Last Movie you Watched?

I could understand not being moved by THE RED SHOES. It's a very artificial kind of romance. The kind that lacks Benny Herrmann. Worth it tho for Grace Kelly and Jack Cardiff's cinematography.

It would be better as a series of still photographs or paintings.

Sharky wrote:

It's a very artificial kind of romance. The kind that lacks Benny Herrmann.

Sharky wrote:

Worth it tho for Grace Kelly and Jack Cardiff's cinematography.

Surprised to hear you say that, Shark. Brian Easdale wrote a wonderful score. No Grace Kelly in the Red Shoes, BTW.

I realise today's yoof might think it laughable, but The Red Shoes' message - that art is worth dying for - used to be generally accepted. I still believe it.

Love is worth dying for, as is God, but not one's art. That kind of narcissism confounds me.

Re: Yes sorry, Moira Shearer. I was thinking of something else. I've been overly impressed by Easedale's score, but listening to it on its own might help. Are there any recordings (or re-recordings) out there?

Never been able to separate love and art. All runs together for me.

You may love one's art, but that is different all together.

Easdale's score for THE RED SHOES is magnificent. There isn't a great recording of it, alas. (This CD at least preserves the wonderful ballet from the film: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HEDG9W/ref=dm_dp_cdp?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1322848878&sr=301-1.)

On TV: CASUALTIES OF WAR. The whole film has a satirical streak about it. If it was supposed to be a satire, then it's a poor satire. If it was meant to be a serious drama, as the IMDb classification suggests, it is a risible attempt at doing a serious war drama. If a satire, then the war time rape theme seems very inappropriate to me. What would be the point of such a satire? As a serious film, CoW clearly fails miserably. I get the impression a greatly talented director has wasted 30 years of his career.

Sirocco
Humphrey Bogart in a sort of "anti Casablanca"
with plenty of exotic middle eastern flavour, particularly from Zero Mostel in the "Sydney Greenstreet" role and the little moustachioed side kick (the Peter Lorre role? no, he's more reminiscent of Nick Cravat)
set earlier (20s) but made later and without the allegorical dimension
Casablanca is possibly my favourite film of all time, but I can acknowledge it's "romanticism" somewhat exceeds reality
here is the reality of life on the fringes
rather than the black and white of Freedom v Nazism we have the grey of French colonialism thinly disguised as a League of Nations mandate
the craggy, straight forward, idealistic figure of Lee J Cobb rather than the suave, slippery charm of Claude Rains
the beautiful femme fatale Marta Toren is a self involved gold digger with the empty soul, rather than the self sacrificing angel that was Ingrid Bergman
and then there is Bogart himself, as the former casino operator turned trader who runs guns for the rebels
where Rick Blaine always seemed externally cool in a crisis, always one step ahead of the game, always with a trick up his sleeve, always at least giving the impression of being in some sort of control
Harry Smith has lost most of his confident swagger, he knows his place, knows how precarious his position is, he knows fear
when the going gets tough his first instinct is to save his own skin and run
with the ladies he's persistent rather than charming, happy to try and buy the favours of the lady with a garish bauble
there is no witty or noble dialogue here, none of the customary Bogart exposition, analysing other peoples characters and motives like an X ray of their souls
where Rick Blaine was really a romantic, with a broken heart that made him adopt a stone facade, Harry Smith is a born chancer with no illusions who is in it for the money
however he is allowed his moment of redemption, only without the tacked on happy ending this time
two men still walk off into the desert night and one of them is the Cobb the cop, but the other is not Bogart

The works of Powell & Pressburger should be viewed on the big screen, anyway.

Might change your opinion of the film, Tux, if you ever get the opportunity.

I love Michael Powell's other major pictures - BLACK NARCISSUS. PEEPING TOM and A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. Though IMHO, THE RED SHOES is very much a lesser work.

Campbell's Kingdom

Dirk Bogarde as Bruce Campbell going to Canada to lay claim to his family's land, The Kingdom in the Canadian Rockies. Features that redoubtable mountain of a man, James Robertson Justice sporting a rather un-Lancelot Spratt Scottish accent. Could be worse, could be Sid James sporting a risky Canadian accent.
Stanley Baker the villain, Robert Brown his henchman, George Murcell his dimwitted goon and so on. Entertaining fair and good to see Bogarde in action.

Erica Ambler wrote:

The White Tuxedo wrote:

The Red Shoes (1948)I sorta watched it admiring how great it looked without giving a damn about anything that I was seeing.

And you thought Vertigo was shit as well. Not a romantic, are you, Tux?

I'm coming around on VERTIGO, and I'm actually quite a romantic. We'll see what another spin of THE RED SHOES will do for me.

Mr. Brown wrote:

The works of Powell & Pressburger should be viewed on the big screen, anyway.

Might change your opinion of the film, Tux, if you ever get the opportunity.

Along with the score being great, I forgot to mention that I watched the film wishing to see it on the big screen.

It's odd. The film just didn't grab me apart from the ballet sequence (which I watched again, still stunned). But I found all of it extremely impressive. What can I say? Some films grab you, some don't.

THE DESCENDANTS (2011, dir. Alexander Payne)

Maybe this film hits so close to home that I can't see the forest for the trees, but I think THE DESCENDANTS is pretty splendid.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

We'll see what another spin of THE RED SHOES will do for me.

Well, the romance at the core of it is very simplistic (unlike that of VERTIGO, which features a very messy romance). THE RED SHOES has a neat, fable-like quality. I can dig it and find it involving even though the character dynamics are pretty straight-forward. But the ballet sequence is definitely the highlight.

Cowboys and Aliens. I liked the dog and Daniel Craig's body. The rest of it was crap.

Santa wrote:

Cowboys and Aliens. I liked the dog and Daniel Craig's body. The rest of it was crap.

The movie was yes doggy-doo, but I did pay close attention to the dog. In fact that was my main focus, looking out for the dog. I was worried at one point when they all came riding along and there was no sign of the dog, and then suddenly it appeared. Whew! Thank god for the dog. Saved this film from being a complete stinker.

Captain Blood

Errol Flynn is a glorious bastard.

Valley of the Dolls (1967)

Two hours that felt like two months. One of the worst, most boring movies I've ever seen. Not even the unintentional humor did anything for me.

Best check out Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, tux!

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

Best check out Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, tux!

I got it from Netflix too. Probably see it tomorrow.

There are some fantastically hilarious moments in this ... but also many awkward, hide behind a pillow moments as well ... then again I've never been good at watching films like this ... much prefer an action or thriller or something.

Still was a good flick to watch.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

Valley of the Dolls (1967)

Two hours that felt like two months. One of the worst, most boring movies I've ever seen. Not even the unintentional humor did anything for me.

Sharon Tate was great camp eye-candy at least. This movie is apparently real popular with gay men. Part two though is utter torture to watch. In fact its not even a sequel. Just a lift of the title.

Written On The Wind (1956) Dir. Douglas Sirk

Ah, the second watch.

Its been years since I first watched this - in which I've watched many a Sirk, many a 50s melodrama, many a pic with Hudson/Malone/Bacall, read much on 50s films - and I'd really forgotten, or really not even realized, how good this film is.

A delicious feast of melodrama with the lot, with the best parts being the performances of Bob Stack and of course, Dorothy Malone, who is sublimely electric. And high marks to her costume desginer, too. 8)

This evening, I felt like an epic. First I thought SPARTACUS, then I thought ADVISE & CONSENT, but suddenly I decided on...



Peyton Place (1957) Dir. Mark Robson

Like WRITTEN ON THE WIND, this was a second watch, but I hadnt forgotten how good this one was. And second time round, its an absolute cracker.

Locations.
Music.
Various stories that overlap seamlessly.
Cinemascope.
The cast - Turner, Phillips, Lange, Varsi, Nolan, Ames, Moore, Nelson, Coe, and of course that god amongst men, Arthur Kennedy, in one of his most barnstorming roles.

Marvellous.

What about Bob?

Bill Murray in some form. An insane ride from start to end.