgewick couldn't get the set-ups he wanted, couldn't get the actors to understand his direction, and eventually gave up and asked Buster to take over. As quietly as he had left, Buster regained control of the scene. Buster began to call Sedgewick "Junior" and they became fast friends.

Buster Keaton with director Edward Sedgwick

(Opinions needed:

I would like to know what you think of my new header, I showed it to a few people and they frankly said they didn't like it as much as my Buster Keaton headings! lol. Should I bring back Buster To my title? you might have noticed I've been changing it quite a bit, I just can't settle on one, help)

Sennett, Roach and The Boys and The Tramps

2011-05-15T03:22:00.000-07:00

Producer Mack Sennet's Bathing Beauties, with Carole Lombard on the right (c1927). Mildred Davis and Harold Lloyd who worked with the other major comedy producer of the time Hal Roach (from 1915 to 1923)

Hello, I just wanted to mention that historian Kevin Brownlow's 1980 documentary: Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film is available on you tube (whoopee) thanks to one remarkable uploader. So far they have uploaded 8 of the 13 episodes, one is uploaded every few weeks or so.
The Latest Comedy - A Serious Business is below.
It features interviews with Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Hal Roach, Jackie Coogan and Frank Capra and more.
The Episode mentions Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios otherwise known as "The Fun Factory" and Charlie Chaplin's beginnings there. Mack Sennett wasn't a producer big on scenario, he said the chase was the essence of his comedy, meaning they were big on extreme slapstick. So it wasn't long before Chaplin wanted to spread his wings, and he did in 1915.
Hal Roach was the other great producer, Harold Lloyd began as a comedian with Roach and started out playing a character known as Lonesome Luke, Lloyd had never done comedy before. Essentially the character was the studios way of cashing in on Chaplin's success with his lovable tramp, Lonesome Luke didn't last. Everyone at the studio decided that Harold needed to stand out, thus the much loved Glasses character began. Buster Keaton of course is a hot topic as well, stunts, directing and he talks about why his character is deadpan. Lastly the episode also touches on the rise and fall of the forgotten comedian Harry Langdon and his innocent man-child like character invented by Mack Sennett and Frank Capra.
Enjoy, its good stuff.
James Mason Narrates
Link to the 1st Episod e: The Pioneers

uh oh spaghettios. Mabel falls off the wheel and into a puddle in Mabel at the Wheel with Charlie Chaplin who plays the villain (Mack Sennett c1914) first photo found at mythicalmonkey and the other on filmobservations.

Southern Discomfort

2011-05-04T07:13:00.000-07:00

Victorian Mansion (via Flickr) and Natchez, Mississippi (Via Shorpy)

There is something really alluring about all things relating to the Southern Gothic sub genre, whether its in the novels or in the films they always bring out a captivating sense of place. The run down but still stately old houses and the big mossy trees orchestrate a great dark atmosphere. The genre can sustain the feeling of a gothic horror story, only instead of the vampires and monsters the characters are people who are outcasts, crooks and alcoholics. The villainous character's are often a representation of what's negatives about the South, a social issue can be raised, like racism in To Kill a Mocking Bird.

I've never been to the Southern States of America or anywhere in America for that matter but when I do go, the places I would like to visit include New Orleans, Savannah, Nashville and Charleston. Which explains why I've really only just begun to get into it. I just brought a couple of secondhand William Faulkner books (Sanctuary and The Sound and The Fury) and it would be nice to have a porch and some cold lemonade while I'm at it (its a nice fantasy seeing as though weather here has been terrible, there was a tornado that ripped apart an Auckland suburb yesterday ( it killed 2 people) which was pretty scary, it ended it in a neighboring suburb to us. Never seen anything like it here, Auckland's usually got subdued weather conditions).

William Faulkner and Eudora Welty in New York in the 60s, this is a pretty great photo!. and his novel Sanctuary (1931)

According to wikipedia (haha doesn't sound to reliable, but its the only source I can go by) "The Story of Temple Drake" based on William Faulkner's Sanctuary (1931) was the first notable film that relates to the Southern Gothic Genre. I had the pleasure of watching The Story of Temple Drake (1933) on Yo utube not so long ago, the only place available for public viewing, it will also be screening at the tcm festival, newly restored and all! god I wish i could go. This film is almost the perfect pre-code. It has often been said that this single film caused the Breen office to take over censorship. Which is believable, its quite insane. Though the novel is still considered much more scandalous; the film still holds a strong shock value even though it implies the touchy subjects the novel goes into. Miriam Hopkin's stars in the title role, which fitted her like a glove. Temple is a frivolous and wealthy southern belle, who after a night of dancing and drinking decides to go for a joyride into the dark and stormy night with her really drunk friend "Toddy". They skid off the road and have an accident, which is where the hoods come in. The gang then lead the victims into their run down lair. The intoxicated Toddy is really eager to join them while Temple is quite terrified, but because of the weather she enters into the shelter. The gang of bootleggers is led by the gun toting "Trigger" (Jack LaRue) and he makes the whole situation as unsettling as possible. Temple decides to stay with Trigger and becomes a prostitute. Ruby (the woman below, right) is the other woman staying with the hoods, and even though society might look down on her for staying with a group of bootleggers in squaller, she is staying true and dedicated to her beau, which is in huge contrast to Temple (a judges granddaughter) a notorious tease about town. But because of Miriam's rapid change in life Ruby could be the woman Temple will become or according to the rules of society should become.

It's a film worth viewing for sure. Miriam Hopkins is the only actress I can think of who would have suited that role, Barbara Stanwyck could have pulled it off also, but Miriam Hopkins has a more snooty way about her I think, which suits Temple, since she is spoiled. The film was so scandalous that it was pulled after only running for two weeks in 1933, never to played on t.v or anything.

Can anyone recommend to me some other novels or films of the genre?

Great shots courtesy of Old Hollywood

The Good Fairy (1935)

2011-04-30T04:25:00.000-07:00

I recently watched this delightful film. Since I only just got wind of it, I thought it's possible others interested in classic films hadn't seen it either, so I just had to hit the keyboard. It features a stellar cast, with Frank Morgan, Margaret Sullavan, Herbert Marshall and Reginald Owen, and with small roles by Caesar Romero and a comedic favourite Eric Blore. Not to mention it was written by Preston Sturges and directed by William Wyler. But it is nice to be surprised with a "new" gem every so often. Preston Sturges really funny one liners are good for chuckles and the entire script is pretty zany. But instead of it being as screwy as lets say Palm Beach Story its toned down by William Wyler in a way by emphasizing on the brilliant actors and using scarce amount of music. It's technically simplistic but cozy 'n' sweet at the same time. Sullavan plays Luisa Ginglebusher a life long orphan who enters the real world for the first time after being randomly plucked out of her asylum to work as a movie usherette. Ginglebusher loves fairy tales and doing good deeds but she learns that being a Good Fairy to benefit total strangers can have it's downside.
Ginglebusher now alone in the world she befriends a kooky and kindly waiter named Detloff (Reginald Owen) who becomes the closest thing she has to a paternal guardian. He does his best to protect her from the cities shifty characters. Detloff introduces her to the fancy life at a hotel party he is working at. But while Detloff is working the tables, a meat packing millionaire named Konrad (Frank Morgan) begins to make a bee line towards Ginglebusher's table, he relentlessly tries to pursue her. So he lures her up to a private dining room and starts talking about what kind of fur he should buy her. Ginglebusher pretends she is married to a poor lawyer and randomly picks a name out of the directory. Her plan is to help out a struggling man by using Konrad who will give him a high paying job at his meat packers. By doing this Konrad will be able to send the hubby away on trips, which means he'll be able to be with Gingle. The chosen lawyer is Dr Max Sporum (Herbert Marshall), poor: yes but he's also quite stuffy. His unsuccessful career as a lawyer has led him to grow a funny parted beard (which he hastily combs now and then) because he thinks it makes him look like a professional. When he hears of his future wealth, he becomes obsessed with getting a new desk pencil sharpener, like that's the most exciting thing.
Later on when he describes the story of his surprising fortune to Ginglebusher, Sporum points to his pencil sharpener and says "Hence the Magnificence" (! How can you not Love this movie :)
Ginglebusher's plan later unravels when the inevitable occurs and Konrad finds out. Other than that I found the movie pretty unpredictable. Loved it, wouldn't call it a "masterpiece" but it's defiantly one I'll come back to, yay (:

The Good Fairy is very good, largely because of the charismatic performances and quirky characters. Margaret Sullavan is splendid and believable as the young naive orphan, Luisa Ginglebusher, the role had been tailored by Preston to suit the actress.

Frank Morgan is superb of course. He and Margaret would soon work together again in Ernst Lubitsch's The Shop Around The Corner (1940). And I have to say that it was kind of strange watching the "Wizard of Oz" getting drunk and coming on to younger girls. But Morgan really played him vigorously, and I felt sorry for him in a part where Reginald knocks him over, but never fear, in the end we learn he's a pretty good guy. But I just couldn't get his roles in Oz out of my mind!

Another bonus is the magnificent distinct voices that come from all the actors! Margaret, Frank, Herbert and Reginald, maybe that's why there's little to no musical score. They all make Preston Sturges script something really memorable.

If you love Preston Sturges and screwball comedy and haven't yet come across this film I defiantly recommend it. It's nice to see where the creator of Sullivans Travels and The Lady Eve started out ( Easy Living and Remember the Night are also worth a watch or two). This film feels different to his own directed masterpieces, but you can tell from the script its Preston, even though it's not an original Preston Sturges story (it was based on a 1930s play by Ferenc Molnar). In the thirties Sturges did only script work for Hollywood until he got fed up with with the way Hollywood directors were treating his material. Which makes me wonder if he was happy with this one? So he started directing as well, his directorial debut was with a script he had written in around 1933 called The Great Mcginty (1940), he was so eager to direct that he asked paramount to pay him only a dollar in return.

Sounds silly doesn't it? A little boy Without a Beard (lol)

This film's star Margaret Sullavan and director William Wyler had just been married the year the production of The Good Fairy began in 1934. The two were constantly feuding and she'd walk off the set, until Wyler realised that she worked better when they didn't fight (genius). None of that shows in her performance at all. I have only seen her in this film and The Shop Around the Corner and I'm eager to see her act dramatically. Before The Good Fairy She had played two roles in dramatic films, "Little Man, What Now?" (Frank Borzage) and "Only Yesterday" which was her first film in 1933 (John M. Stahl). So The Good Fairy was her first attempt at comedy and I thought she was a pro, timing was excellent. It's unfortunate for us that she only played comedienne twice in her career, but its fortunate that Sullavan's roles were in The Good Fairy and The Shop around the corner.

As the unassuming love interest is Herbert Marshall (Trouble in Paradise) who looked so handsome (I thought) couldn't believe he was around 45 when he took this role, the same age as Frank Morgan!. The suave Brit acted the part like I never seen him act before! honestly its difficult not to enjoy this guys performances. He is also fantastic in the comedy Trouble In Paradise but that's a whole other character. So yeah I think that sums it up, Watch The Good Fairy and you can here.

Herbert Marshall admiring her furs face.
H.M: "Who Is this Nobleman?"
M.S: "oh isn't it beautiful?"
H.M: "Yes but what is it?",
M.S "A Genuine Foxine"
H.M: "uh huh, probably related to a Fox or something"
(wish it magically had an audio button , its not the same just reading the joke.)

Songs of The Week #9

2011-04-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

The Doors - Queen of the Highway the smooth as Jazz Version, I love this!, came across it on Tumblr about a month ago and I'm glad I did, since then I've just been playing it everywhere I go, Downloaded it onto my ipod, put it on a new mix cd I made for work, never get tired of it. It comes from the Morrison Hotel 40th Anniversary edition. I have the original version but I'm tempted to go out and buy this new one. I made this slide show video for youtube because I thought the only one on there wouldn't let me embed it but it turns out that youtube just changed their settings and I just couldn't find the embed button. pretty ridiculous of me haha
Hope you enjoy it as much I do!

And Heatmiser I've been Listening to a lot of them lately. Elliott Smith joined this group before heading out as a solo artist. I'm a real mega huge gigantic fan of Elliott Smith so he makes me enjoy the head banging rock songs featured on heatmisers first two albums. Their last Album was their most successful, Mic City Sons (1996) which is much lighter, quite different to their earlier music. This song "Antonio Carlos Jobim" (named after the Brazilian Bossa Nova musician) is my favourite song featured on Cop and Speeder released in 1994. Elliott and Neil Gust made some awesome music! Smith left the group because he wasn't comfortable being in a loud rock band.

Griffith and Way Down East (1920)

2011-04-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

Mr. pointy pointy Griffith and his pupils Richard Barthelmess, Lillian Gish and Lowell Sherman

Hello, long time, no posts! I have been pretty useless lately I apologize, I've just been on the mid semester break and I was meaning to catch up on some postings but the time just got away with me. First day back tomorrow so chances are I'll be blogging more as a means of distraction haha. should really be the other way round shouldn't it, I am not a good student.
Well I just felt like doing a post on my favourite film made by D.W. Griffith. Way Down East, even in it's moments of corn it never fails to please. But first I'd best introduce D.W. Griffith to my blog.

Actress Lillian Gish bestowed David Wark Griffith as “The Father of Film” not to say he was the only man around who evolved movie making, but he was the most progressive and influential. Shooting movie's however was not on D.W.’S prerogative, he initially wanted to become a successful playwright but when that failed he became a stock player for various theatre groups. He eventually entered into films on the advice of his then wife who was an actress in the business and he began by selling some scenarios to Edwin S. Porter and The Biograph Film Company. In 1908 after 6months of working as a stock player for Biograph he began as a director for the company, churning out 400 shorts in the space 5 years and experimenting in the process. He broke new ground with his skills in storytelling, like his accomplishment in new narrative techniques that included cross cutting, the close up and fade in and fading out. Records are hazy as to if he actually invented a lot of the techniques he is recognized for, but it is certain that he did help refine them. Although he improved movie making, he never sought to continue in improving his own method. Since his films were so successful, I guess he figured he should stick to the same regime.

Griffith, Pickford, Chaplin, Fairbanks = United Artists

Griffith's bold way of portraying good versus evil has overshadowed a few of his films with controversy. His adaptation of The Clansman re titled The Birth of a Nation was not a very forward thinking story to produce with it's racist depiction of blacks and whites in America. Nonetheless that was the dominant view on African American's at the time and I really don't think D.W. Griffith was any more racist than the patrons who paid to see Birth of a Nation a zillion times. Anyway The Birth of a Nation is notable for being the film that placed Griffith as a visionary and by influencing every film maker thereafter. Contrary to popular belief Historian's like Arthur Lennig, have mentioned that Griffith didn't make Intolerance (1916) to redeem himself or as a way to apologize for Birth of a Nation, he was predominantly hailed for making the film and wasn't the slightest bit sorry for it. Way Down East was his final hit and his career hid skids mid 20s when he made America in 1924. In the 30s after reportedly wanting to make a crime drama, which would have been the wiser choice, he instead settled into adapting an old fashioned play called Drink re titled The Struggle (1931), all about the evils of alcohol, this ended his film career for good. He died in 1948 aged 73 in Hollywood. Many things written about him make it sound as though he died a lonely alcoholic who was virtually forgotten, which is pretty sad if that's true. This is quote by Orson Welles on Griffith: "I have never really hated Hollywood except for its treatment of D. W. Griffith. No town, no industry, no profession, no art form owes so much to a single man."

Way Down East was made in 1920, the same year Olive Thomas starred in The Flapper, a film that did its part to popularize the flapper image; of young woman having a relaxed stance on unwed "barney mugging", driving, drinking (openly!) and just enjoying their new found freedom. While this was going on in the 20s Griffith was still specializing in Victorian tales that could have been made ten years earlier that involved his idyllic heroine being in danger of losing their virtue. Not that he didn't take into consideration that by 1920 he had immense competition especially with Cecil B. DeMille and his string of modern films like Why Change your Wife?, Don't Change Your Husband and Male and Female. Since audiences were engaged in this new way of life D.W Griffith and crew had their work cut out for them if they were going to make this Tess of the d'urbervillesque story applicable to the modern crowds. This was Griffith's most expensive film to date, the rights to Lottie Blair Parker's story alone cost $175,000 and basically everyone was telling him not to do it. The rights cost more than Birth of a Nation's entire budget and much like his adaptation of The Clansman, he began filming the original story half way through the film. It would have been a surprise to the sceptics that Way Down East turned out to be the highest grossing film of the year and would later become the fourth highest grossing silent film ever. Which proves D.W Griffith didn't just make your run of the mill melodramatic tragic romance, its an epic, sentimental piece of film.

Way Down East is easily my favourite D.W. Griffith movie, I'm not religious or anything but I do find his melodrama's, along with Broken Blossoms and True Heart Susie ridiculously entertaining and easier to watch than his more reverent epics, in my opinion.
The film deals with Victorian morality in New England where Queen Victoria's code of conduct was most commonly lived by in America (along with the Deep South). So when Anna Moore (Lillian Gish) becomes an unwed mother, society is not kind. Anna is an innocent, country bumpkin who goes to Boston to stay with her wealthy relatives. While staying with them the scene is like something out of Cinderella only her charming prince is Lennox Sanderson (Lowell Sherman) and all he is interested in is Ladies, Ladies and LADIES.

When Lennox sets his sights on Anna he is determined to have his way with her. He goes so far as deceiving Anna into a secretive, phony marriage. When he learns of the pregnancy he deserts her. Suddenly landed in this nightmarish situation she is forced to move out on her on own. Anna eventually ends up on The Bartlett farm where David Bartlett (Richard Barthelmess) falls for her, but she being ashamed of her past, convinces herself she is unworthy of being in love now.... don't want to spoil anything...

At 145 minutes its worth the time, there's always something going on and its so beautifully crafted and acted. Not to mention the climax, Lillian Gish floating down the river on an ice cake is what the film is most well known for, but you wouldn't go and fast forward 135 minutes of it just to watch that, the whole movie shows that D.W. Griffith went all out. It doesn't come off as old fashioned as it may seem, Griffith sounds off on intolerant Victorians and wealthy hedonists. The villain, Lennox doesn't get castrated or anything like that, in fact nothing much happens to him at all. Maybe that was another one of D.W.'s messages, that the rich are able to get away with everything.

Sidney Lumet (June 24th 1924 - April 9th 2011)

2011-04-10T00:25:00.000-07:00

Rest in Peace

Well this is awfully sad news. Sidney Lumet, the film director/screen writer that brought us land mark films including, 12 Angry Men (1957), Dog Day afternoon (1975), Network (1976), The Fugitive Kind (1959) Long Days Journey into Night (1962) The Pawnbroker (1964) and Serpico (1973), died at the age of 86 from Lymphoma. At his peak, the prolific filmmaker was making almost consistently one movie a year. Out of his 43 directed movies he was nominated 4 times for directing and once for screenwriting (Prince of the City, 1981) and although he never won the golden naked bald man for a single effort, in 2005 he was awarded with an honorary oscar.
He is often compared to the likes of Martin Scorsese for they both deliver quality pictures with high levels of intensity. Like Scorsese, Sidney Lumet preferred taking his films to the real streets of New York, making use of the grittiness, the city served as much more than a common back drop and added the realism his movies needed.

Sidney Lumet in 1935

He was born in Philadelphia and into the world of show business in 1924, his mother was a dancer and his father was an actor and director for the stage. Following in his fathers footsteps at the tender age of four Sidney made his stage debut performing in the Yiddish theatre. Still pursuing acting in the 1930s he played roles in various Broadway productions such as Dead End (adapted onto film in 1937 starring Humphrey Bogart).
In 1939 before joining the troops in the 1940s he made his film debut in a movie starring Sylvia Sidney called "...One Third of a Nation" as an injured boy in the middle of a legal woe. He appeared only 3 more times on the big and small screen.
After the war he returned to the stage and was soon directing stage plays. In the early 50s he started directing t.v shows until he got a big break when he directed 12 Angry Men in 1957 , a great start as a film director to say the least. 12 Angry Men stars Henry Fonda as the only man on a jury who believes a teenager on trial for murder to be innocent and manages to get the other jurors to believe the same, the film was nominated for best writing, directing and picture.

In 2005 with his honorary Oscar

From there he made a largely successful career in films, his last was in 2007 with Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Besides some odd noticeable turkeys including The Wiz, his life long career in film, stage and television has met with the successes many would hope to achieve.
Tonight I think I'm going to enjoy a Sidney Lument double feature with a couple of favourites i haven't seen in awhile starting with Dog Day afternoon and ending with Long Days Journey into night. yes, Thank You Sidney Lumet.

“The death of Sidney Lumet really marks the end of an era.
He started in theatre as an actor, worked his way through the golden age of live television, and by the time he made his debut in 1957 with Twelve Angry Men, he was already a seasoned veteran. He had a unique gift with actors" - Martin Scorsese

Brighton Rock(s)

2011-04-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

Richard Attenborough as Pinkie and the recently deceased Carol Marsh as Rose, and 64 years or so later: Sam Riley (from Control) looks the part as the evil Pinkie and Andrea Riseborough plays Rose

1947s Brighton Rock was the first screen adaptation of the 1938 novel, it has since become a British noir classic, but apparently the original was not good enough because it has recently been remade. The remake was envisioned a bit differently, the era has been moved out of the original 30s setting and into the 60s mod rocker scene, and it looks alright, not as bad as I imagined. Judging from the trailer, the look of it reminds me of the recent series of made for television Miss Marples, which isn't a good thing,but I guess I'll have to see! i'll be watching this cynically though, that can't be helped.
Sam Riley who plays Pinkie looks like a really good choice and hopefully he'll give a good performance, however instead of playing the role as a 17 year old boy he is 30, which is quite a stretch. And Helen Mirren plays Ida, the woman who comes to seek answers about her friends suspicious death, another great choice. I understand the original novel deals with quite a bit more than what we see in 1947 film, so I bet the newer version will cover what had to be left out due to censorship back in the 40s.

The original is an engaging look into crime, sin and morality in the seaside town of Brighton, at a time where their underbelly of crime and violence was rapid, between the two world wars.
The 1st adaptation focuses on a small racecourse gang of local hoodlums and zeros in on the mob's leader, Pinkie Brown, at just seventeen he is the most sinister, sociopathic hood of them all. When Pinkie murders a journalist named Fred because he caused the death of his former mob boss its concluded that the cause of his death was natural. But not everyone thinks so, a woman named Ida was the last to see Fred alive and she suspects foul play so she heads the investigation into her friends sudden departure. Pinkie soon meets Rose, an innately good catholic, but painfully naive teenager who soon falls in love with the hoodlum. Pinkie keeps her around because she knows information about the murdered man and out of paranoia decides he'll have to marry her in exchange for an alibi.

The ending is so utterly suspenseful, it's torture when you see the end for the first time, its an all round disturbing yet subtle top of the line gangster, film noir.
Author Graham Greene wrote the original novel in 1938 and he wrote many other stories that were put on the screen, some are other noir favorites including The Third Man, Ministry of Fear and This Gun for Hire (A Gun for Sale). His stories tackled social and political problems of the 30s and 40s, and were masterly transferred onto the screen amongst the periods surge of noir thrillers.
I just don't get why Brighton Rock'11 has to be set in the 1964, apart from looking hip on the scooters and in cool clothing, the story for me belongs where it was intended. I don't know the reason behind the update but it just seems pointless and out of place. Reviews so far have been mixed, and its yet to be released properly worldwide.

Richard Attenborough as 17 yr old Pinkie, the embodiment of evil. Don't be fooled by his face :s

For me Richard Attenborough's Pinkie is one of the greatest noir villains, up there with Richard Widmark's treacherous hood in Kiss of Death (also released in 1947). Attenborough, the baby faced actor(and not to mention director) seems the most superlative when he plays the role of the anti hero, loathsome psychopath, as in here and in 1971's 10 Rillington place, where he played the serial killer John Christie.

The newly adapted Brighton Rock hits theatre's in Auckland (Particularly at the Capitol Cinema if you want quality viewing - I should get paid over time for that lol) on May 19th.
what's the verdict for those lucky enough to have already seen it?

Songs of the week #8

2011-04-08T00:07:00.000-07:00

Via here

I think we need to hear a song from New Zealand's 4th most popular folk parody duo.

Via Broken Blossoms

Laura Marling performing Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)
I have never been in proper snow so I can't relate, but the song does make me want a snowy Christmas.
Anyway enjoy the tune, I recently came across her after watching Jools Holland and have since been obsessed. Its nice to hear a new artist who's supremely talented (she is only twenty one! yikes she sounds so much older, in a good way). She has already released two albums, her first was Alas I cannot Swim, and this song is from her latest one: I speak because I can. Every new generation needs a good new folk artist that's what I always say!

It may seem strange having this song in the same post as Albi the Racist Dragon, but I don't care.. just think of it as the best of Comedy folk, and Serious folk lol (trying not to sound like a major idiot). All I listen to right now is folkin' folk music.
:D

Rest in peace Elizabeth Taylor :(

2011-03-24T03:26:00.000-07:00

She proved Herself as an unshakable talent in Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf

(stills via Oldhollywood)

Awfully sad, I'm sure everyone will be mourning the loss of Elizabeth Taylor right now, she was an Icon and not only that she was a great actress, one of the first to join the fight against AIDS, and her personal affairs had everyone listening. Who remembers those interviews she gave when she'd say that she'll talk about anything other than her ex husbands? to be honest I always wanted to hear about it, but fair enough, everyone deserves their privacy... For me my favourite films of hers are Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966) and A Place in the Sun (1951). Two rather depressing pictures. Her performances in them are of huge contrast, in A place in the Sun she's graceful, young and stable and wears one of Edith Heads greatest designs (She started a trend when she wore that beautiful white gown) and she made a great transition as an official lady of the silver screen. She and Richard Burton rip each other to shreds in Who's afraid Virginia Woolf, well you just have to look at the pictures above, she's plays a crumbling alcoholic mess.

Rest now, you deserve it.

(Febuary 27th, 1932 - March 23rd, 2011)

"Elizabeth has great worries about becoming a cripple because her feet sometimes have no feeling in them. She asked if I would stop loving her if she had to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. I told her that I didn't care if her legs, bum and bosoms fell off and her teeth turned yellow. And she went bald. I love that woman so much sometimes that I cannot believe my luck. She has given me so much" - Richurd Burton (twice ex husband)

Stylish Blogger Award

2011-03-22T04:22:00.000-07:00

The Mythical Monkey at "A M.M Writes About The Movies" (Which you should definitely check out if you are unfamiliar), so kindly awarded me with the Stylish blogger Award, shucks folks I'm speechless.
As a recipient I am to post a link to Myth Monks blog and carry out two duties which are:

Pass it on to some 7 stylish bloggers.
and to write 7 random tell all facts about yours truly.

So here we go with some random facts:

I have a character/celebrity crush on Sam Shepard as The Farmer in Days of Heaven. I don't know what it is..

Rome? or some other foreign land forget about it. I have always wanted to go to States, so I have planned to travel around the USA next year. In the mid year particularly to the Western, Eastern, Southern states. I am looking forward to it so much.

Funnies: I really enjoy these reviews from red letter media. so hilarious. If you really have a disdain for the newer star wars trilogy I recommend you watch them.

When I was 4 or 5 I stole a packet of those pink hundreds and thousands biscuits from the supermarket because My mum refused the treat. So in my determination I "discreetly" put them under my shirt & I got away with it. So in that case crime did pay and it was delicious!

That Friday song (it sounds like fried egg) has been repeating its self in my head. The tune is by Karen Black whose 13, drives and has her bowl and cereal and Thanks to my brother introducing it to me I've had it in my head all day and its driving me insane! I think she'd be suitable on a kindergarten show. its goes exactly like this: "Kickin in the front seat, sittin in the back seat... gotta make my mind up which seat can i take"? "fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun". I hate it how its the songs like this that are immediately catchy.

I still live with my "Mommie Dearest" and its not bad, but I really can't wait to move out, mainly so I can decorate my own place, I go pretend shopping for vintage pretty things I dream my house will be consumed by. good times. I'll be 21 on April 20th (same birthday as Adolf Hitler's, I reckon I couldn't share it with a more well known person, even though I would rather share it with a likable chap)

Because I don't know what else to share without totally scaring you off:

"My guilty movie pleasures", they aren't the most sophisticated but to me there's something pretty great about them, I don't feel particularly guilty for liking them but you know there are drawbacks. Some of these movies serve as delights for personal nostalgic reasons or as shear entertainment for their straight out non stop hilarity and campiness.
The Goonies, Bridget Jones (1&2), Dumb and Dumber, Steel Magnolias, Don't tell Mom the Babysitters dead, Mommie Dearest, Overboard, Welcome to the doll house, Psycho II.

Movies that are Real Stinkers (for me): I try not to watch bad movies but sometimes they just happen like how Inception happened, it was impossible to like this, I don't understand the hype. Operation Petticoat: sorry fans I couldn't warm up to it even Cary Grant couldn't save this for me and finally the terrible Alex and Emma (Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson), Paris when it Sizzles is waaay funnier than this.

and lastly just movies with talking pets well talking animals in general (non animated ones) and Babies that go on trips by themselves, and "talking babies" > Baby Geniuses. Eddie Murphy in a fat suit, Murphy in his films where he plays all the characters in the family etc. and just most of those pointless remakes that have been coming out lately.

Like Mythical Monkey I follow a lot of blogs so yeah it took awhile to choose..
Drum roll please....
The Stylish Blog awards go to (in no particular order):

Stacia at She Blogged By Night
Dawn at Film Noir and Chick Flicks
Jacqueline at Another old Movie Blog
Robby Cress at Dear Old Hollywood
Chris at Moviesandsongs365
Millie at ClassicForever
KC at Classic Movies
(No name) at ithankyou

(My bad.. I chose 8 but who's counting? i obviously didn't. )

The Innocents (1961)

2011-03-20T15:47:00.000-07:00

The spine tingling effects of the psychological horror is masterly displayed here in the alluring 1961 film The Innocents. A masterful adaptation of the novella “The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James. The Innocents is a period horror set in 19^th century England that focuses on Ms Giddens and the frightening turn of events that occur when she goes to work as a governess on a delectable country estate. She begins to see the ghosts of a man and a woman who were once employees on the estate. She then becomes frantic because she thinks the children she has been hired to govern are possessed by these ghosts. The question is whether or not Ms Gidden’s is a reliable and sane character. Well either way this is an amazing film. It transcends a feeling of eeriness and coldness through the effective camera work seen through beautiful black and white photography; this along with the enigmatic plot and characters makes everything work perfectly to build up an unnerving atmosphere.

The chilling opening to the film does nothing but lure you in; executed in such a pure way even when it was first screened cinema projectionists thought they were having technical difficulties. Because for the first minute, even before 20^th century Fox display their trademark, all the audience is introduced to is the voice of a child singing a haunting tune over a screen of blackness. (You can imagine how marvellous this would have been to see at the theatre).

After the credits role it begins as Ms Giddens is being accepted for the governess position, despite her inexperience, the uncle (Michael Redgrave) and caregiver to the two children doesn’t mind, just as long as he doesn’t have to take responsibility for his niece and nephew. When Ms Giddens arrives on the estate it’s as if she has found heaven and it wouldn’t be heaven without angels. The two kids Flora and Miles appear to be just that, ever so angelic. But their child like behaviour begins to appear as an act; Ms Giddens begins to grow weary of the sibling’s secretive ways. Miles’ mature manner leads Ms Giddens to suspect he has become possessed. A highly unsettling scene occurs when Miles kisses Ms Giddens on the mouth in a very prolonged and adult way, which only furthers the questions. The spontaneity of the odd moment sets you back into an uneasy state and you wonder, did that really just happen?

Ms Giddens is portrayed by British actress Deborah Kerr (The Black Narcissus, From Here to Eternity). Kerr like the pro she was plays the character with an air of elegance and intensity which only poignancies her characters moments of instability. It’s actually quite surprising in some key scenes when you expect she is about to let out a scream (like any average person would, given the circumstances), she is actually quite composed. She comes off as if she’s in control of the situation or she just can’t quite fathom her own supernatural experiences.

What I find special about this movie and separate from horror films that are often remade and recycled ideas which come a dime dozen, is that quite simply The Innocents is unusual, and not Black Swan unusual. It demonstrates you don’t always need characters be particularly daring or ruthless Ed Gein wannabes to have that feeling of fear in you. Even for its time it never quite fitted in a mould with other horror movies, thus it has aged really well; so timeless it could have been made in any period between the 40s till today. Director Jack Clayton (Room at the top, The Great Gatsby) purposely set out to make this film different from any other horror film made at that time, he especially wanted to deter it from being placed into the same category as the popular British Hammer horrors. Clayton specialized in adapting Literary works he once said "I don't believe in being fashionable. Try to be and you're usually out of date before you start.", that idea may have not always made his movies popular in their release but it worked in his favor in the long run. He even turned down the offer to have Cary Grant play the role of "The Uncle", instead opting for another british veteran Michael Redgrave.

The ambiguity leaves you to draw your own conclusion(s). The mere fact you are left to ponder the whole story might irritate you, or you might find the mystery intriguing. Fan’s of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, The Other’s (which is practically a remake of this), Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Village of the Damned will enjoy this. Remember to turn out the lights and bask in the bazaar, eerie wonders of The Innocents.

Happy Birthday to the Multifaceted Genius

2011-03-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

Jerry Lewis dipping Betty Hutton with long time work colleague Dean Martin

"I've had great success being a total idiot"
That is non other than funny man Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch) who turns 85. The slightly unpolished comedian is basically either loved or loathed, I personally don't love him but I do find his funny faces and the over the top ways about him amusing, well because I laugh easy. He said once that people hated him because he was a "multifaceted wealthy genius", and pulling faces is like comedy 101, its in there with throwing pies, basic, everyone can do it, so not everyone is going to find that particular brand of comedy funny. He is known for his collaboration with rat packer Dean Martin which ran from the mid 40s to mid 50s, Lewis was the outrageous part of the duo and Dean of course was the straight, together they hosted the Colgate Comedy hour in the early 50s and made a little under 20 pictures together. After 10 years their partnership went stale due to much of the praise going to Jerry. With Martin gone Jerry was left to carry on solo, he made comedies like The (original) Nutty Professor (1963), The Patsy (1964) and others. Then in the 80s he played Jerry Langford in Scorsese's King of Comedy, he as the King and Robert De Niro plays the deranged wannabe comedian, who literally holds Jerry hostage to get a moment in the spot light (Great Movie). He has been entertaining people with his zany, slapstick humor since he was 5 and even after loads of health problems over the past decade or so, he is still active in show business, like a trooper.

Ahh good old hilarity, Jerry Lewis with Tony Curtis

Bronco Bullfrog (1969)

2011-03-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

Bronco Bullfrog is a really enjoyable British kitchen sink drama that has garnered cult status for its realistic portrayal of youth subcultures of the late 60s. Filmmaker Barney Platts - Mills (Private Road) hired the cast of non professional teenage actors from the streets to go in front of his camera and play out his truthful script. The group of amateurs hired weren't completely randomly chosen. They had been the centre of his short documentary called "Everybody's an actor Shakespeare Said" , where he filmed the positive effects of bringing the kids off the street where they could get arrested for loitering and into a new world of expressing themselves in the local community playhouse (run by Joan Littlewood). This documentary was the inspiration for Bronco Bullfrog. Apart from these two projects the group of teenagers never appeared in another film, but watching this movie makes you gain interest in the unknowns and wonder whatever happened to them.

The teens of East London have little to no opportunity and so they just tarry along trying to find excitement in what little their working class community has to offer. Hanging around the cinema, cafe, bomb sites and joining in the local underground criminal ring led by the films namesake Bronco Bullfrog (Sam Shepherd), whose on the lam. The protagonist is 17 year old Del (Del Walker) a welder's apprentice. He and his 15 year old girlfriend Irene (Anne Gooding) live out a Romeo and Juliet romance. Because their parents are against their relationship they go behind their backs seeking freedom and adventure on Del's motorbike. They also get in trouble with the law after a train robbery, so Del decides to head out of town, taking Irene with him and the two reside wherever possible. Their adolescent attempts to escape authority is where the story picks up some speed but its slightly painful because you know the outcome will be dim for the twosome, as they are unprepared money-wise and otherwise to live as outlaws. The film ends abruptly as Del, Irene and Bronco are fleeing from the authorities and the couple wonder what to do next...and what they will end up doing is a mystery.. Bronco's not the main character of the film but he serves the purpose as the major badass and the one the other tearaway kids idolize; because he makes his living out of the goods he steals and lives without boundaries set up by interfering parents.

The film is very much of its day, as far as the main story line goes it reminded me of Ricky Gervasis's Cemetery Junction: A comedy/drama set in a picturesque small town in the 70s where a group of kids are just bored out there minds and wonder if they missed out on all the fun of the swinging 60s, they pick fights, cause scandal, until finally the main couple find the courage to leave the boring town behind them. While I think Cemetery Junction owes a lot to numerous Brit New Wave films, it didn't quite reach that level as greatness that I think it was trying to achieve. Bronco Bullfrog doesn't give any sense its trying at all, the cast just walk and talk like drained out, bored teenagers, there's absolutely no hint of pretension in their actions. The authenticity makes it so interesting to watch, especially as Del and Irene awkwardly "communicate" to each other, its so real; I sometimes felt as if I were invading on their lives while watching it, if that makes sense. Barney Platts did encourage the teenagers to improvise and contribute their real life experiences to the story, its defiantly a glass half empty film, Barney Platts was just trying to tell it how it is: Grim, you really feel for the poor sods.

If you are interested in the era's suedehead subculture and just love British new wave this is a must see for you! it has recently been restored by the BFI. For a film that had a budget of £18,000 it certainly is triumphant.

Anne Gooding (Irene) and Del Walker (Del)

So, what ever became of the cast? you ask:

"The director says Gooding is dead ("died on the dancefloor"), while another performer was killed by a car. But Walker is still around, and is now a grandfather on the Isle of Wight. And it turns out that Shepherd, who played the title role, currently works as a market porter in Spitalfields. I ring his phone and wake him up. It transpires that he was the main ringleader of that long-ago protest in Oxford Circus – and that story, too, had an epilogue. A week later, Princess Anne did come to see Bronco Bullfrog, and took her seat beside Shepherd in the palatial splendour of the Mile End ABC. The actor bent down to kiss her hand and was later dragged away by police. "They told me if I ever pulled a stunt like that again I was for the high jump." - The Guardian - uk

Songs of the Week #7

2011-03-12T23:58:00.000-08:00

Folksy Week

He is totally WEARING that shirt.

Hope you like Neil Young, Heres a couple of his awesome songs:

Live recording of Tell Me Why (After the Gold Rush - 1970)
"I am lonely but you can free me, All in the way that you smile" - Sweetest lyric in the world.

Official music video for Harvest Moon (Harvest Moon - 1992)

Joni Mitchell's Just Like This Train from 1974's Court and Spark.

The Critics Choices

2011-03-08T23:48:00.000-08:00

This is a poll that was conducted by FILM DAILY in 1928. (after looking it up, it was a daily publication and main source of movie and television news that ran from 1915 to 1970 in the U.S). Being a list freak, I was thrilled when i found this around the web, it was like a gift. Here critics voted for films released in the end of 1927 through to 1928 and its easy to recognize costume dramas were king that year. The critics top two choices aren't really well known, The Patriot is lost and Sorrell and Son is partially lost. I'm only really stunned to see Street Angel surpass the romance with a thrilling edge Sunrise (1927), blimey. With my silly opionion aside Street Angel's director Frank Borzage and his romantic style of film making was put on a pedestal back in the day.

Sure after all this time we perceive movies differently, in some cases films that were once considered very good, are now starting to crack with age and vice versa. But here there is good news, over half of the critics top ten choices including Sunrise, The Crowd, The Circus, Last Command and Sadie Thompson have endured the test of time to become monumental classics. Steamboat Bill jr and The Patsy are two classic comedies that were snubbed by not being honored on the role. Buster's Steamboat received mixed reviews upon its release, a majority of people didn't find the disaster comedy a riot to watch, but some thought it was one of Keaton's best, so it must of been a very small number of critics that enjoyed it.

And this is a blurb from a 1928 variety review given for Vidor's The Patsy: "a dandy laugh picture." Marion Davies "does some really great comedy work. The imitations are great and reveal Miss Davies as a skillful mimic. Audience broke into applause on the Gish interpretation. Corking fun stuff." So my conclusion is that maybe critics didn't take the picture seriously enough to be honored, but who knows because the Patsy is still "corking fun stuff", but maybe too much for the sensible critics of the day.

(The Wind and The Cameraman with only 33 votes between them strikes me as a little crazy, important to mention that hundreds of critics participated here). Huge disappointment that The Patriot, the #1 pick isn't around anymore. Ernst Lubitisch produced and directed, and it starred Emil Jannings with Florence Vidor and Lewis Stone. We can't watch the film but we have the trailer to make us wonder what might have been, it certainly looks like a spectacle. Not the greatest trailer though, it just points out that this is the greatest film bla bla and bits and pieces of footage that don't say much, but still it might of been something wonderful. This was a semi-biographical period film about Czar Paul I. It garnered critical success everywhere and was nominated for five academy awards including best picture (the last silent picture to do so)and it won for best writing.

IMDB votes, where everyones a critic:

Its synonymous the Passion of Joan of Arc seems to be at the top of everyones lists these days.

1928's highest grossing picture "The Singing Fool"
Al Jolson's follow up to The Jazz Singer

1. The Passion of Joan of Arc
2. The Circus
3. Steamboat Bill Jr.
4. The Cameraman
5. The Crowd
6. The Wind
7. October
8. Show People
9. The Man Who Laughs
10. The Patsy

oh yes, I am looking forward to making my top 10 favourite 1928 movies, you better believe it. :) Just as soon as I've watched the attainable movies of the year, and since uni has begun again i'll be working at an even slower pace round here. But I would much rather be doing this!
(1928 films I have blogged about so far).

The Purchase Price (1932)

2011-03-04T02:02:00.000-08:00

This is a pre code film starring Barbara Stanwyck and George Brent. Its not nearly as seedy as the title sounds, its the classic story of a city girl who makes good in the country. Torch singer Joan Gordon (Barbara Stanwyck) runs away from her gangster boyfriend (Lyle Talbot) and becomes a mail order bride. Yes it sounds preposterous. Joan's maid had planned to be the mail order bride, eager to land a hubby she pretends to be Joan by sending in a photo of her. Joan ends up by paying her maid; Emily $100 to replace her. Emily expresses her gratitude and says with the money she'll be able to find a husband in town and she'll even get the chance to: try the goods, before she buys it, she giggles and puts the money in her striking striped stockings. It's with wonderful "shocking" lines like this that made Pre Codes such a brief time in cinema history.
If you liked F.W Murnau's City Girl (1930) and The Wind (1928) with Lillian Gish, you will like this. The Purchase Price has a similar story line to the two films mentioned but with elements of comedy and 30s gangster, quite unusual, but as a whole the film manages to work, only because of the strong performances by the leads. George Brent plays Jim, a down on his luck farmer, I would describe Jim as a sensitive buffoon. He picks up Joan at the train stop and admittedly is surprised that the woman in the picture is really the mail order bride. They immediately get married, but their relationship is rocky, that is right until the very end. Joan settles into the labouring duties that come with being a farmers wife quite well, and falls for Jim. However, since their wedding night Jim was not able to shake off Joan's rejection of him, he is stubborn and quickly regrets having her live with him.
Its refreshing to see George Brent play a personality, usually I see him in films as just George Brent = straight, well mannered, classy guy, he even played a murderer once, but he still had the same polished manner.
William A. Wellman directed this snappy little drama/comedy, snappy because everything shapes up rather quickly for instance: wham! one minute Joan flees from her gangster boyfriend to Montreal and next minute she's in North Dakota and shacked up with a total stranger. It moves a little to quickly, so the story seems a little ridiculous. Sure its flawed, it has an abrupt ending and the supporting players are one dimensional but its still enjoyable.
So watch this film as the city girl discovers self worth and promise in North Dakota, definitely worth a look, its a good example of pre code style and is good entertainment.

The first time Barbara sang on screen, not to shabby.

(I really want this jumper) stills Via Anonymous Emily

Jane Russell (1921-2011): A pictorial

2011-03-03T19:23:00.000-08:00

The Outlaw (Via AliceJapan)

Son of Paleface (1952) (Via Mostlymarilynmonroe)

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

In the book Baby I Don’t Care: Robert Mitchum, Lee Server says the following about Russell’s early friendship with Mitchum:

"Bob and Jane got along like old buddies… She would rave about his astounding command of the English language - even as he would tell her she was the most inarticulate girl he knew. He would tease her about her God-fearing ways, but he understood she was no Loretta Young, wallowing in piety. He loved to tell the one about the pestering report who couldn’t believe a girl with her ‘image’ read the Bible and went to church each Sunday. ‘Hey buddy,’ she told him, ‘Christians have big breasts, too.’ She was good-natured, generous, strong-minded when she had to be, a stand-up guy. Mitchum nickname her ‘Hard John.’ They became fast friends"

(Via Mattybing)

Check out the noir His Kind of Woman (1951) with Mitchum and Russell.

"The girl with the summer-hot lips... and the winter-cold heart" R.I.P Jane Russell

2011-02-28T17:45:00.000-08:00

Jane Russell posing for poster art for Howard Hughes' The Outlaw (1943)

The actress best known for starring alongside Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes died today at her home, she was 89. Her career began when she was discovered by Howard Hughes, she was working as a receptionist at his dentist at the time. Immediately Howard Hughes' controversial western The Outlaw got the unknown Jane Russell noticed.

I always really liked her performance in Gentleman Prefer Blondes, as Marilyn Monroes less flighty dance and singing partner. Me and sister used to watch this movie religiously, her solo olympic pool side number "Ain't there anyone here for love" always gave us a laugh with the half nude back ups, not to mention she was also a really great singer. She made only 29 films in her career that spanned from 1943 - 1986, but she never really got to show off her singing and comedic talent in a movie as good as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which seems like a shame. You will be missed!

The Wedding March - 1928 film #11

2011-02-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

Director: Erich Von Stroheim

Writing: Harry Carr, Erich Von Stroheim

Cinematography: Roy H. Klaffki, Ray Rennahan (Technicolor Camera)

Editing: Frank E. Hull, Erich Von Stroheim, Josef Von Sternberg, and Paul Weatherwax.

Players: Erich Von Stroheim (Nicki/Prince Nickolas), Fay Wray (Mitzi), Matthew Betz (Schani - The Butcher), ZaSu Pitts (Cecelia Schweisser), George Fawcett (Prince Ottokar), Maude George (Princess Maria), George Nichols (Fortunat Schweisser), Dale Fuller (Mitzi's mother), Hughie Mack (The Wine Grower), Cesare Gravina (Mitzi's Father), Sidney Bracey (Navratil), Anton Vaverka (Emporer Franz Josef)

Paramount Production

“In its entirety an Erich von Stroheim creation.” - (With Erich Von Stroheim lol at poster) just in case we missed his name on all the major opening credits, we get a courtesy reminder.

Length: 1 Hour and 52 Minutes

(Erich Von Stroheim reminisces about pre WW1 Vienna) - "One day when I was homesick I felt physically ill. It is not because I do not love my adopted land -- it is the natural feeling of one far from home, who remembers those happy, carefree days when life flowed at full tide, without responsibility, flashing past one like the drama in a fascinating story of adventure and romance... How beautiful were the Viennese women -- like magnolia blossom -- and the flowers and music and perfume, and uniforms covered with gold braid! I can see it all just by closing my eyes -- a panorama of life lived each day at its highest tempo; each morning bursting with all the freshness of a new appleblossom; each night a dream of waltzes, music and joyousness; a Paradise on earth destined to perish like a butterfly at sunset."

The Wedding March tells the story of Prince Nicki (Stroheim); a penniless prince who falls in love with a lower class girl named Mitzi (Wray), but nevertheless chooses to marry another girl named Cecelia (ZaSu) for money. Prince Nicki becomes swayed by the idea of having millions and allows his greed to over power his true love, so he goes down the aisle a fraud. This familiar plot of love vs. the divide between social classes has been put to the screen loads of times, often in comedy, Arthur comes to mind. But here in Erich Von Stroheim’s story, there is no happy ending. I think what drives people to separate this from other spins of melodrama or other films with a similar tale and mark this as the masterpiece, is that it’s been put onto the screen in such an unprecedented fashion which makes it stand out. Stroheim's movies belong in a class of their own.

I view The Wedding March as a timeless melodramatic love story with all the Stroheim trimmings that make his films unique. It's an honest story, Stroheim chooses to display his aristocrats as vulgar and the poor as mean and both classes are about as greedy as each other.

(Above is Fay Wray as Mitzi)The films opening line "Love** without thee marriage is a sacrilege and mockery" is basically the theme of the film and is obviously pointed out to us throughout the film, which is a good thing. I mean this being a silent film broad story telling is what keeps us engaged since no one can speak. I've come to expect the unexpected when watching a Erich Von Stroheim film for the first time, especially being used to watching American films that followed the rules by sticking to studio policy. Erich Von Stroheim notoriously didn't follow the rules, and his 1924 film Greed is a prime example of his maverick take on film making, his own final cut of the film was 8-9 hours long, and this was exactly how he wanted it to be shown to audiences. But at a length that could of been made into four separate films the studios had no choice but to cut the film to 2.5hours. When Stroheim saw this cut of the film he said it was like viewing "a corpse in a graveyard". The film has since been restored but not to the same Film Stroheim created.

Four years after Greed was released Sroheim was still working to the beat of his own drum. The Wedding March was intended to be much longer than its 113 minutes. It was cut in half before release and luckily instead of the trashing half of it, the film was used in The Wedding March's sequel called The Honeymoon. Sadly the only known print was burnt in fire in 1950.

(Above Erich Von Stroheim and his Mama played by Maude George).The Film begins on the morning of corpus christi, in 1914 pre war vienna. Its anything but a glorious morning when we enter the bedroom of Princess Maria and Prince Ottakar Wildeliebe-Rauffenburg. We are introduced to the married couple as Prince Ottakar is wearing a mustache protector tightly worn around his face looking like a surgical patient and Princess Maria looking not much better, the two greet each other with the routine morning bicker "You Ugly Fool" and his reply "If you could only see yourself".

In the next bedroom is their "love child" Prince Nicki. He is immediately shown as a playboy as he sneaks a kiss with the maid while still in bed. Nicki is in a "terrible hole", broke from spending all his money on "fancy" ladies and extravagant parties he goes to his father to tell him about his money troubles in hopes for a handout. "Blow out your brains, - or Marry Money" are his fathers suggestions. He isn't thrilled by either option, but thats until he goes to his mother who tells him again to Marry Money. Convinced by his parents there is no other alternative he allows his mother to arrange the marriage, his mother finds the potential bride in Cecelia Schweisser, heiress to her father's large fortune.As the city waits for the procession to begin, out on the streets Prince Nicki is in full uniform gallivanting on his horse amongst the crowd. Mitzi, a poor inn keeper’s daughter spots Nicki and is immediately taken by him. For an extended amount of time the two make eyes at each other, smiling and giving little hand gestures to know if either are married. Accompanied by Mitzi in the crowd are her mother and Schani, an aggressive grease ball butcher. Mitzi is not at all taken by Schani, much to her mother’s dismay; she wants her to marry Schani for money and doesn’t want anything getting in the way of that happening. Prince Nicki is attracted to Mitzi’s innocents and beauty, although by no means is he about to restrain his corruption of her. Mitzi in turn is taken by Nicki’s charm and nobility, given she was groomed by her mother to stick to suitors with money.

(Above are scenes cut from the wedding march and put into its sequel The Honeymoon with ZaSu Pitts and Stroheim). After Mitzi takes a fall in the stampede of people awaiting the procession, Nicki visits the injured Mitzi in hospital bringing her a gift of extravagant chocolate, the kind only the rich can enjoy. The two then arrange to go on their first date. The scene between Nicki and Mitzi sitting under the appleblossom is the loveliest, where the couple show a genuine love for each other. Something they both would have thought to be impossible, after all they were both brought up by immoral parents with insatiable greed, and surrounded by crooked people. The film never returns to such a scene. Prince Nicki’s mother Princess Maria (who looks as though she was born at the same time as her son) seduces Nicki into going ahead with the marriage. As the wedding takes place Mitzi and Schani are in the crowd, and I can assure you there is no heroic interruption on the marriage, the ending folds as a major tear jerker. Mitzi is crying hysterically in the crowd as her future husband Schani forces her to watch her love ride away with his bride. The Bride, Cecelia asks “who was that sweet girl in tears, and that awful looking man?” Prince Nicki replies “how do I know I never saw them before”. He goes his way, leaving Mitzi to marry a despicable human being. And they all live unhappily ever after.

Stroheim was a stickler for detail, making everything seem totally realistic, bringing to life the old Vienna he was always pining for. He pulled a great cast together for this production: ZaSu Pitts as the bride to be, she has a few brief scenes that show her character to be genuinely kind. It would be so great to see her character grow, if it were only possible to see The Honeymoon! Damn flammable nitrate. Stroheim "the man you love to hate" got that name by always playing villains in his earlier career, throwing babies out of windows, that sort of thing, here you don't hate him so much. Still he is kind of sleazy, that being the way he approached his roles in his own films. Fay Wray who became a star because of her role as Mitzi, she was only 19 when she played the part. She is really fantastic here, delivers a downright believable emotional performance.

When I saw Stroheims earlier movie Foolish Wives (1922) I found it kind of prolonged which lead me to space out while viewing some of it, didn't excite or engage me. Don't give me wrong it has its good points, one being it has a great plot, but there were too many scenes that seemed like there was little if any point to them and if they weren't there it would have made the plot tighter. Point is I think The Wedding March is a much superior Erich Von Stroheim audience friendly film.

Faces - Jeanne Eagels

2011-02-23T04:28:00.000-08:00

"I'm the greatest actress in the world and the greatest failure. And nobody gives a damn."

Jeanne Eagels has been my obsession of late, I haven't done a "Faces" post in a long long while, so its a look into actors who may not be familiar to people today and to basically shed some light. Focusing on performers who had their hay day in times before sound, but I think I will mix it up, starting now. I thought of Jeanne Eagels just because her performance in The Letter has been weighing on my mind. She made a big name for herself on the stage when she turned W. Somerset Maughms fictional character of Sadie Thompson into a household name. Today although only around three of the nine films she made in the 10's and 20's survive, she is still regarded as an actress of legendary proportions.
The two roles she is best remembered for were originally written by W. Somerset Maughm, one being Sadie Thompson and the other is Leslie Crosbie for the 1929 talkie The Letter. I recently viewed The Letter for the first time and it was immensely enjoyable. The part of Leslie Crosbie in the 1940 remake was performed by none other than Bette Davis. I was pleased to hear Jeanne Eagels deliver that astounding climax "with all my heart and all my soul, I still love the man I killed". Bette Davis delivers basically the same vigorous line (without the Soul part) and I can honestly say that Bette's performance is amazingly tame in comparison with Jeanne Eagels. She was a great actress just judging by this one performance in The Letter, the film in which Eagels holds together. The picture itself is not as sharp, as well made or in great condition for that matter as William Wyler's stylized later version but Eagels keeps the nitty gritty 1929 adaptation of the short story fascinating.
I am sure if her life wasn't cut so sadly short she would be more well known for her career rather than her racy lifestyle. In film she could of definitely gone on to play reckless women in pre-codes, like Ruth Chatterton or Helen Hayes perhaps. The Letter was her first talkie and her second was a film also released in 1929 called Jealously with Fredric March playing opposite. She died just weeks after Jealousy was released on October 3rd 1929, aged 39. Her death was caused by an overdose of several toxins.
The actress was born Eugenia Eagles in Kansas City, Missouri, June 26th 1890. She caught the acting bug at a very early age, and at the age of 11 she left her formal education behind her to pursue her ambition to be a great dramatic actress. At the age of 12 she joined The Dubinsky Brothers traveling theatre company, who showcased productions of the periods most popular comedies, dramas and musicals. Eagels began as a dancer for the stock company and quickly had her dreams come true as she became a lead actress in the stock companies dramas such as Little Lord Fauntleroy, Camille and Romeo and Juliet. She later moved to New York where she had her sights set high revamping her look, name, adopting a British accent and making up her own heritage, writing this down she sounds more like a fugitive than a ingenue. The history of her time with the Dubinsky Brothers company is sketchy, but she is said to have married the eldest Dubinsky Brother when she was a teenager, and to have had a baby boy. One account says she gave him up for adoption and another says the baby died at infancy which caused Eagels to have a nervous breakdown. She and Dubinsky divorced which lead her to move to NYC. Something tells me that her identity revamp could have something to do with escaping from her past aswell as fitting the mold as a actress on her way up. In New York much like her beginnings with the Dubsinky Bros she started out as a dancer, only this time with the Ziegfeld Follies. Her Stint with Ziegfeld past quickly as she put all her efforts into becoming a actress and took time to study the craft in Paris. After six years of successive plays on Broadway, Eagels landed a break of a lifetime in 1922 playing free wheelin' prostitute Sadie Thompson in the stage production of Somerset Maugham's short story Rain. Eagels played her favourite role a total of 904 times on the stage, obviously very successful, her performance though impossible for us to see, is still the most legendary role of her career.

Photo by Baron Adolph de Meyer

In her early years on Broadway she played in three productions opposite popular British stage/screen actor and monocled old timer George Arliss, he is credited to have given Bette Davis the promotion she needed in Hollywood, just before she was set to give it all up. Bette Davis was a huge admirer of Jeanne Eagels, she even reprised two major roles Eagels had previously played in The Letter and Jealously which was retitled Deception (1946). Davis also followed in her heroes footsteps when she starred in a remake of The World and the Woman (1916) which was retitled The Girl from 10th Avenue (1935). And lastly to add even more career connections between the actresses in 1936 Davis won her first Oscar for her portrayal of Joyce Heath, an actress who spirals into alcoholism in Dangerous, this was a role modeled on Eagels. In 1957 Columbia studios actually made a film called Jeanne Eagels with Kim Novak portraying the actress, though it is quite fictional.

Eagels was posthumously nominated for the 1928/1929 best actress award for her role in The Letter but Mary Pickford won. Lots of negative things have been said about Pickford winning. But I can't say anything bad because I haven't actually seen her performance in Croquette, but I do know she basically won by rallying for the award, which doesn't seem like a very gracious way to blow your own horn, it also helped that her ex husband Douglas Fairbanks was a founding member of The Academy.

During Jeanne's film career she made a total of 9 films, her first was in 1915 named The House of Fear, which is now lost. In 1916 she stared as a unnamed prostitute wanting to change her ways in The World and The Woman. By 1919 she had worked in 6 movies, her stage career was still much more lustrous. It wasn't until 1927 eight years later she would work on another film. In much of that time she performed in Rain to packed out theaters around the U.S until March of 1926. She soon returned to broadway in 1927 and worked with director George Cukor and actor Leslie Howard for the comedy Her Cardboard Lover this production ran 152 times. During this time it was Leslie Howard's performance that was highly regarded by critics and audiences rather than Eagels. Eagel's the glorified talent was waning as her alcohol dependency literally interrupted some of her stage performances in Her Cardboard Lover. Actor Leslie Howard dismissed the talents of his co-lead, viewing her as a raw untrained talent who just happened to light up on the stage (he had a similar snobbery towards Bette Davis). Before The Cardboard lover began to tour she filmed the 1927 silent film Man, Women and Sin, she was reportedly such a nuisance while filming that director Monta Bell got MGM studios to terminate her contract.

Thanks to the advent of sound Hollywood had a urgency for trained theatre actors and so she gave her last hurrah to the world on film. Monta Bell the man who urged MGM to get Eagels out of her contract ironically was the man who got Eagels to work for Paramount and to star in The Letter a film which Bell produced. Her final years were tough, her drug and alcohol abuse prevailed her very successful career. When she died the autopsy showed an overdose of alcohol, the tranquilizer chloral hydrate and Heroin. You can read much more thoroughly about her life here.

If you are interested in looking up some of her movies, here are some links:

The Letter (1929)- Herbert Marshall who plays Bette Davis husband in 1940s the letter also appears in this earlier version as the doomed lover! This film is nearly impossible to come across and is in desperate need to be restored and dvdeed, its also not available on the internet archive so I am afraid the only way to watch it for now if you want to, is to torrent it. oh the woe is me, sorry faithful movie industry patrons.
Man, Woman and Sin (1927) - with John Gilbert
Jealousy (1929) - Opposite Fredric March directed by The Letter's director Jean de Limur, this movie is now among the lost.
The World and The Woman (1916) - Based on the 1914 play Outcast with actress Elsie Ferguson in lead. This was later remade 4 more times. Titled Outcast for the 1917 version directed by Dell Henderson, a 1922 version starring Elsie Ferguson and again in 1928 starring Corrine Griffith. The last adaptation of the stage hit was 1935's The Girl from 10th Avenue (starring Bette Davis).

John Gilbert talking about Eagels: "She seemed to hate the movies for a popularity they could not give her....[The] blind, unreasoning adulation of the movie fans was a type of popularity she spurned. Fundamentally, Jeanne was much superior to us. Movie actors are crazy to be worshiped. Jeanne Eagels wanted to be understood and appreciated."

Alex Prager and other photos

2011-02-15T16:46:00.000-08:00

Alex Prager

A mixed bag of photos I fished from Here Great site!

I Choo Choo Choose you: Top 9 Valentine flicks

2011-02-14T05:52:00.000-08:00

I've got a list obsession I need to scratch, so beside the fact valentines day is now officially over round here at the risk of losing followers, here are some Great movies for valentines day. So put the barf bag down and hear me out lol. After some careful considerations I've decided on my 9 favourite romances, I'm partial to the classic rom-coms rather than the sob stories, that being said if a painful romance film is gone about the right way, like a good mix of tragedy and humor like City Lights or a solid beautifully told drama like Brief Encounter. Shux, I don't know, a modern movie could make it on my list next year and what an honor that would be riiight..... so lets get to it.

Mr Deeds Goes to Town (1936) Dir: Frank Capra

Tuba playing poet Longfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper) much to his disillusionment comes into a large inheritance from his uncle. He moves to the city and the local sensationalized newspaper proceed to make him look like a class A nit wit. The paper's reporter Babe Bennett (Jean Arthur) goes out on the job and falls for Deeds and his kind hearted ways. Eventually Deeds ends up being trialed for being insane when really he is just pixilated.

"The pixies had got him. As we nowadays would say, a man is "barmy."

His Girl Friday (1940) Dir: Howard Hawks

"Maybe it was yesterday, Hildy. Been seeing me in your dreams?"

Defiantly loved this wonderful energetic screwball romance at first sight. Newspaper publisher Walter (Cary Grant) tries his hardest to win back his star reporter, Hildy (Rosalind Russell) who happens to be his ex wife. Ben Hecht's story of The Front Page (to which this is based) had the Hildy character as a man, "Hildy" has been played by Pat O'Brian and Jack Lemmon in other productions of the story.

Brief Encounter (1945) Dir: David Lean

Noel Coward's intimate story of a married woman who is lead by temptation to have an affair with a man she meets at a train station. Absolute classic. Cecila Johnson plays Laura Jesson a housewife, who journey's us through her memories of her doomed romance with Dr. Harvey played by Trevor Howard.

Morocco (1930) Dir: Josef Von Sternberg

Marlene Dietrich's and director Sternbergs first American produced film together. Dietrich plays Amy Jolly a club singer. Jolly becomes the centre of a love triangle when she gets together with Gary Cooper who plays a member of the french foreign Legion and Adolphe Menjou who plays an affluent playboy. Renowned for Marlene Dietrich's androgynous performance as she kisses a female in the audience. Also here in a rare Gary Cooper performance he plays a womanizer, girl in every oasis kind of fellow. I hate to say it about our Coops but this role was probably more closer to home for him. It's much more common to see him in films as an all American, simpleton, as in Mr. Deeds. Anyway the most harrowing scene is when head strong Amy runs in the sand barefooted to be with the man she loves. ahh bless.

City Lights (1931) Dir: Charles Chaplin

A blind flower girl mistakes The Tramp for a generous wealthy man. Chaplin's tramp falls in love with the poor girl and struggles to help her out as his unreliable drunken rich friend is his main source of income. Romance, sentimentality and great laughs with the alcoholic friend. Despite the urgency for sound pictures by the time this film was made Chaplin still went ahead with making City Lights into a pantomime picture with a few sound gag effects and soundtrack.

The Lady Eve (1941) Dir: Preston Sturges

Crazy yet classy movie. Barbara Stanwyck pushed the censors as Jean Harrington who falls for inexperienced snake hunter Charles Pike (Henry Fonda) on a cruise ship. The two in midst ocean become engaged. When Pike learns of Jeans true identity as a swindler he breaks it off. Jean only returns but this time to his home as Eve a Brit and makes him fall in love with her all over again.

The Philadelphia Story (1940) Dir: George Cukor

The Philadelphia Story , it's an exquisite representative of the perfect classic romantic comedy, no buts. If only "rom - coms" today weren't so trashy and didn't leave you with the feeling of regret for having lost two or so hours of your life you'll never get back, along with a few brain cells.

1. The Apartment (1960) Dir: Billy Wilder

C.C. Baxter (Lemmon) is a sad, lonely desk jockey, working over time (with no pay) so his superiors in the office can use his apartment in the evenings, to have their affairs in private. It's Baxter's own way of getting ahead in the rat race and an office with walls. Complication's rise when he has a hopeful romance of his own with Fran Kubelik the elevator girl.

This is just my favourite movies. Wilder's satirical, comical script of husbands cheating and suicide just works and all the actors play their parts to perfection also. I couldn't boast more about this movie. just marvelous.

Honorable Mention: Casablanca (1941) Dir: Michael Curtiz. It's Impossible not to include this. Although not my favourite romance film because there is just waaaay to much hype surrounding it, the first time I saw this I found myself expecting too much and being a bit disappointed, don't give me wrong I still liked it but yer no i was just a tad, mehh so what?..., But after a few repeat viewings I liked it increasingly. So the downside for the movie was the hyperbole so it gets an honorable mention. (don't frown, it may be an overblown movie thats all). Good romance, great moments. If your a late comer to viewing this film, I recommend it, its just best not to have great expectations.

The Kiss - Thomas Edison circa 1900
"remake" or sequel to the 1896 similar short known as the May Erwin Kiss - that one caused quite the scandal, both films were made under Edison Studios. The 1900 sequel may have a better looking, younger couple on screen but the 1896 original is very much much sweeter.

An Inspector Calls (1954)

2011-02-09T15:14:00.000-08:00

Director: Guy Hamilton
Starring: Alastair Sim, Jane Wenham, Arthur Young, Brian Worth, Eileen Moore, Olga Lindo, Bryan Forbes.
Writing Credits: Desmond Davis, J.B Priestley (play)
United Kingdom
80mins

An Inspector Calls is set in 1912 during one evening as Inspector Poole quite suddenly arrives to the Birling family home, an upper class family who are in midst of a cosy dinner. He comes to investigate the suspected suicide of a working class girl named Eva Smith. Each member of the family recounts their stories of having been acquainted with Eva at some point in the last two years. The film is based upon a hugely successful play of the same name and what I see as bonus for the film is that here in the film it opens up as we meet Eva through the family members flashbacks and on the stage Eva is just a name without a face. And through the retellings of the stories it is revealed that every member of the Birling household are in some unfortunate way connected to Eva's demise. From getting her fired from jobs without a second thought to having a self satisfying urge to take care of her only to let her loose onto the street again. Inspector Poole arrives to refresh their memory of her and of others like her, hoping to somehow curb their way of treating people.
What attracted me to watching it was the plot of course, but the film delivers much more. It is a thrilling mystery film, as what you would expect but what also surfaces is a message for social justice. The film rounds up on an intriguing twist! I will tell you that much. You will have to see it for yourselves. All performances are great especially Alastair Sim who plays the avenging inspector. I had only seen him in Stage Fright, he has a face that you remember but I couldn't quite connect him to a movie. Anyway he is also really great in the Brit whodunit Green For Danger aswell which is what I saw after this, again playing a likable inspector, who is investigating two murders that have taken place in a cottage hospital during WWII.

Blog changes here and there and best movie Makeovers

2011-02-08T20:36:00.000-08:00

Hope You Like the changes, I do enjoy a good blog makeover. And I love a movie makeover, sure its become a cliche, its been done to death and we all know it. but its very effective and entertaining watching movie characters transform their image,
Here are some of my favourite movie character transformations:

In Now Voyager Bette Davis changes her image and her whole outlook on life Superb.

Beauties, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon go from Joe and Jerry to Josephine and Daphne In Some like it Hot

Olga Baclanova as deceiving Cleopatra, the trapeze artist who gets her just desserts in 1931's Freaks.

Greta Garbo in Ninotchka. She goes from hard nosed no nonsense russian woman to a fun spirit taking pleasure in all Paris has to offer, fashionable hideous hats and all.

Fredric March in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931) need I say more.

Sadie Thompson - 1928 Film #10

2011-02-07T13:59:00.000-08:00

Production: Raoul Walsh and Gloria Swanson. Distributed By United Artists
Director: Raoul Walsh
Screenplay: Raoul Walsh (adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's short story "Rain" and the 1921 play adaption Rain by John Colton and Clemence Randolph).
Titles and Editing: C. Gardner Sullivan
Cinematography: George Barnes, Robert Kurrle, and Oliver Marsh.
Art Direction: William Cameron Menzies
Players: Lionel Barrymore (Alfred Davidson), Blanche Friderici (Mrs Alfred Davidson), Charles Lane (Dr. Angus McPhail), Florence Midgley (Mrs Angus Mcphail), James A. Marcus (Joe Horn, The Trader), Sophia Artega (Ameena), Will Stanton (Quartermaster Bates), Raoul Walsh (Sergeant Timothy "Tim" O'Hara), Gloria Swanson (Sadie Thompson).
Uncredited: Charles Sullivan (Marine).
Drama - Black and White
1929 Oscar Nominations:
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Gloria Swanson
Best Cinematography: George Barnes.

"Hang me and be Damned"

The fight between this film and the hays office is legendary. The films star Gloria Swanson and director Raoul Walsh fought tooth and nail to have Rain made into a movie, Swanson even invited William Hays over for luncheon to talk things out. Back then the film industry was censored by the Hays Office, named after former chairman and presbyterian elder William Hays. The code banned anything they considered immoral, the codes inforcers felt free speech did not extend for movies and didn't think of having a rating system like we do today, which was put to use in 1968. They wouldn't allow swearing, homosexuality, mixed races and clergy men could not be characterized as villains and villains had to be punished in order to suggest the "crime doesn't pay" method. It's a wonderful thing that this film was released in first place. You don't need to be a genius to figure that the villain of the film is intended to be a man of god, The Hays office swore they watched Sadie Thompson thoroughly and gave it the go ahead, despite Gloria Swanson obviously mouthing "You'd rip the wings off of a butterfly, you son of a bitch!".
In 1922 John Colton and Clemence Randolph had put W. Somerset's short story onto the stage giving it the title of Rain (The original short Story would soon change its title from Miss Thompson to Rain) with Jeanne Eagels as Sadie the show ran for 256 performances . Obviously a popular production, Gloria Swanson even went to see it few times herself. Popular or not the Hays office made it strictly off limits for film makers. That didn't deter Gloria Swanson and Raoul Walsh who wanted to start filming, they settled on leaving out the profanity and renaming Reverend Davidson to Mr. Davidson and William Hays allowed them to begin. Problems arouse again when they brought the rights to the story, buying it for $60,000 (instead of $100,000) giving the authors the impression they weren't going to use it by getting Joseph Schneck to buy the rights. Maugham and the playwrights were fuming and intended to sue, but never did.

W. Somerset Maugham's story of Sadie Thompson has been translated to the screen three times, this was the first adaptation and the most electrifying and greatest of the three. In 1932 Joan Crawford starred in the stories first talkie adaptation titled Rain. Then a couple of decades later Rita Hayworth starred in Miss Sadie Thompson, released in 3.D in 1953. Due to the production code Miss Sadie Thompson is just a watered down unsuitable musical. In 1928 Gloria Swanson was her prime, a major star of the silent screen. Cecil B. DeMille had transformed her from an unhappy actress working in Sennett comedies to a provocative romantic leading lady as well as fashion icon. She will be best remembered today as the fallen silent movie star Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder's 1950 film Sunset Blvd. Norma Desmond was the best role of her career, but Sadie Thompson is not to be swept under the carpet, this is an enthralling drama with superb performances all around.

Arriving from San Francisco on ship to the Island of Pago Pago is the jazzy, boisterous young ex prostitute Sadie Thompson. She hopes to relieve herself from her past and never return to her roots. Bound for the same destination is a Mr. Davidson, a hypocritical preacher of morals. He hopes to teach the island natives a thing or two about sin.
In Pago Pago Sadie immediately absorbs all the attention of a group of officers and falls for the handsome Tim O'Hara. She soon learns that there is an out break of small pox and has to stay quarantined in a small local hotel, among the people staying there is Mr. Davidson. He is quick to try to redeem Sadie of her wicked ways and becomes the hotel's fun police. Sadie tries to ignore Davidson and his insufferable demands to have Sadie atoned. Davidson threatens that if she doesn't repent he will report her to the governor and have her sent back to San Francisco where she will serve time in prison, guilty or not. Tim O'Hara wishes to marry Sadie and confidently assures her that she won't have to go back home and that she will set sail to Sydney, Australia to stay with his relatives. But Davidson gets the Governor to make her go back to Cisco. Sadie and O'hara plea with governor to let her go to Sydney. But to no avail the Governor will only let her leave if Davidson says its ok. So staunch and raveled in a superiority complex Davidson will not let her for she will not do what he has asked. Until one harrowing rainy night in her leaky room Sadie becomes afraid and gives into Davidson and converts into a christian. He has now made her believe that she has to go back to San Francisco in order to redeem herself. She spends three days in her room praying, throws out her make up and becomes a modest woman. Tim O'Hara turns up with an offer for Sadie to leave immediately but she refuses. Tim tries to attack Davidson but now Sadie so convinced of Davidson, defends him. Davidson struggles with his repressed sexual feelings towards Sadie and his beliefs and in the end gives up completely by killing himself in the ocean.
The ending of the film is missing but has been carefully reconstructed with stills so the story does go on successfully.
Director Raoul Walsh plays Sadies love interest Tim O'hara, the moments between these two playing around being happy gives the film a nice balance. A contrast to when the moments of darkness appear to take away the couples glee, Sadie is playing with Tim's hat and the old fashioned and hatful reformer Mr Davidson is looking on giving a scornful glare which makes the two weary and stop having fun. That was his power in the house, its not like these two are children they are grown adults. The scenes between Gloria Swanson as Sadie and Lionel Barrymore as Mr Davidson are the most gratifying explosive moments in the film as you can imagine. Second to Sunset Blvd this is Gloria Swanson's best performance. This was the first silent movie I had seen Lionel Barrymore and oh how he can express evil on his face, its like he casts a great big dark shadow everywhere he goes.

Songs of The Week #6

2011-02-06T22:53:00.000-08:00

A couple of awesome performances from Academy Award ceremonies.

Elliott Smith Performing his Oscar nominated song Miss Misery (For Good Will Hunting) at the 70th Academy Awards in 1998. (Titanic's My Heart will go on won of course)
"That's exactly what it was, surreal... I enjoy performing almost as much as I enjoy making up songs in the first place. But the Oscars was a very strange show, where the set was only one song cut down to less than two minutes, and the audience was a lot of people who didn't come to hear me play. I wouldn't want to live in that world, but it was fun to walk around on the moon for a day." - Elliott Smith on the surreal experience.

Celeste Holm at the 25th academy awards singing the oscar nominated song Thumbelina from the movie Hans Christian Anderson (accompanied with a Thumbelina puppet of course). This was the first televised ceremony, and was hosted by Bob Hope in Hollywood, Fredric March in New York and Conrad Nagel as MC. The Greatest show on Earth won for best picture, many were hoping for High Noon. Heres a bit of Oscar trivia, The Greatest Show is regarded as one of the worst movies ever to be Oscared with the best picture award, next to The English Patient undoubtedly lol.
(There's also a victrola commercial in the end of the video.)

The Wisdom of Mankiewicz

2011-02-04T20:28:00.000-08:00

Oscar season is upon us, 'tis the season of guessing, speculating who will win the coveted awards and if your really on your game you can enter in the competition to outguess critic Roger Ebert's own predictions. In the past and maybe even now The Academy is known for giving their fair share of snubs and I could bitch about the great films that were never even nominated for any awards (Sweet Smell of Success, His Girl Friday, Trouble in Paradise, The Shining, My Darling Clementine, Night of the Hunter). But instead I will celebrate the most nominated picture, 1950's All About Eve. To be fair All About Eve ties with James Cameron's epic Titanic with 14 nominations and that is the only thing these two movies have in common. 1997's Titanic may of gone home with 11 awards but now 13 years after the film's release it's initial praise has diminished over time. While still a good movie, the films innovative special effects seemed to have won the voters over. Film being a visual art form makes All About Eve even more incredible as there isn't any fancy camera work or special effects going on, yet it has held out stronger than Titanic, isn't that saying something about gimmicks like 3.D. In 60 years will people be looking back at Avatar and saying wow Avatar really made a mark in film history, what a classic, well only time will tell I suppose. But I'm sure people will be saying that about Joseph L. Mankiewicz's All About Eve which has shown to be an enduring classic with its memorable characters and brilliant satirically written screenplay, depicting New York's elite theatre folk.

Production: Darryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century Fox
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Screenplay: Joseph L. Mankiewicz, (Based on the short story The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr)
Cinematography: Milton Krasner
Music: Alfred Newman
Players: Bette Davis (Margo Channing), Anna Baxter (Eve Harrington), Celeste Holm (Karen Richards), George Sanders (Addison De Witt), Gary Merrill (Bill Sampson), Hugh Marlowe (Lloyd Richards), Thelma Ritter (Birdie Coonan), Barbara Bates (Phoebe), Marilyn Monroe (Miss Caswell), Gregory Ratoff (Max Fabian).
Drama. Black and White. 1950

The film may be called All About Eve but the core character is Margo Channing, the woman who at the age of four made her stage debut as an unexpectedly naked fairy, and from there became a great star of the theatre. Tallulah Bankhead assumed that director and screenwriter Joseph L. Mankiewicz had based the role on her career, when it could of been any actress really. Claudette Colbert was the original choice for the part, contracts had been signed but not long before filming began she broke her back and I'm sure she would have given the role some credibility. But it's hard to imagine anyone but Bette Davis as Margo, the strength and central character of All About Eve. Bette delivered a performance for the ages. This role was a huge break for the movie star, it revived her own sinking career and she fell in love with her leading man Gary Merrill (She would later say she fell in love with the character he played in All About Eve and vice versa). Her last few films at Warner Bros didn't do very well, she was getting roles in second rate movies like Beyond the Forest (1949) (now a camp classic), June Bride and Winter Meeting (1948). So in 1949 she left the studio where she once reigned supreme. But it wasn't long before her struggling career was behind her when Joseph L. Mankiewicz offered her the role of her life time.
Margo Channing is the queen bee of the New York stage. Though her success is well cemented, she is 40 and playing 20 year old's and feels insecure about it. The fact she is aging torments her, making her paranoid and antsy. After one successful performance of "Aged in Wood" a mousy Eve Harrington is introduced to Margo Channing, her idol. Soft spoken, gentle Eve tells everybody in Margo's dressing room about her coming to see Margo in every single performance and of her obsession for the stage. Her life story charms the pants off everyone and brings them all to tears , that is except Birdie, Margo's faithful maid and friend who remarks "what a story! everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end". Margo is quick to apologize for Birdie. Margo takes a shine to Eve mistaking her for a - "Lamb loose in our big stone jungle". Margo's circle of friends feel the same, which include her lover Bill (director), Karen who is Margo's best friend and Karen's husband Lloyd (Playwright). Margo hires Eve as her secretary and in the beginning is happy with the arrangement. That is until Eve's behaviour gets under Margo's skin and she starts to suspect Eve has an ulterior motive. Margo's inkling is correct, Eve wants to be a star on the stage and is just as talented as she is ruthless enough to claw her way there.
Anne Baxter's performance was Oscar nominated in the same category as Bette Davis. With the people of 20th Century Fox's votes split between the two actresses, the general consensus is that this situation made it impossible for Bette to win. The award went to Judy Holliday for Born Yesterday. 1950 was the year of Judy Holliday's best performance, Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd, Bette Davis and Anne Baxter, so obviously it was tough competition all round, all actresses deserved it, and the years underdog won.

Throughout the movie Eve is gradually exposed, and the way we the audience view her changes. From her introduction as the innocent fangirl to the moment where Margo spots her posing in the mirror with her costume (that sort of thing in the movies is always a sign of a person being abit psychotic). It is Addison De Witt who vigorously confronts her web of lies. This moment is supposed to be where the gay undertones surface, Addison remarks how he and Eve are alike, they both have a "contempt for humanity and an inability to love or be loved". I never thought twice about there being gay undertones in All About Eve. The only scene where I thought made the slightest suggestion was when Eve gets her friend to call Lloyd Richards in the middle of the night to come to over and they both walk up the stairs in their robes linking arms, but even with that I thought I was clutching straws. But people have suggested it is obvious and I suppose if you look for it you will find sexual innuendo here and in more than a handful of classic movies.
Addison De Witt is played by George Sanders (Rebecca, The Ghost and Mrs Muir), he is excellent. His debonair qualities are perfect for the role of Addison De Witt, his performance here rightfully earned him the Oscar for best supporting actor. He was the only male actor of the cast to be nominated, while this film must hold the record for the most female actresses to be nominated from the same cast. Like George Cukor, Joseph L. Mankiewicz is said to be one of the great woman directors. He is known to have been quite the notorious womanizer, he even said, quite frankly something along the lines of - George befriended them, I f**ked them.

Joseph L. Mankiewicz (Cleopatra, Letter to Three Wives, People Will Talk, Sleuth) loved the theatre and the people in it, but he never actually wrote a play or directed one. He had a huge dislike for movie people and it shows throughout All About Eve, we pick up on snide remarks about Hollywood people.

Lloyd: "A Hollywood movie star just arrived" -

Margo:"shucks, and I sent my autograph book to the cleaner"

At the beginning of the end of the picture Eve gives a speech, she says how proud she is to be a part of the theatre, then she changes her tone and quickly announces the irony "although I'm leaving for Hollywood to make a film", like she has proved herself on the stage and now she's able to make the big bucks in the movies. The reason why Joseph made movies was he liked the control that came with being a director and writer. All About Eve especially feels like he filmed a faithful play adaptation, when of course it isn't. However the film did get adapted onto the stage in 1973 with Lauren Bacall playing Margo and when she left Anne Baxter (who played Eve here) took over the role of Margo for the stage, best of both worlds. It has been said that the only drawback for the film is the fact it's filmed too straight forward like a play. And it is straight forward, I love watching this film I think it's filmed beautifully, the character's personalities make up for anything that may be missing visually. The plot just glides along aided by the casual voice over performed by the venomous critic Addison De Witt, Karen and Margo.
Joseph Mankiewicz's older brother Herman helped his career flourish. Herman was known as the more talented brother, writing the screenplay for 1941's Citizen Kane, Joseph was bitterly jealous of the Oscar he won for it and wanted one for himself. Before Joseph wrote All About Eve, possibly the greatest script ever put to screen, he started out as a producer, producing the classic comedy The Philadelphia story in 1940. His debut as film director and writer was in 1946 when he took over from Ernst Lubitsch to direct Gene Tireney and Vincent Price in the gothic drama Dragonwyck. Then in 1949 and 1950 he got a double dosage of Oscar success when he won the Oscars for best director and screenplay two years in a row. Firstly in 1949 for the great drama Letter to Three Wives and in 1950 for All About Eve. The last film he worked on as director was the classic Sleuth (not the remake!) in 1972 starring Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier, one of the greatest mysteries. His filmography is filled with films of varied genres, western, musical, comedy, mystery and drama. His best efforts in film are rich in theatrical performance and character. Predominately his best movies like All About Eve delve deep into making each character on the screen show as much depth and complications as most people have in real life, it may not be as entertaining in real life but it is a riot on film.
To quote Karen: "what's attractive on stage need not necessarily be attractive off".
If you call yourself a fan of movies and you haven't yet seen All About Eve you surely should.

Academy Awards Won (1950):
Best Picture (Darryl F. Zanuck)
Best Director (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
Best Supporting Actor (George Sanders)
Best Costumes (Edith Head, Charles Le Maire)
Best Sound (20th Century Fox Sound Department)
It's an honour just to be Nominated:
Best Actress in a Leading Role (Anne Baxter)
Best Actress in a Leading Role (Bette Davis) - - snub
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Thelma Ritter)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Celeste Holm)
Best Art Direction, Black and White (Lyle R Wheeler, George W. Davis, Thomas Little, Walter M. Scott)
Best Cinematography, Black and White (Milton Krasner)
Best Music: (Alfred Newman)

Best Editing: (Barbara McLean)

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser

2011-01-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

Poster with English translation of the original German title

Producer/director/Writer: Werner Herzog

Player's: Bruno S. (Kaspar Hauser), Walter Ladengast (Professor Daumer), Brigitte Mira (Kathe), Willy Semmelrogge (Circus Director), Helmut Doring (Little King), Michael Kroecher (lord Stanhope), Hans Musaus (Unknown Man)

Music: Florian Ficke Cinematography: Jorg Schmidt - Reitwein

110 minutes - Germany - Historical Bi0 Drama - 1974

This is the first film made by German filmmaker Werner Herzog I have seen. All I really knew of him was he remade the horror classic Nosferatu in the late 70s and so having seen the original I never had the urge to watch it. After viewing Kaspar Hauser I may have to check out a few more of his movies! I give the Enigma of Kaspar Hauser a definite two thumbs up.

"It seems to me that my coming into this world was a very hard fall" - Kaspar Hauser

The film follows the legend of Kasper Hauser, a teenage boy who in 1828 one day was seen wondering around Nuremberg with a letter in his hand addressed to Captain von Wessenig. The letters author was anonymous but it basically said that the author had been "taking care" of Kaspar and throughout his life Kaspar had not stood a foot outside his home and asked for the captain to take care of him or hang him. Kaspar Hauser who could barely speak or walk sparked up much attention in Nuremberg and various people took him under their wing's to teach him subjects like religion, music and drawing. He seemed to be flourishing that is until his murder in 1833. He is often categorized as a "wolf (feral) child" and when Hauser first arrived in Nuremberg it was assumed that he had been raised in the wild. But because of what he missed out on as a child he was emotionally stunted and he never got beyond having a child's perspective. Kaspar always claimed that for the first 17 years of his life he was chained up sitting in a darkened cell playing with his toy horsey. Some suspected he was a descendent of the royal family, but to this day no one really knows for sure what his real story was. It has been rumored that he may have been the Prince of Baden who was thought to have died shortly after his birth. The prince ( the assumed Kaspar) may have been switched with a dying baby. And Bruno's murder in 1833 lead people to believe it happened because he was a prince. But who knows, there has been recent DNA tests, but nothing conclusive enough to rule anything out, so the mystery lives on, righteous.

This is the breeziest most light hearted historic drama I have ever seen. The film begins with images of waving wheat fields, a woman's face and a river bank, foliage, peaceful things unrelated to the plot but makes the scene where we meet Kaspar and he's all chained up more sad as he has never stepped a foot outside his dingy cell to see the wonders outside.

From the cell a man in a black cloak sets Kaspar free into the world like a baby. He is unable to much physically or mentally, not capable like a person of Kaspar's age should be. In Nuremberg he stands like a statue holding his letter immediately people are peaking out of their windows wondering who the this man is, until he is taken to the authorities. While the authorities speculate they keep him in another cell. Kaspar then shows his unawareness and innocents when an officer brings a flamed candle beside him and Kaspar touches it, which brings him to tears.

The turning points in the plot arrive with such ease and I can't imagine this story told any other way. Sometimes this is even a bit funny, not hilarious but some moments made me smile. Herzog seemed to have made Kaspar into a profound oracle of a man, like everything that happened to him was set in stone. Werner Herzog's based his screenplay on Kaspar's own diary. He used some dialogue straight from it, for example this sentence which the film begins with might have been Kaspar's words but unsure:

"Don't you hear all that horrible screaming around you that people usually call silence".

The film shows us a clear focus on how society then treated an innocent like Kaspar someone different, many embraced him, some ridiculed him, at one point he is sent to join the circus for the towns folk to gawk at him, and one man even murdered him, perhaps the same mysterious man who set him free into the world from the cell.

Bruno S. "the unknown solider of cinema" plays Kaspar. Herzog decided to cast Bruno (aka Bruno S) Schleinstein when he saw him in a documentary on German street music. Bruno had spent 23 years in mental institutions, his mother was a prostitute and bet him up often. Despite all the depressing details of his childhood he was a self taught musician and painter. His deprived rough history makes it easy to see why Herzog hired him to play Kaspar. Rather than hiring some experienced actor in his 20s to play the part, Herzog chose someone that in real life represented the same qualities as Kaspar. Bruno must of been around 40 at the time yet he doesn't at all seem like a 40 year old, his behavior is like a child's. His performance is like watching a helpless alien who has been dropped down to earth and just expected to live a way so beyond him. Often he just looks as if he's shell shocked giving hard stares, trying to figure things out. Professor Daumer who taught him from 1828 - 1831 tries to engage Kaspar in religion but that doesn't work out. Kaspar becomes distressed by church, he instead naturally takes to music.

Professor Daumer: "You've been such a short time in the world, Kaspar..."

Kaspar: "Why is everything so hard for me? Why can't I play the piano like I can breathe?"

When Bruno died last year in August Herzog said “in all my films, and with all the great actors with whom I have worked, he was the best. There is no one who comes close to him. I mean in his humanity, and the depth of his performance, there is no one like him.” After Kaspar Hauser, Werner Herzog in four days wrote a movie script especially for Bruno called Stroszek (1977). And now being a self professed Bruno S and Herzog fan I will certainly have to check this film out next!

Shorpy

2011-01-21T11:53:00.000-08:00

Today I discovered the great shorpy website and their collection of historical photographs (in HD) from the 1850s to 1950s, really who needs a time machine this site is so efficient. Many of the photos are from the library of congress archive site and users of the site submit their personal photos as well. There are loads of photos, thousands in fact, I thought I'll share some on here. The site is named after a teenage (he looks about 10) coal miner called Shorpy Higganbotham who was photographed in 1910 at work in Alabama (below) By Lewis Wickes Hine.

Shorpy (1910)

"A 6-year-old newsie who tried to short change me." Los Angeles, California (1915)
Photographer: Lewis Wickes Hine

Love Before Breakfast (1936) Houses in Atlanta By Walker Evans

A model floating in the water at Weeki Wachee Spring, Florida. The image by fashion photographer Toni Frissell was published in Harper's Bazaar in December 1947.

Coney Island (1905)

Sennett Girls (1919)

Traffic Stopper (1924)
"The license plate is almost as large as her automobile, but Miss Mary Bay likes her car because it is easy to park".

3 out of the 4 Novelty Grahams. Acrobatic performers; Victoria Theatre, Philadelphia(1910)

April 1865. "Farmville, Virginia, vicinity. High bridge of the South Side Railroad across the Appomattox.